My 2011 Birthday Celebration

It's that time of year again when I had to add a +1 to my age - Involuntarily. I had to be dragged kicking & screaming past the dateline that made me older today. I've celebrated my birthday with family, friends & colleagues already before the actual official day, since my official hatch day is reserved for my Lioness, as always.

We started the celebration real early - at 5 plus in the morning, we went to Boon Lay Place for a dim sum and 小碗面 breakfast where we chatted for a couple of hours before heading back home to rest.

We had a mind to go out in the afternoon but it started pouring. So we extended our rest at home. My Lioness had a surprise planned for me for dinner. She does that every year for my birthday, cracking her head for places I've never dined at before. At the rate that we are going, I wonder if we might run out of dining places in this small country by the time I hit 100; unless the rate that they build new dining places surpasses the rate I grow older.

Just like I always do every year, I try to guess the surprise dining places my Lioness wants to bring me to. Based on her clues that I tricked her into letting slip, I guessed she would be bringing me to the Jurong Bird Park area this year. The look on her face told me I was right, even though she tried to side-track the issue.

So she admitted that her plan for the afternoon was to bring me to some place within Jurong Bird Park before dinner where the staffs were supposed to treat me like a king since it's my birthday. The poor girl has already booked and paid for the place but the rain ruined this Plan A of hers. So by the time the rain has subsided enough for us to go out, we had to go straight for dinner. For this year, she brought me to The Village just opposite the Jurong Bird Park over at Jurong Hill.

So the surprise dining place turned out to be Shiu Yakiniku within The Village itself. True that I've never dined here before. Despite the fact that they highlight mainly their Japanese dishes, they have Korean dishes too.

My Lioness knows I love BBQ hotplate food, so she brought me here. I was well prepared; I dieted for the couple of days before this. It's only during occasions like this that I allow myself to indulge in gluttony.

The food here was really not bad at all. When it comes to such food, the marination of the meat determines most of the overall taste and I could feel my taste buds tingle with delight. Still, I prefer Taiwanese BBQ hotplate and I think I can savor those again come March in Taipei, and in cold decent weather too. Yippee \o/

After dinner, we went behind the building where the prawn farm is located to have a look-see. Lots of peeps were prawning; something I can't quite understand the 'joys' of. So I came here out of curiosity to see if I would catch anyone having an orgasm the minute a prawn bites just so it might help me to understand why prawning can be such a fun activity for some folks.

No orgasm. Just lots of beer and barbecuing of caught seafood.

And speaking of beer, I was looking for a nice watering hole to hole-up for a mug of after-dinner beer, so after walking around, we found this restaurant-pub called 'El Barrio' situated just behind Shiu Yakiniku. Judging by their menu and the food the guests were having at the central occupied table, El Barrio specializes in Ayam Penyet, a famous Indonesian dish. They even have an extra spicy version and the words 'try if you dare' or something similar written in the menu for it.

I like Ayam Penyet but I had to forgo it this time round and just settle for a mug of Heineken since I came with an already full stomach. I would love to try their Ayam Penyet if I have the chance to go back there again someday.

Well, so that was how we celebrated my birthday this year. Could have done lots more and visited more places if it wasn't for the rain. But we practiced Quality over Quantity, so it was still OK. I'm still wondering how I would have been treated like a king on his birthday if we had been to the place inside the bird park she wanted to bring me to that we have missed, though..

Until next year...