When one door shuts, another BIGGER one opens....

I guess I can say that this week hasn't been good for me....or at least for the beginning of the week. But nevertheless, I've been having quite a lot of fun with my friends in school....especially on Wednesdays. Wednesdays are always great for me....coz A, it's sort of like TGIF for me, since it's the last day of class for the week. And B, my favorite chef, Chef Ross, teaches Demo on that day. So it's always awesome to have him around. I totally adore him....he's got flair and elegance when he teaches Demo....he's totally THE MAN.

I have this friend called Zalfa and she's really quite a comic. She's a lot older than I am...like about 37 years old...but for some reason, we seem to get along very well together, although we're like total opposites. She's really tall, slim and hot....and I'm like short, fat and cool (i wasn't gonna say ugly...I have way more integrity than that..lol). She's so much into dance music, especially hip hop and trance...whereas I'm totally anti all of those crap music. She's this really warm and loving individual who is just a dear...and I'm like this really cold and ignorant person who is just plain evil. Lol...Bottom line is, you can see that one's from heaven and the other one's from hell.

Anyway...she has a habit of saying what's on her mind...without thinking much about the implications of what she's actually saying. So while we were in the change rooms after the Demo, we talked about Chef Ross being a really great teacher. And she thinks that Chef Ross has the charisma to run his own cooking show...and I was like, "Why're you telling me? Go and tell Chef!" And she was just like..."Yeah, you're absolutely right. I'm gonna go tell him!" I was like...OMG..she didn't actually take me seriously. I mean I was totally joking about telling chef.

So she went back to the Demo room and approached Chef Ross. This was how the conversation was like:- (I was just behind her...trying to keep myself from laughing my ass off)

Zalfa: Chef, have you ever thought of starting your own cooking show?

Chef: What? A cooking show?? No...

Zalfa: It's just that I think you'd be great on TV...I mean you're always so organized and elegant when you teach us...like everything is just in its place. (At this point of time, she sounded a bit flirty and she was coming on too strong but she just didn't realize it....but I did...LOL!!)

(Chef's face was a little flushed...and you could tell that he totally didn't know how to respond to that!)

Chef: *ranting* Oh yeah...really?? Hahaha....thank you!

Zalfa: I even thought of a name for your cooking show!! It'll be called "ROSS IS THE BOSS!"

(At this point, I just couldn't take it anymore and just laughed my ass off...and you could totally see that Chef was totally clueless as to how to respond.)

Chef just laughed at what Zalfa just said, but didn't say anything after that. But somehow, I could tell that his mind was saying:-

Chef' mind: "What the hell is this woman trying to indicate? Is she flirting with me? I'm a little confused...maybe I should just laugh and she'll go away."

OMG...that was the most randomest thing I've ever seen someone do. Lol...and I totally love it~!! The funny thing was....I had to tell Zalfa that she actually sounded a bit flirty...and chef was a little flustered. Coz Zalfa and Chef are about the same age...so it totally sounded like she was flirting with him. I just couldn't stop laughing at that....I mean really...it's just the funniest thing I've ever witnessed so far. And she said she was a shy girl when I first met her....SHY MY ARSEEE!!!!

Okay...enough about that. She'll kill me if she knew that I posted this incident on my blog. Lol...she's kinda like my source of entertainment...she just makes me laugh my ass off. Another thing...I kinda call her "MOM", coz of her maternal instincts of always knowing what I need. I mean really...she knows when something's bothering me...and she always helps me carry my stuff. Coz I'm kinda like a klutz in school...I always have way too many stuff to carry around and I keep dropping papers and books. In return, I drive her home every night from school...coz her place is on my way home. I always tell ppl that I have to drive my Mom home...lol. So that's basically the other part of my life in school. It's not always just stress and chaos in the kitcen...sometimes it can be really fun! And I'm really glad for it.

Anyways, here are some pictures of the food that I took during Demo class. I didn't cook them...but Chef did. However, we were meant to cook the same dishes that he did during demo, so my version would look exactly like chef's. I just never remember to take picture of the food that I've cooked. The only difference between mine and chef's would probably be the TASTE...lol. Here it goes:-

This is a Duck Breast with Onion Confit with a Spinach Mousse as garnish. As you can see the green pudding-like thing is the spinach mousse...and to be honest, mine looked way better....reason is becoz I didn't blend the spinach in the machine. I just chopped it really fine, mixed it in the egg mixture and baked it. The color of my spinach mousse looked way more appetizing.

This is a Puree of Pea Soup Saint Germain with Croutons. This recipe was actually served together with the duck breast...and lol..we called it the "St Patrick's Day" combo coz they were all so green. Lol.

This is one of my favorites...it's called "Smoked Salmon with Mango Salad". This entree dish is absolutely fantastic!! The mango salad was AWESOME!! Even the dressing had some mangoes in it...omg..it was just heavenly.

Last but not least...the highlight of the course! LOBSTER AMERICAINE served with Rice Pilaf!! We actually had to kill a live lobster. And one lobster costs about $60 bucks. Anyway...it was such a great dish. Everybody did such a great job on the dish...and ALL of us took the dish home. I mean..who's gonna be that stupid to waste his/her share of the lobster.


So I went to my usual guitar lesson today...and I was talking to Harry, my guitar teacher about my progress and all. All of a sudden, he just asked me this question, "Do you think you'd be able to teach Beginner's guitar?" He just caught me off guard there...I just said..."Uhmm...yeah I guess!" He kinda indirectly offerred me to teach on behalf of him....for beginner's only of course. I was soooo excited...I mean...it's such a privilege to have someone like Harry believe in your talents and skills. He didn't sound like he was kidding.

OMG...u know what this means if he's actually serious bout letting me teach his students?? It means that I'm finally making progress in my music dream!! Someone actually believes in my music talents...and little by little...I'm gonna achieve that dream I've always wanted. A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN!! And from there, I can branch out bit by bit...like form a band...perform live...record an album. I'm not exactly looking to get rich and famous with my music...I just wanna get some form of recognition...and acquire some contacts so that when I open my cafe/bistro some time in the future, I'd be able to hire good bands to perform live at my establishment. Now...that would be my ULTIMATE DREAM!! Basically, I still wanna be a chef...but at the same time, I also wanna be kept in the loop within the music industry.

You know what Harry said to me before I finished my lessons? He said this, precisely...Veron, I want to make you the best student I've ever taught. Actually, you are already one of my best students and I believe that you can do way better...I know it!! But you're just a bit slack!! So go home, practise, and show me that you can do it next week!

These words of encouragement just totally made my day. Some ppl are just so natural with words of encouragement and motivation. Harry's definitely one of em'. He makes me believe that I can totally achieve the impossible. Sometimes I feel that I need more of these ppl in my life....or perhaps, sometimes I just wish that I am someone like that. But unfortunately, I give up on things way too easily...I totally know that about myself. I'm a total wuss sometimes...I give up the second I know that I cannot succeed in something. I'm way too afraid of failing...and this sorta attitude will never get me anywhere above the mediocre level. But good news is...I'm starting to change little by little.

Well...I guess it's true when ppl say that "When one door shuts, another one opens!" Not just any door...but a BIGGER and MEANER door. I guess that's what is happening to me at the moment. I might've under-achieved in my studies as a chef....but I've made some major progress in my music. But I guess my aim would be to try to balance these two aspects of my life. I wanna be awesome in both. Not just one or the other....but BOTH!! Some ppl say I might be too greedy to embrace in both....but those ppl can go to hell.

Alright...post is getting a little too long. Catch you next time! Cheers.