US Open 2009

Time is really zipping by. Every year I use the Major golf tournaments as time markers.The first Major of the year, the Masters is played on the first week of April and signals the beginning of Spring. For this reason I really like the Masters as it marks the start of favourite time of year for me.
The US open is usually played the week of the summer solstice and Father's Day. As a very proud father of 2 wonderful children and a golf fan I really enjoy this weekend. On top of this there is baseball to enjoy.The Toronto Blue Jays are still playing well inspite of too many pitchers on the diabled list.Also we will be going to a party on Saturday night. This will be a really busy weekend. One sour note is that the weather forecast for Saturday is not so good and it looks like my weekly golf game will be a wash out.This is the same weather system that is affecting the eastern seaboard and has caused the US Open to have a rain delay.

T Bone

BBQ season is now in full swing after a slow start to to the below seasonal temperatures we have been experiencing in Toronto the past month or so. I am really not in the mood to BBQ when the weather is cloudy, windy and chilly.
One of the supermarkets had a special for T Bone steaks and I got a few pieces for the BBQ. For vegetables I had asparagus and tomatoes, all done on the BBQ. The steaks were simply seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil. I prefer it this way as I can really enjoy the natural flavour of the beef. The steaks were about 1/2 " thick which which is not the ideal thickness. I prefer them to be at least 1" thick so that I can achieve the doneness ( rare to medium rare) that I like. The steaks turn out to be medium to medium rare and were nonetheless totally tender and delicious and were enjoyed with English mustard.

Groundhog Day

Played at the Don Valley Golf Course last Saturday, a municipal facility five minutes from my house. Although this course is right in the center of Toronto there is an abundance of wildlife in the course.Foxes, deer and groundhogs. Spotted this little fella by the 5 th hole.They have grown used to humans and go about their business quite fearlessly. Also this must be the nesting season for birds as in various parts of the course we have been attacked by birds who swoop down from behind onto our heads.We must been too near their nests.

Enjoying Spring

Very cliched I know, but the month of May has really flashed by very very quickly. I am really enjoying these 2 months of Spring with the nice cool weather and the great expectations the comes with Spring. I was down with a nasty long winded cough for 2 weeks which restricted activities like golf and getting my meager planting program going.When I said meager I really mean it as I only plant some chillis and herbs ( daun kesom, coriander and mint) in my very tiny garden. The threat of frost during the Victoria Day weekend, which is the traditional start of the planting season really put back the planting by one week which is a big deal in the short growing season in this part of the world.
Apart fom missing golf with my cough, 2 rounds had to be cancelled due to the weather. On one of the rounds we actually played 5 holes but had to stop due to lightning. On top of being sick and no golf, the Toronto Blue Jays went on a 9 game losing streak, which is one of the longest in franchise history. Mercifully we have won the last 2 games against the Boston Red Sox and I played a round of golf yesterday in vey nice 15 degree weather. My cough is now completely gone and everything is now kosher in my little world.

Gulai Tumis

Made Gulai Tumis or Nonya Assam Fish for dinner the other night. The picture above does not really do justice to the tasty halibut collars used for this dish. Halibut is eminently suitable for this dish because of its firm sweet white flesh. "Collars" is a less expensive cut compared to the usual steaks that this fish comes in. I like the fatty and oily parts that comes with the collars. As a comparison these collars are $3 per lb compared to the steaks which are about $7 per lb. The traditional fish used for this dish in Malaysia is white pomfret which I also like. I buy nearly all my fish from the frozen section of the Chinese supermarkets. They are usually of better quality than the so called "fresh" fish sold. These "fresh" fish is presented usually as steaks and it is difficult to tell whether the fish is fresh or not. I only buy "fresh" fish when they come whole when I can tell from the eyes (clear) and gills(dark red) whether they are fresh.

We are open for business

BBQ season is upon us. I started to use the grill last week for the beer can chicken.The grill that I have is a Weber, one of the best high end brands in the market.This baby cost $1100 2 years ago but I must say it is worth every cent. The lighter works every time and the 3 burners gives out excellent heat.The best thing I like about this grill is that it uses natural gas instead of propane.I will therefore never run out.This is especially frustating when grilling expensive steaks when we have people over for dinner and the flame goes out. During the summer I do a lot of outdoor cooking and the natural gas allows me to do a lot of non traditional BBQ meals like roast pork, Chinese roast pork and char siu too.
Another good thing about the Weber is that it is so easy to clean.Everything can be taken apart and cleaned. There is therefore no excuse for a dirty looking Weber as you can see from the picture.It is spring cleaning time!

Golf Opening Day

The golf season started for me this year when we had our first game on Saturday April 18. It was a beautiful morning with temperatures at around 15 c going up to maybe 18c by midday.We played very well for the 2nd nine and I did not make a double bogey for the entire nine.

I think this year could be a breakout year for me as I have sorted out a couple of swing issues in my mind over the the winter. Every Winter when we have a 5 month lay off, I typically use the time to reflect on my swing. Lessons will help a lot but they will not be 100% effective unless I include some self lessons. For example my teacher told me that I release or "cast" my club too early resulting in loss of power. This is where lessons are so important as I would not have noticed it myself. However he did not provide me with a means on how to solve this problem. This is a common trait among golf teachers that I have worked with. They are good at picking swing faults but not good at communicating solutions. For this problem I have devised a swing thought to maintain my wrist cock right until impact.

The other problem I have which is far too common for all golfers is not maintaining posture. Specifically moving the head up and down. The key discovery for me during the winter is that I am moving my head up without realising it. Therefore I am making a very conscious effort to keep my head still and has gotten very good results in Saturday's game.



I had a visitor from the UK last week and we had dinner together. This was his first visit to Toronto and one of his observations that our city is a concrete jungle with little greenery really took me by surprise. I really had no answer for him except to protest the fact. After he left I suddenly realised what he meant. Although we are nearly a month from into Spring, all the trees are still in Winter mode. That is the reason the city look so barren and devoid of any greenery except for those from the ever greens.If he had come in May the landscape would have been entirely different!