HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE -

OK WHAT TO SAY? NOTHING MUCH HAS HAPPENED REALLY, except it's been eat, eat, eat, and drink drink drink for the past er ... fortnight?!! And nothing looks set to change as we zoom towards year end and a brand-new decade.

On Christmas Eve we joined some friends for a Christmas Eve with a difference: seafood at Ocean Green! At least one didn't have to look yet another turkey in the eye ... or breast, for that matter. Then on the 25th itself a group of us, family and friends, met up at the Penang Club for their traditional Christmas lunch, which, I am honour-bound to say, was a disappointment. But then why am I surprised? After almost a year of boycotting the place why oh why did I decide to go there again?

The semi-buffet concept was good, except there was very little starters to choose from, a bit of salad and the cold turkey (geddit?!!!) was practically non-existent esp as you know what Penangites are like: grab everything first. So by the time we got to it there were just scraps of meat torn from various cavities. I think they must have just roasted ONE turkey for 50 people.

As for the main courses, my steak was OK if a bit tasteless (as was the lamb according to No2 Son); but my husband thought his was pretty tough - in fact, he reckoned it to horsemeat. Which was probably a bit of an insult to the horse really. Another thought his chicken was good.

Dessert was just as pathetic: there was a bit of chocolate cake, Christmas pudding and ice kacang. For approx RM40-50 pp depending on the starter you chose, I thought it was ridiculously expensive and not worth the money.

BOXING DAY was spent at a friend's garden party which was stunning - she'd gone to elaborate lengths to decorate everything, and the place looked like a fairy tale scene; it was all there, including even mulled wine, and she'd got Hardwicke House in to cater, and a band to sing although that was eventually appropriated by the crowd and disappeared into Karaoke land. Unfortunately it started to drizzle slightly a bit later on in the evening.

Another party the next night, and the next, and last night yet another... and of course tonight, and tomorrow night which I'm dreading cos of the traffic and crowds. I'm beginning to wish the year end would hurry up! At least my liver is anyway.

Hope you had a great Christmas too, and here's to 2010 and all that it brings.