Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you all had a good one. We certainly did. I for one happen to think it's an overcommercialized, Hallmark Bonanza Day, and I don't think you need a special day a year to tell your significant other what she means to you. I get her flowers at least once a month.

And admittedly, the last week has been horribly busy, with me going off call just a few days ago. So, I wasn't planning to do much of anything but to just catch up on my rest and to spend a quiet weekend with Kristin. Heck, I wasn't even planning to get her a card.

Until the realization hits me on Feb 14th itself.

"Oh, what did the two of you do on your first Valentine's day together as a married couple?"

"Um, nothing. I didn't even get her a card..."

I'd sound like a cheap, unromantic bastard.

And so we got our butts into gear and make some fast plans. Kristin took me to an outdoor skating rink. She knows I love to skate... (after that spectacular fall the OTHER time I went ice-skating 9 years ago I swore I'd sooner get circumcised without any lidocaine, than to skate again).

Thankfully, my wife was firm. Emotionally AND physically- I held onto her hand like I was hanging off a 100-foot cliff. We had an hour of fun and yet terrifying skating. The rink was busy; you could always tell the veterans from the amateurs. The veterans were skating backwards and displaying all kinds of tricks. The newbies had a wide-eyed look and patches of snow on their knees and butt (from all the falls).

We skated until dark. And, to our delight, witnessed a wedding on the rink! Yes, on Valentine's day, a couple and their entourage came here and were married on the ice. After that they spent about 15 mins skating with the rest of us (while family watched and their photographers attempted to take their pictures, but probably got more pictures of the other skaters who inadvertently skated into their view just as they took the shot).

Kris and I figured this couple must have met or gotten engaged at this place previously.

Back home, rather than fighting with the crowds for a table at a restaurant, and then paying for an expensive meal, we thought we might start a tradition of making a new recipe for us each Valentine's day.

And so, ladeez and gentlemen, I present to you our entree, baked lobster tail with sweet ginger sauce. Never cooked lobster before, but I must say this turned out pretty damn good. And the sauce is to die for. Check out the recipe here if you ever want to give it a whirl.

Just be prepared that lobsters ain't cheap, even if bought from the store. It was about RM140 for the lobster tails.

And for dessert, we had chocolate-dipped strawberries and sweet kiwifruit/raspberry wine.

All in all, we had a wonderful, quiet day. Far from those corny Form 3 (15 years old) Valentine's dates (someday I'll blog about that). Hope you folks had a good one too.