Season Greetings

Been awhile since I updated the blog so here I am finally getting down to write stuff again. How time flies and it is almost the end of my holidays already. Argh sianz, have to get back to studying already but there is still joy in studying if i get the modules I want. Hopefully, I would get the comparative criminal law module so that I can write things that really touch my heart. Yeah today is christmas eve already, but then my dear C is now in bed trying to recover from a bad bout of flu. Hopefully she gets fine soon, but then i shall still tweak my christmas eve dinner to take into account of her sickness. Pray that God will heal her soon and God will allow her to find rest in Him. Anyway this morning I would be trying to make Char Kway Teow for my parents. Hopefully it will turn out well, then later I would be gng to get my dear's present and also shop for ingredients for the dinner. heheh so many things to do. better get going soon. hehehe talala

what i've been up to..
heehee
happiness comes from pink thread, pink dotty cloth and sewing madness :P


anyway this is attempt no. 2.
#1 was too much complicated and turned out rather hideous. it sits half stuffed, half sewn, tormenting me by my beside.

anyhow, i'm waiting for the base cloth to dry *it's good to wash all newly bought cloth* before i continue sewing. and thank God for fusible interfacing. Now i know what went wrong with #1. sigh..

till later!

i think the googly eye thing has caught on everywhere. including mr pooh bear here :P

falalalala

ullooo..

been extremely busy at work nowadays, and I've got much better things to do like sleeping, surfing online, than blogging. hahahaha.

anyways, been ding-dong-ing between 2 projects at the work front, but i'm fortunate now to be concentrating on just 1 project now. hehee. GFA and site coverage is such a chore! zz.

i found this website that's pretty funny, where u just upload your face onto some elf and after 4 faces have been uploaded, they do a silly dance.

but i find that the best effects are of people making silly faces.

Old cartoons

Haha, this post is just for me to relieve stress while the pressure of the upcoming exams is building up. Nah! with the bulk of rubbish already cleared now I would just have to study why banks are the biggest leeches around in the world today, sucking people of their monies by credit cards and asking people to buy unit trust funds or stocks or financial products when the market is clearly going down down down due to the sub prime mortgage crisis in US. Funny how my Prof actually said in class that if only all investment bankers were lawyers then less people would get cheated. So lawyers are not that bad after all, bankers are worse. hahaha. Anyway back to the topic, old school cartoons.

First up there is MASK or Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand which talks about how this millionaire's wife got killed by some villians and this guy traumatised by the ordeal set up a vigilante group to fight against the evil VENOM. But the key attraction is the vehicles that can change from one thing to another. Jus like the transformers, think this was the period where anything that can "transform" would attract the attention and affection of boys. hahaha. My fave toy was the vehicle of the bag guys' boss, a fighter jet that can change into an attack helicopter. hahaha why do they always give the fighter jets to the bad guys.

Second, there is capt planet, which is really quite a stupid show but dunno why I love it so much. Perhaps it is becos of how the 5 planeteers have the power to control certain elements of nature. And they had to choose 5 people of different colours to subtly insert the message of racial equality into such cartoons.

Then there is mighty mouse whereby a small little creature always saves the day, teaching children that sometimes it is not form tat matters but the substance.

There are so many things that I remember in my childhood days that are no longer existent already. First up we had soft drinks in glass bottles and chewing gum could be bought from provision shops. Then there was toyo and ding dang which are chocolate balls with toys included in the box. Then how could I forget A & W that serves superd coney dogs with lots of onions and invented the concept of the root beer float and curly fries. Too bad it is no longer in existence in Singapore.

Hahah and it was the time when there was no handphones and pagers were a rarity still. Neverthless, someone would actually get a pager and a voicemail account and then allow everyone to use the voice mail account so that people who are late for appointments or cannot make it to the appointment can make last minute calls. But gone are the days and with the proliferation of internet, kids are exposed to much more rubbish and knowledge these days.

The Birthday cake

These are just the long overdue photos of how her birthday cake looks like. Heheh pardon the kindergarten like handwriting. But it was really nice and not too sweet with a rich chocolatey taste superb hehehe.

And finally, I have finished two major assignments and only have 2 x 4-credit exams staring at my face. The good thing is that the exams are only 2 days apart and cover pretty much the same topic which is that of the "legal" loansharks. Dunno why this time round I feel so at peace after doing my assignments. I dun doubtful that I would fail the assignment but jus feel confident that i did the best and God will do the rest. Then again, not that I felt this way all the time but at least after everything I am at peace with God and myself.

Now, C is having a hard time and work hopefully things would look up for her soon and she will do the work with a joyful heart and not be discouraged by anything. I know it is a tall order but I believe that God will work wonders through this period.

Haha so after the chocolate cake wat's next? hehehe cake dedication time *Applicable to Cheryl only. And also i decided not to go back to work this dec at all so that I can perfect my culinary skills to prepare the perfect christmas dinner hehehe. That's all for now, argh and my body is getting stiff from staying in the stupid position in front of the computer argh.

been extremely busy the past week.
here are more treats as in a total contrast in the past week, i now have nothing to do. 0_0

my birthday was spent in the office, rushing out a submission and N (the forever sweetie pie) popped by my office to pass me my unagi fried rice dinner, as well as the lovely fudge cake he baked :D

had lunch with sasa at shatin kitchen for lunch too, and we had pork ribs (5 stars!!), tofu with soy sauce and sliced fish hor fun (yummers ).

in addition, i was working on BOTH saturday and sunday troubleshooting some stuff ( shan't complain / bitch abt it anymore) and N also brought in dinner and his moral support~

ok boss just came back. taaaaaa

Happy Birthday Moomoo!

Dearie hopefully when you eat this cake tomorrow u would love it. It is called "Chocolate Moomoo cake", and it was done with Mr Kenwood who I got it back from the service centre by a miracle. First, I went to school and planned to get Mr Kenwood after my lesson which was supposed to end at 415pm. The service centre closes at 5pm. Then the tutor drops a bomb, he says that the lesson finishes at 5pm today. Then I was like ok it would be super rush to bake a cake tomorrow and deliver it to Cheryl. But then he ended the lesson like 445pm. At that point of time somehow i felt God telling me that I can get it in time. So I was like ok, I call the service centre up first to tell them I would be late while I drew money from the atm. Then the lady said that she could not contact the technical dept and asked me to call back in 5mins. So I just proceed by faith and walked out of school to find a taxi. Who knows just as I stepped out of school a taxi zoomed out of LKY school of public policy. hehehe then I knew God was really helping me. So I boarded the cab and told the Uncle my predicament. Then he said that I was lucky cos he wanted to go home to JURONG (the opposite direction from the service centre) to eat dinner already. Deep down in my heart I knew it was not luck. Then I was thinking, that it is gng to be rush hour soon and the traffic condition would be quite bad. But somehow, traffic at LORNIE RD was clear and also the traffic lights were GREEN all the way. Wow, if this is not God helping me I dunno wat is. Then when I called back the woman on the taxi, she told me that the technician was willing to wait till 510pm. I glanced my watch and it was 5pm already, and I was still at Lornie Rd. So I was like ok it is sure gng to be close! Then to cut the long story short, I reached there exactly when my watch struck 510pm. And I got Mr Kenwood back to make the fudge cake for my Dear. hehehe. Wat a happy day, THANK GOD. I know that she is working hard to finish a project, hopefully the cake would cheer her up tomorrow hehehe. Ok back to my essays hahaha.

Toodlez

something that N's 9yo sunday school kids did up when i went along for their children's day movie at vivo.

they made him pass it to me and they wanted to see my reaction. *heehee* and even pasted some stickers as well.

Happy day!

Haha finally blogger has allowed me to upload photos of wat I have been doing with my spare time recently. It is cake baking. Hehehe and tomorrow is C's birthday already, hopefully the chocolate fudge cake would turn out nice so that I can make her happy even though she is very busy at work now.

I shall blog about the process of trying to bake a cake. At first it was a mad scurry to get all the ingredients and equipment for cake baking. hahaha then it was the mixing and folding hehehe. I did not know that C is an expert in folding and these made the process so much easier. Then when it is in the oven, words cannot express the joy of seeing the cake rise as time goes by. hahaha and the best part of it all is when you eat the cake and taste how wonderfully delicious it is. But a word of caution though, cakes are really unhealthy stuff hahaha, with the amount of eggs butter and sugar you put in, eeks. haha but then when u bake ur own cakes u get to control the amount of the unhealthy stuff u put in while not compromising on taste. But most of all it is the quality time spent with your loved ones that matter.

wheee wheee wheeee~
today is happy day happy day lalalalala~

updates later! :D

just a little treat :D
started with lion #5 and was suddenly inspired by 'the lion king' where simba literally grew up as he walked over a bridge. hehehehe

Great Start to a Great Day

Heheh I love enjoy that too the strawberry thingy was particularly sweet today and I love it. Ok for now let me concentrate on my essay and get cracking.

heehee :D

i enjoy mornings when i can wake up to N's face and breakfasts in each other's company :)

blah blah meh meh..

here we are, sitting at a nice cozy corner at starbucks@ the cathay..
norman is drinking his green tea softee thingamajig.. and i'm sitting here, bloated after a buffet at holiday inn, with an incredibly burnt pocket. -_-..

anyway N surprised me just now by giving me an SA magazine.. which ironically, i also subscribe to.
hahah the poor dear.. anyway he bought it because he saw some sentosa projects in it and thought that i'd be interested in it :P

but it was well worth the effort and to me, it's really the thought that counts and not the materiality of the gift itself. kekekekeke.

Anyway N also told me that my tshirt design for NUS Dive Club has hit off well with people who've been on trips with them. It's not as if they were selling the singlets, but rather pple requested to buy them. heeheeheee..

it's a simple design, but anyway i was also surprised that pple were interested in them. kekekekeke. and N is suggesting that i do some tshirt design / business as a sideline. heeheee..

N suggested that for this post, we'd ask questions to each other. haha so well here goes...

N: what do u think it'll be like 20 years from now?

C: err. =_="""
N: Cheryl would be doing something that she really likes which is to help people in whatever way she can. Perhaps the soup kitchen would become a reality but i think porridge would be a more likely solution for the local context. Heheh and not forgetting that we would be have teenage children by then and she would be teaching our gurl how to design stuff and do arty farty stuff with her. While i go out and play with our boy. hehe perhaps he would like soccer too, or running or swimming or watever sporty things that I like to do. hehehe and also chasing them round the house. Then I would be cooking for her nice dinners and she would be baking nice little cupcakes delicately decorated. I would see us taking nice strolls down the beach and talking as we walk about everything under the sun. Hehe ok ur turn.

C: i hope to be a hot sexy mama. and N would be a hot sizzling dada. wahahahhaha. anyway i see that we'd most likely be successful in whatever we do / indulge in.. *hehehe i hope so*. N would be conselling pple and giving them advice, and perhaps i'd be away at my sewing machine furiously churning out softies for little less-priviledged kid at some corner of the globe. hahahah but seriously, 20 years is a bit far for me to forsee. so N, can u pls ask me an easier question!??!?!?!

N: What you wanna do tomorrow?
C: -_-". i want to save the world tmr. NEXT!!

C: how much are u willing to pay for a sewing machine?? kekekekeke..
N: $300/= +++

N: Then wat am I gng to get for christmas?
C: since i can't give bobo no.2, N will get 1. a mascara and eyelash set for his sparkly peepers, since he's winking and batting his eyelashes at me right now. 2. a sketchbook so he can wax lyrical about his philosophies and rhetorics and romantic ideals, etc. heehee. 3. a set of ***** - his favourite stuff now, but i shan't divulge, or else he'll know what im thinking of and the surprise can't be a surprise anymore. heeheeheeeeeeeee..

C: which room do u think is the most important room in a house? and why.... :D

N: Every room is impt to me cos it is OUR HOME heheh. But then if pressed for an answer I would say that the most impt room is the dining room. Perhaps becos I am a food person and I think meals are the best time to interact with the family. It is also the place where I can share the fruits of my labour with my family. Hehehe nice food and also nice desserts. Lastly, I would like to have nice breakfasts with C every weekend. The menu would consists of nice pancakes with blueberrys embeded within. And I would pour maple syrup over the pancake which would be nice and fluffy.

C: hehehe. well because of my background, the home is divided into the public and private. public where relatives / ABCD person would be able to enjoy the space, and private where only the owners of the home enter. No space is regarded as superior to each other, but each space is given more importance within the house as a person occupies the place and the other areas fade into the background. And as the person traverses within the confines of the home, each space he utilises contributes to a particular meaning to the user and therefore brings more meaning and importance to the person than the physical space itself.

aiyah im very bad with words, and im rather tired to really edit this concept. hahaha. each space should be cosy lah. heeheee...yay.. next!!

N: shall we leave for the show already? hehehehe.
C: oops! ok~~~

p.s. we're gg to watch "when the sun rises". tataa!!!
google it if u must~

hmmm

the man and i enjoy looking at cute and fat babies.

oh noes. 0_0""""

my baptism

it's been quite a while since i've updated anything cos i've been incredibly busy aka incredibly tired to blog at all.

anyway 16th Sept ( last sunday ) was my baptism :D
heehee.. been thinking about it for ages and finally took the time to go for baptism classes and really thankful that God provided me an opportunity to openly declare my faith towards Him and that opened my heart wide open to accept whatever i had to go through ( eg. ministry, etc. ) to prepare myself for baptism.

I was a rather nervous wreck on the day itself, it's a once in a lifetime affair and the whole congregation would be observing the entire process. But fortunately most of the baptism candidates were familiar faces ( having gone through the same baptism classes and made a friend Jo, during the Power Encounter Weekend at Gallery Hotel) and that I felt comfortable in the church itself.

I was also extremely happy, because not only were my parents and sister there to witness the entire event, but that my dad and mum were out together and that it's been ages since my dad stepped into the church ( since i was ard 7-8 if i remember correctly) and I was anxious to see his reaction and response to church again, having seen his rather negative reaction the other time round.

I was also praying that the message spoken to them would touch their hearts and that it was something that they could relate to. Fortunately, it did :) the message was simple, basically the testimonies of how 3 couples learnt to cherish their broken marriages and their journey together as a couple to recovery of not only their relationship with each other, but also their relationship as a couple with God.

As I couldn't sit with my family ( I had to sit with the other baptism candidates), N told me ( he sat together with them ) that my dad and mum were moved by the speakers and I sincerely pray that things would turn out better. I must remind myself to bring them to church again this weekend.

Ok so back to the baptism itself. First the pastor asked us one by one " Do you turn to Christ?" Our reply was " Yes I turn to Christ". Then we lined up towards the pool set in the stage ( ladies first in no particular order) and handed our name tags to the assistant. There was a male and female pastor who were submerged to the waist in the pool and each baptism candidate was to stand in between them. Suzie ( the female pastor) then took my right hand to put on my left chest and she said " In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, I baptise "insert name" " and I forgot what else she said already -_-. I'd better check back and edit this part. :P

Then they both submerge each candidate BACKWARDS and out and tadahhhh~~.
Anyways water went up my nose and I was sorta choking when I came out. So that was it. Simple huh :P

So after we got changed, we got back to our allocated seats and worship continued. The 3 couples proclaimed their testimonies and then.. to my surprise, Pastor Derek called out all the baptised candidates to stand in front of the stage. 0_o""" machiam like celebrities like that. hahahah.
anyway the whole church clapped for us and welcomed us, and the various pastors went forward to shake our hands. Relatives of the baptised candidates then went forward and gave them flowers etc, but I was the most happy when N stood smiling in front of me and we gave each other a nice big hug :o) heehee

I was also surprised that N's dad and mum came forward too hehe.. and shook hands with Uncle and hugged Auntie. :P It was also slightly embarassing that I couldn't recognise Angela from the previous cell group gathering dinner thingy ( it was my first time there ) and she could see it etched all over my face that I hadn't the slightest inkling who she was. hahaha. :P But I'm so glad that she came down to congratulate me :)

Yup so that sums up the whole baptism service.
Anyway N told me that he feels that I have the gift of prophesy. heehee.. which I didnt really think about previously and I think it's rather true! :D wheeeee.. I hope that I'll put it to good use and be able to touch people's lives.

The pastor at today's service is an Englishman by the name of Michael Ross Watson. He was recently diagnosed with cancer ( of where I do not know ) and it was so wonderful to listen to his testimony that basically, if you put your faith in God and trust Him with all your might, God will provide for you. ( He couldnt pay for his medical expenses and it was miraculously covered for in the end. )

" If you try to defend yourself for ordinary events, God will say 'Get along with it'. But if God needs to defend you, He will protect you."

Alrightey that's the end of my story for today. Felt so excited just typing the whole thing out. heehee.. Hope u all feel touched by this post! :D

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Have been so busy recently that I hve hardly time to update the blog, but then my poor dear is more hard pressed for time than me as she is undertaking a project now. Anyway, just wanted today to be Moomoo Appreciation Day hehehe MAD day. And i jus want to tell C how thankful I am for all the support I have receieved and all the nonsense that she put up with all these years. And tonight, I would be waiting for you near your workplace till you finish work then I will bring you somewhere for dinner and we can just talk until the cows come home. Ok? heheheh.

Cooking lesson Again

Today’s dinner is 5 dishes but I shall blog on the more difficult ones. The two vege stir fry are as usual jus that long beans go well with garlic, onion, sliced big red and green chilli, spring onion and carrots (long slices). Soup is just hairy cucumber soup which uses the same chicken stock. Once again I practiced my cutting together and it is getting better already, wonder when is the day when I can cut like martin yan with the chopper hahaha.

Chicken with Cashew nut and dried chilli
1) Chop up garlic (with skin on) and onion (slices), Spring onion (small long pieces), ginger (long slices) and dried chilli (cut into half and soaked in water)
2) Fry raw cashew nuts in a small pan and leave it one side
3) Stir fry the garlic and onion till brown
4) Then add in the spring onion and ginger
5) After they are cooked, then add in the chicken, allow it to cook for awhile then add some stock to the wok.
(*Chicken marinated ginger, black sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, pepper, salt, one teaspoon corn flour. )
6) Cover the wok and allow the chicken to cook for about 15 to 20 mins
7) After awhile add in the hoisin sauce (one tablespoon) and one teaspoon of honey
8) Then allow the concoction to cook with the cover on
9) Then when it is about to cook add black sauce to the mixture
10) Then comes the difficult part of balancing the dish. Use salt, sugar and stock to do so until right taste is acquired.
11) Then add in the cashew nuts and you are done.

Rabbit fish steamed with salted beans
1) Cut garlic, ginger and onion in to small cubes. Then cut spring onion and Chinese celery into small pieces. Plus cut 3 small chilli padis into half.
2) Fry all the above in a small pan putting in sesame oil and pepper to taste and leave aside
3) Then put the cooked mixture above the fish and put the fish into the steamer for 5 mins and you are done.

More golden rules
1) Cook longer for long beans as they take longer to be cooked.
2) When you fry cashew nuts take them out the moment they turn brown, otherwise they will become overcooked.
3) Lesson learnt for the chicken is that hoisin sauce is sweet so can stinge on anything that adds to sweetness when doing the marinating

Nice Sunday

I am really too tired to blog liao hehehe. But this photo sums up the day. Nice family dinner together and i learnt how to cook fish head curry which is quite a complicated task. Hahah but know that i am armed with the secret recipe i can reproduce the same results anytime. And C can testify to how nice the curry is. hahaha. Anyway for the record the menu today was Fish Head Curry, Papadums, bittergourd stir-fry with egg, cabbage stir-fry with dried prawns and water cress soup. Will update with the recipe of the fish curry tomorrow haha. So stay tuned.

Cooking lesson Pt 3

Fish in swimming position (Above) and below is the fish when cooked

Today is cooking lesson number 3 and I have attempted to learn more complex dishes which involve more skills than just stir fry. Before I go into the recipes proper I shall pen down a few more golden rules of cooking.

1) Cutting
The first toy that a cook must buy is the knife. And it must be a knife that suits the cutting style of the person. Some people like to use the forward slicing motion while others like the backward motion. Some people prefer small knives while others prefer bigger ones or even choppers. So whatever the case the maxim perfect practice makes perfect works here as you really need to train and train to get cutting right.

2) Deep frying
Always makes sure there is enough oil to engulf whatever you are deep frying. Then if the wok is too small make sure u bathe the fish with the hot oil. When putting the fish in the oil make sure u open up the belly and place it in a ‘swimming’ position. Then after the bottom is cooked turn the fish around and cook its spine. And always remember that only certain fishes can cook deep fried. So to divers they identify fish by their latin names, and to cooks we identify it by whether it is to be steamed or fried. Haha. And for myself to remember, stir fry use big wok while deep fry use small wok. Dunno why but it works.

3) Sauces and flavouring
The key is to balance the saltiness and the sweetness of the dish. The best chef would not even need to add sugar or salt to balance the taste but to lousy cooks like me I have to play cheat and add either sugar or salt to balance the taste of dishes.

Ok now to the recipes before I forget them. First up we have the corn soup that my dear loves so much. It is really quite simple.

1) Boil the chicken bone till it is cooked
2) Add 2 x corns, 1 carrot (sliced), red dates, 1 onion bulb (Big)
3) Then as usual let it stew until it is damn nice.
4) Add salt and pepper to taste

Next up is the Pork Ribs with Bitter gourd

1) Marinate the pork ribs with cognac, 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce, pepper, sesame oil, cornflour (1/2 teaspoon)
2) Next remove the core of the bitter gourd then slice it up into rings.
3) Then throw one teaspoon of salt in it and stir it until the bitter gourd becomes soft
4) Cut up garlic, ginger.
5) Steam the ribs first in the steamer first to soften it
6) Prepare the wok and fry the garlic first (High Fire)
7) Then add in the ribs, stir vigorously and add water when necessary to prevent charring
8) Then add in light sauce, black sauce, black bean sauce, pepper then close with lid (Lower fire abit and allow the ribs to cook) *Cook longer if you want it soft and melt in your mouth feeling)
9) Then add in the bitter gourd and put in stock (whatever stock you have)
10) Lastly if you want crack an egg in it to add texture to the dish and wah lah you are done

Lastly the star player is the sweet and sour fish.
1) Cut up 3 colour bell peppers, 1 carrot, 2 onions, spring onion, Chinese celery, chilli padi, garlic and ginger into one bowl. (*Plus pineapples)
2) Prepare the fish by adding salt to both sides of the fish then flip it round and round
3) Add sesame oil and pepper to taste
4) Pour egg white over the fish then add corn flour to put the make up for the fish. Jus think of ladies putting on foundation before they start their make up.
5) Put sufficient oil to submerge the fish ¾ way
6) Then put the fish in with its belly open (*Need abit of skill and abit of enduring of pain when the oil hits your hands)
7) Constantly bathe the fish and allow it to cook thoroughly
8) The picture above will assist in telling you when the fish is cook. (Ie when it turns brown and crispy)
9) Take the fish out and place it on a kitchen towel. (3xkitchen towel folded into the size of one)
10) For the sauce, add in the veges that you put in 1 – First, the garlic and ginger, then onion, then spring onion + Chinese celery, and lastly the rest of the veges
11) Fry until it is cooked, then add in magi tomato and chili sauce. Then add abit of water to make the sauce thinner.
12) Lastly, add salt and sugar to balance the sauce. Please do taste the sauce before putting it on the fish and you are done.

Cooking pt 2

Steam fish with hua diao wine

Pork with Spring Onion and Ginger

Stir fry chye sim with garlic

Spicy Pak choi

Dinner time !!! haha

Today is the second lesson for cooking. I have learnt how to do spring onion with ginger pork which turned out quite nice. hehehe

1) Slice lean pork meat into thin slices

2) Add black sauce, light sauce, ginger, hua diao wine, corn flour (1/2 teaspoon), salt, paper, sesame oil to marinate the pork slices.

3) Cut spring onion, ginger, garlic, and chinese corriander and put aside

4) Pour oil into wok then fry the above

5) Then pour in the marinated pork, make sure the pork dun get charred by adding stock or water into the wok and keep the pork away from the wok surface.

6) After the outer layer of the pork is cooked, cover it with a lid. Wait for about 10 mins until water level/stock level disappears from the side of the lid
*ie the stock is drying up, then it is time to open up already

11) Add black pepper to taste

12) Then add half teaspoon corn starch mixed with water

13) Lower fire and then you are done.

Golden rules of cooking

1) Fire big when cooking, fire small when taking things out

2) Cover watever you are cooking - Steam coming out means cooking, water level gng down means thing is cooked

3) Never allow food to stick to wok, add stock/water to prevent sticking. otherwise prepare to eat burnt food

4) When cooking cabbage always put ginger

5) When cooking veges cannot mix garlic and onion together

6) When steaming fish, add chilli padi to kill the fishy smell - *fish would not end up spicy

7) always add sugar and salt to veges when almost cooked

*will add to the list when i know more.

Cooking lessons

Today is my first day to seriously take up cooking and i shall blog about wat i learn so that i can remember it.

Pumpkin Soup
1) Fill 3/4 pot with water and boil (High fire)
2) When boiling, add in wolfberries (one handful), red dates (another handful), ginger (small piece) and a chicken breast bone (Still High fire)
3) When chicken has cooked slow down the fire and add in the pumpkins
4) Allow the soup to cook under slow fire.
*Then boil as long as you can.

Spinach with ikan bilis
1) Add oil into the wok (*make sure enough)
2) Then when hot, put in a handful of ikan bilis and fry till brown (Still high fire)
3) Then add in the stalks of the spinach first. (Medium Fire)
4) Then add one quarter mug of water
5) Then cover for about 1 to 2 mins to allow the stalk to cook
6) After opening the cover, add the leaves in and stir fry.
7) Cover for about 3 to 4 minutes then take out of wok

Chinese cabbage with chili
1) Wash the wok with water, allow it to boil then throw water away into sink.
2) Put oil into wok
3) Add in onions, chinese celery, ginger plus spring onion + secret chili sauce(2 x tablespoon)
4) Stir fry evenly
5) Then add the cabbage in plus 1/4 mug of water
6) Cover for 2 to 3 mins

Steam cod fish
1) Marinate cod fish with salt
2) Place ginger, onion, chinese celery, tomatoes, chilli padi over it.
3) Pour hua diao wine to cover the base of the plate and a dash of sesame oil over it.
4) Then steam for 5 mins

Hoisin Chicken with ginger and spring onion
1) Marinate the chicken with hoisin sauce (2 tablespoons), salt and black pepper, sesame oil, ginger strips and corn starch (1 tablespoon)
2) Fry onion, spring onion, garlic (jus smash it without removing the skin), ginger strips and chunks into the wok. (High Fire)
3) Then add water to allow the concoction to boil (Medium Fire)
4) Then add the chicken into the wok and stir fry. Then add one teaspoon of honey
5) Then add more water until the chicken is almost all submerged in the water
6) Cover and wait for 15mins
7) Then when cooked turn up the fire and add hua diao wine into it again to spice up the flavour
8) Then you are done.

Surprises!

This is the big surprise that i got from my dearie last night. It is a David and Goliath Tshirt with my name on it coupled with matching socks that are all so cool. Hehehe. This really brightened up my otherwise sucky week due to squeezing pain in my eyes. Hopefully it will recover soon and i would feel better. Anyway, just to make a point, I think retail therapy really works to make one feel less stressed. *Retail therapy to me = window shopping and not actually buying things. But to be able to see the large array of stuff that is available on the market is jus so nice. Perhaps that was what i was missing when cheryl went to HK cos i did not have the chance or did not have a reason to go shopping at all. But now with cheryl back i can go and look at things whenever she has the time. Yeah. Once again Thanks dearie for the nice tshirt and socks. Really like the gifts, the thought behind the gift and most of all love the person who gave the gifts.

ramblings

since N's accident, i've been feeling rather skittish lately.
keep thinking about his wound, whether his eye's alright ( hemmorage due to the impact) and how long he'll take to heal,etc.

worse thing that he's got to refrain from all his hobbies for the time being and though it's been only less than a week since the accident / operation, the withdrawal symptoms have already started to kick in.

ho hum...
well i hope whoever reads this helps in keeping N in your prayers, i believe they help a great deal since my granny's leg is slowly recovering too :D ( she can walk now, just not quite stable yet and needs support)

yah and my lower back is hurting ( though not as much as before) from my over-zealous attempt at keeping fit. sigh.

anyway an update on my work-

~ just finished a submission yesterday.. whew! was on the tip of my toes the entire day yesterday.. and had to miss a dinner with my ex-sch mates the day before. oh well..

- hotel design's rather fun! hahaa. just that u gotta keep in line with all the stupid numbers and calculations that really.. make u rather berserk. ooo i hope my room designs are gg to be kept and i can't wait to see them materialise! :D

oh yah. my fossil bag ain't that pretty no more. zzz. the stitching's all coming out because they weren't finished properly ( thread tips / ends) and lao niang's gotta sew the bag up properly before it can be used again. bah!! so expensive and so cheapskate!!! >:( the stitches were unravelling in the previous bag before i discovered the manufacturing defect too. le sigh..

no more fossil. maybe only their watches. hahahahha. or not at all *blehh*
miendeedoobah! is ur wallet still holding on fine???

lalalala deeda deee.. blogging at work because i've got nothing to do and waiting for the very preggers boss and her hubby to give me work to do.. heehee.. till later~

Blue eyebrows

This may be a surprise to many and to C but I am bent on staying off soccer for the next dunno how many months. The reason is because I have a hole in the head as a result on a heads on clash yesterday during the soccer match. Although it was only a 2cm (verified by the doctor)/3cm (verified by the nurse cheryl) laceration but the pain was deliciously excrutiating. It was a dull and throbbing pain with a tinge of blue black pain. After the impact i got a shock when i saw the reflection of myself against the glass door of the qudrangle. The gaping hole was pouring out red wine, and the flap of flesh hung loosely as though it was sliced nicely for asthetic purposes on a french dish. Now i shall talk about my little adventure at the hospital.

First, we had trouble finding the entrance to the A and E dept of TTSH becos someone covered the sign with taupaulin sheet due to some construction works adjacent to the signboard. What a safety hazard for an ambulance who is desperately trying to find the entrance. But then again ambulance drivers should know all the entrances to A n E depts by heart. But if he is new? hehehe then good luck to the patient inside the ambulance. Ok after getting down the car, i felt like a superstar cos everyone kept giving weird looks hehehe. Then of course i politely returned their look of astonishment with a courteous smile. Think I must be quite a sight, a bloody mess smiling at them. hahaha machiam vampire who jus ate a nice meal and forgot to clean up. Then after registration I WAS ALLOWED TO CUT QUEUE in view of my serious condition. At first the nurse was like ok wait for your turn then i tactically put down the cloth that was holding the wound, and she was like ok sit down now. Then from then on everything was expeditious. From the admin work to the securing of an appointment with the doc.

Now let me talk abt the doc. He was quite good looking in the matured sense and he wore the same crocs as me. Hahah but he had a funny mannerism. Perhaps most docs are like that. Then he went on the diagnostic process with technical precision and non-chalance. He typed furiously and comically on the report datat sheet and described my wound as though it happened everyday. 2cm laceration over left eyebrow. Globe ok. Eye ok. Tetanus Injection within last five years. Stitches required. time of incident 1245pm. Pain scale 5-6 that is dull and throbbing. hahaha machiam like I am not in pain like that. And they even have a scale of pain intensity. Damn funny. They even had detailed descriptions of every number on the pain scale but i did not bother to remember. Then after the diagnosis he brought me to the operating theatre where i waited for damn long.

Now, in the operating theatre, I was welcomed by 3 nurses who were on ojt and 2 aunty nurse who were the experience sort. Then I was asked to lie down on the operating bed which was cushioned and the aunty covered me with a blanket that was steamed to a warm temp. Damn shiok cos I was cold from all the blood loss. Then the ojt nurses were like can i see the wound then i was like ok go ahead. Then they were showing off their medical jargon and were like oooh so deep, eh can see the ... and the ... watever those medical terms meant. Then I said that i felt like an exhibit then they all luffed. Then the doc started the op, he asked the nurse for the anaesthetic injection and commanded the nurse to give him the WIDE NEEDLE, then i was like eeks. After making small pokes here and there which felt like ant bites he proceeded with the sewing. While he was doing that he like whistle away as though he was sewing a tshirt. Hahah. Then after the fifth stitch i felt the medicine wear off and I could feel the needle going in followed by the thread and all. Seeing me in pain the doc asked if the anaesthetic had worn off and whether i want some more, then i said dunno becos either way i would still be poked. Might as well not prolong the agony. So after the sewing was done the doc gave some instructions on aftercare and i can remove the stitches in 5 days. Oh and he was boasting that there would be minimum scarring and the sewing was very well done. I am sure it was cos I felt that he tightened the flaps of flesh together quite securely. The nurse even commended the doctor that they never seen such nice stitching. Probably they saw the difference from the gaping hole transit to the sewed up masterpiece. Anyway after C helped me remove the bandage and I saw wat a beauty it was. Many thanks to the doc whom was so skillful in his craft, the aunty nurse who gave me the warm blanket, and the ojt nurses who provided comic relief and the WIDE NEEDLE. Finally, Thanks to my dearie for helping me remove the bandage so slowly and meticulously that i felt little pain throughout. But from this incident i realised something, medical care in Singapore is really world class. Imagine if this happened in a developing nation, first you would not have anaesthetic, second no antiseptic, third no 5 nurses and one doc to attend to such a minor injury and also no antibiotics to provide for a speedy recovery. That is why Singaporeans should not lament when the govt increase this or that tax, somehow such things have to be funded by the society one.

Gloomy Thursday

1) ARE YOU READING A STRANGER'S BLOG?
Today is a gloomy day with overhanging dark clouds that have poured down rain already and is still threatening to pour some more... Wonder whether should i bring an umbrella or not. Heheh. Anyway was gng to prepare to go to school but i thought why not log an entry into the blog before I go. So here i am. Heheh just a passing thought, I wonder whether there are strangers that totally do not know us that visit this blog. I am sure there are, but what would be their impression of our lives hahaha.

2) DISSERTATION WOES
Anyway was thinking about my dissertation topic recently, stripped away of all its technical or cheem content it is basically whether the law should make sure businessman behave honestly even though it means foregoing a certain amount of profit that could be made from some unsuspecting/stupid/naive ... and the list goes on.... corresponding party. In other words should people be compelled by a law to be honest with each other when transacting business.

2A) DOG EAT DOG WORLD
In our part of the world, we sometimes adopt a hostile attitude or adversarial attitude towards the other party when we do business with another person because we have the preconception that the other guy is trying to cheat us. So instead of seeking a win win situation we begin to think about how best to take advantage of the other person within the legal limits prescribed by the law. Then when we do fall foul of the law, the other person gets back at us with twice the amount of ferocity. In the end, it becomes a dog eat dog world.

2B) IDEAL WORLD
But the ideal world would be one where everyone seeks a win win situation and would be willing to forego a certain amount of profit to maintain long lasting relationships that is necessary for businesses in the future. Perhaps, some businessmen are took myopic to realise the importance and value of Guan Xi which means relations in chinese that can take one a very long way in this part of the world. Although one can say where the rules of fair dealing are clearly breached the law currently does intervene. However, i feel that it is time when there should be a general duty to act honestly and bona fide with each other so that the world would be a better place. Idealistic it may sound, but people in other parts of the world have this concept already.

STORY OF A JADE BANGLE
Imagine if Mr. A pawns his jade bangle which is a family heirloom and the deadline to pay is one month later. Imagine if exactly one month later he hears of news that an interested party is gng to buy his bangle today. So he immediately runs to the pawnshop and informs the pawnbroker that he is gng to repay the money the next day as his pay cheque would only be in tomorrow. Nevertheless, the pawnbroker goes ahead to sell the jade bangle to this Mr. C would is offering a very high price of the bangle. Clearly LEGAL? of course! but then clearly not in good faith cos the pawnbroker knew that Mr. A had the means to pay back the money but then he still proceeded with the sale of the pledged bangle. So some other country would rule that the pawnbroker acted unfairly and would set aside the sale. Now our conscience is at ease. heheh.

Ok now with this analogy i think those who have read until here would be falling asleep already especially C who would always complain that I confuse people too much with my weird logic hahaha. Ok gtg for lessons Toodlez.

Random Thoughts

Now is my turn to write about what has been happening in my life. Before I start blogging jus wanna upload two pictures of birds which i think look quite cute. First up is Mr. Black swan whom I called "BOAT BOAT" at. Second is mr white pigeon whom i took damn long to get a close up of it without zoom.

Ok, School has started and the profs are beginning to shoot arrows here and there regarding assignments and presentations warts and all but it is all fine. Finally I am beginning to pick up the pace to study and absorb stuff. But funny how my study pattern varies with each academic year, and this year I am a morning person with my absorbing power the best in the morning and declines until it reaches zero like when clock strikes midnight. hahah machiam cinderella like that.

Think this semester gng to be one that I aim to concentrate on church, studies and flying and nothing else because I have removed every other committments already yeah. hehehe. So I have more time for C and more time for myself. Anyway the uncertain times are over and I guess I shall jus stick to the original plan of gng back to the force then to law for the meantime unless something extraordinary happens. Just hope that my marketability would not fall when i come out and i can still take a paycut with C supporting me. hahaha sound like xiao bai lian like tat. hehehe but i still have a dream which is a nice unit at some tall flat with a nice view. Then put the dining table like in front of a full length window and have nice breakfasts with C on weekend mornings. hehe also want a small small little car like suzuki swift to fetch C around with little baby. Then beyond there i really want to go out serve other people with C beside me having daily adventures and challenges and working together. But for now I will have to concentrate in making myself credible to the world first by getting my studies right. So after lamenting abt my lack of motivation yesterday, I HAVE JUST GOT IT BACK! hehehe nothing will stop me now as i labour towards the final goal of making a difference to people's lives.

Ok back to something less serious hehehe. I am after all human, and I am suffering from the want of retail therapy hehehe cos i wanna buy something for myself. My wishlist include a racer bike with accompanying gear and helmet (cos C said that I would look good in it), a new pair of running shoes (mizuno wave elixir 2 with the bright orange pattern), a new pair of soccer boots (hahah the one that C said I would look good in it) and finally an iphone (hahah which i totally do not need). See dear i told you retail therapy for boys are far worse than gurls. Gurls can only buy shoes, bags and blah blah, but when I get into the mood of buying, fwah think i can go and rob a bank liao. But at least for now i dun have the urge to buy books cos i got tonnes of them to read now hehehe. Anyway I jus realised that my library is stocked with alot of philo books which are printed in like the 1950s or earlier damn old school but now no time to read hahaa.

Heheh think i feel better after blogging this out and cured my retail therapy urge liao hehehe. Cheap thrill but nonetheless a thrill. Ok I shall leave this post with a quote by helen keller which is, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do." So for now i can study and make small impacts on other people's lives and so i will do it. hehehe. Go Go Jiayou! hehehe

communication

my favourite song for the moment...




anyway it's by The Cardigans.
enjoy :)



For 27 years I’ve been trying to believe and confide in
Different people I’ve found.
Some of them got closer than others
And someone wouldn’t even bother and then you came around
I didn’t really know what to call you, you didn’t know me at all
But I was happy to explain.
I never really knew how to move you
So I tried to intrude through the little holes in your veins
And I saw you
But that’s not an invitation
That’s all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I’ve seen you, I know you
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect

You always seem to know where to find me and I’m still here behind you
In the corner of your eye.
I’ll never really learn how to love you
But I know that I love you through the hole in the sky.

Where I see you
And that’s not an invitation
That’s all I get
If this is communication
I disconnect
I’ve seen you, I know you
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect

Well this is an invitation
It’s not a threat
If you want communication
That’s what you get
I’m talking and talking
But I don’t know
How to connect
And I hold a record for being patient
With your kind of hesitation
I need you, you want me
But I don’t know
How to connect, so I disconnect
I disconnect.

heheee..

i saw ix shen today.. he just completed his exercise and was in his jogging attire.
anyway i shall not go anally bimbotic today and go bonkers and mushy like those groupies but yah. he was toned. fit. and looked shorter in reality.

anyway after work, i went to novo @ suntec to look for some nice work shoes. luckily the office isn't that corporate-y, so i needn't get one of those man-ball terror-inducing shoes / those fugly dudley ones. and boy did novo not disappoint! heehee. ok full stop :P

llalala, so not only will my poor feet stop sweating in my lovely crocs, neither would my poor crocs get worn down so quickly from everyday use :D hooray~ and it's sooo hard to find comfy shoes!

heehee. mebbe i oughta get the same pair again. *grin*
nahhhh.

till later! :D

p.s. windows vista and everything abt the new windows remind's me of N's mum. Both love to hide everything from view. I couldn't even find the "run" program and had to search for it! -_-""

update~

ok.. it's been a long while since i've updated this blog.
just a little update on what i've been up to: -

1. currently working *finally* at an architecture firm. been working there for 2 weeks already and temp-ing there for the time being, but really thankful to God that he gave me an opportunity to work in such a loving firm and that the bosses really want to help you learn.

2. disappeared during the weekend for "power-encounter weekend" held at Gallery Hotel, organised by my church - COOS. it's part of my baptism class so.. yah i had to attend. Thank God for answering my prayers to let me open my heart as much as possible and i had a lovely time at the ministry session. Big thanks and hugs to Grace, my counsellor. Thank God once again that He provided me with someone who i felt comfortable with, to be able to air all my dirty laundry with her, and for healing me and getting rid of my demons through her. :D but i gotta attend another ministry / healing session before i'm done. one hour is not enough!!

also many thanks to all the pastors and helpers that made it all possible, Susie Seow, Daren Tay, Matthew.. Agnes.. Grace.. Cynthia.. Gerald.. etc. As well as the lovely service staff at Gallery Hotel, esp the ones at the 4th level buffet restaurant. :D

it feels rather overwhelming that because of p.e.w, i'm able to listen to God more clearly than ever before and i'm ever thankful for God's presence in my life, whether i'm feeling down and out, or whether i'm bubbling with happiness, that He's always there for me. And for making me feel special that i'm God's child and feeling touched and honoured with the gifts He's given to me. I hope these gifts would be manifested onto the things / people i encounter everyday and that people ard me would be especially touched to know that God is with them / for them / God wants to know them, if only they'd let themselves to.

3. celebrating my papa's 52nd birthday later at joochiat. gg to have his favourite crabs :D

4. N's gg through a lot of stress with regards to his future. I just pray that everything would turn out well, give him patience, and if it isnt in his favour, that God would provide for everything.

5. been very tempted to get loads of things. just hope that i can get my mind focused on saving up and only buying things that i really need.

ok.. my shoulders and neck feel really strained now.. wish i could just get a massage :X

p.s. pardon my england and grammar vely the bad.

Uncertain times but a certain future

It has been a long time since this blog have been active updating the happenings of our lives. Anyway before I forget I wanna talk about a meal me and cheryl had a few days back. It was at serene centre and the place is called la petite cuisine. Hahah and wat a befitting name as the portions served are just nice for us which would be too little for normal people. Hehehe cos we are both very small eaters. That night she had the salmon in basque sauce with pasta while I had panfried foie gras with orange confit. oooh it was so nice! Before I start my description of the main course I shall give a short description of the soup and bread we had before the meal. The place bothers to toast their rolls which is served warmed. She had orange carrot soup while I had french onion soup. After a bad experience with the onion soup at the french stall, she sort of hesitated to take a sample of my soup when i offered but then after she tasted, oooh la la. There was no overpowering sour smell or taste but only the aroma of nice freshly chopped onions. Her orange carrot soup was also good with the creamy soup base giving way to a sort of tangy twist at the end. Superb. Then it was the main course. The salmon was panfried and topped off with a sauce that I cannot pinpoint wat ingredients are in it. When she cut into the meat, the flesh jus slides off and it just melts in your mouth while the sauce works its magic on the taste buds. My foie gras took awhile to come and we could see the work in progress when there was smoke emerging from the small kitchen. haha even the size of the kitchen is petite. Anyway the foie gras was jus served with salad. But it was all so nice. I am not an expert in tasting foie gras but according to cheryl it was cooked jus perfect. The texture is smooth and jelly like and the taste is full of the nice taste of fat. It is like the dong po meat but 10 times much more refined. The dining experience was also cosy as the chef knocked on the window and used sign language to ask me whether the food was good, and I gave him a thumbs up in all honesty. The chef is really one comic character haha with his tall hat and white gown. But beneath he was wearing a pair of bright green berms, power. haha that ends my post on the restaurant. For those who wonder where serene centre is this is the website. http://www.hungrygowhere.com/la_petite_cuisine haha but who reads our blog except us?

Next I would like to talk about me. Hahah I am undergoing a sort of roller coaster ride now with an impending career switch hopefully tings work out and our future would have better prospects as i seek to carve out my niche. But really I would leave it all to God, as in I would put in the necessary effort but the rest would be up to God to do wat he wants with my life. Anyway whereever I go I know I would be able to serve him. Hope cheryl would find wat she wants to do as a career soon so that we both can start working on our future together. That is why I bought a choo choo train for her yesterday to mark out the day we start choo choo forward together hahaa. No lah it was becos the train looked like percy so i thought she might like it.

That is all for now toodlez.

bobo chacha

heehee.. here are the surprises that i mentioned before :P

introducing... chacha!!! heeheee

this is how chacha was like before she was complete..
she's inverted inside out fyi..

peek-a-boo~
and this is her after i finished sewing!

with her looong bunny ears.. heeheee..

and a cute button tail :P

this is bobo the sock mungki in the works..
with just his body and legs..
chacha and hessie ( the pink bunny) look intrigued~
yes.. i still have kiddy bedsheets..from *gasp!* 11 years ago!

faceless bobo is too ashamed ...

bobo meets the rest of the bedtime buddies for the first time..

bobo makes friends with lumpy~
lumpy is a little protective of hessie.. so he still has her in his arms..
u may realise this picture of bobo is slightly skinnier than the previous one.
i had to restuff him because i somehow found out that a needle was stuck in his body and couldnt come out!
as with paintings, no two are ever alike.. so the new bobo is slightly fatter. heehee

bobo being cheeky to lumpy. with his heart-shaped arsehole! :D

ok that's all for now.. hope u guys like the new toys i made! both are currently in N's possession as they were meant as a present for him.

both were handsewn.. *smug* haha because i dont have a working sewing machine!
till later!