Thursday, June 25, 2009

False Bravado

If you are hoping to see photos in this post, you'd be utterly disappointed.

Am just here for a quickie.

Wanna verbalise my thoughts. I'm plagued with a false bravado that I can handle a 12-15hour work day, everyday for 5 consecutive days at least. Who am I kidding? Someone should whack some sense of reality. I need a PA! There's only 24 hours in a day and 12-15hours are spent working, a few more spent on the roads (not including those tormenting traffic jams), 4 hours spent sleeping, 1 -2 hours spent watching my favourite TV drama, 1hr for all 3 meals if I'm lucky...have I exceeded the time budget? Life is filled with loads of excitement but the downside clearly is TIME. I'm having an avalanche to clear before this Friday so that I can enjoy a short sleep-away. Pure sleep and nothing but rest, before things snowballs into the new term. I'm brewing in excitement at the thought of the stylish interiors of Piccolo Hotel but at the same time, the mood oscillates to the other extreme of fear and anxiety when students don't try hard enough and that I'm doing so much for them. With such annoying thoughts and to prevent an onset of an anxiety attack, this certainly warrants a post.

Sometimes I feel I'm putting too much feelings in what I do. Had my last lesson with a little boy whom I've been teaching for 5+ years. He's shy when it comes to articulating his thoughts but when I asked for a hug, I could feel the love. I teased him, urging him to admit that he loves me, but he put on a strong front and refuse to "declare" his love for me. However, the moment I entered my car, my phone rang. It was the little boy. He called to say the last goodbye. Once again, I teased him. "Do u love jie jie (aka ME!)"....."Yes". He even lied to his granny that he was talking to his mom, whom he hasn't seen in days. For the record, granny's a rather grouchy old lady who nags at the slightest thing. With that, we hung the phone. I know I'd probably won't get to hear his bubbly voice, laugh and be annoyed at his silly antics, but the fond memories will follow me through. I do hope that one day he'll wake up and be more sensible. Pity his parents are big time SH**Heads who are undergoing a divorce and entrusting the upbringing of their son to society at large. Some people are just not fit to be parents. The poor boy is faced with so many uncertainties and competitions. He's just so young to realise the implications. I'm sorry I can no longer be there for you...u must learn....else suffer the scrutiny of life. Grow up fast, mentally that is.

Enough rantings. The mountain of work needs my attention once more. Hope such efforts will be reciprocated in terms of results.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Food & Pornography

Blogging really fluctuates with mood. At least for me. I'm constantly blogging in my mind, when on the move, but when it comes to penning it down, I procrastinate. Or rather, time just isn't on my side. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard me saying. Life has been hectic since my return from BKK. With the many laundry I need to do (which I'm not complaining coz it means i've got new clothes!); and the catching up on lessons, life have rendered me breathless and left me in a state of PMS. I've been trying to obliterate all the pain of getting up early and marking the piles of holiday assignments but to no avail. Even exercising didn't really help perk up the endorphins. How to perk with sweetie's future still a question mark. At one point, the stress was so overwhelming, i cried in my sleep. The desecrating teas were signs of being timorous and a raving ninny, which, as society decrees, the very antipode of what a true blue man is supposed to be. Courage is not all about trying to mask the tears. It's the opposite -- The tears reinforce and fortify the heart's courage. Wanted to escape to neighbouring country for the wkend, but most hotels are full! Aren't people suppose to be paranoid over H1N1? Guess we are all slaves to temptation, particularly since it's still the school hols. Many are secretly hoping that school hols will extend by 2 more wks with the climbing numbers of H1N1 cases. Anyway, I did the best to alleviate the wkend pain.

星期六。热。非常热!The sun rose, peeking out shyly from behind the fluffy white clouds. I handwashed 5 new dresses and went for breakie (Noodles 132 @ Siglap) with friends. Afterwhich, sweetie, big bro and I went to Enterprise One @ Ubi where my tolerance once again wavered. I bought a Davidoff Coolwater -- an old friend. It's too cheap to resist! Big bro bought two bottles of perfume! Then, I hoped over to a provision stall next door and bought a whole load of cheap home essentials. It's quintessential that such a shop is at Enterprise One which features mostly home furnishings and beddings stores.

Ok, I hear u, more photos, less words? Here you go.

It was big bro's (the guy who's oblivious to the food on the table!) bday last Monday and I thought of cooking a simple fare for sweet, big bro and G. "Surprisingly" and at the eleventh hour, 3 more guests arrived. They say three is a crowd...hmm..somehow, they didn't think so. I didn't really appreciate the fact that I was notified at the last minute by sweetie, who simply said to cook more rice. I do admit I often overestimate but that day, I was really trying to keep my budget down. Afterall these people don't contribute financially to my cookouts. As much as I love to cook, it's insanely expensive to feed an army! Sometimes people just aren't that 自动. I apportioned the stuff I bought from the market at 830am (an unearthly time which normal, sane people would be sleeping) into a few packs, planning to cook 'em along the wk, but alas, I had to take out all reserves to meet demand.
From left: Spicy Mayo Prawns; Stir Fried Pork Chops; Home made Ngor Hiang. Soup of the day -- Veg (Gao Gei...I don't know what's that called in Chinese or English..sorry!) & Liver soup. Very tasty and sweet! Simply too! :-) Naturally, everyone wolfed down every morsel in a matter of seconds. With food so good, how not to expand exponentially in all directions? AIYO!
Food is all about show and tell. Check out how i multi-tasked in my kitchen. I had to, since no one really bothered to help. U can't expect much since you are the host, but then again, it's basic courtesy isn't it? Thank goodness there was C who helped wash the dishes without being asked. C's always so "automatic". Sometimes, man's EQ are just low. Man in general that is, no sexual difference. Many a times, sweetie just doesn't want me to cook coz no one helps out with the dishes and he's left with the gruelling task of washing the pots and pans. If those who come are not regular guests, perhaps we've an excuse for them, afterall, you'd really want them to just enjoy the whole housewarming experience. However, when regular guests start to behave in such manner, we begin to feel like we are taken for granted. Or at least I feel so. Think I should really heed sweetie's advice and cook less. Budget is the key, especially in times like these. It doesn't do our pockets good to be so hospitable...you don't really see others doing so. Not trying to nit-pick but even my supply of drinks are "invaded". It's appalling that people fill up their bottles and the packet of beverage is gone within a day!

ok, enough of being all petty (incidentally, sweetie was rather "supportive" of my thoughts). Anyway, in the picture above, u can see that I'm cookin two dishes and taking picture all at once! I impress even myself! I thought of making this dish, thinking that it's simple. Home made Ngor Hiang or Pork and Mushroom pancake if you'd like. However, my dear sweetie carelessly threw away my beancurd skins which I bought at 830am and I had to make do with the dessert type from my local minimart. Along the way up, I bumped into two teens who were obviously holding on to plastic bags of glue. Those delinquents were obviously a little high on gluf sniffing. One of the boys hummed a tune and pretended to ignore me whilst walking down the stairs. The other however was stunned and stood by a corner, hoping I'd miss him. But, our eyes crossed and I could sense fear and revenge in his eyes (ok I might have been paranoid). As a responsible citizen, + fearing for my own safety, I called the nearby neighbourhood police post. I was extremely pissed by the assistance rendered. The officer who answered my call said he will put it in records and that the police will step up on patrol but no officer would be sent to check if the druggies are still there. I was appalled and reiterated that I saw those teens a mere 5 mins ago and that they may still be around. A life may be saved for all you know! Or lost, due to the officer's irresponsble act. It was only after my "advice" that he said he'll send someone down now. Whether or not he did is for him to know and for me to find out. Perhaps it's their protocol which needless to say is a senseless one! In anycase, HQ is definitely hearing from me soon!

Presenting.....The handmade Ngor Hiang (mushroom and pork pancake). It was easy to prep but the shallow cooking wasn't that easy. Took me a very long time to get it browned, perhaps due to the wrong type of beancurd skin. URGH! All Sweetie's fault. And he still tried to squirm out of the situation and denied that he threw it away when I questioned him! HRMPH
This was the vege which I used for the soup. It's called Gao Gei. Boiled with Ikan Bilis broth, it's known to do good for our eyes.
The plucking of the leaves was not an easy task. I was constantly pricked by its thorns!
Guess what was for supper on Monday? No prizes for guessing though....
Yup! It's the king of fruits-- DURIAN! Was at Cousin P's house after our wkly jog and two uncles bought durians. They gave me two which I "obligingly" brought home. Who was I kidding! I adore the fruit! I was over the moon when they asked me to bring it home!!! It was a real nice time catching up with uncles and aunties. Despite our age gap, they seemed to understand what I'm going through with mom and life.
Kawaii des neh?
Adorable Doremon cakes given to me by a student during CNY this year! Unfortunately it's been hibernating in my cupboard and today when I finally brought it out, it's Expired. :-(
Sis-in-law went Taiwan recently and bought me a few interesting stuff:
Now now, before you think dirty, it's just Chocolate! Trust those Taiwanese to come out with such a packaging! Talk about food porn! haha
Even the box is soooo enticing!

hmm...life's good on this Saturday. Did not touch a book since morning. Am gonna lay in bed, with the cool air drifting out from the aircon vents and watch NEMO with my sweetie. Hope tomorrow will be another lazy day!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Crazed Shopaholic

The last few hours have been well spent. Slept at 3am, right after supper at 85, which rendered me insanely guilty! Guilt was overwhelming and I woke up at 830am to get ready for some marketing action. It's been a while since I've done a proper cookout thus, the impulse to do it tonight. A simple fare (i hope).

Before I hit the sack, sweetie and I did a mask together! Cousin-in-law brought back a carton of Birds Nest Mask for me from Shanghai! Told him to buy 2 boxes, but he ended up buying 6 becoz they were irrisistably cheap! Singapore sells 'em for 3 times the price! I'm so glad I discovered it in 2005 on my trip to Beijing!

Was done sorting out the raw stuff and marinating the meats by 10am and sat down for a good breakfast, Ya Kun Style. Sprawled through the wkend papers and then I did something which was not pragmatic and totally illogical. Being a crazed shopaholic, the recent BKK trip did not satisfy me. In fact, I fared worse than previous years, perhaps due to the recession. I'm not a savvy shopper and am alwyas making wrong and useless purchases. Saw the latest Heinekken ad and it struck a cord with me. In a way, I had my dreams come true. To have a walk-in closet with clothes neatly arranged according to colours and length and a shoe cabinet also arranged according to colours. I'm very anal about such things. However, my wardrobe is now laden with mistakes. Too many stuff that don't suit me and which I hardly or never wear!

Seems like it's time to either go on a diet, sell or give away clothes....very demoralising! Sigh.

After clearing a hill of items which I could no longer fit, I was frustrated and thought I needed more to replenish. Thus, the wkly online shopping began! In my lifetime, I must have covered the equivalent of several marathon miles in the physical and online malls I've trawled. A quick browse on a few blogshops which updated me left me gripped by infatuation. In my moment of weakness, I placed orders for 8 items. Each item averages about $25. So far, my purchases had been fairly small, nothing I couldn't explain away. but, the moment i hit the button, regrets in. Not regretting that this may be an item that will merely sit pretty in my wardrobe, but rather, guilty that it's not a good time to be self-indulging. It was only this morning that sweetie and I had a heated conversation on cutting down on expenses and that I should help out more financially since he is still in search of a job. It's not that I'm not helping, but I too, m plagued with many bills and bombs such as allowances for parents (which easily amounts to 50% more than all the expenses made for the house!) However sweetie insensitively commented that it was my business that I wanted to give that much to my parents! Sheez!

Anyway, back to the topic of being an online whore. Are the stuff I buy exorbitant? Definitely NOT! However, my burden of guilt grew and the remorse made me feel deflated, unhappy and definitely much poorer! It boggles my mind coz a moment ago, I was feeling rejuvenated and satisfied with my purchases. However, as the saying goes " Opportunity knocks only once but temptation leans on the doorbell and refuses to go away."....guess I have a legitimate reason for my purchase now! :-)

This is a random picture. Apparently, in conjunction with the school hols, the bird park is organising some "sleep with the penguins" event. Anyone game for it? Not me for sure!

PS: Stay tune for more updates on this evening's feast!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Pasta Fiesta!

Sweetie's out having tea with the guys @ the usual humid joint whilst I'm enjoying the comforts of my warm but cosy home. The weather's been so stifling, I feel as if I'm engulfed in an inferno constantly. Wish I'm at Nigeria Falls right now, enjoying the mist which shines like a resplendent little gem. I sense the onset of yet another migraine. Been on the constant attack of migraines and nauseousness (no, it's not what you are thinking). The churning sensation in my tummy's most probably caused by indigestion and gastric (yes, indigestion and gastric doesn't have to be painful) is killing me softly. It irritates me to no end when I get such tension. It's like the brain and the stomach's humming the same tune in perfect unison. URGH!

To divert my attention and to fill in my unconstructive little pockets of time, I decided to pen a short entry. A rather random one though.

Sweetie changed his plan...took on a "TAKE 3" plan from M1 and got me an E71 for free! In my favourite white! :-) Felt a little lost without a stylus though....takes a little getting used to.
Below are pictures of a spagetti feast we had couple of wks back. To cater to a myraid of tastebuds, I had to whip up a variety of pasta. First up, A fusion -- Clam with Japanese buttered and Salmon Roe Pasta. It sounds utterly confusing but it's really easy to prepare! Tasty too, except that the premade sauce was a tat too salty.

This is my favourite! Cabonara with bacon and chicken patty!
haha...How true! MEN, remember to OBEY YOUR WIFE!
These pictures are horrendously overdue. went out for supper one night with the elusive and extremely busy Ed.
Nice midnight snacks. Tofu cubes in salt and pepper and calamari, Hong Kong Style. Sinful, but what the heck! I should experiment with this recipe soon!

That's me, looking retarded in my new toy. The two bows are actually hair clips which works on static. It doesn't fasten all that well, but at least it keeps my fringe away from my face without messing up its style!
Yup, I got myself an arm shaper. Trying to delude myself into believing that such things would work. I'm strangely lazy and unmotivated these days when it comes to exercising...perhaps due to the weather. Would really like to go back to the size I was 2 years ago. Very demoralised that there are tons of clothes I need to throw out. But am still indulging in ice-creams and mid-night snacks. Can't help it, I sometimes have an insane need to binge! Pehaps I should just get myself pregnant, then I've an excuse to be fat!haha

A Race against Time

WARNING: This is a highly photo intensive post, DO NOT COMPLAIN!

The long awaited trip had finally arrived. Our flight to BKK was at 715am, in-laws were really nice, fetched us to the airport.

Baby and I, looking rather spaced out (him in particular) @ 530am.....

Thailand's tourism must have been badly hit. They were giving away bags of lychees upon arrival at the airport! They were in season and were amazingly sweet!
Arrived at our hotel @ Sukhumvit Soi 11, near Nana Station. It's a little boutique hotel called Le Fenix hotel. My dear friend Jan got me a good rate and I was delighted with its decor. Check out the lobby area! Feels chic does'nt it?

Our deluxe room. Was supposed to be upgraded but nevermind, this room's good enough for me. Clean and cosy, what more can I ask for. The staff there were all very young and friendly too.
Retro tiles. Pity the toilet didn't have a bath tub. Not that I had the time to soak though.

Famous Pubbing place -- Bed Supper Club was just round the corner. We didn't patronize the place coz I heard the cover charge was a rip off. Opened by a Singaporean I heard, so what do you expect!
After check-in, we zipped off in the oh-so-familiar BTS.....they don't seem to move with times. Their trains are still so short! Wonder why they built such long platforms then. Perhaps they are waiting for Singapore to sell off their trains.
Very creative.
A Must-have dessert! MANGO STICKY RICE! Kao Niao Ma Muang (i think)
Cool air drifted from the air-conditioning vents of MBK. Faced with a wide variety of items on display from the many shops and hordes of busy buyers pushing and shoving around, I felt instantaneously at home........ahhhhhhh.........
As the morning gave way to the hot and humid afternoon, the girls and I headed for Siam Centre and Siam Discovery Centre. We found this cool place which sells baking materials -- WHOLESALE! Elaine simply went insane! I did too! bought the most ridiculous thing there (which would be revealed towards the end :-P)
Dinner was at the famous German Brewery Tawandang. Heard they opened an outlet here in Singapore @ Demsey Road. Gotto check it out one day.
The food was absolutely awesome. Mouth-watering is an understatement! My tastebuds simply exploded when the palatable spread was laid before me! Euphoria was seeping into my veins, spreading throughout my body! Exhilaration exploded sporadically and my saliva as hanging dangerously at the tip of my mouth as I saw my favourite Pla Ka Pong Neng Ma Nao (Steam fish in spicy sour sauce). The pork knuckles were also to die for. I'm not a pork knuckle person for fear of the oozing fats, but trust me, one cannot miss this amazing dish! A satisfactory smirk was plastered across all our faces when we conquered the knuckle! It was whipped clean.
Beer. A Must have! 3-litre. The entire meal worked out to be around SGD100? Good food at great price!
Later that night, friends Xiong and Yue arrived. Hawkers were lined along the Soi leading to our hotel and we decided to bring them on a food tasting spree. Nothing beats roadside food. They have an indescribable taste..perhaps due to the "added ingredients"...Having dinner with rodents and cockroaches isn't something for the weak hearted.
Pipping hot bowl of Beef noodles. Addictive!
Day 1 and 2's achievement. Nothing to shout about seriously. I did so much better 2 years ago! This would have been half of what I had bought in a day! Guess as a person matures, one becomes more sensible? Or perhaps I've grown so much I can't fit into those teeny weeny outfits the Thais wear. Their sizes run smaller. If you are a S in SG, you'd probably fit in an M....if you are an M, you'd fit into a L. So guess what size have I ballooned into? Utterly demoralised and depressed!

After shopping on Day 2, we thought we deserved a good massage. Went to Healthland @ Ekemia. Walked almost 1.5km from the BTS station. Moral of the story, Do not trust maps you see online! We were truely relaxed (though some were in pain) after a good 2 hour thai massage. However, the boys on the other hand weren't too happy. They waited for us for dinner and trust me, the colour of some of their faces were as black as the dirt on my feet!Dinner was at the highly publicised Cabbages & Condoms. Spotted this restaurant on Discovery Channel and wanted to visit the place. It's a place which has a theme. You've guessed it -- COndoms! It's not a sleazy place, but promotes safe sex.

Food there paled in comparison to what we had on Day 1. Perhaps coz the food were not so much to my liking, or the mood was tainted due to certain reasons.
Creative Thais @ work. These costumes were all made from condoms!

It's a bird. It's a plane..It's Captain C?


Day 3: Jatujak Market. I'm all geared up for the day. The weather was pleasantly cool compared to other occasions. No sweltering heat from the merciless sun, instead, there was a light drizzle when we arrived at Mo Chit station. As usual, scores of young enthusiastic Singaporeans thronged JJ market. Which is probably why prices have gone up.
Different smells of meat and stuff mingled together to form an almost-nauseating concoction. I've never been a fan of their meat items. There's a weird marinate in them.
Sweetie would probably love this huge golf ball stool. Pity it's too bulky to be carrying back, else it'd really make a gorgeous pc for our home.
So MOLECULE!
The 3 oriental beauties! We figured at one point, we were melting under the suffocating environment, thus we each bought a fan. Soooo Kawaii des neh?
A refreshing treat -- Coconut ice-cream in a coconut husk no less! I licked the spoon with utmost satisfaction. It's only 25bht! A Steal!
Since the weather was nice, we decided to "lim teh"

The after photo. Check out the stuff we've bought! We looked slightly exhausted but looking delighted with our purchases. most shoppers there were in an indulgent mood. but of coz! It's SHOPPING we are talking about! However, I did not reign as the queen for the day. E bought a stool back! It's really nice and chic....wanted to lug one home too, but they didn't have the design I liked! HENG AH!
After a nice shower and a foot massage, the aunties who were earlier haggling over prices are now transformed into babes ready to take the streets by storm!
Feasting out at YES INDeED! Was there years ago. the food's still good, but portion seemed to have shrunk. It's kindof out of the way and we had a hard time hailing a cab for our journey there. Sweetie had to gesture wildly before the cab driver knew where we wanted to go. I'm very impressed each time sweetie speaks Thai. He does have a flair for language. A total turn on! The big head prawns and garlic squid were so fantastic we had a second round!
Chilling out at SLIM @ RCA......The live band there was great. Pity there wasn't much standing space.
mixers, plain water and even Ice were chargeable @ 50bht! Alcohol may be cheap, but those add-ons are rip offs!


The queen had a potent drop towards the end and it hit her bad!
The night did not end after RCA. I hopped to Xiong's room for second round of baileys. We had to finish em else it's a waste. Thus, filling our cups like chocolate milk, XY and I chatted and drank till wee hours of the night. Xiong could not care less and hit the sack. I was sandwiched between the two of them! haha Threesome!
Day 4. I rose lazily from my pile of warm blankets, my mind still in dreamland. Having slept for less than 4 hours, I was extremely lethargic. But no time must be wasted on this last day. We decided to "cheong" Platinum as we failed to cover 2nd and 3rd levels on Day 2. The place was simply huge with at least 5 levels to cover. It's a mini JJ market, only difference , it's air-conditioned! Shopping at such places require intense planning, else you'd probably miss a lane or two. Along the way to Platinum, we passed by Central World and there was some vintage car exhibition going on.


Last proper meal -- Japanese @ MBK.



This set is less than 200bht! which works out to be approximately SGD8! Where to find???? Faced with the large variety of food, I was really spoilt for choice. struggled to finish and was rubbing my round tummy at the end of the meal.

Was really tired. Kept yawning throughout the day. I inhaled deeply, hoping to breathe in the fresh scent of grass but my nostrils were assimilated by the pollution instead. The rest of the day was a rush. had to purchase the foodstuff and make our way for pedi and manicure!
Guess how much I paid for my pedi and mani? Complete with Blings? 500bht! ie approximately SGD20. I should simply migrate to BKK! Apart from the insane traffic jam which happens 24/7, it's a place which is made to measure for me!
OMG! I didn't realise I bought so much lingerie. I know I said I wanted to stock up, but errrr how many breasts and butts do I have!
Here you are, my most ridiculous buy -- PLASTIC PLATES! "occupational hazzard" i guess. It was sooo cheap. Couldn't resist la! only 70bht! There must have been 50-100 pcs in that stack!
Add ImageHandcarried those twigs back. Once again, they were too cheap to resist. ranging from 3bht to 30bht, how can I not lug them back! Tastefully pieced together.
This was bought with "permission" from sweetie. 24 pairs of chopsticks! We are always having problems finding cheap wooden chopsticks, thus when I found em at JJ mkt, I bought almost all their stock! 10bht a pair, how not to buy!!

That trolley was filled with our handcarries. Surprisingly, we did not exceed the baggage limit! Perhaps coz XY and X didn't do a good job at shopping! They were travelling light! Didn't even have a single check in! But Xiong made a suit for 4500bht...prices have sored since 2 yrs back when sweetie made his suit.
We came home and was disgustingly surprised by the fungus which plagued the tea leaves that were left to rot whilst we were away!
Even the tea had mould! Eewwwwwww
No wonder they said Good things don't come cheap, cheap things don't come good. After soaking the chopsticks, this was what happened! Sweetie spent the night attaching them together.
PHEW! I've finally come to the end of my post. I'm totally overwhelmed by this entry. Took me 1.5hours! Longest ever! A waste of time actually, but still, i had to do it. M extremely tired after this trip...think I need another trip to revitalise and re-energise!
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