aunty april
i think i'm becoming more auntified over the weekend. first of all, i got so excited over the kichen crockery/utensils and electrical appliances at tangs (yes, for once it's not the limited editioned stila palettes, or the new summer collection), the non-stick tefal pans were on discount, so i bought myself a 28-cm pan (a 24-cm probably works better for omelettes and pancakes, but this one came with a free frying ladle, hah!). then there were chic-looking food processors and toaster ovens, waffles and crepe-making machines, all made to suit the sleek clean lines look of most modern kitchens of today - i'm going to make sure my future kitchen are properly equipped with these state-of-the-art gadgets! :P
sunday lunch was stirred fried baby kailan, spare pork rib soup with lots of carrots and potatoes and grilled salmon. maybe i should start helping my mum with dinner ocassionally, though i don't think i can ever whip up a meal as fast as her. spent more than $70 in two days on food (my very important breakfast essentials), baking needs and toiletries, so as to accumulate enough mini-stickers to fill up the shop & save card - just for the sake of a $6 voucher (which i can use to buy more breakfast cereals :P)! there is no dispute this is ultimate auntified behaviour. :P
scribbled at 7:18 am
.::.
i think i'm becoming more auntified over the weekend. first of all, i got so excited over the kichen crockery/utensils and electrical appliances at tangs (yes, for once it's not the limited editioned stila palettes, or the new summer collection), the non-stick tefal pans were on discount, so i bought myself a 28-cm pan (a 24-cm probably works better for omelettes and pancakes, but this one came with a free frying ladle, hah!). then there were chic-looking food processors and toaster ovens, waffles and crepe-making machines, all made to suit the sleek clean lines look of most modern kitchens of today - i'm going to make sure my future kitchen are properly equipped with these state-of-the-art gadgets! :P
sunday lunch was stirred fried baby kailan, spare pork rib soup with lots of carrots and potatoes and grilled salmon. maybe i should start helping my mum with dinner ocassionally, though i don't think i can ever whip up a meal as fast as her. spent more than $70 in two days on food (my very important breakfast essentials), baking needs and toiletries, so as to accumulate enough mini-stickers to fill up the shop & save card - just for the sake of a $6 voucher (which i can use to buy more breakfast cereals :P)! there is no dispute this is ultimate auntified behaviour. :P
Sunday, May 28, 2006
strawberry field
finally put my pie tin to use, think this is the first time i tried something so fruity, it's mostly chocolate and nuts. the crust was way too thick, could be due to the size of my pan, so i'll be mindful and cut down on the crust ingredients the next time. anybody want some? ;)
anyway, parents are away to guangzhou for 16 days! and you know what, i'm going to make some lunch today - time to get changed to do some marketing.
scribbled at 8:29 am
.::.
finally put my pie tin to use, think this is the first time i tried something so fruity, it's mostly chocolate and nuts. the crust was way too thick, could be due to the size of my pan, so i'll be mindful and cut down on the crust ingredients the next time. anybody want some? ;)
anyway, parents are away to guangzhou for 16 days! and you know what, i'm going to make some lunch today - time to get changed to do some marketing.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
claypot rice night
i couldn't recall the last time i actually ate claypot rice, somehow it's never a dish i would order in a hawker centre or food court. my impression of claypot rice was that there would always be clusters that are charred after sticking to the pot for too long, and you would usually end up eating a mixture of slimy starchy rice that's partially hard. what's worse is that the added lap-cheong (smoked chinese sausages) are too salty for my taste buds and are extremely high in saturated fat - eeks!
oh well, despite this, i really didn't mind trying out a new eating place when jl suggested claypot rice at geylang. c'mon, nothing from singapore's eating paradise can taste all that bad, and i was right! this coffee shop along lorong 33 is apparantly well-known, and to avoid the queuing or waiting long for your rice, do call in to reserve your table in advance (yes, even coffee shop these days take in phone reservations). the rice came with all the lap-cheong and chicken toppings, but before you dig in, you have to flavour it with the provided dark sauce, oil and pepper - and of course, the four of us left that to the expert aunty. There was absolutely no burnt taste, and the sweetness from the sausages blends in perfectly with the savoury tender chicken pieces. heck the trans-fats, just for one night! :P our other side orders like the tofu prawns and leafy green veges were also pretty tasty.
i'm considering given claypot rice another chance, but only the good ones please.
geylang claypot rice -
sin huay guan eating house,
639 geylang road (off lorong 33),
5pm - 12pm, closed on mondays,
tel: 67444574
oh, just for entertainment sake, we requested for jl to drive us through the even-numbered streets of geylang after dinner. while prostitution is not an offense per se, open solicitation of sex is illegal in singapore. yet, you'll still find MANY skimpily dressed ladies, probably mainland chinese and filipinos in their late-teens or early twenties, waiting to get hooked up. and let's not even bother going on to talk about the dirty old men who were obviously there for a free show. what an eye-opener, though it was nothing like the fishtank ladies i've seen in amsterdam.
scribbled at 2:04 pm
.::.
i couldn't recall the last time i actually ate claypot rice, somehow it's never a dish i would order in a hawker centre or food court. my impression of claypot rice was that there would always be clusters that are charred after sticking to the pot for too long, and you would usually end up eating a mixture of slimy starchy rice that's partially hard. what's worse is that the added lap-cheong (smoked chinese sausages) are too salty for my taste buds and are extremely high in saturated fat - eeks!
oh well, despite this, i really didn't mind trying out a new eating place when jl suggested claypot rice at geylang. c'mon, nothing from singapore's eating paradise can taste all that bad, and i was right! this coffee shop along lorong 33 is apparantly well-known, and to avoid the queuing or waiting long for your rice, do call in to reserve your table in advance (yes, even coffee shop these days take in phone reservations). the rice came with all the lap-cheong and chicken toppings, but before you dig in, you have to flavour it with the provided dark sauce, oil and pepper - and of course, the four of us left that to the expert aunty. There was absolutely no burnt taste, and the sweetness from the sausages blends in perfectly with the savoury tender chicken pieces. heck the trans-fats, just for one night! :P our other side orders like the tofu prawns and leafy green veges were also pretty tasty.
i'm considering given claypot rice another chance, but only the good ones please.
geylang claypot rice -
sin huay guan eating house,
639 geylang road (off lorong 33),
5pm - 12pm, closed on mondays,
tel: 67444574
oh, just for entertainment sake, we requested for jl to drive us through the even-numbered streets of geylang after dinner. while prostitution is not an offense per se, open solicitation of sex is illegal in singapore. yet, you'll still find MANY skimpily dressed ladies, probably mainland chinese and filipinos in their late-teens or early twenties, waiting to get hooked up. and let's not even bother going on to talk about the dirty old men who were obviously there for a free show. what an eye-opener, though it was nothing like the fishtank ladies i've seen in amsterdam.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
1 month old!
just some pictures taken over the weekend at gabriel's 1 month old party, check out glowing daddy timothy. bunny jo-jo was down with skin irritation problems over the weekend, and this little creature's visit to the veterinarian cost twice as much as a doctor's consultation - $48!
scribbled at 8:57 pm
.::.
just some pictures taken over the weekend at gabriel's 1 month old party, check out glowing daddy timothy. bunny jo-jo was down with skin irritation problems over the weekend, and this little creature's visit to the veterinarian cost twice as much as a doctor's consultation - $48!
Monday, May 22, 2006
the new paper big walk 2006
[1] we were still in this queue outside dhoby gaut mrt when the event started at 730am.
[2] let's start the day with a dose of chlorestrol - a sausage egg mc muffin.
[3-4] c'mon, contestant 32194 & 32195! we kind of cheated and started the walk just before the 3-km mark, oops!
[5-6] men in costumes to entertain the crowd, with their makeup melting under the sun.
[7] watch check!
[8] great view of the city, this is somewhere around the mid-point.
[9] he wanted to shift the banner for me to take a shot, and ended up in the pic instead, harhar.
[10] o for oakleys, and i'm one shade darker after this.
[11-12] the root beer that didn't manage to quench my thirst.
[13] okay, this picture is worth mentioning... guess what's with that sulking look? we didn't know that we had to bring along the mini booklets to collect our free goody bags and so we ended up empty-handed and feeling really really stupid. the only consolation was that i already bought that issue of shape magazine, and that was probably the most expensive thing in there (the jacobs, the sports towel, the free paper...okay, they're all cheapo stuff). and in the end, we felt cheated when we found out some others actually used their number tags for the exchange. OH MAN. i want my goody bag!!!
scribbled at 11:54 pm
.::.
[1] we were still in this queue outside dhoby gaut mrt when the event started at 730am.
[2] let's start the day with a dose of chlorestrol - a sausage egg mc muffin.
[3-4] c'mon, contestant 32194 & 32195! we kind of cheated and started the walk just before the 3-km mark, oops!
[5-6] men in costumes to entertain the crowd, with their makeup melting under the sun.
[7] watch check!
[8] great view of the city, this is somewhere around the mid-point.
[9] he wanted to shift the banner for me to take a shot, and ended up in the pic instead, harhar.
[10] o for oakleys, and i'm one shade darker after this.
[11-12] the root beer that didn't manage to quench my thirst.
[13] okay, this picture is worth mentioning... guess what's with that sulking look? we didn't know that we had to bring along the mini booklets to collect our free goody bags and so we ended up empty-handed and feeling really really stupid. the only consolation was that i already bought that issue of shape magazine, and that was probably the most expensive thing in there (the jacobs, the sports towel, the free paper...okay, they're all cheapo stuff). and in the end, we felt cheated when we found out some others actually used their number tags for the exchange. OH MAN. i want my goody bag!!!
Saturday, May 20, 2006
a pleasant surprise
it's time to chuck away that previous flimsy plastic passport cover, i vaguely recall it was free from ctc travel agency for my last china trip, and that was definitely more than 10 years ago (think i was 14)! the only reason why i kept it till last thursday was to make my passport differentiable from the rest, the convenience especially when you do group travelling, but now i've got a much cooler-looking one, which comes with a flower motif at the corner (if you've noticed). the initial plan was to get me this samsonite one, but apparently it's already out-of-stock and discontinued... and that silly guy is worried i'll be overly disappointed. (oh pls) what's more important to me is that this was such a sweet and unexpected gesture (though he kind of let the cat out of the bag with a mcdonald's drink :P), and i'm going to be using this for my next trip to sweden, which has been postponed to july. yay. *hugs* :-)
scribbled at 1:44 pm
.::.
it's time to chuck away that previous flimsy plastic passport cover, i vaguely recall it was free from ctc travel agency for my last china trip, and that was definitely more than 10 years ago (think i was 14)! the only reason why i kept it till last thursday was to make my passport differentiable from the rest, the convenience especially when you do group travelling, but now i've got a much cooler-looking one, which comes with a flower motif at the corner (if you've noticed). the initial plan was to get me this samsonite one, but apparently it's already out-of-stock and discontinued... and that silly guy is worried i'll be overly disappointed. (oh pls) what's more important to me is that this was such a sweet and unexpected gesture (though he kind of let the cat out of the bag with a mcdonald's drink :P), and i'm going to be using this for my next trip to sweden, which has been postponed to july. yay. *hugs* :-)
Monday, May 15, 2006
Sunday, May 14, 2006
vesak day weekend
thursday - dinner with the animals before the lion goes off for her well-deserved break to australia, but so last-minute i think even MY parents would have flipped out! to help them out a little, i sent them my previous sydney/melbourne itinerary. i think i would also love to visit tasmania one day for the true wilderness of oz - cross south after a match at the australia open - how cool is that. anyway, all the restaurants and cafes were packed that evening so we ended up in boring old swensens, which btw, charges an extra 1% cess! okay, at least our coit tower ice-cream sundae was satisfying (though i usually avoid bananas with my ice-cream, banana split is an absolute no-no)... and just a sudden thought, this particular one comes with an american flag, and ring-a-ding-a-ling doesn't - strange. and i'll remember to find a good baked rice recipe to feed you people, in two weeks' time when my house's going to be empty again? ;)
friday was skating day again - my first time doing it at the park itself with a good and cheap pair of rented rollerblade skates from skakeline for only $6/hour. somehow even with the rougher road surface, i seemed to be going much faster. anyway, i wasn't physically ready for any sort of activity that morning, and my sore back somewhat affected my body balance => a few GRACEFUL falls on my bum! gave up after an hour, and slept the rest of the day away. okay, at least we caught the movie poseidon, it reminded me of the tsunami incident in 2004, you can never imagine the lethality of these killer waves, and also the fact that i haven't been on a proper cruise holiday before! not that there's anything constructive to do on a cruise ship. :S
saturday was basically FOOD INDULGENCE day again. caught up with jessie and wl for an afternoon of shopping-for-wedding-outfits in town, lunch at dome (i just realised we could have gotten 15% using citibank, darn) and dessert at n.y.d.c.. it's amazing that it has already been a month since j left us, i've been all alone in my corner of the office, and now there's no one else that to match my level of untidiness - imagine this, two girls bare-footed and cross-legged on our swirl chairs working intently, surrounded by loads and piles of files and papers, heels, slippers and gym bags all over the carpeted floor (mine also comes with a self-created coffee stain, ha!). really miss the carefree days we had walking all over in amsterdam city, freezing in our jackets, having this simple hotdog bun because she insisted, and the cakes we ate for lunch! and who's bimbotic to apply makeup at the AIRPORT? that was oh-so-fun. okay, i just remembered she also left me to do a presentation this coming tuesday, so it's powerpoint time tonight, argh.
next sunday, we're heading down to national stadium for its last new paper big walk before closing down for renovation works. haven't been to this event in years... i think we have to wake up at 6am or something, yeah? oh yes, go try the pepper drumlets at macs! i was really disappointed when they got rid of mc crispy few years back, i thought they did great in its sales to stay put in the menu list, anyway, these drumlets make a great substitute, if not better.
enjoy the rest of the long weekend, although it really doesn't feel long enough. simply ate and slept too much today, i'm going for a short swim.
scribbled at 5:26 pm
.::.
thursday - dinner with the animals before the lion goes off for her well-deserved break to australia, but so last-minute i think even MY parents would have flipped out! to help them out a little, i sent them my previous sydney/melbourne itinerary. i think i would also love to visit tasmania one day for the true wilderness of oz - cross south after a match at the australia open - how cool is that. anyway, all the restaurants and cafes were packed that evening so we ended up in boring old swensens, which btw, charges an extra 1% cess! okay, at least our coit tower ice-cream sundae was satisfying (though i usually avoid bananas with my ice-cream, banana split is an absolute no-no)... and just a sudden thought, this particular one comes with an american flag, and ring-a-ding-a-ling doesn't - strange. and i'll remember to find a good baked rice recipe to feed you people, in two weeks' time when my house's going to be empty again? ;)
friday was skating day again - my first time doing it at the park itself with a good and cheap pair of rented rollerblade skates from skakeline for only $6/hour. somehow even with the rougher road surface, i seemed to be going much faster. anyway, i wasn't physically ready for any sort of activity that morning, and my sore back somewhat affected my body balance => a few GRACEFUL falls on my bum! gave up after an hour, and slept the rest of the day away. okay, at least we caught the movie poseidon, it reminded me of the tsunami incident in 2004, you can never imagine the lethality of these killer waves, and also the fact that i haven't been on a proper cruise holiday before! not that there's anything constructive to do on a cruise ship. :S
saturday was basically FOOD INDULGENCE day again. caught up with jessie and wl for an afternoon of shopping-for-wedding-outfits in town, lunch at dome (i just realised we could have gotten 15% using citibank, darn) and dessert at n.y.d.c.. it's amazing that it has already been a month since j left us, i've been all alone in my corner of the office, and now there's no one else that to match my level of untidiness - imagine this, two girls bare-footed and cross-legged on our swirl chairs working intently, surrounded by loads and piles of files and papers, heels, slippers and gym bags all over the carpeted floor (mine also comes with a self-created coffee stain, ha!). really miss the carefree days we had walking all over in amsterdam city, freezing in our jackets, having this simple hotdog bun because she insisted, and the cakes we ate for lunch! and who's bimbotic to apply makeup at the AIRPORT? that was oh-so-fun. okay, i just remembered she also left me to do a presentation this coming tuesday, so it's powerpoint time tonight, argh.
next sunday, we're heading down to national stadium for its last new paper big walk before closing down for renovation works. haven't been to this event in years... i think we have to wake up at 6am or something, yeah? oh yes, go try the pepper drumlets at macs! i was really disappointed when they got rid of mc crispy few years back, i thought they did great in its sales to stay put in the menu list, anyway, these drumlets make a great substitute, if not better.
enjoy the rest of the long weekend, although it really doesn't feel long enough. simply ate and slept too much today, i'm going for a short swim.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
timex, go timex!
scribbled at 10:07 am
.::.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
after more than a month, i finally received my health screening results - everything's normal except that there is some slight abnormality in my urine test results. the urine microscopy shows a higher-than-norm level of white blood cells i.e. 6-10 HPF (the norm is < 6 HPF; HPF: high power field)! what's strange is that there is only a one-liner recommendation for me to repeat the urine test (which is probably computer generated), and there is no mention of any doctor's follow-up session or so whatever.
what i found:
Usually there are no blood cells in the urine as the kidney does not allow blood cells to pass into the urine and the blood has no contact with the urine in any way. If however there is infection of the kidneys or the bladder or if there is inflammation due to the presence of stones, immune disorders, allergies or growths anywhere along the genito-urinary system, blood can get into the urine. White cells are most likely to be seen in the urine where infection is present as these are the cells, which combat microorganisms.
the consolation:
Strenuous exercise can also cause blood in urine.
now i'm trying to recall if i jogged that morning. damn.
scribbled at 8:07 pm
.::.
what i found:
Usually there are no blood cells in the urine as the kidney does not allow blood cells to pass into the urine and the blood has no contact with the urine in any way. If however there is infection of the kidneys or the bladder or if there is inflammation due to the presence of stones, immune disorders, allergies or growths anywhere along the genito-urinary system, blood can get into the urine. White cells are most likely to be seen in the urine where infection is present as these are the cells, which combat microorganisms.
the consolation:
Strenuous exercise can also cause blood in urine.
now i'm trying to recall if i jogged that morning. damn.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
weekend indulgence
scribbled at 1:58 pm
.::.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
one of the longest personality quizzes i've taken
my personal DNA report
scribbled at 7:59 am
.::.
my personal DNA report
Thursday, May 04, 2006
shape run 2006 - shall i?
scribbled at 11:53 pm
.::.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
is chivalry dead?
yeing's recent entry got me thinking about this, and at least to me, gentlemanly behaviour isn't all that rare around me. perhaps, in a generally male-dominated industry the ladies tend to stand out, and the egotistic nature of men (especially those in my line of work) makes them want to show they still remain the stronger gender. is it true that being a gentleman conflicts with the ideals of a modern society that is based on equality? i beg to differ. most girls will not disagree that even today, they still enjoy a guy who does romantic things for them, one who will open the door for them, leave them sweet notes and buy them flowers. however, modern women will not therefore demand for all these, at least i do not expect the men around me to treat me like a princess, to always help carry my files or move heavy boxes, but it's always nice when you hear an offer to help. at the end of the day, it's important that women show appreciation - sometimes we tend to forget these little things, but some times it's these little things that are important.
and xp!!! - you and your picture of a chivalrous gentleman crossing the road to open the car door for his lady companion and getting knocked down by a truck in the process?!? what a vivid imagination you have. *shakes head* :P
scribbled at 12:17 pm
.::.
yeing's recent entry got me thinking about this, and at least to me, gentlemanly behaviour isn't all that rare around me. perhaps, in a generally male-dominated industry the ladies tend to stand out, and the egotistic nature of men (especially those in my line of work) makes them want to show they still remain the stronger gender. is it true that being a gentleman conflicts with the ideals of a modern society that is based on equality? i beg to differ. most girls will not disagree that even today, they still enjoy a guy who does romantic things for them, one who will open the door for them, leave them sweet notes and buy them flowers. however, modern women will not therefore demand for all these, at least i do not expect the men around me to treat me like a princess, to always help carry my files or move heavy boxes, but it's always nice when you hear an offer to help. at the end of the day, it's important that women show appreciation - sometimes we tend to forget these little things, but some times it's these little things that are important.
and xp!!! - you and your picture of a chivalrous gentleman crossing the road to open the car door for his lady companion and getting knocked down by a truck in the process?!? what a vivid imagination you have. *shakes head* :P
may day weekend
i'm amazed at my enthuasiam to adopt a more sporty and healthy lifestyle over the long weekend. on sunday, i actually went mountain trekking with wen at bukit timah hill, while the guys went on their bikes. though it was a short relaxing 40-minutes stroll (except for the intimidating steep hill at the beginning), it was quite fun girly-chatting along the way, then indulging in mac's shaker fries later on. :P due to a somewhat mishap incident, i also got the opportunity to do a refresher course on the cannondale bike for about 20 minutes. this was since... erm, 6 months ago (?) when i first started at the miserable multi-storey carpark and that's also where i almost fell to my death. :P i'm proud to say it that somehow i was able to get the hang of biking, and it didn't take me much effort to cycle independently without support, though i'm still extremely unstable, and can't turn, hahaha. my next refresher session will not be 6 months later, i hope. ;)
wait, that's not it. a while back, i was just thinking through my new year resolutions, and i remembered i said something about trying rollerblading this year... so i thought i might as well get started, since i had the long weekend ahead, and it's already the month of may. since the boy is always keen to teach, off we went to ECP! rented a pair of skates (which comes with foul-smelling protective guards and paddings) for two hours, and hey!, i think i'm liking this sport! as compared to biking, it's easier to balance oneself... from taking baby steps, i've learnt to move some tens of metres (still more walking than rolling). probably 1-2 more lessons before i decide if i should splurge on a cool pair of k2 skates! hmmm, i feel my thighs aching abit now.
scribbled at 12:02 am
.::.
i'm amazed at my enthuasiam to adopt a more sporty and healthy lifestyle over the long weekend. on sunday, i actually went mountain trekking with wen at bukit timah hill, while the guys went on their bikes. though it was a short relaxing 40-minutes stroll (except for the intimidating steep hill at the beginning), it was quite fun girly-chatting along the way, then indulging in mac's shaker fries later on. :P due to a somewhat mishap incident, i also got the opportunity to do a refresher course on the cannondale bike for about 20 minutes. this was since... erm, 6 months ago (?) when i first started at the miserable multi-storey carpark and that's also where i almost fell to my death. :P i'm proud to say it that somehow i was able to get the hang of biking, and it didn't take me much effort to cycle independently without support, though i'm still extremely unstable, and can't turn, hahaha. my next refresher session will not be 6 months later, i hope. ;)
wait, that's not it. a while back, i was just thinking through my new year resolutions, and i remembered i said something about trying rollerblading this year... so i thought i might as well get started, since i had the long weekend ahead, and it's already the month of may. since the boy is always keen to teach, off we went to ECP! rented a pair of skates (which comes with foul-smelling protective guards and paddings) for two hours, and hey!, i think i'm liking this sport! as compared to biking, it's easier to balance oneself... from taking baby steps, i've learnt to move some tens of metres (still more walking than rolling). probably 1-2 more lessons before i decide if i should splurge on a cool pair of k2 skates! hmmm, i feel my thighs aching abit now.