Quick update

There hasn't been much time to write an inspired blog entry these days, with the increased workload and more jobs (Hurrah!), so here's a quick update in point form in case you're wondering what I have been up to.

1. More work, more calls, more enquiries, and more meetings.
2. Made Vongole and Clam Chowder for the first time this week. Success!
3. Helped awwesomepossum do research on cameras and discovered new features on my Leica D-lux 4!
4. Killed all the insects on my plant and helped it to flower again. Alas, it seems to be a little sick still.
5. Baked pandan cake 3 times and it's almost good! Unfortunately, I am unable to buy the Chiffon Bake Tin and my plans for Try #4 will have to wait.
6. Reluctantly drag myself to the gym every week, except this past one.
7. Cooked less lunches this past month, but discovered many cheap and good stalls at the temporary Hong Lim Hawker Centre, and a fantastic authentic Thai eatery that serves cheap lunches!
8. Met up with some old friends for lunch.
9. Helped a friend design a cool invitation for her kids' birthday party.
10. Currently watching World Cup on Ch5. World Cup fever is upon us again!

HK is tiring, but I do miss it!

Hong Kong. A city that never sleeps. I've been there twice and both times were tired out by the inhabitants' unrelenting passion for shopping, eating and life, generally, outside their homes. I heard Hong Kongers stay out because their homes are small and they prefer to hang out with their friends at restaurants, pubs, malls, etc. Whatever it is, I think I need loads of energy and a good pair of shoes to keep up with the people of this exciting city!

As for discovering Hong Kong, I managed to explore a little bit more of the culture and uniqueness of the place and its people on my second visit. The hubby's friend who works here in Singapore is a HK citizen and happened to be back there for a visit at the same time. He brought us to interesting shopping centres hidden behind big brown buildings with back alleys and entrances, and to eateries frequented by the locals. We got to try quality dim sum and roast goose at budget-friendly prices, and buy fun things like SGD3 iphone cases and SGD7 shoes. We had a great time. :)


More recently, I've had the chance to try this interesting iphone app the HK Tourism Board created for the Dragon Boat Festival. It's really fun and involves using rhythmic skills to help the dragon boats win their race. I'd love to experience the Dragon Boat Festival in HK if I had the opportunity, and eat bak zhang (rice dumplings filled with meat) of course. There's bak zhang in Singapore but we hardly get fancy Dragon Boat races anymore.

If you're interested, you can find out more on Hong Kong and the festival here. http://discoverhongkong.com

A busy month...of baking!

It's been a busy month since my last post in March. I'm very happy about this of course, but I shan't bore you with the details. Instead, I must highlight how my interest in baking was piqued because of the fabulous sponge cake AwwesomePossum baked me for my birthday.

Here's a slice of the first whole cake I baked in over 10 years:


It's a simple vanilla sponge cake which I garnished with almonds and strawberries. It was not fluffy enough for me, but I was impressed it was easy NOT to make a cake that tasted like a rock (Remember the cake my dog refused to eat?).

I then spent every weekend after that baking, making a set of sponge cakes in cupcake shells for a friend's gym opening.


I made another whole strawberry cake for practice.


And I tried my hand at meringues (since there were leftover egg whites)...


I also baked carrot cake for AwwesomePossum's birthday and I was delighted that it did not taste like cardboard!



The downside to all this (Yes there is a downside!)...my electrical bill was 25% higher last month due to excessive use of the oven!

A thank you to the Awwesome Possum!

My birthday passed this year with little fanfare, but that's alright with me. Sometime after the big three-oh, my birthday didn't seem so fun anymore, and I'd like it just fine to have it pass by without anyone remembering. Alas, Facebook sends out messages to everyone when it's my birthday so I got a torrent (Ok, not really a torrent) of nice wishes and blessings, which I accept gratefully. And there was an SMS greeting from a friend in Melbourne which was a very pleasant surprise.



Probably the most memorable thing this birthday would the cake that Awwesome Possum baked for me (Thank You!). It was a first attempt but absolutely delicious. Awwesome Possum is a fabulous baker, bless her soul! I received only one physical present, from her, an uber cool and cute Hello Kitty iphone case, and the rest of the presents were dinner treats from Kimmy, my family and my parents-in-law.


I suppose I could throw a bash (like a good friend of mine did last month, because she suddenly felt inspired), but till then, I'd appreciate simple treats like Awwesome Possum's home-baked cake. Now, how am I going to top what she did for me when it's her birthday? Any ideas?

The holiday that wasn't a holiday

I was recently in Hong Kong on a 4-day holiday, except it did not feel like a holiday at all. It came and went by so fast I feel like I need another break again. Kimmy and I resolved to have a relaxing time and planned a suitably leisurely itinerary for ourselves. Unfortunately for us, Hong Kong is filled with massive and never-ending streets of shopping and we couldn't help but walk our way through the 4 days. No thanks to my lousy pair of shoes, I was suffering from back pains on the first day and it inadvertently affected my enthusiasm for this city that is a sensory overload (nearly as much as Tokyo!) Everywhere, there were things to see, hear, feel, touch and taste, and even though we didn't rush our way through the city (the way one would do at Bangkok's Chatuchak on a weekend), I think we felt even more tired than when we started out. Even a friend of ours we met who's a Hong Kong native agreed that the city (downtown HK areas) seemed to be lined with shops and people, without breaks in between, and it was extremely overwhelming.

So, whilst I wanted to be inspired by pretty things, cool weather (of which there was none) and take lots of pictures, I have only fun memories and a whole load of good food to show for it.


The beautiful skyline of Hong Kong from the cable car going to Ngong Ping.


Really good and cheap dim sum, heavenly!


Ubiquitous trams, which although cheap, I have never had the chance to take a ride on it.


Streets lined with people on a weekday afternoon.


And here is me, looking refreshed on the last day of my vacation, although inside, I was pretty tired.

Peanut Porridge

photo from sparkyboi

I love peanut porridge, the kind that you find in hawker centres, early in the morning during breakfast hours. This simple and much-overlooked dish is delicious with the smooth watery texture of the porridge and the scent of boiled peanuts -- heavenly! I actually ate this yesterday and today for breakfast. It was comforting and warm, and I enjoyed myself immensely despite my perspiring in the hot and humid hawker centre. The price and portion helps too, it's cheap and it doesn't fill you up too much, leaving room for a snack on the side or a glass of juice.

This is what I would call a "happy bunny experience".

The Pursuit of Happyness #1

I chanced upon a quiz for married couples and there was a question regarding how happy one was with their partner after a few years of marriage. There were answers to pick from, including "Still as happy as when we first married", "I go my way, my spouse goes his/her own way", and "We do our own things but are happy to get back together once in awhile".

My friend who took the quiz remarked, how can anyhow still be as happy as when they first got married, that's impossible, she exclaimed.

But for me, I can safely say I chose answer #1 on the quiz.

I realise after a few years of marriage that the "happiness" factor is really, all in your mind. By re-aligning your thoughts and viewing things from a different angle, you will find that you can still be happy despite all the chaos around you. For example, despite all of Kimmy's irritating habits, he's generally a great husband who loves me, cares for me and still likes to spend time with me. So I try to think of activities that we both can take part in, and often. This entails effort of both people and it's probably something a lot of people overlook when they lament on the lack of happiness in their life.

So to be happy, the first thing to do is, look at things from a different angle.

Happy to see the bags

It’s such joy to actually see a mass of bags at my office door. This month, I’ve had more orders completed than in the past few months combined, so it has been heartening. Funnily enough, the revenue and balance sheets turned out the same as previous months. I’ve had to cut my salary but pay more to the suppliers, ending up with the same low figures as before. Oh well, hope it gets better soon!