August 2005

home flava

August 31, 2005

in Her Life

Whenever, I am away from home, friends often asked me if I miss any Singapore food at all.
I would often say NO! I don’t with the most affirmative tone.
Then they ask, REALLY meh?
I would sway and ponder, if I DO miss any food.
Then I replied… Yah! Maybe I DO miss the prawn mee (noodles), both the fry and soupy ones.
And I still miss it occasionally now.

A month ago, when Keith was in town, we found an interesting restaurant near the apartment he was staying.
The name is Lau Pat Sar.
(Different spelling from the Singapore version, but equally distinguishable)
It doesn’t take too long for any Singaporeans to register that it serves Singapore cuisine.

DP would happily obliged, as he pretty much too enjoy food from my hometown, as much as I enjoyed his.

We used to frequent a Malaysian Restaurant, that serves similar S.E.A food.
But that was before we decided that the taste got worst (from bad) after a while.

The setting is pretty much like a coffee shop, those white marble tabletop with wooden legs.
And images of old Singapore were on the wall.
And the boss, as I confirmed with the waitresses is a Singaporean.
Customers are usually foreigners, Singaporeans, Malaysians and Hong konger, and occasional Chinese locals.

I ordered two for my favourites for my first visit.
DP would have gone for the laksa, if not for the sore throat he had then.
He likes Singapore because of Laksa…not me.

Hokkien Prawn Mee prawn noodles soup
Looks good RIGHT??

I agree …
Except that it actually tasted bland, and lacks authentic feel of Singapore.
A good and delicious soup base for prawn noodles would require the boiling and cooking of loads of prawns, and pork (esp bones) and other spices to give it the rich taste.
Well, that’s exactly what the soup base lack. But I don’t blame them.
Coz the hawker near my home have been selling prawn noodles for decades.
And I secretly pray that, he hasn’t been boiling his soup base for that long too…

Anyway, we headed back last weekend for lunch, being health conscious, I had grilled chicken, while DP had yummy sinful Laksa Yong Tau Fu… (I thought the laksa gravy was good.)

I guess we should be frequenting it often.
Have yet to try their hainanese chicken rice.
ohhh.. they have very good ‘kaya’(coconut paste) and butter toast too.
And it makes me feel at home, with some other singaporeans around.

DSC00170

Taken a month ago, picture of me in the restaurant,
and yah… some random proud singaporean behind me.

I too love their kopi-C (coffee), it tasted very close to home.
And since, its COFFEE, it definitely deserves an entry on its own.

{ 2 comments }

holiday bj

August 30, 2005

in Her Family,Her Life

holiday bj August 30, 2005
Last weekend, I was over the moon.
Coz my family was considering and planning a Holiday BJ, during the Sept School Holidays.

The moment I heard, I was delighted and started searching for a good hotel near my home, and was ready to blow my entire month’s salary for their 5 day hotel stay.

Many Places kept popping up in my head…
Where to bring my family (out of Beijing) for the weekend, places to bring Mom and Ashley for more shopping, and great food to eat, other than the boring oily Peking Duck…
Right down to finding a bigger car, so that the entire family can travel in together.
In short, I was excited. But I kept myself contained, in fear of disappointment.

Flexible Dad, leave needed no approval.
Housewife Mom, leave not required.
And well-liked Ashley, got her leave approved instantly…

But well, who would have thought, and expected that busy student Andrew can’t take leave from the school hols.

holiday_bj:\>Abort

He is as usual very active in School. Too active, that he can’t enjoy his holiday.
Representing his school (again) in yet another Robotics competition.
*yawnz with pride* heehee…

It sucks having such a smart, geeky, responsible, popular, indispensable STUDENT as your brother. And it doesn’t help that I miss him very much.
He’s very cute and very sweet.
What to do, he is so clever, so special.

Long before my papa (father’s day) and my mama (birthday) entries, I wrote an entry on my bro…the week of his birthday.
Read about what I miss about him, here.

Guess I will have to wait, wait, wait till my return to home late, late, late September.
It’s going to be a long, long, long wait.

But hey, we can then all hang out together…

We simple lurve Crabs

with the crabs…

Probably worth the wait….

PS: AshLey, I am aflaid, you haf to be pation fou your veli own spesial entry. Yours wil haf du wait auntil Novembor. Can?

Tagged as:

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wierdest looking nut / fruit

August 29, 2005

in Her Life

This fruit/nut, was offered to me by my colleague this morning.

It resembles, bird, teapot, or a pipe.

I was taken aback when my colleague offfered me this morning. It must have been a funny scene, coz she couldn’t stop laughing at me.
It looked scary, when she had a couple of them in a plastic bag, wet from the boiling.
It looked like slimy garden slugs then…

To convinced me to try, she demonstrated how to eat it.
She said it’s called : Ling Jiao.
Could be found in the wild or water streams.
Wasn’t listening closely, as i was busy poking the fruit with a pen.

Being adventurous greedy, I tried.
It was hard, and you have to crack it open, with your teeth.
When split opened into halves, the ‘meat’ looks like yam, and when teeth sinked into it, its powdery and tasted like chestnut.

heehee… not too bad.
Pity, that I only asked for two.
I should have been more ‘adventurous’. damn!

{ 7 comments }

its finally here…

August 26, 2005

in Her Family,Her Life

I have been waiting for this weekend, since Monday…
It could be the morning chill that makes me want to stay in bed longer.
Or it could be that I am really tired.

It has been a busy week at work making dozens of phone calls.
I am getting confident with mandarin, and speaking with people I hardly know over the phone.
And DN’s friend once over dinner, commented that I end my question, a pitch higher, with Shanxi Accent.
And DP’s english is getting more Singlish.
Feeling pissed with my accusation he went: Why you always like that say me!?
Wah! What have I done!?

CIMG0918

JB: SmiLE! Don’t pout! You are such a Baby!
DP:Hmmmph!!!

Last night, I was flipping through some fashion, beauty magazine that Mum and Ashley brought over in March, Gosh! I miss home very much! And I miss my family…

Anyway, its weekend, and I am happy…. happy…. happy….

{ 6 comments }

the other apartment

August 25, 2005

in Her Life

Renovation for the other flat is going to begin this weekend.
Guess will be busy, getting RAW materials for the house.
It’s a small 70 sq m apartment.
A one-room apartment which has a wall separating the living and bedroom.
It oversees a beautiful park. And DN got an exact unit in the same development.

To make the apartment appear bigger, we want to remove the wall.

The interior designer, is this long haired guy.
Good! Long hair gives an arty-farty image.

Maybe I a little sua-ku (outdated) but the interior design he presented was very realistic.
Don’t believe? Take a look.

a
Living room, with the kitchen on the left.

b
View from the bedroom.

Its actually just GRAPHICS.
Nice? Cosy?
Would you wanna live in it? Please comment.

Since we are renting out… the designer thought we shouldn’t remove the wall, so that it is generally more acceptable.
But DP wants it removed.
Since I am not going to live there and is his apartment, I let him decide.
For such a small apartment, it could either be a bachelor pad or a cozy home for couples.
The salesperson who sold the apartment shared that there are a number of kept women, who got apartments in the area.

There have been a few events organised by the developers for buyers of the apartments.
There was food and lucky draw.
I have bad experiences with the buyers. I think they are very kaisu. (everything also want, fear of losing out)
My first experience with them, somewhere in this entry.

I had my second and hopefully last experience with them, early July.
It was an outdoor event, with tents.
There was buffet, gosh! As if the last banquet style experience wasn’t bad enough.
I swear I saw the waiter, was preparing to take-off almost immediately after placing food on the buffet table. For fear of being caught in a stampede of hungry people.
And sometimes, I think sandwiches were “hijacked” before the waiter could make his way to the buffet table.

Being too gentleman for his and my own good, he got me no food, despite I was have gastric pain then.
Was feeling rather piss with him then. If it a war, we would have died of HUNGER.
Imagine us, back to the caveman’s time, where money is of no importance…
A caveman (w/o inability to hunt in case) returns to the cave with no food for the family.
He is too scholarly.
I am feeling pissed again now. I am so going to educate him again tonight.

So these you go, the people, who got the apartment that isn’t exactly affordable for most.
And I am glad that I am not living there.

{ 3 comments }

my interest

August 24, 2005

in Her Life

Where my interest lies… you asked.

Good question, like some of you out there, I am not too sure myself too…
And I think it definitely not anything I am doing or what I did.

For a start, I like to have my own coffee maker, to make my own coffees, expresso, and Latte.
When DP once dream of his own cafe or restaurant, I told him that I would go to Starbucks to learn the trade of coffee making and operating the coffee machine.
And IF one day, DP and DN should really set up a restaurant or cafe, I will be pleased and happily run it for them, they have more important things on hand.
So there you go, A Cafe Manager
Is there any franchise that I can consider?

I think I have a creativity and flair with my hands.
Not that I can paint well, but I think I can paint faces well, I.e., Make-up.
I have yet learn how to do my own make-up properly, but I think I CAN, with proper professional lessons.
Well, at least that’s what I thought when I had my Bobbi Brown makeup consultation.
She told me things that I already know or read.
E.g. Use only the 3rd / 4th finger for eye shadows, the 2nd finger is going to be too harsh… and how to enhance the eyes, features and so forth.
I thought I should learn proper makeup techniques.

And also I kind of like to be a hair stylist.
I have done loads of hair colour D.I.Ys in Uni, for friends and myself.
And maybe I could also learn how to style hair for balls, parties and maybe for brides.
Better yet, I can do both makeup and the hair for brides.

And maybe Gwen would like to join as a wedding planner.

Oh… what do you think of me running a mani and pedi bar?
Like hair saloons, they are sprouting like fungus and mushrooms everywhere, but I believe with the good location, decor and services, it should still be good.

At the convenience of home, I thought of trading / selling pieces of fashion items on the internet / auctions…
Here I am, in the ‘world’s factory’ China, easy access, I hope.

I might make some money and things on hand, if I should really want to quit working for others. I am still thinking… about it.

If I run my own shop, I want to be able learn and know how to do everything myself.
So if I am going to have my own mani / pedi bar, i will get down and learn how to do it, despite it can be not-too-expensive to employ manicuriest, I want to know the basics.
If I run a cafe, I want to learn how to cook all (or most of it) dishes from the chef.

I am ready to GET DOWN and DIRTY.
Anyway, the above are things where I think my interest lies, and learning new skills.
But I am seriously have no idea at all…
And its definitely not my interest to be a tai-tai…
From time to time, I may lament about working,
but seriously I think not working for too long, might make me stupid.
I ask DP everyday, what he hopes to do (his interest), if he doesn’t want to work in his current co.
And well, he is on a lookout for business opportunities.
But I guess his current interest is now, the 2 NEW apartments.

Think he doesn’t mind being a contractor and goes to ‘the site’ everyday.
It is very dusty, and in fact, with construction going on in the community area for the garden, pool and others.
I doubt we are able to move in next month.
May have to put up somewhere else, as our current rental is due next month.
I have a feeling I am going to miss my current cramp apartment. 3 minute walk to gym.

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