Monday, July 31, 2006

Curry, Coffee, Cards

Following that wee morning massive thunderstorm & a whole day of intermitten rain with chilly winds, what better thing to have dancing in the stomach than a steaming hot claypot of spice-laden indian fish head curry, accompanied by peppery tender grilled chicken and chewy sambal sotong, washed down by ice-cold yellowy lime juice? Heaven, i tell you. Plus the place (Samy's Curry Fish Head Restaurant off Dempsey Road) is so quiet and rustic, you'd feel you can mediate after having polished clean the plates.



It's a monday night, and differnt sorts of people stroll into this unpretentious place - tourists, expats, local businessmen, families, couples, & dads + daughters ... It's almost like a mini potpourri.

And after the satisfying dinner that set the tummy on fire, I had an ultra-sweet Honey Latte (yep, amazingly there's still room in there) @ TCC, with my good gal pal who's no longer angry with me. It was a good day, with all things accomplished except for work.

Oh, btw there's this GREAT sale @ the open walkway of Shaw Towers - WONDERFUL deals for SD memory cards, thumbdrives and other electronic knick-knacks. I should know, for I bought a 2GB SD card AND a 2GB thumbdrive at unbelievable prizes (S$89 bucks each and they are not those ulu brands!) If you have been looking out for gadgets like these, wait no more, better make a trip down to see-touch-buy before the roadshow ends this sunday - don't say I never share good lobangs with you eh.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

reunion

Friday night, got an invitation to attend a first batch kiddo's 21st bday. Can't believe i'm just a few years older than them! Haha. Good.

Well, it was a really nice gathering lah, especially good to see all these grown up boys and girls still clamouring to greet moi and ply moi with food & drinks even though moi is not the bday queen. =) I guess having people show appreciation for what one has done really does magic, and I haven't even thought it mattered so much to them. Guess that is really the invisible hand that pushes one on when the going gets tough, and that makes one remember why one is in it in the first place. Thanks my dears. Will upload the class pic once it comes in.

Yesterday, reunited with my bakeware. Sorry big fish, kueh bang kit will have to wait till another time man - I have absolutely no idea where to begin! First time after so long, I decided my confidence need a boost lah, so cookies it should be.

Spent about 3hrs weighing, mixing, kneading, stiring, baking, packing and cleaning:


Starting of the adventure


Ready to go into the oven


Merrily baking away


Cooling


The final product - choc chip + almond cookies and raisin cookies, packed into pretty bags for distribution to dear pals and family

One step towards Kookies Village.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

big mad world

weekend's round the corner and i've laid out some plans.

splurged on a small arsenal of baking materials 2 days ago @ Giants. guess it's time to squeeze out some cookies and reconnect with the underused baking trays again. going to start with something boringly safe - choc chip + almond nut cookies. good luck to myself.

plan to also visit an ailing uncle. one who stubbornly refuses treatment despite severe diabetic and kidney issues. at the rate he's going, he'd soon be with mama. and i don't know what i can do to make him change his mind.

and one close pal is upset (with me) right now. maybe i'm really slow in detecting her subtle hints, or maybe i'm just plain lazy. whatever it is, i'm feeling a little washed out now.

but there is still hope - my guy pal has replied. he is around, and will be around. thank buddha, allah, jesus, lord krishnu.

it's a big mad world afterall.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

lost... touch?

Sun night, I attended an almost fairytale-like wedding of a God-loving, handsome couple. ~85 tables at Ritz Carlton! Holy moo moo... The sheer scale of the celebration is enough to make Cinderella blush... White roses & sprightly greens adorned the tables and little lacy bundles of nepalese soap daintily sitting by the side for guests to bring home. Exquisite dishes impeccably served by polite waiters/waitresses, divided into munchable portions. The screens projecting the two happy faces, tracing their courtship days to vow-saying moments. The candles casting a long, warm glow as the eloquent couple made their thank-you speeches. It seemed almost perfect.

But the night ended with a slightly bitter after-taste. Got to hear from a gal pal some updates about a guy pal. Haiz, we used to be pretty close pallies for more than half a year as we slogged through days & nights. But he's always been a fiercely private person. In the immediate period after we graduated, there's still the occasional sms-es & emails. And then, the disappearing acts started to begin. A bigger workaholic than I am, I believe he totally immersed himself into work - maybe because of a real big innate desire to compete and excel, or perhaps also so that he wouldn't have the time/energy to care about other stuff. I guess I can never quite understand his mentality.

But I know I am hugely disappointed. And angry. At my failure to get him to keep in touch with me. And at his failure to voluntarily keep in touch with me. Why does he not return the occasional sms-es?? Why must he always live his life in distinct, independent phases??? I am upset for I thought I am a friend whom he treasures a little bit more, and who perhaps stands a chance of having the privilege to be updated as we progress through our different phases. Afterall, there's quite a bit of sweat and blood shed together in our younger days..

I am definitely happy that he is so successful now. But I am also very perplexed. And upset enough to write this piece in the vain hope that he'd get to read this somehow.

What an idiot.

?

just read a colleague's blog. really, i think the nature of this job is changing so fast and so much that, at some point in time as we potter about extinguishing fires, we'd stop and ponder - are we doing what we have come in to do?

an excerpt from her entry:
" i think life as a simple t______ who juz merrily t____ without other stuffs to worry about is what i wld look 4ward to ... but apparently life as a t______ really is not wat i initially perceived to be... no doubt there re lottas to learn ... but are we getting more professional in the things that we are supposed to do?"

And she belongs to a growing group of us who has to attend endless meetings and organize massive events on top of the rightful cerebral matters. so many so many demands upon us that veer right off our initial radar. Managing people of all ages and sizes. Pandering to multiple conflicting and sometimes selfish requests. Zooming in & out from the nittiest details to the biggest picture, anytime and all the time. In short - learning to become SuperMan/Woman.

Watch out... the invasion of the indomitables on their way to derangement.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

a little chopping, stirring & packing...

Friday night, a time to relax! And what better thing to do than to chill out with good pal on cosy sofa at home watching dvd & munching nachos, after savoring a yummy plateful of homecoooked pork chops downed with Hoegaarden!? Check this out:


The brillant homemade masterpiece, courtesy of dodo and sunnytears.

Except for the chop which is a tad too tough, the rest is lip-smacking (hee, which doesn't leave much I guess) =)

And today, using the leftovers of mashed potato and pork chop, I conjured up another creative award-winning dish - baked potato pie! Yum. Next time, if you are inviting me to a party, I can bring that.



Earlier today, I finally cleared my final 1% of packing. The house is completely nicely packed now, so if you are thinking of popping by, we'd have more than enough room to not only lay out the mahjong table but also dance tango. Hmmm.. now that all's cleared, no more excuse not to do work during weekends liao. =P. Heck. Time to invite more of my kakis over to play some rounds and cook/bake up some storm.

MLL, ur turn to come visit!

Frankenfish, come back soon!!!!

And PinkSmurffy, see you in another 3 weeks time!!

Elf & Wolf, if you are reading this, then you are definitely invited too!!!

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Heady

It's durian time! Finger lickin' good, yellowy-creamy semi-solid soul food. So sinfully caloric but oh how therapeutic! Yesterday night, me and pa polished off 3 big ones - there was a sweet but big-seeded version, a bitter and super thick-fleshed type, and one that tasted like wine. YuMmY!

And if there's anyone as crazy for durian, there's a night baking workshop next wed at marine parade, teaching ppl how to come up with durian tiramisu and durian cake. =) Too far away for me though, so I'd stick to eating for now..

Haiz, just heard that a pregnant colleague got lambasted by some parent at yesterday's PTM. *slap him* - how can someone bully a pregnant lady? Ask ur precious to do some self-reflection before pointing fingers and asking others what they can do for him. Getting tougher to be in the frontline as our adult-clients become more educated, affluent and aggressive (twds the wrong party). Last time, decades ago, our grandparents would probably have whipped our parents in front of their teachers till they cry and bleed.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

what's up

Waited and waited... how come the rice is not ready yet?? more than half hour already, and my sesame-ginger chicken is almost done! Opened the lid and tata - the rice is not cooking~! and why, because I forgot to push down the "Cook" button on cooker... What a genius. Luckily, I've got one more dish to prepare - stir fry vegetables. Oh well, thank goodness all turned out yummy in the end. No super salty-oily dishes or burnt down kitchen to deal with. Overall the first 'real' meal's a success, minus the Einstein rice cooker mistake. =P

I'd probably whip up something every week. Already, for next sun, I've got some plans - western cusine. Roast sausages + potato salad/mashed potato and/or alfredo pasta. Yippee. =)

Yesterday was a long, hard day. Contractor came up to fix two more A/C sockets, went back to old house to pack some more barang, returned to new house to unpack a few more boxes, went CPF, went stationery-shopping, fixed up a kitchen push-trolley... so physically and mentally exhausting. To wrap up the day, pa and myself decided to reunite with Tiger and Crab - a late night dinner (~9pm) of stir fry salted eggs with crabs, fish head bee hoon, and tiger beer at a nice, quiet henderson coffeeshop. Very relaxing. Came back and zonked off.



Ealier this morning, before I started meddling in the kitchen, spruced up my picture board too. So here goes, therapeutic pics and knick knacks of wonderful memories and lovely gifts:



Have to start work in a while... been pushing aside work for home these few days. Time to return my employer some effort for the salary bestowed.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

*gasp*

Argh, no toilet paper!!

Not in cubicle 1, cubicle 2... 3, 4, 5, 6!! Not a single shred of yellowy thin article to swipe our bottoms with or dry our hands on in the ladies room! And this is not the first time it happened. Are some of us here eating toilet paper or are the forests running dry of wood to make paper? A toilet cubicle with no toilet paper is as good as one without a toilet bowl.

Day 3 of crisis has begun. May the papers descend soon...

Sunday, July 09, 2006

first meal

Oh well, I just cooked my first 'meal' @ new home. Just a very simple combo of chicken-abalone flavored koka maggi mee + boiled brocoli & mushrooms with oyster sauce & sesame oil + toasted leftovers of roast meats. And I bought all the sauces & oils & perishables from ntuc just few hours before kitchen foray.

It's not that I have not cooked before - I had, while I was away in Vancouver, and I survived nicely. But this is the first time I've fiddled with any kitchen ware since mama left. It had been a psycological barrier all these while I guess, coz ma's one mean cook. She would cut, slice, wash, marinate, toss, fry, steam, boil, stew all sorts of stuff with flair and then scrub the kitchen up till it's gleamingly clean. The kitchen is her territory. So I guess, today's simple meal + clean-up has been an achievement. Papa's probably thinking about the past as he chewed on the soggy noodles. I promised the food would only get better. After a yr & 3mths of eating out, I do admit that the body deserves something better (not neccessarily in taste, but definitely in health quotient). May the power of ma be with me as I try and pick up the pieces slowly once more...

Tonight's the night where it all ends. Italy vs France - the final showdown. One more night of unholy awakening before the bio-rhythmn gets totally screwed up.

A good friend just decided to get married. And the ROM + wedding dinner(s) will be in 2 weeks time. Once more, I am humbled by how very different lives all of us are leading.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

eye & such

I must say some of ur cookie suggestions are quite creative! lavender-/wine-flavored?! not bad! if it turns out well, i may even try to incorporate ur name into cookie's name - as show of appreciation for 'founder'. =)

These 2 days, the upper left eyelid is sore and bit swollen. I haven't been up catching 3am soccer matches, neither have I seen anything I shouldn't have... I've stopped using Bausch & Lomb since mths ago, and I haven't been putting foreign objects into eye socket.. so the only culprit I can think of, is the stack of sometimes-incoherent-confusing-sloppy essays that I am currently dealing with. Of course, there are a couple of sterling ones, but many a times, I wonder if this is all retribution.. =P

Okies, gg to do some shelling now. Ask some people to wake up their ideas. Sloppy kids are easier to forgive than sloppy adults. Argh.

Monday, July 03, 2006

ookies illage

Very soon, I think/hope, I'm going to put into action something that has been brewing in my little mind. I want to set up shop! A cosy little shop selling pleasing little cookies of all sorts and flavours. Sunnytear's own little hideout where the irresistable aroma of freshly-baked cookies fills the air. =)

But before I can come to that, I'd need your help. Everyone of you who is reading this now, can you pleasy please think of ONE type of cookie that you adore - it can be a flavor that you have tried and loved, or it can be something that you dream of but has yet to see on market. Just ONE type k, click the 'Comment' button and post it over! I promise, I will experiment and try to come up with something and if that cookie you suggest turns out to be a BIG HIT in the future, I'd sponsor you with a lifetime of it. *hee*

That said, I now got to work hard and save for my captital, plus re-hone my forgotten cookie-baking skills.

That shop, will be called Kookies Illage, or Kookies Village, or Ookies Illage. =)

Sunday, July 02, 2006

mania

Go Go Goal!!!

Germany VS Argentina. $5 - Germany. Tied @ full-time, Germany won by penalty kicks.

England VS Portugal. $5 - England. Tied @ full-time, Portugal won by penalty kicks.

Brazil VS France. $5 - Brazil. France won 1-0.

There goes my hard-earned S$15. And I vowed never to bet again.... until The Final Match. Sigh... My first foray into soccer crystal-gazing, and it has to end this way. For the finals, I will place my bucks on exactly the opposite of who I think will win the coverted Cup.

Fri night, beary-eyed, I sat through the Ger VS Arg match with couple of pals @ cosy Science Park Blooie's, along with tens (or it is a hundred already) of other peanuts-pizza munching fans, staring @ that HUGE screen which seemed to come alive. Nice atmosphere, save for that one/two irritating mosquitoes. Holland V was filled to the max I tell you. Suddenly, everyone wanted more than ever to swig a beer and stay up late. Taxi uncles must be grinning for as long as the players are kicking.


Inside crowd


Outside crowd

Sat night, pushing aside that silent psycological naggings from the stacks of unfinished marking, I boldly made my way to a dear ex-colleague's place to sample curry chicken & catch Eng VS Port in action. Again, another heart-breaking night. Why, oh why, do sane ppl sacrifice so much zzz to watch mature (some droolingly handsome, some scarily gaunt) men play 90min of ball?

World Cup. The world is watching. It will be another 3 more unholy nights. Then a return to dreary subsistence.