I absolutely prefer...

1. my chicken to be fillet, not chicken wings or a whole chicken. The very thought of eating chicken with bones sickens me, I cannot explain why, and I rather not eat it, no matter how delicious the chicken was done. If it has bones in it, I'm not eating it.
   
2. Ditto to fish - this is worse, I fear that the bones may stick in my throat and slit it.
3. Or anything with intestines, liver, kidneys - whole bloody innards, good grief, they are kept inside a body for a reason! Intestines - they filter your food and output POOP! Jesus.
   
4. to have food in places with A/C and not seat by roadside stalls where I fear I might see a rat nibbling on ingredients that might go into my salad.
5. not to eat at street side at all! I find street side food revolting and smelly - especially those have pork. And pork stewed in dubious gravy - god knows how long it has been sitting there.
6. not to see raw meat placed in front of me while I eat. I was in BKK recently and walked passed countless stalls where they had pork, liver, coagulated blood nicely laid out in front of the stall - how is that even going to attract crowds? Obviously I'm missing something here.
   
7. to eat sandwiches to a bowl of badly done noodles. Salads, pizzas (thin-crust), japanese anything. I absolutely love italian, nice good pub food.
   

I was in BKK over the weekend, and was so happy that I would be having phad thai, tom yum goong, lovely green curry. But it seemed that all my travelling companions wanted to do was to eat by road side stores. Or at the local kopitiams - where I see intestines swimming in the food, and the porky smell was so strong I almost turned vegetarian. Why?! Why would you want to eat porky, over cooked, fly-ridden food when you can get more hygienic and equally yummy food, for CHEAP in BKK?

And especially when you can see the lady who is preparing your food is touching your cooked food after she touched raw meat!! *faint*

And I was labelled atas cos of my food preference. That is so unfair. Made to feel bad that I didn't eat road side food which seemed good enough for others to eat.

Thankfully, my thai friends brought me to have decent thai food. hahah

Other than that I had great fun in Thailand -- the company was great, accommodation was fantastic.

I absolutely love the country!

spots of difference

Hahah can you spot the differences?* Am trying on my smokey eye look on my cannot be more chinese-shaped eyes. Love the smokey eye look now. Although, in 20 years time, I'm sure it'll date my look as 2009 and super "orbit".















Anyway, conversations from B2 - while I was giving her a big kiss goodnite

Me: hey, I'm taking leave on Friday!
B2: (Eyes as big as can be with enthusiasm that only a 5 year old can have) Then you can come to school to fetch me!
(Me thinking,"errrr.")
Me: But I'm going to Bangkok!
B2: (Looking upset) Are you going there for work or for fun yee yee?
Me: For fun.
B2: (Super upset that I am having fun without her) Have you reserved your tickets?
Me: Yes.
B2: Have you paid for it? Otherwise you can give it to me. (looking very, very upset now)
(kwa, kwa, kwa)
Me: (Whispering) I'll go buy nice clothes for you in Bangkok.
B2: Oh okay yee yee, and buy some for B1 too!
Me: Okay sweetheart.

World's biggest problem solved.

* Photoshopped my million freckles, zits and mole from my face!

hello, I'm kitty & I'm an involuntary workaholic

Been getting restless about life and unhappier about work lately. Not sure if it's cos it's just me and my short attention span, or that the planets are not aligned. Been working till 11 or even till 1 the past week. And this is from endless weeks of working late and over weekends. So today I was adamant to finish my preso so that I won't have something hanging over my head over the weekend.

And even though I had to check the site (for like the 10th time within 2 days)-- all hyperlinks, copy, branding, image, functionality -- at 12.30am, I am grateful that for the next 48 hrs, I don't have to think about work.

I don't want to think for how long for the rest of my life I have to work, cos that will completely piss me off and make me suicidal :p. But I am just so glad that the weekend is here. Even 48 hours of reprieve is good.

所以买了雷朋

I have been feeling rather disgruntled about long work hours these days. Started out when I worked at the agency. Good colleagues but the work sucked to high heaven. I was clocking in close to 16 and sometimes 20 hour work days. And for a period in time, I was working EVERY weekend. I think my friends and my cousins gave up calling me cos I was perpetually working.

So when my new job came along I jumped on the opportunity. Hoping that the hours perhaps would be more human. Like working 9 to 7 at most, and having decent weekends.

But in recent months, the work has been piling up. I'm working later, and on weekends. And it's come to a point where I wonder, how is this normal?

When people in European, US or Australia go on leave, they don't work through their leave. They definitely don't work weekends. And they don't do that much OT.

So why is work life balance respected in other countries but the stupid asians we are, we slog like cows, and for what? To prove that we're hardworking?

It's gotten me thinking. I wonder perhaps I should start talking to people and perhaps thinking about starting my own business. Doing, I don't really know. Running a cafe?

hmmm.

Anyway as an interim consolation, I got myself a new pair of Ray-Bans.

restless

Starting to feel a restless at work. And about life. And recently, getting more dreams about my life back in Bath. It's been almost 2 yrs since I've been back. 2 freaking long years. And they've gone by in a blip of an eye, and I can't remember much of what's really happened the past 2 yrs. Yet memories of my Bath days are more vivid, and yet seems impossible and much like a dream.

Mornings are a little harder to bear. Harder to wake up in the morning. There seems to be not much of an aim to work towards.

Need to focus on something...quick!!

tool that deserves the place of honour on my kitchen counter

Watching a program on KitchenAid. Which to any ordinary person would be an extremely boring program. All but to me!

I WANT ME ONE OF THOSE!!!!! Sigh. It's like $700+ which isn't a lot of money, but compared to my el cheapo Philips mixer, which cost me $50,... ok it's expensive.

BUT BUT "It's so much more than a mixer..."

in memory of Ms. G

After 17 years, I finally found out my JC literature teacher's surname - Ms Gurupatham, and only at her wake.

I wasn't close to Ms. G. In fact I was a bit intimidated by her. She didn't quite fit into the profile of what teachers should. She wore ankle high boots with tights. Had really short crew cut hair. But despite her non-confirmist appearance, she was a really good literature teacher. When I had to re-do my 'A' Levels as a private candidate, all my Shakespeare texts had changed. G took me in her literature class with my friend Eileen. She absolutely didn't have to, but she did, and for that I am eternally grateful.

G was obviously very well-loved. Her wake was packed. And it felt like a big party. And after all the "thou"s and "doth"s ... the only thing that I did remember from G's class was when she got pissy with our class and told us off. Telling us that no matter where we'll end up from SR, it's all about the attitude.

And she is definitely right. Bless.

serving the planet

I have to say, heinken always has the best ads.



I love the expression of the man at 26".

Here's another from Heinken with Jennifer Aniston.

lots of travel

When I was down in the dumps with work I went to see my fortune teller about work, and during the reading he said - you will be travelling a lot!

I was thinking,"yeah, right."

Then I realise I keep getting these "travelling opportunities" thrown in my face.

I was just telling my cousin that I've been travelling every month this year except in March.

Jan - Bangkok & Phuket, Thailand
Feb - Sydney, Australia
April - Macau
May - Melaka & Mataking, Malaysia
June - Penang, Malaysia

After my dive trip to Mataking, I was thinking,"hmmm no more travel. That's good. Spend time at home." And the next thing I know is that I'm scheduled to go Penang late June.

Makes me wonder, maybe Alexx is quite accurate in his reading.

Now, I am watching Globe Trekkers featuring New Zealand. I am besotted with Milford Sound. It looks incredibly beautiful and scenic. Apparently it's a 4 day track over 53km long. You do a certain length of tracking in the day and camp overnite at huts. And the sights are amazing - glaciers, forests, mountains, temperate forests, lakes.. oh so many lovely sights. And for a long time, after UK, it is one place that I want to go.

timezone

6.30pm, driving to meet some friends for dinner. The past week has been so hectic and work always piles up on the week you plan to take PTO.

Suddenly my phone rings. B's house it reads.

Me: Hello?!
B2: Hi Yee Yee, are you at your diving place?
Me: No, I am going diving only on Thursday.
B2: Is dark there now?
Me: Mei, I am going to Paragon, I am still in Singapore.
B2: Oh!

But so funny and sweet she is to remember that I am going away and call. Angels!

red (velvet) revolution

Since I read about red velvet cake on Bakerella, I've been so smitten by them. Even Ellen Degeneres had Sweet Lady Jane to bake her a vegan red velvet cake ( I wonder how you do that, with butter and eggs as main ingredients in any cake)

Side note: just posted a pix of my red velvet cake on my msn, and my cousin immediately recognised it. No wonder we are cousins. But in this case, she wins, hands down. I've only come across red velvet just about a year ago, and she knew it all this while!!

With a cake with a colour so rich, I couldn't quite imagine what the taste would be, but I did think that a cream cheese frosting would go so perfectly well with it. And that was just one of the many options with this amazing cake. So yesterday at Kinokuniya, I came across Rachel Allen's Bake and was just browsing through the recipes, saw the red velvet cake and knew I had to get the book. I've watched her cook programmes in the UK, and always liked them. Her cooking style is a bit homey sort of cooking and yet her recipes are like a level one up from home recipes... hmmm if you know what I mean.

So when the cake came out piping hot from the open, I broke a small piece off and had a taste. The first taste was not unlike that of a butter cake. But there was something rather flavourful about it. Maybe the buttermilk? I couldn't quite pinpoint. But it was so fun making this cake, just because of the colours.



The origins of a desire to bake on a Sunday afternoon - Rachel Allen's Bake

Look at the lovely pastelly colour! I HAD to start taking pictures.


My very first PINK cake! I know of at least one person who would like this already.


Looks yummy already doesn't it?

It was really yummy. The icing could have been less sweet. And less crystallised sugar in it. (Cos I ran out of normal caster sugar)

All who wants to try this cake ping me! I'm planning to do a desserts get together. :) That'll be fun!

oh wow, whadidyaknow?

Men have evolved very little, haven't they?

From the Economist

"A find reported in this week’s Nature suggests that sculpture, too, brought the smut-makers in early. Nicholas Conrad of the University of Tübingen, in Germany, describes what is probably the oldest human statue yet discovered. It is 6cm tall. It is carved from a mammoth tusk. It dates from about 35,000 years ago. It was found in a cave in south-western Germany. And it is, not to put too fine a point upon the matter, obscene."

For full article, click here

放屁

The aunt enters the room to give the little girl a goodnite kiss. Like she always does when she visits the kids.

B2: I gotta put these two toys next to me and kiss them good nite
Aunt: What about a good nite kiss for your yee yee?

(Big smack of a kiss on the yee yee's face)

Aunt: What are the names of your toys?
B2: One is 七仔, the other one is 放屁。
Aunt: 放屁? That's to fart, you know?
B2: Yah, sometimes he farts.

You just cannot argue with logic from a 4 year old.

next stop...

Been dying to make these lovely, albeit overrated, pastries. Shall bake them and organise a "Amelie" viewing. Very ze French, non?

Till then shall borrow macaron pix from other sites. muy bien!

Tiananmen Square 六四事件

Has it been so long?

In June it would have been 20 years since the Tiananmen incident happened. Apparently 2000 - 3000 protesters died. Politically, China hasn't changed much since, but look at the economic powerhouse it is now. Everyone wants to go to China.

I used to think that history was boring - of things and dead people that happened eons ago. And increasingly I've come to appreciate it a bit, especially when we live through so many great incidences in our lifetime.

• The tsunami that killed over a quarter of a million people and left even more homeless.
• 9/11 - who would have thought anyone would be insane enough to fly 2 planes into a building?
• Economic meltdown of the 2008 - Our great depression of the 21st century
• SARS/Bird and now swine flu - and while it will not reach epic proportions of the spanish flu in 1918, it's still scary, and leaves the world all very scared of it.
• The downfall of communism in most parts of the world and fall of the Berlin wall and the cold war.
• Climate change, and how our world's temperature seems to be increasing by the second.
  

I'm sure there's more, will try to add on this list as I go along.

does having a good time involve loud music and alcohol?

okay, what's having a good time to you?

For me it's good company. Good food, which may or may not involve alcohol, and quiet ambiance.

I don't understand why people who have met me for 2 seconds can make a passing judgment that I don't like to "come out" get pissed drunk and have a good time - their definition of having a good time.

I'm sorry. But having a good time for me doesn't involve me having to scream at the top of my voice so that my friends can hear me.

Or having to squeeze with sweaty bodies. I think I've done my drink dancing pubbing when I was in my 20s. Now I just want to talk to people.

And as for having alcohol. I hate going out if I don't drive. And when I drive I don't want to drink. And alcohol makes me high for like 2 seconds. Then after that I just wanna sleep. Or throw up in your face.

You choose, which might be a more FUN option for u.

the world's best spread...nutella

:) I am so enamoured by Nutella that the moment I saw a bake class with "Decadent Nutella Cupcake" as one of the demo items, I was Onz!

First, get a load of the wonderous nutella goob.

Next, mix it and stir it and mark it with B. Looks so good you can eat it straight.

Nice and fresh nutella cakes :) yummy.

But that's not all.

NUTELLA FROSTING!!!

Turned out the cake was a bit too dry, so I'll need to vary it a little. But anyways, it's a good start!

open sesame

My sis and her husband recently bought a house. And my mom and dad and I went over to visit it today. It's such a gorgeous property. I'm sure she'll have so much fun decorating it!

Anyway the house has one of those remote-controlled gate. And someone had told B2 that the gate opens when you say, "Open sesame."

So I had to get something from my car and I was asking B2,"How do you open the gate?"

B2 turned to the gate and went,"OPEN SESAME!"

Hilarious!!

And for the whole time we were there, she believed that it was by magic! Before we left, she did her last "open sesame" for the day.

Of course the gate didn't open, but B1 went,"I know how to make the magic happen!!!"

He ran into the house and pressed the button to open the gate.

They are just so sweet and fantastic the two of them and I adore them to death!

world rat day... wtf?

Apparently there is such a thing. April 4 is world rat day, to encourage a more positive image of rats. WTF? What is wrong with this world?

Anyway I didn't have the guts to click on the link for fear of coming face-to-face with a rat picture. That would have totally ruined my day.

Reason for this rat search? Recent food poisoning in Geylang Serai - 2 people died, 1 lady miscarried, and over 100 were sick from eating Indian rojak. Up till now I still don't know what is the actual cause. They blamed seafood, then rats (hence the rats search). And in the end inconclusive.

Pest controllers were called in to ... catch rats lor. By noon they had caught 61. But come on, I see rats everywhere in my neighbourhood, and some years back my area was named to most rat infested place in SINGAPORE! So heng, tio bay bio oso never see I win so big. Back to my point, I bet they'll not do something in my neighbourhood or any neighbourhood for that matter till someone dies of a rat-related disease. AKA the Geylang Serai food poisoning.

outer space

Recently a new colleague just joined us. And I realised that she is one of those who invade your personal space. Unfortunately, I really hate it when people cut into my personal space.

Example 1

When asking me stuff regarding work, she would walk all the way to by my seat. When over the "fence" of my cube would have been really okay. Really.

Example 2
When walking in a group, it's as if we were attached at the hip with magnets. She walks so close to me!

Example 3
When talking in general chat, she stands so close to me that *not to sound so bitchy, but...* you can smell that she didn't shower in the morning!

Really people. Social awareness. Just don't stand so near others, give them a space of about 1 to 1 1/2 arm's length when you talk to others, especially when you don't smell good!

So any tips of how to "hint" to people who are standing so close?