carving itself again at 3:28 PM
carving itself again at 2:31 PM
carving itself again at 6:51 PM
carving itself again at 7:50 PM
carving itself again at 4:43 PM
carving itself again at 11:11 AM
carving itself again at 3:07 PM
carving itself again at 1:46 PM
carving itself again at 1:07 PM
carving itself again at 1:10 PM
carving itself again at 4:37 PM
carving itself again at 7:41 PM
have been chomping down loads of food since fridayand doing a bit of shoppingwent to the mexican cafe on friday nighthad some dish i cannot remember the name ofanyway, it's like a deep-fried burritoi kinda liked itwe had to wait an hour to get a tableand another hour for the foodbut before that i had mac's chocolate sundaeso i wasn't that hungrybut there must be something i ate that day...cos i had a stomach ache right after dinnermaybe it's the mac and mex food combination?bought a few tops from dress smarti've been travelling around hornby, riccarton and the city these few daysi don't think i've been on the bus so many times since i got here!3 glassons tops for NZ$35 and a cotton on cardigan for NZ$21not too bad right?hahaha anyway they're all on offergot other stuff for travelling toolike toothpaste, adaptors and other mini stuff i can bring up the planei tried counting the number of hours i'll be travelling from christchurch to toronto....it's almost a day!!!oh it's gonna be a long long journey!
this eye mask would certainly come in handy for the journey!"SIESTA IN PROGRESS" thanks jenny! love it=) oh and i think i enjoy spending time reading in a coffee placeyesterday while in the city i went to starbucks got myself a cup of green tea frap (yummy!)and read a chapter from Tony Parsons 'Stories we could tell'supposed to watch a movie with the rest yesterdayunfortunately we missed it cos they missed the bus from lincolnbut they went down to riccarton anyway on the next bus (the bus comes every hour on weekdays)and so i waited in mac till they arrivedhahaha! i seem to have spent lots of time today sitting alone in cafes that yesterday!oh did i mention that my lecturer finally replied my emailso now i have an appointment to meet him at his office on wed, 11ami hope i get things sorted *fingers crossed*
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
i made a quick 'schedule' before i slept yesterday
well, usually i just jot down a 'to do' list
but yesterday night i went all the way to add in times too
i'm quite glad that i've mostly kept to the 'time table' hahah!
a bit off here and there....
but i've managed to do everything i've noted down
i kept reminding myself that i don't want to screw up the timetable and end up delaying everything
haha....but i seem to have eaten a lot too!
i reward myself with food way too often!
lol!
maybe i should do the same tonight
make a list and hope i keep to it tomrrow
i do have a few things to get
anyways
i just made an international money transfer to pay for my accommodation in guelph
oh the sudden drop in bank balance
hai...
i don't like to see that.....makes me cringe
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
courtesy to some you-tubing
i learnt an amazing way to dry your nail polish fast!
the trick?
a bowl of ice cold water!
now after i paint my nails
i air dry it for a min or so
before dipping my fingers into a bowl of icy cold water
for about a min
i found out the colder the better
if it's not totally dry yet...i just continue dipping
the icy water freezes the coat of polish
after making sure the polish is dry
i can then continue putting on the next coat
and the process repeats till i'm done with everything
go try it
it's quite interesting
hahahha!
Monday, August 17, 2009
cos he hasn't replied my email.....
and i'll be leaving in 2 weeks
and my course selection is not yet sorted!
maybe i'll wait for a couple of days
if still no reply....i think i'm gonna email to see if i can make an appointment to meet him
hai...why liddat?
so many things to worry about.....
Sunday, August 16, 2009
hmm....what can i say....
it's one of the more 'interesting' events to attend
well, basically cos there's loads to eat
all the different international cuisine
such as...
malaysian, german, chinese, thai, cambodian, vietnamese, saudi, danish.....
the food's quite alright
mostly finger food...nibbles....there were lots of cakes and cookies too....
i kinda like the german potato salad, danish berry/milk pudding and their meatballs, deep fried indian banana dish, walnut cookie, chocolate cake, crepe with chocolate.....(oh yeah ...i ate a LOT....although i diddn't get to try everything)
it was soooo crowded!
i don't think i've seen a more crowded event in lincoln
maybe they should consider having it at a larger venue
i diddn't like the fact that they threw away the leftovers (well, they feed it to the piggies)
they should have kept it for the intermission during the performances
oh as for the performances
erm....good effort by the performers
but i thought my secondary school could have done a better job
the programme was not really good
and the hall really needs a revamp
it's just too old and eh ugly?
okay, i would have posted more pics....but the internet keeps disconnecting and it's taking a bloody long time just to upload a pic....so i guess those will have to do....
oh yes
i finally made those prata sausages things
they turned out quite nicely
they look like some sort of puff pastry (not as light and flakey though)
and they looked like little pillows
well, since i diddn't want to add in more calories
i just ate them plain...without any dip or sauce
i found the tegal chicken sausages a bit salty though....
but it would taste really good with chili sauce or japanese mayo haha!
prata sausages
Thursday, August 13, 2009
and that was some time around 12+ in the afternoon
my alarm was set to 9am & 9.30am
i realise these days i just keep snoozing my alarm
which means i only get out of bed 1 to 2 hrs after my alarm goes off
argh!
what a waste of time
occassionally that's fine
but to do it so often is not good
sometimes i feel i've wasted half the day already
and it feels so cold now
dun feel like stepping out of the flat
still got emails to send
gotta check out any work attachment postings (although i wonder if i'm even gonna apply...or if i could....since so many of them requires 'own transport to sites')
would it be better for me to complete my work attachment back in singapore?
but too rush leh.....argh...i dunno.....
if only i diddn't need to worry so much about transport/getting to places so much over here!
also gotta do a transfer for my accommodation fees in guelph
what else....
gotta pack too (gd thing my baggage allowance is a max of 46kg! woohoo!)
and i haven't got much time left!
i'll be gone in less than 3 weeks
and i also need to colour/trim my hair before setting off
baked some really sweet cookies yesterday
by the time i finished the baking it was quite dark already
so i only took pictures of it today
anyway i baked 2 different types of cookies
the first was a batch of chocolate chip and oat cookies
err....somehow the mixture diddn't turn out quite right
cos it was really really sticky.....that i had to add in more flour while mixing
maybe cos i doubled the amount of oat? or issit cos i added more egg?
this time i used raw sugar instead of splenda
well, i guess they are still edible
but i still prefer the oat+raisins+assorted nuts cookie
that's still my all time favourite
chocolate chip and oat cookies
the 2nd batch of cookies were green almond and pandan cookies
they have a different texture as compared to the normal cookies
because they have a much finer texture (due to the icing sugar)
and they are a bit like those that 'melt' in the mouth cookies
the original recepie called for salted peas
but since i dun have any of those, i used crushed almonds instead
the mixture was fun to play with though
haha very nice to touch cos it's so 'soft'
but these cookies are really really sweet
i think they are originally supposed to be this sweet
almond pandan cookies
omg u have no idea how long it took me to upload just that picture!
something is not right with the internent connection today
maybe it's the weather....anyways....
so so sweet
but somehow i keep eating one after another hmm....
hahaha! i hope my next batch of cookies turn out better!
i've been trying to clear up my food in the food cabinet
trying to finish up those cereal, oats, soy milk, tea, instant noodles....etc etc
i'm gonna have to drink lots of tea!
now i'm left with earl grey and peppermint tea
think i should go make myself another cup of tea.....
Monday, August 10, 2009
but i just find this very very weird
i realised that most people that i know that ask to come to my flat
or come looking for me in my flat
like those people that are in the same course or class
have something that they want
and that is always
my past projects
or
my lecture notes
or
my textbooks
or
some sort of help with their assignments
i dunno if i should feel flattered
or sad
don't get me wrong
help, i am always willing to give
but i wonder sometimes if i'm being toooo helpful?
to a certain extent that... sometimes i feel used?
i know it sounds bad
i sometimes wonder if that's the reason they are friends with me in the 1st place
come to think of it....it's quite sad....
although i know it's pretty much like that in the working world
and the funny thing is
i'm not a genius
and i'm not one of those popular peeps
i don't get the best grades in class
i'm know i'm not the most creative either
i don't get terrible grades though
and i will not deny that
sometimes i do quite well for my projects
i try my best
and i ask my lecturers and friends for help if i need to
and i never, never boast about my grades
people know my grades only because they ask me about it
i dunno it's all very confusing
no one ever asked to see my projects or ask about my grades when i was in singapore
i was one of those students who lecturers will never remember
i did not shine...nor did i get into trouble
i guess cos there were always so many others that are way better than me
i tell myself
that
i'll do this for karma
hahahhaha!
maybe something good will happen for me in the future?
i hope.
.
.
.
change of topic
i needed to use up the yogurt i had in the fridge yesterday
and guess what
i baked again
hahahas
this time i played with the recepie
used instant coffee powder and chocolate chips
put some chocolate chips at centre of the muffin too
stuck 3 flakes of almond at the top for aesthetic purposes lol!
coffee and chocolate chip muffin - with a chocolate core!
hoho!
i forgot that i was halving the number of baked muffins
and used the same amount of sugar i would for 12 muffins
hahaha
so this batch was sweeter than usual
but interestingly it's not very very sweet
in fact i've tasted sweeter muffins outside!
i like this flavour!
and i looove yogurt muffins
always so soft and moist inside
heeheehee....
Thursday, August 06, 2009
i must say it went quite well
i was having my doubts while mixing it after adding the flour
cos it was quite sticky...not too fluid like
i used normal flour instead of cake flour
and instead of decorating it with sliced bananas on top
i sprinkled chocolate chips and sunflower seeds
i thought that looked nicer than the sliced bananas
this time i actually used butter
gotta use up the block of butter i have in the fridge hee...
for my taste, i love it!
i think it's delicious
i love a freshly baked cake
i like to taste my creations when they're still a little warm
espically when the sides are still a little crispy
and it smelt great too
hehehhee.....
banana cake with chocolate chip and sunflower seeds
my cake seems a little browner than the ones i've seen on the internet
hmmm...i wonder why
maybe it's because of the bananas?
hahah....another view of the banana cake
you know what
i think i enjoy eating my baking creations as much as taking pictures of them!
i actually take many shots
and go through the whole process of choosing a decent looking one
i then adjust the exposure in photoshop
the natural light really helps a lot!
i guess the reason why i'm baking so much now
is cos i think i will not have the time to do so when school starts
so....i shall bake all i can now =P
i got VectorWorks 2009 installed in my computer today
so far it seems to be working alright
i can predict i'm gonna go eat up more cake very soon
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
i cannot resist the tempetation of home baked cookies
i just love how the house gets filled with that baking aroma
espically if it's one of those bright and fine days
where you can smell your baking....and hear the soft tingling of the wind chime
i just love that feeling!
anyways i got into baking again
and this time was baking in the middle of the night
this time i tried baking some chocolate cookies
it has chocolate chips, cocoa powder, oats and almonds in them
i shaped them using the measuring spoon (tablespoon size)
that's why they looked so uniform
have a look....
chocolate chip, oat and almond cookie with chocolate fudge
did a variation too
not shaped using the spoon
it has icing sugar and a chocolate-peanut butter fudge
chocolate chip, oat and almond cookie with icing and chocolate-peanut butter fudge
after these chocolate cookies
i made another batch of cookies
they have oat, raisins, almonds, white chocolate, sunflower seeds and flax seeds in them
hahaha...in fact i kinda just dumped in whatever seeds and nuts i can find from my cupboard
i prefer these compared to the chocolate ones
they seem more 'nutritious' to me
and i like the taste better...more fragrant
but some of my friends seem to prefer the chocolate ones
i think it's cos they're not fans of raisins and seeds....
i don't like the calories
but i console myself by reminding myself that i'm consuming quite a bit of fibre
well, they do have oats, nuts and seeds in them
so....hahahha
at this rate
how am i ever gonna lose weight?
HAHAHAH!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
the one that sis sent over
hmm....i think it shouldn't be called bak kut teh in my case cos i used chicken instead of porki threw in 4 of those thigh+drumstick piecesso one for each of us in this flat =)hahahand i felt really accomplished after trimming out most of the fat and removing its skinyou should have seen the amount of fat those few pieces had1 big handful of it!it was quite scaryi think it turned out quite wellthis stock mix was way better than the previous one i usedat least this one doesn't leave you feeling thirsty the whole dayi hope the others liked ithope they find it edible at least lol!alsoi went down to Warehouse in Hornby yesterdaywanted to get a large black luggageto store my belongings here when i'm off for the exchangebut guess what?i left with i really red and 'flowery' one instead!well, cos when i was going to the cashiersi noticed they had some stock reduced to clearand there stood a few large luggage bagsit was the same size as the one i've chosenit somehow felt more stable too...and cheaperhohoho.....it's not the best luggage, but i guess it would do for my storage purposesand it was only NZ$45heh no one can miss this bag...it's just too 'outstanding'!i just hope it doesn't err... spoil or get damage to quickly!
the big red flowery bag i got.....good one to use for a trip to hawaii eh?after returning to lincoln from hornbymet youssef's friend to help him out with one of his landscape electivesturned out that he needed help for vectorworksi hope i managed to be of some help, as i'm not extremely familiar with that softwarebut i guess i did help in some waycos he did look much more relieved at the end of itit's good too cos i get to practise on vectorworksso it's win-win =Poh dearmy hands are getting 'itchy' againhahah! or should i say my mouth is getting 'itchy'well that's cos i keep wanting to eat home baked cookies...or just smth i bakeeh most of the stuff i bake i end up consuming more than half of iti have yet to try out those pratha sausages thingsjust the thought of it makes me drool hahahhahi think i'm not a very good cookbut i think i cook good enough for myself lolmaybe cos i don't have enough practisei wonder what it would be like it i actually trained to be a professional chef or bakeroooo.....
Sunday, August 02, 2009
it's interesting how many things u can store in a small room like mine
stuff's just hiding everywhere
and even though it looks like i've cleared quite a bit
there's still so many things around
i think i wanna get one of those large luggage bags
just to store some of my stuff
easy to roll it to the storage room....and easy to get it back when i return....although i do have quite a few boxes too.....
anyways....better than nothing
and i gotta think of a way to make my boxes distinctive lol!
just for the sake of easy retrival
feel like scanning some material too......so i can have digital copies when i'm in canada
hahaha.....kiasu?
nah, i'll just call that being prepared =P
hmmm....seems like it's gonna be a busy day for me tmr
but i do like the feeling of ticking off a 'to-do' list
hehe....very satisfying
threw 2 ripe bananas into the freezer
i intend to make some banana muffins or smth like that
feel like baking more cookies too
heard that the supermarkets here are gonna stop supplying free plastic bags
hmm....well, good for the earth
hehe good that i have 3 reusable shopping bags....
Saturday, August 01, 2009
posts from years back
posts when i was working in ICA
posts when i was still in singapore
hahaha
it's quite interesting looking at those posts
how much i've changed
even my writing style has changed
indeed i'm getting older
i was looking at the period when i was working
how was it possible that i could stay in that place for the time i've been there?
it's just the same thing day in day out
wake up, wash up, put on my work pants i ironed the night before....while the top hangs in another bag
take 3 buses to work
tap in to work, check out my duty allocation, collect my chops
put on my full uniform
and get ready to start my day (or night)
i realised i was turning into one of my colleagues
there was a lot of negative energy around me
i diddn't think there was much social mingling unlike those people working in offices
cos most of the time you're alone in a booth
and i don't really strike up conversations with the customers
time for meals was ridiculously short
the reason why i never sleep at any of the night shifts was because the 1st time i tried to take a rest in one of my night shifts...i got chased away by people
i had nicely laid out the sleeping bag on one of the bunker beds
almost about to lie down
when someone came up to me and told me that was her space...
in a "that's my rest space...go away" sort of way
i must say i felt really terrible that day (or night)
i felt sad....i diddn't want to work there
i felt like a victim
and i did not belong there
from then on i never slept on ANY of my night shifts
i would drag a chair in front of my locker
and sit in front of it....sometimes reading....sometimes eating....sometimes just staring into space
while most of the rest are sleeping...i could hear the air-con....and the occassional opening of doors
come to think of it, it forms such a sad sight
hahahhaha!
there are other occasions where i would feel like a racial victim
it diddnt feel good
pisses me off
my goodness.....
i think the only thing that kept me staying there was the constant thought that i will not be there in time to come
but good thing i was able to work in the cargo section for my last few months
the people are nicer there it seems
it was happier there
well i learnt a lot there
from work life to how people acted in the 'real' world
in fact i must say it was good experience....it made me cherish education
hahaha......
although i know i'm gonna be returning to the 'real' world again after i graduate here
oh well.....it still amazes me how long i stayed there...