Thre3Seconds

a possible 3rd realm

2009-08-22T17:34:00.001+08:00

and...until i figure out what is happening to blogger...this will be the site to visit

http://thre3seconds.wordpress.com

2009-08-22T17:20:00.001+08:00

argh. what is happening to my blogger post page? It looks foreign!

Old Times

2009-08-21T10:15:00.001+08:00

I was reading through my old blog that I started to document the China stay and I realized that I was writing much more ‘content’ then now (which is turning out to be quite a pictorial blog….)

Randomly picked a few entries and found the ‘scrapbook of memories in China”. This was documented at the end of the 2 years, can safely say that it is quite an accurate summary J

Can we do a similar post of “Singapore Snapshots”?

1) house parties at weilin's (that involves the preparation in the kitchen, ie.peeling garlics and potatoes like i said previously....=p) + house parties at many many other friends' (basically always stuffing ourselves full)
2) koke at cashbox
3) cooking wkday dinners (to save $$)
4) checking out new restaurants from cityweekend, timeout, that's BJ etc.
5) hiking at 怀柔，密云
5) 6 greatwall climbs
7) buying dvds and cds, and my first time euphoria when looking at the price
8) exasperated at no shopping at all
9) massage at taipan
10) 1st time moving house all by myself (big big project that was)
11) apartment viewings and having fun criticising the interior deco
12) my 2 birthday sabo-ed sessions
13) domestic flight delays
14) seeing snow fall the first time, at awe with snow flake patterns, leaving footprints in the snow, creating angels in the snow, falling in the snow
15) dvd marathons (esp KOREAN dramas!!)
16) excitment of seeing the first green shoots of spring
17) beauty of sakura and other colorful flowers during spring
18) setting off firecrackers and fireworks
19) pedicure at lovely nails
20) eating 烤羊肉串 at xinjiang restaurants
21) eating hotpots during winter
22) wearing layers of clothing and thick down jackets at minus 10 deg.
23) forgetting to wear thick clothing during winter
24) sandstorms
25) eating by the road side stalls
26) domestic travels
27) COLD COLD HARBIN (and how i forgot my down jacket)
28) nuahing
29) that special moment in inner mongolia
30) going to weilin's house all dressed up, only to couch and watch dvds
31) crazed inclinations to do spontaneous stuff
32) awesome flag raising at 天安门
33) blocked taiwanese news on CNA
34) going to the gym more religiously then ever
35) carrying wads of rmb to pay rent every month becos the largest denomination is 100
36) avoiding spits
37) stuck at bad bad bad bad traffic for more than 1 hr
38) eating in small local hutong restaurants
39) DnD beijing opera appearence, emcee appearence
40) cool and very 特色 pubs (and cheap drinks!!)

Safra AHM 2009

2009-08-16T15:16:00.002+08:00

nearing the 21km mark

Waiting for the official timing, but if my watch does not fail me, it's 2h:16mins. (afternote-its actually 2:17:09)

wohoo!

dous dous!

2009-08-11T21:49:00.012+08:00

dous with the hello kitty bag i bought. Suits her eh!

the ever enthusiastic yizhang

dous happy with her kway teow

mimicking adults

dous playing with ah-ma

We had lunch at ellenborough on Monday. This place must had been one of our usual makan place and we liked it for the variety in food, the durian penyat, location, buffet style and the spaciousness to sit 6 adults, 1 toddler, a pram, hot water flasks and our other barangs.

Maybe things do have a maximum utility rate, this place didn't appeal to me as much as it did. The durian penyat was good and that was about the only thing i could remember. Not that the stuff were not good, but I couldn't really stand to see or stomach too much heavy food Anyways, just as well. Time to cut back on high cholesterol, over stuffing activities. Looking at and playing with dous is much much more enjoyable!

Blueberry muffins

2009-08-11T21:38:00.007+08:00

FINALLY. I asked zzz for the recipe that makes those blueberry muffins I like. Cake like texture and a crusty top. Never mind zzz insists that this is not the traditional way of making muffins.

No more careful folding (imagine, 8-10 folds MAX!!).
Just add and swish and add and swirl.

Did i mention that i did this all by myself? INCLUDING the washing up?? heh (OK, besides the muffin tins)

Now, how do i make the crust erm, crustier?

100809

2009-08-10T09:33:00.002+08:00

Distance: 9km
Time: 51mins
Weather: PERFECT. drizzle, breeze, overcast.
Feeling: really really good

shall we K?

2009-08-07T21:25:00.002+08:00

Met up with D and G last night for dinner and KTV.

I haven't really had a good KTV session since Beijing. Some of the KTV kakis are still the same old bunch, but i guess the ambience has somewhat drifted. Maybe the sessions were so affordable there and we were so pampered by the service. Of cause, KTV sessions there were usually accompanied by late night suppers, daybreak breakfasts, holding mini-concerts and simply singing ourselves silly. At such times, i really do miss the life back than.

Anyways, back to reality.
Partyworld seems to have a better selection and sound system than KBox.
There's a new branch at Liang Court.

Very tempted to go.

050809

2009-08-05T21:15:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8.4km
Time: 61mins
Feeling: draggy
Weather: humid

The days of humid mornings are back
ekks

010809

2009-08-03T20:25:00.002+08:00

Distance: 9km
Time: 51m:30s
Feeling: Seriously, v v tired
Weather: OK

so, apparently we have been running faster than usual. zzz times our run such that we reach certain points by a certain interval.

quite a good practice for me, I think i won't ever improve if someone doesn't push me to.

dous and her secret box

2009-07-31T21:08:00.002+08:00

got this from sis.
dous in her secret box

300709

2009-07-30T20:58:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8.4km
Time: 59mins
Feeling: hmm
Weather: been cooler nowadays

we were at the wavvvvve

2009-07-28T22:42:00.001+08:00

shortall @ henderson wave

280709

2009-07-28T22:31:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8.4km
Time: 60mins
Feeling: OK
Weather: Breezy

250709

2009-07-25T22:31:00.002+08:00

Distance: 9km
Time: 52mins:30secs
Feeling: Tired
Weather: v gds. I didn't even know it rained.

Hpapy Birthday ah-tor!

2009-07-25T22:11:00.005+08:00

It's ah-tor (dous' language. aka my dad's) birthday today. Held a mini celebration with mum's food and durian cake.

Chocolate Cups

2009-07-25T21:48:00.010+08:00

hmm. not too bad as a first attempt at chocolate cupcakes.
The result. Soft, moist cake. Almost melt in your (or at least mine) mouth.

2009 Singapore Marathon

2009-07-23T21:45:00.003+08:00

Did i mention that i signed up for Standard Chartered Marathon 2009?
Yup. Gulp. Again.

Another 3 months of hectic school term

2009-07-21T22:43:00.001+08:00

Just registered for my Yr 2 Sem 1 modules.
It's going to be another 3 (or more) months of work, school, project, burnt chocolate smells and Jurong Point suppers.

eeks.

180709

2009-07-18T09:45:00.001+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 56mins
Weather: Hot but bearable. Got up late, ran on tracks today
Feeling: OK. I need to get over the initial lack of pace

And did i mention the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) continues construction on Saturdays?!?!?!?

It's really really noisy.

dous@862

2009-07-12T23:08:00.004+08:00

she is such a cutie!

Feeling country

2009-07-12T22:45:00.008+08:00

Last week's white bread was much softer. I used a half bread flour and half wholemeal flour proportion, will use more bread flour next time :)

Blueberry boy bait (Cake)

2009-07-12T08:40:00.006+08:00

Chanced upon this recipe from Smitten Kitchen and i was hooked.
We had some blueberries stocked in our freezer and decided to bake this for our weekend bake.

I used about 2 teaspoon of baking powder instead of 1 tablespoon which looked quite intimidating. And will advice using about 1/2 teaspoon of salt for those who like a sweet tooth.

Blueberry Boy Bait

Serves 12, generously

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (though buttermilk, which was all I had on hand, worked just great)
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

110709

2009-07-11T21:52:00.001+08:00

Distance: 9km
Time: 53mins
Feeling: Really good.
Weather: Shady and windy.

I really like our Saturday runs.

Attempts to cook

2009-07-09T20:14:00.006+08:00

huat kueh (fatt koh), first time attempt by zzz

home-made cabonara and pasta (a tad saltish but actually not bad!)

baked salmon with asparagus and mushrooms

self-made bread, inspired by Jamie Oliver

090709

2009-07-09T19:39:00.001+08:00

Distance: 8.4km
Time: 60mins
Feeling: GREAT!
Weather: Breezy.

Improving Run. Yeah!

2009-07-07T19:58:00.003+08:00

zzz had been pushing me to break my usual run routine of 63mins/8km. So during the Saturday Pierce reservoir runs, he'll deliberately up the pace (he usually drops to accomodate my crawls....heheh) and i'll have to catch up on my strides. The result?

Date: 4 July
Distance: 9km
Time: 54mins 30secs

Date 7 July
Distance: 8.4km
Time: 59mins

Don't ask me why the shorter distance takes a longer time. Could be a miscount but i am already Quite Happy ^_^

The best dessert is found right in my kitchen

2009-07-03T21:10:00.003+08:00

blueberry compote & cheesecake, by zzz.

Dous in yiz Tee

2009-07-03T20:44:00.007+08:00

We were at NTUC and we gave dous my extra Tee (which i had wanted to bring for yoga, BUT never got to go) to keep her warm!

Growing up to be a pretty kiddo eh she!!

yellow heart

2009-07-03T20:40:00.004+08:00

LOVE is in the AIR ?

Another 10 years, or has it been 20?

2009-07-01T20:59:00.003+08:00

You know time has indeed passed by when you get invitations to add friends in Facebook and when you scroll down their pictures, you seem to get a fast forward of their lives which you have missed out.

Most are married, some are parents, some are living abroad while others are swinging singletons. All, are simply basking in happiness one way or other.

Has it been so long since we were in school sharing the same canteen food, laughing at the same jokes, reading together in class, practicing for the same concert, comforting each other over a lost competition?

What will be of us in the next 10 years?

NB Run!

2009-07-01T20:33:00.003+08:00

Actually quite liking New Balance running stuff.
The apparel designs are pretty cool, affordable and the sales staff (at least the Raffles City ones) are really polite and helpful.

Well, not to mention that i have broad feet so i can really only fit into shoes from selected brands.

alcohol zzzz

2009-06-27T07:25:00.004+08:00

lesson # 1: never gulp down an alcoholic drink (actually it's 3), especially when it's a sweet one. zzz opened this Riesling Australian wine for dinner last night and i practically drank it like soda water.

the result? i zonked out on the sofa at 8pm and woke up at 7am.

makes me wonder where my 2 yrs of training has gone to?!

warning: never attempt to do this other than your own house!

Mummy Food

2009-06-23T19:07:00.003+08:00

Mummy's food lifts the tired mind and body.
Thanks to mummy who prepared 2 nights of nutritious and yummy dinner for zzz and me.

Me also thinks we should be watching what we eat more.

Wedding Bells!~

2009-06-16T20:30:00.005+08:00

Congratulations to JX and HF on their customary marriage!

Happy for this pair of high-school sweet hearts.
Always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to see couples who have been together since school to walk down the aisle together :)

100609

2009-06-10T21:22:00.001+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 63mins
Weather: can it get any more hot and humid??
Feeling: how to run like that?!

Dous@playground

2009-06-08T21:20:00.008+08:00

Chanced on this happy occassion on way to Sis' house this evening.

Dous LOVES to WHEE!!

Penang 2009

2009-06-08T20:44:00.017+08:00

Didn't manage to get the picture of Penang Street's famous Chendol.
SO GOOD, especially in a hot weather!

Gurney Hawker No.11 Penang Laksa. i LOVE the prawn paste

Rojak from Gurney

Oyster porridge from....erm, somewhere....

Indian Mee Goreng!

Ba Kut Teh for breakfast before hitting the airport

Otak from Selamat (street?) i like the Muar one better :)

prawn noodles.....hohoho

one of the most expensive dish we had. The 6RM chay kway teow

kway teow teng. really Q noodles

Lor Bak and assorted fritters.
Abit like out neoh hiam, but theirs is made with lean meat

Ice-kachang. I like the way they prepare the red bean. not too sweet!

toasted cuttlefish with prawn paste dip

Thanks to Jenny, we had a really REALLY good time in Penang, mostly going from place to place for their great hawker fares.

Slurp.

Peddar Red SALE

2009-06-04T23:38:00.002+08:00

Weekend activity

Peddar Red SALE from 5 June

Meanwhile, i am off to Penang!

cuteeeeee

2009-06-02T20:40:00.009+08:00

we certainly do not want her to wear specs, but this pink pair looks so comical!

classic picture of dous looking SO hopeful and ah-ma telling dous "don't touch ah!"

Lunch gathering at 862. Couldn't gather too many pictures of everyone....so here's just dous, for now :)

Zee Avi

2009-06-01T20:36:00.004+08:00

Thanks to stoopid woman.

Her songs made my day.

Zee Avi. Check her out on Youtube :)

Crystallized-ginger gingerbread

2009-05-31T09:06:00.005+08:00

best with vanilla ice-cream

While in Kathmandu, we had the BEST banana cake ever from one of the hotel's breakfast buffet. It had a richer color and flavor than what we have here, which tend to have a 'looser' texture and lighter color. The one in Nepal had a dense texture, at first look and taste, looked like a clever combination between banana cake and gingerbread, with a distinct molasses fragrance.

So, now back home, the budding baker decides to try and recreate the recipe, only that he found one which we thought we'll like even better!

The kitchen was filled with the wonderful taste of molasses and ginger sugar! So Christmas-sy!

280509 + sprain

2009-05-28T22:08:00.002+08:00

this is just going to sound and look SO ironical

Distance: 8km
Time: 59 mins
Feeling: was good
Weather: Humid

Feeling 'was good' because i just sprained my ankle, i think i snapped it while sitting down for dinner at Carl's Jr (yes, you saw it correct, i was sitting down...)

Ankle had been loose since morning and when i gave it a slight turn at dinner, the nerve just snapped.

DUH

260509

2009-05-27T22:44:00.001+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 60mins
Feeling: drag-gy
Weather: breezy, but heavy with water :(

has been lazy in posting my runs.
need to run
need to run better

piZZZa!

2009-05-25T20:49:00.008+08:00

We were supposed to go zzz ah-ma's house on Sunday to "bao ba-zhang" (glutinous rice dumpling) but zzz got an army notification to report back to camp in mid-morning (so very BL loh!)

zzz ended up making a small tomato base with mozerella cheese and basil pizza for his lunch, since he already had the dough refrigerated a day before. Snitched a slice from him before going off to dous house. Quite yummy!

Think cool

2009-05-25T20:45:00.004+08:00

It has been so hot and humid these few days. Everyone is complaining about the weather. I have never craved air-con so much!

Checked NEA's weather forecast and humidity hit a high of 85% today!!

Can i please have this for dessert everyday??

grass jelly with sea coconut and ice shavings from Army Market. So YUM.

Dous~whooo!

2009-05-25T20:26:00.003+08:00

Dous and her choo choo train song!

Nepal. Part 2

2009-05-23T16:24:00.010+08:00

Pashupati temple. Holy Hindu temple.
Buddha Stupa on the lower left hand side

Celebrations at Buddha Stupa. Coincidentally arrived on Vesak Day, Nepalese call it as "Birth of Buddha", translated.

Medieval city of Bhaktapur, one of the 3 of ancient Nepal.
The other 2 are Kathmandu and Patan

On top the Panchase

Sunrise!
Love the first photo. Magnificent sunBEAMS

Typical campsite and food. We even had a small dining tent.
The cook made a cake for us on last day of trek!
Amazing, considering he was cooking on kerosene all through the trek

Domestic air. Buddha air! Ohmm.....

"Monkey temple"

Nepal

2009-05-20T23:06:00.008+08:00

its surreal

First night out. one of the first sighing of the Annapurna Range. See out little red tent! (actually, it's not little at all, quite long and comfy)

My internet connection is abit wonky.
So, here's abit on the Himalayan mountains now and more to come on the mountains and Kathmandu city later :)

We went on the Panchase trek. It's an easy trek by Nepalese standard(we suspect they could have completed the whole trek in 2 days max) but still proved to be much of an experience for us. Panchase is not as common as Poon hill and it's further by distance to the Annapurna range, but pretty all the same.

I guess i am overwhelmed.
Me, i was never a trekker (some friends will remember the screaming experience i had once in Hanoi and that was a 2 hour climb), so climbing this is kind of like a big deal to me. It's a good thing i actually went without thinking of whether i was even physically prepared.

My first sight at the snow-capped mountains after the first day's trek is engraved in memory. The sight struck me right in the face just as we rested for the day, it had rained and the clouds were starting to clear. All of a sudden, peaks of snow-capped mountains started unfolding before us one by one. You can imagine how excited i was. The same feeling i had when i first saw snow in Beijing (than, i simply ran out w/o my jacket just to stare at the sky falling it's first winter flakes. Crazy Singaporean girl)

Rise and shine at 5am day 3 of trek to watch sunrise atop Panchase
Chandraman (Moon man, translated in Nepalese) with me. A kiddish 43 year old Sherpa, took great care of us!

Nepal

2009-05-08T22:25:00.004+08:00

Fish tail lodge at Pokhara.
Our soon to be lodging after the trek.

This makes me happy.

no run, its raining!

2009-05-06T20:23:00.003+08:00

Been raining past 3 straight days at 5am+ without fail.
Started to pour just as i was about to start my run.

dous in denim

2009-05-06T20:20:00.001+08:00

SO SCHWEET!

020509

2009-05-02T12:03:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8-9km (from 862-Lower Pierce Reservoir)
Time: 57mins
Feeling: OK, legs abit aching from yesterday's Bukit Timah Nature Reserve hike
Weather: Drizzling

It's good to start early in the day.

290409

2009-04-29T19:48:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 60mins
Weather: Good
Feeling: hmm. why is the US Navy doing at Yishun stadium?

my sis and me

2009-04-28T20:51:00.006+08:00

In a nostalgic mood.
Decided to scan this photo i got from my mum and sis.

That's my sis and me.
Probably age 4+ and <1 each.

Check out the comparison of my sis and dous.
Like 2 peas in a pod!

250409

2009-04-26T08:28:00.001+08:00

Distance: 8-9km (to lower pierce)
Time: 59mins
Feeling/Weather: it's incredibly hot & humid

dous, so cute!

2009-04-22T15:52:00.002+08:00

i am a big girl and i can cut my own toenails!
(mimicking, of course)

sweaties in a box

2009-04-19T18:06:00.004+08:00

at times when i cannot run or don't feel like running

i become a temporary gym rat.

but. i still cannot understand why some would prefer running on a treadmill or working out in a gym than the outdoors.its like a bunch of sweaties in a box.

maybe it's the air-con (which i must admit, was very much welcome in weathers like today....)

cupcakes + tennis

2009-04-19T17:58:00.007+08:00

chocolate mint cupcakes with mint icing (+tennis court)

carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing (+ tennis racket)

zzz's creations for JC's tennis theme party. i think these cupcakes will sure get the approvals from a few tennis fans!

not bad for a first 'creative' attempt to make 36 :)

We are going to the zooooooooo!!

2009-04-18T21:42:00.016+08:00

friends of the zoo!

tapir.looks like a giant piggy with diapers!~

little miss long legs

White Tiger

mid-morning snack of organic grapes

hmm....??

she almost refused to get off the driver's seat!!

emu

spidey web

feeding everyone grapes

smiley elephants taking a cool splash

Day out to the zoo.
Dous' first trip to visit the furry friends.
Our dear dous never forgets to poke us to sing a song (old Macdonalds' is the default) whenever she sees something familiar.

160409

2009-04-16T20:02:00.000+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 61 mins
Weather: breezy
Feeling: good

easter cupcakes

2009-04-12T18:28:00.003+08:00

Easter bunny chocolate cupcakes with orange buttercream icing

zzz is in a cupcake frenzy and
i get to eat.
what's not to like?

pOcoYo

2009-04-12T18:13:00.001+08:00

this is so cute!
and each episode comes with a moral story too!

contact:less

2009-04-11T08:31:00.000+08:00

because i lost my mobile....eeks!

050409

2009-04-05T22:13:00.000+08:00

Distance: 8-9km
Time: 55mins
Weather: slightly humid
Feeling: tired

Dous @ 16 months

2009-03-31T22:18:00.004+08:00

dous pretending to erm, wash hair??

Check out the bangs. from ah-mas salon

This little gal can make us so happy.

A part of our lifes

2009-03-30T22:42:00.003+08:00

Chanced upon friend's pictures on their 'last' visit to the old PA grounds at Kallang.

That place really held loads of memories for us. Part of my younger days were spent there with so many friends. Part of my life now would not have happened if not for it.

Thank you for the memories.

300309

2009-03-30T21:27:00.001+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 60mins
Feeling: Sore legs!!
Weather: breezy

Been trying to run abit faster....

260309

2009-03-26T19:57:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 63mins
Feeling: no form again
Weather: very humid!

Don 't know if its the weather or my body. Sweated buckets and felt so lethargic after the run...

Ephemera

2009-03-26T19:52:00.001+08:00

something I learnt in class today, trivia stuff is not so rubbish afterall?

240309

2009-03-24T21:09:00.001+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 64mins
feeling: Not in form
Weather: humid

the after effects of too much food over the weekend?

KER $_$ CHING!!

2009-03-24T20:35:00.011+08:00

Ruins of Sao Paulo

The old Lisboa casino, the newer Grand Lisboa is shaped like a trophy, simply too huge to take a picture but this just about shows how vibrant the city literally is

The Venetian, mega huge casino and shopping mall. Check out the 'sky'. Always a good weather, and it moves too!

Fancy a ride in this gondola?

The place for all the almond cookie fixes. Seriously good stuff for a chain store on mass production

THIS.IS YUMMY
Different from the grilled pork chop buns we used to have in Beijing

cheap and good dimsum! less than S$2 each!

The picture says it all

With more than 30 casinos of every size, it's hard to not accidentally step into one within every 200 metres or maybe even less.

So, while my parents were happily exploring the famous ones (The Venetian, MGM, Sands, Grand Lisboa and our hotel's-Sofitel), we went around to hunt for food.

A pretty good choice. I think we almost stuffed ourselves silly

170309

2009-03-17T20:38:00.001+08:00

Distance: 6.5km
Time: 51 mins
Weather: OK
Feeling: faster right? not mis-timing eh!

run faster faster!!

carrot cake cupcakes

2009-03-17T20:33:00.003+08:00

carror cake cupcakes with cream cheese topping.....and tennis racquets

Another of zzz's creation.
For JC, the tennis lover.
My role here?
important....
the tester & critique.

ah-hmm!

2009-03-15T10:05:00.003+08:00

Distance: 5-6km
Time: ?? didn't bring the watch
Weather: HOT
Feeling. sick

We ran a shorter distance from 862 to lower seletar and back. Not in form today.

haiz. the sore throat is back. after 1 wk of full wellness.
i blame the school work, April come soon!

120309

2009-03-13T21:49:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 61mins
Weather: cool
Feeling: eh, faster ah?

Oakley - Coto 2.0

2009-03-13T21:33:00.007+08:00

I cannot even remember the last time i actually had a pair of prescription glasses made-to-order. The Beijing pairs (so dirt cheap at $100/pair) are replicates of my previous lenses, I didn't even get my eyes tested when i had those made. Out of laziness (and lack of confidence actually) really. I simply passed them my old glasses to replicate the same lenses.

SO, you can imagine, how disgruntled i must had been when i had to fork out x6 more for a new pair here. Not that i had many choices since i had my criteria too. I was looking for one which i can run with, can contain the whole of my eyes and still look ok.

This Oakley not too bad lah hor.

Nonya yums

2009-03-07T22:27:00.011+08:00

about all that goes into

all the good stuff

the end product...Assam Prawns....sweet and sour

Gulau Melaka in tapioca dough

bring to boil....

ondeh ondeh in grated coconuts!

Me with my ondeh-ondeh...and our new ikea kitchen table!

My foray into Peranakan cooking. So Fun. Thanks to mummy who led the way and made cooking these looked so effortless. Like real.

Partly in preparation for my school project, which is due for submission so soon. eeks. (and no, i am not attending culinary school)

Nutella Muffins

2009-03-05T22:20:00.002+08:00

Baking on a weekday.

foods from zzz

2009-03-01T19:31:00.006+08:00

Sardines in cream cheese linguine

peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate ganache

Foods from zzz this weekend....heheheh....

Rainy Sniffles

2009-03-01T16:22:00.001+08:00

The rain's been big big and bigger...

Down with fever, cough and sniffles.
Sighz.

Singapore Buskers = ?

2009-02-26T21:37:00.004+08:00

I am not surprised this happened here. After all, buskers already need a license to 'operate'. But, i really cannot understand if we need to go to such measures, for a reason which is simply 'mind-boggling'.

No wonder zzz and myself were like frogs in a well when we went to Europe and were awed almost every single busker on the street.

They call it creativity or maybe, freedom of expression?

Hmm. i wonder if the this actually help our Arts scene. Wouldn't this deter even more, the really good performers leaving us with the mediocre ones?

Kawaii make up from M.A.C

2009-02-26T21:28:00.002+08:00

Its a strange advert to come from me since
(1) i don't do make-up and (2) i am not a fan of the cat

Enjoy anyways :)

230209

2009-02-23T20:35:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8.4km
Time: still no idea
Weather: finally, some breeze. the past few weeks have been so humid
Feeling: knees are better, but i should not take the risk

180209

2009-02-18T23:13:00.002+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: erm.??
Weather: slightly better than Monday
Feeling: My runs are deteriorating

Gap Jeans for Kids

2009-02-16T21:49:00.005+08:00

I passed by Gap kids on Sunday and was just itching to buy these for dous.

I have not. YET. They look so cool and so suitable for her!

160209

2009-02-16T21:26:00.003+08:00

Distance: i don't know, think lesser than 8
Time: no watch! zzz took it to camp
Weather: H.U.M.I.D.
Feeling: knees are recovering, so i am running less of my usual distance and less frequent too.

and i am also toying with the idea of cycling.
now i need to psych myself up for a better sense of balance :P

More cupcakes

2009-02-14T22:27:00.002+08:00

Cupcakes from zzz. Yummy! Thanks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2009-02-14T21:57:00.010+08:00

Friends@Jelita, with friends, for A's belated BD lunch

And, we established, once again, that this we are one of each other's oldest friend around, having been friends for 'over' a decade (+1 year).

Cheers gals! to many more decades to go!

Dous the Little Fashionista

2009-02-08T17:58:00.003+08:00

The 2 images of Dous Dous.

Rugged vs Sweet

Run less, run better?

2009-02-08T16:42:00.002+08:00

Distance: 862 to Lower Pierce
Time: 57 minutes

I have not been updating too much on my runs, because they have been pretty boring recently. Running the same route, same timing, same feeling. Even zzz commented today that i have not improved since the SC marathon in December. He commented that it could be due to tiredness of my body from my frequents runs and suggested i skip next weekdays' runs to concentrate on doing better during the weekend.

Hmm. or is it a ploy of his to make me run less? heh.

Cupcakes with cream cheese icing

2009-02-08T16:30:00.007+08:00

My part was to sprinkle the colorful sugar beads. But it tasted and looked good, all thanks to zzz's efforts. No complains from me!

Cupcakes
225g butter, softened
225g caster sugar
225g self-raising flour
4 eggs

Icing
200g cream cheese (Philadelphia is the best!)
175g icing sugar, sieved
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 175degC. Place 18 paper baking cases in muffin tins. Combine the butter, sugar, flour, eggs in a large bowl and beat with am electric whisk until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Spoon batter into the cases and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tins from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cook on a rack

To make icing, slowly beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric whisk until it is smooth and soft. Add icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat briskly until smooth and well combined. Swirl the icing onto cooled cupcakes.

Live to Eat.....

2009-02-08T16:11:00.007+08:00

A HUGE fish, which my mum bought for $60!!

Pork Ribs & Huai San Tang: good for complexion!

Hei Zho in black pepper

Scallops & Asparagus

Braised sea cucumbers & pig's trotters

Chinese always have a reason to celebrate and to eat.
It is a tradition of my mum's to cook up a really good meal during one of the 15 days of Chinese New Year...and this year, we had a meal that's SO good. i think we cleaned everything you can see here!

The curious case of Benjamin Buttons

2009-02-07T15:42:00.004+08:00

It's a nice feeling to go to the movies, especially with someone you know will enjoy the show as you will.

And ever since school started for both of us, it's been almost never possible to go out on Friday nights. So, we made an impromptu after-lunch decision last Friday to catch the latest 'must-watch' show

The curious case of Benjamin Buttons.

Based on F.Scott Fitzgerald short story of the same title.

Worth a watch, if not for the company, its also worth the 166 minutes and the $9.50 weekend show.

Not to mention Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. YUM

that feeling

2009-02-04T16:46:00.002+08:00

Down with cramps (and the mix of side effects that comes with it) again.
and i thought it is no more, kaput, history.

haiz

CNY dinner @ K&A's

2009-02-01T09:58:00.004+08:00

It was great to meet up with the girls over this CNY period, over at K&A's lovely new place (in Yishun!) with DIY sushi, fondue and monopoly (not mahjong!) session.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-27T15:44:00.003+08:00

Gong Xi Gong Xi!!

A Still Forest

2009-01-23T20:22:00.004+08:00

Extracted from Ajahn Chah's book: A Still Forest

Do Everything with a mind that lets go.

Do not expect any praise or reward.

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace.

If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.

If you let go completely, you will know complete peace and freedom.

You struggles with the world would have come to an end.

Came across this passage from sis's blog. Rather insightful.

Learn to do so, i think many of us will be much happier people.

190109

2009-01-19T20:43:00.000+08:00

Distance: 8km
Time: 56 minutes
Feeling: wohoo! Light Light!
Weather: Still a breeze

Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner 2009

2009-01-18T20:19:00.004+08:00

We had our Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner a week earlier at Century Village Fishhead Steamboat.

What makes the meal even more meaningful this year is this sparkle of the family running around, blabbering, poking her finger at everything that caught her attention. I know i am goo-ing about her, but she is just so lovely, i can't help it!! ^_^