Awesome in Cambodia

Plans keep changing by the minute, but I'm enjoying every bit of it... Who knows when I'll be back again, and who I'll get to see again.... Was supposed to head straight into the orphanage the day I touched down. Hoping to meet TV, I asked if I could stayi. Phnom penh for an evening in a hotel before heading in the village. A suggestion to stay in town to bunk in with CL for two days, got extended to the entire trip.now I'll only head into the village today for the celebration. As it turns out, that was perfect. I met up with so many peeps. Spent time making pumpkin cake, cooked sphagetti for CL and baked with VML. Met TV, sivath, vuthy, Dara,and the many youths who are now in their early twenties!! How time flies. I even got the chance to eat my fav Korean food here, suki soup and go to psar tmai. Met folks from my church from the other services too... Yest met Rev C. I went up to him and told him how I sat in his office twelve years ago when I had to consider between continuing with the honors course offered to me, or to fulfill my commitment to come to Cambodia... Chatted a bit, and he even suggested me exploring some edu comm thing...we'll see how that pens out... I was telling FM, in fact, I feel more energetic here, and ate more. Within two days of arrival,my baby bump has grown tremendously. And my best buy from psar tmai: two pairs of maternity pants at usd25 each!! Ha ha... Really enjoyed the time spent with CL. Such a wonderful and generous a bong srey she is to me, and mother to many youths. Wonder when I'll be back... And how much more things will change... But am thanking God for every bit of this trip....

when i thot its time to rest my fingers......

there's been many changes in life... well, mainly one, but the little one has loads of repercussions to the rest of my life, activities, social life, etc. have been tired and playing for gigs is more challenging.... at least getting to start the gig (but usually when the gig gets going its better).

today while playing for a wedding luncheon, i was thinking to myself... is it time for my fingers to rest from gigging... since my life stage is evolving and all.... and i thank God for little (and big) signs to let me know that... my music making is far from over!!

just before the second march-in, the emcee introduced me to the guests, and it was farnie that he jokingly said that requests were pouring in... one uncle wanted ye4 lai2 xiang1 and shanghai tan1, to which he will sing the latter with my piano accompaniment for the second march-in... i asked if he was serious... and the emcee said no... well, the second march-in passed and i continued with my second set. just as i was ending the set, i was wondering if i shld play the shanghai tan1 piece, since i know the melody, even tho i did not prac the piece. i hesitated and continued with other jazz pieces because i rem that the bride is the more jazzy kind of person (she did not want the pop pieces provided by the hotel for the first dish). i was apprehensive how she would respond to a chang chang chang chinese piece, and shanghai tan is pretty... chang chang chang! ha ha... in the end, i decided to play a more 'refined' and toned down version of the piece... and guess what?!? at the end of the piece, there were guests from a certain table who stood up and clapped for me!!!!! wow!!! i've neva had that sort of response before. (even if i played requests, people did not respond this way!) after that, i continued with the piece Besame Mucho and while I was playing that, there were a few little gals and a middle-aged gentleman standing behind me watching me play. Pretty used to this. But they were waiting for me to end (i gave them a 'false ending' after the improv and they clapped, making me realize they were waiting for me to end the piece). So when i finished, they said it was very nice, and two gals in white gave me a white rose and a pom pom like chrysamthemum flower!! so sweet. one of them even wanted to give me two, and when i asked her if she wanted to keep one for herself, she was like... oh yes!! after that, the bride and groom told me they really enjoyed the pieces... so did a few more people including the emcee and other guests.. it was really nice.. i've neva gotten such responses before!!

A week ago, played for an expat's wife's 40th bday... and after that, he wrote me an email to commend my elegance, pieces and professionalism...

these are such timely signs from Abba that... music making is still on!! thank you Lord!!

Here's the photo of the pretty frowers....

Way to go....

Today, I downed 3 cream crackers, iced milo, dry laksa from church, half a fu pi Juan,half chives dumpling, half fried dumpling, half chansiusu, half bowl of century egg porridge, one fragrant pear!! Wow... Wat an achievement!

snail pace of disgestion..

really not enjoying the weeks of indigestion... and constantly feeling like i've eaten the biggest buffet in my life, when i love food so much!! weight has gone down to record low since i got married... oh well... waiting for the next couple of weeks to pass and hopefully it'll get better. meanwhile... here's a list of food i'm looking forward to stomach when things get better:
1. shui jiao mien
2. roast duck skin
3. hokkien mee
4. choc cookies
5. curry vegetables
6. seafood platter
7. sashimi (i hv to wait much longer for this one)
8... will update when i think of more along the way...

Steamed Pumpkin Cake with Homemade Fried Shallots and Homegrown Spring Onions..

Made for a friend who's allergic to wheat flour

300g rice flour
500g grated pumpkin
1 liter water, separated to use in two different steps (includes water used to soak dried mushrooms and dried shrimps)
5 - 8 pieces dried chinese mushrooms, soaked for an hour in hot water, then sliced/diced
handful (2 tbsps?) dried shrimps, soaked in cold water for an hour, then diced slightly (but i think more is better)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
one shallot, finely sliced and fried til slightly golden
spring onions to garnish

1. Stir the rice flour into half a liter of water and leave to set aside for at least one hour.
2. In a hot wok, fry the dried shrimps in oil until fragrant. Add the minced garlic and fry til fragrant.
3. Add the pumpkin into the wok, and try until soft (to bring out the natural sweetness). Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the remaining 1/2 liter of water (which would include the liquids used for soaking). Bring the mixture to a boil. Big boil!
5. In a separate pot (large enough), the rice flour mixture till even again.
6. Pour the contents from the wok into the pot with the rice flour mixture, stirring continuously even while pouring the pumpkin mixture. Taste to make sure its seasoned enough (the flour mixture will make the initial seasoning bland still). But spit out the stuff you taste cos the flour is still raw! Season accordingly with S & P.
7. Pour the mixed contents into a stainless steel vessel / ramekins.
8. Steam until high heat. For larger vessels, 50 mins to one hour. For ramekins, maybe 35 - 40 mins?
9. Serve with fried shallots, spring onions and chilli garnish....

Its a whole new life... (or maybe two...)

have been 'inspired' by a pregnancy homepage that its time to start documenting life with my new little one, since we will forget everything.. the ups and downs (mostly the latter for now) the moment the precious arrives... so here goes... the 'exciting' moment was revealed some three weeks ago, after my last sashimi dinner (call it denial), oh, my calendar says its the 25 mar, on a preg stick. the second line was so faint, my dear FM decided that it may not be reliable. (the woman noes better, since her body has been acting weird). nvm. the following day, we tried on another brand's kit when FM came back for lunch during his reservist. this time round, its a clear second line, and FM has finally decided to be happy! its been quite a tough journey since then. the ups: people who know (esp our parents) are super duper happy! another up is the excitement of knowing how this precious one is gonna journey with my Abba, just as I had... and hopefully and prayerfully even closer, makes me excited... the downs: indigestion, constant fatigue, inability to down food (and i LOVE food!!)...man... its really tough. i can accept spending time with family, making the home, baking for loved ones, etc. rather than earning $$$ as 'productive'... but its hard for me to accept the concept of making a placenta, forming cells, etc. 'productive'.... everyone says it'll get better in a couple of weeks time... i can only wait and count down..... here's a snapshot of the little one (just the size of a blueberry) 2 weeks ago at 7 weeks.. looking forward to see more in the upcoming weeks... that's it for now.. my pregnant brains don't write smart or farnie posts... well.. i'm just documenting ! ha ha...

(re)turning to blogging?

Been YEARS since i blogged... i noe hardly anyone does that now.. but wat better place to post my food stuff? heh heh...

here's the Carrot (Pulp) Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
Used carrot pulp left after juicing. Froze them until I wanna use. What better way to use them?

1 1/3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups carrot pulp / grated carrot
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cashew nuts, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' (icing) sugar

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until frothy and lightened in color. Stir in the oil, vanilla extract, carrot pulp, raisins and cashew nuts.
Fold in the flour mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for between 15 to 20 minutes. (I did 18 mins).
Cool on rack.
For icing, beat tog cream cheese, butter, vanilla, icing sugar till fluffy. I tried to blend them in using spoons first. Tedious, but at least I don't have icing sugar flying all over the place!! (Lesson learnt after first icing session during buttercream.)
Frost on cooled muffins.
Must store in fridge if not eaten soon.

(Makes between 18 to 21 muffins.)

audition at the changi airport

its been a long long time since i've updated... over the year

1. i got married
2. i'm staying at a new place
3. i got a full time job doing developmental work... one of my 'dreams' fulfilled, tho not fully.
4. traveled to cambodia for 4 times over the last 6 months for work, who'd noe i'll go in and out of cambodia now like my second home...
5. i got an offer to play at 5* hotel in macau for 3 mths, but alas declined because of #1
6. no. i'm not pregnant.

it hasn't been an easy year, still trying to figure out which one is more impt to me. music or developmental work. til this date, i have not found a way to dovetail both.... only God noes...

today, i took leave and went to changi airport for an audition for piano stint that lasts a month. i prepared as much as i could (which is not much, considering i have full time work which requires travel, still harboring the thots of being a good wife and cook and bake as much as possible, teach piano, and still harboring the hope to stay fit - just started jogging two weeks ago). when i got there, alas! i saw people who are 'better qualified' than i am auditioning for the same position! that was this jazz master i've wanted to study under, i shook his hands! another aussie chap studying in a local arts sch (good one).... i look at these peeps... and thot... yeah... tt's another of my dream life. ha ha ha... be a master in jazz.. or get to study music (no money. :() was pretty intimidated at first, but thot, hey anywayz i told myself i'll go there and have fun! just play music at as many places as possible. ha ha.. and i did just that...

oh well... its been fun....

progress...

1 march - officially the owners of flat
6 march - given a set of keys
13 march - officially collected keys
14 march - 2nd outdoor shoot @ sentosa.. finally no rain!! thank GOd!!
17 march - went to one contractor for quotation
18 march - we bought our sealy king size mattress and a quilt and two sets of bed covers TODAY! went to two contractors for quotation. farmer says the second one doesn't count cos he wasn't professional about it at all....

Chocolate Soufflé

(Serves 4)

2 tablespoons of margarine
3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate pieces (I put 3/4 to 1 cup. ha ha)
4 egg yolks, beaten
4 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 cup of sugar

Butter the sides of 4 ramekins. Sprinkle the sides with a little sugar. Set aside. In a small saucepan melt the margarine. Stir in the flour. Add the milk. Cook and stir until is has thickened and becomes bubbly. Add the chocolate, stir until melted. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir the chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolks. Set aside. Beat the egg whites and vanilla until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup of sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Fold about 1 cup of beaten whites into chocolate mixture. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining beaten whites. Transfer to prepared ramekins. Bake in a 350ºF (180ºC). oven for 20 minutes. Serve at once with ICE-CREAM!!

Bread cups & Creamy Vege Fillings & Tuna Fillings

Bread cup (makes 12 cups)

12 slices of bread
Butter

1. Remove the crust of the bread slices.
(I just toast the crust later to make bread sticks. Doesn't look fantastic, but taste great anywayz.)
2. Using a bottle / rolling pin, flatten each slice of bread.
3. Grease one side of the bread with butter.
(u can add a pinch of salt / garlic salt in the butter for extra flavor)
4. Grease muffin pans with butter.
5. Line one slice of bread (butter side up) into every slot in the muffin pan. You may cut off the protuding edges (optional).
(Some people steam the bread first so that its more 'pliable' to go into the muffin pan. I skip that step)
6. Bake in oven at 400 degrees (about 200 degree Celcius) for about 6 - 10 mins (til crispy and SLIGHTLY browned).
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Recipe for creamy vegetable filling
(most of the stuff can 'agar-agar'. I've made variations with mushrooms and / or chicken)

Oil / butter
1 1/2 cups of mixed vegetables
1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small red / yellow pepper, chopped
1 cup of low fat milk
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt & pepper to flavor

1. Cook mixed vegetables (can use microwave).
2. Heat up oil / melt butter.
3. Add onion into oil and fry till slightly browned.
4. Add in peppers and mixed vegetables.
5. Add cornstarch and stir slightly and add in milk.
6. Simmer and allow the mixture to thicken.
7. Add salt and black pepper as desired.
TADA.. the filling!!

Recipe for tuna filling (great for dips on crackers, toasts and the bread sticks leftover from making the breadcups)

1 can tuna packed in olive oil (about 200g). Do NOT drain the oil
(I did the first time round, cos i thought it'll be healthier, but realize later that the food processor cannot blend the mixture cos its too dry. ended up adding oil in the end too.)
1 tbsp butter, softened at room temperature
(recipe asked for 4 tbsp)
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1 - 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (you have to try. recipe ask for 2. Elvis finds that too 'lemony')
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 clove of garlic, peeled

1. Place all ingredients into food processor.
2. Process until smooth and creamy.
3. Transfer into bowl and serve immediately with crackers, etc.

a birthday cake after missing one for years..

when young... all love bday cakes...

when i got older, i lost it for bday cakes...

now i'm beginning to appreciate it after many years of the absence of bday cakes....

and i just got mine 2 evenings ago!!! we had a christmas party @ ana's shop, for the last time :( cos she's moving out of the shop. i was so late, but that's another story. and they had a surprise bday cake for me!! it was so nice (and so rich the cake... lol) elvis said the cake completed my bday celebrations.. he's right... its been so awesome, and the cake just completed it.. yeah... :)

a really really great bday this year...

i had a really great bday this year, just yesterday. one of the best..

started off on christmas day, when my mom made dte gua mee sua for me, and hving that with elvis and my parents.

den yesterday, in the morning, i prepared food for a picnic that elvis n i were going for at sentosa. we wanted to go to the tanjong beach, cos its really nice and quiet. but the road was barricade so we went to siloso beach instead. for a non public holiday and a weekday, it was very crowded. the cools thing is that, its been raining for a couple of days. and yesterday, the day was bright and cloudy for the part when we were having our picnic, and sunny when we went for the luge ride. anywayz, when we reached there.. i got my bday present from elvis!! last year, the present wasnt 'suitable' for me.. this year, i noe he tried really hard, its pretty farnie... i got a zicornian (i dunno how to spell it) pendant on a necklace... :)


pictures clockwise from left: my bday prezzie from elvis; the picnic; bread cup with creamy chicken n veg filling; the picnic from another angle

i made bread cups and had creamy vegetable and chicken fillings and tuna fillings. we brought grapes, orange juice and a lot of chocolates. but we were so stuffed with the bread cups that din eat much chocs....








we walked to the luge station. waited really really long for the first luge ride. the first time we went up the skyride... i almost freaked out!! i felt so exposed to the surroundings as the seat we were on moved higher and higher. the first ride down the luge, elvis said iwas going v slow too. by the time we had the second and third rides, i was enjoying them already.

after sentosa, we went back to my place to washup and went to party at ping's place. as usual, meeting new peeps from all over, loads of alcohol, music, jamming... it was so fun... we had some fun at the expense of the host, joking over his lack of rhythm.. despite being a jazz musician... :P den ping passed us a 'light fruit punch' which turned out to be... eeks!! even his 'alcohol' buddy said it was strong for him.. it was pretty farnie.... den it was jamming time... a lot of singing.. a lot of tinkling of the piano... and i think the peeps pretty much likmy playing.. :) at the end of the day, they sang me a bday song. it was SO NICE!!

i was sharing with elvis, its been a good holiday this year. first, a long trip to bangkok. since i came back, two gigs, one of which i got to SING my debut. and this bday was so special and nice cos i gotta do things i like with my loved ones, all in one day!!!

thank You Daddy....

blessed christmas...

its been a busy but very enjoyable week since i returned from bangkok last thurs. in a week, God has blessed me with the chance to hv 2 gigs. One in a home party, which is something different, and one at TTSH again, with ping.

FOr the first, it was a little stressful because i had to be ready with a repertoire of at 70 songs (and i only had abt 24 hrs to prepare since i return home). For the second, it was really fun jamming with ping, and i did my debut singing in the public. well, kindof debut. it was so fun!! ha ha...

today played for christmas service. sound was bad, stvn was pretty frustrated w the sound.. but... well, i've kindof gotten accustomed to it and just 'live with it. or maybe cos i'm on piano, so i din care as much as if i were on the keys. ha ha.

elvis came by my place after service. we had a nice lunch at this new cafe called pinch of salt. the price was very reasonable. food was good. only the server taking us was a little 'blur'. but still... the service was pretty good. at my place, my mom suddenly realized i'll prolly be out all day tmrw and it'll be hard for her to cook the 'dte gua mee sua' for me.. so she said she'll cook it for me for dinner tonight. so for dinner, elvis joined my parents and i in my round table in the kitchen. my mom said a prayer of thanksgiving.. it felt weird... like... this is gonna be the 'last' bday i'm gonna b celebrating at my place like this.. this is gonna be the 'last' christmas i'll be hving with this place as my home... whilst i'm looking fwd to the future, i feel really nostalgic too... that life moves on so quickly...

after dinner, i dunno how i ended up starting to clear my drawers. i tink i wanted to show elvis my accessories, etc. ended up clearing the stuff... with elvis ard, i threw away a lot of things i've kept for YEARS. tickets and maps and passes from my previous trips... notes from a church camp yonds ago.. i finally cut up the expired credit cards (6 in all). stuff like that... i think its a process where i'm beginning to clear the past to move on to the future... its kindof strange... i told elvis there was a reason why its easier for me to trash some of these things.... i said... in the past i kept them for memory sake... to look back. but after showing him things i've done (trips, etc.), i've 'shared' that part of my life with someone, and so i cld move on and trash them.. strange ey... later after he left, i was telling my mom too that, actually in the past i tend to keep because i thot there will be days when i look back... but now that i'm moving on with someone else, there are many more things to look forward to... and so i dun need so many 'things' to look back to... strange again? ha ha.. i tink so.. but tt's me..

anywayz, am making elvis bring me out on a picnic tmrw to celebrate my bday! ha ha.. hope it doesn't rain. den will be a home party at ping's place. sat will be party at ana's shop. hmm.. my partying just only JUST started AFTER christmas... ha ha...

God is good.. so good .. so so good...thank You...

A Night on the Orient Express

I had the God-given opp to play for the cocktail of a D & D last night. It was really fun. The peeps were really really well-dressed, unlike during wedding dinners, where some peeps really dun dress up (some lah, you noe wat i mean, Singaporeans).

I got to wear the bright green dress elvis bought for me in Philippines a year ago, and it was really nice, i mean, i thought it matched the setting very well.

Ok.. other than the bimbotic stuff, I guess given that I've played in different kinds of settings (with singer, with violinist, with band, etc.), i'm starting to get a bit of the hang of things. No longer was I as nervous as I used to be, and am actually really beginning to enjoy playing the music, and sometimes really having fun producing those sounds to fit the atmosphere (rather than just playing 'safe').

I took my teacher's advice, to watch the crowd and play accordingly. Of course, tis is also only possible when I'm more at ease now. Its pretty fun, when you realize that you can actually 'twik' or 'enhance' the socials interactions going on. At the end of my session, the co-ordinator came and told me that she had comments that the music was great, and it created a good ambience for the cocktail. It was really really nice to hear that. :)

One thing interesting about playing for sessions is, I get to see the 'back' - logistical preps for all these glamm-ed up events, and get to see wat goes on in the 'front'. I've 'sat in' for quite a no. of briefings for the servers, whenever I'm waiting for my session to begin. Captains briefing the staff how to serve, etc. Its pretty fun and interesting - what's behind all the facade. :)

I am really thankful to God for all these fun. :) Also, very thankful for and to elvis for always being my faithful 'chauffuer cum chaperon'. ha ha...

yeah.. and just a quick update on wedding prep. we were pretty prepared for the second photoshoot @ the beach on thurs, we bought a helium-filled heart shaped balloon that says 'hugs & kisses... xxoxxo' ha ha, a picnic basket (i cant believe it!!), and some flowers as props. (to see elvis carrying all these things at marine parade is rare!! he's usually too 'practical' for those things added up.) but alas!! it was pouring the entire pm. so we've shelfed it to tmrw am at 6am!!! eeks... heh... so need to buy the fresh props again. as for the housing stuff, made our first deposit and starting to look through interior design mags compliments from AO.

life is good... life is beautiful.. because Jesus loves me... thank You!!

Entry 2: the photoshoot

we had a photoshoot yesterday too. so it was a really tiring but eventful day.

after meeting LL for breakfast at singpost yest, she dropped me off at elvis' to get my stuff. den elvis n i headed for ana's shop for the makeup and all. elvis got really nice dark pink and white roses to be used for the photoshoot. while i got the princess treatment in being dolled up, the two of them were working out buoquets of flowers ana says neva to let J see, or he will murder her! ha ha... it was really farnie to see elvis working on the flowers. and its really so sweet to hv flowers done up by pple close to me... they are not the 'florist-pretty' sort, but they ARE pretty.. and i dunno.. its just so sweet and nice... i loved them!

den V (our ex-colleague), our photographer turned up with 2 of my ex-students. ha ha.. i taught them music 2 yrs ago when they were in sec 1. all the sch song and theme songs.. ha ha... we took pics at blujaz and arab street, and when i was doing the touchup after the first set,it started POURING! if peeps use the term raining cats and dogs, i'd say, it rained cows and mutton.. oops.. i meant sheep... like almost all over singapore yest. ha ha... we were planning to take pics at punggol ... where the 'grassland' is (i hv no idea wat, it was V's idea.). but.. it was virtually impossible. i rem in the car ride there, i only asked God... for His best.. cos He loves us mah... so we went to punggol marina first just to wait out the rain. along the way, elvis thot of going to the airport instead. so at punggol marina, we met up w V again, and decided to go to T3 (and managed to leave the carpark within the 15 mins grace period. heh). its 'exciting' cos i've neva been to T3 before even tho i've thot of going a couple of times.

T3 turned out to be a really nice place to do the photoshoot cos
1. its dry (the outdoor rain can be quite depressing!)
2. its NOT CROWDED!!
3. its got nice places to take pics.
We had popeyes at T3 den proceeded to Orchard road for the last set. By then, elvis n i were 'dying'.. but V was still roaring to go... ha ha...

Orchard Road was pretty fun with the christmas decos. THe most fun part was when V was trying to use some trick to capture us over 2 - 10 seconds of exposure, us as the subjects, and the moving peeps ard as a 'blurry' set of images in the backgrd. but we had to hold real still thro those 2 - 10 seconds, and given our tall and lanky frames, it wasn't easy. Our CG was too high so we were swaying abt. ha ha ha... anywayz, we decided to do it across the road.. or the MIDDLE of the road linking from Scotts to Wheelock Place... the traffic lights for the pedestrains stay green for over a minute we figured!! so we can even try for 3 to 4 shoots (with the posture freeze for 2s for each shot). People were looking. There were even people who follow suit. ha ha... but it was fun!! sometimes u see 'ghostly' features in these shots. ha ha...

by the time we ended, it was over 10pm. i went to elvis place to just washup first before heading home. he was so tired... he cldn't even talk to me :'(

cant wait to see the pics! :D

Entry 1: my upcoming new home!!

yesterday morn, elvis called me at abt 8.30am.
E: guess wat?
me: wat?
E: we got the place!

WE GOT THE PLACE!! albeit on the costlier side. but we got the place! its pretty farnie how we chose this place.

Its a 13th storey, 5I flat, with 'unblocked' view, N-S facing. In fact, it was the FIRST flat we viewed. That time, we weren't impressed with the 'unblocked' view. I din like a column in the living room. That column actually made me consider to get an EM rather than a 5-room flat in the neighborhood.

So just last weekend, we went to view two flats again. Since I super bad with numbers, I actually did not rem the block nos. of the flats we viewed (not even a previous one we made an offer for!). So when we went to the 13th storey, I stepped into the recess area and was like.. hey.. very familiar... just like the first one we saw (more than a month ago) i stepped into the flat and thot wow... the layout is so similar... let's see that difference this place has ... until i turned to a wall beside the dining table and saw a photo portrait of an elderly indian lady. i was 'stunned' for a moment... HEY.. we've been here before!! the first place!

see, the first time we viewed it, it was handled by an agent. we only viewed the place to see the layout of 5I flats. We weren't even interested in it in the first place because of the asking price. that day, the owner was selling it without an agent. in other words, we dealt with 2 persons, hence we did not noe it was the same unit.

i was even more alert than elvis. he did not even noe it was that unit! ha ha.. when he asked me to take a look at the kitchen, and asked me whether it was big enough for me, i thot he was just kidding and pretending! ha ha...

anywayz, the second time round, we really liked the place. i guess after 'shopping' ard looking at the other flats, we learnt to see more out of this. sometimes its farnie how God brings us round so that we can appreciate things better. in fact, i thot, wah, if we ever got this unit, it will be God lor.. and it IS GOD!! ha ha.. so am praying that this will be our love nest with God... and praying that we will be able to bless others with this space in the future. :) i wanna throw parties!!! ha ha...

wedding updates....

peeps hv been asking how the wedding preps are coming along... honestly, we hvn't done much. ha ha. save for choosing the date, booking of church as well as the hotel.

tmrw and thurs, we will be doing 'casual' outdoor foto shoot. no gown. ha ha. because farmer's not supposed to be able to see my gown til the day itself! last sat night, we went scouting orchard rd and today arab street for potential sights for shooting. tmrw will be doing arab street, punggol followed by orchard. thurs will be sentosa. ana made me try on some pieces of her collection. among the 3 pieces, there was one really cute one, that was so suitable for the thurs shoot at sentosa. i kept bugging her to lend me, and eventually sell me, until she gave up and said it was supposed to be my bday surprise! oh me and my big mouth!!

last thurs we've made the order for our wedding bands.. after scouting for abt a month or so. they weren't the most 'value for money'.. but we really liked them... so.. ha ha...

we've just made an offer for a place we looked at on sat pm. its pretty interesting how we came to this place. i'll post more abt it, IF we get this place. paying a lot for it.. but we really liked the place.. so... we'll see...

i tink tt's abt the updates on the wedding i hv so far. why am i picking up on my blog again? i figure this is a way for me to rem my wedding preps. but i dun tink the way i'm blogging it is too intereting.. ha ha... but aiya.. can rem good oredi lah. :P

Mocha Soufflé

1/2 cup of cocoa
1/3 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 cup of low fat milk
2 teaspoons of freeze dried instant coffee
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 tablespoons of sugar
7 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flaked coconut or chopped nuts, if desired


Mix cocoa, 1/3 cup of sugar and the cornstarch in heavy 1 quart saucepan. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1 minute, remove from heat. Stir in coffee and vanilla. Cool slightly. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 2 1/2 quart soufflé dish with non stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar, tap out excess. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until foamy. Beat in 1/3 cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not under beat. Stir cocoa mixture. Stir about one fourth of the egg white mixture into coco mixture. Fold cocoa mixture into remaining egg whites. Carefully pour into soufflé dish, smooth top. Place soufflé dish in rectangular pan, 13 x 9 x 2 inches, on oven rack. Pour very hot water into pan until 1 inch deep. Bake about 40 minutes or until puffed and top feels firm. Sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon of coconut. Serve immediately. Makes 12 servings.

agnes wans to see tis on my blog

and she's getting her wish...

two entries in a day... because i'm FREE from marking (only from marking... not done with admin monstrous stuff yet)


THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. xueting
2. princess ting
3. sheryl ting

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:

1. bLuE gIrAfFe
2. Princess Ting
3. cHeRaFfe@wOrK

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My height (used to dislike it sometimes, but with a tall bf, love it!!)
2. My skinny top body (people think i'm slim because of that. hek hek)
3. My lankiness
Oh i like my eyes too... and... and... and....

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON’T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My shortsightedess (which has been corrected by lasik)
2. My crooked teeth (which is now being worked by braces)
3. My long second toes

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1. Dialect grp: fuqing (not father in mandarin. fuqing, near fuzhou)
2. ang-zhao chicken
3. paternal grand-dad (from china), dad (from malaysia). Maternal grand-dad (from china i tink??), maternal grandma (malay, i tink??), mom (local bred)

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Monotony
2. Very loud sounds
3. Horror shows

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Motorola V3 Razor Mobile
2. Tiny toothbrush meant for braces
3. bible (i try to make it EVERYDAY essentials)

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING NOW:
1. some sphagetti turquoise top with a bitta lace
2. draw string long cotton pants
3. undergarments lah!

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
1. Chick Corea
2. Stan Gertz
3. Dave Brubeck

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS (RIGHT NOW):
1. My Funny Valentine
2. Cheek to Cheek
3. Misty

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Sincerity
2. Unconditional love
3. Fun!

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE PREFERRED SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:

1. Shoulders
2. Height
3. Voice

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Music - listening, jamming, performing (does this count as three?)
2. food
3. traveling

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Eat PROPER food (reads: eat FOOD THAT IS NOT LIQUID)
2. Have the braces REMOVED
3. Go on a vacation

THREE CAREERS YOU’RE CONSIDERING/YOU’VE CONSIDERED:
1. lounge pianist
2. humanitarian aid worker
3. journalism

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Africa
2. Latin America
3. Anywhere with awesome diving

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. make music
2. make a positive difference in the world!!
3. travel the world

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:

1. i like shoes
2. i love chocolates
3. i'm obsessed over pretty things (bring on the flowers, the blings, ...)

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE NOT STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. i'm far from demure
2. i can rough it out travelling to atypical places and tahan stuff many gals cant
3. i hardly paint my nails (too much work, time, and harlow, i play the piano, no point)

THREE PEOPLE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE TAKE THIS QUIZ NOW:

1. hazelin idayu (but she's too busy for it)
2. corinna yap (but she's not patient enuff, unless i sit beside her to do it, just like when we do silly online tests)
3. my dearest farmer!! (but he's not into it either)