Not Again!

12 Course Meal!!! Bloooody Hell...

NYDC Starter by Kitchen Crazy Daffy... Curry Chicken by Badminton Crazy Shu.... Chicken Wings Frankie Style... Croquette by Not So Kitchen Idiot Fel.

Fries by Shu's Andrew... Japanese Mushroom by Jin Sweet Jin, Cheesy Corguette Rice by Badminton Crazy Shu and Nan bread.

Cooked Pork by Eva John...Bak Kut Teh Soup by Jin Sweet Jin... Chocolate Mus Cake by Kitchen Crazy Daffy (recipe from famous Chef Damien)... Apple Crumble by PJ The (Fill in The blank wha'ever).

Everything was so yummylicious. More importantly, Effy The Fussy liked my apple crumble!She said 'It was tasty.' A compliment from Effy The Fussy is like snow in summertime, sunshine in winter!!! Made me so happy. I always feel stress when I have to cook for Her Royal Highness Princess Effidilio. Oh and today is the first time I successfully made custard for the apple crumble. The last few times the custard went really wrong. Today it was OK. I wasn't planning to cook today as I worked till 6pm but when I got back seeing everyone in the kitchen making stuffs made me wanna join in the fun. So I looked at what I have in the fridge and voila I have apples and apple crumble being the easiest dessert ever. And I could use my custard powder too!!! Its really easy - 8oz flour, 3oz sugar and 3 oz butter. Rub it and sprinkle on top of cooked apple with cinnamon and sugar. Bake till it is brown!!! Easy does it.

Unbelievable... there are Chinese, Indian, English, French, American, Japanese, Malay. Foooood.....you name it we have it...I think we are crazy...

The Potluck Gang...

Andrew and Shu sharing dessert... Lomantic..

Fel Wannabe and The Real Fel...

Fel Wannabe and Fel again..

Fel Wannabe : Hehehe... I think I look cuter than The Real Fel...

The Real Fel : Fat chance. You CMI(cannot make it) lah...

Not Fel Wannabe and Fel again... This time with their serious 'will you buy insurance from us' face... Ermmm.. No comment...

Camera run out of battery after taking too many pixels of Fel and Daffy. So no more pics of the rest of us. Damnit.. Don't you hate these persistant Insurance People...'Nge nge (force and insists) wanna camwhore...'

To my mudder daffy who I rove muchos.... have fun travelling with your mates and I shall see you at the end of term. *hearts*

Hakuna Matata

PJ is revising her French on YouTube. How Kool is that.

Hakuna Matata, mais quelle phrase magnifique.
Hakuna Matata, quel chant fantastique.
Ces mots signifient, que tu vivras ta vie.
Sans aucun souci, philosophie.
Hakuna Matata..

PJ dit : Je suis vraiment révise pour mon examen.

Ya rite PJ…singing Hakuna Matata in French is Not revising!!!

Oh well, at least she tried.

I watched ‘Shi Zhi Lu Kou’ yesterday nite on YouTube. Oh man, I have forgotten how fun it was watching Taiwanese entertainment variety game shows. This show is a weekly program where people go hunting down food all over Taiwan. It’s a game show where you have to eat for example you start of with Ice CreaM, then the next food has to start with the letter M and it goes on. Oh I feel so hungry now…

Wasted the night again. PJ has to stop YouTubing!!

PeekaBoo

You feel that you are older when…
…you need to pay your own bills.
…people start to ask you for advise on serious matters.
…you cannot remember things.
…you stop asking money from your parents.
…and they stop asking if you need money.
…you have to work for money.
…people stop telling you that you are cute.
…your friends are planning their weddings. (Haven’t been to any yet but I am actually quite excited to marry off my friends.)
…you hardly see your family. (This sucks...)
…your friends are getting hitched one by one. (It is harder and harder to think of single people to hang out with.)
…you don’t have to show your ID to prove you are Not underage. (I rant about this last time but I sure miss being check.)

Happy Birthday Ah Boooo! Sorry to make you feel older. Mean Birthday joke.
But no matter how old you are, remember that you have a friend who is getting old together with you…Dreams come true my dear Boo…Love you heaps…

Cheesylicious.

Yes its been a while since the 7 claycrofters (minus one who is having a wickedy time in Canada and much missed.) and one tocilalien have their gastronomical rituals.

Looking carnivorous before the ritual...

Shizuka, Shosuke, and Anderew San (from L-R) planning to eat up Ko Ryu the Man in Black...

Hail Mama Tamako Our Walking Recipe Book...

Mama Tamako with Syobe and Kokokoruuuu.... Intense concentration by Mama Tamako...

Let the gastronomical ritual begin..

Warning : Lotsa cheesygoodness. Not for the faint hearted. Parental guidance adviced.

Lasagne by Kokoru..

Vegie lasagne by Kokoru..

Italian Mi Hun Kueh with home made pesto and sweet potato sauce by Tamako...

Asparagus and carrot tart by Tamako...

Tablets by Anderew San...

Je m'appelle Kirei...

Kirei a fait gateaux de fromage au Japon...

The Japanese Cheesecake looking a bit like Yorkshire pudding. It was actually pretty good. Of course not as good as the Original Daisuke Japanese Cheesecake but can lah for Apprentice Kirei. Thanks to Iron Chef Dais for sharing the recipe. Kirei had so much cheesygoodfun baking the cheesecake.

Kirei attempting to be creative in her photo skills..

After getting high on cheeeeese... we started translating our names into Japanese. If only Dais was there to help us out to name Fel as Sponge. But Kokoru is also cool.

PJ likes her Japanese name Kirei (translate from 'jie' meaning Pure in mandarin.). But in Japanese it means pretty. Not pretty, have pretty Japanese name also happy!!!!

Everyone say cheeeeese...

Kirei Loves the feeling of homeliness when mama Tamako starts feeding Kirei with mufins and macarons (pre-diner). Love watching Kokoru and her funny expressions. Love the randomness of the potluck conversations. Love you guys so much.. *Hearts*

Coming soon 'The Ritual Continues' in Kitchen 27 on Tuesday...

The Mug Breaker

PJ is a Mug Breaker. She breaks her mug Every Year. And she thought for One year she could live happily ever after with her mug. Perhaps there is no such thing as happily ever after…

Ya I break my mug again. 2 mugs in a week! How ‘sueh’ (unlucky) is that. Every year I break my mugs without fail. This time it’s a birthday mug from Shu and I didn’t break it the normal way, it just cracked and started leaking when I poured tea. How can so like that? I have been so careful this year. It is really the mug problem not PJ. And it was the prettiest mug ever with red roses. Sigh... Some things are just not meant to be…

So off I went to Tesco and bought the cheapest and ugliest mug ever cause I am going to break it sooner or later. But even though it is ugly I think I will soon grow attach to it and be very sad when I break it. Sigh... How not to get fond of a mug that accompanies you through stressful and lonely long nights…

Was ranting to my mum how mug ‘sueh’ I was and she said she has a ‘very pretty’ spare mug set of 6 at home and will bring it for me when she comes in July. I told her it will probably break when the airline people throw the luggage into the plane. Even if it survives the 13 hour flight, it will soon perish in the hands of PJ the Mug Breaker.

PS – I had the bestest ever Banana Cake yesterday made by Eva John. The cake was so yummy. It just melts in the mouth. Thanks for the cake John! I think Eva John is a very good name. Lucky you to get a girlfriend whose name match your name. These days if you are a guy and have a girlfriend you will have a ‘pre-first-name’ just to differentiate you from other guys with the same name. Most ingenious idea ever...

PPS - I just don't want to get back to revising for my last paper (French). This weekend has been totally awesome so far. Finished watching the draggy Korean drama Save The Last Dance For Me which made me cry at the very last moment. Damnit. Oh ya and a whole night of Scrubs. Purfect weeekend...

My Girl And I

Dear tiger,
As promised I watched the Korean movie that you told me to. I can't help giggling at the idea that your friends think You are like the main actor and Your Girl is like the girl. That guy in the movie is quite stupid like you. Hey you should definitely watch it with Your Girl.

Not gonna say much cause it will just spoil the movie. You have to watch it for yourself. I e-mailed you the link on You Tube. If it doesn't work just Search 'My Girl and I' on Youtube.

Did I like it? I enjoyed it as it was funny though cheesy and extremely entertaining though some bits are absurd like all Korean movies. And Sung HG is awesome as always. I think she is the prettiest Korean actress ever and she is such a natural.

Did I cry? Almost but I didn't. I think I have been watching too much now that it doesn't get to me at all. I bet you will cry.

My fave part is when he asked her whether raindrops fall in drops or threads. *hearts*. You guys have to watch it to understand. I think it is Part 6.

Perhaps it is true that we only get to love once in life if we are lucky enough.

Watch it yo and tell me what you think.

Pigster.. xxx

The Final Year

The Good…
1. Gaining a baby sister Stella who I can laugh and cry with. Hugs hugs..
2. Seeing Shu and Andrew get together finally… awwww… sweet..
3. Having my cousins, Ferny and Geong Sen in Egham. Ever so grateful.
4. Having a mudder here who worries for me. Hugs Daffy…
5. Having a buddy like Fel who understands me. Beats chests the Fel way…
6. Going to mass with Joanne on Sundays. Miss you heaps…
7. Sharing a kitchen with John, Andrew, Shu, Jin and Effy. Love you guys.
8. Going on the Amazing Italy trip with my lil bro. Best ‘giler’!!!
9. Staying on campus and not having to wait for the bus in the rain and snow.
10. The serene ‘me time’ walks in the woods and along the lake.
11. Enjoying my modules despite the crazy workload.
12. Lots of crazy mini kitchen adventures and the inspiring potlucks.
13. Learning more French and inspired to paint once more.

The Bad…there are some not so good things this year but lets not dwell on unpleasantness but cherish the good times. The tears have dried up and its time to let it flow far away from me into the oceans.

I guess this year has been a year of friendship more than anything else. I realized this is the first year that I am actually spending more time with the few special friends I have made here. Not that many as you can count from the list above. I stopped other club activities to be able to spend more time with friends and also on my studies.

Degree wise, I am not sure if I would get the first I aimed for at the beginning of the year. But I have tried my best and sometimes my best might not be good enough. Even if I do not get a first I am proud of the effort that I have put in. I have surprised even myself at being able to conquer some of the challenges thrown upon me. Go me!

It has been a better year than last year which was personally difficult time. I have come to let go off things that use to haunt me. I have learnt to be thankful for every little blessing that comes my way. Life has been good to me and I am grateful.

PS - I love this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFARP1X5pmY&search=Put%20Your%20Records%20On
I know it is cheesy but I can't help falling in love with this song..

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favourite song
You go ahead, let your hair down Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.
Oh, You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow....

The Flag (Picture by Simon Brent)

You know you are homesick when the sight of the Malaysian flag makes you excited. Nicked this pic from Simon’s blog. Have to reference this copyright pic otherwise I might be charge of blogairisism. Check out his New York pics. They are really good. So good that I am making plans in my head to visit Vicky (Ilinois), Hiang Ting (LA) and Patty(Baltimore). Actually the place in US that I really want to go is SF to see the bridge!!!

The Flag. I always felt it is the most unoriginal flag ever. Feels like a pirated version of the US flag. But Malaysians made it their own like they always do in everything. The flag has 14 stripes which represents the 14 states in Malaysia. Red represents bravery, blue peace, white purity and yellow I think it represents the monarch. This is PJ’s vague memory of learning it in school when she was a wee girl and it could be wrong.

Things I have been eating too much off lately that my tummy is feeling weird: 1. Waffelmischung – Deustch wafers. I love wafers. 2. Haribos – chewy fruity sweets. I hate the green and red ones. I only eat the orange, yellow and fizzy ones. 3. Chinese tea.

I just finished Company Law paper yesterday and it left me knackered even though it was just 1 and a half hours long. I did my best but I have never had any lawyer’s instinct in me. PJ’s just not born with it. I have a bad feeling that this paper is going to pull my overall grades down but oh well, its over and whatever lah. I have done my best and I should be proud of myself.

2 more and I am Finished!!!

Im Not Stupid

Was chatting with my cuz some time ago. And he ask me if I would make the first move and ask a guy out. Those of you who know me would know that I wouldn’t. Some guys even label me as snobbish. I don’t really care how people see me but the truth is I am just too shy to do it. I don’t even dare look at the person I like or have a crush or infatuation. Yes I am that shy. If I were in the same room as him, I would look away if he looks my way and then try to steal a glimpse of him secretly. I wouldn’t even dare look at him even if he is right next to me. I would just turn the other way. Gosh that sure feels snobbish. But I am not I am not a snob…just shy.

My cuz thinks I am too traditional. He like many of my other male friends think that its too tiring to just depend on guys to make the first move. Girls should make the first move too. He said how the hell would the guy know you like him if you give mix signals like that. Which suddenly struck me, perhaps I have been giving too many mix signals. But I can’t help it. It is just part of me, I am a fire fly who waits and believes that destiny will come to me.

Cuz : LOL. I am falling off my chair.….
PJ: :-s
Cuz : You are even more stupid than I thought.
PJ : I am not stooopid !!!!

OK maybe I am.

My cuz is the meanest person ever on my msn list.

I Prove

Facebook is amazing place to waste time. But I still prefer browsing through Friendster.

I think I have added everyone I know on Facebook. I don’t know that many people anyway. I looked at my list and realized that there are 2 person I don’t know but I added on impulse.

One is cause I heard that she will be working in the same office. I hope she won’t think I am crazy. I was just being friendly.

The other is actually quite funny. Maybe I am the only one who will be amused by it.

The story begins…

One fine day PJ and R were chatting before lecture…I love speaking Malay to R in class cause no one knows how crap my Malay is except me and R…

R: Saya rasa budak tu gay lah. (I think that guy over there is gay.)
PJ: I rasa tak lah. You giler lah. (I don’t think so. You are crazy.)
R: Confirm lah dia gay. (I am confirmed that he is gay.)

I have pretty good ‘gay(ra)dar’ and can normally tell by just looking at someone if he is gay. So to prove my point to R that the guy is not gay. I added him on Facebook just so I can see his profile and tell R that she is wrong. And I was right! He is Not Gay!!!! ‘Hey R, not All cute guys are gay lah. You giler lah. Dia interested in women and in a relationship.’

Now I just hope I will not see him around cause he must think I am crazy to add him as a friend when we never even spoken before. Oh I can’t believe the random ‘moh liu’ (stupid things) I do… Feels so silly but at least I proved my point that I have Better Gaydar than R.

PS – I finally linked all those blog that I have been reading via Derek’s blog – FireAngel, Suanie, KY, Kinky Fairy, Kinky Pug Kevin, Jay… They are all colorful Malaysian characters. It is strange how different their lives are from mine yet somehow whenever I read their blogs I could feel a strange kind of understanding. Like OMG I felt that way too (beats chests the Fel way to show that I so understand them.). And they have got great Malaysian sense of humour that I just realized that I miss. Yes lame stupid cheesy Malaysian jokes that my brother is a pro at. Oh and I miss my brother too…PJ should ciao before she gets emo at the thought of home…

I Look Like

A new friend at work said something really shocking to me. OK I am exaggerating it wasn’t shocking. I was surprise all the same every time it happens.

He said ‘I knew you are from Malaysia, you look Malaysian’. He is not the first to say it. Many people have said that. What does it mean to look Malaysian? One of the partners I had the privilege of working with during my internship said the same thing. I know my accent is probably a give away that I am Malaysian. I love my Malaysian accent. But I never thought I have a Malaysian face. What is a Malaysian face anyway? I hope it is a compliment to have the Malaysian face. I sure am proud to be a Malaysian.

When I am in Malaysia people sometimes would say I look like I come from East Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak). Now what does it mean to have an ‘East Malaysian’ face? I asked a friend this and she said probably cause I have big eyes and people from east Malaysia have big eyes. I am not convinced by the big eyes theory. And my eyes are really standard size. I am proud to be a Johorian (that’s what people from the south most state of Malaysia is called). I love my Southern accent even though people think it is not as gentle as the Northerners. I love it and I sure am proud of it.

When I was traveling in Italy with my bro last winter, the Italian guys keep saying ‘Koniciwa’ to me. They probably think every other fair Asian looking people are from Japan. I told my brother ‘I secretly like to think I look Japanese cause Japanese girls always give me the ‘kawaii’(cute) and gentle impression.’ Brother shakes head at her vain sister. Hey I am a girl after all and I sure love being a girl. And damn proud to be one too!

PS – Bon Voyage to Stella who is going to Canada tomorrow. Lucky bitch!! I can’t tag along cause I am too heavy to fit into her suitcase. Tu vas me manqué!!!! J’espère tu auras un 'fucking' bon temps en Canada!!! Gros bisous… Ze tem.....

I Realised

Haven’t been posting but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking. Exams lah.

Exams but still need to eat. So still need to cook. It’s the time of the day most look forward to everyday now. Yes I know, my life has become this boring.

Some random stuffs I made…
Baked Lasagna wrap in couscous. A bit dry cause I was too lazy to make a proper sauce.
Curry rice with teriyaki trout glaced with honey. Love the teriyaki fish.

I have finished half of my exams. I hate the feeling of coming out from an exam knowing that you could have done more if you were given more time. But guess that’s what exams are about- doing ‘it’ under time constraints. I love the feeling of putting away the notes onto the highest shelf of my book rack.

It feels weird that I am almost done with my time here at Warwick. I realized that I will miss the few close friends I have here very much. I also realized that I have not put in much effort to try to make new friends because I am so cosy, comfy and happy with just these few people that I have grown to love so much. I also realized that I have to start a new in Birmingham with no friends or family. Some people envy me for having the chance to work and study abroad. Some people think I must be insane to be able to live so far away from home in England with its freaking weather, dry British humour and awful food. PJ thinks it is scary to start afresh but she is going to be brave and trust in God’s plans for her. The weather is crap but I love to see the changing seasons, the changing hues and the melancholy feeling it brings. British humour I will never ever get it but I get easily amused by anything and everything. Awful food is no longer a problem as I am learning to satisfy my cravings with my mini adventures in the kitchen.

To think back now, I almost didn’t make it here because my dad didn’t want me to. That feels like so long ago. I still remember hearing the news from my dad on the phone when I was in BP that I got a scholarship/loan to do IB and then to further my studies in UK. Then, came the anti climax when he said ‘I think you shouldn’t go.’ I was disappointed but all I could say was ‘OK then’. I listened to my dad too much. He called back later that night and told me he changed his mind thanks to my uncle who advised him.

Actually I didn’t plan my life to be this way. It is weird how I stumbled into everything in life. Everything in my life feels like serendipity somehow. It feels like a jig saw puzzle that will slowly fill up and make sense eventually. I guess I would not have grown up so much have I not left home. Being away from home is tough sometimes. I miss everyone at home so much. Yet I realized that I do love living an independent life that I can call my own. I am not sure if that would have been possible if I had not left home. I will always be the dependent spoilt daddy’s girl.

Dreaming Of You

I baked loads and loads of cupcakes. Banana flavor.
OK I was dreaming…

No more time for the kitchen no more thanks to Evil Exam Monster.

Spent 6 hours at the library yesterday. Quite productive but it all went down hill when I got back to my room. I joined Facebook. Evil twin of Friendster. Then start to check everyone out. People I know, people I don’t know who know people I know. Now who put that ‘facebook’ idea into my head…

It was just one of those days where everywhere you go people ask if you have a ‘facebook’ and you go ‘what face?’ Then curiosity gets the better of you…

I want to eat cupcakes…maybe I should go back to sleep and dream of cupcakes

How good will it be if I wake up and everything is over. No more exams and I can bake loads and loads of cupcakes. Banana flavor ones…

Mi-ah

That’s what I call my mum at home. Whenever I need something I would call mi-ahhhh…whenever I am down and need someone to talk to I would call mi-ah…
I know Mother’s Day is over and all that but its never too late.

She called on Sunday.
Mi : Hey its Mother’s Day today.
PJ: Oh ya, I sent you a card…
Mi : No you didn’t..
PJ : ooops that was last year or is it the year before last…

In the end I gave the lame excuse that I am confused by the different mother’s day dates for UK and Malaysia. I have been getting really bad at all these occasions. Be it birthdays or supposedly special days like this. So please forgive me if I ever forget your birthdays. You know how dementia is starting to affect PJ as age is catching up…

Ok back to my mi. She is ‘garang’ (fierce) and loves to ‘mah lang’ (scold people ie me, bro and dad.). But of course she has her reasons for that. I miss seeing her getting mad at me. She is superwoman. She does all the household chores in the speed of lightning. When she asks me to do something I can only say ‘OK I will do it later’ one time and when I finally get my arsed away from the couch/TV/book, whatever needs doing is already done. I can never keep up with her nano-speed. She is full of cranky rubbish just like me. She is very particular about cleanliness and I think I mention before the floor at home shines like diamond because of her constant mopping and more mopping. But despite all these ‘garangness’ and crankiness, she is one of the kindest person ever. There is so much love in her. Her love keeps me going everyday.

To my mi - just want to let you know I really ‘sayang’ (love) you even though I rarely say it out and I always ask you to shut up when you say that you love me on the phone. I know how much you ‘sayang’ me and I thank God for you.

For the difficult pregnancy you have to go through to bring me to this world. For staying up to care for me when I was a sickly child. For having to ‘rotan’ (cane) me when I was a naughty girl. (I know it must have been painful to do it.) For having to constantly worry that I will fail my exams in school. (I was a slow coach and quite stupid when I was younger. Still am.) For making sure I have a good breakfast before going to school. (Milo with half boiled fresh kampong(village) eggs dip with bread.) For bringing back books from the library for me to read. For making cute little clothes for my dolls. For keeping all my drawings and art works since I was a wee girl. For being patient with me when I was a rebel teen. For never giving up on me even though I was always difficult. For putting up with my crankiness. For understanding and for listening. For crying with me through heartbreaks. For believing in me. For praying for me. For showing me what it means to love with all your heart. For these and everything else, I am grateful to have you as my mi.

The Start

Yes I had my first final exam this morning. My middle finger is obscenely swollen from all the writing. But I am so happy now. I love the feeling of finishing an exam paper. No matter how I did for the exam I just love the feeling of 'whatever it is over.' So one down 5 more to go. Soon it will be all done!!! Can't wait for the 'up' feeling when it is all done. I was a bit troubled yesterday, I just lost my cool, ok I panicked when I have been asking everyone around me not to panic. It is those before exams feeling you get when you feel you are The Shit. The more you study the more confuse you get, the more you feel that you don't know anything, and you keep asking yourself. Is it enough?? Like a mice running in a cage. Running and running. When to stop? Thats what I felt yesterday. But the 'down' feeling is 'up' after spending some time out in the chapel. I always only go there when the feeling is 'down'. I really should remember to go there when the feeling is 'up' and thank Him for the 'up' feeling but I always never remember. My bad my bad. PJ putting a post it note to remind herself to thank God when the feeling is 'up'.

So I also took a break and went to watch Soweto Gospel Choir. It lifted my spirits and I am reminded of how blessed I am. Oh and I saw loads of Rev people. I haven't been to Rev much this year and I was actually scared people don't remember me anymore. You know the feeling you get when you see someone you haven't seen for a long time. I always get the feeling, should I say hi, will they remember me. Sometimes you smile then 'alamak (shit?), no response.' But people still remember me and I remember you guys too. How can I ever forget the awesomeness that you guys are. Was looking for Thor who I read from his blog that he would go but didn't see him with the rest. Anyway, if you are reading this, Thor, I just want to say Hi ya!!! and hope all is going well for you and coleslaw is good for you.

Keep it 'up' guys!!! PJ is feeling 'up'!!! Thank you Jesus for the 'up' feeling!

Magic Pot

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you my little magic pot. It will be 3 years old soon. My aunt bought it for me before I came here in my first year. I still remember going hunting for it in town with her. Oh and the flirtatious shop keeper who the pot had to stay with before I rescued it. I was only a shy and young girl back then. I remember going red in the face when the flirt asked me if I had a boyfriend.

This little pot has been faithful to me for so long and it has met so many fellow rice cookers. Some have died or are cranky but my little magic pot is still going strong. Its one hardy fella. Don’t underestimate its power. It can do almost anything – instant noodles, normal rice, tomato rice, coconut rice, soups, steam fish, steam eggs, bean rice, beriani rice, chicken rice, steamboat, noodles, pasta, congee, porridge, yam rice, pumpkin rice… My pot can do anything....Can’t imagine life without my little magic pot. Here it is again with the friend from Thailand.

I hate studying during the weekends. But have to since exams are starting next week. Things that keep me going on a Saturday afternoon. 1. Loads and loads of Chinese Tea that I nick from my dad last summer. Have quit Penguin. (Actually I have run out of Penguins and couldn’t be arsed to go buy.) 2. A phone call from home. I always feel motivated to study after hearing my parents’ voice. Their excitement about little, little things. My dad is like a kid sometimes. Plus laughing at their gossips of happenings at home which perks me up. My mum was telling me how everyone is asking her how she could bear having me away from home and all that. It is so dangerous for little PJ (I will always be everyone’s little PJ at home) they would say with sincere concern. My mummy will tell them that ‘PJ has grown up to be really independent and can take care of herself now, I worry but she knows what is best for her now and she should do whatever she wants as long as she is happy.’

Awwww…makes me wish I could take the next flight home and give her a big warm hug. And to my dad too who just spend an hour at the travel agent trying to find the best flight deal for me. Sweet…

Lazy Lasagna

Ta da... Lazy does it...



I made Kidney Beans Open Lasagna. I didn’t make this up. I followed recipe from my 101 vegie cookbook. The book says Chilli Bean Open Lasagna. I improvised a bit. It is a Lazy Lasagna where you don’t have to layer it in a dish. Just put everything on the plate. Lazy Dish I like!!! I didn’t have most of the ingredients so I had to substitute the borlotti beans with kidney beans and courgettes with cucumbers and I added mushrooms. Will try to make proper lasagna next time…

Good luck to me me me and you you you who are taking exams.

Another Taggy Thingy

Is everyone crazy or what? Everyone is drinking smoothies. It was non-stop smoothie making from 11am – 5pm. Crazy lah… But am actually getting the hang of it and I can actually tame the cranky orange juice making machine now. I can do some of the smoothies without looking at the instructions.

The best thing when I got back home from smoothie craziness is to receive a mail from Sing Cher. I am listening to the songs now. It helps to de-stress after a crazy smoothie day. Will reply your mail soon when things start to slow down a bit. Thanks heaps. Love you and miss you loads and loads. Good luck with everything you are doing. Fighting!!!

Gonna do a taggy thingy before I jump into the shower…

I AM:a little bit of everything.

I WANT:to find true love.

I WISH:I am stronger physically and mentally.

I HATE:lies and pretence.

I MISS:my family, friends and the food at home.

I HEAR:instead of talk most of the time.

I WONDER:if true love really exists.

I REGRET:nothing.

I AM NOT:sweet like most people think.

I DANCE:in the shower when I am in the mood.

I SING:in the shower all the time.

I CRY:very little these days. I dun get emo much now. Taking life easy and staying positive.

I AM NOT ALWAYS:quiet and shy. I can be loud and talkative with people of the same frequency.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS:all kinds of gestures that I learnt from Fel, Daffy and Stella.

I WRITE:with my heart.

I CONFUSE:myself with matters of the heart. I royally suck at it.

I NEED:to wrap up my revision and get it over and done with.

I SHOULD:work harder for my exams.

I START:to understand myself more everyday and taking life as it comes.

I FINISH:my day with a prayer to thank God for every little blessing.

I TAG:whoever wants to waste time to do this. I know you want to do this. You know who you are. Do it lah. Its always good fun…

Penguin Breaks

Accompanied Stella to do her visa. That lucky gal is going to Canada in 2 weeks time. I wanna go to Canada too!!!! Maybe I will hide in her suitcase. We were the ‘kiasu’ people who reached the embassy before 7am. And the embassy opened at 8am. Thank God we were there early as the queue got longer and longer.

Entertained myself by taking pics while waiting for her. I love the green leaves of spring. Note the flowers on the window stills. If I had my own house I will make sure every window has hanging flowers like this. What really intrigued me when I first came to London in 2003 is the basement of these city buildings. Feels like some secret hiding place.

It was freezing cold in the morning. So we head to Starbucks to warm ourselves. Walk around for a bit and then had lunch in Chinatown. I always feel cheated having Chinese food in UK. They are The Crap! I know I shouldn’t compare the food here with those at home. But I just can’t help it. I feel the food my friends cook are even better than those they serve in the restaurants in Chinatown.

The sun was coming out when we were about to leave. Freaking English weather. I brought my sunglasses for good ‘weather’ luck. Well even though it was fucking cold in the morning, at least it didn’t rain and I could take pics in Grovesnor Park.

The 2 bimbos in the bus. I don’t normally like taking pics but I enjoyed myself cam whoring today with Stella in the bus. We must be annoying everyone on the bus with our bimboness.

I look chubbier than ever in the pics, must be all the Penguin ( a brand of chocolate biscuit) break I take when I go to the library. It is a bad habit whenever I see people going out for fug (smoke) breaks, I feel the urge to take my Penguin break. And when I run out of Penguins, I end up spending stupid amounts of money on the chocolate and crisps vending machine.

I need to quite Penguins. I need to quit Penguins. Lord help me to quit Penguins.

Bloghistory

The Beginning…
It all started with me being ‘kiasu’ in February 2005, wanting to make the most of tax-payers money for my education here in UK. So I joined Warwick Blogs. The intention wasn’t to blog because I have no idea what it is but to store photos. Then I started blogging and I couldn’t stop. Warwick Blogs is great. It is much more user friendly than Blogspot. 187 post I blogged there. Along the way, I got hooked and soon found blogs of loads of people I know. I even ended up signing up for Xanga just to leave comments on friend’s blog. I also blogged once or twice on Friendster Blog when I joined Friendster last year.

I am less personal on Warwick Blogs. Perhaps it is because of the fear of going out to classes and someone shouting. ‘Hey I know that girl I read her blog and she is an emotional wreck or a ranty little bitch!’ Not denying that I am not any of those labels. But you get what I mean.

I love Warwick Blogs. You get to have so many people reading your blog and it is quite overwhelming at times. And I love reading Warwick Blogs, people blog about serious stuffs, funny stuffs, anything and everything.

Soon I forced some friends to start blogging too and it was great fun, reading their blogs. It is good to be updated when we can no longer afford to call each other anytime everyday or talk as long as we fancy on the phone. That was what we used to do in school. It gets to my dad all the time. He always say ‘Why do you need to call your friend when you just got back from school?’ Also love reading blogs of college pals who I promised to keep in touch but have been so horrible at it.

I got some racists hate mails just the beginning of this year. So I decided to leave Warwick Blogs. So here I am here at Blogspot. I am getting to love this Blog. Somehow I feel most people who visit this blog are people that I know well and they are in fact the people I have in mind when I blog. Blogging now to me is like having a cuppa ‘teh tarik’ ( pulled tea) with some old friends and share bits of my life that are still shareable. I guess this blog is more personal. It is as personal as it gets.

Blogging to me is stripping myself but still not naked. Like Lady Goddiva.

What is blogging to you?

PS – This entry is inspired by Derek, my dear friend, Karin’s LG. Wanted to try to burn the midnight oil yesterday but felt so sleepy at 11pm and I gave in to lala land.

Youtubing

I started work yesterday at Cholo Juice Bar. It was good fun making the smooties for the first time. To make Love Potion Smootie you need strawberries, bananas, and raspberry (1:1/2:1/4) and 1 part yoghurt. Blend till smooth.

I also learnt how to use the till. I know how to use a cash till!!. How cool is that. There were some disasters like when the orange juice machine started to hate me and go cranky on me. The worse was when I used a Small cup to fill up a Large smootie and ended up spilling all over the place (it felt like the magic porridge pot bubbling with smootie) and I felt so embarrass. It felt like someone had just dump a whole bucket of smootie onto me. Yes, I was that embarrassed. Thank God the customer was really nice and luckily too the manager was away. Also learnt to make baguettes at South Central. So many fillings so many different types of meal deals. So many different extra toppings and charges to remember. Thank God most people just ask for BBQ chicken.

I was feeling a bit down from trying to figure out how to structure my essay for next Monday. So many jumbled-up thoughts. And I decided to take a break and I started YouTubing the link on Mus’s blog (Check this hunk out at the link on my sidebar. He is UK’s most eligible bachelor.)

Oh how good it felt… ‘sha la la la la la la la (clap clap) sha la la la la la la la… Everybody now, together and do the walking to Amarilo thingy… ‘Show me the way to Amarillo…’

Must try ya folks!

Random

This entry is a badly structured entry.

I am just going to put down random thoughts.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not the study type of person. I try but sometimes I never try hard enough. I have never burnt the midnight oil. The best I can do is to wake up earlier to study. Was just telling how hardworking I have been lately to my brother. He said ‘...that’s so weird’. He doesn't seem very convince. He knows me best and he knows how much a slacker I am. Never been studious but always been lucky.

I remember when I was doing my SPM (GCSE) year. I spend so much time sleeping that my brother was constantly nagging me to study and all that. Yes my Younger brother. Sometimes he feels like my 'kor kor' (Big Brother) instead of my 'di di' (Little Brother). I am glad he nagged me cause I did do well in my SPM but I guess there is no point bragging about it anymore cause the qualification feels like toilet paper now as noted by one of my old teacher. I was really annoyed at him for telling us before our exams that the qualification is worthless but I guess it is true to some extent.

The first time I worked really hard was in college. First time away from home. First time I didn't have dad to solve my Maths problems. That really suck. I have always been lazy in school and having a Maths crazy dad who is always on stand by doesn't really help to make me less lazy. So I worked really hard in college compared to in secondary school. IB is tough but I really enjoyed doing my Extended Essay and I actually miss doing IB Maths and Stats. I love the thrill of actually solving a proof.

I did the minumum work possible in my first year at uni. Reason being first year results doesn' t count. So why bother. I never even been into the library to study in my first year. I studied like at the last minute. I skipped quite a few of the 9am lectures. Thank God, I still did fairly well. I started to work harder in my second year. It was difficult as I did not enjoy the subjects that I was doing. This year I really enjoy the subjects I am doing and have been working consistently. The assignments results have been really encouraging. I am suprise by myself. Perhaps 3 years here I have finally sunk into the best way of studying that works best for me. Guess I did learn something at uni after all.

Besides hard work, I guess getting good grades its all about strategy and luck. Perhaps some of you may think I am over optimistic. I know I am. I have always been a dreamer. I believe in dreams. Not just believing it blindly but I try my best to make them happen. If they don’t then God must have His reasons. Everything happens for a reason. But God helps those who help themselves.

To succeed it is all about believing in yourself. In the power you have inside. People may say you shouldn’t think that way cause things can go wrong. Sure life is The Shit and things go wrong All the time but one door closes another opens. When things go wrong, I will always think of the wise words of Dalai Lama that deep in us we know the solution to our every problem. I love wise sayings by wise people. They are mostly difficult to practice unless you are really strong person but it helps me reflect and better myself.

This year has not been easy. It has been a constant struggle inside and outside. I have had to make some tough choices and decisions. I have done some of the hardest modules ever in my life. But I realized that God has been amazing as always. He has been watching over me and guiding me and I hope He will continue to lead me to where He wants me to be.

Sweet Potato Drink

Being vegetarian (although I eat seafood) reduces the types of food that I can actually cook. So I try to syok sendiri and make up stuffs most of the time. This time I made honey-sweet potato-soya bean drink with dates. Just chuck everything to boil on low heat and leave it till it softens. Takes ages but you can go do your stuffs while waiting. Voila… I like it chilled for a sunny day but the weather doesn’t seem as sunny anymore.



I also made my own tomato soup. Not those Bachelor Brand Cuppa Soup. I added some water to the leftover tomato puree from yesterday. I also added carrots and beans and onions. Leave it to boil on medium heat and go do your own thing. Eat it with bread and there you have a wholesome balance quick and easy meal for Busy students.

Last week, I saw some kids performed at the Music Center. They are Really Kids as in they were all born in 1990s. Can you imagine 1990s?? It is like they were born last week.

One of them played the Cello and he was only a little boy, smaller than the cello. I have never seen a kid play a cello with such emotions. They were really talented. I like their rendition of Salut D’Amour and also Sonata in F Major. As I sat there watching these kids playing. A thought came to mind, do people succeed because of talent or because of hard work or perhaps its just luck?

I came to the conclusion that the most important of the 3 is Luck.

You get to learn to play the Violin at 4 years old (one of the kids started playing the violin at 4) because you were born privilege. You had the opportunity. That is the luck.

Some people are more gifted than others. That is also luck.

For most of us without luck, or talent, we have to work hard. No easy way out but I am certain that it will cultivate blessings which in time will bring us luck. Hopefully.

Grilled Pepper Couscous

Haven’t had a proper dinner for ages. Proper as in Not Pasta or Bread. Yesterday I made tomato-curry-carrot-couscous with grilled green peppers. It was delish. Can feel like I am eating by the Mediterranean Sea. Ok am exaggerating now.

Couscous is so easy to make. Stir fry diced onions, carrots and peppers till fragrant add seasoning to taste (pepper, salt, herbs, cheese…). Add in tomato puree. Stir in couscous, add water if it dries up. Stir in some curry powder. Cover to cook. As for the grilled pepper, just add some vinegar and soy sauce to the pepper then grilled it or put in the oven till it softens and looks crunchy. Voila. It is ready to eat. Fast and easy and delish.

My first day at work didn’t go too badly as it was Friday and the old timers encouraged me to be lazy too. So nice these people. Also got some useful ‘tips’ (short cuts). Be nice to people and people will be nice to you and give you useful ‘tips’. Am good today and didn’t use any of those ‘tips’ but will definitely bear them in mind.

I cleaned one kitchen. Was cursing those people who leave their dirty dishes all over the place as it took me a long time to clear the place before I can actually start work. Was a bit stress when students keep coming in to ask me when I will be done. So tempted to tell them that their kitchen is Bloody Dirty and they are Stressing me out. All I could say was really sorry I am new. After that I helped out this other old timer with some rooms. Time pass by quickly when you are busy. Before I know it I can go home already.

I have a soft spot for cleaners. I get fond of them easily even though most of them are smokers. For those of you who know me would know how much I dislike smokers. I always feel that smokers are a serious health and safety hazard. But I am fond of cleaners (even if they smoke) because I had one of the nicest cleaner ever in my first year.

I was really sick during my first week in UK and when I was in the kitchen, she came in and I started breaking down crying like a silly girl in front of her, telling her I am really sick and the stupid Health Center would not see me till the end of the week and I really miss my family. I was that fragile back then. Not anymore. Anyway, the next day, she came back with a bunch of flowers for me and told me not to be homesick, that she will watch out for me like my mother. I was so ‘gam tong’ (touched) because I only know her for 3 days. I will never forget her kindness. And thanks to her, I will always be reminded to be kind to others because she has been kind to me.

PS – I got the Food and Beverage job at the Union. Gonna start on Monday. Can soon bitch about union work with Fel.
PJ the Poser says: ‘Hi can I help?...Anything else?.. Next please…’
> Joanne, when Duncan asked me why I am interested in the job. I told him ‘I heard from my friend, Joanne Jong that it is Awesome Good Fun working at the union.’ That did the trick!!!

Udon

I have been dying to eat instant noodles. Don’t ask me why. It is probably just one of those ‘revision time’ cravings. I have been eating loads of pasta and more pasta of late. I have cooked pasta in all ways possible. And I am sick sick sick of Pasta and am craving for instant noodles. Most people are eating loads and loads of instant noodles during revision period. But PJ have ate no instant noodles since the start of the revision season. Unbelievable rite? I can’t believe it myself. Either I have become a health freak or a stingy pig.

The problem is, every time I go to Costcutters, I see a packet of instant noodles costing 38p which is about RM2.50. For a bloody measly packet of Nissin Instant noodles! A packet as in 1 packet not the pack of 5 we get at home. It is not even Indo Mee or my fave Mee Pok. I know I should not convert but I can’t help it when it comes to instant noodles. I just can’t help it. They are over charging. Don’t eat over charged instant noodles people!!

Anyway, so I decided to make my own noodles. I had a look at Jin’s recipe book and found that it is not that hard to make Udon. 2 cups of flour, ¾ cups of water and a pinch of salt. Knead into dough. Leave for 2 hours and cover with damp cloth. After 2 hours, roll them flat and fold into 3 parts. Cut into strips and voila.

It wasn't fantastic but good enough to keep PJ happy. PJ is full and satisfied. A hearty breakfast to start of the day! Gonna hop off to work now. Ciao.

100th Entry!

My Lunch/Diner box today. Becoming like my mother cooking 2 meals at a time.

Guess who's studying hard in the sun...
Slim Stella and Fat PJ...
Its good fun until you lose concentration and start to take pics and the wind starts to blow away your notes. And also the flies start to come and join you. I hate the summer flies. Je desteste!
I like the way how things happen by chance. Like unexpectedly meeting Stella on my way back from The Union and we were talking about how lovely the weather is and we should not stay in our rooms and should be out in the sun (with our books.). Voila. But were missing Daffy and Fel who were at the library. It would be perfecto if they were there too.

Look at the happy ducklings and their mama...

Checklist for my 6 exams:
1. Critical Issues in Management: Just got a 11 page case to look at which I just collected from the business school today. Need to read the bloody case, do research on the Professional Accounting Bodies industry and come up with strategies for the professional accounting bodies on positioning themselves in the market. Sounds easy ya. Ya rite…
2. Auditing. 10 topics to revise. I have lost count of how many boring, theoretical, academic papers that I have read or how many more I have to read. I want to say that I actually enjoy reading them if I don’t have to remember them for exams.
3. Business Taxation: 10 chapters to study. Basically have to swallow the whole book of complicated tax rules for any situation possible. Why do the Her Majesty’s Royal Collectors (Inland Revenue) come up with so many complicated rules? Why? Why?
4. Issues in Financial Reporting. Thank God only have to study 2 Chapters. Easy huh… ya rite..The problem questions are like crazy. How did people ever come out with such Torture Device Question?
5. Company Law. 17 bloody chapters. Siow (crazy) lah…. No comment on this one… Really regret taking it even though I enjoy it. This is The Shite of all Shit! King of Shite!
6. French. No time to think about it yet as it is the last paper. One step at a time one step at a time…

I must be damn stress looking at the checklist above which I can’t check any as ‘DONE’. Strangely I am not stress at all. Am I crazy? Why am I not stress yet? Cause this is my last exam ever in Warwick. My last chance to do well and I am not going to screw it by stressing myself silly. I am going to enjoy every studying moment and treat is as yet another challenge.

It is not difficult at all. Just challenging.

A Fond Feeling

My brother met one of my gay friends when he was here last winter. He was like ‘That guy is so hot.’ He gave me a ‘you must be kidding face’ when I told him the Hot Guy is gay. Most gay guys are hot and really, really nice.

I am particularly fond of one of my gay friend. Fond as in not fancy in any sexual way, that I would wish he was straight. But I am just very fond of him. I don’t even know how to explain it. There is something very special about him. He has one of the kindest eyes ever and somehow I felt I could understand him by just looking at those eyes. When he got a boyfriend, I was so happy for him and strangely the day before he told me this. I dreamt of him. The dream: We were sitting together having dinner and he was smiling and looked really radiant like he was in love. It was really strange to dream of him because I have not seen him for ages since he had gone home for the holidays and the next day I saw him, he shared the good news with me. I was so happy for him that I could feel the tears in my eyes and I will always remember him telling me once that: ‘Honey, you will find someone too one day. Good things have to wait longer.’

I guess it is his sincerity which can be seen through those eyes that make me so fond of him. He is not just a gay friend to me but a very special friend that I have grown so fond of.

Kacang Putih

PJ's Lunchbox. Crazy Curry Mee Hun PJ style and Kacang Putih (Chick Peas). I love kacang putih. Especially when they are hot. Anyone still remember that there is this Indian ‘pakcik’ (uncle) who sells all kinds of ‘kacang’ (nuts) outside the school.? He has a very kind face and he sells the nuts on his bicycle. My fave is actually those white colour crunchy nuts. We used to eat them while waiting for the bus.

With that PJ was ready to hop off to the Grid (which is kinda like a library except people are allowed to talk, eat and sleep in there.) to meet up with Rina and Syam to study. I actually studied today. I really did. I have been up since 6am. Its almost 7pm now. I realised I have been more motivated to study because I am planning to take up some part time jobs. I realised the little amount of time left and I sure am studying ten times harder than I used too. Quite excited about the part time jobs. Somehow I feel it is going to make my uni life complete. Was not going to tell my mum lest she worry but ended up telling her anyway. I realised that I can't seem to keep anything from her anymore. I love her so much that I want to share every excitingness in my life with her. I also realised that she trust me in everything that I do. She told me she worry about me every night but dad always reassure her saying 'The kids are old enough to be responsible for their own lives now. There is nothing to worry.'

I am every so grateful for my parents. I am nothing without them. And they are my everything.