All The Vowels

O E E A A A A

I have got all of them!!!!

I would have 'pong' if it was 'mahjong'.

But I am playing scrabulous, if only it is 'mahjong'.

Is there a 7 letter word that only has vowels?

MFEO

This is a bit of a fashion/shopping banter.

I went shopping. The ‘plan’ was to get some new jeans because my old ones are getting a wee bit tattered and it is ‘bad feng shui’ to wear tattered jeans/tops/shoes. I don’t normally buy new stuff cause I get use to old stuff and if old stuff can still use I don’t think there is need to buy new stuff. But mum brain washed me to get some new jeans.

I have only 3 pair of jeans which I have been wearing since uni. I love every single one of them to bits. They have been to places with me, they have seen me cry, they have kept me warm, they were with me through good and bad times.….

But they are old now and slowly falling apart.

My fave is the levis jeans which is now tainted with paint during a group treasure hunt in Notts. Hurts. My first and only levis jeans disfigured!

My oldest is a pair of Giordano jeans which was my first brand new jeans ever. It is way too loose now and a bit ‘koyak’ (torn), But I love it, it has always been there for me.

My second is also my second pair of jeans which I bought in Leamington Spa. I was so happy when I found it. Took me ages to find it. And it fits perfectly like it was tailor made for me. I didn't even have to alter it.

I don’t know if it is just me but I feel that finding the right jeans/shoes/clothes gives such an ‘up’ feeling. I believe that it is kinda ‘fate’ (zhu ding) when we find something we like which actually fits and feels ‘right’. The feeling is just so amazing!!!
It is like this MFEO (Made For Each Other) feeling. And it is not every jeans/shoes/clothes that gives us ‘that’ special feeling which screams out ‘take me away with you, we are meant to be together.’

Ok I should stop before any of you start calling me ‘siow’(crazy)...

Rooftop (Wu Ding)

Song of the day...
Don't really like the youtube anime stuff.
Its too cute for the song which I think is very romantic.
Lyrics here.

The original was by Jacky Wu and Landy.
I think Jay Chou is much better.

So many people have had their versions on youtube.

This one is pretty good.

Almost as good as Jay Chou I think.



Have been listening to Jay Chou's old old song like Jian Dan Ai all day today.
It is amazing how when you hear a song, it reminds you of someone or a time in your life.
Jay Chou's old songs, reminds me of when I was at college.
I used to put his cassette in my walkman and go for my evening walks.
Ah, the days when I was young and so full of hope...
I wonder 5 years from now, what song will remind me of now.

Last Friday of 2007

I love love love this picture so much much much.



Today is the last Friday of 2007 in case some of you haven't realise it.

2007 PJ's Top Favourites(in no particular order):

1. Paris avec Natra. This is one of the nicest trip ever. It was so chilled out and absolute quality. Unforgettable.

2. Pure Salsa in Cambridge. That was wickedy. Special thanks to Michelle. Got me started on something that hopefully will be carried forward to 2008.

3. The First Year Pembroke Dream fulfilled. Even though we didn't get to watch the sunset like on the poster we saw in our first year. At least we have landed on Pembrokeshire.

4. The Brief Trip Home. If only I am filthy rich and I can fly home every weekend just to eat roti canai! If only...

5. Rediscovering The Joy of Cooking again. I have not been feeling 'in' the mood for cooking since I moved to Birmingham. It is just different without all the pot lucks and being around people who are passionate about food. But I have started to feel passionate about food again. Not sure what happen. It just did!! And I am so glad that it is back again! So for those of you feeling not 'in' the mood for cooking. Chill out and take a break. The passion will definitely come back.

6. Last but not least Christmas this year has been really special to me.

The year is coming to an end and I thank you and you and you for all the magic that you have sprinkled into my life.

Ho Ho Ho...

Hope everyone had as much as a fab Christmas as I had.

Thanks to Ferny, GS and KJ who came all the way to Birmingham for Christmas.

Took loads of pics…

But these are my favourites…

KJ with his kick ass camera..


Christmas Day..


Ferny and Me…


The 3 Japanese.. (really look very Japanese, me thinks.)


Mi Hun Kueh Machines…


100% German Wool Hat, My Very Grey Coat and Jay Chou lookalike.


The Pohs...


2007 has been a tough year personally but I feel blessed to be able to end the year by spending Christmas with loved ones in this foreign land.
God has been so wonderful to me

I love the feeling of cooking for the people I love dearly.
I love just being a coach potato, reading some bimbotic magazine which requires zero brain power.
I love watching Takeshi castle and laugh at people who KO.

I shall not wish for an easier 2008.
But I pray God gives me strength and courage to live a better life in 2008; counting my blessing and learning from challenges that come along the way.

Pour Stella...

Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday to stellllaaaaa....
Happy birthday to you.

Je t'aime!!! x

End Of Mad Week

Moi et grace at the Christmas party.
Thanks for coming to the party as my plus one. You will always be my favourite plus one. You were right I might not have gone without you as my plus one.
Miss you muchos! Love you heaps and heaps.

Some lazy Christmas cooking.


Jelly. It is so easy and effortless. Hope they will taste ok.



Kayaaaaa!!! Coconut custart. I half the sugar in the recipe. Hence not much carmelisation and it is a very pale brown. And I was also quite lazy in stiring hence the lumps.
Looks more like humous than kaya.
Oh well...something is better than nothing.

Have a fabulous Christmas everyone! x

23+1

Work has been hectic but its winding down now.

Am feeling really tired today.
Didn’t sleep very well yesterday.
Might have just been the accumulated exhaustion.

Lost one of my earrings when I was at salsa. It was my fave one, present from Ferny. I was quite upset when I realised I lost it. Strangely before I left, a girl came up to me and said she found my earrings. It was a wee bit bizarre because there were so many people in the club. How did she know the earings she found were mine. I didn't even tell anyone I lost it!

This is not the first time something like this had happened to me. I always lose things like that and somehow the lost items always find their way back to me in some bizarre circumstances. Like I lost my bracelet once at the sports center at Warwick and some random guy from my hall found it and returned it to me.

Bizarre things happen in life sometimes.

A big Thank You note for all the text messages, cards, presents, phone calls, facebook messages, e-mails…

Birthdays is always a time when you realised that you have family and friends who remembers you even though you may be miles away.

Touched.

Over Snoozed

Snoozed for 2 hours today!!!
Alarm went at 5.30 and I got up at 7.30am!!!

The thing about winter is it is so hard to get out of the duvet cause it is freezing.
And it is so dark outside in the morning which makes it feel like its still midnight.

No more snoozing PJ!!!

The weird thing is when I am not working I struggle to snooze.
I just wake up ridiculously early.

I felt really old today when this new guy from work mentioned that he wasn't even born in the 80s!! I feel like I can be his 'nenek'(grandmother)!

Something really nice happen today and I want to remember it.

Because I over snoozed, I had to get a taxi to the train station.
The taxi took ages to come.
I was annoyed.
When I got into the taxi, the driver said 'You should get another taxi company which is more local to you. It will be cheaper and you won't have to wait so long. Just watching out for you...'

Awwwww... a stranger watching over me.
PJ wants to have more faith in people.

Butter Cookies

I saw these at Poundland.

Brought back many childhood memories.
They were my fave when I was a little girl.

To my suprise when I opened it.
Everything was the same as it used to be like a decade ago.



I haven't had these in ages.

I remember when I was a kid I love them so much that one year dad bought it for me as a Christmas present.
At that time it was like 'Wow!!!'
If someone would to give me this as a Christmas present today.
I would be like 'what?'.

These cookies used to be 'special' 'treats' when I was a kid.
You don't get to eat them everyday.
The normal everyday biscuits are the ones you get from the 'kedai runcit' (grocery shop).

But these are 'cookies'!!!
To me at that time it was some kinda posh biscuits that you don't get everyday.

Its not just the cookies that bring back yummy memories.
The round metal box that holds the cookies also bring back loads of memories.

I remember grandma used to keep her needle work tools in there.
I used to open it and I would take out the 'button bottle' (its just a bottle where grandma keeps all her spare buttons) that she keeps in her 'buttercookies' needle work box.
I loved pouring the pretty buttons out and count them.
Fascinating stuff that is counting pretty buttons!

It is strange how we can remember so vividly things that happen years and years ago.
Ironically ask me what I did a week ago, I will really struggle to recount it.
Perhaps I will remember if you ask me 10 years from now.

Discounted Tea

I was having a really random chat with someone at work today about tea.
'What tea do you like?'

I started off with a list of the tea I don't like.
And then I realise God I am the fussiest person ever.
I love Earl Grey. But I never buy them cause I feel they are way over priced.
I always go to tesco pick them up and put them back.

As I drop by tesco after work today, they were having a tea sale.
So I got myself some discounted Earl Grey Tea.
Happy happy me.

PS - ZS, I got your cards!!! Your handwriting is gettting worse. Definitely enroute to be a doctor. You have to type your cards next time cause took me ages to read them!

I Am A Stupid Cow

Those of you who have lived with me know how bad I am with my keys.
I always lose it and everytime it will be Shu coming to my rescue to help me hunt for my keys.

I got home today and as usual I had to rummage my bag for my keys.
Normally I can find it but today I couldn't even after taking out everything from my bag.

Shitttttt!!!!

Housemates gone back to their folks.

Double Shitttttt!!!!

It was a freaking negative 5 degrees!!!!

Triple Shitttteeee!!!

Where to go? Who to call? What to do?

All I wanted to do was to cry myself silly but something inside me wouldn't let me cry. There was this voice in me that was telling me.
'For fucks sake don't cry over such a small problem.'

I did shed a tear but I didn't cry myself silly as much as I wanted to something in me wouldn't let me cry properly.

Calmed down a bit and texted my housemated who offered to come back immediately. But she was 30 mins drive away. Bless her.

I decided it was too cold to wait for her. So I decided to jump on the bus and go back to town. The bus took 20 mins to come. When I got into town and my housemate texted me to say she was home.

I decided that since I am in town I will go back to the office and try to find my keys. So here I am now in the office. And I just found my keys. It was hanging around my neck.

Slaps head....

I am such an idiot.

Glad I didn't cry myself silly...

Need To Sleep

I really need to sleep otherwise I will snooze and miss the bus and train tommorow.
But I can't stop watching Heroes.
It is awesome. Super super awesome!!!!!!!

Was chatting to my bro the other day...

PJ : How much do I need to save for the India trip?
ZS : Its ok you have sugar brother in India.

lol...my sugar brother makes me laugh.

Miss you heaps.
Gonna see you in 2 months time. wooot wooot...

The Hours

I am often thought about as a 'work machine'.
But the truth is I don't work that hard.
I do enough but I don't over do it.

People often feel that working long hours means that you are committed and are working hard but I don't feel there is a need to work long hours.
I believe in quality not quantity.
It is quality time spent on work to produce quality work. That is my work motto.

I think I have been pretty efficient at work. I think it is all about planning and sometimes taking a back seat to look at the bigger picture. Sometimes I feel people tend to waste time worrying about little things that are insignificant.

I hate it when people perceived having too much time as not working hard enough or not being committed enough.
It is quality not quantity.
Smarter not harder.

OK enough of work rant.

Heroes is back.
ZOMG!!!!
Need to catch up.

Check it out...Season 2 Heroes!

21 SX

Those of you who are below 21 years old have to be patient and wait till you grow up.
This post is for those who are 21 + or those who have a brain of a 21 +.

I watched Spider Lillies on Youtube
I will have to say it is a pretty well made film by lesbian director Zero Chou without being too sleazy or cheesy. Also watched the controversial lesbian love scene which is banned. I thought it was very sexy stuff and pretty convincing too.

I was like OMG when I watched the deleted scene. I wouldn't have such a big reaction had it been a hollywood movie but this is a movie coming from Asia where homosexuality is still considered a taboo.

The movie also questions the idea of reality vs fantasy. Perhaps what we think as real is but a fantasy. Perhaps nothing is real. Every memory is a fantasy. Is life but a waking dream?

The 2 main actresses – Rainie and Isabella were fantastic. Both very young and extremely talented. But I still don’t understand why everyone think Isabella is hot. She is not hot lah. She reminds me of Keira Knightley who everyone thinks is hot too. She also not hot lah. They are both too thin to be hot lah. Even though I don’t think either of them are hot, I have to admit that they are both very good actresses.

I find it weird when people sometimes ask me if I am a lesbian when I say I don't have a boyfriend. It is flattering when people say '...you can't be single.' but at the same time I don't understand why people sometimes think you must be 'different' or 'weird' when you are single. That is so presumptious. Anyway, after watching Spider Lillies, I am sure I am not a lesbian because I can't imagine myself kissing a girl. No no no.... never.

Since I had internet, I have been watching less TV.
Most of my free time are now spent on YouTube.

I found this song which I absolutely love but no one seems to know anything about it.
I heard it on the radio and have been wanting to listen to it again.
The MV is hilarious. I love the song but my bro thinks I am weird and the song is rubbish.

Youtube has taken over my life.

I can watch this all day.

Heroes Season 2 is out!!!
Hope Youtube has it….

Secret

Sing Cher told me about this movie and highly recommended it.
So I finally had time to watch it over the weekend.
I thought it was pretty good first directorial debut by Jay Chou.
I would have love to say that the idea of the movie was original but unfortunately I have watched a Japanese movie with the similar idea. But I do find some bits quite romantic. My favourite part is when they were playing a duet for the first time on the old piano.

I shall keep the story line a secret.
Watch it yourself on YouTube and we can share the secret.

This is for you Grace.



Miss you muchos.
Stay strong and see you soon. x

MEMS

This is delish…



Butternut Squash Rice….

I have never made this before. My aunt used to make this yummylicious pumpkin rice. I love pumpkin rice but dad hates pumpkin so mum never makes it at home

When I saw the butternut squash, I thought maybe I can try to use it to make savoury rice just like my aunt's pumpkin rice.

So easy to make….and so comforting.
Minimum Effort Maximum Satisfaction (MEMS)
That’s what cooking should be me thinks.

Ingredients:
Half a butter-squash peeled and cubed.
One shallot sliced.
A small chunk of ginger peeled.
Two Chinese mushroom cubed.
¾ cups rice
A bit of vegetable oil

Seasoning:
A pinch of vegetable stock
A dash of soy sauce
A dash of oyster sauce
A dash of pepper

Sorry the ingredients description is a bit vague. Its free-style really. Taste it and tailor it to suit what you like.

1. Wash the rice in rice cooker and fill it with the normal amount of water
when you cook your rice. (pour the water into a bowl and leave it aside for
later.)
2. Heat pan with oil and fry the shallots and ginger for a few minutes.
3. Add in the mushrooms and butternut squash and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add in the seasonings and stir in the rice. Fry for a few minutes.
5. Pour everything into the rice cooker and add the water that was measured
earlier in step 1. Leave the rice to cook in the rice cooker by itself.

Express food. Minimum effort maximum satisfaction…

My tiny space in the kitchen….



Everything neatly arranged with love.
It is bursting with food. Happy.

Back

Just got back from London.
Learnt a lot for the past few days.
Some very inspiring brief encounters.

I just love meeting charismatic people.
I wonder if charisma really comes with age.

But the best thing is to get home and receive a card from Sing Cher!
I love it!!!
My mum and dad beat you this year. You were the first last year.
I am very very touched. xx

I am so tired.
I think I will passout in bed now.

No Accidents

Quote of the day…

'Look upon every experience you have ever had, and everyone who's ever played any role in your life, as having been sent to you for your benefit. In this universe there are simply no accidents.'

Nasty experiences make us stronger.
Nasty people remind us to be humble.
I would like to believe that everything that happens in life is for a reason.
The people we meet.
The conversations we make.
The places we go.

Going away for a conference in the countryside.
Looking forward to escaping the hustle and bustle...
Hopefully I will come back inspired and refreshed.

Need to pack pack pack...room is mess mess mess..

Daikon Cake

Chai Tau Kueh is one of my fave food from home. Absolutely miss it.

It is made from daikon or white radish. It looks like carrot but white.

I remember asking Gan to get me some radish to make some chai tau kueh when I was at uni and he brought back some tiny red radish from sainsbury which was impossible to grate because they were so tiny. At least he didn't bring me back parsnips.

'Chai Tau' is also known as daikon. I don't know it that is a direct Japanese translation but at home we just call it white carrot.

I remember grandma and aunt used to make it at home whenever the big extended family come back for the hols. Chai Tau Kueh is one of those food that brings back many childhood memories. There is this chai tau kueh hawker in town that we often get our chai tau kueh from. Mum thinks it is too much hassle to make. So we normally buy it from the hawker man. His business is so good that you have to queue every single time. As a kid I love watching him frying the chai tau kueh. He does it so quickly and makes it look effortless. He must fry like 1000s of packets everyday. Amazing.

Saw some daikon at the market and it was on offer but only if you buy 2. I only got one because I don't want to be sick of daikon. It was still a bargain compared to the ones they sell in the supermarket.

So voila. The last time I made this it was too wet. I like my daikon cake to be quite firm. So this time I added a bit more rice flour and I think the consistency is right now. Yay!!!



Chai Tau Kueh

Ingredients

Group A
200 g rice flour
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt.

Group B
500 g shredded radish
1/2 cup water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Group C
4-5 shallots sliced and fried crisps

1. Mix group A to make a watery batter.
2. Put group B in a covered saucepan and cook over low heat for 15 mins until radish becomes soft and liquid evaporates.
3. Add group C and then A to group B mixture. Stir and cook for 3 mins.
4. Pour into greased cake pan and steam for 45 mins or until cook.
5. Cool and keep till next day. Cut into cubes and fry with egg, garlic and dried radish.

Actually it is quite easy. The hardest bit is grating the daikon which took ages. Good exercise though. It didn't taste as nice as those from home but at least I satisfied my cravings.

Oh I saw a reindeer when I was volunteering at the Santa run yesterday.
A real reindeer!!! 3 more weeks to Christmas. Excitingness..