I made...

...cupcakes with strawberry icing

London | More of Borough Market

More shots from Borough Market. These were some of the shots that I took from my first few times to the market using my phone. Lately, it's like everytime I visit London in between Thursdays and Sundays, I tend to find myself somehow drawn back to this place to grab a bite. And the food, vegetables and meats are just so tempting. Visiting this market almost makes me feel a little healthier just by looking at the fresh produce.

| Green curry



| Lunch was carribean styled chicken with a side of rice



| Cooked meats



| Open truss roof structure



| Being located in between buildings give rise to awkwardly angled roofs (and with skylights)



| Meal number 2: free range chicken wrap



| Lots of natural lighting



| Tucked underneath the rail



| Stalls with food galore

Christmas Dinner

Well, technically, pre-pre-Christmas Eve dinner makan-makan. We had a little gathering about a week ago before Christmas for some good food, good music and good company time. But I swear I will never make a chicken pie for 10 people ever again. Not only was it stressful to prepare all the filling, stuffing it into a huuuge pyrex dish and then rolling out the pastry to top it all off, then I have to stuff the thing into a teeny tiny oven which could just barely accommodate the thing.

| Chicken pie on the far right.



| Feasting

It was one helluva dinner. We had chicken pie, potato salad, yorkshire pudding, brussels sprouts with cream and cheese, sausages wrapped in bacon, temaki made from an actual Japanese and to top it all off, ice-cream for dessert and tong yuen...since it coincided the winter solstice.


Eat well and be merry!

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year to all, I wish you well and happiness. I'm hoping for a great year ahead!

It's been sweltering here in Penang. The sun shining tirelessly and I've been spending my time here mostly hibernating at home trying to quickly recover back my voice. And it's no walk in the park given the awesome New Year food and snacks which are just lying there on the table.

This was what my family united over for lunch. Best. Meal. Ever.

PS: Yes sis, that photo is for you.


Stay tuned for more.

Nit Picknicking

This time around, our end-of-the-semester picnic took us all the way to Kepong, a place once unfamiliar to me; And still very foreign because a few wrong turns took me all the way to Sg. Buloh (Don't ask).

I can say that we are getting better at this picnic thing. I remember we forgot to bring cutlery for our first one and how I got really sunburnt in the second. This one went pretty smoothly. We we're fully equipped and it took us only 2 days to plan it out. It may have been drizzling, but that made the weather cool enough to sit comfortably outdoors without getting drenched. Food was ample and perfect. And I know we had a really good time.

- hyper even before the food gets flowing



- distributing glorious food



- pink floormat



- Sophia & Farah's chicken caesar salad complimented well with my vegetarian penne



- And then, Monopoly started



- I. Don't. Know. Why.



- By the lake. Yes there was a lake.



- The new mafia.

Stay tuned for more.

That Ice Cream Scene

If you've watched the movie In Her Shoes, you've probably seen that scene in which Cameron Diaz goes to the fridge, opens it and reaches out for a tub of ice cream and then grabs a carton of milk. She then proceeds to open them both and pour the milk directly INTO the ice cream in the tub. With a spoon, she scoops that ice-creamy-milky mess and eats it with satisfaction.

After watching that movie I did the exact same thing and found that it tastes pretty darn good. I mean, they're both dairy products and both chilled. So, they go well together as long as it's ICE CREAM. NOT gelato nor sorbet nor popsicles because those would probably NOT go well.

It's kinda like you wanted to make a milkshake but then you remembered you didn't have a blender and just decided to pour the milk over the ice cream. Genius. My question would be: Why didn't I try this out sooner?!

Anyways, college has been hell. 4 submissions and assignments due next week. *Stab me now* And all of them run consecutively. More Japan pictures will be up soon. Hopefully tomorrow. I tried uploading them earlier but the internet is giving me html nightmare.


Stay tuned for photos from Ginza, Tokyo.

That Coffee Place

A year ago, I was just about to get started on that one month stint at a small architecture firm. In that one month I did blogged about having being taken to a site along Gurney Drive to take measurements of a run-down bungalow which is about to undergo a major renovation.

Half a year or more ago, that said renovation was bound for completion. Just late last year, a little place called Coffee Island opened its doors.

Yesterday, I got the opportunity to visit this seemingly of-the-moment hang out. Having heard my friends raving all over this place, I just had to go take a look myself.

- me...there.

Coffee Island (from what I've observed) is catering to the whole late teen/early twenty something college students to late twenties working group. Basically people who go there allegedly to have drinks, but are really there to 'see and be seen'. And I have nothing against that.

Coffee Island is obviously hitting all the right notes seeing that they are packed at night and even more so as the weekend approaches. They have the alfresco dining thing going on with a bar, pretty good ventilation and lighting throughout. Or you can opt for a seat inside where it is apparently air conditioned (I have yet to try that out for myself).

But aside from that, I think the food is just mediocre. They serve a variety of food no doubt; but personally, I'm not going to pay 7-8 ringgit for hawker food that I can get from better places at half the price. Other foods include the same old Western foods which to me is such a bore. I wish they had a better menu selection. And they should lower their prices (Although that's not going to happen)

And they seriously need to hire more or better staff. Staff with eyes I suggest. Waiters who are hopefully able to tend to your needs such as handing you a menu once you get seated instead of letting you dangle for about 15 minutes ignoring your hand gestures for them to come over. I think they just need a better serving system.

I would like to give them a second chance if not a third. I like the whole idea of it. Alfresco coffee place. Next to Gurney Drive. Soft music. Company of good friends. Oh and did I mention that the place is pretty clean?! (Their bathrooms are air conditioned) And they have Wifi! And it's quite near to where I stay!


Stay tuned for more.

Before I Left

I'm home at last. Leaving KL felt a little different this time. Maybe it's because I stayed there for about 4 months without going back home as often as I did in my earlier semesters. I guess you can say that KL has grown on me. There's more to KL than meets the eye.

So, before packing up and heading back home, I spent a few days after my critique with friends. Just soaking it all in before I left.

- We went bowling!


- And grocery shopping!

And we organised our soon-to-be semester-ly picnic. This round was at the KL Lake Gardens, on a grassy patch of land with a gentle slope, underneath the shade of an old tree with clear blue skies just visible overhead.

- having food while being seated on grass is as good as it gets.


- what's a picnic without taking random pictures?





- playing Sophia's Cranium board game.


- I love this shot!


- And of course it was the inevitable fierce-faced group shot.

Oh, and I totaly got sunburnt. Like I have patches of sunburn on my knee and my arms. But they're not as bad as I initially thought.


Stay tuned for more!

One Week

A week ago...

We had our celebratory meal to mark the end of Studio crit and with that, the end of the semester. So, instead of typical restaurant-type celebrations, we lunched at Sentul park! Picnic Style. Let the pictures do the talkin'.

- We had fruits and fried rice


- and sandwiches and drinks


- which we ate on the grass by the lake


- in good company.


- One last shot before we packed up.


- On the way back via commute

5 days ago...

I packed up my bags and hit the road right after lunch. Driving 4 hours all the way back to Penang. The journey was alright. Sunny weather all the way.


3 days ago...

The weekend was madness in Penang. The island was swarmed with cars sporting license plates from all over the country. Gurney Drive and the Plaza was saturated with people all trying to squeeze into the mall for some shopping in the newly opened wing.


Today...

I'm here. I just caught a movie with Zhi Xiang earlier today. And i've finally had the time to surf the web and update after spending nearly a week without the internet.


Stay tuned for more...

Glutinous Goodness

Today's tang chek which is the Winter Solstice and tis' was the time to maketh tong yuen again. Well, actually we made it yesterday night as everyone else does and ate it today. We usually don't observe this festive season much. It's more of an on again, off again practice. We make it when we feel like it. But in the past few years i've been drawn more and more into celebrating these festive occasions that make the Chinese culture unique. Maybe it's this innate quality I possess that urges me to practice old traditions that are now being pushed into oblivion and to research and find out more about my own culture. Am I babbling? I think i'm babbling...

Here's the tong yuen I made with my aunt:

- the balled up spheres of glutinous rice flour

- the finished product: glossy looking balls with varying colours in a sweet pandan leaf flavoured syrup

For detailed instructions on the making of tong yuen, check out Ivan.

*COMING UP

Pictures from my cousin's wedding!

Attack of the sequels

This year, there are so many freaking sequals that have been and are going to be released that I have lost count. Seriously, there's Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Carribean 3, Shrek 3, Ocean's Thirteen, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Harry Potter 5, Evan Almighty, Die Hard 4.0, National Treasure: Book of Secrets and the list goes on...Is this the year of the sequels or what!?

So, on Wednesday, I watched Shrek the third with Mei Zhi and Sandra at Queensbay. The movie was okay I guess. Not that fantastic. My sister was right, the plot was not so good. Well basically, I didn't like it as much as I had anticipated. In the cinema, Mei Zhi was seated on the left followed by Sandra and then me. There were these two aunties sitting beside Mei Zhi and she was complaining about the smell of the food those aunties were eating. So I was like "Why don't you shift next to me coz there's an empty seat here." And so she did. Halfway into the movie, there was this kid who was constantly kicking Sandra's seat from behind. And she got irritated that she switched to the seat Mei Zhi originally sat. I gotta say ...there was a lot of seat switching in there.

We lunched at the Dragon-i restaurant. I must say, very expensive food. I had a smoked duck ramen meal which costs 12 ringgit. But the duck meat was good. I really like duck. Good duck. Duck, duck, duck. I hope you get the picture already! The waiters in there were only speaking Mandarin and I was so glad that Mei Zhi was there. When the waiter was talking, Sandra and I looked at each other stupidly. Sad case. I should've learned Mandarin.

Then, I got this month's issue of GQ from Borders bookstore but then Sandra was unwilling to go into the store coz apparently there is this lecturer who is totaly creepy and unprofessional for trying to...you know what, i'm not going to go into it coz it's not my story to tell. But in the end she went in with us. So I was paying for the magazine (with Jessica Alba on the front cover) when Sandra called me ham sap for buying it in front of the cashier! I am NOT letting this go yet!! Grrrrr...woof!

Then off to shopping! We went to here, there and everywhere. We spent most of our time at the Padini store. The two of them tried out so many clothes! God...it was almost excruciating to watch...kidding! But yeah, Mei Zhi was trying on the same item in all the colours and sizes they have. And Sandra was trying out another item also in all the colours they featured. She kept saying "I so hate you all for dragging me in here" because she found something she really liked.

Sandra said "Should I buy it, should I buy it?" and Mei Zhi was all "Do these match, do these match?" And together they said "Do I look good, do I look good?" So I went all like "Yes you should and yes you do...Yes your legs are long and No your cleavage isn't showing...Yes you should definitely buy it! You know you want to..." And in the end we left the store with their wallets slightly lighter and my feet slightly sorer. We spent a total of 7 hours and 45 minutes at the mall and that was our day there.

For more detailed accounts of our outing check Mei Zhi's and Sandra's posts.

On Friday, I went out with Zhi Xiang to watch Ocean's Thirteen and Queensbay. (I know Queensbay again, but I like it there coz the cinema seats have more leg-room compared ot the one at Gurney) The movie: Not bad. Not bad at all. I liked the show but not as much as the first one. But it was worth watching. This sequel features Al Pacino but unfortunately, no Julia Roberts.

We were walking around and there was this Panasonic promotion at the centre court and I saw this uber-huge plasma TV. It was HUMONGOUS! 103 inches! Yikes! I wish I had that in my living room...though i'm not sure whether it'll fit.

- one huge-ass TV

We also went into the newly opened Quicksilver outlet. I think it was the opening day. To you Quicksilver lovers out there, they are having an opening sale: 30% off all merchandise until tomorrow! I didn't buy anything though coz i'm being barred from shopping...financial reasons. Don't ask! Zhi Xiang had to drag me away from the Quicksilver shop becaase he didn't want me to give into temptation. I went "I hate you! I hate you!" But at the end of the day, i'm glad he did so.

Birthdays

Today's my birthday on the chinese calendar, so I woke up in the morning and found out that my aunt had made me two red hard boiled eggs like she always does. Yes it's nice and all but it also reminds me that i'm getting older and thus can't act all childish anymore. Darn it! I don't really like my birthdays. I don't know whether it's because of my increasing age, or due to my many many past traumatic birthday incidences (don't ask). But I think i'll blame it on the first one, although I truly believe it's actually the latter that has more effect on how I feel about my birthdays. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate birthdays. It's just I tend to feel slightly down a little bit. So i'll usually just let it pass like any other day. But i'll try to treat myself to a little something or other just to cheer myself up.

Anyway, I had bowling plans today, so I headed downtown to meet Al and Ivan and they totaly surprised me with a birthday cake. It's pineapple flavoured and it was good. Never really had a pineapple cake before. Thanks you guys sooo much! I was really really surprised.

-my very own cake

- my piece

After lunch at Little Cottage, we commenced with our original plans: Bowling. Yeah, I kicked a$$. It's been a while since I bowled but I still managed to achieve points around 90-120. That's quite good for an amateur like me. Ivan and Al were competing among themselves mostly. It was real neck and neck there between them. I love bowling! We played 3 sets each and it was totaly great 'coz we laughed like crazy each time we got a gutter ball. I want to bowl again!

- random picture (butterfly style)

When I got home, I discovered my dad drove home his company car, so I asked nicely and he let me drive the Smart car around the apartment block under supervision. Yay! It doesn't really go very fast though. And it's really jerky. And it's so small. Who would buy such a thing?!

- Smart car for two: the steering wheel + dash board

- Me behind the wheel

This is a shot I took today and it shows the area intended for Gurney Plaza's new wing which I am hopeful for and looking forward to. Construction is clearly in progress:

Of movies, lasagnes and telephone calls.

Over the past 3 days I watched 2 movies. 'the number 23' on Friday with Zhi Xiang was great. I thought the movie was really intriguing. It's nice to see Jim Carrey in a thriller rather than a comedy. And the significance of the number 23 really makes you wonder (at least it did to me and Zhi Xiang. After the movie, we couldn't stop trying to find things related to the number 23!). It was a short outing for us. The movie started 10 minutes after our arrival and by the time the movie ended, some stores were already beginning to close and I just barely got a glance of items on sale.

On Saturday, after a really good indian dinner (I finally satisfied my mutton craving) Jeff, Al and I decided to watch a movie coz' the night was indeed still very young. We had a major debate over which movie to watch. I wanted 'Wild Hogs', Al wanted 'Sunshine' while Jeff was indecisive. But after much persuasion (and threats not to drop them home...*snicker*) we decided on 'Wild Hogs' It was really hilarious. Really good. Laughed my heart out! The bad thing about it was that it was censored like a dozen times! Damn censorship board! Also, the ending kinda fell flat a little. I don't wanna elaborate more to avoid spoiling it for others. But it was worth watching. Thanks for watching it with me guys! And I must say, I enjoyed the game F.H.F.V. (just a little game we invented)!

The lasagne I made is all finished now. To me, it was satisfactory. I probably won't make it for like another month or two coz' i'm a little sick of it. I totaly forgot to take a picture of it until it was down to the last piece which happens to be the smallest and let's face it, non-photo-friendly one. So here it is:

Karen called on Saturday and we talked for like an hour and a half until my ear went really really red. Thanks so much for calling! Thank god i've had practice before. I think the longest i've ever been on a telephone was like two and a half to three hours. I don't quite remember with who though. But most of my telephone conversations are like 50% crap...maybe more. And I ain't denying that crap is good. Who would?