Elle Zhang

Politics - no apathy

2011-01-30T17:06:00.001Z

It's important to be interested, not apathetic. Because interest allows me to bring God's reign more effectively. To be interested is not the same as to subscribe.

Manchester in photos: Student and union protests against spending cuts

2011-01-30T16:59:00.001Z

I walked past the early conception of a joint student and workers' union protest along Oxford Road on a crisp cold Saturday morning, 29 January 2011. The police were out in anticipation of up to 15,000 protesters, although the final reported numbers came to less than that.

I wasn't sure whether to bleep out the sign as I don't want expletives on my blog. However, blogging from my phone has it's drawbacks - no Photoshop!

Police officers can has better camera than you, oh owner of phone camera.

All waiting to march.

These men turned round so I can get a proper shot of their Socialist Worker newspaper.

Frontline of a peaceful protest.

Doing their jobs

These horses attracted quite a lot of attention from passers-by not involved in the protests. The starting point of the march was in front of the Manchester museum in the university do lots of families with children were very excited about seeing police horses up close.

Mandarin or apple?

2011-01-13T15:47:00.001Z

Just a quick one of two drinks that I've never come across before. I think they are central American (correct me if I'm wrong). What does jarritos mean? In any event these were Mega-Sweet and made me even more thirsty!

Salvadorean breakfast

2011-01-06T23:04:00.001Z

Two pupusas filled with beans, pork and cheese. Scrambled eggs with rice and beans on the side. D took me to a local pupuseria where his mum used to work. All this for US$ 7. You can't argue with that. It kept me full until dinner time. D's mum is a legendary Salvadorean chef! Her pupusas are so good that customers used to ask for her so they could thank and tip her personally.

San Pedro Fish Market

2011-01-05T03:42:00.002Z

We took a drive to San Pedro so I could have some steamed crab. I got this half-tan from sitting at an angle to the sun for an hour while we had some of the most delicious seafood I've had in awhile.

This is D's order. He's big on flavours and ordered a pound of shrimp (prawns) from the Market which they then cooked on the grill with spices, butter, vegetables and potato. The result was sublime. The prawns were extremely fresh and albeit very messy to eat. You can order a whole mixture if different types if seafood. Just pick the type of seafood you want from the Market, then tell them how you'd like it cooked (with potatoes? Vegetables? Plain?). You then pay and get your bag of fresh seafood and receipt an you bring both to the ladies in the open kitchen who will cook it (the seafood, not the receipt) for you.

I had two huge fresh crab for US$10. Wow this was well worth it. I had to grab the live crab with tongs an shove them into a bag. This is then handed to the vendor who will weigh the crab and tell you the price. After paying, you get a buzzer which will page you when the crab is ready. I love steamed crab. Fresh crab is amazing on its own, no spices or condiments required.

I love this photo because it shows the perfect partner to seafood on a sunny day - cold beer! I wouldn't have minded a cold juice or soda either, as long as it's cold. It also shows the cute little mallet I had to pay a dollar for. Of course! How else would I have been able to eat my crustacean lunch?

Just to give you an idea of how much they were charging for prawns / shrimp. Shocking!!! My crab was sooooo much cheaper.

Grill em up! The aroma emanating from this cooking spot was wonderful. I was hopping on one foot and then the other eagerly waiting for D's to be ready. Like my Ma use to say of me: ni den dao jing chang le! Literally meaning 'you're waiting till your neck grows long!'

Vintage McDonalds

2011-01-04T20:55:00.001Z

We were driving in a thunderstorm and D pointed out this old McDonalds. Apparently it's one of the first McD's in California. I took the opportunity at the red lights to capture a shot of history.

Sushiboy at LAX and another farewell

2011-01-03T22:32:00.003Z

This was a quick last meal in Los Angeles. My flight back to London was delayed by more than two hours and was given a voucher for a meal. Having had an overdose of calorie-laden meals for the past two weeks, I opted for an udon combo from Sushiboy. It was nothing to write home about. The broth, inari, seaweed and fake crabsticks were very ordinary. It came with a side of California roll. I'm not a fussy eater but I didn't finish this. It may have been the sub-par meal, but more likely me being very sad from having to say goodbye to D. I was too heartbroken to eat and was feeling slightly sick in the stomach.

Space part 2

2011-01-03T18:11:00.003Z

One of the things I love about California (besides the fact I'm not freezing my bottom off) is space. There is so much of it! I love being in or near a big city and yet able to see wide open horizons. I took a few shots of our journey to go sleighing in fluffy mountaintop snow. I'll need to ask D how we got there as I have a bad sense of direction and need to pay careful attention to be able to tell. I know we were on the freeway for about an hour in total. I remember a 10 and a 15 and some strange rock formations (see above) but that's about it.

Can you see the snow cap in the distance?

We went in a convoy of two cars. D scoffed at me for using the word "convoy". He used to lead convoys in the army and insisted this was not a convoy. I explained that two vehicles and above make a convoy. We are still in a disagreement on this point!

D's car has a sunroof. It was tinted and so everything looks grey. Cirrus clouds! Wahoo! Remember that from school?

Oh boy will I miss the wide open roads and blue skies.

The Pike, Long Beach

2011-01-03T17:36:00.002Z

We went to the Yardhouse for a leisurely beer and snack by the waters. To D's delight, we discovered the beer tasters which was perfect for us to have a little try of everything.

The tasters came in two fixed sets, the white beers and the darker beers. Being a fan of Blue Moon and Hoegaaden (sp? I'm blogging from my phone) we chose the white. They came in six little helpings which look like they're about a third of a pint each. Perfect for two people. It became apparent that every white beer except one had a fruit as one of their ingredients. My favorite was the classic whitbeer without the hints if fruit. It's a shame that D threw away the list of beer names. I can only remember the beers by their fruit - apricot, tangerine, cherry, strawberry and blueberry. The flavored were subtle and the beers were definitely not sweet like the famous fruli ales. That worked well for me as I don't like sweet drinks (I dislike dessert wines or liquors like kahlua or midori.

I ordered a plate of yardhouse's sliders. This came with a side of very thin sliced fries and a pickle. They were sooo good washed down with cold beer!

Breakfast at Coco's

2010-12-31T18:13:00.002Z

You've got to love a place where cake is an acceptable form of breakfast. We went for breakfast (it was almost lunchtime) at Coco's in Norwalk. D's breakfast combo cane with this coffee cake, which contrary to my expectations, didn't contain any coffee. It was a spiced pumpkin cake so I have to assume that the word coffee cake makes reference to the fact that you have this with coffee. Is that right? It was moist and rich, and came with whipped butter on the side. Seriously, American breakfast places put butter on everything! French toast, pancakes, crepes... I'm sure my eggs were cooked in butter.

I have my coffee black but was interested to know what these little cups of creamer taste like. I don't know what half and half or French vanilla is so I opened one of each to try. Half n half is sooooo creamy. I can't believe it goes into coffee. I expect a layer of fat to be floating on top of your cup of Joe if one of these go in. The French vanilla. Hmmm...where do I start. First of all I didn't expect this to be sweet but boy was it SWEET. it was pure corn syrup with artificial vanilla flavoring. Like the half n half, it was also very creamy. I think I'll pass on these but I'm glad I know what they taste like now.

If the helmet was white

2010-12-31T07:21:00.003Z

I could be a Stig lookalike. I persuaded D to let me ride on his Kawasaki Ninja as opposed to taking the car. We kept bumping helmets at starts and breaks. Is that normal? What can a pillion rider do to avoid this?

A visit to IHOP

2010-12-29T15:52:00.002Z

I think it stands for International House of Pancakes. Two eggs, sausage, bacon, ham and hash brown potatoes with a side of pancakes and 5 types of syrup. This is why I'm fat! A quick note about the bacon in America: it's always cooked to a crisp, compared to the more chewy, meaty bacon in the UK. I can't decide which one I like better. All I can say is I'm glad to be going home soon to my treadmill.

Space

2010-12-28T17:40:00.002Z

Wide open spaces, snow capped mountains in the horizon, sunny skies and four lane roads. I will miss you. California you are wonderfully made by our Creator.

A Salvadorean Christmas dinner

2010-12-28T17:21:00.002Z

Not a turkey or brussel sprout in sight! The cylindrical thing is a chicken tamale which is really hard work to make but so delicious! D's mom wrapped masa around flavourful chicken shreds and cassava. This is done in a leaf and foil to form the cylindrical shape, stacked one on top of the other in a giant pot and boiled. D's Tia (aunt) made the rice and potato salad, both bursting with flavour and his mom also made the beef stew. I've never had any of these before but they were so good sprinkled with lots of cilantro and hot sauce.

Santa trap

2010-12-28T03:59:00.003Z

Little M walked up to me with an enlightened, excited grin on his face today. 'Hey do you know how to get Santa to come to our house?'. I said no I didn't know. 'You put cookies and milk out!' he replied. Apparently, someone in elementary school told him. So his mum bought some colourful Christmas cookies and let him pour out some soy milk (silk) because the Santa that visits his home is lactose intolerant. Personally, I found the green and purple colours quite off-putting. But sugar cookies are sugar cookies and they are yummy once you get over the unnatural hues.

Wienerschnitzel review

2010-12-27T17:08:00.002Z

Just a quick stop by a nearby Wienerschnitzel, a fast food hut which will douse chilli and cheese over anything on their menu - fries, burgers and hot dogs. We got two chilli cheese fries and three chilli cheese dogs and settled ourselves on the open air seating. The fries were beautifully crisp and made to order, and the hot dog was grilled (not boiled - hooray!). A sloppy meal but I loved mopping up the chilli with the soft bun. This was the perfect salty, flavourful meal washed down with my favourite soda, root beer. I just wish diet root beer existed; I'll be its biggest fan. This was my first WS experience and I'll definitely be back.

Good news, bad news

2010-12-21T15:25:00.003Z

Good news: I found the perfect puffer Coat - matte, machine washable, faux fur detachable hood, down-filled, tie belt - it ticked all my boxes. The Gap ones are super shiny.

Bad news: It's from Hollister and retails at $140

Good news: It's 30% off

Bad news: it's still $98, and there's a Calvin Klein equivalent (online only) reduced to $78 albeit without belt. And since the CK one is online only I can't try it. So am I paying $20 for the belt, the right to try it on, and the HCO logo which I actually don't want to be associated with as I'm not a teenage Betty surfer girl but instead a lawyer working in a chic and tailored English city?

Good news: I like the Hollister coat and unlike the CK, I dont have to pay shipping. After converting to GBP, it's cheaper than the closest M&S equivalent I could find (which isn't great).

Bad news: it's Hollister. And what if there is a further reduction in the next few days?

Good news: it looks and feels perfect on. I don't have time to track the prices of puffer coats. I spend enough time tracking securities and financial trends.

Bad news: side distraction, Betty size M?? Yes I chose M for some room for thick jumpers but I used to be a Betty S!

Good news: I'm not a teenager any more and I love the present and look forward to my certain future.

Bad news: aiihhh seriously, Hollister?

Good news: I bought the coat!

Manchester-London Heathrow-LAX

2010-12-19T05:54:00.001Z

I'm now in LA! My previous experiences flying from Manchester to the US with Delta and American Airlines weren't too good. The three major issues were:

1. The airlines had layovers in a city on the East Coast, such as Philadelphia and Chicago. Connection times are often pretty tight and it's mandatory to pick up your luggage at your first US stop and then re-check in for the onward flight. Praise God I have never missed a flight but I've cut it seriously fine sometimes.

2. After 7 hours of flying, it's awful to know that you have another 5 hours to go. The flight from Manchester to London was under an hour long and then it was 11 hours straight to Los Angeles.

3. In flight service on the British Airways flight was SO much better!

Will post photos very soon once D gets off the computer. I'm blogging from his iPad. I love LA so far, and seem to have brought the rain with me from England. It's been raining a lot, which is totally out of character for the sunshine state.

That H&M Du Juan red Christmas dress

2010-12-08T23:20:00.002Z

Remember that dress?

Well obviously supermodel Du Juan looks perfectly svelte in it. Woowwweeet! As for me, I needed to get a UK size 12. The size 10 was unforgiving, and any form of unforgiveness is out as far as I'm concerned.

I wore the dress to my office Christmas party and we were accidentally-on-purpose arranged to result in an alternating red and black pattern. You can never go wrong with red in this time of year. No-ho.

Photo ~~borrowed~~ taken shamelessly from L's facebook page. I hope she doesn't mind! I didn't bring a camera that night. I had a lot of fun but sadly fell ill the following few days. The venue (the town hall) was extremely cold. Incidentally, this was the night when my colleagues imparted some pearls of wisdom to me regarding "control underwear". Seriously, how did I not know they exist seeing as I could definitely use some? A google search the next day revealed that control underwear are in fact quite expensive so I didn't look into the subject matter any further.

Catch up - the past 2 weeks in photos

2010-12-07T21:09:00.003Z

My birthday outfit

All saints button detail off-shoulder top, uniqlo striped culottes, uniqlo heattech grey stirrup leggings, and Marks and Spencer's round toe faux fur cuff boots.

Heavy snowfall outside my office window. After 5 years here, snow is still such a novelty for me!

Student protests against the proposed tuition fees hike. Funny placard quotes included "First Dobby dies, now THIS??" and "Dumbledore is rolling in his grave!". Um, students, we want to be taken seriously yes?

Celebratory dinner at Giraffe with WP. We were celebrating God's goodness and faithfulness as she received good news that her contract as a travel copywriter is being extended. WP is a very good writer.

Farewell party, a send-off to good friends who are returning to South Korea after a stint in Manchester. In the photo I'm squashed between darlings Ju-He (leaving us! boohoo) and Charis, the brilliant owner and chief designer / buyer behind GRAFEA, a boutique of luxury leather goods. Link to her online store on the side bar --> This woman has Vogue magazines dating to before I was born!

Glistening Beijing roast duck for my birthday dinner. Mmmmm... What a blessing! This was seriously yummy.

A birthday gift basket put together by good friends J and WP :) Supersized mugs and marmite. They know me too well.

Thank you Jesus.

Du Juan and Sun Fei Fei for H&M

2010-11-24T22:09:00.001Z

Saw this latest H&M winter campaign on Market Street, Manchester today and nearly clapped with delight! Aren't they stunning? I'm partial to the red dress (£9.99); it's perfect for Christmas.

Credits: The image is the property of H&M, sourced from AsianModelsBlog.

Pizza Express, Old Colony House, 6a South King Street, Manchester

2010-11-12T21:21:00.036Z

So it was the night before my birthday, and the night of the Christmas lights switch-on in Manchester. Here are some fireworks as proof!

WP and I decided to go to Pizza Express at the Old Colony House. Pizza Express is a very well known and ubiquitous franchise in the UK, and they are very hit and miss when it comes to food and service standards. For instance, the worst Pizza Express experience I've had is at the Piccadilly Gardens branch. The service was poor and the food wasn't great. The only thing that was nice was the Sicilian lemonade, and that's because it came out of a bottle.

This Pizza Express at South King Street was miles better, and we really enjoyed our dinner there. WP ordered the Diavolo - hot spicy beef, pepperoni, onions and Tabasco sauce. Lots of green chillies!

I ordered the Pollo Pancetta but substituted the red onions for caramelised onions (which was actually a chutney). This was yummy, the pancetta was perfectly crisp around the edges and there was plenty of cheese.

Check out the size of my pizza. I was undeterred!

The get-up was very standard Pizza Express: clean, no-fuss and efficient. We were up for a no-fuss dinner and this ticked all the right boxes.

This was the beginning of a long weekend of feasting and being non-vegan!

Vegan Zucchini / Courgette and Onion Mini Cornbread - Recipe

2010-11-10T22:17:00.027Z

So it's only day 4 of my 40 day vegan trial and already I'm slightly frustrated at the lack of options available to me in the cafe at work. I love savoury snacks but there is always some form of lactose or egg-derived ingredient on even the most vegetarian option on offer.

So when I got home this evening, I decided to whip together a savoury snack I could pack to work which doesn't taste like grass, hommous or lentils. I found some cornmeal lurking in the kitchen and decided to make a vegan version of the traditional cornbread. Now I am no expert in soul food by any stretch of the imagination so I appreciate this will be a very distant relative to proper southern corn bread. Nevertheless as someone who has been cooking since the age of four, I do have some common sense in the kitchen and promise you the final product is pretty yummy for something with no butter, milk or cheese in it.

Firstly, get your muffin tray. I use these cute re-usable silicone cups from Asda. You don't need to grease these and they work so well. Very cheap too. Oh, and easy to wash after! Grate 3/4 of a courgette/zucchini (depending which side of the pond you live) into a bowl and season with salt and pepper. As you can see from the photo below, the mixture starts becoming mushy as the salt causes the zucchini to seep water.

Next, add softened onions. I'd softened these a couple of days ago and kept it in the fridge. I have a habit of softening a huge batch of onions at once and storing them so that as and when I fancy something quick, I don't need to chop and fry onions from scratch, stinking up the kitchen.

Then add half a cup of soy milk and 4 tablespoons of oil. This soy milk is sweetened because that was all I had but I don't think it makes a difference. Excuse the Old El Paso salsa in the background. My flatmate was making burritos.

Then add a cup and a half of corn meal. There's a story of how this cornmeal ended up in my kitchen but I'll save the story for another day. For now, I'll just say I didn't know this ingredient existed in UK supermarkets before and this is the first bag I bought.

I love the bright yellow colour of cornmeal!

Mix it all in. Now, I know the next step will cause either

A: looks of horror and disgust
or
B: whoops of delight

as along with a teaspoon of vegetable bouillon and turmeric, I add a generous squirt of Marmite. I love Marmite. I have it almost every day, on crumpets with butter, on toast, in rice porridge, the list goes on. You don't have to add Marmite if you don't like it, but trust me, it's so good and doesn't actually taste that strong in the grand scheme of things.

Mix very well (remember you added bouillon so MIX MIX MIX). Spoon into the muffin moulds.

They call me yellow mellow...

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190 deg celcius until golden brown. These babies took about 20 minutes. Just keep an eye on the baking in the last 10 minutes.

Mmmmm... I love the sight of shredded zucchini peeking out! The cornbread is on the heavy side as I didn't add any baking powder and plain flour so maybe I'll include those next time. However, I really like it this way as the zucchini keeps the cornbread moist and it's not crumbly at all, unlike some cornbread I've tried in restaurants. I like the slight pull you get once it cools down.
Do try this at home! It's totally vegan and no animals were harmed in the production of this recipe.

Vegan Day 2

2010-11-08T22:49:00.005Z

So as promised, here is my vegan lunch for day 2 - I forgot to take a photo of day 1's lunch and wolfed it down quicker than you can say "lactose-free". Say hello to my lunch box! It's quite boring but it's functional. I fancy some of the really cute bento style boxes but those are expensive so we'll stick with what we've got.

Contents:

Some low fat hummous

Carrot sticks

Vegetable curry - I made this at home with some Japanese curry mix, cauliflower, zuchinni, carrot sticks (I'm going to turn orange), sweetcorn, onions and spinach.

An orange

A plain bagel

Some rice crackers

Estimated total cost of all items in this packed lunch: £1.47

40 days of vegan

2010-11-07T21:32:00.000Z

Today I embark on a 40 day challenge I set for myself, something which I've been convicted of doing for awhile but never got to it due to lack of organisation and a general fondness towards eggs, cheese and protein. I am particularly fond of a good steak:

Before...

After...

I watched a programme awhile back documenting how our food is produced. Whilst I have nothing against eating meat, eggs and dairy, something wasn't right. Over the next few weeks, I felt a stirring in my heart to actively try to trace the origin of my foods. It was harder than I thought it would be! I couldn't be assured by the labelling on my food that the chickens of my eggs were free to roam or that my steak was a cow that was regularly let out to peacefully graze. I'm by no means a PETA champion but do feel that as stewards of God's creation, there is something to be said about making choices that encourage ethical farming. Farming issues are not just about animal rights, but include environmental issues, workers and farmers' rights, economic justice and health and safety.

Every time we buy something, we are casting a vote as to what we want: baby corn flown in from Thailand or potatoes delivered from a field 30 miles away? Affordable barn hens or slightly more expensive free range organic chickens?

The reasons I'm challenging myself to go vegan for 40 days are two-fold:

1. The labels in the supermarkets are, in my opinion still not clear enough and can be misleading. I don't have very much time at all and certainly cannot spend the additional minutes deciphering labels. The problem of Freedom Food vs Free Range vs Organic vs Red Tractor vs Country of Origin etc etc etc is completely eliminated if I just cut out everything that came from an animal.

2. Free range meats are expensive! I can't afford them anyway.

As there are almost zero pure vegan options in my office cafe, I've decided to pack my own lunches to work. To make things a little bit more fun, I'll be documenting my work vegan bentos every now and then to let you have look at what a noob-vegan is learning to make/ pull together! Watch this space :)

Can't believe how tan I was in summer

2010-11-07T20:48:00.001Z

I miss my tan!

Professional Masterchef - Saturday funnies

2010-11-06T11:22:00.001Z

This made me laugh out loud! W and I caught the real finale on BBC iPlayer and commented on the over-the-top epic music, dragged-out "suspense" scenes verging on ridiculous and over-enthusiastic grandiose editing of what is essentially just another cooking show. The editor of this satire video has a real point. If you're based in the UK (i.e. you have a UK IP address - I know some of you can make as if you do have a UK IP address when you are in fact somewhere else, yes you Hulu-fan pretenders you know who you are - it's ILLEGAL yo!), you can catch the real Masterchef Finale on BBC iPlayer.

Trof - The Deaf Institute, Manchester

2010-10-31T08:55:00.002Z

J, Z, W and I went to Trof to have a big Sunday lunch together. As most of us hadn't had breakfast, we were ready to eat like kings. The Deaf Institute is Trof's "Cafe, Bar and Music Hall" and there are a whole list of performances and open mic events running most evenings throughout the week. However, on Sundays it's a good old mixtape of mostly British artists played in the background. A friend Ed (a musician himself) once joked that "you need a beard to work in Trof" - referring to a lovely member of staff who works here. I love Trof's large varnished wooden tables and big bottles of sauces passed from table to table as they are needed. It sure beats the Wetherspoon chain of pubs' packet sauces which ends up leaving a huge mess on the table. Not very environmentally friendly either!

I ordered the Roast Pork (£7.95), a Sunday roast special. I've only ever eaten in Trof on Sundays! I was instantly disappointed when my plate arrived because It Wasn't Crispy :( The only reason I ordered this was my assumption that roast porks will have a top layer of fat blitzed to a lovely crackling. As you can see, the top layer was a gelatinous piece of skin. To be fair to Trof, this still tasted good. The meat was amazingly tender, they were generous with the gravy and the roast potatoes were perfect, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I love that they served this with deep green vegetables and leaves as I much prefer those to carrots and root vegetables. There was an interesting (slightly watery) sweet potato mash which I neither liked nor disliked. If the top layer of skin was done to a crackling, this would have been my favourite roast pork dinner!*

Z ordered the Crispy Bacon, Brie and Cranberry melt. (£5.95) This was served with a side of fresh hot chips and spinach leaves. I didn't try it but Z said he really enjoyed it.

J and W both ordered the Mozzarella, Chicken and Pesto sandwiches each (£5.95) again served with chips and spinach leaves. They both really liked this as well.

I felt slightly embarrassed that on that table, my plate was significantly larger than the other three! Oh well, I don't like ordering sandwiches when I eat out because I always feel like sandwiches are something I can make at home. When I eat out, I tend to order things I would never bother to make at home, either because they're too time consuming or made of unusual ingredients.

As always, we were too full to order dessert. One of these days, we need to skip the main and go straight for dessert!

*I know as Malaysians we call something a "dinner" when it's eaten after 6pm. Sunday dinners start at 12 noon here!

Autumn Leaves (actual ones, not the song)

2010-10-30T17:36:00.003+01:00

This shot was taken on my phone as I was walking down Mosley Street off St Peter's Square. A phone photo really doesn't do this justice and it's Autumn/Winter time when I most long for a DSLR. The colours in my surroundings start to become very muted due to the reduction in light. They look like similar species of trees that just happen to be in different phases. Perhaps they each want to make their own fashion statement!

Jesus said to us: "...and why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin" (Matthew 6:28)

Jesus didn't ask us not to work. What he means is that as we work, we should enjoy the peace and joy that comes through faith in Him. I actually took this shot on my way to the bus stop from work after spending my Saturday alone in the office, working through my ever increasing to-do list. My hours at work can be crazy but I love that God tells me not to be anxious as He is always in control.

Incidentally, I'm slightly concerned that the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw the trees was Neopolitan Ice Cream! Yum.. Chocolate Strawberry and Vanilla.

Goodbye summer

2010-10-26T21:45:00.003+01:00

Autumn and winter is now well and truly upon us, so I say farewell to summer. Thank you Jesus for an amazing summer, a time for glossy fruit tarts in an open air picnic...

...and excitable dogs playing fetch in the summer fields

I love these two little rascals we met on a walk in the Yorkshire Dales. They were super friendly and were chasing a squidgy orange toy-on-a-string. I liked their scrunched up scruffy faces which made them look like they'd run head first into a brick wall and got smushed. What do you call this breed?

My Funny Valentine

2010-10-24T16:31:00.000+01:00

I've never heard this old classic played like this before! I've always thought this song was tacky and cheesy but he turns it into a very pretty song.. Enjoy

He makes it look easy, no? I've practised the main "rigid" song but need to learn some running notes skillzzzz

Ivory tears

2010-10-17T20:36:00.003+01:00

My friends may be surprised to know that I started playing the piano at the age of four. Surprised because I don't play very much now, and don't talk about it very much either. My first piano was a black, upright Petrof. My parents had very little money back then but they saved all they could to buy me a proper piano (were there digital keyboards back in 1989? I don't know...). My eyes lit up at the beautiful shiny ivory and black keys, and with legs not quite long enough to reach the sustain pedal, I began taking weekly lessons. I didn't know very much about pianos back then, only that my Petrof piano was painfully heavy for a child's fingers compared to my tutor's Yamaha. Years later, I learnt that Petrofs are Czech, and that it was founded by a man who studied piano making in Vienna in the 1800s.

My piano lessons over the many years were, in short, the bane of my life. What started out as something fun soon became a chore. I begged my parents to let me quit but they felt that I was at an age where I didn't know what was best for me. And so began the ivory tears, the few hours before my piano lessons with a very strict classical piano teacher were moments of panic and dismay. I begrudgingly and soullessly trundled my way through hours of Bach, Cramer and Hadyn. Oh, and 10 minutes of Hanon exercises daily.

Fast forward 10 years, I left my home country Malaysia to study in Singapore. By then, I could sight read classical pieces in the three most popular clefs (treble, bass, who-uses-it-anymore-C-clef), tell you the intervals of most musical instruments and identify when a note was a quarter-tone flat/sharp. My music training was militant and I was glad to be rid of it. I never believed I had real talent - what I achieved was just a result of hours of practising and memorising a piece. My piano was too big to travel with me and so it was goodbye piano.

One day, I was in a hotel and the pianist was playing the most beautiful jazz improv, something which I could never dream of doing. As I mentioned before, I don't think I'm a talented musician - just a girl who kept playing set pieces over and over again until she got it right. This man was playing from the soul, his fingers speaking so naturally that I was instantly envious - it was something I've never unlocked. I'm not a "creative" spirit, and whilst I could have a song in my head, I don't know how to create it naturally with my hands on the keys. I am no improv jazz pianist. Instead of your usual Autumn Leaves or Night & Day, Mr Hotel Pianist was playing Cramer's Les suivantes No.2 in his own interpretation. It was beautiful.

I have a love-hate relationship with the piano. After years of scoldings and disappointment (my ABRSM piano exams were my worst fears, next was the loss of my parents and the dentist), my confidence wilts when I'm asked to play. My pulse quickens with nerves even before I set my hands on ivory. I played regularly for worship in Sunday meetings in Malaysia at one point but stopped when I was told off by a lady at church for being fidgety. The only time I can play is when nobody is listening but God and I.

One day, I was in the music room in my halls of residence with D, my now fiance. He knew I played the piano once upon a time and asked casually if I would play something. Immediately, the feeling of panic struck and I adamantly refused and changed the subject. I'd shelved piano playing in my past. For Christmas that year, he bought me a little Yamaha 66-key keyboard. This is a photo of the said keyboard:

I'm pleased to say that I started learning to play the piano again today, and will be practising on my Christmas present. This time it's because I want to do it. My piano playing past has been peppered with doubt, criticism and self-consciousness: all things which are lies and not of God. Instead, I choose to be God-conscious and and apply my hands to an instrument to create songs of worship. I choose to think and live in a way which glorifies Him, not myself. I lift my eyes beyond my little world and my little past and see Him. The best way of getting over yourself is to know that it's all about Jesus.

Swim shorts on Market Street

2010-08-12T09:17:00.004+01:00

I was with my parents who were visiting me in Manchester when we caught sight of two middle aged men in swimming shorts. Don't let the sunglasses fool you, sunny and Manchester seldom sit in the same sentence...unless that sentence is 'Why is it never sunny in Manchester?'. They were promoting a travel website and certainly drew a lot of attention. This was pretty clever, funny and it finds it's way into many cameras and phones, which made it pretty effective! I felt slightly sorry for the men who had to stand starkers in pretty dismal weather though.

Who you gonna call?

2010-07-29T17:56:00.003+01:00

Colonel Sanders! I had the hankering for some good old original recipe chicken after work yesterday. Somehow the combination of a 3 mile run during lunch hour followed by a manic afternoon in the office sparked the fried chicken craving in me which I couldn't ignore. Maybe I needed protein to rebuild my calf muscles... Yeah that's what it was. Great excuse! So here we end up after a long day, and a divine appointment with a lady at the bus stop where I listened, then spoke love and blessing into her life; after a fruitful day, I picked up a set of 2 piece chicken , fries, gravy and a diet pepsi, went back to my hotel room and ate while watching the news.

Carluccio's

2010-07-29T08:26:00.005+01:00

This is a little 'pick me up' tiramisu I shared with D when we were at the Trafford Centre in Manchester. Layers of sponge fingers soaked in coffee and mascarpone cheese, dusted with cocoa powder. It was lush and I'm so glad they only gave us a portion because if it was up to me, I would have sat myself down with the entire tray of 6 servings and a fork and nom nom nommmmm. I love tiramisus and this was particularly yummy. The coffee here wasn't good enough for D though. He's got pretty high standards when it comes to coffee. His grandparents were coffee growers and he's not found a good cup of coffee yet in England. Any suggestions for great coffee places are most welcome.

Birthday Dad

2010-07-27T23:37:00.002+01:00

My father doesn't like cake. But as it was his birthday, cake and candles were mandatory. We celebrated by having dinner at Red Chilli, Manchester. The food was as good as ever (Red Chilli is wonderfully consistent) and the waiter initiated the birthday song whilst traipsing in with a fully lit cake! We are very blessed.

Blogging from my iPhone 4

2010-07-27T23:06:00.002+01:00

Blogging from my hotel room in London with my iPhone 4 and 3G connection. If this works, I will have less of the need for laptops and wireless connection hotspots! Fingers crossed.

Dinner with Dr VG

2010-07-27T08:21:00.004+01:00

I really thank God for friends like Dr VG an amazing woman of God. We had dinner at Masala Zone at Earl's Court, shared what Jesus has been doing in our lives and gushed about mutual friends getting married! Dr VG tells me about a little toddler boy who is scared of all the other doctors in the paeds ward but is very fond of her. I am not surprised, Dr VG is a great paediatrician. She's petite, gentle, unintimidating and most of all, anointed by God to do good works.

Mysterious sightings

2010-07-09T00:22:00.002+01:00

I don't know which is more peculiar, a giant Easter Island head discovered when we were playing adventure mini-golf on the Tiki-trail... or that anonymous female golfer tourist trying to devour it.

Please do not feed the golfers

We had lots of fun at Paradise Island Golf in the Trafford Centre. I'd definitely recommend it over a movie, especially if you're going with a group of people. Sure it's extremely cheesy but throw in a couple of friends with serious competitive streaks and you're good to go! All 18 holes took us just over an hour as we had to take turns. Prices were £5 for students and £6 for adults.

We got the iPhone4! And Seoul Kimchi, Manchester... again

2010-06-27T23:01:00.003+01:00

D got the iPhone4. We waited in line outside the Manchester Arndale for SEVEN hours. I've never done something like that, and never will.

His iPhone4 is sim-free and so will work on any 3G network in the world. We just bought a £10 pay-as-you-go sim card later, cut it down to the size of a microsim, slotted it in and we were good to go! Diego is only here for a few weeks. On the day the iPhone4 was released, O2 was the only network offering microsims, and they were only available on a pay monthly basis. I was going to do a little "How-to" on how to turn your regular sim card into a microsim but the internet is full of useful information. I'll just say it involves a pen, a pair of scissors, and some careful snip-snip-snipping.

Also, a short trip to Seoul Kimchi in Manchester to have lunch the next day. The videos below were taken with the iPhone4. I should probably mention that they are a little "hazy/soft-focussy" as we didn't have the heart to remove the clear film which was covering the brand new phone. You know, that film that you try ever so hard to keep stuck on the screen of a new phone before it starts peeling off bit by bit, and eventually flopping about before you start getting a little irritated and peel the whole thing off. Yeah that one.

D wasn't feeling very well - cue bloodshot eyes. Must be all that waiting in line the day before. Sorry - being the video noob that I am, I held the phone the wrong way in the first recording.

We got the Luxury Korean Bento and Spicy Tofu and Pork stew. Yum!

I love kimchi but he avoids it at all costs. We both love Korean food though, and Seoul Kimchi's our favourite place in Manchester to have Korean.

We've not been disappointed yet!

Banana bread

2010-06-22T11:53:00.000+01:00

Just a little photo of mini-banana breads on my windowsill on a sunny day in Manchester. I baked this out of necessity more than inspiration. There were two overripe, spotted bananas in my fruit bowl on the verge of going mushy and brown.

Aren't the fushia carnations ever so pretty?

I scoured the internet for recipes and couldn't find one where I had all the ingredients. So I made this one up, and they were delicious!

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of light "I can't believe it's not butter"

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup + 1 tablespoon of plain flour

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of bicarbornate of soda

Mash your ripe bananas and set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda) into a bowl and set aside.

Blitz the "I can't believe it's not butter" in the microwave until melted, and add vegetable oil. Mix the sugar in the melted oil and mix very well so that the sugar is sticky from dissolving. Add vanilla extract and let the mixture cool.

Once the butter/sugar mixture is cool, add the eggs and mix in well. Add mashed bananas and mix again. This is the wet mixture.

Finally combine the dry ingredients with the wet mixture and mix well.

Pour into greased cupcake trays and top with chocolate strips, raisins and nuts - whatever you have in your kitchen - go insane!

Bake at 170 deg celcius for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

This "recipe" (more like me throwing leftovers together until I get the right batter consistency) yields wonderfully moist mini banana breads that are not too sweet. They're great warm but better cold!

Siaran tergendala

2010-06-04T10:17:00.003+01:00

Siaran tergendala (Malay for interrupted broadcast) while I tackle three mammoth assessments: Acquisitions, Public Companies & Equity Finance and Banking & Debt Finance.

Stay tuned for more this weekend. Oh wait, it's almost the weekend already! Argh! Time is running out, time is running out (Cue Jem and the Holograms - Show time synergy!). Ah I love 80s cartoons. Note the modulation near the end of the song - only a good 80s tune will give you that.

Recent one-liners from my housemate

2010-06-01T10:53:00.005+01:00

These are recent one-liners from my housemate before she retires into her room:

"I need to go an read Jacob Black's letter now"
"I just need to find out whether she becomes a vampire, that's all"
"I haven't watched the second one don't tell me don't tell me don't tell me"

Hmm... any idea what she's been up to?

The best cookie dough recipe (so far)

2010-05-30T18:34:00.010+01:00

Everyone's got their own definition of the perfect cookie, so I would qualify the title of the post by saying that this is the perfect cookie dough recipe for me.

Five cookies sitting on my windowsill

I also don't think I've found THE recipe yet, and so am still experimenting. This is the basic dough to which you can add whatever you want, toffee chips, chocolate chips, raisins, swirls of espresso, nuts, blueberries - go wild!

Crunchy cookie = good

To me, the perfect cookie is:

1. Crunchy (think Famous Amos); and

2. Possibly just ever so slightly chewy right in the middle...

I do not like big soft chewy cookies (think Millie's) or worse, powdery crumbly cookies (think shortbreads). Yech at the powdery floury aftertaste. Yech Yuck Bleruch.

Walnut, cashew nut, peanut...and a swirl of coffee

I'd like to share this latest recipe. It's work-in-progress, but I think it's pretty close to what I'm looking for.

1 and 1/2 sticks of butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups of plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

Cream sugar and butter in a bowl until well combined.
Add egg and vanilla essence. Mix well
Add the dry ingredients - plain flour, salt and baking soda, and form into a dough. At this stage you can add your nuts, raisins, chocolate chips etc.
Next, roll the dough into a cylinder and place it in the fridge for at least 30 min. YOU MUST DO THIS. Especially if you live in the tropics. Lukewarm cookie dough makes bad cookies. Don't ask me why, just trust me. I'm yet to figure out why myself. Maybe one day, if I ever do a baking 101 class, my pâtisserie teacher will tell me. Until then, I do this on the basis that my refrigerated cookie dough always yields better cookies than room temperature ones.
Preheat the oven to 175 deg celcius.
Cut out your cookies into discs and place them on a greased, non-stick baking tray, 2 inches apart. Greasing is mandatory.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 12 minutes, and keep a close watch on them as the bubble deliciously.
Remove tray from the oven, and let the cookies cool completely before transferring them. Do not attempt to touch/move your cookies when they're even remotely warm as they are very soft at this stage and will fall apart. I leave mine to cool and harden for at least 2 hours.

Enjoy your crunchy cookies!

The photos are of the most recent batch I made. They are wonderfully crunchy with a slight chewy centre. I put raisins, cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts and swirls of espresso in them. I love the chewiness of caramelised raisins and crunchiness of the nuts which have roasted in the cookies. Yup - definitely a chew/crunch fan :)

What type of cookie are you?

Photo-prayer

2010-05-28T00:43:00.002+01:00

O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting

I took the above photo with an old little Fuji Finepix on a family trip on the Yorkshire Dales. It's not a fancy widelens - just three photos taken side by side and stitched together.

Lord Jesus, it's been a tough day. My mind was discouraged, but You already know that. You know my thoughts. I just want to declare Your goodness in all situations. Your faithfulness reaches to the heavens. Your righteousness is like the mountains. Your wisdom is deeper than the ocean's depths. You are my strength and my joy. And Your love! Your love! Your love is indescribable. Thank you Lord.

EZ

McDonalds Seaweed Shaker Fries - How to?

2010-05-26T00:23:00.003+01:00

When it comes to food, we Asians love taking things to the next level. Localisation, adaptation, call it whatever you want. Welcome to our world of wasabi Filet-O'-Fish, tom yum KFC, Teriyaki McBurgers and Starbucks green tea (matcha) frappucinos. Oishi!

In my last visit to Singapore, one favourite night-time snack with the girls after a long Saturday of doing not very much is McDonald's Seaweed Shaker fries. Words fail me when describing the novelty of it all, and so my beautiful friend, P, will demonstrate:

At the counter, you will be given:

1. A brown paper bag (shown below),

2. Fries and

3. The all-important seaweed shaker seasoning.

So you open up your brown paper bag, like so.

Eurgh, flash photography is so unflattering. Think I'll turn it off

There, much better without flash. P is lovely regardless.

Next, pour your calorie-laden, hot, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, shoestring fries into said bag, like so.

This is what they'll look like. As you can see, there's a good fries to airspace ratio in the paper bag to optimise shaking and even distribution of the seasoning. There's such a science to this.

Why does P always look so glamourous? It's like gusts of modelling breeze follow her wherever she goes and whips her hair into a perfect wind-swept look.

Now you take your seaweed shaker seasoning. It's a tiny packet but it packs a punch. From what I can remember, the ingredients are nori (seaweed), salt and various other mystery ingredients. Does anyone know what the complete list of ingredients is? Is there MSG in this stuff, because it's very more-ish!

Add your seasoning to the fries in your brown paper bag.

Then shake it to your right.

Shake it to your left

All done! Fold the sides of the paper bag down (as you would with, uh, sleeves and socks) and enjoy! See the dark green bits of seaweed clinging to the crispy fries? Yummy!

From memory, the photos might have been taken with a phone so excuse the grainy-ness

Confessions

2010-05-25T00:03:00.003+01:00

I have to admit...

Sometimes I feel self-conscious about being taller than you.
I feel like we're being judged as a couple, even if it's not out of malice.
People just react to unconventional-looking situations.

I've noticed people staring, and it used to make me sad. I used to worry about how funny we look in photos, and how we'll look standing at the alter on our wedding day.

But then God teaches me to not conform to how the world thinks.

I'm no longer the shallow person I used to be 6 years ago.

You have the stature of the fullness of Christ.

And that's what matters.

I love you <3

Rustica - Italian restaurant in Manchester (Review)

2010-05-21T15:19:00.003+01:00

Italian restaurants are ubiquitous in Manchester because they just work. Italian cuisine is a crowd-pleaser - safe for the fussy / vegan / vegetarian / pescatarian / heat-wuss (no curry please!) / unadventurous (black bean chicken feet??) dinner companion.

So when my friend suggested Rustica for a nice Thursday evening dinner, it didn't provoke any passionate reaction either way. Truth be told, I am ambivalent to popular "Italian" cuisine available in Manchester. They aren't great, but nice enough for dinner with good company. The only Italian restaurant to every get me excited is San Carlo, my personal favourite Italian joint in Manchester. I'm sure there are nicer (pricier) ones to be explored, but not on my budget.

This was my first time in Rustica and I must say off the bat, the service is very attentive. Our glasses were never left empty and the waiter was incredibly accommodating to our multiple requests. We noticed a long table next to us, fully set for a party of 12. Moments later, a giggly gaggle of ladies on a hen party bounded in. Our waiter was waiting on the hen party, us as well as quite a few other table, so a big thumbs up to him for juggling so well.

We ordered some garlic bread as starters (sorry, no photos as we were too hungry!). They were lovely. My perfect garlic bread would be lightly crusty on the outside and soft, fluffy and chewy on the inside. The worst thing someone could do to my garlic bread would be to toast it to death, such that the crust hardens or dries out. Eugh. Rustica's garlic bread was just nice.

Linguine con Gamberoni - King prawns, chilli and tomato sauce.

Where I come from, those are NOT king prawns, but regular prawns but oh well, when in Rome...

Fettucine Salmone e Gamberetti - Pasta in a smoked salmon, prawns & cream sauce.

My favourite of the lot. This wasn't my order but T generously let me have a taste. I'm partial to seafood but I think what made this yummy was the texture of the pasta ribbons. I love flat ribbon pasta!

Spaghetti Bolognese - Thin Pasta with Minced Beef and Tomato

Meh, I could make this in my kitchen. S ordered this and I think she just wanted some good old comfort food. Incidentally, S is half-Italian, with a robust Italian grandmama with high standards of Italian cooking. It didn't bowl her over, but she liked it enough to polish it off.

Pizza Mare e Monte - Tomato, Mozzarella, Prawns and Mushrooms

I didn't try this but it smelt lovely. Bubbly cheese and fluffy risen bread is truly a lovely sight.

Risotto Rustica - Risotto with strips of chicken, peppers and tomato sauce

This was my order. It was delicious to start with but became quite cloying towards the end - not the fault of the restaurant. Risottos are always on the heavy side anyway. This was well seasoned, the chicken was slightly dry but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. I love tomato based sauces, so this was right up my alley.

Overall, our Rustica experience was nice, and that might be more to do with the excellent company and service than the actual food. I don't feel compelled to return. The food wasn't memorably bad but it wasn't memorably fantastic either, which in these times, isn't good enough to get patrons to part with their hard-earned cash.

This summer in cinemas near you

2010-05-20T22:15:00.000+01:00

Definitely not to be missed!

Episode 3 with Bond and Shamu

2010-05-19T16:50:00.002+01:00

Shin and Wan Phing are back! In our third episode, find out what Shamu the killer whale in San Diego's Seaworld has in common with James Bond.

Along with more important topics like British chocolates and British suntans. Click here to listen.

Shin & Wan Phing's second show

2010-05-12T23:34:00.002+01:00

In our second podcast, Shin & Wan Phing are back with more niceties as they look for sponsors to replace their laopok (old) mic and promote the award-winning Arndale toilets.

Other very important topics include toilet phobias, Tyra vs. Oprah and why you should never Google your illness.

Click here to listen. Leave us any comments and suggestions, as we would love to hear from you!

The Shin and Wan Phing Show! Our first ever podcast.

2010-05-06T22:37:00.009+01:00

Hello!

Welcome to the Shin and Wan Phing Show, otherwise known as SAWP in short. Why? Because we are Malaysians, and Malaysians love to abbreviate things, such as KL for Kuala Lumpur, or JB for Johor Bahru.

Or even KH for Kemahiran Hidup and many many more lovely short forms like BKT (bak kut teh) and CKT (char koay teow).

Shin and Wan Phing are two Malaysians living in Manchester, and in our podcasts we talk about anything and everything that is interesting to the Malaysian abroad.

In our debut show, Shin and Wan Phing talk about eating nasi lemak and how the belacan smell will cause us to fall out with our English neighbours, what we love about Stylist magazine and why we cried during Disney's Brother Bear and Pixar's Up.

Click here to listen. Do leave us any comments and suggestions!

Soldier-boy shoe shopping

2010-05-03T12:48:00.012+01:00

I don't shop very often at all but when I do, I spend ages hunting for the perfect bargain. I really like fashion but don't believe in spending more than I have, which at the moment is not very much.

I like looking at the latest fashion trends but don't normally follow them. Classic, evergreen trends are definitely my kind of thing. I only buy shoes when the old pair has worn out and is beyond repair. Even then, I will wait until a sale is on.

And nothing beats the post-Christmas sales, with reductions as much as 90% off the original retail price. The downside to this is that Christmas and New Year is normally spent with my favourite man D. D really dislikes coming shopping with me. As it is, he finds shopping a pain, but coupled with my 3-hour deliberations over 10 different pairs only to decide none of them are discounted enough to buy, I think I push the boundaries of his patience.

I've tried all kinds of tactics to make the experience tolerable:

Approach 1:

Get him involved in the selection process.

Advantages: This works really well if he's interested in women's fashion

Disadvantages: Guys tend to decide too quickly, not taking into account the full breadth of options available.

Road-test report: 4/5 stars - D has, once upon a time, helped me pick out the most amazing, durable, affordable (£40), expensive-looking coat. However, this doesn't always happen!

Approach 2:

Give him something to play with whilst you shop.

Advantages: He can watch your bags for you.

Disadvantages: If he's particularly good at the game you give him, he might beat the game prematurely, run out of levels and get bored again.

Road-test report: 3/5 stars - he does indeed run out of levels in that tennis game on my phone.

Approach 3:

Don't take him with you. Leave him with your brother in the arcade.

Advantages: He bonds with your brother and you get to shop without the time pressure.

Disadvantages: They might not want to leave when you return to meet up with them for dinner.

Road test report: 5/5 stars - everyone's happy. He's up-ed his Guitar Hero skillz, I've found the perfect pair of shoes to replace the boots with a hole in the sole (yikes!)

This is my brother

2010-04-30T15:21:00.004+01:00

We were in York when we decided it was a good idea to try to get mid-air jump shots.

The Superman

The Failed Attempt

The Ultraman

The Guitar Hero

I love my brother. He's always great to hang out with.

Provision

2010-04-21T20:14:00.006+01:00

Manna is the name of a food which was eaten by the Israelites during their travels in the desert. It was said to be sweet to the taste.

God provided the Israelites with manna every day of the week (except the 7th day) and He told them that they could not store manna up. They didn't have to as God had promised to provide them with new manna every morning.

Now, I certainly don't think this translates to saying that we do not need to save as God will provide new riches every morning. In fact, God provides, despite, over and above what we need just because He loves to bless us. I have never considered myself poor. In 1 Timothy 6, God says to us that "if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that". I have food, and I have clothes, therefore I am content.

God also teaches us to save, and to be wise with our money. Proverbs 21:20 says "the wise man saves for the future but the foolish man spends whatever he gets"

In this past year of going from full-time employment to being a student again, I have been living on manna. I'm not used to not being on an income. I had some money saved up when I was working and also a small grant from my employer, which was a real blessing indeed. As the academic year went by, I was slowly eating into this sum I've prepared for this year of full-time study.

Time and time again, God has blessed me generously and in a timely fashion. Every time I was in need, a cheque came in the post to meet that need, and a little bit more. They didn't come from my parents or family members as my family doesn't have much. I've checked the cheques (heh) to make sure they weren't sent to me by error, and can confirm they are legitimately, ethically and legally mine. God is so gracious, and this year has really taught me to live by faith in God as my source, and not by faith in my monthly payslip.

Today I felt a little defeated as I watched my bank balance drop dangerously low due to rent and bill payments. I've tried diligently to cover all bases, and apply for part-time jobs but interviewers are telling me my availability period (mid-April to mid-August) is too short. Today, I was told again that they "need someone until end of September". There doesn't seem to be a job for the period which I'm looking for. My studies require 40 hours a week (although I've managed to do with less) and I'm willing to do part-time work around that. Maybe I'm meant to focus on studying and finishing this very intense course.

I'm tightening the belt and honestly, I cannot see how I'm going to last until end of August this year when I start my full-time job. However, I know God is with me, and as long as I stay close to and delight in Him, and work hard, I have nothing to be anxious about.

I want to...

2010-04-12T23:43:00.004+01:00

...get married already! I don't see any reason for putting it off any longer. I miss D, he's my best friend, my boyfriend, my fiance all rolled in one. God didn't answer my future husband prayer-list (which was admittedly very superficial - I was 16 when I made that checklist!). He gave me something far better in D.

Resolutions

2010-04-10T22:36:00.009+01:00

You know how a lot of people make New Year resolutions? Well, my resolutions tend to happen during the start of the fiscal/tax year rather than 1st January. I know, I'm such a rebel. It's either that or I'm just a little bit slow...

So here we are, my very practical new year resolutions.

1. Read God's word every day. At the moment I miss some days out then read loads on other days. I really want to grow in Him and one of the best, most practical yet powerful ways is just to read God's truth in my life.

2. Do pilates training every morning except when I'm running.

3. Run twice a week - Wednesday and Saturday

4. Lose 7 kg by 30 June 2010, and a further 6kg by Christmas 2010. I'll be keeping tabs on that on the sidebar -->

5. Keep up to date with commercial awareness.

And that's about it folks!

Little blessings

2010-04-01T17:28:00.006+01:00

The following things make me smile.

1. Surprise flowers from D - delivered to my doorstep when I least expect it. He earns brownie points to last him a whole week. At least. I'm just kidding, he doesn't need brownie points.

2. When my flatmate decides to bake cupcakes (a very rare occurence). She's got the best cupcake recipe in town. Sans frosting as we don't like frosting - too sweet! This, ladies and gents, is a tray of freshly baked Awesome.

3. Drinks with fresh strawberries in them. I don't like strawberry flavoured things but I do love fresh strawberries in a cocktail or smoothie.

What are your favourite things?

New look blog

2010-04-01T02:42:00.002+01:00

Yay or nay? It's definitely a far cry from my simple white background (which I still love!). Just thought I'd mix it up a little.

Template adapted from, and courtesy of Simply Fabulous.

Meet Tan Hong Ming

2010-03-13T10:18:00.001Z

Jewels

2010-03-09T11:29:00.006Z

There is a well known verse in the Bible, the book of Matthew that says: 'Where your treasure is, there your heart is also'. Yesterday, we were encouraged to worship God with our hearts, not just with lip-service.

But did you know where God's heart and treasure is?

In Isaiah 62:3 it says

'You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God'

We are treasures in God's eyes. What an amazing thought! If you are a Christian, that is, if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, and you've chosen to give your life to Jesus, you are no longer just you. You are elevated, treasured by God and no one can rob you of that.

We were restored to worship God with our hearts now and forevermore. Praise God, my soul, all that's within me blesses His name.

Thanks to Natalia for sending me such an incredible verse!

Constant vigilance - and a confession

2010-02-27T20:20:00.009Z

Today an old struggle dropped back to haunt me. I let my guard down, having had lots of revision to do and very little rest, I neglected my usual time with God. Even the very important prophet Daniel, a learned man with a full schedule set apart time with God, each and every day. King David, a busy ruler, set aside time each morning to just dwell in God's presence.

When I was a teenager, I lived in an elite girls' boarding school. It was very much a sorority environment - we looked out for each other and I loved every minute of the sorority life. However, I was obsessed with being perfect. There was always something to strive towards, and someone to model myself after - the prettier girl, the smarter girl, the more athletic girl, the dancer, the singer, the pianist, the cheerleader, the netballer, the hot one, the cool one... the list goes on. Being on scholarship, I wasn't well off like my paying friends were, but I fitted in well. I loved my time there but I was swept along the rat race. We enjoyed being 'admired' by the younger girls (it's complicated!) who gave us gifts on Valentine's day, and who would look up to us whilst we took them under our wing.

I wanted to make sure I would always be looked up to. As a child, I was always teased for being chubby but at the end of the day, I would come back home and the pressure is lifted. Then boarding school happened. All of a sudden there were 200 other girls in my age range. They were beautiful, rich, glossy, talented and clever. I started to eat very little and did a lot of exercise. I was up at 6.30 and running on the track, had P.E during school, played some basketball after school and swam before dinner. Some days I could get by with just a tiny cup of carrot sticks or nothing at all.

I was obsessed with being thin

I let my weight define my self-worth. I filled my mind with rubbish.

Then God found me. He defined me: a child of the King of Kings, saved, loved, highly favoured, a citizen of His kingdom.

I failed to fill my mind with the things of God this week. My workload got the better of me and the old habit of wanting to gain control crept back, stealthily, sneakily, cunningly. I was looking through some old photos of me back in boarding school - dance photos, choir photos, photos of us chilling in our dorms. Before I knew it, I was filled with horror at how fat I've become. How I've let myself go. How I'm not going to marry the "right" sort (rich, good looking, elite-society). How I've neglected my piano playing. How I haven't played netball in awhile and I bet I'm really sloppy with my footwork now.

I told myself I was ugly and fat.

WHAT RRRUBBISH!! (Dave Emmett style)

Well the enemy is a liar.

Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."

I need to be vigilant in my relationship with God. It is after all the most important thing I will ever invest in.

Alive! Easter concert by King's Church Manchester

2010-02-15T00:11:00.000Z

Winter on my street - Canon G11?

2010-01-24T19:15:00.002Z

The biting cold has gone and evidence of spring is starting to peek through (albeit very reservedly!). Just to remind myself of the beauty of winter, I've put two photos up which I took with my simple digital camera. They turned out so pretty in the end I just had to share them with you!

The first is a frozen dewdrop surrounded by snowflakes and cobwebs nestling on the metal railings outside my apartment.

The next one is a photo of wilted red berries carrying the weight of some heavy early morning snowfall. The poor things were shrivelled up but still so brilliantly red. I imagine this is what inspires lots of Christmas themed colours (red and white). God our Creator is such an artist!

Unfortunately that digital camera was stolen a few days ago and now I am saving up to replace it. Am thinking of the Canon G11 but at its cheapest online, it's still a good £350!!! I love the idea of owning a DSLR but would hate lugging it around. I think for people like me who don't photograph professionally, utility is just as important as function, if not more. Most of the compositions I see in my head which I really want to photograph tend to be off-the-cuff moments when I'm out and about, on my way to the library, in the park or at lunch. I want something I can just whip out of my handbag when I see an opportunity.

I don't know, what do you think?

Dear future husband

2010-01-08T21:08:00.005Z

I love you. You make me laugh so much. You're wise and steady, you keep a cool head under pressure. You never lose your temper, you're gracious, forgiving but firm. When I'm clearly in the wrong but stubbornly refuse to budge, you rebuke me with such love I never feel condemned.

You love and fear God, and I am so blessed that you'll be leading our household.

p/s Grandma thinks you're "not handsome" but I beg to differ!

Happy 2010 everyone!

2010-01-05T22:11:00.004Z

It's snowing in Manchester. Lots and lots of fluffy fresh snowy goodness! This picture was taken miliseconds before I had a snowball pelted on my face.

Singapore and closure

2009-12-10T14:03:00.001Z

After years of being away plus a lot of reflection and prayer, I can finally say, with absolute closure that Singapore is no longer a long term option. I love Singapore, I miss my friends there, and it's close to home, but there is something about permanence there that doesn't agree with me or the plans that God has for my life.

For a long time I have flirted with the idea of moving to Singapore to settle there permanently after I marry, since it's an English speaking country and I can practise law in Sg pretty easily (compared to the US). When I go back to visit you amazing people I feel a tinge of covetousness, like oooh I wish I was back here! Little pleasures like sitting in Clarke Quay with friends . And ooh the MALLS and the MRTS that take you virtually everywhere I just love it love it love it love it. I missed Singapore for a long time.

But I want my kids to know what I knew. When I was little, I didn't have PSLE worries or streaming or tuition. In fact, I never had tuition in my life. I did extra curricular activities for fun, not to earn points. I climbed the longan tree in my front yard, collected sea shells by the sea shore in my back yard, leapt over the neighbours fences to escape the resident psycho stray dog. I didn't have an elite upbringing, I didn't wear OshKosh B'gosh and I didn't go for Kumon classes. My only form of education before kindergarten was Big Bird on a fuzzy TV1 (the aerial had to be tweaked), digging up earthworms with my younger brother and helping my mum collect water from the water truck during the drought (somehow that memory sticks like gum to sole of shoe - there was a drought in Melaka, and the truck would come every two days and all the neighbours will walk out with pails. My mum will station me to watch for when the pail is full and I will yell "Mummy man3 le!!"). I don't necessarily want my kids to have the exact same memories but I do want them to know what it's like to not have people piling on expectations on them as to how to act, what to be, what not to be and how to learn. I won't let them get away with everything (my parents were dead strict) but I do want them to love childhood. I turned out fine, so I believe my kids will be fine learning at their own pace too.

I think Singapore produces extremely brilliant and talented people, and kids in Singapore are very blessed. But practically speaking, my dream house is pretty big (it's got a large kitchen!) and it has a back, side and front yard for the kids to play so practically speaking, that's not going to be possible in Singapore without plenty of moolah. So I need to be somewhere where land is more affordable.

I would love to be in Singapore for a season as a tourist, visitor or expat but that's as far as it goes. No offence to you very beloved people in Singapore, like seriously I love you guys and I love the convenience and shopping and LOVE LOVE LOVE Singapore. But God has called me to be elsewhere.

And the good news is wherever that elsewhere is, you guys can come stay in this lawyer's house and we can cook a meal together in my big kitchen :)

God wants Christian lawyers too

2009-12-09T17:51:00.004Z

I am good at my job. I love my job and my workplace. But there used to be a time when I considered my job to be somewhat un-“Godly” compared to say, a doctor, teacher, carer or cleaner. I read the Bible and I don’t see my job described anywhere in Scripture. A corporate lawyer doesn’t exactly pop into mind when you think of a servant, teacher, prophet, evangelist, pastor or apostle.

Millions of pounds pass my hands so that they no longer feel like real money, just numbers on the screen. I have meetings with clients who want to restructure, buy companies, take them apart and sell them on. I speak with clients who step in as administrators when things go bad for a corporate body. I have calls with clients who want to downsize or outsource to limit their exposure and soften the blow of the economic downturn.

There will be days when I get a list of properties in which the client wants to terminate or sell its interest. They could be the company’s retail units around the world, manufacturing plants, branches of banks or entertainment centres or restaurants. I think about the number of people who are going to be relocated or made redundant as a result of the downsize. I think of their families and their lives, and how they will be affected, and I pray for them.

Part of my job is to keep track of the financial and political news. The characteristics of good corporate lawyers are that we are commercially and politically aware, efficient and good communicators. We should have sound legal knowledge and more importantly, we should be able to advise on practical solutions. There’s nothing in my job description that requires me to be a good teacher, pastor or servant. At least, not on the official job specifications.

God made me good at my job for a reason. In a commercial world where its players have a reputation for greed, bureaucracy and self-interest, I reflect a different order. God’s job specification for me is that I conduct myself with love and integrity. When my colleagues are stressed because of a completion, I can minister peace. I can testify that hard work and peace are in agreement, they are not contradictory. When gossip flies across the hallways, I can choose to listen to the truth. When panic of redundancies spread, I can minister God’s faithfulness to His beloved people. I can be excellent at my job whether or not my boss is looking over my shoulder.

But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all. Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.

You can show love anywhere, even in the most unlikely places.

Photo taken from www.greekshares.com

I don't need a Paul Smith Evian bottle

2009-12-05T11:42:00.011Z

I was walking through Selfridges and what do I see?

First up, a beautiful Christmas Hamper overflowing with luxury food items, complete with a cute polka-dotted bow.

And if a hamper just doesn't quite cut it, a tub full of Christmas food goodies! The Selfridges guys really know how to make the best of their visual displays. It's abundant, it's fun, it's colourful without being tacky, and it's a signature Selfridges yellow.

Mini (and full sized) bottles of Moet encrusted with Swarovski crystals. Try recycling those on New Year's day?

And finally, Paul Smith Evian bottles. Lets break this one down. It's a glass bottle. It contains water. It has candy stripes and the words "Paul Smith" printed on the glass. Would you pay the 1000% mark up to drink some mineral water?

I know it's pretty. I was going oooh and aaah too, but after some thought I simply cannot justify buying any of these items for myself. Instead of buying some water in a Paul Smith bottle, I'd rather spend the money on providing clean water to under-developed communities around the world. These gifts are cute, and I'll feel very blessed to give and receive gifts. There's nothing wrong with expensive gifts. But this Christmas, I've decided to play an active role in serving the world in which I live.

God placed me in this world to steward it, not to live a me-centred life.

I don't have the answers, and I'm not planning to go on a mega long trip to Somalia or Ethiopia or rural India. I don't need to go far away to make a change in a world which I'm responsible for. Every little counts! Think In Pennies :) Click on the link to find out more.

Heard from my bedroom...

2009-11-30T12:42:00.007Z

It was 10pm on a weeknight. I was doing some prep for the following day's Civil Litigation when I heard a disappointed wail from my flatmate in the living room:

photo from heartandsoulcandies.com

"AARGHYYEEERRR but I don't want the caramel one!!"

I didn't need to pop out to ask. I totally understand. I don't like the caramel ones either. That is why only the caramel ones are left in the chocolate assortment platter in our living room.

JS - Unashamed (cover)

2009-11-19T11:26:00.002Z

I am still having exams but praise God, three down, one to go. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a song covered by Janice and Sonia. A great song about being able to stand before God unashamed not because of anything we've done, but because of our complete faith in Jesus.

Exams

2009-11-15T20:04:00.001Z

I'll be having exams from tomorrow for a week so no blog updates till then. Do come back to visit next week though!

Love xx

My midnight birthday surprise

2009-11-14T21:20:00.001Z

The video says it all. WP is amazing!

Seoul Kimchi - the yummiest Korean food in Manchester!

2009-11-09T20:27:00.010Z

I went to Seoul Kimchi with four other friends a few days ago for dinner. Seoul Kimchi used to be a little provision shop selling tasty korean gems like biscuits, beancurd paste, korean candy and staple korean ingredients. I would pop in every now and then to purchase a little korean treat, like a bag of unidentifiable savoury chips or a pack of soy bean drink.

After I moved out of Victoria Park and into Castlefield, Seoul Kimchi was just never on the way and I never had a compelling enough reason to make a trip there. I was therefore very surprised when WP told me she'd been to Seoul Kimchi to have lunch.

Me: You mean you bought lunch from Seoul Kimchi and ate it at home?
WP: No, I ate there!
Me: What, but where?

I thought there was a secret back door to a restaurant that I didn't know about. In fact, what had happened was that Seoul Kimchi had refurbished since I'd last been there. It is now a clean and bright looking joint that would probably fit a maximum of 17 people, uncomfortably. It's tight in there, but they make maximum use of the area available, sometimes by moving the chairs and tables around a little. It was roomy enough for me as coming from a high-density city myself, I'm used to being in small spaces.

We arrived at 6.30pm for dinner and the place was already packed. The kind lady owner welcomed us in whispering that it was very cold outside and so sorry we had to wait but she will get some chairs to put in the kitchen so we could sit there and stay warm while we wait for a table to clear. She took our arms like a familiar aunty would and ushered us behind the counter and next to the kitchen, extracted two different-sized little seats and asked us to Sit. The place definitely felt like home. WP and I tried to make ourselves as tucked in as possible so that the busy waitresses could bustle up and down the kitchen corridor without tripping over our legs.

Looking around patrons range from international students in the know to locals who know they've stumbled across a gem. These are the dishes we ordered that evening. It goes without saying that there was a constant flow of their signature kimchi in the usual little dishes for us to eat our mains with.

Kimchi

The Chicken Teriyaki Bento

This was part of the Japanese selection in their menu. It comes with shredded vege salad, noodles, some strange fried pancake thing which was yummy (in the right bottom corner), rice with sesame seeds sprinkled on and the chicken teriyaki itself.

The Salmon Teriyaki Bento

Another bento from the Japanese selection. Seriously what's the point of coming to Seoul Kimchi when everyone was having Japanese food! This also had all the same ingredients as the Chicken Bento but had salmon teriyaki instead (in the foreground). The salmon was properly doused with sweet sticky teriyaki sauce. WP said this was really good.

Luxury Korean Bento

I ordered this one and it was YUMMY! It's such a shame blogger minimises the quality of my photos because you can't really see what's available. Clockwise from the top left, you get: Vegetable korean pancake slices, pork bulgogi, shredded vegetables in a sweet marinade, beef kalbi and rice. You also get a little middle section of what I know as ikan bilis in Malay (in a sweet marinade). I don't know the proper korean name for these but they're basically little anchovy-like fish. The whole combo just worked so well, especially for someone like me who likes a little bit of everything. It was larger bento than what I'm used to but no complaints!! In the bottom right was the beef kalbi, which according to the Boss Lady, would cost me £8++ on its own. The whole bento was £8++ and she was eager to impress upon me that it was "very good value". I had no complaints, this was YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY I WANT MORE RIGHT NOW.

Up close shot of my beef kalbi. Mmmmm...

The Boss Lady comes over to check if we like our food. She is clearly very passionate about cooking, and doesn't need much persuasion to explain what we were having. With our mouths full, we could only manage to nod vigorously (I think I gave her a thumbs up). When we could manage, we told her the fare was delicious because it was!

It was so good that I hesitated to blog about this place for fear that it becomes even more popular such that I'll always have to wait for seats at my favourite Korean restaurant. However, this is one restaurant that I'd love to see succeed and grow (yay! more seats!) because the food is truly excellent and very affordable. The boss lady is absolutely lovely too and you can't help but feel like you're sitting in your family dining room. :)

The full armour

2009-10-30T11:39:00.010Z

I was going through some old photos when I stumbled across this old one of my fiance D. D and I have known each other for more than five years now, and in four of those years, he was deployed to various parts of the world by the US military. I would be lying if I said I wasn't anxious or worried for him. I certainly missed him a lot. Our relationship was rocky in the beginning but God gave us both the same word when we sought Him individually. That He is with us in our relationship, and that He has an awesome purpose for the both of us. All we had to do was seek Him first - and so we did. As the years went by, and he got re-re-re-deployed time and time again, being together with D felt like a losing battle. At the same time, my parents were keen on me pursuing a law degree in the UK, and I wanted to honour their decision. Studying in the US was too expensive for us to afford at that time anyway. So I came to Manchester, completely confused as to why this was the only open door when my boyfriend is American, and my family are in Malaysia and Singapore.

My first year in Manchester was a whirlwind. I didn't know anyone when I arrived, and I didn't know where to begin to establish a network here. I left home when I was 15 to go to boarding school in Singapore - and I made so many firm friends that moving again didn't really make sense.

Then I found a church family here in Manchester with King's Church. In hindsight, I see how God has worked in our lives through our situations. I have been equipped and challenged in King's to mature in God. My testimony is that in King's Church, my relationship with God is closer than ever, and I have got to know amazing brothers and sisters in Christ. We may not always understand why things happen when they happen, but all that matters is that we know God's truth. God's truth is in His word, and it's this truth that we have to stand on:

My God is mighty to save.

My God is the King of King's.

My God loves me with an everlasting and passionate love, regardless of what I have done in my past.

The favour of God is upon me through my faith in Jesus.

My God will never leave me nor forsake me. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.

Can you say the above about the person / entity / god in whom you place your faith or trust? Jesus loves you as much as he loves me. In the Bible, we are called to put on the armour of God. The belt of truth, the sandals of peace (an inner peace that transcends all understanding), the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation through Christ today and forever. The truth is, we are on the winning side of a battle against loneliness, low self-esteem, anxiety, poverty, depression, sickness and violence.

In my personal life, Jesus has been the ultimate comfort and wisdom to me when I was missing D. Indeed, without God, our relationship would have failed with the prolonged distance. We refuse to let the distance get in the way of us serving His kingdom today. I stand on God's promise that D and I will be together soon. As for now, God has provided the both of us with very full lives - full of God's work, service, blessing, power and family. It's such a privilege to serve the highest King!

The most important relationship

2009-10-18T11:19:00.006+01:00

One very famous quote from the very brilliant designer Diane von Furstenberg:

"The most important relationship you have in your life is the relationship you have with yourself."

Diane was talking in the context of how we cannot rely on other people, or items, or ideas to make us happy. It follows that the most important relationship to build, first and foremost, is not our relationship with a boyfriend/girlfriend, friend, material possessions or our job. It is instead the bond we have with ourselves. I have to love myself, take control of myself, invest in myself to build me up before I can even think of being "whole" enough to build relationships with the world. It's us in the driving seat of our lives.

As much as I love Diane's quirkiness and genius wrap dresses, I have to disagree with her on this one. As human beings, we are all so flawed. I can disappoint me, and indeed I have, so many times in my past. When I came to terms with that fact, I was halfway through my revelation. People are fallen persons, and yet God loves us so much that He continuously reaches out to us. He never gave up on us. God sent His only Son to die for our sins so we can have The Most Important Relationship with God, freely and limitlessly.

I learnt to love God first instead of loving myself. As I spend time with Jesus my Lord and my Best Friend, he starts to reveal things about me. I start seeing how God sees me. How I am completely and unequivocally loved. How I am His child, and I inherit His kingdom. How I am created beautiful in His image and how He has an amazing plan and purpose for my life. That made me love me a thousand times more!

The truth is, the most important relationship you could ever have is with Jesus. He needs to be in your driving seat. The freedom you will experience from surrendering all to Him is inexplicable. No more chaos, worry, self-loathe, pity, confusion, anger or anxiety. Jesus bore all of these on the cross so that you don't have to experience those things. Instead, we enter into a life of joy and peace that no situation nor person can take away from us when we accept Jesus into our lives.

Jesus died for all, not just me. And regardless of what you think of Him, or the state of your relationship with him, the unchangeable truth is this: He loves you more than you can ever understand or imagine.

Japanese food - always healthy?

2009-10-16T18:25:00.012+01:00

There is a common stereotype that Japanese cuisine, in general, is good for you. Life expectancy in Japan is amongst the highest in the world, despite the perceived high-pressure, fast-paced environment in which the Japanese live and work. In fact, as a child, I've always had it in my head that the Japanese diet is hailed to be low cholesterol, low-fat, packed with superfoods and antioxidants etc etc. It's also delicious! You could say I have the best of both worlds, but for the following three Japanese snacks that I absolutely love and are not too good for them hips and thighs...

Inari, sushi rice and mayo

It's a carb bomb and to make matters worse, the inari (beancurd) is soaked in sugary syrup. I don't think it has any nutritional value. Mmmm... did you know that cellulite is the main ingredient of refined white rice? (Yes, I'm a fan of that movie).

Takoyaki

Oh boy do I remember when takoyaki first took off in a big way in Singapore and Malaysia. There were takoyaki stalls EVERYWHERE, thanks to the relatively low barriers to entry and set up costs. All you need is a takoyaki mould grilling machine, octopus, grease, batter, that dried shaved fishmeat stuff (katsuobushi), lots of Japanese mayonnaise and condiments and you're good to go. The smell of the batter grilling is just so yummy. There were lots of variations too if you aren't a fan of octopus: ham and cheese, tuna and chicken being a few of them.

And finally, this. I don't actually know what this is called. In fact, I don't know whether this even exists in Japan. I've certainly seen it in lots of sushi bars in Singapore but I have no clue if it is in fact a localisation. It reminds me of the deep fried Mars Bars in Scotland. Most things deep fried are yummy. Mars Bar is yummy. So by logical deduction, a deep fried Mars Bar is double-yummy. Right?

Same concept applies here:

The Deep Fried Sushi

Smothered with mayo and roe, no less. This one was a simple tuna and cucumber maki, dipped in tempura batter and dunked in hot oil. Delish...

Is this one authentic Japanese? Can you find it in Japan?

Back in Manchester

2009-10-14T17:09:00.004+01:00

There are a few good reasons why I disappeared over the summer, and they are as follows:

1. I've been on a Langkawi island trip with D on the back of a motorcycle

2. I've been snorkelling

3. I've been spending my time just chilling out and admiring one of my all time favourites of God's creations: the big blue sea

4. And finally, and most importantly - I got engaged!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!

Castlefield - my walk into the city centre

2009-05-31T19:20:00.004+01:00

This is St George's Island, a relatively new development by Dandara (a large mixed use property developer). St George's Island is made of five blocks of modern apartments (which kinda remind me of new HDB flats but no fear, there's nothing wrong with HDB flats and I love my flat very much. This is where I live, and for me the three biggest selling points of the apartment are:

1. The new-ness. No faulty windows or creaky floors. No cracked tiles or funny boilers.
2. The balcony which is accessible from all rooms within the flat through floor to ceiling sliding glass door-windows. Lots of sunlight and amazing to sit outside and just chill (or do pilates, sunbathe whatever - the balcony is massive compared to a lot of space-starved city centre apartments).
3. The proximity to the city centre without actually being in the city centre. I walk to work every day and it takes me about 20 minutes of leisurely walking. No buses shifting up and down the roads on the ground floor driving you nuts

So let me take you through my daily walk to work. Sorry I didn't get to take very many photos and the ones I did take didn't do very much to document the whole trip, and certainly not the excellent bars we have along the canal! I'll update this one when I get a chance to take more photos. Castlefield is extremely picturesque and so even for a photography noob like me, it's still pretty easy to capture good photos.

Geese and the canal. Yes we are inundated with geese and I have a love/hate relationship with these birds. They are pretty to look at but boy are they aggressive when you have (food) shopping bags in your hands. These geese have been completely urbanised and the sound of a rustling Sainsbury's plastic bag means food to them. The white bridge leads to the other side of the canal, a shortcut to Dukes 92, the Museum of Science and Industry, the White Lion and many other Castlefield gems. But we're keeping to this side of the canal to get to Deansgate station and beyond... into the city centre.

There are plenty of narrowboats going up and down the canal or just parked (docked?) at the sides of the canal. I often get the smell of woodfires as I walk to work, especially on a frosty winter's morning. Woodfires will always remind me of my little flat now. This dog is always around, s/he's really mellow and chilled out, and he loves lazing in the sun. Sometimes the boatowners put out knitted baby jumpers, pottery and other bits and bobs that they've made to sell to passers-by.

This is one of my favourite boats. It's definitely more modern than the others and looks out of place but there's something very cool about it. I love the nautical colours (blue and white). If you look beyond and into the background, behind the trees on the left, that's where the exit into the real Manchester city centre is. You go under a bridge (a motorway runs above it) and I always think of this exit point as being similar to the wardrobe in Narnia. Two different worlds, one bustly and concrete and the other chilled out and peaceful. I love Castlefield!

First signs of summer

2009-05-12T20:29:00.005+01:00

Newborn goslings! Fluffy little furballs with their baby down. I like to share little gems of Castlefield with you. These babies must have hatched a week or so ago and they are peddling their little webbed feet out through the canal that runs along my apartments into the city centre. WP and I had some crumpets in hand and decided to do a little test to see if they'll take to crumpets.

The parent geese were a little hissy at first but after some cajoling with pieces of crumpet, they were fine to let their young 'uns near us.

Nom nom nom

Arrghhh look at the little baby goose butt in the air! The crumpets sank very quickly and this one did a half dive to try to retrieve a sinking crumb. How clever, eh? They were able to fend for themselves and scurry for food despite being only a couple of weeks old max.

I love it that summer is finally here!

Oklahoma - Northern Quarter

2009-05-04T13:14:00.023+01:00

WP, a friend and journalist, and I took a walk round the city and in particular, the Northern Quarter of Manchester.

By way of a very short background, Manchester city centre is further divided into sub-areas. Each of these areas are known for having certain features, be it posh, high street, bric-a-brac, ghetto-ropey, urban, industrial, academic or commercial. For example, I live in Castlefield and it is known for being regenerated, nu-posh and full of young professionals. However, it is debatable as to whether this falls within the "city centre" in the strict or loose sense. I love Castlefield and it is my favourite part of the city centre. I'll talk about this in a separate post.

Today it's the Northern Quarter, and in particular, a cute little shop called Oklahoma.

As the name suggests, the NQ lies in the northern part of the city centre, right above the convergance point in Piccadilly Gardens. If I could pick just three words to describe the NQ, I would say it is:

1. Hippie (you know, Earth-friendly, say-no-to-waste, save the planet, organic produce)
2. Individualistic (no high-street chains or mass production - just really bespoke boutiques and shops)
3. Artsy (Prints, music, painting, posters - you name it, the NQ's got it)

WP asked if I could help her take some photos of Oklahoma as she was going to write a review of the place in an article for an online magazine. Her camera had ran out of juice and mine was still running. As the ever professional journalist, she had spoken to the shop owner before to ask questions and find out about the history of the place. I will post a link to her review here once it's published. As for me, I thought I'd just share my experience as a first-time visitor and my thoughts on the shop and its products and services.

You will see from the photograph above that Oklahoma is hidden behind a pair of solid wooden doors, graced by a neon sign above them reading OkLaHoMa. Higgledy-piggledy (sp?) neon letters and a cute orangutanhouse-esque menu next to the front door - so far so good. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time, nor belly space for lunch but the place seems obviously vegetarian/vegan and in line with the general theme of NQ shops, is probably fair trade and organic. There was not a sliver of chicken (battery farmed or otherwise) in sight.

Walking into the shop, I missed the cafe section entirely as my attention was immediately wooed by an explosion of kitsch and quirky products strewn haphazardly within the store.

On closer inspection, this appears to be an organised mess of knick-knacks.

Enter Oklahoma:

The first thing you see

Little socks hanging on the washing line

They even rented out DVDs - off the beaten-track ones, not your normal blockbuster films.

I know, anyone want a flamingo for your living room? I like the bags in the background, really cute and you'll spot them a mile away on the carousels in airports.

Cards, reusable shopping bags made from vietnamese rice sacks, paper chains, unidentifiable colourful objects

Quirky one liner mugs, crystal curtains and wrapping paper

Pots of beauty potions - they even carry Burt's Bees - my favourite lip balms!

The side entrance to the cafe. Love the frilly blue brolly and flower power seats. Every piece of furniture was slightly different from each other.

I really like these lunchboxes, they remind me of Strawberry Shortcake - a ubiquitous fixture on our pencil cases and dresses as children back in Malaysia.

The patrons were mostly young adults dropping by for a coffee, cake and conversation. I didn't see any families with children but would

Earrings, headbands and bangles - WP informs me these are Oklahoma's bestsellers

Finally, my favourite item in the whole shop - these adorable rainbow candy cane earrings. I love these!! Fantastic Plastic - the puffy cloud pieces at the end of the rainbows are so cute.

My verdict: Oklahoma definitely impresses in terms of its decor and layout. It sells a concept rather than products. I could find very few items which I actually needed - this is probably a place to visit when you need to find a present for a friend, as a bit of a joke or otherwise. (No one really needs a rubber chicken laying a rubber egg, or a pink clay flamingo). In the good times, there is a definite market for things we don't need, and Oklahoma markets them well. It's a little bit too chaotic and frivolous for my personal taste, I'm a minimalist I'm afraid. However, I could see how people would enjoy coming here for a nosey. Oklahoma is a feast for the eyes, but as to whether I would actually pick something up worth taking to the till and paying for...

My favourite item was the rainbow earrings - yes I would wear them. As for everything else, they're fun to look at but that's about it. I'm sure there are tonnes of people in Manchester who love Superman glasses (the cups, not the spectacles) and Korean Pucca headbands. I do think it makes perfect business sense to set up the cafe next door as this was bustling on a Saturday.

If you know someone who loves the fun and quirky, this is definitely a winner. It's a one stop shop - the cards, wrapping paper and present can be purchased and you could probably be quite certain that you won't be getting the same thing as her other friends who went gift-hunting on the high street.

Vege-thoughts

2009-04-13T12:06:00.002+01:00

I was vegetarian for a good two months or so and here are my thoughts:

1. Being vegan is nigh impossible. If you think going vegetarian is a big change, veganism is an absolute LIFESTYLE change - one which I personally find too much trouble for what it's worth. I don't feel passionate enough about (not) consuming animal products to be motivated to say no to milk, butter and eggs which are in everything.

2. Being vegetarian is easy because my favourite things like mushrooms, aubergines, cheese and bread are available.

3. I put on (!!!) weight being vegetarian. I think it's the carb overload. Lets just move swiftly on.

4. My hair started thinning out when I gave up meat. I think it's the lack of iron and protein. Lets just move swiftly on.

5. I am certainly making a conscious decision to make healthy choices (no processed meat ever) but am looking forward to regaining some balance in what I eat.

My first meme

2009-02-15T10:06:00.002Z

1. What is your name : you know lah

2. A four Letter Word : nest

3. A boy's Name : noel

4. A girl's Name : nancy

5. An occupation : neurosurgeon

6. A color : navy

7. Something you'll wear : navy uniform??

8. A verb: nurse

9. A food : nata de coco

10. Something found in the bathroom : nook

11. A place : negeri sembilan

12. A reason for being late : nintendo ds overplay

13. Something you'd shout : no!

14. A movie title : narnia

15. Something you drink : nestle ice tea

16. A musical group : no doubt

17. An animal : newt

18. A street name : neston street

19. A type of car : nissan

20. The title of a song : never ever

Vegan, with eggs

2009-02-14T16:07:00.003Z

Image taken from http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/vegan-pyramid-800x600.jpg

For the past month, I have made a conscious decision to give up all forms of meat. So far, it's actually worked out pretty well, much better than I expected. In fact, I don't actually miss meat!! Don't get me wrong, I love a good burger, grilled chicken and I adore any form of seafood. In fact, the hardest thing about being vegetarian would be the part where you give up seafood. Fortunately for me, fresh seafood in Britain is tres expensive, hence I never buy anyway. I did in the past buy frozen cod or frozen prawns but they lack flavour and are easy to give up. If I was in Malaysia on the other hand, things would be different - it would not be possible for me to give up fresh crab, lobster, freshly caught fish, mussels mmmmmMMMMMM as they are widely available. You know, the kind that still move before you chop their head off/ stab it / drop them in a hot pan.

There's more to give up, purely because I feel that a simple and easy line has to be drawn in order for me to shift the weight I have been so keen to lose. I want to lose 11 kgs.

From now onwards I will be vegan - i.e. no dairy products whatsoever (once I have finished up all the milky cheesy stuff in the fridge, there will be no wastage in my house!!). I will continue to eat eggs as I don't think I could give that up (yet!).

Two reasons for this: health & financial. Meat in general cost more than non-meat products. Cheese is an expensive part of my weekly food bill.

Wish me luck guys!!

Boys

2009-02-07T01:45:00.002Z

Normally D and I talk over the phone. We very seldom go on webcam because it's quite limiting - we have to stay put in front of the laptop, and hook ourselves up to the headphones and talk into the mic. I have a cordless phone at home:

Pro: Can move everywhere, do dishes, cook, tidy up...

Cons: I always forget where I put the darn phone, and so have to use my mobile phone to ring it. Sometimes, I also forget where I put the mobile phone - PROBLEMMM.

Anyway, so very rarely, we decide to go online and talk to each other over video conferencing, especially when his nephews are around because they want to talk to "mee shin". And they are so FLIPPIN CUTEEEE, I love watching them jump around and make faces. Matthew's 3 and Jake's 1 year old.

A couple of days ago, we decided to do just that. Finally when I was totally exhausted talking to the boys and trying to entertain them with silly faces, I asked D to shoo them away. He did, and then parked himself in front of the computer and talked to me. But his eyes were glued on the TV. Superbowl weekend - don't ask. It was fine, cuz I was surfing the net as well, and he was still talking to me. After awhile though he became a little quiet, with the odd exclamation like "urrgh! snap! whoooah! hooohooohooooooo!" when something exciting happens during the game.

I carried on chattering away about my day, and what he thinks about the heavy snowfall here in England, or how during the course of the weekdays we should spend time meeting with God and just being in His presence. He was doing his normal "mmhmm, yup, cool, yeah" mid-exclamation.

And then he moved slightly and all of a sudden he burst out laughing. I asked him what the matter was.

Diego: "Oh man I'm so sorry babe but I actually pointed the remote at you and tried to pause you."

Walau.

Winter '09: Breakfast for two - Sweet pancakes & spiced potatoes (21/12)

2009-01-17T16:35:00.010Z

I woke up that morning, walked into the living room and poked D buried in the couch.

Me: Hey breakfast? Savoury or sweet?
D: Mpphrgghhh.
Me: Ok both.

Before I start, I just want to explain that these two breakfast goodies are NOT meant to be eaten together. Unless you're a little bit strange. And lets face it, we're all a little bit strange, which makes those who are perfectly normal the strange ones.

Think about it.

Right, first the pancakes. Cinnamon is actually one of D's favourite things. I like cinnamon too, but he takes his love for cinnamon to a completely different level. Cinnamon flavoured chewing gum anyone?

So I present to you a step-by-step guide to making Cinnamon Apple Caramel pancakes... from scratch.

First get half a cup of sugar, two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of water and bring to a simmer. Be careful, simmering sugar is VERY HOT. You want to get it to a point where the sugar has dissolved into a syrup, and the syrupy mixture turns a caramel brown colour, like so:

Prior to mixing the sugar, you will have of course been super organised and cored and diced some apples. Most people prefer the apples peeled, but I like the texture of apple skin, so I kept this on. Remember, you need to get the apples ready because there is a point where the bubbling caramel mixture turns into caramel and is ready to engulf the apples in its warm sugary love. Wait any longer, the sugar burns and there's no turning back. You'll have a pan of burnt sugar which you need to scour, and missed out on really good caramel.

So go ahead and dunk your apples in! Mix to coat and let it simmer awhile more.
Now take some cinnamon. I happened to be in Tesco when I got this but cinnamon is cinnamon, so any one will do. Haha, my thumb is FATSSSS.

Dunk it in baby. Liberally. Don't hold back. Mmmmm... Arllughghhhlllhhgghhh (*Homer Simpson style*)

Now for the pancake batter, this is the mixture I have been using since time immemorial. Well not really, since a French friend of mine taught me how her mummy makes it: One egg, one cup flour, half cup water, half cup milk, and a little bit of salt. Only I changed it a little bit, and tweaked it to how I like pancakes! One cup flour, one cup milk rested with a teaspoon of vinegar (makes a good buttermilk substitute) one egg, a little bit of salt. Simple right? But soooo good trust me.

Next spray the skillet with some oil and put a little bit of batter, swirling to form a thin pancake. When the top starts bubbling, it's a good time to flip. Unlike this prematurely flipped pancake.

Make a stackful. I'll present the final product in a bit :)

Whilst you're doing all this, you would have been boiling some diced potatoes for your Spiced Potatoes! I boiled these in a chicken stock for extra flavour. Mmmm..

Spray some oil in a pan, cook some diced onions until translucent and soft and lay the cooked potatoes in one layer (so they all get the chance to be coated in a lovely crispy outer layer). Season pepper, cayenne pepper and Lawry's Seasoned Salt.

Get a little closer...

When one side is to your satisfactory level of crispyness (crispiness?), flip them and do the same with the other side.

Dish and serve!

Here's what the pancakes looked like stacked and drizzled with apple caramel topping, and of course the potatoes:

Lazy pants!

2009-01-14T20:44:00.002Z

"Moleland: Eh how come you still work gym eat sleep?"

Yes ladies and germs I know the last blog entry was made 7 months ago. Shame shame! Drop and give meh twentehhh!

Now that previous post is absolutely prehistoric because no longer do I hit the gym. In fact, as per January 2009, my gym membership is officially cancelled. Incidentally one of my New Year's resolution is to lose 10 kgs. But that's counterproductive, you say. It boggles the mind! That's impossible! How will she do it? By sheer will power that's how! Also, I bought a purple pilates mat for £3.99 at Quality Save. All I need to do now is to unwrap the mat ever so carefully, place it ever so carefully on my living room floor and do it like my ex-Pilates instructor taught us to.

My goals for the year:

1. Wait on God with an expectant heart, continue to seek Him and His Word.
2. Lose 10kg
3. Save ££ for the LPC
4. Blog regularly and often (like so!)
5. Spend more time with people, no matter how much I loooove spending time alone, keeping in touch is important.

Inspired to write

2008-06-21T13:46:00.002+01:00

I'm always apologising for not updating my blog regularly. Bad Elle, naughty Elle, *slap on wrists*. There we go.

Well to be honest the reasons are perfectly legitimate. In the past three weeks I am either:

1. Working
2. At church
3. In the gym
4. Cartwheeling around deeds packets trying to prepare reports on title
5. At client events
6. At work events
7. Preparing pitch documents
8. Out with friends who are either
8.1 Celebrating their birthdays
8.2 Celebrating their engagement
8.3 Celebrating being single
8.4 Going away to
8.4.1 Peru to teach English
8.4.2 Canada to be a lawyer
8.4.3 All over the world to, just travel... FOR A WHOLE YEAR!

Good grief my humble rented apartment is like a hotel. I don't even shower here anymore. It's basically work --> gym --> shower hair & make up at gym --> back to work to leave my gym stuff and swap my trainers for some nice velvet heels --> out for drinks at any of the above non-work situations. I am out of the house at 8am and back in at about 11pm to midnight.

My eyebags are bigger than my eyes!

Which is why I am REVELING in the face that it's the first Saturday in weeks that I am in my room, typing on my laptop at 2pm, STILL IN MY COMFY COSY PYJAMAS. My feet are thanking me, I can hear them now..."oooh baby thank you thank you for not making us trot around in three inch peep toes!". I walk around barefoot on comfy ivory carpet that we have in our cheap ya-ya aparment.

I am rested, happy and loving this me-time!

Perhaps I will even have time to post photos on Italy, Wales, and miscellaneous :)

Watch this space

Haha just kidding... I'll do it now.

Lets see, which one shall we do first?

Soulbaring

2008-05-31T21:32:00.002+01:00

To be perfectly honest I like living here in the UK. The perks are endless - cheap journeys to continental Europe for travelling, an established and accountable government and systems, interesting people, a variety of places to hang out, eat, shop and explore and working here is not too shabby at all. Good friends and colleagues, and a great church family.

However I can't help wishing that I had more here - am I being greedy? I wished my family and friends from home were here. I wished Orchard Road was here. I miss Malaysian / Sgian conversations, my family and my boyfriend. Now to add to the confusion, Boyfriend is in sunny California.

I have been praying for an answer, a clear direction which is God's and not solely mine. Because Lord knows (literally) how confused I am. Should I/ Will I / Can I stay? Or should I go back to Sg/Msia?

Dear God,

You know the desires of my heart and that I long for a training contract here in the UK. My search has so far been futile and you know the disappointment I feel with each rejection that comes. I pray for your authority over my career, and that you will guide me to choose the right job and contract, and that I will succeed. I thank you Father for blessing me with my current job which I prayed for, for the experience has helped me grow in confidence and knowledge of the legal industry by leaps and bounds.

But most of all, I pray Father for you to show me where I should go, and grant me the patience, security and faith to wait upon You and seek You first.

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

Back from Italy

2008-05-31T13:58:00.002+01:00

I'm back from Italy which was absolutely beautiful. I travelled with E, an old girl friend who I used to go to junior college with. Travelling with her, even if it was for just five days, made me miss my old life a lot, and I LOST WEIGHT JUST HANGING OUT WITH HER! Granted I was walking loads but my eating habits have evidently changed. I used to eat like she does, and every one else back home - healthy, and now I am this pudgy girl!

I am resolved to be my old self, a high achiever both inside and out!

2008-05-29T22:27:00.001+01:00

Just because someone doesn't love you
in the way you want them to,
doesn't mean that they don't love you
with all they've got.

Hiatus

2008-05-22T21:46:00.002+01:00

I am so sorry I've been away for so long! Sorry to the grand total of two people who read my poor journal.

Anyway the reason for my recent no-show is that I have too much work to do and after-work meet-ups to engage in. My poor home laptop has been severely neglected and I can't exactly blog from work... the horror!

Another reason is that I am trying to tie up loose ends as I am going to Italy this Bank Holiday weekend! Yes my dears, Rome, Milan and Florence here I come!!!! I am so excited everytime I think of it my tummy does a happy joyful jig of delight. This is something I am definitely blogging about when I get back. Come to think of it I am yet to blog about Wales. It's not entirely my fault though, everytime I try to upload even one measly photo, my computer freezes. It's past its time and should have retired a long time ago.

5 essentials

2008-05-03T16:55:00.002+01:00

The five condiments/ingredients I must have in my kitchen at all times are:

1. Soy sauce
2. Wine
3. Garlic
4. Olive Oil
5. Rice

What are yours?

Bug eyed

2008-05-03T11:23:00.004+01:00

If you know me personally, or even if you look back at my previous posts, you would have figured out that I adore cooking and food in general. I love making meals, baking, entertaining, thinking up new ideas and at this stage of my life I just wish I made more money to be able to buy quality ingredients!

As a fresh graduate in a graduate job, my hours are a tad long and the wages are reasonable but I am pretty much confined to shopping Asda Smartprice and Tesco Value.

Nothing wrong with value stuff really, sugar is sugar.

I do occasionally browse through Harvey Nichols' Food Market, farmer's markets in various towns across the UK or Marks and Spencer's Food Hall but my favourite ingredients like scallops, crab, pomfrets and tilapia are extremely pricey here in the UK.

Harvey Nick's Food Market - It's all very pretty but a little pretentious and a lot overpriced.

For instance, I saw 10 scallops - DEAD, clingwrapped scallops in a tray - being sold for 5.89 GBP at M&S a few days ago. How is that ever justified when the scallops, crabs and huge tiger prawns you have ever bought were sold in huge bags, still squirming and hopping and opening and closing, for the same price from the local fishermen back in Malaysia? My father and I are both huge surf fans whilst my mother is more a turf person - her favourite meat is lamb. I used to tag along with Pa (who himself grew up in a fishing village) to his old fishermen friends (lol!) who have been at sea since before the break of dawn. We would be one of the first to be there and if you have got fishermen friends or are just crazy about seafood you would understand why. Their van would be parked underneath a tree and wooden foldable tables would be brought out, unfolded and crates of hopping flapping fish, shellfish and crustaceans caught from the day before or early morning would be laid out. The fishermen are jolly people with smiles on their wind and sun weathered faces. I guess you just take a different perspective on life when your job takes you out to the sea and nature's elements every day, as opposed to sitting on a chair at a desk facing a PC.

Selfridges food hall, London - do you see the fish floppity flopping? I don't think so! They're still and probably a few days dead - yucky.

2008-04-30T14:49:00.002+01:00

Breakfast
Cereal & Milk (Yes no more Atkins, it wasn't working!) (250kcal)
Vienna Sausages, a bit of cheese and rocket salad (300kcal)

Lunch
Double cheeseburger (oh no - 445kcal)

I am only having crudites for dinner!

Food diary and Jo Malone

2008-04-28T21:49:00.002+01:00

Mmmmm... I've got Jo Malone's Lime Basil and Mandarin scent on me and I smell divine :)

Food diary for the day:

Breakfast:

Tub of crayfish - 120kcal
Latte - 160kcal

Lunch

Green Salad with cheese, egg and mixed vegetables in a tomato sauce - 550kcal
Diet Coke (Caffeine free) - 2kcal

Dinner

4 pc Chicken McNugget - 178kcal

One egg and sliced sausage - 300kcal

Cheese fondue with dash of white wine and garlic - celery, asparagus, tender stemmed brocolli, mushrooms, sliced sausage - 680kcal

2090 kcal :( WHY!!

Fashion show

2008-04-26T14:24:00.003+01:00

I attended a fashion show at the Lowry Hotel yesterday which was organised by Harvey Nichols.

The clothes were pretty interesting, some were way to "fashionable" for me to pull off (i.e., I am not skinny enough) but most of them were fabulous. The SHOES were fabulous! I would wear every single pair that came down the runway.

The highlight of the evening was, of course, not the champagne, tasty canapes or eye-candy...

It was, THE GOODY BAG.

Yeehaa! I love the Goody Bag! Jo Malone, St Tropez, Creme de la Mer YAYYYY!

Saturday morning

2008-04-26T11:20:00.004+01:00

I love lazy Saturdays! Woke up at 7am (yes, 7 am - something is terribly wrong with me!) and lounged in my baby shorts and baby tee. I was feeling for something extra special for breakfast so I made fondue! How retro :) There is no smell more delicious and aaaaah-worthy than the aroma of wine, lemon juice and garlic bubbling in a saucepan before a heap of grated cheese gets thrown in. I threw in a pinch of cayenne pepper and let the fondue slowly do its thing while I chopped up some capsicum, celery, smoked mackerel, fresh mushrooms and parma ham and put them in little bowls for dipping. Here's a photo of what it kinda looked like, minus the bread chunks:

(photo sourced from Google Images, I was too hungry and happy to remember to take a photo of my fondue)

I then kicked back in my sofa, brewed some tea, poured out the fondue into a pre-heated china bowl and tucked in. Yummy! Saturdays are days when I can be a lady of leisure (tai-tai!). There was nothing good on television and I did not feel like watching the news just yet.

Put some Sex and the City on and oooh baby! I absolutely love SATC! I can't decide which season is my favourite, it keeps changing. The other reason why I love the shows so very much is because it reminds me of SATC DVD marathons with Rach, Ph, Yun, occassionally SS and SL, LL would join in. Boarding school days were such wonderful times with amazing friends! Friends I still cherish today. I can't wait for the movie to come out. Girls, shall we make it a point to watch it together the next time we all see each other again?

I do miss the good old times but look forward to what is to come!

You may notice that my fondue selection did not involve any bread although I do loooove bread. I am trying to go low-carb, Atkins 6 days a week and one low carb day where I am allowed just a little tiny smidgen of carbs just to stop myself from going crazy and binging on carbs on a strict Atkins. I do feel better and I lost about 1 lb (a pound!) but I'm probably just less bloated!

When I told LM, my ever-supportive boyfriend replied:

"Baby," Gosh I hate it when he says that word with a certain tone of voice. "I hate to rain on your parade but one whole pound is actually not much of a weight loss. You could poop or be dehydrated and lose that much."

Whatevaaa.

It's official

2008-04-19T14:21:00.003+01:00

Exercise makes you gain weight. Well at least it makes ME gain weight. Don't listen to what anyone else tells you. I am two weeks into my exercise regime which involves a good mix of cardio, strength training and stretches. I don't do big weights, and I do more cardio than strength training. I have been eating normally (not eating any more than usual).

I absolutely love good home made food or dining out somewhere nice so I knew a strict diet would bring me nowhere (i.e. I would break all the boundaries I set myself!) so I was hoping to regularly work off all the calories I take in. No such hope :(

The positive thing that has come from this though is that I can run further and faster, I can do more reps of the same weights (I am trying not to move up to heavier weights because I do not want to look like this). I am more flexible and I have got into the most random pilates positions I never thought I could do!

So yes, I may still be quite far off my target BMI and weight but I can fold like a pretzel - YAY.

Last night was firm drinks and it was a lot of fun - I haven't laughed this much in absolutely ages! Did it have anything to do with the open bar (free drinks!)? Of course not ;)

Despite getting into bed quite late and pretty tipsy, I woke up at 8am on the dot and couldn't fall back to sleep. I made some sushi for breakfast and am currently watching Bloomberg Money Weekend. Oh man I am such a loser, I should be waking up at noon and watching E! or something. I should behave more my age or bear the risk of being completely boooooring.

On that note, I leave you with a photo of one of the many beautiful sunsets I was lucky to have witnessed during my trip to Wales. I can't believe I am yet to blog about this! I will soon I promise!

p/s - I forgot to mention I currently have FABULOUS nails thanks to "Tommy" at Nail City in the City Centre. I should really take a photo of them.

2008-04-08T13:41:00.001+01:00

Breakfast
Swiss Muesli & Milk (300kcal)

Mid-morning
Skinny latte (70kcal)
4 Rich Tea Biscuits (160kcal)

Lunch
Half a chicken & salad sandwich (210kcal)
Mini sushi set (160kcal)
So far - 900 kcal :)

Dinner
Bowl of spiced parsnip & carrot soup (190kcal)
3 slices of Nimble bread with butter (300kcal)
Can of tuna - drained (331kcal)

Total: 1721 kcal

I went to the gym today :)

Weighed myself and am NOT losing weight. Why??