Ox-picious start to 2009

Have been battling the dreaded sore throat,cough and flu bug(the works) for almost a week and the worst thing is thatI have yet to start on the new year goodies!All the pineapple tarts, sugee cookies, kueh lapis ...

Throughout the few days of feasting, all I could do was stare at the spread before me and take photos (how sad right).But strangly enough, I still DID NOT lose any weight.. sigh...

Hopefully I will recover by tomorrow else my weekends are so gonna be burnt!!

Pineapple Tart Frenzy

I was on the verge of giving up baking pineapple tarts (after trying 2 different recipes) when I chanced upon a winning formula from my colleague ..yippee!!

Only problem now is how to make them look prettier!!Hahaha..

My first try was pretty ok but lack the milky taste to it so that failed my own test. The second try was by following a recipe on the Sunday Times and it was really bland ... Dad even had to suggest spreading peanut butter on it (to make it more edible???!!) ...

So it was with much anticipation that I embarked on my third (and final) try and lo & behold, it turned out to be what I like ..the melt in your mouth texture...yummy...

Ok, I admit, I cheated.I had to "bug" my colleague to ask her mum for the recipe after tasting one of her yummy pineapple tarts...hehehe

Watching them is a joy ...
What else can you do while waiting right ? Pose lor...hehehe

My not-so-round pineapple tarts

I love these 贺词 ... fun!

一帆风顺、

二龙腾飞、

三羊开泰、

四季平安、

五福临门、

六六大顺、

七星高照、

八方来财、

九九同心、

十全十美、

百事亨通、

千事吉祥、

万事如意!!!

I am a trainer's nightmare

Have you ever attended a training and came out of the class totally dumbfounded ?Well it was exactly how I felt today after Day 1 of training. Granted, it was an enjoyable session, trainer was pretty eloquent and engaging,but I was struggling real hard to make the connection between what was taught and the course objectives. Tek boleh match sia ...sigh ....

I "endured" all the way till the end of the class before I could no longer hold my horses and charged ... err... strolled cooly more likely, to the trainer, flashed my innocent grin and then went for the kill ...muahahaha ..and said, "After an entire day of training, I am still UNABLE to see the connection of the content with the OBJECTIVEs ....blah blah blah ....as HR (though me participant only) need to ensure that money is well invested in effective course with real application ...blah blah blah .... "

This obviously was kind of a shocker to the trainer cos by that time, all of his other "students" have gleefully scooted out of the room (of cos what, ended at 5pm),except this joker.

So the next 10 min was spent trying to flip through the handbook (which was like not used 90% of the time while teaching)to show me where the course objective was and trying his level best to convince me of the indirect linkage of all that was taught.

At the end of our conversation, I was none wiser and even more pissed (which resulted in this entry) with the far fetch concept that was presented.

Maybe it is an occupational hazard (to constantly evaluate trainers), maybe it is just me with my high expectations , or maybe , probably maybe, the trainer just happen to be "suay" to meet me with my Monday Blues .

One takeaway though .. I am an ENTP type under MBTI profile ....will that give a clue why I am such a nightmare ?hahahaa

Black Forest Gateau for Mum's Birthday

My first attempt at baking a Black Forest Cake for Mum's Birthday.

Though it is not visible in the photo, there are layers of cherries and cream in between which is the most difficult part to do ...hehehe..


I do hope that it will turn out yummy .... = )

Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcake

After my success with the Chocolate Chip Muffins, I decided I HAD to buy the same series of cookbook but this time round, it was cupcakes and I finally bought it 2 days back!

So it was with great enthusiaism that I gathered all my ingredients and started work on what SEEMED to be one of the easiest recipe.. the Lemon Meringue Pie Cupcake. I mean, how difficult can it be right, just squeeze some lemon juice, throw in some lemon rind and hey presto, my cupcake is done!

I was soooooo wrong !!!What started out as a quick baking therapy soon became a test of preserverance as I squeeze and grated and mixed and cooked and whipped and beat into a 3.5hr marathon.Yes, exactly! I must be out of my mind and what's more incredulous was that I started at 10.30pm and ended at 2am (hahaha... told you I was mad)

So, here are the fruit of my labour (pardon the amateurish look yah ).. The Lemon Meringue Cupcake！！！

Sand's Birthday Celebration

Happy New Year !!

A & E

Just came back from having spent 9 hrs at NUH today and I am really zonked out by now.

What happened was that at 12.30pm today, suddenly I received a phone call from Gran's home (which is like NEVER a good sign when one receives call from home during working hrs) and my Auntie was rattling off in a panicky and shaken voice that grannie has gone all soft and fainted twice at the dining table and she is at lost as to what to do next.

My mind went blank when I heard that cos I am extremely close to my grannie and I cannot imagine (and refused to imagine) the worst.

I swiftly grabbed my laptop and ran out of the office and sped my way home. Looking back, it was pretty scary the way I rammed my engine as I attempted to pick up speed. But good senses got the better of me and safety prevailed

Anyway, by the time I reached home, the ambulance has already arrived and gran looked pretty weak and in a daze when they wheeled her onboard. Since children are not allowed on the ambulance, we had to leave grannie alone with the paramedics (so sad) and my Aunt, cousin& I followed behind in my car

When we were at the A & E, grannie was quickly pushed into the room for doctors' attention and that is when the incredible waiting started. We waited for 3 hrs before a doctor came to speak to us and asked some questions and then the waiting resumed for the next 3 hrs. All these went on without us being granted any time with gran or any information on how she was getting along. The only thing we know is that she needs to be warded and is queueing for a bed space. Soon, concern turned to weariness and exhaustion and I was getting impatient

My phone was also ringing off the hook with uncle and cousins and mum asking for updates of the situation. Especially from uncle in SZ who witnessed the fainting incidents throught SKYPE

At 7.15pm, I finally gotten a call from the nurse informing us that we are allowed to see gran and we hurriedly made our way to the ward. It was a huge relief when we saw grannie sitting up on her bed and beckoning us to her bed . Colour has gone back to her cheeks and she was no longer breathless or weak like earlier on. She even managed to play with Baby Jun and related the fainting incident to us.Though we were all chirpy and making lots noise teasing each other in the ward about missing our favourite TV show (which is Little Nonya), I know that we are all putting up a brave front so as not to affect grannie

Though there is no confirmed diagnosis as yet(more tests need to be done), stroke or a heart condition may be the probable cause

I just hope that gran will recover really quickly

Heartland

I love walking around the heartlands, buzzing with activities, and taking in all the sights and sounds.

Here's an introduction to Hougang ... nearest town to Sengkang and one of my favourite place to shop .

Apparently there was some Karaoke singing competition and this uncle was belting out his tune with much gusto and was pretty macho man ....hehehe...Sand was staying this is a typical Karaoke pose to show heartache and angst ..hahahah


Kids enjoying themselves while their parents were glued to the Karaoke Competition. Yippee !

Always thought Malay barber shops are really cool with their crew cuts. Stylo SIA !

Sneaked up to a group of Ah Peks (oops, some lads too) pitting their skills at Chinese Chess. The hilarious thing was that when I took the shot, the Malay Barber (cos this was placed outside the shop) came out and this is what happened .

Barber : *Smiles* Why are you taking the picture ?

Me : Errr .. for my own keeps ...* smiles sheepishly*

Barber : You want to interview my boss or not ? See that young man over there in blue, he is the boss ... Oi Ah "XXX", this girl want to interview you !!

Me : *Panics* ... No, no, no .... I dun want to interview him ... Oh, Hello *waves to Mr "XXX" ...hehehehe

Barber : You doing school project ah ?

Me : Yah yah , hehehe .. thank you..... bye bye .. * scoots off quickly*

Hahahaha ... me must have looked "young" ...still doing school project ....

Found this at a traditional medicinal hall and wanted to get Sand to pose next to the bottles so that I can take the retro thermos flask but she refused (think she learnt her lesson in Bangkok..hahaha..ask her for the story the next time you see her) so it is ZOOM lens to the rescue!

Oh, who can miss out the newspaper auntie .. Ma Bui Po .....

A must have in most heartland towns, the towel & curtain shop. But sometimes the towels are not absorbent enough leh ...

A pity the shop was not opened ..have always been intrigued by the workings of the Dang Tian..

Muffins Galore

Was totally overcome by excitement when I saw this book at the book store and I grabbed onto it with my dear life! I have tried quite a few muffin recipes but none was satisfactory so was filled with hope that this will do the trick... *keeping my fingers crossed*

Of cos I was not alone in my baking frenzy ...had Sand Sand to help me and take my pics too (noticed how I LOOKED slimmer ...hehehe...Sand is a pro at that already cos I kept nagging NOT to take my fat arms..hahaha)

Anyway, it was a pretty simple recipe and we had fun baking & mixing ...

My final creation... Vanilla Chocolate Chip Muffins on my new pretty plate (see I told you it will come in useful... see my previous entry..hahaha)

Extremely pleased with how the muffins turned out.It is very unlike the typical buttery muffin (which bro likes so he is not a fan of this batch).

Instead, it tasted more similar to those muffins found at the coffee/tea joints & cafes with a milky after taste. Good thing was that it is neither oily nor overly sweet and would be a great snack during tea time.

Post Christmas Sale!

Yup, you heard me right ... Tis the season to be jolly cos the Post Christmas Sale is now On ...woahhhooooo...

Actually, what started as innocent window shopping (yah right, like who will ever believe that I will ONLY window shop??!!) developed into a full blown shopping mania at Aussino@Paragon.

I mean the store was huge (oki, me sua ku can, never been to Paragon outlet what..hehehe) and within minutes, the damage was done.

After 2 sets of bedsheets, 1 set of quilt cover, 2 sets of kitchen towels, 2 pairs of bedroom slippers, 2 sets of plates and an apron & mitten set, I was totally happy with myself. Yeah !!

So here's what my mum will says as SPLURGING but they are so adorable that I MUST have them ....= P

Princessy "fur"lined slippers is an essential in the bedroom okie...

Such adorable darlings ..Anyone for a cuppa tea & muffin?

花花one ... I like.....

Perfect attire for my new found hobby (baking!)

So... justifiable not ?? = )

Singapore Flyer

As part of Yi Ma's 60th Birthday Celebration, our family decided to go on the Singapore Flyer on Sunday. Though it was drizzling, we did have fun posing in the cabin(if that is what you call it) . More pictures later.

Here's the compulsory group pic we took which we of cos only paid for 1 copy and scan it for all.Hahaha

Work is Fun..sometimes!

Ok, for those who think these photos are familiar, you are right cos most of them are in my facebook (aka FB) too !

So why am I posting them here ? Well ...... this is for the benefit of 1 or 2 of my avid "reader" who refuse to have a FB account .. you know who you are !!hahaha .. but anyway, I love to yak so this gives me another chance to do so ...hehehe

So after 30 hrs of being on the plane and car, I finally reached North Carolina and that marks the start of my visit to our various plants along the East Coast.

I sure not bore you with the work details but it was really quite a good learning experience and maybe my next career switch could be overseas! Am entitled to dream right ?hehehe

Back to more fun stuff, true to my trigger happy fingers, how can I not snap pics as I go right ? For the first 5 days, I had to contain my urge to whip up my camera as we drove from places to places cos official duties mah ... cannot right ?

So when I heard we will be driving up to Washington DC for the weekend, I was over the moon ..finally some kodak moments!

This was taken in a considerably wealthy estate in Greenville, North Carolina. It is really a huge house with pool and yard at the back. In fact, there is even a personal driveway to the house.Not that we stayed there, I wish.

These mall signs were seen in every state, though the shops differ.

Oh, my new found friends since they accompanied me almost at every breakfast ...with the exception on Apple Butter which I think is an acquired taste.
This is my favourite hotel, Best Western Old Colony Inn in Washing DC.Greatest thing about it is that they have a common pantry fully stocked up with all kinds of cookies, instant noodles & soup,cereal bars,chips,chocolates,candies etc. There is even a coffee machine and the fridge is filled with juices, canned drinks and bottled mineral water.No guests will even go hungry in the middle of the night.

Though this concept will never work in Asia especially Singapore !hahaha

I did my laundry there too and I was delighted with the little cover note they placed. So endearing to see "I LOVE OUR CUSTOMER" .. oki, I am a softie...

Oh, you know what is in the little bag with green words ? I actually left $50 in the pockets of my jeans which I have sent for laundry and it was returned in that little bag cos as it says "WE ALWAYS CHECK YOUR POCKETS BEFORE CLEANING" ...awwwww ....

Time for a diet .. can hardly see my shape ... or whatever is left of it.hahaha

How explicit !Yes... NO CASH INSIDE

For those who remembers...WENDYS with their yummy burgers.I managed to grab a burger there and was served with a square beef patty along with the bun. Din recall we had that but maybe I was too young then to recall.

We were craving for Chinese food so Chinatown here we go.However, was disappointed that the Chinatown in Washington DC is but a few shops along 1 street.Anyway, dinner was settled at FULL KEE where we tucked in to roasted duck,fried french bean, tofu etc ...

One of my colleague who is familiar with DC brought us to this interesting seafood market on a floating platform.Yup, all the stalls are on a platform that goes up when it is high tide.
Here is how it looks like at low tide.When the tide comes in, the stall will be raised up. Cool right.

Here's the scrumptious seafood ... Alaskan CRAB !!
A must see in DC ... the Abraham Lincoln Memorial.
Was overcome by a wave of emtions as I stood before the statue.

Korean War memorial - Freedom is not Free

Spotted this cute Daddy... oops, cute Tee I meant ...freudian slip..hahaha

Flags standing tall while guarding the WWII memorial

A little break for the tourist (there were like bus loads of them!) Duck Tours!!
LEESBURG CORNER ...the outdoor mall where I went crazy trying to shop within 3 hrs. So many shops... so little time! My only real shopping for the entire 10 days.Quick quick quick ...
My archilles heel ....I had to restrain myself from cleaning off shelves after shelves of bags.And at the end of the day, I only bought 2 for myself.Sigh .... all becos of official trips ...hahaha

Finally after 1 full day of sightseeing and shopping madness, we decided to indulge in comfort food. Fried kway teow, wanton noodle,rendang etc .. SEDAP !

Ok, if you ever crave for Malaysian & Singaporean crusine,go look for the restaurant PENANG. Heard they have branches in several states but the best is in Washing DC.

Before you think that I have another entry on day 2 sightseeing, you are so wrong cos the next day we had to drive 4 hrs to Pennsylvannia and the work starts again....