It's all about me, me, me, me, me!!!

Here's to show that my housemates and friends know me really well...
How crappy is ting?!


I came home to this!


It must have been really hard to make the G


Star sushi rice~


Grilled chicken wings~


Claypot vegetables~


Steamed fish~


Thank you everyone! Delicious home-cooked meal~

Be generous, donate!

If someone donates sperm, is he being unfaithful?

I do realise wolf whistle may be the wrong word.

Lame joke

有一天, 一颗糖走在路上. 走啊走, 它的脚就很软... 所以变成软糖了!

*Compliments of R.

It's complicated

I noticed these issues around me recently:

A: I like him but I'm not sure if it will last.
B: I love him but I like others too.
C: I love him but I've stopped thinking about forever.
D: I love him but I'm not sure if we are compatible

What happened to 'I love him! I really do!'?

***

簡單愛 Jian Dan Ai Simple Love
Jay Chou


說不上為什麼
shuo bu shang wei shen me
Couldn’t really say why

我變得很主動
wo bian de hen zhu dong
I became very initiative-taking (or “active” as opposed to “passive”)

若愛上一個人 / 什麼都會值得去做
re ai shang yi ge ren / shen me dou hui zhi de qu zuo
If you fall in love with someone, anything is worth doing

Pre Chorus

我想大聲宣佈
wo xiang da sheng shun bu
I want to announce loudly

對妳依依不捨
dui ni yi yi bu she
That I can’t bear to be apart from you

連隔壁鄰居都猜到我現在的感受
lian ge bi ling ju dou cai dao wo xian zai de gan shao
Even my next door neighbors can guess my feelings right now

Chorus 1

河邊 / 的風 / 在吹著頭髮/ 飄動
he bian / de feng / zai chui zhe tou fa / piao dong
The breeze by the river, is blowing your hair, swaying

牽著 / 妳的/ 手一陣莫名/ 感動
qian zhe / ni de / shou yi zhen mo ming / gan dong
Holding your hand, a sense of unknowingly being touched

我想帶妳回我的外婆家
wo xiang dai ni hui wo de wai po jia
I want to take you to my grandma’s home

一起 / 看著日落 / 一直到我們都睡著
yi qi / kan zhe ri luo / yi zhi dao wo men dou shui jiao
Watching the sunset together until we fall asleep

Chorus 2

我想就這樣牽著妳的手不放開
wo xiang jiu zhe yang qian zhe ni de shou bu fang kai
I want to just hold your hand like this and not let go

愛能不能夠永遠單純沒有悲哀
ai neng bu neng gou yung yuan dan chun mei you bei ai
Can love be forever innocent without sadness

我 想帶妳騎單車
wo, xiang dai ni qi dan che
I want to take you bike-riding

我 想和妳看棒球
wo, xiang he ni kan bang qiu
I want to watch baseball with you

想這樣沒擔憂 唱著歌 一直走
xiang zhe yang mei dan you chang zhe ge yi zhi zou
Want to be like this with no worries, singing as we walk along

我想就這樣牽著妳的手不放開
wo xiang jiu zhe yang qian zhe ni de shou be fang kai
I want to just hold your hand like this and not let go

愛可不可以簡簡單單沒有傷害
ai ke bu ke yi jian jian dan dan mei you shang hai
Can love be simple without pain

妳 靠著我的肩膀
ni, kao zhe wo de jian pang
You leaning on my shoulder

妳 在我胸口睡著
ni, zai wo xiong kou shui jiao
You sleeping on my chest

像這樣的生活 我愛妳 妳愛我
xiang zhe yang de sheng huo wo ai ni, ni ai wo
Like this kind of life, I love you, you love me

想 簡！簡！單！單！ 愛
xiang! Jian! Jian! Dan! dan! Ai...
Want simple simple love!

想 簡！簡！單！單！ 愛
xiang! Jian! Jian! Dan! dan! Ai...
Want simple simple love!

The journey of making peanut butter cookies

We, at house no. 31, are getting domesticated. Yesterday, after dinner, we were wondering what the post-dinner plans were. This despite having tons of assignments to complete, and loads of readings to catch up on. We decided to commence on our current(on 3 May 2006)-but-soon-to-be-ex(from 4th May 2006)-favourite activity: baking!

We did not want to make poo poo again because we can only pay for so many dental trips. In a complete turnaround, we wanted soft cookies. After much LOUD-slam-the-table-squat-on-floor-stomp-around-the-house laughter and near-collapses (both the cookies and us), we finally manage to churn out the peanut butter cookies!

Ok... So they were not soft but they were smashing!



The trip to peanut butter cookie heavendom was not uneventful. I shall narrate what one of the shall-remain-unnamed housemates did. Granted, it might be faster to narrate what she did right, but where's the fun in that! (kidding my dear unnammed housemate!)

Recipe
It says to mix sugar and butter together. Flour to be added to the sugar-butter mixture later. She said, "Add sugar to flour!"

It says to use softened butter. She said, "Melt the butter!"

It says to preheat oven to 150 degrees. She used the grill function. Hey! Maybe grilled peanut butter cookies will be the next hot thing!

Adding peanut butter to mixture
She nearly severed the knife into two when she put it in between the two beaters of the electic mixer. Not cool, not cool at all.

Scoping mixture onto baking trays
She "plap" a spoonful right to the other housemate standing beside her, who exclaimed in shock. She looked down and asked, "Who did that?!"

Eating the cookie
I was getting the second batch of cookies ready for baking. She made me tiptoe for she catapulted a big cookie crumb against my foot.

If I do not blog soon, please id. this housemate.

Kogepan - The Burnt Bread

I know it's not cool to like cute things at my age. I know people will say I 装可爱. I know people will say 'wah lao!'. I know people will say 'cannot grow up ah?!'. I know people will say 'get over it' (K, you know I'm talking about you). But I don't care. It has been so long since a single picture can let me laugh until I nearly peed (don't eeee me! it has happened to you too just that you are conveniently denying it now!!). It has been so long since I laugh at something online (isn't it strange how rare that is?). It is time to show this to the world:

KOGEPAN! THE BURNT BREAD! Kogepan is actually a very sad bread who only wanted to be the most delicious bread. But misfortune befalls him, and his vision could only remain as that: a vision. He takes to drinking and smoking. But sometimes he is very lucky. He gets picked up by someone to go travelling in other countries.

Act Mexican!

In Venice! Click photos to see more!

Other times he is not as lucky. He becomes part of lunch.

Despite all these, he still tries hard to be a delicious bread.

Read more about his never say die attitude. You will love him too!

The best song to dedicate to the one you love

I have always felt this song is apt. Wouldn't you just love to have this dedicated to you?

#1 Crush
By Garbage

I would die for you
I would die for you
I’ve been dying just to feel you by my side, to know that you’re mine

I would cry for you
I would cry for you
I will wash away your pain with all my tears, I’m drowning on fear

I will pray for you
I will pray for you,
I will sell my soul for something pure and true, someone like you

See your face every place that I walk in
Hear your voice every time that I’m talkin’
You will believe in me, and I will never be ignored

I will burn for you
Feel pain for you
I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart, and tear it apart

I will lie for you
Beg and steal for you
I will crawl on hands and knees until you see, you’re just like me

Violate all the love that I’m missin’
Throw away all the pain that I’m livin’
You will believe in me, and I can never be ignored

I would die for you
I would kill for you
I will steal for you
I’d do time for you
I will wait for you
I’d make room for you
I’d sink ships for you,
Take the cross for you
Make me a part of you
Because I believe in you
I believe in you
I would die for you

Rose by Mark Ryden from Blood - Miniature Paintings of Sorrow & Fear

Senses and memories

I remember when I was in English class in Primary 6, my teacher told us this particular writing technique that has stuck to me since then. She said, “When writing a composition, using senses in your description is a very good way to write. Our senses can bring our readers into the story; they can feel what we are writing better.”

***

A few weeks earlier, I was walking down an aisle in the supermarket. Nothing much was on my mind except for which type of prawn to get, and whether Coles or Woolies had the cheaper rate. My friends were walking some way back, which was lucky for me. As I was reaching for a packet of curry powder, Bic Runga’s Sway came on in the supermarket’s stereo. I froze midair. I wasn’t missing him particularly before that, but my heart gave a squeeze anyway. It was our song.



***

When this

arrived at our table last Friday, I suddenly remembered the fried chicken they used to sell at Quickly (快可力) that looked like this. There was an outlet in Marina Square where SJ, JT and I used to frequent. Bubble tea was all the rage then, and it was cheaper than an ice blended from Coffee Bean. We would sit there forever, talking about nothing, looking as people went in and out of NTUC. After that, we sometimes went in NTUC and froze our asses off because bubble teas were cold drinks after all. Even in uniforms, we could sit for hours.

***

Two Thursdays ago, I went for my kickboxing class. Although it was one of the most relaxing classes ever, I managed to tear a bit of the skin off my knuckle. In Primary 4, we had to put up a stage production. After our rehearsal, Ken jumped off the stage. Ken was an athlete and he was nimble. On the other hand, his nickname for me was “Fatty” and you can imagine how I landed when I tried to imitate him. I fell on both knees but was too proud to cry. I still have the scars to show for it, as do the scab on my knuckle.



***

We cook our own meals here. Nothing fanciful. Just simple dishes using an assortment of sauces we stored in the fridge. Most days, we had to rely on the “magic powder” a.k.a. chicken seasoning to do its trick. Fried rice miraculously turned into works of art (but later caused undeniable thirst). One day, I was wondering what I could do with the smelly fish we had. There was one whole frikking kilogram of it. I saw black bean sauce and chilli padi. Tofu is in ready supply too. All the ingredients to one of mum’s best dishes: steamed black bean fish with tofu.

It didn’t taste particularly good or looked very enticing. But it was that tiny taste closer to home. I still had to do my dishes later. Damn!



***

When I was walking by my housemate’s bathroom earlier, the scent of Johnson’s and Johnson’s Baby Bath drifted past me. I particularly associated this aroma to grandmother. Whenever we stayed over, Grandmother liked to use this shower foam for our baths. Let’s not forget the No More Tears Baby Shampoo. I had a love-hate relationship with it. It tangled my hair, yet smelled heavenly. What’s a girl to do? Have a sweet perfume at the expense of wired hair?

A few years on, I was no longer the baby of the family. I would excitedly participate whenever grandmother showered one of my younger cousins. I watched in silent amazement as she closed all the windows and doors to prevent draughts from getting to the child. As she gently wrapped the baby in cloth nappy so she could wash their heads first, I was so engrossed that I almost forgot to breathe. It was a lovely sight. Tiny, petite grandmother had a tinier and more petite baby in her wrinkly arms as she sang to them. The scent from the foam filled the still air as the baby crooned during the bath. The only time I participated in the shower was during dressing up. I was allowed to help open the safety pin at a safe distance and handed it over the grandmother. A very grown-up thing to do that made my chest puffed up in pride.





I think I’ll go get my own travel-sized bottle of Johnson’s and Johnson’s Baby Bath.

Shopping, food and such

May I just say that Australia is a great place for accessories?! This is the perpetual state of my lips when I flip through catalogues:

"OooooOoOoOOOOoOoooooo"

This is the perpetual state on Runty's face when I show him my purchases:
*taken aback... literally* (Silver bangle $7, black bangle $3.50)

White pendant with silver chain $2

P once remarked to me that the necessities here (food, transport etc) have prices that are sky-high (imagine a bunch of 小白菜 costing $1.80), but the non-essentials (clothes/accessories etc) are at rock-bottom prices (a whole dress for $10! a top for $5!). Culture shock!

Cateye ring $3... Can improve my punches at kickboxing class!

Multi-tier silver bracelet $4.95.. Rugged but girlish!

Red necklace $2... While I was considering this purchase, my friend said to me, "不买是对不起知己啊!" With 损友 like these, who needs casinos to go bankrupt?!

I've been lusting this pair of earrings since last semester. Oh boy was I estactic when they went on sales for $10.50! *high~~~*

***

People always say in Singapore, you can find all kinds of cuisine. That is true, but I've come to realise that in Australia, you find cuisines that are more "authentic". The reason for this is that the specific type of food you are eating is usually prepared by someone who was born and bred in the originating country of the cuisine. So...

pudding milk tea ("die die must try!") is forcefully shaken by the miss from Taiwan,

teriyaki hamburg rice ("die die must try!") is caringly prepared by the lad from Japan,

and rice spring rolls ("die die must try!") are delicately rolled by the girls from Vietnam.

Then you glance at the menus, and wonder why some food are named the way they are. For example, we have
三杯鸡 (literal: three cups chicken)...Check out the star-shaped rice... Cute!

Then there are food that doesn't quite look like anything you have had...
Make a guess!

Then you have comforting taste from home, such as the
牛腩面 with its juicy beef tendon that melts in your mouth... "mMmMmmmMMmm"

After the main course, you cannot forget heading down to your favourite cafe for a quick (but put 4 girls together, some of whom are bitchier than others, a cafe sit-down is never quick) cuppa and slica!

The cafe with the coolest ambience and layout ever... You have the arab-looking "cave" draped with yards of lush fabric, the green outdoors cooled by the autumn air, or the cosy rattan armchairs pumped full of cushions!

The obligatory pose with the Mud Cake that tastes like huat kueh but at 5 times its price!

Caramel cheesecake...

Washed down with a cup of skinny cino... Perfecto!

***

With all these delicious food, you have to exercise yeah? But for girls like me with ultra layered hair, how can you tie your hair when you want to head out for a vigorous game of badminton after which your ass will hurt for more than 3 days because all you did at the "vigorous game" was to pick shuttlecocks, and kneel on the floor in order to catch your irritating friend's sneaky drop shot that just passed the net?

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the pigtails!
My hair still flew all over my face like a siao char bor at the end because it is too layered. Pui!

But the purpose of this section is to introduce you to interesting words like pigtails, and shuttlecock. See, if scolding someone a pig is a derogatory term, why is the word "pigtail" ok? And what part of the "shuttlecock" is "cock"? Some may say the feathers of the shuttlecock is related to a "cock", but what about those plastic shuttlecocks? Wouldn't "shuttlecork" be a better word since all shuttles have a "cork"? Hmmm...

Two sleepless days + lots of fun!

Sometimes in our lives, we are forced to make tough decisions. Some choices represent a fine line between life and death, while others are between the calories-laden premium ice-cream that is oh-so-delicious or the fat-free yogurt that is oh-so-blah. Other days, it is this: should I go clubbing tonight, and skip a day tour at a nearby island tomorrow early morning; or should I go for the tour, and to hell with clubbing? It is on days like that that you are at your most genius: attend both and to hell with sleep!

-Klub Kandy-

This has my friend's friend from Melbourne proclaiming that Brisbane is very 'happening'. I thought Melb is supposed to be the cosmopolitan heart of Australia? Hmm... Anyway, Klub Kandy (KK) is the name of an event that occurs once every semester. Apparently, it is huge, and students from the 3 main universities in Brisbane (UQ, QUT and Griffiths) will flock to the venue, Family (that's right, KK is held in Family). Because this year is the anniversary of KK, another neighbouring venue was added: Empire.

Now, now... The reason why I went for KK was because we had free passes, courtesy of D's friend! Thank you, Terence (hope I got the spelling right)! Anyway, while waiting outside, free lollies were dispensed!

D thinks it's a conspiracy to get girls to lick something. I think free lollies are cool. And a little too sweet.

After some boring vibrating in Family (the more popular club I think because so many people were there until I felt like a sardine. Geddit? Geddit?!!!), the three of us decided it was too hot and smelly to stay around. That said, Family does have some nice deco.

This is part of the ice-top bar. Who needs ice in drinks when you can get a whole bar made from ice?

We headed back to Empire, only to find it empty saved for the staff! Great! And guess what the DJ was playing? Retro!!! That's like totally coooooooooooool!!! I like totally heart mambo!!! Woohoo!!!

The DJs at Empire were great too! They danced with you, they sang with you, they played the music that let us get on down. Summer lovin' man!!!

Sidetrack: D's and my phone are both 2 megapixels. But compare her (above) image quality with mine (following)! Not fair!

So the night ended with us hobbling home with achy balls of feet. Anything free = fun!!!

-Moreton Island-

Moreton Island is known for its bugs. And I love the bugs. They are soooooooo delicious! :P

You were thinking that I like to eat creepy crawlies right!

The day started with a short drive from Brisbane city to the Port of Brisbane, where we boarded the ferry to Moreton Island.

Beautiful sea!

Moreton Island is not for the skinny asses, literally. Because there are no sealed roads on the sand island, you need to get by in a 4WD. And 4WD are certainly not meant to be smooth! That will give your ass a real good workout! Ladies, wear a good support bra to keep your chest away from your face!

Taken during a 4WD smooth ride in this:
Where I looked like this:
Relax and chill during your bumpy 4WD!

Before we reached the island, we saw this!

Shipwrecks!

Heh heh... These ships were deliberately put there to serve as a shelter for smaller vessels. No one was hurt in making of these Tangalooma Wrecks. I think.

Think everyone has heard of snowboarding. But sandboarding? Wahaha!!! I tried it and failed miserably. But it's alright... I shall just rely on something that is less likely to break my neck, and let gravity do all the work. Ladies and gentlemen, the wonderful sports of sand toboggan at The Desert!

Firstly, D and Shane, our guide, will demostrate how you should position yourself on the sand board. That's right kids. Body in the middle, feet together bent at knees and elbows out! Close your mouth to avoid adding that extra undelicious crunch to your lunch.*

Then, I demostrated how far you should not go because climbing up the steeply-inclined sand slope is a bitch. Frik! Too late!

After numerous tumbles, Shane decided to give up on us (read: me)**, and we headed for North Point (not the mall in Yishun). There, I finally found the stick they used at the start of each Lonely Planet/Globe Trekker show!

Can you see the man coming out to start drawing a circle in the sand? If you have never watched one episode of Lonely Planet or Globe Trekker, especially one with Ian Wright as the host, quit trying to figure out what this is about!

This, my friends, is the North Point I was referring to:

We drank some seawater, had a chicken burger lunch, and was further tortured when we moved across some really hot, burning sand, and sharp, tiny pine cones to the Honeymoon lookout point. But it was worth it because the view was beautiful.

I hope no honeymoon ends up at the bottom of this steep fall.

Driving in our nifty 4WD again, we went to Blue Lagoon that has freshwater. Now, freshwater is a good idea after getting seawater from the water guns you brought along. Contact lens and salt and water simply do not match. Oh! We had to take a short walk to reach the lagoon. Again. My calves are never going to be the same again.

Despite being a hot day, the water was cool. Not only the Blue Lagoon they serve in clubs is cool eh? :D

I think bringing a large towel to a beach is a must. Tiny face towels do not allow you to adequately cover your bits while you change from your wet things to your dry, clean clothes. Remember!

Yet another bumpy, ass-vibrating 4WD later, we arrived back at the Eastern beach where the shipwrecks are. To show you why Sentosa cannot compare to the waters here...

Count the creatures and win one sand from Moreton!

Sadly, it was not the season for whales, turtles, dolphins and the likes. Our trip ended with a hot, sunny, dry ride back in a smaller vessel. Goodbye Moreton Island! You are worth every sand we paid! Or maybe not... Hmm...

***
P/s: At the end of the day, KFC two piece feed is fantastic!

*My beloved friends said I will throw my own face, so I have a confession to make. While I did not suffer any injuries from the toboggan or snowboarding, I managed to bruise a finger trying to open a window. Perfect!

**Just kidding... Shane was really nice!