Food is filling up my life

Remember the instant Japanese curry mix I got?

I decided to cook it. Instructions were fairly simple, just put it in boiling water for a few minutes and then pour out the contents to rice.

Basically, vegetables such as carrots and potatoes (I think) are included, so it will be good alone with rice. However I added meat by simply slicing it and grilling it before I poured the sauce over. Lun did this before, for the SEC by using cutlets I think, so the alternative will be to fry the cutlets?

Anyway I mixed it all up and started eating before I remembered to take the picture, so it doesn't exactly look appetising here but trust me, it tastes better than it looks. After all, it is idiot-proof-instant-mix, you can hardly go wrong.

The only problem is that it is slightly more time-consuming than instant noodles. It definitely costs more and I cannot say that it is healthier. But it's different if I want something more to do rather than popping in a packet of noodles into the water.

Anyway, for dinner, the mother marinated chicken and sprinkled some herbs onto the chicken and left it in the fridge under clingwrap. My job was to pop it in the oven for grilling.

I took out the chicken to thaw for a bit as putting it into the oven straight away takes up more heat and uses more unnecessary energy. However, don't leave it for the entire afternoon as it could spoil.

Grilling is quite healthy. You cannot imagine the puddle of oil that came from the chicken itself. Can you imagine how much oil is ingested if the chicken was deep-fried? *shudders...Not that I am adverse to fried stuff, I still eat them. However, I believe in not taking in oil and fats when it is not necessary.

Gan is also back. I needed to return her a book and I asked if she wanted to borrow anything. Upon searching my shelves, I realise I need to re-organise them. This is only one shelf, mostly for classics..

Yup, so we met up for an early supper since she had to work tomorrow. Xiao Long Pau was no more...*SOBS, so we had to cross the road to the shophouses and settled for a HongKong-concept cafe. Like Fish, she had the Lemon-honey but the glass isn't as pretty.

I had tea....=P
and of course we ate stuff but I forgot to take pictures. Anyway those are just random pictures, I am awfully trigger-happy these past few days. MOSTLY because I just have less things to do now and I need to find more things to fill my time so that the days don't stretch too long. Taking pictures is a good 'filler activity'.

Another reason why we met up was because Gan just came back from Brisbane and she brought back a whole bag of goodies with her. One full Standard Chartered marathon gym bag. Need I say more? She spent like more than 100 SGD on food alone and she said that I can pick what I want out of that bag..

=D

I got my Choya !! And I am happy even though it is not free..LOL

Other goodies that I 'ka-pok' out of her bag include the lemon cheesecake slice biscuits and the Cinnamon & Apple tea (I have yet to see in in Singapore). The satchets of tea and coffee was what Gan threw into the backseat of the car..LOL

There is a reason why Gan is good as a pseudo boyfriend. The minute she opened her bag, she tossed me the Bailey's flavoured chocolate and told me they are for me...and a whole bag of them at that....It has the Chups' name written all over it. =D

Who needs boyfriends when you have one of the greatest girlfriends who gets you stuff like Bailey's-filled chocolate?!!

I don't think anybody at this present moment can read me so well. I'm like dreadfully happy with my lemon cheesecake flavoured biscuits, cinnamon and apple tea, my one big bottle of Choya and my Bailey's chocolate. They have my favourite food elements in them, like cheesecake, cinnamon....chocolate.....MMMMMMMMM.. and trust me.. It's almost heaven when you get to rummage through that BIG bag of goodies like a pack rat.

So that means more running....who cares when I can eat them?!!

And they are all MINE !!!

MINE !!!!!

*CACKLES WITH JOY !!!!

The end of practicum

Practicum was not easy. We worked in our little room. But now, like what Za said, I will never be able to be around that area without feeling the presence of their presence.

The laughters and tears echo in the corridors and resound in the room. Our mess, our stress, our fears, our bond, the lining that joins us all, have all been etched into the surroundings.

I will traverse the hallways, hearing their voices, hearing laughters, hearing tears, hearing the support, with the weight of the memories tied to my heart, I will gladly bear.

Eating the favourite "kueh-chi" together...where we were allowed to be ourselves and accepted for who we are...

The "lup-kopi" sessions....


In a certain way, we belong to each other.

Who could ever imagine that the end can be so simple and yet so difficult?


The pattering footsteps of Rinchen, the bear dances of a duckie, the robust laughter of Gab, the exasperation that Jojo brings, the many questions of Grace......I will....

My heart will hear everything that my ears does not. My heart will strain to hear them and perhaps when all is quiet, perhaps I would turn and catch a glimpse of a heel disappearing around the corner, hear an echo of a laughter, see the shadow of a dancing bear and I will remember and smile softly to myself.

Memories scent the air. I will step back into time with every crossing of the threshold, the closing of doors.

Halls, classrooms, the parade square...they will never be the same again.

These people..............are worth every tear I shed for the parting. Other than the 8 of us, Dean, Intan, Nurus and John (who is not here)....they have all made a tough experience priceless, so much so that I'm sorry to see them go.

I'm sorry it came to an end.

But, even though I will miss them very much, I know these stars have gone elsewhere to shine and give their light and warmth to those that need them even more than I do.

28/2/08 - 9/5/08

Practicum.
10 weeks of training.
A lifetime of friendship.

Thank you for being there when I needed you.

Not able to sleep...

Didn't do much today.

Doing too little, sleeping too much, results in the inability to sleep at midnight.

I drove the parents to NTUC in the evening as the mother wanted to make use of her vouchers. I headed for everything I wanted and dropped them into the basket I helped to carry. I dropped a bottle of Choya in. I love Choya. It is one of the early favourites, when I hit legal drinking age.

However the bottle of Choya had gone missing.

I think the mother hid it. (-_-")

Other than Tiger and Sheridan's, there is nothing else.

And after battling the inferno from outside and then spending the next few hours next to the oven baking.....I don't want Sherridan's and hot coffee (which is how I usually drink it)

I cannot open another bottle and risk the mother's wrath of taking up fridge space..... She was complaining a few weeks ago that we have juice, milk and that Sheridan's in the fridge. Never mind that the weather is hot and we need variety. The mother can get easily agitated when the fridge's space is taken up by non-essentials. And we have a really small fridge because long ago, they built them tiny and to last. Our tiny fridge is as old as I am.

But that's something for another time...anyway so I was left with Tiger...beer. (-_-")

It would be good for me to drink because....work has slowed to a crawl and less work wreaks havoc on diet and sleeping hours. I've been feeling the urge to eat, only to have food placed in front of me before I realise I have no appetite. Not only that, the intake of food has lessened. I can barely finish a bowl of standard foodcourt fare. Trust me, I was shocked when I couldn't finish my bowl of noodles, especially when I was in a bad mood earlier because I was ravenous. Last week, after the bout of viral thing I caught, I've also realised that two slices of bread can last me more than 8 hours when previously I could eat every 2-3 hours.

My bed-time has also gotten later. This is bad because I still need to wake up early on weekdays. And I am really the type of people who needs to really sleep a lot before the brain can function at optimum processing speed. But not working till I'm exhausted means I really cannot sleep.

And trust me, there are only so many teddy bears and jewellery stuff and 'you-tubing' I can do. In fact, I'm bored already after spending the entire of last night 'you-tubing'.

Ok I admit it. I like variety in life and I get easily bored. But hey..I AM a Gemini.

And so even though I really don't feel much like beer, I'm taking large swigs of it. Hopefully I will start feeling sleepy at 1 a.m. and not like 3 a.m.

I would actually have ran just now except that the heat is really stopping me. The weather is simply crazy. But then so was I just now, to actually decide to try out baking in that new oven that I've just coerced the mother to buy. But I was REALLY bored.

The oven was too small so I could only make little batches at a time. I ended up reading while waiting for each batch to be finish so that I could pop the next one in.

And I was sitting in the corner as shown in the picture.

As you can see, I must have been very bored to actually take pictures while baking cookies. Anyway while I was baking, I figured that someone is going to have to finish those cookies.

Here's Sheridan's. This picture was taken quite a while back. I bought this because I thought it was interesting to have both the coffee layered liquour and the cream come out at the same time. Oh and it does...in fact one of my greatest kick out of it is seeing the black and white pour out together. It's quite close to Bailey's but unlike Bailey's I never did acquire a taste for it on the rocks. I pour this in my coffee for one of those sunny afternoons when I have a good book by my side. As you can see, there is still quite a fair bit left. I don't think anybody in this house is a fan of Sheridan's.

And I bought it only to realise I've outgrown stuff like Bailey's and Sheridan's, which is a crying shame actually because I still have to finish the entire bottle...and as time passes, it is beginning to seem like I have to finish it all by myself, preferably before it expires....so if the SEC wants me to bring this bottle for any gatherings....let me know...I just poured this into my coffee last week, it's still good. And I only opened it like a few weeks back.

However, it's not like I can't drink it. I just realised that given a choice between something else and Bailey's, I may not necessarily choose to buy it, unlike in the past. When I drink this, half the time it is because I like to see the stuff pour out of separate openings....lolz

Wine is still quite a constant, so is desert wines like Port and Sherry but I think I am starting to acquire a taste for stuff like D.O.M. Probably because there is always some in the house that I can't help but eventually acquire tastebuds for it. I like the smell of spices in it and mixing it with orange juice is quite nice, really. But that is the parent's domain and they haven't opened a new bottle since the last one half a year ago. I think they've forgotten all about it.

Anyway, you can probably tell by now that I'm just blogging because I cannot get to sleep. Reading doesn't work for me because I will just finish the entire book. The Tiger is almost gone and it doesn't seem to be working. I think I will just run next time. But it's almost 2 a.m. already and I should really try to sleep and hope that the Tiger does work.

Sigh..really.. I think next time? I'll just run. After bathing and all, I'm sure I'll be pooped enough to sleep.

Nightout: Jazz@Southbridge

Wonderful wonderful night.

I love live bands.
I love 'chilling' out.

I love having music running through me.


I had them all last night.

Went to Jazz at Southbridge
(There were problems linking due to the @)

I prefer jazz with less rag-time but still...wonderful wonderful lovely lovely evening.

I could be at any place, at any time there, listening to music, hypnotised by the drums and the piano.


I feel like going back to my short-lived obsession with jazz and soul. Wait.. my obsession IS back. I need to do more for my collection.

I remember why I loved it so. Music is like a dream. But jazz is like the creme de la creme of those dreams. I like funny notes like minor seconds, flats and sharps. And what's jazz?

Jazz is when you turn an ankle, while running in a field of flowers and yet you smile and say you're fine. That's the feeling it gives.

Tinkling running chromatic notes that never ceased. Off-beat drumming that sound just right. Discordant harmony.


"You-tubing" Diana Krall, Renee Olstead, Kenny G....and erm...Frank Sinatra...hahaha

A Love That Will Last

I want a little something more
Don't want the middle or the one before
I don't desire a complicated past
I want a love that will last

Say that you love
Say I'm the one
Don't kiss and hug me and then try to run
I don't do drama
My tears don't fall fast
I want a love that will last

(Chorus)
I don't want just a memory
Gives me forever
Don't even think about saying good-bye
Cuz i want just one love to be enough
And remain in my heart till i die

So call me romantic
Oh I guess that must be so
Theres something more that you oughta know
I'll never leave you
So don't even ask
I want a love that will last

Forever
I want a love that will last
I want a love that will last

(Chorus)
I don't want just a memory
Give me forever
Don't even think about saying good-bye
Cuz i want just one love to be enough
And remain in my heart till i die

So theres little more that i need
I wanna share all the air you breathe
I'm not the kinda girl to complicate the past
I want a love that will last

Forever
I want a love the love that last
Always
I just want a love that will last
Want a love that will last

on being ill

I went to a doctor yesterday. I've been having fever on and off since Saturday. I will take some paracetamol, break into a sweat, feel better only to have a fever again, a few hours later.

It's been going on for a few days.

The doctor says that it is normal and that I just have to let my body build up immunity against the virus. I am supposed to take paracetamol or panadol when the fever comes.

Fantastic.

Except with this heat? I cannot tell if I am feeling hot and warm because of a fever or because of the heat. I also cannot tell if I am sweating because of the humidity or if it is because the body is on a winning streak against the fever because of the medicine.

Fantastic.

I've also been taking different versions of paracetamol because I'm cleaning up the house supply. Doctor-dispensed parcofen, doctor-dispensed paracetamol, over-the-counter panadol, you name it, the Chups ate it. The doctor I saw yesterday didn't prescribe me any paracetamol or its equivalent because I told him I have them in the house.

But it's all gone now. Woo-hoo !!

On a side note, while googling to check if I had spelt 'paracetamol' correctly, I learnt from Wikipedia that it is derived from all things......'coal tar'.

I have been ingesting the by-products of coal tar.

Fantastic.

It's bad enough knowing that there are funny chemicals with potential side effects running amok in the body. Of course it may not be 'coal tar' per se but....I'm going to turn to the Chup's residential pharmacist for help.

Jac..can you please clarify this?

And I don't want to sound whiny here but......I really hate being sick and trust me..having a fever in this weather is the last thing anybody wants.

A respite from work

FINALLY, a break from work.

I went back on Friday after work to change and headed to Bukit Timah to dine with Gan. Xiao Long Pau..oh man..*slurps

It was then to Chinatown as I had to get some craft stuff to work with. I ended up buying 2 pairs of pumps for work. Practical shoes.

Then I dropped Gan on the way back and fetched the mother.

Today I was bored. I contemplated going for practice but I thought it was dumb since I wasn't involved in the concert in July. Besides though I do not need to hand in anymore lesson plans for the time being, I still needed to mark. I called QJ to see if he wanted lunch and he said he couldn't because he had a paper and he would not be going for practice.

That settled it.

During the early dinner, Iv called to say that theory lesson was cancelled.

I decided to cajole my parents into going out. In the end, we went to Vivo. I think I spent a bomb in two days. I bought 4 books today and went to Marks and Spencer...AGAIN. Plus the craft stuff I got yesterday..considering petrol, food, parking and all, I must have hit $200.

Guilty pleasures.

And I forgot to buy something so I'll have to head out to JP to get the parts.

Ah well...

Lastly, I think I'm coming down with Z's bug. The nose's been dripping non-stop for an entire day and I started to feel feverish on the drive back.

Art is not the intent to shock

During the random blogsurfing of my favourite bloggers, I came across an article of how an artist starved a dog to death in the name of art.

This was what I did.

I read the entry.

I pondered about it.

I signed the petition against it and added a comment, "Art is not the intent to shock"

I googled it.

I then did more pondering.

But I probably should have googled everything before signing anything.

Outrage at 'starvation' of a stray dog for art
Gerard Couzens in Madrid
Sunday March 30, 2008

Chaining up a dog and forcing it to go without food and water in the name of art is a surefire way of making yourself unpopular with animal lovers. The furore created by Damien Hirst's pickled sheep and Tracey Emin's dirty bed pales into insignificance against the international outrage Guillermo 'Habacuc' Vargas has unleashed.

The Costa Rican has been called an animal abuser, killer and worse over claims that a stray dog called Natividad died of starvation after he displayed it at an exhibition last year at the Códice Gallery in Managua, Nicaragua. Vargas tethered the animal without food and water under the words 'Eres Lo Que Lees' - 'You Are What You Read' - made out of dog biscuits while he played the Sandinista anthem backwards and set 175 pieces of crack cocaine alight in a massive incense burner. More than a million people have signed an online petition urging organisers of this year's event to stop Vargas taking part.

Vargas, 32, said he wanted to test the public's reaction, and insisted none of the exhibition visitors intervened to stop the animal's suffering. He refused to say whether the animal had survived the show, but said he had received dozens of death threats.

Juanita Bermúdez, director of the Códice Gallery, insisted Natividad escaped after just one day. She said: 'It was untied all the time except for the three hours the exhibition lasted and it was fed regularly with dog food Habacuc himself brought in.'

Source: The Guardian

I suppose I should have googled before I signed the petition but my excuse was that it was 2 a.m. in the morning. When I read that article, I was first outraged which quickly settled into a clinical detachment meaning I questioned my outrage.

What is the difference between having a dog slowly starved to death in the street and having it starved to death in a museum?

If we are questioning the medium, isn't realism one of the highest form of art?

My mind is fixated on that ONE question: What is the difference?

I'm sure there has to be some explanation for it. I can't say it is wrong just because I feel replused. Just because I cringe in disgust at having death manipulated at the hands of a man filled with cruelty?

Guillermo Vargas infringed on the rights of a dog? Is that sufficient explanation?

I never had a dog. Though I do not dislike them, I have to admit that other than the occasional petting and playing of my friends' pets and strays, my affection is weaker for them than other animal-lovers. I wanted to say that Man has more rights over animals. Then I realised that I don't entirely believe in that sentence either because we are a mere part of this Earth.

Perhaps what I truly meant was that Man are stronger than animals. Hence it is not a question of right or wrong. When viewed from another perspective, the question posed is whether Man has a duty to protect and not abuse his strength and position?

Yes. But when it comes to a bigger reason, perhaps in the name of art or education, which side should the balance tip towards?

We all have a duty to fulfill and part of the reason for existing is to fulfil that duty. Hume once said, "I believe that no man ever threw away life while it was worth keeping." Though his discourse was on suicide, that was a phase well-remembered enough for me to recall in the thinking of this issue. If a dog's life cannot be sacrificed for art, then how do we justify sacrificing our people for war?

If a dog was tied up and starved to death in the name of science, will there be lesser outrage? Imagine a scientist stating that his reason for doing so was to study how the organs shut down when deprived of food. Is science any less important than the arts?

What I understand of society as a whole is this. Life is more valuable than art but may not be more valuable than education, should the particular infomation be valuable towards saving future lives However our country, our land, our people, our identity as a people could possibly be more valuable than life itself.

Which is interesting....really...considering that the differences is what we make out of it.

And yes....even after knowing it is a hoax, I will still sign the petition. (Boycott to the presence of Guillermo Vargas "Habacuc" at the Bienal Centroamericana Honduras 2008)

The reason being, I don't like ugly deeds, ideas and actions. And you have to admit no matter how wonderful an idea or reason the artist had, having a mangled dog slowly die in front of you isn't exactly the prettiest of sight.

But the irony is because of that exhibit, the artist is chosen to preseent at the Bienal Centroamerican Honduras 2008 but with a different exhibit. (Note: nobody has been able to prove that the events were misrepresented, other than the artist's and the director's claim that the dog ran away.) Read Starving dog art

With all the controversy, he is going to get even more publicity.

...

Ah well...