My First Sock Creation

They called it sock toy, but may I call it sock baby? =D

I made this from a fluffy socks I got off the rack at Daiso, and sew every inch of it together to form this sock baby rabbit. My hubby named it Souffle, and my friend called it Strawberry, so I combine them both and called this sock baby Strawberry Souffle!

Name: Strawberry Souffle
Created on: 03 July 2012
Made in: Singapore

I'm going to grab some buttons for the eyes!

Over The Weekend

I baked! I cooked! Hooray!

Breakfast! Breakfast set with hashbrown, bacon, sunny side up, and salad.

Dinner! Penne alio olio with sauages and bacons, and salad.

Dessert! Orange cupcake, with cream cheese topping.

I tried the rose design on my cupcake, looks presentable. I will try it on a stiff consistency next round like butter cream, because cream cheese is too soft to give a sharp look.

I love what I did over the weekend!

You Need To Start Somewhere

I am telling myself that if I want to change my life, I will have to start somewhere, and now is the time. I am turning 30 next year, and I have always been thinking through what I want in life, what I expect my life to be, and what is the thing I want at the end.

I talk to my husband about it, and I came up with a list of things I wish to achieve. I wrote it down somewhere and I kept a set of the wishlist in my heart. In order to achieve it, I am going to start doing something, now. I will be positive and walk towards my aim!

Shoe Clips

Look at what I found. SHOE CLIPS!

This shoe clips accessories came out few years back, but I only get to see them in Singapore just recently. Found this at the temporary push cart store in Parkway Parade Shopping Centre, and stood there for the longest time to choose among the many designs.

The shoe clips are really cool. All you need is a plain pair of heels and it will work magic. Nice heels with design are normally not as comfortable, and comfortable pairs are always plain. With these shoe clips, I can get a few pairs of comfortable heels in assorted colours and style that can last, and a fashion that won’t go out of date, and match it with these clips for added design. My shoe cabinet will not burst with heels.

I just need to think of ways to keep these shoe clips properly and nicely.

Dilemma

How long have I not blog? Looks like I did not post anything last week. I am stuck in a dilemma.

I want a change of working environment. I have been with my current employer for the past seven years. Friends who are of the same age group as me have not managed to be in the same organisation for as long as I am. I’m starting to feel lost, stagnant, restless, and I think all these symptoms just proof to me that I need a change.

Although I went for my degree, I never thought of climbing up the corporate ladder. I think my self-contentment became a double edge sword. On one hand, it’s good to be contented, one feels happier if they don’t always ask for more. But on the other hand, it’s bringing me nowhere. I applied for secretarial position and interviewer finds me over qualified.

Hubby being the good husband as always, encouraged me, and even gives the green light that I can quit without a job. That is one really tempting option!

That aside, I baked chocolate cake over the weekend. Taste and appearance are nice, as said by my cousins, but the texture is not what I expected it to be. I think my folding in part was done badly and not much air was incorporated into the mixture hence it did not rise well. I am going to try it again and get it right.

I made quite a few dinners over the past week, and I’m so proud of it, but I did not take picture of them. Tried a new salted peppered deep fried pork ribs yesterday night, it was really good.

I must remember to start taking photos next time.

Sand Paper

“If someone always brings you down, think of them as sand paper. The more they rub you, the more polish you will be, and the more useless they will become.”

I came across this quote from a radio programme, read out by the DJ. An encouraging quote that I think is so true!

Instead of poking someone back just because they put you down, remember they may be envy of you, but they can’t bring themselves to admit it. And knowing this, don’t be that someone who put people down, because it’s “uncool”, and I always believe what goes around comes around.

Goals

I always have many things in my mind, and most of them are health related, or rather beauty health related. I want to make myself follow some routines that are to be done daily, weekly and monthly, I even wrote them down, but the problem with me is, the routine will die down after a while.

I thought I should just write down those that I have yet to achieve in my blog to motivate myself and set a target to accumulate them overtime. So far, my skin care regime has been almost “routinise” except for the tedious few.

Meringue

I made some mini pink meringue over the weekends. My first attempt, and it's really simple! Four egg white and a cup of caster sugar, that's all it takes to make a big handful of meringue. I should have added in vanilla essence but I ran out of it, but without it, it still taste nice and sweet and fluffy.

Planting

I am reading up on planting, not to beautify my home environment (though I will love to do so too), but more on planting herbs and vegetables for cooking.

I wrote down a list of plants that I think can adapt to our climate and the small space I have in my small flat. It will be potted as I have no balcony, patio or garden. I wanted to try my hands on cherry tomatoes, coriander, spring onions and mint leaves.

For a start, let’s not be too adventurous, and having failed terribly in planting previously, I just need to start off by cultivating green fingers. So, the easiest from the list, mint leaves, shall be my first start off. I read that it’s the easiest to thrive and my uncle has two large pots along the corridor, which I can cut some for propagating.

Need to get a good draining pot and dish, and soil. I’m thinking of putting my plants in the spare room since that area has more sun as compared to my dim kitchen.

Grin Affair

There are just so many nice shops hiding away, I believe it is due to the cost of rental. Found this dessert shop opposite my office, which I have no idea of its existence till today – Grin Affair.

Located at Everton Park, a quiet and plain shop front.

The food?

Dessert in a jar!

Something out of the box by its shop owner, which I have never come across. My colleague bought it, and he said it is very nice. The owner even do a part for the environment by collecting back the used jar and reuse it. Every jar of dessert cost an addition of $0.50, and by returning the jar to the shop on your next visit, you will get a coupon to offset your next purchase.

There’s a small corner selling handmade accessories by my loot. I am eyeing the antler ring, it is such a statement piece.

Happy Mothers' Day

It’s Mothers’ Day on 13 May 2012, Sunday! But my family decided to celebrate on the day before to avoid the crowd. We headed down to City Square Mall Korean BBQ place for dinner!

Sun Fa Bak Kut Teh

It was a last minute decision to head down to Johor (Malaysia). Initially we only intend to go out to the market for breakfast and buy some grocery home, but my husband suddenly asked if we can go Johor, and I agreed immediately.

Fullhouse Cafe

I wanted to visit the place, take pictures, before I blog about it. But good things are to be shared! I found this really pretty theme cafe at Rendezvous Hotel - Fullhouse Cafe. It looks all pretty and nice, and the menu is not extraordinary expensive.

I am introducing this lovely place to my girlfriends and coaxing them to look into this venue for our dinner next week. (My update after the jump)

Truth & Lie

"It takes a lot of truths to gain trust, and it takes one lie to lose it all."

How true.

Hearty Breakfast

I started making breakfast few weeks back. I make it a point to at least have a simple bread and butter toast every morning since it is the most important meal of the day. My husband will skip it if I never initiate. He finds it hard to eat in the morning at first, but it now became a healthy habit he can’t miss.

I will do simple bread with nutella spread, or toasted bread with butter and sugar, and even steamed bun and pre-prepared egg mayo for sandwiches. Days when I feel I can do more, or when I woke up earlier, I will do a big English breakfast spread like the one shown in this blog. Sunny side up, hash brown, bacons or sausages, salad, and toast bread.

This is my favourite and it’s not that time consuming given that most are oven baked when I’m preparing other morning stuff.

Grinded Coffee Powder

Coffee! COFFEE!

By the way, I don’t drink coffee, but my husband does. He can do away with instant coffee and pre-mix, but the person who doesn’t drink is very particular in what he drinks.

I love the smell of coffee, yet I find it bitter. This is one food that doesn’t smell like it taste, or maybe it does, but it’s just not connected to my system. I love the smell of freshly brewed coffee, not those of instant and pre-mix.

So the non-coffee drinker, me, look through information on coffee and started to learn how to brew coffee. Initially I wanted to buy the coffee powder from cafés like Coffee Bean and Starbucks, but my husband stopped me, because he said he needs Chinese styled coffee in the morning to keep him awake. In the end we bought something from the supermarket, which smells really good. He likes it too, and the colour is so much better than instant mix.

I don’t use “socks” or coffee machine, nor a coffee press, but a simple brewing filter from Bodum. I bought it from a departmental store at less than $20. It is a glass mug with filter where I can put it on and off. I just need to pour in boiling water, close the cover, and it will start dripping on its own. I like seeing the black liquid in the glass, it looks perfectly brewed unlike those of instant mix, but the sad thing is the glass mug is broken, and instead of buying a replacement, I replaced it with a white opaque mug since the filter is still working well.

I happen to find this coffee seller at a wet market near my office, and decided to buy and try. Since I know nuts about coffee and their taste, I asked the uncle for recommendation. He mixed two different coffee beans and grinded them into a 500g packet for me. It smells wonderful. Didn’t really catch the name of the beans, but I know one of them is Arabica. The best part, it cost only $9.

After reading through on coffee, learning how to brew, going through all the hassle to get the grinded coffee powder, I still don’t intend to start drinking coffee. I don’t want to cultivate such habit of needing it every morning or any time of the day, knowing how additive it can be, and I’m thankful I don’t like the bitter taste.

Well, the smell of it is enough to perk me up!

Chill Out

I had a great dinner at Jasmine’s house (an ex-colleague turn friend). She invited a few of us over for dinner, and the main is roast lamb! The chunk of meat was roasted in a huge grill at her backyard when I was there, and I was hungry immediately.

The Daily Scoop

Along the shop houses at Jalan Merah Saga, just between the Lemon Zest and Shermay’s Cooking School, lies a cute and cozy ice cream café to sit, relax and chill. The Daily Scoop!

Cooking and Baking Accessories

My husband is a darling. He drove me around on Sunday afternoon to cook ware and bake ware shops I wanted to visit.

Simple Baking

My friend came over to my place on Saturday, and we made chocolate cupcake with butter cream. It's really simple and smells good. The problem is, I'm not a chocolate person, so I only tasted one, the one in the picture above, with my initial.

Enjoying Quiet Moment

I was lounging at the corner of our L-shape leather sofa, reading one of the books I bought over the weekend. The mini stories attracted me so much that I never really bother about the television noise and laughter from my husband.

My husband was relaxing at another corner enjoying the Taiwan variety broadcast, laughing at the silly acts and jokes, being happy and contented with what he was watching. I bet he felt much more relax after a day of hard work.

Commercial break, he stood up and decided to wash the plates we used for dinner (I cook and he washed, that’s the routine), and suddenly he realised something and spoke…

“Mao, I really like this feeling, you reading your book, and me watching the television, both enjoying our own activities, relaxing after a busy day, in the comfort of our home.”

I looked up from my book, absorbed what he said, and realised that’s true. What he said made me realise life as a married couples tend to be not as romantic as courtship days, but that doesn’t mean love is gone. We still enjoy each other company, but in a different way. We still love each other, but instead of showing affection, our love mature to thinking for each other and being contented by having each other by our side, having small talks, debate on our views on issues, and even laugh at each other.

This is the man I know for ten years, married for five, but every now and then my heart still beats wildly for him. We quarrel, we fight, and we even have had bad memories that I am still so affected till now, but he is just someone I can’t live without. Sometimes I wonder, what in me can attract this guy to be with me for life.

I smile my silly smile and stick out my tongue before I rush him to wash up those plates because his show is starting, while I continue reading the book.

Ah, this is life.

Made from Scratch

I love alio olio, the smell of extra virgin olive oil and garlic made me salivate. There are more to it that made it tasty, the ground black pepper, sea salt, herbs and chilli. I will normally add small slices of bacon to enhance the taste.

Travelling Plan

We are going on a trip to Australia!

Books

Bought books! Popular Book Store organised a World Book Day to promote reading, selected books were given half price for the second purchase, so I bought four Chinese books that I think I will enjoy reading.

High Society Cupcakes

Isn't this pretty? Bought this cupcake from the High Society, a small shop within That CD Shop at Great World City Basement 1. The display is very alluring, a wide array of colourful, and simply designed cupcakes in a long fridge glass.

Balloon Paradise

I happen to go down to Clarke Quay Central for lunch and saw this cute little balloon garden at the atrium. Lovely!

Hard-Boiled Egg

I actually want to blog about hard-boiled egg! Reason being, I found a way to keep the egg yolk centered. I experiment it after reading a Japanese bento recipe book, and decided to try.

I will need to bring the water to boil before putting in the eggs. The critical point is immediately after putting in the eggs into the boiling water, start stirring until the water starts to boil again. After which, I just let it boil for another ten minutes before I turn off the gas, drained, cool it with tap water, and peel! That’s it; the egg yolks are nicely located in the center!

It is a pretty logical theory. Raw egg is in liquid form; hence by stirring it in boiling water, we are constantly positioning the egg yolk in the middle. And once it hardens, the egg is set, and that is when we can stop stirring.

I did not shape the egg or design it, rather I smashed it up and add in salt, pepper and mayonnaise for our egg mayo sandwich breakfast this morning.

The 5 Love Languages

I came across this from a show and find it useful.

http://www.5lovelanguages.com/learn-the-languages/the-five-love-languages/

We withdraw and deposit, the same theory goes to our love. When we quarrel, bicker, giving each other cold shoulders, we are actually withdrawing from our love bank. The sad truth is, most of us withdraw more than we deposit, hence the amount depletes so fast that makes us unhappy and frustrated.

The 5 love languages are how we can deposit our love!

1. Words of affirmation
2. Quality time
3. Receiving gifts
4. Acts of service
5. Physical touch

By doing the above, we increase our deposit, maintaining a balance, and creating a good foundation for our future. After listening, I find it relevant and true. We should work on this to maintain a healthy and happy relationship.

Back to Blogging

I stopped blogging about two years back due to my busy schedule. Now that my life is back to work, play and rest, I want to start over again and put down my new memories in writing here.

I have some quests for myself before I start out this blog:

I want to change, to change for the better.

I want to remember what I have done, what I have been through.

I want to share, motivate, and be motivated.

All in all, I need a journal to keep track of my life, my joy, my frustration. I am not someone who can bring anyone on a roller coaster ride, my blog may not be the most fascinating read, but that doesn’t really matter, because though it may not be important to others, every post here will be a reminder to me, a learning point for me, and a memory that I want to keep for life.