Christmas Gathering 09 - 18th Dec

Cute?!
Hahaha..

We had our annual Christmas Gathering 2009 rather early, it was brought forward to 18th Dec 2009~

Had it at Nolboo Galbi (Korean BBQ), Orchard Central.



P.S. After having dinner here, I think Red Pig's better than this.
Gift Exchange: I had chocs, mini fountain pen and scent cake from Regina, London bearskin hat pen and jelly like substance (for potted plants) from Amanda and a cartoon cap from Candice.
Gave them a DIY Clean Up box fer their office desks!

Elfiano the Owl

Dedicated to Alvin darLIN.

He got me BAMBOO for Christmas! (MUACKSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssss!)
He didn't even ask me what I want fer Christmas.. and till now, I still haven't a faintest idea what to give him (plus all my other friends too) for Christmas! (*ashamed* haha)
It's my earliest, most expensive and best Christmas present to date!
Ho-ho-ho!

I share my joy by drawing Elfiano the Owl.
(It was the first thing I drew when I installed Bamboo)

It's my first time trying out, thus my pen strokes are still shaky. It's difficult drawing on the tablet whilst staring on the screen! Needs lot of practice.

If you're an expert at Bamboo, please give me advice (like how to draw the purrfect line)!

Much appreciated!
Muchas gracias!

XoXo,
Emily

NDP' 09 - 9th Aug

(Thanks to my cousin, Ghee Ying, who tipped me off, the above photo taken by a NDP's professional photographer can be found at singaporeshots.com )


Finally, the NDP POST!


It shall be this for now. I SIMPLY LOVE THIS PHOTO OF US 3!
Ciao

Giant Q-Tips - Part Deux

OOOOOoo.
Didn't expect Alvin's dad to actually give me a pot of cotton plant.
(see back post: Giant Q-Tips)

At first it didn't take too well to it's new site, its leaves were turning all yellow and brown.
Thankfully my dad suspected the yellowing maybe due to the harsh sunlight (and not the lack of fertiliser) so we brought it under the shade and here it is now blooming happily away at my house!

I expect more cotton bolls (no I did not mispell) in December as there are many new buds emerging!




What you see here are now ready for harvest!
In fact, these cotton bolls are ready for harvest a few months back.

But I couldn't bear to pluck them out.
Might as well, as I do not know what to do with them nor have I the knowledge to spin them into yarn or make them into Q-Tips.


So there, I'd leave them as they are and wonder if they'd just fall off the branch some day to produce a new generation of cotton plants..

Blueberry Cheesecake - Have you got yours?

'TO THE LIMS, PLEASE EAT ME!'

I've no idea what message to be put on the cake, so there!
It's a treat fer my household of 7 sans Jasmine who doesn't like cakes.


They love it!

Been indulging it fer the past 2 days!
Heavenly!..


Go to bakerzin.com to brighten up your loved ones' day too!
(Oct's specials - to be purchased online and requires 2 working days fer self collection)

Ah Kong's 83rd Birthday - 17th Oct

My grandpa's 83rd held at some restaurant at East Coast Park on 17th Oct!
Not exactly his birthday but it's somewhere in the month of October.

He hails from China, Fujian province.
Don't really know his exact birthdate cause almost a century ago the farmers weren't particularly interested about it. Just the birth hour and year would suffice.

Little interesting information about him lest I forget in future:
(we talked about his background the other day in hokkien and he was very much enthusiastic about it. december 29th 2009)
He has a dad who married 2 wives. One in Chickety China and the other in Indo Mee.
One younger brother died at the age of 15 within a day of complaining of stomachache in the afternoon.
Most unfortunately, his mum breathed her last the same night.
Ah Kong also has 2 elder sisters (one from Indo, same age and currently lives in China. Her daughter comes to my house every now and then) and 2 elder brothers who passed away (one of whom smoked opium, a bummer who wasted away his life)
His other Indo Mee siblings, 4 in total, are still living in Indo Mee, as farmers.


Before Ah Kong left for Singapore at 21 or 22, I can't remember..he worked as a farmer who had to pick cow dung to fertilise his crops and trek several kilometers fer water every day.
Sweet potatoes and watery porridge were his daily staples. (he still likes them now and cooks them for lunch occasionally. I asked him why don't he eat potatoes instead, they're nicer! he replied his land can't grow them)


At age 16, he worked as a salt farmer, spending long hours under the searing heat, barefoot.
He mentioned that during that period, he was as black as an Kilingia (Indian boy).
It was extremely hard work, but he needed money to support his family as his dad had left China for good. (when his dad passed away, he went to collect his urn, saw his other 4 estranged siblings once and hadn't visit them since.. o, my great grandpa's urn is at my house)


After 3 to 4 years as a salt farmer, his uncle loaned him money to set sail for SINGAPORE.
(who is this uncle? It's khek mei's dad, the one whom we visit every Chinese New Year - terrace house at old Tampines road)
Next, it was a torturous journey to Singapore (conditions aboard the stinkin' junk were horrid, many died onboard), Ah Kong landed his first job as a trishaw puller.
He married his wife, my Ah Ma, at 25 (I think) and had 7 children subsequently. (my dad's the 3rd in the family and the firstborn son. The last was almost aborted because the difference between the eldest and her was 20+! Everyone pampered the baby of the family except one green-eyed daughter.. guess who? haha.. but that was the past)


Over the years, Ah Kong strived to learn almost every transport license possible. Lorry, motorcycle and car. He failed his motorcycle test a few times!
He also gained a taxi driver license and managed to save up to buy a taxi of his own.
Soon, Ah Kong made profits and started to own a fleet of taxis, 2, 3,.. 4.
He rented them out and often had to sleep at the five-foot way of his shophouse to wait for the drivers to hand over the taxis late at night. (o yes he co-owned the shophouse and I remembered visiting it when I was younger.. He later sold it off for a handsome sum of money)


In 1973, he made his first trip back to China.
He was very proud of it and was away for a month (including weeks of travelling by ship and being quarantined for a day at an offshore island before settling back onto mainland).
All these while, he had been faithfully remitting money back to China to support his relatives. (especially Yi Mian Du's family as his dad passed away early. His dad is Ah Kong's elder brother who waste away his life as mentioned earlier. At the moment, Yi Mian Du is a wealthy construction magnate in China)


After a few years, he returned to China again in 1984, 1986, 1987 and since the 1990s, he went back regularly every year. (thanks to the wonderful invention of aeroplanes)


Ah Kong has since retired (only after his recent bout of illness.. see below) from his businesses (not taxi.. he sold his last taxi when I was in primary school)
However, he is still actively involved in his temple activities. (when the migrants from the same hometown of his first arrived in Singapore, they acquired a large shophouse and turned the first floor into a prayer hall. the upper floor are rented out)
Today, he and his fellow kinsmen registered the temple group as a clan, (damnit, I need to ask my dad what's the name.. and he'd tell a mother long story about how the government demanded a large sum of money from the old folks to have their clan registered) and my dad is roped in as vice-treasurer as well.


That's all for now. I won't divulge much, (go engage in small talks with him - you sisters/cousins) though I know the above already seemed like a really long grandfather story.
(Hey, get to know your roots, a piece of history, before it's all too late.)

And dear all, do visit your grandparents often!! At least once a month?
They'd only be too glad to see you unless you're the kind that pisses their dentures off.


Ya, back to Ah Kong.. He looks like a cute ol' man right?
You can't see his teeth in the top right photo but he has a set of purrfect teeth! - Dentures to be exact. (SCROLL UP la-dey)

However, only about a month before his birthday he was kinda ill.

He suffered from a bad bout of gout, and was literally in tears as his limbs were swollen.
Went from a healthy active geriatric to someone so feeble that he'd to confine himself in the house.
Before that he was still driving about every day and took his daily walk at the park!

Currently he's back to zipping about everywhere now and nags at me fer being fussy with food etc. Haha

But not before spending a bomb on specialists, x-rays and what nots.. He believes in Western medicine and not the Chinese's! *rolls eyes*
Finally, with the persuasion of my da gu, he went to see a Chinese sinseh at Eu Yan Sang for his gout condition. After $1000+ in a month, he's up and about (may I add his booming loud voice)!


P.S.:
Papa then shooed his ladies to EU YAN SANG at South Bridge Road to 'tiao yang' (regulate?) our bodies.
(Apparently the female doctor, Qin something is really skilled and even Din's schoolmates go to her to help clear their teenage acne problems! Before that I thought Eu Yan Seng was just famous for their bird's nest. Did I tell you I LOVE BIRD'S NEST with Rock Sugar? Hallelujuah, heavenly tonic)


Papa spent a bomb on us, his ladies..
So you calculate, mummy, Din and I. (Jasmine was too lazy to wake up in the morning and go) It's a ticket to Europe mon!


Health is indeed a blessing and wealth.


May I wish everyone to be blessed in health and wholeness, always..
in Jesus' name, Amen.

Dinner in October

My maid, (sa)Tinah, asked what I wanted for dinner.
I told her I have no idea.

Moments later, she came up to my room with a white styrofoam plate.

"Ma'm bought. New ones."

On it were three pieces of fishes - Long ones, longer than my palm.
I've never seen this particular type of fish before.

Was pretty amused that she brought raw fishes up to my room fer me to take a look.
I could only grin at her and say, "Okok."

"How many fish you want?"

Since they're longer than my palm, "Mm.. I think 1 fish is enough, thank you."



Dinner time.

I went to look fer the new dish.
There's a bigger fish on the table (why didn't she tell me about it?), but I can't seem to find my long fish. It's nowhere on the table.

"Tinaaaaaaaaah, I thought you cooked a fish for me? Where's it?"

"I did."


"Where? I cannot find it."

"There." *points*


.
.
.





I stared at it for the loooooongest time then I burst out laughing uncontrollably.
The fish is even smaller than the head of its companion la.


"Tinah! I thought it's a big fish? What happened? How to eat like that? My dinner.. Why didn't you tell me it shrunk?"

She started laughing too.
And even more when I took photos of it.



Yea, in the end, I still ate it (it's so bony!), but not before she fried an additional omelette to go with my rice.


"Tinah, remember to tell Ma'm not to buy again."

HP USB Port

CUTE not??!

Name: Cum PokeMe
Gender: Shemale
Traits: 4 holes and a ribbon with extended **** on it's head


I was planing to get a COMPACT USB Port (cause Mac Book Pro only has 2 pathetic ports) but I was given this instead!


Received Cum PokeMe as a souvenir for sending my HP laptop for repair.
(It's so big, it's so, so ting teh!! - wastage of space. I'm leaving Cum PokeMe at home for good)


Basically, the coming to 3 years old HP laptop is now just as good as brand new but stuck in an old shell.
Motherboard changed, DVD driver changed.. and what have you at no cost.
Glad that I bought the 3 year protection plan which it expires this December.

It'd be passed on to my mum fer her to watch dramas online now!

Bubbly Mid Autumn - 11th Oct

It was a week after Mid Autumn Festival; nevertheless Hui Ying took this opportunity to call for a Mid Autumn gathering as well as to celebrate Kian Wee's 23rd birthday!

Held at Darryl's place, near Dempsey area, I am surprised to find many foreign ambassadors' residence here. (I'm an Eastie)
Many owned large guard dogs.

Darryl has a dog too, a young frisky Beagle who went around eating mooncakes on the table.




Ain't Kian Wee's cake special?
A moooncake pyramid with a fire sparkler for a candle.




Group shot here.
Trying to do various hand signs to state "K" & "W" and another with "K-I-A-N-W-E-E".

Somehow, we posed like Power Rangers.




Classic candid snapshot. I like.
Alvin took us unprepared for the camera.

Look at Kian Wee's expression and Chuan Dian still trying to figure out how to a "N" with his fingers.




Had a looong stroll after the zi char dinner and mooncakes.
Miao brought some bubble solution bottles along and we had a great time blowing those bubbles.
It was kinda surreal, blowing bubbles along the heavily guarded streets.
The carefree and wonderful feeling was however not very well captured in the photos.

O yes, some of us stopped over for ice-cream at Dempsey's Ben & Jerry's which was where I won the Halloween's Trick or Treat Bus Tour.
Talking about that made me think of my missed goodies. Hmph.

Red Pig Korean Restaurant! - 2nd Oct

While doing my site studies at Ann Siang Hill, I stumbled upon this Korean BBQ eatery!~
Hence I made up my mind that fer the following site visit, Alvin should tag along. Heh


Fast forward..


The eatery's run by a Korean lady, whose bevy of waitresses are also Koreans!
The interior setting; the atmosphere feels exactly like any typical eateries offering samgyeopsal in Korea!

We felt like we had teleport to korea that very moment we stepped in..
We're a minority in there. (even the majority of customers are Koreans)

By Alvin's request, I tried ordering dinner in Korean.
Well done Emily, I passed. *smirked*

So pleased with myself until the waitress had to confirmed my order in Korean and rattled another string of sentence which I totally couldn't understand.

"Sorry?"
Hahahaha!
Sheesh. HURrr!


Well, food wise, it serves free flow of water and banchans (side dish), especially my beloved kaeran (egg) roll, here.
And I get to eat one of my favourites in a Korean BBQ restaurant - BBQed garlic slices!
My, you've to try! Thinly sliced BBQed garlic tastes reaaal good, "like snacks" my Korean friends would say.

But when it comes to the main (ordered 2 types), the bbqed/grilled layered here's nothing compared to ones I ate in Korea. (Kept having them with Papa at Korea in July [o yes, blog about it.. 9 days? no time la] till he was sick of bbqed/grilled stuff.. Wahahaha) Alvin said it was good; he doesn't know better.
It's a tad too dry here, the meat's supposed to be juicy at non-fatty parts and crunchy at the edges! Bah, I'm not good at writing a food review, but you get what I mean.

Nevertheless, it was a nice experience overall and it's darling's maiden (hurhur) visit to a Korean bbq eatery too! Kinda memorable fer him to eat bbqed pork wrapped in lettuce and dipped in special sauces.

Someone, recommand me a superb and reasonably priced (~$30/pax) Korean BBQ/Grill restaurant in sunny Singapore!
I miss authentic Korean BBQ/Grilled food!