"Yes. I am looking at you."
Awwwww.
31 July, 2011
*1057 - mister G
This is a little someone that I'm going to miss when I leave:
"Yes. I am looking at you."
Awwwww.
"Yes. I am looking at you."
Awwwww.
30 July, 2011
*1055 - silly beetle
A new battery + two new wheels + new rear brakes = $700
I'm done with shopping for a while. Ouchies.
I'm done with shopping for a while. Ouchies.
28 July, 2011
27 July, 2011
*1053 - russian doll of a vacation
Just a few, for now, of a vacation nested in a vacation, of gloriousness within gloriousness, of going from one sunny island to another sunny island. Yes, it was beautiful, yes, all we did was to do nothing at all (which we did very well indeed), and, yes, you ought to be jealous.
26 July, 2011
*1052 - the big move
The next month is going to fly by. In a month, I'm going to be on the opposite side of this continent, six hours closer to home (heh), starting a new life of sorts in ...
... San Francisco!
... San Francisco!
17 July, 2011
*1051 - trepidation
In less than six hours, I am due to get out of bed and begin on the arduous journey back to the place that isn't quite home. I never like leaving.
*1050 - hokkien mee recipe
Hokkien mee could possibly be my #1 hawker food craving when I'm away from Singapore for too long.
Newton Circle's hokkien mee--looks good but was sub-par:
Unsatisfying. So, I had to have my fill at my favourite place to have Hokkien mee ... oddly enough, it's the Food Republic version (I can only vouch for the Wisma outlet, but I suppose the rest should be good too).
No picture of the awesomeness.
And upon listening to my Hokkien mee escapades, Mummy decided that I should try to make Hokkien mee from scratch to feed the family. And so I did!
This is my version:
Belachan in the corner of the plate, not featured. It was surprisingly authentic-tasting and reasonably simple to make. Of course, it was leagues beneath my favourite Wisma Food Republic version haha. But still, an accomplishment, I think! The secret, I think, is in using quality ingredients. My egg noodles were a little too eggy.
Singapore Hokkien Mee recipe (feeds 5 to 6):
- About 25 prawns or more (the more the better, right?)
- A big chicken bouillon cube
- A whole squid, sliced
- Half a head of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 to 4 eggs
- A packet of thick rice noodles
- A packet of yellow egg noodles minus a little (I prefer more white than yellow)
- A giant packet of bean sprouts
- A few sprigs of spring onions
- Salt, fish sauce, and sesame oil to taste
1. De-head and de-shell prawns. Add heads and shells to a small pot of boiling water with a chicken cube, and boil for an hour. Toss in a bit of salt to taste. This makes a yummy prawn stock.
2. Remove shells. Drop prawns and squid into the stock, blanch for a couple of minutes, and remove quickly when just cooked.
3. Fry garlic in oil. Crack in eggs and scramble them. Add in noodles. Cook on high until noodles start to brown slightly.
4. Add 1/3 stock and fry until it's almost dry. Add another 1/3 stock, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer until it's almost dry.
5. Add in prawns, squid, bean sprouts, spring onions, and remaining stock. Add fish sauce and sesame oil to taste. Turn heat back up and cook to your desired dryness (I like my Hokkien mee more wet).
6. Serve with sambal and lime. Garnish with parsley and take a stunning photograph of it so you can show off to your friends that you just made Hokkien mee from scratch!!
(Adapted from this really good recipe.)
Newton Circle's hokkien mee--looks good but was sub-par:
Unsatisfying. So, I had to have my fill at my favourite place to have Hokkien mee ... oddly enough, it's the Food Republic version (I can only vouch for the Wisma outlet, but I suppose the rest should be good too).
No picture of the awesomeness.
And upon listening to my Hokkien mee escapades, Mummy decided that I should try to make Hokkien mee from scratch to feed the family. And so I did!
This is my version:
Belachan in the corner of the plate, not featured. It was surprisingly authentic-tasting and reasonably simple to make. Of course, it was leagues beneath my favourite Wisma Food Republic version haha. But still, an accomplishment, I think! The secret, I think, is in using quality ingredients. My egg noodles were a little too eggy.
Singapore Hokkien Mee recipe (feeds 5 to 6):
- About 25 prawns or more (the more the better, right?)
- A big chicken bouillon cube
- A whole squid, sliced
- Half a head of garlic, finely chopped
- 3 to 4 eggs
- A packet of thick rice noodles
- A packet of yellow egg noodles minus a little (I prefer more white than yellow)
- A giant packet of bean sprouts
- A few sprigs of spring onions
- Salt, fish sauce, and sesame oil to taste
1. De-head and de-shell prawns. Add heads and shells to a small pot of boiling water with a chicken cube, and boil for an hour. Toss in a bit of salt to taste. This makes a yummy prawn stock.
2. Remove shells. Drop prawns and squid into the stock, blanch for a couple of minutes, and remove quickly when just cooked.
3. Fry garlic in oil. Crack in eggs and scramble them. Add in noodles. Cook on high until noodles start to brown slightly.
4. Add 1/3 stock and fry until it's almost dry. Add another 1/3 stock, turn down the heat, cover, and simmer until it's almost dry.
5. Add in prawns, squid, bean sprouts, spring onions, and remaining stock. Add fish sauce and sesame oil to taste. Turn heat back up and cook to your desired dryness (I like my Hokkien mee more wet).
6. Serve with sambal and lime. Garnish with parsley and take a stunning photograph of it so you can show off to your friends that you just made Hokkien mee from scratch!!
(Adapted from this really good recipe.)
16 July, 2011
*1049 - eataly
Proscuitto on foccacia. A light lunch shared by two girls one day in the middle of work when I skipped across 11 Madison Park to Eataly in NYC. Also, the fluffiest iced cappuccinos we had ever tasted; it felt like we were drinking coffee-flavoured clouds from a cup.
Followed by duck for dinner, at a cute little French restaurant near the apartment, that was pretty well done (but I always LOVE duck) ...
... and Peruvian tamales and chicken for lunch the next day. Three girls diving into an entire roast chicken.
Friends and food. Sometimes I wish I were living in NYC so that I could be with the girls.
Followed by duck for dinner, at a cute little French restaurant near the apartment, that was pretty well done (but I always LOVE duck) ...
... and Peruvian tamales and chicken for lunch the next day. Three girls diving into an entire roast chicken.
Friends and food. Sometimes I wish I were living in NYC so that I could be with the girls.
*1048 - having fallen in love
"That was the strange thing, that one did not know where one was going, or what one wanted, and followed blindly, suffering so much in secret, always unprepared and amazed and knowing nothing; but one thing led to another and by degrees something had formed itself out of nothing, and so one reached at last this calm, this quiet, this certainty, and it was this process that people called living."
The Voyage Out, Virginia Woolf
Oh, that's so Woolf-ish. Making the process of falling in love sound like the most painful and sorrowful thing.
Beyond that, in the bigger scheme of things, we don't KNOW until it happens. A vague sense of the future, perhaps, and a strong desire or effort to shape it a particular way, but we never really know, do we?
The Voyage Out, Virginia Woolf
Oh, that's so Woolf-ish. Making the process of falling in love sound like the most painful and sorrowful thing.
Beyond that, in the bigger scheme of things, we don't KNOW until it happens. A vague sense of the future, perhaps, and a strong desire or effort to shape it a particular way, but we never really know, do we?
15 July, 2011
14 July, 2011
*1046 - cost of living
Singapore's cost of living ranks 8th in the world. Rankings are from the perspective of a skilled expatriate. The most significant reason for this is that the US dollar has weakened significantly against the Singapore dollar (local currency's strength vs. the US dollar being one of two factors of these ranking calculations), so that does make sense.
And according to this outdated article, San Francisco ranks 5th among US cities but barely makes it onto the worldwide top 100 chart, preceded by Chicago, White Plains, LA, and New York. Boston is a close 9th.
And I have the fortune of living in these presumably expensive cities? Great. Haha!
And according to this outdated article, San Francisco ranks 5th among US cities but barely makes it onto the worldwide top 100 chart, preceded by Chicago, White Plains, LA, and New York. Boston is a close 9th.
And I have the fortune of living in these presumably expensive cities? Great. Haha!
*1045 - hong kong, the old and the new
Hong Kong never fails to startle me in that it's a lightly tossed salad of ancient buildings and spanking new skyscrapers, against an unexpected backdrop of mountains and sea.
It was like a little Cornell Hotelie reunion, Asian style: Me, Inshi, Nick, Katie, Alison. Everything was strangely normal (I know I say this a lot) even though the last time some of us had seen each other must have been ... 3? 4? years ago? I've missed them all!! It was lovely to catch up again, and that was the main benefit I got out of the trip. That, and the hot bath that I took one night while nursing a glass of wine--what an indulgence--that lasted so long and so quietly that Inshi had to call into the bathroom nervously after some time, "Evelyn? Are you ok??"
I love how Hong Kong is almost en route from the US to Singapore. Perfect. Many more little trips to come, I hope!
Well, a few pictures before these get stale ...
Mango snow ice (I preferred the green tea with red beans) ... does it not look luscious?? Perfect when you're hot and sticky and exhausted from jetlag + shopping in Mongkok.
You tiao v1
You tiao v2 (I'm not even sure what these are called, but they're legendary and pretty awesome when wrapped in the cheong fun skin)
Century egg porridge for breakfast, mm. Remember the fear factor episode where everyone was barfing over the century eggs? Heehee. This always holds true: the grossest-looking little roadside stalls have the best congee.
Fresh cooked beef tongue, anyone? Amazing Japanese restaurant by Victoria harbour that served food tapas style ... am I very swaku for never having been to a Japanese restaurant like that?? We got a table-ful of amazing food, including DIY beef tongue, DIY potato salad, and DIY scrambled egg katsu. Heehee fun.
View from the hotel room and I. Hello, Hong Kong.
Fiew from outside the hotel. Hello, Hong Kong.
Heritage walk in an old Chinese village. 60% fabulously interesting, 40% didn't-we-just-see-a-temple-that-looks-exactly-the-same-as-this-one-oh-lordy-save-me-I'm-so-sweaty-I-need-an-icecream-now.
The light show at Victoria harbour, which was hilarious in its extreme underwhelming-ness. For real. We were screeching with laughter/disbelief the whole way through. It made a pretty picture, though! Skyline by night.
And by day. This was my second time on the peak. Love the tram ride up, which was so steep that even my brain couldn't figure it out and all the buildings looked like they were about to tip over.
There was much to do in 2.5 days. It went something like this chronologically: coffee, dim sum, street market, desserts, shopping, coffee and toast, zzz as the others partied, congee, coffee, heritage walk, snacktime, naptime, harbour, Japanese food, wine, SYTYCD, zzz, peak, dimsum, almost missed my flight, but made it HOME to a waving Mummy & Daddy at the airport! What a welcome sight :)
It was like a little Cornell Hotelie reunion, Asian style: Me, Inshi, Nick, Katie, Alison. Everything was strangely normal (I know I say this a lot) even though the last time some of us had seen each other must have been ... 3? 4? years ago? I've missed them all!! It was lovely to catch up again, and that was the main benefit I got out of the trip. That, and the hot bath that I took one night while nursing a glass of wine--what an indulgence--that lasted so long and so quietly that Inshi had to call into the bathroom nervously after some time, "Evelyn? Are you ok??"
I love how Hong Kong is almost en route from the US to Singapore. Perfect. Many more little trips to come, I hope!
Well, a few pictures before these get stale ...
You tiao v1
You tiao v2 (I'm not even sure what these are called, but they're legendary and pretty awesome when wrapped in the cheong fun skin)
Century egg porridge for breakfast, mm. Remember the fear factor episode where everyone was barfing over the century eggs? Heehee. This always holds true: the grossest-looking little roadside stalls have the best congee.
Fresh cooked beef tongue, anyone? Amazing Japanese restaurant by Victoria harbour that served food tapas style ... am I very swaku for never having been to a Japanese restaurant like that?? We got a table-ful of amazing food, including DIY beef tongue, DIY potato salad, and DIY scrambled egg katsu. Heehee fun.
View from the hotel room and I. Hello, Hong Kong.
Fiew from outside the hotel. Hello, Hong Kong.
Heritage walk in an old Chinese village. 60% fabulously interesting, 40% didn't-we-just-see-a-temple-that-looks-exactly-the-same-as-this-one-oh-lordy-save-me-I'm-so-sweaty-I-need-an-icecream-now.
The light show at Victoria harbour, which was hilarious in its extreme underwhelming-ness. For real. We were screeching with laughter/disbelief the whole way through. It made a pretty picture, though! Skyline by night.
And by day. This was my second time on the peak. Love the tram ride up, which was so steep that even my brain couldn't figure it out and all the buildings looked like they were about to tip over.
There was much to do in 2.5 days. It went something like this chronologically: coffee, dim sum, street market, desserts, shopping, coffee and toast, zzz as the others partied, congee, coffee, heritage walk, snacktime, naptime, harbour, Japanese food, wine, SYTYCD, zzz, peak, dimsum, almost missed my flight, but made it HOME to a waving Mummy & Daddy at the airport! What a welcome sight :)
12 July, 2011
*1044 - however,
I am now floating in the limbo of neither truly belonging here anymore nor ever truly belonging there. So, what really is the resolution?
Also, three weeks is not enough.
Also, three weeks is not enough.
08 July, 2011
*1043 - funny bunny punny munny
Lil Evie: yello jello!
Big Evie: hello ello mellow fellow ...
Lil Evie: is the name of the bar
Big Evie: OH
Big Evie: i thought it was your greeting
Big Evie: hahahaha
Big Evie: hello ello mellow fellow ...
Lil Evie: is the name of the bar
Big Evie: OH
Big Evie: i thought it was your greeting
Big Evie: hahahaha
*1042 - not numb
You would think that I might be numbed by now, after all these years.
But each time, it gets harder and harder to leave home. What is it about that continent half a world away that is keeping me so far from my family, my friends here, and the comforts of home?
But each time, it gets harder and harder to leave home. What is it about that continent half a world away that is keeping me so far from my family, my friends here, and the comforts of home?
05 July, 2011
*1041 - culinary adventure
Yet another one of my culinary adventures, this time involving a lot of apprehension, screeching, watching youtube videos and rushing about googling facts about ...
... cooking live lobsters.
:O
Hai there, mister lobster.
This is what we learnt by the end of the ordeal: to keep live lobsters live for a couple of hours in the absence of sea water, tuck them into your veggie cooler with a bunch of ice cubes and a wet towel over them.
Value for money, deliciously fresh, PLUS a great deal of entertainment (and panic attacks). Loved it.
... cooking live lobsters.
:O
Hai there, mister lobster.
This is what we learnt by the end of the ordeal: to keep live lobsters live for a couple of hours in the absence of sea water, tuck them into your veggie cooler with a bunch of ice cubes and a wet towel over them.
Value for money, deliciously fresh, PLUS a great deal of entertainment (and panic attacks). Loved it.
03 July, 2011
*1040 - barbie #1
The barbie was another one of those joyous "SUMMER IS HERE AHAHAAHHA" milestones, except that it turned out to be so chilly that we all ended up decked most fashionably in D's clothing for extra warmth.
A truly beautiful grill:
Is he a giant, or is she just really little? An unintended camera trick, I guess.
And this is what happens when men get drunk and their hunger-gatherer instincts erupt: they forage through the neighbourbood for dry branches, smash wooden cupboards over their heads to create firewood, use our adorable Spongebob plates as fuel, and even offer up their precious Maxim's to get a glorious bonfire going.
It really was glorious, and we burned everything burnable in the house that night, and more.
Spongebob burns in hell!!! :(
That night, we trudged home smelling strongly of smoked meat (for the next two days), eyes bloodshot from the soot, leg hairs singed to a crisp, vowing never to host a BBQ ever again ... and promptly planned for another one the very next day--which is due to happen next week! :)
A truly beautiful grill:
Is he a giant, or is she just really little? An unintended camera trick, I guess.
And this is what happens when men get drunk and their hunger-gatherer instincts erupt: they forage through the neighbourbood for dry branches, smash wooden cupboards over their heads to create firewood, use our adorable Spongebob plates as fuel, and even offer up their precious Maxim's to get a glorious bonfire going.
It really was glorious, and we burned everything burnable in the house that night, and more.
Spongebob burns in hell!!! :(
That night, we trudged home smelling strongly of smoked meat (for the next two days), eyes bloodshot from the soot, leg hairs singed to a crisp, vowing never to host a BBQ ever again ... and promptly planned for another one the very next day--which is due to happen next week! :)
02 July, 2011
*1039 - evidence
This is evidence of my sophisticated culinary skills:
Wrapping my hand in a plastic bag while chopping garlic to keep out the lingering stench (anyone who has chopped raw garlic should know what I'm talking about).
Wrapping my hand in a plastic bag while chopping garlic to keep out the lingering stench (anyone who has chopped raw garlic should know what I'm talking about).
*1038 - two + one discoveries last night
New Singaporean-ism #1 discovered last night: green tea whiskey. Verdict: kind of nasty, but after coddling the waiter into adding more green tea into our drink, almost acceptable.
New Singaporean-ism #2 discovered last night: a person projectile vomiting can be referred to as a "merlion". Used in a sentence: (tap on shoulder, gesture at friend bent over the bushes) "Eh wait, behind got merlion." Verdict: very nasty.
Non-Singaporean-ism discovery of a discovery last night: a mild horror story involving a particular drawer in my apartment. Verdict: (speechless, wildly amused)
New Singaporean-ism #2 discovered last night: a person projectile vomiting can be referred to as a "merlion". Used in a sentence: (tap on shoulder, gesture at friend bent over the bushes) "Eh wait, behind got merlion." Verdict: very nasty.
Non-Singaporean-ism discovery of a discovery last night: a mild horror story involving a particular drawer in my apartment. Verdict: (speechless, wildly amused)
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