Thursday, December 23, 2004 0 comments Post a Comment You guys know my mom can cook. You tried her cheesecakes. her new year goodies. her mooncakes. her bread. And you know the artist she is but you've NEVER seen her works. NOW. FOR THE FIRST TIME. AND THE ARTIST HERSELF. IN HER "OTHER" WORKROOM. 12/23/2004 01:28:00 PM Wednesday, December 22, 2004 0 comments Post a Comment ~OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT~ DUN GET ME A SLING BAG. SOMEONE IS GOING TO. ~END OF ANNOUNCEMENT~ I know this is terribly piggish but i can't help it, cos i really dun want double presents. Hurray to PUBLIC birthday lists. ~ Oh SBD (Stollen Baking Day) was on a Monday. Baked 11 family sized stollens. Managed to package it quite presentably. My mom and I were pretty excited over the major baking project. With two alarms sounding off at different times, i was rushing here and there either trying to "round-and-rest" my dough , prepare my roasted almonds , remove or add a tray into the oven. But hey, it isn't too bad, worked from 11-4pm with a 5 min lunch but managed to complete all i wanted! And if you think bout it, cold storage sells it for 10+ dollars and some places actually priced it all e way up to 20! (whips out a antique blackbeaded abacus)........ I AM GOING TO BAKE-AND-SELL IN SHANGHAI. And up till now, the critics are raving over the bread. i quote Aunt Irene : " Your bread is fantastic. Its like having a European Breakfast! " i quote ML : " It's quite good. Give me more! Yum! " And we all know these are two most difficult critics around on the bread scene. *grin* NY eve dinner NY eve dinner... ~ OOh did grocery shopping ($180 worth of food!) for my dad's bday dinner. I'm expecting: 1. Foie Gras with Applesauce 2. Fresh Oysters 3. A 10-12 pound Turkey with Mushroom/Celery/Carrot/Nut Stuffing (w Cranberry and Turkey sauce) 4. Fresh Garden Salad (ahhhh...) 5. Cheese/Chocalates/Fruits 6. Mommy's Blueberry Cheesecake (gags) And yay, i suggested Lemon Sherbet in between. Hyuk Hyuk. I LOVE BIRTHDAY DINNERS! And i love cooking moms. ~ Oh more reading up on Zhou Guo Ping's autobio. What a dull life i lead. I wanna be part of some revolution. 3 facts I wanna share: 1. University students were sent from all over China to farms and fields countrywide to work as agricultural laborers for "reform labor". 2. In certain places, the people were made to have a morning assembly where they will shout slogans like : " Die1 Qing1 Niang Qing1 Mei2 Mao2 Zhu3 Xi2 Qing1!" (Dad's dear, Mom's dear but Not as Dear as CHAIRMAN MAO) (Now this guy IS the MAN. Immortalised. god.) 3. Poems, essays, diaries or any form of writing could be used as evidence by the Communist authorities to accuse you of being a right-wing which will land you up in deep shit. (and off they go to work their asses off planting crops) The life then just sounds so much more exciting. Where people had visions , had dreams, had the wish to strive further, to rebel , to fight for reasons besides money and more money. And here i am, apathetic and lazy fat me writing my blog, wondering what time i should bathe before i go town to buy presents. *AWK* tuuuuuuuuuu PUI! MY TRIVIAL AND BORING LIFE. I need a mission in life. Besides trying all the flavours of Haagen Daaz ice cream ever made. Wo3 Yao4 Ge2 Ming4. ( i can almost see the incredulous looks on ur faces, whispering " ....even before he leaves for china..." to one another". *cries out helplessly* FOOLS!!) ~ My New Year Resolution for 2005 : 1.To live a happier and much more fulfilling and energycharged life as i bid army farewell and await my departure to Shanghai. 2.To be more independant. 3.To love myself more than I ever did. To not lose myself. 4.To go much further than I ever have within the first 7 months in : a. Music (its very personal. Not some grade 8 instrument degree but just allowing music to take more control of my life and at the same time appreciate more varieties of music. And also hopefully be able to sing. somewhere.) b. Language and Literature (i'm going to read like i've never read before and write like i've never written before. And hopefully some of my works will get published on the papers, IF i can get my ass to look for the lianhe zaobao address. and also be capable of styles less morose and morbid.) c. Baking/Cooking (i've got to know at least how to bake 10 cakes and 5 bread and 30 dishes before i leave for shanghai. refresher course during my sch holidays) d. Health (running. badminton. swimming. and a healthier but still delicious diet) 5. To have Discipline (in achieving the above. in not being late. in quitting my internet and other addictions.) 6. To be less resistant and thus less apprehensive towards changes. 7. More. Morer. Most. Mostest. Money. I really like it. (hahahahah) ~ So i look back at 2004. Some major events. Some things finally done. Some things i always thought i wanted in life : i finally got them. (no not an mp3 player u tech-geeks..) Went through certain stages in my life much earlier than i planned to with no general regret although i think if i made the right decision from time to time. Most importantly, i survived a year. In a world which is "quick to cast its shadow and douse the beams" - Various' "Bus Ride" And the point of resolutions is one being resolute enough to consider a day, an hour, a minute or even a second into another year as a new beginning although it feels like nothing has changed. Its going to be interesting how we try to turn into something else with the replacement of a calender. But maybe its the "trying-to" for the entire year. Next year will be more eventful definitely. ORD-ing. Working part time. Flying off in sweden in mid april for a month. Flying off for shanghai in August. Its what i've been waiting for, ditching 04 for 05. doing the same thing / going to the same place/ talking to the same people (wait this sounds like what's gonna happen when we work) from day to day is stable and calm but it is dull and monotonous. There is so much more i have to see and do and feel. The last 2 years were "Life at 60%". Next year onwards its gonna be a joyride. And one thing i always (i swear i do) keep in mind is that there are always friends. the constants in life. and family, the harbour, the shelter and the home. and of course chocolates and yogurt. and ba cor mee. the ang mo kio one of cos. the left stall. i'm so full of crap. (and no, getting rid of the crap isn't one of my resolutions) 12/22/2004 04:19:00 PM Monday, December 20, 2004 0 comments Post a Comment tighter skin and porcelain faces, i see pretty decadence all around me, we can dance, we can dance. i see shards of me in all your eyes, oh no stranger is too strange for me, we can dance, we can dance. wet cloth sticking on wetter skin, i'm smoking outside the toilet again, we can dance, we can dance. intimacy runs another way. hearts so empty i'll go insane, but at the end of the day, we can dance, we can dance. - lyrics "we can dance" ~ why i am so amused with jj : i quote him : (without copyright) "gggrrr.. seems like not many pple approve of my name lei.. irritating.. *wails* u all too used to call mi other names liaoz~~!!! but but.. okok.. i tell my other frens liaoz, so i cannot change name AGAIN.. where got pple keep changing name one aniwayz.. muz support ah~~!! *rolleyes*" all this cos he wants a christian name. everybody loves jj? cos he's so stupid. p.s. i can't stand e line " where got pple keep changing name one aniwayz " i'm still laffing as i type it now. p.s.s i'm not going to disclose his 'name' here. refuse to publicise for him. lest ppl jump at e oppurtunity to call him his name and making him realli happy with himself. ~ I'm gonna have 2 weeks of leave clearance. So christmas week and new year week i'm gonna be pretty free. I will be calling up frens to get out of e house to do xmas shopping with. i have reduced to THREE gifts this year but i am still tormented by the 'Spirit of Giving' cos most people jus simply TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED. e.g. "expecting a more expensive present from me cos i'm spending less on others" OR "if i spend $20 for A cousin, B cousin deserves e same. " That's where e ingenious plan from my mom to bake xmas bread for mi family came from. Tomorrow is Stollen Baking Day (SBD). Gonna be a busy day learning how to bake my 1st loaf of bread. I bought Ken Hirai's latest album "SentimentaLovers" I don't even listen to R&B usually. This is REALLY good stuff. Unique Jpops style cross R&B+Jazz cross a set of to-die-for vocals. Didn't like his previous one i have "Gaining through Losing" but i'm gonna relisten to it cos i really like his music now. If u dun know who this is, he (i think) wrote and sang F4's Liu Xing Yu which was a cover for the japanese song " Gaining through Losing " whose english lyrics sound REAL cheesy. ~ and i managed to complete my Santa job. i will bring in Santa details in e nxt entry if i remember. i'm so sleepy. 12/20/2004 01:23:00 AM

yi A student (and maybe one always) / from Singapore in Shanghai / a hopefully chronic baking OCD / aborted mission Noble entirely / decided to stop believing in change and creation but work on succeeding heritages / food is culture. culture is heritage. / dreams of cooking classes in France where everything is white, light & shadows and old mastery - a typical Western enchantment/ wonders if Singaporean food will ever turn into haute cuisine/ will hump a madeleine more than anything else (for now)/ half-worried and half-proud that solid lava cakes distress him more than alot of things/ baking is my first (practical) skill/ believes that fine food can be found in the dodgiest alley after China/ will one day make his baking compulsion serve Charity / The Yi Cafe (a concept not a name)/ has the most pot-bellied father and a kitchen-prodigal mother (thus!)/ the second son with the less discerning tongue/ an aged interest in literature/ a perpetual weight issue / grams not pounds / measuring out my life with tbsps/ feeds the one with a sweeth tooth/ says, "my heart is stollen" homemade berry tart for the jaundice. SH culinary endeavours 1 : tang yuan in glutinuous rice wine SH culinary endeavours 2 : morbidly obese morning sandwich SH culinary endeavours 3 : herbal chicken soup YOU HEAR : Joni Mitchell - You Turn Me On I'm A Radio oh honey you turn me on i'm a radio i'm a country station i'm a little bit corny i'm a wild flower waiting for your broadcasting tower waiting for you fellow pebbles Archive Archives 10/12/2003 - 10/19/2003 10/19/2003 - 10/26/2003 10/26/2003 - 11/02/2003 11/02/2003 - 11/09/2003 11/09/2003 - 11/16/2003 11/16/2003 - 11/23/2003 11/30/2003 - 12/07/2003 12/07/2003 - 12/14/2003 12/28/2003 - 01/04/2004 01/04/2004 - 01/11/2004 01/11/2004 - 01/18/2004 01/25/2004 - 02/01/2004 02/01/2004 - 02/08/2004 02/08/2004 - 02/15/2004 02/15/2004 - 02/22/2004 02/22/2004 - 02/29/2004 02/29/2004 - 03/07/2004 03/07/2004 - 03/14/2004 03/14/2004 - 03/21/2004 03/21/2004 - 03/28/2004 03/28/2004 - 04/04/2004 04/04/2004 - 04/11/2004 04/11/2004 - 04/18/2004 04/18/2004 - 04/25/2004 05/02/2004 - 05/09/2004 05/09/2004 - 05/16/2004 05/16/2004 - 05/23/2004 05/23/2004 - 05/30/2004 05/30/2004 - 06/06/2004 06/06/2004 - 06/13/2004 06/20/2004 - 06/27/2004 06/27/2004 - 07/04/2004 07/04/2004 - 07/11/2004 07/11/2004 - 07/18/2004 07/18/2004 - 07/25/2004 08/01/2004 - 08/08/2004 08/08/2004 - 08/15/2004 08/15/2004 - 08/22/2004 08/22/2004 - 08/29/2004 08/29/2004 - 09/05/2004 09/05/2004 - 09/12/2004 09/12/2004 - 09/19/2004 09/19/2004 - 09/26/2004 09/26/2004 - 10/03/2004 10/03/2004 - 10/10/2004 10/10/2004 - 10/17/2004 10/17/2004 - 10/24/2004 10/24/2004 - 10/31/2004 11/07/2004 - 11/14/2004 11/14/2004 - 11/21/2004 12/05/2004 - 12/12/2004 12/12/2004 - 12/19/2004 12/19/2004 - 12/26/2004 12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005 01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005 01/09/2005 - 01/16/2005 01/16/2005 - 01/23/2005 01/23/2005 - 01/30/2005 01/30/2005 - 02/06/2005 02/13/2005 - 02/20/2005 02/20/2005 - 02/27/2005 02/27/2005 - 03/06/2005 03/06/2005 - 03/13/2005 03/13/2005 - 03/20/2005 03/20/2005 - 03/27/2005 03/27/2005 - 04/03/2005 04/17/2005 - 04/24/2005 05/08/2005 - 05/15/2005 05/22/2005 - 05/29/2005 05/29/2005 - 06/05/2005 06/05/2005 - 06/12/2005 06/19/2005 - 06/26/2005 07/03/2005 - 07/10/2005 07/10/2005 - 07/17/2005 07/17/2005 - 07/24/2005 07/24/2005 - 07/31/2005 07/31/2005 - 08/07/2005 08/07/2005 - 08/14/2005 08/14/2005 - 08/21/2005 08/21/2005 - 08/28/2005 08/28/2005 - 09/04/2005 09/25/2005 - 10/02/2005 11/06/2005 - 11/13/2005 12/11/2005 - 12/18/2005 01/22/2006 - 01/29/2006 02/05/2006 - 02/12/2006 02/26/2006 - 03/05/2006 03/05/2006 - 03/12/2006 03/12/2006 - 03/19/2006 05/14/2006 - 05/21/2006 06/11/2006 - 06/18/2006 06/25/2006 - 07/02/2006 09/17/2006 - 09/24/2006 10/15/2006 - 10/22/2006 11/26/2006 - 12/03/2006 12/17/2006 - 12/24/2006 06/03/2007 - 06/10/2007 08/26/2007 - 09/02/2007 11/04/2007 - 11/11/2007 09/07/2008 - 09/14/2008 12/14/2008 - 12/21/2008 12/28/2008 - 01/04/2009 01/04/2009 - 01/11/2009 01/18/2009 - 01/25/2009 01/25/2009 - 02/01/2009 02/01/2009 - 02/08/2009 02/08/2009 - 02/15/2009 02/15/2009 - 02/22/2009 02/22/2009 - 03/01/2009 03/15/2009 - 03/22/2009 & I want these Apron Stains! Madeleine Attempt 3 (with baking powder?!) ML's Stollen SY's Baked Almond and Marzipan (urgh) Peaches ZW's Ricotta Cream Cheese Pudding Citrus Delight 4 Lavas + 4 Purins for e Family replica of JG's FG with port gelee, candied pistachios and dried sour cranberries Upcoming Gastronomic Gorges Haiku by Hatsune Geylang Tze Char Pilgrimage Peranakan Food Liver @ Hong Long Xing