3/52

you won't believe me but there really was magic in my room

wreckology day 1

2/52

behind the silver lining is nothing but yourself

Delayed

I just realised in the morning that today is no longer Friday! I've been so busy getting things sorted: my room is now spick and span, I've seen my house for next year, and there was even a steamboat party and a sleepover at my place last night.

After Nicole's Calculus exam on Thursday, Wendy and I joined her for a post-exam celebration at the city - drinking cold ShakeAway's in an even colder weather, dinner at Jamie's Italian, and very long chats about anything and everything. We were supposed to go for ice-skating the next afternoon, but we were late and so we did some oriental food shopping for dinner instead. 

Surprisingly my little space could fit the party of nine, but no one could walk around when everyone was seated. Hayley made the delicious tomyam soup base, but it was slightly too spicy for John - who probably never had anything as spicy as that in his life before. Say hello to asian invasion!

This week, I decided to try something different and bought two jars of Patak's Indian sauce; korma and tikka masala. Chinese stir frys are starting to get quite boring, so the rich creamy flavours were a good change.

Fried rice for a quick meal before an exam

Classes start on Monday but I'm not looking forward to it just yet!  I need a few more days for myself, I need to sit quietly in my room and do anything I want before the rush starts all over again. x

Project 52: 1/52

One piece a week should be alright. 

1/52

And these are some of the stuff I did back in 2010, and none after that - I can't believe I stopped and I still don't know why. :( 

xxx

New Year Resolution #2: Keep My Room Tidy

Yippee yay my January exams have finally come to an end! When I got back last night, I was greeted by the pile of laundry on my chair and the stack of unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink. I've been ignoring them for the past week, but I reminded myself that there wouldn't be any shortage of cutlery if I had them cleaned after every meal. So this is it - keeping my little space tidy is resolution #2. As I type out this post, my clothes are having a good happy spin in the launderette downstairs. 

Some stuff arrived over the couple of days, and all the things I need for my self-project are finally here! I'm not really pleased with the result of the fabric pens though, since they turn out to look more like crayons than ink. Guess I'll just have to make do with what I have and we'll see! 

And I got myself a plump winter coat. I was contemplating about whether or not to get a down jacket; I didn't like how it will make me look like a Michelin mascot, but I really thought it could keep me warm. Then I tried it on myself at the store the other day and decided that I wouldn't look too bad in it. Oh and TK sent me a postcard all the way from Japan! It was the Tokyo Tower, but initially I thought it was the Paris' Eiffel. Hmm.. Japan is definitely on my travel list.

I also regret subscribing to The Economist. I'm not exactly sure what excuses to make for the unopened stack of magazines, so I shall say nothing more about it.

Just when I thought it stopped snowing, it started again when I was out in the city today. I guess my fat coat's going to be handy for the next few days. Also, have I mentioned before? I like double-decker bus rides because I get to see more when I'm at the top. For example, you tend to miss a kite that is stuck on a tree when you're sitting at the bottom. Sometimes I wish I could fly to enjoy the bird's eye view.

x

Food Friday

Omg it's Friday already!

I would usually be excited that the weekend is here, but I'm in the midst of my exams and they aren't very exciting at all. The only bright side is that I've got two papers left. I don't usually drink coffee but I had a cup last night and another this morning just before the exam, and now I cannot take a nap even though I really want to.

In my efforts to organise things a little, I'm going to start dedicating my Fridays' posts to weekly homemade meals.

Breakfast this week was all about yoghurt, cherries, dried currants and shredded wheat.

Noodles are the fastest meals. I had two types of pasta - pappardelle and vermicelli, and some carrots, mushrooms, mincedmeat and pork rashers to go with it.

How I like my egg done

Homemade meatballs: mincemeat simply seasoned with sesame oil, salt and pepper

Since I anticipated a hectic week, I stocked the cupboard with all kinds of canned fish.  Tunas, sardines, pilchards (I've never heard of it before this, please forgive my lack of knowledge), everything. 

I'm not sure if canned food can be considered as healthy meals (to keep up with the new year's resolution), but because the facts of Omega-3 goodness of fish were printed on the labels, I didn't feel too bad anymore. Also, there wasn't any mayonaise in the fridge, so I experimented with yoghurt and yellow mustard - it tasted not bad I promise! 

Hah! And that was me surviving exam week with student meals!

Do you have January exams too? How did it go?

p.s. Staring out of my window today feels like staring into a snow globe. The snow flakes actually whirl around and get swept off by the wind, just like when you turn over the globe and turn it back upright.

Maybe if I look close enough I might be able to spot a snow fairy passing by. x

My very first snow

I've just had one of the most beautiful days of my life.

Back in 2007

Happy birthday Velda! I was trying to find an old photo of us to go along with the birthday wish, but stumbled upon these instead.

I lived in Sibu for a year, but there were so many good memories and friendships made that I feel like I've been there for quite some time. 2007 was a year when I actually had to walk to school, because I live literally 5 minutes away from it (you can also imagine me dashing to the gates before the prefects could take my name on some late mornings).

The view from my room window, and my most visited mall 

That's the Rajang River where I could watch the ships go back and forth every day

Mom and I would go out for walks, but I wish I spent even more time outdoors that I had in my room watching animes and playing Maple Story back then.

Some houses at the river bank

Near the market place

People from the other side of the river would be on their motorcycles and they would cross by boat to work everyday

There was a huge gap between the rich and the poor - many lived in bungalows, but even more lived in huts that could barely be called a home. Looking back at old photos made me realise how lucky I am to be in the better position. There was even a point where I got tired of the food served, but I wish I could tell my young self to just shut up, appreciate, and enjoy.

The kind of food I get every meal

I think I can figure out why I like presenting my food in a similar way now

Even my kampua mee had extra toppings

On Sundays, dad would bring us out for street food, and I can't deny that those were the yummiest moments ever.

Our weekly pork leg! 

Very juicy crabs

Our favourite hangout would be local morning market, where we discover new food brought in by various tribes every week. I've seen live worms and scorpions among other things being sold. Yum.

That's £3 for a plate! Underpriced seafood!

Holiday seasons for my brother were also the best for me, because he used to bring all these treats back from Germany (until my mom stopped him). If I remember correctly, 2007 was also the year that I put on a lot of weight, and I'm really not surprised why.

Danke bruder! Ich lieber dich!!!

Something was on fire one night

I'm not sure if anyone remembers this, but there was a serious haze problem and we thought schools would close for a few days

Time had passed, and I almost can't believe how different my surroundings are right now. 

Still lovin' it! x

Jinxed

Have you looked out your window today?

It's January already and it feels very much like it. Most depressing no-skies, and there's the mysterious thick fog restricting my view of the green university grounds. The routine remains as usual; I'm glad I did all my grocery shopping yesterday. Also, have I mentioned how I used to think of winter as the best season - hence the fetish for snow globes?

Switch your headlights on if you're driving!

I'm quite sure that I still love snow globes but I think snow feels best when they stay in snow globes. Don't get me wrong - I'm very much looking forward to my first snow but I hope they'd fall after I'm done with the January examinations. I want to go out and play all day without having to worry about anything at all, even if I fall slightly ill after that I would have time to recuperate.

Funnily enough, I can think of at least 101 things to do at the end of this month, when all I should be thinking about now are the solutions to my maths problems. I think our mind works in such a way that we try our best to avoid the hardest things that come in our way in life, and we get creative when that happens. When the end of the month comes, there's a high possibility that I would feel too lazy to get anything done. Hmm.

Nah. I'll stick to my plans. You'll see. x

My grocery day worries are over!

Have you looked out your window today?

It's January already but it doesn't feel like it yet! Happily sunny blue skies, and no sign of clouds in sight. Since happy weather makes me happy, I decided to go out and get some groceries before the light disappears. Also, have I mentioned how I get sore backs and aching arms every time I come home from the stores?

If you can spot my dirty windows, you can tell how much I love writing on foggy glass

Grocery tip: Get your 2 pints of milk and half a dozen of eggs from Iceland, they're only £1 each

Lo and behold! That's my new trolley bag, which I spotted while doing some online shopping for clothes. The deal was, buy something - anything at all from the site - and get a luggage bag for free! So I got myself a decent top for £8, and there was a delivery charge of £4 ++, and voila! Technically, I paid a fiver for this handy thing. It wouldn't serve very well as a luggage bag, since the wheels are tiny and they make the most atrocious sound against the road - but quite decent enough for my weekly shopping (besides getting all the attention from passers-by). 

Before I left my room, I was telling my mom over Skype about how much I miss her and her cooking. So she suggested that I try making some of the dishes by myself here. It's not the same when you follow good recipes from the internet, they may still turn out delicious and all that, but - Nothing. Beats. Home. Meals. It's like your sensory buds are already accustomed to certain types of flavour; those that are most comforting in thought and taste. 

When I got back, I turned my Skype on again and she gave me all the instructions, while she watched and made sure that I don't make a mess.

Yep, even the garlic skin!

Snacking on bread and marmalade while waiting for my porky meal

After a good 45 minutes!

Tadaa!

The lean meat parts are at the other end of the plate but the fatty bits are always the best! Smooth and creamy in texture, mmm! I had mine with brown rice, since the idea came to me while reading Daryl's comment about his switch to this apparently better option on facebook the other day. The balance - see what I just did there? 

x

p.s. I'm keeping up with my new year resolution #1. Healthy work snacks! x