Lately, very lately

I've been really busy (or at least, supposed to be) recently with writing my dissertation and catching up with tutorials, but I decided to take my time off today to update this space. It's been quite awhile since my last post, and looking back at old photos made me realise how much I did in this period - most of the time playing with (and eating) food, as you can see below.

Haven't been travelling much - going home for christmas holidays, Singapore, and visiting Yong Xuan in Dublin don't count here... what I mean is that I haven't been exploring places ever since I got back from America. I definitely want to go to new places, but I'll reserve those plans for summer. 

Brown french loaf with pandan kaya (from home) with berries

Left: Blended broccoli and leek, with balsamic vinegar and walnuts; Right: "Cream" of carrots with sesame oil

Left: Kaya and goats' butter on seeded toast; Right: First attempt at goats' cheese, spinach and sweet potato tart

Second attempt at gluten-free goats' cheese and spinach tart, and leftover dough turned to people biscuits by Ying Hui 

Left: Salmon, grapefruit and avocado salad & chocolate marble cake (note-to-self: you'll always need a hand mixer for baking...); Right: Pancakes with bacon and salted caramel sauce

CNY potluck with the housemates, and I made rice spring rolls with cervettes, basil, mint and corriander (prawns are so expensive here - bought 5 of these at £8! CNY the season to be jolly indeed)
Wendy prepared yee sang with raw sashimi-grade salmon
Our soup stock was the bomb 'cos we used salmon fish head and bones with ginger - yums!

Pasta, spinach and cheese for potluck at Alyssa's

Plum tomatoes, cheddar and dill pizza topped with walnuts and fresh kale

Left: Mung beans and sago hot dessert; Right: Raisins pancake with apple cooked in sugar, and salted caramel sauce

Potluck brunch at Raghavi's; I made red bean, longan and sago hot dessert
Raghavi made cous cous salad
Nishi made cooked oats with bananas and blueberries
San made pasta with bacon and cheese sauce

Chocolate muffins with salted caramel centres and sea salt flakes

Muffins sank in the middle 'cos I took them out of the oven too quickly (hee, impatient me), so I topped it up with more caramel sauce and sprinkled toasted almond slices to fix the look

If you're wondering why I'd used salted caramel in most of my food recently, it's 'cos I bought 2 jars meant for friends, when I planned to visit them in Ireland. Only later did I realise that I couldn't bring them on board with me as I didn't purchase any checked-luggage allowance. Silly me!

Going further back in time... I received the best present for my 22nd birthday (I still can't believe I'm already in my twenties), ever! I was struggling with my courseworks then, but it was very comforting to have my most favourite person in the world, by my side. Physically! Literally, by. my. side. HEE. Thank you, you.

Also I noticed myself wearing my blue, long-sleeved, light cotton top and the aztec dress a lot. But these are very comfy, so I can see why! It's soooo hard to find reasonably-priced tops that aren't t-shirts, or formal wear, so I can see why I dig this piece. Besides, I love wearing sleeves. Protects me from the sun, the cold, and- arms. Haha! As for the dress, I love how it can pull off the casual look, yet works fine for a dinner event.

Gotta love your guy when he happily agrees to have tea with you,

-cooks for you (just kidding), or even gets food for you!

And brings you out for brunches 'cos he knows how much you love having them!
BOTTOM LINE IS THAT HE HAS TO CONSTANTLY FEED YOU. YES.

We went to the zoo! My dress makes me look like a zebra! Rui Ling did my makeup (love it 'cos it's so natural)! 

Home is DEFINITELY comfort zone. If you have a mom like my mom, you'd hardly be tempted to dine out... unless you have cravings for roti canai. My mom is a classic home-maker, and I'd say that most of my meals are inspired by her. 

Homemade fried dumplings, even the dim sums. Stir-fried pumpkins, steamed fish, broth, veggies, and chocolate cake!

Being home for a month felt great - I got to catch up with Jasmine and Katherine, then Abi, Michelle and Shu Yee, and le papoy! I can't believe I'm a few months away from leaving this place, and I won't be seeing most of my friends I met here after this...

A date with piepoy

Till next time!