Jiak sai!!

Like, literally.



OK that was my lame attempt to be punny har har (cos "jiak sai" means "eat shit" in Hokkien... and I am "eating" a SAI :P)

It's actually Maki's sai... Maki has kindly offered to lend it to me for boot camp this weekend, cos we need two sais for the kata we're doing (I'm getting my own during the camp itself). I wonder what kata we'll be doing with two sais? *excited* Maki is also lending me her dirty set of gi because apparently we're gonna be doing some training in the sea too. Oooh.

. . . . .

Tonight's dinner was stingray again.

I had looked up some promising sambal recipes but had no time to make, so we resorted to buying it again. Eddie always used "Extra Spicy" sambal which always made us cry, so this time we were cleverer, and happily grabbed a jar of sambal labeled "MILD" off the shelves at Chai's.

The ray was grilling in the oven when I got home from training. I could hardly wait for Eddie to finish taking pictures so that I could dig in.



First bite: Ohm nom nom. Mmmm.

*few seconds later*... OMGWTFAAAAARRRRKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Pupils dilated and bells started ringing.
Our tastebuds died and went to hell
We kept gulping ice-cold juice and full cream milk, trying to extinguish the flames
And we used up half a box of tissues between us because our noses wouldn't stop dripping

In the end, we had to slather butter all over the ray. Yes, butter. We were that desperate.

What kind of MILD is deadlier than EXTRA HOT?!!

Eddie and I were quite sure some idiot who couldn't read had put the wrong label on the wrong jar, somewhere in a factory far far away.

I am SO making my own sambal next time!

Weekend shenanigans

We went fishing at Shorncliffe yesterday.



The dreaded 'shark boys' were at the end of the jetty and as usual, the selfish bleeps had tied all their big fat rods to every post so that noone else could fish there. Grr. We were lucky we managed to bag a corner on one side of the jetty.

Got to see some action though, cos they did land a small shark



I had no space to cast because of the stupid shark rods so I simply dropped my line below. That was where all the bream would be anyway, swimming around the pylons.

I got what I wanted :D



I caught a couple but we only brought the legal one home.
Had it for lunch today! Nom.

Also caught a couple of super cute spikey puffies



Eddie caught stingray!



Of course, the first thing we had in mind was sambal stingray, but Eddie had a better idea... so we gave Bjorn the Chef our stingray and left it up to him to come up with something crazy for dinner.

Thus, today's dinner was...



*drumrolls*

STINGRAY TACOS ~!!

It was yummy! The others didnt think it was spectacular, but I thought it was pretty good considering rays aren't the most versatile fish in the world to make dishes out of.

Well done Bjorn! :)

. . . . .

Meanwhile, Mel & Darren the newly-engageds came by our place to drop off my belated birthday pressie ♥

So indulgent!! Thanks guys I can't wait to use it! :D

. . . . .

I found the perfect Christmas gifts for my two little cousins, who are forever pestering me to let them take photos on my compact digital camera.

1.3mps haha but hey, it's a start... Perhaps they'll even end up becoming famous photographers one day :)

@ ze Italian café‎ under ze Eiffel Tower

Managed to catch up with one of my childhood besties, Linzhi, during her stopover in Brissy on her Great Aussie Tour! :)

It was great to see Jiaren again too, as well as meet his girl Steph + aeronautical-engineer-in-the-making friend.... Aaron? (I think that was his name O.o), who was sorely disappointed when I was less than extremely amused about the fact that the flying dinosaurs in Ice Age 3 made aeroplane sounds LOL

Now tell the difference between an amateur photographer and a pro hobbyist!

Here's a photo I took with my crappy old compact:


(Super *heart* Jiaren's 1982 Nikon FM2, I also want onee)

Here's a photo Jiaren took with the same crappy old compact:



Difference much? :P

Linzhi and Jiaren are both photography nuts, and I bet Linzhi and [ Twistie ] are gonna have fun snapping away in Perth when Linz heads over!

Speaking of Perth, I could kill for some duck rice right now... :(

Check out more of Jiaren's awesome work on his [ blog ].

. . . . .

Also, my little article/report in my school's e-newsletter is out!
See [ here ] :)

I can see my cake!

Eddie cleaned the oven out last weekend.

After yoinks of not being able to see a thing through the grime-coated oven door, I am now watching my prune cake brown beautifully on the grill. Joy :D



Only thing is, I forgot to grease the new flexi pan that I just bought.
Owells, Kurap Cake II on its way...

At least I won't have to dig this one out with my fingers x)

Always use protection when you do it

Heh. *ahem*

Check out my new pads, yo!



My Ninja Turtle feet.



WKF approved can ^^



Btw, going to boot camp in two weeks YAY

Oh KURAP

My orange chiffon cake looks like it had contracted some sort of skin disease

('crap'='ku-rap'=skin disease, geddit?? bahahahahahaha ok nvm)



The damn thing wouldn't come out of the bundt pan, so I had to dig it out with my fingers O.o

Tremendous improvement from my first attempt, but it turned out a little bit on the dry (and ugly) side. I'll try making some orange frosting to go with it next time; that'd make it look a little better as well as make it easier to swallow :)

. . . . .

Guess who turns 4 tomorrow!

Munching cookies at 2.30am

My life is starting to lose its routine without you in bed, flapping your arms+legs and making bedsheet angels, enticing me to jump in and join u and huggle u to sleep.

Faster come back honey, I miss you already!


(Gosh, at this rate... I probably wouldn't even survive one year being apart from each other, if I had to work overseas O.o)

Home alone

Sent Benjamin to the airport at noon.
Eddie won't be back till tomorrow evening.
The whole house seems so quiet and empty
Everything is just... still.
I don't even know where Mariah is

. . . . .

Ying will be moving out in a week or two
As soon as renovations are done with her new house.
I wonder who our new housemate(s) will be
I am so gonna miss the woman and her pooch

. . . . .

I was supposed to put in an article for the school's e-newsletter by 9 this morning.
For some reason my article didnt save
Or godknowswhere it was saved
because I did click on Save multiple times.
It was only after I closed the document that I realised
I should have saved it in My Documents
Panicked and called Eddie
He couldnt figure his way around stupid Vista
In the end I had to rewrite the whole damn thing again
and finally got it in by 11am.

. . . . .

I like this photo a lot.
Took this when I was out with Daph and Jerry.
Its one of the photos from my first 35mm roll that came out ok



I like it because it's so random
I remember taking the flashy red sports car turning at the junction
But I have no idea/can't remember where the words came from!
But looking at it makes me smile
because it reminds me to be positive in life
and thats all that matters, isn't it?

. . . . .

I was going to bake an orange chiffon cake
but discovered the grater had rusted
so it'll have to wait
till I buy a new grater tomorrow

. . . . .

Spent shitloads at Coles today
I couldn't resist spoiling myself with junk food
Ended up not going for karate training
Not good.
Was going to have waffles for dessert
with Maggie Beer's burnt fig jam, caramel and honeycomb ice-cream
But I think I'll wait for Eddie to come home tomorrow
Food tastes so much better with company :)
(that's why happy couples get FAT)

. . . . .

Three more students' drafts to mark
But who wants to mark drafts when there's better things to do?

Still wide awake

I don't know if it's from the late-night exercise, or the power nap I had at 6pm, or the combination of both. It's shingz, cos I start work at 8 tomorrow and I really want to be up when Eddie leaves for the airport at 5!

Called the parentals for a chat since I couldn't sleep. Very excited about seeing them again soon, but disappointed that I won't be going back to Miri this time around. I haven't been home for two years already. What wouldn't I give to be able to drive out this very instant to have a nice bowl of 叉烧油kolo面 at Cafe A1 :(

Honestly, I'm not looking forward to KL. I hate the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle, and I hate the jams and pollution. I guess I'm still a small town girl at heart. I don't care for shopping, I only want to eat but I won't know the best places to go to for the foods I crave. I won't be able to go to the beach anytime I want and buy RM1 chicken wings from the makciks fanning delicious red skewers of meat at makeshift stalls scattered around the Esplanade. I won't be able to meet up with my friends back home... so close, yet so far. I also hate the fact that I won't have the guts to drive in KL because I don't know the roads, and I hate the fact that Malaysian drivers are so fucking fucked up. I was shocked that my parents had so easily made the decision to move to KL and buy condo and car and everything... but I guess after staying in Beijing for the past few years, they've already gotten used to big city life.

I'm super duper looking forward to Singapore though, because I haven't been there since I was probably 6! I'll have 'tour-guides' to bring me around on a quest to fill my bottomless pit with the best local delicacies, and more importantly, I'll be meeting Eddie's family for the first time :)

. . . . .

Anyhoos, tonight's karate training was focused on hip-rotation and a bit of self-defence... for example, like how you'd react to a drunk who decides to swing a punch/kick you in a bar/on the streets. Learnt some interesting stuff and had some good practice using the ippon ken (see picture)

It's pretty cool that Sensei Stephen is a qualified masseur, because he knows which muscles connect to which and where all the weak spots are to knock someone out. Kinda like those Chinese kung-fu movies where you jab someone in specific spots with one finger and paralyze them hehe.

I also love how this dojo has separate classes for beginners, intermediates and advanced seniors, because I am learning so much more training with people my own level rather than always having to help out with beginners in a mixed class. Plus Sensei Stephen really knows his stuff. AND it's Shito-ryu. I couldn't have asked for more. :D

. . . . .

Hmm got a bruise on my shin from soccer on Sunday.
Don't underestimate the importance of shin-guards, people, even in a friendly game.

. . . . .

Tummy's rumbling again. Groan.
Gonna hop back into bed now and try to fall asleep again before I feel the need to go to McDonalds.

Good luck with the exam revisions, all!

xoxo

Toe-curling, fist-clenching...

bumhole-burning DIARRHEA.

I think it's the combination of KFC, beer and Berbatov from last night.

Breakfast on a sunny morning out

We went back to the market @ QUT Kelvin Grove to get more of those fabulous smoked mussels, and ended up with a gourmet breakfast which we devoured in the shade of a big tree while enjoying the summer breeze!


Fruit scones, icy homestyle lemonade, smoked mussels, smoked prawns, and a mixed tub of (if I remember correctly) sicilian olives, stuffed moroccan queen olives, and kalamata olives marinated in chilli, rosemary and garlic oil ♥

The olives/prawns/mussels were from the same antipasto stall where I bought the mussels from last week. The fruit scones were from a Vietnamese baker stall (which was near the end of the strip), and they were so good that we went back and bought half a dozen more!

Photos were taken with my new phone btw.

Say hello to Pinkerbelle :)

Err.. uhm... ahh...*snortle*

I returned to the pharmacy to exchange my new ankle-guard for a better fitting one, which I needed for karate tomorrow (checking out a new dojo, yay!)

When it was my turn at the counter, the guy started gurgling and turning bright red.


. . .


Turned out he was just trying to suppress awkward laughter after seeing my shirt



Bahah.

Zee amazing discovery

Should I say that I've just found out that an old schoolmate is an international celebrity, or that an international celebrity is an old schoolmate? :D

I watched this clip on [ Yasmin's blog ] last night and was thinking that this chick looked suspiciously familiar. My heart almost stopped. Finally, after more researching, I can safely conclude that this girl armed with her ukulele is indeed the same Izyan Alirahman I used to spend pengakap camps and afternoons at school practicing the cha-cha-chas with.

OMG I know someone famous now! haha.

I spent the whole afternoon after work looking up her Jack-Johnsoney songs on YouTube. I'm so happy for her unexpected stardom in doing something she loves, and I'm proud that she's made it so far yet stays true to herself and her roots!

This one is one of my favourites...

I mean, how much more uniquely Malaysian can you get? ;P

Sweet sweet Saturday

Yesterday was a happy, sunshiney day :)

While the boys played futsal @ QUT Kelvin Grove, Grace and I took a stroll to the market across the street and bought flowers for ourselves!



When I got home, I cut off the stalks and floated the heads in a bowl of water, as recommended by the florist



Cantik, kan?



I also bought some really good smoked mussels for Eddie from an antipasto stall, but he finished it before I could take photos of it @.@

At home...



The boyfriend and kitteh soaking up the sun :)



I love taking photos of Mariah making weird faces! She was gnawing on some grass in this one hehe



The best part of my day was having Eddie buy me a new Budnt pan (cos my old one had become rusty), receiving an unexpected 'discount' for my new cheesecake pan, and giving a second go at baking the chocolate cake...



... WITH SUCCESS!! :D

Brought it to Farah's BBQ and didn't have any left to bring home :D Hmm maybe I'll bake another one to bring to Student-free Day tomorrow.

My chocolate cake

... ended up in the bin :(

How Eddie and I started off

More stickpeople stories from [ http://www.xkcd.com/ ]

♥

On days like these I thank God for blessing me with wonderful friends.

:)

"Merry Christmas in advance, honey!"

I was at work when I saw his SMS:

(Eddie) Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe.
(Jody) Whyyyyy art thou sniggering? *eyes eddie suspiciously*
(Eddie) Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe :) i bought something for u! Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe Hehe

When I went to pick him up from work and saw him lugging that humongous David Jones bag, I almost instantaneously knew what it was.

:D!!!

I suppose I had been whining about how much I missed my previous housemate Cindy's atas mixer, but I had never ever thought the darling would actually go and BUY me one!!

And the funny thing was- HE BOUGHT THE EXACT SAME MIXER CINDY HAS WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHAT CINDY'S MIXER LOOKS LIKE!!! omg.

Mariah sussing it out. Eddie suggested making Mariah a tuna-and-prawn cake for her birthday :P

SHANKS DARLING I LOVE YOUUUUU ♥ ♥ ♥ *hug*squeeze*smoochestodeath*

...okok I love u too lah

Spoilt brat.

Online shopping again!

I just bought this.



Isn't it simply gorgeous?

I love dangly charms. I love love handmade goodies.
And I hate hate hate how Paypal makes it so easy to pay for purchases online. Sigh.

ETSY.COM IS EEEEEE-VIIILLL

Lust

@_@*