Like a kid in a candy store

Happened to pass by this shop at Central Mall and lo and behold, it's the shop that my Christmas candy came from. I have always loved watching the live displays of cakes being decorated, and this was pretty cool to watch too.The candy comes in a roll that gets chipped off skillfully into smaller pieces.

The Red Kitchen Aid

On my previous Bali trip, I made birthday cupcakes. Boy, it was fun keeping it a surprise and whipping up a storm at 1120pm, i.e. shortly before midnight. The villa staff were so helpful and helped to gather the essentials like oil and butter, as well as this kitchen aid mixer!























So I mentioned this to my family when I got back home.

To cut a long story short, some time later, my brother suggested that we get our mother a KA for Christmas. Mostly out of practicality, we don't often get our immediate family presents unless there's something they particularly want or need. This year would be different, though.

We embarked on an investigation of market prices and debating which colour machine to get. Oh, it was tough. I even tried to engage my mother in a hypothetical which-colour-machine-would-you-like conversation (without much luck).

To speed up the story even more:
We ended up getting a red KA because there was a major sale happening online in the States and it was on sale. Even with shipping - and with the need to use a transformer because of the voltage difference - it was still worth our while to buy it online.

Then we hit a snag - shipping delays! We waited and pretended like we didn't have a present for my parents, which wasn't too hard to do.

The Christmas gift came a few days after Christmas, and my mum was thrilled. Thrilled enough to call my aunt (who was already in on the secret) and relate the news...so thrilled that she couldn't go to sleep...so thrilled that we did some cleaning and moving that very night and settled the KA into its permanent spot in the kitchen...

The mixer purrs like the Ferrari of mixers and it's beautiful to watch. Just a mixer, you might say...but a gift that we'll likely be talking about for many years to come :)

Special thanks to the BFF for helping to chase the fedex guys... oh and my old mixer was adopted by my aunt. The End.

Weekend

I've had such a good start to the weekend, jam-packed (literally, come to think of it) with good food and company, fun and hanging out. Lovely.

Marks & Spencer's Tea Boxes

Pretty!
(and a shout-out to occasional perusers of this blog who are tea fanatics... :)

Christmas Candy

A friend gave me a jar of super-cute handmade candy from sticky for Christmas.























Too cute! They're tiny works of art and they taste pretty good, too. They can be customised and I think they'd be great for special events.

I brought them to a meeting at work but I was heartily amused to see the guys at the meeting wolf them down (and a couple at a time...) without so much as a glance at the patterns! Talk about mars and venus...

Mushroom, Long Beans & Dried Shrimp Porridge

"...porridge with a delectable combination of mushrooms, minced meat, dried shrimps and diced long beans cooked stir-fried together and mixed into the porridge pot. Ooh, it's the best." - Manda, "My official Saturday food" (6 Sep 2008)

What? You mean I haven't shown you photos yet?

Oops. It's been languishing in a folder on my desktop.

Just a small sidetrack: I love the smell of these mushrooms. They look ugly but taste so good. But I say 'ugly' with affection because they're actually fascinating when you look really close, beautifully textured (and they smell yummy, at least to me).

















This is my kind of comfort food. The kind of food that my aunt would feed to a few of us cousins from the same bowl/spoon while we watched tv or ran around the house.

It's quite easy-peasy, this porridge. Boil porridge in a big pot. Slice & soak mushrooms & dried shrimps (hei-bee). The minced pork shown here is in a frozen block, but anyway when it thaws, season with salt, pepper, light soya sauce, a little dash of black soya sauce if you like it dark like I do, and corn starch. All quantities based on aggaration... Also slice long beans (not shown here). Then stir-fry the minced pork, mushrooms, shrimps, long beans. Chuck this stir-fried mixture into the pot with the cooked porridge and stir it in. Leave to sit.























Add garnishing - sliced spring onions & chilli padi, fried shallots, and voila.

This is i Elizabeth...

In my family, I'm generally the one who spots a movie that my mum, aunts/cousins will love (read: heartwarming, bring-on-the-tissue-paper). So when I heard about this book, I thought my mum would also enjoy it. Written by a former school Principal, the book is written breezily and humorously about her life growing up, the perks of being squint-eyed (not having your chicken drumsticks stolen at the dinner table), her journey through school ranks, touching the lives of students and living a full life (mountain-climbing!) despite facing cancer (twice). I myself had great times growing up with lots of family around me, and spending weekends at Changi Beach, so I enjoyed reading her account. So did my mum (usually a reluctant reader) and my dad.

And as a bonus, I spotted the mention of my friend Ian's mother in the book! Well I didn't know at the time that it was his mother but I felt sure they were related so I checked with him and found out. How cool is it to have a former student write a whole paragraph about how you touched her life? Anyway, I was pleased to be able to give Ian's mother a copy of the book, with a bookmark stuck in there to mark the page :)

A literary voice can make a positive impact in the world just as well as any choir. Proceeds from the book go to Goducate, a non-profit organisation started by 3 Singaporean Christians. Goducate aims to help poor Asians to help themselves in ways that I think are meaningful e.g. not simply handouts for the community but identifying the real needs and working with the community to initiate self-help projects (FAQs about Goducate are found here).

New Year's Day, 2011

Photo: My aunty Lil's lovingly-baked chicken pie!

Thinking about the year ahead and my hopes, dreams and prayers both for myself and those reading this, I find that the Bible in Hebrews 12:2 puts it really neatly:

"...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God".

So many things can pull us down, distract us, fill our lives with such busy-ness and needless worry. As the old song goes: And the things of earth will grow strangely dim - in the light of Your glory and grace.

I want to live this year simply, gratefully, purposefully, with God...

• Treasuring family and friends.
• Living simply, thankfully, healthily, joyfully.
  
• Living as a good steward of what God has given me.
• Living in God's wisdom, by His word, with His presence so strong in my life.
• Being a blessing to others, especially to those in need.
  

Have a blessed 2011.

Manda

Christmas Gathering

I basked in the warm glow of friends gathered around an amply-provided
table. Now 30-somethings, the talk has turned to baby things, house
hunting and the best ever containers to hold detergent. In a few
years, the conversation is bound to include tuition for the kids,
choosing schools and so on... More and more, I find myself appeciating
friendships and people to go through the seasons of life with.

Veggie Sandwiches

I toasted slices of baguette, spread some mayo on some slices and butter on the rest.

Then I added some salad leaves that I'd tossed up with dressing. Artistically arranging the salad is my favourite part.

Detox Lunch

After all the feasting - leftover porridge & stir-fried cabbage.

Christmas 2010

This Christmas was more laid-back than most, with my gifts mostly settled before the last weekend before Christmas. I must be growing up.

I had to force myself to break out some nice gifts I'd been keeping, hoarder that I am. Embracing the daily cute, eh... but more on that another time. So the really nice wall stickers from Paris with princesses and coaches (coaches a-la Cinderella, not the bag) went to a deserving lady with a sweet first baby, more of my mum's friend but I know her too. I like it when presents match the person, don't you?

I put a lot more thought into this year's presents and I am satisfied. It's not about present-giving, this season of Christmas, but I do think one thing we could take away is the joy of giving rather than (or as much as) receiving.

As of this moment though, the surprise gift for my mother is not at my house yet due to shipping delays, so it remains a surprise (3 days after Christmas! SURPRISE!) ...and because of that, my dad's gift is on hold too... online shopping has its fun moments but next time round I won't be holding my breath that the packages will arrive on time.

I enjoyed the usual gatherings with family and friends, unwrapping presents next to a Christmas tree (never gets old, does it), and I feel really blessed with all that I need - and then some.

One last thing. I think we have so much! I know I do. I hate to waste things though.

Exhibit A:
A box of misprinted cards that were bound for the bin (courtesy of Chelle) got chopped up into very decent cards and gift-tags. And I still have enough for several more Christmases!



















Exhibit B:
I thought the ends of ribbons (when I snipped them off) were too cute to just chuck. Found a piece of red card. Stuck the ribbon ends on. Added an A (die-cut at Chelle's erm 2 years ago I think?). Voila, graphic-looking a hand-made card! I like it!

A voice

The human voice is amazing.

It hums, sings, sighs, hisses, booms, moves one to tears.

You could hum a little tune to yourself or join a chorus and raise funds for charity.
It's inspiring when you think of the things people can do to use their talents for good.

Earlier this month, I was invited to a charity concert.

The beneficiary: Casa de Producao Audiovisual (website here), a group working in Timor Leste. In a country where more than half the population is illiterate and where violence and conflict is rife, CPA is working to unite the East Timorese through storytelling and introducing education programmes.

The performers: students, church choirs, choirs of people who just simply like to sing for singing's sake. They were young, and they were old. I couldn't help but think of how the sweet young voices contrasted beautifully with the older, more mature voices. Life has a way of moderating your tone, I suppose.

So sing, sing a song...and see if you can do some good in this world while you're at it!

Open your mouth for the speechless,
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8-9

Online shopping is addictive

The other day, I went for a bit of a walk with my mum and some shopping and returned with nothing except aching feet. It was good to get out though.

Then I went a-hunting online, appalled by the prices in the shops. Finally signed up at Amazon and vpost and like they say, I let my fingers do the walking. (I now have my own address in Portland, Oregon). It feels a little ostentatious to have items being packed and shipped just for me. I am having fun checking on where my packages are (Indianapolis). Now if I could think of something meaningful to send to my aunt in Canada, I would. Because you know, I still have 4 days to make it it time for Christmas...

Day Off

I am a dipper

Yew Char Kueh and kopi-tiam-style kopi.
Yum yum.

Yet another satisfying afternoon off

I would have had tea at TWG @ Ion Orchard today, except that it was
crazy crowded! On a Monday afternoon! My feet were killing me but at
least I got some shopping done. Love the festive atmosphere at year end!

I love home-cooked food: Hot Soup

Sunday morning.
I feel the love. Or rather, I smell it.
The smell of sweet comfort food wafting from the kitchen.

Presenting my mother's 10-minute soup.

Old Cucumbers. Wash, cut, remove cores.






































Dried Mushrooms & Scallops. Rinse and soak. Slice mushrooms.






















Pork Bones. Rinse. Defrost if necessary.






















Water. Boil. Add salt & pepper. Add pork bones. Add mushrooms & scallops. Add old cucumbers. Bring to boil. Plonk pot into handy thermal pot (in which the soup keeps cooking all day without the need for a continual fire.)






















With this soup cooked, all that remains to be done is to come home after a busy day, cook steaming hot rice, re-heat soup and serve. Voila, home-cooked goodness. Slurp.

A Friday Afternoon in the Month of December

At this time of the year, things are delightfully peaceful.

I have no meetings! Email has slowed down to a trickle! I can send off an email and not have it boomerang back with 3 or 4 responses! I have time to get my belongings in order!

And also, I have time for the nice picnic-style lunch I always wanted to do, as seen here.

I love snail mail

My brother visited the Vatican and sent a postcard back. He arrived home many days ahead of his postcard but still, it was a nice momento.