7 perfect days between christmas and the new year.

2009 has been a wonderful year, and the past few months just kept getting better. not that i'm complaining, but there's been so much excitement in my life that i wish i could have a little more rest time. dozing off on a great movie like avatar probably was a good enough indication that i need more snooze time.

in the end, i decided to forego the merry making this new year's eve to spend a quiet one at home with my dad. i'm sleepy as hell, but it just seems wrong to go to bed so early on the last day of the year!

photo by yao hong

in 2007, i made some chocolate peanut butter cups for christmas. that was when i just got kanon as a 21st birthday gift and was so enthusiastic about the birth of this food blog. this year, it's almond chocolate pocky sticks, adapted from pioneer woman's recipe. it's easy, fun, absolutely brainless but looks nice nonetheless!

photo by yao hong

i also had an awesome potluck dinner on boxing day, but i shall leave that to another day, maybe next year... heh! merry christmas and happy new year everyone, it's going to be an awesome 2010 filled with His love, peace and joy. =)

photo by yao hong

selling salt (not by the sea shore).

one of the most interesting and innovative marketing initiative in a very long time!

product in question - plain 'ol salt!

click here to explore.

tea-break.

see time's list of top 10 tv chefs for an interesting read!

amongst whom my favourites are jamie and rachel. =)

my foodie christmas wish list. =)

1. the pioneer woman cooks: recipes from an accidental country girl

by ree drummond

my all time favourite blogger finally wrote a cookbook which i've been lusting for some time now. i can finally smell the book making its way into my arms, thank you lulu for the birthday prezzie! =) [checked!]

2. the man who ate everything

by jeffrey steingarten

i've heard about this award winning book but had held off buying it for the longest time because it costs over forty bucks in singapore. recently bought it in kl for half the price! extremely excited to begin on it! [checked!]

3. cuisinart 2-lb bread maker

figured since i love bread so much i should learn to bake my own, minus the fuss! this one by cuisinart looks so metallic and macho it's sexy! i'll get it... someday.

4. the sweet life in paris

by david lebovitz

part cookbook, part memoir and part guidebook, it speaks about lebovitz's experience in paris when he decided to move to the city of love following his partner's death. paris, france, not just any food but french food, what's there not to want?

5. jamie magazine

by jamie oliver

picked up a copy of the magazine at oriole cafe and i was hooked. jamie oliver was the very guy who got me interested in cooking, going way back during my secondary school days when i'd get to watch his shows on channel 5. gave myself a birthday treat and bought a year's subscription, though it kind of burnt a hole in my wallet! [checked!]

6. dvd of julie & julia

freshly added to chian's-must-watch-movies list is julie & julia, with meryl streep as famed real-life chef julia child, and amy adams as julie powell, who took on the challenge to finish every recipe (524 to be exact) in julia child's first book within a year. a combination of the parisian setting, food theme and love stories amongst the characters makes this movie an absolute winner. as you can see, i've already watched it, but such great movies ought to be bought and kept!

7. mastering the art of french cooking

by julia child

only because the movie impressed me so much that i need to own a copy of julia child's cookbook too. heh!

8. shake aun koh's hands

although chubby hubby's blog may be a little too commercialised at times, he's still one of my all-time favourite food bloggers (and a singaporean one at that) because of his excellent photography skills, writing and love for food. from cooking in his stylish kitchen, conceptualising restaurants, reviewing hotels to interviewing chefs from all over the world, he's doing everything i love, for a living. it'd be nice to be able to meet him in person. =)

9. have breakfast at bills, sydney

i'll always remember watching bill's tv program and admiring his amazing white-themed kitchen right beside the sparkling blue aussie beaches. known for serving one of the best scrambled eggs around, i definitely have to visit his cafe if i ever travel down under.

10. attend a course at le cordon bleu

take time off work and pay tens of thousands of dollars to be a professional culinary student, that shall be my long term aspiration waiting to be fulfilled in future!

so there you go, my foodie christmas list in its full glory. of course, there're still many other wish lists according to categories... like shoes, bags, cars, boys.. kidding! what's your christmas wish list like? =)

i wanna be a Supercook!

just discovered an awesome website called Supercook from Time's 50 Best Websites 2009, where you can just enter the ingredients available in your kitchen and it will automatically generate the relevant recipes needed to whip up a meal. is this brilliant or what? extremely user friendly, it's quite fun to play around with even if one has no plans to cook.

then again, i get excited at the mere mention of food. =)

cubicle rat.

i really love wan jun's sense of humour. =D

credit: ms lee wan jun, the maker of funny charts

flowers for each season.

Today, I find myself running in the opposite direction of one of the best gifts from God.

Ironically, this is the decision that I have came to in peace, and at peace, with myself.

Perhaps I really do have to go through this journey and experience the so called “growing pains”, before I can truly exclaim “this is what I really want”.

Through it all, I’m just going to trust in the Lord that whatever is lost, will be restored with not just a double portion but hundred-fold blessings at the end.

thank you for everything.
thank You for everything.

when i find me.

song of the moment.

this song never fails to lift me up every single time i listen to it, gives me a bounce in my steps! =)

The Desert Song - Hillsong United

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

And this is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I receive I will sow

memento.

They say that reaching the age of 21 means being given the key to freedom, it's the age where life as an adult truly begins.

It’s been two years since I turned 21, but it feels longer than that. In between, I was blessed with the chance to experience living abroad in a country I couldn’t have chosen better, suffered a major heart break, got closer to a whole bunch of friends who happened to be in the same season of life as I was, ventured into a new sport, lost some of the fats that’d been with me since a mighty age of three, saw my mum through a career change after 27 years with the same company, and more recently, finally completed 18 years of education. Applying for jobs and deciding on my career path was another big decision to make, and I’m very thankful to be blessed with such an exciting opportunity ahead. These two years have been, I daresay, filled with occasions more momentous than my whole life put together.

Commencement is only 2 days away, and what lies after is yet another milestone in life waiting to be experienced. There are many unknowns, infinite possibilities, but one thing’s for sure – I know that it’s going to be good, because You are in it with me.

let's go dutch!

this commercial is so typical of the dutch humour it warms my heart just watching it, not to mention a few chuckles and my delight at hearing the familiar dutch accent again. enjoy, AHHHHHH!

taiwan - a sneak(y) peek.

i have 101 things on my to-do list, and i'd wanted to organise my photos a little first before posting or blogging about them but i figured it'll just take too long! will probably get down to writing something and about my trip to taiwan after my exams end. some photos for now because i've been keeping them for so long my fingers are getting itchy! =)

the taiwanese love everything braised

the oh-so-famous oyster mee sua

shui jian bao at the shihlin night market

my sister

papa on the train to danshui

a little more photos here.

officially registered for my first sprint triathlon!

750m swim. 20km bike. 5km run.

=)

been pretty busy lately, will be back soon!

shihlin's celebrity dish [taipei, taiwan]

mixing art and chocolate... truly.

hi everyone! i've escaped to taiwan for the week and it's been a tremendously enjoyable week with my family. =) i'm exhausted and my eyes are barely open but i have to blog about this otherwise i won't sleep well. caught an episode of anthony bourdain's episode of no reservations in spain (yay!!!), with one visit to a chocolatier called enric rovira up north of barcelona (double yay!!!). his inspiration comes from anthony gaudi's famous architecture and design. seriously, no amount of literary description can justify how AMAZING rovira is. nothing short of a creative genius, you really have to watch this. enjoy!

catch especially from 3.30min onwards!

hahaha part II.

damn funny! the innocence of kids - simply adorable. =)

parachutin' paris.

hey guys check out this viral marketing tactic in paris! suspected to be from IKEA, but not yet confirmed. super cool! i think the excitement and attention generated is extremely valuable though judging by the sound of police sirens the authorities may not be too happy haha..

read about it on another of my newly favourite blog: weloveviral. =)

***edit***

the more i think about it, the more i think it probably isn't a viral marketing campaign but some prank. if you watch the videos closely, the parachutes actually carried REAL HUGEASS sofas that floated and landed with a loud thump. if it really was a marketing campaign, then i must say it's a pretty dangerous one (police & ambulance sirens, car alarms going off?!?!). alternatively, they probably staged the whole scene and shot it under controlled conditions. hmm, i guess we'll have to wait to find out!

introducing tan hong ming. =)

this ad is so brilliant i'm speechless. i absolutely love it and kudos to the creative team and production crew for its flawless execution and creativity. enjoy!

thanks to lynette for posting this on her blog, which i'm taking the chance to introduce to anyone who's interested in advertising. check it out and be thrilled! =)

reminder to self.

today's devotional really spoke right to me. it really encouraged me that it's not how i answered during the interview, not how i dressed nor how good my resume is, but through His grace alone that I will receive my blessings. a positive expectation of good things to come! =)

Receive By Grace Through Faith

Galatians 3:55 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?...

Imagine that you are at a healing service. An alcoholic walks into the church reeking of alcohol. He sits behind the pianist, a nice elderly lady who has been serving in the church for 50 years. Both of them are suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The healing power of God is present. In an instant, the alcoholic, who has never been in church before, gets healed. The pianist does not.

Most people, on hearing stories like this, would get upset and confused. They might ask, “Shouldn’t God heal this nice, old lady who has been serving Him faithfully all these years, and not that debauched drunkard?” You see, many people still believe that God heals only the deserving.

But that is not how God works. God looks at faith, not works. His power is made manifest in those who trust His goodness instead of their good behavior. So if we go back to the above example, God wants to heal both the alcoholic and the nice elderly pianist. All they need to do is to receive by grace, or unmerited favor, through faith.

You see, we cannot earn the blessings of God. We receive them by believing God’s love and grace toward us. If we receive the greatest blessing — salvation — by simply believing that Jesus did it all for us and not by working for it, what makes us think that the other lesser blessings can be obtained by our works?

So if my daughter Jessica falls sick, I don’t go to the Father and say, “Father, heal my daughter because I am Pastor Joseph Prince and I preach healing to the people.” No, I go to Him by the blood of Jesus and say, “Father, I thank You that 2,000 years ago, Jesus bore Jessica’s sickness in His body. On that basis alone and by Your grace, I pronounce her healed in Jesus’ name.”

When you simply believe that you receive your blessings based on Jesus’ finished work and by His grace alone, you will receive your blessings!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

a chuckle a day keeps the locter away.

my friend just sent me this link to a site called f*** my life, where people actually wrote in to describe what happened in their daily lives and others get to vote either "i agree, your life is f***ked" or "you deserved that one". it's a good perk-me-up when you're feeling bored from work or just need a good laugh. here's a few funny ones..

"Today, I decided to ask my friend to the school dance. It's one where the girls ask the guys. I spent hours placing signs down his street so he would see them on his way home. As I'm waiting in his driveway with balloons I see his car reverse and go the other direction. FML"

***

"Today, my parents said that they bought me a car. I had been begging for one for a year and they always said that I would have to pay for it myself. I got really excited and went to the garage to see my new ride. It was a Hot Wheels car with a note saying "save your money". FML"

click here for more chuckles! =)

can't think of a title!

who was it who thought that it was a great idea to build a school right at the west end of singapore? it's nearer for me to chop my passport at the woodlands checkpoint than to visit ntu man.

its neighbour? a sprawling live firing area! how cool is that.

***

ok actually i didn't want to post the above post already because i thought it was boring stuff, but since i just read today's devotional and got totally blown away by the message, i figured heck just post both! so i hope you enjoy reading and be blessed!

You Have It, So Say It!

Matthew 25:2929 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

Have you come across people who have little, yet even that little is taken away from them? On the other hand, there are those who already have much, yet they receive even more.

Jesus said, “To everyone who has, more will be given. From him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t go on to say what it is we have. He simply says, “But to everyone who has.”

Jesus is talking about a firm belief in God’s Word that gives one the courage to say, “I have it!” If you say that you have it, you have it, and more will be given to you. But if you say that you don’t have it, when you actually do because God has freely given us all things (Romans 8:32), then even what you have will be taken away — not by God but by the devil! The devil does not want you to walk in God’s blessings. So when you say that you don’t have it, he can rob you of your blessings because he has your agreement!

When you need something, God says that you are to ask of Him. And when you ask, believe that you receive it. (Mark 11:24) Say you already have it even if you don’t see it in the physical realm yet, and one day, you will see it!

God is not saying, “Oh come on, pretend that you see it. And if you pretend long enough, you will have it.” This is not a game! God is telling us to call forth those things which don’t exist as though they do. (Romans 4:17)

Today, we are talking about the haves and have-nots in the church. If you believe that it is yours, you will have it. You will see yourself possessing it and enjoying it, and more will be given to you. But if you say, “Well, I don’t feel it and I’m not sure if it will come,” in essence, you are saying that you don’t have it when you actually do. Then, even what you have will be taken away. So say you have it today!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

blogging when i don't have the time to.

Tuesday
8.30-12: tax planning quiz & class
12-3.30: accounting for info systems class
4-5: peer counselling duty
5.15-6.45: peer counselling class
nighttime: prepare enron case for strat class

Wednesday
12-3.30: ethics class
3.30-6.45: strategy class
7-8: spinning class
8-infinity: strategy meeting

Thursday
8.30-12: tax planning makeup class
12.30-3: strategy meeting
3-5: sports marketing meeting
7-9: l'oreal recruitment talk

this.. ladies and gentlemen, is my schedule for the next three days, and has been for the past few weeks. i think my smu friends have almost the same thing in their planners. but... i will sail through it like Jesus walking on water because of His Grace, Strength and Favour. Amen. =)

maybe it's a good thing to be so busy, then i won't have time to think about other stuff.

always.

some time ago, my self esteem had taken a considerable amount of beating, but i'm glad i came out of the episode stronger. heard this song whilst driving today, and it struck a chord within my heart. ladies must find someone who can sing this song and mean it ok! =) pardon the funny music video.. it was 1994 after all.

You're my peace of mind, in this crazy world

You're everything I've tried to find, your love is a pearl

You're my Mona Lisa, you're my rainbow skies

and my only prayer is that you realize

you'll always be beautiful in my eyes.

The world will turn, and the seasons will change

and all the lessons we will learn

will be beautiful and strange.

We'll have our fill of tears, our share of sighs

My only prayer is that you realize

you'll always be beautiful in my eyes

You will always be beautiful in my eyes

And the passing years will show

that you will always grow

ever more beautiful in my eyes

When there are lines upon my face

from a lifetime of smiles

when the time comes to embrace

for one long last while

we can laugh about how time really flies

We won't say goodbye

'cause true love never dies

You'll always be beautiful in my eyes

You will always be beautiful in my eyes

And the passing years will show

that you will always grow

ever more beautiful in my eyes

indian101.

jolene and rama - lunch with these two fellows is never a simple affair. you'll not only get fed in your tummy but your brains will also get poked poked poked and then you come out at the end of lunch feeling like you're 100x enriched with issues on life's greatest philosophical issues. i think so far we've touched on religion, chinese values, morality etc etc etc etc etc... ...

haha but i've always enjoyed their company and this time was no exception! we ventured into rama's country (somewhere called little india) for some indian food. his mouth dropped when i told him that i don't know what's a dosai so his quest to have some indian-chinese food became an indiancuisine101 lesson.

have you have stepped into a indian restaurant, not knowing what to order and always end up with either roti prata or fish head curry? i take the easy way out, i just don't step into one haha.. the closest i got to indian was prata, which i'm sure someone out there will vehemently object because prata is so not indian.

fear not my young padawans! after today's post you will be able to step into an indian restaurant with your chest inflated and heads up... just remember me when you're eating and mouth a silent "i love you chian". thanks.

rama: it's illegal to use the pedestrian crossing in little india, let me show you the indian way!

jolene blinks and rama has dashed across to the other side of the road.

rama recommended a few places worth visiting in little india, namely gokul vegetarian restaurant (indian-chinese cuisine), chellas and komala vilas. we decided on gokul's!

trying to do the m1 one advertisement thingy

clean and welcoming interior of the restaurant... i like.

pretty!

this is called paper dosai. very large thin piece of dosai with potatoes at the side. the 3 gravy looking thing on the plate are from left to right: coconuty paste, curry and onion paste. delicious! the bowl of green mash on the top left corner of the photo is called paalak paneer, which is actually mashed spinach with cottage cheese and it's really good! when chian says it's good, just take her word for it.

being an indian-chinese restaurant, gokul also sells the indian interpretation of chinese food like mee siam etc. this one above is called chicken kurma, which is like chicken curry, except that they use mock meat instead of real chicken because it's a vegetarian restaurant. the thick spicy gravy is an absolute winner.

breads - one of them is chappathi, the others.. i forgot.

that's all for the first lesson folks, i'm quite a lousy teacher because i think i've forgotten half of what rama said. aiyahhh you guys just take down the names, order and eat can already lah. i hope you'll have a bolly good meal when you decide to go indian next time!

gokul vegetarian restaurant
19 upper dickson road, 207478
phone: 63967769

that is why You are the central figure of my life, and that is why i will have it all together. =)

it's been a crazy crazy 2 whole weeks of tests, presentations and reports, but the strength and free flowing favour that's been on me is so amazing, i think that's crazier. heck, i even had enough length of days that i managed to squeeze in my first ever biathlon time trial (which i obviously survived heh) and a networking event! all i did was to to do the natural and He made everything supernaturally perfect.

this was the daily devotional for two days ago and i found it unread in my inbox. reading it at the end of my busy week just makes me feel so blessed and full of joy that i have to share it. whether you're a believer or not, i hope that you too will be blessed and your heart be lifted! =)

Life Above The Sun

John 10:1010… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

When you are not enjoying abundant life, you will feel as if life is full of toil. In your heart, life is meaningless and empty. You feel like someone “grasping for the wind”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

It seems as if nothing you do adds up to much. The Bible calls this life “under the sun”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11) Someone who lives life under the sun may or may not know God, but God is either forgotten or not the center of things in his life. His thoughts are earthly and he does things to gratify his flesh. In the end, he finds life depressing and unfulfilled. Life under the sun is full of despair.

But this is not so with someone who lives life above the sun with God. For life with Him is filled with joy and pleasures at His right hand. (Psalm 16:11) Life is abundantly full and good just as Jesus promised — “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”.

When you live life above the sun, your thoughts are heavenward and you become Christ-occupied. You live for Him because you know that all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16) When you live for His glory, your life takes on a new meaning and purpose.

God’s Word says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) The Greek word for “consist” means “held together”. In Christ, all things are held together. And that is why when Christ is the central figure in your life, you will have it all together. Your mind will be held together. Your hopes and dreams will be held together. Your family will be held together by the cords of His love.

Your life will not be empty, but full of God’s goodness because “Christ in you, [is] the hope of glory”. (Colossians 1:27) It is a wonderful life — this life lived above the sun. And you will have an even more wonderful life to come in heaven!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

for the gazillionith time, thank You for never failing, thank You for loving me so much. =)

i <3 threadless.

i like threadless t-shirts because they're full of character and mostly i just love them for their sense of humour. what's great too is that these shirts weren't designed by some famous designer but by everyday people like us. they've got a new (ok not so new, i'm just extremely backdated) category of shirts called type tees featuring contributions of the wittiest and funniest quotes which made me giggle out loud in class. *embarrassed* hope you'll enjoy some of my favourites here, but please don't read this in class!

and check this one out:

images from www.threadless.com

fcuking tired. good night world.

a man grinding his crotch against a woman's ass and a woman actually letting him do that, then calling it a social activity, just doesn't cut it for me. everyone's entitled to his own opinion, so here's mine.

now until forever.

you know, i was never much of a person who'd run away. rather, i tend to have this impatient need to get a problem solved or find an answer and my approach was always to sit down and talk things out. however, i'm currently at this stage where issues just seem so huge and confusing that i've found myself doing the one thing that i hate most - running away. it's like not knowing whether to turn right or left, i decided to just stand still at the fork of the road, hoping that one day it'd all become clear which is the way to go. it's scary, what i'm doing.

how now brown cow, i also don't know.

i know who to follow though, and then i'll know what to do. oosh!

portraitures.

happy chinese new year everyone! in a way i'm glad it's kind of over because i ate wayyyyy too many cookies and bak kwa. like seriously, i've never been a fan of bak kwa but somehow i was craving it pretty badly this year.

maybe it was the deprivation of all the cny goodies when i was in holland last year. skip a year a feasting and pay back double the year after. yikes!

the one thing i enjoyed the most were the homecooked feasts that happens every year, from my mum, and both the paternal and maternal grandmother sides. it's just that particular kind of taste that no one else is able to replicate. every year i make a mental note to learn from my grandma.. but as you can see, i'm still making that mental note this year... :p

c1 & c2

dunch know why... we dunch look like sisters

i know! ask them.. they made us!

dunch know dunch care.. as long as we're ohana

papa's mama... almost a centurian!

ah ma's kitchen - no.1 on this blog's food list

mummy's bro and funky mama!

in the words of little ethan chia, happy niu year everyone!

damn, now it's back to school.

announcing the arrival of.

the early bird (me) catches the worm (hmm...)

moving on to some good news (or maybe not so good news depending on how you look at it), my sister-the-menace (KIDDINGGGG) is finally back from her 3 month long internship in the maldives!

SIA flying a menace back from male

ok la i must admit i'm quite happy to see her and i did miss her quite a lot when she was gone. ok la i'm not saying that because she may just happen to read this blog.

mr & mrs excited + mr very-excited-but-shall-look-like-i'm-not

i'm so envious that she managed to get certified as a diver in the wonderful waters of the maldivian island (imagine the corals and turtles and sharks!) and all at a really cheap rate!

doesn't want to leave the arrival hall

she also brought back a whole container load of very pretty seashells, which made those that i used to find at the east coast park look like a scam.

presenting the newest addition to the chew farmalee