Dinner @ East Coast Road

Yesterday, I wanted to treat my parents to Rose Apple Deli that I read on Sunday Times' Life last Sun. Their yam cake and other dishes sounded yummy. However, when we reach the place around 6pm, the deli had a sign, saying they would be opened at 6.30pm. So we walked around Katong Shopping Centre and the shops along the East Coast Road. Some of the food look yummy but we wanted to save our stomach for yam cake.

When we went back to the deli at 6.30pm, one of the staff amended the time on the sign to 7pm and apologised that they still needed more time to prepare. We were really disappointed and decided not to wait and proceeded to a nearby coffeeshop for dinner.

I had this tau kwa pau (fried bean curd with egg, chicken, fish, cucumber fillings)
while Mom and Dad has some fried kuay teow/bee hoon.
Mom wasn't very satisfied with the meal abut I was quite glad to have something to fill my stomach.

When we walked past the deli after 7pm, we saw couples and families enjoying little plates of yam cakes. We just didn't feel like trying the yam cakes anymore. Mom said I could try making on my own. Oh well, I guess yesterday is not my day to eat yam cakes but lots of tau kwa pau. Hee. Maybe one of these days, we can also make our version of tau kwa pau at home.

Butchering chasoba

Haha. That's what Sis said when she saw the dish I created a few Sunday evenings ago.

I cooked dry chasoba to go with some veggie soup and mixed the Japanese sesame dressing into the soba. I'm the kind of person who like to use whatever ingredients I can find in the fridge. Alright, I'm just lazy :)

Lunch @ Tampopo

I had lunch @ Tampopo, Liang Court with Sis and Mom on Sep 9 (Tues). I was on leave to spend time with them.

Sis and I each ordered a ramen. I had mini miso ramen

and she shoyu ramen.

We found the ramen oily and quite salty but still quite yummy. Mom had the black pork tonkatsu set.

We also had teriyaki ika.

I'm glad Mom enjoyed the food at Tampopo as so far she likes the food at Sun with Moon (it's still number 1 for her) and the few other eateries I brought her to aren't up to her standards.

After walking around Meida-ya the supermarket, I decided to treat myself to Haato's lavender honey ice cream. The server did warn me about the lavender taste. I found it quite nice when I tasted a sample. But strangely the lavender taste was quite overwhelming and had a bitter aftertaste as I ate it on the cone. It's kind of medicinal and if you are not a fan of lavender, you will hate it. I like lavender but it was still a bit too much for me.

Passion for our job and life

I have been on course since last Wed with 40 over people from different organisations. 3 others were from my organisation. It was quite an interesting course as the lecturers engaged us with topics that affect us, our work or people around us. We also have the opportunities to interact with our course mates through discussion, tea breaks and lunches.

A few course mates exhibit strong passion for their jobs. One of them, from my organisation, shared with us about his experiences, was keen to use what he learnt from this course to create possible ideas for his work programmes. I, on the other hand, am quite jaded about the work I do even though he and I are from the same organisation. Perhaps, the difference is that he is working at the grassroots level and he can see the impact of the various programmes he has helped to implement. For me, some of my customers are the foreign agencies who visit us to learn about our experience. Some are really serious to learn while for others, it may be just to fill up their travel itinerary and most of the time, I have no idea whether they do implement what they learnt back in their countries.

Sometimes, bits of my work or new assignments do make me feel a bit hopeful in getting my passion back for my job but nowadays such incidents are happening less and less often. But I do treasure my colleagues whom I work well together, the fact that my job is considered meaningful (as compared to harming people, animals and the environment) and also my comfortable pay that allow me to lead this lifestyle and feed my cats.

Hmm. Perhaps, I should look at passion for my life. I think i have always tried my best in executing my duties at work, serving my bosses, helping fellow colleagues and making sure the foreign visitors achieve their objectives of their visit to our organisation. I also try to be a good daughter, sister and friend as well as a responsible cat owner and caregivers by giving them my time, attention and love. The attempts to improve my character, trying to be compassionate in my actions, searching for meaning in my work and life may just be a kind of passion. Am I making sense? :)

Itchy, itchy

That's how the skin on my face and neck had been feeling for the past week. I'm not sure what I have applied on my face to get rashes/hives/flares, as I like to try new stuff on my face. I thought I could afford to do so as so far my skin could take organic, natural products to other kinds (non-natural) of treatments for anti-ageing, etc. I guess I was wrong.

I visited the GP who gave me anti-itchy pills and some aqueous cream to soothe my skin. My friend also gave me some cream prescribed by her dermatologists for her eczema. Perhaps the pills over time help plus the powers of my friend's cream - my skin is almost back to normal. This morning, I can use 2 of the organic sunblock and light moisturiser with no itchy rash.

I must remember to do a patch test when using new products. It's really terrible to develop a skin allergy and having to face the world. Hee. Luckily, it wasn't that serious and I could cover a bit with my usual organic loose powder.

Putting Bob up for adoption

After much consideration, I'm putting Bob up for adoption again on CWS online adoption board. Angel seems less stressed, now that he knows that Bob is always confined to my bedroom or there is always a door barrier when Angel is in the other rooms or balcony. However, sometimes I feel bad that Bob couldn't have more time out of my room. If Angel is happily resting in the living room, we have no heart to try to force him to the other rooms. Poor Bob will be meowing loudly in my room, wanting to be out. I will try to pacify him at times by going into my room and playing with him. Sometimes he will lick my leg or hand and try to bite but I can cope now by touching his neck and distract him with some toy.

I try to imagine if this is the kind of life I want Bob to have. He's like a second class citizen sometimes because he doesn't want to be in my room most of the time. He probably wants to be like Angel to be roaming around the house and see what we do, rest at wherever he likes, ie. freedom to move around the house. But this is something we can't give him as long as he and Angel can't be put together.

I don't put much hope that I may find a suitable adopter for Bob as there are so many cute kittens out there looking for a home. But I need to try for Bob's sake.

Losing Bush forever?

Bush hasn't appeared in the park, like we hope he would. Sigh. Mom and I really miss him. He will roll on the back of his body happily and rub his face against our legs to greet us. He will slap our hands when he has enough of our strokes and massage or when we disturb his eating. He will talk to us in cat language at times. I really hope he's either well/safe or died peacefully without suffering.

Living with Angel and Bob

Things are still the same for Angel and Bob but at least Angel doesn't seem to freak out, knowing that Bob is in my bedroom. Bob is as usual hunting high and low for Angel. If Angel is in the balcony, Bob will be scratching the sliding door, thinking that he can crawl his way through.

Angel seems to be more manja, loving nowadays. This morning, he surprised me when he rested his front paws and body on my tummy as I sat on the sofa. So sweet of him. I enjoyed the few minute stroking his face, head and body before he decided "Time's up" and just walked away like nothing happened. It was so "Angel" :)

I managed to take some photos of Bob which is not an easy task as he doesn't keep still and will try to move towards the camera. Bob is getting heavier. I have been feeding him Natural Balance Chicken dry food and Solid Gold kibbles like Angel's diet.


I have been thinking whether to try to put another ad of Bob on CWS' online adoption bulletin as I'm not sure in the long run keeping him in my room will affect him psychologically. He will bite me when I want to leave my bedroom without him and also when it's daylight and I'm awake and still want to continue sleeping. I have managed to tolerate his bites and stop him by holding him by the scuff of his neck and usually he will stop or I will distract him or relieve the restlessness in him by making this snake toy play hide and seek with him.

Cooking and shopping therapy

Recently, I have been interested in using the stove instead of the oven.

I cooked this bowl of instant noodles with lots of veggies and mushrooms, using the satchet of Japanese fish stock my friend gave me. I don't think it's super yummy but I felt comforted to eat something I cooked myself.

After eating at this E-Sarn Thai Restaurant at Sixth Avenue a few times, I keep thinking of their warm lemongrass drink. The other day, I accompanied Mom to the veggie stall and also got some lemongrass stalks and pandang leaves.

I have managed to brew 2 pots of lemongrass pandang drink added with a little ground ginger (I think fresh ginger slice will be better) and rock sugar.

It's refreshing but I lack some secret ingredient, sp it doesn't taste as great as E-Sarn's one.

I like Japanese food and recently have been checking out the Japanese section for their sauces and stuff. Mom and I enjoy reading Urban's supplement to see what Jap food this writer will recommend. The other day, she featured this sesame nutty salad cream and I managed to find one without the nuts at Cold Storage Great World.
I tried it thinly spread on a slice of bread. It's really salty as it has salted egg york and tastes like Bromil/Mamite. Mom has used it on some apple chunks and veggies to make her version of Rojak.

I also bought some Japanese nuts (cheesy ones, sesame and brown sugar walnuts) a few weeks ago from Isetan Scotts supermarket and ate them with blueberries as a snack on Fri afternoon.

Yesterday, after our Japanese class, Flying Raisin and I headed for the Isetan Scotts supermarket to browse. I bought the cream sauce that FR has tried on her soba. The Urban writer has also recommended this miso paste with green chilli but it was sold out at the supermarket, so I bought the sesame miso paste that sounds good. There was also a demo/sampling counter of some Japanese soba but I was more interested in checking out some fish stock satchets stacked at the racks there. I got a small pack of 6 satchets (the less salty version) when I saw that the satchets looked like the ones my friend gave me.


Today, I used the fish stock to cook my udon soup with mushrooms, coriander, spring onions and pumpkin (that Mom steamed earlier and was quite soft).
The nice aroma of the fish stock (really not overly salty) and the veggies and the sweetness of the pumpkin made me drink up all the soup.

Sis also tried the sesame miso paste for her dry instant noodle and fried egg - she finds the taste on the sweet side but still nice.

I still miss baking but I find that it takes a long time in times of preparation and baking and the past few times, the stuff I baked just don't turn out right. I hope to find time again to bake cookies and cakes. I have some recipe that involves ground ginger and I still have chocolates waiting for me to use them for my baking :)

Missing Bush

Bush has been missing since Thurs evening. Mom last saw him in the drain - he was so scared of the gardener who was in the park, overpruning the bushes that he refused to jump out of the drain when Mom lifted the heavy concrete cover. Mom had no choice but to put some dry cat food in the drain for Bush to eat. When we didn't see him on Thurs evening, we were worried as there was a heavy downpour. Could Bush be swept away by the water in the drain?

We have been hoping to see him rolling and stretching at our feet when we reached the middle part of the park but there has been no sign of him. It can't be the TC getting pest controller to nab the cats as there has been no complaint about the cats in the park and only Bush is missing. I have also called SPCA to report about Bush, in case anyone brings him to SPCA.

We hope for a miracle like the case of Bob who appeared in the park again after missing for a few days.

The remaining hamsters

With their sister, Pebble gone, the 2 brothers, Poofy and Peanut are still going strong. They should be at least 3 years old. Other than looking leaner with less fur, the 2 guys still look great :)

Friendship

Sometimes I wonder if friendship is about meeting regularly or frequently or it can also be an email , sms or meeting up once in a while to catch up. I have some friends whom I meet almost daily or weekly because we work in the same organisation, try to swim weekly, attend Japanese language class, work together to help other cat caregiver in TNRM programme. These friends have been helpful, encouraging whenever I need cheering up. They have also inspired me to try to learn or try new things.

On Thurs, I have also met an old friend whom I have not seen for a year or more. I had lunch at Old Airport Road Food Centre near her place as I was on afternoon leave after that. We chatted for 2 hours there and at her place but we tried to fill each other on what has been going on in our lives and at the end of it, I am glad I make the effort to meet up with her. It may be quite some time before we meet again but during that short time, we encouraged each other to continue our passion, volunteer work and search for that something in our lives.

Growing pet grass and catnip

I have some catnip seeds from Flying Raisin and managed to coax a few seedlings to grow from the milk carton. However, the milk carton has no water drainage system and will disintegrate with time, so I transferred the seedlings this afternoon into a bigger pot
and a small cute cat pot.

My parents bought the 2 cute pots from Daiso and I like their cat looks :) The 2nd pot (the one with a tail) has pet grass seeds in them. I can't wait to serve Angel and Bob pet grass in that little pot.

If the catnip seedlings manage to survive, I can dry the plant for Angel and Bob to enjoy and feel happy and also to make catnip tea for myself.

Baby pumpkin

Mom bought some mini pumpkins about the size of my fist and steamed them. She kept some for me to eat the following day and I baked the slices with some cheddar cheese for dinner. I like its subtle sweet taste and the cheese is a nice touch.

Sleepyhead Angel

Angel seems to be sleeping more of late but he is very alert and will open his eyes to see what's going on at the slightest sound.

Cooking udon

2 Thurs ago, I had some work assignment that ended early and could go home earlier to enjoy my afternoon leave. Mom and I decided to cook udon using some Japanese seasoning my friend gave me. It smells like anchovies. We added egg and vegetables to the soup and udon, hoping that the seasoning and the simple ingredients would make a nice dish.

It was quite yummy and it made me feel all nice and warm and happy :)

Growing pet grass

I earlier bought a pot which had already had seeds planted in it and I just had to water it everyday and wait for the grass to sprout. It was really easy. When Angel finished chomping or rather chewed off the nice green grass, I threw the pot (made of thick hard paper) without thinking. I could have reused it and the unusual soil to hold new seeds.

Anyway, I bought a packet of pet grass seeds from Sundreams, the pet shop @ Far East Shopping Centre. I can't remember the exact price but both the seeds and the pot cost around the same. I figure that it's more worthwhile to get the seeds and plant them myself instead of buying another pot.

It was also easy for seeds I planted in the milk carton to grow.

Angel enjoyed eating them. Angel has the funniest expression sometimes :)

Bonbon Tea

The girls and I tried this cafe with the pretty menu yesterday afternoon on the 2nd level of Vivocity. We had sweet crepes (with Chestnut cream in between and a scoop of ice cream),
savoury crepes (cheese and mushroom),

Cherry and Mango sorbets. The cheapest item there is a scoop of ice cream at $4.50. The savoury crepes are around $14. The portions are not huge. I quite like the ambience of the place. Compared to the crowd outside at the mall, the cafe was a nice quiet retreat to catch up with friends. I won't say the food there is fantastic but I don't mind trying their other stuff again.

Bob putting on weight

Bob has put on quite a bit of weight since he is in my room most of the time. I have since gradually switched him from Royal Canin "Fit 32" kibbles (community cats' diet) to Natural Balance and Solid Gold (Angel's diet). I like to mix a few brands in case any of the brands has a product recall or disappear from the market. For example, I used to feed the comm cats Nutro Salmon kibbles but now Nutro has been removed from the shelves.

Now Bob's head seems quite small compared to his body.
Sometimes he would also chew on the paper box I use to hold his toys.

I think he has a bit of separation anxiety or maybe he just wants to roam freely outside the house like Angel and see mom and us all the time. But we can't do that :( I have also received an email from a lady who's interested in Bob but she wants a lap cat who can get along with her friend's pet cat when she needs to babysit about a week every month. I'm not sure if Bob will fit the bill. I have emailed her some recent photos of Bob:

Busy, busy

I haven't been blogging due to the following reasons:

• I have been staring at the laptop screen at work from 9am to 6pm on weekdays and I just don't feel like switching on the PC at home. But I don't mind watching cable TV with mom and sis if it's a good programme or movie.
• If Bob can't come out of my room as Angel can't be coaxed into the balcony or Sis' bedroom, I will go to my room and accompany him for a short while, brush his fur or play with him or just cuddle him.
• I have attended 7 lessons of learning Japanese language. I try to go through the notes a few times (on the way to/from office, before sleeping), remember the Japanese characters (Hiragana) and the new words. The sentence structures have been quite easy so far. There is also a dictation test every lesson. So far I manage to get everything correct and hope to keep it this way. It's also fun to learn with a friend and practise with her during the class.
• Almost Sun night, my friend and I are trying to finish trapping the cats in another area not very far our own areas to sterilise, so that the caregivers and feeders there can have an easier job of continuing the TNRM effort when we hand over to them in Sept.
• Maybe I am also losing the motivation to blog. Sometimes, disturbing Angel, soothing Bob, chatting with Mom, doing other stuffs seem more worthwhile than blogging. But at times, like now, I just feel like yakking away on my blog.

I need a new camera

My Casio Exlim of about 2 years produces overexposured or stripey photos. I borrow Sis' Canon Ixus in the meantime until I can decide or find the time to browse for a compact camera. I want one that can take good photos of community cats, food and scenery, like my formerly trusty Casio. Initially, I was not used to Sis' camera and didn't quite like it. Now I find it alright but since it's not mine, I better find my own one soon.

Mini Japanese sweet potatoes

With my Japanese lessons at Shaw House every Sat afternoon, I like to visit Isetan's basement supermarket after the lesson. They have some interesting Japanese food stuff. Last Sat, I bought a packet of the mini sweet potatoes.
Mom steamed them the next day
and I had some for dinner and the rest for breakfast on 2 days. I like the slightly sweet taste. The next time, I will try the normal size Jap sweet potatoes.

Baking therapy

I haven't baked for a long time and last Sun, I baked an almond cake cake sprinkled with chocolate chips and dried blueberries. However, I blindly followed the recipe and set the oven temperature at 160 degree celsius instead of 180 or 200 and the cake didn't look brown after an hour.

It tastes quite yummy but feels rather oily. It tastes better after I toast it in the toaster oven. Ever though the cake didn't come out as nice as I thought it would be for my family to enjoy, at least the baking process did help to destress me a little.

My love for food

I enjoy eating especially if yummy food can be shared with my family and friends. For 2 consecutive Sats, I actually got Dad and Mom to pick me up somewhere after my Japanese language lesson and go for our dinner at Old Airport Road Food Centre.

On the first Sat, I had this yogurt topped with strawberries, blueberries and cashew nuts from this stall @ the basement of Raffles City.
It was quite satisfying and priced at $6.30. I also bought some nuts (which Mom and I love - the raisins, cashew nuts, peanuts and almonds as a snack) and organic chocolate sandwich cookies from the supermarket and organic milk chocolate with almond and muesli from Marks and Spencer).


Over @ Old Airport Road, I share some refreshing and spicy Thai papaya salad with Mom

and also ordered this chocolate lava cake
from Cilantro, a food stall which sells interesting western food. I had to wait for about ten minutes for them to bake the cake. Dad was quite amused to see the little cake resting on the big black plate :) I like its smallness and @ $4, I was quite happy by its chocolatey taste and the oozing lava. I also had some ice blended lemon soursop.

On the 2nd Sat, @ Old Airport Road, mom and I shared another salad (mango instead of papaya) and fried oyster with sotong slices.
Dad has some simple chicken chop that tasted yummy too marinated with some slightly sweet and savoury sauce. I tried an ABC juice (apple, beetroot, carrot) from the same fruit stall. We also bought some traditional looking bread like this red bean paste one.



And I must show you what the organic dark chocolate sandwich looks like.

We think it tastes a bit like Oreo cookies but definitely less sweet and more chocolatey. Sis said it tastes too strongly of cocoa but shouldn't this be what it tastes like instead of laden with sugar and artificial flavours? I feel less guilty when I have a craving for something sweet at night. Late July (the brand of this cookie) also has a few other flavours like peanut butter and cheese - maybe I can try them after I slowly finish the chocolate one.