Love is pain

Quoted from a korean TV serial

"Love is pain"

When Love just started, fear and hope makes it painful.

When in a relationship, trying to understand each other makes it painful.

When the relationship ends, not believing that it has actually ended makes it painful.

The Sims castaway stories

Today on my way home after school, I bought "The Sims Castaway Stories" game and was happily going to install when I discovered..........

The game needs DVD ROM but my PC only has CD ROM!!!! +_+

Called hubby and he laughed at my muddleheadedness but promised to get me a DVD ROM. Well that's the good thing about having a husband who is in the IT engineering line :P But in the meantime, I can't play the game :(

The harem

In the house, DH has a harem of 8 mistresses, 7 are golden and one is dark skinned. These enchantresses always move around in seductive motions and are always swarming together in one direction when DH comes close. They are very lucky, just gotten a bigger "house" last month so that they could live comfortably. Every night when DH comes home and every morning before he leaves the house, he will attend to them. *sigh* Below is their photo.

Why 8 fishes? DH likes to think that these "mistresses" bring him good fengshui and luck and so more fortune haha. Sometimes when DH makes me angry, I will threaten to make them into the likeliness of the creature below.

But of course me being a kind hearted soul, all are just mere talk and no action haha. As if the house is not crowded enough with 2 kids and 8 fishes, DH had to promised the kids 2 hamsters. And so one day the good mommie though reluctant, with the kids in tow went to a pet shop to get their hamsters. The shop keeper recommended a good house( better quality so cost more), a bath "tub", some vitamins and the necessities to make the hamster comfortable in their new home, the bill came up to $145!

The dark grey one was named Reynard(Alexis named it after one of her classmate +_+), the other one was named Simon by Alyssa as in the chipmunk. Anyway, Simon came as a pitiful looking small hamster while Reynard was fury and cute. But after a month, we can't say the same, Simon has grown to twice it's original size, having difficulting squeezing up and down the vertical tunnel. All because of it's greediness and its bad habit of snatching food away from Reynard. Still they are adorable and fun to hold them, but provided they don't decide to do their "big business" on the palms that are holding them. Simon and Reynard waiting for food, but too bad it's just me with the camera :P

Monday blue

Still sick after so many days. Not having enough sleep is taking a toil on me, this morning I dragged myself out of bed to get to school because I have some uncompleted things to do. By the time I reach mid morning, I am almost fully drained.

I happened to meet my HOD outside the ladies on my way back to the staff room and she was concern on hearing my "sexy husky" voice and pale face. She is nice to suggest getting a helper when I go for class. I was lucky to have a fellow teacher to help me relay the instructions for the listening comprehension exam, of course when he finished, I thank him and told him he could go off, feeling bad that he had to sacrifice his free period to help me. My last 2 periods with my 3Ns were quite peaceful with the help of an adjunct teacher. However, after the whole day I am still left with a voice more hoarse than before :( Later on I left early with my HOD's urging.

Honestly, I am very thankful that my HOD and Principal had been very patient and kind with me. Considering I had been very sick with morning sickness for a few weeks and had to take mc almost once a week, then later on at the advice of my gynae, a week's rest at home, and now my flu *sigh* It's like never ending, really feel bad that I can't function very well. I only can hope that after I advance into the second trimester, I can put in more energy and effort into my work. But for now, I must beat this flu bug *argh*!

Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients

Chye Sim or Spinach

Japanese vinegar

1 teaspoon
Sugar 1/2 teaspoon

Soya Sauce 1 teaspoon

White sesame seed

Method

1) Put pot of water to the boil, cut vegetables into short stalks.

2) Blanch the vegetables and when it turned dark green, remove from fire.

3)Drain the water and pour water in room temperature to cool the vegetables.

4) Place the vegetables onto a plate.

5)Mix all the items for the sauce together and pour onto the vegetables.

6) Last sprinkle some sesame seed on top of the vegetables.

Fried Fish with lime

Ingredients

2 fishes (Ikan Selar)
Ginger
Salt
1 teaspoon
1 lime

Method

1) Grate the ginger to get juice.


2)Score the fish and squeeze ginger juice onto the fish to marinate.


3) Spread the salt all over the fish.


4)Prepare the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil for frying.


5) Pat the fish with some corn flour then slide the fish in.


6) When the fish are nicely cooked on both side, place on a plate.


7)Half a lime to be squeezed on the fish before eating.

Chawan Mushi

I finally decided what to cook for lunch, and it's a spread of japanese dishes. This is what I made- chawan mushi, fried fish with ginger juice, pickled vegetables and miso soup.

Recipe for chawan mushi

Ingredients
2 small eggs
250 ml stock (made from 250ml water and 2 tablespoon ikan bilis)
2 teaspoons soya sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 shitake mushroom sliced
6 slices of japanese fishcake
2 pieces of crab stick cut into quarter

Method
1)Break the eggs into a bowl and mix up the yoke and white in a Z fashion with a chopstick without foaming it.
2)Add the soya sauce and salt into the stock.
3)Add the cooled stock into the egg gently and mix gently with the chopstick.
4)Divide the mushroom, fishcake and crabstick into 3 cups.
5)Pour the egg mixture into the 3 cups equally.
6)Use aluminium foil to cover the top of the 3 cups.
7)Put the cups into the steamer that has the water already boiling.
8)Switch on big fire for 1 or 2 mins, then switch to low fire for another 12 to 15mins.
9)Check if the chawan mushi is ready by poking a satay stick into the egg. If some broth comes out from the hole that is poked, it is ready. Do not overcook or else it will lose it's soft silky texture.

No Japanese teacup so used the old kopitiam coffee cup instead haha

Sunday Fiesta

This morning woke up at 8 plus and can't go back to sleep even though I had been coughing the whole night and barely sleep a wink :( Poor DH had to tolerate my horrible coughing for the past 2 days, yesterday night he got woken up and tried to sooth my cough by using some old grandma method-rubbing vicks vapour rub onto the sole of my feet then wear socks. It seem to help for a while, but then the cough starts again *sigh* Anyway after brushing my teeth, I went downstairs to get some bread, eggs and a packet of Marigold Mixed Fruit Yogurt drink. Taste good! :)

Made myself a nice spread of egg and ham plus bread and the yogurt drink for breakfast. After having my fill, I decided to give DH a surprise by making breakfast for him.

Eggs and Ham in the pan!

The end product complete with some cafe style presentation :P

After that I got the kids to wake up their daddy. But poor guy, he must be really tired, nothing seems to be able to get him out of the bed. Well.....so what happen next is.........

The kids requested having the same breakfast as their dad (haha must be my food looks really appealing) with some variation. Alyssa wanted ham, egg and orange while Alexis wanted ham, bread and orange. Oh well, of course their requests were accepted because Mom got to be fair and satisfy every customer no matter how little they are. :P

Looking at the kids' faces, I assumed I did a fantastic job of satisfying their gastronomic needs! Now I have to think of what to prepare for lunch as the maid is off today! '=.= Be back later when I have an idea what to prepare for lunch .

Canon Powershot SX100 IS

Finally learn how to use the timer of the camera after half of year of acquiring the item. *faint* Never like to read instruction manual, prefer to check it out through exploring (ya la I admit I'm lazy :P) Yesterday I was playing around with the camera and accidentally found out how to use the timer. I was so excited with the finding that I started taking photographs with the timer on! When Alexis came back from posting letter with the maid, she got interested too, and we both had a fun time setting timer to take photographs. Now finally I don't have to take self portrait that is so near that exposes all my fine wrinkles! eeks!

Me on my old rattan chair.

Me again!

Alexis joined me in this photo taking frenzy in  their room.

A photo in the study room.

Last but not least, in the living room with Alexis cute little feet facing the camera!

Udon noodles to start my first post!

This morning got up at 7 plus and decided to make udon noodle soup for breakfast. Spent like 20 mins and viola! I have a nice piping hot bowl of japanese udon noodles. If you love japanese food and hate to pay a bomb for it, likes cooking but hate hassle, then maybe you can try out this simple receipe.

Ingredients
Instant Udon Noodles (1 packet)
Japanese fish cake (any number of slices you like)
vegetables
hard boiled egg (1)
Miso Paste (2 table spoons)
Bonito or Ikan Bilis (4 table spoons)
Water 400ml
Spring Onion sliced thinly

Method
1) Bring pot of water to a boil, then add in the bonito or ikan bilis. Boil for 5 mins, remove the ikan bilis.
2)Add in miso paste and mix well in the soup. When the soup boils, add in the instant udon noodles and japanese fish cake.
3) Add in the vegetables when the soup bubbles then lastly add in the sliced spring onion before switching off the fire.
4) The egg can be placed on top of the noodles after it is poured into a bowl.

Note: The instant udon noodles is much easier because you do not have to precook it before adding to the broth. The japanese fish cake can be purchased at NTUC, just bought 2 packet for 2 dollar plus the other day, there was a promotion going on. Other ingredients like mushrooms can be added too. But since I have an aversion to mushrooms at this present moment, I drop that from my ingredient. Happy Cooking!