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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
We were celebrating Peggy's birthday the other nite,
and there was an inspiration to organise an afternoon tea party!
without further delay, we decided to do it on the next holiday ~ Deepavali!
Potluck, yah, u be saying, 'argh, what else???'
however, it has been our group's culture, and we kind of lurve the idea, and so, we are sticking to it, at least for now. =)
MENU:
from SX and HL...the pizza and the ice-cream...
from me, the mini pastry (tuna and fruits)...
although the fruit tarts was not meant for this party, but im glad to include them anyway =)
felin's strawberry tart!
ah siang contributed the papaya, and also cut it for us himself.The reason why I mentioned that he cut them, was becos, he didn't know how to cut!and all of us were teasing him.... haha...and for the record, he bought papaya that was not riped... =p
peggy came, with flour, sesame and sugar....to bake the sesame cookies...
we had a mini library reading corner in the living. heh heh...
the group sitting together, spending quality time. =)
 What's an afternoon tea, without fresh flowers?I bought gerbera to brighten up the occasion, and then, they decided to use it as props...
having fun!! =)
peggy also brought our childhood game along!
many heads think better? many eyes more power??
HL even showed us some head stunt while she observed which stix can be picked!
The nite ended at Kembangan, where we went for some mee sua for dinner.It was a long day, but it was a very relaxing gathering we had,not too much food we prepared this time, just nice to fill our stomach(s),and then, we just sat there round the table, to chit chat together. sharing some ideas and philosophy.It was fate, that I got to know this bunch of pple. Most of us shared some 10+ years together...maybe that's why we always have so much to talk about. from common friends to common jobs, to common events, and to uncommon happenings and philosophies....it takes alot of give and take to have us still keeping in contact with each other after so many years, and as our friends found their partners, our group multiplies... =)hmmmm....i love the way we are maintaining this bond.... =)nah, nothing much....just me babbling.... =)oh, did i mention that livingstone and I be flying to bangkok the next day? yeah!!!
Labels: appreciative, babbling, baking, cookies, encouraged, festival, Food, game, high tea, ice-cream, inspired, khakis, Lunch, Merry, party, quality time, team work, Travel
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Day: 1 bake, 1 steam:
so i decided to make bloody full use of my off day. =)
woke up early and went to hougang to get stuff ready for :
1) banana+walnut+choc chip cake
2) kueh salat
mix them ALL up for a nice smooth batter!!
ready to bake!
viola!
our brekkie now.... =)
next, the kuehs
had the glutinous rice steamed with pandan leaves...
the coconut mixture boiling...
and the end produce.
however, i used the wrong pandan juice, and i dun like the pandan taste, so i had the whole plate threw away. no kidding lo.
as u can tell from the picture, i dun even have the heart to cut the glutinous rice properly.... hee...
anyway, it was my good try, i will be doing it again soon. =)
Nite:
As we were making ourselves comfortable in front of the tv, watching our fav 10.30pm show - repeat telecast of <9-layered>, 'ding dong', someone was at the door.
(I had to then run in to change a short, as i was wearing too short a short to welcome any guest, hee...)
Dennis was at the door, with the kah lua i asked him to buy for me at DFS.
when i came out of my room, he goes "ahem, ahem!!"
i shouted, "that's a sign!" haha....and the dream team appeared outside our door singing the birthday song, and with sx holding the birthday cake. =)
(thanks guys!! u guys were so sweet!)
it was late. it was a weekday nite. i so thank you all for the effort.
and omigod, see wat gift they got for me!!
a set of 3kg plates! wea's the bar???
haha, beng has to come in with the bar, like monkey god! well done!!it's a heavy 5kg bar, thanks so much to all, esp felin and sx who carried the heavy bar all the way from town to our home....love u so much!
the dream team, with kenny and eddie not in (outstation).thanks guys, now i can pump at home if i miss my body pump lesson at the gym!!love u ALL so much! *muakz*--------------------------------------Kueh Salat
Bottom layer:400g glutinous rice200ml thick coconut milk with 100ml water2-3 pandan leavessome blue food colouring (optional)a pinch of saltTop layer:6 eggs800 ml thick coconut milk200g rice flour320g sugar50 ml pandan juicesome green food colouringa pinch of saltMethod:
Bottom Layer:1. Soak glutinous rice for 2-3 hours. Drain.2. Steam the rice on pandan leaves with a pinch of salt for 15-20 minutes or till tender.3. Remove from heat and add in coconut milk. Mix well with a wooden chopstick.4. Then sprinkle some blue food colouring all over the rice (optional).3. Transfer back to heat and steam for 10 minutes further or till cooked.4. Lay a banana leaf on the bottom of an 8 inch square tray. Place steamed rice in the tray and press down firmly with a banana leaf on top to compact it.5. Return to steamer and steam for another 5 minutes. The bottom layer has to be hot when the top layer is poured on.Top Layer:1. Beat eggs in a mixing bowl lightly with a fork. Mix in the rice flour.2. Cook coconut milk, pandan juice, sugar, salt and green food colouring over low heat. Keep stirring and add in the egg mixture. Stir continuously over low heat, until mixture thickens.3. Pour the yellow mixture over the steamed glutinous rice in the steamer slowly. Steam for 15-20 minutes or until set4. Cool the kueh before cutting. *Note, i didn't have banana leaves, so I used normal grease proof paper instead. works fine.------------------------------------------------Banana Bread:Ingredients:You will need
500 g riper bananas, mashed up120 g soft butter
85 g sugar 85 g brown sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 Tbsp condensed milk
220 g self-raising flour
65 g walnuts
70 g chocolate chips
Method:Set the oven to 180 degrees centigrade
Blend the ingredients
Using your spatula spoon the butter into the mixer bowl, follow with the brown sugar, white sugar, then lower the whisk attachment into the bowl and blend on medium speed for a few minutes. Then slow down the speed and slowly add in the eggs, the mashed bananas, the condensed milk and slowly begin to add the flour, shaking it in little by little then add in the chocolate chips and finally the walnuts.Then switch off the blender, using your spatula give it one final quick mix by hand.
Transfer to the baking tin
Place the baking tin into the centre of the preheated oven and bake for roughly 55-60 minutes. You can check to see if it's ready by piercing into the centre of the cake with a skewer. It should come out dry and if so, remove from the oven.
*i didnt want it too sweet, so i did not add in the 85g sugar, and only used brown sugar.taste good too!Enjoy!! =)Labels: appreciative, baking, Birthday, breakfast, celebration, challenge, cooking, Food, gift, Merry, party, Surprise, team work, workout
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
We know she was already on her 101% guard against us, =)
It was quite a challenge to plant her surprise attack.
Fortunately, we had desmond as ally, haha...
he helped to tell us wat time she'll be home for the nite.
so at 10.30pm, we started our plannings.
(after a quick rest for the past few hours, livingstone and I were more comfortable...phew!)
dennis came over to meet us, and we started to do up the 'birthday bottle',
there's kenny and peggy writing their wishes underneathe felin's block.
then arrived hl, sx and ah siang....
 ready!!
the door wasn't closed when we were there, so we made a gentle knock on the door....she came! saw us! and ran away!haha....
we always use recycle materials for b'day cards and wishes, so there u are, this time, it comes in a bottle, =)
since cameron trip, she has been saying she want a toiletries bag.... so we rem till now, and we bought her something to go with her own tissue pouch.
D team stayed and chit chat for a few hours before we called it a nite.Nice work, team! Msg from felin:"Lotsa thks to u guys for cracking ur brain for this surprise attack! Ur effort is very very much appreciated. Muacks!"Labels: Birthday, celebration, quality time, Surprise, team work
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Diana and us called it "The Rock Room" when we first designed our house,
we didnt construct built-in cabinets, because we find it a waste of money if we were to move one day. After all, some stuff will not be moved if we shift in future. And, these cabinets are not going to increase our valuation anyway. =)
So, for practicality sake, we managed the room on our own, other then giving it a coat of 'rock color' paint.
After staying there for close to 12 months, the rock room has a study table, a chair and 3 display cabinets, all from ikea. We were searching for a book shelf/cabinet to add on. My criteria is, it has to come with doors. Im a freak with dust! no open shelves if possible.... heh heh... and of cos durable, since books are gonna be heavy (which means, ikea is out of the picture, cos majority of their bookshelves are not heavy duty)We sort of know that we need to scout around in those neighbourhood chee-na shops for our ideal bookshelf. And, so, after a while, we found it at bedok. hiak hiak hiak....Time to move out all our barangs in the display cabinet, move them and make way for the new giant. =)
there were some rearranging to be done to the cabinets in the rock room.
 sad to say, this is 1 damage while we move the ornaments.... =pLabels: busy, challenge, damage, team work
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
adhoc meetup once again, the few of us met up for some DIY tartlets .... again! haha.....
this time round, instead of doing the dough by hand, we used kitchenaid!!
bravo! the texture is really smooth and nice.
no frills, no mess. i kowtow to my sexy kitchenaid. =)
the tartlet ladies....
made individually by all of us using our fingertips....
nicole pipping the custard cream into the tartlets and was supervised by livingstone, haha...
pointing him here and there.....
Done! not like u have not seen it before...
but the taste is getting better..... =)
 now, all of us have somthing to bring home....Labels: baking, busy, cooking, Food, Merry, quality time, team work
Monday, September 17, 2007
 the pictures tells my story for this entry..... =)(I bought the equipment, he became the user....heh heh)Labels: appreciative, breakfast, cooking, Food, livingstone, Romantic, team work
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Our first Run
i tried hard to sleep early,
but the chores kept me bz until 12mn...
So, i had to wake up at 5.30am, and meet rachel at 6.15am at our estate carpark, to go to the run together, and i'll be meeting budd at Marina Square carpark.
anyway, i woke up at 2.30am, to welcome my monthly menses.... arghhhhhh
(i knew it will come on this date.....)
I have another 3 hrs to sleep.... and it also means i have to run with an extra padding....sick.... =(
when i finally woke up, it was 5.45am...
I rx rachel's msg to say she had conjunctivitis, so she won't be joining us.
wasted....left with me and budd.
livingstone left me a note on the table before he went to sleep....
he is so sweet.... =*)
before i pin it on for the run.... =)
this is not a big scale run (5km only....), but the fact that it is my first run,
and it is a strictly women's run, makes me really excited!!!
It was just me and budd, which was really quality time! we enjoyed the first 3km run with our usual chit chat session as we jog, before we run on our own for the rest of the journey.
by the time we reached our last 250m, we were running towards it, together! =)
nah, i don't care what timing i clocked, but i am very happy that i completed my milestone for 2007. =)
it was our first official run afterall.... =)
at the carpark, after our run.
we got to rush for our next session (my steamboat party, budd has to go work) after we collected our goodie bag. our result will only be release on the 19th, and i'll be able to download fotos of ourselves in the run from the officials. yeah!
that was budd and her monster in front of me as we headed towards ECP, in opposite direction =)
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Steamboat Party
my SILs came to pick me at my hse to go marketing for the steamboat party,the objective was to celebrate Judy's b'day! =)look at our wonderful spread! yummy yummy !
 the family!i enjoyed the entire session, i hope they did too! =)we prepared almond longan and choc fondue for dessert.... heh heh.... (to make myself feel better, i said " lucky i had a run this morning to compensate what i jus ate for the nite....") I got this fondue set during last x'mas gift exchange (from jean),and we didnt use it until now....
 there were mashmallows, bananas, kiwis and strawberries.... eh, very nice leh! !
now i have another item to treat my guests.... =)
from the time i woke up until the time i hit the bed.....i lost count of how many hours i stayed up. and how many chores and stuffs i have put my hands in to participate, i have no complains (except for my extra padding im carrying la), i enjoyed my day very much, hopefully budd and my family felt the same. =)and if you wanna noe wat's inside the goodie bag.....here u go:
 Labels: Birthday, busy, celebration, challenge, cooking, Dinner, Family, Merry, party, quality time, run, team work, tired, workout
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