Pork Chops

Nothing much to blog about today. Only went out for a while in the afternoon to post something then went to Aldi to get some groceries. Saw online that they are having offer for their pork chops..so thought I'll get them. Had planned to cook soup but the pot still has leftover fish from yday. Also bought sweet potatoes, cheese (this time I bought Wensleydale cheese to try!), celery, a bar of dark orange and almond choc and peaches. Wanted to buy plums but they were small..

I think I didn't mention..but Sil's leave has been confirmed but haven't booked tickets or planned. Looking at some Europe tours but hard to fit dates in. So shall see how things go. I'm still awaiting for my sup to feedback about my draft..hope all goes well. Anyway my classmate from Oman has been asking me about what to write under each heading for systematic review. Quite worrying for him that he's still asking at this point in time when we should submit our drafts! But he's usually also a bit catch no ball during class and doing grp work also.

Washed my sheets and Mr Pig today and put the duvet sheet to dry in the garden before bringing it in my room before I left the house...cos weather forecast is light rain in the afternoon. No sign of the token. Now I think I probably threw it into the bin accidentally or it slipped into the bin somehow. Else can't be can't find in the room lor. Shall get it replaced when I get back.

Sun my PT friend S will be reaching Bham rail station at 1pm..so prob will bring her to N's house (she's renting from him) then see if she wanna go city or Sarehole Mill. Checked routes and Sarehole Mill seems nearer and more direct from his place rather than Aston Hall. Aston Hall is really a bit out of the way and closes at 4pm..so no point rushing la.

Tmr maybe will make some cookies..had bought lard the other day but haven't used..haha! Plan to make hup tou sou.

*Added: and this was my dinner and for tomorrow too! Happy that it looks so colourful! Added apple to bake together and also added to the salad. YUMS!

Lincolnshire - Abbey and scenery

Today was my day out with Ch and M to Lincolnshire. Turns out they were heading there to drop off some clothes to be donated to Armenia. Their cousin who lives in Holbeach has an Armenian friend who travels to back home and gives away clothes to people there. So from time to time, Ch and M will drive there to donate the clothes and visit their cousin. So anyway, today they didn't go to their cousin cos he is only free before 10am! So usually they will leave Bham at 6.30am!! Anyway, they came specially to church to pick me up else they could've gone from their place, which is nearer! So paiseh la..told them I could've taken a bus to their place..and Ch said "I'm not letting u get a bus at 7am in the morning!" 

So this morning cos I was up early, L commented I was up early so told her my church members are bringing me to Lincolnshire..and her reply was "it's very flat...they grow a lot of potatoes and food there". M mentioned about it being flat and boring in her email too...so I thought that place must be really flat. So anyway, I got what they mean..is fields and fields of crops..we only stopped at 2 garden centres (for their toilet and morning tea once) and Crowland Abbey. It's a pity we didn't stop at more towns to have a walkaround or even to Lichfied where M told me about the big cathedral. But cos I asked to tag along, I can't ask for more la..haha..anyway, I was telling them that I can pass my clothes to them before I leave then..cos I was also looking and seeing which charity shops I should donate my stuff too!

Here are some of the photos!

Morning tea - HUGE raisin scone and cappucino

Crowland Abbey

 

Crowland Abbey's 13th century quatrefoil with scenes from the life of St. Guthlac

As expected, they didn't want to take my money for my morning tea...so I offered to pay for lunch or afternoon tea...but they never had it!! Cos we had our scones ard 11+am and got back to Bham ard 4+pm. Hmmm..I guess I will have to get them something. They sent me all the way back too...and feel quite bad cos they would be stuck in the jam to get back home cos we saw the bad peak hour traffic on our way to my place...and the tunnels in the city are closed so more people use the other roads. Had quite a nice time with them. Ohh..I prepared kaya crispbread and brought some of my sambal tapioca chips and they loved them!! So I can give the bottle of Kaya to them. Ohh..and Ch was so cute..before we had tea just when M placed the drinks and scones on the table, Ch passed me a memo paper asking me to do a poster for the Bank Holiday breakfast (cos they liked the poster I made for the craft fair!) and asked me to read Psalm on Sun too. Haha..

Came home and C was cooking...he didn't offer so I just cooked instant mee with bratwurst. First instant mee since I came. I shall say, I still prefer those with unique flavours...this one is BBQ beef but not much taste..haha! Had my cherries too and saw one that was mouldy!! Think there's something wrong with the fridge or just coincidental? My carrots also I noticed..spoils quite fast! The other day L said she cleaned out the fridge cos she found penicillin (or mould?) growing in there! Eeeks! Then yday I saw my cake had mould but I didn't put them in the fridge.

Nothing planned for tmr..weather forecast is light rain...so likely will wash my sheets and cook dinner. Maybe Fri then go out to get some groceries. Shall see how..cos forecast is light rain also on Fri.

my tea dress!

Back from my shopping at One Stop Shopping Centre in Perry Barr. Decided to go there cos there's ASDA and M&S outlet and thought I'll check out Clarks outlet store too. I'm v happy cos I got a dress from M&S. Love the material..easy to dry and comfy..and the design quite unusual..hahaha! I didn't think I'll wear this print..haha. The back has a lobang..and the cutting is quite nice. On the tag it says clearance imperfects but I can't see any imperfects..so just tried on and since it fits well, I bought it!

Really tea dress! Hahaha!

Then went over to Poundstretcher extra and was happy that the 2015 diaries are out but no pig ones yet! Shall wait patiently! I got myself a slim dairy. Didn't see anything worth buying at Clarks..

Then went to ASDA where they sell George clothes (JL in Plaza Sing started importing this brand not long before I left SG) and saw the raincoat that I saw online! The other day wanted to buy online and thought I'll check the material at the store..but that store that I went to didn't have..so then when I wanted to just buy online, it was out of stock. So I was surprised this store still had so many! Snapped pic and showed bro n sis-in-law and they were ok with it. Sis-in-law saw Peppa Pig design at the back and thought it was also raincoat..but actually is a dress la..I took the raincoat up so could take a better pic of it. So bought for niece again.

Look at this Peppa Pig raincoat jacket!!! If it doesn't have the fleece lining, I would definitely have bought this instead!! Just too bad!

Then got sweetcorn and juice from the supermarket section. ASDA is having half price offer for their sweetcorn..2 in a pack for 47p. I never understand why the sweetcorns are so ex here! Anyway I can't help but dislike summer vacation now!! Kids running around, screaming away in shops and weird teens on buses. Arghs! And the difference with disciplining kids here is they don't discipline them sternly in public, like what we do. I did notice middle eastern ppl wearing nice punjabi clothes and wondered why then after a while I realised that they may be muslims celebrating Hari Raya! The bus passed by Soho road and there were greetings "Eid Mubarak"..even in ASDA also..there was a section for snacks. Guess that area has more of them.

Yay! I was thrilled this morning! I got M's email replies and said they were going to Lincolnshire on Wed and said I could read their mind (they were also thinking of asking me along!). And so it's confirmed! I'll be off to Lincolnshire with M and Ch tmr!! M said meet in church at 8.30am! I've set my alarm! I think I'll probably bring some tapioca chips along and maybe multigrain crispbread with kaya. I'm so excited!! Haha..going out with 2 elderly..hahaha..I read up on it and the town seems quite quaint. I'm not sure why they are heading there but v nice of them to ask me to tag along! It's about a 2h drive! Maybe they're going there to visit a friend or relative. Shall ask them tmr!

Earlier this morning, I was surprised when I looked into L's room and saw the bed nicely made up already cos usually C will still be in bed and the door would be ajar. Then when I went downstairs then I saw this mummy on the living room sofa. Ya, it was C. L later told me he started *dunno what..can't hear* yesterday and Poppy got upset so Poppy slept with her in the room and C obviously won't sleep in the room. So L said brilliant (they usually use this expression to say just as well). So I dunno what's wrong with them both AGAIN. Was telling my mum so tua mee sua...terrible!

Tortilla wraps!

Video called with my niece today! She was in such a good mood today..called me and yi! Super hyperactive..keep running here and there. Even eat dinner also need to fiddle with toys...*shake head* but I guess that's why they are called kids!

After that went out to Tesco to get toothpaste (decided to get from there cos they sell their own brand ones in 100ml tubes) I decided to get them instead of Aldi's cos the latter's is in 125ml so should I travel and not buy check in baggage, I won't be able to bring that (good planning eh??). Anyway was tempted to buy a big steak pie that was marked down..but put it back after thinking cos I was planning to make the tortilla wraps tonight and I have limited freezer space. Bought jam donuts to try since they were on offer. Also bought salad cheese to add to my tortilla wrap...and bought yoghurt and cherries also. First time buying cherries here but not my first time eating since I came cos ate with mum and dad when we bought in Munich. But anyway it's only 250g pack la. Wanted to buy whole rainbow trout which was on offer £3.75/kg but they were quite small. Anyway, came back within an hour...it was quite hot today lor!

Oh, I was v thickskinned and asked to tag along with M and Ch if they head out of Bham in my email reply to M..hahaha! Like today they went to Kenilworth which is a little town but today they went to bring the leftover wool back to their friend..and their friend invited them for lunch. Told M I am ok being left to roam ard while they do their stuff..hahaha! Coincidentally, M also mentioned that she is quite emotional thinking of me leaving..I had the same thought too lor!

This morning did my laundry too. Dry v fast today...put my jeans outside in garden and other clothes in my room. After I came back from Tesco I scrubbed the shower stall and cleaned my toilet basin too. Oh btw, the donuts from Tesco still not as nice as ASDA's or Sainsbury's! Waste my money..haha!

Finally finished the itinerary for York and sent to PF and HR to have a look. Seems like we'll do shopping on the day we arrive since the outlet opens till 8pm while those in town close at 5pm...and they are reaching only at 1.39pm...I'll arrive an hr earlier. Also kinda sorted out my slideshow and put "Singapore Town" and "Home" as background music. Shall wait for dad to take pic of the interior stained glass of the church on Sun.

Weather forecast for the rest of the week are sunny tmr then cloudy on Wed, light rain on Thu and heavy rain shower on Fri! Anyway I decided to go to Aston Hall or Sarehole Mill on Sun cos it's free admission for 1st Sun of the month. But I've emailed my PT friend, S, to check if she's keen. She'll be arriving on Sun for her month-long attachment at QE hospital. If she's not keen then I'll go another day by myself..Then being curious, I went to check air tix to Belfast for end Aug too..it'll cost me about £100! Think it's cos it's summer hols now. Shall think about it. More importantly is to settle my air tix back to SG! Quite excited actually..hahaha!

Made my chicken wrap today for dinner. Had 2 and was stuffed (that's what people say here when they are vv full). I forgot to add my green apple..haha..I had yoghurt harissa sauce and salsa as sauces and then I used the leftover chicken M gave me and added carrots and BBQ sauce and added salad cheese I bought from Tesco this afternoon. YUMS! Offered to L when she came back from work and she had 2 too..she really make until v messy but she loves it! So I've left with ingredients enough for one wrap for tmr but many more tortilla wraps..haha..

Oh ya..the Commonwealth Games is on TV almost the whole day with live coverage but it's so difficult to get the timing for sports that SG is competing in!! Yday M told me Ch and her watched the shooter from SG and said she was good..but they watched the recorded one..so could fast forward and play the sports that they're keen to watch..haha..online also have live streaming...but even SG site also doesn't really state the exact timings that Team SG is competing in lor..

Leg of lamb - Sunday roast

Went to church today..and it seems we made £289! Ch had targetted for £200..and as expected, most of the money came from the sale of the wool and mice! I only made £11 but that's cos M threw in £6 for the cake! She took it home and she said it was lovely!

Came home straight after church..but L said lunch/dinner was almost ready. So had our lunch/dinner at 2pm..and look at this!

Colourful eh?

After lunch/dinner (sorry, that's what I've got to call it cos it's late lunch and early dinner to me...L calls it dinner) went to my room to continue to look for photos for my slideshow. Oh ya, I heard a few people not able to make it on 10th Aug which I proposed to cook the Singaporean meal. So I'm not sure if it'll be postponed. Haven't checked with M yet.

Anyway I haven't been sleeping well...kept thinking of possible places where my token could have gone. I didn't think I'll be sooo worried over it!!! Grrr..sometimes just can't stop myself from thinking of things esp when I'm asleep! Guess I'll have to check my bedsheets again when I remove them for washing some time this week. I really can't think of anywhere else I could've left it. Other possibility is that it might have been thrown in the bin by accident and I think I cleared my bin last Sun before I went to the Uni church...hmm..not v sure. Have been praying about it. Anyway it's not as serious as losing my credit card but just mysterious where it went...and I can't transfer money to my parents or my savings acc..hah..but I could see the amt of bonus that is in! Hehe...

Btw, yday M told me Lichfield is worth visiting cos there's a big cathedral there..checked online and indeed, the cathedral is huge but besides that, there's nothing much ard...and checked route planner..I'm best of catching a train from New St..buses that ply there are by another bus company so my travelcard can't be used. Will consider if I wanna go. I was quite tempted to ask M or Ch if they could bring me along if they were going to somewhere nice..hhaa..but haven't la..prob will go Aston Hall (realised it's soo near Perry Barr where I brought mum and dad the other time but didn't know of this Hall till Ch told me abt it!) or Moseley Bog or Sarehole Mill this week..or all. Shall see how....

Oh anyway happen to check my Uni email and saw that my sup replied thanking me for the draft..she sent it on Fri. It prob came after I had checked my email...anyway it means she should get back to me quite soon? So I should try as much as possible to enjoy myself first..ahhaa!

Happy PH to those in SG!!

Craft and wool fair!

And so we had the Craft and Wool fair today! Went to church at 9am to help around. Set up my "stall" too. Many who came were church members from the circuit and only our church members and a minister came to learn to make butterflies. J, a church member, bought 2 butterflies and 1 crane bookmark from me. That was all..haha! Anyway I brought the cake to church all wrapped and Ch and M were soo thankful! Then one of the stallholders brought wedges of cake to sell and Ch and M decided not to duplicate..and I was fine with it! I had already told M that we can eat it by ourselves. Then M gave me £6 for it but I put it in my float (*float means cash float..haha!). Gave Ch back the whole lot of £. So I'm not sure how much I made. I think it will be £5? HAHAH! Well, I guess people there are not into origami and the people who came were mostly elderly! Haha..not so wise to learn to make origami..haha!

Ch with her wool stall

My "stall"..right in the middle! *gasp*

One of the local ministers who did spinning demonstration

The minister's husband who does handmade jewellery

A friend of the minister who does "posh/celebratory" cakes..think she sold them for £1-2 each?

Stall of a husband-wife team who wanted to be in the craft fair

Stuff by a sister church

J and Ch..with Ch's handmade knitted mice and dolls!

A closer glimpse of the knitted products!

Kitchen "stall"..initially had my "slice of cake 30p" but was erased

That's the chef! M!

oo..I had my 1st bacon sandwich. Yes, I know it is v common here but I haven't had it! And it reminded me of salty version of bak kwa sandwich.hahaha! Oh well. Anyway M gave me some chicken drumsticks that she had cooked too..no one had them and she didn't want me to pay for them. And look what Ch made for me!!!!!

She attempted to make a pig for me and it's supposed to be Jack (from Jack and Jill)

And cos there were leftovers of the mice, I chose these to bring home with me!!!!!! Wheeee! How I wish I could bring them all home..but how to pack?! hahaha. I've packed them nicely in my box of stuff to bring home!

Little Miss Muffet (with her spider!!), Medieval mice and Church mouse!

By the time I finished helping packing up, it was close to 4pm! Bless Ch and M..how did they manage to get the tables out last Sun by themselves! Great that I was able to be of help! As I was leaving the church, C called out to me..he was in a friend's car heading out..was surprised when he called out to me..haha! After I came back, headed out to Bearwood cos I wanted to get a tub of ice cream for dessert tmr...since L is roasting leg of lamb and asked me to join, I thought I'll buy something to add too...else paiseh ma! Anyway got a pack of juice too..today was just sooo warm! Heng I wore my summer dress which was pretty cooling.

Last night I wanted to log on to my SG bank acc and realised that I couldn't find my dbs token!! I am quite sure it's in my room somewhere cos I just used it last week to transfer money to my dad! V strange cos I usually put it at the same place. Checked under my duvet, under the bed..no sign of it..also checked the bin..and I'm sure I didn't throw my rubbish away after that day that I used it. Hopefully will be able to find it somehow. I probably was distracted after transferring money and may have left it on my bed or chuck it together with other things..so was trying to trace back what I was doing and from my blog, that day I had gone out and probably only used it at night when I saw dad's email. Hmm...will look for it again tmr or Mon..today really too warm to find..like last night too..I gave up searching after a while cos was perspiring.

Baked apple pastry and cakes!

Had quite a relaxed day today. Had wanted to drop by Tesco but decided to bake first and see how tired I was after. And so cos I finished only around 3+pm, going to 4pm, I decided to stay home..cos I am planning to cook dinner tonight too. Anyway I made these apple pastries and cakes! I'm intending to cut like 3/4 of each of the cake to bring for church tmr. So timely that L and C both came back not long after I was one baking and I left the cakes on the stove to cool. So I got to leave some for them. Emailed M to show her and said if they are not of saleable quality, can keep for ourselves! Haha..

Apple cinnamon pastry for lunch/tea

Apple with raisin cake and apple with chocolate chunks cake

My baked stuff today!

Planning to cook vege curry and add fish tonight but I'm not sure if I'll get to use the kitchen. I hear the sound of opening and closing of drawer and bowls.

**Added: In the end yes, C was cooking mackerel with black eyed peas (new style) but he let me have the kitchen/stove first since he had to boil his black eyed peas. And so I cooked my vege curry and added a piece of basa fillet. It was pretty good..hah..I added yoghurt (since I bought), peanut butter into it..hahaa! Then cut up the cake about 3/4 of each to bring for church. Asked L if I could borrow her rectangular tray to bring to church tmr and she told me to take the nicer flower design one..haha! Prob only here sells such trays for serving cake..seldom see in SG. Didn't manage to snap a pic of the inside of the cakes. They taste good!! Left quite a few pieces for them on a plate. Also left 3 pastries and left 2 as of just now.

And L said she'll be roasting leg of lamb for Sun lunch..said I could join too! I'm thinking if I should get the Marc de Champagne ice cream as dessert or not..shall see how tmr. Tmr prob after the craft fair I will go either Aldi or Tesco or both...shall see how tired I am then.

Afternoon well spent!

Went out this afternoon to Smethick. This suburb is between Bearwood and Handsworth..well, kind of I guess. And it's quite a Eastern Europe/Middle Eastern/Caribbean area. I decided to go there to check out the ASDA there, see if it was bigger and had the kids raincoat or MacKenzie's potato crisps cos the one nearer my place didn't have the crisps! Then saw that there's a Windmills shopping centre there too and a dept store called Matalan. The other time I saw a Matalan was at Merry Hill..anyway saw online that they were having sale and some kids clothes were quite cheap...so headed there first! Spent like 2 hrs in there!! Quite fun too cos there was free wifi so I could chat with mum and shop..haha..ended up getting stuff all for my niece and, ok, a pack of socks for my bro..haha! Kids clothes are soooo cute..esp girls'! Anyway I was deciding if to buy a pack of socks for my dad but I could "hear" him saying he has a lot of socks so didn't buy. Had msged mum to ask if dad needs but she didn't reply..prob slept already. So anyway since have my bro's shoe size, I thought I'll just get for him la..the ladies wear were not that cheap.

Went to ASDA after that and they didn't have the kids raincoat I saw online..so only bought some groceries. Bought tortilla wraps (want to make maybe on Sun), frozen chicken breasts, nectarines and I was v happy to see the MacKenzie's crisps and they had a many flavours. But I ended up getting back the same flavour as what I bought in Edinburgh (Scotland) - haggis and black pepper! After leaving then I thought to myself I should buy for my York trip also hor? haha..but I'm trying to cut down on such snacks also..hehe..just thot it'll be nice to share with PF and HR. Oh btw, I think both of them should be confirmed going.

After that got up a bus and found my way to Lidl...bought the muesli again..and also tri-colour peppers and I bought a sports racerback top...thought I'll buy since I didn't bring any sleeveless tops here..didn't expect it to be so warm! So can wear at home tmr. Sun onwards the temp will be dropping!! Great! Some cool relief! The buses here are terrible la...no air con and windows so small! Open also like didn't open. Grr...

Oh ya, the summer hols have started so everywhere can see kids n they will be playing or screaming away in the shops..grrr! No fun! And mind you, parents here don't publicly discipline their kids...they prob will be busy looking at their own stuff or just tell the child nicely.

Heard from Sil in the afternoon that another airline has crashed! This time is Air Algerie. What's with the planes these days?!?!?! Oh my....to make people shelf their travel plans? Pray for journey mercy for me!

Tmr prob do some chores at home then maybe make my apple pastries! Then I need to wrap up my box for my origami sale..not sure hw to glue cos I only have super glue with me..no normal glue and I don't see any lying around in the house..haha..shall see how!

Draft submitted!

Submitted my draft to my sup late afternoon today!!!! Woo hoo!! I changed my discussion and conclusion a little. And I had quite a bit of fun playing around with the features in Word...and I managed to get Word to create a table of contents!! Excited..hahaha! And it's quite cool cos readers can Ctrl+click on the sections of my dissertation to just zoom into it instead of scrolling down all the way. Technology has advanced!! Next thing Word should be able to do is to customise counting of words so I can exclude words in brackets (in-text references) and those in figures and tables! Hahaha...anyway I haven't tried to count the words (except abstract) cos I gathered there'll be changes after the feedback so I better just leave it first and edit after I get feedback then at least I don't have to do extra work. Dad called me today to ask me about the intention to fly out from London if HR isn't able to book for me. Then I was telling him how cool Word is to be able to create Table of Contents and he heard as I need to make Content page..grrrr...maybe connection nt good..haha! But anyway, conclusion for my dep date, I emailed HR to ask if she sent me any email cos I didn't get any frm her so it won't sound like I'm chasing her..hahaha! Then if I still have to book it by myself, I'll ask her about the option if claimable if I take cab to London Heathrow and then fly out from there. Honestly, it makes more sense in terms of travelling time too..probably about 1h faster..and I won't have to transit. Shall wait for HR's reply. At least I know the air tix for the direct flight from London-SG is about £582...and I think if I book pte taxi to Heathrow should be £120 or so..just need to rem to get receipt.

Now that I've submitted my draft, can have a little breather! But the weather is so warm..but I started to look at places to go in York..since I'm the freeier one among them, I offered to look up and come up with a list. Haha..then I need to settle my Origami sale box..M replied saying the deco is ok and it'll go very well!

Today neighbour did some reno work so was a little noisy. Oh..this morning the neighbour's female friend who drives a sports car came v early la..engine revving so loud! Luckily she doesn't stay here permanently else whole neighbourhood will know when they are back and leave.

Maybe tmr will head out to get some groceries or shopping..then also need to wash my sheets either tmr or fri..and also do some cleaning of my room. I scrubbed the shower stall tiles a little on Tue and I'm quite sure tt time L used my new toothbrush by mistake to scrub the in between of the tiles to get the orangey stuff and mould out. I tried the same using my old toothbrush with something like Cif and it seems to come off too. I should also find some shopping mall with air con to hide also..hahaha! Next week prob can explore around Bham! Yday watched past episodes of The Great British Railway Journeys on youtube and apparently the Moor St railway station has got a nice Victorian interior! I haven't been inside cos usually I travel in/out from New Street..

Alrighty, shall have my leftover dinner though can hear C cooking. I've been quite anti-social..haha..partly also cos I'm busy la..and I dun want to interfere with their issues..strange ppl..one moment want him out, next moment cook for him and like nothing happened. By the way, I hate it when I hear people argue. I'll rather walk away or drown their noise. Haha!

*Added: In the end I had C's chicken for dinner since he offered and I was a bit lazy to heat up my leftover..hahaha! L showed me their US trip photos too since she had the laptop with her..apparently someone came to do some photoshoots for C for some portfolio. Hah! Potential model?!?!

Origami crafts for sale, anyone?

Thanks to Pastor and mum, I got their edits by this morning so combined their edits and read through again. Both felt that my conclusion isn't that strong enough..so I shall work on it again before sending it to my sup.
Videocalled with my niece and yi today...this girl..becoming quite naughty..throw tantrums...and super TV/HP video addict!! Really like glued on to the hp when my parents, bro n sis-in-law let her watch some videos. And the way she jumps so cute lah!! Learning to jump by just tip-toeing and moving her butt..hahaa! But not bad, she recognised us..and I heard her calling me gu1gu3..haha. Not sure what's with her ang moh accent when she speaks mandarin..also calls my mum nai4 nai1 instead of nai3 nai1.

Went to church to help out. I was surprised that Judy went too! So helped with setting up the dining room cos M will be selling bacon sandwiches, toasts, drinks on Sat and people can sit there. After everything was done, sat and chatted with Ch and M..Judy left earlier. All of them were complaining abt the weather and asked me for tips how to survive the heat back home. HAHAA! I told them I'm not sure how I'll survive when I get back but most places are air conditioned back home..so don't quite feel the heat..even if no air con, we will have powerful fans around! Anyway, then I flipped through some knitting magazines since Ch was sorting them out..and then I asked Ch if a sheep keyring I saw was knitting..and she said yes then M very smart..say I flip to see what designs there are and request for Ch and her to make. Then I said YES! And they are easy to carry back and useful (unlike woollen clothes that I can't wear back home!). Hahaha..anyway Ch brought more of her knitted mice today and she's gg to do more to make up 25. I was telling her my family liked the mice when I showed them the pics too!! Then she got all excited..haha..they also think the mice will be the fastest to be sold out. Moreover for £4, I think it's worth it for the workmanship! Considering you can only get a meal deal (ie sandwich, a small pack of chips and a drink) for that price here. And £4 can't even get you a full meal in McD or KFC or BK! How I wish I can ship them all back but no where to display at home unless I ask dad for some space in the display cabinet..hahaa! But no la..it'll be too costly to buy all of them!

Came home and thought of how to present my origami crafts and I thought of doing it like this! It'll have the words "Origami Crafts" and "100% handmade" on the cardboard (will borrow marker from them on Sat) and I guess I can charge £1 for the bigger ones and 2 for £1 for the smaller ones. Anyway today Ch and M told me the money will go to the church from a few of our stalls (cos other stalls are outside vendors who paid for their stall and they will keep what they get from their sales)..and is to pay for fire extinguishers..hahaa! V funny when they said it.

Was clueless what to cook for dinner tonight from this morning..and when I came home, just decided to thaw the pork ribs and cook some pasta with it..and make like a pasta bake. But I didn't have cheese to sprinkle on top so I just used cheese sauce (didn't even add milk cos I didn't buy). Turns out not too bad and the ribs are more tender when baked..haha..kept half portion for tmr's dinner.

These days when I go to the supermarket, I don't know what to cook so can't plan what to buy except the usual stuff..so if I wanna do something different in the week then won't have lor. Anyway the next time I go ASDA, I'll prob get their olive ciabatta..the other day wanted to get pita bread at Aldi but they are sold in 6 or 8! Can't be I eat them for a week rite?? Haha..of course I can freeze them up but my freezer space also limited..haha! Been thinking of making wraps cos of the hot weather but then it means I'll have to buy lettuce or peppers. I also don't know if I should head out tmr or thur or fri! Oh, Sat got to wake up earlier cos we'll meet at 9am! Excited!

1st draft done

Finally my sup replied my email..but honestly, I have already figured some questions out..haha..but good tt she said I don't need to calculate the OR. Spent almost the whole day working on my draft so I can send it off to Pastor and mum. And I finished ard 4pm. I will still need someone in the clinical field to read through but cos it's the first draft, not sure if E and Sil are free to do so. Will continue to work on it cos I think I need to read through and convince myself that it's right and add the preliminary pages. Anyway told my sup that I'll be emailing her my draft by this week.

Anyway a colleague whatsapped to ask me if I remember the contact who sells adjustable beds in SG..cos I ever saw at some event and told them about it..can consider for patients who need adjustable beds yet want to still sleep with their spouses. Did a google search after I was done with my dissertation draft and realised not many options in SG! But there are lots to choose from here and in the US!

Just got M's email..they'll be in church 2-3.45pm tmr..timing is just right cos by then I would've finished video call with my niece. Haha! At first was worried that I won't get to video call with her if I wasn't at home. Oh, this morning L saw me on my way to put my laundry to wash and told me to dry my clothes outside then bring upstairs...said something about too much moisture. And said she used to hang the lighter ones upstairs. So strange! I stayed here for so long keep feeling the air here is sooo dry and yet she said too much moisture?? And she was the one who told me I can hang my laundry in my room..and she mentioned that she didn't like laundry hanging around in the house (except garden). Anyway I just hung some of my pants out in the garden (and they dried v quickly, actually) and others just put in my room. I don't seem any damage done to her furniture or what..and I somemore have a tray of water at my bedside lor. Or maybe she saw it when she put that extra duvet in the attic. No idea! Whatever, going off soon anyway.

Still have yet to hear from HR. I guess if by Wed I don't hear from her, I'll email to ask again and if she can't get for me then I'll go to the agency to enquire liao...cos time is running out!

This week's weather is really summer weather...me no like!! Oh, today C painted the walls downstairs. Wonder if they'll want to pain my room or attic. The last time L painted some parts of my room was like patching up so became v uneven.

Have been listening to YES 93.3FM and there's this National Day-theme song by Desmond Tan 陈炯江 <<将爱延续>> which is pretty nice..he wrote the lyrics by himself..and the music has the National anthem too!

Church mice!

Went to the Lutheran service in Uni today. The uni was dead quiet..probably cos it's the summer hols now! Anyway, I arrived close to 10.55am and there was only Pastor, his wife and granddaughter and her friend who's also a member of the church. Then I asked Pastor if it's only us. Then everyone started streaming in after. Haha! Pastor also expected a smaller group today. But it's the last service we'll be having till Sept. Anyway, today Pastor said they might organise an outing or something in Aug..it was quite funny cos everyone who saw me were excited to see me. Some thought I had gone back. HA..oops..cos the last time I was there was in May! Anyway, it was nice to hear everyone doing well and enjoying the weather. I brought my digicam but I was too shy to ask to take group pic..haha! Nvm..prob when we have the outing. The sky wasn't nice to take pics within uni too. Oh, when I was leaving, a church member (I think her family is Polish) asked for my mobile no. and asked if I've been to the Botanic Garden. So I said yes but she still took down my mobile no. and she spelled my name..and cos pastor's wife keeps calling me Yohanna, she also thot is Johanna..hahaa..then I spelled for her and she said is the same as her daughter's!! And she told her they call her Asia as a Polish nickname..but she didn't pronounce it as Asia like how we do but Ah-sia. That can be my new nickname eh? Ah-sia from Asia..hahaahah! Oh, Pastor was nice to offer to read through my dissertation..he shared that he used to be a journalist and editor..so he has read past students dissertations too and some have gotten 1st class. I think he meant 1st class Honours. Haha..actually said it's ok but since he's so enthusiastic, will send to him after I'm more or less done...good for a 3rd party to read it. Will be asking my mum to read it too.

After that went to Bearwood. I went to this clothes shop called "peacocks" to have a look since they put sale and it's their window display..so I thought must be the big sale. And really, some tops and dresses were gg for £5! The dress I liked was only in sizes 14 and 10..the size 10 looks big! Anyway managed to get a t-shirt for mum! Wanted to get a short-sleeve casual shirt for dad but scared will make him look too young..hahaa..cos it's the young people's cutting..hehe..and was excited to see raincoat for babies and boys for ages 2-6years but none for the girls!!! And the design was quite cute for the babies size! Vvv strange that stores don't seem to sell raincoats (without inner padded linings) for girls below 7yo!

So bought cauliflower (yes, u read it right. I decided to get it to cook curry! Inspired by Jamie Oliver when watching his 15-min meals on TV), carrots, nectarines, butter and puff pastry. I wanna bake apple and nectarine puff pastry one of these days!! Oh, I brought a box of the apple cake to share in church today and everyone said nice. I'm pleased! I only left a few pieces for myself. Maybe can bake again next week so can bring to the nearby church.

On the way back home, I walked past the nearby church and saw that the gate was open and saw Ch putting up stuff for the Craft and Wool fair! I was excited and waved to her from outside and went in to chat with them. Ch and M were there and they had moved all the tables and chairs by themselves after service! I told them they should have told me and I could've gone to help!! They're not v mobile and more elderly than my parents lor..and I was showed the layout..wonder if I should use any throws or table cloths..cos the table tops are white. Shall see if there's anything in the attic..hahaha! Anyway I told them I had forgotten to tell them if they need me anytime in the week can let me know..and Ch said Tue. There's an electrician coming to do the lights and probably Ch and M are thinking of put more deco or something...so they'll let me know the time once the electrician confirms time with them. I'm getting quite excited abt it! But must make sure I settle my dissertation draft! Ohhh...see these that Ch has made!! I am soooo tempted to buy them but how to bring back? Anyway they are selling for £4 each! I suggested to sell them at £5 so there'll be less handling of change (smallest note in £ is £5). they're soooo cute!! Ch said she also can't bear to give them away. Anyway she said she made 25 of them! I told her if bring to SG, can sell at a higher price and people will still buy it!! Then they joked and tell me to bring back to sell..hahaha..And I was wondering why she made mice...then I showed PF and she said she suppose they are church mice..then I realised! I'm so slow!! Anyway I asked Ch for special request..hehehe..shall see if she makes it before I leave!

I showed them a pic of my origami products and they were v happy and said they are lovely. When I told Ch and M they can set the price, Ch said I would pay £1 for them each! I was surprised! Hahaha..we shall see!

Oh yes, I've bought my train tix and also all-day bus for both days to York! Today mentioned to some church members and all who heard said York is VERY nice! I'm really looking forward to it!! Also found out that there's a designer outlet store accessible by public bus too so plan to go there..of course, if HR and PF not keen, I'm ok to go alone...Anyway I'll be leaving late morning of 7th (arriving there ard 12.30pm) and back to Bham ard 8.30pm on 8th Aug (leaving there ard 6.35pm). But it'll still be bright when I arrive so no worries about coming home in the dark. That's the perk of travelling in summer!

Anyway bus timetables have changed in summer...guess cos there's no sch so traffic is supposedly lighter? But I thought more people are travelling too..hah..nvm la..as long as the frequency is still high on weekdays, it's ok for me.

Cooked simple salmon and olive spaghetti aglio olio for dinner tonight and tmr. Saw that a microwaveable meal was chucked into my freezer shelf..heng I didn't buy frozen food today else where to find space? Oh anyway discussed with L about the rent when I paid her (paid her a day early coz the window cleaner came to ask for payment and she didn't have enough money so asked from me so I might as well pay her the rent). And she v funny..said she's sure I've calculated correctly. HAHA!

Shall continue to work on my draft and hopefully can send to Pastor and mum tmr! Think I'll make a new table with lesser info in the main text and the full description of studies will be in the Appendix.

Apple cake!

Didn't quite have the mood to do my dissertation today so only did a little and worked on my slideshow on SG for church..haha..yes, do such bo liao stuff to "relax". Then did origami again and this time I found a v nice crane bookmark! So these are what I have so far..

Anyway drama started again last night. Both of them were shouting at each other...and L said "Get out of my house!!!" a few times very loudly and heard C saying something about police. Haiyoh..I hid in my room and watched my shows...I was just glad they stopped after 11pm..else hw to sleep! Today seems everything back to normal?? I have no idea what's going on!! L even cooked steak dinner for themselves after she came back from work! Too complicated...and that's one of the reasons why I can't wait to leave here! I definitely won't tolerate my other half to have such behaviour! If I do in the future, pls remind me!

Oh yes, speaking of leaving here, I've booked the accom for York! So I'll be away on 7th and 8th Aug! Next week then confirm rail tickets cos HR is waiting for her thumbdrive to fly frm SG and that contains her data for her research..and PF will wait for her. HR said she's KIV also..but told her not to worry cos the price for double rm and family rm is the same so she won't have to pay for her share if she isn't able to make it. Booked it last night and I almost paid double cos I accidentally clicked twice..and then I v silly la..I requested for sms notification then when the SMS came in, I usually have a security alert asking if I want to block or allow the SMS..and I accidentally clicked "always block", being the first option!! Grr...anyway not much effect cos it just has the reservation number and date of arrival and dep la. So just took pic of my reservation confirmation la. As for my flight back to SG, haven't gotten my HR's email reply.

Oh, and I baked my apple cake! I have been craving for it! Forgot to add raisins! Haven't cut but it looks ok..and I made the whole house smell nice..haahha!

Took out my frozen soup for dinner tonight...cos I saw that they thawed steak so didn't wanna fight over kitchen...but turns out they had late lunch/early dinner. But nvm la..eat up the soup so more freezer space. It rained a lot today and had lightning too...but now it's all sunny with blue skies again! Not that cooling though.

Tmr gg to Uni for my last church service with them. Decided to give pastor the SG collar pins and his wife a SG coin purse. After that probably head to Bearwood to get some groceries for this week. Have no idea what to cook...but I do have a frozen slab of pork ribs n salmon and basa fillets..guess is thinking of what sides to go with them.

Oh, turns out that the new neighbour who's moving in soon just lives down the road on no. 144...he was renting it for 2 years. Hah..but the strange thing is L said she has never seen him ard! Anyway how I found out was cos he came over to say hi yday and L and C mentioned when I was also in the living room.

origami fun!

Spent some time working on my origami "project" last night and these are what I did. I decided to expand the stuff I will be "selling".

Bow tie, vase and heart bookmark

 And following PF's suggestion that I can make bow ties of different sizes, I did small ones today! I used quarter of the 6" square paper. I made while waiting for A to get back to me about calculating OR..haha

Smaller bow ties, heart box and heart secret message "box"

Just in case u were wondering why I seem to have a heart-shape theme, I think people will be more attracted to it? Besides, selling in church so it's like God's love for us. Will make more tonight. I think I might just make a few of each instead of many of a few designs. PF even suggested that can add a blank card with the bow tie so people can write their messages and becomes like a gift tag.

Anyway, cos this morning was soo warm, I decided to open my packet of muesli and have it with milk instead. And this is the muesli I got from Lidl!! 100% from the packet..I didn't add any nuts or anything else. This is definitely comparable to the one I've been buying from Home Bargains though a little more expensive! But it's hard to find something similar and not tt much more ex! Will decide later on which one to buy back to SG! Hehe..of course, if I've enough luggage space!

Continued to work on my dissertation. Combined the "Discussion" and "Conclusion" parts into the working copy of my dissertation. And it seems like my words are quite ok cos it says about 11K and this includes my intext references but haven't added my preliminary pages. I also did up a table to consolidate the critical appraisal for the studies. So now I just need to wait and see if I need to do up the calculations and simplify the table for the included studies. I hv to make it much shorter or find other ways of presenting it.

I think we have new neighbours!! Looks like a middle-aged couple..er..ok la..maybe in their late 30s.

Oh yes, yday discussed with PF and HR (not Human Resource) about our York trip. And it's quite confirmed that it'll happen for 2D1N before National Day!! PF just needs to wait for confirmation for her KIV attachment so will probably book this weekend! We managed to find availability for family room at Travelodge Central. Hopefully there's still availability by the time we book! Anyway PF had wanted to go for the 10K run on 3rd Aug but I told her there's no availability of accomm and hard to find accomm for 3..then cos weekend hotels will cost more..so she finally decided not to go and run. Hahaha! She also hasn't been running that distance! They were surprised that Travelodge's rate is quite cheap. And I checked..strangely, double room and family room are of the same price!

Today wasn't as warm as I expected cos at least there was still wind! I wore my newly-bought tank top (spaghetti-strapped) and surf shorts today. And I made lemonade from my bottled lemon juice...v summer hor? Hahaha! Oh. Anyway, last night heard them arguing again but not as fierce as before..and today L came back in the afternoon for abt 1/2h also..and again heard them in their room. Earlier on she called me to check if C was at home...must be he purposely ignore her calls la. This drama macam Taiwan drama..so draggy...

Oh yes! K (from Aust) told me she got the postcard I sent! Finally!! She's gg over to her son's this coming week to see her grandson. She even sent me a video of him smiling. Sooo cute!! Was telling her how I wanna go back this time, compared to when I was in Adelaide where I wanted to stay there longer..hhaha!

Don't know what to cook for dinner later...sian to cook cos so warm..probably cook eat cold soba with either bratwurst or pork ribs la..something easy to defrost and cook.

**Added: Here's my cold soba with Bratwurst dinner