鸡蛋糕

I'm so tired now!! Had been standing at the steamer for about 2+hrs!!! All because the steamer can only hold 3 soup cups at one time. Grrr..anyway here they are! Grinned a bit today cos I did the sugar part but maybe cos I'm not good at it or used caster sugar so only grinned. Used cupcake liners cos thought will look nicer to bring for PF and SK. Tried the recipe my mum used...seems less fluffy but may have several reasons..but still edible la..considering no sieve, no proper cake tin to steam it in..not bad liao!

When I was making it, T came by...the last time I made it, he came to see Poppy too. Anyway he said he'll come back later.

This morning L told me she went to see C again last night (I suspected cos the spare quilt and pillow she took from my room attic was not in her room already. Anyway she explained why she told him she'll give up the dog for him. Haha..test him la. She said she'll go to his apt and she won't be surprised if he would have left. Today she said she's quite sure he took the money. I think it's quite obvious cos the money won't just go missing like tt!

this is Poppy watching me eat the keropok L brought back for me. I gave her some in the kitchen la.

Did a little bit of my thesis..then videocalled my niece and aunt. Video conference again..haha! Anyway it's quite confirmed that my niece is v attracted to males!! The moment she sees my uncle on the laptop, she smiles so sweetly! But today she not bad...can point to me and say 姑姑！Hahah..won't get to see her "live" for the next 2-3 weeks!

Oh..then I got a pleasant surprise when my aunt and uncle mentioned that MAYBE my aunt can come and join us for Europe!! Helped to check the air tix and tour still have "less than 2 seats left". So far British Airways seem to suit our timing best and is direct flight. B'ham really v limited flights! Played around at Emirates website and there's a possibility to fly to B'ham on Mon (at least can fetch her from airport cos we may have returned the car when she arrives in London) and leave London on 23rd. But there's transit at Dubai for 3h when arriving here or 2.5h going back, which kinda breaks the long flight journey into half. Anyway tickets are all around S$2+k. Anyway can't book till my aunt gets her passport back (part of the VISA process there). Have given her the tour agent's website, dates for our journey from B'ham to London and then London and back to SG and Bham for parents n I respectively. It was quite funny la..my uncle kept encouraging her to go and enjoy life..but my aunt thinks too last min..hahaa! So sweet of my uncle hor?? haha! Of course it'll be much more exciting if my aunt can come! I guess there's a little bit more thrill with last minuteness..hahahaha! Like the other time when I thought I couldn't go Dublin but I could and settled things fast! A bit complicated with flights from Shanghai..but we shall see!

Have packed my stuff for road trip. Only need to remember to buy data plan tomorrow morning. Will likely go earlier to da bao a panini or baguette from Meal Deal to eat on the bus during the journey. Scared I'll get too bored..haha..3h leh!! But really looking forward to catch up with PF and SK and then on wed, finally going to see my parents!!!!!!!!

Have taken out the chicken leg to defrost. Probably will cook spaghetti to eat with it tonight.

Probably won't blog till I'm back to Bham on Sat or may not even get to blog till I am back from the whole trip! Take care, ppl!!

Fiesty elderly lady dancing!

Sunny day with temp of about 20°C. Felt it was a nice temperature..but it did get a bit chilly when in church. I was wearing my M&S dress without any leggings/stockings.

Took some time to doze off last night and then woken up with talking...and then snoring. And I wondered if someone else was in the house overnight! Felt like asking L if I wasn't dreaming and heard a guy (I think T) in the house chatting late last night..but didn't have a chance to ask her yet. Went to nearby church today and they were kinda surprised to see me..cos I usually attend alternate weeks..but I thought I'll attend here this week since I'll be bringing my parents here next week. Anyway, recently we have a Asian middle-aged guy join us. Apparently he used to attend the mandarin congregation that rents the church on Sun afternoons but cos they stopped renting, he just came for the English service. He was a bit distracting during service cos he'll be v fidgety..haha..and super enthu type. Found out he's from HK and has 3 daughters and the oldest is already 30yo..so he's not tt young as I guessed. I thought he was in his 40s. Oh well, anyway, I did the collection (offering) today. Oh..and we'll be having Sunday buffet lunch on 6th July and will see James and Sarah's wedding pics! They are the couple who recently got married..ok..not v recent..but after Easter. And they have been coming to church..they work in the Uni. V lovely couple. I love the dresses she wears! There's one particular cherry blossoms one that was lovely - and I complimented her! All in church were excited to meet my parents..hahaa..Oh..and Ch asked me to ask my parents to bring photos of SG but I told her I have and intend to do a slideshow when I do my SG meal..and I kinda told her likely I'll do a Sun lunch too..just for our church and not for whole circuit cos that will be too many! Oh yes, and M was telling me the next time they do a bank holiday bfast, she'll likely do a buffet style instead and just cook the eggs and do the toasts on the spot.

Came back and did my laundry..then did a bit more packing for the trip and stuff for parents to bring back. Not really in the mood to work on my dissertation today..hahaa! Next weekend I'll be in my pure summer wear cos temp supposedly to be 24 or 25°C!

Oh yes, watched Britain's Got Talent and am amazed at this elderly lady's fitness!!! And mind you, she just recovered from a rib injury. The duo is from Spain..oh, the 2 asians on the semifinals shows quite errr..strange..hahaa! Anyway, I must say the top 10 are really v deserving of the spot in the finals. Anyway the winner will get the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Royal Family and receive a cash prize of £250k!

Will eat my leftover frozen-up lamb and rice tonight. Probably cook some curry sauced vege to go with it else may be too dry. Oh, did I mention that I bought Basmati rice this time? Thought I should try more fragrant rice..hahaha! Anyway, will stay home tomorrow...and steaming the 鸡蛋糕 for PF tmr! Quite looking forward!

Have been watching HK drama <<法外风云>>..not bad! Quite funny too! I realised that the website actually downloads the episodes to my comp..no wonder my memory space ran low the other day. So I transferred them to my HDD to save if I wanna watch next time!

3 more days! 2 more days to London and minus one day for SG timing!! Oh, and 端午节快乐 for those back home!

drama

Drama late last night. L knocked on my door to ask if I had seen a big white envelope lying around. I replied I didn't see and asked where she put it and when. She said in kitchen and it was from Tue afternoon..and she only realised last night when she looked for it. So I asked what was in the envelope..I was expecting her and to be important documents but no, it was money!! Then I thought it was strange...after about an hr later (around 11.30pm when I was preparing to sleep (I was in my bed liao!) then she knocked at the door again and told me it's a mystery. And I asked if she has checked all the possible places..and went down to help her find. C was out for a smoke and L had told me he's unhappy that she accused him. Then after his smoke he just stayed in the kitchen, didn't help to find or try and solve the mystery. L went to find the whole living room, kitchen, utility room and her room. And she started stating possibilities. When C was out, she was saying she's not convinced it's not him from his body language. Anyway, I asked if she wanna search my room and she replied immediately "no, no, no". So anyway, after that then realised that she had not left the envelope out in the open. Which explains why I didn't notice any envelope! Haha! Went back to bed ard 12mn..had difficulty sleeping cos of this mystery..haha! Managed to sleep after some lavender oil.

This morning had my kopi-O..and L continued to talk about it and told me more..and then she told me C had left for good last night or rather this morning) and it makes it even harder to prove his innocence. She knows that the money is gone. She even said she looked in the shed and even freezer to make sure she wasn't herself..hahaa! For now, the biggest suspect is C cos I didn't even know where she put it and I didn't leave the house till yday itself so I couldn't have taken it and kept it with me nor could there have been a random thief. Anyway before she left for work today, I told her I'll check through my cupboard n drawers just in case. Then she asked to make sure she wasn't sleepwalking or something and misplaced it there? Then I said no..but C might have taken and put it in my room? Then she said oh..u better check if anything is missing. Actually last night when she first told me that an envelope with money was missing, my first instinct after closing my room door was to check my drawers..I just had the feeling could he sabotage me? Hahaha! Don't ask me why! I guess I don't trust him. For the record, none of my stuff was missing.

So I was shocked to find out that there was so much money kept in the house! She said she has reasons for doing that. Not going to probe further..but told her it was scary not knowing that..to me it's like what if I didn't lock the door properly?! But then again, it is not placed at a v obvious place. She said there was about £3+k inside. Anyway she also shared with me what she did since she came back frm her trip and their quarrels the past few week/s..and added that she was certain to make C leave after their US trip and regretted not making him do so when they came back from the airport. To me it's like 破财消灾 lor. Yday I even asked if she wants to call the police but like what she said, they can't do anything either..no proof.

Anyway, that was the drama. Vacuumed my room and cleaned my toilet and then continued with my thesis. Felt quite motivated today..managed to finish picking out points from the articles I did summaries of...these are for the discussion and recommendations bit. So with a clear and motivated mind (maybe after I come back from hols), I should be able to piece them together. I'm kinda doing it backwards..haha..cos I'm unsure hw to do the results bit. Oh, and cos C is no longer here, T came to bring Poppy out..which was good cos L was running late for work this morning so she didn't get her walk.

Weather was comfortable today..about 17-18°C! Could open room windows and not feel too cold. Nice weather! Intervals of sunshine. Tomorrow forecast is 19°C sunny intervals..

Eating my baked chicken leg for dinner tonight. I couldn't believe that I was hungry last night ard 10pm (about 3.5 hours after I had dinner and green apple)! Oh ya, opened the oats I bought from Aldi..not bad too but seems like takes longer to cook. But the pieces look bigger.

Ohh, El has her dissertation published in a journal!! Earlier she had gotten the best dissertation award from her Uni!! V proud to be friends of journal authors..haha..first was A then now El! Hehe..

Ingenious!!

4 more days and 3 more (SG time)! And 3 more days to London!

baked chicken leg

Washed my sheets this morning and finished my 1kg bag of oats today. Spent some time sorting out travel documents and maps to put into my Dropbox so I can download to my hp and have a soft copy of them. This is all thanks to technology these days!

Then O msged me to ask how I am..and then we kinda chatted where we are with our theses. Apparently he had sent the 1st 3 chapters to our dissertation supervisor (we have the same sup) but has not heard from her. Then I realised maybe I should too. I had been contemplating if to send cos I'll be gg away for hols and don't want to be disturbed during that or rather can't reply fast. Then I thought maybe ok la..since the sup will take time to read and reply. Kinda asked O for help with identifying study design also cos I've asked El and PF of their opinion. All cos authors of the studies didn't state clearly what their study design is! Now continuing to pick out impt info from all studies I've read to put into point form so it will be easier when I do up my discussion part. I am still a bit blur about the results bit..haha! Anyway realised O will be back in Brum when I'm away..so prob won't get to meet the clique till July.

So I have to get something for breakfast for the next few days. Went out to buy some stuff then passed by the fruit and vege stall in Harborne. They were selling avocadoes 6 for 60p!!! I was sooo tempted to get but not sure if will ripen in time before I go. Didn't get in the end. Went to Home Bargains cos wanna see if have the poppadums but they didn't have..so might buy from Tesco on our trip since it's on offer till mid June. Went to Bearwood in the end. The Tesco express there didn't have the Scottish oats so went to Aldi to get. I was thinking I can't get muesli or granola cos then I'll have to open milk and I won't be able to finish by Tue. So oats is a better choice! I cooked it with water and is also quite thick. Hope this Aldi one is ok too!

Bought chicken leg quarters. Plan to bake them since I have sweet potatoes and the medium-sized pot is not cleared of oil yet so can't use. Bought a bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mix so that will be my vege for tonight. Went to Heron Foods and saw Haagen Dazs..they have new flavour now! Marc de Champagne truffle!!! Sounds sooo good! Was contemplating if to buy first n keep when parents are here but thot if put in freezer then dun offer like not nice (though I've already shifted my stuff to the bottom shelf to differentiate!). In the end decided that I shall get it when my parents are here. If no more then then too bad la..hahaha...

Came home and marinated the chicken leg quarters. Bought 2 packs..now they sell in 2s. They used to sell in 4s. Anyway marinated 2 with the usual "mummy's recipe" and another 2 with mustard, curry powder and paprika. Probably will bake all and freeze 2 up. Remaining 2, eat one today and another one tomorrow. Quite looking forward to it! Checked weather for the road trip and Europe. Realised that Europe will be warmer than here generally! Then saw that temp in Bham will be 23-24°C on the week of 7-13th June! Time to wear my sun dress when we are back here..hahahaha! Anyway roughly got an idea what to pack for Europe. Bringing 2 thin long sleeved tops and will pack other short sleeves that my parents will be bringing over. First few days will be about 17-19°C and rainy..then when we get back to London is above 20°C.

Oh ya, found out that one of my colleagues (currently taking over my ATL role) may be gg to Brunel (London) to study this Sept. So quiet and even when I asked in whatsapp group also no reply till PF told me. But this colleague also all along quite confident so didn't ask PF and I abt the interview or stuff. She only asked PF abt application process for her uni..that's how PF knew. Anyway it was cos they were planning for working Sats roster. So was asking among the TL/ATLs how it should be planned given manpower changes for Sept/Oct. So for sure I'll be back in my team..and may be still given the ATL role =X

*Added: here's my dinner..and for days I don't feel like cooking!

These just cost me £2.30! Super cheap right?

My dinner..baked chicken leg with homemade sweet potato wedges and boiled vege

5 more days! 4 for SG time! Hehe...

Stay home...

Hmm..nothing much to update today cos again stayed home to do my work and kinda packed my stuff for the road trip when I was a bit sian or reading journals. End up quite heavy..I packed 2 long sleeves and 1 short sleeved top. Saw weather forecast at Cornwall is about 18 to 20°C, warmer than here..but weather here can change just the day before. Probably will bring my light jacket..if less than 15°C then I might wear my checked or Nike jacket. Think I'll bring my Nike one for Europe? Specifically Switzerland la. Also dunno! Probably do final pack on Sun/Mon.. Kept windows closed today too cos it was quite chilly.

Was chatting with PF and SK on whatsapp. Managed to encourage SK to stayover at PF's place also on Tue!! SK offered to prep satay cos she has satay marinade..then for the rest of the dinner menu, we'll decide when we are at the supermart! We are all looking forward to it! It'll be sooo fun!! They are both older than me..but I think they look younger than me! Haha! Anyway it will take me about 3h to London and another 1h to PF's place! She stays on campus (Brunel Uni) in Uxbridge. Anyway when I reach Victoria station, I'll try to settle my oyster card too..wanna link it to my Railcard so will have discounts on my travels on my oyster card. Didn't manage to do it last time cos the station office was just soo crowded!

Oh anyway Uncle J (from Adelaide) whatsapped to ask when I'll be back too...so took the opportunity to ask when they are coming Europe..then he replied that they're not doing big trips this year...so they changed their plans lor..sad...but they said might see me in SG. Shall see how! Then I went to check my photos..I last saw them in 2010!! How fast time flies! Then realised I'll be 30yo soon! Oh myyy..I'm sure my relatives n family won't believe I'm coming to 30! Seems tt ah ma just asked my mum too. Hahahaa..next time I call back sure nag me to open eyes big big again (yes, n my aunt reading sure agreeing). Time seems to just zoom past so quickly! It has been 5 years since I left Adelaide..and my niece is already 17 months!

Plan to go out tomorrow since it'll be cloudy (not raining). Need to just get some groceries like rice n kiv oats/muesli. Not sure where to go yet but likely Harborne n maybe Bearwood or Tesco at West Bromwich or Halesowen (to get pig trotters? heheeh!)..decide tmr n see what I feel like. Cos I have planned to go West Brom when parents are here..and the offers last till then. More urgent are rice and something for bfast.

6 days (UK); 5 days (SG) more!

Sultana biscuits

Rainy day today with temp about 13°C. Weather will be better from Fri..Sat and Sun supposedly to be sunny and 17°C. This morning L commented on the weather too..n said she has to find winter clothes for today..then I said ya, and my mum asked what kind of clothes to pack...and added that she's not sure if she has packed enough warm clothes cos some days I'll tell her v warm. Then L replied, yea, have to pack everything! Hahaha! Seriously unpredictable weather. So I guess pack clothes for summer and maybe end or start of winter la. HAHA..having said that, I got the travel agency's reply whether we need to bring winter wear for Switzerland and the ans is yes! She said though the place for optional tour is indoors, the location is on the peak so encourage to pack winter wear. Haha..aiyoh. maybe I've to carry my big luggage for the London/Europe trip liao! That time I brought my thick jacket to Scotland, I wore it so didn't have to fit it in luggage. But likely it's only for tt leg of the trip. I'll roughly pack over the weekend while I pack for my road trip.

Baked sultana biscuits today...turned out not bad think I need better rolling skills to flatten the dough out more..haha..I made double portion but only ended up with portion the recipe is for. And cos I doubled portion, I forgot to double the sugar so my first batch was not sweet..haha..made the original portion of the recipe as 2nd batch cos like v few..a bit better la. Packed most of it for the trip and kept some for L.

While I was baking L came back to bring Poppy home. Then she told me she has told C to leave again and this should be it..but apparently he refused to leave and threatened to call the police if she throws him out. Then I said..huh? But this is ur house...then she gave me the "that's why! I don't know either" look. Then she said she's not cooking or buying stuff for C to cook..and told me not to make him feel welcome. HAHA! I guessed right that there was still tension. Last night was too quiet...a bit unbelieveable..hah..but I stayed in my room quite early la. This is like watching drama..hahaha!

Today did journal search again and realised that my uni library search is not v good cos they only display first 15% of the number of articles with the keywords and I'll have to keep clicking "Display more results". I checked with the online help chat service and the person told me there's no way to display all. I decided to do the search again to see if I missed out any potential..and also need the numbers to be documented. Tedious!!

Again don't know what to cook tonight. V sian...but probably cook soba or porridge to eat with bratwurst or salmon or salmon fried rice...decide later when I wanna cook! Had defrosted my chicken stock in the afternoon. I think I'll cook some chicken dish tomorrow with my frozen chicken (provided the usual pot I use is cleared of the oil they use to fry stuff!). I guess I'll only go out on Fri. Quite amazing that I haven't gone out of the hse since Mon..hahaha! Guess I don't have much reasons to go out. Prob will buy some stuff on Fri.

Oh ya, I realised that the <<妈妈的庭院>> show is not uploaded to the end!! The last upload was 4 days ago and not finished yet. So I got to wait...but truth unravelling slowing liao!

7 more days (UK time) and 6 more days (SG time)!

*Added: In the end I cooked salmon fried rice, added sultanas and peanuts. Used chicken stock to cook the rice and used up all my rice..so when I head out on Fri will hv to buy.

videocalls!

This morning not long after I woke up, Poppy started barking and barking. Turns out that the gardener was here to fix the fence. He doesn't need to come through the main door cos there's a back door with number lock. So anyway after that she must have made herself dirty playing with the water, L left her outside. So this is her looking so pitiful from outside!

My 1kg bag of oats is finishing! Checked when I bought..Kinda lasted me 3 weeks. But makes sense since each time I use is 50g. So have to decide if to continue with oats or muesli. Googled and people say muesli has sugar compared to oats. I may try Aldi's swiss style muesli or just buy oats from Tesco.

Today skyped with video call with my aunt and later my niece in group video call. Thanks to technology these days! It was fun! My aunt and uncle luring me to Shanghai lor! I also wanna go but is when la...probably next year? Not sure about this year cos have to check hw many days of leave I have and if I'm using up all of last year's leave straight after I finish my studies. My focus now is my thesis. Along the way may go for short trips but hv to look again after my trip with parents. Anyway my niece was attracted to my uncle who appeared later. She smiled so sweetly and waved at him lor!! And she was again thrilled by my sis-in-law's friend's son's video. V cute! Today my bro had to use laptop to skype cos ipad couldn't support group video call. 辛苦了！Next week can't chat with her liao cos I'll be on my way to London!

Anyway didn't do much for my thesis. Just read how to do up summary and findings. Now I'm thinking if my studies are really of strong evidence. Weather today was cloudy with on and off drizzle. Temp was about 14°C. Oh, I couldn't resist temptation again..opened Butlers chocolate bar with irish coffee. Then saw the ingredients..the whiskey content was higher than the other bar of Irish Whiskey chocolate I bought (for parents). Quite shiok! And I'm v happy cos found out that there's a Butlers in London!! Tomorrow plan to bake sultana biscuits. Hope I'll be home alone to bake. Last night they quarrelled again and this morning. Don't know what the status is like now.. L is off today but I stayed in my room with door closed la (don't want to be disturbed by Poppy). Doubt C has started a new job.

Almost finished <<妈妈的庭院>>..prob can finish watching tonight. Not sure what to cook tonight. Wanna cook certain stuff but either I hv to get more ingredients or open "perishables" and use up before I leave. Might just cook pasta or soba..easy.

Oh..just checked email and realised M had sent me an email thanking me for my help yday and said they got a profit of £71!! I thought it was pretty good considering it was not a community event!

*Added: Ended up cooking pasta with the smoked ham...topping was the leftover from what T bought..like bombay mix.