About
Grooving to a new year!
Profile
Name: IvyNick: Ironyv
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Birthday: 30 November
Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
Country: Singapore
Interests: Makeup, Reading books, Reading manga, watching anime, listening to music, slacking
Links
XiaoBai's deviantartDani3lr
My Old Blog
Useful Links
KKnM: The Anime Merchandise shop
Blogskin
Tag
Previous Posts
- Danger lurks
- Found a job!! Nobuta Power!
- Old revival
- Densha Otoko (Train Man)
- Updates
- Random Post
- Sad songs Spam!
- HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR~!!!
- Wallace and Gromit~XD
- Bad start of 2006??
Archives
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- May 2006
Original design by
Modified by
Ivy Tan...ME LAH! ^__^
Friday, August 26, 2005
Yesh, I decided to blog on my cooking for this week. You must be thinking that Ivy has nothing to post thats why the cooking post.
You can say that again~!
hahaha...
Anyway, lets start with Monday. I was at home the whole day so my mum asked to be cook Japanese curry. It's quite easy actually. Before you start, just make sure you bought those japanese curry paste (found in most major supermarkets. I got mine from Jurong Point Liberty~), a few potatos, chicken breast or thigh (although chicken thigh is really soft, you need to debone it, and that requires some tough work.), carrots and 2-3 medium onions. The amount of ingredients depend on how many people are having that curry.
So just cut everything (onions, carrots, potatoes, chicken) into reasonable sized cubes and get ready a pot. Heat the pot and pour in some oil and fry those onions!
When the onions are slightly transparent, add in the chicken meat. Stir fry the onions and meat for a few minutes.
Add in those potatoes and carrots and stir the ingredients around for another 2-3 minutes.
Add in water just enough to cover the ingredients (too much water and you will have a watery curry. But then again, if too much water, just let the curry cook for a long while and the curry will thicken)
Add in the curry paste (For this pot, I actually add in 3 pieces of the curry paste). Make sure your paste melts completely and stir the curry continuously. Let the curry cook, stirring it occasionally to prevent the curry from sticking onto the pot. And...
VOILA~! Japanese Curry!
And just now, I cooked fried rice for dinner as well. Is a rather easy recipe too! Make sure you bought eggs, a piece of fish cake, chopped cha siew (you can get them from the market), french beans and scallots (small purple onions..). And make sure you cooked the rice in the morning and let it cool.
Chop the fishcake into cubes, finely chopped the french beans and the scallots. Beat 3-4 eggs and add in a teaspoon of light soya sauce into the beaten egg.
Heat the wok and when the wok is hot enough, add in oil. Pour in the beaten egg. try not to stir it and let it cook into a omelette. Flip it if you can. Roughly cut it into pieces and take them out of the wok into a plate.
Then, add in the scallots and fry them. When they are browned, add in french beans and stir fry for awhile.
Add rice in and stir the rice into the beans. (Needs major arm muscle to do that..-_-'')
Add in fishcake and cha siew and stir fry. Then, add the eggs in and do more stir-frying. Add in seasoning (light soya sauce, hua tiao wine, large pinch of salt, sesame oil and pepper.). Test the rice to see if it is salty enough.
And Voila~! Fried Rice~!
And me tucking into my fried rice~! YUMMY~! ^_^
Hehehe....thats it for now... >_<
You can say that again~!
hahaha...
Anyway, lets start with Monday. I was at home the whole day so my mum asked to be cook Japanese curry. It's quite easy actually. Before you start, just make sure you bought those japanese curry paste (found in most major supermarkets. I got mine from Jurong Point Liberty~), a few potatos, chicken breast or thigh (although chicken thigh is really soft, you need to debone it, and that requires some tough work.), carrots and 2-3 medium onions. The amount of ingredients depend on how many people are having that curry.
So just cut everything (onions, carrots, potatoes, chicken) into reasonable sized cubes and get ready a pot. Heat the pot and pour in some oil and fry those onions!
When the onions are slightly transparent, add in the chicken meat. Stir fry the onions and meat for a few minutes.
Add in those potatoes and carrots and stir the ingredients around for another 2-3 minutes.
Add in water just enough to cover the ingredients (too much water and you will have a watery curry. But then again, if too much water, just let the curry cook for a long while and the curry will thicken)
Add in the curry paste (For this pot, I actually add in 3 pieces of the curry paste). Make sure your paste melts completely and stir the curry continuously. Let the curry cook, stirring it occasionally to prevent the curry from sticking onto the pot. And...
VOILA~! Japanese Curry!
And just now, I cooked fried rice for dinner as well. Is a rather easy recipe too! Make sure you bought eggs, a piece of fish cake, chopped cha siew (you can get them from the market), french beans and scallots (small purple onions..). And make sure you cooked the rice in the morning and let it cool.
Chop the fishcake into cubes, finely chopped the french beans and the scallots. Beat 3-4 eggs and add in a teaspoon of light soya sauce into the beaten egg.
Heat the wok and when the wok is hot enough, add in oil. Pour in the beaten egg. try not to stir it and let it cook into a omelette. Flip it if you can. Roughly cut it into pieces and take them out of the wok into a plate.
Then, add in the scallots and fry them. When they are browned, add in french beans and stir fry for awhile.
Add rice in and stir the rice into the beans. (Needs major arm muscle to do that..-_-'')
Add in fishcake and cha siew and stir fry. Then, add the eggs in and do more stir-frying. Add in seasoning (light soya sauce, hua tiao wine, large pinch of salt, sesame oil and pepper.). Test the rice to see if it is salty enough.
And Voila~! Fried Rice~!
And me tucking into my fried rice~! YUMMY~! ^_^
Hehehe....thats it for now... >_<
Sunday, August 14, 2005
"Till Death Do Us Apart". Whether it is an oath taken in Christian marriages, this line definitely suits the post title.
My mum's eldest brother, aged 63, passed away on 10th August 2005. It was a very sudden death, because just a week ago, he was still very much alive. From what I have heard from my relatives and parents, he actually had cancer and due to the chemotherapy, he was very weak and he fell and slipped into a coma. He was pronounced brain-dead on National Day and the doctors removed his life-support system the next day.
Frankly speaking, I wasn't close to my uncle at all. In fact, we only get to meet our relatives (both sides of our parents) once or twice a year, depending on how many celebrations we have. When my mum told us that our uncle had died, I was wondering whether the one I have in my mind was the uncle who had passed away. But my guess was correct.
I went to the wake on Friday since I have to attend to lessons and teach tuition on Wednesday and Thursday. When I saw the picture of my uncle, I felt really sad, because he was still so alive during the Chinese festive periods and now, he's gone. But since I wasn't close to my uncle, I didn't feel the loss as greatly as my mum and her family.
After the initial two days of rituals, today's the actual funeral, where his body was sent for cremation. Our family went early in the morning to wait for the actual ceremony. I was feeling particularly emotional today, especially when I have seen this sasunaru amv that Xiaobai downloaded. (well, thats another story..)
While waiting, I couldn't help but observe the people around me. I suddenly realised that one of my uncles was standing solemnly near the coffin and he was wiping away tears. As you've guessed it, I sobbed because it was really heart-wrecking. Soon after, the funeral band arrived and started playing songs that my deceased uncle liked when he was alive. Thats when my mum and my aunties started crying, and my grand aunt was seen sobbing as well.
But this is not the reason why I am blogging the funeral. My focus is actually the wife of my uncle, dua kim. I know that everyone eventually will die, but I cried during the funeral mostly because of my auntie. Too many unfortunate things have happened to her; she had a stroke only in recent months that leaves her wheel-chair bound. She grew thin and gaunt and I only managed to recognise her when I think it through. From what I have heard from my parents, my uncle was the one who tended to her. But a sudden turn of events and she's all alone, without the companion that she was married to, the companion that is always by her side, till now.
I cried everytime I saw her crying in grief and agony. She couldn't really accept that her old mate had passed away, leaving her alone in this world. My mum and her sisters just tried their best to console her but even when she's calmed down, she will suddenly burst out again when the band played one of those sad chinese songs (think Teresa Teng) and cried.
You may not understand how bad the scene was, but to me, it was really a heart-wrecking image and I just started crying. And whats worse was that she was physically unable to send her husband off to the crematory. Before the coffin was taken to the van, some of the aunties wheeled her towards the coffin but she got all worked out again. When the coffin was taken to the van, she was crying, yelling that my aunties are forbidding her to see him off. They had to lie to her and tell her she will get to see him off but that was a really sad lie.
Maybe I was really too emotional today, but the raw emotions displayed by my auntie was too much to handle. It didn't help that she was frail and wheel-chair bound and truly in need of alot of tender loving care. But with my uncle gone, she will be all alone, with only a maid to attend to her. Her children may attend to her, but nothing will ever beat the TLC from your old companion.
And there's another person that I cried after looking at her pained look; my grand mother. There's a chinese saying 'bai fa ren song hei fa', the white haired sending off the black hair. I think noone can understand the pain that she felt, looking at her eldest son's coffin and probably thinking why isn't it the other way round. During the actual ceremony, I caught a glimpse of her wiping her wrinkled face and looking sadly at my uncle's coffin. I just felt my chest ached and tears just flowed.
But this is what all humans have to go through, life, aging, illness and death. But even this is inevitable, the close ones will still grieve. But I hope my auntie will be brave and continue to live with whatever strength she has left.
My mum's eldest brother, aged 63, passed away on 10th August 2005. It was a very sudden death, because just a week ago, he was still very much alive. From what I have heard from my relatives and parents, he actually had cancer and due to the chemotherapy, he was very weak and he fell and slipped into a coma. He was pronounced brain-dead on National Day and the doctors removed his life-support system the next day.
Frankly speaking, I wasn't close to my uncle at all. In fact, we only get to meet our relatives (both sides of our parents) once or twice a year, depending on how many celebrations we have. When my mum told us that our uncle had died, I was wondering whether the one I have in my mind was the uncle who had passed away. But my guess was correct.
I went to the wake on Friday since I have to attend to lessons and teach tuition on Wednesday and Thursday. When I saw the picture of my uncle, I felt really sad, because he was still so alive during the Chinese festive periods and now, he's gone. But since I wasn't close to my uncle, I didn't feel the loss as greatly as my mum and her family.
After the initial two days of rituals, today's the actual funeral, where his body was sent for cremation. Our family went early in the morning to wait for the actual ceremony. I was feeling particularly emotional today, especially when I have seen this sasunaru amv that Xiaobai downloaded. (well, thats another story..)
While waiting, I couldn't help but observe the people around me. I suddenly realised that one of my uncles was standing solemnly near the coffin and he was wiping away tears. As you've guessed it, I sobbed because it was really heart-wrecking. Soon after, the funeral band arrived and started playing songs that my deceased uncle liked when he was alive. Thats when my mum and my aunties started crying, and my grand aunt was seen sobbing as well.
But this is not the reason why I am blogging the funeral. My focus is actually the wife of my uncle, dua kim. I know that everyone eventually will die, but I cried during the funeral mostly because of my auntie. Too many unfortunate things have happened to her; she had a stroke only in recent months that leaves her wheel-chair bound. She grew thin and gaunt and I only managed to recognise her when I think it through. From what I have heard from my parents, my uncle was the one who tended to her. But a sudden turn of events and she's all alone, without the companion that she was married to, the companion that is always by her side, till now.
I cried everytime I saw her crying in grief and agony. She couldn't really accept that her old mate had passed away, leaving her alone in this world. My mum and her sisters just tried their best to console her but even when she's calmed down, she will suddenly burst out again when the band played one of those sad chinese songs (think Teresa Teng) and cried.
You may not understand how bad the scene was, but to me, it was really a heart-wrecking image and I just started crying. And whats worse was that she was physically unable to send her husband off to the crematory. Before the coffin was taken to the van, some of the aunties wheeled her towards the coffin but she got all worked out again. When the coffin was taken to the van, she was crying, yelling that my aunties are forbidding her to see him off. They had to lie to her and tell her she will get to see him off but that was a really sad lie.
Maybe I was really too emotional today, but the raw emotions displayed by my auntie was too much to handle. It didn't help that she was frail and wheel-chair bound and truly in need of alot of tender loving care. But with my uncle gone, she will be all alone, with only a maid to attend to her. Her children may attend to her, but nothing will ever beat the TLC from your old companion.
And there's another person that I cried after looking at her pained look; my grand mother. There's a chinese saying 'bai fa ren song hei fa', the white haired sending off the black hair. I think noone can understand the pain that she felt, looking at her eldest son's coffin and probably thinking why isn't it the other way round. During the actual ceremony, I caught a glimpse of her wiping her wrinkled face and looking sadly at my uncle's coffin. I just felt my chest ached and tears just flowed.
But this is what all humans have to go through, life, aging, illness and death. But even this is inevitable, the close ones will still grieve. But I hope my auntie will be brave and continue to live with whatever strength she has left.
Monday, August 08, 2005
My hometown, the place where I was borne and raised from a small baby to a half-matured adult is 40 years old tomorrow. I wasn't as old as Singapore, but roughly half its age. I never had to go through the separation of Malaysia and Singapore, the past turbulent periods of racial and political unrest.
Like what my lecturer told us last week during our Business Policy class, our generation had never came across large-scale strikes or demostrations. What our generation experienced is a different kind of environment from the past times. What we have to worry now are economic crisis, epidemics (Bird Flu, Sars, Pig or Cow diseases) and Terrorism.
But we Singaporeans have to be thankful that we have homes (whether it is HDB or private estates) that we can always return to after school or work. Our problems are nothing compared to other human counterparts living in developing countries such as parts of Africa, India, Indonesia and Philippines. Although I have never travelled to these countries before, I read about them in magazines and I've watched the documentaries on them. People in those poorer areas are either homeless, or they live in slums. Food and water are sometimes scarce to them due to natural disasters such as floods or droughts. Thinking about these facts makes me thankful and guilty at the same time. Thankful for a home that I have never really treasured well and guilty for wasting food and water because we are too used to them.
In addition, we are able to receive good and proper education and welfare from our government. Although many complained (including me in the past)that the education system in Singapore is lousy, we are still given good education all the way till 'O' levels. And from then on, you can either choose the JC route or the Poly route. And with our good standard of living and the fact that most familes are dual-income, even if you can't make it to a local university, we still have the option to further our studies overseas, or (like me) obtain a foreign degree through private institutions.
I believe we Singaporeans will often have a grudge or two on the way Singapore operates, but ULTIMATELY, I come to realise that we are indeed fortunate to be borne in Singapore, for it is a very safe country and we are able to receive good welfare and education unlike many countries around the world.
And while people in poor developing countries are thinking of how to keep themselves alive, I'm thinking of a different survival; to survive in a materialistic world, to maintain your 'face' in this kind of society. But which kind of survival is worse?
And though I craves for branded stuffs just because I see my friends having them, I will hit myself in the head and remembers how the poor lives and I will always be brought back to earth.
So enough of my bull-shitting and I shall write out something that I have been wanting to say since this morning;
Happy 40th Birthday Singapore, my homeland. Although I have my resentments at times, I am now thankful for what you have done for me, for giving me a place to live, an education which I used to think it sucked, and a materialistic society which I am still having problems dealing with. But all and all, thank you Singapore, because this is the place my friends and family are living in and I will always stay with them. I am still proud to be a Singaporean~. ^____^
Like what my lecturer told us last week during our Business Policy class, our generation had never came across large-scale strikes or demostrations. What our generation experienced is a different kind of environment from the past times. What we have to worry now are economic crisis, epidemics (Bird Flu, Sars, Pig or Cow diseases) and Terrorism.
But we Singaporeans have to be thankful that we have homes (whether it is HDB or private estates) that we can always return to after school or work. Our problems are nothing compared to other human counterparts living in developing countries such as parts of Africa, India, Indonesia and Philippines. Although I have never travelled to these countries before, I read about them in magazines and I've watched the documentaries on them. People in those poorer areas are either homeless, or they live in slums. Food and water are sometimes scarce to them due to natural disasters such as floods or droughts. Thinking about these facts makes me thankful and guilty at the same time. Thankful for a home that I have never really treasured well and guilty for wasting food and water because we are too used to them.
In addition, we are able to receive good and proper education and welfare from our government. Although many complained (including me in the past)that the education system in Singapore is lousy, we are still given good education all the way till 'O' levels. And from then on, you can either choose the JC route or the Poly route. And with our good standard of living and the fact that most familes are dual-income, even if you can't make it to a local university, we still have the option to further our studies overseas, or (like me) obtain a foreign degree through private institutions.
I believe we Singaporeans will often have a grudge or two on the way Singapore operates, but ULTIMATELY, I come to realise that we are indeed fortunate to be borne in Singapore, for it is a very safe country and we are able to receive good welfare and education unlike many countries around the world.
And while people in poor developing countries are thinking of how to keep themselves alive, I'm thinking of a different survival; to survive in a materialistic world, to maintain your 'face' in this kind of society. But which kind of survival is worse?
And though I craves for branded stuffs just because I see my friends having them, I will hit myself in the head and remembers how the poor lives and I will always be brought back to earth.
So enough of my bull-shitting and I shall write out something that I have been wanting to say since this morning;
Happy 40th Birthday Singapore, my homeland. Although I have my resentments at times, I am now thankful for what you have done for me, for giving me a place to live, an education which I used to think it sucked, and a materialistic society which I am still having problems dealing with. But all and all, thank you Singapore, because this is the place my friends and family are living in and I will always stay with them. I am still proud to be a Singaporean~. ^____^
Sunday, August 07, 2005
I think I am very tame now. I don't know why, but after weeks and weeks of staying at home, I feel like a domestic wife.
It doesn't help that my mum has been telling me to do some housework, to cook our familys' dinner. Somehow, I think Da Chang Jing has also affected me, because of all the great cooking scenes. I somehow found myself enjoying cooking good soups and stews for my family; looking at the happy looks of their faces and praising me for the good stew is really good.
Yeah, as title suggests, I think I kena the Domestic Wife Syndrome..-___-'' But I think I am fine with it. Maybe I am just too bored at home and I have to do something to kill off the boredom. In addition, I am slowly getting sick of just wasting my time surfing Internet when I have no particular site to go. And I haven't had the mood to touch any reading books (yesh..I haven't touch the thick HP book..-__-'') because I was feeling very tired these few days.
And I am in a baking mood these few days! My friend told me about food blogs, where the blogger posts photos and recipes of the delicious food they made! I absolutely love those blogs! Shall add the links here!~~
So as I was saying, I ended up baking a good Butter cake on Friday for Saturday's breakfast. I think I took the cake out too early, because it was still quite dense. But it was still a good cake~ ^__^
My next project for this week shall be either Brownies or Chocolate Chip Cookies...I really can't wait to bake them and pass some to my ex-nanny cum neighbour and maybe to my tuition students!~ >__<
Oh, I love my students! They're sooo cute and naive!! I really missed those innocent days, when they just seems to be TOTALLY ignorant of anything. They do not need to care about the terrorism and the atrocities of war. They do not know what does it means by back-stabbing, teenage angst and bitching. They are so pure!
But too bad, in five to ten years time, they will become those bratty teenagers with a whole load of attitude and angst to scare off even the great whites! (okay..thats stupid..-__-'') I feel really happy when I teach them, because they give me a good peaceful feeling when I'm there. Although they can be naughty and active at times, they are so much easier to handle than teenagers.
And oh, for my elder sister's birthday, I'm doing this really good Devil's Food Cake, which is just chocolate cake with rich chocolate creme on it...I hope she will like it~!
I am now into this very old song called Tears by XJapan. I actually had the song from Requiem but that song only attracts me when i heard it in the Korean movie (Ye man shi jie), shown in Channel 56 of Cable TV. It was the part when the female lead grieves over the loss of her loved one and this song really give me that sad vibe.
The instrumental song Never Meant to Belong, found in Bleach OST also rocks. It's sorrowful tune; the violin, the piano all makes the song so depressing. Another song in Bleach OST Requiem for the Lost Ones is good too. I especially like the first part of the song!~
Am attempting to translate Nakushita Kotoba with huge difficulty, because the song is like a poem, where the words doesn't link well actually. But I hope to translate it well~ That's for Xiaobai's request! ^__^
It doesn't help that my mum has been telling me to do some housework, to cook our familys' dinner. Somehow, I think Da Chang Jing has also affected me, because of all the great cooking scenes. I somehow found myself enjoying cooking good soups and stews for my family; looking at the happy looks of their faces and praising me for the good stew is really good.
Yeah, as title suggests, I think I kena the Domestic Wife Syndrome..-___-'' But I think I am fine with it. Maybe I am just too bored at home and I have to do something to kill off the boredom. In addition, I am slowly getting sick of just wasting my time surfing Internet when I have no particular site to go. And I haven't had the mood to touch any reading books (yesh..I haven't touch the thick HP book..-__-'') because I was feeling very tired these few days.
And I am in a baking mood these few days! My friend told me about food blogs, where the blogger posts photos and recipes of the delicious food they made! I absolutely love those blogs! Shall add the links here!~~
So as I was saying, I ended up baking a good Butter cake on Friday for Saturday's breakfast. I think I took the cake out too early, because it was still quite dense. But it was still a good cake~ ^__^
My next project for this week shall be either Brownies or Chocolate Chip Cookies...I really can't wait to bake them and pass some to my ex-nanny cum neighbour and maybe to my tuition students!~ >__<
Oh, I love my students! They're sooo cute and naive!! I really missed those innocent days, when they just seems to be TOTALLY ignorant of anything. They do not need to care about the terrorism and the atrocities of war. They do not know what does it means by back-stabbing, teenage angst and bitching. They are so pure!
But too bad, in five to ten years time, they will become those bratty teenagers with a whole load of attitude and angst to scare off even the great whites! (okay..thats stupid..-__-'') I feel really happy when I teach them, because they give me a good peaceful feeling when I'm there. Although they can be naughty and active at times, they are so much easier to handle than teenagers.
And oh, for my elder sister's birthday, I'm doing this really good Devil's Food Cake, which is just chocolate cake with rich chocolate creme on it...I hope she will like it~!
I am now into this very old song called Tears by XJapan. I actually had the song from Requiem but that song only attracts me when i heard it in the Korean movie (Ye man shi jie), shown in Channel 56 of Cable TV. It was the part when the female lead grieves over the loss of her loved one and this song really give me that sad vibe.
The instrumental song Never Meant to Belong, found in Bleach OST also rocks. It's sorrowful tune; the violin, the piano all makes the song so depressing. Another song in Bleach OST Requiem for the Lost Ones is good too. I especially like the first part of the song!~
Am attempting to translate Nakushita Kotoba with huge difficulty, because the song is like a poem, where the words doesn't link well actually. But I hope to translate it well~ That's for Xiaobai's request! ^__^