Things I need to bitch about

• Smoking in a lift or when they’re walking. Please go kill yourself discreetly, do not drag others with you.
• Pretending they deserve the seat more than another who is old or disabled or pregnant.
• Crowding in front of the train door and dashing into the train before letting passengers alight first. Then stood rooted near the door. Geez!
• Hogging on the right side of the escalator at train stations. Can you please move it and stand on the left. Thank you very much.
• Banging continuously on the traffic-light button. Helloooo… no matter how many times you press on it, you’ll still have to wait for the timer!
• Putting a packet of tissue paper on the table DOES NOT reserve the table for you, idiot!

Okay, rant over :P

Mushrooms! Mushrooms!

Done reading Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl, she’s the New York Times restaurant critic from 1993-1999 and currently the Gourmet editor. The book filled my train journeys deliciously. I was in the gastronomic world of aromas and tastes. This is where I discovered truffles, and after that it pops everywhere ~ on photos, blogs… man I’m curious as a cat!

So my truffle quest begins, have researched online on these rare and expensive (may be overpriced) seasonal fungi. It’s supposed to be so awesome that one bite will send you floating to high heavens. White truffles (Tuber magnatum) are going to be in season soon, I’m sure it’ll be on its way to fine dining restaurants here.

I do hope it won’t squash my high expectation like foie gras did. Then I was the foolish little girl who thought a luxury dish with beautiful foreign words would be yummy. No idea whatsoever that it’s made of duck or goose’s liver, and was so excited when it’s served…. One bite… Yuck! It’s over to H to force it down his throat, as it’s too expensive to waste. “But it’s good!!” you’d say. I’m sorry… internal organs are not my thing.

Anyhoo, if you’ve had any good truffle dish in Singapore recently, or if you can get your hands on fresh truffles and know how to serve it… Please fill me in!! :D

~ Bee is in discovery mode.

Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

On the Singapore's national day holiday weekend, we went on our first family holiday. It’s also baby’s first holiday and my first visit to East Malaysia. Read on for more firsts.

Day One:
After a late brunch of yummy & hot soupy pork noodles (no photos as I was busy gulping down the dish when it’s served), we visited a beach resort at Kampung Karambunai. The stretch of white sandy beach is pretty and many people (mostly Caucasians) were sunbathing at midday…for the sake of getting a tanned skin (is it considered fashionable?), it’s crazy considering it’s SO hot and you soak in the harmful UV rays. And no, sun-block lotion doesn’t block all the rays. Sorry.



We were hiding under shades enjoying the sea breezes, the scenery, people-watching and drank cooling coconut water, straight from the fruit.

The rest of the day was spent at H’s uncle’s home, catching up on stuff. Had durians, mangosteens and Tarap fruit for tea. It’s H & my first taste of Tarap, and we’ve never known its existence before. And have never seen one in West Malaysia or Singapore. It has strong smell (strong but unlike durian smell) where you can smell from a few meters away. The flesh is soft, chewy and sweet. Nice.


Tarap Fruit

Dinner time, it’s steamed fish head (the biggest fish head I’ve ever seen, and again I was too busy eating), sautéed vegetable with steamed rice. It’s all good. The price for 4 adults, RM45!!!! That’s what I call value for money.

Day Two:
Day trip to H’s uncle’s plantation in the outskirts. I was amazed that my almost 8 months old baby could withstand and fall asleep on the 2.5 hours of bumpy car ride (each way). Views of Mount Kinabalu, highest mountain in Malaysia and 3rd highest in South East Asia were breathtaking. I’d love to train and conquer it one day. But for now, it’s good enough admiring from afar.




Lunch consisted of more durians, mangosteens and tarap from the plantation. And my poor hubby fell sick after that. He threw up thrice on the way back. Cause was unclear as the rest of us were fine. Luckily, he’s back to his chatty self after a nap and downing 2 panadols.

Day Three:
In the morning, I visited my aunt (my mom’s sister) for the first time in my life. She’s moved here before I was born and she’s never been back. And hey she lives pretty near H’s uncle place (where we stayed on this trip). When she appeared from her front door, it’s unmistakably my relative. Her features are like mom’s, and her voice is pretty similar too. It’s funny how my mother’s sisters all look & sound pretty much the same.

What’s more surprising is that my aunty and her husband know H’s uncle and H’s cousins, who used to live across the street from her.
My aunt treated us to a yummy lunch. And this is the only meal I remembered taking food photos because I wanted to take a picture with my aunt for memories.



It’s KK city tour after we bid farewell. I imagined the city to be full of skyscrapers (I guess I live in Singapore…:P) but no, there are only a few tall buildings. I guess the tallest building in KK is Tun Mustapha Tower at the Likas bay area.

Tun Mustapha Tower. Also a Sabah icon.

Love the view of the City Mosque.


And this is the Sabah State Mosque.


Window-shopped at one of the shopping malls (couldn’t remember which) and had coffee at Starbucks. Ok I admit it’s such an un-touristy thing to do, mediocre but expensive coffee :P


At this Pasar Ikan Masin (Salted Fish Market), we bought a box full of dried shrimp, anchovies, fish crackers and dried cuttlefish. The seller will pack, seal and tied the box with rope and made a handle for you to carry. Cheap and good service!

Then we caught the lovely lovely sunset at a yatch club.


If you ever go to Kota Kinabalu, you should have at least one seafood meal (if not all, heh), the reason: cheap and very fresh seafood. H’s uncle & family brought us to the seafood restaurant where the locals go, and well, to be honest, the seafood was indeed fresh but the cooking was just ok (may be my expectation was too high).

Boiled prawn is sweet which is nice, fish is fresh but the buttered prawns were a tad too salty. The best dish of the night was actually a non-seafood, it’s the braised chicken with some kind of gravy which is so delicious. I’m sorry I cannot explain what’s in the gravy. It’s just… YUM!

It’s bye bye Kota Kinabalu the next morning.

~The travel bug’s itch is scratched, at least for now. :)

Day Off

On the 9th July, H & I took leave and went on a date, yes without the baby and the first one after baby arrives.

Started our day right after the babysitter picked him up in the morning. First stop was to the Cineplex to watch Transformers. The front part was more enjoyable, the fighting scenes at the end were a tad too fast for the eyes. A couple of my friends gave the thumbs up but I think it’s just an OK movie…

Next, a much needed massage session for two. Massage is pretty expensive in Singapore, how I wish I could be in Thailand right now, I think I can get 6 solid hours for the amount of $ I paid for 1 hour. Anyway, the hour went by so quickly... but hey was I ready for some actions (read: shopping) after being rejuvenated! :P

For the shopping experience, I’m proud to say that I bought a blouse and a pair of pants in 30 minutes (actually it’s the time left before our next itinerary). Whereas I normally would be window-shopping for many hours and still got nothing at the end.

Last stop, indulged ourselves silly having high-tea buffet at Carousel of Royal Plaza Hotel. The food’s pretty yummy and we had fun eating and catching up with each other.

At the end of the day, we’re recharged for our lovely baby.

What a fun day!


Kuih Pai Tee

~ Bee is stuffed!

Mind your spelling!

Man... such a big mistake NOT to use spell check for your advertisement!

The "r" was added by somebody who has noticed the mistake.
Would you notice it if it isn't for the correction?

Lost in Translation

This is the translated results of "I'm fine":

a) Dictionary.com Translator - 我优良是
Direct word by word translation, but wrong order for the sentence.

b) Altavista's BabelFish - 我是优良
Again it's the direct word by word translation, but at least the order is correct.

c) Google Translate - 我被罚款
This one is funny, the order is correct but the meaning is totally out. 罚款 is "fined" not "fine".
"Fine" should be 好 or 优良. And the present tense has become past tense.

Anyway, all the results are not the result I'd expected it to be.

When people asks "How are you?", the answer of "I'm fine" would be "我很好"

But then Google Translate can argue that it's in "Beta" ;-)

~ Bee is learning stuff everyday!

Hair 2.0

After much consideration for a makeover, here's what I've done.



I was kinda worried that I might look like a school girl sporting the short hairstyle, but spending the $70 for a “Art Director” hairstylist’s cut was worth it. Thanks to spammie for recommending him.

The next morning, I’ve got some Ooh, Aah & Whoa from colleagues, but was glad most were good comments. A friend introduced himself to me again, as if we’re meeting for the first time. Heh!

No regrets! My head’s so much lighter now and hair wash is a breeze! And saving shampoo, water and electricity, it’s for a greener earth eh?! :D

And I’m sure the leads would be happy, no more hair-whipping dances!

Oooh, Bee is refreshed!

Backdated

25 May 2007:
I was struggling to stay awake at work, kept nodding off in front of my notebook. This is caused by the lack of sleep these couple of nights, baby’s more cranky as he’s got stomach pain due to diarrhea… been almost 2 weeks… poor boy. Plus I was on drugs for sore-throat & runny nose. The tea in the morning didn’t quite work, the 50% power only came at almost lunch time. And after lunch, episode 2 of sleepy town was aired! May be I should draw eyes on my eyelids such that I can sleep wide-eyed. Minus the snores. Heh :P

*****

It’s been a month since I moved to this new home, and for the record, I’m still in the midst of unpacking, organizing and cleaning. Not an easy task while we’ve to take care of baby at the same time! Plus H’s on business trip for 10 days just after we’ve moved in.

Anyway, it’s kinda exciting to have a place of our own to decorate, even though the kind seller actually left us most of his still-usable furniture which saves us a lot of $. But I’m still waiting for my bonus to get a new mattress, coffee table, a cabinet for the storeroom, shoe rack & a table for the kitchen. Whee! Shopping! (must get all before the GST hike in July, additional 2% will add up to a big chuck for these purchases :P)

This new area is not as convenient as the old one. It’s further away from the city, I need to travel about 50 minutes to work which is about 20 minutes more. And changing trains 3 times in total to get to office! Food-wise, it's further away & they’re not as tasty, plus not many choices either. AND I missed the stray cats back there… Got to know that another favorite cat of mine went missing... sigh :(

But I should say we’re lucky to have nice friendly neighbors still. My babysitter who happens to stay at the same block as me offered to help “ta-pao” (i.e. packed) lunch for me when H’s on that 10-days business trip (just like my old neighbor), and she even asked me to have dinner at her place when she’s cooking… I can say she’s a pretty good cook. :)

*****

More photos of my 'lil boy have been uploaded!


Bee needs home decor inspirations...

Bee-ware!!

*Sniff* - I smell TNT!

Refining

Just upgraded my classic template, now it's so much easier for me to play around with my blog layout without having to touch html. Ah... cool! ;)

Also spent some time to label all my posts, and noticed I have only 55 entries in 2.5 years (exactly 951 days from first post). Hmm... not as chatty as I'd like to. But it's ok.

People, notice my wish list... Ha!

Bee is not done yet though. :D

Strange Things

Episode 1:
Sniff... urine stench! "Hmm... must be the cat" I thought.
But what greeted me halfway on the stairs of my flat is... the unsightly mess of human waste!
OMG, who on earth would do their "business" on the stairs?! Shit!
I bet the cleaners will be mad the next morning!

Episode 2:
H to me:"Hey look, mom bought new slippers"
Mom came to lock the door, then she asked H:"Is this your new slippers?"
H: "No, I thought you bought it.... Weird, where's my other old blue slippers?"
Me: "Don't know...hmmm where has it gone?"

Who would swapped the not-so-new slippers with an old one? I wonder...
It's pretty sentimental to me (eventhough it's not mine) because my fave stray cat scratched on them when she visited our house when she's still alive.

And speaking of slippers, I remembered someone stole my slippers once (also at this TP home). I was swearing when I couldn't find it. Gone without a trace. Blech.

Bee is listening for more queer stuff...

My Shared Items

Spam said I'm on a roll after such a long hiatus. Heh.
These shared items are some stuff I find interesting online. There's also a feed that you can subscribe to.

I'll share out new things from time to time. So check back when you have time. Happy Reading!

Five things you (probably) didn't know about me

Thanks to Adam for tagging me in this blog memes (like 3 months back, just a day after my delivery :P)

1. I've never seen nor experience falling snow before.
Reasons being that I grew up in tropical country and I visited those countries with 4 seasons in the summer. So I never knew how it felt like in freezing cold weather, but I don't think I'll enjoy that anyway. Was shivering when it's 12 degree celcius in Aberdeen (Scotland) during summertime. To my surprise, those locals were running about in singlets & shorts. Whoa!
Someday, I'll plan a holiday in the winter.

2. I played the piano.
Haven't been touching it for years though, my fingers are not as nimble anymore. And I bet I've forgotten most of the music theories. Well, my dad advised (actually as a complain :P) me not to give your children piano lessons since it's such a waste of money. BUt I think it's not a waste as I know how to appreciate music (eventhough now I enjoy jazz more than classical music)

3. I'm supposed to be a boy, my mom wanted one. But... ta dah! :D

4. My nickname during primary school was xiao(3) ma(2) yi(3) (i.e. lil ant)
I've almost always the shortest & smallest in class for the 6 years. And when I was with my little sister, I hated it when people asked "Who's the elder one?" because she's taller than me... :P

5. I have a driver's license but I haven't driven a car for at least 14 years.
Please remind me to renew my car license in 2009. Thank you.

Okay, now I too have to tag 5 others, they are:
Ajantis
Spam
FrimFramSauce
MappaeMundi
Charles

Being A Mom

What is it like being a mother now? That’s the question I get nowadays since my baby arrived last Dec 15th.

Hmm… it’s really indescribable. I know my priorities in life changed, my baby & family comes first… work, hobby etc is taking the backseat. These sacrifices are worth it. And I appreciate my parents more as I know what it’s like being one.

All in all, I feel complete, joy and for the very first time I learn about unconditional love. There’s really nothing that’ll stop me in providing for him, love, care, anything & everything. Even to the length of sacrificing my life.

Goodbye Bloglines, Hello Google Reader

I've changed to use Google Reader to read blog feeds since yesterday. Well, I can say I like the features and it's user friendly.

Some features I like where Bloglines is lacking:
1. It'll mark items as "Read" when you scroll the page down (using the Expanded View). So if you have 10 unread items, and you've scrolled and read through 6, the 4 will remain as unread. Whereas bloglines will mark all as read once you click on the particular feed.

2. I like the labels & stars to organize my reading list.

3. You can also share items with friends. (I still need to check this one out though :)

There are lots of other nice functions, and I'm sure I'll discover more later. People, start exporting your subscriptions and import into Google Reader. It's as easy as 1,2,3! ;)

p/s: If you've done so, you can also click on the "Add to Google" button on my blog to subscribe to my feed. :D