Singapore. Photos. Layouts.

It's been almost a month since my last post. I have been really busy -- with Ellen going thru a surgery to remove her first tooth, to travelling to Singapore to renew my passport, to coming home to lots of school and kinder activities, etc, and also trying to think why someone would leave an anonymous comment (which I rejected) to bash me for my last post. Said person got really offended with me "blaming" my children, saying that I if those "little bastards" would be quiet enough, I would probably have locked them up in a closet and left for Bali and no one would know!! And then went on to bash me about spending money on my 'expensive piece of shit' of a handbag, and suggested that if I saved my money, I can take my kids on a holiday and have them looked after at creche the whole time.

My goodness.... this person was truly upset! I don't even know how well he/she knows me, to think (or believe) that I was serious? I guess that's what happens when you blog, and you let people come and read about your daily happenings. They only read about what you write, they don't know you as a person. You'll just have to accept that there are readers out there who could well have had bad experiences at some point in their life, and then take every opportunity they can find, to hide behind an ANONYMOUS nasty comment to break you down because they think they can. You know what, it is my blog. I write whatever I want to, including little evil thoughts sometimes because I'm a human being. I'm not going to cater my blog to only saying nice and angelic things just because I'm afraid of nasty comments.

So yes, Ellen went under surgery to remove her front tooth. Long story cut short, she had a fall about a year ago, and this was the aftermath. Because the tooth was removed at a surgery practice, you cannot take the tooth home with you. So the whole tooth fairy story had to change. The tooth fairy makes special visits to dentists to collect all the teeth removed from children. They will then come to your house at night when you sleep, to give you the money. LOL... anyway, while at the surgery, she was calm and collected right up until the stage where she made the walk to the theatre. I guess seeing hospital beds everywhere, and all the equipment attached to those beds, and then the convoy of doctors/nurses/anaesthetist all in gowns and masks freaked her out, and rightfully so at the tender age of 5. It took 4 grown ups to pin her down on the theatre bed, with her screaming, and a 5th person forced the mask on her face to put her under. No doubt I was still in one piece, it absolutely broke my heart that she had to go through that. The nurses repeatedly asked me if I was Ok and I reassured her I was. I later knew why she kept asking .... because the mother and son team after me, left the poor mother a mess when she was escorted out into the waiting room after her son was put under. She was just beside herself and seemingly very grief-stricken. Apparently many mothers were the same.

Then I made a trip over Mother's Day week to Singapore to renew my passport. Peter had some credit given to him by the airline so my air ticket was heavily subsidised, and I stayed with Gladys, whose apartment is right next to one of my favourite shopping complex. It was a wonderful week. I got to meet Aida, Stasha (Aida's gorgeous daughter) and Jenn for some awesome nasi padang lunch, and then we went to MWL (Made With Love) to have coffee (and shop) with Edleen. I didn't shop much because these girls were shopping and showering me with lots of RAK! It was like Christmas! LOL... these girls are just too nice to me. Oh .... the drinks at MWL cafe are to die for. I ordered a Rambutan Freeze, which was just sooooo refreshingly good on any Singapore day; Aida ordered a Peanut Butter Milkshake, which I probably also unashamedly devoured half. OMG... I've never had anything like it, and I will make them at home now that I know how. ;)

I also spent quite a bit more time with my family than usual, and I'm very pleased with that. We had dinner together twice (once with Chilli Crab and a whole lot of other Singaporean seafood delicacies, and another time at home with Mom's home-cooked food), I took Mum out for sushi lunch once, and Dad and Mum saw me off at the airport when I left. I don't usually get to see them that many times when I go back to Singapore, even when I stay for more than 1 week. So this was one of the reasons that made this trip really pleasant. No doubt I fell sick towards the end, and was missing my husband and kids, and also got tired of shopping (a BIG who-would-have-thought!).

The Sunday after I got back from Singapore, early in the morning at 5am, I was down at Williamstown to meet with the Photography club. There was a field trip organised for us to go to Coode Island to do some photography shots. Look at these photos! They are NOT EDITED in Photoshop at all! Just plain straight from the camera on a tripod, using different apertures and shutter speed.

An overexposed shot of the Bolte Bridge and the city at 6am (F16/30sec)....
A shot of the sheds (?) and boats ....
A shot of the same shed ...
The same Bolte Bridge shot using a wider aperture (F8) and corresponding shutter speed. Can't believe the change in colours just by using a different aperture! I also did a few more layouts before I left for Singapore, some at home, and some at a crop at Ruey's.
Just One - Crate Paper Company papers, Scrapware chipboard borders and journaling bit, and Fancy Pants felt.

Friends - All products from Addicted to Craft. Dream Street papers, Maya Road sheers.

Guilty - Core'dinations cardstock, Sassafras Lass papers, Scrapware chipboard letters and journaling bits, Heidi Swapp and Prima flowers.
Best Mates - All products from Addicted to Craft again. Dream Street papers.

Mojito - Sweetwater papers, Making Memories journal book, Buzz n Bloom chipboard arrow, Heidi Swapp flowers.

Man @ Work - Making Memories paper (background), Chatterbox papers, Doodlebug frill, Hambly frame overlay and rubons, Scrapware journaling bit.

OK, that's all for now. I've taken up too much time to do this. Need to go catch up with some scrapping deadlines. Have a good week ahead!

Anniversary. Drivers. Wok.

Happy Wedding Anniversary to my husband and me. :D :D 1st May 2000. It's 8 years since the day I put on a black dress and married him in front of his family and friends. To date, we still remembered how the boutique assistants' where I bought my dress, had dropped their jaws when I told them my husband is coming to pay for my dress (which would mean he is going to see the dress) .... they couldn't fathom the fact that we were already living together, and would still be sleeping together the night before, and leaving the house together go to the Registrar! We still remember I've had my hair and make-up all done up, but was starving so we bought some KFC popcorn chicken to pop into my mouth so it won't muck up my lipstick. We also remember going for a movie the night before our wedding cos we were so bored at home!! LOL...

Peter was invited by some big shot bosses at work to go to Bali for some R&R. Spouses were invited but we have no one to leave our kids with, and it costs a few thousand dollars to take them. So I get to miss out.... SO BUMMED... :( :( They stayed in Four Seasons Resort, everyone with their own hut, own pool, gala dinners, tours, massages, ... this is the part where you really feel like blaming your children, no matter how bad it sounds. sigh....

**Anyhoo... I have to add this special paragraph in amongst all the other things I wanted to blog about. Just as I was still lamenting how I missed out on Bali, my hubby came home from work, .... with my wedding anniversary present!!! I could not believe my eyes... an iPod Touch!!! With 32 gB!!! I just briefly mentioned weeks ago... that I've never been interested in an iPod cos I won't get a chance to use it much! In the car I like listening to the radio, at home when I'm on the computer, I have my iTunes on. But I was impressed with the new iPod Touch... it's an iPhone minus the phone! Just a few days ago, I won an auction on eBay for a brand new Alannah Hill handbag (RRP$399) for $190. I had to ask him if I can buy it and he said OK. I thought it would be my anniversary present. But THIS iPod Touch IS my anniversary present. Gotta love him for spoiling me.**

A few vents about Australian drivers. Forget about cars being roadworthy, how about looking at our drivers on the road, and making them roadworthy for a change?

1. Why do we have drivers on the road that drive 10km/h UNDER the speed limit, leave 8 car lengths ahead of them... AND STILL BE STEPPING ON THEIR BRAKES FOR NO RHYME AND REASON????????!!!!!!!!! People NEED to understand, that stopping for no reason causes accidents!!!!

2. Australian drivers need to be re-educated about right of way when driving -- When driving on a main road making a left turn into a minor road, YOU DON'T STOP to give way to cars from the opposite direction trying to make a right turn!!!!!! YOU HAVE RIGHT OF WAY!!!!!! Safety first ahead of courtesy, people! You can be courteous but not at the expense of safety, get it?

Vent over.

I've always had conversations with my western friends about Chinese cooking. The wok is a very important utensil in my kitchen. If my wok dies (and it has not happened since I owned my first wok), I would be a nervous wreck. Once and for all ... my tips, if they are worthy of anything:

1. The best source of heat is FIRE, so gas cooktops are most suitable for woks. Notice there is a special burner on cooktops call wok burners?? And it's usually the biggest momma on the cooktop? That's because intense heat IS essential for the wok. Double- or triple-ring is good. Ever seen Chinese chefs using small pissy fires under their woks?

2. Woks. No need for expensive non stick woks. If you embrace the laws of the wok, a cheapie cast iron one from the Asian grocery shops should last you for decades.

Laws of the wok
a. PRIME - It's seasoning of the wok. Wash it with soap and water (FOR THIS FIRST TIME ONLY AND IT SHOULD NEVER SEE SOAP AGAIN), put it over the burner and let it heat to it's dry and smoking. Pour cooking oil (I use peanut oil as it has a higher burning temp) into the wok and continue to heat the wok, while slowly swirling the oil in the wok. You will need to keep doing this until the inside of the wok turns black, as if it's burnt (probably a 5-minutes process?). Discard the oil safely. Then repeat this process of burning the cooking oil.

This PRIMING process 'seals' the wok. Once it's primed, rinse it in the water AND WATER ONLY. Then you place the wet wok back on the burner, heat it till it's dry.

b. WASHING - You NEVER wash your primed wok in soap EVER again. Everytime you use it, you wash it in hot water with a wok brush or just a scrub. When you start washing it in soap water, is when it will start rusting.

c. DRYING - NEVER drip dry your wok. Avoid cloth-drying as well. You put the wok on a burner and let the heat do the job. Should you worry about any bacteria because you weren't loyal to your detergent, the heat is enough to kill it. ;) (And anything that doesn't kill you makes you stronger.)

d. COOKING - ALWAYS heat your wok till it's smoking before you add oil. And always wait till your oil is very hot before you add ANYTHING into it to cook. How to tell when oil is very hot? When it's smoking. When you cook, you need to hear loud sizzles. You know how you go to a Chinese restaurant and a waiter holding a black hot plate of some kind of stir fry walking past you? THAT is the sizzle you want to hear. No sizzle, no stir fry.

e. REMOVING STAINS - if you get food stuck on your wok, it's probably because you haven't got the wok hot enough. However and occasionally, food does get stuck because of the caramelising of the seasoning/food. DO NOT WASH WITH DETERGENT!!! Slap your hand everytime you think about using detergent on your wok. Just soak in hot water and some scrubbing will do the job.

I hope I've shed some light about the wok. Enjoy your stir fries.

I did some layouts over the weekend at a crop at Ruey's. Will take some pics tomorrow and share. It's way past bed time now... 2.35am...eeeks. Good night!