Lydia's musings.. =)

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

~*Meeting squids*~

Fishing for squids, also known as squiding, is my new found hobby. =D Squids are relatively easy to catch if they're in the location, they make yummy table food, they dont have sharp fins to poke you with and the squid jigs used to catch them come in an array of pretty fluorescent colours! I used to be so detered against squiding becase of the unearthly hours in the morning I have to get out of bed to go catch these little critters. Apparently, dawn and dusk are good timming to catch them. I wouldnt go in the dark, becasue they're armed with good ink squirting skills, and it would take much for a blur block like me to avoid it. haha.

So I had my first squiding adventure at Cleveland on saturday morning with Yewlim, Clarence, Estee and Adrian. It was a rainy morning.. such a terrible day to get out... and only Clarence managed to catch a squid! Lucky guy. =D I was so intrigued by the squid.. I alwasy thought that squids were white with a purplish outer skin. Thats how they were, dead and on ice in the wet markets and in NUTC. But boy, was I ever so wrong. Squids are one of the prettiest things you can catch out of the ocean, with their natural ability to change colour according to their mood, and their bright eyes, one of the sharpest in the ocean. They are also curious little creatures, which eventually lands them on the dinner table, but. yea, part of God's amazing pictures.

Here's the poor one that Clarence caught on Saturday morning. =D Its going to become salt and pepper calamari on my dinner plate. =D yum.

This is how it looked like when it changed to white. =D

Scribbled at 2:15 PM

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

~* Yewlim's home-coming!!!*~

Thursday marked the day of Yewlim's exam for his 'rural rotation'.. after 8 weeks. and that means his coming home!! YAY. =D. To celebrate his homecoming and to add a little colour to my 'stay at home and write thesis life', I was inspired to bake up a batch of PINK fruit cupcakes! Totally pink, totally Lydia.. totally yum. =D I pretty much threw together what I had at home. with pink colouring. =D I had loads of fun.

Here's my cupcake batter, in pink cupcake moulds before they were baked. =D

The finished baked products. The one on the right is Yewlim's personal 'heart-shaped' one. teehee. The background shows the mascarpone cheese icing that will be topped onto each cupcake.

My completed little cupcakes.=D I had two plates. haha

Yewlim's personal cupcake. =D [Lydia loves Yewlim!] =D =D =D

I did subsequently get banned from making such cupcakes cos Yewlim said they were 'too yummy' and spoiled his diet. bleah. Its not my fault that he couldnt stop eating more and more the moment he started on one. =_=. Bleah.

Life should be this pretty. =D

Scribbled at 1:25 PM

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

*~ Sweet indulgence~*

The rain, weather and deadlines have been getting me down. Not having much choices for food in the week is also quite boring and uninteresting. Instead of the usual rustling around in the cupboards to put together a brekkie, I decided to make something new today. Flipping through one of shunzy's recipe books, I found a simple pancake recipe! Wanting something 'different', I decided to make heart shape pancakes. =D They turned out to be quite tasty although they didnt seem to brown well in the frying pan. teehee. Four huge heart shaped pancakes and one absolutely chao-tared one later..I decided to put them nicely and take a picture!=D

lots n lots and lots of maple syrup and strawberry jam kept me happy. =D =D

Scribbled at 9:18 AM

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Monday, May 18, 2009

~*Date-o!!!*~

Having your dear boy as your housemates, has its pros and cons. Thou I get the privilege of seeing him almost everyday, I realised that proper dates are reduced to trips to the supermarket.. the hardware shop for the fused fridge lightbulb.. the butchers for meat..the weekend market for groceries, plants and honey.. etc. And there's the occasional shopping thrip to westfield's humongous shopping centres. =D As much as I do enjoy these trips, I always do look forward to actual dates where we can spend some time indulging outselves, being silly and enjoying each other's company.

I consider Saturday's trip a casual date. =D

haha..I have been craving for dim sum for the longest time. Especially Xiao Long baos! My family and Yewlim would know why. -_-''' So we did finally go and have dim sum on saturday =D Although I didnt get my Xiao Long baos at the end cos we were too hungry and greedy and we had too much dimsum before. haha! I dont have all the pictures cos pirority was placed high on eating!! wahaha. There was an arcade next to the resturant so we decided to have some silly fun. haha. Thinking back, Yewlim and I do patronise arcades a fair bit.. for the claw machines but we have yet to actually play the actual machines there together. haha! And yea.. I did win him at horse riding and air hockey!!!..by a bit. haha. He won me in a rally race thou, at the last moment. =_= And boy..the workout at the arcade did serve to help food digestion. =D

So now my dear boy's over at Toowoomba this week, for presentations and exams. Its finally the last week! No more sulking all alone at home for me anymore next week. YAY! Now..back to writing my thesis.. inspiration Lydia..inspiration..

Scribbled at 1:35 PM

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Sunday, May 17, 2009

*GRRRRR*...

I feel so utterly cheated today. It left me in such throes of despair, like something Ive never felt like in such a long while. And all over a game.. it was the claw machine.. Yewlim and I were trying to get this elusive winnie the pooh which I have set my eyes on for awhile but havent been able to catch. And today, just after two coins, the soft toy was almost in the hole!!! And you just know that the next catch would get it..its the feeling of.. 'ahh..FINALLY'.

The next catch DID get it..it got it so well we didnt have to plan to let it catch in a way that it would 'roll' into the prize hole. BUT................. the claw picked up the toy and get stuck where it was. it DIDNT move to the hole and released the toy on the spot. if it did move..it would have relased it in the prize hole!!! I thought well, they might give us the toy anyway... but the attendent came..couldnt get the machine to work, said it was spoilt and retured us a coin. I was like...whhhhhhhaaattt??!!!! I was all ready to ask if we could get the toy...but I was also abit in a state of shock. and Yewlim didnt really want to go ask them for the toy either..

Wrapped in a feeling I couldnt even explain.. I felt utterly and completely cheated. I felt like a child.. trying hard to get something... just when I finally achieved it, somebody came, pulled it out of my hands, gave me a coin and said..'too bad..try again' We had lunch..and on the journey home, I couldnt help but sit in silent despair, wetting the tissue in the hands.

Perhaps I was too sensitive about such things... maybe I believed too hard in soemthing that was mechanical. Maybe I was just another naive soul, lifting my hopes too high for little things. But still, it was a really painful lesson... and the pooh is in a perfect position for the next person to get it in a go... I guess I have to learn to... LET GO... *sob*

Scribbled at 2:20 PM

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

~*Conversations with Mr Grasshopper*~ (through a fly screen)

This happened just over a week ago. Yewlim and I have a backyard strawberry we have been cultivating for quite awhile already, since Eunice's dad gave us a little plant near the end of last year. Unlike many of our unfortunate plants, this plant has been thriving under our love and care and recently have been sprouting flowers. And applying a simple formula to it.. FLOWERS = FRUITS!!! =D =D The last time we had a few fruits, they were stolen by some backyard fruit stealer (probably a bird or possum). So I have been keeping a watchful eye over the 3 darling strawberry fruits that were growing on the plant this time. So basically, I have been doing my work on the kitchen table right next to our small outdoor garden.

On that fateful day, I was doing my usual thesis work on the computer when I heard a loud rustling sound, likened to that of falling leaves. I thought.."hMm.. thats a big wind" and continued with my work. Suddenly I heard the sound of rustling leaves. I paused, looked at the plant, told myself I must be dreaming an went back to my work. Then I heard it a third time. Rustling leaves... I turned and peered at the strawberry plant..and to my horror..i saw a hugeeee grasshopper. It was munching..of all things, on the leaves of my darling strawberry plant!!!What insolence! But out of curosity, I crept closer, within the safety of the fly screen and watched in wonder as it munched on the leaves. I thought 'cool..its like discovery channel'...then suddenly I thought of the loctus plague the Lord sent upon Egypt years back when Pharoh refused to let the Isrealites go..I had a mental image of barren land....and my soon to become barren strawberry plant. Yikes!!! So began this conversation...

Me: Why..hello there mr grasshopper

G: *pauses at the sound and stops munching*

*continues to munch*

Me: urgh... ... I know you like leaves but could you please stop eating my my strawberry plant?

G: *munch munch munch**moves onto next leaf*

Me: Nononono..pleassseee... stop munching mr grasshopper..pleaseee

G: *pauses*.... .... * continues munching*

Me: oh Yewlim...come home soOon.. *glooms*

G: *munch munch munch*

Me: *I know*... BOO! go away!

G: *pauses*... ... ...

*pauses*.. *munch munch munch*

Me: I can see you, you know..

G: *munch munch munch*

Me: Grr.. .. .. go awayy.. go away... go away!!!!

G: *munch munch munch**pauses..front legs grab onto another leaf*

Me: GAH~!!!!

So ya.. this was roughly how it went. And apparently, grasshoppers dont speak my language, and they probably know Im more scared of them anyway. -_-. Thankfully, it did disappear after an hour or two... It did touch my strawberry fruits, for which I was thankful for.. .. .BUT....the fruits disappeared overnight..the work of some mean intruder.. *sob* So now we've set up s wire mesh waste bin atop of it... to which I still keep watch over every day. I saw a flower today... Im praying that more fruits would follow soon. =D

Scribbled at 3:25 PM

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Wednesday, May 06, 2009

*~ For the love of GOOD food!!!~*

I havent been to Norman hotel for ages...not since my... was it third month month-nniversary? And I absolutely adore the steaks they serve there. My tastebuds start to tingle at the thought of norman hotel and steaks. yum. A great source of protein, not too much carbohydrate for those who have a tendency to link it to fat accumulation (not for me thou..I love my protein and I love my carbs. wahaha)

So.. I usually find every excuse I can to indulge at this steakhouse. And this time, it was to bring the oinkoink family! =D Let me formally introduce the oinkoink family! We have Dominic who is 'te kar', Yewlim who is ' kong ba', Karen who is 'char siew', Flora who is 'sioh ba' and I am 'ba kwa' Tapraya who joins us nowadays seems to be our honornary member who isnt tagged with a name yet. ^_^ We call ourselves such because we are group of good friends who love pigging out. Fellowship is best over the table!!! Thus, we always find ourselves in some kind of food adventure, be it finding good food in Brisbane or having a kitchen experiment cookout! =D

So.. sunday was the day we went to the steakhouse!!! While waiting for them to navigate their way there.. I was tempted to get half a dozen of oysters natural. And they didnt disappoint either. Here are some pictures! =D

Oysters and us:

The main dishes: *im so hungry now again..*

Scribbled at 9:25 PM