Even as I slowly but steadily progress through the 933-page brick called Shantaram that's full of cynical philosophical shite that I love so much (I'm at page 621 now after 2.5 months of persistence), I can't help but get distracted by something I recently picked up at Kinokuniya - Neil Gaiman's Sandman Series.
Preludes & Nocturnes was my first encounter with Dream, also known as Morpheus, and his punkish elder sister Death. Reading it alone at night by the bedside reading lamp proved to be a challenge for me as I scare myself to death with my overactive imagination triggered by some of the gruesome scenes in the graphic novel. But the story has me hooked; all I need to do is turn on all the bedroom lights when reading to alleviate some of the self-inflicted horror to be able to follow Dream's quests. I'm now about to start on Volume 2: The Doll's House and can't wait.
my first encounter with dream and death
furry bangs
I decided to give my fur a makeover and ta-dah! How do you like my new funky bangs? I even went and bought a 70s retro super huge sunnies to match this look on the weekend - will post some pics next time.
dreaming of home
I had a revelation lately. Most of the characters in my dreams are family and friends from Singapore. And the settings in most my dreams are familiar places I spent a lot of time in back home. I rarely ever dream of anyone I hang out with in Sydney and places outside of Singapore only very occasionally pop up in my slumberland.
I think this says something about why I didn't dream much at all in my recent trip back home and why I tend to want to sleep lots when I am homesick in Sydney.
special chicken dish
I have recently been inspired to use the oven more in a quest to whip up a wider variety of different dishes for my daily lunch and dinner. Here's a special chicken dish concocted with whatever stuff that can be found in the kitchen after a grocery trip without any reference to any recipe! It's all about creativity and innovation hokay!!!
First step: pre-heat the oven at about 180 degrees celsius while you brown a few pieces of chicken (with the skin on!) in a pan together with chopped onions, spanish chorizo and stuffed olives.
Second step: when you are satisfied the chicken has turned a nice brown, transfer all of the stuff from the pan to a casserole pot.
Third step: add a can of peeled whole tomatoes (Coles was selling them at $3 for 3 cans!) and sprinkle some mixed herbs (thyme, basil, sage, rosemary etc). Cover the casserole pot and place into the oven.
Fourth step: while the dish is cooking in the oven, you can also quickly put together some eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, carrots and onions and place into the oven to cook at the same time. This will be your super healthy vegetarian sides.
Leave in oven for about an hour and a half at about 170 - 180 degrees celsius.
Fifth step: if the vege side is not enough for you, you can add some cous cous to the dish which was what I did. Of course you can add less butter than I did. ;p
And ta-dah!!! Super yums and easy to cook special chicken dish!
I am now such a pro in the kitchen!!! LOL
byebye hah
We had a farewell dinner for HAH - my flat mate of approximately 1 year and 10 months, at the place we celebrated her 28th birthday - Belgian Beer Cafe about 2 weeks ago. Because it was such a special occasion, I made the effort to speed home after work to put on a nice long dress. ;p
Here is a series of rather cute pics taken at the restaurant after lots of yummy mussels in huge pots and beer after beer after beer...
This is the best pic of us taken in the bright airy apartment we both called home for the best part of the last 2 years. We both look so good right! And with that I said byebye to the one and only HAH.
And soon I will be saying welcome to the new flat mate!
embarking on the 'happily ever after' road
In the course of my travels to regional Australia for work, I got to catch up with an acquaintance I haven't bumped into in a while. When it came to updating each other about what we've been up to recently, of course I had to mention my guitar learning and Japanese classes. Then we talked about what we wanted to do but never had the time to and I rattled on excitedly about my grand plans to attend a proper photography school, maybe pick up French again from where I left it a decade ago, definitely keen to continue my drum class and learn to play the keyboard as well among many other interests.
For the life of me, I couldn't understand the response I got:
"OMG. Your life is so boring. You should get yourself a man. Then maybe you will find more meaning doing things for your man instead."
For a start, I couldn't believe how judgemental and stereotypical one can be; how in the world does 'pursuing one's interests' equate to 'not having a man' and how could she draw the conclusion that just simply because I can afford the time to do all these things that I don't have a man?
Is this how married or attached women feel nowadays - that an interesting life is defined by 1) whether they are in a marriage or relationship and 2) how much of their lives revolve around the partner? Are they all of the mentality that there is no need to upskill or improve themselves or pursue any hobbies since they have domestic activities such as cooking dinner for their men, housework, family planning stuff to keep them occupied? I think that this may be one of the top reasons why relationships or marriages break up: that women stagnate themselves and leech on to their men such that everything that once defined them has been put aside for the greater purpose of building their lives around their men.
Pardon me for my indignance but I happen to think that my life is full and rich and definitely far more interesting than these women who seem to think otherwise. I tend to believe a woman who's passionate about her own life instead of just letting someone else's dictate her own, is able to bring more to a relationship. From my experience, no one should build his/her life around another person's life. But rather, two separately meaningful lives on their own can synergise into one that's exponentially more endearing that binds them together.
In fact, the key sustenance to any emotional and intellectual connection between two people is the constant sharing of new experiences and knowledge. Without learning new things, embracing new ideas and exploring new activities both separately and as a couple, I wonder how far down the 'happily ever after' road they think their routine on the same old constants can take them.
simple homemade lassi
If you're a lassi (from wiki: a popular and traditional Punjabi yogurt-based drink of India and Pakistan) fan like me, here's a simple way to get a quick fix for the occasional craving for lazybums who are not willing to spend more than 1min on the preparation.
All I do is fill up half a glass with my favourite yoghurt - Ski D'lite Honey Buzz, and the remaining half of the glass with milk and stir them til they're evenly mixed. Oh if you haven't tried Honey Buzz, you should; you'll never want to have yoghurt in any other flavour ever again.
Or for a punch of citrus sourness, mix yoghurt, milk and fruit juice of equal proportions and stir til they're all evenly mixed into a refreshing drink. Experiment with different flavoured yoghurt and juices for different results.
It's so refreshing and makes for a healthy after meal drink. I'm extremely pleased with the little discovery of this simple homemade concoction. I think I'm really turning into a whizz in the kitchen hah!
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