it's been a crazy weekend. crazy not because i was out partying and having fun. crazy because i was stuck at home with my face in a thick medical book, and my hand holding a pen/highlighter.

insomnia - a simple word docs use to describe a patient's inability to fall asleep.

i never really got how someone can have problems sleeping, because my problem with sleep is that i have too much of it. but the past few nights, it has been such a torture to get to sleep mode. all that reading and stuff thru the night.. somehow my body is unable to tune that off and enter dreamland.

and i wake up the next morning feeling real shitty because i did not have a good sleep.

AHHH... help.

here i am. staring at a blue laptop screen.
just when i thought sleep would come soon enough
those thoughts of failing keep haunting me
reading notes
a habit i must not outgrow
though each and every part of me has tried
only books can fill that space inside
but i am denying
i hate studyingggggggg....

just when i thought one case was over
just when i thought i could go head to bed
those memories of anatomy came rushing through
and i just can't, sleep in peace nimore.....

here i am - by daphne law.

to the tune of 'here i am' by air supply.
sorry if i have ruined this song... but stressed people must be forgiven.

more or less put the whole watch episode behind me. nothing i can do to help the situation at all. perhaps i really should be more careful when i do my laundry. check and empty all pockets!

been surfing on amazon and i chanced upon these 2 books written by tony parsons! moreover, it was on offer (about 30%) and if i spent more than 15 pounds delivery was free to anywhere in UK. so immediately, i called fidel! and he so nicely agreed to allow me to send my beloved books to his UK address. so i will get them when he comes down to adelaide on 20th nov. just in time to start my whole reading thing for summer ;D yippeeee!! -bloody excited-

just for those who are curious, i bought "stories we could tell" - because i read an extract of it on guardian.co.uk about 2 months back and i was already rather intrigued by the story. couldn't find it in adelaide's borders. and the other book is "the open mouth strikes again". His journalistic views about the world, esp the situation in UK i suppose.

i don't know why i always dig for such contemporary fiction. but i really like his style of writing.

on another note, i made tapioca pancake today! i had this suddenly crazy craving for it. i managed to find a recipe for it online and so i pranced down to central market to get the ingredients, only to realise they don't sell fresh tapioca in adelaide! how distressing. so in the end i got the frozen one, got home, and made the pancakes.

and it actually tasted not too bad! it's really just a pancake with tapioca bits in there. but its quite cute. hee. hee. hee.

anyway, just decided to post the pics from the michael buble concert!!! tiffy!! such a memorable evening. :D *beams*

started doing solid work. i feel useful. but drained. i swear, the older you get, the more difficult it is to study efficiently. and no, twinnie, i do not really favour the idea of being a housewife with a degree. it's quite.. scary to me, if i do end up like that. it's noble and nice but probably not my cup of tea.

on a side note, i had the horror of my life when i opened the door of my dryer to retrieve my dried (but slightly shrunken) clothes. I SAW MY WATCH IN THE PILE STARING RIGHT BACK AT ME. my poor swatch watch, who has been loyally by my side the past 8 years... was in such a state.

the leather strap shrunk, one end was dangling and the cover over the clockface came out.

it was raining cats and dogs in my heart. ouch. it still is.

now i am on the lookout for a new watch. but no mood, no time and no money to get one.

but i am still mourning over the death of a watch. what a way to die. washing out one's guts firstly, and then tumbling you hot and crispy till you shrink. poor watch. i am so sorry!!

my apologies if i sound too crazy here. my poor watch. -weeps-

*1 minute of silence, for my faithful watch*

just a short update on myself.

- finalised the details and booked the flight and accomodation for sydney.
- started doing my revision. so far so slow. damnit i hate it
- crazy weather these days. rain, shine. Shine, rain. cannot make up its mind
- been gulping so much caffeine its crazy.
- its the last week of uni for the YEAR. how scary.

* daph runs off to stare at the upper limb again*

made a western meal few nights ago... too bad no photos but you must believe me that it tasted very good! ;D

Baked Honey-soya sauce chicken drumsticks

ingredients
chicken drumsticks - 4
honey - 2 tablespoons
kikoman soyasauce - 3 tablespoons
dash of pepper

steps
- mix the marinade ( u can microwave the honey just to make sure it is liquid enough)
- add the washed chicken drumsticks in the marinade. coat and cover. (make sure you don't take off the skin of the drumstick!!)
- leave to sit for about 1/2 hour. preheat oven to 200 degs.
- put drumstick on baking tray (lined with aluminum foil)
- bake for 25 mins, or until drumsticks shrink and is cooked. if you want the drumstick evenly browned, turn it at half time.

roasted carrots

ingredients
carrot - 1 big one
honey - 1 tablespoon
olive oil

steps
- cut carrots up into coarse long strips ( 5cm long)
- put carrots into a lined baking tray
- drizzle olive oil over the carrots
- bake at 200 degs for 15 mins.
- remove from oven. drizzle with honey
- return carrots to oven for another 5 - 10mins.

i make lovely porridge. and it's so darn easy to make it nice and yummy. so i shall share the recipe... just in case any of you wants to make it. lol

Porridge (serves 2)

ingredients
rice - 1 cup
chicken thigh fillet - 1, de-skinned and de-fat
lap cheong - 2 10cm long ones
chinese radish - about 10cm long (1/2 a radish)
light soya sauce - 1 teaspoon (to taste)

steps
- wash the rice and put it in a medium size pot. add water till it about 2 cm over the top of the volume of rice. ( if you are a poor estimator, remember that u can add more water later but you cannot remove water)
- boil the rice over medium high heat
- meanwhile, chop the chicken fillet and lap cheong and chinese radish into bite size pieces (1.5 cm big)
- when the rice thing boils, add the chopped ingredients.
- stir to make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot
- when mixture boils, lower heat and simmer for about 1/2 hour. stir frequently.
- add soya sauce to taste.

PS: you can add a tiny bit of stock cube if you want. but really, the lap cheong and radish makes the porridge very sweet and tasty already.

- you can substitute the radish for other vegies like cabbage or onions.

mangoes,
makes me so happy i skip on my toes.
and as the story goes,
it even takes away my woes.

ze exams are freaking ze shit out of me.

listening to cheena songs soothes my soul. calms my inner child. and i don't know why. weird coming from a person who doesnt even speak much chinese most of the time. lol. it is strange how i can listen to cheena songs and type english on the laptop keyboard.

and apparently the whole mango discussion caused quite a commotion. so now victor hates me. too bad. in return, i helped him sterilise his sponge and table cloth because it smelt as though the whole colony of e coli and salmonella were growing happily on them, thriving on the itsy bitsy rotting food stuck on them. *uuughhh*

played bbal today. i tink i am getting slightly better at the game. at least now i do not scream. i can catch the ball. bounce it and shoot it in the hoop! haa. what a joke.

alrighty guys. back to churning more journal entries. uggh

i was helluva pissed this afternoon, whilst trying to explain how fruits emit ethene during the ripening process to victor chia yong cheng.

daph: eh victor can you pls wrap the mangoes individually in paper?
vic [with weird look on his face]: why?
daph: if not they will start communicating with each other. because fruits emit ethene. and they can activate each other in the ripening process.
vic [flabbergasted]: wah. like that ah. you might as well ask me put one mango here, the other one in my room, the other in edwin's room. like that they wun be able to talk to each other
vic: *burst out into roaring laughter*
vic's housemate: *laughs along*
daph: *sulk*

men just don't get it. they don't know when you are serious and when you are being silly. arggghhhh.....

i am done with my OSCE! wow. all that history taking and physical exam and data analysis. crazy shit man. i felt so drained after the exam it was so not funny. but we rewarded ourselves with a good lunch.

nothing much to say, except that the 2nd week of term is almost gone. another 2 more weeks and the exams will be very near! *cringes*

been blog surfing for abit tonight and apparently blogging about your favourite childhood food is the latest thing. so i shall share with you guys what i grew up eating. no surprise why im this size right now. haha.

1. sweet sticky glutinous rice.

my late grandpapa used to make this for us. it was simple, really. just cooking glutinous rice and adding orange coloured sugar to it to sweeten it. and wah la! you get this sweet porridge thing. i used to love it to bits. my cousins and i fighting to get a larger serve.

2. fish porridge.

fish porridge fills me up, makes me happy and is healthy! i still love it now, but i only like the teochew style ones. good solid fish slices, with seaweed and garnishes. in a bowl with rice and good fish soup. slurp. perfecto.

3. agar agar

i havent had this in a million years. but my mum used to make agar agar from scratch using the seaweed. and there was never fruits in it. just rose flavouring and sugar. and my mum always had the habit of adding lesser than normal amounts of water. so my agar agar was chewy and crunchy. i bet you if i threw it in your face you might get hurt. very simple but it was the best solution to a hot humid day. better than ice cream or coke anytime.

4. ginko nut and dried longan soup.

notice i did not mention lotus seeds. coz i do not like them. ginko nuts... i can eat a million and not get sick of it. dessert soup chinese style. so refreshing. whether it's my mum's or grandma's version, i just love it. till now, whenever i am back home in singapore, i always demand for some to be cooked!

5. jam and margarine on toast with milo

my grandpa used to make it for breakfast for me. he would toast the bread till the slices were crispy and brown. and spread a generous amount of jam and margarine on them. and he used to make the milo and put extra sugar in it too. so it was a glucose loaded breakfast. no wonder i was a hyper kid. haha.

realised how most of the food were prepared by my mum or grandparents? i suppose that was how they showed their love towards me. sometimes when i make these dishes for myself now, i recall about my wonderful childhood. so sheltered from the truths of the world.

and if i ever have children, i will make sure that i will cook and make nice dishes for them. afterall, smell and sight is a stronger tool to imprint memory onto your brain cells.

things

edit: i saved this draft from august 2005.. and i only chanced upon it today. lol

A - Z of things that matter to me:

A: aircon.
B: bolster.
C: charlotte. my silly crazy lotte. my sister whom i have a love-hate relationship with.
D: daddy.
E: exams. to pass them.
F: friends. all of you!! ;D
G: grandparents. hai. the endless source of good food, warm concerns and angbaos.
H: home.
I: ice cubes. to suck on during the hot weather.
J: jokes - to lighten days.
K: kit kat breaks in my life
L: lunch! the one meal i always pack....
M: medical degree. well at least for the next decade.
N: nonsense.
O: oranges and other fruits.
P: pens. and all my stationery.
Q: q-curosity. i very kay poh one.
R: redbull. to give me wings! ;D
S: socks. esp ankle socks.. and colourful stripped ones.
T: travel.
U:utopia... ie: dreamland in my sleep
V: victor!
W:water. to drink and keep me sane
X: xcitment!
Y: yoghurt. all sorts. slurp
Z:zzzzzzz. refer to letter U.

it is such a gloomy day. strong wind and rain kept us all cold and sleepy.

went off for mednetball. sigh we came in 3rd!! out of 3 teams. sob

later in the afternoon, the guys played indoor soccer. they lost 4-1. double sobs.

so you see, t'was a sad day.

I am really honoured to be mentioned on hong's blog. so I decided to spend some time doing the thing before heading in the direction of torturous WORK..........

7 things that I love:
- suntanning, although i look like a slab of roasted pork after it.
- victor? hahahahahahahahha... ( is he considered a thing?)
- my silly toys. sitch, squrtle, beary, you name it.
- reading on a day that i have nothing else to do. reading till i doze off. reading till i stay awake.
- eating. good food always makes me happy. DURIANS. slurp
- a sense of achievement. from anything else. cheap thrills (winning bets with friends)...to tests in school.
- my personal space. my little nook in the world that i can call mine. out of bounds to anyone else.

7 things that scare me:
- the thought that i will be a victim of crime. theft, murder, rape, burglary
- losing something/someone forever.
- failing to meet my own expectations.
- that i would die with regrets.
- having to grow old alone.
- ghosts/other beings. i do not like haunted stories or scary movies.
- that i would turn cynical and forget the wonderful things in life.

7 fave things in my room:
- my matteress. i do not really like sleeping on beds. the fear of falling off them is overwhelming.
- my bolster! haha. i swear it was my other half in my previous life.
- my VANITY corner. perfume/haircream/earrings/necklaces/hairpins
- my wardrobe. to cover my fats and make me look pretty. haha.
- my squrtle.
- my heater and fan. to make my sleep more bearable in adverse weathers...
- my electronic gadgets. digicam,laptop,hp,radio....

7 random facts about me:
- till date, i have never had a pet in my entire life.
- i cannot play any musical instruments. recorder in pri sch does not count.
- i topped the level for combine (phy/chem) in O levels prelims.
- i like lipton tea bags soaked in milo. *slurp*
- i verbalise whatever i type on the computer/write on paper.
- i am obsessed and fascinated by the british accent. *insert jude law and hugh grant and bridget jone's bf*
- i have an extra bit of flesh on my right ear. hahhahaha. told you ET was my family friend.

7 things that I can do:
- laugh genuinely and sound as though i am hyperventilating
- make people think that i am smart
- crack my shoulder joint and freak people out
- shoot targets with an M16 rifle. thou was a marksman! haa..
- brighten people's life with my lame jokes? ;D
- sleep without snoring
- eat half a watermelon by myself.

7 things that i want to do before i die:
- travel and see as much of the world as i can
- participate in a production (musical, drama, etc)
- do more volunteer work
- have children and grandchildren.
- go on a roller coaster.
- have a pet.
- eat all my favourite food.

7 people i have a crush on:
- jude law
- adam sandler
- luis figo
- hugh grant
- that histology guy in the anatomy lab
- johnny depp
- craig kelly in queer as folk

7 places i like to go to:
- toilet
- boost counter! they sell the bestest smoothies i swear.
- borders. to read for free.
- supermarket. i like to shop for food and nonsensical things.
- shopping at espirt and portmans
- yoghurt shop at central market. THEY SELL THE BEST YOGHURT ON EARTH
- cafe iguana. MARGIESSSSS. ;D

7 types of people i don't like:
- people louder than me. i feel.. intimidated.
- people who boast about things that they don't even possess.
- people who are competitive in an outright manner.
- people who are too friendly
- people who do not care about the world
- people who are too full of themselves
- weirdos.

ahhh. very long already. enuff said.
you guys should know me well enough by now. ho ho ho ho ho ho...