It has been over a year since she left... 1 year 8 months and 21 days to be exact... but time has yet to heal the wound in my heart, when she left so suddenly... Labels: Mama
1st Tear
The red sky meant it was time to go back home after a long day at school. But as I made my way up to the second floor to get my book back from a friend, i did not expect the life-changing event that I was about to experience.
Ever since my days in Temasek Poly, I've always had a problem with opening the number locks on the school lockers. It would take me ages to get it open. No, to be exact, I was never able to open them no matter how hard i tried, even though Karin can open them easily right after i give up. But after I entered SMU, i finally managed to "crack the code".
As i entered the code and spun the lock, my phone rang. Mummy was calling. Curious on why my mum was calling at a time like this, I picked up and uttered, "Hello?!?". Mummy then said, "I am going to visit mama, mama is in hospital".
"Huh?, what happened? How come she is hospitalised?" I questioned, concerned and confused. "She went for her check-up today and doctor wanted to admit her to do a thorough check-up, he said that it is wierd that she suddenly lost so much weight, so I will go home after visiting her, you settle your own dinner ok?" My mum replied. So I agreed, hung up the phone and proceeded to get my book out from the locker before making my way home.
When I reached home, Daddy was watching his Korean Drama on cable and i ploughed myself into the seat next to him, like i did everyday. Time went by and we both laughed at the funny parts, cursed and sweared at the characters we hated, teared with it was time to be sad...
Just then, the familiar sound of the keys dangling from the keychain, entering the lock, turning in the lock ringed into my ears. Mummy and Jie Jie was back. As i turned my head to greet them, what came into the light in the living room were 2 faces with tears flowing down their cheeks. They had been crying.
Curious on what happened, i asked, "What happened?". But mummy didn't utter a word, instead she started crying again. I turned to my sister, waiting for an answer and that was when she said the 3 words i did not expect, "mama has cancer".
My mind went blank.
I then proceeded to give my mum a hug, that was the only thing i could do. She then added to the news by saying, "doctor says she only has 3 more months to live...." It was then that i wailed like a baby...
The 8th of October proved to be a day of joy and anticipation for my godsister.. For she brought a new life into our family at 1935hours that day.... With Baby Noah - her son, together with gor gor David..
With that, I present the Happy Family, with the newest and cutest addition - Baby Noah...
As I listened to Pei Pei Jie Jie's conversation with her friend, it just dawned upon me that she has really grown up over the months of her pregnancy.. Gone were the days where she was the cheeky girl who seemed to have something up her sleeve to bring cheer and happiness to the people around her.. Now, I see her as someone who has matured, someone with great responsibility, someone with lots of love to give, someone who has a child - a mother...
Thinking back, when we were younger, much much younger, we used to go to each others place for stayovers, to swim, to play with barbie dolls and even hold our very own miss universe competition with our cousins... hahaha.... those were the days... lol... With a blink of an eye, she is now a mother, ready to impart the teachings of life to her son.. Like she said, she has to be responsible now, she has to grow up and look after the life she and gor gor David brought into this world..
Her pregnancy allowed me better understand the pain my mum had to go through to bring me into this world.. Hearing her describe the amount of pain she underwent during labour is quite frightening... After thinking on how to bring across the pain to someone who hasn't given birth, she finally said, ''it is like having your menstral cramps and stomach ache all together", then her friend added, "times 1000'' ... it really sounds unbearable... this is what our mothers went through years ago... quite scary and frightening ya....
Up till now, I still find it wierd that she now has a child... It's like yesterday she was still the funny, cheeky girl and today she is a mother.... I guess i will need some time to get used to it...
But i am sure that she will be a good mother... Seeing her comfort her crying son with her soothing words really touches me... Baby Noah, here's something from your yi yi Candice... you are one lucky boy... with such loving parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties... may you grow up to become a pride to your entire family by spreading the love and joy your parents have for everyone....
I am sure SHE would be so glad to Baby Noah...
I am definitely a japanese food lover... that's why i like to experiment and cook some japanese dishes for my family... Labels: Japanese Curry
recently, my elder sister reminded me that i "owed" her a pot of japanese curry... hahaha... how did i owe her a pot of japanese curry??? i have no idea... lol... but still i decided to cook it for her, since she had been asking for it since quite far back...
i usually use this brand of the curry mix - Golden Curry Sauce Mix and always the Hot one (cause Japanese Curry isn't spicy at all...)ingredients for Japanese Curry (Serves 5):
you may change the proportion of the ingredients to your liking, i usually choose pork belly because of the amount of fat in it.. it kind of makes the curry smell more fragrant... you may substitute it with chicken as well... all up to you...
Step 1:
Heat frying pan with a little oil. Once the pan is hot, throw in onions and fry until fragrant and see-through.Step 2:
Once onions turn transparent, throw in carrots and fry for about 5 minutes
Step 3:
Throw in meat and continue to fry till meat gets cookedStep 4:
Then add in the sliced button mushrooms and continue frying for a few minutes.
Step 5:
Add in 2 1/2 cups of water into the pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes under slow fire. (Note: boil it longer if you want the carrots to be softer)Step 6:
Then break the Sauce Mix Cake into smaller pieces and throw it into the pan. Mix thoroughly to ensure that the sauce is evenly distributed. Simmer for 1 - 2 more minutes
Step 7:
Finally, scoop a generous serving of your Japanese Curry onto a plate of piping hot rice and enjoy your very own Japanese Curry!
I do hope that the curry will turn out to your liking, i was quite satisfied with my creation... hehe... quite idiot proof... lol
anyway, here are some tips to improve on the taste and texture of your curry... (i haven't exactly tried this method but it should do the trick to improve the taste of the curry)
hope that you guys will like this recipe... Itadakimasu!!!
Lyrics - Credits to blackrabbit2999 友達だなんて一度も思った事はなかった あなたに出逢ったその日から 変わってしまったのもあるけど 変わらない事の方が あなたもあたしも多いよ 本当に小さくなるまで見ていた あなたが好きだったの 今も今も… また年を重ねてきっと思い出す あなたの影 あたしの言葉 You Love You Love… あなたの傍にずっと居たい 壊れても仕方ない程に熱い あなたの影 あたしは想う You Love You Love… 本当に小さくなるまで見ていた あなたが好きだったの 今も今も… また年を重ねてきっと思い出す あなたの影 あたしの言葉 泣き顔怒った顔突然唇に触れた唇も 傍にいると誓った証 You Love You Love… You Love You Love… I Love… Tomodachi da nante ichi do mo omotta koto ha nakatta Anata ni deatta sono hi kara Kawatte shimatta no mo aru kedo Kawara nai koto no hou ga Anata mo atashi mo ooi yo Hontouni chiisaku naru made mi te I ta Anata ga suki datta no Ima mo ima mo... Mata toshi o kasane te kitto omoidasu Anata no kage atashi no kotoba You Love You Love... Anata no soba ni zutto I tai Koware te mo shikata nai hodo ni atsui Anata no kage atashi ha omou You Love You Love... Mata toshi o kasane te kitto omoidasu Anata no kage atashi no kotoba Nakigao okotta kao totsuzen kuchibiru ni fure ta kuchibiru mo Soba ni iru to chikatta akashi You Love You Love... I Love... I have never once thought of you as a friend Ever since the day that I met you Some things have changed But for me and you There is much more that hasn’t changed at all Until your figure grew really small I loved you I still do, I still do… As the years go by I’ll surely remember Your shadow, my words You Love, You Love… I want to be with you forever It’s so hot it doesn’t matter if we break apart Your shadow, I long for it You Love, You Love… As the years go by I’ll surely remember Your shadow, my words A crying face, an angry face, suddenly lips touched lips Proof that we vowed to be together You Love, You Love… You Love, You Love… I love… ___________________________________________________
I too was touched by the song, so touched that I keep listening to the song over and over again… Thinking about how it would be like to be able to “be” like the song… Being able to find someone who would make me yearn to see, someone who would make me happy when I see him, and sad when I do not, someone who would make me shed tears of joy and sadness, someone who would vow to be with me forever… Who wouldn’t right?? It’s every girl’s dream to find someone like that, right??? With that, I hope that you like the song and may your loved one be able to give you plenty of KissHug. Labels: aiko yanai, jpop, kisshug, pv, song
I recently came upon a lovely song by 柳井 愛子, more commonly known as Aiko to those familiar to the JPOP scene...
Her 24th single entitled KissHug was released on the 23rd of July this year. If you have watched 花より男子ファイナル(Hana Yori Dango Final), you would have heard her wonderful piece as it was used as an insert song.
Here is the Promotional Video (PV) for KissHug, enjoy...
Apparently she wrote the entire song... Amazing right?!? Even though I do not know Japanese, I just love listening to it over and over again... Despite not understanding a single word she is singing...
This IS the Power of Music... You may, like me, be residing in small Singapore, but you can still enjoy JPOP even though you do not know how to speak the language and it is because of the efforts Singers like Aiko who spend hours and hours training to bring across the meaning of the song to listeners like you and me. With that, I salute and support her among many other the other singers I adore. 愛子, がんばって!!!
The lyrics of the song, I guess would touch the hearts of many in love or those waiting for love. To me, it shows the many happier times of a relationship - the time where you realised he/she no longer took the place of "a friend" in your heart, the time where both of you made known your feelings of one another, wanting to see the other, the wish of being able to be together forever, and as pen-ed by Aiko, あなたが好きだったの
6th september was a day that i first starved and then stuffed myself... Labels: buffet, lunch, smu, smu jcc, sushi, sushi kikuzawa
Reason being that I attended Singapore Management University's (SMU) Japanese Cultural Club's (JCC) first Itadakimasu event for this year, at the small cosy Sushi Kikuzawa at International Building for their wonderful Sushi Buffet!!!
This was actually my second time at Sushi Kikuzawa... My first was with my primary school classmate Lincoln who told me about this authentic Sushi Bar... after all, he knows about my soft spot for Japanese Cuisine more than anyone else...
The first thing that came to mind when I stepped into Sushi Kikuzawa was that it was very small, it also "felt" and looked authentic... There were also a few Japanses customers enjoying pieces and pieces of freshly made Sushi, which in my point of view, shows the authenticity of the food served...
SashimiThe first item served was the serving of Sashimi, consisting of Sake (Salmon), Ika (Cuttlefish), Amaebi (Sweet Shrimp) as well as some kind of white fish, which i didn't manage to note down as I was gobbling the entire plate once I took a picture of it...
If you are a Sashimi-lover, this is not to be missed!!! The sashimi was fresh and to a certain extent, sweet... The salmo practically melted in my mouth... It was just heavenly!!!
The only pity was that you are only allowed 1 serving of the Sashimi... But!!! you can enjoy over 40 types of Nigiri Sushi as much as you want and it is made in front of your very eyes!!!
L - R: Leather Jacket, Horse Mackeral, Salmon RoeNext was the Leather Jacket - it was fresh, not fishy at all.
Then came the Horse Mackeral, which has grinded ginger and some negi (spring onion) on top of it.. the ginger complemented the flesh of the Horse Mackeral so well... at first i could taste the fish, then suddenly, the taste of the ginger covered everything else... Amazing combination...
Salmon Roe was never my favourite so I passed it to my friend who gobbled it down within seconds...
ChawamushiA piping hot serving of Chawamushi came momentarily... The Chawamushi was so smooth, you practically didn't have to chew, just scoop it into your mouth, and it will melt instantly... The hot sensation I felt as it went down my throat was just amazing... What's more, you can have as many servings of the freshly steamed Chawamushi... Perfect, just perfect...
Blow Torched Scallop
This was one of my favourites of the day... It is actually raw scallop without any seasoning and the chef just burns the top of the sushi with a blow torch, so what you get is sweet scallop on top of the slightly sour sushi rice that is cooked on the top and raw at the bottom, the taste and contrast in texture was extradorinary... A must try!!!
L - R: Blow Torched Scallop and Blow Torched Salmon
The blow-torched salmon is actually the highlight of Sushi Kikuzawa... Similar to the blow-torched scallop, the Salmon is lightly cooked and topped with ginger and negi... This combination resulted in a complex mix of flavours as it entered my mouth, you could taste the sour of the rice, the slight salty taste of the cooked salmon as well as the refreshing zing of the ginger... No wonder it is the highlight of the shop...end of part one... please stay tuned for part two of the scrumptious Sushi Buffet at Sushi Kikuzawa...