Labels: Mama

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...

• 1 pkt Japanese Curry Mix
• Approx 300g Pork Belly, sliced
  
• 1 Carrot, cubed
  
• 2 Big Onions, cubed
  
• 1 can of Button Mushroom, sliced
• water
  

Step 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)

1. if you prefer your carrots to be very soft, you may want to start frying the carrots first, then put them aside to fry the onions before putting the carrots back in to fry... the carrots in my curry were still a little too crunchy for my sister's taste, so i think i will try this method next time
2. to make the meat softer, tenderize the meat by pounding it, this would make the meat softer and nice as well

hope that you guys will like this recipe... Itadakimasu!!!

Labels: Japanese Curry

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...

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

暑い帰り道に見えなくなるまで

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…

夏髪が頬を切る

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…

3つめ4つめと数えた星の涙に願う

あなたの傍にずっと居たい

まだ知らない事だらけの背中と背中を合わせて聞こえてきた音

壊れても仕方ない程に熱い

光に手をかざして隙間から見えた通り雨カゲロウ

あなたの影　あたしは想う

You Love　You Love…

暑い帰り道に見えなくなるまで

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…

夏髪が頬を切る

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…

Lyrics (Romanji) - Credits to 6lyrics.com

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

*Atsui kaerimichi ni mie naku naru made

Hontouni chiisaku naru made mi te I ta

Anata ga suki datta no

Ima mo ima mo...

Natsu kami ga hoo o kiru

Mata toshi o kasane te kitto omoidasu

Anata no kage atashi no kotoba

You Love You Love...

Mi tsume yo tsume to kazoe ta hoshi no namida ni negau

Anata no soba ni zutto I tai

Mada shira nai koto darake no senaka to senaka o awase te kikoe te ki ta oto

Koware te mo shikata nai hodo ni atsui

Hikari ni te o kazashi te sukima kara mie ta tooriame kagerou

Anata no kage atashi ha omou

You Love You Love...

(*repeat)

Natsu kami ga hoo o kiru

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...

You Love You Love...

I Love...

Translation - Credits to quartet4.net

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

*The way home was hot, I watched until I couldn’t see you

Until your figure grew really small

I loved you

I still do, I still do…

Summer hair brushes against my cheeks

As the years go by I’ll surely remember

Your shadow, my words

You Love, You Love…

I make a wish on the 3rd and 4th celestial tear I count in the sky

I want to be with you forever

We stand back to back, without knowing so much, and hear a sound

It’s so hot it doesn’t matter if we break apart

I raise the light up and see a passing rain’s haze through an opening

Your shadow, I long for it

You Love, You Love…

(Repeat*)

Summer hair brushes against my cheeks

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…

___________________________________________________

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 今も今も… - "I loved you, I still do, I still do…" - Never Changing 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