10 Years Ago

Feeling nostalgic since I just started b-school on Monday. While sitting in a review session, it suddenly dawned on me that exactly 10 years ago I was starting out as a freshman in college. I've come a full circle. Damn I'm old!


10 Years ago ...
1. I was a teenager *gasp*
2. I lived away from home for the first time
3. I experienced my first hurricane
4. There were no ipods ... but napster was alive and everyone had a shared folder full of illegal music. ahh those were the days
5. The chat client of choice was ICQ
6. Few people in the US had cell phones!
7. Kids went to school with desktops instead of laptops
8. No Google
9. Oasis, Spice Girls, Smashing Pumpkins were popular
10.The TV series, Beverly Hills 90210 was still hip

This would make a fun tag me thinks. Blog about what you were doing 10 years ago and what you remember from that time. I tag in no particular order... Gracie, Bloated Tomato, Dewberry, S*, e*, Singaporegrrl, matreshka and anyone else who wants to join in the fun. =)

Can you spot me? I'm picking up my nametag on the first day.

Starwars at Tanglewood

Headed down to Tanglewood with Z and S on Saturday to watch the BSO rehersal play music from Star Wars and Memoirs of a Geisha. Tanglewoods is beautiful. It's set in the hills of the Berkshires with a spectacular view, about 2.5hrs from Boston.

Star Wars Theme. As DH put it ... it's just like the CD but live! Too bad I'm not much of a star wars fan hehe.


It's Yo Yo Ma!


That's all the photos we got before the pesky volunteers stopped us from taking photos. :p Was hoping to catch one of James Earl Jones (he was dressed in a white suite like Colonel KFC haha). All in all it was fun. Will bring stuff for a picnic in future.

And that's all folks, strangely DH got the stomach flu and we had to go home early.

Triple Savins

With a $40,000 tuition bill looming and no income, I need to cut back on my shopping. No more frivolous expenses! I sure did myself proud today. Resisted the urge to buy too much at the mall and left with only 4 items. Hey, that calls for enormous restraint on my part. Here's my haul!

1) Cutest MJ inspired pumps from Payless! Only $17.99. They'll be great for fall with black tights. Savings: $260


2) Michael Kors inspired pumps, again from Payless (I got them in black suede). Compare with actual Michael Kors Newtons. They make me tall! Savings: $170.96

3) Bought nailpolish instead of getting a manicure. Savings: $15. Substituted Maybelline store brand instead of my usual O.P.I. Double savings: $5!

4) Garnier hair coloring $6.99. Highlights seem to be growing out again. Savings: $135 since I didn't get it done at the salon!

Total Savings Today: $585.96 *ding ding* ;)

Haha ok so the math is all weird but I think I did good.

Back Burned and Bruised!

We made it back! I must say we really subjected ourselves to some torture this vacation but damnit ... it was worth every minute. OK not every minute, there were times in Quito when I wished I was home, but the Galapagos islands were A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. This is the place for you if you love animals. I've already decided to bring our kids back there (if we have ever kids hehe). :)

Sealions a plenty:


Now time for the whining. I got sun burned on my back, and I don't usually get burned. My stomach hasn't been feeling good either the entire trip. No full blown stomach sickness but general discomfort. Urhgk. DH had to reach for the cipro (for diarrhoea) twice. I didn't think the altitude in Quito would affect me but damnit it did. AMS (acute mountain sickness) that's what it's called. My head hurt like hell, nauseau, general sluggishness, and a tingling in my fingers. EEEEKs!

In the Galapagos there were boat rides from hell to battle. The journeys in the smaller boats were rough. The swells were up to 5ft. Imagine the bottom of the boat slamming as it hits the trough. The thud reverberates through your entire spine. And this happened every 30 seconds. We endured this for 6 hours albeit broken up into 2 hr chunks. I think we deserve an award. Thankfully I didn't get seasick. Some other people weren't so lucky!

In Quito there were busrides from hell. Notice a theme here? 2 hours through the winding mountains. The smell of onions mixed with cheap perfume permeating the stale air and some american kung fu movie dubbed in spanish blaring on the tv on the bus. Strangely Ecuadorian public transport always has some form of entertainment such as music or a tv. I've never been so glad to get off a bus.

View from the bus:


So to end it off, we decided to take it easy with a day of horseback riding around Cotopaxi (volcano). Sounds relaxing huh? It totally wasn't. The next day our inner thighs and backs were hurting. And we still had to run (with all our stuff in tow) to make our connecting flight in Miami! OMG. Thank goodness we didn't fly back today with the heightened security.

OK but don't let that detract from the amazing time we had. =) I'll end off with some photos. More to come in my new travel blog, The Reluctant Adventurer!

Lounging lizard and crabs:


A very birdy couple:


Turtle and I:


Quito Photoset

Galapagos Photoset

Let's Go ... Ecuador

It's vacation time. We're leaving for Quito on Friday! I'm so excited and a little stressed out. My last day at work is Monday which means I only have 3 days to prepare for the trip and run errands before I leave. This includes paying tuition for the fall, picking a new health insurance plan, filling out some surveys for school, sending out my free ipod rebate, laundry, packing, driving an hour to Dartmouth to drop Moxie off. Arghk the list goes on. Being an adult isn't fun =(

But on to photos. Here's a sneak preview courtesy of our friend who works for unesco in Ecuador:



We'll be staying in Quito the capital city for 2 days and spend a week in the Galapogos. I've always been fascinated by that place since reading about it in our Campbell biology text in Junior College hehe :)

Happy B'day Moxie!

It's Moxie's second birthday today! We weren't able to celebrate last year since we were in Singapore for our wedding, but I sure made it up this year! I baked her a yummy cake: banana honey center with yogurt and blueberry frosting. Don't think I did a very good job with the cake since it came out kinda tough ... oh well I figured Moxie would be forgiving anyway since she even eats paper towels. This should be a treat in comparison!



The doggy birthday cake:


Here's her new birthday bed! Her old one is all ripped up, destuffed, and disgusting. Yeah this is what us strange pet people do =)

Old Bed


New Bed ... Ahhh better! Though I'm quite sure she prefers the old bed haha

Heat Wave

OMG I am wilting. The weather has been unbearable the past few days. It felt like a hundred degrees (38C) out this afternoon. OK I exaggerate, it was actually only about 32C ... but still! And to make things worst, I've been having this persistent migraine the past couple days, I think from being out in the sun too much. =( ... I know I should be able to handle this better having grown up in Singapore. I'm getting weak and pastey! Help!

I decided to make cold noodles for dinner tonight since our apartment felt like a friggin oven. I found a recipe for Hiyashi Chuka online and ended up giving it a try since I had most of the ingredients.

Tada! Looks yummy and healthy doesn't it? I substituted buckwheat noodles (I have no idea what chuka is) for chuka noodles. They're easily found in any japanese grocery. Did you also know that soba noodles have lots of health benefits? It is high in protein, low in calories, and thought to lower blood pressure and have anti cancer/aging properties. Have I sold you yet? hehe



This was surprisingly easy to prepare since not much cooking was required aside from frying the egg. Here's my modified recipe. You can add any vegetable you like, or add cold tofu, natto etc.

Ingredients
* 2 Bundles soba
* 1/4 lb. strips of honey turkey (any kind of cured meat will do)
* 1/2 cucumber shredded
* 1 tomato sliced
* Handful of mung bean sprouts (blanched in hot water)
* 1 corn on the cob (microwaved)
* 6 Shitake mushrooms (boiled and julienned)
* 2 eggs (removed a yolk)
* For Dressing: 1/3 cup water / 3 tbsps rice wine vinegar / 2 tbsps soysauce / 3 tbsps sugar / 1tsp sesame oil

Preparation
1) Beat eggs, add salt and pepper to taste, pan fry as an omelette
2) Boil mushrooms, blanch mung beans in hot water, microwave corn and remove kernals
3) Boil noodles according to instructions on package and run under cold water
4) Prepare sauce according to instructions above
5) EAT :)

Pirate Thieves!

Them thieves stole my $7.50!!! We watched Pirates of the Carribean 2 on Saturday afternoon to escape the heat. I had such high hopes for the movie since the entire cast was back. And Pirates of the Carribean is only like my favoritest movie of all time. You see, I can watch it over and over again without getting bored. *blush*

But I digress, the sequel stunk! The first hour was entertaining but you soon realize that the plot is going no where. The story around Davey Jones' locker was shakey. And I got most pissed off when *ahem* love interests change at the last minute. *$*@#*@ How can it be? They deprived me! I get my kicks out of watching protagonists hook up on the big screen. The movie then ends abruptly because they have to set up the plot for Pirates 3! *shakes fist* I want my money back! I also need to rewatch Pirates 1 to wash away the bad memories of the second movie :P

Anyway I am at work now after a busy weekend. My last week here! But me so sleepy. I had an awful headache last night (most likely from the sun and heat) and took some sleepy-time exedrin which hasn't worn off yet. I need my bed ....*Yawn*

Fair Weather Fan

YAY Italy won! =)

Ok so I know I haven't discussed soccer on my blog. And DH calls me a "when it's convenient", fair weather fan. Probably true, but to my credit I've been rooting for the Italian team since the days of Roberto Baggio and Panini sticker books! (Did you know that those sticker books still exist?) I also think the Italian goalie Buffon is so super cool. He's has all these good saves and is intensely psychotic looking. But do you think he waxes his eyebrows? I swear the man does!!!

In my expert eyebrow connoisseur opinion, just like a girl gets her brows done before a big occasion, Buffon got his done to look good before the world cup haha. See ... too deliberately clean. And omg do I see an arch??



We also had a mini World Cup BBQ Party. We had burgers and to keep with the Italian theme I also made tiramisu. I love making tiramisu because the recipe is so easy and it's always yummy! It took me about 20 minutes to prepare.

I used this recipe. But modified it by substituting half the coffee mixture for kahlua to give it an added kick :) Also remember to beat the egg whites till stiff peaks are formed (i.e. when you dip in a spatula and pull it out, the mixture will form a little peak). I didn't and the creamy layer turned out too wet. Thankfully it still tasted delicious!



Au Poivre Patty from Whole Foods:

What We Did ...

It was a productive 4-day weekend. Besides trying to drown Moxie in the pool we accomplished other things too ...

1) Checked out Jockey Hollow. It's weird that places in the NY/NJ region are often called blah blah hollow. You know like Sleepy Hollow, Jockey Hollow ...what gives! Surprisingly Jockey Hollow is actually somewhat historic since Washington and his troops camped there years ago.



2) Barbequed - But of course, it's July 4th!


3) Visited the Central Park Zoo. I first learned about this zoo from the movie Madegascar. But damnit the movie lied. There were no hippos, lions or giraffes! The kids were devastated and cried their little hearts out... ok ok I jest :)



4) The dogs had their incessant lovers quarrel. Don't think he's figured out she's an "it".


5) Visited the mother ship in soho! Beam me up scotty!


6) Dined al fresco and met up with A & N in the city


7) Hung out with A^2 or soon to be A^3?

OK Have I bored you enough with the photo whoring? =) You can see the rest here!

Moxie's First Paddle!

Instead of working on my cover letter for school I spent all evening mucking around trying to compile a video of Moxie's first swim. Ain't I the proud parent!

We visited my cousin over July 4th and dunked poor Mox in the pool muahahah. It turns out that all dogs can actually swim. Yes, even stumpy, pudgy Moxie! I suppose that's why they coined the term doggy paddle. Moxie was really freaked out and you could even hear her breathing really hard as she paddled. HAHA we're evil.

I spent hours on this so you have to watch it! She is mad cute ... ;)



Of course no dog was spared from this experiment. Next we pushed poor unsuspecting Pasha (the wolf) in as he circled the pool. Sadly I didn't get a video of it. We tried pushing him in again but he was too smart to be dunked a second time bleh :P

What's Growing??

So I bought some potted rosemary and parsley some time back. I was inspired by Michael Chiarello on the Food Network. He always has fresh herbs growing in his back yard! Wow how fabulous right? I had visions of barefoot me cooking pasta and nonchalently plucking fresh parsley from my little herb plants.

OK that was 2 months back. Fast forward to today. The rosemary is dead and the parsley is yellow. It's a wonder Moxie is still alive eh? HEEHEE But guess what the most disgusting thing is!! Today I actually found something growing in our pot of dead Rosemary.

A freaking MUSHROOM!!! OMG it thrives!!



Oh and for dramatic effect, here's the herbs looked when I first got em. I'm a plant murderer :(

Find me a laptop bag

I am such a wannabe. Decided to be a rebel and got a MacBook for school. They explicitly state at the school that Windows is the standard. But what the hell ... Macs are so nice. *Caresses new MacBook* And the MacBook can dual boot in windows. And another added bonus is I have my own tech support (DH) at home muahahahah :D

So now I need a cool laptop bag. None of those ugly black ones that scream the name of your company or school for me ok? I also want one that I can use daily through the seasons, when I'm dressed up or dressed down. Something that is classic but not boring. Must be able to carry other items too like a notebook, cell phone, wallet etc. Also cannot be too expensive. Haha a tall order eh.

I've narrowed it down to these bags:

But is flannel really suited for all seasons?


Would I get sick of the patterns?


Or a bowler from Freddy and Ma. You can design your own, but there are so many cool fabrics. I can't decide! The bowler is the boxy one.



Kate Spade. These are soooo cute! They have much cooler designs in Japan than the US. Sadly it's also the most expensive at $400++ and would be hard to get since it's only available in Japan :(

Click on the image to see how a laptop fits oh so nicely into the bag. Also comes with a laptop case and mouse pad. *DIES from coolness*


Which should I get? Send me the links if you know bags I might like :)

Photos are Deceiving

More adventures from the kitchen! We made paella for our Spanish potluck on Sunday. Lookie! Doesn't it look sooo yummy? The assortment of colors, the anticipation of yummy seafood ... We added pork, chorizo, mussels, shrimp, chicken thighs, squid, artichokes, peas. We sure had high hopes for this dish.



Ahh but you must see this coming given the post title. The dish was a disaster because we didn't finish cooking the rice before we left the house. The rice got all mushy and over cooked in the car ride over. :( Our poor tortured friends got to eat this concoction haha ... oh well we'll make it up next time.

Hrmmm I feel like making yam cake this weekend. Haven't had this in ages! *Dreams of yam cake with chilli ketchup*

Will you be my friend?

OMG I have never been so desperate in my life!! Thanks to my friend J, I started watching this teeny bopper korean drama on youtube. It's this rags to riches love story about an 18 year old girl who marries into the Korean Royal family. Of course the crown prince and her hate each other initially but eventually fall in love. A tried and true formula.

But I digress ... I've been enjoying these episodes (my guilty pleasure), 4 so far, till today! Apparently you can mark videos on youtube as "private" and now I can't watch episodes 5-24 unless I am the "friend" of the person who uploaded the video. OMG *SHRIEKSSSSSSSSSSSS* I cannot believe this is happening to me!!!

So I've requested to be this person's friend. And I am waiting ... waiting ... till I this person agrees to be my friend. Will he/she? Please please will you let me be your friend? Pretty Please? I will even let you sit with me during recess and share my mamee noodles.

The cast of the drama Goong (aka Palace). Ok cheesy costumes I know ... but but who can resist a good love story?

I QUIT

I finally quit my job 2 days ago. My first time! Can you believe I've never quit before? Ok well maybe from summer jobs, but that's expected. Congratulations to moi! And thanks to FQ for listening to me whine about this. :)

Now I can stop acting like I care. 6 more weeks to go. I did feel a slight tinge of panic afterall I'm giving up getting paid. Boohoo no more dinky lifestyle. Anyway I just sent out the email before I left work and everyone and their mother will find out tomorrow morning. I find it so weird that I was told to make the announcement to the entire group so early on, even people I don't usually work with.

Moxie and Jiak Zhua

Moxie and her pet snake snoozing in the back seat.

Road trips make me schleepy...

Into the Green Mountains

Trivia of the day: Did you know that Vermont = vert mont (french) = Green Mountain?

We took a weekend trip to Vermont last weekend since it was DH's 30th birthday. It wasn't easy picking a place to go. Our destination had to be within a 2-3hr drive and our choices were limited since we wanted to take Moxie with us.

NYC - Been there done that
New Hampshire - Bleh, DH used to live there
Conneticut - Does anyone even vacation there?
Rhode Island - Been there
Lake George - No nice hotels and a little far
Berkshires - Not much to do in the spring?
Vermont - YAY

Eventually I settled on Vermont since it's only 2hrs from Boston and I found this cute little B&B (Four Columns Inn) that allows pets. Another bonus is that the inn has a nice restaurant run by an "award winning" chef (taken with a grain of salt hehe).

Our room:


Unfortunately for us, the weather didn't cooperate and it rained all weekend! Yeah DH and I never have much luck with weather. It rained on our wedding day too and it was in July. We had to axe plans to go hiking on the Long Trail which stretches from Massachusetts to Canada!

We spent all weekend eating and driving around. Vermont really does live up to its name. You can see the mountains from most towns and it's green green green everywhere you go! Something else strange about Vermont also was that it had running water everywhere! From impromtu waterfalls on the mountain walls, to gushing streams (looked like rapids to me!) alongside the road.



Instead of hiking, we visited a farm, got a massage, bought vermont cheddar, maple syrup, ate in a gourmet diner car, and went to the Ben and Jerry's factory! Not too shabby I suppose. More stories and photos to come!

My Latest Obsession

I am always obsessing over something. Weddings, jeans, baking, korean dramas, grad school. This time it's cooking! After several failed attempts at baking, I figured cooking might be easier :) Churned out 3 fun dishes in the past week.

1) Stuffed Shells - This didn't turn out too well. I forgot to season the turkey and add salt. Amateurish ... Oopsie :p



2) Mutter Tofu - My healthy variation of the indian dish Mutter Paneer. I substituted the tofu for paneer and used olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I learned this from my old roomie and gal pal, A. It's surprisingly easy to make and very very tasty too (if I may say so myself lol). Spicey and great for a cold wet day.



The modified recipe here. It's pretty simple!

Mutter Tofu Recipe

Ingredients
- 1 package frozen peas
- 5 medium tomatos (chopped)
- 1 package tofu cubed
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

Spices
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 3 teaspoons garam masala (from indian grocer)
- 1.5 teaspoons tumeric (from indian grocer)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pinch cumin seads (from indian grocer)

Instructions
- Heat oil, throw in cumin seeds and wait for them to pop (this is the scary part!)
- Stir fry the garlic and onions till the onions are translucent
- Add the rest of the spices and stir till it is evenly distributed
- Add the tomatos and bring to a simmer (approx. 5 minutes)
- Add 3 cups water and bring to a simmer
- Add tofu and frozen peas
- Simmer for 20-30 minutes depending on how you want the consistency of the sauce

3) Our attempt at gourmet cooking over the weekend. Hubs helped out with this one. The milder flavor of the scallops went well with the tart green apples. We loved it and scarfed it down!

Recipe courtesy of La Tartine Gourmande. Seared scallops with green apple sauce and sugar snap peas:

Botched Hair Job

Speaking of highlights, I have a confession to make. I had chao ah lian hair for a month thanks to the stylist at Sasson Salon. You see I was desperate. The guy I usually go to was on vacation and my hair was in really bad shape. I mean wtf right? He's supposed to be at my beck and call!

Anyway, I told the new stylist that I wanted my existing highlights to be touched up. And that I wanted it SUBTLE. !*@(#@ Does this look subtle to you?? And how could hubs let me walk around like this?? *Cringes and dies*

I don't know how I convinced myself, but I lived with this Men's Egg look for a couple weeks. Then, one day I couldn't stand it anymore and being a soon-to-be poor student, fixed it myself with a package of L'oreal Feria in black cherry.

I think it turned out pretty good. Since I had highlights in already, the strands of hair picked up different tones so it looks like I still have highlights!

PS. It looks almost black in natural light. I am so HAPPY.

PPS. Thanks to matreshka also for the coloring tips! :D