MooPig & The Babe

I'm off to London tomorrow for 3D2N.

Hopefully, I'll be able to catch Mamma Mia. If that fails, Plan B is to watch Lion King. If Plan B fails, I shall follow Plan C- Chicago. If Plan C fails, I'll sleep at 8pm. :P Fingers crossed!

Weather forecasts show that there will be showers in London. I'm praying hard that the forecasts are wrong so I can go to Hyde Park. Maybe go to that garden where they shot 'Closer'- if I can find it, that is.

I will definitely be having Malaysian food in Malaysian Hall. Thinking of it makes me hungry.

I'll be having proper Chinese before I leave London. Gonna feast on Dim Sum too. *Drooling*

Maybe I'll say Hello to Big Ben and London Eye if I have extra time. :P But most probably not since shopping in London is 100 times more tempting than Big Ben and London Eye.

I'll be back on April's Fool, maybe 5kg heavier.

I'll see you on April's fool!

Posted by MooPig at 00:52 | Permalink | Comments

Last Sunday was fantastic! The weather was superb! It was so warm that I went out in jeans and t-shirt. Even a cardigan wasn't necessary.

Mior and Shikin asked if I wanted to follow them to Car boot sale and I said 'yes' without any hesitation.

Car boot sale is held every Sunday in Mona, about 25 minutes drive from Bangor. It's situated on the Isle of Anglesea.

Mona was packed with people. There were lots of people selling stuffs too. The last time I went to Mona was last month and it was fffffreezing cold. I came home with frost bites on my hands and feet!

Random shots:





Shikin got this for 20pence. Yes, you heard me right. Twenty Pence ONLY.


I can't believe they sell these.


He is HUGE! This picture doesn't do any justice.

Posted by MooPig at 23:49 | Permalink | Comments

Procrastination is my middle name. This post is supposed to be up last weekend but I caught the procrastination bug.

My second adventure with the yeast last week. The first adventure was about three weeks ago. This time, I doubled the recipe and I did a slight modification to it. Huge mistake it was. I shouldn't have doubled the recipe at all! I was pretty disappointed. I spent the whole night in the kitchen, cursing myself for this mistake. I shall have the third attempt again in the not-so-near future.

Here is the recipe (1 portion):

You'll need:

1/2 tbsp yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 cup lukewarm water ( I substituted with 1 cup milk)
2 tbsp butter, softened
3-1/2 cup bread flour (sifted)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten

Glaze:
1 egg (I used the egg yolk only)
3 tbsp milk

Mix yeast with 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Leave until the yeast mixture gets foamy.

I used a fast action yeast, therefore it took like 5 minutes or so. I think normal yeast takes slightly longer.

Dissolve butter in 1 cup lukewarm water.

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.

Add in butter mixture.

Add in yeast mixture.

Leave it to rise for about 1-2 hours (until double in size). Cover with damp cloth.

I doubled the portion hence this size. Expect half of the size if you follow the recipe.

At the mean time, prepare the fillings. I used sardine, frankfurters, peanut butter, chocolate, jam as fillings.

After the dough has risen, knead it on a slightly floured surface. Shape it according to your liking.

Glaze the dough.

Bake at 200'C for about 15-20 minutes or until it's golden brown.


Before they went into the oven


Ready for a feast?

Happy bread making!

Posted by MooPig at 23:19 | Permalink | Comments

Especially for Lilian and Mei Gie =)

A few pictures of the spring flowers to share. It feels good to see flowers, not botak heads. ;)

Here they are...




















Coming soon...

I shall take some pics of Daffodils, national flowers of Wales, when I take a stroll down Love Lane.

Posted by MooPig at 22:55 | Permalink | Comments

Scenario 1:
KFC
A family was having dinner in KFC. Before they left, I saw them taking away the chilli sauce bottles. They hid them in the daughter's bag. I was in disbelief. How can the parents allow this to happen? If they can afford a meal in KFC, I don't see any reason why they can't afford a bottle of Chilli sauce which costs like RM1.80? *shakes head*

Scenario 2:
Chinese Market in KB
I followed my Mom to the market one morning. After choosing the fish which my Mom wanted, she waited for her turn to pay. I saw this lady, dressing like an old a-mah, bargaining with the makcik. She bought a kg of Ikan Kembung and she was bargaining with the makcik. Fine. It happens in the market very often. After she bargained, she paid the makcik but the makcik didn't have any change so she went over to the other stall. While waiting for the makcik to come back, this lady took 2 Ikan Kembung and put them into the plastic bag. When the makcik came back, she still had the cheek to ask the makcik to give her another Ikan Kembung. The makcik refused but she persisted and finally the makcik gave in and gave her an extra fish.
Fuiyoo... darn cheapskate man!

Scenario 3:
Tesco supermarket
My friends went to Tesco for grocery shopping. One of them, Y, wanted to buy eggs so Y pushed the trolly to the egg section. Y chose the cheapest, those Tesco value eggs. Obviously, they are small. Y took a dozen of Tesco Value eggs and another dozen of Tesco large eggs and put them in the trolly. When nobody was looking, Y swapped the eggs and put the Tesco large eggs which contained Tesco Value eggs on the shelf. What can I say but shake my head in disbelief? Shameful, indeed.

I understand that everyone should save for a rainy day, but to this extend? I don't think so... This is too much!

Penny wise, pound foolish!

Posted by MooPig at 21:01 | Permalink | Comments

My Dad and Mom don't mushy mushy in front of us to show their affection towards each other. Action speaks louder than words. They never told each other the 3 magic words in front of us. It's those little actions that make me feel that they are meant for each other.

Love is.. when Mom packed Dad's luggage before Dad went on business trips/ holidays.

Love is.. when Mom went round town on a Friday afternoon to buy food for Dad to have during tea time

Love is.. when Mom plucks Dad's white hair after dinner.

Love is.. when Mom took care of Dad when Dad was down with tonsilistis.

Love is.. when Mom sits on the coffee table with Dad every morning before he goes off to work, although she has taken her breakfast with her friends earlier.

Love is.. when Mom sets in speed dials on the mobile phone which Dad brings overseas. (my dad doesn't use a mobile phone. He doesn't even know how to unlock/lock the keypad)

Love is.. when Dad came back from a business trip and he bought Mom a bottle of Chanel No5 at KLIA and told her 'I got this for you because I've heard about this brand only'.

Love is.. when Dad kisses Mom before he goes off to work every morning.

Love is.. when Dad kisses Mom after he gets back from work every evening.

Love is.. when Dad gave Mom a birthday surprise last year. (He never gave Mom surprises before)

Love is.. when Dad still uses the pen which Mom gave to him some 20 years ago....

Posted by MooPig at 10:43 | Permalink | Comments

I'm so stressed out now. Econometrics and Excel are driving me nuts. The nitty-gritty details are annoying.

Random pics:

-Pink Grapefruit flavoured Mentos. Got it when I was in Barcelona last December for 1Euro! Expensive but it's worth it. I like it. I had to refrain myself from gobbling them up. =P So far so good.. I still have like 5 or 6 left. =)


-I don't know what flavour. Maybe Liquorice? Translation please. It's slightly minty with a hint of herbal. Don't quite fancy it hence 1 more left.


- I just had to stick this note to remind the housemate from hell to clean up all the cooking utensils which his friends and him had used. I really don't mind them using but please, wash them up. If you were to see the condition of the kitchen after they've used, you'll faint. Sauces, plastic bags, plates, bowls, pots and pans every where! And we had to clean up. Argh!! My blood boils whenever I think about him.

The sun is finally out today. FINALLY! I miss the sun so much. It's a shame that I'm still in my room, doing work and more work. I need to get out!! Spring is here! Spring is here! It's cold but not as cold as before. Good sign! =)

English tea and coffee are not my friend anymore. My heart starts thumping the moment I finish a mug of English tea. Well, coffee has never been my friend. I get headaches. For now, Chinese tea is m best friend.. but I realise it has laxative effect on me.

I'll be on a 3 weeks holi-holiday after this week. =)

I am going back to my work now. Time to be a a nerd again.

Good day people!

Posted by MooPig at 16:11 | Permalink | Comments

I had a dream this morning. It was a nice dream but I wasn't happy at all when I woke up. I was told that dream is the opposite of reality. Please tell me it's not true.

Perhaps I dreamt about it because I've been thinking of it day and night.

I wish my dream will come true.. I really do...

Posted by MooPig at 17:43 | Permalink | Comments

I have always thought my lifestyle is healthy. I eat home-cooked food, I avoid alcohol, I don't smoke. I am always at home. But not until I had this conversation with a good friend of mine this evening.

'You've been spending too much time on the internet' my friend commented

'Yeah. Internet is my life'

'You should get a life girl, it's unhealthy'

I was speechless. He told me I should turn my laptop off for 3 days but I protested. I'll die, I told him. I can't live without internet and computer. I'm addicted to it. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to turn on my laptop. The first thing I do when I come back from lectures is to turn on my laptop. I'm too dependent on internet and laptop. Wayyyy to dependent on them. Heck, if I can marry my laptop and internet, I don't need to marry a man!

He went offline and I was in deep thoughts. He was darn right. I need a life. I've been hiding in my attic since winter came.

I asked myself when I was in the shower just now.

When was the last time I went to the cinema?
The last week of Semester 1. I went to catch Phantom of the Opera. Since then, I've been staying at home and I watched movies on my laptop.

The last time I went to High Street was last week. Before that, the last time I set my foot on High Street was the first day of Chinese New Year. That was a more than month ago! *wow* even I didn't realise I haven't been out that long. Don't get me wrong. Going to High Street doesn't mean shopping and spending my Dad's hard earned money. It's about getting out from my house and meeting people, and to breathe the fresh Welsh air.

I can't remember the last time I went to the pier. Probably last year when my aunt came to visit me.

I can't remember the last time I walked on Love Lane. By the way, Love Lane is a very nice park which leads to the Main Arts Building.

I don't even know there's a new Pakistani Shop on High Street until my friends told me.

I don't know what happened to the 'second year' me. I wasn't like that last year. I wasn't always in my room like now. I read through my Travel Log and realised I was out almost every weekends. I had activities, I went on day trips, I went to visit friends. I went to Nottingham, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl etc. I invited friends over for dinner sometimes. What happened to me this year?

Tsk, tsk, tsk... How unhealthy my life is. I have forgotten that there is life besides the internet. I have forgotten to breathe the fresh air. I have forgotten to see how other people's life is. I've been caught up with work and forgotten that I need to play.

It's time to make a change in my life. Spring is already here. I shall make my life more colourful. At least, 10 years from now, I won't look back and regret about my life as a university student. I have a 3-week Easter break coming up in a week's time. Hmm.. I shall plan a short trip some where. I shall get away from Wales and breathe the English air.

To my dear friend,
Thank you for making me realise how unhealthy my lifestyle has been.
You deserve one BIG hug from me! =)

Posted by MooPig at 21:07 | Permalink | Comments

The title explains everything. This weekend shall be a non-baking weekend.

Too much work, too little time. *grumble grumble grumble*

Sorry, Mei Gie.. but I'll bake something next weekend if nothing pops up.

Back to work. *again*

Happy weekend to all! {hugs}

Posted by MooPig at 18:12 | Permalink | Comments

Adult Video. Not.

Aunty Visit, it is, instead.

I have a love-hate relationship with A.V. I anticipate AV every month but hate the surprises that A.V. gives me. Sometimes, it's a little surprise, sometimes, A.V. gives me a huge surprise that I can never imagine. As much as I love surprises, this is one surprise which I don't look forward to every month.

Few days before Aunty Visit visits me, my extremities are exceptionally cold. I crave for chocolates. My spine aches and my legs are sometimes wobbly. I get chest pains and I feel bloated all the time. I am in a bad mood most of the times and I get pissed off for no apparent reasons. Those are the symptoms. Annoying, but they are signs of AV.

Normally, I'm ok with AV. It doesn't screw up my life. I only whine about the spine pain on the first day. But, not this month.

This month, Aunty Visit came with a big 'surprise' for me. She gave me the worse period pain I have never experienced in many months. My spine aches, my extremities are colder than usual, I feel very weak and I don't have the appetite for food. At times, when I feel hungry, I am too weak to go to the kitchen and cook myself a meal so I end up not eating instead. Luckily I don't have classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays or else I'll be missing all the lectures.

Stay away from me before AV visits me. If you want to kill me, do it when AV is here. I have no energy to fight back.

Posted by MooPig at 13:20 | Permalink | Comments

Posted by MooPig at 00:33 | Permalink | Comments

Sigh...

Couldn't sleep well the whole night. I don't know what happened to me. I'm not usually like that. The 'normal' me is to sleep soundly all night and laze in bed in the morning. But, I woke up several times in the middle of the night, feeling cold. Mind you, I was in 4 layers of clothes, long pants, woollen socks and 2 duvets. Yes, you heard me right. I have TWO duvets. Should have hugged my hot water bottle to bed but was caught by the lazy bug shortly before I went to bed. Got fed up and woke up at 7-ish.

Wanted to have bread for breakfast so I went to the kitchen and turned on the oven. After washing up my mug, I put the rolls into the oven but ... why isn't the oven hot? I turned on the grill but there wasn't any indicator showing that the grill was working. I then turned on the stove but no reaction. Oh no! The stove, oven/grill and the main oven are not working. (It's a 3/4 in one thing) There goes my breakfast, lunch and dinner. To add salt to the wound, Morrisons is closed until 10th March for refurbishment. Don't tell me I have to settle for takeaways for my meals. The thought of eating takeaways is already giving me goosebumps.

Please don't tell me I'll have a bad week! *touch wood touch wood*

Posted by MooPig at 08:25 | Permalink | Comments

...With the yeast!

I started baking when I was 15. I was form 3 then. My first experiment was with cornflake cookies. The verdict? Extremely sweet. Icks!! Nevermind, I told myself. I tried again and I succeeded! Bravo! Then, I decided to be more adventurous. I got my hands on baking bread when I was in Form 4 but I failed. They tasted horrible but my family ate them anyway. :P Since then, I stopped baking bread but continued with cakes, cookies and muffins which were almost fool proof.

Last week, I bought a box of yeast to make Char Siew Pau. There were 8 sachets and I only used 2. 6 left in the box... what should I do? Baking bread would be nice. On top of that, I can also prove to myself that I can bake bread afterall.

So there I was, on an adventure with the yeast this afternoon. I was armed with bread flour, egg, buttery water, yeast, sugar and salt. Mixed everything together and left it to rise. It took about 2 hours.

A couple of hours later, I found myself shaping gooey dough with a rolling pin. Man, that was one tough job. I thought making Char Siew Pau and dumplings were tough but this was even tougher! Every now and then I had to flour the rolling pin and the table. Decided to use hotdogs and mozzarella as fillings for the first batch. I wanted to braid the dough but, me being me, failed to do so. I messed everything up so I made them into rolls. *sigh* There went my first batch. I was sceptical about my second batch. So, to play safe, I decided to make more rolls. Suddenly, I had a light bulb in my head. I figured out how to braid. I made 2 mini ones and I succeeded! hehe ;)

The texture of the bread was fluffy when they came out fresh from the oven. (No idea how the texture is after few hours) My housemate told me it tastes like the ones in the bakery shop in China. I have no idea if she was pulling my leg. I tasted one and thought... Not too bad. Definitely can't beat those in the bakery shop but it certainly was better than the ones I baked 6 years ago. I'm glad all of them turned out nice. *Phew* Thank God! Well worth the time spent. :)

Here's a picture. Well, I took a picture of 4 which look nicer compared to the rest. *blush blush*

You be the judge. :)

Hmm... What's for next week? I've caught the baking bug. My hands itch every Saturday.

Posted by MooPig at 00:09 | Permalink | Comments

I used to play this game when I was in primary school. A group of girls sat together, gossiped about the latest happenings and played this game when we found out A liked B. We 'calculated' if the guy we liked loved, hated, liked or treated us like friends. More often than note, this game is played among close friends who didn't want their 'deepest and darkest' secrets to be shared with other people.

The game of 'Love, hate, like, friendship'

Here's how it's played. I couldn't think of anyone so I decided to use the names of Malaysian singers. :)



爱= Love
恨= Hate
喜= Like
友= Friendship

From the picture, we see that Guang Liang 爱 (love) Jing Ru but Jing Ru 恨 (hate) Guang Liang.

If the result was positive, we giggled and day-dreamt about our 'futures'. If the result was negative, we comforted each other.

I miss the days when I was still a primary school kid. Everyone was innocent. There were no malicious gossips. The carefree, stressless days. So what game did you play when you were in primary school?

On another note, I've been attacked by ulcers. Two ulcers on my tongue. They are annoying. Why isn't my daily intake of Vitamin C doing me any good? *sob*

Posted by MooPig at 22:21 | Permalink | Comments

I am a loner. Well, most of the time, I am one.

I dislike crowds. I try to avoid them. That's the reason why I hardly step into a club. I feel so lost when I'm in a big crowd full of strangers. I don't know what to do, where to stand, who to talk to. In a crowd, I'd rather be alone. Sometimes, I talk to strangers who click with me. That's when I can talk non-stop. I enjoy chilling out with a few friends. I enjoy meeting up with schoolmates and good friends.

My production rate is at its maximum when I'm alone in a quiet place. That's why I'm in my room most of the time. I can't concentrate on reading my story book when it's noisy, let alone study. There shall be 100% quietness when I'm studying/reading/blogging. Not even classical music is allowed. However, I can listen to music while doing Maths and I perform better! ;) I hardly go to the library for revisions- It can be noisy at times. I study in the library when I'm in the mood for a change of environment. Besides, my room is the cosiest place. A cup of tea is just a few steps away. The washroom is just downstairs. The best part- I don't even need to dress up. I can be in my PJ when I'm in my room.

I remember myself being not so anti-social when I was younger- say 5 or 6. As I grow older, I became more and more anti-social. I dislike having 'fake' conversations with the kepo-chis (busybody) in town. I absolutely hate the idea of putting up a fake smile on my face and pretend to be the perfect daughter in front of my parents' friends. I get headaches when I go out for dinners with my parents' friends whom I've never met before. The thought of sitting there like an idiot with no one to talk to is just horrible, terrible and... ve-ge-ta-ble!

I don't have many friends around me. I don't spend a lot of time socialising. I'm in my room most of the time. I go online, I blog, I read news, I read my books, I chat, I listen to music in my room and sometimes, I even have my meals in my room. I have a few good friends. Quality, not quantity. Good friends are always there for me when I need somebody to talk to, or when I need a helping hand or a crying shoulder. Good friends need not be physically near me. They're always close to me in my heart and I know that. That's why I appreciate my good friends.

I am in a foreign land but I don't have many Ang moh friends. Does it matter? My parents are not quite happy about it. They think I should hang out with the Ang Mohs sometimes. Dad said I should invite them over for dinner or high tea. Yes, Dad has a point. He wants me to have friends from all over the world. Network, girl! I do have Ang Moh friends but we're not close. We're only hi-bye friends who chat before lectures start. When I was staying in the halls, I tried to hang out with them but I failed. I was the only non-angmoh in the group. In the kitchen, I sat there like an idiot, trying to figure out the British jokes which seemed like a foreign language which I couldn't understand. I volunteered to be a peer guide because I could meet more people but what did I get in the end? A few of them looked down on me and ignored my suggestions. I met a few on the street and said 'hi' to them but they just ignored me. Well, not all of them are like that- a few cocky ones. There are a few who are genuine.

I am a loner. I am sometimes anti-social. That's me.

Posted by MooPig at 00:04 | Permalink | Comments

I never got to know why my Dad named me Eileen until I was about 14 or 15.

That day, I was at my aunt's shop. While cooking, my aunt told me why my Dad chose this name...

My dad came from a very poor family. His eldest brother quit school at the age of 12 to work so he could support his family. After my Dad finished his A-levels, he went to Northern Ireland to further his studies. Before he left home, his sister told him not to marry an ang moh. One day, my Dad decided to be cheeky. He wrote a letter to his sister and attached a picture of him and an Irish lady in a wedding gown. No prizes for guessing what that lady's name is. He told his sister that Eileen is his wife. After he sent that letter, he sent another letter to my aunt saying that he was joking. My aunt told me that she cried and was so frustrated when she read the first letter but was relieved when the second letter came along.

After my Mom gave birth to me, my Dad couldn't think of a name so he consulted his sister and guess what my aunt told him. 'Since you like Eileen so much, why don't you just name your daughter Eileen?' And my Dad adopted her idea.

My brother is the only child with a chinese name because my parents followed the ancestral name. My sis and I don't have a chinese name. My parents translated our English name to Chinese. :)

Allow me to digress. I finally saw snow today! It snowed for about half an hour. Unfortunately it didn't settle because the gound was too wet. Too bad. But I managed to catch this picture though.


Just a little bit of snow...

Pardon me for being a jakun. I haven't built my snowman this year. ;)

Posted by MooPig at 22:19 | Permalink | Comments

A friend of mine who is in a relationship told me his dilemma one day. I turned into a relationship counsellor that afternoon. ;)

A 32 year old guy met a 29 year old young lady. They have been going out for a few months. They share the same interests. But, he thinks he's not good enough for her- She comes from a rich family but he has nothing (He told me so) and he claimed he's not good looking enough. Looks doesn't matter much but what's actually bugging him is the money problem.

I pondered for a moment and I told him not to worry. As long as he is hardworking, it's not a problem at all. Afterall, he has a stable job, a car and an apartment. If the girl loves him, she won't care if he's rich or poor. I think he is just not confident enough. I asked if he has met her parents-maybe the way her parents treat him can tell if they approve the relationship. But he has yet to meet them since love has just bloomed.

After he went offline, I thought about it. Is money really important in a relationship? In today's society, do we still think the rich should marry the rich and the poor should only marry the poor? Should the guy be richer than the woman?

I know money is not everything but everything is money- but if two of them really love each other, should the woman marry the guy although he's not as rich as her family? What if her parents do not support them, should they continue the relationship?

My mom is extremely particular with the guys I date. If I were to have a boyfriend, he must be compatible. She won't settle for anybody who is imcompatible with me. I have zero idea of her concept of compatibility. Probably she wants somebody smarter than me, someone who comes from a good family background. But 'good' is so subjective. She disapproved ALL my past relationships. I admit that I was slightly shaken when she told me that my ex wasn't the right one for me. I contemplated a break up and I finally broke up with him. One of the reasons for breaking up was because of my Mom but the main reason was I did not love him anymore- too many things contributed to it. But when we were pak-tor-ing, it was so difficult for us to meet up. I found 1001 excuses to sneak out from the house.

Is a marriage and a relationship between two person or more than that- the families? I'm confused. One moment, I think I don't have to care what other people say, one moment, I think it's not merely between the couple. So much so for fickle mindedness.

Love and money.. which is more important? 有情喝水饱?

Posted by MooPig at 05:54 | Permalink | Comments