birthday. bliss. balloons

i celebrated my birthday yesterday. =)

nope, your memory isn’t failing nor is my facebook profile a lie. my birthday is indeed on the 6th of oct but since i’ll be in taipei, my lady friends decided to celebrate it early. 1 month and 14 days early. but it was really a very sweet thought and very much appreciated. i feel quite quite loved. (does it mean that i have to celebrate all my friend’s whose birthday falls between sept and jan now?)

should be interesting spending my birthday in taiwan. i’ve spent chinese new year overseas but never my birthday. i hope i’ll make nice nice friends in taipei who will celebrate mine with me (cross fingers). never know what or who to expect when going overseas.

its quite a scary thought though. last night while i was about to fall asleep i suddenly realize that the next couple of weeks before leaving for taiwan is the official last school holiday for me. last summer break. last happy student holiday. oh no. haha. (Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity) Since entering smu, i hardly get to enjoy a full holiday since i’m always looking for internships and stuff to do. This is my first real holiday in a long while and i’m glad that it gave me a chance to catch up with old friends, meet some new friends, spend time with my family and just relax at home without much worries. student life can be fun but its not without worries…. getting grades up, internship search, job search, project deadlines, managing expectations… all very mind boggling. and i’m glad that at least for the past couple of weeks, these were the furthest thing from my mind. finally. a break from that cycle. i hope that i’ll be able to get a job that is both fun and challenging but don’t we all want that? =)

one other thing that i thought about before dozing off (lots of thoughts in that little head of mine) was the fact that The Day is drawing near. The Day meaning That Dreaded Preparation & Packing Day. The Day where I have to start putting all my clothes in nice little piles, all my make up and little stuff in pouches and prepare to start squeezing it in the luggage. This is always one big challenge. Someone has to invent collapsible shoes. Seriously, its a big gap in making the human life a better one. Clothes and pouches I can squeeze but shoes. They are just impossible! Then I realize that taipei winter is really rather windy and i don’t have the clothes for it. haha. yea. me. no clothes. the last time i spent winter was in paris 2005. it was a very black winter. everyone wore black and so did i. and they were mainly the woolly mammoth sort of winter wear since i was preparing for woolly mammoth sort of winter. i’m not sure what i have is really suitable for taipei’s winter though since its more windy than cold. apart from the not so suitable coat and thermal stuff, i have 2 jackets (wool kind that the wind can just blow through and kill the foolish human wearing it) and 0 windbreaker. not a good start. are there even nice windbreakers for ladies? i’ll worry about it when the time comes and pray that i’ll get through it. cold is ok. wind is not. i really do detest packing. almost every other winter item i own is black. i just know i’m going to stick out like a rotten thumb among all the candy covered taiwanese. bah. i don’t hate pink. i don’t mind pale pink, hot pink, dark pink and whatever pink in between just not that particular cotton candy pink that they seem to adore. the kinda pink that reminds me of panadol for some reason. i hope i can get some winter stuff there that won’t make me look like a ball of fluff.

alrighty. pictures from yesterday!

eat, drink and be merry!

i’m glad esther took the time to get all of us at the same place at the same time. esther, i see very often. emily, now and then. the rest, i haven’t seen since secondary school. ahh… its so nice to meet up with friends from “back then” though. all those old gossips and stuff comes pouring out.

my bday present. another one for brendapanda. =) its a boy and its called birthday. we see birthday here going through the rites of initiation.

and then the ballooons came into the picture. i realize that i’m really bad with it. couldn’t even get it blown up with one of those air pumps. gees. everyone else could “get it up” except emily and i. esther even started manipulating it like a pro. hmmm….

tadah~! the latest accessories.

thank you esther for planning the whole thing. =) (she had to get every single drop and foam out)

the “birthday girl” had beaucoup fun!

i should really blog

coulda woulda shoulda. i know i know.

the longer i wait to blog, the more i have to blog, the more i don’t want to blog. its a vicious cycle. and its time i break it. so here goes. *deep breath + courage*

this is gonna be a 3-course entry.

for starter, we have Slumber Party 2008 held at amsie’s. this is the first time meeting all of them since coming back from beijing. amazing food. great talk. fun pictures. cute toys. all i can say is that we have an amazing girlie good time. the kind of fun that only girlfriends have together i think. we didn’t do anything special but it was just… fun. =) and i’m very grateful that they’re my friends. i can’t imagine smu without them. gees. i love working with you guys. fwahhhhhh has to be my favourite project group ever. i can’t wait to meet them next friday – Farewell Dinner for Panda (me) & TNN (yiling) i’ll miss you guys. so so so so much!

amazing food. thanks to amsie.

we all love the cute toys amsie has. i heart gingy.

as it gets later……. the pictures become….. errrr.. you see for yourself…. (flowers for the china girls)

an amazing girlie good time.

the pajamas ladies. it was supposed to be a pajamas party but only 3 came in the right outfit. i love calin’s big dot pjs so much that i got the exact same set (wearing it now!) =)

my fwahhhhh ladies. lishan. calin. amsie. me. pris. =) see you guys next friday~!
Remember! White + Black + Push up.

now for main course, we have chicken pie and spaghetti & meatballs. i’m serious. i started experimenting in the kitchen since i have so much time on hand. its so much fun! if bren can cook, so can u. so here’s the recipe. it works i’m telling ya.  =)

Fuss-free Chicken Pie

I’m not that big on using cups and spoons as measurements so just go with your feel ok?

Here’s what you need:

Chicken (duh~ both white or dark meat is fine) – cut into bite size
Potatoes – cubed
Mushroom – cubed
Onion (beaucoup beaucoup!) – chop finely
Garlic (beaucoup beaucoup!) – minced
Mix vege (i’ll do without if i were you. hate those itty bitty stuff)
Spices (Basil, Oregano, Mixed Herbs, Garlic Salt, Coarse Black Pepper, Chilli Flakes)
Campbell Chicken Soup (thats why its fuss-free. you can use mushroom or any other soup)
Puff Pastry (ready rolled even better)
An egg yolk

 

Start frying the onion and garlic.
Toss in all ingredients (except the campbell soup & egg) and fry around till chicken is partially cooked.
Add in half a can of campbell soup. Stir in and mix well.
Sprinkle in the spices. Go easy on the salt since the soup is already tasty.
Let it simmer on low heat.

You should preheat your oven to 225 now.

While it simmer, line your pie dish with the pastry sheet. Although for a more fuss-free recipe, you can choose not to lay the bottom of the dish.
Pour pie filling into the dish. Leave to cool for a bit.
Lay pastry sheet over the top of the dish.
Use a fork to close in the sides and poke holes on the top.
Brush egg yolk all over the pastry top. (Keep the egg white!!! Apply all over your face and wash after 10mins. very very good for pores!)

Put pie in oven for about 20mins.

Dig in~! =)

Spaghetti & Meatballs

I tried doing a very basic red sauce from scratch =) Although I wouldn’t suggest starting with the fresh tomatoes (if you have to, use roma or plum). so here goes…

Basic Red Sauce

1 can of tomato paste (not ketchup)
2 cans of diced tomato
Onion – chopped finely
Garlic – minced 
1 Bay Leaf
Spices (Basil, Oregano, Mixed Herbs, Garlic Salt, Coarse Black Pepper, pepper flakes)
Chianti (if not, other dry red)

Saute garlic in olive oil. Add pepper flakes. (i like a bit of spice)
Fry in the onion. Simmer in low heat. Add in the spices and mix well.
Add in 1 can on diced tomato. Mix well and simmer about 5mins. Add in some spices and mix well.
Add in 1 can of tomato paste. Mix well and simmer about 5mins. Add in some spices and mix well.
Add in 1 can on diced tomato. Mix well and simmer about 5mins. Add in some spices and mix well.

Add in 1/3 cup (approx 85ml) of red wine. Drop in the bay leaf. Add spices to taste. Let sauce simmer. Stir every few mins.

When I made it, I let it simmer for about 45mins and by then, I did not have to add any sugar. But if its not sweet enough, just add in a little. (some people say to use a dollop of ketchup or balsamic vinegar)

Meatball

Pork – minced
Garlic – minced
Onion – minced
Oregano
Salt and Pepper
Pepper Flakes
Egg
Parmesan Cheese/Breadcrumbs

Mix everything (except the cheese/breadcrumbs) in a big bowl. Mix well. Leave in the fridge while you prepare the sauce.

When you’re ready…..

I ran out of breadcrumbs so I rolled each meatball through parmesan cheese instead and it turned out great. =) Fry in pan. And tadah~! you’re good to go.

Pasta

I’m sure you know how to boil pasta. =) (Boil water, add salt, put in pasta, drain water, put into bowl and stir in olive oil)

Slurp up~!

And now… i leave the best and the sweetest for last. Dessert.

Yesterday was mummy yeo’s birthday.

i love you mummy. i want to be just like you when i grow up.

happy birthday to the greatest, bestest and most beautiful woman in my life.

a day with the girls

i don’t know about you guys but i’m having a solid (solid as a rock!) week.  its a whole week full of pleasure and girls. probably be even more amazing if i’m a guy but i’m still enjoying it all.

i met up with the beijing ladies on monday. its so amazing how we started with a 2-intern outing (weixiang and i) and then we have 3 (weixiang, audrey and i) and then we have 5 (weixiang, audrey, pauline, lauren and i) and then we have 6 (weixiang, audrey, pauline, lauren, huiling and i). i can’t imagine how my experience in beijing will be like without them. especially weixiang and audrey. they were always there for me when i needed them. i miss our weekly weekend expedition with the sole purpose of trying out every korean restaurant in wudaokou. and it was soooo goood.

i’ve getting used to this couch potato lifestyle. for those who know me, i take up internships all the time and this is the first time since year 1 summer holiday that i really have nothing to do for a whole month. no schoool and no internships. although i actually wanted to continue my internship @ H&K Singapore when i came back from Beijing but they needed 3months or more and i don’t have that much time. Oh well… its a good break for me.

anyway, back to the story. i met up with audrey and huiling on monday. weixiang was supposed to join us too but his darling got sick. i hope she’s better now! we ate at newyorknewyork before having ice cream milkshake (geees…) somewhere in marina sq.

the wedges and fries were from dinner. we all had our main but too hungry and i forgot to take a pic. i can’t wait for out next foodie meet-up with them and weixiang.

and yesterday was “worship the sun” day. i can’t remember when was the last time i went to the beach. i think it was in january @ bintan. and i really cannot remember the last time i went tanning at sentosa. its like the newly improved sentosa to me since i havent been there in a long while. i love going there on a weekday morning. you get some peace and space.

newly improved sentosa. all green, beige and blue. i don’t see any floating seaweed or trash.

yep. esther is naturally fair and i’m the kind who don’t have to work to get a tan. to her credit, she managed to look red instead of white yesterday and last i heard, she’s experiencing pain like second degree burn victim. you have to admire a super fair girl trying to get tan and got burnt instead. she even suggested going tanning every wed. Courage! (fine line between courage and stupidity *cough cough*) we’ll look for a shady place next time so you can rest there while i barbeque myself.

having fun like little girls @ vivo city. i’ve known esther since pri sch so i guess she brings out the little girl in me? (yep. i’m blaming her for my childish behavior)

and there we have the mandatory brendapanda foodie pic. esther’s first time @ carl’s jr is a photoworthy moment. in between lunch and dinner, we did the girly shopping thing where neither of us bought a thing worth mentioning. met up with emily @ bliss – punggol park (good place) where she ate and we all drank since we had a late lunch. supper was amazing carrot cake, hokkien mee and char kway teow at the kopitiam opposite the park. darn good! i love meeting up with emily and esther. we were sec sch mates in the same cca. lots of female bonding there. and whenever we get together, all the sec sch dirt gets out again. those days….. it was a good end to a good day.

tomorrow, ill be attending the “Vainpots Slumber Party 2008″ organized by vainpot queen amelia. a night where its all about fake lashes, coloured lenses and ice cream. i was told to bring my sexiest pjs so i’m bringing my panda one. =) 6 girls bashing men up, eating ice cream and other sweet stuff, drinking girlie mixers, watching chick flicks. bring on the chocolates!

that’s all for now.

why tsingdao should pick us as brand ambassadors

looking through my beijing photos, i notice a certain everpresent attendee… no matter where we are or what we do, its there.

meet my friend, tsingdao.

xmas came early!

i’m not a gadget person. in fact, quite the total opposite, i love stuff animals, cartoons, flowers, pandas, all things cute. apart from the fact that i don’t really wear skirts and dresses, i’m quite the typical girl. except i hate the colour pink, i don’t squeal/shriek/scream and i don’t like babies. oh. and i’m not particularly squeamish. anyway, what i’m trying to say is: i’m really not a gadget person.

to me, the 3 main criteria of a phone is:

1. looks good. looks very very good.
2. user friendly
3. idiot-proof (pretty much the same as No. 2 but i couldn’t find an important 3rd criteria)

my phone and i can live without a good camera, a multi-purpose organizer, fun and exciting games or a good mp3/sound system. which is why i really love my previous phones: motorola razr (black of course) and the LG chocolate. just the way i like them: simple, sleek, rather ladies phone + easy to use.

the LG chocolate was really my idea of a perfect phone. gadgetless = user-friendly and oh so pretty. i never thought about changing it simply because it works well for me. but time flies and its now time to upgrade my plan again. and so….. i have a new buddy! it was really tough searching for one that looks good. nowadays, phones are getting more and more techy which means phones are getting bigger. walking into the singtel shop, i see broad phones everywhere. nice but more like a man’s phone. it comes with everything and looking at the price, i can see that you do pay for each and every one of the functions. i guess its a new breed of phones.

so, i was really happy to have found this one. i like the way it looks and this buddy actually comes with some simple gizmo! brendapanda is moving up! i now join the ranks of those who own a touchscreen phone! look ma, no keypad!

introducing brendapanda’s new phone:

while the f480 still falls under the category of “fashion phone”, i’m proud to say that it has decent specs. at least to me it does. while i did not fall in love with it like the razr and the chocolate, its pretty and sleek enough to catch my eye. and after spending 30mins playing around with it, i kinda enjoy it. grows on you i guess.

thank you mama and papa. <3

p/s: my brother got the omnia. niceeeeeee……

from beijing to singapore

so i’ve been back for almost 2 week now. can you tell the difference?

a regular weekday in BEIJING goes as such….

7.30am – rise & shine

riiiiiingggggggg…. riiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnng (2 alarms set on different phones just in case)
since i’m a total grinch in the morning. i usually wake up cursing. ^&()*)(*(^^#%$&

7.35am - to the ladies

to piss, to poo and to clean behind the ears. because no one likes a dirty girl.

8am – dressing room

because there are no ugly women, only lazy ones. pick up that tweezer and mascara girl! daily question: does this outfit make me look fat?

8.25am – morning exercise

the walk to the bus stop. the sky looks grey, someone did the “ka pui” spitting thing right beside my feet, a few bicycles nearly ran me over….. just another day in beijing.

8.30am – time for 802!

this is the time when i’m convinced that i should have stayed in bed today.

9am – H&K

made it to the office safe and sound!!!! probably first to arrive. check email, surf facebook, eat breakfast, get the laptop running nice and smooth…

9.45am – to earn bread money

start work proper

11.30am

start asking people what to eat for lunch

12noon

start chasing people to go for lunch

12.30pm

LUNCH FINALLY!!!!!

1.30pm

back to the office… work work work.

3pm

start complaining why the day doesn’t seem to end!!!!

4pm

OMG~! it’s never going to end

5.30pm

30mins more!!!!! what’s for dinner? start making plans for dinner………

6pm

YES! sit at my workplace looking just a little busy but giggling inside.. =)

6.15pm

start saying bye to everyone on MSN and slowly begin to shut down.. =)

6.30pm

BYEBYE EVERYBODY!!!

7pm

Either meeting someone for dinner or dabao something home to eat while reading/watching dvd…

8pm – 2nd trip to the ladies

my bed and panda appreciates my cleanliness

8.30pm

msning/dvd-ing/reading……..

midnight

lights out!

Now…. for a typical day in SINGAPORE…

12noon – 2am

occupation: full-time couch potato

brendapanda apologize

i apologize to anyone and everyone who said “Hi” to me on msn without receiving a reply. i’ve been sick since wed and while my body is still working on coughing my lungs out, the fever and sniffy nose finally subside.

having been forced to sleep 18hrs a day and eat nothing but porridge due to the sick bug, i’m finally back in operation. and being my hardworking self (though family and close friends will laugh out lot and beg to differ), i got up at 9.32am (2mins of laziness) and met up with my peking buddy desmond to head down to school. he wanted to get some work done and i wanted to reformat my laptop and collect my exchange package. happy to say, i completed my to-do stuff. desmond on the other hand is currently in the library sprawled out on the sofa, asleep. do work my foot! =)

now to redeem myself: thankkkkkk youuuuuuu desmond. thank you for picking me up, lending me your hard drive (getting infected with virus in the process), waiting for me while i got my laptop reformatted, driving us to hanabi for lunch, waiting for me at the admin block while i collect my exchange package etc etc… all in a day’s work. desmond is the nicest man with the sweetest gf and the best-est relationship out of all the people i know. <3

and it was real fun running into amelia at the library. haha. this little one has a big mean hug. i miss you tooooo. singles’ night!

i’m glad desmond is as crazy about sashimi as me. 1 craving satisfied. why should i spend 20bucks in sakae eating the normal maki and stuff when i can get fresher and better food at hanabi for 32bucks.  not to mention the unlimited quantity. thank you accompanying me!

audrey we miss you! come back soon~!

 

=)

brendapanda has landed

i’m home~! like finally….

my flight was supposed to take off at 3.25pm landing at 9.25pm. however, for some undisclosed reason.. the flight was delayed and only left at 5.30pm. when i say undisclosed, i really mean undisclosed. there were no announcements etc. i was at the gate and ETD was suddenly 4.40pm and there’s a delay after that. I had to sit on the cold hard floor for 2 hrs.. waiting and waiting. and then i had to sit/sleep beside a fat man who snores on the plane. anyway i’m home now! =)

i realize i haven’t been updating for the longest time. there’s forbidden city, great wall, ktv fun, the last goodbyes, the last dinners….. but i shall skip that for now. there’s so many pictures to resize and load that i get lazy just thinking about it.

coming home has been great apart from the nasty weather. not quite used to the humidity and sudden downpour. one more thing i’m not used to is the sudden change in language and accent. its interesting, i didn’t realize it coming back from france/us but this time, i notice the difference. very interesting.

so…. what have i done since coming home?

1. clean and brush paddyboo (she was scruffy. now she’s fluffy)
2. cooked my own maggie noodles (soooo gooooood)
3. ate thai food (bad idea when i haven’t had hardcore spicy food for 2 mths)
4. cut my hair (yippie dooobeedooobeedoo)
5. met up with emily + esther (sec sch mates.. those days)
6. ate sakae sushi (jap food never enough)
7. sang ktv (fun!)
8. went to get my last cervical cancer vaccine jab (ouchie~ every girl should get this done)
9. ate chicken rice (yumyum for my tumtum)
10. met up with cindy + zila (sobsobs…)
11. ate good pasta (delight!)
12. update my blog (ahh well… i had to)

that’s quite a bit done for 3days. i’m going for a movie tomorrow. my first in a couple of months! i don’t even remember the last movie i watched in the cinema. hmmm…. nope. don’t remember.

fun with the ladies. spot the new ‘do!

who needs men?

The Event

Visuals from the event, the reason why i had to work OT on my precious saturday and sunday. lets start with an introduction on the venue.

NCPA… the big egg. on the outside, a rather interesting dome design with water surrounding it. at the entrance (Basement 1), look up and you can see water all around you as seen in the center pic of the collage. inside, get lost in there and you’ll never find your way out. it just goes round and round and round. we were at the basement looking for a certain lift. it was like being in a honeycomb. corridors painted grey leading to so many different places. i can pass the same door and never know. it all looks the same to me. creepy.

the place where i spent my entire weekend, VIP lounge. i have to admit it’s rather cozy.

VIP deserves the best and that includes big and bold uniquely designed flower arrangements.

VIP food. roast beef, scallop, salmon, lobster, peking duck, gourmet sandwiches…. luckily there were leftovers. =D

-_- long story to tell this one. grrrrrrrr…… poor us.

pre performance dinner @ raffles.

HOWEVER! I had my colleagues who keep my smiling! and now, we’re inseparable! i guess the thing about event is that it bonds people together. especially if you have nothing to do in between events, talk talk talk talk talk. the more you talk, the closer you become. =) i’m actually not too upset about OT-ing.. good food good company. =)

i’m usually more interesting but i really hate re-sizing and uploading pictures…. arrrghs~ i’ll write another post later. right now, look at the pictures and form your own assumptions. =)

TGIF~!

great and forbidden

looks like the great wall remains great and the forbidden city remains forbidden.  i have yet to scale the walls or enter the gates.

this weekend was spent OT-ing. and now i have exactly ONE weekend left to do the great and forbidden stuff before going back to the merlion city. oh yes, my tickets are confirmed. 5th of Jul is The Day. the day I can once again use my +65 number and the day when I can access blogspot and wordpress from home without having to use some fake server thing to bypass the great firewall of china.

apart from OT-ing, i just finished my gossip girls series. this is one of those shows where i can watch it without using my brain. one of those typical young and beautiful people in beautiful outfits, privileged lifestyle, seemingly perfect life dotted with secrets of imperfections, private school, town house/pent house, scandals, gossips……. no real and concrete storyline but just neverending little pop-ups in the “poor little rich girl” life. very entertaining nonetheless but i bet reading the book will cause me excruciating pain. i love reading books. whether in the toilet, on the plane, in the mrt, when i’m eating, when i’m shitting.. everywhere….. all kinds of book except the biographies. my habit is to always finish reading anything i start no matter how crappy or expected the ending will be. but the one book i can never finish is the “Shopaholic” series by Sophie Kinsella. my gawd.. painful.. its ridiculous, totally unrealistic, brainless, worse than chickflicks movie (strictly in my opinion only). of coz i know many girls who see it as a very funny and amusing read and i can see why. however, i think chickflicks are great on movies and shows but not on books.

reading chickflick is an oxymoron.

anyway i digressed.

so since i was working OT the past week, i have about 2 days of compensation leave to clear. i’ve chose to clear it on 3/7 – 4/7 and my official last day of work is on 2/7 wednesday!

count down! count down!

i can’t wait to go back home to everybody and when i’m all nice and comfy again, its time to go taiwan!