Tastes like... ?

The weather is so gross now, i'm starting to think that Summer is really over. It's been raining pretty much all week with the exception of Tuesday. Yesterday evening when J came home from work, he called me to come downstairs to have a look at something. I thought maybe he needed help carrying something from the car but...


he just wanted me to look at the sky.

It looked so heavy and there was an eery silence that accompanied it.

It had pissed down hardcore a few hours earlier and you could still see the storm brewing in the distance.

So after being distracted by Mother Nature, we came back inside and i continued on preparing dinner.

Some time ago we bought some frozen Cabbage and Mushroom filled pasta at a small supermarket that stocks predominantly Russian and Polish food. I had never tried them before but since i love mushrooms so much, i figured they had to be good. J doesn't eat mushrooms, his hatred for fungi goes way back. And so i fried some chicken breast fillets, so he could chomp on them.


So anyway after making a super yummy Cheesy Bechamel white sauce from scratch and dumping all 500 grams of those over sized Polish pasta pockets in boiling water, i couldn't wait to try them.

I mean, look at the people on the package. They look happy and it's a family affair, therefore it must be good. Right?

WRONG!

I should know better seeing that Advertising is known to stretch the truth and LIE!

After my first bite, my initial thoughts were, what a complete, utter anti-climax!

It reminded me of a cross between an uncooked pork-filled curry puff and sour mushrooms wrapped in a lot of dough.

By the time i got to my third piece, i couldn't do it, my mind was playing tricks on me. It says there's only vegetables inside but why do i taste meat?

The inside even looked like mashed up raw meat, the texture was uncanny. I didn't see no recognisable vegetables.

So i hurried to the kitchen to examine the ingredients on the package and lo and behold nestled at the end between Vegetable oil and Wheat Fibre was Pork Fat.

I haven't eaten meat in over 7 years but i sure as hell know what pig tastes like even if it's just the fat.

I can't even imagine someone who does enjoy meat to even like them.

Maybe Polish food is an acquired taste?

*shrugs*

It reminded me of that time i ate the cucumbers that decorated a plate of pork swimming in oil that my friends were eating. Turned out that the cucumbers had completely absorbed the oil from the pork and that's all that i could taste.

And unless you're someone who doesn't eat meat, the concept of digesting the oil produced from the dead animal can be rather unsettling. Yup, good ole' Pu•tre•fac•tion; the process of decay or rotting in a body or other organic matter.

Needless to say, i threw up after.


But back to my polish pasta, yea, that was the end of my meal.

Serves me right for not tasting a piece before mixing it with the sauce, and what good sauce it was.

*Sigh*

...

I later stayed up to help J with his paper work. My job was to write down the matching bill number in the designated box above the company number and later sort them out alphabetically. J had to individually check the billing prices versus the actual amount that was printed - all tedious and monotonous work i say.


Yoshi, of course, wanted to get in on the action and took it upon himself to lie on all the documents and made sure that the work got done. Luna, on the other hand, was feeling anti-social and didn't want any part of it.

I prefer to wear nail polish than to have bare nails.

I remember as a child i would watch my mom paint her nails. She'd always apply a base coat to protect the nail bed, then 2-3 coats of colour and once they were dry she'd apply a top coat to seal it. When i asked her why she'd switch off the ceiling fan just before she'd apply her nail polish, she would say it was because it would cause the nail varnish to bubble if she hadn't.

By the time i was thirteen it seemed natural to want to start wearing nail polish and so i did so regularly. I was a Freshman in high school and wearing Poppy dark red matte coloured lipstick to class. It was after all the early 90s and matte lipstick was totally in!

Brands such as Maybelline, Revlon and Sally Hansen were usually the ones that i liked buying. And more than often i would hover around the dark reds and deep purples. The Darker the Better was my motto.

And when i moved to Germany and i didn't have a monthly income, the idea of buying a nail polish that was equivalent to buying a small meal was absurd, so i looked for alternatives.


But my collection of reds continues to grow. The MAC one, i think i stole from my sister when i was living with her, has been thinned out numerous times because it dried out and because i don't have the heart to throw it out.


My favorite nail polish was bought at DM and it's essence multi dimension: 3 in 1 nail polish with XXXL shine - "30 Late At Night". Followed by a layer of P2 8in1 Nail Wonder that functions as a topcoat, nail hardener, colour refresher, nail sealer, quick dry, ridge filler, anti splitting coat and UV protection. I also used it as a base coat.

Each retails for under 2 Euros!


Then when my folks came to see us in July, my mom bought me several presents. One was a set of Mini Nail Lacquers from Colección de España by OPI. The colours inside are Suzi Skis In The Pyrenees, No Spain No Gain, Pink Flamenco and a RapDry Top Coat.

I've never owned or tried on OPI nail polishes before but i had an immediate liking towards Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees. Thinking it was just another "black", i was completely fooled. It's not quite a black but more of a very deep blue-grey.

One Week After Application

I'm amazed with all the washing of dishes and daily typing, that i haven't got one chip! Usually with my more affordable brands by the 3rd or 4th day i will notice some wear & tear but with this one i didn't.

Love the OPI RapiDry Top Coat. It definitely works.

OPI is definitely heaps more than what i'm willing to pay but i guess you pay for the quality and the brand.

I wasn't able to photograph my nails when they were freshly painted, so i can't show you the exact colour but i did google for an image and stumbled upon The Hungry Asian who did.

She managed to capture the colour perfectly!

By the way, if you're into manicures, painting your nails and have a tendency to try out all sorts of colours and brands, you should check out her blog here. She has some great tips and advice.

And after watching one of her how-to-apply-polka-dots video, she answers a readers' question about how many nail polishes she has.

She says if she had to guess it would be around 200 - 300. And in her opinion is not a lot but for the average person it may sound crazy.

WooOooh.

Health Insurance. That's what it's there for.

So it turns out what i have is not life threatening, i don't have to worry that it's contagious and best of all, i don't have to give away the kitties.

Phew.

Since every month i'm being forced to pay over 200 Euros for my insurances, i figured i might as well make use of the service hence the reason why i was quick to call a Skin Specialist. And instead of usually paying a ridiculous bill for a consultation that takes less time than the actual waiting duration, local health care holders need only to pay 10 Euros for every quarter year and to each new doctor or specialist one sees.

For instance, last year i went to a skin specialist and just the consultation fee on it's own was 87.94 Euros.

Madness right!?

J told me local health care holders usually just pay a fraction of the price for the medicine as compared to what private health care holders have to pay.

Happy happy joy joy!


And this time i only had to fork over 5 Euros for my medicine.

Yay!

So anyway, we spoke in German - go me! And as he was explaining i asked if he could scribble down the name. So with his chicken scratchings he wrote down "Mikrobielles Ekzem", translated into English it's Microbial Eczema or Nummular Dermatitis. It's a result of dry skin and very low humidity in the air.

As a teen or a child i don't remember having so many health issues.

In fact, since i moved to this side of the world i've seen more specialists and gynaecologists for all sorts of things than i have my entire life.

I blame Age.

Proof that whilst you're young, it's important to take care of your health and not take it for granted!

That said, i also made an appointment to see my gynae since i was told i needed to come for a check-up in June [6 months after my operation]. Ya know, to check on my non-existent left fallopian tube and to see if everything is in working order down there.

But i'm happy to report that everything seems to be in working order.

My gut extinct says i'm OK and i haven't had any unusual pains. But now my Yasmin prescription is running out - i wonder if i still have to pay full price now that i have local health care?

It costs 19.78 Euros for one month [technically 21 days] but if you buy for 3 months it costs 39.40 Euros. Which means by paying for a 3-pack you end up saving 19.94 Euros!

Crazy right!?

So i called the office of my gynae and it turns out that she was a replacement for one of her colleagues who was on Maternity leave. But now that the woman is back from her leave, my gynae whom i met that fateful January 2nd in the Emergency room, has since returned to the hospital and is practising there.

But seeing that i'm not so attached to her, i figured i'd just go with the gynae that she replaced. I've moved 3 times since i've been living in Germany and therefore i've had 3 gynaecologists, so meeting a 4th, isn't so much of a big deal.

So we'll see, i'm hoping she's as nice as everyone says she is.

My appointment is for next Friday.

One out of Nine, so far.

I have developed some kind of rash on my thigh and it's even spreading to other parts of my body. I'm not sure how long they've been there since they're in an awkward position that requires me to twist my body to have a closer examination. One that obviously, unless you know they're there, you don't really bother with.

They're like little dry round/oval patches in various sizes that occasionally itch.

And so after self-diagnosing myself via Google, a range of possibilities are listed. Some obviously are more serious than others.

When i spoke to my mom on Sunday, she urged me to make an appointment with the doctor as soon as i could. She asked whether i thought it was ringworm - a fungal infection that affects both humans and animals.

It reminded me of the incident when i was about 11 years old and my sister and i bought 2 kittens at a local pet store. It wasn't long until we contracted a bad case of ringworm. Sadly, we had to give the kittens away because they were too sick and so were we.

I freaked out and thought, i'm not giving away Yoshi and Luna!

But what if i did catch something from them?

They got a clean bill of health in their last visit to the Vet plus, if i caught it from them then wouldn't that mean J would have the symptoms too? But he doesn't.

So yesterday i decided to call a few Skin Specialists in town.

I much prefer seeing a female doctor. I dunno, it's just my preference.

But the first female one listed in the phone book was booked out and the next available slot would be in October. Of course, i'm sure that has to do with the fact that i don't have Private Insurance anymore but just the regular kind and therefore, the wait is much longer.

Two months to see a doctor?

I don't think so. And so i thanked the lady on the phone and said i'd search for another doctor.

I eventually found another and was able to get an appointment for this afternoon. Unfortunately, it's a male doctor but i'd much rather get it looked at then to wake up one morning and have myself covered in them.

*Knocks on wood*

So i've written down some German phrases and i'm hoping they're correct;

Das juckt!
It itches!

Ist das ansteckend?
Is this contagious?

Können Sie das Wort aufschreiben bitte?
Can you write down the word please?

Ich frage mein Freund, er kann für mich übersetzen.
I ask my boyfriend, he can translate for me.

And i'm bringing a little notebook so the doctor can scribble down whatever it is that i have developed. I'm just hoping it's nothing contagious or life threatening and one that can be solved by a simple ointment.

I'll be back.

Hopefully he doesn't tell me i should be home quarantined.

But then again, it wouldn't really matter because 99% of the time i'm at home and i don't go anywhere anyway.

zzzZzzz

It's Monday already and i'm sitting here wondering what happened to the weekend. The weather was gorgeous but instead of taking advantage of it, i was at home.

Yup, our random train ride adventure did not happen as planned.

I went to bed around 4:30AM the night before because i was nitpicking at my project. I couldn't be bothered to wait any longer for J to finish his game so i could upload the files and just click SEND to my client.

So out of boredom and mainly out of annoyance, i slept for the most part of Saturday afternoon.

Yes, i sulked. So what!?

So what did i do on Saturday? Well when i woke up, J was of course sleeping, so i played a few rounds of online Poker to buy some time. Then spent the rest of the time channel surfing until i eventually passed out.

Fun, eh?

J chose to refrain from playing his games ALL of Saturday and even said and i quote, "It's getting kinda boring. And my friends aren't online".

Yea, you know why? Because THEY PROBABLY HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE THE WORLD OF BLOODY-FUCKING-WARCRAFT!

Or not.

Well i can't really remember what we did but it alternated between watching a bunch of DVDs we borrowed from the library and taking a nap or two.

...

Then today after work he helped me take my Bumble Bee Bicycle to the petrol station to put air in the tires. J had borrowed the company's van, so it was much easier to transport the bike there. Then when we got back, he took his bike and we rode around the block a few times - it was nice, we hadn't done that in awhile.

Oh man, it didn't take long for me to feel the burn in my legs. I'm so unfit!

But one thing is for sure and that is i definitely need more practice stopping and starting my bike. It freaks me out when cars drive so damn close to me!

I need to be more confident.

So anyway, we came home and i prepared dinner. But just when i thought he got bored of playing, he was back online playing with his little "friends".

Hmmpf.

Well he did manage to sit down with me for most of the dinner. I should at least be grateful for that but of course, had the monitor turned in his direction so he could spring up just in time before someone tried to attack him.

So much for him being bored of playing games online.

J suggested we go away THIS weekend.

Hmmm.

We'll see about that!

I'm sure as hell not keeping my fingers crossed.

02:31 AM

{ Photo Boothing }
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{ Chillin' to Oliver Koletzki featuring Fran - Hypnotized }

XO

I'm so happy it's Friday. Even though every day is pretty much the same for me, it's nice to know that i won't be woken up by J's alarm clock tomorrow at 5 AM.

At 5:30 AM i dragged myself out of bed to open the balcony door so the kitties could have their morning snoop and i was greeted by a colourful sunrise.


A nice change to the grey skies and rain clouds we've been having the last couple of days.

So as you know J got accepted into some online clan not too long ago. The clan that one apparently has to be super good to be part of and the only way one can be part of this elite group is if one gets invited.

And now that J's part of this clan, the minute he gets home from work he sits in front of his computer playing game after game and speaking with the other clan members about strategies and whatnot.

Jealous? Maybe.

Maybe i'm just annoyed that he would much rather play Warcraft 3 and be sleep deprived for work, then to go to bed at a decent hour and want to spend some time with me.

It really does suck having no friends nearby.


So i made a Vegan Broccoli and Smoked Tofu Quiche accompanied by a salad for dinner. Previously we would sit together and talk over dinner but lately he's been too preoccupied with playing Warcraft 3, to even have a full meal with me.

When we spend time together now, it usually involves being at the supermarket. I know, it's quite sad. And whilst walking up and down the aisles can be exciting, it's not really my idea of how i'd like to spend our "quality" time together. I've made it a point to voice out my frustrations.

Why don't i just go online, you ask?

Well our internet speed is really ghetto/slow so whilst he plays his game, i can't be online in fear that it would lag his connection and god forbid, the world would end if his team loses and his stats fucks up.

But this weekend will be the first weekend in ages that we have to ourselves.

July was spent entertaining Little L and spending time with my folks. Then J's brother was staying with us and then last weekend he drove to Duesseldorf and spent all day/night helping at a Wedding that his friend was catering for.

The Weatherman promised good weather, so i'm eager to do something other than sitting at home and waiting for J to be done with his game so i could get some attention.

Today the temperature shot up to 31˚C by mid afternoon and it looks like it's going to be the same tomorrow too.

Sweaty much!?

But J promised me we would spend "quality" time together tomorrow.

His plan is for us to buy a Weekend train ticket and just travel randomly to some city within Germany and stay the night at some hostel or B & B. But i think Deutsche Bahn has changed their policy and instead of only paying 37 Euros for both Saturday AND Sunday, the Ticket-for-Two is now only valid for one day.

But i'm still waiting for my client to pay, so it may just mean we do a day trip.

I'm a little on the broke side but we'll see.

I'm not getting my hopes up too high because it may just end up that he'll play all night and through the morning, then just end up passing out for the rest of the day.

Hmmm.

So if i end up writing a post tomorrow, it probably just means i've been home all day and i've been waiting for J to wake up.

Well whatever happens, i hope you have an interesting weekend.

Breeding Succulents.

It rained for most of the day today. In fact, it's been raining pretty much on and off since Sunday. The temperature has now dipped down to the mid-teens and at one point i was even wearing a scarf, as if i was getting ready for Autumn.

I so hope Summer isn't over!

Just as i was getting used to seeing the sun, Mother Nature has turned her back on us. Living 9 months of the year under grey and miserable conditions can be so depressing. One reason why i wouldn't mind moving away from here.

Speaking of moving, i finally got around to removing our dead plants in our planter boxes.

Yup, it's taken me 6 months to do it.

Those fancy plants i planted when we were still living in Duesseldorf last Summer [here] didn't make it through the -17˚C Winter we had.

But the Succulents in my rock garden did. They had miraculously multiplied and were practically trying to escape the planter box. So i looked around in our cellar if we had any spare pots and we did. It helps being a hoarder sometimes.


And figured maybe if i just replant some of the Succulents, i'd save me from wasting money on plants that, obviously, will die by next season.

Turns out a fancy pot full of those Succulents with arranged pebbles can sell for as much as 30 Euros!

Well damn.


Why should i pay 30 Euros for something that i can put together myself?

I'm just hoping with all this rain that we've been having, it doesn't drown them to death. Turns out they're indoor plants and they need very little water to survive.

Uh oh.

But thanks to my sudden need to attend to my Green Thumb then and there, i had forgotten to wear extra layers that chilly morning. Serves me right for doing the gardening barefoot and in a singlet. And that probably explains why yesterday i felt like i was coming down with something.

Whoops.

My head was throbbing and i complained that my body hurt. I felt like i was getting some kind of sickness and so J felt sorry for me and went to the Pharmacy after work to buy me WICK MediNait. It supposedly works wonders if you have a fever, sniffles, aches and pains.

A bit skeptical, i took it anyway because i have a deadline tomorrow and can't afford to waste anymore time.
30 ml is all it took and that stuff knocked me out!

I would even say it's nearly as good as those famous Green Pills my doctor used to prescribe to me here - which are banned because of a certain ingredient.

Hmmm.

So anyway, i was rudely awaken by Luna's whining AGAIN at 4:30 AM this morning and then J's alarm clock that went off half an hour after that.

Luna continued to whine throughout the morning, so i dragged my drowsy self out of bed and fell asleep on the sofa. I woke up with Yoshi wedged beside me and Luna nuzzled against the pillow snoring.

169 cm tall.

When it comes to shoes, i'm a creature of habit. I'll wear the same pair over and over until they're breaking at the seams or they look like they've lived through a few lifetimes.

I have a problem with finding shoes that fit. I range between a 37 and 38 and that seems to be the common shoe size. But when i do eventually find a pair, more than often they're so uncomfortable, i can't imagine wanting to go through the pain of breaking them in. And although there are many women who wouldn't dare walk out their front door without putting on a pair of pumps, i would much rather put on a pair of slippers.

But that wasn't always the case, there was a period during my teenage years when i told myself i had to wear heels. Wait, not just heels during the day but Platform wedges. And not just during the day but whilst dancing at night clubs! How i even managed that, is beyond me.

I think i was going through a denial stage.

Then in highschool standing beside girls in my class who seemed to be growing by the inches whilst my growth spurt seemed to be put on a permanent hold.

vi.sualize.us

I envied them and their long legs.

Then when reality hit, i gave up the dream that one day i would be tall.

I was 22 when that happened and in a relationship that was on the verge of breaking. But my love for slippers and flats were growing stronger.

Who needs the pain and them blisters anyway!?

8 years later, i am still wearing some of the same clothes and realising maybe it's time to rekindle my love for heels. If only i could run around in a pair of Bordello Burlesque platform pumps without complaining.

Now at a measly 158 cm, i wonder if i had drank more milk as a child, would i have helped bump up my height by a few centimetres?

J's hinted way too many times that he would much prefer me wearing heels rather than the slippers that have no support for my semi-flat feet. And his determination to get me to start wearing heels again, has gone as far as bringing me to the shoe store and sitting patiently whilst i try them on.

What a kind man.

An example would be yesterday, as we were running around trying to look for a pair of Lloyd work shoes for him, we made a detour to Deichmann. The new season is out, so i casually looked at the shoes there.


10 minutes later and only after being convinced that i looked good in them, he bought me these two new pairs of ankle boots... Thank you! Perhaps my fastest shoe shopping experience ever.

I'm not quite sure when and with what i'll wear them with since i'm desperate for a new wardrobe change too but at least my toes won't be cold when Autumn gets here or better yet, my feet won't get eaten alive again by those damn blood suckers!

But i reckon, they were some kind of blackmail.

You know, a way to shut me up so he can continue to play his computer games all night and ignore me.

Oh well, it worked.

I'm happy, even though i'm sitting here barefoot and don't intend to go anywhere except maybe the supermarket later.

Roti Canai + Potatoes & Lentils Curry

Ever since i left KL at the end of 2007, i've been missing Roti Canai [for those of you who are not familiar with the dish, it's pronounced "Cha-nai," not "Kanai"]. It's a flat, almost flaky bread that can either be eaten as a snack or as a main meal and most of the time it's accompanied with some kind of curry as a dip.

When i found out it was quite easy and that i actually had all the ingredients in my kitchen, i was convinced i had to make it myself.

So after watching dozens of YouTube videos and browsing through recipes, i finally ended up using SBS[dot]com's recipe.

Roti Canai Dough
300 grams plain flour
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
Sunflower oil
+
Butter

***

In the end i had to add more liquid than what was stated in the original recipe so that it would combine. And i also added some oil. Click here if you want to watch the video and need full instructions.

But i basically went with gut feeling when i came to adding the wet ingredients.

So if the mix looked too dry, then i slowly added more liquid. And to give it a more Play-Doh consistency, i added about two tablespoons or maybe more of sunflower oil to the mix.

Many of the recipes asks for Ghee [which i found out is just the clarified liquid that forms after one heats butter] but that's too complicated, hence the reason for the oil. I've also seen some recipes that don't use milk at all. So i guess it depends on your preference.


I basically left the dough to "rest" overnight in a bowl covered with cling wrap and in a closed oven [NOT switched on].

Then after 14 hours, i divided them into balls and used my hands to slather butter over them. I guess if you're vegan, you could always use margarine. And then left it to sit for another 4 hours.

You can use this step by step recipe by Chef In You and allow the pictures to guide you.


I covered the area i was using with a little oil. And instead of a rolling pin, i just used the palm of my hand to flatten it out. I also placed a small bowl of oil beside me, so at anytime i needed to smooth out the dough, i could just do so by dipping my fingers in the oil.

Then made it as thin as i could without tearing. And if there were tears, i just squished the dough together to close up the gaps.

No worries, it's all good.


When i couldn't flatten it further i sprinkled a little oil in the middle and folded the sides in.



I tried doing that fancy flip [as seen above] but it just wasn't happening.

My dough somehow wasn't stretchy enough. I have yet to figure out why that is.

And i realised that the balls of dough could have been somewhat bigger. The finished pieces were so mini! So instead of 6 + 2 little ones that i made, i reckon if i divided the dough into 5 or 6, the size of each finished piece would be bigger, allowing more air between the layers.


So after frying both sides and making sure they're slightly brown, i laid the piece on the work table [or wherever you've prepared the dough] and placed my hands on either side of the fried dough, as though i'm about to clap my hands and then i clap.

If it's too hot, you can use two spatulas or place a paper towel over the piece and squish the dough together, that way you break up the layers.

I then served it beside a curry that had been simmering over a low heat for about 3 hours prior to serving.


As i made the curry up as i went along, each ingredient amount listed is a rough estimate.

Potatoes + Red Lentils Curry
100 grams Red lentils [washed until the water ran clear]
1/2 finely chopped onion
1 piece of garlic
600 ml water
1/2 tube of Tomato Purée
1 cup Plain Yogurt [i happened to have Plain Soy Yogurt, so i used that]
4 Potatoes [peeled and cut into bite size pieces]
2 tablespoons Curry powder [I used Baba's Kurma Curry Powder]
1 tablespoon Vegetable Broth powder
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
Salt
Pepper

I would advise if you make this, to taste it as you go along. You can add pretty much any spice you like or even some chili, i just so happened to use the ones above.

YUMMEH!

If i close my eyes, it's ALMOST like eating the real thing. But i have to admit, it was pretty damn tasty.

I'm so happy, now i don't have to wait till i get to Malaysia to attend to my Roti Canai cravings - i can just make it myself! Although having it made by a "professional" minus all that manual work would be obviously heaps better.

Well we have heaps of left over curry, so i know what we're having for dinner again tomorrow! Yay, another batch of dough has been made and is in the process of "resting".

Look B4 U Leap

It's just about 2:15 PM and i'm totally unmotivated to work. Lucky for me my deadline isn't until next week. But i know the days will start catching up and i'll find myself wishing i wouldn't get so sidetracked. I blame the rain and the icky weather for making me want to crawl back into bed.

But after watching this video, that an college friend on Facebook had found on YouTube, it totally woke me up. And thought i had to share this with you all!

Each time i watch it, i can't help but laugh. It cracks me up because i can SO imagine Luna doing something like this and pretending like nothing happened.

In case you have your computer on mute, go and turn the sound on - it's much funnier.

Don't get me wrong, i'm not the kind of person who laughs when animals are in misery or in pain.

That's just cruel, OK?

But i doubt this kitty got hurt at all, maybe just a little shook up.



Silly kitty.

It's almost as if the kitty is flying in slow motion... and then... LOL.

*Goes and clicks REPLAY*

15

... is the number of mosquito bites i have on my feet! I woke up this morning just before 5 am in an itching frenzy. J had to get into work for an early shift replacement, so whilst he was busy in the bathroom, i sat up in bed wishing i could shred my feet into little strips.

But lucky for me i had asked my mom to bring with her a cream i simply call the "itchy cream". It's in a purple tube and it's called Eurax. It does wonders in relieving that oh so annoying itch.

All that rain and the random bursts of sunshine we've had during the last week has given those blood sucking bitches time to breed and multiply.

I'm like a magnet, who attracts them a mile away.

I swear i could be in a room full of people and it would be me that would be covered in bites.

But let me tell you what happened prior to me being eaten alive.

So on Friday we needed to go the supermarket but on our way out i realised i forgot to wear my ring so i ran back upstairs. When i came down, J was next door at our neighbours' front yard chit chatting about something to our neighbours. I had told J about the incident with the UPS guy and how i bumped into our neighbour who then asked us if we were going to their party [see previous post].

They then invited us inside to have a beer and then gave us a tour of their place.

Turns out that they were one of the first houses to be built in the area and have in fact lived here for 46 years. We were told that over a hundred guests had confirmed that they were coming. Apparently they had invited the whole neighbourhood and many were coming.


And one of their neighbours even put up a banner on the street to indicate where the party was. The banner says, TO SILVER WEDDING. Whoever did the lettering obviously wasn't concerned about the kerning.

Aaaaargh... please can i move the I & T closer to the E?

Our next door neighbours are really friendly and although i didn't quite get around to mentioning to them that i can't speak that much German. J was an absolute trooper and kept the conversations going. They probably just think i'm very shy.

Two beers later and smiling so much that my cheeks were sore, we eventually left and said we'd drop by the next day. Even if it was after midnight because we still had to see J's mother and drive back.

We wanted to buy them flowers but then thought what if say, 50 guests came and brought with them each a bouquet of flowers. A bit of an overkill, right?

On Saturday morning we thought we'd check out Jacques, a wine store nearby and asked if the guy could recommend something. The guy running the store was pretty cute and apparently J said i couldn't stop blushing when J told him the reason why i wanted to take a photo of the wine.


Anyway we ended up with a bottle of Grappa Stravecchia - a dessert wine from Italy.

We then drove to Salzbergen [just before the border of Holland] and is about an hour and a half away from where we live to pick up J's older brother. J's brother had done an internship for 2 weeks in the same company as J and apparently they were so impressed with the older brother that they offered him a job before his training was complete. No longer unemployed, he now has a full-time job as a chef.

Then we drove all the way to their parents' place and J's older brother showed me how to make a very simple curry sauce and Roti Canai [click for recipe] - a type of flat bread that J and i've been craving for ever since we left Malaysia. But instead of Ghee as the recipe states, oil works just as well.


They tasted good but nothing actually beats eating the real deal. One definitely needs to get the technique right. I found the dough to be still quite thick at the end and tasting a little like curry puff pastry but never mind. I will definitely have to try and make it myself though by watching How to Make Roti Canai YouTube vids.

Just so you know if i ever make my way back to KL for a visit, i'm totally going to overdose on Roti Canai and all that yummy food.

So anyway, by the time we drove back it was midnight and we were exhausted.

Still full from all that food, we made our way over to the neighbour's place, armed with a present and tired smiles. When we got there, there was probably about 30 people still there and it was clear that a few people, including the grandfather had drunk too much when they couldn't stop slurring.

Our landlord was there too and had turned a shade of red from having drank as much as he did. We found out that they told him that we had gone over to meet them the day before. Proof that a close-knitted community likes to talk to one another about the latest gossip.

It had rained heavily earlier on but thanks to the marquees everything was dry. 2 plus hours later we left and my belly was full of beer, potatoes, peanuts and cake. Oh and not forgetting my feet which were covered with damn mozzie bites!

And there i thought i was running away from those blood suckers by moving to this side of the world. Who would have guessed Germany would be breeding them too!?

Oh. Hello Neighbour.

The UPS delivery man rang my doorbell just now since my landlord wasn't home. But because i was taking out a fresh banana loaf out of the oven at that very second, i didn't get to the door immediately. And as usual if nobody is at home, the delivery people just leaves the packages with our neighbors for us to pick up. Apparently, everyone in our neighborhood is that trustworthy.

So as i raced downstairs, guess who was downstairs!?

Yup, the neighbour who is having that massive 25th Anniversary party tomorrow. And without thinking twice went outside to get the package from him so i could just put it outside my landlord's door. I thanked him and turned around, only for him to ask if J and i were going to their party.

Uh oh.

How do you tell somebody politely that you don't want to can't go? Let alone explain why you didn't even bother to RSVP.

I felt like someone threw the spot light on me and all eyes were waiting for me to reply.

I tried to scrape together enough German to say that we were driving up north tomorrow and that i wasn't sure if we could make it. He replied with something i didn't understand but having been caught off guard, i suddenly felt cornered and quickly blurted out, "Maybe. I must ask J."

For all i know he could have asked me my opinion about the marquees and whether they're making too much noise.

I should really learn to say, i don't understand when I seriously DON'T UNDERSTAND.

I mean what if he REALLY did ask me about the marquees outside. Or whether i mind listening to Alicia Bridges - I Love The Nightlife on full blast and to that i replied with, "Maybe. I must ask J."

No wonder he looked at me a little bit strange after.

Damn it!

Why did i have to go outside to begin with!? Why couldn't i have ignored the doorbell as i've done so many times before.

Being put under pressure makes me do/say silly things sometimes. Now we definitely have to go over and be all neighbourly.

Hello Neighbour!

For the past week the weather has been absolutely crap with temperatures barely reaching its' 20s. It's still Summer but the moody skies and showers made me think Autumn was on her way sooner. I know i complain about the heat but the extreme change in weather is depressing.

But at the moment the sun is out and there's only a few scattered clouds. And the weekend promises good weather, so my fingers are crossed.

As i type this i can hear my next door neighbour listening to a compilation of 70s tracks in their garden. First it was Hot Chocolate - You Sexy Thing and now it's the Village People - YMCA. They just completed putting up a third marquee in their back garden for a 25th Anniversary party that they will be hosting tomorrow.

Our neighbors live in a three-generation household. Both sets of in-laws live under the same roof and the grand children look like they are teenagers.

I wonder what that must be like, living permanently under the same roof as their parents for the rest of their lives. I mean i love my parents and all but i also like my freedom, if you know what i mean. If you don't count boarding school, i moved out and to a whole different country weeks before my 18th birthday.

So our neighbours were kind enough to send us an invitation over two months ago but we hadn't replied back - i know, how impolite of us. But i reckon they just sent it to us out of courtesy so we don't call the cops on them for being too loud.

I mean i haven't said more than a few words to them and if we happen to see one another from a far, i usually just wave hello before getting on with whatever i was doing.


This is their invitation. They stuck a photo of themselves taken 25 years ago on the cover, on what i can only assume was their wedding day. Several kilos lighter and standing in front of the very house that they're still living in.

Crazy.

So not only do they live with their folks and in-laws but they've lived in the same town for their whole married life.

WooOoh.

Longest i've stayed in any city was 5 years but i did manage to change residential postal codes twice during that time span.

I can't imagine living my WHOLE life in one little town, in the SAME house and with the SAME people. Wouldn't that be boring?

We hadn't planned on going to their party but needed some excuse.

But since J plans to see his mom this weekend and return his parents' Mercedes that he borrowed we thought we'd use that reason. His parents' car runs on diesel and when we drove down to see my sister and parents, we knew it would be heaps cheaper than driving with J's Audi which runs on normal fuel.

But even though we're not going to our neighbours party, we do plan on buying them a present - you know, being neighborly and all. The plan is to ring their doorbell tomorrow morning and apologize for missing their celebration. And should they want to chit chat, we have that covered. We'll say we don't have that much time as we're just about to drive to J's mother who lives about 2 hours away.

So yesterday we googled what one gets if one celebrates 25 years and traditionally, one would receive Silver.

Hmmmf.

We don't know them that well to be dishing out silver especially to people we haven't said more than a few words to. I mean we're sort of on a budget.

Then i thought maybe i could bake them something but then i thought, what if they have allergies and an ingredient i use causes them to have a reaction and they get sent to hospital. Or what if they're diabetic. What if...

I dunno.

Maybe we'll just be boring and get them a bottle of bubbly and flowers. After all, the Opa does sign for my DHL packages when i'm not at home.

Leek Quiche + Pasta with Smoked Tofu and soy cream

There was a time when my only task for the day was deciding when i should wash the dirty dishes in the sink. Oh and of course, figuring out what exciting new developments was going on in my life and then blogging about it.

But now with a steady flow of projects, that should technically keep me occupied well into next year, my week days and weekends tend to sometimes blend into one. Hence, the reason why i've been missing lately.

Working from home has its' benefits but it sure can get monotonous.

Which probably explains my latest passion, Baking.

Baking gives me time to concentrate on something else other than trying to meet a deadline. And as a bonus for being semi-productive, i get to eat my hard earned work. How good is that!?

And as a non-meat eater who still eats seafood but had no experience with incorporating soy or smoked tofu into my meals, i was interested to see whether i would like it.

My regular readers, who were succumbed to months of Drama & Tears and the occasional one night stand, are now forced to read about my eating habits - which now that i think about, is probably as exciting as watching me paint my nails. But now that i don't really have a social life and have become somewhat of an unofficial wifey, what else is there for me to do but improvise.


My latest challenge was to bake a Vegan Leek Quiche with Smoked Tofu - click for recipe. Originally made by fellow blogger, Sharon, whom i've recently been inspired to introduce some Vegan recipes into our meals. I've only eaten quiches made with eggs, in fact, i had no idea that one could make a quiche without eggs.

Interesting.

But i didn't actually have any soy cream in the fridge at the time, so i replaced it with normal cream. Which technically doesn't make it "vegan" or less fattening for that matter.


My only comment would be that i made the crust too thick but other than that, i loved it! Next time, i'm going to try using soy cream as the recipe had stated.

Oh how i LOVE leeks!

I had also tried making Sharons' other recipe, Pasta with smoked Tofu + onions in Soy cream sauce - click for recipe. I had made the dish before using full cream but found it very filling and almost felt sick after having eaten that much cream in one sitting.

I'm a definite Rice, Potatoes and Pasta monster! Yes, Carbs are definitely my friend.


So anyway, i went out especially to look for some soy cream. It's much more expensive than regular cream and the supermarket we normally go to doesn't stock it. So when i found the soy cream i was excited - proof that even the smallest things in life can make me happy. And after looking at the fat content, it was enough to make me think, Holy crap! 30 grams versus 2.5 grams of fat. It's no wonder Vegans are so slim.

I don't count calories but the facts are impressive.


There is a definite difference in taste even after it's cooked. And the nuttiness [i think that's what it is] isn't as dominating as when you taste it fresh. Having made this, it definitely changed my view of cooking with soy cream. And using the vegetable broth powder as extra seasoning is a must to add more flavor.

But like with all cooking, it's best to taste it as you go along. Now i can eat just as much without feeling so guilty.