seven.days.to.go

It's another weekend!! I spent this week mostly in sickness, starting with stomach flu since last Sunday and before the flu is fully recovered I had an ear infection that swollen up my right jaws and not able to speak and eat for the next two days. So I pretty much eat nothing the whole week... Today at least I can move my mouth and eat some solid food...

Not a good way to count down especially when I have a long haul trip to make. Next week this time I am on the flight to Chicago, am not really excited at the moment as there is a severe snow storm in that region. I had enough snow and really not looking forward flying from a cold country to a COLDER country. But on the positive note, you never know how the weather will behave next week. So, yeah, I started packing today and it is hard to pack for business and pleasure yet taking the weather into consideration, but it will be fine, I am almost done with packing just need to stay focus and making sure I recover properly... Enjoy your weekend!!

it's.not.over.yet

I woke up this morning feeling much better, in fact the headache and muscle ache already subside and last night I slept without pain killer. Despite the complaints subsided, I finally concluded that the stomach is still not fully recover, i.e. I must run to the bathroom 30 min after I ate something. Mind you what I ate is absolutely minimal but the flu effect is still rather persistent. I hope I will be able to go to work tomorrow, in fact I have to...

stomach.flu

Been having headache for a few days and my blood sugar also remains on the high side even when my eating pattern is normal. Only last night while eating at restaurant celebrating the belated birthday dinner of my SIL that I realized I have came close to contact with stomach flu. Luckily it only activated towards the end of dinner. Last night was alright not much running to the bathroom, but since this morning I have been practically sitting in there... No appetite for food, my body is weak and muscle ache.. Well hopefully it will be over soon...

iPhotography

I was seriously thinking of investing in DSLR camera and have been during a lot of reading during my free time, learning the technical terminologies and various concepts of photography. I thought it's about time to move away from point and shoot and progressing into the advance level. I kind of figure out what I want as the basic body, nothing fancy but entry level DSLR body and then get two lenses, one for normal usage and one macro lens. I have learnt that a good photography device is not on the camera body but lenses and also learn about the trinity of exposure = aperture + shutter speeds, how aperture affects the depth of field and various. I know my passion for photography lies on the food, still shot and perhaps landscape and may be portrait if I have good model and subject…

I also know a DSLR is going to be much bulky and heavy than my current Panasonic Lumic DMC-LX3 and I am certainly happy with most of the shots that I have taken using it but certain blur, bokeh or close-up manipulation is always difficult at certain distance.

As my search go on, I suddenly realize that I have not use my Panasonic to the fullest, and there are a couples of add on lens that could bring the photography to the next level. So I think I have changed my mind, I will stay on with my Panasonic for another year or so by investing in the extra add on lens. Anyway, this advancement is much more economical then investing in a DSLR. To get to DSLR, I need to first accept the weight of the camera and the extra weight of the lens. I really don’t think I would like to carry bulk of equipments when I am going around making pictures, further there are more DSLR or serious photography jargon's and concepts that I still couldn’t understand despite of my extensive research on the Internet lately regarding photography.

I also discover my love for 35mm film camera and the one I had in my mind is Lomography L-CA+ and some toy cameras of the same line. Lomography is known for capturing vibrant color and its unique multiple exposure modes that produces somewhat arty photos.
So I guess I have made up my mind, extend my Panasonic to the fullest with extra conversion lens and get my new love Lomography 35mm film camera.

If my US trip come true, these will be mine as soon as I check in to the training center. Trust me these things are so much cheaper in the States than else where in Europe.

i.have.been.reading.

on new york encounter the last few days... this is a rather handy and small book with brief introduction of manhattan and brooklyn. simple and easy to follow, that's exactly what I needed for a short stopover trip. 'if' i make it to new york city this time, it will be my third visits, thus manhattan is not new for me but it remains an exciting place for repeating visits. the reason why i said 'if' is because there were two attempts to cancel my trip to US in conquest of project obligation in london. i will be disappointed if the trip is cancelled but i would be fine if it is God's will as i learn to live in His will daily. i told God if it is His will that I shouldn't go US, I am fine but after going through the hassle of applying the visa, finalized air ticket and arranging my personal side trip, it would be expensive for the project to pay all the cost plus finding a replacement for my US assignment at the last 2 weeks would be difficult.

as you may already noticed, i blog less lately as i going back to work for 75%, i am tired in the evening and thus never turn on my computer. i still love sharing in this space but it will be less for that reason but nothing is going to stop me from airing myself in this space.

strawberry=spring?

last Friday i spotted lots of strawberries in the local supermarket. they are fresh and big ones, so i bought a pack home.

looking at the strawberries, it is as if spring has arrived but in reality we are still in a rather prolong and severe wintery weather. although the chinese new year in a way marked the arrival of spring..

best way to eat fresh strawberries is with freshly baked english scone.

and of course with a layer of whipped cream

i actually ate this as breakfast and they are delicious!

Spring, please come soon!!!

last.weekend

I baked some lychee chiffon cup cakes...

the cake batter contains pieces of lychee and almond flakes

take one - simple by adding a whole lychee as topping

take 2 - whipped cream with more shredded lychee , half the cup cake, spread the cream in between and top layer, final touch with a lychee on top.

enjoy!

iLove

Could love really covers over a multitude of sins? Well, at least the bible says so in 1 Peter 4:8

iHeart

To the world you are one person, but to one person you are the world. ~Anonymous

除夕.chinese.new.year.eve

chinese new year, a tradition that deeply rooted in my family yet I have not celebrating this festive season for year. last year we actually had our reunion dinner at the funeral parlor as my dad just passed away a few days prior to chinese new year.

this year it is also rather sober here with Johannes down with stomach flu but somehow deep inside me I am not contented to let this day past by without any remarkable memory.

i had lot of MSN chats, sms exchange, facebook chats today with friends and family all over the world, it is nice to catch some festive spirit this way....

i decided to make a dish that usually eat during chinese new year - braised pork belly in soy sauce and hard boiled eggs. i usually don't cook pork belly but today is truly an exception ...

the braised pork belly in soy sauce in a chinese new year setting, some red packet and a red cherry blossoms as background.

the making in process, the sliced fatty pork belly, some white peppers, garlic clove but the end result is delicious...

Happy Chinese New Year everyone, wherever you are!

恭禧发财，新年快乐，万事如意，心想事成，虎年平安，身体健康

natural.freezer

The weather has been cold continuously, so cold that instead of freezing the food in the fridge, it is more economical and convenient to just froze them out there just like that! Good use of natural resources blessed by the Heavenly Father.

My workload has increase lately and with this sort of weather, driving to and fro consume more time and energy due to traffic jam and slippery road condition.

Anyway, thanked God is Friday again and Chinese New Year is just at the door step....

light.cheese.cake

been wanting this recipe for a long time and finally got a chance to see how this light cheese cake is made two weeks ago with personal demonstration. No exact measurement, so I kept an eye on the amount of flour, sugar and every ingredient. For a great chef like M. the measurement comes naturally by instinct....

today is my off day, so I decided to try out the cheese cake (except I made them into little cup cakes), and it turned out well...

in fact I am thoroughly satisfied with the cake, it turned out light and airily and also with the layer of cream for the cake which is pretty easy to make

and finally the grated young dutch cheese as toppings....

I actually never see this version of cheese cake before until I came to this church, I am pretty sure this is either Indonesia version or perhaps it is i. M very own creation. I like it because it is light and yet it is cheese cake.....

acquaintance

dim sum lunch at Den Haag, was rather rush due to them running late and me having the next appointment in line, but we have enough time to catch up with each other and enjoy the good food...

I never met this boy before, but he greeted me as if I am his old acquaintance and really warm up to me. The little girl has grown up a lot since we last met three years ago...

with love from Germany - we called this love letters back home

home made love letters, thank you A.

and also the home made dried pork (bak poh), both love letters and bak poh are so festival, really reminds me of Chinese New Year that is round the corner.....

mist.exception

A foggy and misty day.... I woke up this morning and surprised by the thickness of the mist we had. A little hangover by the late night wine last night while watching two movies online, a Japanese thriller film with Rome and Amalfi as setting. After that another recent film on food called "Julia and Julie".
This is my treat of the day on a misty day, a piece of Dutch apple tart with nut toppings, a vanilla ice, a cream and some vanilla sauce. This is not my typical way of indulgence but it's an exception for today and sugar rushed is the cost to pay.

twilight.amsterdam

0600 alarm rang off
0630 depart for Amsterdam
0745 arrived my destination
0800 standing in the queue outdoor under 5C
0845 finally gone through the security check
0900 finally into the building (and warm!), second security check
0915 the admin clerk validated my document, I am no.4
0930 my turn for second round of document check, more document requested
0945 despite of being no. 4, I was the first one being called for interview, and in less than a minute I was told that my 10 years multi entry visa is approved and will be delivered to my home in 3 to 4 days time.
It was really cold standing outside the embassy building and the security check was stringent. Thankfully I did my homework on the website and know that no electronic device is allowed so I didn't bring my cell phone, cameras except my purse and my car key.
I was surprised I still made it to the office for the meeting that starts at 10am.
Despite of all the hassles, I GOT IT and I am going to book my air ticket next week!! Plus Amsterdam is really beautiful as well in the morning twilight.
Happy Weekend!

berry.tired

I worked for 3 consecutive days at the office and this morning I woke up in complete tiredness... I am exhausted!! guess not so much because of the workload but the journey to and from the office which took me round and about 2 to 3 hours a day.

I was on my bed most of the time as my body is completely fatigue and until the late afternoon where I started to crave for tea (with scone or muffin) but there is nothing home apart from the ingredients.

Then I get active again making a batch of berry muffin from a box of frozen berries.

Now I am feeling much better now, not sure is because I have baked or because my sweet tooth is satisfied...

I may be 'berry' tired but these berry muffins are definately not tired but yummy. Anyway, I am ready for the Ladies seminar tonight!

HbA1c

Yesterday afternoon I went for a medical appointment with the internist. Much to my surprise, he is very satisfied with the way my blood sugar is controlled. My HbA1c is now just 7.0 (4.0 to 7.0 is the normal range for a normal person without diabetes). HbA1c is the average of the blood glucose for the last 2 to 3 months and this index is more important than the daily blood glucose check as it takes the averages of 24 hours of the entire 2 to 3 months. Because I am progressing well, the doctor even suggests a plan for me to stop taking Metformine (a diabetic oral tablets) of which I am taking twice daily in combination with the insulin. Starting today I will stop taking Metformine in the morning by increasing the dosage of insulin and monitor this for 3 days to see if I can still maintain my blood sugar in the desired range. It is also my desire to stop taking oral medication and in fact my greatest desire is to even stop with insulin. I am praying for a supernatural healing from God. It will and it shall happen according to my faith in Christ Jesus. I shared about “Thy will be done” recently and certainly sickness is not His will for us.

twenty.five.kilometers

Today is my first day back to 75% work and I was welcomed by the 25km traffic jam on A4 plus an almost empty benzine tank. It took me almost 2 hours to reach the office, what an excitement! There were snows, rain and sunshine but all the combinations basically made the traffic in the whole country paralyzed.

What a way to start a Monday!