I am too hungry to pack for our trip

Shawn and i are leaving for Hua Hin, Thailand in less than 24 hours and excited as i am, i am really too hungry to move my butt to start packing...

Excitement

The last trip overseas for me was to Osaka, Japan 18th November 2008. I remember the date so clearly as it was a month BEFORE our wedding on 18th December 2008! And that was a work trip! My colleagues and i brought students to osaka for a learning journey. Thankfully it was a very pleasant trip- no one fell really ill; the weather was good and we had a superbly efficient tour guide and THAT i assure you, made ALL the difference!

Therefore, the last trip overseas for both Shawn and I was in December 2007, to Tokyo and Kyoto!
We didn't manage to squeeze in the honeymoon after the wedding too cos it was just too late in December and my official duties begin like on 26th Dec (yes, it's true).

So anyway, this was planned pretty late- just slightly over a month ago! I think we really need a break and decided on Hua Hin for a few reasons. Our first destination was Bali but there are SO many resorts, so many choices that i couldn't do all the research in one night (yes, that's also true) so we decided against it. Besides, many couples we know have been to Bali for their honeymoons so we also wanted to break that common norm for ourselves. Thailand was next- we've been to Krabi so that's out. Phuket for a honeymoon is just wrong. Then i heard of this resort from a friend who has actually been there recently and she was raving about it. It's called Let's Sea Hua Hin  (haha, yes, that is the real name!) and it is a boutique resort of 40 rooms (Shawn and i love boutique beach resorts). So we searched the site, browsed through Trip Advisor for reviews and there and then decided to just go there!

And so we are leaving at 8am tomorrow- yay!

Hunger

I love nyonya kuehs. First, i love most things with coconut; second, i do have a sweet tooth; and third, i am more willing to pay for them cos i can't make 'em myself! SG Kuehs used to have an outlet in the Marina Square foodcourt but when i was there to sell my soul to Muji earlier, i realised it was closed for good! Sigh... i never get to go to Amoy Food Centre where it is (if it is still there) so i guess it'll be another year before i get to eat good nyonya kuehs again... So now i am hungry with only some konnyaku jelly in the fridge- guess i'll eat them before dinner.

Dinner is going to be Japanese- it's my mother's birthday and we're eating out. Will be bringing her to Sushi Tei at the new City Square Mall. It's walking distance from her place but she's never been there since!
The food itself was okay. Nothing highly remarkable as with most mid-priced restaurants in Singapore. What was was that my baby brother has really his own brand of humour which is nothing like ours! We were really tickled by his jokes and observations.

Packing


For a 5 day trip i have 8 tops, 6 bottoms, 4 pairs of footwear, 3 bikinis, 2 belts and 1 pair of false eyelashes... Even Shawn was humoured- but i will make sure i wear those eyelashes!

I am a believer of over packing, believing that i should always bring MORE clothes than the spares in case of so many various, unexpected and unwanted circumstances- like a psychotic diner who decides to spill red wine on you, ruining your last dress. Then what do you do???

Joanna/ Julie/ Julia?

I share the same initials as Julia Child, the famous-again home cook thanks to the movie Julie & Julia...

I am about to finish reading the book that the movie spun off; the movie is far better in my opinion- Powell tends to ramble and whine...

So, i have been cooking quite a bit ever since January... Been archiving my food photographs in my FB album too. I also write in my kitchen calendar what i have been cooking, and if i am not doing laundry/ work/ baking/ more cooking, i have a food journal of my food drawings and writings.

But i am so not heading the direction of Julia or Julie :) Not that i want to but to many kind friends, it seems like i should make a sideline out of my rather serious hobby!

That said, this serious hobby is almost an obsession... But i suppose it is simply due to our passion for good food and our intentions of replicating that at home.
We have subscribed to the Asian Food Channel recently and the geek in me claps in glee when i spot our kitchen gadgets in professional kitchens heehee (spotted: Global knives; hand-blenders; Arborio olive oil; oven thermometers...)

So this blog would contain lots of food- pictures and descriptions of...
It is not a Project like Julie Powell's nor would it contain any of MtAoFC cos i do not have the book... It is just a serious passion and hobby of JC :)

Bakes and measurements

I have never baked a cake in a proper built-in oven (save for 2 baking lessons during secondary school home economics) until 2009. This means i have not baked for about half of my possible life. My long time mate Audrey Teh would disagree and go on about a certain banana cake but that would require a separate post :)

Unlike cooking, baking to me requires MUCH EFFORT. Unlike cooking, estimates in baking equal disasters (mostly). I am not about or able to chronicle my many, many attempts at baking since this year, suffice to say i stick to the measurements in my cake recipe bible faithfully, refer to it every ten minutes during bake prep and generally heave sighs of relief when the product turns out well. I can produce a decent baked good but i am not a natural. Another 500 bakes maybe... 

So, it was with my Baking: A Commonsense Guide i had on my lap while setting up this blog. I had actually set up another blog- The Daily Bake- earlier. But i forgot which email address i used to sign in so i'm just going to give that up. I closed my eyes, circled my left index finger around a random page and voila- it pointed to "...always measure..."

Therefore... thus... here it is... my blog about the importance of measurements :)

A couple of my baked goodies...
Dark choc walnut brownie & lemon yogurt cake

Of self... or sorts

it is 1242 am sg and i am still thinking how long can i keep this up...
i am on Facebook, have 3 email accounts, a blackberry, 3 pcs and a macbook... and let's not even start on my ICT related work portfolio...
do i need to be more wired? more space to rant and vent? maybe i just need some good sense...
in any case, this is up, so i would engage myself in this little hobby until- whenever