Monday, July 20, 2009
6:36:00 PM
My first attempt at
bak kut teh(bkt) literally translated to meat bone tea. BKT is a local delicacy found in this part of Asia, namely Malaysia and Singapore and there are many versions of it, depending on which dialect group you belong to.
A quick search online directed me to many different recipes, none is of the version that I enjoy and I was left with no choice but to head to the supermarket and try to creatively recreate my favourite version.
Now, this is a difficult task to begin with because I am not a great cook and I only know how to prepare that many dishes (count my five fingers). I knew that I was going to get a pre-mix, what I didn't know was, there are so many kinds of BKT pre-mix, I picked the one that had the least number of packets remaining. Why? It makes sense that the better it is, the more it sells right? I then proceeded to the meat section and I wasn't prepared for what greeted me. Different cuts of meat. Now, I didn't know which to pick, so, I asked the ladies next to me and they were very kind and helped me picked out a pack of meat that was suitable. Eyeing the pack of pre-mix in my basket, one of the ladies asked if it was good, I told her, I'm not sure, and being the kind lady that she was, she recommended the brand she normally uses. She explained that that particular brand does not have the herbal taste that puts some people off. Indeed, there are BKTs that taste of herbs and I dislike those, so, I heeded her advice and picked out a packet of pre-mix. She went on to teach me various things like what mixes to buy if I decide to make chicken soup or curry. i learned a lot from her and thanked her profusely. Armed with my purchase, I went back and started preparing my BKT.
My BKT is now cooking in the pot with about 20 minutes to go. It smells great, I took a taste, it was not as flavourful as I would have liked it, but it still tastes alright. I wonder what is the missing ingredient.
Labels: cooking
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
2:48:00 PM
Still on the wedding. Honestly, if I was planning for this, I would not have known that service standards are almost non-existent in Singapore.
I queried this guy over the rental of his venue and after explaining how much it would add up to, he added that I had to use their caterers. After a search online on their caterers, I quickly came to the conclusion that I would only use that caterer if my wedding was held at the void deck and I called back to ask if I could pay a levy or something so I can use my own caterers, after all, it is once in a lifetime and I certainly do not, I repeat DO NOT want to use their caterers, but he turned me down flatly. I guess I should just move on.
Labels: wedding
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A certain Mandarin Hotel by the bay has just gotten on my nerves. I am most definitely not in the mood to discuss anything with any hotels at the moment cos the last wedding dinner I attended, the hotel hired wait staff who cannot get the orders right whether I placed the orders in English or in their staff's native language.
My experience with this Bay's hotel staff was worse. I called to enquire about a transfer of ownership for a package and after almost 15 minutes, she came back and mistook me for the original owner of the package. Oh, please give me a break. In any case, she gave my number to the account manager who eventually got back to me and told me that if I wanted to book a package for that particular date, it was available, no packages needed to be transferred. I simply told her, if it is not because of the transfer, I would not have considered her hotel to begin with.
Labels: wedding
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Monday, May 25, 2009
11:14:00 PM
Honestly, how difficult is it to plan a wedding? Not difficult at all. The difficulty lies in being at the mercy of the people in charge of venues and other things that matter.
Labels: weddings
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Thursday, March 05, 2009
1:08:00 PM
Recently, I've had a rude awakening. Really.
I have come to realised that health is so important, not because it allows you to do so many things, but because it is way too expensive to upkeep should you fall ill and have to be hospitalised. No doubt, I was warded in a private hospital and it would cost more, but I highly doubt that being in a public hospital will cost any less.
I had gone to the hosiptal's walk in clinic for some quick fix as the medication from the company's doc weren't effective. However, this visit to the clinic had me warded at the end of it. I was adamant about not staying over cos at the back of my head, the cost of it freaked me out, but I think the doctor made the right call cos I was really unwell and medical attention was needed.
Admission was quite a pain cos the nurses had to inform me about the charges and once admitted, a specialist was called to attend to you. For me, my doc appeared within 10 mins of me being in my bed and I understood from her that they called her back to work. I felt sorry for her then, but after looking at my bill, well... I paid for it. The nurses were nice and tried to make me feel at home. I had opted for a room with another patient in it and that was a mistake cos throughout the night, her beeping device kept going and at some point in time, it sounded like the straight line. I was constantly freaked out. I didn't sleep a wink.
In the morning, I watched the hospital work. Nurses will wake you up with breakfast and your doc shows up. For my case, I pleaded to be discharged and I say, it's the best thing i did for myself. There was no way i was going to get any rest in there. As it was a religious hospital, I had the religious nuns coming to pray for me and the patient services officer dropped by to say hello as well. I must say that it was very different from my last stay in hospital. I was in a public hospital then. But with the world changing so quickly, so must healthcare. These seem to me like their way of retaining their customers, their way to maintain KPI and it is scary cos when I am ill, the last thing I need is for the docs to think of how to milk $$$ from me. I had a blood test and I couldn't understand why I needed that.
Whatever it is, after watching the world go by, some tv and entertaining a visitor, I went ahead with my discharge. The bill for my night's stay worked up to the cost of an air ticket to London and some spending $$$. So, there, my holiday for the year went up just like that.
At the end of it all, I just want to say, take care of your health.
Labels: hospital stay, ramblings
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Friday, February 06, 2009
11:35:00 PM
I had a great time hanging out with daddy today. Driving is exhausting though, I was so worried I won't be able to care for the car properly and return it in it's original condition. I was stuck in a jam for so long I wanted to knock my head against the window. Duh.
Labels: ramblings
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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
11:53:00 PM
Loads to do tomorrow. I need to work hard.
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Monday, February 02, 2009
2:10:00 PM
I have no other details to furnish except I need a break cos I can no longer go on and I need a break.
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Wednesday, December 03, 2008
10:23:00 AM
Labels: pictures
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Monday, November 03, 2008
11:12:00 PM
I have been to places in the last few months, places which I have only read about and I never dreamed that I would be there. On the one hand, I'm ready to say enough is enough, on the other, it really is never enough.
I also found myself rekindling my love for the language and all that I have learned. More importantly, I can collect lots of raw data now. It's a pity I still do not plan to further my studies in this area. Nevertheless, it is good to know that the subject I chose to major in is not something that I did cos it was convenient, but that I really developed an interest in it.
What is next? I really am not sure, but I cross my fingers and pray to be guided.
Labels: reflections
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Saturday, May 31, 2008
11:52:00 PM
I don't air my private life here, but today, I just want to say I'm so loved. If only my boy didn't have to go back to serve the nation.
Labels: Thoughts
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Sunday, May 25, 2008
11:24:00 PM
Very soon, I'll have to change my profile, I am not longer going to be a part-time PM, but that should be happy news I think, it means I am now full time Princess, haha.
Jokes aside, I am writing this entry cos it has been a while since I last wrote anything. It has been a stressful few weeks and I hope this stress comes to an end soon. Other than that, nothing much to update. I've got two interns and they are wonderful people, so full of energy and zest. It almost killed me to see one working so hard her smile disappeared. Well, the real world will be tougher, brace yourself.
Labels: ramblings
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