What???

JJ LNY/CNY Concert 2009 today. It was great working with Connie as emcees. I didn't know we are able to earn CIP points just by emcee-ing. Well, good news there.

I am/feel so unproductive. (In terms of studies)

I just want to read all the books that I like as fast as I can, before my eyesight deterioriate when I get old.

Chem and Econs tests coming up.

History and Econs homework to complete.

All the best to me.

Till then.

Cherie's 18th Birthday Outing ~ Togetherness

It's 9 January 2009. 18 years ago, I was brought into this world, bearing the responsibilty to celebrate this day every year.

This year, as a mark of being 18 and the fact that I can watch M18 movies from now on, I decided to do something different: Going out with my girlies to celebrate MY BIRTHDAY! I don't usually celebrate my birthday with friends, but you know, I've got to try something different. I can't believe I just turned 18 today, am still quite reluctant to say goodbye to being 17 years old.

New year, New wishes, New resolutions:

1) Do well for A levels

2) Good health to my family and friends

3) Be happy always!

Huilin called at least a week before my birthday to confirm whether I was celebrating this day with them. I agreed and she asked me where I would like to go. So a venue was set, the time to meet up was 11am. Jiamin had to work today, so she didn't turn up. I prepared myself and took a few pictures before heading out. Waited for Zoe at JE MRT Station, we were about 20 mins late because Zoe missed a train. (I'm not blaming you, Zoe. I'm just relating today's details).

Cam-whoring Session ~ One of the few pictures I took of myself before going out

I thought of having lunch and do some shopping with them, which we did, AT BUGIS!!! :D I'm a novice shopper at Bugis, it has been a looooong time since I visited this shopping paradise. So I was curious as to how everything goes on there and that was why I wanted to visit Bugis on this special day. We had our lunch at the Hong Kong Restaurant, Wong Kok Char Can Teng.

Moments before lunch...

Our set lunches (at $8.80 each) were served and we got a waitress to help us take a photos of us. Huiqi chose spaghetti with ham and cheese, I chose meatballs and seaweed noodles, Huilin and Zoe both got themselves rice with plum-sauce chicken. :)

Me trying to gulp the huge cup of milk tea

A panorama shot of us during 'after-lunch, after-shopping-at-bugis-street toilet-break' (the reflection of the photographer can be seen in the middle picture)

We love one another too much...

We left our footprints on almost every spot at Bugis Street and Bugis Junction, there was not much for us to stay any longer, so we decided to hop on the train for a new journey at Lot 1. I wanted to eat ice cream very much at that time, but the flavours of ice cream at Bugis did not appeal to me very much (or was it the price that did not appeal to me?). Anyways, we went to Lot 1 in the end.

Hazelnut mix-in almond nuts ice cream Huilin, Passion Fruit Sorbert ice cream Huiqi, Peach-Apricot Yoghurt ice cream Cherie and no-ice-cream cum photographer Zoe



A picture taken with my handphone in the neoprint machine, after letting the machine snap us and after we've decorated our pictures.


Ta -Dah!!!!

I headed home alone afterwards. Zoe headed home alone too. Huilin and Huiqi head off home together. It was a pleasant day with them, with a sort-of value for money set lunch, a walk around Bugis Street (great buys there!) and Bugis Junction, a cooling ice cream time, a took-our-own-sweet-time-to-decorate-the-pictures neoprint session and a slightly lethargic goodbye. Thank you Huilin, Huiqi and Zoe for spending time with me today in celebration of my 18th year on Earth.

I'm not done yet!

My pressies from the girls (hehe):

What are inside those bags???

??????
?????
????
???
??
?

Clothes from Jiamin, Twilight book (!!!) from Zoe and Huiqi and a mysterious package from Huilin

Cherie's 18th Birthday Mysterious Articles Investigation

Item number 1: A pair of pretty earrings

Item number 2: A beary-bench photo frame with a picture of the two of us in Korea

My own birthday gifts for myself:

A pair of cool shades and a thin silver belt

Daddy's birthday pressie for me - A seahorse brand mattress

Mummy's birthday pressie for me - A super duper cute bag-pack (& an hongbao not shown)



It's really my birthday today. I'm 18 now!

Till then.

My Feminine Instinct

Hmm, what does the (my) feminine instinct tells us, women to do? My eager deep-frying skill was put to the test last night.

It all started with a box of Fruit and Vegetable Batter Flour, egg yolk, cold water and a great pair of hands to mix the trio.

2 of 4 of the mixing ingredients: The Egg Yolk and Batter Flour.

Bananas (skin peeled, that is) were dipped into the batter meticulously with a pair of chopsticks, a pot of oil firing up at the same time beside me. Then, I professionally placed the dipped bananas into the oil. Sizzling, sizzling... the oil worked till the batter turned golden brown and crispy.

But of course, this was my FIRST ATTEMPT at frying Goreng Pisang, so the first 2 pieces of banana didn't turn out as expected. They were maybe over-cooked, soggy, out of shape and, quite honestly delicious. I felt a bead of sweat ran over my forehead (this is the truth). Deep-frying is a HOT job. Cooking is a HOT job. Fortunately, the later pieces of fried bananas turned out better than the first 2, but still not so perfectly well done. But I believe in the phrase 'Practise makes Perfect'.

Then, I dipped cut pieces of the ever-sticky Nian Gao into the batter, again meticulously done. I had a tough time cutting the Nian Gao, they kept sticking to the knife and my fingers. They'd also expanded in the hot oil and squeezed out of the batter, which caused them to stick to the pot. It serves them right if they were scalded from having contact with the hot pot.

Oh! My aunt was the one who inspired me to deep-fry Nian Gao, because I saw her deep-frying it before (which was a couple of years ago). So, I kind of followed into her footsteps. Hers was perfect though, unlike mine. But the taste of her deep-fried Nian Gao and mine are 99.9% similar.

My master piece:

Yeah, and so that's about it. My mum and I tasted it, they were alright. In fact, I think they are great. Don't you disagree with me, because you havn't had a taste of it.

Here's wishing everyone a Belated Merry Christmas and Belated Happy New Year.

Here's wishing everyone an Early Happy Chinese New Year!

Celebration outing with the girlies tomorrow!

Till then.

NGs:

Squishy Goreng Pisang and the remnants of naughty Nian Gao which ran out of the batter.

Family Combo!