Squareface @ 31°North

Add 24 hours with 16 hours time difference from your home country, and you get 40 hours on your birthday! That’s if you count your birthday starting from midnight of the day according to your birth country, and then only ending after midnight of the country you’re in! Haha

I had a very healthy birthday cake this year! Carrot cake! And it was very yummy!

Wah I think my arms are going to be as big as thighs.

The cake was baked by 2 of my lovely housemates! Thank you Alison (left 1st row) and Allison (centre 2nd row)!

And thanks to my Singaporean friends who were also present at the cake-cutting and sang the Chinese birthday song!

You have to admit that the cake is really special! Sorry for the exclamation marks throughout this post. I’m just very touched and thankful! Haha. And it’s the first time I had a carrot cake for my birthday! And it looks like a big donut! Haha…

But of course the most unique (and loveable) birthday cake I ever had was last year, my 21st’s. Made of jelly. Made by her.

And thank you all happy-birthday-wishers!

This year I have had an excessive number of people who otherwise wouldn’t be aware of my birthday wishing me a Happy Birthday via Facebook. Hmm.

I’m tired of cooking noodles with veggies stirred in oyster sauce.

So I made sushi tonight!

They don’t sell the kind of imitation crabstick we sell in Singapore. So I made do with the imitation crab meat they use for California rolls.

Followed my mom’s secret recipe heh. Tonight I was glad I used to help my mom make sushi when I was a kid.

The weather the past few days has been like this (left), and the weather today was like this (right):

So I figured, why go to school? Looks like this is the best weather we can get before the impending gloomy winter, so I called up my hiking friend and it was easy persuading her to skip classes with me to climb up the Grouse Grind Trail once again. Heh. I’ve been hungering after that sense of fulfilment.

We climbed slower today though, because the rocks were really slippery from all the rain the past week. It also got dark really quick, and I was quite worried we wouldn’t be able to reach the top before sunset, which pushed me to keep climbing I guess.

This was taken just when I reached the top. So if I took any longer to climb, it might have made my last leg of the journey too dark to clamber.

Vancouver, by sundown.

My hiking friend craved for laksa after the hike, but we arrived at Prima Taste a tad too late for last orders. We met the boss of the place, however, and I hope we made a lasting impression, if not for future discounts, then perhaps as a networking contact.

So we had to make do with tacos.

And we saw two police officers having their break with burritos. Guess what Squarface asked the police officers?

For a photo, of course! Such friendly people, and I guess a foreigner can get away with this kinda request. The male police officer is really formidable.

Actuallyyyyy……………………………………………….. I don’t miss home? Nor do I miss the food? Hahahaha…but I miss all of ya ok!

My friend (the unexpected-hiker-enthusiast) wanted to eat at Prima Taste, and I was indifferent, so I guess the enthusiast always gets what she wants.

Prawn Laksa 

My $0.02 (in exchange for a CDN$9.50 dish): Authentic, though gravy is a bit on the thin side. Prawns were very fresh and very exquisitely shelled! Best laksa I’ve eaten out of Singapore.

Fried Hokkein Mee 

My $0.02: For CDN$11.95 it’s wayyyy expensive, but oh, for the exact taste of home Fried Hokkein Mee! A bit on the mushy side though.

Hainanese Chicken Rice (just the rice)

My $0.02: Only $1.75! Taste is right, but the rice was a tad dry.

Have you tried eating Fried Hokkein Mee with a fork?

16 September 2007

I haven’t cooked in like…3 months? Today was the first time I cooked in Canada, and thankfully it was good! Haha, but I guess you can’t really go wrong with Japanese Curry. My housemates were surprised I could whip this up, since they have only seen me prepare meals like sandwiches, salads, oven-baked instant pizzas or microwaved soups.

Sorry for the rather horrible picture of “Xanne can cook”, my housemate Connie took it hmmph.

The ingredients: Garlic, onion, carrots, potatoes, chicken breast, oil.

It took me a while just to get the ingredients ready. Around half an hour to forty-five minutes. But don’t you think I sliced the ingredients rather aesthetically? No? Haaha

Stir fry the onion and garlic first, and then dump everything in haha. Stir, stir, and stir.

Then add water till it covers about 3/4 of the food, bring it to a boil, and then adjust the heat on medium, and leave it covered for half an hour.

After which, turn off the heat and add the japanese curry cube (I used glico brand), keep stirring to let it melt. Tada! Ready to eat with rice, bread, or whatever you want.

The picture above this one was my experiment-turned-success, whilst this one was the hopefully-successful-and-fortunately-was.

Guten Appetit!

15 September 2007

I went to Metrotown at Burnaby again today! This time with my housemate, Connie!

And here are some random photos! (I don’t seem to blog words very much nowadays huh. There’s so much to show, and nothing to say. Or ‘coz what I say might undermine what I show, so showing shall be what I will just do! Okay that was just nonsense, and you just read a whole load of it huh.):

Plenty of boots!

An Espirit top made in Singapore, found in handfuls amongst exact tops made in China

Pez! Not just any old Pez but…

…Ratatouille pez!

Stocking up on essentials!

Bare essentials! Sidenote: I’ve never seen this flavour for Nissin noodles before! Have you?

Must haves!

My secret stash drawer is officially full! Maybe it’s time to upgrade to a cupboard.

Okay, we bought other stuff too like undies and tops, but they aren’t picture worthy haha.

Unless your housemate shows them off in such fancy manners!

Okay, this is totally off-key, since the outfit isn’t part of the shopping trip or anything, but don’t you think my housemate Katherin looks really cute in her PJs?

these are your daily doses.

‘Tis campus life in the beginnings of autumn

The clock tower in UBC, not used as a landmark as much as Fudan University’s statue of Chairman Mao, but a prominent feature nonetheless.

To me, the first time I arrived in the classroom building was like stepping into a scene from american high school tv.

KFC is a small fry (or chicken, if you will) here.

I bought an American Eagle Outfitters sweater and I fit a SMALL!

Look how ang moh I’m becoming! Haha…

A few nights before my departure, my mother gave me a treat! Black pepper crabs and Peking duck in one sitting!

*wipes drool from keyboard*

*feeling a pang of foodsickness*

Very good dimsum place found between the streets of Geylang Lor 15 and 17. Thanks Kevin, for introducing us to such a treat, and Darren for driving us there. I went there like, 3 or 4 times after that first visit!

Have a feast at this place for less than S$10! No taxes! No tips!