11:02 PM

Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken Rice 芽菜鸡

Posted by Yuinyi |


So it was Andrew's birthday, and since I did not have any gifts prepared in advance, (no time, no money) and since I feel bad because I won't join the guys to the bar (drinking, since he is officially legal now =.= ), I told him I'll cook anything he's craving for (Malaysian food duh).

We went from :

Steak - it was pretty good the last time I tried making, but one turned out REALLY raw but Andrew gobbled it down anyway =.=
Pig's Trotters with Ginger and Black Vinegar - a Cantonese dish, I think they serve it to pregnant ladies a lot, but I won't ever eat it (EWW!) so we decided against it although I wouldn't mind cooking it.



And finally chicken rice - I cooked it for the first time during Chinese New Year in February, and it turned out pretty good.


So it's chicken rice. And Andrew requested for "SHIT LOADS OF BEAN SPROUTS - A LOT A LOT A LOT", I've decided to try out Ipoh Bean Sprout Chicken Rice or 芽菜鸡 in Cantonese.

With the recipe from Rasa Malaysia I am proud to present,

SUCCESS! (it doesn't look much different from the previous one, but really, it's better. A lot.)

I think it turned out so much better than my first attempt during Chinese New Year. My first attempt was okay, but it was a bit sloppy - slightly raw in some areas and a pretty messy presentation. Practice makes perfect huh. I'm proud. AND! I cut the chickens (we had two chickens) on my own! The last time, I had a senior help me with it as I never knew how to cut a chicken. I know my brother cuts chicken like a pro, but that has always been his part of the job when we're cooking at home. Well. More practice and my chicken cutting skills would be perfect. :D

Yay I'm full. And sleepy now. *contented*

I still have a lot on the list of food I want to try making. Like Creme Brulee. Mille Crepe. Hotdog buns. Chee Cheong Fun (which I did try but didn't turn out very well - need to improvise). Yau Char Kuai!

Food glorious food!

craps (6)

3:38 AM

Flushing

Posted by Yuinyi |

As usual I am in the middle of doing my assignment which is due in about 8 hours and I suddenly really miss the hustle bustle of Flushing, New York.

I was told that Flushing was the "new" Chinatown, and it's getting even busier and livelier than Chinatown itself. During my stay in New York, I've been down to Chinatown a few times, more than I have been to Flushing, because my friends were crazy over Chinatown - the egg tarts, which I have to admit was really good, the Chinese food, and.. well the Chinese food.

But for some reasons, Flushing left a more vivid memory in me. Maybe I haven't explored Chinatown enough. Or maybe it's because I was exploring Flushing with my sister, without much of a guide except for our own sense of directions, and mine sucks by the way.


I remember visiting boutiques - they actually have MNG, the only one I've seen so far in the US (perhaps they just don't have it in Illinois?) - and passing by the stall which supposedly sold very good fried chicken. We wanted to stop by, but it was just too long a wait. And we found our way to Curry Leaves, where I gasped at Kaya and bought it immediately, and grabbed the one last curry puff on the rack. There was also another Malaysian restaurant where I ordered my favourite Kangkung Belacan (which was really pricey btw) and Wat Tan Hor. We went around, and I gleamed at Chinese herbs and spices, and bakeries. I love bakeries - the egg tarts, and hotdog buns! We also saw a lot of Chinese New Year stuff as the new year was approaching. I imagined decorating my apartment here with everything I saw, but I also remembered I only have one luggage bag which will not fit all those stuff.

It sure was lively, and some parts of me wished I'm living in New York, and not Champaign. Well a huge part of me wished so. I've randomly picked some photos off Google because I didn't take any photos in Flushing - I can't believe it too =.=. I wished I did.

Maybe one other reason I remembered it so well was because it was the entire day hanging out with my sister. We rarely do that, and it was pretty fun. :)

I would really like to go back to New York some day.

craps (2)

11:20 PM

Domo Vs Elmo

Posted by Yuinyi |

Counting down - 10 more days to finals - and moving out.

11 more days to love. :) *jumps around* This reminds me I still need to go retrieve my tickets.

10 days to study hardcore!! *huuuuuaaa*




Also, I have a sudden obsession with Domo-kun. I had an idea to draw lots of tiny Domos on a white wall in my room one day - DOMO ARMY! :D


AND Elmo. I kept telling everyone I wanted an Elmo for my birthday but my birthday came and went and no one gave me any Elmo. Sad. Pout.



I'm trying to decide which is cuter. Can't decide how!

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10:13 PM

Make Me Wanna Die

Posted by Yuinyi |

Sometimes, (most of the times) when I wake up after a long nap, and it's dinner time, I sit down and stare at the computer screen for a long time deciding what I should cook for myself. I usually end up starving myself trying to decide. It's 10 pm now and I haven't exactly decided what to have for dinner yet.

Also I'm still pouting for being scolded (or at least that's how it feels like) for something stupid. Or for doing something stupid. Well the point is, people don't usually get upset about this stupid thing, and usually it's more of a joke to anyone I know, it kinda caught me off guard when I felt like I was being scolded for it today. So why am I pouting, I don't know. Probably because it just doesn't feel good. Sucks. It's just like how you attempted a joke that made people laugh most of the time, and then one day you get reprimanded for even attempting that silly joke.


And I am finally going for my next movie marathon tomorrow. Because I feel sucky right now and I really wanna go catch those movies. I've been hearing all these talk about Inception and how good it is. My boyfriend says I probably wouldn't understand the movie anyway (=.= meanie) but I really still need to watch it. I will give a shot at understanding it. It's a marathon tomorrow because I am also going to watch The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Salt, which I have been waiting for a long long time. Angelina Jolie kicks ass.

So I was chatting with a friend. He somehow ALWAYS misspells the word "Melaka".

Him : Melacca no pokemon one ar?
Me: It's MALACCA.
Him: MALAKA!!
Me: MELAKA. MALACCA. NO MELACCA OKAY WTF.
Him: Eh isn't the malay word for angel something close to that?
Me: It's NOT. It's malaikat. Wtf.

Yes we tend to type in caps to indicate shouting. And we do that a lot. Malacca has pokemon by the way.

Oh. Check out Make Me Wanna Die by The Pretty Reckless here.

craps (3)

12:35 AM

After much self reflection

Posted by Yuinyi |

I need to:


1.) Make a point to go to the gym at least 3 times a week because now I can swim 1.5 km (I have to keep it up before I become too lazy!)
2.) Put aside some cash every time allowance comes in so that I don't have to go through the same shit I put myself through every three months
3.) Work hard and focus on my goals so that I don't have to go back to Malaysia anytime soon.
4.) Grow up
5.) Stop making excuses for myself
6.) DO something
7.) Stop feeling sorry for myself
8.) Stop being naive and stupid. Grow up.
9.) Get a back-up plan

I've talked to people and learnt some harsh realities. I believe I'm the kinda person who knows exactly what is wrong with herself, eventually. When I do something wrong, I usually know. When I am being taken over by the 7 deadly sins, I know and I feel the guilt afterwards. I just need to start being the person who actually does something to right the wrong. My wrong. For the past few weeks, I've been through a lot of self reflection moments, cried, pondered, cried somemore. I think it's time for me to get up and stop crying.

I'm working on it.




craps (2)

5:05 AM

Strayed.

Posted by Yuinyi |

In all those words of advice, she only saw the imperfections in her life and how far she is straying away from her plan. She knows what's been said is nothing but the truth, yet she wished she was understood more and not shoved with facts about life. All these things that life is throwing at her, she can't figure out. But perhaps she's just being petty. Well, what would you expect? Everything she has always believed in and has been proud of suddenly hits her in the face that it might not be as wonderful as she thinks it is. Really, she doesn't really know what she's upset about.


She just is. At everything, perhaps even herself.



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4:28 AM

Slow dance with me :)

Posted by Yuinyi |



Rod Stewart has the most amazing voice. :)

Aaaand I'm supposed to be studying kthxbye. :P

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2:31 PM

Cookies and Cream :D

Posted by Yuinyi |


Baking attempt 2 - succeeded!


I'm happy. The first time I tried to bake those soft big cookies (you know the ones you can find in Subways and everywhere in the US), it failed miserably. I am wondering if it is the oven. *pouts* That was a lot of delicious dough wasted there. So I decided to try on an easier one, chocolate chip cookies that are actually not soft. I've done some back in Malaysia, so I thought this should be easier than the soft ones. I even went to another friend's house to bake just in case my oven is faulty. It took me a few tries to get it right, but I succeeded! :D

Baking is not easy. The whole mixing and blending part was easy, the hardest part was actually timing and adjusting the temperature. And trying not to get it burnt. >.<

You see, that's why I like cooking. I can do it any way I want. I usually don't even need a recipe. :D

Anywaaayyysss.

Finals are in a MONTH. Did not realize how fast time passed at all. Wtf. And my hour exam 2 is this coming Wednesday. I really need to get it going and do better. Right now, I am going to need to focus, and then when all is over, I'm a happy girl! And I get to visit the boyfriend again! We just had a really sudden planning and I bought the tickets right away. :D

By the way. WHAT is with Paul the Octopus? And Mani the Parakeet? World Cup and the animals prediction. What. The. Hell. As interesting as it is with all the World Cup side entertainment nowadays, it's a bit wtf-ing also right. Malaysia should produce a prediction with orang utan maybe. XD

Final game tomorrow! Woo!




craps (2)

10:49 AM

Stupid

Posted by Yuinyi |

How much more stupid can this become.

craps (0)

4:55 AM

Back-Up Plan

Posted by Yuinyi |


Do you remember the last time we watched fireworks together? At the strike of midnight, we were right beneath it, and I was just looking right up at the fireworks, but really, I was looking at you.


It was the Independence Day, and it was really fantastic - the fireworks I mean. That was one of the best shots I had last night. Lovely.

I had a conversation with a friend, and asked him what he would do if he fails and gets himself expelled from school. He told me he would start playing pool professionally and if all else fails, he would just open a tuition center in Malaysia and teach math. That's his backup plan.

I realized I don't have any back up plan.

Studying to be an engineer WAS my back-up plan. I wanted to be an interior designer, I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to be a photographer. And engineering was the backup plan, in case those do not work out. But now I am under academic probation, and I am at the risk of getting expelled. Well I am pretty confident I can get out of it, but really, who knows. What IF I don't make it? What do I do?

I have no idea. All those talk about studying art, isn't really an option, because I will need the finances to support me through it, I will need creativity which I think I still lack, I will need to pay back JPA the scholarship that supported me in the US till now. So, has all those dreams turned into some sort of fragile back-up plans for my back-up plan?

I can do some comics - something I am exploring now. I can do some painting. I can take some photos. I can do some cooking. But I am not exceptionally good at any of it.

So, do I have a back-up plan?

craps (4)

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