I have blogger on my iPhone now!

It's been such a long time since I last posted. 2011 is coming to an end, so it will be my Christmas resolution to start posting again.

Woo hoo!!

A trip to the Deira Fish Market

A couple of Fridays ago, the 3 of us - Gwen, Sihan, and myself -  embarked on a journey... A journey that we've always talked about, but never really did anything about. This journey was to a place called the Deira Fish Market. It's what we call a wet market in Singapore, only difference is that... it's really really wet.

All dressed in old and unwanted clothes and flip flops, we began on our short journey. Mandy the school bus (it's actually a Nissan Armada... but huge enough to qualify as a school bus) came to get me early in the morning at 6:30. We would have gone at 5 in the morning if we hadn't stayed up playing Guitar Hero the night before.

From the car park, we could smell the aroma... of the fish and other things (you get my point). Stepping out of the car, I almost immediately felt uncomfortable - because of the humid air and heat, and the stares of workers / labourers of the fish market all dressed in blue overalls.

They have this system whereby you have an opportunity to hire a market staff (the guys in blue overalls) only for a fee of 5dhs (abt USD$1.35). These (MIB - Men in Blue) have a wheel barrow and start pushing them around after you as you walk around the market buying stuff.

(ok... they don't normally wait for you in the position as seen in the picture)

The things here come from all over the world. Mostly local, but you do get mud crabs from India (just becareful not to get those that are dead, and short of a few legs and claws). So pick them yourselves!

Although, I must say, the vegetables were unrecognizable. They were nice and pretty, but NOT labelled. So we were half trying to figure out (recognise) which vegetables was Kang Kong so we could have a sambal kang kong dish. The store keeper looked at us with disbeliefs (because apparently we were women who couldn't recognise vegetables).

What a tragedy.

There one can also find rows and rows of stalls selling fish, prawns, crabs, sotongs (squid)... and also a butcher section, and fruits & veg section that has decent variety and good quality items... but only sold in bulk. (Though we did manage to buy a Malaysian papaya at an exhorbitant price of 30dhs - or close to USD$10).

It was there I got my education of which fish is what when the store keeper laughed at me when I lacked the ability to recognise fish species. Just like the indian dude at the vegetable store. He said... "You don't know? You no cook?". I think it was then he realised he could cheat me by selecting the worse looking fish of the lot... (which was still probably better than those you find at the supermarket anyway).

The method of sale is still fairly traditional via the use of beam balancing, and utilising standard weight masses to balance the purchases made. You either buy in half kilos or by multiples of kilos. The men were horrified when I said I only wanted ONE white Pomfret. He didn't know how to charge me for one... because it was less than the minimum weight mass piece he had, and the beam balance just wouldn't balance.

The huge prawns were really really cheap though! (something like half the price as compared to that in the supermarket). And was still very yummy even after a week when we cooked it.

Likewise with the fruits. we wanted to buy like 3 sharon fruit (persimmons). We ended up getting the whole box after getting the evil eye from the store keeper. But Sihan got her way with only buying a few peaches (though I think she paid for half a kilo of it)

They do have a cleaning service for whatever you want to clean, but at very high prices (in my opinion). Unless one has adverse reaction to gutting fish and brushing scales, I think it's better to do it on your own. We paid 40dhs (more than USD$10) to gut 3 fishes.

I think this place is worth a visit back, though I highly doubt it'll be part of my regular weekly stock up on food. At the end of our adventure, we left with 3 crab with 2 missing legs on one, a few fishes, quite a large amount of big big big prawns, a few squids, an overpriced papaya (but it came from malaysia), donut peaches, persimmons, peaches, three happy people glad that the journey was over, and last but not least, one happy worker who was paid 5dhs and another 5dhs as a tip (or rather he asked for it), and of course I'm sure he'll take a cut from the fish gutters (or whatever you call those people).

Pictures are courtesy of Sihan...

to the Lees

Jorvalfaijed...

Just read your May 10 newsletter and it's great to see Faith and Jedi doing well in school, and to see you having your outdoor celebration!!

Val - You're welcome. Glad that the course for Faith did pay off. This is definitely money well spent!!

Missing you guys in Dubai. I'm looking at moving into Oasis.. can you believe that?!? Looking forward to catching up with you all.... in Perth, Singapore, or Dubai... or somewhere in the world!

a whinge of uncertainty

I'm into my final 3 months of my research now. There's so much data to be analysed... and if I knew how to do it, that'll be great. I can chuck along. The problem is that... I don't! I have this chunk of information, and still trying to figure out along the way what to do with it and how I can handle these data. Technically I have another month before the poster presentation... That means, another 3 weeks to figure out the sh@t i'm doing, get my thoughts together before embarking  on my 20k words long journey!

As Jeremy said... I should just put 20 pictures into my report and submit it because a picture is worth a thousand words...

In the mean time I have another problem - it's called J-O-B. I still don't know where i'll be, and what i wanna do! For sure, I'm not returning to that old one... So I went out to find new options... BUT... having a few options which none is the best fit is also another problem. I guess there is not such thing as a best fit job huh. Need to feed myself and pay the bills too.

Option 1: It's a business development role. But it will tie me down to one location for at least 5 years! That's long considering I still want to gallivant the world a little.

Option 2: Great one, government job, but the travel to work up and down will take 3 hours. That's the only down side.

Potential Option 3: This is the one I really want, but I haven't really gotten it yet. I can be super mobile (in terms of moving out of UAE in the future) with this one... but I will have to work very hard... and I mean VERY hard.

I pray for doors to close and the right one to be left open! Amen...

Mom & Dad's 32nd Anniversary

I made it back this May. Usually May is not a month that I'd be in Singapore. Anyway, this was an unexpected last minute travel back to Singapore for 4 days, which coincided nicely with Mom and Dad's 32nd Wedding Anniversary.

We had a little big private room at Mezzanine at the Grand Hyatt... which was nice because the acoustics at Mezzanine is generally quite bad that you have to scream across the table (literally).

We had the Lobster Sashimi. Not a fan of lobster, especially when they served the dude that still was moving on the plate. I remembered the story of how people eat monkey's brain (with the monkey still alive).

Self Pity Post

It's been a long while since I had a fever. In fact, I can't even remember when was the last time I had fever....
Haven't been able to eat anything the whole day, except for an apple...
I want my mummy....

I always need a munch

Scanning around my room, I have a lot of junk food. Here's what sits next to me.
1. Pure Florida Squeezed Pink Grapefruit Juice (with juicy bits)
2. Hello Panda
3. Digestives with chocolate
4. Pineapple Tarts
5. 2 packet of uncooked tom yum instant noodles
6. Strawberry biscuit rolls from Glico
7. Bah hu
8. Half eaten beef hor fun
9. A bag of uncooked rice
10. A box of rock sugar

I need more food!

Cambridge - MPhil ESD Cornwall Field Trip

A post Birthday post

I had to fly back to Dubai for my Birthday... but it was a nice simple sweet one. Not a romantic one if you're thinking....

It was a surprise. I didn't know where we were going...
The suspense ended at Fairmont, Cavalli Club... ZC got conned (rather, he didn't check what they they opened). So... we had to rush through dinner in 45 mins cos there was part 2 of the evening!!!

And for Part 2 of the evening, we ended up at the Laughter Factory for a Standup Comedy by some American and British Dude... That was a cool nice finish to the night! =)

9 April

It's 9 April... and I'm home and really bored. Was at Dubai Mall just now... roaming around all hungry and grumpie.....

Why are you only coming home so late?????

Easter Vacation

I seem to always be on holiday (that's what most people think and say).

Got into Dubai for a week and a bit and headed back to Singapore for another week. Had to cut my trip shorter cost Zhicheng's leave got cancelled. His stupid boss quit. Second time screwed up our holiday plans. Anyway, still managed to had a nice catch up with some friends...

Hung out at Yujun's house over the Good Friday public holiday. Was nice catching up with all the swimmers...

Had an early birthday celebration at the Lam's house... the house has turned into a play pen. never seen so many toys in a place before...
My godson is the king of the house! Has his own new toy - the Toyota Previa. Nice big and comfy. Isaac enjoyed blowing out all my candles. I think he would rather I get older, so he has more candles to blow out.

Will be missing the yummy food in SGP... looking forward to the next trip home! August perhaps.

For now.... 3 days left in Dubai! =(

End of Lent Term

It is the end of Lent term in Cambridge. This term was absolutely hectic. I feel that I so need a break right now. This very second... but i'm still chomping on my essay.

I am doing a core mickey mouse module called Implementing Change Towards Sustainability. Title sounds fantastic and all that... Whoa... Implementing Change... Whoa... Sustainability. Somehow I didn't think the assignments were relevant at all.

The first assignment in this module.... another mickey mouse assignment was to write about a personal change. Some of my friends write about.... change in dietary??? Not eating steak for February or being a vegan??? How is that related to the course? HERE for the blog they created for the change assignment. And others... changed their parents minds about selling their car and using public transport instead. Fair enough... it is a change. But exactly what have I learnt? Maybe I missed the purpose of this, or maybe the purpose was not even explained clear enough to change my mind.

There was this guy who came in as a guest lecture for this change module. I wasn't quite paying attention to what he was saying and was working on my laptop while he was blabbing on about what fantastic job he has done at ABN Amro. (And I wonder why ABN got bought out. He must have changed something). Anyway, he started talking about how Singapore and Dubai  are poor examples of sustainable development... i lit up. Dubai - yea i partially agree, Singapore - clearly not. I was about to start a riot in class. Thankfully I had the support of Ahmed (who is Egyptian)... who outright challenged this dude who thinks that culture and religious beliefs was nonsensical. PRICK. Anyway I somehow got through the most painful part of the course. That is this module on change. Most useless course on this program.

Other than that... this term has zoomed by quickly. 2/3s of the course is over... the final run left - Dissertation! I've just switched supervisor. He's busy, and has little time to really supervise my work. Oh well.. I will have to find some other way then!

It's quite sad that all the taught modules are over, and i won't get to see a lot of the people at class. Oh Oh... there's a field trip to Cornwall for a final assignment in April. Looking forward to that!

So this term ended with a formal at Corpus Christi & Downing College... followed by a long night of party after...

Fitzwilliam College Library

Today, I made an amazing discovery in Cambridge. The Fitzwilliam college library!!

Quite a funky design where workstations are along the stairway... I so love it!! And each desk has its own computer ports (unlike Melb Uni library)

Only complain.. I can't eat and drink in the library... Doesn't help when you're starving. Thankfully the buttery is just 20seconds away!




  
Love the view from the second floor... That's what I'm looking out to!! Well, it's better than staring at people waiting at the bus stop from my room.

March... and counting

It's March!!! And there's about 1.5 weeks left to the end of term, and end of my "study" portion of university. From now on, it's all research and writing up of the dissertation. How quick.

Contemplating whether I should go to Oslo or Stockholm in March... but I still have quite a fair bit of work to be done before I can start travelling! Plus... I'm back to SG too in between. There is work to be done. Too much in fact, that I get distracted thinking about everything else...

ESD Queens Formal

Well... It was a quick formal. Didn't have that many pictures, and didn't hang around too long either.

I should be working now, but I'm not

I don't know why these few days I have been procrasinating.

Got up at 6am this morning, it's 9ish, and I haven't done much! Read the news (dubai, singapore and melbourne), sent a few emails, and posted something before this... and after all these, I still don't feel like doing work.

Yesterday my supervisor "dumped" me. OK la, it's not that bad. Apparently this other dude (professor rather) read my dissertation proposal, and was interested in my research topic, and he wanna supervise my work. So yea, now I have to take a tiny winy step back, to see what brilliant idea this guy has. I think it's gonna be good (better) for me, but I just needed a whinge. It's one of those days.

This is such a busy week. We have another visiting professor from MIT down in Cambridge for 2 weeks to give a lecture on technology, trade and globalization. Quite a mouthful eh? I think so too. That puts an extra 15 hours of lectures over 2 weeks. I think this guy is kinda interesting, but he definitely has opinions of his own... some of which I don't share (fortunately or unfortunately).

Lent term is ending in 2 weeks. I haven't been to a formal this term yet, but have 3 lined up in the next week. Heading off to a Queen's formal, then a Sidney Sussex formal, and finally a Fitz formal. I think that should be my quota met for this term.

My 3 new friends - Elly, Milly and Raffy - are calling out to me to work now...

Reminiscing

It's only been less than a year since the Lees left Dubai. But it felt like ages.

Just as I was hunting for pictures for one of my assignments, I came accross these good old days we had at safa park... the picnics and stuff, plus Uncle Zach on the Hula Hoop, Uncle Sum with his Frisbee, Jedi and Faith in the Rug Sack hopping around , Carrie still preggers with Ethan then, sitting around French Bakery Cake or sometimes Pauls Fleur De Lys cake we had for the birthday boys (Middle Lee and Tiny Lee)

Anyway... it's nice looking back once in a while. Everyone has moved on and away. Which is a good thing I suppose. After all, friends will always be friends. :)

SG

Today I went to a lecture that was part of the annual distinguish lecture series, and the dude from the USA talked about Singapore... about Marina Barrage and Pulau Sermakau. Ahh... something I can identify with instead of just plain old US of A.

Food

I was downloading and reorganising all my photos from my camera, and came across all the pictures of food ZC cooked whilst he was around (except for the icecream of course)

From Chicken Kapitan Noodles, to Fuchow Fishball Noodles, to Pork Pasta, Chicken Tofu and more... 

And Cupcakes from Dubai

In the Mood

Somehow I seem to be in the mood for a whinge.

Today was kind of strange. I had 3 emails from 3 different people at the old workplace. I think i still have an option to return to my old job... or should I be moving to greener pastures? (literally).

I was just looking around job websites, and i realise i am stuck. I don't know what I want to do, I don't know where to go, and I don't know which jobs to apply cos I don't wanna start off as a fresh grad again. And some of the job has got really really sucky pay (not even enough for me to take a yearly holiday and still pay the rent!!)

Sadly, as I was looking through some "internships" on the job website (don't ask me why I'm looking through internships), there was this one internship that said I'm too old to apply. Yea reality hits... I am old. So old that even some internships deem me overage. Great. Maybe I should just skip the whole job hunt, return back to the old job and keep trodding on in life.

What say you?

It's snowing again!

Sitting in my room watching cars covered in snow zoom by, the poor dude pacing up and down waiting for the bus, the little kid in her turtle suit trodding along the street, and the raining down of snow flakes.

Nice. It must be freezing out there.

Gonna be a busy month post ZC visit. We have a visiting prof and I have half a mind to skip lectures cos I just don't wanna go out in the snow. Oh Oh... and it just got heavier.

ZC goes to UK again

ZC goes to UK again! This meant... I had company on the way back to Cambridge!! No... should I say, he had company going to Cambridge?!?

The ride was long. So darn long

Singapore to Dubai - 7 hours
Dubai Transit - 3 hours
Dubai to London Heathrow - 7 hours
London Airport Wait - 1 hour
London to Cambridge - 3hours +
Walking home from Bus Station in Cambridge - 0.5 hours
Total = approx 22 hours

That's how long it takes for me to get back to Cambridge from Singapore. Oh Oh, I forgot another 2 hours of check in time in Singapore. So that makes it 24 hours.

Hopped over to London again in the weekend before he caught his flight back to Dubai...
Super Chinese New Year festive mood. Chinatown was jammed.

Wah, feast after feast. Roast duck was yummy. But stupid Four Seasons at Bayswater cheated us of our money. Over charged by 2 pounds!!! That's like 10% of the bill.
Stupid buggers. They have good duck, but poor maths. No correlation or whatso ever... but I just had to say that. Better stop the feasting for a while.

Grandma, Chinese New Year, and Catchups

The Hungry Hippo says I've been missing for a while. Yup, and the hippo wins.

My Grandma (aka mama) is getting not-so-good by the day. Mama is getting weaker, more forgetful, temperamental and sometimes unreasonable. Whatever she was before, she is now the exact opposite. Like... she used to be thrifty with her spending, now she spends as if she has a billion dollars. Drama in the home... scary when one day she took a pair of scissors to cut of all her hair, downs five cans of 7-up Soda in the middle of the night (she's got diabetes), goes to the market to buy the entire store.

Hence my trip back all the way from London to Singapore for less than 5 days for Chinese New Year. I was meant to be in Amsterdam with the ESD group from Cambridge... but figured if mama really had alzheimers or one of those dementia thingos, I'd feel really guilty to have gone out magic mushrooming (not that i would?!?) in the dam.

The trip back was kind of hectic. ZC was back too. So obviously there was a meet the parents session. Kinda awkard... different families run differently. Oh well... Anyway, too little time, too much errands to run, too many people to meet. So if I didn't get a chance to say hi... sorry.

Chinese New Year dinner and goodies was yummy. Stocked up the supply of pineapple tarts and kueh lapis. Plus many many many good meals. Had 2 buffets in a day - lunch and dinner. And funnily, both Japanese food!
Managed to catch up with the cousins... many of whom I haven't seen since Rachel's wedding. Too bad, Rachel and Sharon are missing in this picture.

G0t to catch up with the Lees.... who have decided to stay on in Perth for the next 2 years. Ahh... missing my friends there - Jedi and Faith. I wanna go down to Perth, but looks like this year, Melbourne and Sydney calls... (and maybe Tassie - David , if you're reading this... i might be coming in Oct?!?).
And of course... with Cheryl and Yujun and one new addition... Baby Matthew.
Looking forward to the next trip back - which is I-have-no-idea-when. This is going to be a quick year (again). Time to job hunt for after August. Am I returning to Dubai??? I don't know! So can't really plan as yet.

Citibank - I hate You.

They are buggers. buggers buggers.

Last month, I had my credit card information stolen... someone racked up stupid transactions on my card. This idiot even bought a plane ticket and flew from Amman to Colombo on Oman Air.

HOW????

Airport security now a days is crap. I bet that's how osama does that. Hides in some rocky afghan mountain, steals credit card numbers, flies to god-knows-where... now we all wonder why the americans and the rest of the world can't find him. It's that easy! All you need is a stolen credit card number, and a fake passport.

This dude's name is RANGITH KUMARA. Prick!!!

Citibank - go after him... do your job. How did I manage to find this guy's name through my own investigation, and you have a team of guys working on this for the last 2 months and you can't even get a simple job done.... You all should be fired!

Days (and Nights) with the Housemates

Ah... my closest friends in Cambridge. Those that I see in my pyjamas... sitting around the little kitchen and whinging about supervisors, dissertations, readings, papers, and of course.... boys.