Showing posts with label Comfort food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comfort food. Show all posts

A day with kaya toast and runny eggs

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I made breakfast today(:

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Eggs, check.

After days and days of yoghurt messes, which were perfectly yummy and healthy and not to mention super fast to prepare plus no mess to clean up. Makes for quick exits from the house too because the sooner I get my butt isolated and devoid of entertainment, the faster I get to start proper work. I need change. Hello eggs!
You would think after 14 years of education (yep I just counted), studying would get a little easier, less painful.

NOPE!

People always tell you, or at least many people have told me, that the A levels is as hard as education gets, after that, university, ahh that's a piece of cake. Piece of 10-tiered-different-layered-fondant-covered-3D-wedding cake maybe!!!
It does not get easier. Maybe less of the fear-of-going-to-class-because-you-didnt-do-assigned-homework, because now even if you don't turn up it doesnt matter as long as you play catch up on your own.

Ah university. You give me a lot of headache and joy. Exams, well 100% headache, that I know for sure. But after that headache comes joy.
That I know too.
But this is Joy for sure(:

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Yay breakfast! Also known as my favourite yet most neglected (during these times) meal of the day.
See IDF/blob whichever you want to identify yourself with, I made my own Yakun kaya toast with runny soft-boiled eggs!(: (add dark soy sauce yummm!)

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Realised that I haven't had breakfast as such in quite awhile and what better way to start the day than to munch on super crunchy toast and copious amounts of butter and kaya squished together. Was quite tempted to make 4 pcs of bread but cutting the sides off was creating enough of a mess plus 4 pcs just sounds like a lot! Although in Yakun, its the standard serving. Hmmm.

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Yes I tried to make it as authentic as I could, slicing off the edges.
But to start off with wholemeal bread instead of white...sigh. How authentic can I get?!
Don't throw the edges away though! See why later(:
I love that knife.

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You can't see it here but in between is a very non-photogenic mess of melted butter and gooey kaya. Slurp.

Ideally, it should be 2 eggs, 2 toasts (ie: 4 pcs of bread), 1 cup or tea or coffee. And because I suffer from the fact that time is fast snowballing downhill away from me. But I have awesome coffee/tea waiting for me later and yes I can't make tea as good as 60cents tea/coffee the hawker uncle can.
I think I've reached my egg quota for the week.
Usually I like egg whites more than egg yolks. And I'm super picky about egg yolks. It either has to be totally hardboiled or totally runny and watery (like those in eggs benedict). Anything in the middle and it just tastes, weird. And I really don't like it.
But I don't know how long to boil them for to achieve total watery runny consistency.
So the eggs had little bits of solid parts in them.
Most of it was pretty watery awesome though(: Ohwell, still ate all of it haha.

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Egg dipping breadsticks yay!

And this is pretty much how the rest of the day went.

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A li'l intellectual stimuli while waiting for my tea. Euro down to 1.8!
I WANNA EURO TOUR!!!!!!

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I know it says Starbie coffee but that is in fact a tea latte. Just because I was in a tea mood thanks to the Kaya toast and eggs.

Having the camera with me outside is pretty cool because anytime I'm approaching the 'ohnoooo mini panic attack! I can't do this/answer exam questions/solve anything' state of mind, I just reach for it, turn it on and look through the viewfinder. Or live view haha.
Listen to a few whirrs of the auto-focusing, finding some good light, taking some shots.
It distracts me momentarily, sufficiently.

And I get back to where I was 5 minutes ago.

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My mess. & my music. Which I almost very very nearly proclaimed dead the night before. Refusing to charge when it was totally flat and starting up and shutting down automatically non-stop! Its been a good 4 years my pod friend. Please continue to be my friend!
I Heart You sooo much!

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And indeed, presented by Changi airport Singapore.
Because yours truly finished the last exam pad prior to today and was without paper (the horrors) at 930am in the morning and out of the house. So I went to T3 to 'steal' some of this awesome A3 sized paper to make into an impromptu practice pad. Thankfully they had stacks and stacks of it for kiddy colouring activities. Its super good quality paper I might add!
Life saver.

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This may or may not have happened: A hot fudge sundae became dinner at 18:37HRS

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Fruity supper! Because ice-cream for dinner isn't cutting it.
Frozen mangoes? Yes please.
Yes I use powerpuff girls bowls heehee. + my abso-fabso-lutely favourite drink(:

&the battle continues tomorrow. (again)
I love my cameraaaaa!(:

Instant gratification

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And just like that the weekend is over and there definitely are moments where I felt I could have slept less and done more important things over the course of the day. Or talked less and listened more, laughed more and sulked less.

I would also very VERY much like to be a morning person. And if anyone can teach me how to do that I would be super grateful. really.
Is there any other way that sleeping early at 10pm? I need one of those highly irritating alarm clocks who runs away from you and hide somewhere so you need to get up and look for it.
I need it. I really do.

Ok so I actually went and googled 'most irritating alarm clock' and I was very amused to say the least, there are people out there like me. And we need help.
Top ten most annoying alarm clocks
I want the run-away-and-hide alarm clock! Also known as the #1 most annoying alarm clock.
Cool beans eh!

But maybe I can push these issues back about 10-12 more days and let myself focus on the last 2 papers I have to write for finals.
Yep I think I can do that.
Four months to mull over issues as such is more time that I could ever need. Though I can't guarantee I won't be on multiple sleepovers, multiple baking experiments, countless late nights and catching up session or just plain old chilling sessions with friends, shopping excursions, and good food of course.

Oh wait, not supposed to be thinking about that now am I.

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Delayed gratification I would call them.
But sometimes I think I need instant gratification and what better way to yell instant than with instant noodles.

Instant noodles has always been an almost forbidden food for me, with the health conscious mother that I have. It has always been watered down to instant noodles not tasting or even looking like they should. Which is total waste of their potential in my opinion(;
You don't even wanna know.
They're supposed to be the cure for late night hunger pangs, or the lack of time to cook, or the sudden need for warm comfort food at any time of the day. They're supposed to be there for you at all times, stocked in your cupboards whenever you want them and able to satisfy you whenever. With good reason.

The pack of seasoning is supposed to be dumped in, in entirety, not rationed, or skimped on only to be dumped into the trash later. And the msg-fied soup is to be slurped up with noodles and not drained out or replaced.

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(I add spice and chili to noodles cos I'm cool like that heh)

I know a million ways to make instant noodles NOT look like instant noodles or taste like them. But I shall not. Why spoil a good thing just because its a little unhealthy aye?
Well after a day of baking and feeling very unmotivated to go out and buy food or make some pasta, I decided to go with 5 minute dinners.
Even better than Rachael Ray and her 30 minute dinners. Mine is 5 minutes y'all!(; hahaha and you definitely do not need to be kitchen savvy - at all.

But pasta wasnt happening because my mum has frozen the pasta marinara sauce solid. She claims it keeps longer. Of course it does! no one ever eats it. The thawing time for the pasta sauce is long enough to deter you from starting on the dish.
Walking out to get some food..well not really in the mood for sweating like a pig considering how freakishly hot the weather is even at night. Ridiculously humid too I might add.
Plus baking = standing almost the entire day and I pretty much just want to sit down and eat some comfort food. (and think of all the washing you have to do ----- later)

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Baking was ultimately fun and therapeutic and especially with a worthy cause. Shall do a post entirely dedicated to that soon. The results were rather yummy too if I may say so myself. Round 2 after the 2oth! yay

So it was noodles, luncheon meat (fried not toasted this time), some veggies thrown in and a little soup. Yumz
5 minute wonder meals I call this.

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(soooo unhealthy but delicious? methinks so!)
If you're wondering why there's 3 here and only 2 in my plate, well thats because I have superbly amazingly lousy chopsticks skills and one escaped onto the floor leaving me not only 1 luncheon meat less ; which is kinda a good thing and an oily kitchen floor to clean. NOT a good thing):!
My life is full of awesomeness and smartness right. hmpf

And yes this is the second packet of noodles I'm eating. Noodles 2 days in a row.
Either I'm incredibly sad or incredibly blessed, to be able to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I choose to be the latter.
Needless to say the noodles were incredibly yummeh. Salty, tasty, soupy and warm in all the right places. Hot springy noodles straight out of the pot, fry up some meat from dubious origins but totally remind you of childhood days, throw in some vegetables, contemplated an egg but decided to let the meat be the star of the show.
The best part is trying to slurp up the noodles when you know, clearly, its still too hot, and getting your lips and tongue burnt, but in a good way. A greedy way haha
Alternating between the veggies and the meat every mouthful and before you know it, its the last piece of meat that you've been saving till the end and the last mouthful of noodles.

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(Older chinese folk will always tell you not to stick your chopsticks into the noodles like that. heh)

And its gone ):

For the next 10 minutes you sit there and feel the warmth of the noodles go down your throat and spread over your body and feel the sting of the extra chili powder you dashed in at the last minute. And there's the slight burn of the lips due to justified impatience. But its all worth it.

I doubt anyone has written about instant noodles like this.
Now I eat it with luncheon meat, maybe there will be a day I would pair it with abalone? Now a girl can dream aye?(;

10 more days to go.
For this I choose delayed gratification.

Exam talk

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*Because its all about finals and writing papers today, the food (or other weird things) should and would be classified under 'weird exam food'
-normal food will resume shortly(;
-and I am going to apologize for the crap photos the phone camera takes. I miss my phone cybershot. And I miss taking dslr picturess
(and yes Indian dessert falls under weird exam food, and rightly so)

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Description of all indian desserts by indian dessert selling auntie: All sweet.
Ayeaye capt'n

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I finally get to click the blue button! (to refresh my life..kidding) To write a new post.
Halfway, no, more than halfway through my papers as of today. 2 more to go, which are 2 weeks away. I really don't know to be happy or sad about that.
In the mean time, I'm all about being thankful about the papers done. Not that I am thankful about almost killing my index finger while trying to squeeze words out fast enough to fill about 10 pages worth of words. Masses of words.
I'm thankful that my quite freaking amazing God told me today in Matt 11:28- Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Don't even need to begin how appropiate that is seeing 3 hours sleep 6 hours concentration. That was so not me.

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Ohgosh honey teddy grahams how I really really really miss you. Eating you out of the box, replenishing you at safeway mondays.

Aaand I am writing yet another essay here. Champs.
But this is easy, this is fun, smiley writing and that is tear your hair out, whiny and anal writing.
Today was a krahaaaazy day to say the least. I should be sleeping now. 830pm. But I am whimsical and silly like that. And I dont make the best decisions when it comes to enjoyment and hedonistic fun. Last night I went to bed when the sun almost rose. 5am.
Napped for 3 hours. Possibly less.
I'm totally paranoid about oversleeping and missing the start of exams.
(I set 3 alarms that scream at me to wake up and am greeted by tons WAKE UP NOW and YOU ARE GOING TO BE LATE and LEAVE HOUSE NOW, kinda statements)

Woke up to weird weather, wished I had the camera right by me so I could take some shots but then again I had a million things to do before 10am (start of paper) plus the camera was downstairs): Well for starters it was blitheringly hot, sunny and all. But at the same time it was pouring rain. Big fat heavy rain droplets. Noisy enough to wake me up from my second turned-off-snooze of the morning.
Hot rain. Not a good weather to wake up to, much less trudge in on the way to the bus.
Thank God it let up.

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Indian doughnut? Not so much. Its these little things that make me think of airport study hmpf.

Of course I took liberty in enjoying a rare sit down breakfast (I save these for special occassions when I feel like I want to dawdle as much and well 'savour' the day) of yumz cereal and yoghurt mess. Its my latest breakfast craze and I make mum buy 4 mini pots of yoghurt everyweek.
Yoghurt with cereal tastes even better than milk with cereal.
Personal opinion(:

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just so you know I'm all about lovin' the 50% rack at coldstorage and got this yummy box at just over $3. Awesome or not! &I'm also currently obssessed with cereal

Macro was rather fun, in a totally sadistic way. 3hrs. nextttt.
Then in-between I had a measly 1.5 hour break which after much dawdling came to slightly less than an hour. Which I also found time to squeeze in a sad sad measly lunch/snack of a pb sandwich, rather squished up I must add. Plus it was cold no thanks to antartica-like weather in the hall. Then a very much needed can of coffee to give me whatever caffeine rush I could get.
Soci. +3hrs.

Okay funny story here. Not so funny when it happened but now, yeah.

So I was munching my way slowly through the 10-parter of a question.
Q1-10parts-50m
Then I came to my Globalisation question in section B. Essay-planned (sorta) and got writing. So like half way through the first paragraph, I suddenly felt like I was trying very hard (but failing to) recall the memorized fact and verbal diahorrea-ed facts.

omg. panic? essay without content = zilch. how!?

So the conversation with myself went something like this:


Left brain: omg what comes after transformationalist? who's the person I'm supposed to quote?
Right brain: ohmae! (person in soci) you silly brain.
LB: I knew that already. Who's the other one!
RB: other one..hmm...other what?
LB: other person! And what did he come up with!!

*starts to panic* 25marks and I'm only one paragraph in and no more content

RB: (gets sidetracked) hmm now what should I do after the paper
LB: omgomgomg howww 4.10pm already
RB: chicken nuggets! instant noodles! hmm is my stomach growling?
LB: maybe I should skip to the next point?
RB: actually I know what you need to do
LB: NO CHICKEN NUGGETS you crazy weirdo. (ok what do I need to do?)
RB: you need to peeeeeee really badly

(comes to realization)

LB: omg I do! crap i'm in the middle of the gigantic hall.
*before reply could be generated I'm half running to the loo. figures.

(after peeing)
(comes back and immediately remembers all the facts again)

Both Brains: omg I'm suddenly smart again. *writes frantically

DSSHH.
I'm sorry you have to hear about pee here but it is quite hilarious now, looking back.
Not so funny then.
On hindsight it was probably the coffee that I gulped down prior to the paper. Coffees are diuretics, they make you pee. Fact.

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Not the coffee I drank but I prefer starbie anyday. McCafe's fine but Starbie's always dabomb.

530pm. Overr! I survived 6 hours of intensive thinking on 3 hours of sleep. Something I thought I would be incredibly painful to endure. I did it yay(:

And then on the way home instant noodles and luncheon meat crept back into my head. Slowly but surely.
I really have no idea why I have such weirddddd cravings all of a sudden. Started last night. I wanted to have instant noodles + luncheon meat + chicken nuggets all in one meal. How weird is that pls, not to mention totally unhealthy and disgusting. So I toyed with the idea of walking to simpang to get the said above but at the same time mum texted me and asked me if I wanted dinner from 85. Which is always an awesome alternative, but I decided to push my luck a little more and ask her to buy the said above.

If you know my dear mother, she's a big fan of the healthy eating lifestyle and instant noodles, I dont even have that at home, much less canned luncheon meat. Yes I know its super disgustingly unhealthy and who knows what is in that meat in the can, plus drop all your hair instant noodles. Okay mum will never buy that for me.

But she did. It must have been the exam stress magic. Yes of course she tried to buy the 'made in singapore' one instead of the famous malin one and instant noodles, well that she cant do much. And of course she tried her hardest to make it healthy. hahaha (want to know how..)

1. dont use all the seasoning (too bad dumped it all in)
2. drain the soup from the noodles and use fish soup okok! (noooo! runs away with my soup)
3. use the toaster oven to cook the meat, dont fry (finefineeeee ok)
4. you want some vegetables (oh awwwright)

champs. yes?
But it was still disgustingly unhealthy or maybe its quite normal and I'm just not very used to it.
Oh-so-yummy nonetheless.

I wanted to take a picture. But the camera didnt have its memory card. Its ok I'll do it tomorrow. I know the brother will sure want some of that unhealthy-ness. Its almost a guaranteed.
And right now, while I can still feel the sting of hot noodles slurping down my throat and the saltiness of the luncheon meat, I'm feeling pretty fuzzy warm inside, full and very craving-satiated.
Its such a good feeling.
I dont even feel like looking at a nugget right now. Should I stay in, watch about 5 hours of backlogged tv, read some blogs, msn and PACK MY ROOM or should I chill somewhere outside.
Or sleep till tomorrow morning.
Decisions decisions. I feel as though I dont have anymore papers to sit for.
STOP DREAMING!!

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Milky goodness, guess the drink?

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hiatus from work for at least 24 hours.
yay me.
oh and I shall do a birthday (sorta) post tomorrow (:
toodlespoodles
really random pictures, all of studying sessions.
Will do yummy baking post in a few days!

Vanilla rice pudding for some respite

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vanillaricepudding8.jpg picture by classifiedramblings

Know those moments in life where you just need to be alone, not talking, not thinking. Momentary respite. Well, sometimes those need to drag on just a little longer. Me time, I believe its called. There are also periods in the year, where these little spots of needing me-time seem to pop up more often than not. And that period is impending, I just know.

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Then again, some days you just want to disappear into the world. To be alone in a crowded room. It's scary, but also draws out the inquisitive nature to know how it feels. Being invisible. Will people miss you? Will they call? Or will life just sweep over you like the next wave and the previously left footprints, evened out.

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People are funny beings. At least I know I am one. And not in the hilarious way, in the 'I know what I want but yet I'm totally clueless at the same time' way. Funnily clueless I should say.
Do I make sense?
I want people to call
I don't want them to.
I want people to miss me
I don't want them to remember.

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When the phone rings, there is this internal struggle, pick up? Leave it be. Contemplating takes as though a lifetime, you stare at the rapid blinking lights till there blink themselves out and it phone goes still. 'I should have answered'
You feel guilty, I will pick it the next time it rings. And you don't, even though it goes off, again.
Before you know it, it has been 5 rounds of staring at blinking lights.
It finally ends, then you get texts.

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Easy: Reply the texts after 5 hours with some response indicating you're still alive, thankfully.
Hard: Telling the truth

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Yet above all, after all, I still don't know what I want.

Hopefully a little comfort food, will temporarily push these little muddlyfuddly things out of my mind and I will concentrate on little things, but important things, like not turning rice to gooey porridge. Being totally paranoid that I will disgrace my Asian ethnicity by not being able to cook rice successfully, plumping raisins and slowly cooking milk down, very patiently, to the right creamy texture.
And thereafter, I will sit on my favourite spot on the bed, propped up by two pillows, feet curled up, and watch the latest episodes of Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother 6 and eat chilled rice pudding.
Although it is the first time I've eaten rice pudding ever, the smell and taste felt comforting, friendly and right. And I concurred that even if I did not get anything right today, at least I did get this.
That itself, is enough to bring me to a new dawn.

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I love what I do.

Vanilla rice pudding
from The Gourmet Cookbook
(serves 4 to 6)


2 cups water
1cup long grain rice
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, split open (I used 1+1/4 tbsp vanilla extract)
1 cup raisins

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in lemon zest, salt and long grain rice and return to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and rise out pan. Add 4 cups of milk, sugar and vanilla bean to the pan. Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn’t burn. Add the cooked rice and raisins to the hot milk. Stir often, until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes. Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool. Serve cold or at room temperature.