A look back

Two major issues that had happened in 2009. First is the decision to quit my 4-year full-of-fun-but-going-nowhere job, and second, was the arrival of my niece, Natalie. Of course there were other issues, but they were not as important as these two, or are too personal to share. And since I couldn't think of anything more to write up about 2009, I shall leave you with this short note that Ray, my fellow colleague and good friend, had summarised about our 4-year journey together with our other 2 colleagues, in the same workplace.

The story of the bus driver and his passengers

I guess it all got started about 4 years ago? The journey of a bus driver and his passengers.

I can still remember there was once this bus driver….determined and driven, looking for the right passengers to board his bus……

The destination? The journey bounding for the Promised Land; or so it was promised.

He found 4 passengers of different character and skills and for a short time, the journey through the scenic meadow was both beautiful and glorious but good time, like roses, didn’t last. The bus driver lost his direction and motivation soon after and begun taking a back seat, leaving the passengers in utter astonishment. Forced to take over the reign, the 4 passengers tried to steer the bus back to its original path but were met with frustrating obstacles. There were suddenly many bus stops, slowing the journey to a snail pace and many drivers started to board the bus, demanding different pit stops and destinations. Shortly after, one passenger got pulled out of the bus, promised a better transport (a merc cab?) to a better destination, The Nirvana. He was promised of a more comfortable and professional journey in his merc cab. But the rest of the passengers knew, the poor guy was actually been transferred onboard a lorry filled with blanghras and was heading towards the black hole.

Nevertheless the 3 remaining passengers trudged on…. Struggling through the bumpy, cloudy desert road.

Time flew and like what time can do to everything, things got numb – the millions of last minute pit stops, trillions of empty promises, zillions of conflicting directions from various bus drivers and most importantly, the journey with no ending in sight, did not matter anymore. The stand-in passengers were tired.

And so finally, they decided to press the bell. They have decided..... to take the MRT.

Inside-joke story.

Looking back, the 4 passengers believe in efficiency. They kept the ultimate destination in mind all the time. They tried to steer the bus back on route with all their might. They tried to sound out when things go wrong, tried to standardize correct practices and even tried to find alternative to problems but their voices were often sniffled, deem to be complain~y or critical.

Looking back, maybe the bus never did left the bus station in the first place ya?

hahaha

Anyway, the journey had been a rewarding one. The passengers bonded together, became close friends and companions and no hard grudges were bear since bus drivers and passengers all got their own objectives, goals and ways of handling a bus. :)

To the cinema : Bodyguards and Assassins (十月围城)

This is the last movie that we watched for 2009, and coincidentally (or not) the previous Mandarin movie we had watched was also has Donnie Yen in it. Heh.

I didn't read up about this movie, or look at reviews before stepping into the cinema. So, there was not much expectations, and I was surprised about the VIP cast, even though some appeared only for less than 10 minutes. And as I thought back about it, I realised that this is those kind of 50-50 movie, where you like it 50% but on the other hand, dislike the other 50%.

There is nothing much to talk about the film without giving the simple and somewhat expected plot away. But I can say that the 50% I like is the way the characters were introduced, and how their relationships were clearly shown. The 50% I dislike is that I expected much more action since there is Donnie Yen in it. And when there were actions in some scenes, they were over a little too quickly before we can see the skills of the character, and get excited over the fighting.

And apologies to Leon Lai fans who happen to read this. For the life of me, I can't understand why the team cannot find another more suitable face or personality for this character. I admit I was never a fan of Leon Lai, and the image of him in this movie is really not for him at all. I couldn't stop laughing whenever he appeared, and same goes for the girl sitting beside me in the cinema.

Gong Zai Mian (公仔面)

I could still remember my very first "encounter" with Gong Zai Mian. It was my very first trip to Hong Kong with the husband (then boyfriend) and my girl friend. We had randomly stepped into a modest eatery for lunch and were browsing through the menu on the wall when this dish caught my eye. It sounded like something quite interesting and since I am more of a noodle person, I placed an order for it. And imagine our surprise when it arrived... instant noodles with a sunny-side up, luncheon meat and some vegetables.

So with some leftover luncheon meat, Gong Zai Mian came to mind. From the few blog posts I read, the instant noodles must be Nissin's Chu Qian Yi Ding (出前一丁). And this is such a simple meal that can be whipped up quickly and cheaply, it's atrocious how much those Hong Kong Cafes here charge for this dish.

And apologies if the egg didn't look as appealing as a sunny-side coz I'm not a fan of uncooked egg yolk. ;p

Luncheon meat and egg sandwich

There is something about the canned luncheon meat that I will not get tired of. The slight saltiness and the crispiness of it when fried, is forever so addictive. Yes, I know about healthy living and all that stuff. Don't worry. Luncheon meat is not something we eat all the time. We, or rather, I, have it once in a while when the craving sets in.

I can't remember the last time I had a luncheon meat and egg sandwich. But I remembered my mother used to make it for me whenever I went for school excursions during the primary school days. There was this one trip to Sentosa, when it started to rain heavily as we were heading back to the school bus. Since none of us had umbrellas with us, we had to brave through the rain. By the time we got on the bus, my classmates and I were nearly drenched and cold, no thanks to the air-con. At that moment, I remembered the packed luncheon meat and egg sandwiches my mother made for me. And though they were already somewhat soggy, they still tasted wonderful to me. I ate everything while my classmates watched with envy.

Ad attraction

Once in a while, a song from some advertisement will grab my attention and I would start to Google or go to YouTube to look for it. It's like a new song that "clicked" with you the moment you hear it, and you wouldn't mind it circling in your head for the whole day. And by whatever means, I'll have to get it as my handphone ringtone. And the lastest one is this :



The previous commercial song that got my attention, and is still my SMS ringtone was this :

Char Kway Teow

Yes, yes, I know my char kway teow is much 'paler' than the original ones that we are used to (unless we are talking about the Penang one). I only eyeballed the dark soy sauce amount, but I think there would not be much difference to the overall taste, except maybe a more distinct sweetness of the sauce if I had put in more.

In fact, this is one dish that I didn't really follow the measurements from the recipe. I only used it as a guide to get the ingredients and the steps to frying it. And I'm glad to say that it turned out quite well. However, I didn't really read the blog post well enough to see the suggestion : The trick to this dish is to use high heat and cooked one serving at a time for maximum 'wok hey' (wok's breath). I'll be sure to keep this in mind coz I know there will be a next time. :)

Char Kway Teow (Recipe from here )

Ingredients :

- 250 gm Kueh Teow (flat rice noodles)
- 150 gm prawns - shelled
- 100 grm of meat or cockles (I used char siew)
- a handful of beansprouts
- 5 stalks chives or spring onions - cut into 2cm lengths
- 2 eggs
- 3 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
- 2 tsp of chili paste - optional
- 3 tbsp of light sauce sauce
- 2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions :

1. Heat up wok to high heat, add oil and garlic and fry till fragrant.

2. Add prawns, meat and ground chili and stir-fry for about 20 secs.

3. Add noodles, stir fry for a few second, add in soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Continue to fry until everything is well combined. Add in beansprouts.

4. Push mixture to edge of wok, add a little oil in centre. Add and fry the eggs and then mix everything together. Check seasoning.

5. Lastly add in chives or spring onions and give the noodles a few toss.

6. Dish out and serve hot.

Braised Ginger Chicken with Potatoes

I admit that when it comes to food, I'm a little weird and maybe a little picky sometimes, yes, just sometimes. Weird in the sense that I only eat the skin of the chicken if it's deep-fried or roasted. I cannot stand the 'squishy-ness' and the slight taste of fat of the chicken skin if it is cooked any other way.

So, understandably, I would choose chicken fillets instead of chicken drumsticks as stated in the original recipe. I also realised that chicken fillets are not as dry as chicken breasts, if cooked quick and right.

Braised Ginger Chicken with Potatoes (Recipe from here)

Ingredients:

- Chicken drumsticks - 5 pcs, chopped into chunks
- Coriander leaves, one handful, chopped (I forgot about this so I used spring onions)
- Potatoes - 2 medium sized, chunks
- Ginger - 10 slices
- Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
- Shallots - 1 pc, sliced
- Salt - 2 tsp
- Dark soya sauce - 2 tbsp
- Sesame oil - 1/2 tsp

Seasonings:

- Light soya sauce - 1 tbsp
- Lee & Perrin sauce - 1 tsp (I omitted this)
- Salt & pepper - Dash
- Sesame oil - 1 tsp

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken drumsticks with seasonings. Set aside for 20 mins.

2. Sautee garlic, shallots, ginger till fragrant.

3. Add in potatoes and sautee till potatoes are slightly brown.

4. Add in marinated chicken, stir fry for 10 mins.

5. Add salt. Stir occasionally till chicken is half cooked and fragrant.

6. Then, add warm water to cover 3/4 of the chicken. Simmer with lid covered till sauce is thicken.

7. When the sauce is half thicken, add in coriander leaves. Simmer for another 10 mins.*

8. Off fire, stir in dark soya sauce and sesame oil, mix well.

9. Dish up, garnish with some coriander leaves and serve.

*Note : If you are using chicken fillets or breasts, I think you can keep the simmering to under 10 minutes, or the better gauge is to check for the consistency of the sauce.