Entries from April 2007 ↓

Are you a child of the 80’s? You are if you can remember sitting in front of a new colour tv and waiting eagerly for “You Asked For It”, a tv audience request show, where the tv station would respond to requests from viewers from the world over (but mostly from the USA) for all sorts of weird and wonderful things, ranging from how do you make things, to where you can find specific things.

If you have ever seen the show, you’d remember the opening theme music and the host Rich Little, in his khaki suit and 80’s hair holding his cue-cards in one hand as he announces each segment. There was a pathetic attempt at a Malaysian edition but it fizzled out after a bit.

This show came unbidden to mind as I strived to answer a reader’s request.

*Cue music* dum dee dum dee dum dumdum…

Today, we have a request from LB of San Giovanni, Italy. LB wanted proof of a visit to Ikea and a picture of curry puffs from there. In fact, LB said:

Enjoy your IKEA!!!! Wheeeeeeeeeee…. have a kalipap for me, ok? Promise? Take photo! I want proof..

Well, LB of San Giovanni, Italy, being the intrepid reporter that I am, I have here proof of a visit to Ikea in Kuala Lumpur. By your request, here is a picture of Ikea curry puffs:

Curry puffs from Ikea (Malaysia) are the most underrated items to purchase from there, but in my opinion, the item most worth purchasing. The curry puffs are larger than normal, and the crispy flaky short crust pastry is filled with tasty curried potatos, chicken pieces and some hard-boiled egg.

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Each curry puff is only RM1 and if you buy 6 it only costs you RM5.50. Most people will opt to save that RM0.50 and buy 1/2 a dozen. But you can’t help it, because it tastes so delicious, you can’t stop at just 1! I didn’t. I had one for me, and one for LB because he asked me to.

So just for LB of San Giovanni, Italy, here are more pictures of the exalted curry puffs from Ikea, because YOU ASKED FOR IT!

*cue closing theme music*

This has nothing to do with Twitter but operates on the same principle. Some short notes/thoughts that ran through my head today.

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$70 was banked in this morning from doing paid posts. That’s 1 year’s hosting fees kau-tim. Yay!

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Burnt my only 2 slices of toast which I was going to have for lunch with Nutella. Boo!

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Submerged in the Malaysian culture of lepak (hanging out) at Sungai Wang Plaza, looking for a new phone. Introduced to the new Samsung E830 that isn’t even out yet. Fell in ♥ but its not yet in stock and price is unknown. From the brochure its going to come in shimmering gold! Black is also an option but the picture of the gold looks good.

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Got warned about some unscrupulous mobile phone vendors who would sell you reconditioned sets as brand new. Damn! Close shave.

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Got caught up in the camera fair at Low Yat Plaza. I didn’t know Samsung came out with a digital camera too! Was on the verge of picking up either a Canon Ixus 60 (RM899) or one of the Panasonic Lumix LX (RM1499-1599). 10MP in a compact point and shoot camera! Hot damn! Left without anything. Good gal!

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Indulged in Lecka-lecka gelato wannabe ice-cream sorbet thing. Lemon and watermelon. Do you get watermelon gelato in Italy, LB? Anyway, gelato wise, it was close, but no cigar. Give me that gelateria by the Fontana di Trevi in Rome any day *drools at memory* or actually, any gelateria in Italy, thankyewverymuch!

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Share dividend came in the mail! What a great mail day!

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AhPek told me that this new 1.5 month old baby is a PR4 site! Yeah baby… yeah! *strikes goofy Austin Powers pose* He must know I’m a fluffy female who doesn’t do techy things like check my Google Page Rank so he did it for me. Aww… so sweet!

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And tomorrow, I’m off to Ikea with Mom on a little shopping spree! Whee!

LB faved me all the way from Italy and then tagged me for this link-boosting, technorati-rank-boosting, PR boosting tag which promises to boost everything about your blog except your bra size.

I don’t know if this works, but heck all those who hover on the fringes of trying to make money blogging would absolutely love this tag. If you don’t want to make money by blogging nevermind, just sign up with technorati and do all your blog buddies a favour by favouriting them and boosting their technorati rank (if it works). Good karma comes to those who do good.

Now, do peruse this list while I run off and keep my fingers busy favouriting those in the list.

***START COPYING HERE***

Here are the Rules:

1) Write a short introduction paragraph about what how you found the list and include a link to the blog that referred you to the list.

2) COPY the Rules and ENTIRE list below and post it to your blog. To avoid duplicate content and increase the amount of keywords your site can accessible for, go ahead and change the title of the blog. Just don’t change the links of the blog.

3) Take “My New Faves” and move them into the “The Original Faves” list.

4) Add 5 Blogs that you’ve just added to your Technorati Favorites to the “My New Faves” section. Remember to also add the “Fave Me” link next to your new blogs (i.e. http://technorati.com/faves?sub=addfavbtn&add=http://www.yourfavesdomain.com)

5) Add Everyone on this list to your Technorati Favorites List by clicking on “Fave the Site.” Those who want good kharma will fave you back. If not, you will for sure get the benefits of faves from the bloggers who continue this list after you.

My New Faves:

Hochiak! - Fave the site
Giddy Tiger - Fave the site
Oh! For the love of me - Fave the site
Live Life… Organics & Your Health - Fave the site
Pink Elle - Fave the site

The Original Faves:

Paris Beaverbanks - Fave the Site
Tigerfish - Fave the Site
Wennnn - Fave the Site
SiwwyPig - Fave the Site
angel - Fave the Site

LB - Fave the Site
Cool Insider - Fave the Site
Simple America - Fave the Site
Chen - Fave the Site
Captain Picard - Fave the Site

East Coast Life - Fave the Site
Culture Shiok! - Fave the Site
Pond Perspective - Fave the Site
Carlo Ocab - Fave the Site
Fruity Oaty - Fave the Site

Michael McKinlay - Fave the Site
Nice4Rice Free Backlinks - Fave the Site
Work at Home, Make Money Online - Fave the Site

Web 2.0, Tech Reviews - Fave the Site
Wireless LAN Security - Fave the Site
Bobs [ReformatThis] - Fave the Site
Everyday Weekender - Fave the Site

Armen’s Blog - Fave the Site
Gary Lee - Fave the Site
Dosh Dosh - Fave the Site
Nate Whitehill - Fave the Site
Ms. Danielle - Fave the Site

Jeff Kee - Fave the Site
Scribble on the Wall - Fave the Site
Jimi Morrisons Head - Fave the Site
Jon Lee - Fave the Site
Samanathon - Fave the Site

Eat Drink & Be Merry - Fave the Site
The Man of Silver - Fave the Site
Hannes Johnson - Fave the Site
My Dandelion Patch - Fave the Site
Nathan Drach - Fave the Site

SiteLogic - Fave the Site
Julies Journal - Fave the Site
Stephen Fung - Fave the Site
Ed Lau - Fave the Site
QMusings - Fave the Site

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Negative chi is like a snowball balancing on the top of a steep mountain. When you nurture it and give it that little push to set it rolling down the mountain, it just gets bigger and bigger, until its out of control and totally buries you under all that negative feelings that bring you down.

Thus, it was that I had that meltdown a while back, and continued wallowing in all sorts of negative feelings, dredging up the painful past and beating myself over the head with it. I was not much better than that albino monk, Silas watzisname, in the Da Vinci Code. I tell you, self-flagellation is not all its made out to be. After a while, when you run out of self-pity to wallow in, you start making things up just so you can keep wallowing. It didn’t help that my 5 month old car ariel aerial got stolen just last week *curses on the blardy thieves - may they find themselves infected by herpes* (btw apparently I cannot spell for I got a frantic sms this morning commiserating with the loss of my car. I couldn’t quite understand the brouhaha over a lost aerial until I realised my spelling is that of either a Little Mermaid or dishwashing liquid from the UK)

So, it was with great pleasure that I came across May’s latest post. I was so charmed by it, I absolutely had to nick her idea!

So, to lift me out of my funk, here’s some positive chi that makes me a happy camper:

• I take a day off from work because we decided to install our new King on a weekday
• I have a leisurely lunch with my sis at a new Japanese restaurant that we’ve been wanting to try, and enjoying every bit of it
• The lunch did not cost as much as I thought it would - skinflint!
• I find the plant pots and matching plates that I’ve been searching for for ages, so now my house plants can have a proper home
• I get my favourite foundation in my colour at a heavy discount
• I finally get to stretch my stiff muscles at yoga class after 2 weeks
• I actually manage to hold my yoga poses despite protesting muscles
• I made sangria and had a great night’s sleep as a result
• Dad sent over hot wholesome and nourishing chicken soup
• I got my shipment of crisps intact!!
• I’m going to buy my new phone soon, whatever it might be
• I finally have closure and shopping money to boot!

Best and most positive of all, I got an sms message from a friend this afternoon, who just wanted me to know how frustrating it was to keep hitting the refresh button on my blog and seeing no new updates. Just when I thought no one cared.

You my friend, absolutely made my day! *HUGS*

Stay positive everyone!

Welcome to another edition of Paris Cooks!

This is where I chronicle my kitchen experiments for want of something better to write about. Haha… Actually no. Its more of an online recipe book for me so I know what works and what doesn’t. Also, its to tell you that yes, on top of being pretty flakey and having meltdowns and ranting at the world in general, I’m a pretty domesticated animal as well.

Today’s dish is Herbal chicken soup with rice vermicelli (mee suah as the Hokkiens say or meen seen as the Cantonese say it).

This one’s easy. I use a slow cooker.

In the mornings before I leave for work, I pop into the slow cooker about 1/4 of a chicken and some herbs from the Chinese medical shop. I like to use yok chok (I don’t know the English name, sorry!) for sweetness, some ginseng roots to cool the body, lots of red dates and wolfberries (kei chi) again for sweetness. Kei Chi is supposed to be good for the eyes too and since my Lasik, you can be sure I eat a lot of it.

I then add about 4-5 rice bowls of water, turn it on low and leave it to boil and simmer.

In the evenings when I get home, there’s a pot of steaming hot, tasty soup waiting for me! Great on cold rainy evenings or when you want something light for dinner. To make it more substantial, I blanch some rice vermicelli and add it in to the soup.

Ta-da!

I personally prefer using pork ribs to chicken for soup. I find it tastier and the soup clearer. I also prefer boiling the soup over a stove as again, its tastier, but I have to work, so beggers can’t be choosers. I also don’t add salt to my soups because I find the soup sweet and tasty enough by itself. If its too bland, its likely there was too much water.

And that brings us to the end of yet another edition of Paris Cooks! Stay tuned for upcoming reports.