Thursday, February 11, 2010

Happy CNY!!

Hehe..before I leave for home, better leave a footprint here... hAppY Chinese New Year!!!

Going to have a good rest at home.
In fact, I didn't feel the mood earlier until today morning. Btw, I already got the 3rd Angpow already! =P So fast hor?
And I also got a stack of empty angpows from my landlady! (she asked those to be given to my mom since she can't use those as she's not married yet)

Got one angpow over here and two more back at home by one of our distanced relatives. Growing up older each year, the mood of getting angpow is less and less..probably because we see people of our age are already giving angpows and we are still (thick-face) in receiving it..(But in my family, we do give angpows to our parents and grandparents in return and as appreciation since all of us literally have jobs already)
In fact didn't want to receive angpows anymore because we are no longer kids- but if you act too 'po ma', people would feel uncomfortable also..
So just take it lo =P

Anyway, Happy happy ChiNeSe nEw yEaR and may all starts well and ends well too!!

 
Picture taken from here =)

So long~ Happy holidays!!
P/S : happy Valentine's Day too! 

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Large sizes of Seafood!

Alright, this is a long time overdue post. I had this last year in June before I came back here, after my horrible exam.
Incredibly huge isn't it??
It's a freshwater prawn reared in Sabah. My brother got it from his colleagues and he brought back about 3 kgs I think (can't remember the exact one). Those were very sweeet and juicyyyy!! One of the largest prawn I've ever tasted! :P


Excitingly...
Last Saturday, I had another huge surprise :D :D

I managed to have this!! It's one of the largest crab pincher I've ever tasted in my entire life..hehe! I think my friend was like =.=" (speechless cause I was given the priority to taste it! Though I felt guilty because I wasn't the one who picked it..Anyway, since I was given the chance to eat it, I had it! :D

Reluctantly, my picture was captured along with this huge crab pincher :P I was too busy eating and didn't bring my camera that day.

It was super duper sweeeet and juicyy!! (haih very jakun but really, undeniable!)

Note the yellow small sauce next to my plate- it's sesame sauce. Because many steamboats over here in Singapore consists of pepper hot (Beijing style- lots of pepper and is spicy) and normal soup, therefore the sesame sauce can help to relieve the spicy pepper hot soup. It's different from KL where the steamboats consists of 'tom yam' (sour and hot) soup and a normal soup.

The sesame sauce is supposed to be added with various kinds of other ingredients such as sesame oil, coriander leaves, and any other ingredients that you wanna eat to relieve the spiciness. Trust me, it really helps! (highly recommended for those who can't take spicy soups). You'd be amazed on how the sesame sauce works in relieving the hot symptoms (runny nose, teary eyes, hot tongue). I remember my first time having Beijing steamboat here with those symptoms and also I couldn't stand the beef smell in the soup so I didn't take much of it. Now, I'm proud to say that (ahemm...), I'm used to it already :P

The enjoying dinner in Geylang lasted from 530pm to 8pm. Long hours~ This time's buffet really worth it- for me:P (since I always can't take much food)
In fact, I feel pretty bad for my friend because since I don't eat beef, all the meat were substituted with mutton. Also, I'm regretful to say that I didn't keep my promise.Will for sure, keep my promise for the next time!

So long~

Monday, February 1, 2010

Gonna get sick!! TCM way of relieving sickness..刮 Gua1 aka scrape

Fyi, TCM = traditional Chinese Medicine..

I've never been sick for almost 1 n 1/2 year I think, since the complimentary flu jab that I got when working as a RA in my previous department before I came here.. Which made me strongly believe that flu jabs are really really effective!! :P

In fact, I've been hoping to never fall sick during my first year here, because of the busy schedules and I was afraid of scoring badly especially when near CAs (continual assessments- like exams) and finals. I am very grateful for not falling sick at all too :) At least the moments are over..now can get sick laa.. (you must be thinking "whATttt?? ThiS cRazYY gal!!"

I was afraid of getting sick because I've had bad experiences in falling sick during examinations..really suffering and bad for the grades too ..Anyway, I started to feel sick after today's lab meeting; my throats were dry, and could feel like getting a runny nose. I wonder how much I understand myself too- because 2 weeks ago I already told one of my seniors that I'll probably get sick soon. Haih..If all my intuitions are that sharp.. Anyway, this is sad because now is so so near to Chinese New Year!! *sobs.

Hopefully will be okay soon or otherwise... will cry man with those food cravings and I can't eat! 

My pretty senior offered to massage my throat..she's a Traditional Chinese doctor who had just graduated here and currently working in my lab.. what happened was she massaged with her two fingers (sort of like pinching the area that I feel sick).

In fact, this type of massage (called Gua1 刮- don't know correct word or not, think yes, if not please tell me:P) works well for any part of the body, whichever place that you feel  sick and not comfortable. And once it's pinched/ massaged repeatedly, the problematic area will show inflammation, showing signs that the particular area is problematic. And after inflammation, it will get well again.

It looks like this now!! Means problematic! >.<

That's why when, for example, your shoulder is in pain, a skin scraper is used together with some massage oil to massage that part. Have to scrap quite hard one lehh..

We did a case-control study because another labmate was there (Hehe!, knowing that both of us doubt the effectiveness of this treatment :P)..so my senior did the same pinching for him. In fact I didn't really believe that only problematic areas will show inflammations like this, because the pinchings weren't that soft. It was pretty, hmmm, slightly painful.. Coincidentally, that labmate also mentioned about what was going through in my mind- doubting the effectiveness of this treatment.

Suprisingly, it's truee laaa! That healthy guy only got some pinkish skin but mine was like- with 'punctuates'! (One of the things that we observe in the lab and looks like small holes in cells, either stained or not stained) It looked like areas with small red dots all over the pinching site..He has none except for the pinkish skin!!

Hopefully will get well soon before CNY!!

So long~