Our Next Home

"Villa Julia" by Javier Mariscal.

Retro-stylin' clean lines. Loads of natural light. Easy to assemble and dismantle. No need for pesky builders (who, by the way, miraculously turned up on time today to work on the balcony doors).

One in adult's size, please.

Where Are You, Dexter?!

You'll never guess, Dexter. That deceitful scum of a foreman came in this morning to say that they won't be able to work on the balcony doors today because they are missing a panel. And they had three bloody weeks to prep for it! They sure are not the sharpest tools in the toolbox.

He "promised" it'll be done first thing tomorrow. Right, on a Saturday. It didn't happen last Saturday with the floorboards and I don't see the doors happening tomorrow with them lazy incompetent builders. Another weekend of inconvenience, living in a plastic-wrapped apartment.

He's proven to be utterly useless and I think our block and the world would rejoice if we were rid of one of his kind. I was thinking, since the whole of our apartment has already been made blood splatter-proof anyway, would you kindly come do that thing you do so well to him? We will be eternally grateful. xx

On The Set Of "Dexter"

We just spent the last hour draping and masking-taping giant plastic sheets over everything in our tiny apartment. Like Dexter prepping for a kill.

It's something that we should have done from Day #1 but I naively believed the foreman then when he assured me that the amount of dust generated would be would be minimal. It is now apparent that his definition of "minimal" is very different from mine...the amount of gunk that I've cleaned out over the last two days!

Tomorrow, they'll be removing our balcony doors and frame and replacing them with new ones. Again, he said the dust is not going too bad. Hacking into concrete is not too bad?! Yah, right.

I wish Dexter would do something to rid us of these lying scums.

It Is Indeed Magic!

My life as a charlady continues today but I'm taking a break to rest my sore arms and to extol the virtue of bi-carb soda, also known as baking soda and sodium bicarbonate, as a cleaning aid.

My tired arms would be aching a lot more if not for this magnificent powder - simply add some water, make a paste, apply and watch it lift even the most stubborn of stains magically, without much scrubbing. It beats all the store-bought chemicals which I have stopped buying since I discovered the super(natural)power of bi-carb soda.

It's cheap, very efficient and does not harm the environment. And it really works. You can read more about the humble white stuff and its many uses here.

Alright, got to get back to my housekeeping duties...

The Saga Continues...

Welcome to the latest instalment of "My Life as a Charlady".

Yesterday, my main chore was to clean the thick layer of orange dust that has settled not only on every surface in the apartment but has also permeated every cupboard and drawer after the new floorboards were put in.

To make matters worse, the builders broke the plastic drainage pipe of the dishwasher. Sawdust + water = hard-to-clean thick orange paste + washing every piece of dust-covered pot, crockery and cutlery by hand. Whoopeedoo.

Baubles!

I'm a little late seeing these colourful and slightly whimsical accessories by Sydney-based designer Elke Kramer were released earlier this month but better late than never, I guess, because they are some of the finest collaboration pieces that I've seen come out of local chainstore Sportsgirl.

"Inspired by an eclectic mix of poetic obeservations including circus tents and the contrasting colours of Mexico", the capsule collection of necklaces, bangles, rings and a bag are as well-made as those on her eponymous label but sold at a fraction of the price.

I'm loving the bangles, with their black trims on one side and white on the other.

The necklaces are not as chunkily-bold as those that Elke Kramer is famous for but cute all the same with their movable parts.


I'm strangely drawn to her stack of Tri-rings which I've taken to wearing on a chain around my neck. Their fluted edges remind me of tart tins and their hues create pictures in my head of delicious and colourful things that I'd fill the tarts with - rhubarb compote...white chocolate ganache...pistachio cream...baked dark chocolate...wine-poached peaches...strawberries and cream...

Some pieces are still available at Sportsgirl stores nationwide and online (click on "Sportsgirls Like" and then "Elke Kramer").

The Likkle Girl Who Wurves Gween Shoes

Worn to death: Orla Kiely Cafe Creme Wellies, Orla Kiely Tonal Stem Wellies, Tretorn Wedged Wellies

I could have been a nicely-manicured "shrub" last night instead of a "tree" if I had worn green from head to toe, it occured to me this morning.

Only been out once or twice: Far East Plaza Tartan Flats, Melissa Indie, Camper 'Twins' Mary-Janes, Melissa/Vivienne Westwood T-Bars

Since all my shoes, both in boxes and not, have been driven out of their usual home and living in our bedroom at the moment (dreadful renovation!), I thought, for fun "stock-taking" purposes, I should bust out the green ones (we'll leave those in other colours for another day, maybe) and do a count.

Old hags: Douglas Sandals, Irregular Choice Kitten-Heeled Pumps, RAS Rosette Flats

The kiddy ditty Ten Green Bottles popped into my head, as I was popping the shoes out of their boxes, so here they are, lined up on our empty bookshelves (and unfinished floor - dreadful renovation!) like bottles.






















I was reminded of another song, one that my bestie wrote about me years ago, "...How can you expect to find your feet...When you’ve so many pairs of shoes?...". Cheeky bugger.

An Unintentional Green-Themed Evening

Photo - Gervy (now known as Gigi), "Moon & Star" Dress - Nu+Nan, Boots - Secondhand Frye Campus, Necklace - The Empress Dowager's New Jewels

My wardrobe was planned, of course. I wanted to look like a tree, with brown boots for the trunk and a green dress for foliage...no...

Photo - Gigi

...I wanted to wear my Dewdrops of Jade necklace and I thought Gigi, my dining partner, another lover of the colour green, would appreciate the effort. I brought her a bit of green too.

What I didn't expect, this being my first visit to Uchi Lounge after a few failed attempts, was the series of cute green-themed paintings on the walls of the dining room and the amount of food we were going to consume in the colour*.

Gigi started with a Japanese Illusion, a green cocktail - a mix of sake, Midori and various other bits-and-bobs. I had a Sake Tasting Platter - three of their tasty fruit flavoured sake of my choice from quite a long list. It was hard to choose but I finally decided on lychee, passionfruit and strawberry & rhubarb (my favourite of the trio).

For starters, we shared a tofu and spinach (green!) salad, a konbu (green!) and daikon salad and prawn and fish balls with green(!) tea salt.

For mains, she had a delicious sea perch cooked with basil (green!), miso and something else. My vegetarian plate of organic soba, bamboo shoot teriyaki, grilled egplant and very tasty veggie gyoza had nothing green in it despite being labelled "vegetarian".

Gigi finished her meal with a Japanese tea pannacotta and I capped my night off with a superb green(!) tea and cinnamon crème brulee.

*We apologise for the lack of photo evidence. We got busy talking after the first few shots and busier after the food arrived.

Crush Him Like A Cockroach

That's what I feel like doing right now to the foreman in charge of the renovation work in our building!

The new floorboards were supposed to be in yesterday...this morning...this afternoon...first thing tomorrow morning...now, Monday morning! Goddamnit! I've had enough of having to walk around on the unfinished floors in my flip-flops! Albeit pretty ones. One evening I can put up with. But add tonight and two more days over the weekend, in our construction-site-of-a-living-room?!!!! Why are contractors the same the world over - unreliable scum-of-the-earth liars!

Retreat to the serenity of our bedroom? Serenity, my ass!

It's like a favela in there! Our bed is flanked on all sides with cardboard boxes of things and furniture from the "construction site" that we've had to pack away.

The landlord had better give us a rent reduction this month for having to live in a dump. And putting up with the cockroach of a foreman.

Bare Floor And Burnt Pots

"May I scratch your floor?", the cheeky builder-boy, B, said to me this morning before they started ripping the old floorboards out in the living area. We are all pals now, me, him and his mates. We've been hanging out since Monday, for a few hours each day, talking shit while they caused a ruckus in the apartment. They remind me so much of the crew boys that I used to work with in my film production days.

Their foreman, however, is not my best buddy. He told me only at 4.30pm yesterday about the floor which was originally scheduled for next week! I mean, I was happy that they brought it forward because it would mean that we can stop living on a mini construction site soon. On the other hand, I hate inconvenient surprises. The boyfriend and I already had it all planned out - he brings boxes home from work on Friday and we start packing away our stuff in the living room over the weekend, ready for the boys on Monday. Brilliant plan thwarted!

And just before the foreman called, I had put on a huge pot of rhubarb compote and another of chilli jam, both of which needed constant stirring.

The beautiful bunch of rhubarb before I burnt them in the pot. Yes. Burnt! And I don't do "burnt"!

I turned my back to call the boyfriend with the new "floor" plans and that was the end of my pot of bright red compote.

The chilli jam took longer to cook and reduce but again, I got distracted when it was at its crucial near-done stage because the boyfriend came home early with boxes and I left the stove to help him pack. Just a little. Bah!

I managed to save half of it and got these two jars.

Kitchen Tips Time!

#1. How To Salvage A Just-Burnt Pot Of Stewing Things (which some of you might already know but what the heck!)
~ "Oh, crap! The stew is caught on the base of the pot!"
~ I know it's instinctive, to want to further scrape the base of the pot after that initial "reckoning" scrape, to dislodge the burnt, and therefore stuck, bits of food. DON'T!
~ Why? Because the un-caught part of the stew, which is usually more than 50%, cannot be saved if you scrape the burnt bits which will then be mixed in with the good bits. What's the point of saving something that's not actually burnt but tastes burnt?
~ Instead, quickly grab an empty pot, of about the same size, and pour the stew into the new pot. Again, DO NOT be tempted to scrape the base of the first pot. The food that's stuck is not wasteful waste.
~ Continue cooking whatever you were cooking in the second pot with a watchful eye. Stir diligently. Do not go anywhere until it is done! You've been given a free get-out-of-jail card so don't blow it again.

Now, with the first pot...

#2. How To Clean A Burnt Pot (which I'm sure all of you already know but again, what the heck!)
~ Simple! Fill pot with water about 5cm high.
~ Bring to the boil for 10 minutes. Most of the shit should be boiled off but if the stubborn ones remain...
~...make a thick paste with some bi-carb and water.
~ Take pot off the heat, tip water out and place in sink.
~ Smear bi-carb paste on burnt marks. Leave to dry for 15 minutes.
~ Using a damp scouring pad, scrub them buggers. That should do the trick. Wash pot the way you usually wash it.

Alright, I'm off to clean up after the boys now.

Formulaic Dressing

Was doing the laundry this morning and looking back at what I wore last week, a full week of wet and grey days, I chuckled at my lazy but unconscious choices.

I don't know if you do the same but what I put on each day very much depend on one single item that I want (or need) to wear and I work the rest of the pieces around it. Last week, the deciding item, or items, were my wellies. For obvious practical reasons.

The week started with this on Monday...






















Crocheted cardigan - Sportsgirl, Chambray Dress - Fiona, Wellies - Orla Kiely

And ended with this on Sunday...






















Stripey top - Witchery, Chambray Dress - Fiona (again!), Wellies - Orla Kiely, Necklace - The Empress Dowager's New Jewels (road-testing it for Poochie)

The few times I went out in the shitty weather in between, I wore variations of the theme...wellies - a (I switch between three pairs, all in the same green - yawnsville, I know)...chambray dress - a (at last count, I think I own a dozen, in various permutations - I'm addicted to buying things in that fabric!)...a splash of colours or prints - a. If I had known there was an unconscious pattern, I would have been more diligent with the photo-documentation. However, here's one I wore before (I'm boring!).

The forecast for this week is wet and grey again so I might dip back into the same lazy "formula" - what I now call the "city chick rolling in wet hay" look. Why not? Besides being a little uninspired, it's easy, comfortable and practical. And kinda school-girly cute, no?

Translate well to loungewear too - kick of boots, pull up socks and add fluffy bedroom slippers, couch and a good book (currently reading Where Shall We Go For Dinner? by Tamasin Day-Lewis)...

I'm A Dust Bunny

The Owners Corporation of the building we live in recently won a long-drawn lawsuit against the original contractors for shoddy work and the newly-appointed builders came in this morning to right the mistakes made by the rogues years ago.

The amount of dust that they have generated in a mere hour from all the hacking and sledgehammering done on the balcony is worse than I have imagined. And the doors were shut tight. I think it would have been much worse if they weren't some of the tidiest workmen that I've met, cleaning and vacuuming after themselves at intervals.

I left an envelope of negatives on the kitchen countertop to take to the photo shop for reprints and this is what I got when I moved it. The darker bit was where the envelope had been, surrounding it is the layer of fine dust. Everything in the living room, including me, is covered in that grey powdery stuff! Even the workmen were shocked by the copius amount.

The bedroom's balcony is next. My new pals and I have learnt - we are going to cover everything in the room with plastic sheets including a huge piece taped over the sliding doors of our built-in wardrobe. My poor clothes! I sure hope the plastic helps. I'd be really pissed off if I have to launder every piece!

The Empress Dowager's New Jewels

I thought I'd be posting a lot more now that I'm temporarily a lady-of-leisure but I've found something else to do to while away those hours that I usually spend at work.

This!

I've sewn three in my first week of thumb-twiddling and I've named them The Empress Dowager's New Jewels, after my grandma who taught me how to sew (that's the family's nickame for her) and the Hans Christian Andersen story The Emperor's New Clothes.

I've got so much time on my hands that I've also started another blog documenting this little project. You can read all about the why's, how's and what's here.

Where it's going to go, I don't know. Hopefully between filling orders from pals and trial-and-error-ing a "bejewelled" capelet for myself, I'd be able to put some up for sale. That is, (1) if I can bear to part with them, (2) if there's actually a demand and (3) if I don't get bored and embark on another hairbrained quest. Meanwhile, it's a good little project to keep myself busy until I go back to work again. With a different set of "gems" to wear every day.

Of Love-Hearts And Teddy Bears (French-Toasted)

The boyfriend and I don't do Valentine's Day but I sure like making food with silly themes.

Teddy got slained...

...the heart bled...

...and the elephant cleaned up the mess.

Blood! Sweet blood!...the latest batch of my Scaweystwawbewwy® Jam.

A Perennial Favourite

Classic!

My mom has the first edition published in 1974. My aunt and her husband brought one with them when they moved here. This is my copy.

Mrs Lee's Cookbook is a collection of Peranakan, or Straits-born Chinese, recipes handed down for several generations within the late Mrs Lee's family and which have been used by her for many years. Her grand-daughter has since revised the old orange book but they are too glossy and flash for me.

I don't think my mom uses her book much anymore because she would have memorised most of the recipes over the years. My uncle still refers to his whenever he makes satay. I flip through mine very often, for dinner-making inspiration.

Love the 70s no-frills food-styling

But I somehow always end up making the delicious Gado Gado, a vegetable salad with a hot peanut sauce - the easiest and fastest out of the lot because the prep work for Peranakan food is often very complicated and time-consuming. The effort is worthwhile if you have many to feed, not when there are only two at the table.

My attempt at making our dinner last night look like a page out of that 70s book

The following recipe is reproduced with a bit of tweaking from the cookbook, without permission. It feeds 8 but cut it down to suit the number you are feeding.

For the salad, you'll need:
~ 6 pieces of firm bean curd (deep fried and cut into bite-size cubes)
~ 500g snake beans (cut into 5cm pieces and blanched)
~ 500g potatoes (boiled and cubed)
~ 2 cucumbers (cut
~ 1kg cabbage (cut into squares and blanched)
~ 10 hardboiled eggs (quartered)
~ keropok or deep-fried prawn crackers

4Place them on a serving platter. Cover and store in fridge until sauce is ready.

For the peanut sauce, you need:
The rempah - a paste made by pounding raw ingredients with the mortar and pestle. What goes into it differs from one Peranakan dish to another but it makes the dish.

~ 25 dried chillies (soaked to soften and seeds removed - they are hot so reduce the amount if you like a milder sauce)
~ 10 eschalots
~ 2 cloves garlic
~ ½ tablespoon of belachan (smelly but tasty fermented shrimp paste - available at Asian grocers)

4Put everything into a mortar and pestle and pound to a pulp. It's my favourite part! If you don't have a set, use the food processor.

~ 600g peanuts (toasted and ground)
~ 1 litre of water
~ 1½ tablespoons of salt
~ 10 tablespoons of sugar
~ 2 tablespoons of vinegar

To cook:
4On a medium flame, heat about 3 tablespoons of oil and add rempah. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until fragrant.
4Add water and turn the flame up high. Bring mixture to the boil.
4Add ground peanuts, salt, sugar and vinegar. Simmer uncovered over medium flame, stirring constantly.
4The oil will slowly float to the top and the sauce will thicken slightly. The book says it's ready in 10 minutes but it actually takes slightly longer. Don't stop stirring! My visual cue for done-ness is the viscosity of the sauce (clumpy thick) and the colour changes from a pale brown to a medium brown.

To eat:
4Pick whatever you like off the salad platter onto your plate and drizzle with warm sauce.

"Sila makan!" (Literal translation is "Please eat!" in Malay but said with a "Enjoy your meal" tone).

If You're In Australia Tomorrow...

The supermarket chain will be donating all its takings tomorrow, not just a mere percentage, to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal. To find a store near you, click here.

I will be carting my nanna shopping trolley and loading it up with non-perishables in jumbo packs - washing powder, fabric softener, dishwashing liquid...essentials for the home that will keep.

David Jones, the retail giant will be donating today's profit to the same fund. It's not too late to head out for a spot of late-night shopping.

On The Evening News Today...

Photo from here

The death toll in the Victorian bushfires was at 131 at 7.oopm. Thousands have been left homeless. Firefighters are still working around the clock to contain the ferocious flames.

Watching the news this evening and listening to victims recount their escape have been gut-wrenching. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my home, everything that I own and loved ones to the fire. It'd be hard starting over, from scratch.

If you'd like to help, the Red Cross has launched the Victorian Bushfire Fund to benefit affected individuals and communities. You can contribute to the fund here. Times are hard but for these people left with nothing, they are going to be much harder. The minimum donation is AU$5.00, the cost of a burger or a celebrity-gossip mag which I'm sure you can go without for a day. Please also read Meet Me At Mike's very comprehensive post on other ways in which you can help.

Ping Pong*

"Is That All" Batwing Top - S&B Vie, Farmer's Pants - Gorman, Eelskin Star Necklace - Becksöndergaard, Clogs - Funkis, CDs - Stereolab

Stereolab was one of the acts we were going to see at our fourth Laneway Festival yesterday so naturally, they were on heavy rotation in the CD player in the morning when we were getting ready. The "Getting Dressed To..." outfit was inspired by their colourful cover artwork which I love as much as their music - the top from Sass & Bide's Rainbows for Kate collection last year for its panel of bright-hued triangles, sage green pants in light organic cotton for more colour (and comfort on a Summer's day) and clogs for added height in a crowd of people who are always taller than me.

It was, like those before, a superb day-out. We were happy that the organisers brought the festival from its usual March slot forward to February - it used to be held a day after Mardi Gras and we've always had to wake up early to clean the mess left in the apartment, hungover, from the parade-viewing party the night before.

We were happier to see a familiar favourite from home served at Laneway!

The first act we saw was Yves Klein Blue. Very refreshing in this world full of samey-samey new bands.

Didn't (and still don't) understand the hype surrounding the next band we saw, Tame Impala. They belong in the samey-samey category. Yawnsville.

Next up - Spiral Stairs! Never got to see Pavement before they broke up. Saw Stephen Malkmus in 2005 and now Spiral Stairs. Is my life complete? Nah, playing separately, they are not the same.

We opted to see another band instead of The Temper Trap at a previous Laneway Festival. Glad we finally saw them today.

Stereolab! Another I-have-to-see-before-I-die band struck off the list. My happiness was tinged with sadness for Mary was no longer around.

We split our time between the equally cute Architecture In Helsinki and The Drones who were playing at the same time on two different stages. I've had too many plastic cups of Tiger and sparkling wine by then and really can't remember much.

Except for jumping around to dirty Girl Talk for a whole hour at the end of the night. Glad I don't have to work to go to today.

*One of my favourite Stereolab records

"L" Is For Last Day

Clocked my final shift on Friday. Weyhey! I didn't lose my job due to "hard economic times". I chose to ditch it. "Not a good time for that," some might say but the direction that the place is going changed right after my boss left a few months ago. Where it's going is not what I had signed up for.

And them trays had to burn me one last time. Not a gentle graze but a sizzling blister-inducing "L" number...

...like their pals on my other arm.

Got offered a job at a place where many would kill to work at in this "pedigree"-obsessed town. Have their name on your resumé and you're set for life kind of place. I turned it down after a difficult week of deliberation. "Now's not a good time to be jobless," naysayers would say. Is there ever a good time to be?

However, it's a good time to slow down the onset of spider veins on my legs - the inevitable result of being on my feet at work for forty to fifty hours a week - until I get another job. No more hot pants and mini skirts for me, that's for sure.

It's Been One Saucy Week

Shrimp-flavoured egg noodles with a minced chicken and shiitake sauce - to plug my cravings for kai si min ("shredded chicken noodles" in Cantonese), a Singapore hawkers' fare.

For the sauce, you'll need:
~ 300g minced chicken (this feeds two)
~ 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
~ 3 eschalots (finely chopped)
~ 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
~ 12 dried shiitake mushrooms (cover with hot water to rehydrate)
~ 2 stalks of shallot
~ sesame seed oil
~ light soy
~ dark soy
~ kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy)
~ oyster sauce
~ ground white pepper

4Wash shallots and cut the white part into tiny "rings". Set aside. Thinly slice green part on a diagonal and soak in a bowl of ice water - for the typical Chinese restaurant-style curly garnish (I love the cheese factor!).
4Squeeze mushrooms dry. Reserve soaking liquid. Remove stems and finely chop them. Set aside. Thinly slice mushroom caps.
4Heat some cooking oil in a frying pan. Sweat garlic, eschalots, chopped mushroom stems and ginger. Throw in chicken mince and sliced mushrooms. Cook till mince is slightly brown.
4Add sauces and a few splashes of sesame seed oil (I forgot to measure how much of each sauce I added, again! But this is Chinese homecooking which is usually done by feel so add however much you think is right). Give it a few good stirs to evenly coat mince with sauces.
4Add white pepper. I think the pepper makes this dish so be generous. And don't substitute it with black pepper!
4Add mushroom soaking liquid. Add more if you like your sauce...saucy. Bring sauce to a boil then take it down to a gentle simmer on very low heat. Cover pan for 10 minutes.
4Meanwhile blanch noodles and Asian greens and place in serving bowls.
4Check seasoning of sauce. Add some salt if required. Add tiny rings of shallot and give it a good toss.
4Ladle over noodles. Garnish with curly shallots and red chilli, if you like a bit of heat.

Japanese curry-in-a-hurry - Origami, our favourite little local Japanese take-away, does a mean curry but they only serve it with rice. We have tried many times to get the cute Japanese grandma behind the counter to replace the rice with udon but I think she doesn't really understand us. We have given up and now I make my own.

From a packet. But not just any packet. Insist on House Brand Vermont Curry "with a touch of apple and honey", as well as curry powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, spices, onion, tomato, peanut, carrot, apple, garlic, cinnamon and malted rice. We have tried many and this is as good as Origami's.

The curry can really be made in a hurry (but I like to cook it a day in advance, like pasta sauces, to allow the flavours to develop overnight in the fridge) and comes in different strengths. Simply cook your chosen meat, vegetables (I used onions, carrots, potatoes and beans and also added a dollop of tomato paste), add water and then stir in the instant curry blocks. Within minutes, you'll have a thick and delicious deep brown curry sauce. If you are an egg-lover, throw in a few hardboiled ones.






















Mee Rebus - "A popular dish with a Malay origin, this delicious dish features noodles served with a rich sweet and spicy sauce and topped with beancurd cubes, egg and prawns. A mouth-watering treat any time", it says on the packet from Prima Taste, purveyor of the most authentic ready-to-cook mixes of Singaporean delights. When we miss food from home, we go to the the Asian grocer and grab boxes of the stuff.

We had it for dinner, with loads of mung beansprouts and sprinkly bits of deep-fried eschalots, but in Singapore where it's readily available at hawkers' stalls, we eat it for breakfast sometimes.
We are egg-lovers so we like our Mee Rebus with cute little quail's eggs - tiny Dalmatians of the egg world.