Lost & found. What a relief!

29th Dec (Mon)

Realised I lost my earring. Was resting on the floor after my shower, exhausted from scrubbing and clearing things in the PES for the last 2hrs. I touched my ears and realised nothing on my left side. I thought I just checked it when I was showering? Maybe it dropped in the shower? Checked the house, removed the drainage and pray hard it didn’t go down the drain.

Traced back the steps to basement, checked PES and near the outside PES gate area. Coz I went to the basement to throw lots of bulky stuffs. I cried when I realised it’s no where in sight 😭. No joke, a 50 yr-old crying over her earring like a little kid losing her toy.

Emotion-less hubby said "lost, then lost lor. Only earring what?!" Guess he didn't know how much this earring means to me. It’s jewellery k 我的大爷.

Sat in the room, pouty lips and the tears just couldn’t stop. 

So why did I cry? Coz hubby usually don’t buy anything for me, not on my birthday, anniversary or Valentine’s. He told me when we were newly married that if I want I can swipe his card to buy things for myself. His reasoning was coz he always have no idea what to buy for me even when we dating. “You’re flying you see more things than me. You don’t lack of anything as you can get things from all over the world while I can only get things for you in SIN. I may end up buying things you do not like.”

But have I gone crazy swiping his card for Hérmes, Chanel, LV or buying clothes all the time? Nope! Although I have access to his 🤫digit credit limit card I don’t go about buying things, not easy for him to be the sole breadwinner I cannot anyhow spend the money. If I was demanding, he owe me lots of presents over the years we’re married! 

24yrs x 3 presents per year = 72 presents.

When I saw this earrings I liked donkey years ago, I called him told the price and asked for permission. If losing this earring now means I probably won’t be able to buy another one this size for myself now that he’s retired. Must eat more instant noodles and drink rain water now, how to anyhow spend money?

My supp card

Hubby has never rejected when I call him for permission to get something. Ehh….infact I think this is the only huge purchase I made with his card with his permission. The other time was in Portland’s LV shop. I wanted to get another smaller wallet and scarf, did my research and compared prices between there and SIN. I save $$ despite the exchange rate coz it’s tax-free in Oregon! For dunno what reason I credit card didn’t do thru. So embarrassing 😆. I cleared all debts and asked for an increase in limit before the trip, hardly use it at all during the trip. So to save myself, I swiped with his card. I couldn’t call him, when I met him later at Apple store I told him I had to sign his card. He had no chance to oppose 😂.

Had to keep the other side first together with lil’ one’s missing solitaire also. Aiyah that girl ah! Lost it in school, how am I supposed to find it? Kids all running around would have kicked it away. Asked to go to the office to check but nobody submitted in a lost earring 😢

Was thinking I’m going to try to find it again tomorrow. Pray hard that I didn’t see properly coz it was dark. But if I lost it in basement I can also bade farewell to the earring. 

I picked up the remaining earrings. Worst come to worst I’d still need to come to terms with this lost treasured earring. I can perhaps make a small pendant with what I’m left with. 

I did the craziest thing to pray to 观音菩萨 please let me find it I can’t lose this at all. It’s the last thing that I have that is my present. 

30th Dec (Tue)

Went back to the PES. Despite my knee is painful I bent down to have a closer look. Eureka! It was at the bottom of shelf rack near lil’ one’s room. Wah…. So lucky the diamond not only can cut paper, it can withstand the water jet despite me splashing water so many times to move the leaves and dirts. Or maybe it dropped after I rinsed that part? Whatever it is, I’m glad I found my precious gift. I did look around the PES for the backing but couldn’t find it, maybe I washed that part down the drain? Anyway, that part is replaceable.

I cried for joy and shouted to hubby who was watching TV “ I found it! I found it! I found my earring!” The gloomy eeyore has finally brightened up, even brighter than a diamond. 

31st Dec (Wed)

Dropped by Goldheart in Parkway, bought a backing for $138. So they didn’t have to check whether my earring is from them or Lee Hwa, I can’t remember which jeweller I bought from. 

I haven’t worn this pair of rose gold earrings for a long time. Coz I’m usually lazy to change my earrings. 

Didn’t realise it’s a solitaire huge earring

I will have to check even more regularly now. I used to check every now and then in a day, now I shall put in more effort to check more intensive. No more losing the earrings please! 

Another question crossed my mind. If I really lost it, would hubby suggests to buy me another one? Hmm… pray hard I don’t lose it another time to find out the answer. 

Now I’m happy …. Akan datang while another bad news awaits me at home. tmd! Why so many things happening? Even one of my plank in my walk-in had to give way that things toppled on the floor? Am I able to find the time to look for the part? 

Done!

I was so tempted to procrastinate the cleaning and tidying but if I don’t do so, who will do it? Just so fed up when it seems like I’m the only person living in this house. Girls don’t even know where certain items are placed in the house 🤨. My favourite phrase when I tell friends how my house is kept a little tidier is “I’m a magician. Leave plates on the table, suddenly it disappears. Leave cups in the sink, suddenly it disappears. Dirty clothes become neatly pressed clothes.” 🧙🪄

Decided to throw out all the soil and fertilizers they didn’t seem to be useable. Should have just cleared out the same time we cleared the cabinet. I let out a loud scream when I saw a teeny lizzie. I was smart enough to use the broom to smack the items on the floor and indeed the baby popped its head out, as dramatic as ever I screamed. Che-che who was on the phone at that time in lil’ one’s room closed the window 😬. 

Will I be buying new soil and pellets and fertilisers? Yes, I need to buy new fertilisers especially for my adeniums, my ang ang huey. I’ll probably not buy anymore soil or pellets anymore or small pots coz my sunflowers 🌻 attempts were futile for the last 5x. As much as I’d like to plant the new flower seeds I bought, I honestly feel I don’t have the energy to do that now. I should set my priority to stay indoor now 🤭 and only step out in my PES in the night to water my plants. 

Bought a new scrub in October (so this job in tidying the PES has been an ongoing thoughts) coz I can’t find the handheld scrubber!!!! Anyway, I feel age is catching up with the backaches, that I decided to get one with a longer stick so I didn’t have to squat down, stand up n feel giddy, squat down. It’s no joke! The last time I did this kind of massive scrub, I only did the area near the small gate to the water feature and I was screaming internally for help. Was under the hot sun. 

Is this a good purchase? I can’t get back the clean clean floor as we used to have 10 years ago. It did help in some ways but I found myself with another kind of backache with shoulder pain. I had to hold on to the stick coz the 1500RPM brush was trying to “run away” if you know what I mean. It’s as if I was holding onto my dear life to a scrubber pole in a Signal 8 typhoon. I lessen the energy used to scrub the floor with a hard bristle broom but instead used up my energy to hold onto the stick. 😆 equally tiring and backbreaking. 

Actually I do like it bare there. Or maybe I shouldn’t put the cabinet there anymore? Less thing to worry about 🦎everytime I open the cabinet to get the fertilizer. 

Urgh! The ugly grout lines and dirty tiles

Outdoor cabinet

I’m the laziest person. 

After the last post on changing out my side drawer cabinet on 28th Nov. muahaha! And it’s exactly a month later that I decided to fix up the PES cabinet. 

We cleared the two cabinets on 14th Dec, the last day of the two designated dates for residents to clear their bulky items. My PES is in a mess as we took out items from the outdoor cabinet and I was lazy aka tired aka fed-up-to-do-everything-myself to check what I want to keep in the new cabinet. The back part / the unseen part 🤭 of the balcony is messy ever since the 14th. 😂 I’m so worried to find lizzie hiding in there somehow.  

28th Dec (Sun)

Had to fix this up. And I also had to settle the travel insurances and pack the bags. Argh! Took me so bloody long to fix it up. Left it by the main door coz I need to clean the balcony first before I can bring out this new cabinet. 

Tomorrow. I hope tomorrow I can scrub the floor. Sobs …. I really want to hire someone to help me to scrub the balcony 😭. If my neighbours hear me scream tomorrow means a bloody lizzie found a hiding place. 

** edit : indeed a baby lizzie found a place in the packet of soil. Yeeks! Whether it’s baby or hugeass lizzie, I let out a scream. 

This video needs to be shared

Wanted to do a second video collage of my Nakasendo hike as the first video I did I couldn’t decide which was the best or the highlights, my video turned out to be 20+ minutes long. Haha! But that was one impressive video editing as well. 

Racing against time as I couldn’t delete the photos and videos in my phone until I do the second collage. As you would have read my previous post that I’m desperately cleaning up space to make way for new ones. 

My solo holiday blog entries are still being edited 🤭. I think maybe it will be posted out a year late. This new video link will be posted in there when I’m done with editing. 

This second video is 6 minutes long will not bore you for sure, but I must say there were tons of nice shots I took in that hike and it was hard not to include the photos in. 

Decided too to pen in some of my thoughts. Ah nia is not that good in writing, I wrote my grandmother story and learnt there’s an AI poem generator : https://aipoemgenerator.io/ to help me. Wah….come out with the goodest england, I’m so impressed. I attached that in the video collage but it may be difficult to read. 

If only I can write that well. AI read my transcript and abacadebra 

Please enjoy my video, click HERE

Next plan 

I miss this easy hike, I would want to go back and do it all over again. However this time I need to make sure I start in Nakatsugawa, stay in Magome longer (I couldn’t do so as I had to start my hike), hike faster and not take too many photos & videos (laughing at myself, when will I not take tons of photos and videos? When I was on solo it made it easier for me to take nicer looking photos n videos) and arrive in Tsumago early. Or maybe stay overnight in Tsumago. The whole place will be so quiet when the tourists leave (I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in Shirakawa-go where the whole place was so quiet after 5pm). Hike to the shorter distance Nagiso. 

Hike another portion from Yabuhara to Narai. Narai is another place I want to stay overnight. That said, even before I plan the newer routes I must check carefully with regards to bear activity. Want to hike but I also want my life.

Somehow I’m so tempted to do a summary of my holiday collage especially the new places, should I? Means I still can’t delete some pics for 5th June. hmm….. 🤔 

* transfer • delete • transfer • delete *

And here I am again desperately clearing photos which I haven’t got the time to do so.

Although I must admit this time round I’m not under tremendous pressure having to cope with itinerary planning, houseworks, clearing pics. I left this holiday to the man, 带我去卖我也不知道😂。

I notice a pattern, I’m always in urgency to delete whenever I am going on a trip. On normal days when I can find the time, I will delete but I do them slowly. I wouldn’t know when is the next time I can find the time to delete photos again. How about the albums with the photos I need for iMovie? Currently I have 2 albums where it’s ready for video editing when and IF I can find the time to do so. Most times the project is left in the app. 

Sigh……. I’m not joking when I say I need a time away from home in a hotel on an island perhaps with no distraction and I’ll probably finish up my iMovies. Bring my laptop and hard disk to transfer all my pics. I need wifi tho! 

TB to 22nd Dec 2019

Desperately clearing photos in phone and came across these photos taken in Desert Hot Springs, CA. 

The day we arrived in hotel late coz we drove long distance + many many breaks in between to stretch out legs etc.. 

Hubby came back to the car after checking-in. “Guess what? They ran out of rooms. And guess what they gave us a suite now.” 

I laughed at us eating our packed dinner from Stater Bros. Macam like trying to act rich and post in Instagram, but behind doors 很可怜 must eat cheap cheap food 😂 

 

Love these smell

My items arrived today. I haven’t been able to find these in Japan in my last 4 trips to Japan. Paid so much to get it shipped to Singapore. 

Could have asked che-che to help me find in her coming trip in end Jan. unlikely she will help me lah! 

I’m just a sucker for all these air freshener, as if my house is that smelly 😂

汤圆汤圆吃汤圆

Singapore’s latitude at 1.3521 *N makes us in the northern hemisphere 😂, so by right we should be experiencing winter ☃️❄️ Winter solstice is an astronomical event making the shortest day and longest night of the year in the hemisphere. We still get 12 hrs of day and night just coz 1+ *N makes no difference. 😂

Chinese communities globally eat 汤圆. Key Reasons for the Tradition are : 

1) Symbol of Reunion: The roundness of the balls signifies the family coming together, just as the sun begins its return after the longest night.

• 2) Completeness: Eating them signifies a complete and harmonious year ahead.
• 3) "Gaining a Year": Eating tangyuan marks the end of the year and symbolically adds one year to your age, preparing you for the new cycle.
• 4) Homophone for Reunion: The word tangyuan(湯圓) sounds like tuanyuan (團圓), meaning reunion, reinforcing the family theme.

I’m using ginger paste coz I don’t have any ginger in the kitchen 😬

The girls like theirs plain. Bought the riceballs late so there’s no peanut or sesame fillings 🤨

Currywurst

Finally ate the bratwurst today! 😂

To think that I was craving for this so badly 3 months ago in September. Delayed going down to buy the items in October. Finally only eating this in December. I guess the craving wasn’t that strong.

KIV more ah-soh things from JPN?

Azuma Sm@rt777 Smart Bathtub Washing FM telescopic handle brush with magnetic storage. 

　¥2980

Should I ask che-che to help me buy since she’s going there soon? 

When it’s rainy

Cooling weather at this time of the year means the towels in the bathroom can’t seem to dry properly. Today’s humidity level in the house is 82% . OMG! 

Thankfully the heated drying rack not only help me expedite my laundry but also a quick rescue mission like this today.

Brought the towels out under the heater as I was drying the floor mats

soupe à l'oignon gratinée

Soupe à l'oignon gratinée was the first soup I drank in the now no-longer-exist The French Stall. I can still remember how I had to pull the cheese. French onion soup is usually quite difficult to find in some western food restaurants ( it’s always the cream of mushroom or cream of chicken) in SIN, so if I do come across it in the menu I would order. 

10th Dec (Wed)

Shopping for ingredients. I’m lost for choices in the wines section. I’m glad they have small bottles of wines for sale. 

Bought this Shiraz Cabernet 

15th Dec (Mon)

Saya tak boleh tahan the onions. I menangis when I was cutting them. 😂

Transferred the soup into this pot coz I needed Ms Thermie to cook dinner. One regret as I looked into this pot, I should have put the thyme in a stock bag so I don’t have to deal with the bits and pieces floating in the soup and risked having the girls fussing about and not drinking.yup! They’re that irritating fussy! Next time their kids will do the same to them, just like I did to my mom 😂. It runs in da family …..

RECIPE USED :

It was a crazy mix of cooking today. Cooked angmoh soup, and cooked the Chinese dishes for our dinner 😂. Lil’ one drank some soup although she said it tastes different. I feel it tastes the same just that it’s oily. 

Time to pack the soup. I can’t remember when and where (online) I bought these silicone tray. I have another one tray which is probably 150ml?? 

Left with this amount of red wine

16th Dec (Tue) 

@ 2+ took these out and started packing them. First time I’m doing this kind of packing at 50yrs old 😉. I love it when I see the soup all frozen in perfect cubes. Then the saddest thing happened. Although I was diligent to just take one tray out from the freezer at a time, and trying to work as fast as I can. My first two packs didn’t have perfect cuboid shape the moment I vacumn seal them. Somehow there are some liquid soup and it got vacumned and dirtied my sealer. Weather too hot? I need to do this kind of job in a huge chiller? My last pack, yes with saving grace, turns out well. Yah coz while I was grouching over the imperfect packing for the two I put the tray back in the freezer for a while 

Ps. I just learnt that a chamber vacumn sealer works well for those with liquid. Machine is huge!

I left the last tray of two cubes untouched coz I wanted to try the soup in the evening.

I love how the cubes come out so beautiful.

Slightly less than 200ml will fill up this bowl to this height, a manageable portion I would say. I don’t have baguette so used the Low GI multigrain bread we have at home 

While looking for recipes I came across recipes asking for one thing or the other. The following will be those doubtful questions I have. 

研究过的食谱

Why some recipes ask for bay leaf and some don’t? Why some ask for white wine and others ask for red wine? Lastly why some recipes ask for butter and some don’t? 

Question 1 : What does Bay leaf do? 

Bay leaves add a subtle, earthy, slightly minty, and complex background aroma to French onion soup, enhancing the sweet caramelized onions and savory broth without

overpowering them, creating a deeper "je ne sais quoi" flavor that is key to the soup's comforting profile, often alongside thyme. They infuse the broth slowly during simmering but must be removed before serving as they are tough and bitter if eaten.

What it does

• Adds depth: Infuses a savory, woodsy, herbal note that complements the onions and beef broth.
• Enhances other flavors: Acts as a flavor enhancer, making the overall taste more complex and less one-dimensional.
• Provides aroma: Contributes to the rich, comforting smell of the soup as it simmers. 

How to use it

• Add early: Place whole bay leaves in the broth as it simmers for a long time to extract flavor.
• Remove before serving: Always take out the leaves before ladling the soup into bowls, as they don't soften and can be unpleasant.
• Use sparingly: One or two leaves are usually enough; too many can make the soup bitter.

Question 2 : Does using olive oil only, butter only or both makes any difference to the soup? 

It is not strictly necessary to use olive oil for French onion soup, but some form of fat is required to caramelize the onions. Traditionally, butter is the primary fat used for its flavor, though a blend of butter and olive oil is common in modern recipes. 

Why Fat is Needed

The fat is crucial for the foundational step of the soup: caramelizing the onions. This process develops the rich, sweet, and deep flavor that defines French onion soup. Without fat, the onions would burn or steam rather than brown. 

Options for Cooking Fat

• Butter (Traditional): Many classic and authentic recipes use all butter for its distinct rich flavor.

• Butter and Olive Oil Blend (Common): This is a popular approach in modern cooking because the olive oil helps raise the smoke point of the butter, preventing it from burning during the long caramelization process. This is a great option for balancing flavor and ease of cooking.
• Olive Oil Only: You can use only olive oil, which makes the soup a bit lighter and dairy-free/vegan if using vegetable stock. High-quality extra virgin olive oil can add a unique, peppery or fruity flavor complexity to the dish.
• Other Fats: Duck fat is another rich option used by some chefs, which can be skimmed off later. 

In conclusion, while olive oil provides benefits like a higher smoke point and health benefits, butter is generally considered more traditional. A blend is often the best compromise for flavor and ease of preparation.

One thing that I left SQ without the skills is the ability to taste wines. Yah! We had to try the wines and say it’s fruity or floral bouquet. 我实在太烂了 I can’t tell. Simi full bodied and what nots, all I taste is the horrible taste. To Mr John Chua, the sommelier and CCE/T whom I met while I was working in the bank 我领你太失望了。

Difference between Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon offers structured dark fruit (blackcurrant, cherry) with earthy notes (mint, cedar, graphite) and firm tannins, while Shiraz (Syrah) is bolder, fruitier (blackberry,plum, spice), often with peppery, smoky, or meaty undertones, and generally smoother tannins, making Cab more age-worthy and Shiraz more approachable young, though blends offer a mix. 

Cabernet Sauvignon

• Flavors: Blackcurrant, black cherry, blackberry, often with mint, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, or chocolate notes from oak.

• Structure: Full-bodied, high tannins, firm acidity, creating a complex, dry finish.

• Profile: Elegant, structured, great for aging. 

Shiraz (Syrah)

• Flavors: Ripe blackberry, plum, sweet red fruit, with distinct black pepper, spice, smoke, or meaty notes.

• Structure: Full-bodied, powerful, but often with smoother, more moderate tannins than Cab.

• Profile: Bold, fruit-forward, often enjoyed younger for its vibrancy. ®

Key Differences Summarized

• Fruit vs. Spice: Cab leans to dark, tart fruit; Shiraz to rich, ripe fruit with spicy/peppery hints.

• Tannins: Cab is tannic and structured; Shiraz is smoother, more supple.

• Aging: Cab excels in cellars; Shiraz is great for immediate drinking. 

Question 3 : Is Shiraz Cabernet or Cabernet Sauvignon better for cooking french onion soup?  

** few cooks attest that Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir give food it’s stunning flavour. 

A recipe I came across asked for white wine. Huh? 🤔 Aiyoh! I’m not going to link any websites related to the wines anymore, I need to get this post posted now (a week later and I’m still drafting this post)

Pleasing to the eyes

When I suddenly want to make my food look a little nicer.

#additionalthingstowashnow#

Turned this plain yoghurt

Into this nicer looking serving presentation.

Added some blueberry sauce