Saturday, June 28, 2008

The "我们" Bear Mission!

Tues 24 Jun

YQ was talking to me online and asked if I could help him get Shanice a bear, and this time he wanted the BIGGEST one! I knew that this job was too big for me to handle so I dragged in my friends to help :)

So Evon was the first person I pulled into the conversation and we were discussing where to find the bear. Since I was meeting KL the next day for coffee, it would be a good time to check them out.

Wed 25 Jun

Met KL for coffee (if u scroll down u will see the "boring" post, but it was because there was so much I couldn't blog about) and after that I dragged him on my bear hunt. It was great to have a second opinion and have someone ask questions.

I went to Orchard Cineleisure on my own b4 meeting KL but then he followed me to Taka's 2 outlets and he was the one that told me Centerpoint had one too. It was nice to have someone along for opinions and also to ask questions :)



This was one of the option but it wasn't the BIGGEST and I felt it was too skinny .. plus, he is NAKED!





This was Huiyi's fave, I thought it was cute too, but same thing, not the BIGGEST!



After the movie with KL, I made my way down to Marina Square where Evon said there was one. OMG that bear was GINORMOUS and it was the cutest thing ever!

I went home that nite and we have a meeting on MSN with YQ and this time Huiyi was pulled into it :) It was also on that nite that there were multiple windows opened and it seemed that we were all talking to Shanice individually too. We had to be very careful with our conversations so as not to accidentally type the wrong msg into Shanice's msg box.

It was a big decision about the bear cos we weren't sure which was the biggest. YQ had to do lots of research about it .. think he is an expert already!

Thur 26 Jun

I called a few more stores to check what they had but the only other store that had a 36" bear was one that didn't have a T-shirt on. It was another MSN meeting between the 4 of us that nite while we were discussing how to carry out the mission ... or as YQ put it, to plant the "bomb"

At first we were thinking of putting it in her hse but when we realized that she was going to Macau next week, plans had to be scraped. After much discussion, we decided to do it on Sat when we met up so that meant we had to get the bear on Fri.

Fri 27 Jun

We needed "Evon's Delivery Service" to transport the bear but since she had to work late on Fri, I met up with Huiyi first. Evon managed to convince her friends to watch a movie at Marina so that we can meet there.



We had dinner at Shokudo .... I think Huiyi was surprised when I msged her earlier "I am hungry" :)





This was really nice. It is basically a salad rolled up to look like sushi.





Salmon with Spinach in a Basil Sauce. I enjoyed this alot too, not your typical white or red sauce.





Seafood Pizza ... YUM!





After dinner we went to get the bear! It could be planned any better as while we were getting it, Evon arrived.



It was a feat trying to get the bear down to the carpark. The gals had to clear the way for me as the bear was obstructing my view! It also became heavy pretty quick and I was starting to perspire!



Taking a pic with Howard and his new friend.





Oh no! His butt is too BIG!!





So we stuffed him sideways.





OUCH!



We shut the trunk and while we were walking away, the alarm sounded. We went back and tried shutting it again but it sounded again as we were walking. We think that the problem was that is butt was in the way! All of us were starting to perspire in the unventilated underground carpark .... so it was option B.



So we placed him in the backseat with Howard.





Howard preferred facing him and being on top ;)



After finally getting it in the car safely, Evon had to rush to meet her friends for dinner. Huiyi and I then proceeded to Gloria's Coffee for a drink and chit chat about the Taiwan trip. We stayed till about 10+pm b4 heading home and when we got home, it was MORE planning.

Another meeting on MSN, more windows more confusion :)

Sat 28 Jun

Woke up and signed on MSN. How would I to know that YQ was talking to Shanice via video so when I msged him, she heard the "Deng Deng Deng" of MSN. And of cos YQ told her the truth when she asked who msged him.

GROAN!

And the worst part was she actually guess why I was talking to him!

"U asked Serena to buy bear again huh?"

He tried to act blur but we thought the cover has been broken. I was disappointed as I had failed the last time because she had recognized my handwriting. But we still decided to go on with the plan.

Evon had to steal Shanice's key after they arrived at her hse and we planted the bear when she went out to fetch me from the LRT station. Because she parked the truck just below Evon's hse, we were so worried that she would hear us from upstairs! We had to be really quiet and hoped that she did not suddenly look out the window.



Safe and sound in Shanice's truck.





His tummy was too FAT to fit behind the driver's seat.



The "bomb" had been planted and now all we needed to do was get Shanice to her truck. We even asked WT to helped us filmed since he was the professional. He had to transfer out alot of pics from his SD card and had even figured out what was the best way to get the most light.

We made almond jelly, potato salad, transferred pics, looked at pics, had dinner, transferred more pics, looked at more pics .... the nite went on and on.

It was close to midnight and finally WT had to go .. he had to work the next day and we had no idea. Felt so bad as he was waiting for us. Looks like we were on our own. Finally at about 12.30am, we made our way out for supper but we took Evon's car, crap, no chance. At this time, I texted YQ telling him where we were heading and he was still awake. The original plan was it would be done sometime in the evening. Poor YQ didn't want to miss it so he stayed awake the whole nite. At this time, he has been waiting for more than 16hrs WITHOUT sleep?



We headed down to Jalan Kayu for prata!





Evon and Huiyi shared a Bee Hoon Goreng.





My Kopi Tarek.



We had a quick supper and headed back. Evon drove up the the top floor where the truck was and the first time we passed the truck, we all thought that Shanice would spot that ginormous bear in the front but all she saw was the paper under the wipers that she thought was a parking tic.

Evon stopped the car and had her headlights on, shining on the truck and I was getting my camera ready in case she saw it, but NOPE! Did not see it again! As we were walking up to Evon's, Shanice kept asking Evon

"U not going to turn off your headlights?"

She had to have asked at least 3 times and Evon just kept brushing her off and telling her that it was ok, no one comes up here.

After grabbing our stuff, we made our way back to the truck and had our cameras ready. Shanice opened the back seat of her truck to put something in and still DID NOT see the bear!!

She then turned around and Evon had her camera out so she quickly turn ....

"I've never taken a pic of my car at nite...."

That has got to be the lamest excuse ever!

Shanice then turned back around and that is when she finally saw it and had the shock of her life :)


Here is a short clip of it. You can actually see Evon quickly turning to face the right when Shanice turned around.

Yipppee! Mission accomplished! YQ was supposed to call at that moment as we had texted him telling him to. But we waited and waited but no call .... we all figured he had finally knocked out.



A very happy but tired Shanice and us with her bear!



We stood in the carpark and started telling Shancie about the whole plan and all the scenarios we thought of and she said that we "think too much". She did have questions in her head throughout the day but it just didn't connect in her brain :)

By the time I got home it was close to 4am but I still went online to check on the mastermind. I managed to wake him up with my MSN msg and Evon and Shanice were slowly added into the conversation as they came online.

We talked about the whole thing and updated YQ about it. We all had another good laugh about it. It was 5.30am b4 I logged out and went to bed.

It was a fun and successful mission all because of the ppl that were involved! Now we have to cross our fingers and hope to strike 4D!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Met up with KL as he has just got back from Taiwan. Funny how he was a little embarrassed that he did not get me much, just some pineapple tarts. However, I really appreciated it. But my question is

"Are u really obligated to buy something for your friends/family when u go on vacation?"

Don't get me wrong, I love getting gifts but I also understand when I don't get anything. I can imagine ppl wondering about what to get, making sure that no one is left out. I think back in the days when ppl don't travel much and imports of stuff/food were less, these gifts were rare. However, now it seems like everyone is going somewhere every other week.

When my parents and sis went to Beijing, they brought back stuff to give but it seemed that they bought a shitload. I'm picky with what I eat and my mom just bought some weird stuff and sweets .... I hardly eat sweets! I didn't touch a single piece of it and I'm pretty sure they are still around because they bought more than needed.

Anyway ... back to KL

After coffee, we made a quick stop by his office to grab his payslip b4 heading to watch Penelope. It was a really nice movie and my eyes did water a little. By the time the movie ended, it was 8+pm and KL wanted to go to the gym. So that meant it was home for me!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day

We went out to eat today to celebrate Father's Day. Not that I do not love my dad but I was hoping that there would not be food involved (but it'll never be). And of cos my value for money family ALWAYS chooses buffet. This time around, we went to Sakura.


Got there just as they opened for lunch.




Everything is still stocked and neat.




Yum, sashimi!




More food ...




I have had the 糯米鸡 (Glutinous Rice with Chicken) cravings for the longest time and I'm still not sick of it. This one didn't taste as good as others but it was still 糯米鸡.




Sashimi and Kimchi.




Shrimp Tempura and ..... I don't know what they are called.




Chawanmushi and soba noodles.




Some fish served with baked beans.




Squid served with more baked beans.




Chicken wings!





Paper Steamboat.




Lamb with beans (I don't think ppl actually eat the beans)




Assortment of desserts.




Eclairs! Ate too many of them :(




Herbal Jelly. Not as bitter as I would have liked it to be.




Loved their ice cream, esp their RUM and raisin :)




My mom ate like tons of rumbutan! I touched neither of them.




Each person gets ONE sweet. They should give mints!



Overall the food was pretty good and I got to eat my sashimi so I was happy. Not looking forward to the many birthday meals coming my way .... Why? Why must it always be celebrated with food and more food?

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Chapstick!

Guess what? Shanice has supplied me enough Chapstick to last me for awhile. She brought some back to give away but it seems I am the only one to be addicted to them so she passed me what was left ....


The Flava Craze ones are the ones that can't be found in Singapore. If anyone does see them selling in the stores here, pls tell me!



Thanks, Shanice! :)

Tiramisu Day!

After Shanice's attempt at Tiramisu, Huiyi was eager to learn too and I just wanted to try some :) We went to buy food for lunch and the ingredients first before heading to Shanice's. We also bought movie tics to watch Kung Fu Panda in the evening, after we made our tiramisu.

While we were shopping, Shanice brought me to this little cart in the mall where they were selling Little Twin Stars stuff. It was supposedly closing down so everything was 50% off. However, stuff was still pretty expensive (no wonder they are closing down) but then there was this really cute item that drew me ..... I needed time to think.


Shanice's mom made the beehoon and the chili. Loved the chili :) The otah and fishcake was pretty good too.



After lunch, we started ....


The lady's fingers.




Cheese.




A familiar friend.




The mixer that my mom gave to Shanice. The box is crap but the mixer hasn't been used. It was just laying at home.




Coffee!




First, separate 6 egg yolks.




Blend with sugar.




Blending ....




After while ...




Add in the cheese.




More blending until the sugar has been dissolved.




Huiyi, the diligent student that even brought a print out of the recipe!




You need a pan.




Dip the fingers in the coffee and lay them out, making sure they are placed as close as possible. The coffee made the fingers soft pretty fast, so do it quick.




We love chocolate, so we added a layer of cocoa powder.




Spread a layer of the egg and cheese mixture.




More cocoa powder.




Another layer of dipped fingers.




More cocoa powder b4 another layer of the mixture.




Then topped with the final layer of cocoa :)




The pretty layers.




Sprinkling cocoa powder.




Evon and I.




Hard at work :)




R u done yet?




This was made specially for my sis.



You have to put the tiramisu in the fridge to chill b4 eating. We had ours in the freezer as Shanice said her fridge wasn't cold enough

We then headed into Shanice's room as the gals started discussing their Taiwan trip while I did my Little Twin Stars research.

At about 6pm, we headed out again as our movie was at 7pm. The movie was pretty good and funny. There were quite a few famous names in it but I have to say I did not recognize their voices, maybe they just weren't that distinctive.

After the movie, we headed back to the store to check out my Little Twin Star item. I wanted to make sure that it was in good condition. The girls tried hard to bargain for me but the boss wouldn't budge .... thanks for trying though :) In the end, I got it as it was just too cute to pass. Hop over to my LTS blog for pics!

We then headed back to Shanice's for dessert!


Out from the freezer .... it wet cos of the ice that formed and melted.




Evon showing off a slice.




The cross section of it.



It was not too bad, better than the "tiramisu" we had at Coffee Bean but Shanice said that it wasn't as good as her previous attempt. It was very sweet even though we reduced the sugar added. We were trying to figure out what went wrong but just could not, maybe we were just over eager in making so much of it.Definitely needs improving but it was NO failure!

After dessert, we hopped online and chatted with Ben via video. It was pretty fun but it took us a long time figure out why we were receiving LOUD echo!

By the time I got home, it was pretty late. My sis loved her tiramisu and finished hers in a blink of an eye.

What's going to be our next venture?