It's not the Swine Flu... phew! Still no runny nose or cough but the body aches and high fever persist. At one point my temperature rose to 39.7 deg, which made me wonder if I should drive myself to the hospital. After all, 40 deg is the mark where brain damage and other stuff start happening to the body. But thanks to lots of Panadol, cold towels and cold water I managed to get the temperature down again. And whatever brain damage that could potentially happen will just right the 'brain damage' I already have!
Anyway, am very glad that it's not the dreaded swine flu. And here's hoping to a speedy recovery!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sick Again
It was a lovely day outside today. A little windy, but lots and lots of sunshine. But I was stuck in the house today, down with a viral infection. The last time I was sick was in March. It looks like my body is very weak, I'm so prone to the latest travelling bugs. Whatever bug I caught this time is a NASTY one. Came equipped with the latest torture techniques. I woke up at 1am with body aches, and pretty much every hour after that. By 11am I was crying in bed it was so bad. Luckily I got an appointment with the doctor today.
With all the hype about swine flu these days, I was really worried when he told me I had a fever, and that my pulse was faster than normal. I think he might have even edged his chair away from me when he told me those things. But the weird thing was that the symptoms were confined to just body aches and fever. No cough, runny nose or the normal flu symptoms. Nevertheless, he gave me 3 days MC and prescribed Tamiflu and told me to take it if I developed any respiratory difficulties. Touch wood...
With all the hype about swine flu these days, I was really worried when he told me I had a fever, and that my pulse was faster than normal. I think he might have even edged his chair away from me when he told me those things. But the weird thing was that the symptoms were confined to just body aches and fever. No cough, runny nose or the normal flu symptoms. Nevertheless, he gave me 3 days MC and prescribed Tamiflu and told me to take it if I developed any respiratory difficulties. Touch wood...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Kite Flying
When I was young, I ocassionally hear the expression, 'Go fly kite la!!'. The expression is used to tell someone to go away and to leave you alone. Surely there are plenty of ways to tell someone the same thing. Why not tell them to go peel oranges with a short blunt knife, or go tidy up the house (and if they do it, it's an added bonus for you). But after last weekend, I finally know why that if someone wants you out of the way for a long long time, they ask you to go fly a kite.
Gaz and I went to visit a farmer's market last Saturday at a local park. After getting some beautifully creamy risoni carbonara (ready cooked and vacumm packed) and a pack of gourmet chicken, spinach and pine nut sausages, we decided to take advantage of the wind power on that day and fly our kite. Gaz bought a new two string kits on e-Bay 1/2 year ago and we have been trying to fly it ever since. With no success. Every time the kite lifts a little, it crashes instantly to the ground. Sometimes it does a double crash. It lifts off, crashes one way then seemed to find some momentum in this and crashes in the opposite direction.
So last weekend when Gaz FINALLY got the winds to embrace the kite, I was relieved. It means I won't have to run around chasing the kite and able to admire the way it's flapping happily in the sky. Like what kites should be doing. Our kite had some learning development problems (so did we) but it was a happy day that we finally got it off the ground. So I guess, when someone wants you to go away and leave them alone, it usually means to leave them for around 6 months.
Gaz and I went to visit a farmer's market last Saturday at a local park. After getting some beautifully creamy risoni carbonara (ready cooked and vacumm packed) and a pack of gourmet chicken, spinach and pine nut sausages, we decided to take advantage of the wind power on that day and fly our kite. Gaz bought a new two string kits on e-Bay 1/2 year ago and we have been trying to fly it ever since. With no success. Every time the kite lifts a little, it crashes instantly to the ground. Sometimes it does a double crash. It lifts off, crashes one way then seemed to find some momentum in this and crashes in the opposite direction.
So last weekend when Gaz FINALLY got the winds to embrace the kite, I was relieved. It means I won't have to run around chasing the kite and able to admire the way it's flapping happily in the sky. Like what kites should be doing. Our kite had some learning development problems (so did we) but it was a happy day that we finally got it off the ground. So I guess, when someone wants you to go away and leave them alone, it usually means to leave them for around 6 months.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Work, the Joy of Life
I've been working crazy hours lately. Last week saw me working from 8am to 7pm at night, and this morning I started at 7am. In M'sia perhaps this would have been a normal occurence but in Aust when one does not get paid overtime nor meal allowance (and worse, where is the work life balance? gasp*) it is quite rare. I was so tired today that I could have committed the cardinal sin in commuting etiquette - snoring and drooling in my sleep on the train.
The reason for all this hustle and bustle is because I'm due to finish up in my current role in the next week and a half. I'm rushing against time to finish up the outstanding work, tidying up the piles of documents collecting dust in my 'filing' tray, having handover meetings with the people who are going to take over my work etc. I'll be moving to another role in July, closer to home. A couple of weeks ago the management board decided that in best business interests to wind down the department I was working in. After the announcement was made we were all thrown into a panic. No one did any work for the rest of the week, just didn't have the motivation to do so. It was difficult enough hearing about other people losing their jobs now we are faced with the same circumstances.
However I was truly blessed that a short time after the announcement, I was called for an interview for the one position I had submitted an application for, and got the job. The great thing is that the new role is within the same organisation, is a role I have experience in therefore I know what to expect, and is closer to home! Gone will be the hour long commutes!
Although it is hard work rising early and going home late at night, it sure is great to know that I'm working for something I can look forward to in the future.
The reason for all this hustle and bustle is because I'm due to finish up in my current role in the next week and a half. I'm rushing against time to finish up the outstanding work, tidying up the piles of documents collecting dust in my 'filing' tray, having handover meetings with the people who are going to take over my work etc. I'll be moving to another role in July, closer to home. A couple of weeks ago the management board decided that in best business interests to wind down the department I was working in. After the announcement was made we were all thrown into a panic. No one did any work for the rest of the week, just didn't have the motivation to do so. It was difficult enough hearing about other people losing their jobs now we are faced with the same circumstances.
However I was truly blessed that a short time after the announcement, I was called for an interview for the one position I had submitted an application for, and got the job. The great thing is that the new role is within the same organisation, is a role I have experience in therefore I know what to expect, and is closer to home! Gone will be the hour long commutes!
Although it is hard work rising early and going home late at night, it sure is great to know that I'm working for something I can look forward to in the future.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Banquet Dinner
I met up with a colleague tonight for dinner. It started as a jumble of mishaps really. After work, I walked out in the rain towards Kun Ming Chinese R'ant in the middle of Chinatown with my mobile phone left in the office. Then, not seeing him anywhere near the restaurant and waiting for 1/2 hour outside the restaurant, decided to walk back to the office to get my phone only to find out 4 missed calls from him and an sms from him saying he's sitting at a table behind the counter. He must have slipped in before I could see him. Anyway, the poor guy had been waiting for 40 minutes by then but luckily was in good mood when I saw him. I think the pretty waitresses were giving him lots of attention to this lone guy so he was content.
We ordered the banquet dinner, which is the first time I've tried a set menu. The first dish was chilli salt and pepper fish which was just beautiful!! I love my deep fried food, and this dish did not disappoint. Crisp batter, perfectly balanced flavours of pepper, salt and chilli. Yum yum! The second course was lettuce cups or san choi bau - minced pork with water chestnuts, onions and nuts wrapped in a piece of lettuce. I am proud to say that I ate this dish much cleaner than my friend, who had sauce dribbling down his hand and pieces of meat dropping onto the table cloth. Tsk tsk!
The third course was chicken and crab sweet corn soup. My friend loves this soup. I've seen him get this soup gazillion times, all the time I'm thinking that I can probably make him this soup myself and save him $4. The soup this evening was accentuated by the sweet crab flavour, which was nice. The fourth was stir fried chicken with cashew nuts. By this time, I was so stuffed that I only ate a little of this dish. The fifth and sixth dish was fried rice and Cantonese beef steak respectively. The rice was nothing to shout about, but the beef was very tender and tasty. Again, by this time I was so full we had to pack most of the dishes home. Dessert was banana fritter with vanilla ice cream.
All in all, a night which began with a series of misunderstandings ended pleasantly enough. I sure am glad I met up with this friend whom I haven't seen for ages and ages. Time has not diluted our friendship fortunately, and we had plenty to talk about during the dinner.
We ordered the banquet dinner, which is the first time I've tried a set menu. The first dish was chilli salt and pepper fish which was just beautiful!! I love my deep fried food, and this dish did not disappoint. Crisp batter, perfectly balanced flavours of pepper, salt and chilli. Yum yum! The second course was lettuce cups or san choi bau - minced pork with water chestnuts, onions and nuts wrapped in a piece of lettuce. I am proud to say that I ate this dish much cleaner than my friend, who had sauce dribbling down his hand and pieces of meat dropping onto the table cloth. Tsk tsk!
The third course was chicken and crab sweet corn soup. My friend loves this soup. I've seen him get this soup gazillion times, all the time I'm thinking that I can probably make him this soup myself and save him $4. The soup this evening was accentuated by the sweet crab flavour, which was nice. The fourth was stir fried chicken with cashew nuts. By this time, I was so stuffed that I only ate a little of this dish. The fifth and sixth dish was fried rice and Cantonese beef steak respectively. The rice was nothing to shout about, but the beef was very tender and tasty. Again, by this time I was so full we had to pack most of the dishes home. Dessert was banana fritter with vanilla ice cream.
All in all, a night which began with a series of misunderstandings ended pleasantly enough. I sure am glad I met up with this friend whom I haven't seen for ages and ages. Time has not diluted our friendship fortunately, and we had plenty to talk about during the dinner.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Teriyaki Chicken
The other night I made one of Gaz's fave homemade food - teriyaki chicken. Previously I had been buying teriyaki marinade from the shops but I found that the flavour was weak although I had marinated the chicken for hours. I stopped buying the bottled marinade when I found how easy it was to make my own.
The basic marinade calls for 1 cup of light soy, 1 cup of mirin, sugar to tenderise the meat and my own twist to it: grated ginger. Gaz loves the ginger in the dish.
Teriyaki chicken with sesame seed
We also bought some king mushrooms for dinner that night. They're enormous!! I suppose they're not called king mushrooms for no good reason! It's a very meaty mushroom, with a strong flavour. I had no idea how to cook them, so stir fried it with ginger, and sesame oil. The combination didn't really work though.
The basic marinade calls for 1 cup of light soy, 1 cup of mirin, sugar to tenderise the meat and my own twist to it: grated ginger. Gaz loves the ginger in the dish.
Teriyaki chicken with sesame seed
We also bought some king mushrooms for dinner that night. They're enormous!! I suppose they're not called king mushrooms for no good reason! It's a very meaty mushroom, with a strong flavour. I had no idea how to cook them, so stir fried it with ginger, and sesame oil. The combination didn't really work though.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Release the Inner Foodie!
Today I took my lovely wife to the Good Food and Wine Show in Melbourne. She is a foodie and loves watching and reading about food so I knew she would love it. The Exhibition was huge and there were many samples to try. Our favourites were the roast duck and swordfish on toast. The other highlight was meeting famous chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Matt Moran and Guy Grossi. We lined up to meet Gordon Ramsay and get him to sign our book. He is a very jovial guy, and took the time to chat to each individual. I asked him what his favourite Asian food was, to which he replied that it was a pad thai dish he ate in Phuket recently.
We got a lot of free samples and it became very heavy carrying them around. After trying everything that looked interesting (sometimes going back for seconds) we became tired and decided to head home with our goodies.
Recognise this guy?
Matt Moran, in the middle
We got a lot of free samples and it became very heavy carrying them around. After trying everything that looked interesting (sometimes going back for seconds) we became tired and decided to head home with our goodies.
Recognise this guy?
Matt Moran, in the middle
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