Handmade Earrings

We made 10 pairs of adorable cute fabric covered earrings! We also have rings! They are currently listed on ebay Singapore! Please take a look if you like handmade stuff! They are a lot of fun! We also offer mini movie posters from japan called chirashis! 

Gochujang Udon

Mom created something new (at least to me) yesterday for my dinner. She used gochujang, chili powder, soup stock, enoki mushrooms, seaweed, tofu and made Gochujang Udon! It was so good, I am having it again tonight!

I took pictures of the gochugang and chili powder I purchased from Sol Mart. There were 2 types of chili powder. One is mildly spicy and the other is more spicy. Being the adventurous type (at least when it comes to spices), I chose the more spicy version. At SGD$13.90 for 200 grams of chili powder, it was really expensive! For gochugang, there are a few varieties to choose from. In the end, I decided to get the one with no MSG. I think I paid $15.90 for a 1kg tub.
You can also buy the chili powder from Scotts Isetan's basement supermarket. They are selling it at SGD$4.00 per 100 grams. Much more civilized compared to what I paid for!

We're having a mini Korean party next Tuesday! Mom will make the spicy rice cakes again! Can't wait! ^^

苦守寒窑十八年

非常喜欢萧闳仁的这首"王宝钏苦守寒窑十八年"。

最喜欢的歌词是：
我身骑白马走三关
改换素衣回中原
我在梦中找无你
我的心已经跟你去
不知影何时返来我身边
已经不在

中原地区的人自称是汉人，而把中原地区的左边称为「番邦」，这个歌曲里所说的「西凉」就是被当时的汉人称为「番邦」。王宝钏的丈夫～～薛平贵，年轻的时候去当兵，留下太太宝钏苦守寒窑十八年。

薛平贵后来变成大将军，可是在和西凉国的时候被抓了，本来是要被杀死的，但是西凉国的公主很喜欢他，要嫁给他，所以薛平贵就变成「驸马爷」了，后来还掌理西凉国。可是他心系中原的家庭，想著中原的太太，於是从西凉，穿著素衣，身骑白马，过三关，回到中原。寻访苦守寒窑十八年的王宝钏。

Korean Spicy Rice Cakes

When we visited Seoul last year, we tried deokbokki, which is spicy stir fried rice cakes. The ones in Seoul that we tried were spicy and yet sweet and we didn't really like it very much. It was nice, but I won't eat a whole plate of it!

When shopping at Sol Mart on Sunday, we bought a packet of instant deokbokki. You just had to add water and cook. It was nice but at $7.30 a packet, just a tad expensive. What to do, we have to make our own if we want to have it regularly!

I found a recipe from My Korean Kitchen and asked my mom if she'd try making it. She said okay and I bought Gochujang sauce, a packet of rice cakes and chili powder from Sol Mart.

Mom tried the recipe yesterday and I am posting the result here. Mom tweaked the recipe a bit by adding button mushrooms and kimchi and more chili powder. It was very very nice! I think the main reason was that my mom's version is a lot more spicier than what we had in Seoul.

I love the ones my mom made and I will ask her to make them again really soon!

Where We Do What We Do

Found this site Where We Do What We Do when I was dropping by Moop. What a cool idea! The site allows you to post a picture of your workspace and I am posting mine here. My office is not much but I make it as cosy as I can! I am just glad I am not stuck in one of those typical office cubicles. I get the wall to decorate and as you can see, I placed a board and also put up some of my favorite photos and movie posters and stuff.

Bread Party

We hold bread parties once every 2 months or so and yesterday, we had one. We finished the leftovers today. Each of us will bring something to contribute to the party. I usually provide the cheese, the pasta sauce and the bread. Somebody else will buy the ham, the sausages, vegetables, salad dressing, mustard, garlic spread, butter and desserts.

Have you tried Pasta de Waraku? We love their mini salads! They used to give it to you for free if you order a main course but not anymore. When asked, our waitress told us that some people left their salads untouched and they felt that it was wasteful. Now, they will provide the mini salads only if you order a special set.

Since then, YS has been trying to find a salad dressing close to the one we enjoyed on the Waraku mini salads and yes, she found something very similiar!

The QP Wafu Salad Dressing! Buy it from Cold Storage or Isetan Supermarket! We ate a lot of salad during the bread party! Everyone loves the salad dressing!

Dutch Door Press

Checking out the handmade wares on Etsy is what I do almost on a daily basis. Etsy is disastrously addicting! You don't have to buy anything, browsing alone is also fun! I came across the Dutch Door Press while browsing and they have great looking letterpressed cards! Very colorful and striking. I love love love paper products and it is a joy to look at their creations. Take a look and enjoy!

Dutch Door Press.

Simple Sewing

I was trying to make a simple coaster yesterday. Everything was fine at first. I measured the fabric, cut it and folded it and pressed it. All I needed to do was sew it up with the sewing machine. While I was finishing up the last side of the coaster, the sewing machine's needle broke! I felt the broken part of the needle hit my face. I supposed I was lucky it wasn't my eye it hit!

I gave up after that and went to stamp a panda on my completed coaster.

Brooklyn Flea

If you like flea markets, you might enjoy Brooklyn Flea, one of the largest outdoor market in New York City. I was there for the 1st one, on Sunday, April 6 2008. Brooklyn Flea takes place every Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, rain or shine, at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on Lafayette Ave. between Clermont and Vanderbilt Ave.

On April 6, I took the A train from 72nd St to Brooklyn. As some of the trains were off service on that day (Sunday), I had a slight panic attack as the subway route that I planned no longer worked. In the end, all worked out fine and I found the flea market without any trouble. It was such a cold day that day! I remembered it was very windy and my hands were cold all the time.

This flea market is a lot more upscale than I thought. They have some very interesting things but most of them are expensive.

My main aim was to see Lotta Anderson, one of my favorite designers! She was there! I bought her book, Simple Sewing and had it autographed!

Hand Carved Rubber Stamps

One of my favorite things to do is rubber stamping. I started to carve my own rubber stamps when I found this book at Kinokuniya: 晴れときどきはんこ―雑貨的消しゴムはんこを楽しむ本. It is written by Koma Keiko and now I have all her books. She is such a talented illustrator and artist. She makes the cutest rubber stamps!

Her books will teach you how to carve your own rubber stamps step-by-step. Start with easy drawings and you will find that carving your own stamps can be fun and to me, sometimes theraputic.

Here are the tools I used.

You can use any type of eraser but I feel that the Pental eraser is softer and easier to carve. I buy the biggest piece I can find. In fact, the one shown in the picture is the largest one I can find in Singapore. If you know of any bigger pieces, please tell me! The larger one in the picture was purchased from Tokyo last year. I bought 6 of these and now I have 3 left.

You will need pencil, tracing paper, tissue paper, cutter, ink, paper and a cutting mat.

Last night, I made 2 new stamps, a pig and a cat.

The Noisy Plume

Here's another Etsy shop that I adore! The Noisy Plume! I love her designs and the way she writes her descriptions about her work! It's almost like reading poetry! Never fails to bring a smile to my face!

Here's a lovely new work from her on the left! What a beautiful necklace! I think I saw matching earrings in her Etsy shop too!

Take a look! ^_^

Moop

Moop makes the most wonderful totes and bags! These two are my current favorites, the Porter and the Fraulein Tote. Check them out, they make really cool stuff! Moop.

The Fraulein Tote and The Porter

Half Day Off

Took half the day off yesterday! Went to Orchard Road with KC and we had lunch at the Takashimaya basement foodcourt. I wanted to try the Kimchi soup at Manna. KC ordered the Beef soup. The Kimchi soup included tofu, tang hoon, kimchi (of course) and pork (I think). Comes with a bowl of rice also.

The Kimchi soup was delicious! Maybe I am easily satisfied! KC's Beef soup was delicious too but not spicy.

After lunch, we went to Isetan Scotts to check out the supermarket. KC wanted to buy some ingredients to make Chawanmushi. We spent quite some time wandering around. I saw Ume preztels at the snacks section! I have not had these for years! When we went to Tokyo last year, we couldn't find them! I bought 15 packets yesterday! Happiness is Ume pretzels! ^^

After that, we walked back to Takashimaya where KC bought a packet of durian for her boyfriend. At the foodcourt once again, we decided to try the Korean spicy rice cakes from Dongdaemun, the snack stand. One tiny portion cost $3! It was quite expensive! Anyway, we feel that the sauce is spicy, just the way I think it should be! Love spicy stuff! At $3 a pop, I might have to reconsider before trying it again. >_<~

We also stopped by Kinokuniya for a while to look at cookbooks. Guess we were still hungry, haha!

We made a final stop at Plaza Singapura's Carrefour.

All in all, we had a great afternoon!

Linen Fabric

The new linen fabric I bought from Etsy just arrived! Lovely! I sucked at sewing but my sister could use this new fabric! She made a large demin tote last weekend and we're all out of demin fabric. Which reminds me. I have to make a trip to the fabric shop soon.

This is where I got the linen fabric from: Namolio. Vaide always has lots of fun stuff in her shop! Enjoy! ^^

Chuncheon, South Korea

We went on a day trip to Chuncheon when we vacationed in Seoul last year. The main aim was to visit Nami Island. We joined a Japanese tour. It was funny. We do not understand a word of Japanese, nor Korean, and we joined a Japanese tour when we were in Korea. The reason was very simple. The cost of a Japanese tour was much cheaper than an English tour. I really do not know why...maybe someone will tell me? We used this tour company: Young Il Tours.

Dakgalbi is prepared by marinating chopped chicken in spicy red pepper paste with peppery seasoning for about one day. Cabbage, green onions, sweet potatoes, and cylinder shaped rice cakes are then added and the ingredients are all placed in a large cast iron pan. The mixture is then typically stir-fried at the table.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Here is a picture of the first ever Kimchi fried rice we have eaten! This is the Kimchi fried rice of my dreams! We had this in Dongdaemun, Seoul, last year. The portion was for 2 and it came with so many different banchan!

SO Good! ~

Seoul 2007

My sister and I made a trip to Seoul last November. This is what we had after our visit to Changdeokgung (창덕궁)(昌德宮). Kimchi udon! Hot noodles are best when consumed in cold weather! The udon was delicious, by the way. We found this nice little restaurant close to the museum and had lunch there after our palace tour. After lunch, we explored Anguk Insadong (인사동)(仁寺洞).

More about Changdeokgung:
Open: 9 am to 4 pm. Admit every 15 or 45 mins on the hour.
Admit: 3000 W. Group only. English Tours: 11.30 am, 1.30 pm, and 3.30 pm.
Chinese Tours: 11:00 and 3:00 pm. Closed on Monday, no guides on Thursday.

You can only tour this fabulous palace with a guide.

We joined the Chinese tour but the guide's Chinese made us have a headache as we are not very sure what he was saying. Since we have been to this palace before, we decided to skip his speech and take photos instead, haha!

枯黄的回忆

在榴连茶馆看见这段小故事:


我想起曾经有一个男孩跟一个女孩说，
秋天树上的叶子是听声音落下的，
说完便拍起手，
果然叶子一片片落了下来。
男孩要女孩跟着他做，
女孩害羞而骄傲地不肯举起手。　

经过多少个秋天，
男孩早已不知去向了，
女孩经过那条路，抬起头，
又看到那些树上的叶子，
想起那一幕，
她突然拍起手来, 一声, 两声, 啪啪啪...数不尽的拍手声. 　　
突然,她的眼泪止不住地流下来. 　　
只因为满天散下了绵绵层层枯黄的回忆.

Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken & BBQ

After Chowon Garden Korean Restaurant, I decided I had to have more Kimchi soup! I really enjoyed it! My colleague love Crystal Jade Ginseng Chicken and BBQ and suggest we try the place! So, on 21st May 2008, both of us, with our ex-colleague YS, made our way to Ngee Ann City!

2 of us have kind of decided what we wanted to order even before we got there! YS decided only when she looked at the menu. This was what we ordered:

Ginseng Chicken Soup, Kimchi Soup, Beef Bibimbap, Korean Spicy Rice Cakes and Kimchi pancake. Also ordered drinks to go with our meal. The banchan served was the usual. They will refill your banchan only once though. it's not free flow.

I actually wanted to try their Kimchi Fried Rice. Loved this dish when I went to Seoul last year and have been trying to find the closest thing here. I'll save this dish for next time! ^^

Here's the address:

Ngee Ann City #04-20

Tel: 6733-3229

Chowon Garden Korean Restaurant

On 17 May 2008, Saturday, we went to Chowon Garden Korean Restaurant for lunch. Found out about this place when I was doing a Google search for Korean restaurants. As we have not been there before, we are full of anticipation! ^^

Reach the place around 12.15 pm...I know, I know, a bit early for lunch but hey, we skipped breakfast! The restaurant is located just next to the Red Dot Museum. We went in and found the place to be pretty empty but I guess we're a little early for the weekend lunch crowd!

Here's the place! It's the type of Korean restaurant that I always wanted to try! You get to sit on the floor to eat! Haha! When I went to Seoul, I didn't have the chance to eat at such a place! There is a big TV also and when we were there, KBS 2 was on. Now, we have Starhub's KBS World but we wondered how did they get KBS 2?

We asked the Korean boss and she told us they got it from a Korean company. Wow. of course, KBS 2 is all broadcasted in Korean, no subtitles whatsoever. We enjoyed the Korean commercials though! Fun!

Okay! We ordered the chicken set, the pork set, seafood pancake and kimchi soup. All were yummy! Well, we are easily pleased! The banchan provided are the usual assortment of kimchi, beansprouts etc. We really liked the kimchi! It tastes exactly the same as the ones we loved in Seoul!

Kimchi soup...wow, I love this! This was the first time I had it and it's so good!
3 of us spent a total of $56 for this meal and yes, we would go back again...next month!

Here's the address if you'll like to try the place:
#01-01, Airview Building
No.2 Peck Seah Street
Singapore 079305