2018?

Now playing: Versace on the Floor - Bruno Mars

Hi there.
Yes , it's been awhile. It's almost 2019, to be fair.
At one point, I even forgot that I had a blogspot.
But I'm glad I kept this blog.
I came back here today cause I wanna know the recipe of the bread I made earlier.

Looking back made me realised how important it is to capture every moment, and I'm glad that I did. Here, at least.
Apparently there's still some drafts that are wayyy overdue.
But I shall share them when they're ready. Even when it happened 3 years ago.

But hey, let's catch up.

• I graduated earlier this year in April and I'm now working with ice cream. I should have a separate post on my graduation. For keepsake.
• Did a bunch of crazy stuff I never thought I'll be able to do. Keywords for my own reference: Alex, Deepavali 2018.
• I graduated with First Class Honours, and I got my PTPTN repayment exempted.
• Before that I was interning and working with Nestle for awhile. 
• I also part-timed at Fin in May 2018, and I cherished every moment.
• Went to HK and Macau earlier this January, and I was sick AF so....
• I went to China for the first time in December 2017. Short trip to the Ang origins. Maybe I'll post up something bout that as well.
• I made a batch decent brownies, recipe from Tasty. But a lil too sweet in my opinion.
• We moved to a condo in August 2018! New crib, my sisters don't have to share anymore. We're adapting pretty well.
• I finally revisited my Singapore after years and years of wanting to go back there. I was actually wowed. We revisited cause dad will now be based in SG.
• Our dear Goldie passed on 17 October 2017. I didn't get to send her off, I was at work.
• I removed my other wisdom tooth, and got a root canal treatment (thanks to the impacted wisdom tooth).
• Mum celebrated her 50th at Lexis Hibiscus. I coordinated the dining and the cake. Custom-made cake. Maybe a post on this as well.
• Of course! I celebrated my 21st birthday with family. Definitely need to share this.
• Went to Seoul, South Korea in December 2015. Was supposed to compile it and make into a video. Guess I'll just post it up here instead.

That's all for now I guess.

Vivien

Sorry!

Now playing: Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People

Okay, my bad.
I know I haven't been updated this blog, but I've been updating on my other blog, which is now private because my lecturer thinks its better if it's private until she verified it.
We have to update that blog weekly, leaving me with lesser time to do my own stuff.

And I still haven't post all the cafe/restaurant visits posts. I owe this blog that.
Yes, I'm busy. But I guess that's not really an excuse, is it?
Till when I feel like it, I'll post up my drafts.

P/S: I posted my opinion on S.Wine.

PP/S: I posted the posts according to the dates of the pictures are taken because I want to archive it that way.

Life.

"It's not good to keep it to yourself."

People always say that.

And I don't like to tell people my problems because I'm afraid they'll judge me.

"You're lucky and you should be grateful."

"There are worse cases out there."

Yes, I'm aware. But everyone is different.

Some people are optimistic. And there are some who aren't.

I don't like to complain about my problems. But when I really do, I really needed help so I can clear my head.

"All this posts about how you feel is pathetic."

Yes, people might see it that way. 

But that's just how I keep myself calm.

I rant all I want. I throw my tantrums.

That's how I feel better.

If it bothers you so much, then don't read it. 

Having me ranting, letting people know how I feel is better than so many things.

I could've cut myself, get drunk, get drugged or even suicide, but I appreciate things in life.

And ranting to no one, or someone, is my best solution to feel better.

Life is too short. You only live once, so I'll spend all the time I have to improve myself.

Judge me if you want, but I have my own way of dealing things. 

Homemade Yam Abacus Beads.

This time, we just kinda want these yam abacus beads.

And mum knows how to make them (grandma's recipe).

And trust me, homemade stuff is always better than the restaurants. 

Or at least healthier and more reliable.

So we started off by steaming one whole yam.

We got the yam from the local market, 

asked the Uncle to select a good yam.

Well, all of his yams are good as they just melt when you cook them.

So this dough was made by beating the steamed yam, along with some salt and

vegetable oil, and around 750g of tapioca starch.

Traditional cooking methods never have proper measurements,

it's always an approximate, or how we call it is "agar-agak".

So we just pinch out a small amount of dough, roll it into a ball and

pinch the middle to give it the abacus-like shape. 

But I personally think it looks more like a red blood cell. 

Do bear in mind that the beads will expand slightly when you cook them,

so roll them according to your desired size.

Over here are the ingredients used for the dish.

We have chopped cilantro, thin strips of cloud ear fungus, minced pork,

sliced mushroom, dried shrimps, chopped garlic and onion, and of course, the yam beads.

We pre-cooked the yam beads first by parboiling them until they float.

This started off with the garlic and onions, followed by the rest of the ingredients 

except for the cilantro and beads.

Cook them until fragrant and season them with soy sauce as well as oyster sauce.

Then add the beads in and toss evenly, followed by the cilantro.

So, here you go!

Homemade Yam Abacus Beads.

Basic Buttermilk Scones.

So we have leftover buttermilk and I thought what else I could do with it.

And right there, on the carton of buttermilk,

was a picture of scones.

And I thought to myself, "Damn, it's been awhile."

So I googled recipe for buttermilk scones, 

and I came across this website giving me the simplest ingredients list and methods.

So there you go, square scones because I was lazy to find round cutters, 

and also, circle scones are too mainstream.

I made them a little too thin, they're like biscuits.

In this recipe, we only use 60g of butter, which isn't much.

But I wish you could just try it because it was that good and I absolutely loved it. 

So try it out!

S.Wine.

Publika.

I can honestly tell you that this place is rather hidden.

Non-halal, and I find the restaurant name punny.

Swine. Hah.

Mum loved this, she came and decided to order this before we

had a good look of the menu.

We had their watermelon, roasted pork salad.

The pork crackling wasn't crackling, and it has a rather porky taste to it.

And I can honestly tell you that warm watermelon is WEIRD.

And the picture above is their pulled pork sandwich.

I kinda like it, and I kinda don't like it at the same time.

And come on, FRIESSS!

The last one, this looks hella wrong.

The colour for this dish is quite poor, as you can see it's only brown

and white and a hint of green.

The sausages had a taste to it, but I enjoyed the sauerkraut hash/rosti.

I honestly wouldn't really return, but maybe we ordered not the best items.

Hi guys!

I know I haven't posted anything for awhile now.

That's because I was rather busy with my work,

and I'll be having my finals this week.

There are already drafts prepared, with pictures uploaded.

I'll upload the posts as soon as I'm done with my exams.

I have so much to express, and share. 

But not today. Not this post. Some other time.

Pigs & Wolf

Pigs & Wolf.

I was totally surprised and impressed because of the ambience.

And I haven't been to Pavilion in ages, so the Dining Loft was absolutely new to me.

First of all, they serve pork,

so it's pretty empty here.

We started off with their Grilled Pork Salad.

I liked the salad, the pork was a little dry,

but mum finds it porky.

It would be better if they didn't add the onions.

We had their recommended dish; Green With Envy as a main, 

and when the plate was placed on the table, I wasn't impressed. 

The colour was terrible and the plating was blergh.

I didn't like this at all because of the cutting they served for this pork chop

as it was very fatty.

But the lemon sauce was okay.

We also ordered another pork chop called Snug Piggy.

So clearly it looks more like a typical chicken chop with mushroom sauce.

I like this one better than the other,

and their fries was just right. (Loved them!)

This is their Hatchlings which I believe is a deep fried jacket potato.

It was as crunchy as it should be,

so it made it rather tough to chew.

I like this appetiser, but most didn't enjoy it.

Overall, it was just okay.

For the price we paid, we expected better.

And mind you, it wasn't really that affordable.

We wouldn't really return.

Milkcow.

At last, Milkcow.

Everyone's been talking about it.

Went over to Sunway for lunch, and they just decided to grab dessert after that.

Freda had their Milky Cube and oh my god, I swear it was good.

I love their soft serve because the milk ice cream's taste isn't quite like others,

but it was more that just great.

And milk and honey is a combo that I simply love.

Call me weird, but I enjoyed chewing the beeswax from the honeycomb.

John had their Green Light which is just basically mint syrup with their milk ice cream.

To me, it's just sweet toothpaste and good ice cream.

Sorry, mint lovers.

Andy ordered their Milky Shot.

According to them, the coffee wasn't enough, 

but as you reach the bottom, it gets better.

I still think the milk ice cream is the star of this shop.

But it is slightly overpriced, I'll have to do good just to treat myself with this.

Bad Boy Cooks.

Now playing: One Last Time - Ariana Grande

We decided to go out again to try out Bad Boy Cooks 

since on Monday mornings we have time.

The last time we wanted to try this, it wasn't open yet 

because we were too early.

We tried these burgers at the Oasis Square branch and it was honestly not bad.

It's a much more quiet version of Johnny Rockets.

I had their BB Bessie which I believe it's their signature.

It was surprising for a budget burger because the patty was served slightly rare.

The patty was still pink and they don't usually serve it pink,

and it was well flavoured.

I was a little disappointed with the portion, then again, 

in a diner, it's only around RM10.

Freda had their Al-Funghi with Fish Baton and she enjoyed it.

Elaine had their Green BB, which was actually part of my indecisive decisions.

I just couldn't decide with burger to grab. 

Her burger looked good though.

And Li Min ordered their Mad Nemo.

When the burger came, we were all puzzled because it's a hot dog bun,

with 3 pieces of battered something.

I found out that the fish was the same fish that Freda added on.

Mother's Day 2015.

Now Playing: You Raise Me Up - Westlife

Up at 8 in the morning,

getting dressed for breakfast because mum decided that she wants 

to have Bonjour for breakfast.

It is her "day" anyway.

So dad drove us to the Intermark's branch

and we went to get a table for 5.

So I had their Smoked Duck sandwich, 

which I think it is new and

btw, those are not corn bits, they're mango cubes.

The smoked duck was good, and the way they match it with the mango was just great.

However, the bread sucks. I mean it, it was just tough,

tougher than a tree bark.

Nikki had their Good Old English,

typical English Breakfast.

And mum had her usual, Asparagus and Poached Eggs.

Debbie had their Hot Eggs,

which is served with pancakes instead of toast.

But the pancakes weren't even close to fluffy, and they were tough.

And dad? 

He shared our food.

Knowing us, we can't finish our food.

Happy Mother's Day, mummy!

And of course, to all the mums and mum-to-be out there.

Tryna break the chains but the chains only break me.

Sourdough banana bread.

I just feel like making stuff today,

so I did.

I got out Jasper and I followed the recipe

and start preparing the bread.

The recipe mentioned about leaving it for 12-24 hours,

but I didn't have that much time.

So I just let it rise till it was double in size and I proceed with the next step.

It still took several hours, because my starter wasn't in room temperature, 

but then again, sourdoughs generally take forever.

When I mixed up all the ingredients and it looked like this,

I was concerned.

I didn't expect to make puke in a bowl at all!

But I tried my luck, so off it went for baking.

It looks okay, thank god!

A little chunky, but it's alright.

Texture's like bread, with a lot of holes.

I'd definitely make this again.

I find this banana bread rather healthy,

because the only fat that was added to it was from the egg.

There's 1/2 cup of sugar in this recipe, 

but it won't be good without it.

I can definitely improve the appearance,

all I have to do is to make sure it's dough-lump free!

Vietnam Kitchen.

Lately, I've been eating Vietnamese food a lot.

And we actually ran out of new restaurants to try out in Leisure Mall,

so we went to Vietnam Kitchen.

This restaurant had been here for ages, 

I think we tried it when I was younger, 

but for some reason we never really return.

So today mum thought of this restaurant 

because the last time we passed by the restaurant,

we saw that it'd renovated and it gave 

a completely different perspective.

Of course, the ever so famous rice paper spring roll 

which can't really go wrong. 

Debbie ordered sliced ham with rice noodles.

The broth was good, 

Vietnamese coffee!

It was really aromatic, then the bitterness kicked in

and everyone's face cringed. 

Chicken spring roll with rice noodle thing.

I really should have jot down the names, but oh well.

The spring roll was good, but overall, the noodles were a little blend.

(Even though I cleared the sauce plate).

Some sort of sausage roll, wrapped with rice paper.

It was good as well, but I prefer the other spring roll.

Mum ordered this chicken thing,

I didn't really give it a try because I'm busy with the rest of the food.

And BANH MI! Yay! 

This is their famous one with minced pork.

It was good! I loved the bread,

mum thought it was similar to Subway's :(

One thing about Banh Mi is that I always have to watch out for their little surprise,

the chilli.

Crave Cafe.

Now playing: Hands All Over - Maroon 5

Usually I don't post what I eat during our break times,

but this post is exceptional.

Freda drove us to Oasis Square,

despite the crazy ass jam,

just for brunch.

I had their Earl Grey tea.

I think it's infused with some sort of mint, 

because it tasted different and it was actually

rather concentrated.

John ordered their sandwich, with their artisan bread.

Believe me, the bread was good. 

Freda and I ordered their salmon and scramble.

I wished there's more salmon and the scramble was fluffy! 

We were disappointed because we expected something like John's.

Although it looked plain, but it was actually pretty filling.

Btw, we are broke after this meal.

Positivity.

It's been awhile, I know.
Busier and busier.
I'm longing for a break.
My body aches.
I'm always up so early, home so late.
Driving back and forth when there's no sun.

So what if I complain, others do it too.
I signed up this course myself,
and I didn't regret a bit.
It's just that I've overworked myself this semester,
compared to the previous two.

Breaking down in the middle of the night,
crying your eyeballs out because
you're so done with being just okay.
Not better, but just okay.
Even if people hear you out, there's nothing they can do
unless you help yourself.

I know I don't.
I never did.
I always look down at myself,
underestimating myself.
I'm never the best.
I just wanna be happy again,
laughing for no reason because everything was great.
This is when I wish I could turn back time, undo the things I've done.
Sometimes it's better to just keep quiet and hold it in.
But I couldn't just do that all the damn time.
I'm sick and tired of it.

"There's worse cases out there."
"You're not lucky, you're blessed."
"You sunk yourself further down with negative thoughts."

It was never easy.
But thank you for hearing me out, you know who you are.

Uncle Jang @ Ampang

Okay I just found out there's Uncle Jang in Ampang. 

I've heard of it, but the one I usually hear about is the Puchong branch.

And so, we decided to give it a try and see why is it so famous.

First, we spent 15 minutes driving around just to find it.

Then when we arrive, it was somewhat empty.

Debbie's friends said that weekends are impossible, 

but I guess it's not.

Man I feel like making pancakes on this thing.

There's a lot of flies, for some reason, but it didn't really bother us.

I was concerned when they said it wasn't spicy, 

because the colour didn't convince me.

And here's a picture of the food being cooked.

Almost ready.

And there you go, they added ramen to it.

I was glad that it wasn't spicy, although the colour was intimidating.

The taste was just a-okay, I wouldn't mind returning. 

Kiku-Zakura @ Great Eastern Mall

Now playing: Geromino - Sheppard

I can honestly consider Kiku-Zakura as my 

all-time-favourite Japanese restaurant. 

Or at least the branch in Great Eastern.

Once awhile we'll eat there if we're up for Japanese,

and so far, their food never really disappoint us.

And I'm aware that I hadn't post much lately, 

so I decided to write an opinion post on my favourite Japanese restaurant.

This is their buttered asparagus with Bonito flakes.

We've never ordered this, but it was great!

The usual, kappa maki. 

Fried baby fish? I'm sure there a proper term, but I never bother to learn.

I should. But oh well. We'll always order this whenever we eat there.

Some sort of fancy maki that we've never ordered.

There's tempura and stuff, wrapped with seaweed and raw salmon.

Fried baby shrimps. I seriously need to get my terms right.

This is somewhat similar to the fish, but I prefer the fish more.

Their somen. Their broth was just nice that day,

because the last time we had it, it was over seasoned.

It comes with tempura!

Debbie ordered their curry katsu.

Mum and Nikki ordered their chicken teriyaki don.

And this is the best black sesame ice cream.

BEST.

I've tried many, but their's is still the best.

And the best part is that they didn't charge us the ice cream :D