Comparison

Most of the time, I always tell myself not to compare, but such is human nature to compare ourselves with other people, be it people we know or people we don't. A friend highlighted to me that she stopped using Facebook because she didn't want to compare herself with what she saw on Facebook, making her feel worse than what she already felt. And more often than not, I really do end up feeling worse about myself, thinking about what others have and what I don't. So why do I still compare? If it simply makes things worse. Because I simply can't help it. Neither do I want to feel this way and lousy about myself. I end up getting upset and crying over nothing.

From now on, I'm going to be satisfied with my lot and try to think of what I have instead of what others have. It's not going to be easy, but I have supportive parents, family and friends who never put me down or lose faith in me so I need to have this faith in myself.

Saint Augustine said, 'Faith is to believe, on the word of God, what we do not see, and its reward is to see and enjoy what we believe.'

I was really touched when I read this quote today. I need this faith even more than before.

Weekday baking and making!

So, being the unemployed I still am, I got down to baking something my grandma had been pestering my mum to make. Can you guess what it is?

Right it's carrot cake! Not the Chinese hawker food but the western cake! It was after baking it that I realised that it was so easy to make! Didn't even need an electric mixer. The hardest past was probably the shredding of the carrots because I had to shred 330g of it. Which was like 4 carrots. I took quite a long time to shred those carrots, which is probably the rate-limiting step! Hahaha talking in chemistry terms. After that, it's just measuring the ingredients and soaking raisins and then mixing them all together. Then it's the batter in the oven for an hour. It has to be the longest time I have baked something in the oven for. The usual time is about 20 minutes. Quite surprised it wasn't charred or anything! Just that the raisins on top tasted burnt.

I was efficient and mixed the icing sugar and cream cheese while the cake was in the oven being cooked. I used almost double the cream cheese the recipe asked for since my family loves the cream cheese topping.

The finished product! Quite proud of it because I spread the cheese myself and it was my first attempt at creaming a cake and it doesn't look too horrible, right? Hahaha.

And the inside of the cake. Look at the amount of raisins in it. I love raisins! The only bad thing about raisins is the high sugar content, so although it's rather healthy, it must be eaten in moderation. I remember my mum buying a big box of Sunmaid raisins for me as a snack during my exam period. Once I opened the box I and started eating, I just couldn't stop. That's how much of a raisin lover I am. I'm going to buy a big pack of raisins sold for baking to eat as a snack! A much cheaper alternative as well. Okay I realise I sound so much like a glutton. Better stop talking about raisins.

And just had to spam more photos of the cake! I'm going to have some for my tea time snack later! I love the cheese!

And I made jelly beancurd as well after following the recipe on some people's blogs. It's really easy to make, just that the ingredients are quite expensive since they're all in big packets. Just had to dissolve them in water together with the instant jelly powder from phoon huat. It doesn't taste exactly the same as what is sold outside but it's good enough for me! Need to make this more often!

And the product!

Retail and food therapy

 Does anyone enjoy retail therapy like me when you get stressed? Especially today when I got really upset. I guess in life where I many many things are out of my control, shopping is one aspect of my life that I can control and take charge of. It's good for myself but not for my wallet I guess! And even better when I manage to buy something on sale. So yes, I'm guilty of shopping on g-market once again. I stopped shopping on g-market for a very long time except to buy screen protectors which was about 6 months ago. I randomly searched for watches because I didn't want to keep wearing the same watch and I found very nice looking vintage looking watches. I resisted buying them yesterday but when I saw that there was a further discount I couldn't resist further and ordered two to get a cheaper shipping rate. My mum tempted me to order two watches when I initially only wanted to order one. Hahaha because I asked her if she wanted to order together with me, but she doesn't wear such watches though she thought they looked nice. Now I can't wait to receive them, but I think it will take some time to arrive since it's shipped from Korea!

On a different note, I'm so thankful for the time spent with my mum and my grandma today.  I think I would have felt worse without their company and their encouragement. I think that was God's way of making me feel better, by putting people by my side and having a good time. In times like this, I just need to keep trusting in God and believing in God's perfect plans for me. I need to keep remembering Jeremiah 29:11. I should memorise and keep this phrase close to my heart and believe that God has different plans for every single one of us. He is the creative God and will make things perfect in His time. Thank you Fanqin!

 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Had a haircut today and it really made me feel so much better. So tired of seeing so many strands of hair drop everyday and having such messy and unkempt hair. Though I was a little sad that I grew my hair for so long, but well, hair always grows back! Had lunch at hatched and tried eggs benedict which I had been wanting to try for a long long long long time. And then we went to Everything with fries for desserts right after! One reason for that being the fact that there really isn't anything much to look at in Holland village. Because I always told my mum about it and she wanted to try the fries. We ordered the cake of the day as well because it looked really tall and nice in the display. No more space in the tummy for Island creamery which they heard a lot about from me.

My burly benedict! I ordered the chef recommendation! I always do that when I have too many choices or really don't know what to order. I didn't really have a lot of choices because I wanted to try eggs benedict. But if I visit again, I'll most probably try the other types of eggs although I have already, erm, tried them somewhere else if not at home. Because what other types are there? Just scrambled or sunny side up right? Poached eggs taste..normal. Since it's just kind of dropped into a pot of boiling water. I admit that it's definitely not easy to make it runny on the inside and hard on the outside. Definitely a healthier choice because there's no oil involved in cooking it. Speaking like a connoisseur though I'm not food blogger. It was nice though the portion looks very small. I ate very slowly intentionally because I didn't want to finish my food so fast. I could finish a piece of potato in one bite but I cut them so I could eat slower. And in a way, it did make me feel fuller than I should have been. So a weight loss tip is to eat slowly so you'll feel fuller and won't feel like you need to eat more to feel full!(: They were very generous with the corned beef so it's worth a try if you like beef!

My mum's the usual suspects. I felt that her set was super worth it! Because it came with a coffee. For $16! 2 poached eggs and 3 sausages, with potatoes and baked beans and toasted bread! Okay I know I'm just listing out whatever you can already see. Definitely very filling since there's potatoes and bread. Like a breakfast in a hotel. It's what I normally get if it's buffet style!

My grandma's smoked salmon and scrambled eggs! Looks nice also right! But I don't think I'll order this the next time though!

Everything with fries's cake of the day! Initially I wanted to let them try the nutella tart which they are famous for, but my mum saw this cake. It's some hazelnut cake. I can't really remember the name. It looked so nice in the display with so many layers but I was kind of disappointed when they served it! Because you can see the layers are not really equal in height. But the taste didn't disappoint though! I really really liked the hazelnut filling in it, which is probably hazelnut and some cream. I think of all the desserts, I love cake the most! I had quite a bit of this cake so I skipped dinner and had an apple.

Sour cream and onion fries! My mum was surprised when it came in such a big portion. I reckon this is definitely healthier than macdonalds since I saw somewhere that mac's fries don't breakdown even after weeks. I think we should have ordered salt and vinegar because it's my mum's favourite potato chips flavour. There's always next time!

I think it's really true that you never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory. So here I am, documenting all these memories down. Just for my own keepsake.

Goodbye Woojung couple

Crying buckets after watching the last episode of Woojung couple on We got married. I think this is the first time I feel so much for a couple though I have watched others like Yongseo and Adam couple. But I feel so much for them because I followed them from the start when they began about a year and a half ago. I remember waiting for a new episode every week, watching them progress from a slightly awkward couple to a couple so comfortable with skinship, almost like a real couple. I really liked Eunjung's character from the start and that is what makes her so attractive, at least to me (just as a fan okay!). She's so easy going and willing to go along with her husband's wishes, at the start where he brought her to a camping site and made instant coffee after telling her he could make gourmet coffee. She never once got angry or annoyed that he lied to her. To her, it just felt amusing. More importantly, I felt that she was so real. I liked how she throws her head back and laughs. I think she's the only wife who has been unglam in front of her husband, like tying up her hair and not always trying to look her best.

Though my impression of Jang woo did change for the worse in the middle where he was so frivolous and tried to look at other girls in a club, I think he changed for the better after that.  After their honeymoon and when Eunjung got injured. Thereafter, I think he did show genuine concern for her. I can't pinpoint at which point, but he did change his frivolous ways. Haha! Although he was still skinship starved. I did enjoy his multiple attempts of skinship because he would always hug her, the kind of bear hug that I like, catching her by surprise, to which she would always blush and shyly oblige. Although he didn't really give her a chance to react actually. But I guess she got used to his ways. And I really do think he would have made a good husband because he can cook so well! That is such a rarity these days, while Eunjung always sought the help of her mum/phone to learn how to cook for them.

I have lost count of the many times in the one and a half years when I told my brother who started watching them halfway that they were together in real life for sure. Especially after their second honeymoon and wedding ceremony with both their mothers. That's really bringing reality shows to a new level. And their mothers even teared in the backroom interview (they are filmed alone where the crew asks them questions and they answer). At that point I thought, 'wow I think this couple are really together for real.'

I mean it's not as if I was not prepared for the end. I chanced upon many spoilers and even knew that it was going to be their last episode, but that didn't stop the tears when I started watching it. So this is how it feels to follow a couple from the start to the end. For Yongseo and Adam couple, I watched them only after their wedding ended, so I only took a week or two, at most three, to finish their entire virtual marriage. Though I like all the couples I watched, I must say I'm the most attached to Woojung couple. I can understand why Yongseo shippers feel so deeply for yongseo and same for the Adam couple shippers. I even got upset when they had very little or no air time at all in a week because I don't watch the other couples because after one whole week of waiting, you tell me there is no woojung couple?! I guess Woojung couple is not that popular compared to the other couples where both of them are idols, but I don't see it as a bad thing. It seems to me that their 'relationship' wouldn't be so highly publicised or under such tight scrutiny by fans of both of them.

So yes, I do feel so silly for feeling so much and so strongly for a virtual couple. After all, it is but a virtual marriage. Sundays and Mondays won't be the same again without Woojung couple. At times I do wonder if both of them (actors) treat we got married just like work or another drama where they act out how they think they are supposed to feel. But I force those thoughts out of my head as fast as I can and choose to believe what I can see. And they say seeing is believing, isn't it?

Ending with a song Jang woo sang for Eun Jung. The lyrics speak of how he feel towards her, which caught me by surprise because I never would have imagined that he would put all his thoughts into this song. Throughout all these time, I realised he never once actually expressed how he feels towards Eunjung in words. The lyrics are really so touching. His feelings were all translated into actions like skinship and care and concern!

Lee Jang Woo - Words I couldn't bear to say


And the music video they acted in.

Weekend Baking

Had a very productive weekend, in terms of baking, that is. Haha. I learnt how to make egg tarts from my mum, made pizzas for dinner and baked chocolate cream cheese cupcakes for my grandma to bring to her meeting. My cupcakes didn't look as nice as the first time I baked so I shall post photos of the cupcakes I made for the first time. Hahaha like playing cheat but it's still the same recipe! So.. I like making my food photos so big. Woke up at 730am to bake these. 

My mum wanted to make pizza for dinner because she says having rice for meals everyday makes life boring. It's nice for a change but I definitely prefer rice and dishes because they're healthier! And so that I can have other snacks like a piece of chocolate! My mum made the dough while I prepared all the ingredients for the topping. If you don't like tomato sauce for the base, you can try using sour cream like we did! It has no sour taste or whatsoever. And it's not very fattening too, I say. 

Seafood pizza which has so much more ingredients than Pizza Hut's! It's just squid, crabsticks, tomatoes, prawns and tuna with a little mayo! And how can I forget the mozarella cheese on top! Thin crusted pizza so we don't feel so full and the sides are so crispy too. 

This is the ham with mushroom and tomatoes pizza. I know this is not the standard topping, but it tasted nice anyway. I don't like hawaiian pizza so tomatoes are a good alternative!(: We calculated the cost and the price of one pizza is about $6! So much cheaper compared to those sold outside!

And the last and my favourite! Egg tarts! It was my first time learning from my mum. My mum made the dough and I just rolled the dough and put them into the aluminium foil cups. It was quite easy once I got the hang of it! Haven't had home made egg tarts for a long time so these tasted really good! I had one hot from the oven!

I'm going to be baking/making again this coming week! And will post photos if I succeed! I like baking because I don't need to think of other things while baking. So it helps to take your mind off things if you're stressed or troubled. When I start working I'm going to invest in some nice baking equipment and ingredients! Like silicone cupcake trays that look so cute and many other nice stuff! Haha already thinking of spending that money I haven't even earned. But in a way it helps to motivate myself. I already have a long list of things to buy with my first pay! Hahahaha. Sometimes I think I'm so full of nonsense like that.

TCL floral villa shorts in navy

I've been wanting to buy this pair of shorts for the longest time ever since they launched it! And I finally bought it when they had a sale last week.I tried looking for reviews for this pair of shorts but there wasn't any. Well I was a little disappointed when I received it because the material is a little thin and it's so short for me! I don't know how they measured the 10" length because mine is only 9" in length. I bought size L because it's the longest length (and it already is so short). Fits okay because it's stretchable by a bit. It's a little uncomfortable because I need to wear it so low. The prints are brighter in real life but not really a problem for me.

After I got over the initial disappointment, it's a very nice pair of shorts to pair with many different coloured tops. Both light and dark coloured tops work fine! The button for my pair was a little loose so I sewed it tighter. Not a big issue though! Do I recommend this? I don't think it's a must get, neither is it very worth the money paid. But if you like the prints like me and don't mind wearing it low then it's a nice piece to have!

Day 5!

Breakfast for day 5! I think some pastry from the bakery and this cup of coffee! We loved the convenience stores because they always have the special promotions like 3+1 or 2+1 events. Then we get tempted to buy more just to get the food for cheaper. And they have different convenience stores like Family mart, ministop, GS25. I had to google because I forgot all of them except family mart. I don't know if stuff there are more expensive compared to supermarkets there because we only visited convenience stores. And I love how the white straw below is extendable so it reaches the full length of the cup! Very convenient indeed. I didn't even need to open the lid. And food/drinks is allowed on the subways! Because of the relatively longer journeys I guess. I even acted suspiciously and drank my coffee secretly because I was so used to the no food/drink law in Singapore.

We headed to Gyeongbokgung!(Subway line 3, Gyeongbokgung station, Exit 5) Took a photo with the palace guards. They aren't allowed to smile or anything. Must be quite difficult when so many tourists pose with them everyday. But maybe they are already used to it.

Asked my brother to take this for me and you can hardly see me from this photo. Haha!

With the trees~ Haha I think almost all the palaces look almost the same. But I walked through almost the entire place because we already paid the admission fee! I think it's 1500 won for adults and 500 won for children below 15 or 18.

Candid shot! My favourite bag I bought from Dongdaemun for 40000 won! Found it quite expensive but I really really liked it! And 40 000 won was after bargaining some more><. I remember talking to the ajusshi in the shop, and he told me his shop sponsored bags for a drama. And I felt happy that I could converse with them! Thought it was similar to something Micky carried in Rooftop prince.

Photo of my brother in his Korea bought sunglasses, cap and bag. Hahaha!

There was no guided tour so I just took photos of whatever caught my fancy. No explanations either.

Photos of random tourists posing as the Police and crown prince! Because my photos turned out weird so I took photos of other people posing.

Headed to Gwanghwamun next!

And I saw these beautiful flowers. Why U NO grow in Singapore!

King Sejong! I think he's a great King, after watching the 'drama' they played in Sejong story. And he created the Korean language and characters because the commoners found the Chinese characters too difficult and they couldn't communicate with him.

Just my head with King Sejong><

Sejong story~

On the King's chair.

I always wanted to visit this place because Running Man filmed here! It was one of my favourite episodes with Yonghwa, Jokwon and Eunjung. The place had audio aids you could borrow or rent but I didn't because we were in a rush.

And I remember they hid one of the haechis in this.

Spent most of the time in the room watching the Sejong story. It was very interesting and I wonder if it was ever released as a drama.

Wore my favourite item I brought to Korea. The tinsel rack's happy 100th denim dungaree skirt! Most of the toilets in Korea were rather clean. No stench coming from any one I went to if I remember correctly^^

Other than King Sejong, there was also the story of Admiral Yi Sunshin. Didn't hear of him before this actually.

This is the turtle ship that he built which was very effective in a war or something. Didn't read much there so I won't attempt to give any extra information. Lest I embarrass myself!

Lunch time! At a restaurant in the same building as well because we were all famished!

My brother and I!

Our bibimbap! Which had no meat at all): There was the meat option but it was in a metal bowl and I think the beef would be raw.

I think we all had bibimbap except my mum who had kimchi jjigae and ordered dwaenjang jjigae to share. One of the rare times that I didn't have meat as my main meal. Haha! I sound like some carnivore.

The restaurant we ate at. Very few people though it was lunch time. Maybe it's not popular, or Koreans have too many options to choose from! Headed to dongdaemun next for shopping again before going to Namsan tower, also called N seoul tower! The nearest subway station is Chungmuro station (Subway line 3 or 4, exit 2). Then we took bus no 2 (Bus 5 also goes there). We reached the bottom of the tower, but we had to walk up this very very very steep hill. You probably can't see how steep it is from the photo below, but it took a lot of energy to climb up. And it was super cold as well. We saw others walking down this hill and eating ice cream at the same time. Surprisingly I also felt like having it though it was really cold.

These locks look like christmas trees. But anyway, it's for couples to come here and write their names on locks and put them together. I wonder how many of these couples are still together. It's a sweet gesture, leaving your locks in a foreign land (for tourists I mean). And maybe you can come back x years later to see if it's still there.

 Some even printed neoprints and pasted them on the locks!

Only my brother and I went up to the observatory. It was really nothing much because it's just looking down at the scenery, which didn't amount to much because we were there too early. I went around looking for the country/city furthest from Seoul. But I don't remember which city or country it was!

My brother and I decided to send a postcard to ourselves which did eventually arrive. Couldn't remember addresses of any friends so I couldn't send it to them as well):

And I think these wooden blocks are an extension of the locks. It's in a way more high class because it's indoors and it won't get rusty or dirty. I guess you need to pay though!

And satisfied my craving for ice cream at cold stone creamery! Couldn't make up my mind on which flavour to choose but I think I settled for brownie chocolate in the end! Served by a very very good looking guy who seemed to think I was local because I spoke in Korean to them and remembered me because I ordered twice, once for my brother first ah! Haha! Not that I ate twice. It was quite funny because he actually asked me if the first flavour was nice. And I made a fool of myself by leaving and forgetting to take a spoon. They then looked at me oddly when I returned to take the spoon. 

Loot for the day! 10 000 won dresses and the knit top in the middle which was super ex, and seaweed! Didn't buy a lot of seaweed though I said I would! Seaweed always reminds me of childhood, where my aunt who is Korean would give us a lot of these Korean seaweed which my brother and I love a lot! It was always in big pieces!

Dinner was fried chicken from the frypan again and kimbap which we ordered to-go and ate at the guest house! My mum ordered jjajangmyeon from a restaurant which was opened by Chinese from China. And they actually thought we were from Thailand! Hahaha first time. But in the end we spoke in chinese to them when we said we were from Singapore, and they became very hospitable to us, serving us tea even when we ordered take out and allowed us to sit while waiting. I think hospitality like this is so rare in Singapore when restaurants even want to charge for plain water or when we even need to ask them to serve us plain water. It is such a given in Korean restaurants. Like when you sit down, they immediately bring out the bottles of water and put it on your table. Haha sudden outrage at the type of service restaurants in Singapore provide. But I guess it all boils down to a difference in culture. Perhaps if I stayed in Korea for long enough, I would have had something to nitpick about.