Christmas

Hey all,

We are definitely not coming back for Christmas. We were planning to but the airfares are 1000euros/person this time. Crazy lah, so we can't spend that kind of money. But should be back for CNY. Will miss you guys for Christmas.

Someone asked in an earlier post if we missed Singapore. Answers as follows:

Miss
1. We miss the chwee-quay at Tiong Bahru Market.
2. Jo misses hugging her nephews.
3. I miss the nice auntie at Cold Storage in Katong Mall. She always gives us a nice hello when we see her.
4. Jo misses the handmade cold soba at Tamon (next to Holy Family Church, Katong).
5. I miss the raw salmon at Tamon. So nice and fresh, so juicy sweeeeeeet.
6. Jo misses real chilli sauce.
7. Surprisingly, Jo misses attending wedding dinners in hotels.
8. I miss the twice monthly Crystal Jade prawn dumpling noodles.
9. Jo misses the kai-kai at Parkway Parade.
10. Jo misses people speaking Singlish.
11. We miss Borders.
12. I miss English.
13. Jo misses Rose Garden.
14. I miss the Friday lan parties. Dearly.

Don't Miss
1. We don't miss the heat and bad air.
2. We don't miss the bad wanton noodles at Joo Chiat.
3. We don't miss msg overload in hawker food.
4. We don't miss the stress.
5. Jo doesn't miss being judged by other people.
6. Jo doesn't miss the chitchat about housing and branded goods.

Missing you all,
Wes

Nantes

We went west to Nantes to film a show by the kids from Fondation d'Auteuil last weekend. It was a Gospel Choir and though they were French, they were really really good with some of the old English gospel songs and remixed versions of current stuff. We stayed at a catholic retreat centre, super bare minimum as you can see from the photos.

Wes

Inner geek is gratified

I got tasked by church to spec a PC for video editing and image processing so I thought I would do one up by meself instead of getting the PC shop assemble it. Went down to Montgallet to pick up the parts on Thursday, the shop guy insisted on plugging in the cpu chip (E6400 Duo Core 2) onto the motherboard coz I didn't look l33t enough.


So I came back, did what XR (Thank you man!) taught me to do when he came to fix up my PC last year. I laid out the components on the floor, setup up the motherboard with the video card, power supply, keyboard, hard disk, DVD writer, LCD and did a XP installation. He told me that in case the parts are faulty, it's not so leh-cheh to take the part for exchange.


As you can see, the vga and cpu cooler+fans look very weak, so we upsized them. And added blue heatsinks to the ram on the video card.


Changed both to Zalman coolers, the cpu cooler is hugemongous man. Pure 100% copper.


After that, I got the motherboard installed into the casing (Coolermaster Centurion), did a wee bit of cable management to make sure the fans got unrestricted airflow and voila it was done! I was also curious about how it would compare to my 1 year old AMD x2 4400+. So I installed CaptureOne Pro 3.7 in the new machine and did a test run of RAW to 8bit file processing for 6 x 11MP 1Ds files. The machines were fresh booted so the files were not cached in memory, I started the timer when the batch process button was clicked and stopped when the process timer bar finished. Both machines have >2Gb ram. Also bear in mind that the ram on the Intel motherboard was PC5300 ram (faster than 939socket ram on the AMD). Here are the results:

2.08.11min - 6 files with AMD 4400+ 250GB Seagate SATA II = 21.35sec/file
1.33.00min - 6 files with Intel Duo Core 6400 320GB Seagate SATA II = 16.5sec/file

The new machine is approx 30% faster. Envious siah. Translating that data for big projects (1000+ files), time saved would be fantastic. That's my highlight of the week. I will do another short picture post of our trip to Nantes last weekend. :-)

Wes

Portrait of the family

Someone asked me on MSN the other day, "Hey, you miss your family is it? How come your MSN display picture is always your family?" Hmm...I guess so. I do miss them, I miss the whole entourage thing that we always have when we go out or when we celebrate birthdays.

So I think this post is more for me than anyone else....just so that I have easy access on the internet to the family photo. This is one of the best family shots I have. The best part about it is how decent we all look.


You see, that's the thing about taking family portraits. We always try to look decent and happy and proper. So I really love the one below. It's so much more accurate because it shows us trying to look decent for a family portrait.



See, in the family, starting from the floor, my brother is the welfare guy. He takes care of a lot of stuff at home and tries to maintain a everything-is-ok appearance at the same time. Shane (who is now 3) was actually in a bad mood that day at the photoshoot and my bro was trying very hard to pacify him while taking the shot. And Shane is one kid who hates attention and who would really rather go do his own thing. Janis, my sis-in-law, is more relaxed than my brother. She also loves to sleep (like me). Look, she looks sleepy here. Keke.

QQ (nephew from my cousin, but he lives with us...long story) is a sweet boy but gets into a lot of trouble coz he can be quite clumsy and is very very easily distracted. And that gets on my sister's nerves because she tries very hard to show him love most of the time. But the usual scenario is QQ comes running, "Auntie Kat! Auntie Kat!" (QQ trips and breaks something that belongs to Auntie Kat or steps on her foot or something). "Oops..sorry, Auntie Kat." And my sis is always in I-dunno-to-laugh-or-to-cry position.

Then there are my parents. For my dad, the family is his life, it's all that matters to him in life really. To be honest, he is actually quite an ah-beng (like go up-class restaurant ask waiter very loudly for green cut chilli type) so while he looks fairly decent, he can be quite a terror, though not to us. And mommy is a sweetie. She's the quiet mommy who pretty much leaves us to ourselves. And the laugh she has now is a typical response from her every time we get together and chatter away.

Then there's me and KW. I am always trying to be the peacemaker at home when everyone gets on each other's nerves. And KW is the "ok, hmm...this is too intense for me. I think I go sleep in Jo's room after this. Smile, smile, look neutral."

Haha.

Oh yes, my brother has one more son, Hon. He's not in the picture coz this is an old picture taken before he was born. But I've been told he's really curious now and will go around touching everything he sees. So I guess even if we went for a family portrait, he'd be distracted and go out of frame anyway. Keke.

Jo

Home alone no more!!

Haha! Guess what? At a meeting this morning, the client decided they need me to go along with Kar Wai afterall! HENG AH!!!! No need sleep alone! Yay!

So I guess I will grow up another time. Haha!

Jo

Home Alone

This weekend, Kar Wai is going to Nantes for a shoot. And I will be home alone.

I don't mean to be a princess about this but I really haven't slept alone in a house/flat/apartment on my own before. Seriously, all 31 years of my life. When I was a child, I slept between my parents. Then when I kept kicking Daddy off the bed (as I was told), I slept at the side but still with with my parents. Later on, when the house got bigger, I shared a room with my sis. And the routine always was, I will get in bed, and she will switch off the lights. Come to think of it, I think I might be a little afraid of the dark too. Oh no.

Even when I was in hospital, I was in a 4-person ward lor.

Then I got married. And of course, I share a bed with Kar Wai. When we first got married and he had to go reservist like the week after our honeymoon, I went back home to my sister's room. In the more recent years, Abby, our employee and friend in Singapore, would be terribly sweet and come bunk over, just so that I have company.

So this weekend, I am going to be home alone, sleeping at night on my own for the first time in my life. I think it's a sign. You know, turning 31 and having this happen. Time to grow up. Learn to sleep alone.

*gulp*

Jo

Chicken braised in wine

I just found out from a friend that in France, there's a chemical they add to the water that causes hair loss!! No wonder Kar Wai keeps complaining I am shedding hair in the apartment. Boohoo...distraught, I sought solace in the arms of my other love, cooking.

This is a recipe modified from one of the asian cookbooks that I brought from Singapore. Didn't want to travel all the way to Chinatown to get Chinese ingredients so I made do with ang-moh ones. Turned out good, kinda reminds me of mom's cooking. Best part, it's quite idiot-proof.

So here's the recipe, to you guys who are living out of Singapore and miss the taste of Asian food, and to you guys who have your own kitchen but hate to clean up after oily recipes.


Chicken braised in wine
serves 2

2 chicken breasts
(this is palm-size chicken breast. The regular ones that Cold Storage has, i think you can put 4-5? Alternatively, you can put in drumsticks or wings. Kar Wai only takes breast meat)
2-3 tbsp red wine (you can use Chinese cooking wine)
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soya sauce
Pepper

1. Heat wok, add oil, then add ginger and garlic and fry for 1-2 min in low heat.
2. Add chicken and fry till slightly brown.
3. Add the rest of the stuff, reduce heat to low and simmer (cover hor) for 20 min.
4. Can eat already!!!


Actually, the amount of seasoning is an estimate. It's really up to your liking, you know, you like it saltier, more wine, sweeter, etc...

So enjoy, and be thankful you just have more chlorine and flouride in your water.

Jo

Cheek to cheek

I think we've pretty much gotten the hang of the cheek to cheek greeting thing with the people here. See, when we first came, I made the mistake of putting my lips too close to the face of the person I am doing this with. So the rest of the time while we are having coffee and talking, I would be staring at my lipstick mark on the person's cheek and wondering if I should just grab a tissue to wipe it off or tell the person or what..

First thing we learnt from a friend here, ladies decide if it is done. So if you are a guy, please don't go up to a lady and do the "muack, muack" unless she initiates. Of course, this is if you've not established that you are friends. With friends, you do when you meet and when you part company. Guy or girl, it's fine. Then, there are those who do it twice (which means 4 muacks). This is if the person is really close like family and stuff.

And so, if you get the opportunity to do this, learn from my mistake, it's cheek to cheek so keep your lips turned away. And in winter, it's interesting coz when you do it, you can tell who's been out in the cold and who's been indoors. Ha, acts like a temperature guage to see how cold it is outside.

Otherwise, it's a nice gesture. It's more physical than a handshake, a little more intimate. Folks here are generally more expressive, more intimate and more in touch with emotions. Of course, they can swing to extremes too. Just like the other night, we were watching tv on cable and there was a segment on fashion photography. And it was bizarre coz all we saw was a photographer taking pictures of naked models. No clothes, shoes, hats, nothing..erm...so where's the fashion?

Jo

Birthday

This is my birthday breakfast..keke...made by Kar Wai. We were kept awake last night coz our boiler for the hot water decided to leak at 3am in the morning. We only managed to get it to stop leaking by turning the tap in the bath tub on for a looooong time. I think Ah Por downstairs must be wondering why crazy chinois upstairs bathe so late at night!

So we woke up late and I had a video MSN with my family (it was great! My nephews are the cutest boys ever, btw) and then this yummy breakfast.

The day was spent at home, coz we've been out everyday this week. Very siong. So it was a nice slow Sat with just 2 of us and of course, the birthday cake I've been waiting all week to devour. We had coffee with the cake. And we put chocolate in the coffee. Totally yummy. Best part is, we found this bar of chocolate in our mailbox when we got home earlier this week. We checked the other mailboxes in our building thinking maybe it's a publicity thing. Nope, it's for us. Only we got it. So KW tested it to see if it was poisoned or something. Nope, one day later, he was still alive, so yay! An extra treat.

Here are the photos...we made special effort to take photo coz you guys have been complaining how come no photo??

This is the freebie chocolate that appeared in the mailbox. It's 70% cocoa!






This last photo (taken by Qian when she came visit) is for our families. So they can see our faces. Keke.

I had a great birthday.

Jo

Food we like

One of the things KW and i love to do is eat. Haha. Even in Paris.

Most people tell us, when you are in Paris, you must go for the wine, cheese, coffee and chocolates. Erm...we are both terrible drinkers, sensitive to caffeine and lactose intolerant. So...there...i guess that leaves only the chocolates.

BUT, we do find good stuff to eat...not restaurant expensive stuff, but regular buy-from-supermarket type stuff. So I thought I'd share it with you guys. Keke.


This cereal is ZE BOMB! It's got REAL choc bits inside. Totally addictive. We eat it for breakfast and supper!


This lychee yoghurt is yummy! I don't really eat yoghurt in Singapore coz it's a bit sour but this rocks. Not sour and really taste the lychee.


We just found this. It's dark chocolate in the centre. But in Singapore cannot eat. Sure nose bleed.


Each bread slice is super thick, like the Sun Moulin ones we find at outside Isetan Supermarket in Singapore. But this is french pastry, so it's goooooood.


We tried this once and so loved it! It tastes like the kind of butter cakes our mommies used to bake back in the 70s. And not easy to find leh. I saw this by chance and got it immediately. I'm saving it for my bday. Serious.

Jo

The other half speaketh again...

Time of month again. Terrible. I'm too much of a blogger but tucked in bed with a hot water bottle and the lap top (thanks to a loving husband who fussed about me for the day), this seems like a nice thing to do.

We are now 7 hours behind you guys coz of daylight saving. It's turned a little colder and most folks here are walking around with big winter coats, fur and all on the streets. Then when we all get into the metro, everybody starts unzipping or taking off layers coz it's just too warm. We've not been out much except when we need to run errands, meet people or go down to Genesis (church centre at Rue Rivoli at Chatelet) for evening meetings or practices. It's too cold, and too much trouble to stack layers on ourselves, just for walks.

Other than that, we are doing ok. Life seems to be settling down a lot more for us. We've made many more friends, and I am now having french conversation classes with Tina, an American girl living in Paris and KW is having his with Ben, a France-born Canadian guy who came by Singapore when we were back the last time. So i think we might end up with different accents! Ha. Other than that, we are mostly busy with some work, lots of church stuff, a bit of web design stuff (KW), some dance (me) and minimal housework (both of us). Cooking doesn't count. I love cooking.

We have 3 neighbors in our building (Yup, small building, we are on second floor and that's the top floor already). Across us is a lady living on her own. Met her once or twice. Quite fierce looking but i think she is the loud, look fierce but quite nice type. Oh, she's the Juliet we talked about in our earlier blog in summer this year, the one who slammed the window on Romeo hanging at the balcony. Then below us is an old lady who lives with her son (who is never around). I think he works in Japan or something. She speaks only French and is quite friendly. She's the one who got sent to the hospital in the middle of the night when we first arrived here coz she fell and was alone.Now, someone comes in every meal time to check on her. Opp her is another lady who also lives on her own. Very quiet lady, we met couple of times in summer as well.

Nowadays, it's quiet everywhere coz everyone's windows are closed to keep the cold out. So it's really quiet here, great for thinking and doing stuff, except for the occasional outburst from KW, "Squad 9, Squad 9, arti in, get out of there... arti in, arti in, get out of there". Other than that, it's cool.

Someone told us today that tickets back home to Singapore during the Christmas season are a minimum of $2000+++!! per person!!! The cheapest are Thai, also about $2000, but they are sold out. Good thing we are hoping to get home a little earlier so i think w can still get cheaper tix. Our last engagement here is 21 Nov so still can make it, i think. Worse case, take Emirates lor. Transit 2 stops...faint...i have to brace myself....

Jo

Nutella-Love-Bread®

Qian came by for a visit last week and we made ze Nutella-Love-Bread® for some heartstopping goodness. It had so much love she couldn't pick it up with her fingers and had to eat it straight off the plate. You can do it too! Just put a couple of french President butter slices on a slice of 8 cereal bread, plonk it face down on a hot plan on highest heat, press gently with spatula for < 60sec or until it smells like it's going slightly chao-tar. Pick it up, scoop up a generous dollop (don't stinge ok?) of Nutella and spread it evenly so that it covers the whole slice as depicted. Eat quickly before it gets cold and feel the goodness going down.

Guaranteed that it's even better than the kaya-butter-love-bread at Joo Chiat Place.

Btw, temperature has dropped like crazy this week. Tonight's reading...


Wes