Reunion Dinner Prep updated by the hour on the hour!

It is 6:29 in the morning and I have already marinated the meat for the special dish that mum cooked when she was still with us. I think of her everyday as if she is right with me. Not that I cannot let her go and every step of the way I am thinking if she would be proud of me or if I had done this dish right all the time. I tweeked the recipe and added my own flavour but I cannot remember what it is like. So this morning as I prepared the sauce, I realized something didn't smell quite right. And then I found the 5 spice powder. Aha! So while the meat is marinating, I decided to check my mail just in case there is work for me again. Phew! Nothing. But I had a facebook request. I went reading some facebook entries and found Yong En's quite appropriate for sharing: 

4 things about happiness:
1. Societies don't get happier as they get richer.
2. People are consistently wrong about the impact of future life events in their happiness.
3. People believe they will be more happy in the future than they are now, but seldom are.
4. Well lived lives are never simply charaterised by happiness. It's always som...ething greater and deeper. 

Which of these apply to your definition of happiness? I agree with ALL. Okay out to get some more groceries. Let's see: No starch, no sotong, no spring onions (Rebecca tried other stores and didn't find any. But she bought the parsley).  Ciao

Not possible to update by the hour on the hour. Well, I finished the grocery shopping. I was at Sheng Shiong. Not too bad a crowd. Manageable. Then rush for breakfast, went home, took a shower and then off to wash my car. Queued up at Shell at Siglap for half an hour and decided to turn out because I noticed their sloppy work while waiting. Then went to collect my roasted duck I ordered. The old man was bad at Math. I could have given him 10 dollars short. This is the second time he charged me less because of his poor math. The poor guy got up at midnight to roast all the ducks he had prepared. I came home and off to prepare for mum's dish. Also boiled lotus soup and now waiting for the chicken to be done. Oops. Got to go and turn the chicken over.

The chicken may be a little overcooked but it should be okay once I add some sauce over it. I will concoct a new dish again. I cooked two more dishes. One is pig's maw with dried oyster and mushroom. I have to wait for dad to come home and add the black moss which we have kept for a long time. hahahha. Now my room is smelling like mum's dish. I hope everybody likes it and remembers her. Richard's maid is here. Dad has asked for her to help me pack my room. I tried. I really tried. The mess is just too much to even look at. But Fatimah is good. You can now walk into my room and actually see nice pockets of space. I am going to bequeath all my Geography stuff to Yifong soon. Who knows when I will die. And I better start giving away some of my books before they go outdated. 

Talking about Yifong, he is prepared to leave for the Philippines to do social work instead of going to NIE after he graduated with his honours. He wants to delay because he finds it so meaningful to go there and reach out to the children. If he leaves for the Philippines, I will probably visit him too because I have never been there before. I think I will have to work at giving up more luxuries in life. But old habits die hard. Luxurious habits die even harder. Sigh.

Now only to wait for dad to come home and Rebecca to help with the veggies and one more dish to go...the SEAFOOD.

As Fatimah was tidying up my dressing table...or what looks like a dressing table, I picked up a photo of Elizabeth McGrath. This dear friend passed away in a car accident with her husband, Ingo 12 years ago. It has been 12 years already. Almost around this time of the year I received an email while working at RGS that my friend was instantly struck dead. Bonita began the email by asking me to sit down and she wasn't joking. The header is still clear in my mind. I couldn't cry. I was in total shock after reading the mail. And I only burst into tears after walking down from the classroom to the staffroom. And then I cried all night. Her death changed my life a lot. I was to return to Calgary at the end of 1999. Elizabeth and Ingo drove me to Longview in 1996 before I left for home. There they had bought land to build a huge house. I was planning to teach there before the turn of the next century. But all changed when they both went back to God. If I had really returned, I would not have done so many interesting things and met so many dear people. Either way I gain. Both ways I have family. Bonita is waiting for me when I go home to Calgary and Dad is here when I am back in Singapore. So either way there is family.

It is nothing like working and cooking away with Michael Jackson's music in the background. A few of the songs made me pause and listen to the words. One of them is Hold My Hand. He is really good! Amidst some really loud yelling, his music is still very good. The beat boxing mix in one of the songs was very well done. What amazes me is how they put his voice back in even though he is like...gone, gone, gone!

  

 

Take a break. Last night when I was driving my sister home from GIANT supermarket at Tampines, she asked me the same question every time she can squeeze her 1 minute of sisterhood with me. "Why don't you go get a companion?" My answer is always the same but last night I gave it a twist. Because she always advised I should find a companion of the same age. Hmmm. I decided to throw her head around and so I asked "Why not a younger man?" Wow! Her first response was "WHAT!!!" in the emphatic tone. And I explain away why it was better for me to find someone super cute and young. Of course my intention was to annoy her because I told her umpteem times that I really like the state of my being. The above song aptly put what I believe is the stage of my life. I want to switch off my handphone and curl up in my sofa (yes, I do have a sofa in my JB home) and just shut down. When I feel happy to go chase the rat race, I will do that. If not,  a cup of red wine in my hand as I watch my Korean drama is sublime. Most of all...Be placid. Don't advise people. Just blog them to death! Hahaha. 

Dinner is almost done. I cook the veggies and then Rebecca is now frying the prawns. I should take a picture when it is going to be served. But I am afraid I will cause an uproar at the wastage of food. Most of it is also for tomorrow. If you want to come over for leftovers, untouched, well cooked leftovers, call me.

Happy Lunar New Year. The Lord has indeed blessed me tremendously. Nothing bad at all has happened. Everything for the good to them that are called according to His purposes. My marvellous, amazing and precise God will continue to see me through and may He also continue to show us all the way till He comes again! 

The wok is sizzling! 

The Verdict: My nieces and nephews were dismayed to find there was no shark fins on the table tonight. Instead I made a seafood thick soup which they all love. Even the cheaper duck tasted good. So spending less is actually great. Ryan thanked God for the food and prayed for bonding. This nephew of mine has grown to become more responsible and he would take lead to do things. Timothy follows suit and it all pleases me so much. Thank You Lord for such young gentlemen. Make them Godly man after your own heart and may they continue to pursue godliness and righteousness. My nieces as usual will sing together or play my iphone games. The boys will watch TV or take small walks to the grocery shop. They all love the dinner and there is less leftovers this year compared to other years. I didn't eat chicken because I am doing a partial fast. I learn this from Ryan when he wanted God to work in some areas of his life. I did it for a cause before and so now I am back on this fast. I find chicken not good too. So I hope this fast will answer some of my requests according to God's will and timing.

Theody said I stunk high heaven after I cooked. Now I am going to shower and then send Fatimah home. May you stay up as late as possible for the sake of your parents. I am going to watch Tudou so my dad can live longer. Good excuse to catch my latest Korean drama, my princess! Aha, I do have my vices.