Spring around the house.

 

Musings...

It's amazing how much one can enjoy reading blogs. I did that for 2 hours to start the day off. My eyes hurt, so I switched to reading books instead. Started off with a book by Tony Parsons, 'One For My baby'. It's light reading and very touching at times. This is the 2nd time I am reading this. This time around I could identify more with his description on the Brits and their surrounding, after living here for much longer. After an hour, I switched to 'The DK Pregnancy Question & Answer Book', as my close ones already know, we will be trying for a baby later this year or early next year (pray pray pray), hence the prep. The real life pics showing a woman in labour was enough to put me in shock for the next half hour. It was then broken by a call from a friend. So we yak for a while and it's time for lunch! CHIPS!

And now it's after lunch and I am back on the web, trying to scout out some bargain holiday package to Italy. We hope to visit this country before the baby comes along. The other day on Eurostar, the couple next to us was travelling with their baby boy. We were fortunate to witness for 2 1/2 hours their struggle to keep the 'bundle of joy' settled and happy. There was puking, crying, pooing, rocking, feeding, drooling, change of clothes and the ocassional giggles that made all the earlier effort worth while.Awww...

While blogging this, I am subconciously thinking of what to cook for dinner. Plus, I am going to mow the back lawn this evening if the weather permits. Hubby has got his badminton session tonight, so he can't separate me from my mean machine of a lawn mower.

By the way, I am not at home, I am at my WORK PLACE!!! Yup, it's frustrating to be so unproductive...at moments like this, I wish to just pack my bags and leave this whole godforsaken place and get back into the ratrace in m'sia, complete with huge car and housing loan, traffic jams and after work activities (other than moving the flipping lawn!).

I shall stop complaining now...

Brussels

It's been a short and sweet trip. We visited all the major attractions such as the Grand Place, several Churches, parks and historical buildings. Some said that it is impossible to eat badly in Brussels, they are right. We visited several recomended restaurants and came out satisfied each time. Plenty of mussels and fries plus even more Belgian chocolates. If it's in the guide book, we did it. Yeah, we are getting better at this being a tourist thingy.

The hotel was Marriot. After an initial change of room (the first room was unsatisfactory, air-con wasn't working), we landed ourselves with an upgrade to an executive room on the highest floor (air-con still didn't work well, we decided that it's the hotel not the room, so just accepted it). Of course as usual, their bed was heavenly, the level of cleanliness exceeded expectation and the breakfast was superb but the best feature of the room was these 2 round windows (like submarine windows) in our room. We spent late nights sitting by these windows and watched the city's night life. There was this drunken man who harrased clubbers, the traffic jam after midnight and the woman in the building opposite who loves to undress without closing the curtains. She is OBSESSED about her boobs. Then there's the common orchestra of car honks...yes Belgian drivers love their honks. We laughed our socks off. Oh, how we miss those windows....

It has truly been a pleasant break...

Marble Cake Ramblings

Errm.. I was convinced that my baking skill was down the drain...until now!!!

Hubby: Wow, dear, this is the best cake you baked for...hmm..let's see, for the last 5 years...almost better than the chocolate cake you used to lure me with into marrying you.

Me: Idiot.

Seriously, I use to bake using the 'cup' system...1 1/2 cup flour, 1 1/4 cup sugar...and it was perfect every time..until I came to UK and forgotten to bring my precious cup. So for the last few years, I have been pridefully insisting on measuring baking ingredients using cups and not by grammes! Of course.... each attempt was disastrous as every cup is not THE cup..too soggy, like 'kuih', mediocre...I blamed everything, the flour in UK is rubbish lar, the oven(s) don't work properly lar...everything but pride!

Today I gave up looking for the perfect cup...I used the bloody measuring gadget..and actually followed a recipe (thanks Amy Beh) and it turned out fine. Well, I guess there must be a good reason for almost every household to own a measuring jug or some sort of weighing machine. Oh well, life !