Sweetcorn dude!

I finally got to meet the famous steak guy - actually I think it's a female - check out the eye lashes and lipstick!

My favourite has to be the sweetcorn dude. He was a friendly sweetcorn too he freaked me out a bit when he came running trying to hand me a flyer.

one and only

My first (and probably only) flower arrangment creation!

Finding Nemo

I finally said goodbye to my Finding Nemo sweets my friend K bought me in 2005!!

As cute as they look they somehow turned rock hard. :-(

Shanghai Hotel Equipment Corp.

Shanghai Hotel Equipment Corp. is our favourite kitchenware store in the world. As it's catered to restaurants you can find pretty much everything there. Our favourites: straw dispenser (just like the ones in fast food joints), wooden sushi boats (as big as 5ft!!), fajita plates, lazy suzy, everything from bar to coffee house to restaurants - you name it, they've got it.

IQ question: what's the difference between a deep round cake pan and a pizza pan? Scroll down for answer.

Look at the size of this meat tenderiser!!

Items I spotted on this visit that are on my wish list:

- a meat slicer, like the ones they use in deli shop. This way we can slice cheese and ham at home!

- a rotisserie. Just think how cool it'd be when you can just throw stuff in and voila!

- a popcorn machine - the real thing with the clear display box and a hanging basket in the middle. I don't even like pop corn but it'd be fun looking at them pop.

Now to answer the IQ question: there's no difference between the 2. the person responsible for product naming was very cunning!

Shanghai Hotel Equipment Corp.

345 Au Men Rd. (nr Jiang Ning Rd.), Shanghai. Tel: 6266-9988

Take the chav test!

http://www.jengajam.com/r/chav-test


I'm 29% chav! Good god

A new family member....

Introducing Bertie George....seen here with Stanley.

Succumbing to Louboutin

I had said I was not going to buy Louboutins before....but when I finally gave in I gave in 4 times in a row in less than a month's time. I think I'm crazy.

These are so comfortable I didn't think I was wearing heels. I just love the shape of them even though they are so simple in theory. And the arch support too - it's out of this world. And don't forget the toe cleveage!!!

I can't believe how comfortable these are. And I love the fact that they add 5 inches on me.

In comparison to suede the fishnet material is not as soft but it is versatile!

And finally my cinderella shoes. They make my heart race and I couldn't say no after trying them on. Nuff said.

Time for shoe rehab.

Henry's travel blog

Guest editor: Henry.

My trip started smoothly and fashionably on the Virgin Atlantic flight. Look: I even had my own seat and seat belt! I felt very safe! Food was good and I got to sleep on the flat bed when I wished (even though I'm nocturnal I need sleep you know).

Me posing in Sicily. Food was good but I was the only hippo there and I felt lonely at times. I'm not really into architecture you see.

Me on the M6 on route to Manchester. Traffic was busy!

A sunny day in Manifold valley. I loved all that grass!

My hike up the cave. It was a little wet but the scenery and fresh air made it worth while.

We're back!

Sorry for the long disruption on the blogging front. Sicily seems like a world away now but I'll put up the wonderful food we had there very soon.

My new toy has been nothing but distracting (in a very nice way I have to say) so my updates will be a little slow.

My new motto: who needs friends when you have an iphone?

Let me borrow that top betch!

The intro is priceless!

Another juvenile yet hilarious clip from Kelly.

The Muppet Matrix

Too cool.

Bonobo

As a big Quantic fan I started listening to Bonobo aka Simon Green in 2004 as they were both with Tru Thoughts label(a Brighton based label full of talented artists).

To categorise Bonobo's music as downtempo or chillout would be an insult, as it is a lot more than that. The new album Days to Come has got a much more polished and sophisticated sound compared to Dial M for Monkey and I've been hooked ever since I picked the record up. This time he's introduced vocals and they are not at all intrusive and he manged to keep everything liquid and silky. Love it!

To listen to some of Bonobo's tunes click here.

For a funkier sound check out Quantic's tunes here.

Goodbye Biscuit

Last week we had a new tenant in our building and I named her Biscuit. Her patches remind me of ginger nut biscuits (what is it with me and food).
She's so cute she would lean on people whenever she could. We figured she was hungry.

She began getting quite a lot of attention and was getting fed by the building guards.

Then she's gone! No one has seen her for the last couple of days. Biscuit where are you?

Hallo Knut!

I am sure most of you have seen Knut on the news, as he is one popular baby bear! I found a few more pictures of him on the Spiegel Online site:

I can't believe some people has suggested that Knut should be killed. The argument goes something like he'll lose touch with the bear necessities because he's raised by human hand, and it's not appropriate to the species and therefore a violation of animal welfare laws.

Knut was born in a zoo and his parents are zoo animals! Should we breed animals in zoos? I would say yes if we are to keep this whole zoo idea going, it beats capturing more animals from the wild. Knut unfortunately will live in a zoo setting for the rest of his life without the possibility of rehabilitation in the wild. I should think that makes him different from the polar bears captured at the Churchill polar bear "jail", where contact between bear and human is strictly prohibited. I feel terribly bad for the animals in zoos but killing a healthy baby bear?

Check out the Knut blog for pictures and videos!!

Lego+Texas Chainsaw Massacre = shepherd's pie

Finally I made a stab at using the food processor! I bought it a few years back (with all the attachments too!) for my husband but I never got around using it. Truth be told it's all too complicated for me and I was never good with Lego.
Task of the day: mincing beef. Why do it at home? a) The stupid supermarket never has minced beef when you want it. b) It's probably better to do it yourself so at least you know what's in it. And c) It was actually kind of fun putting it together! I have to say I was really impressed. The design was simple yet cunning - a man-made marvel if you ask me.

I turned the power on gingerly, half expecting the whole thing to start dancing wildly on the kitchen counter. And guess what - it actually worked! The minced beef came out ever so smoothly. It was like watching the creation of a new life - I totally watched in awe.It was all very cool for about 5 seconds. Then the sound and the smell hit me. You know the sound of thousands of maggots or snakes slithering like they have in the horror movies - that's what it sounded like! To make things worse I was standing right in front of the nozzle and got a whiff of the raw meat. (Yes I am convinced that raw meat has got a smell - not a bad one necessary but a smell.) I jumped side way to avoid the air flow. Good thing it didn't take long to finish the task.

Question: why is the urge of sticking one's finger in where it shouldn't be so great? I had to stop myself numerous times from putting my hand in the slot. Imagine having to explain the injury to the doctor...how embarrassing.

P.S. My shepherd's pie felt a lot leaner (and as a result a bit dryer) then usual. Still worth doing it I guess for health reasons.

Stanley's travel blog

As my brother Henry is still stranded in Beijing I got to travel with my parents to Hong Kong! It was my first time back there since we moved to Shanghai in 2005 and I was pretty stoked about it. Then of course there was all the red pockets I got to collect too!

My brother is the globe trotter in the family but I am quite a seasoned traveller too.

Look at me whizzing my way around on the subway. People were not too friendly at all on the train though, perhaps they were terrorized by the presence of a brown bear? The only people who smiled at me were the small children.
Then it was friday afternoon piss-up session in good old Wanchai. Loved my lychee martini. At least people there didn't judge me, but Wanchai is full of freaks, right? Or just old and over-weight dudes with bad comb-overs? In any case I think I was the most handsome (not to mention well-dressed) chap there. Too bad I didn't get to check out the hubba hubba at the strip joint across the street this time (I bet they'd let me in too as long as I had the money).

Hong Kong Food Odyssey

The title says it all. See you in a week's time!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! And a big thank you to my husband for the lovely roses. The tulips were a gift to myself. Flower power!

RIP Chalky

Sad news. :-(

http://www.rickstein.com/news_ripchalky.htm

RIP Chalky!

Henry, lost in Beijing still...

I was sorting out some old photos on my other PC and found some old ones of Henry.

Here's Henry in 1999. We took a diaper from my god-daughter's stash when she was born.

Henry and Peter on my parent's couch.

Henry and Stanley.

Henry and Stanley during SARS.

Henry on route to Hua Hin.

Poor Henry. :-(