Autumn Madness....rescued by Van's Green Tea Ice Cream (Macha Ice)



Its got to be one of the WARMEST day I've ever experienced....the sun seems to have killer rays.... I couldn't wait to get out of the stinky tram and run straight back home.....dash straight to the freezer and help myself to the green tea ice-cream I made the night before.....

I didn't know making ice-cream was this easy! Don't even need an ice-cream processor.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4 or 1 if you're feeling greedy)
2 tablespoons/10g green tea powder (macha)
120g granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1 cup/200 ml milk
1 cup/200 ml double cream

1) In a small bowl, mix the green tea powder with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar.
2) In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks and remaining sugar
3) Pour milk into a small pan and gently heat (do not let it boil) (ideally around 80 degrees Celcius but that hard to achieve without a thermometer). Remove from heat and mix a few spoonfuls of the warm milk with the green tea powder and sugar in a small bowl. When you get a smooth paste, add it to the remaining milk in the pan, then gradually combine with the egg yolks and sugar mix. Leave to cool.
4) Lighly whip the cream and then add to the cold green tea milk mixture
5) Transfer the mixture to a large container and put it in the freezer. As ice crystals start to form, mix well with a spoon to break them up, and return to the freezer. Repeat this a few times as it freezes to ensure the ice cream is really smooth.

I personally only did step 5 twice...cos it was bed time...and i couldn't be bothered. It turned out alright though :)

We Got Married!!!!!

This is not our wedding photo (that would be pretty sad if it was). This was taken on boxing day while we're on our way to HK onboard Cathay Pacific...CX 135. I'll load the pictures when we actually get them back from the photographer (which reminds me....I should call him to tell him that we're back).

Our world tour wedding has finally ended and we were very lucky to spend a week on Koh Samui island....doing tourisy stuff (beach/spa-massages) and most importantly MORE EATING. The place we stayed was called Tongsai Bay and it is absolutely AWESOME...... I highly recommend it to everybody who wants a nice getaway where you get treated like royalties and get fed like one too....the service is amazing. They don't even want you to walk (they have buggies that take you everywhere). We were so sad the night before we left......we didn't want to go...so we decided we have to come back again!!!!!!! Oh my goodness and the food at the restaurant was amazing...and I got the chance to learn a few dishes from the famous chef herself Chef Chom. I even have a certificate of Excellence from her...hahahhaa....Guess who's a Thai convert now? THAI COOKING HERE I COME............(in the next few weeks)

Checkout the toilet at Koh Samui Airport...

Can you see the monkey's side profile?

nygirlofmydreams.com

He found her!..

Okie.....need to go back to my books...

I needed something else to do besides reading.....

Will be blogging actively after I finish exams.....

I still haven't bought the Lifetime of Secrets book....

Can't believe Borders doesn't have it....

I think Readings has it...

Got a Secret?


(all images from http://www.postsecret.blogspot.com/)

I saw an article on the last page of a magazine today...and it was about this website called postsecret.blogspot.com and I think I know what I'll buy the next time I pass by a bookstore....the book A lifetime of secrets compiled Frank Warren written by everyday people....

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project in which people mail their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Here are few featured on the website. Frank puts up a new postcard every Sunday......

Wanna fess up? ..... Mail yout postcard to:

PostSecret

13345 Copper Ridge Road,

Germantown, Maryland,

USA, 20874-3454

or simply hit up the website for more details.

I might mail one....... just for the fun of it....

The Moon and my Strawberry Mooncakes


(photo by Peter Matthews @ http://www.theage.com.au/)

Forgot to mention about last week's lunar eclipse...I've seen this before when I was in M'sia many years ago...dun really remember much about it though. But I do remember when it was the sun being eclipsed by the moon!!!!! What issit called again? That was when the day suddenly turned DARK...and we were told not to look directly upon the sun even though it was dark as the rays would be very harmful...And then sleazy sales people started selling "SAFE" sunnies to vulnerable people who want to stare at the sun....thank goodness I wasn't that dumb. I do remember that day.....a very long time ago.

That night in Melbourne when the lunar eclipse happened, I remembered about it around 4 pm but then dinner came....i was too absorbed in eating mum's dinner that I forgot about it until after it happened....I managed to catch the end bit of it...so the moon was covered maybe 20%? Tried taking a picture of it but failed miserably as it was too cold on my balcony....and maybe poor technique (my camera is not crap!!!!) :)

So...to celebrate missing out on the event...we took out our Moon cakes and ATE IT! Yayyyy!!!! This is so random.......hehhee....

This mooncake is imported from HK. Joe's mum use to bring them over when she's here close to the mooncake/mid-autumn festival. But this year, I saw it on sale in Chinatown. You can't see it on the shelves, it would be stored in a fridge as it needs to be kept cold...unlike the usual baked brown ones. This is mochi-style moon cakes and the filling inside is sooooo soooo worth the extra kilos you might pile on...hahaha its not that bad la...

This is the BIGGEST size available....with 8 mooncakes (7 med/1 large)..... my favourite is the sago/pomelo/mango followed by the Strawberry (the sticker says strawberry princess in chinese)..

People with TOO much

On my recent trip to sweaty HK....we came across the new Louis Vuitton Concept Store that was yet to open......and it had this MASSIVE bag over it (fake of course!)...then somewhere on the Right side of this soon-to-be megastore, was the current LV store which was already pretty impressively big (compared to our small itsy melbourne/collins store)...and it had this long queue of tourists waiting for their turn to get into the shop and spend their cash! I thought this was a one day thing....but everyday when we pass by it.....its the SAME! It wasn't even on sale...and these guys start queing from the moment the shop opens its door for business.... I'm not that insane yet to line up and let them take my money....

The queue outside the shop

In the mood to Blog...or not?

My last blog entry was on the 15th July! Thats like 1.5 months ago. The past winter months have been too cold...too cold to do anything...hmmm actually lets recap what Van has been up to (July-Aug):

1) Came back from Malaysia and HK hols + with mum

2) Got keys to new house (yipeeeeee!!)

3) Went white goods hunting

4) Spoilt ourselves rotten with a luxurious bed

5) Joe's Birthday....followed by Stef's birthday party (the sunday where Joe and I were prim and proper...not that we're messy and indecent^^)

6) Florist hunting (9 am appointment in Geelong..... -____-

7) ATE a LOT with Joe's boss and Hamilton Hospital work mates (one with the nickname Bin Laden...he's Viet by the way so no terrorist attempts there)

8) Watched Phantom of the Opera!!!!!! except it was pretty crappy seats...... so i think we'll probably watch it again either in Melbourne again.....or in London..... during our honeymoon? haha.... Haven't planned anything yet so not too sure where we're going.

9) Attended marriage preparation classes......hehhee... its pretty good! I highly recommend couples to attend before getting married.

10) Watched the Lunar Eclipse.....actually i missed the entire thing...and only saw the last bits. Oh well...I've seen so many of this kind of stuff....we had the total Sun Ecslipe thing in Malaysia when i was in high school...then meteorite shower or something.... no biggy la....

11) Decided I should BLOG again....and I WATCHED THE SIMPSONS!!!!

Spider Pig Spider Pig...

Holidaaaaayyeee....Celebraaaaate (like that guy in the Wedding Singer)

10th anniversary of the return of HK to China.... (Tourist panda)

wooo hooo.... exams over (weeks ago) and its travel time for me! This break is jam-packed for me as I'm stopping at various places to do sooo many things. First stop was in KL for lovely siew mei's wedding!!!!! I went back home....for a few days then went to HK for about 8 days...then will be going to KL and back to Melbourne in two days! Such a hectic schedule....and my legs are so tired from walking miles and miles.. and my tummy is getting bigger from eating all those yummy stuff......(no i am not pregnant!)

My tired feet, innocent prawn with funny arms, and shark fin soup...(sorry shark)