Like a rat does cheese

The man is out for his boys' night while I am chilling with myself with a glass of wine, cheese and cool tunes. No, I have not turned into an alcoholic. I do like the occassional wine along with my dinner (as long as it goes smoothly down my throat), even though I can't tell the difference from Bordeaux and Merlot to Chardonnay and Riesling. And I still can't hold my alcohol. As usual, my face and ears turn a lobster-red after a few sips. Which I get teased mercilessly by the man's friends. I was even advised to have a drink every morning, just so I could keep up with them. The advise obviously fell on deaf ears.

My brillant idea of having wine is to pair with the cheese. The two have been consumed together for thousand of years so how wrong can it be?

I heart cheese. I can't remember my first encounter with cheese. The only one I recalled was when a dear friend worked in No. 5 and we popped by for drinks one night. Cheese was sent to the table and I remember I didn't hate it. The luxurious creamy flavour and texture lingered in my mouth for a long while. It was yummy.

In Germany, cheese is consumed and savoured at every possible occasion. Be it at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as an appetiser or dessert, or like me, just for mere self-indulgence. At Mr R Senior's birthday party last week, I was helping myself ceaselessly to the cheese platter and some wine. The man's aunt gave me a dirty look. She must be shocked with the amount of cheese I stuffed my face with. LOL.

Like wine, I am clueless about the vast varieties of cheese. Though I do have a slight inkling of the common ones like Gouda, Camembert, Parmesan, Cheddar, Feta, Brie, Berg Cheese, Tete de Moine, I wouldn't trust myself to assemble a decent cheese platter. Well, a new challenge awaits now.

Remy: I have got to teach you about food. Close your eyes.
Remy: Now take a bite of this...
(Emile snarfs the cheese)
Remy: No, no, no! Don't just hork it down!
Emile: Too late.
- Ratatouille

Got the hots for the Hot

It's that time of the month again. While my body is going through its usual dramatic hormonal changes, it is also craving for something extremely spicy, sweet or sinful. As I took a look at my drawer which is full of chocolates, I felt sick. I do not have a sweet tooth while Mr R does. As a result, his beloved mum is relentless in buying us little gifts in the form of chocolates. Such generosity I protest unremittingly to no avail.

So it seemed chocolate turn me off at the moment. The other alternative would be anything stinging hot. Just then Sambal Chilli popped into my mind. My mouth watered as I toyed with the idea. Sambal chilli goes well with just about anything. So what are we waiting for? I was determined to churn out a real mean fiery hot sambal which leaves your lips all red and swollen or causes your head to break into cold sweat.


Hoonie is, however, disappointed to report that her sambal is not that mean afterall. Her lips did not suffer from that stinging tingling sensation she had wished for. Though the sambal went very well with her nasi lemak later. She was just too hungry and greedy to make time for pictures. All in all, it served the purpose of quelling her hot cravings. She is pleased.

Mercedes-Benz and The Great Wall

These icons were designed by Liu Young, who was born in China and educated in Germany. She aptly illustrated the differences in mentality, social heritage and way of life between the two cultures. They are very real and yet amusing nonetheless. Some of which the man and I experience in our everyday life.

Blue --> German

Red --> Chinese

Opinion
Way of Life

Punctuality

Contacts

Anger

Queue when waiting

Me

Sundays on the road

Party

In the restaurant

Stomachache

Travelling

Definition of Beauty

Handling of Problems

Three meals a day
Transportation

Elderly in day to day life

Shower timing

Moods and Weather

The Boss

What's trendy

The Child

Things that are new

Perception of each other

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder Part 2

I was rattling on and on about my porn-queen chick in the last entry that I forgot to explain why she almost did a 'striptease' in the first place. She was kind enough to be the model for the top I chose for my girlfriend. Even without my asking. This is what I call initiative. She certainly gives me good vibes. And then the top looked smashing on her. I was sold right away. How smart is that to market her products in that effortless yet effective way? A good blonde head she definitely has on her shoulders.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder

I was looking to get a present for a friend's birthday at our usual hunt one day. As I stepped into the shop, not a soul was in sight. So off I went to the second floor where the girlie section was. Again no signs of any forms of human being. Feeling a little puzzled, I carried on with my hunt. At the same time, naughty ideas started to form at the back my head: What would happen if I were to pinch a thing or two? Would I get caught red-handed?

(I, for one, am proned to improper thoughts at inappropriate places. Like, when I was in a church one time, Pink's God is a DJ was playing repeatedly in my head to the chantings of prayers in the background. Such blasphemy!)

After 10 mins of being left alone, the salesgirl finally made her appearance from the office. Upon seeing me, she exclaimed, 'Oh, I didn't realise there's a customer here!' I assumed she was taking her afternoon nap. Then I proceeded to share with her my doubts if the top I found would fit my girlfriend. Without further ado, the babe took off her top in a heartbeat, thereby exposing her lovely tits in a sexy lacy brown bra. The brown bra compliments her tanned skin beautifully. Hmm, she is yummy... I hope she didn't notice my dropped jaw or catch me staring because we were all taught that staring is rude, weren't we? Then again, we don't get such treats everyday and besides, beautiful things are meant to be appreciated, ain't they? I would hit on her if I were a guy. She is hot with her blond hair and all. However, on second thought, I wouldn't. Her style borders on the porn-queen look. Her husky voice, probably from too much smoking, completes that look. Not my kind of chick, really. Any takers?

Gina-Lisa, the porn-queen-lookalike candidate in Germany's Next Topmodel.

Cotton

I casually asked the man mintues ago, 'What are our plans on Tuesday?'
He asked, 'What's the occassion?'

I stared hard at him. He blinked back at me blankly. This exchange of looks lasted for some long seconds before I finally resigned, 'It's our wedding anniversary!!!'

He mouthed the word 'Oh' and smiled sheepishly.

This is our 2nd year and he is already developing anniversay amnesia. Seriously, I didn't anticipate this to happen that soon. My guess was the average symptoms should begin to show only from the 5th year on. No?

And please don't ask how I derived that number.

Funny his selected amnesia doesn't bother me in the least. And I wonder why. Is it because I am not the sort who kicks up a fuss over such things? Or is it because I myself used to be guilty of such negligence too? Maybe it's more like I have already received my gift so I can overlook such amnesia with ease. Okay, a gift which I hand-picked personally. Yes yes, he is hopeless when it comes to getting me presents. Story of my life. Oh well...

Whatever it is, despite our frequent squabbles, our cultural clashes and our opinionatedness, it has been a good 2 years of compromises, understanding and appreciation.

Who says a relationship doesn't require effort?

You say you wanna stay by my side,
Darlin, your head's not right
- The Strokes

Culinary Trier

Trier here refers not to the city in Germany. Instead it refers to one that tries or a tester. Yes, a Try-er. As I have too much time on my hands, I have been getting my hands downright wet and dirty. Literally. What else do you expect from all them washing, cutting, kneading and marinating?

Which resulted in our recent chow below.

Char Siew Bun.

Cashew Nuts Cookies.

Black Beans and Peanuts Chicken Soup.

Char Siew for a Potluck Party.

Curry Chicken.

And lastly, Mr R's Pan Seared Monkfish in Basil-Orange Sauce with Tagliatela.

Blah

It's snowing outside. Yes, in the middle of March. When it's supposed to be spring. When it's supposed to be suuny and cool. When it's supposed to be my chance to wear my leather jacket... Sigh.. What is happening to our mother earth? Global warming is nasty. Mankind is nastier.

I would like to count my blessings that life has been well to me. I am happy and contended and I do not have much to worry about except for my parents (that's a story for another day). Human beings are incomplacent creatures. We crave for things which we cannot have. Hence, my current insane obsession to find work. In all honesty? I think I am asking for trouble, more like it. Imagine juggling work and home at the same time. Superwoman, anyone?

Toy Soldier

It's been a series of letdowns over the last few months in the job searching department. I wish I had better news to share with my friends. Like, hey, I finally landed that job!! Unfortunately, lady luck hasn't been dropping by lately. I would like to believe the great divine up there has something better in store for me. However, in the face of multiple rejections, even the most strongly held belief wavers. And then demoralisation and self-doubt start to kick in. How fun.

I try not to dwell too much on the negative emotion aftermath because it doesn't get me anywhere. Instead, I focus my energy on sending out more applications. I like to think I am practising the chinese saying, turn grief and indignation into strength (化悲愤为力量). One thing is for sure, the more rejections get thrown at me, the more interview experience I gain. These days I no longer stutter during german interviews, by the way.

I do not know how long it would take before I say, enough is enough, fuck job searching, it's baby time. Till then I shall continue to be thick-skinned and soldier on.

The Fringe

An exchange in hair saloon one day when the hairstylist was working on The Fringe:

The Hoonie: I can't see! It's too long!

The Hairstylist: I don't care! As long as you look good.

P.S. He is not gay, by the way.