What should I do to...

nay sayers?

Yup, more people think I should not get a car.  The easy thing to do, is not to  offer them a ride in my new car ever!

The hard part is overcoming it and be forgiving and generous to these people, which is what I should do to be a follower of Christ.

This afternoon, I came across this verse:

"But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person."

Matthew 15:18

These people have no idea that they have hurt me with the things that they have said.  And I shall learn not to be like them and say things that will hurt other people.  This is also why I am very sensitive to what is being said about me. 

Even before I came to know Christ, I always believe that there is no smoke without fire.  So some people will say that they meant what they say as a joke, but I don't think so.  It simply means that you think unkindly of me, and that is why you "joke" about it to put it across to me "nicely".

I wonder how would these people feel if I also "joke" about them unkindly, and then say: "oh, it's just a joke mah...I don't mean it."

I learnt another meaningful thing from Father Stephen Yim today.  He said that people are not interested in what you know until they know you care.  Which again struck a chord in my heart.

I think all these angst these past few weeks regarding the car has a purpose.  It has made me realise how words can really hurt.  I hope God can give me the grace to be slow to anger and be more loving and generous towards other people.

I hope to close this chapter soon, and just get on with life.

Ippudo!

For once, there was no queue at Ippudo and I quickly grabbed the chance to try out their noods. I love ramen for their rich broth, and Ippudo's versions did not disappoint. I don't know how I can make myself eat Ajisen anymore after this!

We had an order of their special appetizer - Fire Chicken - and true to it's name, there is a devilish chilli bite that makes you want to eat more of it.  Love how the chicken was presented on a bed of deep-fried noodles.

The stars of came out pretty quickly - first is my bowl of ramen with garlic oil.  The soup is rich with collagen, fats and another extra layer of black, fragrant garlic oil!  It is very shiok!  But I think I've met my quota for fats consumption for the month!

This indulgent is worth the while once in awhile!

We also ordered a bowl of the Chashu Rice, but I didn't get the chance to take a pic.  The pork was tender and flavourful, and at $4 per bowl, it is a good supplement to those of you who needs more carbo to feel full.

We liked the food so much that we went back again the next day!  This time round, we ordered the mini gyoza - very mini indeed - I could finish all 6 of them easily.  The gyoza was ok, not fantastic, but still makes a good appetizer.

Mom will always order potato salad whenever she sees it on the menu, so that's what we ordered cos it was on the menu!

The potato salad is surprisingly dressed with a vinaigrette kind of dressing.  It was too sour for me, but Mom seemed to enjoy it very much.

This time round, I tried a different noodle, the spicy miso noodles - again the name escapes me.  But there are not too many ramen varieties to choose from, and I'm sure all of it would taste delicious!

I also added an egg into the spicy ramen, the egg yolk was nice and gooey but the egg was too cold.  Is it supposed to be cold?  I might just skip the egg the next time.

Overall, I like the soup base in Ippudo, and would queue up 30mins for it.  However, I'm glad the hype has died down and I didn't need to queue on the 2 occasions I was there.

Discussion or Judgement?

At this point in time, I am debating whether to buy myself a car.  A car all to myself - my own ride at my disposal, anytime, anywhere.

This has been my dream for many years, and now that I think it is the right time to get it, there seemed to be so many obstacles around.

Some people say that I'm hard to please - fickle even - as I try to figure out what is the best solution here.  I realised that most people are impatient with me when I try to sound them out, or share my thoughts with them.  I even sense exasperation from some of the unfortunate people that I've chosen to share my dilemmas with.

I acknowledge that I should take a step back and see if it's the way I keep whining about the "what ifs" and the cons of each possible solution, that is putting people off, or it is just simply disinterest on their part.  Some people even think it's just a waste of money to get a car when I can easily take public transport.

I wish my situation is a straight forward one, where I need to get a car, and I just get one that is affordable.  Financially, I am able to afford a small car (although I've fallen madly in love with the Golf TSi 1.2!).  BUT....there is a few "buts" here...it is not that simple.

Our house is coming soon, and that will be a big expense, the wedding is also fixed for next year, another big expense.  Is it selfish and extravagant of me to buy a car now?  And after we are married, is it too much for my husband and I to own our own cars?  But there are married couples with their own car each, so where do we draw the line?  Does it mean if they are rich, they have the right to own two cars?  Just because I'm not as rich as them, I'm seen as being spend thrift to get my own car.

My new office will be in an inconvenient location, and this is what prompted me to think of buying a car.  I can save at least 30 minutes of traveling time to the office with the car, and I can go gym and dance classes more easily.  I can also dress up and wear my heels!

Some people also think that I'm making up excuses to buy a car, because I say I need to dress up for this job as my client is a high end designer house.  And that walking to the LRT station in 2.5 inch heels from my house is causing me to perspire tons and melt my make-up.  A lot of people take these as excuses.  But in actual fact, I do perspire a lot - to the extent that rivulets of sweat trickle down my face and neck, making me very self conscious in the sardine packed LRT train, because I am sure the other passengers can see my sweat and maybe be put off by it!  I mean, if you are standing so close to a stranger who has sweat running down his neck, how do you feel?  Worse, they will think that this fat woman is so overweight that she is perspiring so much!

It seems like dressing up for work, and taking pride in one's appearance, is not a value here?

No doubt, I have a share in J's car, but he needs the car and cannot fetch me as and when I want him to.  He is using the car to earn an income, so it's justifiable that he drive the car.  As for me, I just want to save time.

The experience from the past week had made me feel that I'm being judged for contemplating to buy a car.  I am sure my last sentence will have people saying that I am just being sensitive, etc.  But be it my sensitivity or what, I am still hurt by a lot of the things that was said to me.

Another reminder to keep things to myself.  Sharing my thoughts, dilemmas, and hoping for a productive discussion has not done me any good - I just get hurt again and again.

Touched by a prayer...

This prayer was in Father Stephen Yim's homily last Sunday:

I just came to tell you, Lord, how happy I have been. Since we found each other and you took away my sin. Don’t know much about how to pray, but I think about you everyday. So, Jesus, here I am, checking in today.

So simple and yet so true to my heart.  I also don't know much about how to pray, but I know that God is listening and guiding me along.

Amen.

Missing Indonesian food....

Came across pics of Indonesian food in iPhoto, which I took in February!  Now I'm sharing it with all of you what humble but delicious Indonesian food looks like...and hopefully, can convey the taste as well.

Whenever we drive up to Puncak (the mountain "resort" area), we will usually stop by Jangkar for lunch.  I've always wondered why a restaurant high up in the mountains would be called "Jangkar", which means "anchor"?  Was expecting a seaside restaurant to be named "Jangkar" rather than a mountain resort restaurant?!  Maybe I should ask the lady owner the next time I go up.

As you can see from the simply designed menu, this is a no fuss eatery, serving good food at cheap prices.

My absolute favourite is the beehoon with chicken.  It doesn't look much - pale beehoon topped with shredded chicken and garnished with spring onions and cilantro.  There is no visible sauce, but somehow, the beehoon is always very tasty, with each strand coated in some aromatic sauce!  Simply love it!

My 2nd favourite is the steamed rice with chicken.  Again, it looks pale, but I can tell you it is even more aromatic than Hainanese chicken rice!  And because the chicken is kampong chicken, they taste even better!

The standard nasi goreng topped with a perfectly fried egg.  What more can I say?  I just love the Indonesian style of fried rice.

                                      

These beef balls are also marvellicious.  Bouncy, beefy meatballs, totally unlike Ikea meatballs, but as good or even better!  The perfect accompaniment to the main dishes!

These dishes are Indonesian staple, just like the mee pok, chicken rice, and economic rice that we find in Singapore's hawker centers.  I do miss them a lot when I'm in Singapore, and wish that someone would open an Indonesian restaurant serving these dishes instead of the nasi padang type of food.

Ok, a trip back home is a must before the end of the year!

Still trying to be blur....

Another test shot from the DSLR....trying to achieve the blurred background effect as usual...and I think it's nicely achieved here with the kit lens!

My favourite tokidoki creatures are just so cute! :)