Dream Chaser

Hi there,

I am here to apologise to my blog partner, Daphnee cause I have been playing MIA for months in updating our blog; and also, I am apologising to readers that expect more posts from us, I AM TRULY SORRY ! :(

Daphnee couldn't write and update anything cause she is now in the National Service Camp, trying to contribute a little to our country. HAHAHAHA I wonder what could she contribute I bet she can't even hold a gun she is one of the most girly friends of mine. But I do admire her courages to actually attend the compulsory national service, well it is compulsory if you get selected (she is TOOOO lucky haha). A lot of my friends who were selected back then upon high school graduation but didn't want to go for it so they sort of 'delayed' their NS. Daphne delayed once, but she got called by the government again to complete her service and she realises there is no escape to this anymore so, there she goes, in the NS Camp ! HOW BRAVE !!!

Anyhoo, I was really busy for the past weeks. I had my spring break, went to Melbourne to visit my friends, got back to Hobart reality, work work and work with uni all piling up, I didn't have time to breath. At the age of 23, I realise that I shouldn't be leeching my parents and have to work my life out independently. That is why, I am studying full time as a law student and also working part time as a pharmacy assistant. Many people think that, why do I want to suffer myself, just do one thing at once, study and get a degree, then only start working. You get to pay off all your parents investment anyway after you find a proper job. But being a grown up adult, I feel so shameful to keep asking my mother for money. I know in Asian society that the parents will keep supporting the children until they are 30 or when they are really financially independent. But living at this western community, many of my friends are not getting any financial support from their parents. Once they turn 18, they are seen as a real adult, force to live outside of their parents' roof and earn their own living. I am not saying that getting support from their parents is bad cause I honestly still do that, I just think that maybe we should try to be responsible for our own life, and not just blindly depend on our parents cause they don't owe us anything. 

At the same time, I am also working on my own dream. Apart from studying to be a lawyer, which I am still unsure that's what I really wanna do in life, I have this very girly yet big dream inside my soul. I want to own my own clothing brand with my own shop. So, few months back, I decided to make a life changing decision, to chase after my dream. I took initiative step by starting a comprehensive research and currently I am at the planning stage. I am still working on it now, it has been 4 months, but due to my other commitment, I have to delay it for a little while more. Also, I am unsure whether I am capable in chasing this dream, cause this requires more than just research and commitment. I have to think of it in a long term perspective, no point wasting all my time and money after all. Plus, clothing industry is such a competitive industry nowadays, to bring in my own brand is just too hard. But, I believe in myself. 

This is such a lengthy post, I hope you all don't mind haha. Just sharing some thoughts, hopefully this could inspire people that want to chase their dream but do not have the courage to do so. 

My life goal is to do good, to help people and make them happy, at the same time, inspire everyone as well. 

Jo x 

Quote #3

Soft reminder to everyone out there :)

We need to have enough goals to keep us motivated and going everyday.

Daphnee here again. Trying to spice things a little. I would like to share some of my life goals here. 

Some of it is nothing big, some of it are really small matter for others. Some of you might even do it or have it already but not me. Remember, everyone is different!

However, these are the things that keep me motivated and going although I am still unemployed now. Haha. Please pray that I will get my placement soon and be one step closer to my goals alright :)

Long term goals.

1. Owning my own house before I am 30. Save money for down payment ! 

2. Travelling to a different country every year. I enjoy stuff like visiting new places, eating local food and of course shopping. haha. I started travelling out of Malaysia since I am 22. 3 countries so far. 

3. Owning my own boutique or a small cozy coffee shop before I am 35.  

I have beauty goals too. LOL

1. Doing Lasik surgery. I am blind without my contact lens or glasses. 

2. Doing hair removal. hahaha. 

3. Having pretty skin. This will be my life long goal :P

What about you?

I have my bucket list too (to do things before I die). A bunch of list of bungee jumping and stuff like that. Another new addition to my list is watching meteor rain once. Wondering is it possible. Hmmm

Suncreen, do you wear them?

Hello, it's Daphnee here!

I am sharing about sunscreen today :)

Just a simple question here, how many of the people out there actually wear sunscreen everyday? and giving their skin protection from the harmful rays that might lead to some many problems in the future.

Do not tell me if you don't. haha. I am serious. Seriously do not tell me if you don't !

I know a lot of people that don't wear sunscreen which I am not sure they are ignorant or they just don't know how important it is to protect our skin. We have easy access to information and knowledge nowadays that people cannot just ignore the importance of using sunscreen. Not just young adults but also people in their thirties and forties. I practically need to force my mum to wear sunscreen everyday. Ughhh.

I am 23 now and I know a lot of my peers don't even bother to slap on some sunscreen before they go out which is so scary ! I always apply my sunscreen after my moisturizer and/or before any makeup. I am not a specialist but I do know the importance of wearing sunscreen on a daily basis. I religiously slap on my sunscreen everyday no matter I am indoors or outdoors. Although we are indoors, there are sun rays that might penetrate through the window. Unless you are sure you won't be exposed to any sun rays, you might ditch the sunscreen aside then. hehe.

My TOP 3 points of why we should wear sunscreen. Let's show lots and lots of love to our skin okay! :)

1. It prevents skin cancer. Who likes cancer? Nobody. Exactly that is why we need to prevent it because we don't like it. The ozone layer is so thin nowadays that sometimes our skin hurts when we are out it in the sun. Freaking scary !!

2. It prevents premature aging. Who wants to look younger? Everyone. You might not see the benefits now but you will 10 years later. It's proven. Go google it.

3. It prevents pigmentation on our skin. Who likes dark spots on their skin? I know I don't ! I am sure you don't too. haha

Some people don't like the white cast and oily feeling after they apply sunscreen but that is not true at all. There are products that don't give you a white cast and some that even give you a smooth and powdery finish. The key is finding the right product that suits your skin :)

Nobody can love your skin unless you love your own skin. Show some love to our skin together alright :D

French toast and bananas

This is another simple recipe! I am super lazy but I enjoy yummy food so most of the food I make is super easy to make. hehe. Suitable for people that have a sweet tooth or likes bananas. Caramelized bananas is super yums! hehe.

This is perfect for breakfast or tea break.

Ingredients:
1. 1 egg
2. 2 pieces of bread (white or wholemeal is fine)
3. 1 medium banana

Seasoning:
1. A pinch of salt
2. A pinch of sugar (condensed milk or honey is nice too)
3. Cinnamon powder (optional)
4. Butter

Steps:
1. Beat the egg in a deep plate until fluffy. Add in a pinch of salt and sugar.
2. Heat up the non stick pan and add in 1/4 tablespoon of butter
3. Dip the bread in the egg.
4. Fry the bread in medium heat. Add in more butter if you want the sides to be crispier but definitely unhealthy. haha
5. Grill the bananas on the non stick pan until slighty caramelized.
6. Serve the french toast with cinnamon and sugar. (use instant cinnamon sugar powder if you have them!)
7. ENJOY!

and here's my face so you won't forget me :D

A night out

A mini farewell for my bestie before she goes to Sydney for her legal internship. Super proud of her for getting this prestige internship cause obviously I am not smart enough to even secure an interview for that.

I am really proud of her because despite excelling law school, she is also a really good make-ups guru and has very good fashion sense. She knows what suits her best and dresses from head to toes to look as pretty as possible. I think what I learn the most from knowing her is, be confident and be comfortable under your own skin because that's what makes you a pretty person, that's what a good make-up skill and fashion sense cant do- BE YOURSELF. Take note of that girls.

This is what I wore last saturday night. A high waisted pencil skirt with love prints and a white princess sleeves top. High waisted I got it with an extremely cheap discount from Dotti. Oh, forgot to mention I love, way too in love with high-waists. My pants, from jeans to shorts to skirts, all are high waists, either high high waist or middle length, I have all of them. Will show you my wardrobe soon so you will know my madness love for them.

A group photo of us girls. I love my make up on that night I think I look best with minimum eye make-ups. I didn't wear any lashes or draw any dramatic wing-ed eye liner, just a normal bottom and upper liner, that's it. I think I look good with less make ups on, I don't know why, prolly its related to my age. eheemmm I think when we girls reach a certain age (ehhemmm again) we will find out that less make ups actually make us look prettier, I think. Well, everyone wants to go natural, right? No offence, its just my opinion. You can do whatever you like with your face, thats your face so your choice. and it rhymes HAHA.

see, this is a contrasting picture of my dramatic makeup self. I wore a pair of fake lashes with very bring red color lipstick and also too much bronze on my face I think. Didn't I look horrible ? I mean not horrible horrible but I think less make up suits me better . Oh, this was taken on last Wednesday night for our post-exams celebration. I know, I party too much. well, what could I say, I am enjoying life ! hehe

With the last picture, my hair looked terribly ugly. I think its way too long. I need a hair cut. But I love my hair a lot, so I really don't know what to do. Let me know if you have any suggestions, I really need help in making decision in life. 

Till then.

loves, 

Jo 

xx

Mee sua in fish maw and mushroom broth.

Hello, Daphnee here again. This blog is so flooded with recipes. ughh. Proves that my life is super not happening. hahahahaa. Forgive me please.

I was actually searching some recipes for oyster mee suah the other day but I don't have any suitable ingredients for it so I created this dish myself. hehe. Taste a bit like shark fin soup minus the shark fin.
The measurements are not exact here as I am just testing and experimenting. My 80 year old grandma super love this noodles. Try it yourself!

Ingredients.
1. Mee sua
2. Fish maw - soak in water until soft)
3. Mushrooms (Xiang ku) - soaked beforehand and keep the water.
4. Sliced carrots
5. Ginger (sliced)
6. Pork slice (marinate with corn flour and soy sauce beforehand, do not add salt else the pork will harden)
7. Chicken stock / Ikan bilis stock
8. Scallions
9. An egg (beaten) - optional

Seasoning:
1. Salt
2. Oyster sauce
3. 1 teaspoon of Corn flour with 3 tablespoon of water
4. Black vinegar - optional

Steps:
1. Slightly fry the ginger.
2. Add in chicken stock, mushroom water and bring to boil. (Do not use all the mushroom water if you do not like the earthy smell)
3. Add in shredded mushrooms and carrots. Boil for about 5 minutes.
4. Add in salt and oyster sauce. Adjust according to taste. Then add in pork and fish maw.
5. After the pork is cooked, add in scallions and egg.
6. Once its boiled, add in corn flour mix and stir it. Remove from stove.
7. Blanch mee sua in a separate pot. Drain it. Add into broth. If you prefer a stickier soup, leave the mee sua a little longer it in the broth till the starch are released.
8. Serve and top with chopped scallions.
9. Enjoy!
10. Top with a dash vinegar if you like it but the broth is already nice on its own.

Note:
1. Some mee sua are salted. So do taste the mee sua during blanching to avoid the broth from being too salty and make adjustments.
2. For chicken / ikan stock, can be cooked beforehand using chicken bones or ikan bilis. If you are lazy, you can use cubes.

Grilled chicken

This is an amazingly easy dish I made for my family dinner. It goes well with rice / wraps / sandwiches as the meat is really juicy and tender.

Serves: 5 (I made a 10 person portion)

Ingredients:
1. 2 Chicken thigh with skin (deboned)
2. Salt
3. Black pepper
4. Fresh Thyme
5. A pinch of dried oregano
6. 1 tablespoon of butter

Steps:
1. Clean and marinate chicken with salt. This will ensure the meat to be more flavorful. (if you do not want to cook it yet)
2. When you are prepared to cook it, wash off the salt from before. Drain off all the excess water.
3. Marinate it with a pinch of salt and lots of pepper.
4. Pluck off the thyme leaves and marinate it together with the chicken. Sprinkle some oregano on the chicken skin. Use your sense of smell and add more thyme and oregano until it is fragant enough for your taste.
5. Heat up the non stick pan and put in the butter. Put in some thyme including the stalk to the butter.
6. After the butter is melted and the pan is "hot" enough, put in the chicken with the skin facing downwards.
7. Just leave it for around 7-8 minutes with the skin facing downwards before flipping it over. You will have a beautiful golden brown crispy skin.
8. With the skin facing upwards, leave it for another 3 minutes.
9. After all the chicken are grilled, place it into the oven for around 10 minutes under 200 degrees Celcius.
10. To check whether the meat is cooked, poke a fork into the meat and make sure no liquid is oozing out. A tiny bit is okay. The meat will cook itself when we leave it to rest.
11.  Serve the meat on a pretty place. Place some parsley to decorate.
12. ENJOY!

Note:
You can serve the meat with some potatoes and salad by the side to have it as a complete meal itself.
You can also use the meat to be put in sandwiches or burger.