ReNe: forays into cooking

Friends who knew me back in Singapore knew I don't cook. Or that I didn't cook. Whether it's because chemistry skills do not readily transfer to the kitchen or because it's just so easy and cheap to eat out in Singapore or because it's a feminist issue (Mike's opinion) or because it's bad for my skin (drying on the hands)....

People have expressed worry about whether I could feed myself once I'm in the US.

So far, no smoke alarm has been set off, no case of the runs. (The former is actually a valid concern; a classmate of mine who stays in an apartment just down the hallway from me actually did set off the alarm before.) The menu has been a little monotonous but simple is also good. Can't afford the time or money to make elaborate multi-course meals...

Some early attempts:
Fried rice. Possibly one of the simplest things to cook.


Yaki soba. Er. It tastes as appetizing as it looks... In fact, it tastes like yaki 'instant noodles'.


An attempt one night to finish the stuff in the fridge, hence the odd combination of bread and dishes that normally go with rice. I actually like this; it's rather 'creative'. The bread was the kind that I bought half-baked, that is to say all the yeast rising had been done, and all I had to do was pop it in the oven. Even though it was 2 weeks past expiry (and THAT problem deserved a blog post all on its own, about how half the stuff I have is past expiry), it was pretty tasty still. Very tasty in fact. Probably because it was 'freshly' baked. The asparagus was also withered but unlike the bread, it was beyond recovery. It tasted terrible. The pork and mushroom dish, to be honest, wasn't too good either.


Pasta. Another simple dish.

Salad. What I usually have for lunch. This was taken before classes started. These days, I pack the same thing in... doesn't look quite as nice.

What I had one night when I got back past 9 and was too tired to contemplate cooking. So I simply popped a biscuit (at least what they call a biscuit here in the US; it's a puffy pastry-like thing) into the oven, peeled off a couple of lettuce leaves and turkey ham.

Later attempts at cooking:


Fried rice, a few attempts later. Looking and tasting better now. The reason it seems like a lot is because I was making enough for lunch the next day. Turned out I made so much I had enough for lunch the next day... and the day after that... and the day after that as well.

Pasta. Also improving.

And now, my dinner tonight: rice; beef and peppers; and brussell sprouts, broccoli and carrots. I'm trying to finish the beef, brussell sprouts and broccoli (1 week old) and bell pepper (2 weeks old). The rice is fresh though. But though the ingredients were a little old, I rate tonight's dinner as more than decent.

ReNe: cannot study, stationery suck

So I hunkered down tonight to start organizing my class notes.

Cracked open a $3.99 notebook I bought from home depot (after much, much looking for a suitable size, type, etc... so much so when I saw a suitable looking one, I bought it on the spot), and realized that the notebook sucks. The ring, one long copper spiral and not individual rings, was tucked into itself at the end. This means that the ring-bound notebook cannot be opened 360 degrees, which was the REASON why I spent so much time looking for a ring-bound in the first place. Then I looked closely at the paper and it's thin, rough and of generally poor quality.

Why did I pay $3.99 for it again?

Last weekend, I was at Walmart and I saw notebooks going for 10 cents. Same quality paper, practically.

So I was complaining to Mike about the general poor quality of the stationery here, because the pens I've been getting suck too, and he had the same experience.

Now, I don't think we present a good sampling of the stationery quality in North America, and I have to add the big caveat that I haven't been in all that many bookstores here yet, but it does seem that stationery isn't that huge a deal here. Walk into the co-op in NUS or Popular bookstore or any neighborhood store back in Singapore, and the stationery rack is prominent and well-stocked. Here, at least at the bookstores on campus, it's a bit more well-hidden, a bit less stocked.

That's not to say the bookstores here are small. No, they're huge. They have Starbucks (med campus), multiple floors (main campus), textbooks, fiction and non-fiction that has absolutely nothing to do with coursework, couches and tables by the side to read these (exactly like in Borders), magazines and calenders, clothing of all sorts (both campuses but especially the main campus, and all branded with the Wash U name and logo; on the med campus, the 'medical campus' is prominent), art supplies (main campus), medical supplies (med campus, includes scrubs, white coats, even stethoscope). There are banners, cups, gold-plated pen stand, all sorts of little trinklets, all 'branded'.

I just want a good notebook and a good pen.

Well, it's not that bleak a picture for the pens. But the notebooks really do suck. I miss the (relatively cheap) Azone notebooks and the made-in-Japan pens. (I can't tell where the pens here are made in, but looking at a highlighter I nicked from the lab, it's made in Mexico.)

Here's an idea for a care package from Singapore... Anyone willing to send over a box of Azone notebooks and Japanese pens?

MiKE: Yet more sunset pictures.

After looking through my album, and doing some edits (yes, I am still that free), I felt that the pictures I posted previously did not include some of these shots, which I feel are much better; anyway, enjoy:






And I am having colour sync issues, especially with screen-to-print matching. Anybody know a good site to read up so I don't have to waste so much photo paper, please send me a link. Thanks!

MiKE: trip to the islands

I got to know Erica and Federico, an Italian couple, from the ISC Niagara trip. Then on Thursday, I went to the ISC to collect my mail (it had been set as my mailing address) and saw them there again. They showed me their bikes, which they had bought for a small price, I got interested, they showed me around, and next thing i knew, a security guy was asking what I was doing pushing a bike around Eaton Centre. I told him that I just got it, and he let me on his way...

I went to the couple's place, and was taught how to cook pasta sauce as they knew how - the trick was to use olive oil, and lots of it! They claim to be able to go through a litre bottle of oil in about a week! For the three of us, the cooked the tomatoes in about a 5mm deep pool of oil in a shallow fry pan. It was quite simple really - get fresh red tomatoes, not the orange kind one tends to get in Singapore, fry the onions/garlic first, then the tomatoes, at the same time as the water for the pasta is being boiled in another pot. Then add herbs, salt to taste, carrots if wanted, and wait for the tomatoes to liquify, wait for the pan to dry up slightly, then serve.

So, we made arrangements to meet again on Saturday, Sep 1, and this time, we were all on bikes. We met at the ISC, headed south toward the quay, and along the way passed by Ducati Toronto, which was closed, unfortunately.

To cut a boring story really short so as to bring you more of the pictures which are the highlight of this post, we got onto the ferry, sailed across to the islands, cycled about, took a few pictures, Erica had a flat tyre, we went to see the sun set, and then we sailed back. End of evening.

Ok, Pictures:

The view from their apartment balcony. Wonderful sunset - I always think that the temperate countries or places with low humidity get the best sunsets.

Another shot of the view out their balcony. They live on the 12th floor in a 1 bedroom apartment, not like me, on the 3rd floor.

My bike. Probably the cheapest bike I've ever bought. The steel frame flexes so much. Note the huge U-lock. That is a really bad position; I keep riding into it. I eventually settled to locking it at the stem.

Me! This is at the Western end of the quay, near the airport which is on an island. There is a curious looking ferry that crosses the 75m wide channel, and then, without turning itself around, reverses to ferry vehicles and goods the other way. We were thinking - would it not be more economical to set up a bridge and be done with it?

A view of the city skyline from the ferry. That thing in the top left of the picture is some decorative prop on the ferry.

Erica and Federico on the ferry. Milanese, IIRC.

A shot of the southern edge of the islands. The lake is simply amazing - it is so huge that it looks like an ocean.

No kidding - look - no land all the way to the horizon.

Erica went to pick pebbles for her collection...

A shot of the same location, this one of the left hand side.

Really looks like the sea, and the beach even comes with its own lifeguards.

Obligatory shot of the city skyline with the CN Tower as focus.

Obligatory shot of self (and friend) before city skyline with CN Tower. Note the rolled up right pant leg so that the pants don't get messed up with the dirty chain. Quite the fashion in downtown Toronto, I assure you.

This place looked so much like Sentosa I wondered who copied whom - long central walkway, fountain near the entrance, gardens on both sides with pools.

This is shot near the ferry terminal for centre island - there are actually 3 islands: centre (how imaginative), Hanlan's and Ward's.

Like I mentioned, Erica's bike had a flat rear tyre when we were close to centre island (whose ferry does not take bicycles), so we walked to Ward's Island terminal and waited for the sun to set so that we could take pictures. It was well worth the time though. Just take a look at the pictures!

Obligatory picture of me before skyline (again) :)



The sunset, to re-emphasize, was beautiful. Possibly the best sunset I have ever seen in my life, with the sun taking its own time to slowly descend, and the residual light still illuminating the sky as if the sun was fighting a slowly losing battle against the darkness, and never ceding more than a candela of brightness every slow painstaking moment. Even when the sun was below the horizon, the sky still looked bright, the entire process taking up to half an hour depending on how one starts counting. Most other sunsets have the sky dark even before the sun cleared the horizon.

The dusk approach into the city. Magical evening, that.

MiKE: Moving in.

Near the end of the trip to Niagara on Saturday the 25th, I got a call from the property managers, telling me that the out-going tenant (err, I meant she was moving out, not that she was gregarious or something) had been waiting for me at the place so as to show me her stuff and to discuss sales price of the items she had. As I was at least an hour's drive away, there was no way I could make it back that day; so, the arrangement was made for me to meet her at the apartment on Sunday, which was supposed to be the day I moved in.

Sunday, I woke up, expectant but relaxed as I was supposed to meet her only at 12, but the check out time at Canadiana was supposed to be no later than 10:30. I packed, had a leisurely breakfast of coffee and fried flour that tried to pass off as pancakes, drowned in a sugary concoction trying to pass off as maple syrup, then read Michael Apple while keeping an eye out for my luggage as practically 90% of the hostel population emptied out of the place, out on their day trips, walks around town, leaving the city for Montréal and some out of the country even. I guess, with hostels in general, and places where one does not get too mch privacy, not many would linger and spend lazy days indoors.

At 11:20 or so I called for a taxi, worried that it would cost a lot, especially since I called for a taxi. Turns out that there was no charge for calling a cab, and the flag down fare was only $3, which seemed quite fair. The trip to 710 Spadina Avenue from 42 Widmer Street was quite close - I could have walked it; it might have taken 20 minutes or so, but then, with over 80 pounds (37kg) of luggage, I was not about to risk damaging the luggage wheels and my back by trying something that foolish. What I was not prepared for, however, was that Toronto is a very nicely gridded up city, which means that every city block there will be a traffic light. That is usually red. And that the meter jumps every 170m; very much like Singapore, yes, but the increments are by quarter dollars. And one is expected to tip the driver.

So, 2.48 km and $10 later, I arrived nicely punctual at the entrance to 710 Spadina, and waited for the tenant to show up. My lease was to only begin on September 1, but she was willing to leave the place earlier so that I could move in. Went to the apartment, and she was quite eager actually to leave lots of things behind - like the queen sized mattress, the Ikea workstation, a dresser, a large shelf, a small shelf, some crockery, a drying rack, a standing lamp, and, in the freezer, 7 tubs of ice cream, which she had sampled, to put it nicely.

Apparently, she was from the PRC, and had spent the last 6 years here in Toronto, studying at the U of T, up to her Masters in Finance, and had recently started work, where she met her current boyfriend and is now moving in with him to a condominium downtown. In my mind, it seemed as if she was not in a melancholic mood about moving out of the place - thinking about it, it was hard to be sad in her situation - she's starting her career, among all industries, in finance, she's moving in with her boyfriend, and leaving behind this place which must have been quite uncomfortable compared to the new place, and definitely did not mind dumping some of the stuff. She said, at least twice, that she understood that since I was just moving into the country, that I needed extra help, so she was happy to help. Somewhat sheepishly, I thanked her, at least twice.

After lunch, I went over to Honest Ed's, wanting to get a start on setting up the apartment. Honest Ed's has a interesting history, of Edward Mirvish, who started off as poor immigrant, started a discount store, made it big, but still remained honest, selling stuff at low low prices, and giving stuff away (like one famous time when he gave away turkeys during christmas). Apparently, he had been recently honoured by the province of Ontario, and a plaque had even been laid on the sidewalk outside the store. My impressions of the place was that it looked pretty much like a thrift store in STL, the warehouse look with high ceilings and fluorescent lighting, except everything was much neater and well stocked (of course). Price wise, I felt that it approximated Mustafa's in Singapore, and interestingly enough it also resembled Mustafa's because of its sprawl across 2 buildings, connected by 2nd floor walkway, and a basement warren of store space.

Came back tired and poorer, took a bath and napped to regain my energy, and then made it to Honest Ed's again this time only to find that they were closed at 6pm...

Went back, felt strangely alone after the last week of having the 3 boys for company. Felt good, in a way, as I had my privacy back again, but on the other hand, the room was strangely quiet. Well, whatever the case was, I was too tired to think too much then, and quickly fell asleep.

Oh yes, pictures:


Google Earth screencapture. For those who are interested, I am now staying at postal code M5S 2J2 or M5S 2J3, and 42 Widmer Stret is M5V 2E9.

The washroom. I think she must have liked the green/blue scheme. The rugs have been thrown away since.

We packed our stuff into vacuum bags which we applied vacuum cleaner suction to. Good that it allowed us to bring lots of stuff, but bad cos it was too easy to overload the luggage. This is the only pack that made it all the way from Singapore, to St Louis, to Toronto. Inside there are two pairs of jeans, and about 3 shirts. I have yet to open the packaging - I'm curious how long the vacuum would last.

A collection of all the stuff that made it to the room. Actually quite amazing how little stuff I had, but how much weight it all added up to. I managed to bring 10 books across! Yayy me.

My attempt at a meal on the second day I was there. Yes, that is a bottle of Lee Kum Kee Oyster flavoured sauce near the bottom left corner of the picture. I bought it at Dominion, the local Cold Storage equivalent, but only for grocery items. Alcohol though, is only sold at very few places, like the Beer Store, which is right next door to my block.

MiKE: Niagara Falls with the ISC

The International Student Centre (ISC) is the great effort by the U of T to get all the international students settled in and well adjusted to school in Toronto. According to the staff, Toronto boasts of up to 50% of its population being born out of the country, even at this time. Perhaps in 1850 or so, that would not have been such a big deal. But now, it truly makes this place one of the most cosmopolitan places in the world.

Anyway, they organized a trip to Niagara Falls on the Aug 25, and I went, to make friends and all. I've been there before, but that was in April, and apparently the Falls are very different at different times of the year. They say a trip there in the depths of winter is a must, though it was only 2-3 times in recorded history that the Falls actually froze up.

We met at about 8:45, departed at 9, drove there at crazy speeds (for the kind of bus that we were on, a big yellow school bus), on the middle and sometimes fastest lanes, while overtaking and at one time being overtaken by a huge truck towing another one(!). Funnily enough, one truck that passed us had a passenger which stuck a copy of Playboy in the window, while giving the thumbs up and sticking out his tongue. That truck quickly overtook us, and then, some time later, was overtaken by us. This time, he turned to one of the picture pages and then showed it to the bus. Guess he wanted to educate schoolchildren...?

The Falls were in what I think would be the un-spectacular mode. Well, the Falls are always spectacular, I think, but some spectacles are more spectacular than others, and I think the Falls that day was not so. Sat there by the Horseshoe Falls, refusing to pay any more than the $10 for chicken teriyaki (3 skewers of chicken breast, rice, all drowned in teriyaki sauce), till we had to meet again to go to our next destination - the Château des Charmes vineyard and winery for a wine tasting session and tour around the facilities.

Did you know that at most vineyards, there are always rose bushes planted near the grape vines - these serve as the horticultural equivalent of the canary in the cage and warns the growers of any potential blight to the vines? Also, it is close to impossible to gauge the quality of wine by the first taste as the tastebuds are usually loaded with all sorts of debris and flavour molecules from the last meal that will impact the way the wine tastes? So, always discount the first sip - that one is to clear the palate, so that the next sip will actually be the true taste of the wine.

After the vineyard, we went to Niagara on the lake, which is supposed to be some lakeside attraction, though since the ISC did not organize any activity, and the attractions were not obvious, we were left wondering around the place, and then sat down in the park and chatted. I met Belinda - a Singaporean woman doing her Masters at OISE. It's always the case - one starts talking and then others immediately recognize the Singaporean accent. I heard that unmistakable accent being spoken behind me, and knew I was in the presence of a country-woman...

Pictures:

The 'Maid of the Mist' boat that brings people for a shower in the mist thrown up by the Horseshoe Falls.

Our cheerful bright yellow school bus. Which hurtles through the fully laden expressway during peak hour, at 100+km/h. Funny though. At Niagara on the lake, it seemed like people were completely not expecting to see such a school bus, and it quickly became an object of photography.

The visitors' centre of Château des Charmes. Apparently across the road, meeting door frame to door frame, aligned along with the fountain, is the home of the founder's family.

Wine barrels. Not particularly interesting I guess, but perhaps evidence that I actually visited a winery?Oh, for people who ask. Yes, the wine was good. (but then again, you trust me to asess wine?)

Nice vanity plate...

ReNe: i am more mobile now

Cynthia lent me her bicycle, since she said she hasn't used it in the past 2 weeks. It's a little bike, but I'm excited because suddenly, I feel like my range is expanded. The basket in front makes the bike rather 'front-heavy' but I guess it's useful for shopping. No bashing down the Katy Trail though.

By the way, we're allowed to bring bicycles into the metro, so this means I can cycle to CWE station, take the metro to Brentwood, and then cycle to Target or even Walmart.

ReNe: japanese festival

I was actually fairly excited initially (because I am quite a japanophile), but I was also a little wary of what to expect. The blurb I read in a newsletter was raving about various performances by various people, highlighting one by the only non-japanese geisha (an american lady, I think). There's a lot more to Japan than geishas, but sometimes when I flip through 'culture shock' books written by the westerners, I've noticed that it is one of main aspects of Japan culture that utterly fascinates them. To be fair, however, there are also sumo demonstrations and tea ceremonies.

But I had also heard that the Missouri Botannical Gardens, where the festival is held, is gorgeous and quite famous, so it would be a worthwhile trip either way.

Again I arranged to meet some friends, this time Rene (Shiuling), Chialing and her family. Initially we thought we would have to pay $10 admission, but it turned out that as DBBS students, Rene and I were able to buy $3 tickets for the adults and Chialing's 2 kids got in free.

The climatron, at least I think that's what it's called. It's a very nice landmark to orient yourself by as you walk around the park. I didn't focus on the park itself as I was there for the festival. Pictures are below.

Top spinning.



Bonsai. I really like bonsais; I think they look very elegant. My favorite collection is the one at the Japanese Imperial Gardens in Tokyo.

Booths selling japanese stuff: kimono, yukata (made in India), trinklets, jewellery, books about Japan, japanese looking display cases... However, I didn't see the 'lucky cat', a white and red porcelain figurine of a cat with one paw up-stretched that is ubiquitous in Japan.


My favorite picture of the day.

Overall, it was not too bad. I think I missed a lot because I only stayed for a couple of hours, but it was rather crowded and sunny. Moreover, there was nothing new or interesting for me; I would rather go back to Japan again, if I wanted a taste of Japanese culture.

ReNe: seasons are turning

Coming from a place where the weather never really changes, experiencing the turn of seasons is quite novel for me.

A month ago, the sun starts to set around 8pm, and it gets fully dark at 8:30pm. Now, the sun starts to set at 7:30pm and it's fully dark by 8pm.

Oddly enough, it didn't seem, to me at least, a gradual transition, though it probably is. I just noticed it one day when I was at Schnucks, a supermarket near where I live. Normally I try to make it home before dark (for safety reasons), and I suddenly realized that the sun is setting earlier when I stepped out of the store and it was almost dark. Glancing at my watch, it just hit me -- days are getting shorter.

What is not a gradual transition though, and this is not simply my own observation, are the temperature changes. People say spring (or summer or fall or winter) can suddenly arrive; one day the temperature just changes dramatically. I noticed it today. Woke up with my feet *really* cold. It remained noticeably cooler throughout the day, even though it was as sunny as yesterday.

Perhaps this is a trivial observation for some and hardly noteworthy, but I found it interesting. Maybe I won't find it quite so interesting next year.