It’s been conditionally approved by the MOM, subject to my medical check-up results. Here’s a list of things that I need to do next:

- come down to my future office this afternoon to collect the In-Principal-Approval letter

- book an appointment (if required) for medical check-up (I’m sure there’ll be blood test this time….eek!)

- maybe go to ICA to extend my social visit pass which will expire on 18 April. I personally hope that I don’t have to apply for another extension and just start work as soon as possible!

- prepare to enter the wonderful world or working life (not trying to sound sarcastic here, serious!) This means that I’ll have to start researching about underwriting so that I won’t look so stupid on my first days of work.

(Can you see that I’m still stressed even though God has been answering my doubts one by one, one step at a time? It must be difficult to be my God….)

Aahh….I miss the good old Sesame Street shows. I used to watch it since I was about 8 years old (bit too old I guess). I remember loving Cookie Monster very much and kept wondering how could he manage to stuff all those things (from cookies to inedible objects like the “W” letter, turning it into N, V and finally I) into that mouth that doesn’t seem to have a hole.

The show itself was really informative and fun to watch. They also often invited famous guest-stars to the show, including famous musicians such as Itzhak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma. I think it’s good to expose young kids into the rich and wonderful world of classical music in such a fun way. How I wish that today’s children programs are just as good as Sesame Street!

I found this video by accident when I was searching for Perlman’s Beethoven performance in YouTube. I’ve been learning to play violin since July last year and am going through the frustrated phase where I can’t seem to create a beautiful sound/get the notes right with my violin. Now that I watched this video, it reminded me of how fun music is supposed to be. I’ve heard Anne-Sophie Mutter’s version of the song, but personally I like the Telly-Perlman version much much better. I never know that violin harmonizes quite well with tuba. Hopefully this can keep me motivated to practice more and become better. Who knows maybe one day I can be as good as Mr. Perlman (well, one can always dream….). Enjoy the video =)

ps: for those of you wondering what song they are playing in the video, it’s Beethoven’s Minuet in G.

Me and Cindy (my housemate) had a very yummy lunch today consisting of Thai Basil Chicken and Shitake Mushroom Stir-fry. Now, I’ve made Thai Basil Chicken on many occasions, however none of them turned out right, except for this one. It’s actually a very simple dish requiring only a few ingredients, but in terms of flavors nothing comes second (at least that’s what I thought when I was eating it). It’s that good that I have to write the recipe down and keep it for future.

Thai Basil Chicken

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast fillets, cut into slices
garlic, and lots of it (I use 4-5 cloves), chopped
3 chili padi (or bird’s eye chili), sliced
1 handful of fresh basil leaves
2-3 tbsp of oyster sauce (use your estimation)
1-2 tbsp of fish sauce (use your estimation)
1 tsp of sugar
olive oil

1. Fry the sliced fillet in batches with some oil to seal off flavor, set aside.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in the wok, then add the chopped garlic (be careful not to burn the garlic).
3. Add the cooked chicken, chili, oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
4. Finally add basil leaves and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve with hot steamed rice.

This dish actually made me miss my old housemate in Melbourne. She is a Thai and her mom cooks Thai food really well. I’m actually thinking of visiting her sometime this year (which reminds me to stop spending on unnecessary things and start saving!)

Hi everyone, my name is Stephanie and this is my new blog.

I have recently graduated from a university in Australia and am now entering a new chapter of my life in Singapore. I have to admit that I am used to living in Australia and this transition period (entering the 3rd month in Singapore) has been quite difficult for me. However, someone once said that the precious things are often the results of hardships and adversities.

They say writing is good. You can express a lot of things in writing that you can’t say in person (at least for me, as I am usually the impulsive-type of person whose mouth speaks faster than the brain). I want to dedicate this blog to share my thoughts and experience throughout my life journey. Hopefully this will be the start of something good ahead. I’m also hoping to get to know more people through this blog.

So, feel free to say hi, leave a comment or share your thoughts here =)