It looks like I’m not alone - one of my cats has much contempt for this canine celebration, and decided to make a bed out of the basket we were keeping our oranges in.

He should be thankful that I didn’t decide to subject him to this.

Mraow. Kung Hei Fatt Choy to you too.

Some dipshit (see this link) had the audacity to post a link to one of the mp3s that I posted online in his/her blog for his/her friends to listen to. It quite appalls me how some people can be so bloody inconsiderate and not even think about asking for permission to use my bandwidth, under which circumstances I might have agreed. (i.e. if I’d been asked nicely enough.)

This is a notice to all who read this blog and benefit from the mp3s that I used to upload much more frequently (I’m now staying in dorm where there’s an annoying firewall that makes uploading one song take about 3 hours, so I really can’t be arsed for now), and probably will still continue to upload every now and then:

They are for you to either listen to, or download. I would much prefer if you just downloaded them and stored them in your relevant hard disks, and listened to them like that. That way, a server error or something on my side would not result in you being unable to access your favourite song that’s on my site. (Alt-Click for macs, Right-Click, Save File for winboxes.)

Do NOT, under ANY circumstances, post a link to any files, e.g. download here (http://www.dubdew.com/music/tomorrow.mp3 - this file has now been taken offline, which explains why I didn’t bother to hyperlink it) on your own websites. If you wish to direct anyone to my site, please use the link for the POST NAME. For this case, it would have been http://www.dubdew.com/2005/11/18/epiphanies/ . You may only post links to downloadable files if I have expressly given my consent, either in a blanket statement on my website, or in a private email in which I have replied your request. That’s right - you will be a well-mannered child, just like how I’m sure your parents taught you to be, and ask for permission. FYI, asking for permission does NOT equate to obtaining it, so wait for me to give you the green light. NOTIFYING me (as opposed to requesting for my permission) will result in the file being taken off the server immediately.

Perhaps I really shouldn’t bother with being so generous and should just use a plug-in so you can listen to the mp3s on my site and nothing more.

Update: The dimwit has now deleted the annoyed comment I left on her blog instructing her to remove the link, changed the text that displays, but left where her link directs readers to to the file on my server (which has now been taken down).

I’ve just found out that my maid is really good at making these delish, pretty pineapple tarts AND peanut cookies. Hooray for my waistline - I’m about to become twice my size and my chesty cough is here to stay! PEANUT COOKIES. PINEAPPLE TARTS. Oh joy to the world I’m about to faint with delirium. (Or maybe that was my fever.)

Edit: THERE ARE KRISPY KREMES IN MY FRIDGE! HOORAY!

I’m going to be in HK soon! Hooray! I just hope the crazy-sounding girls don’t torture me too much. Hurhur. But I am certainly looking forward to seeing my new favourite happy camper (ha ha ha) again!

Now, if only I was in the states, so I could have Johnny Cupcakes over with a Cupperware Party!

Pronounced ‘heugah’, this lovely little shop in Islington has a whole bunch of stuff that I wish I could buy for my imaginary flat with my imaginary money.

Today, I had another disturbing conversation online. A friend of mine has a couple of cousins whose arms she says resemble lotus roots, in that the elbows are the constricted part in the middle of the lotus root, and the two ends on either side of the constricted elbow bit are the ba ba arms.

That, inevitably, led to us discussing soups! In particular, lotus root and pork rib soup. I love lotus root and pork rib soup. I love how the meat just falls tenderly off the bones and how the lotus roots retain that slight crunchiness, and how the nutty flavour of the nua nua peanuts gets into every mouthful of soup and the itty-bitty chewy texture of the peanuts that sneak into your soup spoon.

I think the most chinese aspect of half-chinese me would be my love for cheng cheng soups. If I’ve no appetite, just throw some pork ribs into water, dump in a heap of peppercorns, and a touch of salt/soya sauce and let it boil for a long time. I promise you that pork rib soup is one thing I’ll never refuse.

Sometimes, though, when I’m sick and grouchy, a quicker pick me up could be chicken soup. It takes a considerably shorter amount of time to cook, and it’s as easy - just grab a (cleaned) chicken, a handful of peeled and halved potatoes (or quartered, if that’s what you prefer), maybe three carrots very roughly chopped, and one or two ears of corn just chopped into thirds, throw it all into some boiling water with some white peppercorns, light soya sauce and lightly salt it, and you’re good to go. If you want it to be done even faster, you can always chop the chicken up, but I personally like the way the meat just falls off the carcass and how you have the rib cage and everything sitting there when you’re done with the soup. *burp.

I must go and learn how to make this lovely beef and tomato soup that my previous maid used to make too - it was just huuuuge chunks of beef, probably the cheaper cuts that were marbled with fat (the fat melts away, making the meat oh-so delightfully tender) and some carrots and tomatoes. It was the only tomato soup I ever had that was cheng cheng instead of mushy and murky, and the sweet flavour from the carrots just went so well with the fall-apart-y yummy meat.

Chinese New Year is always a time for overeating, be it oranges, pineapple tarts, cashew nut/almond cookies, keropok, bakkwa, love letters of various flavours, curry, oily chicken, or kueh lapis. But after all that rich food, I think it’s quite lovely to just come home to a huge steaming bowl of your favourite cheng cheng soup and maybe some leftover rice, chicken, char siew, omelette and garlic whipped up into a small plate of fried rice.

Definitely feel good food. :)

This (lunar) new year seems to have gotten off on the wrong foot. Literally, when the clock struck twelve, instead of being asleep, or gathered around various relatives, or whatever not, I found myself sitting at a stone table next to some blocks on the other side of the swimming pool from my block, with a friend of mine who isn’t celebrating this year’s new year. We traded stories on how psychotic our friends are, how frustrating our parents are, whittled a fairly controversial article (that I’m still convinced isn’t going to make it anywhere) down to its word limit, and just had a replay of a similar night, about a month back when she was the one who’s SOS-ed for some late night company. Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks for coming over, pooch. It was really great having someone to talk to, and I really appreciate it.

And I’m really happy for you that you’re so happy nowadays. You’re turning into a regular happy pill!! :)

(PS: That’s a good thing.)

One of those that just make you stop and go… ohhhh. with your hand on your heart. By Gilbert Koh.

Something was definitely done right - here’s a picture that they posted on their anniversary, complete with the cutest kitten! Check out also her photos of the infamous bunny. (No, not my bunny.)