Over The Border

Still reeling from the CNY feasting. Mother had some left over ranch beans from the reunion dinner, which I promptly took over to try out a texan chili recipe. Turned out super yummy, 2 thumbs up (!) although the kids ran away screaming when I offered it to them.

Small confession, I forgot to take pictures of the chili (too busy tucking in after a truly grinding day at work), but I stole this picture from Epicurious.com (sorry Eds!). I assure you that it looked as good as this!

Anyway for those interested in comfort food from across the border, here is the recipe:

Very Good Texan Chili recipe

Ingredients:
500 – 600 g ground topside beef
1 large can whole tomatoes in juice (about 28 oz)
1 can kidney beans
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup flour
¼ cup ground chili powder
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried cumin (ground)
1 tsp sea salt

Method:
Fry onions and garlic until soft
Add meat and brown
Add flour, and other seasoning and fry briefly
Add tomatoes in juice and bring to boil, then lower flame and simmer for about 2 hours on low flame
Add beans just at end of cooking, stir and bring to boil, then take off flame.

Why I am what I am...

So this is the reason why I took up paediatrics. Hardworking, nice, and hates adults...

For my doc friends out there, check out this website:
http://www.med-ed.virginia.edu/specialties/QuestionList.cfm

Very cool site and fairly accurate:


Rank Specialty Score
1 hematology 42
2 pediatrics 41
3 radiation oncology 41
4 pathology 40
5 physical med & rehabilitation 40
6 radiology 40
7 preventive med 40
8 neurology 40
9 rheumatology 40
10 pulmonology 40
11 endocrinology 40
12 cardiology 39
13 general internal med 39
14 dermatology 39
15 occupational med 39
16 psychiatry 39
17 ophthalmology 39
18 anesthesiology 39

Mog and Chinese New Year Follies

Just a quick word to MOG, one of the few bloggers who reads my posts (!)...you are famous! Or at least, much revered in my cat-obsessed daughter's eyes. Mog is actually a series about a rather neurotic and fearful cat who gets freaked out by vets, walking Christmas trees and person-birds (Red Indians). It's her fave of the day, although I haven't told her that there is actually one of the series called "Goodbye Mog", about how Mog died and leaves her family in the hands of a new kitten. A very nice series by Judith Kerr, who apparently had an exciting childhood herself, fleeing from Nazi Germany and going to UK.

Anyway, it's been a hectic couple of days - I feel like I've been eating forever. But I do feel MUCH better as I have had afternoon naps for 2 consecutive days, which has put paid to my chronic sleep debt. CNY is certainly a challenging time. Was deeply annoyed by 2 relatives, one of whom said, "Eh, how come you are not professor yet? I thought very easy to become, what?" and another who insisted, "You mean you only get a 13 month bonus in the university? I pay my people 4 - 5 months' bonus, you know? And so-and-so only has O-levels and I pay her a base pay of $13K with at least 50K bonus." Argh. Go tell it to the university and maybe the gah-men, and I will get a little raise this time round.

But it seems that I didn't have it that bad this year - one of my girlfriends was confessing that her husband was hiding out at home (he had told everyone that they were away for CNY) because he didn't want to be faced with the perennial questions "when are you finishing your PhD?" and "when are you having your kids, your wife is not young, you know?". No wonder so many people are heading off shore over this season.

But truly back to the job issue - I do feel a little guilty to be griping about it, given that there are so many people out there who live on tighter budgets, but sometimes I think that the academic life is really not well re-imbursed. But I had to get back to the basic issue of where God has put me (thanks for manna and the wilderness!) and be grateful for His daily provision and faithfulness.

Tabby has Chinese New Year Clothes!

All About Cats

This blog is for the benefit of Steffi, my cat-obsessed daughter who wakes up in the morning and meows at me. These cats are her favourites at Bukit Batok market - always there early on a Saturday morning.

AD-Dressing A Cat
by TS Eliot

You've read of several kinds of Cat,
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand their character.
You now have learned enough to see
That Cats are much like you and me
And other people whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind.
For some are same and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse--
But all may be described in verse.
You've seen them both at work and games,
And learnt about their proper names,
Their habits and their habitat:But
How would you ad-dress a Cat?

So first, your memory I'll jog,
And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG.

And you might now and then supply
Some caviare, or Strassburg Pie,
Some potted grouse, or salmon paste--
He's sure to have his personal taste.
(I know a Cat, who makes a habit
Of eating nothing else but rabbit,
And when he's finished, licks his paws
So's not to waste the onion sauce.)
A Cat's entitled to expect
These evidences of respect.
And so in time you reach your aim,
And finally call him by his NAME.
So this is this, and that is that:
And there's how you AD-DRESS A CAT.

Back to Blogging and Flogging

It's been quite a while and I bet no one is reading this blog anyway (of the teeny few that were actually clued in previously). Who cares then as long as I have a little niche in cyberspace!

Been a little busy - was Mapling madly for a while, but have had to settle down drastically since starting the Intentional Discipleship Training course. After all, we are reminded to simplify our pace, priorities, possessions and purpose! So poor Gingerkat and Tabbykat are literally trailing in oblivion. But kudos to Loyalcleric for reaching level 100! Hope he gets the Zakum helmet. But both Ginger and Tabby have been having makeovers and Ginger obviously for the worse...

Chinese New Year swings around again and this year I am completely not ready for it. Made some pineapple tarts and almond cookies, which the kids finished in record time. Now I have to make some more just for entertaining over that period. Last year, was so into making the buah keluak etc but am so busy this year that I really have a laissez-faire attitude to the whole holiday.

With re: new gadgets, I am finally growing to like my Treo 750v. Took a while to get used to it and to set up the internet, but it's pretty cool now. Don't quite understand how come I have to reset it everyonce in a while to get my internet going again though. Must be Singtel... but it is a completely different lifestyle to be able to get to my email 24/7. Helpful since I am on the go a lot. I think I may be becoming something of a "Blackberry addict". Not that this is a Blackberry of course (sorry Palm!).

Ah yes, and had an entertaining evening with the Buccaneers with a lovely '86 Chateau Lynch Bages (thanks, Erle!). Had a grand time panning the system and various stalwarts of the establishment. I will insist at this late point however that it was the wine talking...