No day, but today.

I am not the originator of this dish. The only dish I was obsessed with at my favourite cafe, Antipodean, in Bangsar was their Pumpkin and Sage Pasta. 

After 3 bowls of it, I set on a journey to attempt this dish. The only help I got was obvious hints like pumpkin, sage, fennel seeds (not even sure if they are fennel seeds!), feta cheese and of course those shell pasta.

Mine doesn’t even look as good as the one in the cafe. And in the picture above, I haven’t even put on the feta yet.

But trust me when I say that, “I am SO CLOSE to imitating the flavour.” I was a little disappointed at the not-so-bad outcome in the beginning. But when I piled a cube of feta on top of that spoonful of pasta goodness…BAM! I GOT IT RIGHT! :D 3 cheers and a hurrah for me!

If you’d like to try it out, here’s my version of it. I have to apologize that I fumbled my way through the ‘unseen’ ingredients that make the flavour and whatever I am about to write below, I totally guessed it. 

RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN AND SAGE CONCHIGLIE
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients

half a small-sized Japanese pumpkin
3 medium-sized Japanese sweet potatoes
4 - 5 stalks of rosemary
5 cloves of garlic
1 stalk of sage
1/2 tbsp paprika powder
freshly ground black pepper
3 tsps of fennel seeds
salt
olive oil
5 handfuls of medium-sized conchiglie

Instructions

1. In a pot, boil water and add a sprinkle of salt. Once the water is boiling, put your pasta in for 12 minutes, or according to the instructions on the package and then drain.

2. Preheat your oven to 220℃/428℉. Meanwhile, peel the skins and cut the pumpkin and sweet potatoes into cubes. Roughly chop up the rosemary and garlic. Put all these onto the oven pan (covered with foil). Drizzle olive oil, add1/4 cup of paprika, 2 tsps of fennel seeds and freshly ground pepper and rub them in onto every piece of pumpkin and potato. Leave them in the oven for 20 minutes or until soft but firm and still keeping its shape.

3. Grease a pan with olive oil. Put in the conchiglie and the roasted pumpkin and sweet potatoes and give it a stir. Add in the sage leaves, the remaining paprika, the remaining fennel seeds and some ground black pepper until pasta are evenly coated and turned a little golden.

4. Scoop onto a bowl/plate and top it up with feta cheese (as you like it!). Enjoy!

That’s it :) And I’m a very happy girl. 

In actual, unadulterated fact, I have TOO MANY things. I don’t know what to do with the limited storage space I have in my room so I decided after much reluctance and endless ponder… I WILL SPRING CLEAN MY ROOM. The clutter is awful and insane! Books, bits and bobs, CLOTHES, bags…but mostly nonsense.

I’m clearing out my wardrobe today and I need to get rid of my stuff. 

Hmm. Thinking of selling them :) Maybe.

And among so many people I asked, I forgot to ask the one who’d opinions should matter most: my husband-to-be.

His answer made me very happy. And I should now declare that I have ended my search for THE dress. I didn’t find it, or it wasn’t within my budget so I’ll stick with my best option.

I am happy. :)

It’s been four months since I started planning our wedding. :) Although I must admit that I’ve been a pretty awful bride. I care about the house renovation, furniture, fixtures and fittings more than I ever think about the wedding. And here is exactly where Yew Gene and I go so well together. I thought it’s about high time I do a reflection on it.

1. Find out what matters MOST to the both of you.

If you are reading this at the point of time you are planning your wedding, I hope that what I’ve been through will save you a lot of heartache and disappointment. :) After all, your wedding is but for a day but your marriage for a lifetime. Contrary to the popular belief (something along the lines of…) “You’ll only get married once so make it beautiful/big/great”, you shouldn’t hold on too tightly to it.

While you regard that veritable statement and know that you probably won’t do this again, it’s good not to make too big a deal about it. You heard me right; and I do mean it because surely there are more important things that matter. 

For us, before we decide on our theme or talk about our non-existent ‘dream wedding’, he said, “Right. Our friends and family are first and foremost before all else.” I looked at him with gleaming eyes and thought to myself, “Here’s the man I’ll marry and YES! We have the same priorities.” With that in mind, we worked to make sure that our wedding, more than just for the two of us, is as much as for the gathering and reunion of friends and family.

Photocredit: Ruffledblog.com

To be continued.

We had dinner at his place just two days ago and I left my retainers on his table.

And I had to be stubborn and eat my daily green apples that’ll definitely hurt my teeth. I just don’t care.

He promised to bring along my retainers when we planned for our date tonight.

BUT he forgot.

I was alright and totally didn’t mind because, with OR without retainers, my green apple ritual has to go on every day at snack and lunch time ANYWAY.

I just got home from our dinner date and he BBMed me saying he’ll call me in 30minutes after he showers. 

In exactly 30 minutes later, he called and said he was outside my house with my retainers (and my trainers, that I also left behind!) I squealed and leapt out of bed, down the stairs and out the door.

And there I see him all wrapped up in his waterproof windbreaker, beaming the most unusually satisfied catch-me-if-you-can grin :) 

There he was. He rode his red scooter all the way to the other side of town for 30 whole minutes to return my retainers (and trainers), and it wasn’t like I couldn’t live without them anyway.

As I’m typing this, my retainers tugged a little tighter than usual but I’m extremely buttered up, warm and totally fuzzy inside.

He’s my boo! :D

This is love.

5th September 2011, 2:30pm (+1 GMT)

I felt the breeze turned chilly and the leaves on the tress were turning red and orange. I carried my knapsack on my bag and smiled as I walked past Jardin de Luxembourg towards our hostel and thought to myself, “I am so blessed to see summer turn into fall.”

It was the first day of autumn.

Seasonal changes are always significant. They mark a new journey, a new phase of life, new hopes and new joys, not to mention brand new challenges too.

As Grace, Chris and I finally touched down at our sixth city, we were drained, exhausted and bored of the touristy stuff. I know for myself, I wasn’t looking forward at all to go to Paris. I heard it’s really dirty! Being a neat and clean freak, I am so not keen on visiting the City of Love. No matter what people tell me. I even thought of skipping the Eiffel but I just have to visit it. Going to Paris and not going up the Eiffel is as good as not going to Paris at all…so I just had to bear with the long queues and unspectacular grossness of the touristy place etc.

Anyway, we took the worst Metro (in the world) and arrived at Bir-Hakeim. Hopped off the train and walked towards the Eiffel, which wasn’t hard at all considering that the tower is towering :p

Grace and Chris were at their most relaxed mode which was strangely peculiar because they would normally be the “kan chiong” and kiasu ones to go get the tickets, beat the crowd, la di da. haha! But today, however, they were not bothered at all!

I became the kiasu one and asked them where we can line up to get the tickets and they said to me, “Don’t worry la. We’ll just take a walk around the park first.” I was like, “WHAT??!!” Because I know if we don’t line up, we’ll take 3 hours or so to get a ticket. I followed them as they head towards South and East facing where they claim “The best view” is at.

Walking down the few stone steps at the Eiffel and heading towards the rubbish-ridden park, there I saw him in red. Standing there, beaming and beckoning me with his eyes.

I was in such an inexpressible joy but mostly shock that I cried as I walked up to him. I gave him a big hug and said nothing. It was a breezy and sunny day even though my tears blurred my vision and and I was smiling myself silly. He gave me a red rose as red as the shirt he was wearing and went down on one knee and asked in alot of trembling, excitement and hopefulness, “Will you marry me?” Which in a split second, he interrupted himself to say, “Sorry, I haven’t done this before.”

I laughed and cried (oh my gosh, I didn’t stop tearing!) and to which I said, “Yes, of course!” :)

Grace and Chris were busy recording the moment on their camera and iPhone. He slipped the luminous diamond ring into my ring finger on my right hand and said, “Sorry, wrong hand.” I laughed and he laughed. Both were awkward and ecstatic.

We kissed and hugged and some strangers clapped their hands and congratulated us. :)

I never thought this day would come so soon. 

And so, that marks the first day of Autumn in Paris. And at the same time, that first autumn day marks a new phase of life Yew Gene and I entered in with love abounding and hopes soaring.

We are engaged!

p/s: He bought walking tickets up to the Eiffel! So glad he didn’t get the elevator tickets. :) My dearie knows me best! But my two good friends were cursing him haha :p 

So this IS the City of Love. Or at least, it’s the City of OUR Love. To have Yew Gene and my very best friends witnessing a life-changing moment is better than I imagined it to be. I will never forget this milestone, especially not in Paris. Suddenly Paris seems such a lovely place, after all (ignore the rubbish :p) And that was my summer. I left home single and came home engaged to the love of my life. :)

Thank You Jesus, for everything. And everything. We commit our lives into Your hands.

Hours in the library and it’s one of the happiest times I spent here in Cambridge. Maybe because it’s Cambridge? Hmm.

Anyway, I was writing my Shakespeare essay that I’ve been putting it off for 2 weeks! When it comes to procrastination, I’m unbeatable. Ask my sister. She knows that I still have boxes in my room. Unpacked.

But when I sit and try to do something, focus and set my mind on completing it, I actually get work done. I haven’t been impressed with myself for a long time. A REALLY LONG TIME.

Anyway, back to my Shakespeare essay, I’m glad I’m half done and used my brain a little more today.

Across the street from where I live is the majestic Fitzwilliam Museum.

We had a class in there today and no, it’s not Shakespeare. I took another class called Art and Satire and am totally in love with it. I dare say, even more than Shakespeare. I had to fly 6500 miles here to discover that I’m not that into Shakespeare anymore. But I’ll hold that thought because I’m visiting Oxford and Stratford this Sunday and I might change my mind :p Downright fickle, me.

If I were still in uni (in Cambridge), I’d do another major in Art History. Why am I in love with subjects that literally help me make NO money? I have no idea why. It’s the arts, my dear. We don’t do it for the money, do we? And my teaching job in which I absolutely adore pays me measly buttons and heaps of dust bunnies. It’s the joy and satisfaction that the people whom I work with, gives me. 

If I ever tell my parents this, they’ll say in a very loving way, “Don’t be stupid. Nobody lives on happiness alone.” I know that to be very true but unfortunately, the things I love to do just gives me no money but makes me so happy. 

What the jolly heck. :) I hope you have found what you love to do the most. Confucius said something along these lines, “Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” :) I’ll tell you, that’s sound advice.