Some kind of crisis

So I made a nice dinner last night and even had CH over. I cooked YK's favourite tom yum soup of course. There was something for everyone - spicy mussels, stir fried broccoli, celery and cauliflower, steamed promfret and a fresh salad. Even Rusty was treated to a tasty meal of pork and rice. World War II is finally over in our household.

I learned a new salad dressing while watching TV at the embassy yesterday. Mix one part vinegar with 3 parts olive oil, add some mustard and stir to form vinaigrette salad dressing. I added a dash of truffle oil which gave the entire salad such an aromatic lift.

Dinner was eaten in a hurry because YK had (another) tank crisis. His uva (sea lettuce) decided to go asexual (whatever that means) just before dinner, clouding the entire tank within minutes. Fearing that the tank may crash, YK wanted to do a water change immediately. We gobbled our dinner and rushed to the marine shop to buy salt water before it closed for the night.

YK's passion for his marine tank is as deep as my love of gardening, so I can understand and empathise. I'm also facing some sort of crisis in my garden. The beautiful tomato plants are slowly dying one by one, I'm on the verge of tearing my hair out.

While he has enough test kits and equipment to make him look like a marine biologist, I can't stop acquiring seeds, containers and manure like a veritable vegetable farmer. Next on my list is worms. Yes, worms to make worm cast which is a great natural fertiliser.

YK's interest in marine life has led him to a job offer. A young start-up has decided to milk his knowledge and has given him a job as a 'marine fish identifier'. He started work yesterday at our local university, setting up a database of marine fishes.

Basically it is a data entry job which pays very little but I'm all for it. It's a great learning experience for him. Besides, being surrounded by undergraduates will inspire him to be more diligent. If he's going to key in characteristics of marine fishes and corals into an excel spreadsheet over the next 3 weeks, he'll become an expert at the end of the stint. So it is all good.

My washing machine broke down again this morning, sending the house into total darkness at 6am when the power tripped. I can't believe this is happening again. My mum's washer was trouble-free for more than 10 years. Mine is barely 8 months old!

"I think you must have over-used it." YK said when he saw my exasperation. A washing machine should be able to do several loads a day. I'm guilty of doing up to 5 loads a day during the weekends.

What I need is a better machine. Maybe an industrial size one that can handle the bedsheets, comforters and everything else at one go. I can live without a TV but I can't survive with my washer! It's back to wringing and scrubbing clothes again.