Devastated

I didn't read the newspapers yesterday because our office canteen had sold every copy before I arrived. I managed to scan through some headlines on the Internet and all I saw were natural disasters.

Last night, CH texted to ask if I felt any tremours. Apparently he could feel the effects of a huge earthquake in Sumatra while sitting at the balcony. Naturally the earthquake is on the front page in today's papers.

First, there was the freak sandstorm that descended upon the beautiful city of Sydney. Then Manila was innundated with the worst flood in decades. After that, Samoa was hit by a massive tsunami. And Typhoon Ketsana left a trail of destruction across Vietnam and Cambodia.

I emailed my client in Ho Chi Minh to ask if everyone's ok. Thankfully, the areas that they are in have been spared. I heaved a sigh of relief. My colleague who's in charge of collectibles voiced her relief, "Luckily! Or else I think we can forget about getting paid!"

She's being practical of course.

Reading about these natural disasters is very sobering. We often take what we have for granted but imagine the sorry state the affected areas are in now. They're out of food and homes, and they're struggling to survive. When disaster strikes, the rich and the poor are all in the same boat.

Working with leftovers

I cooked too much last night and ended up with lots of leftovers today. Guess what I did with the chicken casserole? I converted it into a fish casserole!

I sauteed some fresh button mushroom in garlic and olive oil which I then poured into the casserole dish. Afterwhich I added the cooked dory slices from last night's dinner, some sliced potatoes and topped with the leftover casserole. The dish was covered with aluminium foil before being sent into the oven for an hour.

The fish became more delicious after soaking in the juice from the fresh mushroom, everyone has fallen in love with casserole now.

We had so much leftover cabbage too, I simply added more fresh cabbage and sweetcorn (fresh from the cob) to jazz up the dish. Indeed, the crunchy and juicy corn made the dish extra delicious!

The only new dish was ngoh hiang (meat rolls) made using minced pork, shrimps, chopped water chestnut, onion and shallots. It was so well received that Rusty didn't get to eat any.

Thank goodness we have no leftover food tonight. I don't really like working with leftovers.

Family portrait

So, this is a family portrait without the kids.

Just Rusty and me.

Photos were taken by SK.

East or West?

I used to wonder why some friends of mine move about so much but now I'm beginning to see why. A year ago, I moved out of my parent's house in the West to an apartment in the East.

I fell in love with the patio garden and made an offer immediately. The fact that it was perched on a hilltop added to the charm. It didn't occur to me that the train station and bus-stops are quite a distance away.

At that time, CH was living nearby. I thought it was nice to be in the same neighbourhood so he could come for dinner or go running with me. It was great for several months, until he relocated.

Of course, it helped that YK's school was merely 5km away then. Now he has to travel all the way to the West everyday. After a long train journey, he has to tackle the uphill climb to get home. When he's running late, he takes a cab.

I should have been more far-sighted for I'm beginning to have second thoughts now. Perhaps I should look for a place in the west, one that is nearer to the kids' schools, universities and my parent's home? It should be easily accessible, yet secluded enough to offer enough privacy. I would like a bright house with bigger rooms and a decent garden.

Oh, but it sounds so out of reach already. I don't think this is happening anytime soon but at least I can dream about it.

Chicken casserole

The nearest wet market is closed for renovations during the next three weeks. For the time being, I'll be relying on the supermarket for fresh food. I don't think their seafood and vegetables are quite as fresh, so I have been stocking up my fridge with frozen food like chicken, cod and dory.

As a result, tonight's dinner is slightly different. After the dory fillets have been thawed, I seasoned them with garlic pepper before pan-frying in olive oil and butter. When they've become nicely browned and fragrant, I squeezed some lemon juice over the succulent pieces.

Instead of leafy greens, I've bought cabbage, french beans, potatoes, turnip and other vegetables that do not perish quickly. Tonight, I made a simple vegetable dish using cabbage, beans and canned sweetcorn.

Since I was home early, I had more than enough time to make chicken casserole. I browned two pieces of chicken fillets in a pan. Then I added sliced onion, celery and potatoes and cooked for about ten minutes. I carefully layered the casserole dish with the cooked ingredients before topping off with sliced button mushrooms and canned mushroom soup.

I covered the dish with a piece of aluminium foil and placed it into the oven for an hour. It may be my first attempt but the dish turned out lovely!

And here is SK's plate piled with so much food, the rice is not even visible!

YK's marine tank

I got home early today after another delivery run. Since nobody was home, I decided to park myself in the living room instead of retreating to my bedroom as usual. It was quiet save for the sound of water from YK's marine tank.

From where I was sitting, I suddenly realised how gorgeous his tank is. For a while I was mersmerised by the sight of colourful fishes swimming about and coral tentacles waving in all directions.

Now I understand why YK is so enamoured with his tank, so much so that he intends to learn scuba diving so that he can explore a real marine reef some day.

In less than a year, he has become quite an expert as he reads extensively about marine life. Some friends think I'm too indulgent, saying this is an expensive hobby for a teenager. While I agree it's not cheap, YK uses his savings and allowance to fund his hobby.

Well, insteading of spending frivolously on arcade games, clothes and food, he has aquired lots of knowledge and met many other reefers on the forum. Besides, the tank keeps him busy and teaches him discipline. I think it's a pretty decent hobby afterall.

Front view. My digital camera doesn't do enough justice to the beauty of the tank.

Side view.

Priceless

I delivered some gardening kits to a playschool in the city this morning. Standing at the school gate amongst happy kids of all nationalities brought back memories of the days when I sent my kids to playschool. How I miss the chatter and cheekiness of the little ones!

The teachers gathered around excitedly when they saw me. I have a soft spot for this school even though the order is a small one. Unlike the other schools, the teachers here are paying out of their own pockets to give the kids a fun experience in growing vegetables. How noble is that?

They showed genuine interest and listened attentively when I was dishing out some practical advice on vegetable growing. As I witnessed groups of little kids entering the school gate with big smiley faces, I knew I would be happy to send my little ones there if I had any.

It makes me proud that I've gone into a business that will enrich the lives of children in some way. Not in a big way, but at least I hope it encourages them to respect and appreciate mother nature.

When it comes to business, I've always maintained a policy that it mustn't involve keeping livestock (like rearing, breeding or trading of live animals in case they die under my care), killing of animals for food or anything that endangers the lives of animals or people, regardless of how profitable it is.

There are many other avenues to make money. If you can find one that helps to enrich the life of people, the reward is priceless. Like seeing the joy on a kid's face.

A day in the life of Blur Ting

I'm beginning to feel more and more like a blue collar worker. I spent the whole Saturday packing soil and I was loading big carton boxes onto the delivery van last night. That's for the gardening business of course.

This morning, I was at a coffee roasting factory to view a shipping container that they wish to sell. After spending 10 minutes there, I walked out smelling like a giant coffee bean. The smell of coffee lingered in my hair and clothes for an hour or so. Even my car smells of coffee now.

Then I went to a huge expressway construction site along East Coast to view another container office. I drove along a long and dusty road, feeling so tiny amongst the huge trucks and cement mixers ferrying materials to the work site.

That's not the worst part. I arrived at the site office, parked my car and hopped on the foreman's truck. Then he drove through the bumpiest unpaved road filled with massive portholes to get to the container office.

I was lurching about in the truck, I almost threw up. When we arrived at the site, I had to wear a helmet like the worker below. Mine was a yellow one. The foreman was kind enough to select the cleanest one :-)


The weather today is hot! I felt so sorry for the people working under the blistering heat. I was there for barely 30 minutes and I could feel the strain. I was in my dress and espadrilles, and the workers feared that I would trip and fall as I went about surveying the container.

Maybe because my job has been getting more labourious, I have been desperately looking for feminine dresses and clothes when I'm out shopping. The clothes that I've recently acquired reek of feminity and my hair is getting way too long, it's becoming too impractical. I see this as a fear of losing my feminity. But still, the other part of me screams that I need a haircut. I think I'll go for a trim this evening.

Duck soup

I know Mum misses my cooking. I made her some chicken stew for dinner one evening I was there and she loved it so much, she wanted me to teach her maid how to cook it.

My cooking style is simple really. Using commonsense and experience, one can easily coax beautiful flavours out of fresh ingredients. When it comes to making soups, I like to brown onions and meat with a dash of olive oil until lightly caramalised before adding in stock or water. It definitely tastes better than dumping everything into a pot of water to boil.

Today, I suddenly developed a craving for a dish I grew up eating. For some reason, Chinese Teochews love eating duck. I miss my late-grandma's braised duck and I remember drinking duck soup on rainy nights.

The weather's probably too hot for one to think of the hearty kiam chye duck soup but I went to the supermarket anyway to get a fresh duck and kiam chye (salted vegetables). I couldn't find any in the poultry section but I was so determined to make the dish that I bought a frozen duck from Taiwan which costs twice as much.

After thawing out the duck (a huge one by the way), I chopped it into quarters before popping it into the oven for about 20 minutes. The heat helps to remove the layer of fat beneath the skin.

When the pot of water started to boil, I added the duck pieces, kiam chye, ginger, sour plums, fresh tomatoes, an onion and a clove of garlic. I left the pot of soup to simmer for two hours until the meat is tender. For seasoning, I added in a splash of chinese wine (some people use brandy), a small piece of rock sugar and some pepper.

It's still boiling on the stove and the house is filled with a lovely smell. I'm sure my mum and the rest of the family will love the dinner surprise.

So unfair!

While best friend and I were packing soil in the hot and dusty shed, CH was out kayaking under the clear blue sky with his best friend! I could strangle him!

Well, I shouldn't be complaining because I was the one who told him to take the day off when he offered to help. It's not fair to make him do this mundane task every weekend right?

But please spare me your Kodak moments!

After a day of fun in the sun, he went out for dinner in Little India before catching a midnight movie with his best friend. By then, my best friend and I had crashed out after a day of toiling at the farm.

While I'll be catching up with housework today, guess what he'll be up to? Archery sessions under the sun. Uggh!!

Saturday madness

Now that we're more adept at packing the gardening kits, we finished the job in double quick time today. Of course it helped that EE stopped by to lend a hand. Her mum chipped in too. It was good fun. Thanks EE!

Once the kits are delivered next week, I can take a breather and claim back my Saturdays again. I didn't even find time to read the papers today, which is a rarity.

Something funny happened tonight. The kids and I were looking forward to a hearty dinner at my parent's home as usual but when we got there, they had already finished eating. Apparently mum wasn't expecting us for dinner, so she didn't prepare our meals. I must have told her more than once that we were coming.

This is not the first time it has happened. Mum's already deaf in one ear and I fear her hearing in the good ear is deteriorating. I do feel sorry for her.

The kids were starving, so we ended up buying food from the food court nearby. The day is already coming to an end, I look forward to a more relaxing Sunday.

Newbies and oldies

A customer from Bombay has been keeping me very busy lately. K and her colleagues have left their employer and banded together to start up a new company. I can see how they're just bursting with enthusiasm. I receive enquiries from their local office during the day and a flurry of phone calls, text messages and emails in the night, even when I'm falling asleep.

I'm not complaining of course. Any enquiry during this downturn is a positive sign. The customer knows they're king, so they drive a good bargain. Sometimes I relent so that I could close the deal and go to bed.

Seeing a group of driven entrepreneurs hard at work is very inspiring. No matter which country they're from, most entrepreneurs are just as self driven and courageous.

My good friend had recently left a huge corporation to strike out on her own. Yesterday she disclosed that she's been doing very well. While the big corporations are financially strong, they often move like an 800-pound gorilla. When it comes to negotiating a deal, you often have to be nimble to clinch the contract. More often than not, big companies are bogged down by office politics and red tape that they lose out to entrepreneurs like my friend. She's loving her new life outside the corporate jungle.

Another business associate I was chatting with today sounded a little disenchanted. I could see why. His wife and kids have already migrated to Australia while he had chosen to stay behind in Malaysia to tend to his business. Today, he's back at work after spending a month with the family in the beautiful Melbourne suburbs fishing in the creek, driving to the countryside, seeking new business opportunities and generally, having a good time.

He revealed that he has grown accustomed to the Australian lifestyle, he finds it a pain to be back in the humid and dusty homeland. He had left his heart in his new Australian home where his family now resides.

He is in a dilemma of course. His business is here but his family is over there. The business suffers when he's not around. That poor man will have to choose.

Unlike the newly minted entrepreneurs, this industry veteran has been in the same business for the longest time. He's feeling a little jaded and homesick. I'm sure he'll find the answer soon.

Small world

EE treated me to Japanese lunch this afternoon. She had been traveling, so it was great to catch up with her before she jets off again. As usual, we spent hours chatting and laughing. That was when we realised how small the world is.

First of all, I thought I spotted an old admirer in the mall. Even though I went through great lengths to avoid him, I ended up sitting behind him in the same restaurant. Halfway through lunch, EE's brother suddenly appeared before us. He was eating at Subway when he spotted us in the restaurant.

While chatting with EE, I found out that her daughter's (EH, my god-daughter) in the preschool that ordered our gardening kit for Children's Day next week. As it turns out, the school principal Melissa is a friend of EE's cousin. Melissa is now my customer and EH will be growing vegetables next week!

Talking about vegetables, I cooked my kai lan (kale) for dinner tonight. I had harvested them a little too late, so the stems were too fibrous and chewy.

There wasn't enough kale to feed the family, so I stir-fried some sprouts (dou miao) as well.

For protein, I seasoned salmon with salt, pepper and olive oil before chucking it into the oven for some 30 minutes.

I also made a seafood Cioppino using fresh mussells and shrimps cooked in spicy tomato stock. It looks messy but tastes delicious!

Finally, I made YK's favourite tofu drenched in sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce and topped with chopped shallots and lightly fried anchovies.

It was a simple but satisfying dinner!

Old times' sake

Out of a sudden, CH started reminiscing about the food at Purvis Street. When his office was in one of those beautifully conserved shophouses several years ago, we used to meet at the Kopitiam for breakfast especially on rainy mornings.

Well, we decided to revisit the cafe today for old times' sake. The street was quieter than usual when we arrived at 7.15am, largely due to some road closures for the F1 race this weekend. Other than some newly sprouted cafes, everything else looked pretty much the same.

The thick and rich coffee at Killiney still tastes as aromatic and satisfying as before. My favourite yam cake didn't disappoint either. We ate and read the papers like everyone else. The freak dust storm in Australia kept me so engrossed that when I lifted my head, the sky outside had suddenly turned dark and threatening, as if I was caught in the Sydney storm. Then it started to rain.

That's how unpredictable our tropical weather is. Of course I also read that Lewis Hamilton and the other drivers will be checking out the F1 track today. I hope the rain doesn't hamper their plans.

On the way to the car, we stopped by Garibaldi Restaurant to check out the menu. This highly acclaimed restaurant has always been here yet we had never made any attempt to try their award winning Italian dishes. CH suggested we should eat there one day. Perhaps we should, when he starts reminiscing about the food on Purvis Street again.

When we left the city, the roads were wet and strewn with fallen leaves. It brought back memories of our breakfasts together. Just like old times.

Bleary eyed

I went back to the farm yesterday afternoon to tape another 20 carton boxes so that we can dive straight into packing this Saturday. We should be able to finish packing another 700 kits, albeit faster this time.

Man, I feel so tired today. My eyes can barely stay open as I sit here at my desk. It's only 10am and I'm tempted to have another cup of coffee to keep myself awake.

YK received his final results this morning. He's happy and has gone out to celebrate with his friends. They have been treating the first semester like a honeymoon, and I'm sure he can do better if he gets his act together. I had warned him that the next semester will only get tougher.

I've been meaning to bring him on a mini-vacation before his new term starts in October. "Who's going to take care of my marine tank and Rusty?"

"The corals and fishes can go without food for a week. Rusty can go live in the boarding house." I replied.

After contemplating, he's willing to forgo the vacation unless I'm insistent on going that is. Well, a beach holiday would be nice but I guess we'll just wait a little longer. Who knows how long I can wait? I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I leave him behind with the pets.

Kaching!

My fingers are stiff and achy from taping carton boxes yesterday. Who would imagine securing carton boxes with sticky tape could be so strenuous? Maybe it's just age catching up on me or could the process of lugging carton boxes around be taking a toll on my body?

I'm not complaining because I love doing physical work like this every now and then. For once, we didn't have to use our brains very much. We were joking that we could become quite retarded if it becomes a full time job. Last night, CH even found the entire exercise 'oddly fun'. I guess if I make him help out every weekend, it wouldn't be fun anymore!

We're already half way through with the packing. One more session this weekend, and we're ready to get the delivery guys in. In fact, we're very encouraged by the good response from the schools in Singapore.

Looking back, it took us months of research and brainstorming to get the product ready. It helps that my parents are so supportive and liberal in letting us use the facilities and resources anytime we like. We've practically invaded every area we possibly could, from the farm to the store, warehouse and even the kitchen.

We don't have many photos of us at work but here, you can see best friend blending soil in a big tub according to our 'secret' recipe. It's a very tiring job but she's a strong and fit girl.

As usual, cute Cookie was amused with the sudden flurry of activity around him. He must have been annoyed that his peace was interrupted all day.

Our tenant's tiny chihuahua kept running over to sniff at our feet, wondering what the fuss was all about.

Oh well, the dogs can sleep soundly again today. They had better enjoy the peace because we'll be back on Saturday to complete the packing. And then, we can sit back and hear the cash register go kaching!

Our little sideline

After a long hard day of work at the farm, I am finally winding down with a cold refreshing glass of Choya honey plum wine.

Best friend, CH and I spent all day assembling gardening kits for pre-schools. It's back-breaking work but we enjoyed the process thoroughly. I managed to lose some weight and tone some muscles in the last two weeks!

The company is still in its infancy stage, so we're doing everything ourselves. From sifting soil to pasting labels and packing carton boxes, we've done it all. Fortunately it's a public holiday or else it wouldn't make economic sense for us to apply annual leave to pack gardening soil from dawn to dusk. I guess we just have to start somewhere. We constantly remind ourselves Bill Gates started his business in the backyard too.

Midway through our packing, I received a message from my reader Petunia asking if I was alright. I haven't been updating my blog and didn't think anyone would notice my absence. I must apologise for making anyone worried. Don't worry, I'm alive and kicking! It's not that easy to get rid of me you know!

I'm bushed after all the physical work, and I'm sure the other guys must be worn out too. If this business proves to be successful, I have many people to thank especially CH who has been so supportive all along. He could have spent the holiday doing something more interesting than packing soil, yet he toiled quietly without a sigh. I'm a really lucky girl!

Gift from my nieces

I received an adorable gift from my niece yesterday. She presented me with a lovely watering can and a hand-made card. She's barely four, yet she's able to draw a picture of us in a garden.

Her little 2-year-old sister drew a face too. I wonder if the big head affixed to the teeny weeny body is a caricature of me?!

It's always so wonderful to see my nieces. They're truly happy when I visit and would always plead with me to stay with them all day.

Entrepreneurs

Not too long ago, I started a blog about business and I've decided to reproduce some of the posts here for anyone who's interested to become an entrepreneur one day.

As a business owner, I know lots of other entrepreneurs like me. Many of them are very close business associates. As I mingle with them over the years, I find that most of us speak the same lingo even though we're all from different parts of the world.

So, there seem to be some common traits of entrepreneurs. Maybe some are born this way, whereas other simply evolve over time. Some obvious characteristics include:

1. We work harder than anyone else. We are exchanging emails or talking over the phone at all hours of the day, and we never complain about the long hours that we put in. Well, it's our business afterall.

2. We are willing to fly across time zones to meet customers or suppliers if we have to. We do it because we know it makes a difference to our business. We do so willingly.

3. We don't like to haggle over small things and we believe in sharing ideas and leads. To have a small percentage of a big pie is much better than having an entire small pie to yourself.

4. We have the vision to see what is possible. We think of all ways to overcome roadblocks to turn our vision into reality.

5. We are passionate, not only about the business but other things in general. Some of my business friends are passionate about golf or sailing.

6. We are not smarter than anyone else. In fact, most of us did not excel in school. We're probably more opportunistic and willing to take action. In other words...have control over our lives.

7. We don't give up easily. I have known many successful entrepreneurs who fall, pick themselves up quickly and start over again. We have the never-say-die attitude.

The big idea

My gardening business is up and running, the container business is already 7 years old and I'm already starting another new project. My mind is always churning out new ideas and in my state of excitement, nothing seems impossible! If I'm beginning to look like a jack of all trades, I can't help it. It's just the entrepreneur in me.

I must admit some of the stupidest ideas had crossed my mind but hey, weird ideas may work sometimes. While alot of impractical ideas have ended up in the bin, I'm still not discouraged.

Reading the success stories in today's special supplement on "The Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 - A Rotary-ASME Award" only inspires me to work harder. The top entrepreneurs represent diverse industries like healthcare, F&B, construction, retail and logistics etc.

If they can be successful, I don't see why other people cannot make it. What these winners have is the drive, passion and willingness to work harder than everyone else.

I know that as long as I don't stop thinking and dreaming, I will hit the big idea one day.