2018 weekly - Week 52

23-29/2018

Well, last week of 2018. This year has been busy and gone reasonably ok. Healthwise, we have been blessed. I managed to keep up with my gym momentum up until December. Not to bad, said myself. Workwise, well, the place is as dreadful as ever but I persevere. Self-learning side, I took my french exam and have continued my class. I hope to go as far as possible.

Nadine and I met again in Cambridge with her lovely daughter. It's so nice to catch up again after a long while. I don't know why modern life makes many of us too busy for others but I will try to do better in the future.

2018 weekly - Week 51

16-22/12/2018

Spent my last two weeks this year in a lovely warm city with lots of good food. Steak, teppanyaki, beer house and roast ducks are just some things I've been treated. Thank you family and friends.

2018 weekly - Week 50

12/12/2018

The usual pre-holiday rush for all (un)imaginable things.

We have a Christmas special today at the French class. We are all supposed to dress up in one way or another but I just couldn't bring myself to buy a Christmas jumper.

So I improvised to wear a red blouse and wrapped myself with some tinsels. Good enough to bring the holiday atmosphere.

13/12/2018

This year BBC has lots of drama box sets. I watched three excellent ones, Killing Eve, The Informer and The Little Drummer Girl. They are all excellent with gripping and realistic stories. I have to say, the lead female actors in Killing Eve and The Little Drummer Girl are breathtakingly brilliant. And I am becoming a firm fan of John Le Carre's novels.

2018 weekly - Week 49

06/12/2018

I took my DELF exam today. It went rather well, enough to pass, even though I realised I made a grammatical mistake right after I stepped out the test centre.

It's a funny experience to take an official exam again after so many years. It's also reassuring to know that the little grey cells are still working.

So let's aim for A2 next year!

07/12/2018

Holidays start unofficially today!

2018 weekly - Week 48

29/11/2018

I am feeling back more of my normal self now. I tried just one fitness class today instead of my normal two. At the end of the class, I can see my body is telling me that she is ok.

Good to be back to my healthy self.


30/11/2018

I couldn't wait any longer so I warm my stollen slightly and brush (again) with butter and dust with icing sugar.

Oh, my, lord.

Now I know why people can't stop just having one slice! It's criminally moreish!


01/12/2018

Last prepa class today. Then it'll be the exam!

2018 weekly - Week 47

Feeling rather poorly this week. Lack of energy due to a number of reasons. And the French exam is making me slightly nervous. Well, all will be well.

I made my first stollen. A lot easier than I thought. It's almost like a cake process but with yeast as the leavening agent. I am letting the stollen "mature" for a week before tasting. The aroma is incredible!

2018 weekly - Week 46

11/11/2018

Armistice day. Hats off to all those who strive to make the world a better place. You are not forgotten.


12/11/2018

What a chaotic weekend. Starting with a letter from council via our trouble maker tenants to electric shower wouldn't turn off and finished off with wrong content from a takeaway. No matter. We are tough cookies too and when we work together, we solve problems.

13/11/2018

This is going to be a very busy week. I hope to ease back a little after coming back from the work trip this Friday.

16/11/2018

Got mild food poisoning during the work trip. It's the second time I got sick because of Thai food. Recovering from home today.

17/11/2018

Saw the dentist in the morning and review the procedure. Scary but I have to go ahead.

Went to my DELF prepa class in the afternoon as I am hoping that three prepa classes are enough to pass. The teachers are really good and I have a feeling that I'm going to improve (and certainly hoping to pass) after three weeks.

2018 weekly - Week 45

04/11/2018

I finished last batch of quinces this weekend. 5kg of them, I am glad to see the end of it. They keep well in our cold room, 1 month on still perfuming (and hard). I got 14-15 jars out of those quinces this time. Highly fragrant and nicely set. The key is really to keep the ratio right between raw quinces and the water during the juice extraction stage. Even if you may need to add more water, just remember all the extra water needs to boil off later.

05/11/2018

My first dentist visit. Dreaded.

07/11/2018

A pretty good French class for me, probably not much listening this time. Listening to an audio clip remains the toughest for me.

2018 weekly - Week 44

28/10/2018

1. Ox cheek is back to my local supermarket!

2. Two whole pieces of ox cheeks get fork tender after 45 minutes in the pressure cooker. Miracle.

29/10/2018

I think I may have found my favorite cookie recipe. Recipe found here!

2018 weekly - Week 43

26/10/2018

This week finished well with a news that our paper was accepted with minor revisions and pretty nice comments from the referees.

Life is built on those small but reassuring delights.

Have a good weekend.

2018 weekly - Week 42

14/10/2018

Made this very popular Chunky Lola Cookies from the Flour Bakery. The recipe is easy to work with and produces cookies with excellent flavor. With oats, coconut, nuts and chocolate chips, the texture is more complex than other cookies. It's worth a try. It's funny to see hubby sneak downstairs to have a cookie.  Well, I pretend not to notice the dwindling cookie number.

I shaped my cookie dough in golf ball size and baked at 180C for 15 minutes. The result is golden/crisp on the edges and soft in the domed center. Next time I will try substitute ground almond for half of the desiccated coconut, bake with the dough slightly flattened in the center.

19/10/2018

Came home after 9pm four days this week. Feeling quite exhausted by now. Frozen cookie dough is a great thing. Each time I bake 4-5 cookies, straight from the freezer. They bake well but don't spread as much. If I have time, I let the cookie soften at the room temperature and flatten the cookie dough. That creates a nice round cookie for me every time.

ps. after resting the cookie a few days, the Lola cookie texture is less coarse, probably the coconut (and the oat) has time to absorb some moisture. It tastes even better this way.

2018 weekly - Week 41

12/10/2018

How does vitamin C help iron absorption?

Just watched BBC's health program which discusses iron absorption this time. Most bioavailable iron comes from red meat. Although some plants (cabbage or broccoli) are iron rich, they are not as bioavailable as red meat regarding iron. Cooking is one reason which most vegetables lose iron in the first place. However, spinach is one exception. When cooked, the iron bioavailability increases by 55%! This is because iron is bound to oxalate in raw spinach. Cooking/boiling releases the iron from the oxalate. How wonderful for a spinach fan to know this tip!

Another thing I learned is that iron comes in the form of enriched food such as flour, cereal and so on is not very bioavailable. Well, how naive I was thinking that just because it's in the food it will get absorbed fine?!

One recommendation to help iron absorption is to have vitamin C at the same time. For instance, drinking orange juice while having breakfast cereal (maybe hubby is on to something!). The reason why vitamin C helps iron absorption is two folds. First, vitamin C prevent iron forming unabsorable complex. Secondly, perhaps more crucially, it reduces ferric ion to ferrous which is the bioavailable form of iron.

Oh, coffee, unfortunately, prevents iron absorption. The reason being the polyphenols in coffee trap iron which becomes unavailable. Something to think about for a coffee drinker like me.

I love chemistry.

2018 weekly - Week 40

30/09/3018

Week 40, really? Already? Where has time gone?

Hubby came back from a conference with an assortment of products representing four corners of United Kingdom. So today we had potato farls (Irish) and Welsh cakes for our Sunday brunch. I had my afternoon tea with some chocolate shortbread (Scottish). Thank you friends, the gift tastes great and the thought makes us feel loved.

A bottle of gin is waiting in our drink cupboard.

01/10/2018

The song has to put in the context in the drama series to appreciate but Killing Eve has a great soundtrack overall. Can't stop listening.

Il Voyage is one of the songs appearing when the killer is out and free in an obscure Paris street corner. This song turned out to be an old one, first released by Francoise Hardy in 1969 and re-released in 1989. Which version do you like?

02/10/2018

I now dread every time I go to my French class. Now at a level higher, I went from one of the best students to one of the worst. I know it means I have to work, and work harder. That's the whole purpose of studying at a level higher. But oh my world it's not a nice feeling to know you are one of the worst and you know everyone's secret wish is not to work with you during a conversation act?

Now I got it all out. Yes, I know I had it easy for my first year with Beginner's French. And I was very lucky to have a very patient teacher. That really convinces me to go further. I know I could improve more if I just study a little bit harder...

Back to the French.

2018 weekly - Week 39

27/09/2018

Delivered an improved talk today. I gave myself 85%, improved from 79% back in May.

28/09/2018

Talked to a headhunter for a position in China. I did it mostly out of curiosity. Very tempting, I must say.

2018 weekly - Week 38

16/09/2018

Made this simple creme as a quick dessert. Very yummy.

- 250 g Mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup lemon curd
- 170 g 0% Greek Yogurt (a small pot)
- zest and juice from 1 lemon

Stir everything together into a smooth mixture. This could serve six people. Chill for 2 hours (at least) before serving.

21/09/2018

Killing Eve is addictive! Excellent acting all around.

2018 weekly - Week 37

12/09/2018

First French class after the summer break. Disaster. Couldn't catch any word from a 2 and half minute video about le break. What on earth would I know about the break dance but that's not the point. My listening is really poor, even though my reading, writing and speaking is not bad.

I need a therapy session.


13/09/2018

I felt that I've earned my next trip to collaboration meetings. FYA.

2018 weekly - Week 36

08/09/2018

Pleased with my work this work. Energised by the feeling after scientific exchange. This is what gives me buzz. I can't deny it, despite how unpleasant the surroundings are.

2018 weekly - Week 35

26/08/2018

We are back to the familiar British weather. Sun, rain, clouds and blue sky all in one hour. Now it looks like it's going to catch up with the rain we didn't have for two months. Well, can't really complain. High 16C today, eerily familiarly comforting.

Binge-watched BBC's 1995 Pride and Prejudice last night. Now I understand why people just can't stop talking about it. It's such a classic with excellent acting. Mrs Bennett is unbearable with a few silly daughters to match. I resisted with all my power not to fast forward when she rants. Really wondered why Mr Bennett decided to marry her but hey ho. Yes, the obvious stars are Miss Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy. Yes the production is more than 20 years old but it feels refreshingly modern. I love it.

27/08/2018

Made a seriously evil thing today called Banana Caramel Pudding which is actually custard. You are supposed to start with white sugar and make caramel, add banana puree and finish fresh cream in the end (did you smell this already?) but I already have salted caramel sitting in the fridge. So I heated salted caramel first and added banana puree. The smell is intoxicating. Then the pudding was made by adding eggs, milk and cornstarch. I have to exercise greatest restraint not to woof down in one go.

Glad to have another way to solve my two-banana conundrum*, other than smoothie or banana bread.

*I always seem to have two overripe bananas sitting staring at me whenever I buy bananas.

2018 weekly - Week 34

19/08/2018

Having lots of fun with pressure cooker today. The first trial was a bit disaster as I managed to burn the pot. It turned out that I forgot to turn the black valve to the "cooking position" which locks in the steam! I was wondering why the cooker didn't build up the pressure the whole time. Well, I refreshed my manual and learned to clean the burned pot with baking soda and hot water. And the food did cook through and completely edible. Not too bad overall.

Then I pressure braised chicken drum sticks with soy sauce. 5 minutes under full pressure and meat fell off the bone. Magic.

Finally I pressure braised beef brisket. 40 minutes under full pressure and the beef is fork tender.

Looks like this is going to be my favorite piece of equipment for a while.

20/08/2018

I've been doing Body Pump for a few months. It's weight lifting to strengthen key areas of muscles. I just love it. It's less cardio but more resistance training which complements my whole routine well. But I also like the tone and pace of the class. It's much less quick quick as fast as you can but really take your time to make sure you work on specific muscle areas properly.

However, recently I noticed my knees got particularly sore or even painful after my much loved Pump class. Not sure whether it's because of the new routine (they change the class routine quarterly), or I am still rather new to the class (just a few months), or just wrong posture. After talking to my instructor, she suggested me to really pay attention to my squats, making sure that my knees are really aligned with the third/fourth toe (i.e. a bit outward). Frequently, doing squats with weights on the shoulder can put stress on the knees if they cave in or are only aligned with the first/second toe (with feet angled outward 5-20 degrees). And that was exactly how I did my squats, even with her saying every time to push the knees out. I just didn't realize how far out my knees should go. The caved-in knees and the pushed out ones can differ just by 5 degrees! I noticed that I have to tighten up my thigh muscles further to position the knees correctly. I guess that's the whole point of strengthening the muscles.

I am happy to report that since I really paid attention to my knee position, I no longer have painful knees after the class. So glad that I can continue my Pump class again.

22/08/2018

I probably had 2 kilos of sweet potato this week. No particular reason, because 1) I like them and 2) the other half is away for work. I have tried to cook them two ways, one by pressure cooker and one by microwave. The pressure cooker method via steaming is quick (5 minutes at high pressure) and the result is good, albeit a bit watery. The sweet potatoes I get in the UK tend to be more watery than the regular potatoes here or sweet potatoes from Asia. So steaming by pressure cooker, although fast, is not going to improve much on the watery texture. Next I tried microwave. The timing varies with sweet potato size and microwave power but generally 3-5 minutes one side, turn the sweet potatoes over, and another 3-5 minutes. Microwave seems to be the way to go for cooking convenience and texture, as it produces drier texture. Although longer than the pressure cooker, still much faster than the conventional methods with stove-top or oven. I think I will stick with microwave for sweet potatoes in the future.

2018 weekly - Week 33

12/08/2018

The heatwave may truly be gone, after two months of relentless high mercury level. We had rain twice this weekend. Good for everyone, not just plants.

I made fragrant chili oil today. I enjoy the sensation from chili but not the numbness it brings to my tongue. Most chili sauce/oil from Chinese grocery stores are too spicy for me to enjoy the chili fragrance. So I made my own today with Gochugaru (korean chili flakes), just mildly spicy but mightily aromatic.

Not-Spicy Chili Oil

- 1 cup of korean coarse chili flakes (gochugaru, go for the mildest version if you have to choose)
- 1/2 tablespoon of ground white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese 5-spice
- 1.5 teaspoons of table salt
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of stock powder (optional)
- 1.5 tablespoons of coarsely ground Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon of minced ginger
- 2 green onions, minced
- 1.5 cup of neutral tasting oil (I used canola)

To stir in towards in the end
- 3 tablespoons of garlic granules
- 2 tablespoons of fried shallots or dried onion flakes
- 2 tablespoons of white sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

Mix chili flakes, white pepper, 5-spice, salt, sugar and stock powder if using in a bowl and set aside.

In a 14/16-cm round pot, heat the oil with Szechuan peppercorns and minced ginger on medium-low heat. Heat the oil gently so that it brings out the spice aroma without darkening. When the bubbling noise turns low (meaning the ginger moisture almost gone), add in green onions. Stir and make sure you don't burn the green onions. When the splattering noise has quietened again, stir in the chili mixture. Stir a few times to combine and remove from the heat. Mix in garlic granules, fried shallots or dried onion flakes and sesame seeds. Let the mixture cool to body temperature and stir in the sesame oil.

Bottle the chili sauce in sterilized jars. I got two Bonne Maman jars plus a few table spoons extra.