Any Singaporeans Staying In Overseas

[mrs_n]

Oh dear! Luckily most drivers here are quite polite don't honk even when I drive like a turtle unlike in S'pore.

Was a bit afraid of driving here too at the beginning because the speed limits are set much higher but think I've gotten used to it. Don't worry I'm sure you'll get by. Just need to psycho yourself.

 

[black_peony]

Hello!!

Is everyone still here?

I am a Singaporean living and working in Australia. Hubby is aussie but we met and married in Sin. Had to relocate back to Perth coz his assignment in Sin ended.

It has been almost a year since I moved to Perth. Still missing family and friends badly. Like what ee-ling said in her earlier posts, it is really an effort trying to keep in close contact with frends. And I am also constantly worrying that I may be forgotten over time!

Life hasn't been too bad but I do feel very lonely most of the time. Hubby is very supportive but I can't help missing my frens alot (esp when I have a very big circle of very very close frens..) Although most people may say that there are many Singaporeans living in OZ, I must say I haven't found anyone I can hang out with.

Honestly, Perth is a nice place to live in. Air is fresh and family life is the emphasis. But then, the pace is a ittle tooooo slow for me The slowness here drives me crazy and the shopping scene is also pathetic. Fortunately, it is only 5 hours away from Sin and I'm trying my best to go back twice a year!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi black peony,

Welcome I studied at Murdoch University so I know what it's like living in Perth. However, I thorougly enjoyed my life when I was a Uni student in Perth. I didn't find it boring at all cos I am the laid back type and I enjoyed the 'slow' life and people there are so friendly and casual.

Heh which shopping centres do you usually go to in Perth? I can't recall the names of those I used to frequent but shopping at some of the Australian department stores was not bad Do you and your hubby spend the weekends and holidays exploring Perth and its surrounding? Have you checked out Fremantle (used to be my fav place to go to at the weekends for Italian food and seafood by the port), Subiaco and the many cool nightclubs-discos and pubs and cafes?

Yeah, as you said, Perth is so near Singapore so you are lucky to be able to visit Singapore more than once a year and your friends and family can also visit you pretty easily. I am having such a hard time convincing my friends and parents to come visit us. So far only a few friends and my parents have visited us. If we were nearer, more of them would be more willing to visit or visit more than once.

Heh, I might be going to Perth for a short break end of the year cos my friend's boyfriend is from Perth and she might most prob move over to perth sometime this year.

I find it difficult to make real friends here too maybe cos I am not very outgoing and am rather shy and I am not keen on joining clubs or associations where one can meet other people. I know a couple of foreigners here who have joined the local expat club or go to University or who are taking up some course etc so they get to meet and make friends with lots of other foreigners.

Are you working in Perth? Have you thought about taking up a course or joining a gym or association?That might help enlarge your circle of friends.

 

[black_peony]

hey ee-ling,

Glad to know you are still on this thread

I'm working in Perth. Started work just 2 months after I arrived coz I couldn't take the boredom. Thought it would be a good way to re-establish my social circle. But so far, I still find cultural differences the greatest barrier to making friends.. and I used to become great frens with colleagues wherever I work. It only makes sence since we spend more time with colleagues than our family right? But over here, people seem to prefer just minding their own biz and then finish work at 5 sharp everyday so that they can go back to their own family.

Honestly, Perth is a little boring and slow for me. I'm a typical Singapore girl. Love to shop, hang out with frens after work for a drink during happy hour or a good dinner at the latest spot in town. Over here, there's really nothing much to do. And the retail hours are ridiculous.

I have a huge network of very close frens in Sin. And I miss them alot. We talk on the phone from time to time and I'm just trying my best to stay in close contact. But I'm luckier than you since I'm not too far.. A good fren of mine visited me just a month ago and another one is coming in 2 weeks! These are the things that keep me going!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Black Peony,

Yah, still 'hanging' around, checking in once in a while.

That's good that you are working.Perhaps you can suggest going out with your colleagues after work once in a while or have some couples or family gatherings at the weekend etc.

Yah, I remember the retail hours there, is there still Thursday late night shopping? Shopping hours here are not that convenient either and shops are only opened on Sundays on special occasions and many shops are closed at lunch times! Oh well, I supppose, unlike in Singapore, the emphasis is more on family life and not shop and shop and shop (although I miss that quite a bit!)

 

[black_peony]

HI Ee-Ling,

yep, it is still late night shopping on Thursday over here. Oh, I remember the shopping hours in Italy! I couldn't understand why the shops were closed during lunch!

Well, I still find some of the ang mohs here very strange. In Sin, my colleagues would have gatherings once in a while but it doesn't seem to be like this over here. I tried to organize lunch gatherings before and no one was really interested. They kinda paid lip service and said yeah, good idea blah blah blah. But then, many din turn up and din even bother to inform! Oh well, I gave up..

So do you call home very often? I talk to my parents almost every alternate days coz they are still not used to my absence (although I have been here for about a year).

 

[mrs_n]

Hi ee-ling, got your invite to googletalk.

We have to try it someday. Ooooh the excitement of new technology! Hahahaha! I sound like a dinosaur!

Hi Black Peony, have been reading your post. Welcome to the club! Looks like all of us have something in common, we join the singaporebrides forum after getting married! Talk about doing things upside down.

Have to admit, I've only been to Perth once in my life and I thought it was a nice place. Mind you I was there only for two weeks stayed in my cousin's house. Yes, I've heard that the pace of life there is much slower than s'pore. Good for those who don't like the hustle and bustle of city life. One of my cousins moved to Perth after getting his PR, but found the pace too slow for him so he moved to Sydney where there is more life (so he says).

I used to miss the camaderie which I had with my ex-colleagues in s'pore when I first came to england. Our office used to be so lively, we were always laughing and joking and had lunch together (of course we do work hard ... very very hard).

It was so different in England. Took about three years before the ang mohs in my lab warmed up to me. There were one or two who were friendly though. Guess at the beginning I was the only Asian among them, but demographics of the lab changed within two years, when I left, at the last count there were more Asians (especially from China).

Don't worry about it black peony. We can always have a 'cyber gathering' on here. Just let us know ok.

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Sharon n Black Peony,

Yeah, a 'cyber gathering' on this forum is good or we can chat over a messenger too. Black Peony, my yahoo email address which you can use for yahoo messenger chatting is [email protected] or if you have msn messenger, mine is [email protected]

I chat with my parents more than call home so I call them only once every two weeks. It ain't much but that's because most times, we chat online or because of the time difference, my working hours and their busy 'schedules', so we hardly have time to call up one another often. I do sms them regularly too though!

Heh, black peony, have you visited any of the 'touristic' sights around Perth? Monkey Mia, Wave Rock, Margaret River, Albany, Esperance, Broom etc.

heh, Sharon, what kinda lab did you use to work in? How was your weekend? Did you celebrate Mother's Day with your MIL? I made green bean soup for my in-laws

 

[black_peony]

Hi Ee-ling,

Yes, I have yahoo messenger! can chat online!

I have been down south but not to the north areas outside perth. Can't afford to take too much time off work as well since I too 2 weeks at the beginning of the year to go back Sin for CNY. My boss just approved my leave of 2 weeks for sept again. Going back to sin for 1 week and then perhaps to Maldives. yay!

Hi Nrs N,

Thanks for the warm welcome! I know what you mean about the office culture. My previous workplace was also full of fun, laughters and bitching! Over here just seems so dead.. When I invited my colleagues to my place, they were all like so puzzled. I was thinking, HELLO.. I'm not inviting you to hell u know. Wassup right? Damn ang mohs... haha

 

[mrs_n]

Hi ee-ling, i was referring to university lab where I did my phd. Our weekend was ok, didn't really want to go anywhere as it was raining. So did some sorting out instead. I tidied up my cupboard and put away my winter clothes. What a great achievement!

Then on Sunday evening, my PIL came over for dinner. I made cream of mushroom soup and sandwiches. Didn't really have time to make something nicer as it was a last minute thing. My hubby just told his dad when we met him at church to come over for dinner. But it was nice. I spoke to my mother on skype and wished her happy mother's day. However, it is not Mothers' Day in the UK. Mothers' Day or Mothering Sunday as it is known, is celebrated in March. Apparently, the May one is an American tradition.

Bet your MIL enjoyed your green bean soup. Long time since I heard that dish mentioned!

Hi Black Peony, yah join us on msn or yahoo. My id is the same for both. Just click on my user name. Before I came onto the S'pore brides forum, I hardly knew any S'poreans living in the UK or europe. So most of my S'pore friends are 'cyber ones', like ee-ling etc. I have quite a few good asian friends, all non-s'poreans though. Most of our friends are really my hubby's. I do have some ang moh friends, but they are mainly old ladies from church! My flatmate used to laugh at me b'cos I was always talking and having lunch with the old folk. But if not for them, I think I would have been quite quite lonely during my first few months here.

 

[black_peony]

hi hi..

This thread seems very quiet lately. You guys not coming in anymore? It's a little hard to chat via msn coz of the time difference. Think it's night time for me when it's day for you guys on the other side of the globe!

hey Mrs N, I saw from your profile that you have been living in UK for the last 5 years? Since you have been married only in the recent year, does that mean you moved to UK long before you met your hubby? what was the reason you moved? and are you chinese (soorry, just curious... )??

hi ee-ling, since you moved to Turin, have you been to the other areas like Venice, Bay of Naples, Florence etc? Italy is my favourite european country. Went there a few years ago and spent about a month in many parts of Italy. Love the amalfi coast, the beauty of Tuscany and the rich historical feel of Rome... and oh, GELATOS!My hubby and I actually planned to go to Europe this Sept but due to work commitments, we have decided to postponed it to next year. The good nwes is, my boss has already verbally approved my leave for next year!

 

[mrs_n]

Hi Black Peony we are still lurking around.

Yes I've be here for almost 5 years. Left my job in SG and came here to do my phd. The university and uk research council sponsored me so no bond. Met my hubby while I was here not in uni though but at church. And no, I'm not chinese.

I guess we could have the option of living either in SG or here but in SG I've got no house and no job while over here my hubby has a house and a job. Did you meet your hubby while he was in Singapore?

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Black Peony, was actually hoping to catch you online so we could chat cos I chat with the Mrs N and the other Singaporebride forum gals online but you are right, the time difference thingie does make it difficult to catch each other online.

Yah, as Mrs N said, we are still 'lurking' around but not as much as before.

Yah, I've travelled around many parts of Italy cos most times, whenever there is a holiday, we drive around etc. I would say, I have been to nearly every region of Italy except the islands of Elba and Sardegna (but we are going to the latter end June!) Yes, I've been to Rome, Tuscany, Venice, Naples, Florence etc and the AMALFI COAST especially Ravello is our fav spot in Italy. We think it's the most spectacular and beautiful place we have ever seen.

Oh Italian gelato is so popular and famous. There are lots of great gelato places in Turin so if you and your hubby should ever visit, we're sure to bring you for all the gelati you want

Mrs N, catch you on the chat again

Ok, gotta bring our cat to the vet's. ciao ciao!

 

[tootsieroll]

Ahh, another overseas singaporean thread

It's like finding a needle in a haystack among all the other threads that talk about nothing but divorce and cheating partners

To each his own of course

Ee-ling,
I was in Turin about 6 summer ago. Boy was it hot! My friends and I lived in a little village called Alba, and went to Turin on a day out. What a gastronomic delight! I never knew that tomatoes, basil and olive oil went so well together...maybe it's just that tomatoes in Italy taste much nicer as they're homegrown?

I would go back in an instant, the weather can't be as bad as that in the UK!

Fancy seeing you here Mrs N

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi tootsieroll, welcome to this thread! So where abouts are you located and what are you doing away from Singapore?Tell us more about yourself.

Turin like most Italian cities is really hot in summer so that's why most shops and offices and schools are closed and everyone runs away from the city and goes to the seaside. Oh you went to Alba, they are famous for their truffles -tartufi. Yes, Italy, especially Piedmont is a great region to be in for fantastic Italian food and nothing beats Italian food in the wine growing countryside towns like Alba in the Langhe.

Did you try the Piedmont - Torinese choc liquer, ice-creams, chocolates, wine and cheese? They are all yummilicious.

 

[mrs_n]

Hi tootsieroll have you been stalking me? Hahahaha!

Yeah this is a refreshing difference from all the cheating and divorce threads. The number of such cases is unbelievable.

Black Peony you can still try. We often chat we our families back home inspite of the time difference. Tootsieroll you're more than welcome to join us if you want to.

Ee-ling catch you later.

 

[black_peony]

Hi guys,

Have been busy with work the last few days. And a fren has just arrived on Saturday from Sin to visit me

Yep, Mrs N, I met my hubby in Sin when he was posted there for an assignment. We met at work actually coz his company was my client.

hey Ee-ling! yeah.. i love italy. Really enjoyed my trip when I was there the last time. Can't wait to bring my hub there since he hasn't been to Italy before! I enjoyed the authentic Italian food but kinda got sick of it at the end of 2 weeks.. I needed my chicken rice and laksa!

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Black Peony,

So do you normally cook Singaporean food in Perth or do you eat out a lot? I don't eat spicy food at all and luckily neither does my hubby but I do miss Singaporean hawker centre food a lot eg hokkien prawn mee, prata, yong tau fu, dim sum. There are heaps of China chinese run Chinese restaurants here so naturally the dishes they offer aren't Singaporean and the standard ain't that great. Most times when we want to satisfy our Singaporean food craving, I 'try' to cook some dishes with the 'limited' resources that are available and I usually get a number of Asian gourmet mixes and sauces that are quite good!

Luckily there are a couple of good places to go to when I want to satisfy my Japanese food cravings

I am envious that you have a Singaporean friend visiting you. Have fun!

 

[black_peony]

Hi Ee Ling,

yeah, I do cook very often. Find eating out in Perth very expensive coz there's no such thing as $3 for a plate of chicken rice! I missed laksa the othe day so I cooked it myself. When my mum was here in April, she gave me a crash course on Chinese cooking too so I can cook Chicken rice, sweet & sour pork etc quite well now. Fortunately, there are many well stocked grocery stores here that are operated by Asians so it isn't hard at all to get the ingredients needed for chinese cooking. I just made Cheng Teng at home the other day and my hubby absolutely love it!

 

[mrs_n]

Hi black peony and ee-ling, hope you both had great weekends.

Yes its great having singaporean friends and relatives visiting .... then can talk like normal!

Guess it is a subconcious reflex when I speak to other singaporeans. My hubby usually picks up on it and concludes that I've been talking to my mum! Which is usually the case.

Some of the local supermarkets do sell asian ingredients but usually they are not that 'authentic' and also expensive. Unfortunately, there are no asian supermarkets anywhere near us, have to go all the way to sheffield for that and even then, that's quite a small shop. So having to cook proper asian stuff is quite a rare treat. Most of the time I make do with what I got!

Hahaha! Was in London about a month ago, and I had to bring my hubby to chinatown.

He has never been to Soho before but can't blame him as he's lived in the northern part of england all his life and hardly visits London. I'm still training him to eat spicy food, maybe then, it won't take me 2 years to finish one packet of curry powder.

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi girls,
It's the same 'situation' in Italy, actually I think most European cities are like that - no such thing as a S$3 lunch unless you want to have just a simple sandwich. A so called cheap lunch which means a plate of veges with a piece of meat or a medium portion of salad with tuna costs at least S$8 to S$9 at a bar-cafè.

Wow black peony, you can cook sweet and sour pork?! You must be a great cook. I love to experiment, learn new recipes and try them out but I am not a fantastic cook. The only chinese desserts I usually make are green bean soup, glutinous rice balls and 'tong sui'.

You know when I talk to non-Singaporeans-Asians, I can't talk singlish nor with my normal Singaporean accent cos they wouldn't be able to understand. Luckily, I find it easy to 'switch' accents so when I am talking to Singaporeans, my singlish and Singaporean accent just automatically switches back on. Also because I am teaching English, I have to be careful not to inject 'singlish' into my speech

Regarding Asian ingredients, I get mine from the small Asian mini marts around Turin, they don't have very much but they aren't that bad. I also get another Singaporean gal living here to get a couple of things for me whenever she is back in Singapore for work (lucky her!) and my parents send us a box of Singaporean 'goodies' a couple of times a year. Whenever we are back in Singapore, we stuff our suitcases with Asian foodstuff, last time I was back in Singapore, hubby was so insistent on bring so much back here, we could have been able to open a small Singaporean grocery store!

One thing I often miss whilst here is prata. I doubt the few Indian restaurants here make prata and I haven't tried the frozen prata from Mustafa before. I think I will try it out next time I am back in Singapore!

Wow Mrs N, training your hubs to eat spicy food eh? How's it going? My hubby eats spicy food but just a little. Thank goodness cos I don't eat spicy food at all. My dad says I am not Chinese-Asian-Singaporean cos I don't eat spicy food

 

[black_peony]

Hi gals!

yeah, it's funny how we tend to speak singlish automatically when we talk to fellow singaporeans. But even back in Sin, I dun actually speak English with full singlish slang as I'm a sales person and tend to deal with many foreigners in my line of work. So i guess I'm kinda used to speaking in proper english but I do enjoy the "lahs" and "lors" with my frens!

Hello Ee-ling, sweet and sour pork is actually very easy to make. A little hassle in the preparation but it's not difficult at all. There's no fresh wet market here unlike Sin so I just make do with those frozen pork meat in the supermarkets.

hehe... no lah, not a fantastic cook but am certainly trying to be

! I enjoy cooking alot so I love reading cook books and experimenting new recipes. In fact, I was telling my boss the other day that I find cooking a very therapeutic exercise after a stressful day of work. You just get so focused on getting the ingredients and preparation right that you dun think about anything else! And being away from home, I have developed this "patriotic feeling" about myself as an asian so I'm training myself up in cooking asian dishes so that I dun just know western cooking! when we have kids in future, I would want them to be exposed to asian food too and not just into burgers or fish and chips.

Do you like sweet potato soup? It's very easy to make as long as you can find pandan leaves. just boil water with some pandan leaves (maybe 3 or 4 stalks and tie them together in a knot), sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into chunks) and some ginger slices. Simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes after it come to a boil. Constantly check if the sweet potatoes have softened. Once they have softened, add rock sugar to taste. You can use caster sugar if you can't find rock sugar. And the soup is ready once the sugar has melted! This is a great winter dessert which my hubby loves.

 

[tootsieroll]

Ee-ling,
I live in Brentwood, which is near london. I relocated here when I got married, which is almost a year now. We're lucky in a way as there is a huge chinese supermarket about 30min drive away, and from time to time I'll go there to stock up. London is about 30min by train, so when I do go, chinatown would be a sure stop

Black peony,
Sounds like you're a great cook! I just get all the rempah and cook from packets hahaha

 

[ee_lingt]

Tootsieroll,
Hi there, so you are part of the huge Singaporean population living in England. How nice. Although I am not too sure about the weather It's amazing though how the English can seem to take the cold more than the Europeans. We've only been to London once a couple of years ago just before Christmas and it was freeeeezing even for my hubby but we saw quite a number of English men and women wearing t-shirts or spaghetti strap tops and skirts.

Black peony,
thanks for the sweet potato recipe, will try it out as soon as I get the sweet potatos. Pandan leaves are available here and I have them in my freezer. My dad actually 'found' it last time they were here . It has been a looooong time since I last had sweet potato soup.

Yah, you are right, somehow being overseas, we somehow become more 'patriotic' and wanting to be more 'Asian' and discover more about our roots and traditions. I have lots of books on Asian-Chinese-Singaporean traditions here with me and use it for reference whenever we have a mini Asian celebration with Italian relatives and friends -mooncake festival, lantern festival, Chinese New Year festival to explain to them the significance of the various foods and festivals etc.

Heh, is the cafe-restaurant Vultures in the nightlife centre of Perth still 'alive'?

 

[mrs_n]

Ee-ling, the hubby is actually doing very well on the 'spice training program'. Cooked some curry last week, and he told that it was not very spicy! He says I should make it more spicy so that I wouldn't lose my tolerance for spicy dishes.

Hee! Hee! We are always amazed at how little clothes some people wear when the weather is freezing. My hubby says these people usually go pubbing in few clothes because pubs are usually quite warm inside and after having a drink or two, they get even warmer so hence the tropical style dressing! Don't know if its true, hardley go to pubs as its too smoky and we both don't drink.

Black Peony, I loved reading cookery books too. But I'm never one to follow receipes to the detail cos I can never find all the ingredients at any one time, so I tend to make things up as I go along.

I try to incoporate an asian flavour to the local produce. Surprisingly, sometimes it does work.

Tootsieroll, sometimes I wish I lived nearer to London. There are so many grocery shops in Chinatown. My hubby says that it reminded him of S'pore. Unfortunately, last time we were there, we didn't get very much. The car was parked at one end of the northern line and we didn't fancy lugging big bags of food onto the tube during rush hour!

 

[black_peony]

hey Ee-Ling, I haven't heard of Vultures before so not sure if they are still existing. My hubby is quite a mountain tortoise so he dosen't really know alot about good places in Perth even though he is a perth boy! In fact, I have been the one who take him to new places coz I'm very adventurous and love to drive around and exploring

Hello Tootsieroll and Mrs N, England is one place that my hubby and I have always wanted to visit. I din go to England the last time I was in Europe so was telling hubby that we have to go there next year! My mother-in-law is actually english so hubby would like to visit England to discover his roots. And for me, I watch alot of UK shows like "Property Ladder", "Selling Houses" and "what not to wear" (oh, my favourite!) so am definitely keen to see England.

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Black peony,

I guess when sometimes people just don't explore their own town or city so it's normally foreigners like us who go around and discover and try new places I am sure Perth has changed a lot since I left about 8 years ago. Will definitely ask you about must go-do-see eat places when we finalise our travel plans to Perth and Singapore for Dec and Jan.

What are you working as in Perth and was it easy for you to get a job and go through the immigration and permit-obtaining process? It was quite a long drawn out process for me. The European or maybe it's only Italian bureacratic system and way of doing things has really tested my patience!

 

[mrs_n]

Hi Black Peony wow so your hubby has some family in England. All the more excuse for you to come up for a visit.

Hi ee-ling haven't been chatting with you for a while. Hope you are ok!

 

[black_peony]

Hi Ee-ling! So you coming to Perth end of this year?? Why do you choose Perth as your holiday destination (it's so boring... haha)? You have frens here? Dec and Jan will be HOT so be prepared. It won't be humid like Sin but the sun can be damn scorching. hey, got to meet up when you are here?

I'm working in the travel industry as a sales manager. Job responsibilities are very similar to what I used to do in Sin except that I have to travel to the other states from time to time. It wasn't difficult at all for me to get a job coz Perth seems to be quite short of sales people with my kind of experience. And my company knows that my industry in Sin is highly competitive so they were confident that I would be able to handle the job here. I am in Perth on a spouse visa which allows me to work so I need not apply for work permit.

hello Mrs N, my hubby doesn't have family in England anymore coz when his grandparents came out, they brought the whole clan! May still have some distant relatives there but we are not in touch..

 

[ee_lingt]

HI Black Peony,

I went to Murdoch Uni 'donkey' years ago and since I left Perth, I haven't been back and I kinda miss the place and I also want to show my hubby Perth and it's surrounding areas. Actually I didn't find Perth boring at all. Maybe it's cos I love the relaxed, slow and casual life there. We'll most prob just stay in Perth city for a couple of days so I can show my hubby the places I used to enjoy and take day tours to the north and south for the rest of the time. We don't plan to be in Perth for a long time, just around a week.

As for Perth being hot in Dec and Jan, yah, the hottest summer I experienced when I was there was 44 degrees and I remember sitting in front of the fan and still perspiring buckets BUT that won't put us off visiting Perth during that time since we both love hot hot hot weather!

Wow sounds like you have a very interesting job that allows you to travel and visit other places around Australia as well.

Mrs N, chat with you online soon. Have been busy but hopefully I'll be able to find more time to chat online next week. How have you been? Making more ring pillows?

 

[buzzy]

Hi all,

Just happened to browse through n saw some of the girls here are living in the UK.. Hi 5!!
I am living in the UK too, Southampton, in the south of England. Nice place but gets a bit boring..so hoping to befriend the gals in this forum =P Hmm. there isnt many chinese unlike in london.. here i m faced with all the english ppl, to meet a chinese who is a singapore is a rare chance!

At times do think y m i here.. in this slow n boring country, but think is nt really a choice since there is this chinese phrase says.. 'u got to follow who u married' hee..

 

[mrs_n]

Cindy!!!!! Hi! Glad you came to join us.

Don't have to introduce myself yah? You know me already.

Black Peony do you know which part they are from? Haha you can come and visit us when you're in the UK.

ee-ling I've made a few more. Put some up for sale. Had a lady enquire about them, fingers crossed hopefully something develops from this enquiry. Its becoming very addictive! How's the driving coming along? Hope you're not causing havoc on the streets of Turin.

 

[black_peony]

hi Cindy!

How long have you been in england? Guess your hubby is english? and are you working?

Mrs N, my hubby told me before where his mum and grandparents are from. but as usual, i dun pay alot of attention to the things he say.. haha. gotta to ask him again and will kena scolding!

hey ee-ling, yeah, i guess it's nice to revisit the place you used to live. perhaps you can rent a car and drive down south to margaret river and all. but then again, Italy is so scenic and margaret river will pale terribly in comparison for your hubby!

You love hot weather? i dun... that's one thing i dun miss about sin. I love the cold but maybe not england kind of cold! No offence guys!

 

[ee_lingt]

HI Black Peony,

Each country is beautiful in their own ways and although I agree that Italy is in general more scenic than Australia but there are scenes there that we don't find here so I am sure hubby will like it and most of all find it very relaxing. He likes Australia but has only been to the Northern and Eastern parts. I'd like to bring him to Monkey Mia, Wave Rock, The Pinnacles, Albany, Esperance, feed the black swans at a lake in Perth and 'jalan' around Fremantle and enjoy twatching the sunset at the Mcdonalds at Fremantle . Actually I also want to check out again some of the fast food I used to enjoy when I was a student there eg Nando's and Chicken Treat (not sure if they are still 'alive' )I suppose you've seen all those places already.

Have you got a fav touristic or scenic spot?

 

[buzzy]

harlo mrs n..
so its u haha.. i would hv guessed it earlier. the weather is getting warmer these few days, time to get rid of those heavy n thick coats n put on our summer clothing once again. yahoo! been a long time since we last saw the sun

.. wats on yr plan for the coming weekend?


halor,black peony
thanks for the warm welcome. i m here in uk slightly over a yr. long story

. cos my hubby then bf, did his 2nd degree in wales n decided to stay put in uk to work. so rather than having a long distance relationhip, i decided to come over here..i think is all sort of fated cos i did 5 job applications n got all offered. Pick on on which i think is the best n came over last april. its very unusual for singaporean to settle in uk esp when the both r singaporeans. i went to makan at few chinese resturant in southampton n they were like.. wow u guys actually bear to leave home n come all the way here. guess singaporeans r too comfy in their home country..

.read that u were staying in perth.. havnt been here. was only at syd when i did my degree yrs back. i like aust.. esp when come to food, u can get very exotic asian foods.


harlo eeling.
u in turin? i hv been there back packed a couple of yrs back. simply love italy on the whole!

it was frezzing cold in dec..as i can remembered. we started our trip frm venice all the way dwn n up to milan..if only i got the chance n the work leaves, i will like to visit italy again!

 

[tootsieroll]

hi cindy,
Whereabouts are you? I'm in Brentwood. It's good that you were brave enough to leave Singapore. It's a good opportunity to develop yourself overseas methinks

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi Cindy,

Welcome to this site and I hope we can all chat on MSN again. It's great to know that you got a job easily. So are you and your hubby enjoying life in Southampton and how often do you two go back to Singapore?

Yes, I'm in Turin, been here since Sept 2003. Alamak, you were in Italy in Dec??? Wah, yes, I am sure it was freeeezing cold. Next time, you'll have to visit Italy (and of course drop by Turin ) between May and Sept when the weather's nicer and you'll be able to enjoy being outdoors more.

Hi tootsieroll, Mrs N,black peony.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[buzzy]

Hi tootsieroll
i m in the Southampton,south of england. its nice to b away frm singapore but there's also a lot to sacrifice. was hard initially cos the whole enviroment was totally diff. felt a bit lost n handicapped at start.after this 1+ yrs, things are more or less betta. enj the weather, the countryside, the big cities.. but when the hormones went haywired every mth, i will start to feel a bit doubtful, thinking wat make me come all the way here..Gee

.

Hi eeling,
thank u *bow bow*. oh will b nice to tok to all in msn... this is my msn:[email protected]
Hee.. southampton is nt too bad, but the city centre gets a bit boring. nothing to shop, always see the same old stuff like topman, topshop etc. a bit boring .. Gee.
i kinda of missing singapore recently but my return air tix is scheduled on next feb for cny. long time frm nw. in fact did plan to make a short trip back ard sept, but seems quite ex to fly during this season. so got to drop the idea. instead reward myself to go to NY in dec, cos office will b closed for a long time for xmas.
Hee.. of cos, i will dropped by turin when i go there again.. nice plc.. nice ppl in italy..every cities of italy is so beautiful.

harlo mrs n,
hope u get the spring roll frm lidl. worth a try... i highly recommend it...

harlo black peony... hope u had a gd weekend start!

ps: the world cup fever is extremely high here.. ppl.. cant believe that ppl r out there cheering that england won in today's match. time to get pizza for tonite before hubby glued his eyes on the telly again. tis will b a super boring mths for me.. cant travel far out cos hubby chose to stayed at home.. wat a waste for a sunny summer season

 

[mrs_n]

Haha Black Peony, same here. Sometimes I don't listen properly too. But most of the time, I don't understand his accent.

Some words are pronounced differently from what we are used to in S'pore and he always finds our way of pronouncing things very amusing. Hee! Hee! Such that I sometimes get free english lessons from my husband.

Hey Cindy yup went to Lidl yesterday and we got some spring rolls. Can't wait to try them. Did you have a nice weekend? Hope your hubby didn't make you watch football on telly all the time!

My hubby went gliding on Sat as he had instructors duty so I just sat at home to read a book. In the evening we went for a walk in the strawberry fields just down the lane from us. The strawberries are almost in season. We tried two ripe ones and they were delicious. Hee! Hee! I think the rabbits in the fields have been feasting on them too. We saw quite a few of them hopping around.

Hi tootsieroll and eeling, hope you had a nice weekend too. The sky looks a bit threatening today. There goes my plan for doing some laundry!

 

[black_peony]

Hi Mrs N, i know what you mean. But luckily for me, my hubby doesn't have very strong aussie accent coz he's used to working overseas and his working environment is full of international people. I dun enjoy aussie accent actually. Wassup with the "TODIE" (as in today)!!

Hello Ee-ling, Chicken Treat is still around

and Nandos too of coz. I dun actually have a fav touristy spot in WA. Still feel that this is not really a good holiday destination and to truly enjoy Perth, you have to live here and appreciate the aussie way of living. Like enjoying a good aussie breakfast by the beach at one of their good restaurants, doing some shopping and relaxing at the good sidewalk cafes in claremont or Subiaco or spending a day by the beach during summer. My hubby and I love going to those plays performed by some theatre groups which they have ocassionally at the kings park in the evenings. We'll go with some frens and pack wine, cheese and snacks and have a picnic on the grass before the play starts. This is australian way of living! We just watched "To Kill a Mockingbird" recently which was fantastic.

hey Cindy, was just about to ask you if world cup fever is hot there. but then, it's a stupid question right? The english are so into soccer.. Aussies are more into their aussie rule football, which they call the footy. But I'm into soccer. So I have been glued to the TV since World cup started. But since this year Australia is in, there is more talk about it here. I'm actually very excited over the Italian match tonight, or raher it will be morning for me! It's gonna be shown on our Tv at 3am perth time! I dunno how I'm gonna have energy for my presentation tomorrow morning...

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi girls,

Yeah, World Cup fever. I am not a fan though and fortunately, neither is my hubby but he is rooting for Holland and I haven't made up my mind between Germany and Italy.... I don't think we'll be watching any matches on TV till they are near the finals

Black Peony, yah, I think that's what I want to do when I am in Perth, have a good breakfast (miss the scones at the foodcourts) by a cafe in Subiaco, Claremont, Sorrento Bay or Fremantle and of course do some shopping! I'd like to visit Kings Park during the day and at night too for the view of the city.

Mrs N, were those spring rolls you got the frozen ones that are ready to be fried or steamed? I have seen them here but never tried them. The strawberries in my in-laws' garden are starting to fruit as well and we have been enjoying two relaxing weekends plucking and eating cherries and raspberries from the garden. I can't wait for the tomatoes to be ready!

Cindy, wow you are going to NY in Dec. Won't it be very cold? I've never been to NY, just to the West Coast. Have you got friends in NY? One of my 'dreams' is to go for the New Year's eve party in NY and watch the ball drop!

Ok girls, gotta go study for my driving theory test. There's so much to study and remember.

 

[buzzy]

hi all,

felt so tired fter a whole weekend of football..hubby made me watch some of the 'interesting' games.. of cos, tat include the England match on sat. argh. after watching for a few mins, i chose to read some quantity surveyor related journals and magazine...n of cos, nt forgetting my aftnn weekend naps .. gee

oops, black peong n eeling.. u girls are bringing me sweet memories abt my uni days in syd.. oh i miss aust.. no where can beat the feeling of eating all day bfast near the beaches n enjy the sea breeze. Every weekend, there will be so many flea markets.. so festive. I loved Syd Rocks Market, used spend the whole lazy afternn having tea n enjoy life.. wow tats the best part of aussie life

ee ling ..so envy, u got fresh strawberries n so many types of fruit trees in yr in law's place. yummy. i had a grape vine jst right outside my kitchen window in my former rented hse in southampton. when the grapes ripped in oct/nov, we would simply open our kitchen window n plucked it for after dinner fruits. they are real huge n sweet. u making me feel so eeennnnnvvvyyyy ...

ya, it will be freezing in NY in dec. but that is our main intention. cos i always wanted to hav a white xmas in NY.. tot tat will be so romantic. since we skipped our honeymoon after the wedding in march, cos we need to report to office for work and i went for my operation after the wedding, this is the best time for hubby to 'compensate' me.. keke.

ps: anyone had an idea hw to use red wine for cooking? i know hw to make use of white wine.. but i m totally lost in using red wine.

something to share.. i tried making home make spring roll .. hee.. turned up pretty nice.. anyone keen to explore? think all ingredients can be purchased from the local supermarket..

argh.. my football 'crazy' hubby is screaming n cheering at the football game again.. almost gave me a heartattack, tot what had happened...

 

[black_peony]

hi gurls...

I am so tired today... have been struggling to keep my eyes open. We watched the Aus v Jap match last night at 9pm and I went to bed straight after to catch some sleep so that I could get up at 3am to catch the Italy match. Then went to bed again at 5am... gosh... was asleep most of the time when driving to work this morning haha.

Wow Ee-ling, I'm surprised even you hubby is not into soccer. Tot it's a big thing in Italy. Well, I have been following the italian games since I was in secondary school so am still supporting them. Very happy that they won last night (and most importantly winning some money from their game!). I will be sleeping early again tonight so that I can catch the Brazil game at 3am!!

hey Cindy, you did your degree in Sydney? Wow... seems like most of you had your tertiary education in Oz. Anyone here came out of NUS??

Oh, now that you mention about the Rocks Market in Sydney, yeah, I love all their weekend markets too. Especially the Paddington market and Kirribilli market which is only once a month. I collect vintage stuffs so just can't resist rummaging thru the treasures at these markets. I will be going to Sydney and Melbourne in a month's time

. hey, since you live in England, do you find time to travel to london and jalan at the Portobello market?

hmm... for red wine cooking, I only know how to use it in Spaghetti Bolognese and steaks. For the bolognese just add the red wine in with the usual tomato paste and can of chopped tomatoes with the juice. And with all the other seasoning like salt and pepper, just add the red wine to taste. Perhaps Ee-ling has a better recipe for this being in Italy.. As for cooking steaks, once the meat is ready (either from grill or pan fried), put it away and you will see that there's juice left in the pan. Add a little plain flour (maybe just about half tbs but it also depends on how much juice is left. quickly stir it so that it doesn't stick to the pan), and then red wine to deglaze the pan. I usually add in maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup of beef stock too.

Hello Mrs N and Tootsieroll!!!

 

[ee_lingt]

Ciao gals,

Red wine, hmmmm. Besides drinking it , I only use it for spaghetti bolognese as well to add more flavour to the meaty sauce and I usually let it sit overnight after cooking cos the sauce somehow becomes tastier the day after.

Heh Cindy, please share your spring roll recipe. Is it easy to make?

Whilst having dinner late last night, we actually watched the second half of the Italy vs Ghana match and we were happy Italy won although we don't think the team they sent this time is fantastic. I am rooting for Brazil and Germany! HUbby's rooting for Holland. No money bets though

 

[mrs_n]

Hiya Girlies

Well, fortunately (or unfortunately), the world cup has not generated much excitement in our house either! Life is as normal.

Black Peony acutally my hubby's accent isn't so bad, he's got a subtle northern accent which is quite understandable if he doesn't speak too fast. Though having said that my mother had difficulty understanding him at first! Aiyoh good thing I didn't marry a Glaswegian. Hee! Hee! I have nothing against Glaswegians. Bless them, they are lovely except that I can never half understand what they are saying!

Oh! I love 'To Kill A Mockingbird' did that for 'O' level literature. Haven't really seen the film yet, only snippets of it when I was cleaning my boss's bedroom. Hee! Hee! Nothing hanky panky here lah, I used to work part-time for a disabled couple and they use to watch the telly in their bedroom. So I managed to catch snippets each time I walk in and out of their room. You are going to be really bushed by the time the world cup is over. Ha! Ha! Maybe you might need to convert to our time zone and work when everybody else is asleep!

Yeah, ee-ling its frozen. I usually try and make my own too. But too lazy sometimes to chop chop all the vegetables. Yesterday chop too enthusiastically, until my finger also kena.

So I've given in my notice not to do any dishwashing for the next few days. haha! Good luck for the driving test. Keeping fingers and toes crossed for you!

Cindy, I don't cook with red wine as my hubby hates alcohol so don't really know any receipes. Well, just thank your lucky stars that at least you are in the same time zone as the football matches. My aunts are also football crazy, and I remember they would wake up in the middle of the night(or should I say morning) to watch the matches and they'll be shouting away like crazy. Quite funny really. Its more amusing to watch them than the football.

Hey tootsieroll, have you disappeared?

 

[black_peony]

hi gurls...

I couldn't get up to catch the Brazil match at 3am this morning.. Too tired and I know I will have a headache if I keep on these late nights and then my system will be run down. sigh.. but thank god Brazil won!!

hey Mrs N, I did "To Kill a Mockingbird" for my "O"s too! Love the novel so I forced my hubby to read it when we first met. He likes it too so we both enjoyed the play alot. Besides Mockingbird, I did Romeo & Juliet, and Inspector Calls for my "O"s.

Your hubby doesn't like alcohol? what about yourself? I dun like white wine except in food but I do appreciate red wine. My hubby and I will always buy in cartons when we drive down south to the wineries.

HI ee-ling, good luck for your driving test too! I remember the times I learn driving back in Sin. It was fun actually. I used to tell my instructor lots of jokes while I was driving and sometimes we laughed so hard that I forgot to turn back to the driving centre so gotta do another round. Then kena scolding haha. When I failed my first test, my male colleagues told me I should have worn short skirt instead of jeans to the test. Well, I did wear a mini skirt to my 2nd test (just to be safe than sorry u know...) and wala! I passed despite crashing the yellow light hahaha... Not sure if the skirt helped but the tester said he passed me coz i din make any significant mistakes and that I displayed confidence when I was driving. Anyway, who cares as long as I passed!

Rooting for you. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[buzzy]

thanks girls, for all the red wine dishes suggested.i think if i didnt ask earlier, i might have gotten the wrong sequence. I almost wanted to use red wine to marinate meat.. hee.. phew... else that would have gone into waste yeah..

hi black peony, didnt knw u into soccer. m sure u will get excited if u r currently in UK. Its a football crazy madness right here. I am definately not into football. always find it hard to understand y so many men run after a ball..

i had so much trouble concentrating on wat i was reading while my room windows r opened cos ppl jst cheer n clap every single day, its driving me nuts...

i heard that the telly in singapore only live broadcast the 1st, mid and final game. all those football fanatics got a bit upset cos that drive them to visit the pubs to catch the games. bet is a best time for the pubs owner.. profit generating time.

very sadly to say, though me in uk, i only travelled to most part on the south of england. didnt really dropped by to london often. but this coming july, i be heading to wimbledom to catch the mens tennis final!! hee. we got our tic through ballots. thanks to lady luck. the mst 'unfortunate' thing is the match is the same day as the world cup final, hubby already give his command to leave the match as soon as the game finish n rush home to catch the world cup final. his life jst revolve around worldcup... as his collegue's mentioned, she felt like a world cup spinster during this period.. i tink tis is hw i feel as well

oops, dear mrs n, u cut yr fingers n on 'medical leave' till recovery. u trying to make the conventional spring roll isit? those with carrots, turnip etc?? i cldnt find any turnip in my area.. so i 'invented' a revise verson of spring roll. u r super lucky tat u r abe to enj the peace n quiet over yr side at this time. imagine, for this whole mth, i will hv to give up my korean dvd cos the telly had already been conquered by hubby everyday from the moment we back frm work till night time.

hi ee ling, hey hey, i totally agreed with black peony. wear mini skirt n go for yr pratical driving test! of cos, not that super short mini skirt. it really works! i failed thrice last time..almost wanted to give up if i failed the 4th round. someone mentioned to me to try this method, i did n i passed with only a few demerit point.. Gee. Think the tester got too distracted while i was driving.

. i didnt even finish the whole test route n was asked to turn back. for the next few min, i was in the queue waiting for my licence n purchasing the 'P' plate. No harm trying this technique yeah..

/ 'clap clap'

This is the modified spring roll that i created n taste pretty nice..

1. mince beef/pork
2. transparent vermicili
3. black fungus
4. sping roll skin
chop 2 and 3 into bits, the put in yr minced meat. marinate the mix with oyster sauce and pepper n a bit of salt and pepper. stir well. cut the spring roll skin into the size u wan. placed the marinated mix on the spring roll skin and roll them up one by once. after that, jst fry till golden brown.

it didnt take me long to get the whole thing done up. jst the chopping and marinating took me 15 mins, fry the rolls anothr 20 min.. fast n it served as one of the 3 dishes for my chinese dinner. hee.. i normally prepare 3 dishes.. one veg, one meat (red/white), soup or little tim sum thingy as side dish.. complicated hor

felt like i m running a resturant rather than being a quantity surveyor..

mayb time to rethink what shld i be working as...

 

[biba8169]

hi gals,

I am going to Melbourne for my studies soon. Anyone staying there now? I will be doing finance course there, am hoping to get a part-time job if time permit. Any idea how is the working life/culture in Melbourne? I heard working in Aussie is so much diif from S'pore. The working hrs and culture. But wasn;t sure abt the Asian being working or studying there. Used to hear abt racist issue over there,how's situation now?
If someone wants to work there, what is the necessary procedure?Work permit? Need to get an agency there first?

Any comments on Melbourne living standard & ppl ard?

 

[mrs_n]

Hey Black Peony, I did 'An Inspector Calls' for my 'O's too! I think that year we also had a choice of either 'Julius Caesar' or 'Romeo & Juliet', unfortunately, my school opted for JC. Eeeks! Didn't like JC at all. 'An Inspector Calls' was great though, loved the twist at the end!

Hahaha, my hubby is a queer fish doesn't like any alcohol nor does he drink tea or coffee. Hee! Hee! He was caught on camera making a 'sour' face after tasting the champagne at our wedding. Hilarious.

As for me, I will drink if and when it is necessary for me to do so, otherwise I won't go out of my way. Though if I had to pick, I would choose white wine, the sweet type, don't like the dry ones. I've found a way of making white wine taste better by mixing it with lemonade!!! Hee! Hee! Yeah my antics would probably scandalize all the wine connoisseurs. But Oz certainly has some nice wine.

I also had to take my driving twice! First time failed all b'cos of blind spot. Second time, I hit the curb while reverse parking, and thought I had failed. And the tester just wouldn't leave me alone, kept grumbling the whole time and made me so nervous. Like cindy, I also didn't complete the whole test route. Hee! Hee! So I got the shocked of my life when he told me I had passed!!!! But I didn't wear mini skirt though, maybe my tester like those who dress like 'Ah Sohs'.

Cindy, no lah, I wasn't cooking spring roll when I cut my finger. I was actually baking 'Proscuiutto and Parmesan' bread or rather 'Salami and Cheddar', since I didn't have any Proscuiutto or Parmesan! Was slicing the salami into small pieces when the accident happened! Ha! Ha! Yes, I'm going on strike with the dishwashing at the moment. Its peaceful and quiet in our village and all you can hear are birds singing from morning to night.

A blackbird has made a nest in one of our trees, and there are 4 little chicks in it. Took a peek the other day. They were so tiny and look so sweet sleeping away.

Hi Biba welcome to the thread. Sorry can't comment on Melbourne, never been there before. But I'm sure someone on here will know.

 

[ee_lingt]

Hi gals, here I am again. Actually I think I should throw myself into the river! I failed the theory test. Unfortunately it wasn't the practical driving test (not yet!) so a skirt wouldn't have helped anyway :-(

I think I'll retake the test at the end July just before the summer hols so I'll have to make sure I study well whilst we are away before that. There are 320 pages to study and memorise. In Italian....

It's really expensive (subscription fees for the driving school,cost of the theory and practical tests, driving lessons, parking costs, cost of the car). Sometimes I wonder whether it's worth it! And after I get the licence I'll have to deal with the crazy non-rule abiding, Michael Schumacher wannabe Italian drivers! The only motive I have for getting a licence is so that I can share the driving load with hubby whenever we go on road trips.

Oh well, I just have to persist and not give up.

Hi Mrs N,

Hope your finger is recovering well.

I did To Kill A Mockingbird and Romeo and Juliet too (it's my fav Shakespearean play).

Wow, that's so sweet that you have baby birds in your frontyard. My in-laws have got 5 ducklings and 6 baby rabbits in his big garden-little farm.

thanks for the recipe Cindy, will try it out as soon as I get the ingredients!

Oh girls, I've decide who I want to root for for the World Cup even though I've only seen like bits and pieces of two matches so far. Germany!

ok gals, gotta run. I have a lesson in an hour's time.