It's a new life -- is it really?

1 April, 2013. Wow, how quickly time has flown by. I just got back from Chelle's 30th birthday, and Barry (Shan's 2nd half) asked how long I've been back and isn't it quick.

And so it has. I can't believe that I got back end June, 28 if I remember correctly, and that really it's been nine whole freaking months that I've been living in Singapore. Hard to believe, considering there are some days I just feel like it's all so new and different. Deedee's been with the Ees for now nearly eight months. Wow. So meaning Integra and I bid farewell a really REALLY long while ago.

Doing a brief scan of my situation now. How can I best describe what I'm going through, what I'm feeling at this point, this minute of my life. Let's see.. Maybe it'll be best to back track to a year ago, and what life was like then.

A year ago...

I was living in Melbourne, with Val and Clare and little Dustee. My life revolved around creating beautiful dishes for the three of us. For keeping dustee well shorn, and looked after. My days were filled with cycles down to St Kilda, to Brighton, to Port Melbourne... to evening long runs by the Tan. Or sometimes down to the Yarra River, to Albert Park... and then back home. Home to a little cozy two bedder along Dorcas Street. Yes, I had bills to pay, responsibilities to look after, and sometimes it felt like nothing much was going on. My relationship for one was something I had started to question just several months before.

Val kept me happy. She was someone that truly understood me. But more than just understanding me, she lived to keep me happy, and when I was happy, she was happy...and we generally kept a happy life together. Going for date nights, trying new food, having squabbles over Dustee's pee, Clare's unkept cup in the sink. We had our evening smokes, and our weekend laughs. We hung out with a group of gay boys, with my colleagues at Tourism Vic. We hung out with each other. It seemed that no matter how long we had been together, or how much time we spent together, we had so much to talk about. She wanted to share her dreams with me. And I wanted to share mine with her too. I wasn't afraid to tell her my innermost thoughts, or let her see me at my most vulnerable self.

But inside, I wondered if this was the right path. You see, my parents would never ever accept this life. They would never accept her. Or be able to see how happy she made me. My friends knew. They saw everything, and they loved her. As much as I loved her, sometimes I felt. We weren't afraid to tell each other we loved each other. We weren't afraid to show each other we loved each other. We wanted to travel the world together, to go great lengths. We wanted a life together.

And then, just like that. I decided to end it. I ended us. Called it off, just like that. Snap. Liz went through some cold feet moment after five years and chickened out. It hurt. I know it hurt her, and it sure did hurt me. It's soon going to be a year that it really ended but I still cry. And I still hurt. Does it cross my mind that I let something so precious go? Of course it does. Do I stop and wonder what life would be like if I hadn't gone and done it? Yes, for certain. Do I regret it? To that, I must admit I don't know. Because she could have given me the world, and me, I couldn't give her that back. Because of how my situation is.

I started this blog when we went to Cambodia. One of our first travels together. And a very special memory to me.

Now, one year on...

I'm with someone else. He's a guy, and he's my age and while he's special it just isn't the same. I question myself and my choice every day. I wonder whether I am over thinking things with him, or whether I just had a connection so deep and pure before that I can't reach that with anyone else. Ever, again. I keep telling myself to go easy on him. To let time take its course, and with each day together we can see through our issues,... But I'm getting tired of having to repeat this in my head and in my heart.

This blog was started for Us. And Us has ended... But this blog will continue. In it I will pen new memories, and new words for these memories. I have to give myself a chance to live again. To carve new journeys and to look ahead and never look back. I used to always be forward looking. I used to be carefree and fun loving and bubbly. I sometimes feel I've lost that part of me that keeps me happy.

And through this blog...and through my words, I hope to find it back.

Good night sunrise travellers.. I hope to start writing in you again, because maybe I need to get my outlet back.

Until the next post. x

Sweet Fetish.

I've got a sweet fetish. Funny for the girl who isn't really into chocolate (unless its dark and delicious and super fine) and doesn't go for lollies. But of late - and it could be cos the weather is warming up - I've developed a strong craving for sweet not savory brunch items.

I thought given I brunch practically every week, that I should capture my granola sweet fixes. And on the days I order a more sinful sweet treat like pancakes, French toast or oats with honey & poached fruits, I'll do a post about that too!

Today we had brunch at The Brix, it's a kinda cool fit out, French what else, where you enter off Brunswick Street in Fitzroy. Erm. But the entrance is really along Westgarth St so it would have helped my poor lost friend if there was some kinda notice that led her to the said venue. Ah well. These "hidden gems" always want to be discovered. A Melbourne trait I suppose.

The brekkie menu runs until 12.30pm, with lunch starting at 1pm. Thankfully we were there for breakfast and I chose the granola option. I shan't bother about the other diner's details cos I'm selfish and writing this post because I thought, hey maybe I should just jot down my likes and lesser liked granola/muesli finds. So that's what I'm doing now.

I chose the one cereal option on their breakfast menu. It was very oat lacking but on the upside, heaped with sticky dried fruit and my fave, nuts and seeds. The granola was supposed to be served with buttermilk but they gave me almond milk instead (weird choice) and a serve of apple juice. Personally would have preferred a dollop of yoghurt instead as the double liquid made everything all so runny. Bah. Not saying it was a bad granola it was tasty but there was so much fruit it ended up sticking all over my teeth. Kinda made it hard for me to chat too.



Last week I had the unfortunate chance of having a gluten free muesli at St Edmonds along Greville St, Prahran. They had two options, a standard muesli and a bircher muesli. Next time I'm sticking with the bircher. Gluten free muesli was served with a lovely organic yoghurt and topped with poached pears but the actual muesli was so full of puffed bits that I just found each bite so aerated. Ecks. Not sure how coeliac disease sufferers do it but I really found it hard to swallow. The rest of the dish was lovely. I will go back but I'll try the Bircher next time for sure!





A few weeks back, a group of us cycled to My Sister Says, off Bay street in Port Melbourne. I love how there are so many cute non pretentious cafes in the South side. I orders the granola which came served in an adorable pot filled with fresh yoghurt. On the side was another little pot of homemade jam (ooh love!!), a semi boiled egg and some little soldiers toast. I could have done without the egg and toast although in all this was a really satisfying tasty brekkie!






Have to say though, in the last month my best muesli breakfast was at the Farm Cafe, Collingwood's Children Farm. We adore the Farmers Market so a few weeks ago when it was at CCF we decided to have a mid-morning bite at the on farm cafe. I ordered their muesli which not only was a really generous portion but came with a big serve of yoghurt and fresh jam to swirl through. Mmmmm. Yum. Toasted oats with chunks of lightly honey roasted nuts. Crunchy goodness. I loved it!

I'm looking forward to next weekend and discovering another granola gem. Some may say it's silly so pay $8-12 for granola outside of home and I say it's ok to treat yourself once a week. I do have my regular Carmen's muesli, kapai puku seeds, yoghurt and jam on normal days but my weekends r about enjoying this yummy treat in a different setting and a different style.

What is your favourite granola spot?

Until my next post. X

My virgin Segway experience.

Segway tour at Rochford Winery




I was invited to attend the Segway Tour launch at Rochford Winery as part of work and was given my five mins of adrenaline test riding(driving?!) a Segway. Boy. Is it a lot harder than it looks!

Fiona who runs the 'html'><div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><b>Segway tour at Rochford Winery</b><br/>I was invited to attend the Segway Tour launch at Rochford Winery as part of work and was given my five mins of adrenaline test riding(driving?!) a Segway. Boy. Is it a lot harder than it looks! <br/><br/>Fiona who runs the $140 tour + lunch with hubby Terry said to me it's all in your hips. You use your hip movement to bring yourself forwards, backwards and sideways. To get off when you're feeling wobbly, just jump off rather than force yourself to try and stabilize. <br/><br/>Easier said than done. I couldn't understand how all the men who looked much older than me could whiz around so easily. Obviously my balance isn't as fab as I thought it was. <br/><br/>I'm thinking of booking this experience in because one can do a Segway Tour in the morning, lunch at Rochford and then drive around the Valley for a delish lunch. Ping! I wonder which friends would be up for this!<span id='BB_SIGN_BEGIN'><img alt='BlogBooster-The most productive way for mobile blogging. BlogBooster is a multi-service blog editor for iPhone, Android, WebOs and your desktop' src='http://theblogbooster.com/pixel.gif' style='border:none;'/></span></div>40 tour + lunch with hubby Terry said to me it's all in your hips. You use your hip movement to bring yourself forwards, backwards and sideways. To get off when you're feeling wobbly, just jump off rather than force yourself to try and stabilize.

Easier said than done. I couldn't understand how all the men who looked much older than me could whiz around so easily. Obviously my balance isn't as fab as I thought it was.

I'm thinking of booking this experience in because one can do a Segway Tour in the morning, lunch at Rochford and then drive around the Valley for a delish lunch. Ping! I wonder which friends would be up for this! Any keen takers?

Monday Night Pasta

Monday again. How quickly the weekend flies by and it's back to the daily drill of 9-5+ work days. Ho hum. Nothing too exciting happening on that front, i must admit. The only enjoyment (mostly) I get on weekdays is really at the end of the day when Im back home and standing at my stove, wondering what to prepare for Snail and Pig.

Today was different though. Today I ventured into work on my lovely Papillionaire Dutch style Powder blue Sommer two-wheeler and pondered the evening's delectable menu. Hmm,what was 1) simple, 2) quick and 3) involved minimal washing up afterwards? The answer wasn't too hard to come by.

Pasta of course! So here is my very easy, lazy Monday chop chop Kali pop (go see a Singlish dictionary) tomato based pasta.

Ingredients
Enough pasta for the number of people eating. I like to use big spirals as it holds the chunkiness well and tastes great with tomato bases
One large onion or several medium ones
Several cloves of garlic
Pepper - freshly cracked black
Sugar
Salt - I used Murray River pink salt
Fresh sausages - I used herb & garlic free range fresh sausages from my local market
1 can of Italian tomatoes
Fresh oregano leaves
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Optional: spring onions finely chopped

Steps:
Boil a pot of water and salt it
While the water is boiling, dice the onion and garlic finely
If you're using spring onions, dice these too. A tip is to try and get the ingredients the same size so they cook evenly
Heat a large pan (I used a wok!) and a good amount of olive oil. Take care not to let the oil start smoking as that means it's burning and there'll be a weird taste in your food. My pan is Tefal so the red spot alerts me to when the pan is hot enough
Toss the onions and garlic (not the spring onions) into the pan and let it cook on medium heat until softened
By now the water should be boiling so add your pasta noodles to the water
Back to the pan/wok, using your hands squeeze the filling out of the sausages directly into the pan and use your ladle to break it up into smaller pieces depending on whether you like it chunky
Lightly fry the sausage mixture until gently browned and then add the canned tomatoes.
Make sure you use the ladle to break up the tomatoes especially if you're using whole ones
Lower the heat and let simmer.
The pasta should be cooked by now so drain it in a colander but retain some of the pasta water
Taste in between and season with salt, sugar and pepper to your liking. Continue to simmer for about 5-10min before throwing in the torn oregano leaves (and spring onion if you're using).
Cook further for another 2-3 mins and then add the drained pasta into the tomato mixture: toss to coat the pasta well, adding any pasta water if needed
Switch off the heat and dish into serving bowls. Scatter with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan. (optional of course!)

Voila! Quick and easy pasta for those Monday morning blues. Bon qppetit!

Grandma's Egg Dish

GeoTagged, [S37.83096, W144.96906]

Today is singapore's curry day- due to a recent highlighting of a curry saga between a mainland Chinese family v a Singaporean Indian family, everyone is up and arms with the peaceful Facebook led Cook a pot of curry protest.

I'm not a bad Singaporean, not in my own opinion. While I love curry (all sorts mind you) i cooked a spicy pot of dry beef curry (nonya influence.) on Thursday and I am curried out. It did leave my kitchen smelling beautifully of curry,spices and coconut milk. Not an aroma you want around everyday.

So today I'm making my grandma's egg dish that was a treat to us when we were little. Its a simple steamed egg and mince dish, that was so tasty that it can be eaten on it's own. No sauce soups or gravies needed. Yes, that delicious.

This is my own little recipe that I adapted from grandma's. I added a little extra for that personal touch, and it is tasting super. :)

Ingredients:
Mince pork - the amount depends on how many other dishes u serve. I used about 300g
Prawn meat (raw) - I had about 100g which I minced finely with a knife. Can also substitute with raw crab meat,shredded
Soy - light
Shao Xiang rice wine - a dash
Sesame oil - to your liking
Egg - enough to cover the prawn mince mixture
Spring onions - finely chopped
Pepper and five spice powder

Steps:
Mix the prawn and pork mince together well.
Add a good dash of light soy and sesame oil, a teaspoon of rice wine and mix
Season with five spice and pepper
Add the beaten eggs
Add chopped spring onions and mix well
Put into a heat resistant bowl and pop over a steamer
While this is steaming, do other things like prep veg, cook rice
You'll know when it is done when you poke a hole in the set egg mixture and it runs clear.
Voilà!

Serve with hot steamed Jasmine rice, veggies. And makan!!!

I find that this recipe is so simple but so gratifying. The flavours take me back to a time when i hadn't a worry in the world, and after lunch granny would bring me out to the playground.

So yes, while it's not my mom's famous curry recipe that I should be posting today, I'm still cooking up a delicious Singaporean dish! Bon appetit!

Day 2: Running Club Success!

Ok so I'm sticking to my fitness regime, or as they say "lifestyle overhaul" and I am feeling fab. I think that's definitely the endorphins rushing through my brains. I'm hooked. Hooked on the buzz of feeling fresh sweat prickling my skin and that ever so gentle burn on the back of my calves. Loving my 2XU http://www.2xu.com/pwx/ compression pants, they are the best sports purchase (apart from a good sports bra, of course) I have bought. Then again, my saucony runners are pretty damn fine. Think I'll give them another six months and replace my trainers at the end of the year.

Today, we ran two laps around Melbourne's Botanical Gardens, or what's also called The Tan by the locals. I'm used Map My Run http://www.mapmyrun.com afterwards - stupidly, I could've actually used it WHILE running which would save me this process of calculating the distance traveled and corresponding calories burned afterwards - and it was about 9++kms. Wow! Not too bad considering we had a bit of chit chat, and factored in a short sprint... Lovely. We skipped the incline though, as we're building up our stamina for Thursday, for when we do two rounds but up the slope. All this in preparation for Sunday's 10kms. Fun!!!

Anyhoo. Here's to more days of running club!! I'm so psyched to have found a few running buddies. Hopefully the group will grow and grow and we'll all keep encouraging each other to keep healthy and fit. :)

Lifestyle overhaul.

And the temperature today soared above 20degrees. Strange indeed for August month, when winter chills are supposed to be wrapping the city and people still black and gloomy in winter wear. Today, I saw streets lined with shorts and singlets, slippers and stocking-less legs. Surprisingly, didn't catch sight of any overgrown legs or armpits. Big phew.

Ok.... so you know what this time of the year means. Time to whip out the wax and strip off the fuzz. Dig out that almost moldy bottle of fake tan and slap on after a cool shower. Time to dust off those runners and squeeze into those XS pair of 2XU (goddammit why the HELL do i listen to sales girls who insist on me buying the tiniest size when it is obvious that it only covers part of my dear ass), and hit the tarmac. Time to whittle off the weight, and time to give myself that annual "lifestyle overhaul".

Yep. It's time to bring on the healthy eats. Home made, store bought, potlucked. Whatever it is, i've got to start imposing self control and while I'm not going to count calories (and I swear I will try my hardest not to turn into a compulsive apple/celery muncher) I am going to make a concerted effort to be diligent about my diet. What diet you say? Liz all you do is eat! Your life revolves around eating, shopping for food, eating out, cooking, reading recipe books, heck, your favorite channel is Lifestyle Food so, hello, are you removing your first love from your daily ritual?

Erm. No. Actually I'm not... I can't give up food, because after 28 long years on this earth I have decided that I am one who lives to eat. I will never ever eat simply to live. Life is way too short and precious to go through it not tasting the fruits of one's labour. And by that, I mean rewarding through gratifying meals. So, I'm making a pact. A pact I'm hoping to keep to myself not just now, but through summer, next winter and in the years to come. I'm going to watch what I eat, and do my darnest to break cheeky eating habits (like sneaking in the odd chip or chocolate) and replace it with fresh fruit and veggie or water instead.

TARGET WEIGHT BY SUMMER: 52KG

Day one: 3 August 2011

Weight 56.5kg

Height 165cms

Size 8-10 varies depending on cut

Breakfast: Oats and honey

Naughty sneak: 3 x maltesers

Lunch: Banh Mi aka Vietnamese Pork Salad Roll on a wholemeal bun. Extra pate and extra chilli

Naughty drinks: 2 x skinny lattes (comes with mini choco meringues)

Naughty after gym: 1 x banana (frigging $2.33 can!?)

Dinner: Fried rice with capsicum peppers, minced pork, sausage

Naughty after dinner: Whole grain chips (handful)

Good: Bowl of cherries, lots of water

Workout: Run for 15mins on treadmill, ave speed 9.2km/hr, one hour Body Pump, walk to and from work

VERDICT? Ok, so I haven't been a complete angel today which is a pity. Have to do better tomorrow....Good night people. I am sleepy!!!

Ox Tail on the menu tonight!

A little bit of this and that - A first attempt at cooking the daunting Ox Tail

So for some time now I've had this ox tail craving - been longing for that delicious slippery texture of soft gelatine and fat, gelling together tiny bits of tail flesh and sucking up that delectable brown sticky liquid that comes together with a good ox tail stew.

My first time trying ox tail was a few years back, an Indonesian style soup. Memory fails me slightly and I can only remember that it was a rather chunky meal parcel that wraps a bone in the middle. Perhaps how it was prepared that first time wasn't the best, but it was an initial introduction to this finger-licking cut of meat.

My second and third time trying ox tail was at my friend's mom's house. My friend Amy is Taiwanese, and her parents moved to Melbourne over 20 years ago. Her mother still hasn't lost her sense of Asian cooking and whips up the most delicious ox tail stew ever! (Ok, so I can't really compare it with anything given that I don't have any prior experience with the stew). Today my local market (South Melbourne) was selling packs of ox tail at $9.99/kg and I thought, what the heck, let's just give it a go. So I picked it up, and grabbed a bunch of herbs and root veggies to cook together with it. My dear cousin in the UK has done a superb recipe of ox tail and his method marries French and Eurasian Portuguese. I looked through recipe and tempting as it sounds, I really wanted to eat my ox tail tonight, and not tomorrow as he had suggested. So I edited his recipe slightly, used my culinary instincts and have started the pot going with a recipe I've come up with which incorporates his French/Portuguese recipe with the flavours of the Taiwanese one. Fingers crossed it doesn't come out tasting confused and awful!

Here is my "A little bit of this and that Ox tail stew" recipe:

2kg Ox Tail pieces

2 sprigs of rosemary, rinsed or plucked straight from your veggie garden

Bay leaf, fresh

Whole peppercorns (you can put them in a muslin bag so it's easier to pick out)

Several garlic cloves

One large brown onion/several small brown onions

Tomato, quartered

Carrots, chopped roughly

Celery, chopped roughly

Vinegar - I used white wine vinegar rather than black vinegar

Dark Soy

A spoonful of honey

One cinnamon quail, several star anise - rinsed

Salt to season

Knob of butter for cooking

Method:

I incorporated my cousin's tips while cooking, but because his recipe calls for a true labour of love, I tweaked it slightly. Fingers crossed the result is good!

First heat up the knob of butter and caramelise it slightly - take good care not to burn the butter because then it'll be all bitter and yuck. When the butter has turned a rich golden shade, put in several pieces of ox tail and sear at high heat on all sides so nice and browned. Do this until all the pieces of ox tail are browned.

Next, drop in the onion, garlic and fry very lightly until just softened. Add the root veggies and toss until coated in the lovely golden butter and fragrant. Mm - nothing's gone wrong, yet!

Add the ox tail pieces back into the pot, lay on top of all the other ingredients and drizzle a few tablespoons of dark soy sauce over the ox tail pieces (I am sorry, Erwin, I couldn't help but add this!) and add water until meat and veggies are just covered. Stir slightly so soy mixes in with liquid.

Break the bay leaf in half, drop in - I find that breaking the bay leaf releases the flavour better than throwing the whole leaf in. I've read online that drying the bay leaf results in a stronger flavour, so perhaps I'll keep a few leaves aside to dry and use in pastas and other dishes. I also pulled the rosemary leaves off their stalks and dropped them in. Personally I like the flavour rosemary injects to meat because it takes away some of that meaty smell (I mean I know some people LOVE strong tasting and smelling meats but I for one am not a fan! somehow it almost feels as though their smell will pass to me when i am eating the meat. ECKS!)

Bring the water to a slow boil, and by this I mean really slow, mini bubbles. None of that churning bubbling cauldron type bubbles but slowly bubbling. I then placed my spices around the ox tail pieces, and positioned my quartered tomato strategically (yes I am anal when it comes to spreading my flavours out, cooking is NOT about throwing everything in haphazardly...)

And then now... I wait... :) See the WIP picture...

NOTE TO HOME CHEFS: Please keep watch over your ox tail every 1/2 hour to 45mins as you will notice a LOT of oil on the surface. Skim off as much as you can while retaining the beautiful brown sticky sauce beneath. That's where all the flavour is. The oil is really just bad fats that won't do you any good... Halfway through I added a tablespoon of beechworth honey (Local Victorian honey which is ooh la la yum) and a tablespoon of brown sugar. :) These additions gave it just a slight tinge of sweetness however if you prefer your dish all savoury then just leave it out!

5hours of light bubbling and my ox tail dish was done. The stock had reduced to a sweet sticky thick brown sauce, and the ox tails glistened with a mixture of oil and gelatin. I dressed the dish with a few coriander leaves, torn loosely and I wish words could describe the rich aroma that wafted around my little apartment but there are none. Unfortunately, when the dish was ready to be served, my guests and I were so hungry we whacked the entire lot of ox tail and I stupidly forgot to snap a picture for keepsakes. AHHHHH. Shall make this again next month and get a shot to update this post. Grrr. Silly me.

Verdict? Well, my guest who isn't an ox tail fan could not resist trying a piece and ended up taking an entire ox tail piece on his own! He was very impressed and his version of a compliment was asking me if there was any MSG because it tasted so yum! Alrighty, enough self indulgent praise but gotta say, I'm very proud of myself with this first attempt at Ox tail. :) WOOHOO!!! Yes, although it's not a "pure" recipe by any standards, it is a good recipe to introduce the uninitiated to the daunting thought of ox tail. Perhaps I should try an ox tongue recipe next?

Definitely making ox tail again. But maybe next time I'll put the camera right in front of my plate and take a damn picture!

Ahhh, to write freely once more!

I am up late doing some work, it's refreshing. I haven't done this in awhile and although I know it isn't the healthiest thing to do, I am enjoying it. Feeling alive and like my brain has been kickstarted into action once more. A real headbutting kick, if you ask me.

I stumbled across my old Multiply site (http://lizzee.multiply.com/journal) and was poring through some posts from way back. Wow. I had a lot of time, a lot of emotions and a lot of energy to sit there and almost religiously pen down my thoughts. It was amazing reading through some of them. I was young, happy, sad, trapped, free, lonely, scared... I was alive. I mean, I'm still alive now, but in a different way. I'd say I've grown and matured, picked up some valuable culinary skills and patience along the way. As the saying goes, wisdom comes with age and the wiser you become as the wrinkles go deeper.

I'm tired too though, my eyes are weary and my insect bitten hand tingles with the sting of a waterlogged wrist. I really should sleep, but then I felt I owed myself two minutes just to go online and give a RANDOM SHOUT. Is there any purpose to this post? No. Am I trying to communicate a key message? Definitely not. So why am I even bothering to waste time on it? Because this blog is mine, and I can do whatever I want whenever I want. *so there Mr Blogspot*

Right... I think sleep has caught up on me, and it's time to wave a big nighty-o to the world. Le yawn.

Liz'z Healthy Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins!

Wow, I have not written an entry for over a month. Thanks to my dumb camera being unable to transfer pictures for awhile (Sorry V!) I've been so lazy to try doing it again.

Just an update: I have been cooking some lovely dishes and I tend to cook/ bake on instinct rather than by recipes... Well, most of the recipes are researched and compiled in my head, and then voila - I personalise them to my preference so in that sense, I think they still can be considered mostly mine. :) Having said this, seeing that it's been so long and I've cooked plenty, I thought best to start uploading some of these recipes so that when I'm old and forgetful, I can still log on and see just how I did them.

For today, I'll do a quickie post about my very healthy Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins. I did a fair bit of research online for this muffin. It's really my favourite flavour. The sweet and tangy orange is complemented perfectly by the mild nuttiness of the poppyseeds. Oh, how I love poppyseeds! Am thinking of smuggling a bag home to Singapore at the end of the year... Wonder if I'll get arrested at customs!?

I saw a fantastic healthy recipe on the Australian Institute of Sport and decided to tweak it to suit my own taste. My results probably taste nothing like what the AIS proposed in their recipe, and I daresay it might taste heaps better! (Hello, using butter is always a sure winner over something as yuck as margarine!)

Lizzee's Healthy Orange & Poppyseed Muffins

1 cup self-raising flour (sifted)

1½ cups wholemeal flour (sifted)

½ teaspoon of baking powder

½ cup Natvia

2 tablespoons poppyseeds

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup (250 ml) skim milk

½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 egg

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

I preheated the oven to 180°C (350°F). Then, I lightly greased a 12-hole nonstick muffin pan with some unsalted butter. I next sifted the two flours and baking powder together in a large bowl. The sugar and poppyseeds are stirred in after this, and I use the stirring spoon to create a well in the centre.

In a small bowl, whisk unsalted butter, milk, orange juice, egg and orange rind together then add to flour mixture. Gently stir the mixture until all ingredients are combined but take care not to over mix.

Spoon mixture into the muffin pan and bake for 20 - 25 mins/ until the muffins are springy when you touch them.

Let cool for a couple of minutes, and then enjoy muffins warm. I kept mine in the fridge for about 3 days and they still tasted great!

note: if you prefer not to use wholemeal flour, substitute with self-raising flour and omit baking powder

How to Cook the Perfect Roast Pork

Why do i love pork so? I really am not sure - some people say that the meat has an odd smell, or a porky taste but not to me. I adore pork. In fact, if someone asked me what meat I would keep eating if I had to choose just one, I'd say, give me some ribs, belly, neck or loin anytime! mmm.. It could be my Peranakan in me showing. There are countless recipes in Asia and in the Peranakan culture that use pork in cooking... Babi Pongteh, Kiam Chye Soup with Pork Ribs, Ngoh Hiang.... hell, we even substitute chicken with pork ribs for our Buah Kerluak, and let me tell you, is my mother's Babi Buah Kerluak a mean dish or what?!

Anyway, it's been awhile since I cooked up some nice Asian pork dish, but I was craving the juicy flavours of piggyoinkers, so I decided to google some recipes and create the perfect roast pork ever! I've tried slow roasting pork belly strips in the oven before, but it didn't turn out just as I wanted so this time I thought, just go for it, roast is one of the simplest dishes so even if it does have a slim possibility to mess up, chances are, it wouldn't!

I tried Jamie Oliver's pork belly recipe and it turned out perfect. I didn't quite do it just how Jamie described (I'm not one who likes to take "measured" steps in cooking, I prefer to be instinctive, more of a challenge) and decided to give it an Asian spin while keeping the Western herb flavouring, and it was the best home roasted pork belly I've ever had! Didn't quite take many pictures of the before, but I do hope you enjoy my after pictures!

Liz's Perfect Roast Pork Recipe - Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Recipe

Serves two very hungry tummies or leftovers can be kept overnight to bring into office

Prep Time: 10mins, Cooking Time: 2.5hours

Half a kg of Pork Belly - needs to have a good layer of fat in between the skin and flesh but not TOO much if you're attempting to be slightly angelic (face it, pork belly anything is prob not the healthiest of dinner choices though!)

Salt and Pepper to season

Five Spice Powder

Fresh Thyme

Organic Potatoes

Garlic

First and most importantly, one must crank up the oven and preheat to at least 220degrees. I'm using a Celsius temp measurement, not a Fahrenheit, fyi.

Mine was set at 250degrees preheat, and it was roaring hot by the time my meat was seasoned.

To season the meat, score the skin with a sharpened knife in criss-crosses, not too deep that you split the flesh, just enough that you're able to separate the incisions to massage the seasoning in. I learnt that having a knife sharpener is very important because my knife wasn't in the best shape and that made it a tiny bit difficult to score the skin. Also, another trick that I'd like to mention is to have the pork meat more chilled than thawed. Makes the process a lot easier and less frustrating as the skin can be quite tough to slice through.

In another bowl, mix together 3 parts salt, one part white pepper and one part five spice powder and toss it around. When the seasoning sort of looks all a greyish colour, start pulling apart the tears in the skin and rub the seasoning into the grooves.

Relish this part and enjoy the massaging. It's an odd relaxing calmness when you're massaging the seasoning into the flesh. I suppose, if you're like me and thinking about the "after" while you're at the "before", the anticipation really starts building up here. I also dusted some seasoning on the underside of the belly slab and then placed the piece skin side up into a roasting pan. Reduce heat and roast at 220degrees for half an hour. If you're a nosy parker like me, you'll probably be peeking in through the oven window and you'll notice the skin starting to puff up and look like pork crackling (you know, the snack kind you can get in American supermarkets).

Turn the heat down to 180degrees and roast for another hour. After this, your tummy is very likely to be rumbling pretty loudly and your kitchen is starting to have that beautiful roasted meat aroma wafting through the air. Quickly, take it out of the oven, give the golden skin a light baste with the fat that has oozed to the bottom of the pan and remove to a separate plate. Arrange your potatoes (i sliced mine) and garlic slices with the thyme on the bottom of the roasting pan, and rest the pork belly on top of all of this. Place back into the oven set at 180degrees still, and let roast for a final hour. By this time, the aromas will be almost orgasmic and I guarantee that if you weren't hungry before, you'd pretty much be drooling when you lift your pan out of the oven and lustfully gaze upon this sweet piece of pork.

I let my pork belly and potatoes rest while I made a side serve of simple aglio e olio pasta (an extremely basic olive oil and dried chili pasta) and kept my roast tray covered with some foil to seal in the juices. I've really tried to go healthy, so we had some really yummy wholemeal pasta from South Melbourne market. It's really the best, and the texture is firm and al dente every time we cook it. Yuuuuuum!

And so yes, there you have it! A super simple and really hearty satisfying dish for when you're craving some roast.

Until my next post! X

To Kyneton we go!

Off, off and AWAY!

I am so psyched about my upcoming weekend, which starts tonight really. Why do I love my weekends so much here in Melbourne? Because of the choices of things to do on the weekend.

This weekend, I'm off to Kyneton as I've been invited by my dear friend Amy to visit her extremely old home in the country. I'm bringing my little fluffball along, some bottles of wine, popcorn for DVDs, and a stomach of guts (a birdie told me Amy has a creepy porcelain headed Victorian era doll sitting by her bed with... get this, it's HEAD tilted on one side).

What is to be planned? Definitely a visit to Pizza Verde for some of my favourite simple fare, trips to the spa where the yummytummy flab comes into play, and of course, chill out sessions with my girl + pooch watching DVDs and running down a dirt lane in the forest mimicking a scene from True Blood.

On Sunday, we shall head to Daylesford for some fresh produce, antique shopping and basically breathing in fresh, unpolluted country air. The last time (and the first!) I was at Daylesford was in 2007 at the dawn of Winter, and I'm wondering if anything has changed since then. I'm hoping nothing has, and that it remains untouched and as idyllic as I remember.

Well, it's one more night to go before this roadie begins. Perhaps I should bring my laptop there so I can update some posts! Had a couple of cooking adventures in The Capri and just haven't gotten around to posting them up.

Until my next post! x

Ribs on the menu tonight!

I've been a little laid back when it comes to updating my little cooking blog! What with Chelle & Mac down in town (Ok, so Mac's not really counted because I hardly saw the dude during his trip!), I was pretty busy with meet-ups, runs around the Gardens and a Camberwell market visit.

OK! So enough excuses already. :) Today is a pretty exciting day for me, my flaming hot sofa from Frogs Sofa arrives. Right, the delivery guy has another 8 mins to go before 2pm, and I'm really hoping he shows up soon because I do want to go for a quick run before I come home to enjoy my new couch! It's the FIRST very big purchase I've made for myself apart from holidays and plane tickets, so I'm quite proud to have done this all on my own. A great leap from the liz of yonder days who was intent on partying harder than anyone else I knew.

On the menu for my "break-in" sofa night is good o' American style BBQ Crock Pot ribs.

I googled several recipes, and put together one of my own:

American Style Barbecue Crock Pot Pork Ribs

1 kg of American style Pork Ribs (with bone)

2 Small brown onions, quartered

4 Cloves of Garlic, roughly chopped into large pieces

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

Prep: Something Mom taught me since young, scald the pork ribs with boiling hot water until the outer flesh turns slightly opaque and changes from pink to gray. This helps to get rid of the "porky" smell and at the same time, kills any surface bacteria. Saute and onions and garlic lightly in a tbl of oil until fragrant. Add the pork and fill with water; bring to a boil over medium heat. Let the pork boil with the onion and garlic water for about 45mins-1hour. Add some salt & pepper for flavouring.

BBQ Sauce:

1/3 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup of brown sugar

3 Tbl Honey

3 Boiled, Skinned and Pitted cooking tomatoes

1 tsp Hot Chili Sauce

Recipes online all called for Tomato Sauce but seeing that I had three cooking tomatoes in the fridge, I decided to boil them, dip them in chilled water, and skin/pit them. I mashed them up with a fork and added them to a saucepan over heat, slowly stirring in hot water to dilute the thick pulp. When the tomato had turned to an almost paste-like consistency, I added the vinegar, brown sugar and honey.

**CAUTION** Do not stand too close and breathe in the fumes (I know because I did by accident!) as vinegar gives off a pungent tartness that shoots up the nostrils, burning them right inside so you feel almost as though you've been poked by an invisible sharp finger. Ok... So i exaggerate a little!

Stir mixture until all ingredients are dissolved and bring to a slight boil. I let my sauce thicken and look nearly like it was going to burn (for that smokey taste) before adding some hot water. I simmered it for about an hour, until the sharp acidity of the vinegar had evaporated away, and all that was left was a sweet, slightly tart, thickened brownish sauce (with slight goo from the tomato). Finger lickin' good!

(above) Pot of smokey deep rust coloured home-made BBQ sauce

(above) Sauce should be slightly sweet & just the tiniest bit tangy, add more chili if you prefer spicy

I then transferred the ribs into my crockpot, poured the sauce over, added some MORE onions (yum!) to sweeten, and have now put it on auto mode. My ex-director/ good friend El gave me a mini slow cooker and it only has two modes - auto and high. And now the waiting begins...

3pm - I started the crock pot and then went for a run around the Tan. Did some exercise and while I was still warm, decided to work on my veggies. This was about 4.45pm when I started...

I had some organic potatoes that I bought from the Farmer's Market a few weeks ago - they were very petite and delicate flavoured. No need for overwhelming herbs or flavouring. After cutting them into quarters and arranging on a bake pan, I drizzled some Villa Varapodi Olive Oil from Rose Creek Estate and sprinkled a light dusting of sea salt. This olive oil was the third harvest batch and is considered premium Sola Polpa - I was told that the oil is not pressed but extracted in small batches using an ancient method. Not too sure what this ancient method is though... ANYWAY, it tastes friking good. I had bought a First Harvest batch which is not for cooking, but dipping with bread and that is super amazing Olive Oil. Yum.... Back to my potatoes though...

I popped them into a pre-heated oven with a heat of 170C for 15mins and scattered several garlic slices over the potato quarters. After this was done, I then tossed in some broccoli florets and sprinkled some lo-fat fetta over. Another light dusting of sea salt, and a dash of oil and back into the oven at 170C for 10mins.

PINGGGGG!!! Oven went off, veggies are done. Switched the crock pot off, mmmmMMmMmM! Pork was literally falling off the bone, the sauce had thickened to a deep reddish rusty brown and the aroma! If only I could capture the aroma that wafted from my little pot. Sat down with a beer, some hearty American BBQ ribs, roast potatoes and veggies - so satisfying on a cold winter's night. Now, onto enjoy my brand new flaming red sofa! Woohoooooooo! I love Life!

(above) Ribs just about done - the onions were so soft and added a touch of sweetness to the BBQ sauce.

Until my next post! X

Bon Appétit! I did French today!

Today I poached my first piece of salmon. Hell, today I poached my first ANYTHING! What an achievement it felt like. Even though I love poached egg, it's quite unbelievable that I've never even tried that simple task before. Well, at least today I ventured new grounds and am now a de-virginised er...poacher! haha.

On the menu today: Poached salmon in Court Bouillon, with Beurre Blanc on the side and boiled organic potato and French beans. Also, for lunch tomorrow, I prepped some honey soy herb chicken wings and grilled them in my oven.

above: assortment of fresh herbs from the market to add natural healthy flavour to my meal.

This recipe was given to me by my dear cousin in Nottingham. He's a fine chef (going by the delicious pictures I've seen on FB) and I'm counting down till the day I get to sample his cuisine! He gave me this lovely easy poached fish recipe, together with several French sauces to go with it.

According to Wikipedia, Court Bouillon is a flavoured liquid for poaching food. Ingredients for my poach salmon was White Wine Vinegar (I bought a bottle from South Melbourne market), an onion finely sliced, some lemon slices, a couple of bay leaves and dill scattered in. Also, a sprinkling of whole peppercorns. His recipe had carrots, but I figured I'd prefer to infuse a herb and lemony flavour instead. Hope I'm not breaking any rules! As Erwin had instructed, I brought the mixture to a boil and then let it bubble gently for 10mins, this allowing the flavour to work its way into the liquids and then added the vinegar.

IMPORTANT SALMON-POACHING TIP: Take the Court Bouillon off heat first before slipping the salmon in gently. The fish will cook in the hot liquid so pop a lid on and trust that it will! I flipped my fillets over after ten mins, and while they were poaching also layered the onion/ lemon/ herbs over them to let the juices trickle in... (mm, at this point it started all smelling very delish!)

While my fish poached, I moved onto my chicken. I had prepared a marinade from dark soy, honey, ginger, garlic and a couple sprigs of assorted herbs (thyme and Bay leaves) and let my wings soak up the flavours for about three hours prior to cooking. I laid the wings out on a baking tray with all the marinade and popped it into the oven preheated at 180degrees. Ten minutes later, I flipped it over and baked for another 180degrees. I then drained all the marinade (which had since turned to a bubbly sauce of a thicker consistency and with natural oil from the chicken's fat) and brushed some over before popping the wings back in for ten more minutes. Again, flipped it one last time after and then poured sauce all over the now-crispy browned wings. Mmmmm! I find cooking chicken at lower temperatures for a longer period results in a fuller flavoured wing that retains its juices and crisps without burning.

All this time, I had boiled about eight organic potatoes bought last week from Gaswork's Farmers Market in Albert Park, and a handful of fresh French beans from the South Melbourne market. No need for extravagant seasonings, just cooked them in brine - water saturated or nearly saturated with a salt.

I also tried my hand at making Beurre Blanc which is basically a 'white butter' sauce. Was not too successful there because I am guilty of not... yes, terrible crime, using butter. Bah! We live and we learn - I'm definitely getting myself a lovely block of unsalted organic butter for my next attempt. Perhaps I shall try my hand at Bechamel next?

Here are the resulting pictures of my finished product. Salmon flakes away perfectly in individual pieces (not brittle and breaking away), with the exterior a light cooked pink, but once you cut in the colour deepens slightly and with a succulent texture. Sauce could be improved in terms of texture (I kept the shallots in so it doesn't seem broken up) and there's no way I could've gone wrong with the beans and spuds. In all, a very satisfying experience and one that I'd like to practice on a more often basis! 8/10 for efforts to myself!

Until my next post! X

Marrying my two faves - beer & pork belly!

From Chinese hot pot, to beer-friendly grub in a converted Fitzroy warehouse. I had plans this evening with some friends to head for Chong Qing Hot Pot - perfect Winter chills-buster but due to last minute re-shuffle of plans, I had to rethink where to go with a friend instead.

We had first come from a warm cuppa of hot chocolate at a "secret" bar on the second floor of the Abbotsford Convent. Cold and shivery, we had no clue where to go this Saturday night - MoVida? Nacional... Mr Wolf? Places which have been recommended, but I haven't had a chance to sample yet since returning to Melbourne. Undecided and not too starved, I decided to head to Brunswick St Fitzroy and have a looksee.

Parked on Brunswick St and followed the trail of happy voices into an old converted warehouse. Little Creatures Dining Hall - it was labelled. Inside, it was warm, darkened and I caught a whiff of delicious beer aroma. A waitress soon came and brought us to a cozy table in the middle of the dining hall, before proceeding to explain how the menu worked.

(above: we sat next to these hollow blocks filled with books on beer brewing!)

(above: simple one page menu attached with a ratty string onto a brown clipboard, very raw and unfinished feeling, i like)

Either: Tasting Morsels to share (about 2 per person would suffice), prices range from $7 - 19 and there was an assortment of cured and pickled goodies, deep-fried, dips. Pizza is good for two people to share, together with other munchies, or if we were hungry we could go solo and head for the Mains. We chose the whole crystal bay garlic prawns, confit pork belly, silverbeet and grain mustard sauce and a spicy meatball, tomato, buffalo mozzarella and oregano pizza. Liquids wise, I had a Rogers ale (smooth, amber ale with caramel notes from the malt and 3.8% alcohol content) and my dining bud had a Pinot Noir. Beers were Little Creatures and White Rabbit, and came in three sizes - small, medium and large. I opted for the medium (330ml i think) so that I had more space for grub and not be over the alcohol limit.

The whole crystal bay garlic prawns arrived first. Served with two grilled toast slices on the side, and a wedge of lemon, the four prawns (complete with head and tails) were simply divine! They sat partially swimming in a shallow pond of olive oil, tossed with what i believe was basil leaves and had just the right amount of salt that didn't overwhelm the prawns or force us to gulp down water. I rate it 7 out of 10, because although very delish, four pieces is definitely not enough for the $18 price tag!

Confit pork belly served up next. Finely sliced 3mm french-style pork belly (good ratio of meat and fat, with a healthy crisp skin on top) sat about a dainty mound of silverbeet cooked in a yellow mustard sauce. Note: must eat pork belly while hot because the meat and fat literally melts in your mouth. Skin cracked beautifully when it was warm, got slightly chewy upon cooling down. I give this a 8.5/10 only because the five slices for $16 finished way too quickly!

The pizza came last. Thin crust (woodfired??) pizza with generous dollops of buffalo mozzarella, crumbles of spicy meat (they weren't in real balls as the menu suggested), quarters of cherry tomatoes and a sprinkling of fresh baby herbs made up the $20 tag on this dish. I'd rate this 7/10 because there wasn't really a kick to the "spice". Then again, with my Peranakan tastebuds I'm probably much more accustomed to the spiciness of chili padi (aka bird's eye chili in Australia) and a kick to me would set many a tongues on fire!

All in all, a good dining experience with a not too expensive price tag. We skipped dessert because we had some chocolate spoons from The Chocolate Masters (38 Beecher St, Preston). A must-go for bigger groups, and those who love sharing platters.

(above: two double-wheelers painted little creatures tm red sat by the front entrance, reminding us patrons of the bike-loving community that frequent the area)

Until the next post! X

Food and cold weather - ahhh, how could I forget what Melbourne promises?

Gotta say, I'm quite loving the research I'm doing at the moment. Armed with a cool glass of milk and my trust H&K slightly cacak notebook (sorry la, but it's lost the plot after the 18mth), I decided to plow my way thru a list of Aussie suppliers taking part in an exciting Melbourne food festival I'm working on later this year.

Designer cupcakes, organic meats, luxury ice-cream, wine, cheese, chocolate...! the list goes on. There were stories of humble beginnings, of local farmers hit badly by the Black Saturday catastrophe, various recipes and food & wine reviews... Wow, I am bowled over by the offerings this country has! Being away for nearly three years and I had almost forgotten the freshness and high quality of tasty food Oz churns out. No wonder the strict custom laws!

Another thing I'd almost forgotten how bitterly chilly it is. Weather has turned to EXTRA chilly too - a high of 11 degrees and a low of seven tomorrow with showers predicted. Locals would laugh at my freezing tootsies, but I should be forgiven! Three months back and we're fully into winter already! So far, so good. Only had a case of blocked ears...Brrrr! I've started wearing my thermals (thanks V!) and thicker leggings. I've also heeded the advice of a wise man who's told me to walk to work for exercise and to warm up. A good dose of fresh morning air is invigorating for the brain, and I daresay walking helps me wake up by the time I get into office! Yes - I do live a mere eight minutes (walking) from work! How convenient is that!

I'm thinking of the many activities to do this week. Seems really busy! I must be consistent and pen down my thoughts and upload pictures too... Somehow, I tend to sit and space out way too much. No more of that, and now off to bed for me where I get to zone out for a good seven hours. Ahhhh, bliss!

Until next post. X

A new challenge every day! (the how to guide to not procrastinating)

I've decided to start blogging again. It's going to be a regular part of my life because it suddenly hit me that I'm 27-bloody-years old which means I'm in my late 20's and I look back and it's like,omfg. Where has my life gone to?

Ok- I'm going to start being focused and get off my ass every night! It's been so routine, wake up go to work come home have dinner bathe wipe some pee play fetch and would you believe it? Midnight already!!

First up this weekend, dustee bustee time! Tomorrow I'm going to a snooza pet bed sale in braeside. Thank god for iPhone and google maps! Who needs a melways to get around anyway? I'll get her another bed or two and then head to South Melbourne pet supply store. I sometimes feel all her chew toys smell a bit like pee. Yikes!!

Today dustee has decides to chew her squeaky toy and brush it up against my face. Totally a facial on a freezing Friday night. Thanks pooch. You sure are my beacon of light at the end of a dark tunnel... Not! Anyway, I'll better get back to her because she demands my attention...

Until my next post...

disengaged - the Singaporean way of life

Disengaged.

That's how Singaporeans can be best described. No offence to people born and bred in the country (seeing that I'm one too) but honestly, at times, we seem to entrapped in our own little bubble of thoughts that we scarce can see through the thin film surrounding us.

We're oblivious:-

- to old people on the train, to pregnant mothers, to an injured sportsman who's walking on crutches

- to the people who don't seem as LOUD as the cool bunch

- to the car in the next lane

- and the list can go on, but let me just stop here.

Why this occurrence? Not really sure. I'm not a planner from the government, I'm just an observer. I'm a Singaporean too, and being back in Singapore for just over two years has opened my eyes up to so many things that I never saw about the country before. Unfortunately, disengaged Singaporeans stick out like a sore thumb. It's almost as if they were created ala-Matrix style - hanging on a pod, in a gloomy depressing place, and we were brought up to work towards creating an efficient paradise. A tiny island in the sea, surrounded by vastlands of the other neighbouring countries in this region. Robots, almost, yet with a deep sense of emotional attachments to all things material. We work towards achieving our goals - a bigger bag, a car, a house renovation. We strive to achieve NOT personal aims but to prove ourselves to people. To make a mark in this world.

I shiver at the thought sometimes. Is it really necessary for such cut-throat competitiveness? Do we honestly need to shy away from having a personality? From being a true person?

I'm sure many may disagree with me. May say that I'm blinded by God-Knows-What and have formed some delusional impression of this place I should be calling my home. But at the end of the day, disengaged souls form the "people" who are here. And I am forced to ask myself, do I want to be a part of this massive project?

Memoirs by my Master's best friend.

It's funny watching how my owner cries. Almost as if she can feel my presence next to her. I am by her side. I promised her silently the day she brought me home that I'd never leave her side and I'm going to stick to my words. Keeping my promise hasn't ben easy. No. Not while I'm like this. Invisible to the eye. A mere spirit. Without so much as a breath in this world.

She senses me though, remembers how I looked at her with those big,soulful eyes, always pleading for a cuddle. I think she misses me now. And I miss her. I miss being alive.

It was a cold night when my Master found me. I prefer to call her Mom. She was,is, the only mother i've ever known. And she was the best. That very night when she took me home was also my first month into the world. She now tells people that the second last day of March is my birthday. I'm not one to argue with her. 30 March 2003 was indeed a day etched in both our memories. It was the day that we found each other. And also the day my whole life changed.

Val the data analyst!!!!

ISTJ - "Trustee". Decisiveness in practical affairs. Guardian of time- honored institutions. Dependable. 11.6% of total population. ISTJ responsible, planner, private, loner tendencies, perfectionist, organized, detail oriented, organized, would rather be friendless than jobless, realistic, observer, clean, focused, does not talk about feelings, finisher, punctual, private, does not appreciate strangeness, not adventurous, not spontaneous, follows the rules, dutiful, avoids mistakes, conventional, likes solitude, insensitive to the hardships of others, prepared, anti-tattoos, things rules are important, cautious, security seeking, prepares for worst case scenarios, logical, analytical, does not accept apologies easily, hard working favored careers: data analyst, scientist, researcher, engineer, financial planner, statistician, office worker, government employee, lab technician, nuclear engineer, office manager, biomedical engineer, account manager, ceo, investment banker, analyst, academic, systems analyst, pharmacy technician, network admin, genetics researcher, research assistant, strategist disfavored careers: entertainer, artist, filmmaker, musician, actor, fashion desinger, singer, music journalist, comedian, massage therapist, photographer, dj, model, author, bartender, painter, school counselor