Happy New Year 2014! ( No, this is not a resolution post)

Well hello there, it most certainly has been awhile since my last post. Let's just say that the workload became rather insane but then again that is part of being a school of education student. We always joke that it's one of the best weight (and hair) loss programs in the world! Exaggerated? No, we kid you not!

Anyway, enough griping. I just want to wish all you bloggers and readers out there a Happy New Year 2013a for the superstitious and 2014 for those who are not :)

Wooly Wednesdays - Sad termination

Unfortunately Uni life has taken its toll on me and I now have to reduce my posting. I also don't really have time to make stuff anymore so Wooly Wednesdays will be posted only when I have time to post.

I know you feel sad because I am partly devastated! I say partly because I actually really enjoy my lesson even if it does take a lot of time and energy from me. I feel that it's totally worth it and I'm willing to invest all this time and effort into it!

Don't miss me too much! I will still be posting on Monday's and Friday's as usual. In fact I have some cool stuff lined up for Friday! Wait for it, people!! Really sorry about having to stop posting on Wednesday's!

Yes, I'm sad too but may this picture of a cute baby from the web make up for it.

Asia Colion

Munching Mondays - Lotus root soup!

Hello everyone! Getting into the groove of uni life. It's been hectic but I am loving it! My excitement cannot be contained!

In celebration of my first day of class and many more to come, I shall cook up some lotus root soup for dinner.

I love all kinds of clear soups. I think one of my favorite is pinto bean soup(the clear one) Other than chinese soups I love 'tong sui' which is usually warm sweet soup. As weird as that sounds, I promise that its not weird. It's really nice and it's my form of comfort food.

Okay, I've gotta nerd it out! Let me know what's your favorite comfort food!

See you next time!

Asia Colion

Funtastic Fridays - Nerdy fun!

Okay you'll think I'm mad for trying to make studying into a 'fun' post but I must say that working on this project is tough and I may or may not have shed unseen tears because of it. HOWEVER!!

It is pretty fun if  I don't think of it as work. I really need to change my mindset planning a four day English program should be fun by right? Right?!?

So I will force my brain to make it fun. Mind over matter! For now, this is my situation:

So much  fun!

See you on Monday!

Asia Colion

Wooly Wednesday - Shoes at last?

Another late post again! Sorry! Classes started and then everything went downhill. I am planning to make the shoes sometime this week end hopefully. Planning to do some Mary Jane skimmer like these or something!

will post pictures soon!

Asia Colion

Munching Mondays - Soya beans and meat replacing

I'm not a vegetarian but I do go vegetarian for one week in a month (sometimes I eat meat during that week  because I'm not that disciplined but mostly veggies are eaten)

I don't do this for health reasons. I'm healthy-ish and have no allergies to dairy or gluten product. It's just an excuse for me to eat more veggies because, have I ever mentioned that I love veggies? I LOVE THEM!

However, vegetarian food available in Malaysia has imitation meat which contains a lot of flavoring and additives to give it a similar taste of meat.Not to mention can sometime be very overpriced.

 No offense to vegetarians, but I'm honestly and sincerely confused as to why you eat imitation meat? Could someone please enlighten this poor uncultured soul?

Moving on, so I usually eat tofu and eggs to sub proteins but recently, I came across a bag of dried soya beans. I bought it thinking I would make soya milk (which I will) but it's really rather a lot of soya beans.

And then it hit me! I could use soya beans as a protein substitute as well! Thus this blog post was born (fanfares and grand music!)

To use dry soya beans, you need to re-hydrate them by soaking them for 8 hours at least. I just soaked them overnight. Pop them into a bowl with enough water to cover two times the amount of soya beans and say goodnight.

 The next day, your soya beans should look like the one on the right (double the size). The one on the left is a dry bean.

 I wanted to use these beans as minced meat so i gave them a little roast in the over for about 10 minutes to get that chewy meat texture

Pop them into a grinder and.....

Voila! soya bean pulp. Now go and do what ever you want with it. Search for recipe's using soy bean pulp or okara.

I think I'll use this to make okara cookies next time!

Asia Colion

Funtastic Fridays - Of culture and tradition!

If you've noticed, yesterday, Google's logo changed because it was mid autumn festival! Being a Malaysian Chinese, I feel that I have probably lost huge chunks of my Chinese culture.

In fact, I always tell my mother that I'm very Westernized from my speech (mah Chinese is so broken ya can't fix it back together! Yo mama jokes) to my dressing.

Mainly for practicality, Malaysian Chinese don't wear cheongsam's and samfoo's. It's too hot here.
Also, My lecturer insists that it was the Manchurian's who wore them. But aren't they a Chinese tribe too!?!?

Not to mention, I originate from a big-ish city (Petaling Jaya) where you don't greet your neighbors because the uncles and aunties just stare at you grumpily in response when you do, talk about extinguishing a behavior! Let's just say, our community life is rather non-existent.

However, during the mid-autumn festival, we do send mooncakes to our relatives and friends. I'm so un-Chinese, I don't know why we do it but we do...I think its kind of like an Chinese thanksgiving where we give it to people to say thanks for being around! or something...feel free to correct me if I'm wrong because I most probably am. Haha!

Mooncake.

Just in case you get the feeling that I'm completely smug about the fact that I don't know much about my culture. I am not! In fact I'm super embarrassed about it and I'm working on it! I promise!

Anyway, enough chatter about me and on to the exciting(or at least I thought it was exciting)  part!

I went out with two lovely girls for dinner/supper last night at a shop in a small town called Broga and people of Broga town just congregated at this community hall and were celebrating mid-autumn festival with flair!

It was seriously amazing!I mean the whole town, everyone chatting together and having fun...its just blows my puny little big city person mind (I'm not contradicting myself, read that again if you must :P) 

Here are some not so good quality pictures that I somehow managed to catch with my phone. I'm apologize about that but they were walking on the streets together and I was just too amazed and surprised.

Dragon dance walking down the streets!

Followed by lion dancers complete with percussion!

Practically the whole town with their grandparents and kids walking with lanterns after the dragon and lions

There was this awesome feeling of community which I probably never or hardly experienced before and it just makes me feel all warm, fuzzy, and happy inside. I really hope that, one day, I too will be able to find and live in such a harmonious community.

Over and out!

Asia Colion