Long-overdue Update

Dear jumjum...

  I have shamelessly, shamelessly neglected my blog for most of this summer. Where do I start? Err. I am staying back in HK to join iGEM. Initially I was going to take a summer course too but (thankfully!) decided against it so I can focus all my energy and time on iGEM. 

  The initial plan was also to not go back home at all (because I'm kiasu like that), but Mummy missed me and started sending me weird texts so I felt obliged to go home. I booked a last-minute flight back and only informed Dad, Val and Suki of my return. That night Mum came back from prayer meeting and I opened the front door, with Dad and Zac ready with their cameras. Mum smiled at me as if as a stranger at first, then upon realising that it was her daughter her face was priceless-ly shocked! xD

  It was really nice spending time with the fambam. I overdosed on durian and all kinds of mee. Also got to meet and catch up with friends who were home. The night before V and I left, Z went a little mental and took out a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle and demanded that we solve it with him! 

 

  It's been 9-5 working in the lab since coming back. Generally, I really do enjoy doing labwork; but lately after failing this and that and repeating stuff over and over again, I'm feeling a bit disheartened and down. I finally understand how some people skip lunch because of work- it's like you have so much to do that you hardly notice it's lunchtime and you don't even feel hungry. I've been skipping lunch for the past week and yes, I know it's very unhealthy and I'm gonna change that starting today.

Waiting for the library to open on the weekend

  Last Saturday HJ and I went to Kyoto Matcha Teahouse (you know I love me some matcha!):
(photos from HJ)

   HJ has been craving nachos for a long time, so last weekend she decided to prepare some and invited some of our friends over too. I offered to help out with the salad. We went to the Aeon supermarket in Tseung Kwan O and mannnnn, I really like that place! Lots of veggies to buy and I finally, finally found some okra in HK! Mum used to blanch them plain and I really like it like that. They also sold salad-in-a-cup! So these were my solutions to my lunch problem: I prepare the veggies during the weekends so I can just pack them to the lab and take 5 minutes standing outside the lab to eat. Eating cheap & clean!

Lunch plan.

Nachos dinner haul

This was almost 7pm- I still can't really get used to how bright the evenings remain in the summer..

  HJ outdid herself with her nachos dinner. We ate so much that we both felt a bit sick the next day... Left: Nachos with guacamole, cheese and salsa; right: plain old salad.

  Ideally, we plan to take turns and cook something fancy each weekend, so we'll see how it goes =) Ok time to sleep bai!

*atm*