i wish the new discworld companion would hurry up and be published. march is a very long time away and even then, i'll still have to wait for the paper back. do you think that's my life story? waiting for paperbacks? i also wish i got my mater to pack more bai mu er and nan bei xing. i have only enough left to make 3 more pots of it. as i was telling cindy this morning, it takes me three hours to brew and 5 mins to eat. how's that hua suan? for today i'm cooking porridge and i wonder if i should make teochew mueh or cantonese chok. if i can get some bah chor and garlic oil and spring onion i can make chok, and if i can get some fish i can make mueh. i don't much want to go marketing though. should i put red dates in my porridge? you know what i really wish. that my mom would send me dried longans. longans and red dates would be chengtng without the kachang. and i could buy pears! i dun think our supermarkets have the right kind of pears but i could try other sorts. sliced pears and nan bei xing make excellent soup too. i wonder if it's hard to make ang tau sah. yen's bus tomorrow leaves from chinatown though. i should ask if she can pick up some white fungus for me. i went to the supermarket today and i think i'm properly prepared for yen's arrival now. she's getting in late - at 9.30 - and i'm already having dinner with some of the singaporeans before that, so i told her i'll get her a small supper at home and make it up with a big breakfast the next morning. to that end: a poppy seed loaf, and brie, and tinned soup. also yoghurt and chocolate biscuits. if there's time tomorrow i may get a small fruit tart or something. i saw one with a charming appearance today. for the fruit: nectarines, apples and grapes (grapes are always good for talking late into the night), and if that won't suffice we can always cook bai mu'er, and there's rice of course. i also bought a 2.3 kg wooden carton of clementines. i wanted mandarins lah, but none were to be had, and these were the best approximation. chinese new year is here soon! i feel quite homesick...