Last time?

This time of the year for the past 2 years (and also this year) have been incredibly miserable. With the onslaught of summer exams waiting for me to prepare for, it's utterly depressing. So much so, that I usually end up wasting time just sitting around, doing nothing. It's like a vicious wage-price spiral, the one where inflation causes the people to demand for higher wages, and higher wages push good prices up, leading to more inflation. In this case, the number of accumulated work increases, the lower the motivation to get any work done, and hence more work accumulates. 

Sure, it's easy to brush me off as being whiny and lazy. I agree, I can be incredibly whiny and lazy (especially on my blog), but it just brings me so much disutility to actually get on with my work, especially during this period of the year. During term time, I have no issues putting aside distractions to finish off my assignments or study for my tests, or at least a lot less of a problem. I don't know what is it of the holidays that makes me so reluctant to get things done. Maybe I shouldn't have travelled, and sustained my term-time-mood.

On the bright side, it's the very last time I'll be dealing with this crap. Two months from now, I'll have finished my exams and (hopefully) be doing more research on my first ever solo trip to Italy. What's the next thing in life that would make me utterly miserable? We shall wait and see.

It's so hard to whine to my friends about this without worrying at the back of my head that they are judging me for it. I guess I shouldn't care. I guess I'm just hoping that by writing it out, I could get it out of my system. I guess it also doesn't help that whatever that I have to study is extremely off-putting and unappealing. I guess that's just part of life, doing stuff that you don't want to do.

Another unproductive day went by. I don't have many days left to afford to be unproductive. In fact, I could've said the same thing a week ago and it still would hold true. Doesn't stop me from wasting my days, however. At least I somehow managed to survive the past two years. Let's hope I survive the last. 

-Kritz

Back to reality

Just got back from Greece. Upon arrival in Greece, I realised that we were too late to catch the only train of the day that heads to Meteora. On top of that, we couldn't contact another friend of ours that we were suppose to meet. On top of that, I received an email saying that the assignment that I submitted online a week ago was blank. On top of that, I had to reply the recruiter from PwC and attend an assessment right after the trip.

Glad that's all over now.

Well, not really. Now I have two assignments to do and two exams in two-and-a-half weeks to study for.

All I can think of right now is whether or not to plan a solo trip. I guess all I could do is give myself a week or so to sit on it and see whether will the desire to travel alone still be there.

Better get back to my assignment.

-Kritz

PtO - #10

Yeah I skipped a few.

I thought attempt number 10 looked really nice. It actually looked fluffy and didn't have a flat surface like the others. Didn't actually get to try the taste though, since I prepared it for a friend. Put a little manchego cheese instead of the usual cheddar this time. Not sure how am I suppose to get it to be less brown without eating a bunch of raw eggs. I'm starting to think that the pan size is not optimal for a 2-egg omelette. 

-Kritz

PtO - #4

Stainless steel pan success!

The liquid oozing out is cheese by the way, not raw eggs.

Apparently the secret to using a stainless steel pan is getting the pan screaming hot. Eggs might be a little bit too brown for French omelette connoisseurs, but I thought it tasted absolutely fine. If only I had some chives or spring onions lying around.

-Kritz

PtO - #3

This is probably some food photographer's nightmare -- dirty utensils, angles, lighting and whatnot.

Still not getting it right. Could taste the cheese this time, which was awesome. Could do with more seasoning. Probably less oil and hotter pan. Used a non-stick instead of a stainless steel this time. Getting there!

-Kritz

Perfecting the omelette - attempt #2

I hate it when I don't feel like I'm in control in the kitchen. This happens when I'm in a rush. I hate being in a rush. At least when I'm cooking. Also the fridge did something weird to my salad bag. Why do you do this to me, fridge? :(

Decided to use my stainless steel pan again. Not sure if I should stop trying and stick with a non-stick. I should try it one last time, but with an even hotter pan. The middle was a little bit runny, so there's that. Can't really taste the cheese, not sure why I bother putting it in if that's the case. Maybe more cheese? Heh. Did I mention that I have 3 types of cheese in my fridge? Maybe instead of putting cheddar in the middle I should just top it off with some parmesan. Without the cheese in the middle, I could probably fold it three times. The ham looks stupid.

Ugh, bad omelette day. That's like my version of a bad hair day. Have to wait till Wednesday before I can do my third attempt.

This is frustrating me way more than it should. Also, I should be studying.

-Kritz

Perfecting the omelette - attempt #1

So I had this idea of creating a series of blog posts detailing my journey in search of my perfect omelette. I might very well abandon this project after this post ... so stay tuned?

Before you judge my first attempt, I have to say that I have no issues whipping up some eggs, it's just that I'm trying to do things a little different this time just to see what it's like.

Why omelettes? Because it's simple, versatile and has endless variabilities. There are chefs that lightly beat the egg to combine the yolk and the whites, whereas some beat it like there's no tomorrow to make it more airy. Here, I'd figure out what works best for me.

Here's attempt #1

It was pretty much a failure, since my egg almost became scrambled. The main reason for this was because I tried using a stainless steel pan instead of what every chef would recommend for an omelette -- a non-stick pan. Next attempt would definitely involve a non-stick one, but I might revisit the stainless steel pan some time in the future.

I added some mature cheddar and some spring onions I had. Maybe I should consider extra mature cheddar instead, to give it more of a kick. Or maybe more cheese.

The piece of ham was a mistake. Way too big. But yummy, still.

Seasoning was about right.

Will try making a simple vinaigrette for the salad next time, since I found a bottle of cider vinegar lying around.

Update: On second thought, it could be because I didn't beat the egg as much and the pan wasn't hot enough. Should I stick to my stainless steel pan?

-Kritz