OMG!!! Its 2010.

This is gonna sound as boring and lame as it seems, but I don't care lah...

HAPPY 2010 TO ALL BLOGGERS AND READERS AND FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND THE WHOLE WORLD POPULATION OUT THERE!!!

I do hope that this year would be more smooth sailing and more merry for you. Maybe having a 2010 resolution may help in living with more purpose and dignity!?

I had drawn up my goals for the year, but am just a bit scared that I can't fufill them at all. This year, is an important year for me and Yoong and my family, its like a year full of tough decisions. If only I can conquer my fears and move on!!!

OK, I need to stop being such a pessimist and look forward and be as presevere as possible.

Nah, a new photo for the new year. Haha... Hope you like it.

British PM Thatcher Blocked Talks With the Patriotic Front 'Terrorists'

London - Margaret Thatcher banned her envoy to what was then Rhodesia from meeting Robert Mugabe in 1979, refusing to talk "with terrorists until they become prime ministers," files released on Wednesday showed.



At the time, Britain was debating whether to recognise the government of Bishop Abel Muzorewa, the first black-led administration in what subsequently became Zimbabwe, previously secret documents revealed.

Muzorewa was elected in 1979 after years of white minority rule led by Ian Smith, against which Mugabe's party and others waged a bloody 15-year guerrilla war.


But the election came after an internal settlement brokered by Smith and he remained in Muzorewa's government, so its result was bitterly opposed by other African nations and elsewhere.


As Thatcher became Britain's first female prime minister in May 1979, officials in Britain, the former colonial power, were considering a quick recognition of the Muzorewa government and lifting sanctions.

"The people of Rhodesia have the right to decide themselves who shall be their govt. and whether they approve the internal settlement," Thatcher wrote on a letter she received from Australian premier Malcolm Fraser that month.


Former colonial power Britain soon sent an envoy, Lord Harlech, to Zimbabwe-Rhodesia to hold negotiations with African countries like Nigeria and Tanzania about the future, as well as developing contacts with Muzorewa.

But Thatcher was forcefully opposed to him meeting Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, leaders of the Patriotic Front rebels.


In a letter to Downing Street on May 25, a senior Foreign Office official wrote that then foreign secretary Lord Peter Carrington "considers that the emissary should offer to meet the co-leaders of the Patriotic Front."
 
* AFP

Zimbabwe Farmers Union Criticizes Government Over Mounting Land Seizures

The 2008 power-sharing agreement between ZANU-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change calls land reform irreversible, but the MDC has unsuccessfully called for an end to farm seizures.


The Commercial Farmers’ Union, which represents Zimbabwe's remaining few white farmers, said Tuesday that it is disappointed with the unity government which it says has not halted seizures of white-owned properties.

The CFU said three farmers have been violently driven out of their farms in the past two weeks in Mashonaland East and Manicaland provinces.

Of the estimated 300 white comercial farmers remaining in Zimbabwe, 152 are now under imminent threat of losing their properties to politicians belonging to President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, the union says.


The 2008 Global Political Agreement for power-sharing between ZANU-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change formations says land reform is irreversible, but the MDC has called for an end farm seizures which it says further damage the agricultural sector and discourage investment.

The unity agreement also says former colonial power Britain should take full responsibility for compensating white commercial farmers whose properties have been expropriated since the land invasions began in 2000.

Commercial Farmers Union President Deon Theron told VOA Studio 7 reporter Ntungamili Nkomo that his union wants the government to halt disruptions of farms and related lawlessness.

Theron said government inaction will only worsen food shortages, particularly of maize meal, the national staple. The government said this year's crop totaled 1.2 million tonnes - but the country needs some 1.8 million annually.


VOA was unable to reach Lands Resettlement Minister Hebert Murerwa.

* VoA

Zimbabwe Industry Minister Blames Western Media for Nestle Imbroglio

Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube accused media in the West of mounting a campaign to pressure Nestle to stop doing business with a Mugabe-controlled dairy firm



Zimbabwean Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube has blasted the international media for what he charges was a pressure campaign against Swiss-based multinational Nestlé over its now-ended supplier ties with a dairy company owned by the family of President Robert Mugabe.

Ncube was quoted by the state-controlled Herald newspaper as charging that South African, British and American media outlets campaigned to pressure Nestlé to terminate its business relationship with Gushungo Dairy Estate, a company controlled by Grace Mugabe, the president's wife.


Nestle suspended operations at its Harare processing plant last week charging that its managers and staff had been pressured to take milk from Gushungo. Two ministers of Mr. Mugabe's former ruling ZANU-PF party were said to have intimidated managers while leaving off a tanker truck full of milk.

Industry Minister Ncube organized talks among the parties concerned and came up with a proposal to resolve the matter with an arrangement under which the Mugabe-controlled dairy would supply milk to a cooperative organization from which Nestlé would then purchase raw milk.

In effect, such an arrangement would keep the Mugabe firm at arm's length - though critics have already said such a deal would be a travesty.

A Nestlé spokeswoman said Monday that the corporation is examining the conditions in Zimbabwe and had not decided whether to resume operations at its plant in the Zimbabwean capital, which employs some 200 people.

Supa Mandiwandzira, president of the Affirmative Action Group, which has taken the side of the Gushungo firm in the matter, insisted in an interview with VOA Studio 7 reporter Patience Rusere that the Mugabes like any other Zimbabweans have a right to do business in the country.

Others have argued however that Nestlé should be free to choose its business partners, as it has an international reputation to defend.

* VoA

Beloved Oyakodon

My all time favourite Japanese dish since young, Oyakodon (Eggs with chicken and onions). I wouldn't mind walloping the onions in this dish (normally I would pick out onions from any dish)

Yes, and I really can't find any decent Oyakodon here in Belfast, then I proceed to make my own (ok, I haven't really give another Jap restaurant - The Ginger Tree a try).

And these are the ingredients for 1 person:
50ml Dashi Soup (1/5 u.s. cup)
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tbsp Sake
1/2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tbsp Mirin
1/2 Small Onion
85g Chicken Meat (3 oz)
2 Eggs
10 Japanese Wild Parsley (Mitsuba) (I omitted this)
200g Rice (7 oz)

Stupid blogger photo uploader :(

And the end result is totally gorgeous. Even Yoong loves it so much and eventually used Dashi in every dishes he cooked.

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The method is shown in the video below:

How to Make Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Nestle Suspends its Operations in Zimbabwe

Nestle has suspended its operations in Zimbabwe. The company said it was forced to accept a delivery from a non-contracted milk supplier, and police harassed managers by bringing them in for questioning.


“Since under such circumstances normal operations and the safety of employees are no longer guaranteed, Nestle decided to temporarily shut down the facility,” the company said in a statement.

Though not stated explicitly, the “non-contracted supplier” was most likely Gushungo Dairy Estate, which is owned by the president’s wife, Grace Mugabe. Gushungo was confiscated from white farmers as part of President Robert Mugabe’s internationally condemned land reform programs, and Nestle Zimbabwe recently dropped Gushungo as a supplier in response to international criticism.

The Zimbabwe government has tried to reassure the company and persuade it to resume operations, but Nestle Zimbabwe is still considering the situation. Zimbabwe Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube blamed the international media for its role in blowing the whole thing out of proportion to begin with.

* Bnet

Archbishops of Canterbury, York, Weigh in on Zimbabwe Anglican Dispute

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, said the 'unprovoked intimidation of worshipers' by Zimbabwean police was 'completely unacceptable'

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York in the United Kingdom on Monday condemned new incidents of intimidation of members of the Anglican church in Zimbabwe following the disruption of services over the Christmas weekend by police despite a reported agreement by authorities not to interfere.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, said the “unprovoked intimidation of worshipers” by police was “completely unacceptable and indicative of the continued and persistent oppression by state instruments of those perceived to be in opposition” to President Robert Mugabe. The Church of England's top two clerics said the church was a lifeline for Zimbabweans struggling to survive.


“We condemn unequivocally any move to deny people their basic right to worship. To prevent people from worshiping in their churches on Christmas Day - unable to receive the church’s message of hope - is a further blow to civil liberties in Zimbabwe,” the bishops said in a statement.


Police who disrupted services were believed to be backing former Anglican Bishop Nolbert Kunonga, dismissed by the Anglican Province of Central Africa which replaced him this year with Bishop Chad Nicholas Gandiya. Kunonga loyalists have refused to cede physical control of Anglican churches.


Responding to the statement from the English Bishops, Kunonga spokesman Bishop Alfred Munyanyi said Kunonga remains in charge of the Anglican church in Harare whether Bishops Sentamu and Williams liked it or not.


Anglican priest Paul Gwese, speaking for Gandiya, said the diocese will do what is necessary to end Kunonga’s influence over the church and its property.

Commenting, political analyst John Makumbe said it is sad that the Anglican Church has been turned into a battleground by Kunonga and President Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, of which Kunonga has been a supporter.


* VoA

Twenty Two Dead From Measles in Zimbabwe

Harare, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Twenty-two people, mainly children below the age of 5, have died of measles in Zimbabwe, the country's state media reported.




The World Health Organization (WHO) said two weeks ago it was "deeply frustrated" by the measles outbreak, which came after it sponsored a vaccination program in the African nation.



WHO's head in Zimbabwe, Dr. Custodia Mandlhate, told journalists in Harare the outbreak has totaled more than 340 suspected cases this year, and "this is not acceptable." She said the outbreak came about "mainly because of people who have denied their children vaccination."



The Herald on Tuesday reported the 22 victims had not been vaccinated, quoting health officials in the troubled country. Ninety cases have been confirmed nationwide, Zimbabwe's Health and Child Welfare Minister Henry Madzorera told the newspaper.



"This is an unwarranted loss of lives given the fact that measles is a preventable disease," he said, according to the state-owned Herald. "In Zimbabwe, outbreaks of measles were rare because of sustained high vaccination coverage among all children. It is therefore important for parents to realize that vaccinating their children protects the individual children" from the disease and its complications," he said.



The outbreak has hit five districts in Zimbabwe, Madzorera said.

Zimbabwe's ZANU-PF and MDC Clash Over Central Bank Reform Legislation

Senators of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party have proposed 11 amendments to pending legislation to reform the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, drawing fire from the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, which introduced the bill.



Lawmakers of the Tsvangirai MDC formation have responded by threatening to scrap an immunity clause intended to shield incumbent RBZ Governor Gideon Gono and senior central bank staff from the legal consequences of various actions they took on behalf of the former Mugabe government.

Gono has acknowledged diverting monies of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2008 to fund government activities, and accounts of many non-governmental organizations similarly tapped without permission.

The indemnification clause drafted by ZANU-PF House legislators before the bill's passage in the lower chamber, gave partial immunity to Gono and other RBZ employees “for anything done in good faith and without negligence."

Senator Obert Gutu, chief whip of the Tsvangirai MDC formation, said the new amendments introduced by Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, chief whip for ZANU-PF in the upper chamber, have thrown the bill into disarray.


* VoA

My Christmas Present

Erm, don't ask me who gave them to me cuz that doesn't matter right??

OK lah, actually, ....... most of the presents....... I bought them my own..

If you ask what my love gave to me for Christmas, I would say..... erm.... the cross trainer??

Haiz, cuz the both of us are kinda like saving money for our trip to Malaga (Oooohooo, we are going overseas ^__^ **dancing around again**)

Anyways... -__-''' (really, cannot tahan [bear] my pathetic attitude)

Here's the pressies..


A very very "hiong" (fragrant) bear bear. I just love it. But its a pity that I can't hug it while sleeping cuz its not covered in pastic and I'm not sure where had it been to.

And a very "chim" (...... dunno how to translate this, more like.... chio... -__-''', ok I'm not helping here) bag. Unsure what to do with it though.


Got this by surprise. Actually, I was suppose to get a Paris Hilton perfume (and boy does that smell every so great, my friends totally love it), but ended up with this coffee maker set.

Can make my own coffee using powder ^__^ cuz everytime I'm using the normal coffee bags/powder. Now I am an Orang Atasan (high class society) [ok, I really have to stop mixing my English with other languages or I'll totally confuse my own choice of vocab]

These are the ones that I bought for me self. And I ABSO - FREAKING - LUTELY LOVE IT!!! I wore the big ass purple corsage on my hair, and I really do have to say, I look so extravagant and elegant :P And I'd used up the colours in the eye shadow palette and glad to say that it was great.

Although the blush was a bit of a sheer colour, but I like how subtle it is. Now I can apply more layers -__-'''

And the Barry M's lipsticks are really out of this world. Why didn't I discover them sooner?? Thanks to Youtube/Makeup Gurus that I had found my dream lipsticks.

And this, is my very 1st set of proper soft-synthetic-bristles makeup brushes. And I am not regretting the decision of spending £11 on them.

OK, I'm not sure why blogger isn't uploading this picture properly. The brushes are from Essence of Beauty and I get to know them through my friend Tze Yan and through Youtube makeup gurus.

And boy am I enjoying every bit of it. But I still haven't get to use them cuz I wanna treasure them so I wasn't planning to destroy them so soon with my cheapo makeups -__-''' And I actually used my MAC brushes more often instead, -__-''' x 100

These brushes are 2 sided, like super save space but its a pity that they can't be place upright (if in the future I'm going to get a jar for all my brushes) so have to let them to lie down.

Tell me, tell me... What are your Christmas Pressies??

I Am Going To...

Malaga... (It sounds like Malacca when you pronounce it)

I'm going there next January to get away from the cold in Northern Ireland for 4 days. And if you are wondering where the hell it is, its are the most southern part of Spain.

And its like super near Africa, so its kinda near the beach. But since its still winter, the temperature would still be around 16 degrees, so no swimming in the sea and build any sand castle for me :(

Nah, another picture of its city. I can't wait to go there cuz this will be the 1st venturing outside the UK since a year ago. Lets hope that we don't lose our passport this time -__-'''

Digging For Amusing Videos

Had been cooped up in the house for so damn long, youtubing whatever interesting videos that I can get my eyes on, and here's my couple of favourite ones.

Britney Spears 3 Music Video
This is not your normal Britney Spears. Played by 3 guys who pretend to be have a triangle love. Totally gay and hilarious. Superb production.



Lady Gaga - Poker Face - Parody ("Outer Space")
Genius one-gal-multiple-role who acted throughout the whole video as well as created her own humourous lyrics for the tune "Poker Face".



Umbrella - Parody
Boy version of Umbrella with a twist in the song, and great voice/band for the song.



Pope Knocked Down at Christmas Mass
This is the highlight of the week, a woman jumped the barriers in St. Peter's Basilica (Italy, Vatican City) and knocked down Pope Benedict XVI as he walked down the main aisle to begin Christmas Eve Mass on Thursday.

What Are You Having For Christmas Dinner?

Well, I had a wonderful spread of dishes, starting from appetizers, main course and dessert. And yup, they are all homemade.

My lavish dinner would be post in the next entry, so no pictures at the mo.

Anyway, wishing everyone a MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS.

And remember, don't drink and drive!! -__-'''

Winter Blues

Listening to Black Eye Peas' "Meet Me Halfway", looking at the crystalized road/car top, and slapping on The Body Shop's lip balm (cuz my lips are extremely flaking), thinking about my future...

I guess this is what winter blues are...

Definitely not in the mood of doing anything when the temperature of the outdoor is like this...

My mind is totally blank now, can't think of anything to blog, so I'll just leave it as that.

Snack Attack

These are 1% of the snacks that my and Yoong normally consume when we just wanna have something light. But due to their price, we seldom indulge in them thus the rare opportunity to snap some of their pics and post them here..

Philadelphia crackers and soft cheese for dipping.

Splendid cheese spread. Can't get enough of them.

Mini pepperoni (is this spelling correct?).

Don't really like this stuff. But because it was on half price, so I decided to give it a go. And it was like eating raw meat (cuz you have to eat it cold).

My all time favourite.

This could be only found in South East Asia. And I got to eat them here in Northern Ireland is because of Yoong's package, read it here

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These few days have been crazy cold. I just can't stop using my heater or I'll be frozen to death. And I don't feel like cooking at all cuz don't have a coat specially used for cooking and the kitchen is fcold. Not like I have the mojo to do anything at all (the sluggishness in me is having a party now).

KFC Xmas Party (People & Events)

OK, after showing you guys all about food on the night of the party, I wanna show you guys the more boring stuff, or rather the more "I-don't-even-know-who-they-are-so-why-the-hell-is-Cindy-showing-me-these?-I'm-totally-not-interested" stuff

Ok lah, then you don't need to read this post and wait for tomorrow for my new post, k??

Anyways, for those who are interested just scroll on down ^__^, a big smiley face for you guys!!


While waiting for the main course to be served, I decided to be funny and put on this fake red lips -__-'''



Oh yeah, and I played games too. With a very corny concept behind it. Look what's between the guys' legs!!! Like seriously -__-'''

What's even more -__-''' is that I enjoyed every bit of it. And yup, that's my colleague, Joseph. And nope, I'm not giving him the O thing.

Camwhoring time... I just love snapping pictures with my beloved, it seems there would be never-ending-ways to pose with him...

And this is when we are really really really bored and tried to mimic 911 airplane crash into a lump of shit. -__-'''

2 pressies received that night. And they are now under my Christmas tree. I'm so cheap skate this year that I decided not to buy anything particular for the beloved and act like nothing happen.

OK, here comes the who-the-hell-are-they pictures... Person in the picture? Judith (Hungarian).

Rita (Polish)

Butch (Philipino) and dunno-who (Hungarian)

Andrezj and Evelina (both Polish)

Susan (Indian)

Manager, Wilson (Philipino)

Assistant manager, Saldy (Philipino)

forgot-her-name and boyfriend (Polish)

Fred, Steven, forgot-her-name (locals)

Jenny and forgot-her-name (local and Philipino)

Eric (Philipino)

Craig (local)

The reason for me to label where they are from is to show you how multiraces (colourful) KFC is... Its like all the continent from different countries are gathered together.

And by the way, Merry Christmas in advance and wish that all your Xmas parties would be a blast!! ^__^