Inflation erodes real gains in wages

A read into today STRAITS TIMES - front page headlines read:

» Prime News
Inflation erodes real gains in wages
WAGES here have risen by close to 11 per cent, the highest in almost a decade. But the impact of soaring food and fuel prices meant that for employees in manufacturing, transport and administrative jobs, their real wages - pay minus the effect of inflation - actually fell.

Aiyo! my pay rise is not even anything close to the average as claimed by the papers. (Leave me wondering how reliable is the source? Or are they "inflating" the figures? haha....) But no doubt the inflation is really escalating. (This needs not be reported at all, just a visit to the hawker centre will shows you the facts) Hubby always grumble that the real percentage of increase in fuel doesn't match the percentage increase of the food. What he's referring to is that fuel may increase 10% but hawker increase is abt 20% and so on....... Never really do the calculation, but i told him well, there's more than 1 item that goes into the food item and since everything is increasing, when adding all the increase, it does justify the hawker's increase. I should say the ultimate person to suffer is the end consumers..... and especially consumers like me ......... who doesn't enjoyed a high percentage of pay rise but still needs to suffer the same effect of inflation.

Euro Cup Jersey collection & kitty pouch

Euro cup football jersey - in handphone strip form. Suppose to be 16 countries only, however, there's one extra one - which is the sponsor product brand name.

Hello kitty pouch - 2 bucks only. Don't think it's original, but who cares.

Random

Have you ever wonder how a flower hot dog bun is being make? The picture below show it step by step. Well, i'm not the one who did it - i copied it from another website - putting it here for safe keeping, till i'm able to make it.

Can't do bread to the softness like breadtalk because i don't have the correct equipment to knead the dough till it is elastic enough for the bread to last till the next day yet still remains soft. Although those bread i make earlier is soft right after baking, but the softness didn't last till the next day. The equipment needed for making bread is either a bread making machine or a heavy duty mixer (about 800 watts and above) with dough hook. A check in the mall shows that such a machine would cost between S$800 to S$1,200 depending on the model and attachment. Have been hesitating on getting one even though loves to bake a lot but as i don't make it for sale, so such an expensive investment will have to be thought over carefully. Unless i have a sudden windfall :) which is very unlikely as hardly ever buy 4D or participate in any cash prize contest.

Well, there's actually of a lot of to buy list in my mind so........ everything KIV.

And here's some of my recipe collection - look! it's only some because didn't take pictures of all.

In actual fact, never follows any recipe to the exact. I always like to modify the recipe to my own likings and convenience. These recipes book just give me an idea of how certain thing is being done. For example, found the tactics of making the spider web design on cake from the recipe book - chocolate temptation. Also by looking at recipe book, it also gives me an idea of food presentation inorder to get an appetizing look. Then also, a good camera is also needed to get a sharper picture. Recently also found out that there's something like a photo shooting tent. At first was wondering what it that. Then chance upon one - it's actually something like a cubicle with spot light sort of things so as to achieve professional photo shoot effect.

Example of a photo shooting tent:

And here's my baking - pandan siffon cake. Quite disapointing though because the top crack before the cake is fully bake. Then when dis-mould, the cake skin didn't come out probably too. Perhaps not enough oil. One thing though - the cake top did not curve to be like a tyre which sifu said is not correct. Also the cake is soft and spongy. Have to check with sifu the actual combination of the ingredient.

Random

Nice pictures.

Found above cute dollz picture - considering changing my profile picture.

With GSS in town, above is especially delicated to my BUDDY - ST.
Hahaha........

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Found these naughty phrases on the web.

Happy Dumpling Festival

These 2 pictures i found on the web, but i did some minor alteration to the original pictures so i would not be like copying as it is. Hahaha...... the 1st picture - i remove the web name that is included in the bottom of the picture. The 2nd picture - i changed the dumling picture (this dumpling pictures comes from the blog of baking friends but i crop it), i also changed the cartoon dumpling picture at the corner, can you tell???

Random

My last bake - Banana Cake.

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This come from Sifu last week when i visited her.

Yummy Yummy 莲蓉碱水粽!





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Here's the souvenir from colleague L.

Colleague L left yesterday.

SHOCK NO. 2

Yesterday, while i'm eating my lunch in the office, colleague S came to tell me a shocking news. Wow! Senior D is being given the "big envelope" last Friday! It's so shocking to me and i almost choke on my noodle.

Oh what's happening??? All this while i thought Senior D would never ever get this envelope. However, colleague L confirmed it. Colleague L told me that Senior D said so to her personally.

Senior D have been working in the company for as long as i am. I also heard that Senior D even asked to extend for another 3 months so that work could be hand over smoothly. See, how kind hearted and yet that's how the company is "rewarding" in returned. Although Senior D was with the company for as long as i am, however, we are not under the same payroll - belongs to the other session as colleague L. Nevertheless, Senior D handles work of my session too. When colleague L was given the "big envelope", i was told that colleague D would stay put and transfer to my session. And now........... sigh.......... really wonder would i get mine soon too???

Now i'm like 惊弓之鸟。And i'm feeling very stress because i don't know what is happening.............

And the best way to release stress is to do something that i enjoy.

So here's my bake for today - APPLE PIE.

Just a small portion - about 6 pieces altogether to test out the recipe. Once i feel it's good enough, i shall put it up in my Bon Appetite Blog.