Games, Bills and Males

Urgh! Nintendo DS Lite is here!!

I haven't been much of a gaming fan but I've been told that if the PSP is a boys' toy, then the DS Lite would serve the girls pretty well for the more animated and cutsey games. A friend of mine, who already owns a pink Nintendo DS was craving for the DS Lite, which is the newer, slimmer version of its predecessor. I mean, what are the odds of one owning both the DS and the DS Lite, when she only has one pair of hands and they both run on the same game catridges?

For all I know, two weeks later she got a "freaking DS Lite" (directly lifted from her blog) as a birthday present from "the boyfriend" (as she likes to call him), who not only hasn't started working, but almost paid for her entire grad trip in Perth where he was studying. I wonder where the poor lad finds all that money to pay for the digital camera, the grad trip and the DS Lite. He sure spoils her and she knows it.

For every one generous , self-sacrificing, all-giving male, there are probably six single, unattached males, who can't quite figure out why they aren't getting the ladies' affections.

Which brings me to the topic on guys and bills. There is no hard and fast rule when it comes to who pays, because it wouldn't exactly be fair to expect a guy to be paying all the time, unless of course, he can afford it.

BUT, when does it become okay to go dutch?

Another girlfriend of mine said it really depends on the situation. Usually, if it's a one-in-a-long-while type of date, especially when it was the guy who initiated it, then it is kind of unsaid that the guy would pay for the date.

In this case, I honestly don't think it's too much to ask for. Of course I wouldn't condemn a guy just because he asked to split the bill, but if he invited me out, picked the place, and made the reservations, I would be inclined to think that after all that trouble, he would finish off the date by taking care of the bill.

If his economic status isn't exactly cut out for expensive dining, then go someplace middle range and below. I am probably more empathetic with the seemingly poorer choice of location that he is able to afford, than the false portrayal of some place he can't quite handle yet.

I'm not a fan of grand gestures and fancy party tricks, so even if the guy were to turn up in limo, complete with champagne and flowers, brought me to a tastefully expensive restaurant, and paid for the meal, I still might not be impressed.

I've come to realise that beyond all that, it is the personality that counts. What better way than to observe the sub-conscious nuances in the conversation and body language.

Now that makes or breaks a date.

As long as he is down-to-earth and genuine, it really doesn't matter where he asked to meet me, or whether or not he drives, or if he has a tipping habit. After all, a man who has both feet firmly on the ground, will naturally stand strong and tall. Exactly the kind of shelter that can withstand all-weather conditions.

Me - the novice sushi chef

I love to cook.

I don't know where and when I picked up the interest, but I've always preferred cooking to sewing. Not that I even had an inspiring Home Economics teacher back in secondary school. In fact, I didn't like Home Econs because I didn't want to end up like her.

She was our discipline mistress as well. The perfect personification of a head-mistress straight out of an all girls English boarding school. Rather old, but with procelain white skin, hair oiled and stretched neatly into a bun at the back of her head, dark glasses with full make-up on, and the most distinctive fashion item on her were those white stockings. Her back was always straight, her eyes bore right through you and she spoke with a crisp accent. She was the epitome of the mother-in-law from hell.

Anyway, I suddenly had an impulse to make sushi the other day after passing by a Japanese mini-grocer so I got a book of Japanese recipes. First, I had to get the right equipment and only managed to get the last set at Takashimaya.

The rice was the challenging bit and because I didn't want to follow strictly by the recipe, which would have me cook 2 1/2 cups of rice, I had to estimate the vinegar mixture myself. It was fun, but I made a real mess of the kitchen because although I prepared the tezu, I still had the cooked rice sticking all over the place while I was rolling the maki. I was quite satisfied with my maiden attempt and after getting some positive feedback from friends, I'm quite comforted to know I'm not THAT bad in the kitchen after all.

I also did my own modification of a dish I name "Fortune Sauteed Mushrooms". It is simple minced shitake mushrooms sauteed in a special sauce and then wrapped in an omelette and tied with a piece of nori, to resemble a bag. That was one hard dish to make.

1. The omelette cannot be too thick
2. The nori may break while you try to tie it together
3. The omelette might break if you put too much filling
4. After spending 5 mins perfecting the shape of the bag, it takes only 2 seconds to consume it

That's why my mom never liked cooking. For all that time spent, you achieve nothing except a pile of dirty dishes and kitchen utensils, an oily floor, and zero traces of your masterpiece. Yes, I suppose if you were to cook everyday, twice a day, it would be quite a chore. But for me, I don't do that often, so I quite enjoy it. I'm happy when people like what I make. Besides, it gives me a chance to practise, so that next time, if I ever have to impress a mother-in-law like my Home Econs teacher, I might score some points for knowing how to cook.