Category Archives: gallery

Eileen and Rok Visiting Leeds

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Eileen and Rok came to visit us before Christmas. I am glad that the early snow didn’t affect our schedule. Living in London, they get used to being in a city and it’s time to show them famous Yorkshire countrysides and some pretty villages.

We took them to Derbyshire Bakewell first, then went to Chatsworth house, because day time was quite short in winter, we had to make sure that we caught the best day light before the sunset. Then drove back to Leeds, and ate in Thai Edge for dinner, then went to the pub.

On the last day of their visit, we decided to take them to North Yorkshire to visit Haworth, and had a big lunch with beef yorkshire pudding and went to hiking a little bit before it went dark.

The weather was so cold, most of days were -4 degree to -10 degree. We spent most of time chatting and enjoyed the scenery. I did enjoy the trips with Eileen and Rok, and they were great accompanies. Moreover, It’s such a wonderful experience to see all the places covered snow.Everything looked like a picture, and I felt like I was living in fairy tale story.

Britain is truly pretty in every season.

Killer Jerk Chicken with Rice & been

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I always try to make some good quality food at the weekend. Followed Jamie Oliver’s 30 minutes meal’s book, I tried to make ‘Killer Jerk Chicken‘ with kidney bean rice, salad, lime coriander yogurt sauce, and BBQ sweet corn this time. I like Jamaica or Caribbean food – all about spice and different flavours.

It was not really difficult to make, and it was really delicious. I am sure if I can make it, anyone can as well. I think the kidney been or black been rice was so delicious. I always know about normal rice, but with little bit herb and spice, the rice was so full of flavour and alive – absolutely delicious.

Served with my favourite Hoegaarden cold beer, happy day ever!

Gok Wan Makeover Live

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Karolina asked me to join her to see Gok Wan‘s new TV shooting in Corn Exchange Leeds, and will release on TV in January. I am not Gok Wan’s fan, but it’s fun to experience the shooting and have some fun time with Karolina.

It said it will be started on 4:30pm, but when we were there, and waited an hour and a half to actually start the show. After starting 10 minutes, we already fed up with waiting and rehearsals all the time. When you think of it, all the TV shows take so much time and effort to produce it, then show you the best of it on TV within half an hour.

I both agreed that we are too old for standing hours and hours to watch celebrities shooting, or basically we don’t really care I guess. However, it was fun experience and I did enjoy it because it’s something we normal didn’t do and see Gok Wan in real life once.

The beauty of Leeds

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We have been living in Leeds almost 9 months so far, and we seldom take some pictures of Leeds. Leeds is so pretty when it comes to snow. However, Leeds City Centre generally is very beautiful. With all the Christmas decorations, it did make Leeds more charming.

First Snow In Leeds

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Snow is always special for me, and it always makes me dream that I am living in a fair tale world. Like the snow princess is waiting for her prince to rescue her. I like the white and pureness of snow, and you know it’s so cold outside, and luckily you just sit at your cozy home with fireplace and a cup of tea or hot chocolate. Mmm…it’s the perfect winter for me.

John woke me up this morning and whispered to me: I think we got some snow, Carmen! I immediately woke up and could see the snow flakes from my bedroom window gently falling down from the sky, and I sunk into my Carmen imagination world and dreamed again. What’s your dream world like?

Polish Food and Culture

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Karolina is my working colleague, and we bond to each other so quick after few months working. She loves Chinese food more than I do sometimes. Both of us are seafood’s lovers, and normal I always invite her to my place, so I can cook good seafood for her. In the past few days, we had the most amazing Karaoke, German sausage nights together, and she decided to cook Polish food for me today as well.

She told me that they don’t do lunch, and normally they eat breakfast at 11am, then have a late afternoon big dinner, then have a small sandwich at night. This is Polish food culture. It was quite weird, but weird because we get used of three time meal system.

Karolina cooked a slow-cook beef with wild mushroom with some polish rice, and drink was butter-milk (sour yogurt) together. It was beautiful and they normal eat with a big portion as well. It was lovely to try some real Polish food without travelling there. That’s why I love living in different places, because you always meet some wonderful people from all over the world.

I am a lucky girl who always meet gorgeous people. It was the best few days in Leeds with all my friends together.

King Prawn & Crab Stick Noodle Soup

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Back home, when it’s Chinese New Year, our family tradition always have seafood hot-pot because Shantou is near coastal city. Seafood for us is everyday basic food. Basically you just have a chicken stock as the soup base or just water, and put any seafood and meat into soup, then at the end, you put more vegetable and noodle in, and simple as that.

Mum used to cook that when she was a little bit lazy and didn’t want to fuss to cook a proper meal. I always like that and it takes about 2 minutes to have a noodle soup on the tablet with fresh seafood and ingredient.

Ingredient: 1 fresh chicken stock /cube, seafood or left over food, 1-2 lettuce, some coriander and noodle or dumplings. Season is salt and white pepper.

Boil the chicken stock, (add some water depends how do you like) put the seafood in for 2 minutes, then noodle in for 1 minutes, add lettuce at last with coriander, season it with salt and white pepper. Job done, really to warm you up with fresh seafood and noodle soup. The soup will be tasty, fresh and noodle will fill you up as well Simple dish for cold winter!

After a big meal, traditionally we always drink some GongFu tea to digest our food and fattiness. Health and you can talk to friends all night long while you are sharing the tea culture.

German Market (Christkindelmarkt)

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Karolina and I decided to go to the German Market to eat some sausages and beer in Millennium Square in Leeds City Centre. Christkindelmarkt is open daily from Friday 12 November until Sunday 19 December 2010. The market and funfair opens daily from 10.30am to 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am to 8pm on Sundays. The ‘Frankfurter Scheune’ bierkeller and selected stalls open late until 11pm.

It was not that big but it was fun and we ate sausages, beer, potato pancakes, roast chestnut, and strawberries white chocolate and some candy. I think we were done pretty well. We had a lot of laugh and fun even it was a cold night. Food price is from £2.5-£4. Good atmosphere and fun to have a night out with your friends.

Karaoke Crazy Night

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My colleague asked me join them for a Karaoke night in city centre. I never went to a Karaoke Bar in the UK, even though it used to my favourite place to hang out with my friends back to China. I always like singing and is a good way to spend time with your friends as well.

It was different comparing in China. People in China were more focus on the quality of the hi-fi and the microphone sound, and they want to to be professional sounds. However, the quality of the hi-fi of that Karaoke bar was quite basic, people were more care to have fun. We got the most crazy and fun night ever. We were dancing, singing and had so much laugh, even some people I judy met them in the first time. They were so open and just had fun, no matter what! I like that attitude.

Fredrika Stahl – Sweep My Away

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I saw the nissan’s new car advertise song singing new version of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Start’, then I google it, it was Fredrika Stahl from Sweden. She is a Jazz and pop singer, and I listen her new album 2010 in spoity, and I instantly love her songs. Good album ‘Sweep My Away’. You can listen her music in her space or spoitify, see whether you like her music.