Looking at my severely underutilized oven, i figured that a cooking experiment might help change things up a bit. that's the set-up for "i tried making sio bak (chinese? cantonese? roast pork) earlier today". this time was a trial run where i just did the cooking to get the technique/process right, no marinating or adding other flavours yet. it turned out good! the skin is crunchy (if a little thick), the meat is cooked through and tender. some points which i think would improve the next run:

- use fresh pork, not frozen

- score the skin or do the poke holes thing (might help get a lighter skin layer?)

- do the final step at full blast broiler (i was impatient and didn't let the broiler heat up fully)

- scrape/wipe ALL the salt off the skin before broiling (tasted some very salty bits)

thinking of doing it for next week's alumni gathering, which means i'll have to buy the pork on tuesday or wednesday so there is ample time for the meat to marinate and the skin to dry out. just needs a bit of planning. as for this test batch, i'd rate it a 6/10. looking forward to see how much better the next batch turns out!

crochet guy was very eager to come over again this week. one thing that kind of bugs me is that he phrases it as a statement rather than a question. like, "i can come over tonight" vs. "can i come over tonight?". the former would be fine if i'd extended an invitation...but i didn't! learning from the previous experience, i asked him exactly what he wanted to do. his reply was "decide on your insurance, then chat and see where it goes". not my idea of a good time, i don't think...especially late at night. he was also quite focused on getting me to sign a new policy, because he's apparently under assessment and has until the end of this month to hit a certain dollar amount in commissions. so, i decided that his time was better spent finding clients who would actually be likely to sign with him. in the end, i told him that i'd be happy to have him over as a friend, but i would not be getting a new policy at this point. since then, it's been radio silence. i can understand why; i'd be focusing on my job over meeting guys as well, if my job was on the line! so i'll just see when he gets back in touch.

i finally realized why crochet guy doesn't quite inspire confidence in me. unpolished-ness at explaining insurance stuff to me aside, he also makes jokes which i don't think he should be making. example: the last time he was over, the conversation led to me saying "i have nothing valuable for you to steal". to which he replied "your trust". i'm pretty sure that it's a joke. but i think it's like the price anchoring thing - you're affected even though you know it's happening! not to mention that there are some things people in the service industry should never say/do, and casting doubt on your own trustworthiness probably ranks right at the top. everything just comes together and makes me feel like he views me as a client first and everything else second. so...yes. i will let him prove himself through the accident policy first, then make decisions based on that.

bright spot yesterday: met up with some of the JET friends for dinner at bugis+, as some of them were back in singapore for a short trip. also got introduced to 2 people whom i've only ever interacted with in our discord server - one just ended her full 5 year term and is now working in the local japan embassy as the JET coordinator, while the other ended a few years back and is now working in hokkaido. i also met my fellow kochi JET again; the last time i saw him was in 2024 at his place in fukuoka for CNY. it was nice to talk to them again and reminisce a bit about the japan days, plus hear their opinions on the current situation in japan. at the risk of sounding elitist, i think JET is one of those things that must be experienced to have a point of reference. some people have mentioned talking about it with their non-JET partners/friends, but it's not the same as it is with a fellow JET. we also tried to get the local alumni association to sponsor our dinner (apparently it's a thing if an event has 7 or more current JETs or alumni as attendees), but it didn't work out because we were supposed to provide advance notice. if only we found out earlier!

office day tomorrow, plus i think i want to go to the gym. i'm noticeably gaining weight, and i don't like it. but more of that in the quarterly check-in...this weekend? on the 30th? well, by the 30th, anyway. the other big event this week is the alumni mid-autumn festival dinner on friday. quite looking forward to that! otherwise, it's just the usual routine.

-random thought of the day: Get a GIRO form from POSB.-