Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Woi... Updatelar!

Short conversation over a famous instant messenger

Shook* : actually was searching who didn't update their blog worse than me
Shook: and the winner isssssssssssssssssss
Shook:YOU!!!!
Me: Darn!

So ok, I'm guilty... Hey.. People gotta work to bring in the dough you know.. (shhh! I know that's a bad excuse) Right.. so hang on and let's give you the low down of what has been going on


  • Celebrated Dad's birthday (dim sum and steam boat)
  • Worked
  • Finally going to put in shower curtains in the bathroom (50% accomplished.. i.e. got the things, but not drilled in yet)
  • Finished the entire season 1 of HOUSE and 2 episodes of season 2 (Muahaha)
  • Worked
  • Watched 2 episodes of LOST season 2 (Didn't finish season 1 though.. figured I'll just go the fast track)
  • Ginger's chewed nearly ALL of my sandals.
  • Shopped for new sandals
  • Worked
  • Joined the BEC in our area (catholic families get-together)
  • Worked
  • Had our first Christmas Caroling practice
  • Worked
  • Started reading another book (Commuting on the LRT does wonders to the pace I go throuh books)
  • Fainted at sight of Credit Card bill
  • Worked
  • Still trying to cut down coffee intake (even though Lens SWEARS it's the drink of champions...... you champion enuf lar... i not champion)
  • Oh did I mention I fell from an escalator and scraped the back of my calf? Yeah now I have a barcode scar.. sigh
  • Oh did I mention on the same day I fell I dropped my Monthly pass for the LRT (($&)#$)(#$**$&#*$%(# ..... ahhh... that was therapeutic
  • Worked

Well that's about it folks. Did I mention work?

:p

Thursday, October 13, 2005

My True Calling

Pre-ramblings
I have been swimming in work lately... I have so much to tell... so much to say.... and yet.. it's not in here. I have to find time to mind-purge into my blog. But till then... here's a little looniness.

C-Y-R-E-N-E ... is pronounced "SERENE". You English Phonetics Advocates stop gasping, pointing at me and calling me a heretic. It's my name... If someone can spell his name as W-I-L-L-I-A-M and call himself BILL, I can at least have a say on how MY name is pronounced.

Why the unique spelling? I really have to ask my parents and the aunt who had a hand (or say) in this. This name is not in my IC (Identification Card) and thus, not used in school. I guess I should thank my lucky stars for that, coz if it had, I would have suffered monumental distress from school tauntings (kids are VERY VERY cruel you know).

The reason I say that is because, I started making this name public (without whispering it below audible decibels) in secondary school. The moment they saw it... I earned a nick name... "Cyborg". Why? All coz of the "CY" in my name. Argh! How I hated it.

I know, I know, stick and stones can hurt my bones, but words alone can't. But at that age... it got quite annoying. And oh how I hated The Terminator, coz it amped up the name callings.

That's years past now... and the name Cyborg? Water off the ducks back...

Then, I went to Julian's blog and saw this.

Hey cool! A cyborg name generator! I think I found my true calling.. check it out...




Cybernetic Ytterbium Replicant Engineered for Nocturnal Exploration


Hmm.... Engineered for Nocturnal Exploration eh?

Monday, September 19, 2005

Walking down the gastronomical memory lane

I will add in more images after I scour for them online... hehee


Babe from Babe in the City KL tagged me on yet another gastronomical linked meme. This time, I’m required to dig into the treasure cove of childhood memories and list out 5 foods that I miss.

“Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy” VIH* said, and I concurred. Boy! Were we in for a surprise!

Well let’s not dally..

OK let’s see.. before I begin, I’m required to list out the previous bloggers who did this meme.

1. The Traveler's Lunchbox
2. Oswego Tea
3. Masak-masak
4. Babe in the City KL
5. My Monologues

Check!

Alright *rubbing hands with glee* let’s start. Wait! Wait! Wait!... let’s do this in reverse order ala “Hit List” style. OK.. let’s go..


Only 1 and already stuffing my face!

Slotting in at Number 5 is… “Nyonya bak chang” (in hokkien), Nyonya style rice dumplings. I remember always looking forward to the time of year when my late grandma would wrap these lurvely fragrant rice dumplings. It is the partner to the petite yellow alkaline water rice dumplings (Kan Soi Jong – in Cantonese).

In the early years, the ‘inti’ ( the filling) was made with pork. However, after the JE outbreak (plus the overall health consciousness of the family), my grandma improvised and used chicken instead. The meat would be minced and fried with ground peanuts and really fragrant spices.. I can almost smell the aroma of it now! It would fill the house and I would wait patiently for it to be cooked and ‘volunteer’ to taste it. Hey, it’s crucial to get the filling right you know! My grandma always knew I was just being plain greedy, but she would indulge hehe.

The filling would be wrapped into steamed glutinous rice in a leaf. A small cut of ‘pandan’ leaf would be slot in for the extra fragrance just before tying the yummilicious package up. Then it would be steamed for about 20 minutes before it is ready to be served.

When I got older (about 13 or so), I would sit for hours with my grandma wrapping the dumplings. Of course mine was never ‘perfectly’ shaped, but I always got praised for my efforts.. heheh .. see how a grandma pampers a grandchild!

Coming in close at Number 4 is … Buah Keluak. Not many people I know, knows about this ‘fruit’. In fact, it’s so elusive, that we only know of ONE stall in the Malacca market that sells it. The fruit is black with a hard shell, almost the size of my palm. The shape is a little like an irregular Japanese rice dumpling. If you knock two fruits together, it may sound hollow.



Cooking it will involve first soaking it for a few days. According to my grandma, this is to soften the shell a little and to also get rid of the impurities. Then will be the painstaking task of breaking open the fruit and digging out the slightly pungent, powdery black substance. This substance will be mixed with some ingredients that involved minced shrimp, then stuffed back into the shells.

Next the now filled-again shells would be cooked in spiced gravy. ( I knew I should have taken down this recipe.. perhaps my mum did.. but I’m really at a lost on the actual ingredients :p )

Eating this is the fun part.

First, you need a plate of rice. Then you pick up one of the cooked fruit (with your fingers), then put try and lap up the lovely gravy around it.. (oh I’m salivating while I’m typing this!). Next, you take the end of a teaspoon and dig out all the yummy filling onto your rice (erm.. try to lick your fingers clean before you do this.. don’t lose any of the precious gravy hehe). Scoop some gravy onto the rice and mix it all up. Heaven!

Stepping up to the plate at Number 3 is…egg tarts! Mind you, not ANY egg tart. Only egg tarts fresh out of the ovens of Tong Kee would do. I used to spend some holidays at my maternal grandparent’s place in Pudu. Almost always my grandpa would walk down to the Tong Kee Confectionary nearby to get me some freshly baked egg tarts.

Sitting down at the foldable dining table, dangling my feed (coz it couldn’t reach the floor), I would savor every bite of the egg tart. I sometimes just eat off the crust first, leaving the soft sweet egg pudding last. At time I would scoop out the pudding first and much on the flaky crust at the end. I also went through a phase where I would put the whole tart into a bowl and MASH IT ALL UP.. and savor the gastronomically wonderful mush! At nearly 50 cents a pop, the tarts were like a luxury item then. Now the going rate is about RM1 each.. talk about inflation rates!

Inching closer to the end of the list at Number 2 is .. Nyonya sambal fish. At least that's what I think it's called hehe... Yet another of my grandma's dishes. The sambal is pungent fragrant with 'belacan' (a kind of shrimp paste), and packed with chilli.. *slurp*

Everytime grandma cooks this dish it would tease our olfactory the entire afternoon. Especially when she pan fry the belacan and sambal. I could eat plain rice with ONLY the sambal and be VERY VERY happy hehe.. In fact I always go for seconds when this dish is served.

The dish that I miss most.. the NUMERO UNO.. “Ho Lan Char” (in hokkien). It loosely translates to Fried Potatoes. The ingredients for this dish is REALLY simple

1 Hard boiled egg diced
1 – 2 Boiled potatoes diced
¼ can of Luncheon meat diced
Some small shrimp
Chopped garlic
Salt & pepper for taste.

Heat up about 2 spoons full of oil in a wok. Throw in garlic and sauté till fragrant. In goes the shrimp. Lightly toss till those babies start turning pinkJ. Stir in the luncheon meat, followed by the potatoes and eggs. Then season with salt and pepper till it suits your palate.

This dish was served in our household nearly once EVERY WEEK. Till date, my late grandma is still the ONLY one I know who cooked this dish. She always whips up this dish in celebration of my birthday (coz she knows I absolutely lurves it). It may look a little humble.. but definitely HIGH on the YUM factor.. and it ALWAYS brings back fond memories.

And that is why.. I was a CHUBBY kid..

Phew! What a list!.... Now, you must be wondering why I said it was a difficult task. It's because I HAD TO ONLY CHOOSE 5!... There are so many dishes that I miss from my grandma's kitchen. Even more so now that she's left us :( ... I hope to one day master these recipes and perhaps shed the same memories to my kids and/or grandkids.


OK now to do the tagging *grinz*

I will tag....
1. Veron .... She's new to the new blogging community.. hehe so I thought of initiating her to this meme things :D
2. Julian .... 'Cos you'e been nostalgic all these while!
3. Erm... leme think somemore

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Medusa revealed

As promised...

The Back View

Close up (to see the color)

So what do you think ? hehe... it's not exactly fiery hot.. more like charbroiled hot hahaha

Monday, September 05, 2005

What happens when you watch LOST too much ..

I know I know.. I’m a little late for the whole “LOST” bandwagon. In fact, I actually had all the episodes with me before they aired the grand finale on Astro, but.. you know.. there never was enough time to sit down and do the marathon thing.

Since Hubby was away on a guy trip to Penang, I decided it was time I caught up. I squeezed 3 episodes on Friday night (not counting the pilot, coz I did manage to watch that on AXN). I haven’t really seen what the hype was about, but somehow, I was compelled to continue watching it late Saturday morn.

Instead of being engrossed in the storyline (or multiple storylines actually), I caught myself longing for hair like Evangeline Lilly..




Running my fingers through my hair, I thought “Hmm… It’s been some time since I last perm my hair” I got up and sashayed in front of the mirror. Sigh.. I have to give up on any hopes whatsoever for a Vidal Sassoon model. However I may qualify with flying colors if any production house was looking for a Medusa! Hey, with minimal help from the Special Effects team at that too!

Then it gripped me. I shall perm my hair! (After all, the salon is only 5 minutes drive away)

I did just that. Lucky for me they had a promotion.. whoopee!.. Japanese perm (why Japanese? I don’t know..), highlight and treatment for RM148. That’s for me… I’m ready… And I put my TOTAL faith into the stylist.

1 hour in and MUCH MUCH persuasion I finally agreed to a color treatment too.

2 hours more.. and I’m done. However I must say it turned out far different from Evangeline Lilly.. it looked more like Naveen Andrews!




Er.. but with a more brown hue. Anyhow.. still quite sexy (I hope) hehehe

Afterthought…

It does carry a bit of an "Ah Lian" .. Somewhat of a blonde wannabe Asian! … Aiyoks!

Ah well, I’ll fit in nicely at Sungei Wang and Lot 10. Heck I think this would gain me instant employment by Unker Ho selling VCDs

Moral of the story... Naveen is also sexy lar ok?

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Marilah mari, kita berbelog...

Entah kenapa saya janji nak berbelog dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Bukannya handal sangat berbahasa ni... bahasa pasar boleh lah.. (Cikgu Azmi, kalau cikgu nampak belog ni.. jangan marah ye... )

Melangkah ke depan dengan penuh harapan,
Menoleh ke belakang dengan senyuman.
Keesokan hari menyambut ulangtahun kemerdekaan ke-48,
Dirahmati Tuhan kita terus hidup dalam keamanan.
Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Friday, August 26, 2005

Dear Dafthamsta


Dedicated to the not-so-daft-afterall rodent :)

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Happy Birthday Babe!


Dedicated to the most babelicious of all babes!

Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Keranamu Malaysia...


Tanggal Tiga Puluh Satu,
Bulan Lapan, Lima Puluh Tujuh,
Merdeka! Merdeka!
Tetaplah Merdeka,
Ia pasti menjadi sejarah!

Come 31st our country, Malaysia will be celebrating it's 48th year of independance. Merdeka! (Listen to the tune here)

For me, Merdeka day means

  1. HOLIDAY!!... YAHOOO!
  2. Watching the National Day parade on TV.
  3. Anticipate seeing Tenaga Nasional's costume for the National Day Parade.
  4. Anticipate seeing which other company would adorn their staff with spaceman suits for the National Day Parade.
  5. Did I say HOLIDAY??!!
  6. On a more serious note... Thank the LORD that our country is peaceful. Yeah, there are unfairness here and there.... stupid remarks from our politicians now and then (but which country doesn't have politicians with stupid remarks??) ... still.... PEACE!

So what is Merdeka for you?

p.s (I'm flying the Jalur Gemilang on my blog :) )

Monday, August 22, 2005

Heard in church ...

#1

Theresa has been teaching Sunday School for about 6 months now, and was curious if she's made an impact with her students. So in the upcoming class, she decided to ask the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Theresa pointed at a young boy in the front row. He stood up and said "Hi, I'm Dan. When I grow up to be a man, I want to join the missionaries". Theresa beamed and clapped... elated that through her The Lord managed to touch this child.

"OK, how about you?" Asked Theresa, pointing at a cute little girl in the middle row. She stood up and said "Hi, I'm Sally. When I grow up to be a lady, I want to have a baby." Theresa smiled and told the class that to be a mother was a very noble thing, and that a child is a gift from God.

Eyeing a small boy sitting in the back of the room, hiding in the corner, Theresa asked him to tell the class what he aspired to be. Slowly he stood....


Shuffled his feet...


And said...

"Hi, my name is Stan. When I grow up to be a man. I don't want to be a missionary man. I want to help Sally with her plan."



#2
Martha was a quiet woman... most of the time. However, when she's at church, she's always filled with joy. So much so, that it overfloweth.. and she will proclaim loudly "Hallelujiah! Praise the Lord!" She'll attend mass every Sunday and during the celebration of the eucharist, her euphoria will be at its peak!

Then came a day when Martha had to move to a smaller town. Which had a smaller church, which had an older priest... and a more conservative one. She managed to keep her euphoria down to a minimum, coz the priest didn't approve to the disruption of the mass.

Then came Pentecost Sunday.... when the priest started the eucharistic prayer... Martha just couldn't contain it any more... she yelled "Praise the Lord! Glory Hallelujiah!". The priest continued... and again she yelled "Praise the Lord! Amen!". The priest was really getting annoyed.

He asked the chief warden to escort her to the adjoining library. Martha went willingly. The priest gave a sigh of relief and continued with the mass..... then they heard "Glory Hallelujiah! Amen!" ... THROUGH THE WALLS. The priest was about to blow his top and asked the chief warden to tell her to keep quiet.

The chief warden went into the room and nearly immediately came out. "And so?" asked the priest. "She said she saw a map of the world, and the world is so vast. And there's a deepest trench in the world the Marianas Trench.... That is how deep her love for Christ is." explained the warden.

Martha continued worshiping the Lord loudly for the next few minutes. In the final act of desperation, the priest asked the chief warden to remove her from the church.

The chief warden, with another warden... went in and had to carry her out.

There she was on the shoulders of these two wardens.... and STILL she yelled "Glory to you Lord! Amen! Hallelujiah!".

The priest, by now was as red as a lobster boomed " Excuse me madam! Have you no shame? You are being carried out of the church.. And yet you still are so elated. Why?"

To which Martha answered "Father, I am so happy. Jesus rode on only 1 donkey... I HAVE TWO!"

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Love is patient, Love is kind...

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but
do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.

And if I
have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I
have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I
may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient,
love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated,
it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not
quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over
wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.

It bears all things, believes
all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never
fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues,
they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.

For we
know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the
partial will pass away.

When I was a child, I used to talk as a child,
think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish
things.

At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to
face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is
love.

1 Corinthians
13: 1-13

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Bend it like...

We installed Astro towards the end of last year's EPL season. In fact, it was installed just in time for the final match. Then it was AXN, Travel and Adventure, Discovery, National Geographic and Anima Planet ALL THE WAY......

I knew it was going to start some day..

I saw it coming...

The news was getting hotter...

Yep all ye soccer loving fans cheer! EPL is back. The Astro remote has thus left my hands.

Hahahah OK I'm dramatizing! As a matter of fact, I decided to join my hubby in watching the matches. Perhaps I'll be able to understand or ... heaven forbid ... feel the euphoria of the game.

My football (or soccer) experiences are quite shallow. That odd final match during world cup or even some match that was stuck on telly coz my dad had the remote. In fact, I did catch Chelsea and Newcastle when they came over to Malaysia for the friendly.

I know the throw-ins, the corners, the cross and I think I understand the offside too... *grin.. chest slightly inflated*

So anyway, August 13th came... we made our schedule around the match. Manchester United VS. Everton. Hubby was rooted to the telly. I watched for 5 minutes, went to get something to drink, watched another 5 minutes, rearranged the stuff on the coffee table, watched another 5 minutes.. hehehe... you get the idea. Not that it was not interesting... I was just trying to keep myself awake.

Hehehe *sheepish grin* I don't remember the first goal. I only remember trying to spot my player of choice this season, Park Ji Sung. Why him? I don't know. He doesn't speak English, yet he's playing in the English Premier League? He's Asian? I admire his stamina? Perhaps all rolled into one.

My man of the match (yeah he looks a bit blur but hey he know's his left from right K!)


Anyhow... while watching the match (or the frightfully few minutes that I did), I think I've spotted the new Brylcream Boy!.... I think I must've been born with talent scouting .. er.. talents! Drumroll please........


No. 17 Tim Cahill from Everton


Click on image to view profile

He ran up and down the field, tackled players had a bit of roughhousing.... his jersey half tucked in, half yanked out... his hair? "Still standing"! ... Move over Beckham... Behold the newage Brylcream boy!

I fell asleep soon after and got shoo-ed up to bed by hubby. Oh well... I tried didn't I? Next match would be better.... really...

Thursday, August 04, 2005

It's really impossible...

It's really impossible to blog,
When I'm working like a dog,

It's really impossible to write,
When my nails I begin to bite,

It's really impossible to chat,
When my head falls on the table with a splat,

It's really impossible to believe,
I'm still in office and my bladder's dying to be relieved!

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Are you feeling neglected?

It's been a while since I blogged. Things have gone pretty UBER hectic at work.

Good news! The frog has been exorcised! My voice is back to it's squeeky self. Hit 'em high notes and glass WILL shatter.... hahaha.... hmmmm I do miss my husky voice now though... it was kinda sexy.

I had SMS from friends asking me what I was doing with 400 kids! I promise I'll blog about it soon (once I get to steal some more time... old father Time must have installed some nifty security alarm).

The weekend zoomed past really quickly. Sunday was the feast of St Anne. This day is more popularly celebrated at the St. Anne's church in Bukit Mertajam. There's actually another St. Anne's church at Port Klang, and luckily for us, it's just a short drive away. There we were at 6.30 am... the church was packed so we got our seats outside. Morning breeze, church bells and hymns... some comfort after a long long week at work.

That evening, we held a small BBQ gathering for some friends and their kids. It was truly enjoyable... and kids really do say and do the darndest things.

  • I had a young boy popping sweets into my mouth.
  • A young girl telling me that I need to call the police to fix a broken light in my study.
  • The most adult conversation I ever had with an 8 year old girl.

Ah.... prayer, socialising and food does wonders to the soul.

Well, now... back to the grind! It's gonna be late nights for me. My hands are quite knackered with all the clicking and typing.. I'll let Ginger wave goodbye for me.


Monday, July 25, 2005

Random thoughts

  1. How on earth this frog possessed my voice box?
  2. My arms feel like dead weight.
  3. Everybody in the office is sneezing!
  4. Taking care of 400 over kids is a daunting task. (will blog about this later)
  5. The Church of Divine Mercy (in Shah Alam) is beautiful. Wonder if anyone is documenting all the statues and deco..
  6. Have I taken my medication?
  7. When will the weekend come???

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Runaway

Ginger lives in a cage right outside our sliding door. She loves it there as she can see the world go by when we are at work. She hates being in there when we are home though. She wants to run around the garden, run around the car at the porch, gnaw at her chewy bone just outside the main door, terrorize the grass.. the works.

So we do let her out when we are back. But we put her back in when we go to bed. We don’t trust her being alone FREE for such a long period of time. Previous attempts resulted in a porch scattered with organic fertilizer, uprooted plants, torn up rags, pots broken, .. erm.. you get the idea.

Lately however, she started an evil scheme. She yelps at precisely 4.30 am to get me to release her. How did this come to be? Well, one morning it rained heavily.. and water was being splattered into her cage. So she started yelping.. and Hallelujiah.. here comes Mummy to release her. Since then, she’s testing my patience.

Anyhow, this morning I released her again at 4.30 am. It’s a God forsaken hour, so I went back to bed soon after.

2 and a half hour later, while I was happily (NOT) getting ready for work. I heard the neighborhood dogs barking.. but hey.. our yelper (aka Ginger) was quiet. “What a good girl” VIH* said. It was at that VERY MOMENT I got an SMS from my neighbor. It read

“I saw your dog running around outside”

SHIT

Grabbed my stuff, yelled to hubby, ran downstairs, opened the door.. dog missing.

“Ginger!” I called

She came bounding through the gaping hole. Thank goodness!

Can’t imagine where she’s been or what she’s been up to. She looked at me like a teenage kid caught playing truant.

“Where have you been?” I inquired.

“Roof!”

“Well young lady, don’t you get so pleased with yourself. Go back into the cage.”
In she went. (Yes she obeys to that command)

I examined the hole.. the plank we used to cover it must have fell during the heavy rain last night.

What a fright. Thank goodness she knew her way back home. Wouldn’t have fancied running around the neighborhood yelling “Ginger!”

Love Thy Neighbor...

Our neighbor (on the right), is a special end lot with a big land area. When we moved in, it seemed abandon and unoccupied. Few months later, renovation work started. As you can imagine...it was havoc for us. Dust and debris falling onto our side of the fence.. It’s ok, Love Thy Neighbor...they won’t be renovating forever.

When nearly ALL the walls were torn down on their side, we thought the worst was over. THEN, they took down the chain fence dividing our houses WITHOUT our knowledge. Never mind, Love Thy Neighbor...they are putting up the wall without asking us to pay for it.

True enough, the dividing wall came up...but hey...why is there a gaping hole in the middle? Oh, it’s their design thing and wrought iron bars were supposed to be put in. *smile* soon it will all be over. Next thing we know...WHERE ARE THE WORKERS? All halt with works…. the house is not even done yet...heck ...I don’t care about the house.. what about the gaping hole?!!? WHERE IS THE LOVE ??

It’s been over 6 months now..and the situation is the same (in military terms probably it will be SNAFU). That’s it... I think we’ve tolerated enough… something must be done.

In fact something happened this morning! But that’s another blog post. So Watch This Space!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

I KNEW I shouldn't have

Have a friend who is forever 16, took a test and it verified that she's 16! She emailed me the test ... Then I thought... "Hey, maybe I should have a go". Times like these I wish I had a cricket thumping my head and telling me it's a bad idea... but NOoOooOO I had to take the test....
*Weep*


You Are 30 Years Old

30

Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe.

13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world.

20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more!

40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.



Me and my mouse-click happy fingers. Excuse me while I mope!

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Quickie

First, some background

  • Babe's Hubby's nick is HOOK
  • HOOK works in same company as me
  • Office peeps know him as KK

Now the good part!

I stepped out to the ladies. Came back in, a colleague said out loud

"Cyrene, you know someone by the name of Hook?" With a weird look on her face. Coz obviously, Hook is a weird name to have.

"He sounded European-lah" She must have thought it was our Overseas colleague.

I couldn't help but laugh and blurt out "It's KK-lah"

"Sei Jai ar.... tricked me!" She exclaimed (Sei Jai = endearing way of saying ... bugger)

LOL ......

What happened next? Read it here

Weird food.

Hubby's mouse died. Well, comatose actually. The infrared light is still there, but the mouse ain't budging on the screen. So he proposed we drop by 1 Utama after work to get a new mouse. Thus, he pulled the life support out of the comatose mouse. *looks left and right... nope, no pro-life protesters*

We decided on dining at "Wong Kok Cha Chan Teng". "Wong Kok Cha Chan Teng", I just like saying it... the way it rolls out of my mouth. "Wong Kok Cha Chan Teng".. hehe The name is in Cantonese, and it should mean "Wong Kok Cafe". "Wong Kok Cha Chan Teng"... hehe ok I'll quit it.

This place is a sudden hype.. partly because of the semi tongue twister name... and partly for their humongous Iced Milk Tea. They serve that on the house, if you produce proof that it's your birthday. No kidding!.. the container is the size of a planting pot!

OK anyway, we were a little zany and decided to try a weird concoction of toast that they have on their menu. Banana, sweetcorn and mash potato toast. I know, weird combo... but we decided to try it nonetheless.

Soon a waiter brought the dish over, with a queer look on his face. It had banana and canned sweet corn on a thick toast, drizzled with mayo and thousand island sauce. The mash was on the side. The mash tastes like those Nestle instant mash... and very salty too.

The toast with banana, sweet corn, mayo and thousand island (yes I have to repeat all the ingredients to emphasise how weird it was) tasted not too bad amzingly... The sweetness of the banana, the sour saltiness of the condiments. Hubby twisted his face though... it was too weird for him to handle.

He said they probably added that into the menu after a few kegs and pissed drunk. I'm sure the kitchen staff was peeping through the door to see which wierd bugger ordered that concoction. It's probably the FIRST time they actually sold that dish.

Perhaps they even secretly took a picture of us, blew it up and hung it in the Kitchen's hall of Weird Eaters!

Shoots! I actually am gonna believe that happened!

And nope, we didn't finish the dish! We're not that weird.... well, at least not hubby coz I ate half of it by the time we left. Hang on, does that mean I'm weird?

Monday, July 18, 2005

How to make cakes without an oven

My Sis-In-Law (SIL) was having a bit of a bad week last week, with the nasty doc and the oups incident with the Camry. So, I thought of cheering her up a little.... Actually an excuse for me to try the "Steamed Egg Cake" recipe hehehe...

So here's how I started....

Simple Ingredients
Some simple ingredients (Sugar, Flour & Eggs)

The recipe's simple, a bowl of eggs, a bowl of plain flour and a bowl of sugar. However, because I'm not ready to succumb to diabetes just yet, I halved the sugar amount. Also, I added a dash of Sodium Bicabonate into the plain flour. Next...

Start your engines Whipping

I whisked the sugar and eggs till it's pale and fluffy. Notice I'm using an old school hand-whisk, I swear my right arm muscles bulged after the process. Good workout though hehe... Then gently fold in the flour till well mixed. Next stop, tart moulds....

Prep

The batter filled up 6 of these tart moulds (filled to 3/4). However they should've filled up more.... I didn't whisk the egg and sugar up enough. Then put them into the steam machine.... a.k.a a big wok filled with water and topped with a platform for steaming.

Steam machine Sauna

Put on the wok cover and let those babies enjoy the sauna for 15 minutes.

Time In Time Out

The result.....

All Done I'm ready for my closeup
Some makeup
Played with some food coloring for deco

And for my dear SIL .....

Alice

Hehehe I had so much fun doing it, I whipped up another batch. (This time I made sure I whisked them eggs good!) The result? .. the cakes were fluffier .....

More cakes
Another 2 ended up into hubby's tummy.

Friday, July 15, 2005

Spotted!

Emblazoned across the t-shirt of a busty lady:

"AS CUTE AS IT GETS"

Eye-popping!

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Taming of the fur!

I've always been meaning to Blog about our pet doggy. How she brought cheer to our lives, how she does the cutest things, how smart she is.... and last but not least how much she makes our blood boil. hahaha. OK, let me begin the story again.

We've always talked about having a pet dog when we move into our home. We've always envisioned walking the park with our obedient dog. Oh what a serene scene that painted. So somewhere in December last year, I scoured an online forum for puppy adoptions. These are mainly stray mongrels, and some kindred spirits, finding a loving home for them. Fate has it that I stumbled on a posting about "GirlGirl". This poor little mongrel was adopted, but the owners were irresponsible and left her to roam the streets again. So a kindred guardian, took her in and tried to get "GirlGirl" a responsible, loving home.

I was curious and I clicked on the link to view her image. This was what I saw.




ginger
Please take me home?

Now tell me that's a look you can say 'no' to! She has an uncanny way of tugging ye olde heartstrings. So I offered the guardian to give a home to "GirlGirl". Weirdly though I felt excited and nervous. I began to wonder if I am responsible enough for this lil' pup (she was about 9 months). But the moment we met for the first time.... I knew she was right for us!

We hereby knight thee - Ginger.



Ginger
Ginger making herself at home in the Garden

The first weeks were quite exhausting. Very much like first time parents, we fret about her food, we fret about her wellbeing, we fret about keeping her welcomed..... while she fret about separation. Ginger had quite a bad run of separation anxiety. She would shadow us ALL over the place! Even to the washroom!

We decided that we need some support in parenting Ginger, so we named my Sister In Law Ginger's Godmother. Funny thing is, it was as though Ginger knows.. coz she ALWAYS runs to my Sister In Law when the family comes to visit.

It's been 7 months now, and we're happy to say that, we can't imagine our home without her. That lil bundle of fur, joy and yelps!

All that Fur on a small dog!

She is shaggy all over. She likes to roll about in the garden. She loves to garden (aka dig up the plants). So, I'll let you draw the conclusion on how icky her fur can get after a week. So last weekend, we decided to treat her to a grooming session at a newly opened pet shop nearby.

The time came, we bundled her into the car. She didn't suspect a thing.

We brought her to the grooming room, and she wasn't the slightest worried. In fact, she was excited! "New doggy friends" I can almost hear her say.

"How short do you want to cut her fur?" Asked the groomer. "Erm, short but not too short?" Uh oh.. did I make the right decision? "Means how short?" The groomer asked again. "Erm... Ok short", "Don't hate mummy, Ginger" I whispered. Ginger was nonchalant.

So we left her there for 2 hours..... she came back to us smelling like baby powder. Is she still cute? Well... why don't you judge for yourself...

DSCN4325

Monday, July 11, 2005

Caffeine addiction? Me?

It all started when I was surfing through the blog of Schweeney (btw, just added her into my friends with blogs roll), and came upon this Coffee Quiz.


You Are an Iced Coffee

At your best, you are: hyper, modern, and athletic

At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty

You drink coffee when: you're out with friends

Your caffeine addiction level: medium

Wait a minute? "Medium" addiction??? That can't be! I will not allow my body succumb to any addiction. I can handle my intake, I drink moderately and I don't get all jittery without the caffeine morphine. This quiz is a little out of whack.
Now excuse me while I get a cuppa!

Friday, July 08, 2005

Innocent lives lost.

Yesterday the world was again shocked by acts of terrorism. A string of what seems to be choreographed explosions crippled the London underground network and a bus. At least 38 people perished and 700 injured.

Reading the news and looking at footage of the explosions, one can't help but think of how vulnerable we are. All these carnage.... what better cause could justify it?

Looking on with horror, I thought to myself "Thank God it's not here". Then I felt guilty. Terrorism knows no boundaries, we will never know if it WILL one day be here. I find myself trying to understand how someone can deliberately cause such violence, walk away with a clear conscience. How?

What's the price of human lives nowadays?

I couldn't look, it was so horrific
Scott Wenbourne(Witness at Aldgate)

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Harap maaf! Tren tergendala sebentar!

Weekday mornings are never easy. I make a pact with my inner-self every night to wake up earlier the next morning (in fact we make a pact with the freakishly loud alarm clock too). But you and I know it never happens. I end up breezing through the shower (aka Mandi Kerbau), put life onto face (aka Make-up), make breakfast (this can sometimes be optional when I’m super late) and finally hang out the clothes to dry.

Why the rush? Simple, to beat traffic. We live very far from where I work (playfully nicknamed “Jungle” by a colleague in fact), and my hubby would drop me off at the LRT station for my daily homage to all 14 LRT stations to my destination. Most of the time, I get a seat…and the trip would be uneventful. I guess someone out there didn’t want me to get bored of my trips… and thus begins the story of my morning.

Approaching the entrance of the LRT station, I noticed that the shutters were half drawn. “Now that can’t be a good sign” VIH* said. Indeed it wasn’t. A notice was displayed at the entrance announcing a technical fault on the tracks, causing trains to be delayed.

“Just wonderful” I sighed. Seeing that commuters still duck their heads and proceeded to the gantry, I did the same. The platform was packed with anxious commuters, constantly checking their watches and I presume all saying a little prayer that they won’t be late for work.

More announcements blared over the PA system “Your attention please. Due to technical issues, trains will be delayed. Thank you.”

“Thank you”? Don’t thank us; I’m quite sure the technical issue was not caused by us the commuters! Hah!

Few minutes later (thankfully, coz the sun – being very cynical – decided to bake us at the platform), a train arrived. Needless to say, we all transformed into sardines and did what was natural to us, PACK IN!

“It’s not all as bad as it sounded out to be” I thought. Ok, other than the fact that the guy standing behind me about 30 degrees to my left decided to raise his right arm to hold onto the support beam, resulting in me having to keep my head at a 40 degree angle throughout the journey! (No, I couldn’t move.. and if you asked that question, you clearly have not transformed yourself into a sardine before).

A few shocking moments happened when the train had to pull a few stunts emergency brakes mid stops. You can sense that everyone’s heart skipped a beat whenever that happened.

50 minutes later, 20 minutes longer than usual, I finally exited the train. Phew!... It’s nice having a little personal space again.

Monday, July 04, 2005

It's been a WHOLE year!

"Love vanquishes time. To lovers, a moment
can be eternity, eternity can be the tick of a
clock."
--Mary
Parrish
.


Indeed it does... it still feels like just yesterday I was walking down the aisle with my dad. The beginning of a new life...

How did we celebrate?

8.00 am:Woke up and hung clothes out to dry
9.00 am:Went for breakfast (oh I of course put on the pretty pink blouse my hubby bought)
10.00 am:Arrived at church. We were 30 minutes early... So we spent some time at the Grotto ...
10.30 am:Mass begun. Today we were asked to help out as "Wardens".. First time :D.. Hubby made sure to look each person in the eye to make them cough up the cash LOL (just joking)
11.40 am:Had tea with V&V.. It was nice to catch up after a long while
1.00 pm:Indulged in a foot reflexology session with hubby. (my treat)
3.00 pm:Lepak-ed around at home
5.00 pm:Cooked a simple dinner. Pasta with tomato and cream sauce... Accompanied with a bottle of Ice Wine ..... followed by a slice of cake. Yum Yum!!
7.00 pm:Took Ginger out for a walk in the park. Wished I brought my camera... The sight of Hubby and Ginger walking in the park was so adorable.
8.00 pm:Watched some tv...
11.00 pm:Retired for the day



I hear you guys exclaiming "WHAT?!" hahaha... but it just felt right. We've reached the ONE year mark... yes, it's special... but what's most special is that we found each other and that we strive towards making our marriage work. I don't mind forgoing the fine wine and silver dining for an evening stroll with my love in the park.. just quietly enjoying each other's company...

Happy Anniversary Darling ... *lift up wine glass* And here's to many more!

Thank you very much for all the well wishes.. and especially to Babe for her dedication post. It was really really sweet of you.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

... End of the day ...

Bladder : 99% full
Head : 50% larger
Eyes : Blurry
Palms : Sweaty
General Health level : Lethargic.. need med pack soon....

Shoving off .... need sleep ... need... to.... go...

- Over & Out -

Interesting conversation

This morning, I took my place again in the swarm of people commuting with the LRT. As with other days, I got into the train, got a spot, scanned for other passengers that my need my seat more than me (Aren't we courteous?). Finding none, I took my book out and began reading. A few stops later, I noticed from the corner of my eye, a well dressed man with a small backpack stood in front of me. In fact, I wouldn't have noticed him if not for his "hip-hop" ringtone (some rap song.... mobiles these days... )

What amused me was his conversation....

The Conversation

Man

:Hello?
(pause)

Man

:Oh, you may be too early. Perhaps you could try the other entrance?

(pause)
*I noted that he spoke well pronounced english*

Man

:It's via the exit beside the boutique.

(short pause)

Man

:The boutique beside the cinema.

(another short pause)

Man

:Boutique. Boutique next to the cinema.

(shorter pause)

Man

:Just after the boutique, is an exit to the staircase. There is a back entrance there.

(pause)

Man

:Boutique.

(short pause)
*I begin to sense the hint of iritation*

Man

:Boutique. Boutique!

(pause)
*with a near inaudible grunt*

Man

:Aiyah! The shop that sells clothes one lar... next to the cinema... Sell clothes one! Boo - tik ar!

(pause)
*in perfect chinaman tone -- snigger -- *

Man

:OK! So I'll see you there in a short while. Bye


The guy then slipped his mobile back into his pocket, then looked around inconspicuously (I think to see if anyone noticed his conversation).

Hehehe.... Short entertainment for an otherwise uneventful ride.

Monday, June 27, 2005

I've been tagged!

I kept turning my head in vain to see if there's something stuck to my back... I looked very much like a dog chasing its tail.. haaha...

Well, I have been tagged ... but by Babe... I guess it's my duty now to answer the daunting questions... Ah babe ah... I main masak masak only wor And then somemore.. my blog not exactly a foody blog kekeke but I'll try.

The questions
What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
Oddly enough, I remember clearly my first memory of cooking on my own. I have working parents and spent my time at home a lot with my grandparents. Now, they just leave me to my antics most of the time... and playing with 2 brothers bore me after a while kekeke... So I loved going to the library and get books to occupy my time. I remember being in Standard 5 when I stumbled upon this cookbook for children. In it there was a recipe for soup.. Cloud Soup. It was actually simple broth with sesame oil, chicken stock, and beaten egg with some greens. I was so proud that I cooked it all by myself.. and my dad enjoyed it.

Who had the most influence on your cooking?
It would definitely be my paternal grandmother. She babysat all of us (my 2 brothers and I) while my parents were at work. I would sometimes help her out and she would sometimes teach me simple dishes. My grandmother's cooking was ALWAYS "agak agak" -- estimate -- style. A pinch of that, a shake of this, a drop of that.. hehehe well you get the picture.

Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?
Oh no,.... I don't have any unfortunately. Now why didn't I think of taking pictures of them :P

Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
YES!!.... Dishes that my Mother In Law cooks.. and my hubby sometimes asks me to cook them. I have a lil' insecurity in that... because I don't think I can achieve the exact taste. However my hubby assures me it's all yummy.. that sweet man!.

What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest let down?
My BIGGEST let down is..... the el-cheapo can opener... bought on Monday, used on Tuesday, rusted on Wednesday, cut my hand on Thursday, threw on Friday.. hahaha well not so dramatic.. but yeah that chronological order of events.

Most valued would be the big old fashion chopping board I got from my Mother In Law.

Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like - and probably no one else!
There's this fruit called 'Buah Keluak', and it's thus far for me, ONLY found in a stall in the market in Melaka Town. My grandmother would then soak it for days, crack it open, dig out the pungent black powdery stuff, mix it with shrimp and some seasoning, stuff it back in and cook it with pork. MMMMmmmmMMMm!.... it's daunting for a first timer because the dish looks black and messy... and you have to dig out the yummy bitter savoury filling. Truly yummy!

What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don’t want to live without?
ONLY 3!!??!!

1) Potato - Done in ANY way... I LURVE THEM ALL! haha

2) Eggs - In any way except half boil... eeeyucks!

3) Honey Dew Sago - YUMZ!.. Nuf said!

Any question you missed in this meme, that you would have loved to answer? Well then, feel free to add one!

Three quickies:
Your favorite ice-cream… : Rum & Raisin
You will probably never eat… : Pets
Your own signature dish… : Believe it or not... my Hubby claims I make a mean Fried Bee Hoon.

Who do you want most to cook you dinner? (added in by Oslo Foodie)
My Grandma... I miss her... May her soul rest in peace.

And my own question that I would loved to answer:

How neat is your kitchen?
Never as neat as the catalogs hehehe... In fact.. anyone know how to get rid of those darn cicak!! (lizards).



OK ... now the interesting part.... who to tag... Now I have but a few friends who blog... so ...

Julian : I know you try to avoid being tagged... but this is a foody one!

Shookmeallnightlong : This big papa bear .... sure like to makan.. but hmmm will he cook?

Dafthamsta : I tag you coz you've not updated your blog for AGES... about time no?? hehe

Unwind and Dine


Last Thursday Babe, Ms. Sweet-16 and I decided to pamper ourselves at Liang Xin (after reading babe's experience).

I was excited since the last good pampering I had was about a year back in a heavenly Spa in Koh Samui. I was really looking forward to this. To get to the center, the 3 of us cramped into a claustraphobic inducing lift (I'm serious... it was so cramped!). I resisted the urge to press the "help" button on the lift... hehehe

Finally the doors opened to a brightly lit front desk. The deco is very inclined to the imperial china look, yet with a minimalist touch. Quite classy. We were greeted by a helpful staff and ushered into a huge room filled with cots.

The lights in here are all dimmed and it smelled faintly of the diffused aroma. A stark difference from the reception area. The cots resemble the opium beds that the rich in China used, but with posts and bars across (for the enthusiastic masseurs to hang on while they trample ... i mean massage.. you).

I gasped at the thought that it's all so open!... But to my relief, attached to the posts were also blinds :) ... So we picked our cots and the blinds were drawn around us .... suddenly the world consists of only the 3 of us hehehe

We quickly changed into comfy t-shirts and shorts and sat like anxious school girls waiting for our masseurs to arrive. We started off with the reflexology... literally being waited on hand and foot by our masseurs.... Oh the tingle of the warm warm water surrounding my aching feet... The refreshing cool towel to wipe our faces... Cool orange juice... a bowl of grapes... bliss.

My masseur turned out to be a Mainland China guy... Great... I can't speak no Mandarin, he can't speak no Cantonese. Thank goodness for the international understanding of "OUCH!" hahaha... Yup... the reflexology was good and strong.

After a good 1 hour, it was time for the accupressure body massage. Holy quackamolie!! This guy actually stood on my back.... the whole 60kg of him! (ok rough estimate)... I felt like the grapes being pressed for wine (ok ok .. i exagerate :p )

Overall, it was wonderfull.. I was in 7th heaven at the end of it.. and wanted nothing more than a good sleep... but....

Ms. S-16 started singing...

"Siew Kai Yek, Hou Hou sek" ....

Tee Hee... our legs (and tummy) took over all motor skills and we walked over to the "makan" area. 1 Hokkien fried me, 3 pairs of chicken wing and 1 plate of Superior Stock Lala later.... we were trully giddy :)

Can't wait for our next outing... wonder where it would be this time...

Friday, June 24, 2005

I need glasses (or a trip to the zoo)

Yesterday, after a long long time, I went out with 2 girlfriends for a "pampering" night out (more on it in a later post). I must have caught a severe case of blurness (mind and sight).. coz I kept making a similar blunder the WHOLE night!


Strike 1

Miss Sweet-16 offered to pick me up from a Lotus Restaurant nearby. So I left office promptly (coz Miss Sweet-16 doesn't tolerate tardiness :p ).. brisk walked to the LRT station and made my way there.

Found her in the sea of people, enjoying her cuppa tea and her nifty 3g phone (envies). I spotted a cute, furry keychain on her bag.

Me:Yee... the bear bear so cute... I steal later.
Ms S-16:Tee Hee... Take lar... but it's not a bear lar..
Me:*gasp* *sheepish grin* yeah hoh.. it's a .....
Ms S-16:Lau Shu!! (mouse -- rat sounded a bit too ratty for such a cute thing)


I blushed when I saw the mistake.
VIH*:Siao ar you? How can you make such a mistake?
Me:What? A head, two cute hands, two cute legs.. furry all over.. Innocent mistake.. anyone could've done it.

Mouse
Alleged bear bear #1

Strike 2

Ms S-16 navigated her way through the jam and finally made it to our destination. We found a parking spot easily, and while she was busy locking the Fort-Knox in her car I saw another cute furry thing on the dashboard.

Me:Ok, while you lock up, I play with this bear bear
Ms S-16:(in the verge of ROTFL mode)Hahahah... it's a DOG lar gurl!
Me:Oh My Goodness!!! You're right
Ms S-16:(She didn't say anything... she was hysterical at this point


Dog
Alleged bear bear #2


Aisyoh Kadavale!... so embarassing... I need to go to the zoo to memorize how a bear looks like.

VIH*:I'm too embarassed to be associated with you.


*VIH - Voice In Head (aka my Nemesis)

I'm who???

Babe told me about this nifty new quiz.... it tells you which Malaysian blogger you are most like. Sounded KEWL.... so I gave it a try...

*drumroll*

the result is....

Congratulations , you are...




minishorts of minishorts.net

You are outgoing, direct, smart, pretty, and a definite go-getter. You are frank, a little too frank perhaps that sometimes you get on people's nerves and make them very upset. If people attack you, you hit back with triple the force without blinking because you are the kind of person who knows exactly what you are talking about or else you wouldn't talk about it. Your quick-thinking is what makes you special. You are an elitist.

Which Malaysian Blogger Are You?

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

At least someone remembered "Service with a smile"

My journey to and fro work these two years have been heavily relying on the PUTRA LRT service. One of the most convenient way to travel to the heart of KL (not to mention one that can preserve the small thread of sanity that is left). One thing I noticed from my frequent trips was that the staff rotates from station to station. Especially the ones who checks our monthly passes at the turnstiles.

The Man

Day after day, with every looming commute, I find myself hoping to meet one single PUTRA staff. One lone man who preserves the "Service with a smile" motto.... and always seem to enjoy it.

This middle aged looking man always looks well groomed, shirt nicely ironed and hair well combed. Always standing (not sitting like a beca driver on the high stool) when passangers walk past the gate. But what struck me most... was that he is polite to EVERYONE.

Imagine a wave of people passing by him, and yet, he acknowledges everyone with a polite "Thank you". Not the mumbled "thank yous" that you get from a disgruntled cashier during the Isetan sale, but a loud appreciating "thank you". It comes in 2 different languages. This is how he sounds like

"Good morning", ir, ticket please", "This way ma'am", "Thank you", "Terima Kasih", "Silakan", "Thank you", "Ma'am, ticket please", .....

and all these with a smile to boot....

The reactions

A little politeness goes a long way. Nearly everyone that goes past him will actually look up and .... (I'm nearly too scared to mention this...)... but yes, they smile back! (Even at 7.30 in the morning, dragging their feet to office, dreading the imminent meeting)...

If it was some other guy at the gate, the commuters would just flash their passes, head stooped, feet shuffling. Not even bothering to look up and look at the guy (even if he had moustache like Mr. Pringles.... but that's a different story).


It always makes my day when I see this Mr. Service-with-a-smile.

So to you Mr. Service-with-a-smile... *slight curtsey*... Thank you.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

There's nothing to eat....

at KLCC...

Although there's

- Auntie Anne's Pretzels
- Bateel
- Breadtalk
- Chocolatier
- Cinnabon
- Dunkin' Donuts
- Famous Amos
- JJ's Juice Fusion
- La Cucur
- Lecka-Lecka
- New Zealand Natural Ice Cream
- Rotiboy Bakeshoppe
- Chocz
- Delifrance
- Dome Cafe
- HOCA Specialty Coffee
- San Francisco Coffee
- Secret Recipe
- Starbucks Coffee
- Strudels
- Smoothies
- The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
- Ummph! Boh Island
- 1901 Hotdog
- A & W Restaurant
- Burger King
- KFC
- Nando's
- Asian Flavours Food Court
- Level 2 Food Court
- Al Marjan (Arabian)
- Bong Sen (Vietnamese)
- Bukhara
- California Pizza Kitchen
- Chakri Palace
- Chili's Grill Bar
- Chinoz On the Park
- Dome Café
- Genki Sushi
- Gloria Jean's Coffees
- House of Sudanese Food
- Kelantan Delights
- Madam Kwan's
- Manhattan Fish Market
- Nippon Tei
- Rain Nudle House
- San Francisco Steak House/Santini
- Spice of Indian
- Spring Garden (Chinese)
- Shrooms & Stars Restaurant

I still can't think of what to eat for lunch....


Would you call this spoilt for choice?

Monday, June 20, 2005

Sinfull Cup


chocolate
Originally uploaded by Cyrene.
Unker Julian and I decided to step out of the office for a discussion 2 weeks back. Instead of heading to our normal coffee haunt, we decided to try out 'Chocz'. I played the Devil's advocate in this matter hahaha...

I ordered the "Madagascar" ... dark chocolate drink.... ooooh... my lips quiver with the mere thought of the drink. It was RICH, BITTER and slightly spicy... HEAVEN.

However, it tasted a bit "jelak" when it became cold. Next time must remember to sip fast fast kekeke...

Friday, June 17, 2005

Voice in my head...

Self :Hmmm.... I'm craving for nasi lemak today....
VIH* :What? You just had one on Tuesday!
Self :Yah I know, but it's so yummy. The nasi, the sambal... the aroma!
VIH :Hello... Have you looked at yourself in a full length mirror lately? That bulge is by all means unsightly OK..
Self :Must you say that? Why can't you just love our body?
VIH :Uh huh.... and pray tell are you REALLY in love with your body now? hmmm?
Self :Erm.. well... i...
VIH :There..... so lay your hands off that nasi lemak. You can thank me later...

* VIH : Voice In Head

Mysterious leak:Part 2.

If at any time you feel lost in this naration, perhaps you should read Part 1

Call the calvary

We made an S.O.S call to our contractor. Nice bloke who unfortunately speaks Hokkien and really really basic Cantonese only. This complicates many many communication instances. Thank goodness my Father In Law (FIL), came along to help explain matters.

Up and down and up and down (the stairs that is), they went to check out the tank and piping. The diagnosis was unconclusive. *sob*

What they could do is to turn off the main tap that feeds water to the tank. We arranged for the specialist (aka plumber) to come and have a thorough checkup during the weekday.

The Specialist

The appointment was made for a weekday so only my FIL could be present for the inspection.

Up and down and up and down again they went. NO LEAK! (oh by this time the leak stopped)

NO LEAK!
NO "PAIP BOCOR"!
NADA!
ZILCH!

Turned on the main tap to the tank.... and still nothing. I'm happy to announce that the ceiling is leak free till today (been 3 weeks now)

*X-Files theme song in the background* Don't believe it? Believe it!...

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Mysterious leak: Part 1

Some background

It's been a year since we got the keys to our house, and more cracks are surfacing. So we submitted a long list of faults to the developer for rectification. They will then inform an appointed sub-contractor to look into the issues.

This sub-contractor has quite an interesting collection of workers an indonesian couple, a vietnamese young man and an octogenarian. Yup, I swear he looks way pass his retirement age. Now this old "ah pak" is a rude one, but let's not go there (it will take too long to blog about him).

Nearly all the problems were rectified, and one of the last issues was with the gutter in the front. So one sunny Saturday morning, the "ah pak" came by with the Vietnamese guy. He argued with hubby about whether or not the gutter was his scope of work. Nothing a call to his boss couldn't solve.. hmmph...

So with a grunt, he reluctantly set to work. Soon after, the weather turned bad and thunder threatened. "Ah pak" started to pack up (still grumbling under his breath). He then preceded to the next door (under renovation and empty). Hubby was not happy at all with his attitude and complained loudly for a few minutes...


The problem

All went well, till the next morning. While stuffing my beloved washing machine with dirty laundry, I heard a peculiar dripping sound. I looked up and lo and behold... a mini waterfall. At the corner of the wet kitchen, water was dripping from the ceiling "Argh!".

Hubby came running, jaw dropping as he saw the leak. Hahaha because of his deep set iritation with the "Ah Pak", he immediately suspected foul play. "But it's quite impossible for him to cause this" I exclaimed.

We promptly turned off the main tap, cutting off the main water line. Leak was still there. Hubby climbed up to the tank, and whoa!.... Overflow!

Not a good way to start a Sunday morning. :(