mail surprise

This came through the mail yesterday; all the way from Manchester or to be more specific Knutsford. How exciting to hold the bulky package (though I know what it was). The second book to the Amish series. Thought of starting on it this morning but it has disappeared....Lyn must have started on it already.

Together with it came a chinese new year greeting card. Such ancient way of sending greetings. Nowadays we just sms greeting to each other or post it on fb....Really nice receiving it the old fashioned way.

So to Aunty Selena, Uncle Philip and Beth....THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts and hope you have a prosperous CNY too.


Next was a letter from Vancouver addressed to Yu Yong Poo. Since Yu Yong Poo can't read English, I took the liberty to open up the letter for her. These pictures came out. Lovely, lovely pics. How they have grown. Christina has such lovely thick hair....I envy her hair.



Along with it was this very late Christmas card. A month late!! Better late than never. Anyway, nguima has kept it away in her drawers after looking at them. There are a few more letters of such kind in her drawers; I saw them one day while looking for stuff.

Though she can't read, I'm very very sure she appreciates every bit of such mail from her family far away. She misses them terribly.

famous choco chip cookies

This is the all famous choco chip cookies. High in demand. Ing got the recipe from don't know who; shove into my hands and said bake it...very nice. From then onwards; this has become the all time favourite. I think if I don't bake this cookie; everybody will be upset. Infact; Ing bought me a packet of chocolate chips last year; expecting me to bake this but I didn't because I didn't have the time and mood for baking.

Using the one tsp measuring spoon; scoop up the dough and put onto the tray. Don't have to roll as it's very sticky. Don't flatten it either; or else it will end up totally flat.

Choco Chip Cookies

1 block butter

2 cups flour

1 tsp soda bicarbonate

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp implex

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup castor sugar

2 cups oatmeal

25o g chocolate bar (cut to small pieces)

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup chopped almond

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

This was how the recipe came to me and I just had to figure out what goes where and what to do first etc. After baking for so long; it comes quite naturally.

This is evidence of how much the kids love this cookie. I reminded them to leave some for the father. By evening, I was shocked to see only three pieces left (I wanted to curi one to eat). The most guilty person is none other than the cute tubby fella.

coffee crunch

250g margarine/butter
180g brown sugar
2 egg yolk
150g custard powder
200g flour
1tsp coffee essence
100g chopped almond
1tsp soda bicarbonate
60g dessicated coconut
Do the necessary.
Bake at 180deg for 17minutes.

I use a one teaspoon measuring spoon to scoop up the dough before forming into a ball; pressed slightly with a fork.


Fresh from the oven. Really crunchy and nice. Gave a bottle to Nee, only two bottles left. Need to bake more.

Meng Li Restaurant

We circled around Oaklands yesterday looking for a chinese restaurant to eat in. There were so many but none were open. Took the final road and saw this corner shop; Meng Li (I had the picture and cropped it and it disappeared...sigh). It's new. We went in and saw the boss....very familiar looking. After digging into our memory bank for quite a while...I remembered...Dusun Nyiur. They used to operate from a house there. Yes...I was right; KC asked the waitress.

We had horfun with wild boar meat in black pepper sauce. Very very nice but very very thirsty after that. In the corner is the spinach dish; which we order whenever we go out as it is mother and Dan friendly. Such limited tastebud.

We must have fried rice as Dan can't take other food. A lot of stuff in it and was real good too.

This is claypot laushufen(rat noodle) with salted fish. Used to be their signature dish at Dusun Nyiur but I think the cook is different. Don't remember it looking like this. This is mother friendly. Not too bad but I prefer the one from Dusun Nyuir.

Three main dishes and one vegetable....more than enough for the five or us. KC wanted to order more but the waitress said enough. It was only slightly over RM35!!!! I think this low pricing is to attract customers as it is very new.

Definitely will go again for the wild boar horfun and we saw a family eating yeemee. Hmm...will get that too and will do it soon before the price goes up!

hot hot hot

It's 4.30pm and the sky is totally clear, cloudless. A very hot day; the thermometer reads 34deg. I went out under the sun a few times to sun my keropok...wah; the sun burns. Think I must put sunblock before going out next time.

I was able to capture this...it's the moon. Really beautiful. I didn't do anything to this picture; it's in the original form.

This picture; the colour is darker because I picasaed it. Kind of nice to see the colour so deep and rich.

Look at this......in its original form. Totally cloudless and real blue with the speck of moon in it.

It is not only hot but the wind is also strong. We call it the CNY wind. With such weather, it would definitely be good for me to make keropok but I think I am not ready for such a heavy task yet. Need lots of energy to knead.

bakuteh....my style

Went out for dinner last night and ma ate beef rice (her favourite). But she fell rather ill in the night. The rice wasn't good for her. So I decided to cook something which all of us like but have not eaten for a while. BAKUTEH!!



That is Lyn's lunch. The soup is laden with all her favourite stuff; mushroom, inoki mushroom, taufoopok, vegetable and no meat. There is yaucharkueh too and this meal definitely doesn't cost RM7.20. That was how much ma's bakuteh cost the last time.



Then we or rather I had dragon fruits as dessert. The fruits are from Bernice's brother's farm. Small but real juicy and sweet. The price is also very reasonable; RM6 per kg instead of the RM8 or sometimes RM10 which I pay at the fruit stalls.

A most sumptuous meal...simple, easy to prepare but really delicious.

get-together

Tomorrow, at 12.30pm some old friends from Convent and ACS will be having a reunion at the Royale Bintang, The Curve, Damansara. The Convent group is organised by Mimi while the ACS group is organised by Jeremy Yeow Chin Yeong. I am in both groups.


Unfortunately, I am unable to attend it. Most disappointing. There is school tomorrow right up till 1.30pm for Dan. My driver, has gone outstation for some brainstorming (how I hate these brainstorms). There is a wedding dinner in the evening.


This will be the second time I am missing a reunion like this. Quite frustrating in a way. How do people make time for such things and I just can't find the time for it?


This is the Convent group of friends. I believe at least three from this group will be attending the reunion tomorrow. Facebook has done wonders. Five of them are in contact with me through it. I know of at least two friends who have moved overseas. A few more others...lost touch.


This is the ACS group. In touch with two of them through Facebook; oh dear, only one of them. The chap holding the guitar is not Lee Chong, it's Lee Kee. Am only in touch with Lee Chong. Forgotten the name of two of them (terrible); no three of them. Don't know the whereabouts of about ten of them???? I am not sure if any of them will be meeting up tomorrow...probably not this group.

Interesting to find these pictures. Think if I spend more time, I would be able to dig up more.

surprise visit

Yesterday evening, while I was preparing to cook dinner; Shantini phoned to tell me Puan Siti Hawa and Puan Kulvinder are coming over to visit me.

Pn Siti was our former principal. Retired two years ago. Proactive and go-getter. A lot of changes and things were done to the school while she was there. Many of us were also very stressed because of her many plans and ideas which involved the whole staff.

Today as I look back; I realised a lot of things had been done; structures built because she was brave enough to bulldoze her way through. That is one trait to be admired. The higher one goes, the lonelier one will be...I believe it wasn't easy for her heading a school full of negative people who wish to remain status quo. But she did what she was able to do...

Yesterday was an example of her proactive attitude. She heard Shan and I are on MC...so she decided to visit us. Now...who would bother unless we are close or still in contact or still working together? She is none of the above and she cared to visit.

Thank you, Pn Siti Hawa....I am most touched.

moist chocolate cake

I'm in a baking mood. Need to spend time to bond with my new oven to understand it better. Lyn helped me...infact she did most of the stuff. I just supervised. This recipe is from an old colleague(who is a Maths teacher; the recipe is almost like a formula) when I was teaching in PD. I have not tried it for years. It's real simple. I believe if I leave it totally to Lyn; she would be able to do it too except the baking part.

Moist Choc Cake
A:
300g flour
60g cocoa powder
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
(sieve the above together)

B:
12 0z water

C:
300g castor sugar
300g butter
(cream together)

D.
5 eggs

1. Cream C
2. Add D
3. Add A and B alternatively to the mixture

Pour into the baking tin and bake as you would bake a cake and the result is as below! (The almond flake is optional, I added that as I needed to check how brown the cake gets so that I can adjust the temperature etc accordingly.)

Looks real moist; right? I believe it tastes as good as it looks. Can't test it as I've brushed my teeth, the kids will tell me how it tastes tomorrow.

Dan mentioned that ever since I stayed home this one month, there seems to be a lot of food to eat. Hahaha...all this will stop once I start working next month.

absolutely great...sent a tupperware to school for Chan and friends...all gone...very moist. Lyn suggested adding chocolate chips too. Will do that the next round.

bakuteh

Mother went for a blood test a fortnight ago. The report was good...she has no problem at all except for her calcium level which is very low despite all the calcium supplements she takes. She has also signs of rheumatoid. Doctor says her cholesterol etc is ok.

This evening at the hawker center, she asked for rice and soup. I thought bakuteh would be nice and suggested that to her. She requested for pig stomach! We used to take so much pig stomach long time ago without thinking of cholesterol and what naught. Of course, I didn't ask for extra stomach.




The bakuteh was served with lots of pork; a few ribs, two pieces of stomach and two pieces of intestines. To my surprise, she only takes the stomach and not the intestine. Then I realised I don't remember her cooking intestines those days. It was always the stomach which she washes thoroughly before throwing into the herbal soup.


She wanted more stomach but there were only two pieces. She said she would rather eat the stomach to the meat. What was left was the meat and the intestine. She finished every drop of the soup. It must be real good.

I must boil bakuteh soon...of course the healthy one; without intestine or stomach and lots of vegetables and taufoo and mushroom.

What place is this??

Some people go to Orchard Road, Singapore to catch the Christmas decorations. Well, I didn't go very far to catch this decoration. The best part is; it is all year round. ( I heard that last year's Orchard Road decor theme was white and blue). Hmmm....the same theme here.



Lots of life in this place. There was loud, live music when I passed by last night. Lots of cars parked at the curb and people were all over the place. Though it's a real attractive spot, I have never stepped into it myself. But I have seen many many many Malay couples hanging around here. A favourite spot to date; I think.



Next to this interesting spot is a big pool which is fenced up. Somebody died (last year; I think) swimming in it. His feet was stuck in some cable or whatever structure as this pool is an unfinished basement.

So...what place is this? Another clue....this was where the Seremban Convent was located. Today Seremban Convent is no longer in existence as it is replaced by SMK Puteri, my school. (It is nothing like a Convent School).

Yes....this place is Dataran Seremban!!!!!! A great spot to go paktoh....(that's what Dan thinks). It is smack in town and anybody coming in to Seremban town should be able to see it and it is most impressive at night. That is how the tax payers' money is being used.

crunchy cheese cake

Tried out the new oven today. Finally baked the crunchy cheese cake which I have not baked for years. Too lazy to do much baking nowadays.

Dan helped me grate the cheddar cheese.

The egg whites whisked with sugar till stiff. In another bowl I whisked the butter and sugar. This recipe needs two mixers...as the eggs and butter are whisked separately first. Makes the cake texture smooth.

The batter before being placed into the oven. The remaining grated cheese is placed on top to give it the crunch.

While waiting for the cake to be baked I had to wash all these. Now I remember why I dislike baking nowadays....it's the washing up that I hate. Was glad I went and checked on the cake. The top was browner than usual. Not used to the oven, doesn't work like the old one. Had to turn down the temperature by 50deg; the manual said; and I didn't follow it. Looks like I need to bake a few rounds to get to know this oven.


Finally, after almost an hour the cake is done. The top is slightly browner than usual. Nice, crunchy and bit saltish because of the cheese. Not to be eaten too often; rich and fattening. (another reason why I don't bake so much nowadays)

19.1.10

finished in no time. Great demand for it. I saw mother curi makan also even though she complained it's heaty.

korean food

I remembered my camera today before leaving the house. KC had been wanting very much to go for korean food but korean food is spicy; so doesn't suit the tastebuds of a few people. Today we had the chance to go out on our own. He was very sure there is a restaurant at Oaklands. So we drove around; row after row looking for a korean restaurant and when we were about to give up...lo and behold...the Restoran Korea!!!!!

It's in the newer part of Oakland. Rather quiet at night.

The restaurant is real clean and nice inside. When we entered, there were not many people. Before leaving, many of the tables were taken.

The cashier; which has korean costumes at the back.

I ordered this spicy beef soup which comes with a bowl of rice. It has chinese cabbage and taufoo. Really spicy. For your info, a bowl of such rice costs RM4.00!!!! KC ordered a bowl and was shocked when he checked the bill that his plain rice is the same cost as chicken rice!!

This is what KC ordered....some beef thingy which comes with lots of side dishes (in very tiny and miserable servings).

The egg pudding that came along with KC's food. If you see closely, the texture is very rough. I make better egg puddings. Mine is real smooth. There is a secret to making it smooth.

The beef thingy which KC ordered. It has tanghoon at the bottom and onions on top. The beef is nice and tender.

The cutlery. The chopsticks are flat. I couldn't pick much food with it. Gave up using it.

We spent RM54...15 for mine and 35 for KC's and 4 for the extra bowl of rice. Not that cheap korean food...and some of the dishes are quite normal like egg pudding, long beans fried in anchovies...it's the beef, beef soup and kimchi that is different. Overall, it was a delicious meal and definitely warmed my stomach.

What a day

Today has been an absolutely busy day. Vim visited me in the morning after visiting Shantini with the other English teachers. Then Inah and her convoy dropped by; HEM, Rozana, Khanita, Hasanah and Hasmaliza with a fruit basket. We chatted till almost noon.

I wanted to bake a cheese cake for Lyn to bring to the MYF cum JS BBQ tonight using my brand new oven but I was too tired after the visits. Last night we went out and got me a new oven. My old Moulinex oven of 18 years finally kaputted. I need one to bake cookies. Wanted to get a bread machine too but there was no stock. My bread machine also kaputted.

Then we decided to get a trolley for all the rubbish on my dining cabinet so that I can place the new oven on the cabinet. So we got a trolley which is just so so.

I made sushi for the BBQ as I have promised this earlier. So so tiring. Lyn was very disappointed that I didn't bake the cheese cake as she wanted to play with the new oven. Maybe I will bake it tomorrow.
The kids have gone for MYF, saw Katherine there. She looks so good out of school, more lively and definitely happy. JS is definitely good for these youths. After Form 5, Lyn will definitely go too. Too bad there are no girls her batch, all boys...Nicholas and Aldrin.

Oh yes...in the midst of making sushi, Chan sms that she saw my article in The Star paper. I totally forgot that I sent an article to the Star last week. It is the pick of the week and I get a complimentary stay in Corus Paradise, PD. Nothing to shout about....KC is going there for brainstorming this coming weekend.http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/1/16/lifetravel/5432043&sec=lifetravel

And the day is still not over yet.....more to come later this evening. What an interesting day indeed!!!

foot massage

This morning Justine and I had our feet massaged. We have known this man (from China) for more than two years now and he makes house visits.

The prices of everything has gone up; even the foot massage. He used to charge us RM20, today he said that he is charging RM25. It is still cheaper compared to the shops outside.

Quite painful but I enjoy the massage. Very relaxing at the end of it. Will call him one more time before I return to work.

sad evening

This new pet...fishes is taking a toll on our emotions. Yesterday was record breaking. Two died. After school, Dan had to flush one down the toilet bowl. After tuition, I had to tell him another one died...the newer fish. He cried and Lyn also felt like crying and I had to hug all of them and comfort them. Sigh.....

We added three fishes to the small tank on Sunday. We got a pump and filter. Maybe the tank was too crowded. Out of the 9 fishes we had, now we have only 4.

Dan tried his best to care for the fishes but it wasn't within his control. He just didn't know what went wrong. Neither did we. We checked fishes for dummies...not very helpful. Got to prepare the tank and get the pH right etc. The shop didn't tell us such thing and so many people rare fish without having to check if the chemical is right or not.

We hope the remaining four will live for a while. Now that we have a pump etc...we are not giving up that easily.

18.1.10
A few days ago, another fish died. Last night, Dan commented that one of the fish looks pale. Yes, it does look pale. I am so heartsick looking at the fishes. Why can't we keep them alive? Is it that difficult? Now only three left. Two tiger fishes and one MPS fish.

Mum's taxi

This is the stage almost every mother in Malaysia goes through if she has kids who are in their schooling years. My taxi is even busier this year. Today is the worst.

Send Dan to tuition at 4pm. Pick Lyn at 4.30. Send her to music at 5.30. Send Dan to music at 6.00. Pick them up at 7.30. If KC doesn't drive to work, I have to pick him up either at 7.00 or 8.00.

On top of all these, have to make sure there is hot dinner on the table when they return and at least 4 dishes or else Dan will ask why isn't there much food to eat...

All I can say is thank God everywhere is accessible and I don't have to drive half an hour to get to any place. I'm sure I will miss this job when the time comes for forced retirement.

keropok

Chinese New Year is round the corner. I bought 4 packets of unfried keropok from Caryn this morning for RM100. Keropok is something that can't be kept long in this house. It will finish in no time.

In Seremban, almost every household serves keropok during CNY and it is usually served with acar. I have learnt to make keropok from my MIL. Years ago when I had a maid around, used to make a few rounds of keropok during the Nov/Dec holiday. Now I spend so much money buying it.

Making it is quite time consuming. Have to shell the prawns (udang kertas); small and soft/white shell....2kg to a kg of tapioca flour. Kneading and steaming is easier. Drying it is another hassle. Can take days; depending on the weather. But it is a must every year to have keropok in the house. CNY will not be complete without it.


The keropok before frying...it is sliced using a slicer, the pressure when slicing will decide the thickness. This is quite thin. KC likes it thicker.


The keropok after frying it. I have a big biscuit tin to put the keropok. Making keropok takes days, eating it is just like seconds.

My resolution this CNY is to make keropok this year!!!!!!

Fireworkz

Went to Fireworkz for dinner. It is located the same road as the market; after the old income tax building and before Seremban Crab. Place is nice and clean. Nice deco and ambience but the menu is a little limited.


As usual, Dan only knows how to eat fish and chip in a western restaurant. Very limited tastebud. He said the food here is good. This fish and chip is nothing compared to the haddock I had at Windemere; real big serving and I couldn't even finish it. The price is almost the same; except I paid in pounds there.



I had salmon in some nice sauce and mashed potatoes. The most expensive of all. Not too bad. The sauce is good.


Ma had beef burger kosong. She loves beef and enjoyed the burger. She said she will definitely want to come here again for the beef burger. The meat was very thick compared to McDonald and tasty.

KC had porkchop sandwiched with ham. He said the taste is ok but pork is not his type of food. He prefers to go halal.

Lyn had pork burger with egg and cheese. Yes...most delicious. She enjoyed it and was really stuffed.

Well, looks like this is a good place to eat burgers if we feel like taking McD. But they have only two type of burgers. The price is reasonable and the food is just nice.

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