My Cooking Project

Finally, I'm back to doing one of my hobbies - cooking. Contrary to what appears to be my lifestyle when I used to live away from my family (I've never cooked in my former landlord's kitchen), I actually love to cook. Now that I finally have a kitchen of my own, I'm free to cook, yeessss!

Chicken curry boiling in claypot... yum.


Today happens to be the first time I cook in more than 5 months, and also the first time I prepared curry. Thanks to the delicious but easy-to-prepare "Kari Ayam Tanpa Santan" (or coconut milk-free chicken curry) recipe shared by blogger Naz on her blog "CUTE OVEN, SMALL KITCHEN", I was able to come up with this curry which my dad and I enjoyed very much.

Do check out Naz's blog, which has a comprehensive collection of interesting recipes (as per the link provided above).

The curry looks like any of those that we frequently come across, but sans coconut milk. Hence, this curry is a healthier alternative to ordinary chicken curries that contain coconut milk. There's a subtle taste of "asam jawa" (or tamarind) in this curry which I liked very much. If you prefer less tamarind taste, you may reduce the tamarind paste to half a tablespoon instead of one spoonful.

My 1st time home-cooked curry as served on the dining table... with traces of gravy all over the bowl. Not as if I was bothered to garnish it nicely, hahaha...

I bet my mom would have loved this too, and she'd missed sampling her daughter's cooking by just 5 1/2 months.

Apart from chicken curry, I cooked two other humble dishes:

Mixed vegetables comprising carrots, broccoli, baby corn and fish cake with oyster sauce...

and:

Simple spinach soup. Just stir-fry some finely-chopped garlic with whatever you like (fish ball, fish cake, or any meat of your choice), add water, allow to boil, add vegetables, add salt to taste, and allow to simmer.

Three dishes with rice for lunch and dinner over a Sunday had indeed made my day. I'm no professional cook, but only inheriting some of mom's cooking and seeking to learn more.

10 years ago, I could not have imagined myself preparing food for folks at home in the kitchen. But today, I cherish cooking as much as the people I love. Cooking per se is fun, but washing is not... there are just so many things to wash and clean up after cooking.

I look forward to plan my next cooking project soon, only if everything goes well of course.

Yes We Can

Below is an excerpt of a CNN article on the eulogy by the sister of the late Steve Job, Mona Simpson...



One of the parts that had struck me most is "He was hurt but he still went to work ... Every single day".

In attempt to take an inspiration from this, well... People are free to judge us in whatever way they like. But as long as we have a clear conscience, determination, and enough patience, we should be able to challenge ourselves to prove our critics wrong one day.

We know ourselves best and thus shouldn't be defeated by negative remarks about us. Success lies in not one, but many aspects of life that are akin to the formation of a thousand pieces of jigsaw-puzzle.

Easier said than done, but not impossible!

Ouch...

A mysterious attack of hives suddenly struck early morning long before dawn at 2 am.

I did not eat anything out of the usual. I did not use any new detergent or toiletry. The last time I ever had hives was when I was in Primary 2, but a version much less severe than this.

The attack went on for about 2 hours before subsiding. My night sleep was gone.

12 hours later, another swarm of hives came attacking.

The itch was too much to bear while working. Having only Telfast 120 with me (which was earlier prescribed for other reason), I was forced to pop a tablet because the itch was unbearable. Telfast should help because it’s an antihistamine (but unfortunately, I have yet to see improvement even 2 hours after intake).

I said “forced” because it may be undesirable to consume such medication at this time. It's better if what I look for hasn't materialised yet or else I will be unforgivable. I’d rather wait than to play with risk.

In the meantime, I’m afraid of bedtime tonight for fear of having another attack of hives. Maybe I'll need to go to the doctor once to see what can be done to help alleviate it.

Cherished but Deeply-missed

Myspace I Miss You Graphics

Matcha Yogurt

Green tea seems to be a popular flavour nowadays, almost every food has a green tea version... ice-cream, cakes, cookies, etc. However, I'm not sure whether green tea yogurt exists or otherwise. Anyway, here's a pleasant concoction recently experimented - "matcha yogurt", or green tea yogurt.

Before & After

Half a teaspoon of green tea powder into 150 g plain-but-sweetened yogurt (I used Marigold) makes a simple, nice and nutritious blend of dessert after lunch.

Where to Begin?

Part of my job requires writing, but I think that I'm only doing mediocre so far. I enjoy writing nonsense, but deep inside I realise that I should channel my time for more productive activities such as contributing articles to the division newsletter of my workplace.

I am excited to write and contribute. I felt somewhat honoured when my boss told me to try working on my own article. "What's the big deal?", one may ask. Even I asked that to myself. But to a novice who has never prepared any serious write-up, it is big.

Excited, yes... but feeling insecure too. I may have a flair for writing craps, but I'm not sure about preparing write-ups with substance.

Give me an idea as to what topic to ramble on, and I'll start right away. But the truth with regard to working life is such that we have to be independent. "Work life" is an entirely distinct galaxy altogether, unlike "student life" where the latter (in our country) is frequently filled with spoon-feeding. The reality seems sad, but this is the local reality today.

As of now, I have yet to gather a clue as to what to write. My instinct tells me that I'll do fine, but I'm sure there'll be a long way for improvement before I can finally succeed in having my own article given any green light. I may even have to face lots of scolding for producing "crap", LOL.

Fear not, I'm prepared to face the music regardless of the outcome of my "article". I only pray that I come up with a real article as opposed to another piece of trash.... just like this note of mine on my blog now.

In the meantime, I'll go ask the one who has lots to say about current affairs, including the law, for fresh ideas. Wish me luck. :)

The Dreadful Connexion

This is pretty freaky, and I have a cause to be a little concerned. But then who are we humans to know what lies ahead in life?
.
.
.
1. Below is part of a short Q&A from Newsmax Health on whether aneurysms are inherited, and if family screening is necessary for those having family members with the condition.

2. And quoting from NHS Choices:

"An aneurysm is a bulge in a blood vessel that is caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall. As the blood passes through the weakened part of the vessel, the blood pressure causes it to bulge outwards like a balloon.

If the aneurysm grows too big, there is a danger that it will rupture (split) which can cause potentially fatal internal bleeding and organ damage.

Types of aneurysms

An aneurysm can develop anywhere in the body but the two most common types of aneurysms are:

• an intracranial aneurysm (also known as a cerebral aneurysm), which develops inside the brain, and
• an aortic aneurysm, which develops inside the aorta. The aorta is a large blood vessel that runs down the abdomen and transports blood away from the heart.....

How common are aneurysms?

In England, it is estimated that between 1 and 6% of the population has an intracranial aneurysm.

Aortic aneurysms usually develop in people who are 65 years of age or over, and they are thought to be more common in men than women. It is estimated that between 1.3 and 8.9% of older men, and 1 and 2.2% of older women have an aortic aneurysm.

As unruptured aneurysms do not usually cause symptoms, it is difficult for researchers to give more accurate estimates.

Ruptured aneurysms are a small but significant cause of death in the UK. In the UK each year, an estimated 8,000 people die because of a ruptured aortic aneurysm and an estimated 1,400 people die as a result of a ruptured intracranial aneurysm.

In many cases, the exact cause of an aneurysm is often unclear, but known risk factors include:

• smoking,
• high blood pressure (hypertension), and
• having a family history of aneurysms.......

Outlook

In cases of ruptured aneurysms, the outlook is poor.

An estimated 65-85% of people with a ruptured aortic aneurysm will die, and about half of all deaths occur before the person is taken to hospital.

An estimated 10% of people with a ruptured intracranial aneurysm will die before reaching hospital and a further 50% of people will die within one month.

Half of all people who survive an intracranial aneurysm will experience brain damage."

3. Scary as it is, this is life
Appearing healthy does not necessarily mean being healthy. Without seeing what's inside, we can never really tell what's the actual state of health within ourselves just because we feel fine.

With regard to aneurysm, the prognosis is usually unfavourable by the time it's diagnosed, i.e. rupture would have occured by the time one learns of the existence of aneurysm, and thus too late for anything to be done.

One Day vs. A Lifetime

Wedding is only a one-day affair, but the outcome of a marriage lasts a lifetime.

Marriage goes beyond looking good on photographs. Substance matters, not merely what's on the surface. The list is not exhaustive, but here are some of my humble views on marriage:

1. I prefer to be low-profile as opposed to being in the limelight in the form a grand celebration. Greater attention equals to higher level of post-wedding stress.

2. There is no harm in going through traditions for the sake of experience, provided they are practical and not redundant today.

3. Marriage opens up the pandora's box that leads to the voyage of the unknown. We humans can only plan, and certain things are beyond our control no matter how hard we try.

4. No two humans are perfect and compromise between parties is thus very crucial.

5. No two humans in the world can read each others' thoughts. Communication is key to keep a marriage alive...

6. As usual, the saying "it takes two hands to clap" is very applicable to marriage.

7. Love is blind, but marriage is eye-opener ;) 

and lastly....

8. In light of three dark events, I'm actually not in the mood to celebrate what ought to be a "Big Day". What joy is there in celebrating when one of the most important persons behind the event isn't going to be around to physically witness it? It suffices to me that I'm already legally-married (although I have yet to live like a married person at the moment).

Pre-Wedding Photography Preview

Background
I'm pretty shy when it comes to taking and sharing photographs of myself, and therefore only pose for official purposes - 99% of the time.

I'm not...
Please forgive me if I sound narcissist today, but I swear that it actually seldom happen. After all, I've always got to go on extra miles to gather enough confidence to pose for photographs, let alone self-admiration. :P

For the first time
So long after establishing my blog cum diary, this is the first time I'm putting up photographs of my husband and I on the blog after I for so long... so I'm a little excited.

Before I divulge into the photography experience recently, here are just a preview for what's drafted for my pre-wedding album. There are many more to come, both indoor and outdoor photographs.

For a start, let me share a few indoor photographs here. I am no pretty supermodel, but just a humble young lady with an ordinary life (a life that's challenging as well, as I'm physically-tired from shouldering the responsibilities of 2 people at home).

Indoor photography in evening attire...
(photographed in the studio, behind is a huge glass panel cum window facing the main street)

In full white-attire...

And finally, in Chinese costume comprising mandarin-collared attire and "kwa qun"...

Digressing a little
In light of what just occured recently, it's no surprise that I particularly like my cousin's remark that I looked like my mom in this picture. I suspect the reason behind liking the remark so much is because I miss my mom very much.

For the first time ever, folks think that I finally look like my mom, yay... *.* Anyway, if I look like my mom at all, I'm probably only a distorted version of her. My mom's naturally-beautiful, I'm not.

Back to the topic today.....

Pre-Wedding Photography in a Nutshell
My summarised list of facts & commentaries:

1. The Studio: Victoria in SS2, PJ

2. Costume SelectionReasonable. I'm generally satisfied with the range available. For our package, we are allocated 2 white wedding gowns and 1 evening gown for indoor photography, 1 white gown for outdoor, and 1 set of traditional attire (in which we have chosen the "kwa qun" over Japanese and classical French costume).

3. Make-up and Hair
I do not know the name of the resident bridal make-up artist, but she's very professional, puts in a high level of effort in ensuring perfection, and friendly. I'm happy with her work.

4. Photographer
Again, I do not know their names. I only know my SA's name.
Our photographer is a young guy, assisted by another who's also around his age. I had a pleasant experience with both the photographer and his assistant.

5. Album Design
I'm neither a designer nor anyone deep into the art of photography, so I won't be able to comment in details. From what's shown to us during the viewing session, the proposed draft looked fine.

But please do take note that there are many "more premium" designs and types of album available, and the SA will try to persuade clients to take them up.

Ultimately, it boils down to your personal preference. My only advice with this regard is to be decisive of what you really want/need for your album and frames.

6. Outdoor Photoshoot
It was very hot... literally-speaking. It's 3 pm by the time we finished the indoor photography. As I have yet to unravel my outdoor photographs, I'll only divulge the venue then.

Again, with my devil-may-care attitude with regard to wedding-related arrangements such as photography, tradition and ceremony, I'm fine with anywhere as long as the scenary looks good on photos.

7. Pricing
Just like the rest of the studios, extra charges are inherent in all the photography packages offered. My advice is to be prepared with 20% extra because even if no additions are made, for e.g. assuming that you don't add anything extra to your photography package, the extra sum will inevitably crop up.

Last, but not least...

Marriage goes beyond photography per se... it takes a lot more than just a wedding.

The Nostalgic Ride

I enjoy watching the ETS pass in front of me, for it reminds me of the good old days of travelling to Ipoh monthly. It never came across my wildest imagination that I'd no longer get to be in Ipoh anymore.

The Seremban-bound ETS passing by Bandar Tasik Selatan on one fine day...

Nowadays, I shudder whenever I come across the ETS......

I dearly miss those days when I used to take the KTM Shuttle Train and subsequently the ETS from KL to Ipoh on a monthly basis. Where mom would come over to the train station and pick me home. Such a mommy's girl.

I also fondly recall the enjoyable moments of spending time together with mom and dad at home during the weekends in Ipoh. It's the place where we had our meals together, where I used to go to places with mom... to shop, eat or simply stroll around the old streets.

Also:

1. I miss driving shortcut to Batu Gajah (BG) from Ipoh to meet my buddies during the holidays. It's been almost a year since I last met someone from there.

2. I miss some of the best food in our country that's only authentically-available in Ipoh.

3. I miss travelling to Taiping to see the Lake Gardens from Ipoh and pamper the sweet memories of my childhood with my late grandparents.

4. I miss spending my breaks with serenity and full relaxation.

5. I miss travelling by the ETS to Ipoh, not the one loaned to KTM Komuter from Sentul to Seremban and vice versa. Although I take the ERL (KLIA Transit) almost daily, it does not substitute the fun of taking the intercity train fortnightly.

6. I miss the feel of going back to my hometown. Speaking of which, I actually spent very little moment growing up in Ipoh because I was out most of the time... and

7. I miss my mother very much.

Will there come a day when moments of sweetness gradually return to life?

Daughter to Mom

My Lazy Delicacy

When it comes to sudden pangs for certain food, something is better than nothing.

I really need to stock up with curry powder, fish/chicken, potatoes, spices, vegetables, etc soon or else I'll be completely deprived of my favourite and deeply-missed dishes that I seldom get to enjoy on nowadays.

And in this case, since I have no convenient access to real Laksa or authentic-tasting curry noodles to pacify the crave for something hot, I prepared something very instant using the limited supply of raw materials I have in my kitchen.

Curry-flavoured Maggi instant noodle with egg and mixed vegetables...



.... to soothe the curry-craving soul.

Taste-wise, this instant preparation is not bad. But nothing beats preparing what's original for the sake of culinary satisfaction.