Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Money in a Bottle...


This morning, my eldest daughter came up to me, while I was having breakfast, and she presented to me this small bottle with something inside. When I enquired what it was, she told me to open it to find out what.

I was a bit suspicious, thinking it could be an April Fool's joke (1st April is tomorrow), but then when I opened the bottle and found the pink 'ang-pow' wrapper inside, I just could not guess what was in the wrapper. So, daughter insisted that I opened the wrapper too.... and when I did, there were dollar notes inside.... Then I realised that my daughter was giving me her first salary to share.... Thank you Khadijah... She also gave to her father and all her siblings.... Then when she visits her grandparents, she will also give them a token of her first salary...

Thank you Khadijah aka Kak Long. We all love you very much.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Hot Air Balloon @Putrajaya

(a pair of hot air balloons..)

(going up....)

(Doraemon saying hi to Darth Vader)

(I'm watching you.....)

(Doraemon excited to meet Darth Vader)


Sofiyah and I went to Putrajaya early Friday morning (18th March). The weather was fine. By the time we reached there, and wanted to purchase tickets for a ride on the hot air balloon, luck was not on our side.... tickets all sold out... According to the staff manning the ticketing booth, one had to queue as early as 4am...and the booth only opened at 7.30am... Oh well..perhaps next year then...


Saturday, March 12, 2011

Rendang Ayam Kampong

(the chicken rendang still cooking in the wok)


My husband is still in Bangkok. So Khairulzaman and I went to Pasar Tani Paroi to sell our mutton this Saturday morning. We pushed off from our abode in Kajang at 7.00am. Khairul drove the 4WD. It was drizzling until we reached the Ampangan Toll. The weather was cloudy after that.

When we reached the site, our helpers had yet to arrive. I phoned my brother, Zulkifly enquiring why the delay. He told me he had to deliver two live goats to a client in Seremban before coming to the Pasar Tani. He was with Acot.

So while waiting for them, Khairul and I had breakfast at the Pasar Tani. I had fried mee hun whilst Khairul had mee hun soup and... two plates of beef mertabak!!! My son can really eat lah.... but he hardly gain weight at all.... Perhaps its because he is so active in sports. He plays football and futsal almost everyday... He also has his own blog and forever requesting that everyone become his followers.....

Anyway, when Zul and Acot arrived, they set up our stall. We had our first customer at 8.30am. He bought 4kg of mutton. Alhamdullilah. We sold every piece of mutton by 11.00am.

Here at Pasar Tani, we can find almost anything for cooking. There are fishmongers, butchers (our stall included), vegetable sellers, herbal sellers, cooked food and drinks, and also ready made clothes.

Since I wanted to cook chicken rendang for my dear husband who is returning from Bangkok (having to eat tom yam all the time there), I bought all the necessary ingredients at the Pasar Tani. I bought santan (fresh coconut milk), lemon grass, turmeric leaves, onions, garlic, lengkuas, kerisik (coconut paste), bird eyes chillies, dried chillies etc. Everything can be found here.

From the Pasar Tani, Khairul drove me to my parent's house in Ampangan. I had bought for them Siakap fish, quail and vegetables. We could not stay long because I had a wedding to attend in Kajang.

We reached home at 12.15pm. I then took Sofiyah with me to my friend's son's wedding at Taman Cuepacs. Khairul was too tired to follow us. Anyway, after zohor prayers, Badruzzaman sent Sofiyah to her school. She is representing her school in the ABIM inter-school sports. She is participating in the 200m sprint and Netball.

After sending Sofiyah off, I took a nap. I only started to cook the chicken rendang after solat asar. The rendang should be ready in three hours.....

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

New furniture



This morning after physio at KPJ, I went to a rattan furniture shop near my house. I wanted to buy two chairs and a coffee table. The whole set cost me RM950.00.

I loaded the furniture into my Toyota hiluxe and returned home. Since my eldest daughter was at home, she accompanied me to Maytower to deliver the furniture. Luckily the trip to Kuala Lumpur was not heavy... so we managed to reach Maytower within half an hour.

We used the Smart Tunnel to get into Kuala Lumpur. But then, as we neared the exit towards Jalan Tun Razak, it was closed! Aiyaaaaaa!!!! They were doing road repair at the JTR exit. So, I had to follow the Jalan Bukit Bintang exit. Luckily I knew the way to Maytower via this exit.

My tenant was delighted to have the additional furniture. Well, I am the owner so I must ensure that my tenant could stay at my unit comfortably.

My daughter and I then returned home after delivering the furniture. It suddenly rained the moment we exited from the Smart Tunnel to Jalan Cheras.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Tailoring at Pavilion

I thought I will not be visiting Pavilion ever again... yet I did go there with dear hubby. We went after meeting our new tenant from Iran, Mr and Mrs Payman. They wanted to rent our studio for a month. We showed them our unit, and they love it. We then took them to the coffee house at Maytower, together with their friend, Mr Mahdi. Mr and Mrs Payman moved in on the same day.

Hubby then drove to Pavilion. We parked our car opposite Pavilion at the private parking lot. There were still plenty of empty lots when we parked our car. We then walked to Pavilion via the overhead bridge right into Pavilion. I took hubby straight to Summermen since I have already enquired the location of their boutique.

Mr Stevens (the owner) brought out samples of textile for hubby to choose for me.... Hubby wanted Stevens to make me two sets of suits. Since I brought with me my suit which I wanted him to copy (the design), Stevens then made his assistant measured me. There was no increase in the measurement...except....the lower part...which was my.... (ehem! Mdm, I think ah better widen this part a bit ah... make loose little little...ok ah??)

Oh well....time to hit the gym again..... Anyway, the suits should be ready within a week. RM750 per suit...

From Summermen, we had lunch at Manhattan Fish Mart at the Pavilion Food Court. The Food Court is enormous.... So many varieties to choose from... From Eastern to Western dishes... From Fast Food to Walk-n-eat food....

Saturday, March 5, 2011

An evening at Kings Park


















(Above pictures were taken on Sunday 6th February 2011)

Friday, March 4, 2011

Convocation @Curtin U

(Ayeshah with me....)

(Ayeshah with her course mates)

(Sze vien with her parents)

(Ayeshah with her housemates, Dya, Sze Vien and Ika)

(Pretty gals in a row...)


Ayeshah's convocation ceremony was held on 8th February at her University in Bentley, Perth.
We reached the campus at 5pm and Ayeshah's friends were already wating for us. Ayeshah put on her graduation robe and we then took pictures around the campus grounds. Since it was so hot... I put on my shades.

The ceremony was held in the open area near the school of Architecture. We had to produce the tickets at the entrance to the venue. Wow..... the security guard was very strict... No ticket, cannot enter.... So, there was a commotion when a guy tried to enter using his ticket which one half was missing....

At the venue, I was sitting third row from the back along the isle, so I had a good view of the stage. Ayeshah sat infront among the other graduates. I was still wearing my shades because I was facing the setting sun....

Then, when the ceremony began, it was almost dark... When Ayeshah took her scroll from the Chancellor, it was the happiest moment in my life.... My daughter has finally graduated.... But then, I could only watch her via the large screen on both sides of the stage.

There were fireworks when the ceremony was officially closed. It was awesome!! Then we went to the refreshment tent and got ourselves a vegetarian food pack and a bottled juice drink. While waiting for Ayeshah, who was taking more photographs with her buddies, I ate together with other parents, who were also waiting for their children... We are all proud parents...

Then, we returned to Ika's abode, since Ika will be following us to Mountways Apartment to stay with us for the night. We took the last bus to Perth Busport, from Bentley. It was while walking to our apartment that I suddenly wanted to wipe my spectacles since it was getting misty........ Then I screamed...AAAARRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! I was wearing my shades right through the night... during the ceremony....at dinner....to Ika's house... inside her house...in the bus to Busport....... OMG.... I was so embarrassed.....

Ika and Ayeshah just stared at me when I was screaming my head off.... Then, we all started laughing when we saw the funny side of it.... Ayeshah said she too was wondering why I was still wearing my shades the whole time..... Oh well, it was a GUCCI shade.....

We then walked all the way to Mountways....chatting, laughing....I felt good.....

Fish Nuggets

500g fish fillet

Seasoning (A)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp beaten egg
1 tbsp cornflour

Seasoning (B)
75g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100ml water

Cut fish fillet into thick slices and marinate with seasoning (A) for at least 20 - 25 minutes.

Combine ingredients (B) in a small bowl into a thick batter. Dip the seasoned fish slices into batter and deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Capati

300g atta flour
250ml cold water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil or margarine or ghee

Add salt to sifter attar flour in a mixing bowl. Push flour to the sides of the bowl to make a hole in the centre. Pour in water and mix until flour does not stick to the sides of the bowl. Knead into a dough.

Form small balls from the dough. Rub oil or margarine or ghee on the pieces of dough. Cover with cling film wrap for 1 - 2 hrs.

Flatten the dough into a thin pancake and cook on a skillet until crispy.

Potato and Leek Soup


400g potatoes, cubed
1 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks leek

(a)
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 bay leaf

650ml chicken stock
150ml whipping cream
70g grated cheese

Seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Trim the leeks and use only the white portion. Slice thinly.

Melt butter in a non-stick saucepan and fry garlic until fragrant. Add leeks and fry for another 1-2 minutes until soft. Add potatoes and ingredients (A).

Pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Season to taste.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Discard Bay leaf and transfer mixture to a food processor. Process until smooth in batches.

Transfer pureed mixture to a saucepan and ad cream. Reheat gently for a while.

Remove from the heat and add cheese. Stir to mix before dishing out into individual serving bowls to serve immediately.

Vegetarian Herbal Lotus Root Soup


(A)
100g lotus root, skinned and cut into thick strips
25g yuk chuk, rinsed and soaked
10 red dates
5 dong gwai
2 pcs dried beancurd sticks, soaked till soft and cut into 4cm pcs.

(B)
10g ginger, shredded
15g dried lily buds, knotted, rinsed and soaked

2 litres water
Seasoning
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp vegetarian seasoning powder
1/8 tsp sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Combine ingredients (A) and water in a deep saucepot. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Add ingredients (B) and boil for 5-6 minutes. Season to taste. Dish out and serve the sup hot.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Stir Fried Celery


2 stalks celery
4 pcs arrowroot head (nga ku)
50g carrot, cut into desired shapes
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp sesame oil

Seasoning
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp vegetarian seasoning powder
Dash of pepper
Sugar to taste

100ml water

Thickening (combined)
1 tsp potato starch
1 tbsp water

Cut celery at a slant. Peel and cut arrowroot head into thin slices.
Saute ginger and garlic in sesame oil until lightly golden. Add celery, arrowroot head slices and carrot. Stir in seasoning and add water. Fry briskly for 2-3 minutes then add thickening to the gravy.

Dish out and serve immediately.

Beancurd Pumpkin Rolls


100g pumpkin, skinned and cut into strips
2 pcs fresh layered beancurd skin
2 pcs nori or seaweed sheet, cut into small rectangles

(A)
15g cornflour
45g plain flour
10g rice flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
1tbsp oil
200ml water

Dipping sauce (combined)
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Combine ingredients (A) and mix into a smooth batter. Set aside.

Open up the fresh layered beancurd skin and place a piece of nori sheet over it. Top up with a slice of pumpkin. Roll and wrap up neatly into a popiah roll. Use a toothpick to secure the roll.

Dip the rolls in batter. Deep-fry until golden brown. Drain from oil and serve with dipping sauce.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Sofiyah's 12th Birthday

(the domokon bag.... via google)

I read Sofiyah's FB status that she would like to have a 'pomo' bag for her birthday. What's a pomo bag?? I enquired from her siblings and no one knows what a pomo bag is, until her older bro No.2 (Khairulzaman) googled and found that its a domokon bag, not pomo.

So...older sister no.2 (Ayeshah) googled to find out where to get the bag. Suddenly older sister no.1 (Khadijah) said, can find at PV (Pavillion).

So.... hubby (her dad..hehehee) and I (her mom... hehe...) drove to Pavillion after delivering our mutton order to Jalan Ampang.

This will be my first visit to Pavillion.... and will be my last.... I so no like it... Preferred KLCC anytime. But because have to search for darling Sofiyah's birthday present, we asked a toy shop at Pavillion. No domokon bag anywhere in Pavillion. Can find at Fahrenheit. Fahrenheit?? Where aunty?? Last time call KL Plaza ma.... You tulun itu LG sana, belok kanan, lanti you lampak itu kelai jul itu lomokon bag ma..... manyak mulah.... (You go to LG, turn right, and you will see the shop that sells domokon bags... very cheap...).

So... I waited at Pavillion whilst my hubby went to Fahrenheit to purchase the domo bag. Hubby returned after 20 minutes with the domo bag!!! Wowwww... hubby really goes all out for his 'baby'...

When we reached home and gave the bag to Sofiyah... she was jumping up and down with joy... and her dad were showered with hugs and kisses... me included...

Sofiyah..we love you so much, Happy birthday sayang.. and may Allah bless you always...

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Register @KakiGym

After sending Sofiyah to school, I drove to Section 7 in Bangi to buy nasi lemak. As I reached the stall, the owners were already packing up, since they have sold out all their nasi lemak. Wow!! brisk business today.

Anyway, I then drove to KPJ Kajang for my physio appointment. As usual, the pak guards, the receptionist... and all that know me as I enter the hospital, would greet me... I am popular because I am friendly, I smile easily, I laugh loudly... oh yeah??? YEAHHHH!!!

Nur'Ain (my physiotherapist) was already waiting for me. She gave me the necessary treatment and after an hour, I was free to go. Go where?? To KakiGym of course.

I went to KakiGym to register as a new member. KakiGym is only about half a kilometer from where I lived. My membership with TSL Gymnasium will expire end of March. Since KakiGym also has their equipment as good as TSL, and nearer to my home, I decided to join them.

What inspires me to enrol at KakiGym is because they have outdoor gym, meaning they organise mountain hiking, jungle trekking, and this Saturday 5th March, they are organising a bicycle ride to Putrajaya. I am unable to participate because I have the Pasar Tani to attend to. Also, I ain't fit enough to ride all the way to Putrajaya.... perhaps next time, InshaAllah.

Yes... at KakiGym, they have very informative fitness magazines, available at their lobby and health drinks station. Got free wifi some more, for members only.... I have definitely made the right choice! Now to start exercising... but when ah??? Hmmmmm....
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