You will never believe where I am heading next... Taj Mahal!
I was trying to cook roast chicken on Christmas eve, and in trying to baste the chicken, I thought I should just brush some honey on the chicken so that it will taste more tasty.
I just received my first Christmas present this year... so it feels extra special cause it came from my cousin sister, whom I regard as my own sister.
I don't know what to say, but I felt really touched inside.. so I want to say thank you, for giving me the presents.. It has given me the warm and fuzzy feeling inside, just when I needed it.
Thanks!
We went to this mamak in Balakong the other day, and my hubby ordered ABC.
Mood: Too lazy to go to work..
Apple Enzyme
Kiwi Enzyme
I really do not whether my apple enzyme last night will turn out, since it was not really according to the recipe.. hopefully it turns out.
So today we went to pasar malam to buy dragon fruits to make fruit enzyme but unfortunately it is not in season anymore so we had to change it to kiwi enzyme juice in the end.
The end product so far, ta-da....:
eh.. cannot upload the photos one? something wrong with the laptop... aarrrggghhhh...! the virus, spyware and adware please disappear from my laptop, files and folders!
Apple enzyme
Kiwi enzymeHave you ever heard of fruit enzyme before?
I was introduced to it about a month ago by my cousin. I just bought some red apples, lemon and brown cane sugar to try it out today. Only thing is I didn't measure so I have no idea whether it will turn out the way it should be.
Guess I will have to wait 2 weeks to find out. If it turns out I will post the photo here, and let you know how it taste.
If first you don't succeed, try again.. hehe..
Argghhh....!
Someone stole my handphone charger from my cubicle!
Must this happen to me everytime? The last time it was my chair, and the time before it was my dustbin and now my handphone charger.
This is a rotten way to start a working day, and I am upset!
I am going to label everything I have on my desk, and warning people not to touch nor REMOVE my stuff!
Does that sentence sound familiar?
This is what I often hear when I call for service, be it telecommunications, IT helpdesk, banks etc..
I have no issue with that statement, but I find it insulting when it is used as a standard text or closing statement with your customers. More often than not, my problem would not be solved before they happily ask me " Is there anything else, Miss?" I really want to tell them "No, don't offer to help on other issues, please fix my current issue FIRST."
How can companies train their employees to say this line when they have obviously not helped to customers' current problem? What makes them think that they can solve my next problem if they cannot solve my first problem? I give up... this was the conversation that took place this morning.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
After explaining the problem with my laptop, this was the reply: "Oh, it appears that this can be a problem with your laptop configuration. You need to call back the SAME number and press 1 instead of 2".
Alright, I didn't want to argue and said "OK."
Then it came " Is there anything else I can help you with, Miss?"
Feeling naughty, I said this: "Yes, can you transfer the line?"
"No I cannot, you need to call back the same number and press 1"
Duh......... if you cannot help then don't ask to help. Such standard text should be used sparringly, and used only in the right context, not as a acceptable closing statement!
Sigh, don't they ever learn?
As promised.. I went to scout for items to snap in my office, and I saw my collection of souvenirs/ food from my colleagues which I have found too cute to be eaten..
So I snap photos of them and will post them here!
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Mickey Mouse cookie, courtesy of Bryan
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Pepper sweet, courtesy of Ee Laine
Guess now that I have the photos, I can start to eat them.. haha..
Got this from somewhere, and really like what it says!
Over the weekend, I went to MATTA fair, twice.
My other half went everyday of MATTA fair, all because: we couldn't decide where to go.
My initial destination of choice were either Hokkaido or Athens. While at MATTA fair, destinations like Australia, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Turkey swayed my path. The more brochures I took, the more confused I got; the more travel agencies I talk to, the less decided I became of my destination.
I thought we were doing fantastic when we finalised Eastern Europe, Turkey and South Africa as our top 3 finalist, and even better when we decided on South Africa as our destination. We had all the costing and questions worked out for final visit to MATTA, when something someone said during the fair made me changed my mind.
All of a sudden, we were without a destination anymore! I was almost in panic, and totally confused how a task as easy as finding a holiday destination could end up so complicated.
To cut the long story short, we have finally decided on Turkey. Phew....!
I am sitting in my office now, and enjoying Giotto and Hanuta.
In case you do not know, Giotto is sphere shaped, with chocolate filling inside and hazelnuts rolled over each sphere on the outside while Hanuta is better known as Hazelnut Sandwich. A thick layer of rich, luscious hazelnut chocolate with bits of hazelnut throughout, sandwiched between two crisp, chocolate wafers.
My colleague says Giotto taste a little like Ferrero Rocher, but I disagree. I think Giotto taste so much better, maybe because it is not available in Malaysia hence I treasure it more.
In my current cubicle at the workplace, I am always missing something.
Due to the nature of my job, I am not always in my sitting area. And almost everytime when I return after being away for a week, something goes missing.
The first time it was the LAN cable, which we recovered. Next time it was my dustbin, and thereafter it was my chair!
So much so that I have labeled my dustbin although it belongs to the company.. think I will have to do the same with my chair and my LAN cable now. A colleague suggested that I should keep my LAN cable whenever I am away from my desk for more than a day or two.. but it is annoying to do this..
The people who normally take these things are the ones who want to use the meeting room or conference room. I don't mind them borrowing my stuff (since I sit closest to the conference room), but PLEASE RETURN the items after you use it. It is frustrating chasing and hunting for basic work items everytime you step into the office.
So, please be considerate, whoever you are.
I have simply been indulging in too much of durian eating of late.
It's all mum's fault. She "dragged" us to eat durians. First it was her friend who recommended her some durians and she brought us to her friend's durian stall in Taman Danau Desa, we ate there and tapau some home.
Then she "tumpang" her friend to buy 10 more durians from a durian orchard in some kampung. We had durian phobia after that, and we told mum that we do not want to eat durians anymore this season. That was a little more than a week ago.
Tonight, she asked us if we want to go seksyen 17 pasar malam to eat durian, I couldn't resist the temptation and said yes (the mind is weak...). So we ended up in seksyen 17 night market, and ate some durians (this was right after our dinner mind you, so you can imagine how full we were before, and after we ate the durians). Discovered something funny though, that abi is not used to eating durians by the "roadside". I am not the least bit concerned about eating durians by the roadside because I'm kinda used to it. Haha.. at least this is one thing he is new to, now he cannot laugh at me for being ulu and not knowing about eating durians and rice as meals during dinner.
I went to watch 2 superhero movies back to back last night, Batman (The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2).
We watched Hellboy first, and thought it was pretty entertaining, nothing too complicated, just simple storyline that keeps the spirits high after watching the movie. Then we watched The Dark Knight, and it is kinda depressing.
Almost the entire movie is based on the dark scenes so you have to really concentrate to know what is going on. And there is just too much of fighting, and irritating that the Joker is always gaining the upper hand. Makes Batman look really bad and weak. Then there is Harvey Dent, the supposedly "White Light of Gotham" who turned into "Two Faced" eventually. The message sent across is really wrong because it's saying that the bad will always win, and the good superheroes have to make sacrifices, and they cannot have loved ones and families.
I don't think people will walk out of the cinema feeling "happy". I didn't, neither did my companion. So tell me did you enjoy the movie? And if you watched both The Dark Knight and Hellboy, let me know which one you prefer.
We are going to have steamboat for dinner tonight, and because we wanted to avoid using clear water as soup based for the steamboat, so we bought some chicken "shell" (??) to brew the soup based.
All along, I just assume that you can just throw everything in the cookpot and let it brew for 1-2 hours and voila, your soup will be ready. Little did I know that there are procedures to be followed even for this seemingly easy step.
You have to fry the anchovies first with some oil, cook it a little to get rid of the "sengit" smell, then add water, put to boil, THEN only add the chicken in. Sigh... so much effort for the soup. Then we left it to boil for 1.5 hours. Abi's mum also added corn and carrot to further add taste to the soup.
I am guessing that the soup will be tasty because it smelled great.
But I was ridiculed for not knowing how to do this, not knowing the proper "procedure".. blah blah blah... sigh.. what to do?
Next time, I will leave it to all to him to cook lah, or choose clear water soup as based. Choose!
Remember I went to gym over the weekend?
Well, I was very gung ho and I went for Body Pump class. Anyone who has ever been to Body Pump class would know that it is a combination of weights with repeated movements to target your major muscle groups. Good stuff if you want to tone up quick, terrible stuff to suffer the after effect of this class.
Which is what I am feeling, right now.
My entire leg is painful, and I cannot sleep properly at night. My leg muscles are tensed and it pains me to walk up and down the stairs especially.
And you know the best part? I am supposed to have a meeting today, at the office which is at 2nd floor, with no lifts. How wonderful is that experience going to be..............? sigh...
After giving up gy,m for almost a year, I decided to go back to it, after a series of heavy eating for the past few months.
I was there around 4pm the other day, and was surprised at the amount of people at the gym, and most of them are all guys! I secretly thought that perhaps half of them are gay, otherwise why would they be at the gym at 4pm on a weekday?
Ah well... I don't know the answer to that, but I do know mybody is still aching from the gym exercise... Ouch ouch ouch...!
I have been eyeing the following cameras, Canon Ixus 860IS, Fujifilm f100d and f47. I feel that they are all good cameras but I am still deliberating if I should purchase a new one.
Canon Ixus 860IS
Fujifilm f100d
Gosh.. I am so sleepy today, don't know why.. but couldn't get up in the morning.
Last night I fell asleep on the bed with the laptop still on my lap. I must have been drained of my energy when I went on leave 2 days ago. When people go on leave these days, they end up being more tired and drained than if they have not taken leave at all. Weird how annual leave has transform into something that will actually drain more of your energy than working huh..?
Alright, gotta go..
p/s: am still deliberating whether I should get the Fujifilm f100d camera.. argghhh.. it's driving me crazy not having a camera in hand..
The candle looking napkin was taught to me by my brother during dinner today. Elegant and fairly easy to make. The other one is supposedly an "airplane", made by my other half..
:-)
Ohhh.... this week is a hectic week, with many important meetings scheduled, and many other report deadlines due.
Aside from work, I also have important appointments, hence, have not been sleeping nor resting enough. Am tired.....! My throat is starting to itch, and have sore throat too.
I am kinda pissed off with one of my colleague actually. I feel that he is always trying to "delegate" paperwork to others when it has been delegated to him in the first place. He is great at talking, and I am just amazed at how convincing he can be whereas I am not half the man he is when is comes to talking and presentations.
Sigh.. I am sleepy now.. good night..
I still need to buy that camera.. met up with a few gal friends today but were not able to take photos as I didn't have the camera with me.
We just came back from having buffet dinner at Grand Millenium Kuala Lumpur, and I must say that I am very full now..
Food spread is alright, although we thought that the spread was skewed towards Northern Indian style. I loved the sushi spread as the sushis and sashimis were fresh, coupled with the oysters, scallops and crayfish.. yum..!
Then I moved on to try other food e.g. pasta, grilled fish, salmon and prawns. Next up was the Indian spread.
I couldn't stomach anything else after that and decided to move on to desserts. I couldn't decide between the strawberry and lemon mousse, but chose the strawberry mousse in the end. Nice...! And also tried the in house ice cream which I thought was a little too sweet. And no dessert round is complete without a dip in the chocolate fountain. I went for a total of 3 rounds, dipping my marshmallows, strawberries and grapes into the chocolate fountain. Have always loved playing with the chocolate fountain...
Then I ended the buffet session with sweet Sarawak pineapples and a cup of tea. That was quite a meal, but mum said that I didn't eat too much, and probably didn't get my money's worth.
But.. 3 hours after my buffet dinner, I am still feeling the fullness of my food. In fact, none of it seems like it has been digested. I feel so full, to the point of feeling sick actually... This feeling is no fun.. I feel kinda ill.. and I can't sleep because I feel so bloated.
I will try to remember to keep to my stomach's limit the next time I go for buffet dinner. Hopefully I will feel better in half an hour or so...
Good night..
Have you ever had the feeling of knowing that you cannot communicate with someone?
No matter how you try, what angle you pursue, what tactics, what method of communications they still don't work. Whatever you are trying to get at just does not get through. Period.
I am not sure if it was because of the way things were said, or was it selective hearing from the other party, but before I could even get to my point, I will often be forced to fend off defensive remarks and protect my "story". The conversation then takes a 180 degree turn, instead of me making my point, the other party will make his point, and I will often be left speechless.
You may or may not have heard of Makan Mandi, but I certainly have not, until I was in Dubai recently and my colleagues brought me to try out Makan Mandi.
There are two area for dining; the common living room style, and in room dining. Apparently, if you are female and especially if you are not dining with males or with family members, you are not allowed to sit at the common living room area. Females are to dine in the rooms. As there were 8 of us, out of which 6 were females, we took the in room dining option.
It is an interesting concept where everyone sits on the floor (ok, with cushioned pads), and your food will be placed on the floor. You have the option of either eating with your hands (the traditional way), or asking for the plate and cutleries. Since we were sharing the food, we thought we should stick with the plate and cutleries.
I have to say that the fish was excellently fresh and tender, and the rice fragrant and nice. We definitely had an enjoyable time, and we ordered mint tea after the meal. The mint tea was delicious, and it helped digest the food.
Only thing was, we had a bit of trouble getting up after the meal, as our legs were numb from sitting down too long! Word of caution: Change your sitting positions often to avoid pins and needles afterwards.. :-)
Mood: As usual, Monday blues... :-(
I am having writer's block..! Sigh...
I guess without the camera I have less inspiration to write, and certainly less stories to tell..
During my recent trip to Istanbul and Dubai, I had the opportunity to travel on 03 different airlines, and hence try out 03 different types of aircraft seats and inflight meals.
Oh, by the way, one of them features seats on Business Class and Business Class meal, can you guess which one?
Mood: Irritated by someone's attitude. Totally..
My knee has 2 itchy red spots, which popped up 2 days ago. I gather this must be signs of allergy and so I went to see medical centre to see doctor and get medication.
The medical centre is closed for lunch and only reopens at 1400. I was there at 1350 and registered myself. I requested for a female doctor, and I was the third in line to see her.
I waited and waited, and almost dozed off, looked at my watch, and to my astonishment it was 1500 and still my turn has not arrived yet. I almost wanted to walk off when I saw the 2nd patient walking out from the female doctor's room. Thinking that I am next in line I should wait. Then I realised that this Malay lady seated across me cut my queue and was asked to go into the doctor's room by the nurse. I was so close to confronting both the Malay lady and the nurse because I have already waited 1 hour to see the doctor. If she needs to see the doctor, queue and wait for her turn! Anyway I controlled myself and didn't confront either of them. Still wondering why didn't I.. must have been tired..
Anyway I finally got to see the doctor after the Malay lady left. It was 1515, after waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes I got to see the doctor. Doctor diagnosed it as allergy, prescribed the medicine and sent me on my way. Then another wait at the dispensary for the medicine. That didn't take long though, about 10 minutes.
In summary,
Time taken waiting to see doctor: 1 hour 15 minutes
Time taken waiting to get medicine: 10 minutes
Consultation with the doctor: 5 minutes
Where is the logic?? It is such an irony, isn't it?
Mood: Sleepy from the wait, moody from recent events and itchy from the allergy.
Ever felt like you are bored at work, and not knowing why you are at the office?
Yes, that's my state of mind right now, and I just read this quote:
The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind
(Wayne Dyer)
Well said.
p/s: Having quarter life crisis..
I received this informstion from a friend, and thought I should share the information.
The email says that sticker labels on the fruits actually tell you how the fruits have been grown, whether they were organically grown or conventionally grown with pesticides and herbicides; oh, and let's not forget about the genetically engineered fruits.
Conventional Fruit Labels Four digits and does not start with 9 ** mostly starting with the digit 4
Organic Fruit Labels Five digits and starts with number 9
Genetically Modified Fruits Start with the digit 8 So next time you go shopping, remember these critical numbers and know how to avoid purchasing inorganic and GMO fruits. Shop Safe :)
This is good to know because stores aren't obligated to tell you if a fruit has been genetically modified (grrr¡Â..)
Okay, so if you come across an apple in the store and it's label is 4922, it's an conventional apple grown with herbicides and harmful fertilizers. If it has a sticker 99222, it's organic and safe to eat. If it says 89222, then RUN!!!! I t has been genetically modified (GMO).
Ahhh... so that's what the numbers are for.
Oh, also don't forget to wash your fruits with salt water, it helps to get rid of residual pesticides and invisible insects (if any..)
All this travelling and meeting made me put on weight!
My stomach is so bloated and I can barely fit into my working pants. Sigh.. time to hit the gym or jog in the park once I get back to Malaysia.
Oh I feel so bloated! And my face looks like a round ball now. :-(
Read this today and thought it is really interesting.
NOTES FROM THE LANGUAGE UNDERGROUND
By GRANT BARRETT
THIS is a glossary of words that have recently been used in English and do not yet appear in traditional dictionaries.
1-800 car n. A car outfitted with superficial and expensive modifications that make it look like a fast car but which do not improve its performance. Instead of doing the work from scratch, which is more respected among car fans, the car owner has simply bought all the add-ons from a mail order company. 1-800 is a prefix for toll-free phone numbers typically used by the mail order company.
circus gold n. Elephant dung. For a lucky gardener, it is indeed gold. Use humorously.
citjo n. A blend of the words “citizen” and “journalist”, and indicating a non-journalist who contributes amateur video or other reportage to the established news media.
faux-po n. A security guard, also known in slang as turkey bacon, which in return references pig, the derogatory slang name for police. It comes from the French word faux meaning “fake”, and “po-po”, which is English slang for “police”.
floppy n. A comic book, so-named to distinguish it from a thicker graphic novel which is stiff.
happy sack n. An air-sickness bag, the kind typically used on airplanes. Use humorously.
infant-mortality failure n. In engineering circles, this is the breakdown of a piece of machinery that is new or has recently been rebuilt.
instant ancestor n. An old photograph of strangers used as decoration, the sort of thing you might buy at a flea market, a place where old household items are sold.
oopsie baby n. A baby resulting from an unplanned conception. Oops is an interjection used when one makes a small mistake.
quizzam n. A test that is more difficult than a quiz but easier than an exam. The word is made from a blend of “quiz” and “exam.”
rain garden n. A piece of low, damp ground planted with vegetation suited to handle the rainwater that collects there. It’s usually preferable to plant one of these than it is to simply leave a mud hole.
read-alike n. A (fiction) book whose contents are similar to another book’s. Looking for a read-alike helps library patrons find new authors who are similar to authors they already know.
singlism n. Bias against people who are not married or part of a couple.
snarge n. The carcass or remains of a bird that hits an airplane or passes through its jet engine. It is said to be a blend of the words “snot” and “garbage.”
trashout n. When a tenant who is forced out of a home due to foreclosure or eviction leaves it in a squalid – filthy, disgusting – state, it’s called a trashout. The new owner of the house, or the bank that holds the mortgage, has to send in a cleaning crew to clear out all the debris.
trunk monkey n. A rear gunner in an armed vehicle, caravan, or convoy. This word is used among American military personnel and contractors in Iraq. It’s possible that the term derives from an advertisement from Suburban Auto Group, and others in the same series which first aired in Portland, Oregon, in January 2003. One of the ads features a monkey jumping out of a trunk.
vein brother n. A man with whom you get high on injected drugs, especially if you share a needle.
violin hickey n. A mark left on the neck from playing the violin. These can be bruises, calluses, or sores. While a hickey is known by grade-schoolers across the country as the purple mark left by sucking on someone’s neck, it has historically been used to refer to any mark on the skin.
wannarexia: The desire to have an eating disorder so as to be thin and popular is called wannarexia, according to Dr Richard Kreipe of the Western New York Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders in Rochester.
wasta n. The Arabic word for influence, personal connections; “pull” or “juice”. While not yet fully adopted as an English word, wasta is increasingly familiar to American soldiers serving in the Middle East. A previous surge in use of the term among Anglophones happened during the first Gulf War.
Bet you weren't aware of these words, did you?
That's right, from Istanbul, I am now in Dubai for a 3 days meeting.
My first impression of Dubai is that it is plain chaotic. From the moment I arrived at Dubai airport (0115 am local time mind you), the walk itself to the immigration did not make sense. We had to walk a long way, down the escalator, walk somemore then up the escalator.. etc.. only to come to a looonnggg queue at the passport control. And apparently the queue was considered mild that night.
Once we cleared immigration, it was then queue for taxi. Athough at 0215 am, there was a very long queue for taxis. The weather was 32c degrees in the wee hours of the morning, can you imagine how hot and weird that felt? I felt funny breathing in the air, like there are more than just air being sucked into my body. I later realised that it could be tiny particles of sand.. eecckkk! Imagine that. So it is really no surprise that I am having sorethroat now, on my 2nd day here. Sigh... I miss home..
Went to one of the shopping malls last night, and everything was out of my reach. You name the brands, and they've got it. Porblem is they are all too expensive for me. I suppose if you are living in Dubai and earning Dirhams you will find the prices normal. But for me I find it exhorbitant to pay Dirham 129 for a simple ladies tee.
If there is any consolation, my colleague makes VERY GOOD coffee. And I am happily enjoying my coffee every morning, think I will have another cup after lunch.. hmm..
Turkish "Pizza" 
Turkish chai (tea)
Turkish coffee
Turkish home cooked food, like economy rice or "zhap fun"
Beyshol Iskender's Beyshol Special
McDonalds: I had McChicken since they don't serve Filet-O-Fish
Delicious Caramel Cappucino Nut Chiller and NY cheesecake at Gloria Jeans Coffee
Simit, doughnut like bread
Desserts, huge variety available but most of them are very sweet. If you do not have a sweet tooth, I would recommend that you try kunefe, made by drizzling a row of thin streams of flour-and-water batter onto a turning hot plate, so they dry into long threads resembling shredded wheat. The pastry is heated with some butter, margarine or palm oil for a while and then spread with soft cheese and more pastry. A thick syrup, is poured on the pastry during the final minutes of cooking. The taste? Heavenly, not too sweet, not too cheesy, perfect type of dessert for me!
Kunefe
Are you salivating yet? This is not everything, but I figured you would either be bored of food photos or hungry after looking through the many food related photos, either which you will not continue reading, so I will save the photos for another blog..
Till then, Bon Apetite!
p/s: Kunefe is very nice.. Turkish food is very fattening... sigh.. I've not done justice to my waistline eversince coming to Istanbul..
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