Tales of a Malaysian Guiri

Animals Cake Pop Class

2011-06-23T14:52:00.003+08:00

After contemplating on this idea for months, I finally made it work. Thanks to support from many of my dear friends who encouraged me to do this, and thanks to SC who helped me bridge the link.

Sometime in 2009 I found out about Bakerella, and experimented on my first batch of cake pops with Aunty Lyne. I didn't have the right tools, or ingredients, but with good spirits, lots of laughter and giggles, we made our Halloween cake pops.

I didn't stop there. These yummy bites are addictive! Those who have embarked on a cake pop journey would agree with me :) I tried and tested various ingredients, even got my sisters to bring those lollipop sticks from Australia, had uncountable rejects, but I persisted. And then I started making my first large batch for my nephew's 1st birthday, Reindeers & snowman for Christmas, Tigers for Chinese New Year, Totoro version for Desmond's wedding, Agent Oso for my nephew's 2nd birthday, Spongebob for a girl's party, and a basic one for Irene's wedding, and many more. I won't call myself an expert yet, but I've come a long way.

Friends have urged that I start a business selling cake pops, but I explained that it's not a profitable business because its too labour intensive, and people are not going to pay the price of a cupcake for something that can be eaten in just one bite. And so I thought, why not share the knowledge instead? That's when the idea of having a cake pop class was born. I spoke to the baking supplies shop nearest to my home and asked if they would be interested, and coincidentally they were doing some renovations at the moment, so they don't have any space to conduct a class. SC then told me she knows someone over at Cake Connection and would pass my contact to them. The rest is history.

I'll be teaching my first class over @ Cake Connection, Jaya One on July 23rd, 2011. The focus will be on animal cake pops. So if you're interested to learn something new, feel free to check out more info over at Cake Connection's website.

Update July 2nd, 2011 - Class is full!

SpongeBob Cake Pops

2010-12-05T22:22:00.000+08:00

Sometime in September I made Totoro cake pops for my friend Desmond's wedding, and one of his friend s liked it very much :) So she asked Desmond for my contact and wanted to know if I could make a batch of SpongeBob version for a birthday party in November. Unfortunately I had to turn her down because I was really busy that month, and I didn't want to turn something fun into a chore. Ann came back to me later with a new date for her daughter's party in December, and this time round I had to excuse to reject her again. Plus I had never made a SpongeBob cake pops before and it would be fun to give it a try!

Coincidentally SS is back for her holidays, so I have a little kitchen helper. She helped me draw these eyes on the white chocolate, allowing me to concentrate on other tasks. She was also responsible for drawing the collars, helping me speed up the candy-hardening process (you'll have to see it for yourself to understand this part, hee hee) and also helping me wrap the cake pops after QC check :D My sweet sister also helped with the washing up! Isn't she a darling?

Spongebob's eyes on a baking sheet...are you hypnotised yet?

As SpongeBob was rectagularish, I tried a new technique at shaping them hopefully to cut down my production time. Instead of shaping them individually, I had the cake crumbs pressed onto a cake pan after mixing it with the frosting. And then dividing them equally on the cake pan after leaving it in the fridge overnight. It worked! By doing this too I was able to cut them into equal sizes (well, almost...somehow I can't cut a straight line...LOL) before coating them with candy.

Chocolate cake, first crumbled, then mix with frosting, and compressed flat onto a baking pan

Oh yeah, I also added tic tac as the nose before coating, though I think it would have looked better with pretzels as the nose. Maybe next time, if I ever get to make them again! :)

SpongeBob on the back: "Peekaboo!"

Both of us had so much fun making all the different expressions on the SpongeBob. Just looking at them makes us happy. Also we couldn't help stare at those already in the fridge that we forgot to mind the fridge handle that was above us; my sister bang her head against those handles once (ouch!) and yet I never learnt from her mistake and a while later bumped my head on those very same handles too (double ouch!) ...LOL!

I believe it's time for me to make some Christmas cake pops soon...hehe.... I really liked those reindeer ones that I made last year :)

What do you think?

Totoro Cake Pops

2010-09-19T22:46:00.004+08:00

After making so many cake pops just because, a friend commissioned me to make some as wedding favors for his guests. In the beginning I was a bit reluctant to accept because I had another event to attend to on the day of his wedding, and I was simply worried I couldn't complete this in time. He was looking to have either Totoro cupcakes or cake, and it was my big mouth that recommended him the cake pops, LOL. So how could I refuse? He was sweet about it though, he told me I could make more of the easy ones if I was short of time.

And so after he asked, which was only 2 weeks before his wedding, I decided to could start making some samples to see if I could really accept his order, and I got these few versions done.

When I was finally comfortable with the design and I confirmed that I have access to all the ingredients required to make the pops, I agreed. Initially I thought I had to make only about 100-120 pieces, but little did I realise that he had about 150+ guests, and I ended up making 160 cake pops (my largest batch ever!) so that all his guests would have at least one.

And so in a span of a week, I baked 3 cakes, shaped them enough to make 180+ cake pops, and I had about 20+ rejects (due to cracks, out of shaped), and divided them into 4 different designs. My friend managed to provide me with some sytrofoam boards which I decorated to become the display stand :) They were only displayed a dozen at the time, and the rest was kept in a cooler box to keep it nice and cold. Malaysian weather is simply too hot for the chocolate coating :(

Voilà! My Totoro Cake Pops!

Each cake pop was also completed with a tag designed by the groom. Later I found out that this whole thing was meant as a surprise for his wife! I hope she liked the surprise! ;)

I had SOOOO much fun making them although it was tiring. Thanks to Lyne too for helping out in my first half of the cake pop making. But after this, I think I have to take a break from making cake pops for a while, LOL!

*UPDATED OCT 28, 2010 - Some of you have asked how I made these Totoro cake pops. I won't be making a new batch anytime soon, so I can't explain with photos, but here are some guidelines on making your totoro :)

Shape the cake balls as normal, just making one end slightly pointy like oval. Sort of like roundish oval, more round than oval...hope I make sense here, LOL
I use almond slivers as the ears. Dip them into melted candy first and position it on the top of the cake ball
Dip lollipop stick into candy and insert into cake ball.
Dip whole cake pop into grey candy coating. Before the candy is set and hardened, add on 2 white confetti for the eyes.
Use a shallow dish to for the white candy coating. Just dip the front portion into the white candy coating and tap lightly with the "tummy" facing up to get even surface.
Put some melted milk chocolate in a piece of parchment paper that is rolled into a cone (just like what you do for your icing), cut the tip, and use it to dot the nose on the totoro.
Use a food marker to dot the eyes, draw inverted "V"s on the tummy and the whiskers :))

Hope this will help those who are interested in making your own totoro cakepops!

Brownies + Cookies = Brookies?

2010-07-11T17:53:00.001+08:00

My youngest sis brought me some Max Brenner Dark Chocolate Chunks from Australia. I couldn't think of anything else I could do with it other than chocolate chip cookies, until I remembered about this article from Bakerella.

And so I invited my sis over for a baking session. Told her she didn't need to worry about a thing about getting the ingredients. I should have everything we need in the house. Just when we were about to get started I realised I didn't have any eggs! Bummer. And so I rushed out to get some eggs from a nearby grocery store. And when I got home to continue I realised I didn't have enough brown sugar :S I simply didn't want to go out again and so I substituted the shortage with plain white sugar.

Since I had a nice helper, mixing all the ingredients was really quick and in no time at all it was ready to go into the pre-heated oven. The whole house smelled like heaven while it was baking...*drools*

Anyway, according to Bakerella these are called Congo Bars. I don't mind what they are called actually. I love the crisp top layer and the chewy base. And having it packed with chocolate, nuts, and M&Ms are simply heavenly. I'm also looking forward to making another batch soon :)

Here's the recipe if you'd like to try :)

Congo Bars

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter, softened (or approx 150gms)
1 lb. light brown sugar (I had 2/3 of brown sugar and the rest white)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
11.5 ounce package milk chocolate chips (I used 7 ounce of MB choc chunks, and filled the rest with orange flavoured M&Ms)
1 cup chopped pecans (I used hazelnuts)

By hand: (apparently it has a better texture if mixed by hand)

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Set aside.
Stir brown sugar into softened (not melted) butter in another large bowl until butter disappears. You can use the back of your spoon to help incorporate the two together.
Add eggs one at a time to butter mixture and stir well after each egg.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts. Mix well.
Add dry flour mixture and stir until well combined.

Coat a 13 X 9 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake.

Thanks Bakerella!

Raspberry Hearts

2010-05-25T00:56:00.005+08:00

I love raspberies, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, all sorts of berries. Except for strawberries which can be locally cultivated at Cameron Highlands, obtaining the rest can be quite difficult as it is not only imported, but also seasonal. And then when you can find them, they are usually quite expensive :(

Just last week I saw some strawberries and raspberries at the Jusco supermarket that was newly opened at Bandar Mahkota Cheras. I couldn't resist and bought a box each. I also bought some mangoes and apples to stock up my fridge :) Gotta love them fruits! Unfortunately last weekend I had to attend a wedding in JB and completely forgotten about those berries that were in the fridge. Got home late last night but was simply too tired to check out the fridge.

It was only this evening that I remembered I had some berries in the fridge and quickly took them out. About 1/3 of the raspberries were already moldy :( I quickly sorted out the ones that were still good, but its already too close to bed time to munch on them. I didn't want the rest to turn bad, and so I decided to turn them all into ice lollies.

Raspberry, Strawberry, Mango and Lime Puree, ready to go into the freezer

You'd probably be wondering how I managed to get so much pulp and puree from a small box of raspberries. I actually added the strawberries and one whole mango into the whole mixture as well, with juice of one lime and some sugar to taste. I stole a taste while making them and it tasted really good!

If you look at the photo you'll notice that I still have some balance in the pouring jug, but I didn't have anymore ice lolly moulds available *yikes*. I used up my other moulds last week to make some azuki bean ice lolly for mom (it's her favourite :)). And so I was frantically searching through my cabinets for an alternative to container to keep the balance and I found an Ikea ice cube tray! It was heart-shaped... JUST PERFECT! When they are frozen they would be lovely red raspberry hearts that I can pop into my mouth whenever I need a quick raspberry fix! ;)

Oooh, I can't wait to eat them!!! *drools*

*Update 25 May 2010 - Here's how the iced raspberry heart looks like! Yums!

Rodents

2010-04-24T00:19:00.003+08:00

Was going through my camera's memory card and found this forgotten picture. Can't believe I hadn't uploaded it yet. Found this little "cutie" here in my backyard about 1.5 months ago. It was the second time in the same week that a dead rat/mouse was found dead in my backyard. Pixie must have given this particular one a heart attack as I can't seem to find any teeth marks to prove that she has bitten the rodent to his death. (yeah, I did a little post-mortem on my own :P)

By the size of it he was probably a young one. Frankly speaking I would say that he is actually quite cute if they weren't such a pest. Big ears, pointy nose, dark round eyes, tiny feet. He reminds me of the movie Ratatouille.

Once, when I was much younger, a rat actually tried to nibble or played with my toes when I was asleep. Being a deep sleeper, I didn't actually bother about it until the guy actually came up to my face (EEEUWWWW!). With my eyes still closed I simply brushed him away and only realised that it was a big black (could have been brown, lights wasn't on so I couldn't really tell) rat was on the same bed with me! I jolted out of bed (nope, no screaming) and ran to my parent's room. By the time they came to my room again it was gone. We probably caught him several days later, I'm not quite sure. And then I found that my bedroom door had been gnawed - and I didn't even realise it because I was in deep sleep :P

I don't have any rodent problems at the moment, but those pesky household geckos are driving me crazy. We have a good supply of mosquitos and flying insects in the backyard because we leave the lights on at night and these pests come to have a feast, then leave their droppings on the walls, ceiling and floor.

If anyone has got a suggestion on how to get rid of them, I'd be very grateful.

Max Brenner!

2010-04-23T22:59:00.003+08:00

This post is a little late, but I still need to thank my 3 lovely sisters who are in Brissie at the moment! Last week mom went to the Land Down Under to visit them, and look what she brought home for me! A chocolate fondue set from the Max Brenner shop!!!

A packet each of dark and milk chocolate chunks and a fondue tower for 2

I still haven't decide when I'm gonna devour them yet. Well, I'm suppose to share it with my hubby, but I think I might just hoard it for myself and worry about that ill-fitted pair of jeans later.

Thanks Sis!!!

The World's Worst Local Bank = HSBC

2010-04-19T14:17:00.000+08:00

Warning: One LONG whining story ahead.

One fine day my mom was walking in a shopping complex when being approached by HSBC's credit card marketeer. She politely declined and told the person she wasn't in need of another credit card, and also that her application was declined before by HSBC and she wasn't planning to try again.

After much convincing, my mom decided to give it another try. And while filling up the forms, she wasn't allowed to fill up her latest address but to use the one that was on her IC. She was told that she could request for a change of address later. And so my mom informed the marketeer that the office address she filled may not be complete and in case her application was approved, they will have to call up and reconfirm the address before sending the card.

Approximately 2 weeks later, my mom received an SMS saying that her application has been approved and the card has been sent out. Unfortunately the bank did not call the verify the address again, and after one week she still did not receive the card. We suspected that the incomplete address may have been the cause of the delivery problems, and so we contacted HSBC to check and it was true that the original card was returned to the sender by Poslaju. They promised that they will send again to the right address this time.

Another week passed and yet no card was received. And instead, she received her first statement with RM50 Service Tax charged to her card!!! We called again to check with HSBC and was put on hold for more than 3 times with each hold lasting for eternity. They confirmed that the card has been sent out by normal post, and that's why the service tax has been credited AUTOMATICALLY by the system. My mom was like "WHAT??? How can you charge me service tax for a card that I have not even received??? Have you even any prove of acknowledgements that I have received the card???" And they calmly responded, "I'm sorry m'am, please wait for a few more days and if you still don't receive the card, call us again and we'll send a replacement".

And so my mom waited for a few more days and called HSBC again. You know how it's like when you call this centers and they ask you to key in the credit card or IC number for faster service, and when somebody FINALLY answers the call and ask you for your card number again??? Why on earth did I key in that number for in the first place? To help me pass time so that I won't notice that I've been waiting a whole century for someone to pick up the call??? And then they so sweetly tells you that they need to ask you several questions for verification. Actually it wouldn't have been that frustrating if you hadn't been put on hold for 3 times, and transferred to 3 different operators and being ASKED for your MOTHER's name 3 times for verification during the same phone call!!! My grandma would certainly have jumped up from her grave and whined about this too if she knew!

Finally the operator apologized and told my mom what she already knew- that the card was already sent on X date by normal post, and if it still hasn't arrived by now it is probably lost. And they will send another one on the way. Again the operator reconfirmed the correct postal address and assured the new card will be sent out immediately. Another 2 weeks down the road my mom has already given up and lost all hopes of actually receiving the card. And she thought she didn't want to waste time calling them anymore until she received another statement from them. This time with an additional RM5 of compensation fee (we still haven't figured out what exactly is a compensation fee) and RM5 of late charges for not paying the service tax.

This was really absurd. My mom had already had enough, and called HSBC again and told them to forget about sending her the card (definitely not nicely I can assure you), and to reverse all the charges on the statement. The operator was stunned but apologized profusely for the inconvenience, and said that she will do the necessary cancellation of the card and charges.

And guess what? This month my mom promptly received another statement from the bank. Both the service tax and compensation fees have been reversed by the late/finance charges remains standing. Which means my mom still owes HSBC a RM5 after all the unnecessary waiting on the phone and call charges to them trying to track the GHOST card. No doubt they got another lashing, and this time the operator assured that she will not receive anymore statements from them and that the RM5 charges will also be reversed.

That's our World's Local Bank!

A Break In

2010-04-14T00:03:00.003+08:00

My neighbour's house was broken into today. Thankfully, nobody was at home (they were away for holidays), so nobody was hurt. The burglar was quite daring to break in around noon time, when most of the people would either be at work or at school. My neighbour's house was in the corner, and the burglar came in from the side door, where he would be least visible. Another neighbour claimed that they heard the alarm sound and came out to check, but saw nothing suspicious. Also it was not unusual to have a false alarm, even my own house alarm tend to get triggerred unnecessarily, so they paid no attention.

In the late afternoon, my neighbour's relative came over to water the plants and feed the rabbits, and noticed something was amiss. The curtains on the side door was parted slightly, and the padlock was missing from the grills and it wasn't locked. As soon as she stepped into the house, she was shocked to find a mess and all the drawers and cabinets ransacked. Frightened that the burglar may still be in the house, she quickly left and called the police. Since the owner was not around, they could not confirm what else was missing from the house, except the rabbit (the burglar must either have a soft spot for furry animals or is considering the bunny as his lunch).

Both my husband and I have contrasting reactions to this incident. The first thing that came to my mind was I'm glad that we were not affected and Pixie did not become a victim of cruel acts. I could still recall 2 of our dogs being poisoned 3 years ago, probably done by someone with evil plans. On the other hand my husband was worried about his things being stolen if the burglar was to break into our house, and went paranoia about putting every single thing in the safe.

I remember when we first moved in, he was overly paranoid about keeping the house safe from thieves and burglars that he put locks and double locks on every single door of the house. I told him that if a burglar had any intention of coming in, we would have to lose even more money repairing doors that the burglar breaks. I also told him that if ever there was a fire, I would be burnt alive inside the house because it takes me just too long to unlock the padlocks and grills and doors to escape. And so in the end I told him off because I refused to become a prisoner of my own home, and we finally compromised on a fewer locks which were only absolutely necessary.

Are materials really so important in our lives? To me, nothing is more important than our lives and memories. I would probably be sad if somebody stole my notebook, but I could easily look on the other side and think, "Hey, it's a chance for me to buy a new one!". At least, I'm alive and still able and it won't take me long to earn enough to get a replacement. But it would completely break my heard if the notebook that was stolen contains all my work and photos that I so dearly treasure. That's certainly not something I can rewind and have another second go, can I??

I'd better go check on my backup to make sure it's up to date. If ever I'm so unfortunate to have the burglar interested in my notebook, I'd still have my backups with me.

Moves & Sorts

2010-03-29T16:38:00.000+08:00

Sometime early this year, I was invited to perform with Nanci and Nikki in Moves & Sorts @ the new Actor's Studio in Lot 10. It was a complete new eye opening experience for me, as it has been quite a while since I performed on a stage (the last was during my school days, 15 yrs ago *gasp* - does that count?).

I was quite reluctant, not only did I have stage fright, I didn't think I was actually qualified to perform after only about 6 mths of weekly classes with Nanci. However, Nanci thought otherwise. She asked several of us, whom she thought would be able to handle improvisation and in the end, only Nikki and I agreed. A DJ friend of ours, Mathieu, also agreed to mix the music live for us on stage.

I must say I didn't regret doing this a bit. Yes, I had the butterflies in stomach moments, worried sick that I'd drop the basket, or trip and fall flat on my face (the 3 scars under my chin are proofs of my history of clumsiness), but in the end, all was well. We had so much fun in the dressing room, and improvising to Matt's music on stage. Nikki and myself were especially self-conscious, and we were overly anxious about mistakes that we made while we were live on stage - but all that was put to rest the moment we saw the video my hubby took of us from the first of of audience. Frankly we didn't look too bad after all!

Anyway, that's just another entry to my life chapters. Just thought I'd share it with the world :)

Nikki, Nanci and myself at Actor's Studio performing in one of the slots of Moves & Sorts in Jan 2010

courtesy of Antradika Hamza

One of my favourite photos

courtesy of Antradika Hamza

Book Shopping

2010-03-18T15:05:00.004+08:00

Popular is having sales up to 90% at the foyer of Summit shopping complex till 21st March 2010. And guess what, I felt that it was time for me to splurge too..*grin* Somehow I don't feel so guilty this time because for the past 2 months I managed to finish reading if not all, at least 90% of what I spent on last year! Yay and double yay!

22 books for less than RM190.00!

I managed to get at least 5-6 books at 90% discount (which means I paid as low as 59cents per book!), and the rest was between 20%-70% discount. It was definitely a real bargain. And I get to keep myself busy for the rest of 2010...though I can't be sure I'd stop buying if there are new sales coming up! :P

*update 29/03/2010 - thanks to Ellis, I got over to BookXcess last weekend and got myself another 10 books :P And I finished one of them in slightly less than an hour... it was afterall a young adult category book... hehehe...

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-25T23:36:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year Cake Pops

If Only...

2010-02-04T00:55:00.001+08:00

Somehow that seems to be a favourite word that hangs on everyone's lips these days.

If only you had started dancing 10 years earlier - that was the exact words that my dance instructor said today. Well, he's actually said it many times before, I just never thought about it seriously. So what if I had started dancing earlier? Would my life have been any different?

He is normally full of praises for me; well, when you are being compared to a group who are at least 2 to 3 decades older than you, you'll stand out, no doubt about that. He thinks that I have a natural talent for ballroom dancing, except that I'm lack of the energy compared to those who are a decade younger than me. Of course not forgetting to mention that I'm a married woman, and I won't be able to commit myself to a competitive level unlike those who are still a free spirit, or has a partner who dances professionally too.

Sets me off pondering, if I did start 10 years earlier, would I have pursued dancing on a competitive level? I doubt it. Firstly, I was very very shy before, and I cannot imagine myself dancing to close proximity with another person. Secondly, I'm simply too jittery. Anything that requires me to be under the observation and scrutiny of another being will simply turn my legs to jelly. And most importantly, that my parents would never have approved of me being a dancer, at least not 10 years ago, when people's perception of a dancer was rarely positive.

Frankly I'm happy with the level that I'm at now - as much as I wished for that extra energy that would have boosted my dancing, I'm simply glad that what I'm doing is in the right technique, and I don't feel the need to be competitive.

What's important is that I look good and feel good doing it. I'll dance as long as my feet can take it :)

I Love Holiday Season

2009-12-24T16:04:00.009+08:00

No, frankly I think I should hate holiday season. It's always time where I stuff my face silly, and skip my dance classes. Which of course translates to extra pounds in unwanted areas because I'm simply adding on calories to my body without burning them off properly. Wait. I do burn them off, all this laughter with family and friends are good cardio exercises! ;) Hey, I just found a reason to eat more!!! *grin*

Fat One BBQ Steamboat Truck

Well, yesterday we had a nice family get together (well, YS invited some of her friends too, since she hasn't seen them for a long time). Ophie also invited her family to join us and unfortunately, TW's family couldn't come because of other commitments. In all we had about 30 ppl and thought it was a good idea to bring in a steamboat truck *drools* For days we pondered on what should be on the list of food in the steamboat session, and knowing the glutton among us *ehem* we almost ordered enough food to serve 70 ppl!!! Thanks to the good advice of Fat One steamboat, we reduced our order to quite a reasonable amount (approx. 400 sticks of seafood/meat/vege).

Extra orders for those not into steamboat and for the x-tra hungry ones

Mom was still worried that we won't have enough to eat, and decided to order some fried mee hoon and fried rice too. At first it still didn't seem enough, but by the end of the day, we were shocked to see how much we have overestimated our ability to chuck in food. We only managed to clear about 50% of the food on the steamboat truck and probably another 30% of the extra orders.

Just like the stuffs you see in pasar malam - only difference is
we get to choose what goes on the truck

It was nice too that they have some bbq sausages and meat to go with the steamboat, and also a pot of boiling tomyam soup to go with our favourite fried fu chuk and oyster mushrooms. Just thinking about it makes me hungry again. Fret not, we still have leftovers from yesterday's feast in the fridge to clear! These nice folks from Fat One Steamboat helped us packed all the left overs nicely, together with all the extra peanut sauce, sweet sauce, chilli and even the tomyam soup!

Birthday cuppies for my cuz complete with yoga poses :)

Also coincidentally my cousin's birthday falls on the Xmas eve, so we decided to surprise him with some cupcakes, made by yours truly and assisted by my 2 beautiful assistants YS and SS, along with our guest decorators Mr. Goo and Joseph... hehe...

We had a splendid evening, with our family members and friends, complete with scrumptious food and lots of laughter. Lovely :)

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

2009-12-06T22:35:00.002+08:00

It's beginning to look like a blog dedicated to cake pops...

Hickory Dickory Dock

2009-12-02T23:47:00.003+08:00

The mouse became a pop!

Look What I Found!

2009-12-01T00:39:00.004+08:00

I went to Giant supermarket today to do some grocery shopping... and couldn't resist myself when I saw these!

M&Ms Christmas Mix and Orange Flavoured M&Ms

Arrggghhh! How could you not get them?? I can already imagine those yummy christmassy cake pops in my mind! *grin*

Gifts from Australia

2009-11-19T13:36:00.009+08:00

2 of my sis arrived from Brissie yesterday... and look what they brought me!!!

Can you guess what this is?

And this?

and thisss??

and..and..and thisssss???

All those candy making stuff that I have problem sourcing locally!
(food markers, candy colouring, candy melts & lollipop sticks!)

THANKS A MILLION SIS!!!

SDI Exam Day

2009-11-18T14:18:00.001+08:00

Good luck to all!

Old Macdonald Has a Farm... E.I.E.I.O

2009-11-15T15:41:00.013+08:00

Well Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O
And on his farm he has a pig
E I E I O

Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O

***

Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O
And on his farm he has a cow
E I E I O

Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O

***

Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O
And on his farm he has a dog
E I E I O

Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O

***

Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O
And on his farm he has a horse
E I E I O

Old Macdonald has a farm
E I E I O

Thanks to Bakerella and Cake Pops Galore for the inspiration!

I Heart Cupcake Pops

2009-10-21T17:01:00.005+08:00

Once you start you can't stop - I meant the process of course ;)

Thanks Bakerella!

Bakin' with Aunty Lyne

2009-10-17T23:27:00.007+08:00

Lyne came over to my place today to make cake pops! Thank's to Bakerella for her inspirations, we were quite successful in our pursuit this afternoon :)

Before Lyne arrived, I managed to put the chocolate cake batter in the oven. Decided that it was best that I use a ready cake mix I bought from the supermarket to save the hassle. After all, it's the decorating part that was more fun *grin* While waiting for the cake to bake and cool down, Lyne searched the internet for ideas of cake pops that we could make, while I prepared lunch. And it wasn't long before our cake was ready:

Fresh from the oven, smells good!

Dry cake crumbles

After crumbling the cake (it was really dry by the way - wonder why it was called super moist cake on the box), it was time to add in the butter cream cheese frosting (I'll put the recipe at the end of this post). I put in a little at a time, careful not to overdo it, and stop the moment it was possible to shape and mould the cakes into the shapes that we want.

Adding butter cream cheese frosting, a little at a time

We started by churning out golf ball sizes, and then various other shapes, such as pumpkin, bells, cubes and egg shapes, trying to keep them as even sized as possible.

Ready to go into the fridge

We only managed to get about 27 mini cakes out of the crumbled cake, we probably could get even more if we make them a little smaller. But the lollipop sticks I bought from ICCA was quite long (6") so it may look a little imbalance if the cakes were small. The size that we made were just perfect for the sticks.

White chocolate coated ghost cake pops

We just couldn't wait to dip those balls into the chocolate coating! As soon as we finished lunch we took out several bowls and melted some white chocolate in the microwave. I also tried to use Candy Melts by Wilton, but it was just too thick to coat the cakes evenly. I had to add some vegetable shortening to thin it a little, but then I realised that it took a longer time to harden if shortening was added. Still found that white baking chocolate was best in this case. I also used some gel food colouring (you'll need oil based food colouring to colour your chocolates).

Our first attempt at cake pops - successful!

Seriously we were both laughing so much and squealing with excitement each time the cake pop turn out just right! At first we tried to use some food markers to draw faces on them, but it was hopeless. In the end we just used some dark chocolate as a replacement. Works out great!

Cake pops for Lyne to bring home

I think we spent close to 5 hours (including waiting & lunch time) to complete about 14 cake pops. Yes, I know its pretty slow, but this was an experimental session, and so we made a lot of mistakes and that took up some of our time. But we learnt a lot of valuable techniques, definitely. The next time it won't take so long!

What do you do with a mummy so cute? Eat it of course!

Lyne didn't want to take too many home, and it was impossible for me to eat 10 of them! Plus I didn't know how long these babies would last. So I gave them all to my neighbour's kids who were just two doors away and happened to be playing outside at that moment :)

The last 2 cake pops - for my breakfast tomorrow!

I still have some cakes in the fridge, waiting for me to decorate them. I'll try to mix some orange colour tomorrow and see if I could make pumpkins out of them. Here's the recipe to the butter cream cheese frosting:

Ingredients

200 gms icing sugar

100 gms butter

200 gms cream cheese

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

BEAT the softened cream cheese and butter together and slowly add in the icing sugar and mix until light and fluffy. I only used about 1/2 of this portion in my cake crumbs, you may need more or less depending on your cake size. The original recipe in Martha Stewart's website calls for more sugar, but I didn't have that much left in my pantry (thank goodness), and still it came out just nice and not too sweet. Adjust the recipe to your liking.

As for the coating, I simply used white chocolate with some oil based food colouring. Becareful not to accidentally mix water into your chocolate (especially if you are using a baine marie). Other materials I used include mini M&Ms, pretzel sticks, chocolate chips and coloured sprinkles. You are free to use whatever you need, you are only limited by your imagination!

Too Early for Halloween?

2009-10-12T13:31:00.007+08:00

Couldn't make up my mind if I should post this in craftee guiri or here... but I thought its better to put it here since this poor bloggie has been quite lonely ever since bloggie no. 2 was out.

Boo!

Last Saturday Nanci organized a small gathering at her place with a few members from the belly dance tribe and 2 from the yoga tribe :) It took me almost an hour to find her apartment - I'm completely hopeless when it comes to looking for places other than in Cheras :P

When I arrived, several of them were already busy in the kitchen preparing some ayurvedic food for all of us to munch on before we work on our belts and tassels. And I did help too! To eat of course! :P The yoghurt mushroom was a favourite among all of us...mmm.. I'm drooling just talking about it.

As soon as our tummies were satisfied, we took out the belts and yarns and embellishments and we discusses on ways that we could decorate our belts. While we were busy spinning our yarns on the DVD boxes, Nanci demonstrated to Deda how to make her very own tassel, which she in turn help the rest to make theirs :)

Deda helping Nikki to make her tassel

We spent several hours just making tassels, and eating and chatting. Some of us even attempted to pat Kitty, Nanci's very shy cat. And I only managed to complete about 4 tassels, all ended up at different thickness (that shows how much woman's instincts I have). I took them home that night to make some adjustments, and then I realised that one of them was of a different shade of red. And so what did I do with that odd red? Googly eyes and hat, and voila! *grin*

Our very first tassel! (Mine's not trimmed yet)

I probably have to finish up my belt at home on my own. But first I'll have to clean off that dust on my mom's sewing machine... and trying to figure out how to use it properly. I'll post the finished belt in craftee guiri! Stay tuned!

What have I been up to?

2009-09-08T00:33:00.008+08:00

Just the other day my sis said that I've been very quiet with my blog lately. I must admit she's right. I could only blame laziness, procrastination and lack of inspiration for the silence. Somehow I wasn't in quite a mood to update anything. Why? Is it because I've nothing interesting to write about? Not really. Well, here's a quick summary:

1) A friend of Joyce's who owns Indulgence @ Tropicana City Mall asked if she could get her students to perform at their opening ceremony. Initially I thought it falls exactly on my mom's birthday, so I didn't agree to go. And I was roped in just the day before after realising the miscommunication! I simply didn't know any of the steps except for the primera copla of the Sevillana, but I participated anyway. Just hid myself in between the rest who were more well-versed with the steps but it's tough since I'm quite tall! :P Made quite a lot of mistakes throughout, but who cares? We had a great time! :)

Arte Flamenco students @ Indulgence, Tropicana City Mall

2) I took up swing dance classes with Ming from KLSwing. And coincidentally, just after 4 classes, Matt Bedell from NY happened to be in town and KLSwing organized a welcome party - the Matt Hatter's Tea Party @ Urban Attic. It was a blast! Both TW and I went as poker cards, while we also had Alice, sexy cats, cute bunnies and queens who could schwinggg! Check out their photos here!

3) While SS was back in KL sometime in July, we went for a cake decorating class at ICCA. It was supposed to be a 3 hours session but we end up spending close to 5 hours at the center! Both of us brought home 4 cakes each decorated with fondant. Haha... when we asked the rest of the family members to guess who decorated what... they immediately pointed out the correct ones! Wanna know why? :P

Mini wedding cake decorating class @ ICCA

4) Salsa Party @ Urban Attic was just last Friday. Organized by Niels and DJ Vicente from a Cuban band named Habana Revolution, it was a hot latin night. Lucky for me I managed to get TW to do a few merengues and simple salsa with me too. Thanks to the all supporting & encouraging friends out there :)

5) And since I'm so obsessed with dancing, I took up belly dance too *grin*! Nanci Traynor, who also teaches yoga is now conducting Tribal Belly Dance class at KLPAC. I really enjoy attending her class, and so eventhough I live miles and miles away from the studio, I didn't mind travelling there every Saturday during the busiest time of the day. It's a good thing that she always start the class with a Savasana pose first :D

6) I finally found the heart to throw away my collection of miniature bottles. They are at least 15-20 years old, probably even more, and some of the contents have already turned into a different colour, leaked out or simply deteriorated. Instead of continuing to keep them and add to my already unbelievable amount of collector's trash, I've decided to just keep photos of them instead.

A small sampling of my miniature bottles/samples collections

6) I completed my very first oil painting(s)! Hehe.. nothing complex... in fact I believe a 10 year old could come up with something better. Still, I'm proud of myself :) Details here.

7) My new blog, craftee guiri was launched sometime last month. It's dedicated to all my crafty moments and my passion for DIY gifts. I thought it was best to have a focused craft blog rather than cramping everything in here. Now you know why I've been so quiet :P I can't split myself into 2~!

OH dear...and I still haven't updated anything about my last Europe trip yet. Bummer.

Mango Lime Sorbet

2009-08-18T00:52:00.005+08:00

Some time ago I received a comment wanting to know how to make that Mango Lime Sorbet. Coincidentally I made another batch last week and managed to snap some photos. Here's the recipe that I got from SimplyRecipes!

Ingredients (makes slightly more than 1 pint)

1 large mango (about 1.5 pounds)
A pinch of salt
Juice of 3 limes
1 tablespoon of tequila (or Choya plum wine)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
Lime zest (a little would do)

*Note: Adjust the ingredients to match the size of the mango you use

HEAT sugar, water and lime zest in a small saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

CUT the flesh out from a mango. Here's a great guide on how to do it properly - How to cut a mango.

PUT the mango pieces, syrup, salt, and lime juice into a blender. Blend until completely smooth. The last time I tried this recipe I had to use a strainer to get rid of some fibrous pieces, but this time the mango I used was really nice and and smooth, so it wasn't necessary. Pour the puree into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill it overnight in the refridgerator.

ONCE chilled, pour it into an ice cream maker and add in the tequila. Process the mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions. The alcohol helps prevent the sorbet from being too icy. Transfer the almost frozen mixture into a container and freeze in your freezer for at least 6 hours (or until firm) before serving.

Another note: Although the amount of sugar syrup to put in is not meant to be to taste, do check before you pour it all in. At times you may get mangoes that are already sweet, and you may risk having your sorbet too sweet. Also be aware that if you do use less sugar, the texture of the sorbet will tend to be a little icy too. Just experiment and see what fits you best :)

Good luck!

Skytrex Extreme Adventure

2009-07-20T14:21:00.002+08:00

Some time in June Ben posted some of his Skytrex photos on FB, and that got me really interested. Of course I've been told about it before, but it never quite sparked my interest because no one invited me to go :P

This time Ben asked if I'd like to join them for their next session in July, and I promptly agreed! Also I tried extending the same invitation to a few others, but only Lyne decided to join us. So in total there were 9 of us :)

We paid RM3 at the entrance of the Taman Pertanian, then waited about 10 minutes for the Skytrex shuttle to arrive. On the bus they'll do a headcount and check against their booking list, priority is given to those who have booked a slot.

As soon as we arrive, we immediately proceeded to the registration counter and got ourselves a pair of gloves each. Personally I didn't think their gloves were sufficient, I still had some minor blisters at the end of the trek. And yes, this is almost as good as a pair single-use gloves. Don't expect to be able to reuse them, because depending on how hard you hold on to the cables or harness, it would have been completely ruined t by the time you finish.

Lyne showing off her pair of RM3 gloves, you'll need them!

Once we gao dim our registration, we were required to put on our safety harness. Don't worry, there will be experts to help you put them on correctly. Coincidentally there were a big bunch of school children that day to try on the "Little Adventure". While I was starting to regret my presence there, the children was all excited and did not show any sign of fear.

Lyne being fitted with a set of safety harness

After that we were taken to the Initiation/Jump Start circuit. Here we were all given a briefing on how to use the carabiner, pulley and all the do's and don'ts in the circuit. Everyone was required to try out their simple trail and get used to hooking the carabiner and pulleys on the cables. It's VERY important to have at least one carabiner hooked at any one point in time, so that if you do fall, there's something to hold on to you! Safety first!

Our instructor demonstrating the ways to use the carabiner

In only less than 5 minutes, we completed the trial circuit. And now for the real thing! The first challenge was to climb this flight of ladder. Trust me it's tiring! I was already panting eventhough I was only halfway up. Serves me right for not having a heavy breakfast before I came (as recommended by Ben). Only had 2 pieces of digestive biscuits and a glass of milk. Yikes! Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go straight to the Extreme Challenge before first trying the Big Thrill *sweat*.

There were about 4-5 of ladders of this height throughout the circuit

Immediately after climbing this ladder we were to do a Flying Fox (FF). Indeed it was very scary. Not only would this be the longest of the whole track, it was also very very high (there are higher ones later, but much shorter distance). But later I wished that they had more FF along the way (as a mean to skip some of the challenges). The whole thing was getting very tiring (especially since I didn't have a proper breakfast) and dragged too long. Partially because we were held back by "traffic jams" created by the earlier groups. Only a maximum of 3 persons is allowed on each platform and a maximum of 1 person on each challenge at any one time.

Some of the challenges that you can expect to see at the Skytrex Extreme Challenge

Basically I completed the whole course without chickening out at their 'Ayam Exit', with an exception of the monkey bar which was at the beginning of the circuit. I knew I didn't have enough upper body strength nor did I want to exhaust myself completely when I still had 80% of the challenges waiting for me! So I kinda cheated and did the FF instead.

Me on the flying fox (photo courtesy of Darry Lum)

Also at the very end I had to be "rescued". That particular challenge was extremely difficult, and without a proper upper body strength and technique it was difficult to get through. We can choose to skip this with a FF, but I decided to give it a try. I only managed to cross about 75% of this particular part before having one of the guys on the platform pull me up because I was taking too long and was simply too hungry... ermm... I mean too tired to continue :P (food...I need food!!)

My rescue at the last leg of the circuit

It was a great sense of achievement having completed the whole thing. Really, I mean it. Never mind about the pain that follows the very next day. I enjoyed every moment of it, and wouldn't mind doing it again. In fact, Ben said he is planning another one in October! Yep, I'm going again!

Look! It's not that scary after all - I can still laugh right?
(photo courtesy of Darry Lum)

A Weekend of Food and Fiesta

2009-06-22T13:46:00.010+08:00

Last Saturday our farmyard members decided to host an early birthday celebration for TW. Of course it was just an excuse to get together and stuff ourselves silly again. We had a nice dinner at Tong Tong, a restaurant just of 5 minutes walk from my place and after that we had a nice homemade mango ice cream (by yours truly of course) and a cake cutting session :)

That's us trying to blow the candle together
(though I really looked like I was about to suck in the cake)

Sunday it was Father's Day... and this time we thought we'd have a steamboat session, something we haven't done for quite a long time. From the morning I started to prepare the tomyam soup and porridge. Mom got the fresh ingredients from the market while I got the frozen stuff from Giant supermarket. WL on the other hand bought his favourite pork slices from the non-halal section at Tesco Extra.

The table ready for our steamboat session

Everything seemed to be in order at first. I had the table nicely set, we had plenty of food to put into the 2 pots, one for porridge and one for tomyam soup. I had an induction cooker that we could use and mom had another. We were happily getting ready to start when mom's cooker started beeping non-stop and giving funny error codes on the screen.

No matter what we did, the cooker would not stop beeping, and wouldn't even heat up. *sigh* In the end we had to make do with just one cooker and swapped the two pots whenever the other reached the boiling stage. After the dinner we had some durians by TW's family...and some pineapple from Ophie's family.

Halfway through the dinner I had to take a photo ...cheeezzze

There were also a plenty of leftovers. I had porridge enough to feed 3 persons and half a pot of tom yam soup. Fortunately for me, that'll be my breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 2 days :P

Accounts cleared!

2009-06-09T00:39:00.005+08:00

Prague - Salzburg - Vienna - Krakow - Budapest - Madrid - Salamanca - Seville - Cadiz

Spent several hours today compiling my expenditure for the trip and guess what, I only exceeded about 7% of what was budgeted. Not bad, huh? And that excess was purely due to unforeseen circumstances such as change of flights (thanks to Ryanair*) and overindulgence on food :P

On an average, our spending was as follows:

RM75 per day per person on accommodation (approx. USD21 or EUR15)
RM85 per day per person on food (approx. USD24 or EUR17)
RM120 per day per person on local tours/inland transportation (approx. USD34 or EUR24)

This was based on the fact that we managed to stay in a 3 star hotel towards the end of the trip, and indulged in restaurants every now and then (mostly in Spain). Also we did not join tour in every city. Most of the time we did our own exploring, and just paid for the train/bus tickets. And the cost above also include cheap opera tickets, entrance fees to various museums/cathedrals/castles and even a spa session! ;)

So yes, it IS possible to travel on a shoestring budget. There really isn't a need to spend so much on the food if you aren't picky. There are plenty of cheap local delights available if you keep an eye out for them. And if you don't mind having a snoring roommate, sharing rooms in a hostel isn't too bad an idea. More good news - most of the cities provide FREE use of bicycles for at least an hour, which means you can save time, $$$ and energy moving around in a big city.

So much for now, will post more details about my trip soon.

Jet lag??? What jet lag???

2009-06-06T23:31:00.002+08:00

Lucky for me, I'm immune to the change of time zones. I can fall asleep practically anywhere, anytime, given an opportunity. Last night we arrived at about 9pm, and after a quick Hokkien mee supper, it was home sweet home.

A nice scrub in the shower then went straight to bed and slept like a log. This morning I was up at 9:30am and back to my normal routine. I know. Many are envious, but I just can't help it :P

Got about 10,000 photos to upload. Be patient.

We are coming home!

2009-06-04T15:28:00.003+08:00

Can't believe it's the end of our trip already. It's time to squeeze everything back into our two tiny luggages. What a nightmare. :(

Our flight departs Seville at 21:15 and arrives London at 23:00. Then we have to rush to the check-in gate again for our flight back to Malaysia at 01:25 tomorrow. Hope there's no delay!!!!

Hasta muy pronto!

@ Budapest Airport

2009-05-29T21:06:00.002+08:00

We are at the Ferihegy Terminal 1 waiting to board our flight W6 269 to Madrid. At least they provide free Wifi at the airport, this ought to keep me busy until the battery runs out. :P Will try to upload some photos.

Already the 4th stop

2009-05-25T22:22:00.004+08:00

I can't believe we are already at the 4th stop - Krakow. We arrived here this morning by a night train (my first on a sleeper coach). Exciting.

Sorry I haven't been quite active with my blog, but its quite difficult when there's so much that I want to write about and yet so little time and very much limited internet access. I'll try to post some of my offline drafts soon.

And yes, we ARE enjoying ourselves here... try not to be too jealous, ok? ;) At least you won't be as broke as we are when we get home...

Till then...miss all of you back home... HUGSSss..

A day in Prague

2009-05-22T01:17:00.013+08:00

It's always like this for me, only updating my blog days or weeks later, only to forget to mention about all the exciting stuff that happened.

We arrived Prague on Monday morning, decided to avoid all the hassle of taking public transport to our hostel and chose the shuttle service instead, which costs us 480CZK (approx. RM90). It was probably slightly more expensive than taking the public transport but cheaper than taxi. Most important was it got us straight to the doorstep of our hostel. If you are a group of 4, shuttle is the most convenient and economical choice because you'll pay the same amount whether you are 2 or 4.

Airport Shuttle service price list

We were greeted by Mirek at Hostel One that morning. He provided us with a map and gave us information on how to move about in the city. While waiting for our room to be ready, we decided to look at some of the brochures at the reception. There was this "Ultimate Prague Tour" for 1200 CZK per person (approx USD60) which was highly recommended. It included a walking tour, river cruise, lunch and a complimentary Ghost tour in the evening. Since we only have approximately 2 days to visit the city, we decided to give it a go. Frankly, we were not disappointed.

The tour was booked for the next day, so that morning we decided to just casually stroll in the city, and (ehem!) shop for souvenirs in case we didn't have time tomorrow. Also we had to find our way to the train station to get tickets to Salzburg. The main train station was only about 3 tram stops away from the hostel, but we just walked. It was a beautiful morning! How could we waste that? ;)

Praha main train station

Just about 20 minutes of walk from the hostel we arrived at Wenceslas Square. And the first thing I saw was.....MCDONALD'S!!! Seriously I ought to have taken photo of every single McD I find in all the cities and I would have been able to compile a thick album! :P Of course the Chinese didn't lose out either, throughout our trip, Chinese restaurants are just as easy to find as McD, if not easier :)

It was then we spotted our very first meal in Prague.... hot dogs! LOL! The street was lined with fast food kiosks selling a selection of sausages, long, short, big and small :D

"Which one should I eat first???"

While walking towards the Old Town quarter, we passed by many souvenir shops. Most of the similar souvenirs are sold at a standard price. So if you see something you like, it is not quite necessary to hop from one to another trying to get a better bargain. Unless of course you want to look for a bigger variety of items.

Not too far from the Old Town quarter is a market, selling handcrafted items, puppets, chocolates, vegetables, flowers and many more. I enjoyed looking at all the puppets that are hung at the stalls, some were cute, while some were scary.

Different types of puppets that can be found at the market

More Prague updates soon - our Hostel, the Marionnete show and the Ultimate Prague Tour

Countdown to Eurotrip 2009

2009-05-12T14:24:00.003+08:00

Just 5 more days to my long awaited trip to Europe!!! Ooh...I'm so excited!

Itinery: Prague-Salzburg-Vienna-Krakow-Budapest-Madrid-Asturias-Seville

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T23:41:00.011+08:00

This year I thought I'd surprise mom with a photobook I made using Provocraft Yourstory, a new toy I got from ebay. It took me almost a week to complete the photobook of approx 18 pages, with all original hand drawn pics and illustrations. I used Inkscape, which was surprisingly easy to use with my Wacom tablet. Then I printed them on double-sided glossy photo papers, and bound them nicely in a hardcover album cover.

Here is a small excerpt from the photo book:

So glad to see that mom really liked it... :D

Happy Mother's Day to all mommy's and mommy-to-be out there :)

Mt Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)

2009-04-22T18:26:00.013+08:00

Although I have been quite worried about the weather (in KL it was raining almost everyday), we were greeted by warm sunshine as soon as we arrived at Kota Kinabalu (KK). From the airport, we took a six-seater van to Akinabalu Youth Hostel at Jalan Gaya.

Our taxi from the airport, fits up to 6 passengers, only RM28

This was just one street away from where we were staying the last time, but I clearly like this new hostel better. There were more bathrooms and toilets to share (of course there were also more rooms). The reception and common area were very pleasant with lots of open spaces and greens. Good thing our rooms were on the 1st and 2nd floor, so we didn't have to climb very high.

As soon as we left our bags in our rooms, our tummies were growling. And guess where we ended up in? Haha... the very same place we had our curry laksa during our last trip. The restaurant was just right below the hostel. So very convenient. This time I decided to give their beef noodles a try. It was not too bad, but I preferred the curry :)

One thing that I was particularly impressed with KK is that the city is very clean. The streets are well maintained and the people are patient. Of course you can find signboards almost everywhere warning people of fines, but you find that too in KL and yet nobody takes heed. Not only that, this particular restaurant that we were dining in actually place a mini dustbin under every table!

Mini dustbin under every table at the restaurant

We wandered a bit before finally deciding to proceed to the Monsopiad Cultural Village. As we didn't quite plan this properly, neither of us remembered the name of the place. We only knew that it was a cultural village. So we went round asking some taxi vans if they knew how to go to the place, and finally found one who could take us there and back for RM60. Fair enough, considering the distance was much further than the airport (from town) and don't expect to be able to just stop any taxi there to bring you back, so make sure you have a backup!

Our little taxi van, can fit up to 10 passengers @ RM30 per way to Monsopiad

Entrance fee for Malaysians was RM45 per person, and you'll be provided a guided tour and a welcome drink (traditional rice wine or fruit juice). There are also scheduled cultural performances at approximately 2 hours interval, each lasting between 45 to 60 minutes. While you are there you'll get to visit the House of Skulls, walk on the suspended bridge, sample various types of home made wines and spirits, try some traditional games, blowpipe, any many more. I personally experienced the bamboo stick dance and the bird-like dance and also given the chance to try the blow pipe (a hunting tool).

Trying my luck with the blowpipe, was only able to shoot targets within 5m range :P

As soon as our transport arrived, we left for the town. That evening we all had Bak Kut Teh in a restaurant not too far from our hostel. After dinner we bought some food for next morning as we would be departing for Mt. Kinabalu before breakfast is served.

It takes approximately 2.5 hours to reach the Mesilau starting point from KK, so we arranged the morning pickup at 6:00am. The Mesilau route is 2km more than Timpohon trail and we wanted to make sure that we have ample time to reach Laban Rata.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 3 (The Climb)

Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 1 (The Comeback)

2009-04-02T22:17:00.018+08:00

For those who remembered, 7 of us attempted to reach Low's Peak of Mt. Kinabalu last September but only 1 succeeded. The rest (including myself) failed miserably, owing to several factors, with the weather being the main culprit. Even if the weather had permitted the climb, we probably would not have been able to catch the sunrise anyway as we were not as fit nor were we mentally well prepared.

The moment I touched down KL, I immediately planned for a return trip. A famous chinese saying, "Shape the iron while it's hot". I was determined to make it to the top and would not accept another defeat. And this time I picked a date which was within the recommended climbing period, avoiding all possible rain spells. Lucky for me, Airasia was having another promotion and I got myself a return ticket for less than RM200. Lyne was equally enthusiastic about returning and TC too wanted to go again as he was not even able to take photo to proof his climb with the strong wind almost blowing him away :P

Since the 3 of us have already tried the Timpohon trail, we decided to go via Mesilau this time round. TC had 2 of his friends join us for this trip, WL and YL. Then TW's sister decided to tag along too... making us a group of 7. And so I had the following planned:

Day 1: Depart KL, arrive KK, visit Monsopiad Cultural Village
Day 2: Proceed to Mesilau Nature Resort for Mt. Kinabalu Climb
Day 3: Summit Climb to Low's Peak from Laban Rata,
descend Mt. Kinabalu via Timpohon trail
Day 4: Depart KK to Pulau Tiga
Day 5: Return from Pulau Tiga and back to KL

TC would head back to KL the day the climb while his friends have opted out on Pulau Tiga and decided to go for white water rafting instead.

Unfortunately for Lyne, she was hospitalized just a day before our flight for suspected dengue and hence she had to forego the trip completely. She was in no condition to even walk for 1km, so the 19.4km that we had to endure on this trip was definitely out of the question.

That leaves only 6 of us.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu via Mesilau Trail - Part 2 (The City)

I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

2009-04-02T01:22:00.007+08:00

TW, Susan and I at Low's Peak (4095.2 m above sea level)

Details to follow later :)

My First Cricut Project

2009-03-22T00:24:00.003+08:00

Rock Melon Lime Sorbet

2009-03-11T10:45:00.010+08:00

Just the other day I had a sudden urge to make honeydew sorbet... but instead of getting a honeydew, I found a good deal at the supermarket for rock melon, and so I got that one instead. I compared several honeydew lime sorbet recipes online and decided to do some experiments.

The melon I bought weighed about 2kg, so I split them into 2 so that I could experiment with different flavours. The first half I try to keep the melon taste as original as possible, only adding a little bit of sugar to taste. Add sugar sparingly. It is best to test the melon to see if it is already sweet enough to your taste. In my case I used about 1/4 cup of sugar to half a melon.

The second half I added some lime juice to it. I like this version better. Also added 1 egg white (I used meringue powder as a substitute) as a stabilizer but you can always omit this and keep it simple. But you'll need to get the ice cream out 15 mins from the freezer before serving coz it can get pretty hard to scoop.

Ingredients (makes approx. 1 quart)

Group 1

1/2 rock melon cubes (weighs approx. 1kg before removing seed and skin)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon citrus fruit liqueur (it can be lemon or orange)
1 egg white or meringue powder as a substitute (optional)
--------
Group 2

grated lime zest
approx. 1/3 cup of lime juice

Combine the melon cubes, sugar and fruit liqueur and let it stand for about an hour or so in room temperature, stirring every now and then. Then pour everything (Group 1 and Group 2) into a food processor, and blend until you get a nice smoothie consistency. You can skip group 2 if you would like to have a pure melon sorbet. Also if you plan to use egg white, blend it in now. Refridgerate overnight or at least several hours before you pour it into an ice cream maker.

If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can freeze it directly in the freezer, but every 30 minutes while it freezes, check and stir vigourously with a spoon or spatula. Repeat until ice cream is completely frozen. This should probably take 2 hours or less depending on your fridge.

Happy Birthday Ophie

2009-03-03T19:11:00.001+08:00

A birthday cake for a new mommy

It's my sis-in-law's birthday today, so I decided to bake her a cake. But she is still in her confinement, and supposedly eggs are not allowed in her diet until much later. So I searched the internet for an eggless chocolate cake. The result was nice and moist and not to mention super easy to make!

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 cups white sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups water
3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vanilla extract

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, soda and salt. Add sugar and mix together. Add oil, water and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

* I only used half the recipe and a 9x9 inch pan. Also I added some chocolate chips on top of the cake ...yummy!

Promotion Without Increment

2009-03-01T00:33:00.005+08:00

Thanks to baby Lucas, I'm officially promoted to "ku che" or aunty status. A promotion that comes with no increment but a possibility of burning a big hole in my pocket. There are just so many things that I want to buy for him... :P I'll have to be a little bias with my opinion though.... coz he is really really cute!!! Cuter than any other babies I've ever seen... he he he..

Although I'm very happy for my brother, I can't help feeling pressured by both our family members and friends about having one of my own. I personally do not think that this is something to be rushed. When the time comes, it will happen.... until then, I really hope that I can get a peace of mind. Thank you, ありがんとう, 謝謝, Muchas gracias, Nandri, Grazie, Merci, Terima kasih, Danke.

I feel good!

2009-02-15T13:29:00.005+08:00

After several months of absence, due to weather, procrastination...etc.. Je suis toujours plein d'excuses, I finally resumed my weekly hiking this morning with my mom (well, re-started was more like it). SS and Joseph joined us to... which was nice... the more the merrier :) We went to the small hill near Ketumbar Heights (needed something easy to warm up the old engine). First 10-15 minutes was hell...but after that I felt really good... ahhhh...

It is very encouraging to see a lot of really young faces during the hike today. Some were as young as 4-5 years old, perhaps there are even younger ones that I have not noticed. I guess there are still parents out there who realise the importance of outdoor activities instead of just occupying their kids with Playstation, Wii or even the infamous idiot box.

Well, anyway, I better pull my socks up! My second attempt to conquer Mt. Kinabalu isn't too far away. This time I have to make sure that I succeed (at the mercy of the weather of course).

*Update 29/2/2009 - Now already at the 3rd week and I'm still consistently doing it... hooray for me! :D

Somethin' Urby

2009-02-06T00:46:00.004+08:00

Wall deco, anyone? Lyne recently teamed with her brother and set up Somethin' Urby, a creative company that helps transform your wall from a Plain Jane to Va-va-Voom. Having worked with Lyne for the past 2 years, I have no doubt that her creative juice would be an invaluable source to the success of this company.

Somethin' Urby wall decals basically stick to anything smooth and flat, be it a wall, a mirror, a door, even the refridgerator! The material is so thin that it looks almost flush to the surface it is placed on. You can easily peel it off without leaving any mark behind. How cool is that? I'm really looking forward to my first set of Urby decals. Will update with some photos when they are ready!

White Chocolate-Lingonberry Cheesecake Bar

2009-02-05T01:04:00.006+08:00

Everyone was back home for CNY, which also means it was a perfect time to bake a cake. Guinea pigs!!! Heee hee hee... Neither my sisters nor their bfs have tried my cheesecake before, so I decided to experiment with another recipe from Kraftfoods. I made some changes to the recipe to suit what I had in my fridge.

The result? I had lots of approvals, though it was possible that they were simply hungry after several rounds of rummy games.

Anyway, here's my own version improvised from the original recipe:

Ingredients

1 packet of Oreo cookies, finely crushed
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
3 squares White Chocolate, divided
500gms (16oz) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1/4 cup lingonberry jam (from IKEA)

HEAT oven to 350ºF. Mix cookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch square pan. Melt 2 chocolate squares in a microwave on High for 20-30 seconds.

BEAT cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 25 to 28 min. or until center is almost set. Cool 5 min.; spread with lingonberry jam (or any other preferred preserves. Melt remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Cool cheesecake completely. Refrigerate 4 hours.

*Tip: It helps to line the pan with aluminium foil first for easy cake removal. Apart from acting as a handle, it makes cleaning easier too!

A New Toy!!!

2009-02-02T22:47:00.002+08:00

Yeay! Me just got me self a new toy... the Lenovo Ideapad S10 :D Well... it's actually a gift from me hubby... 10Q veli muchie darling! *muaks*

Clearing debts...

2009-01-07T13:28:00.003+08:00

Don't be surprised to see some backdated posts popping up soon.... am trying to clear some backlogs before the Chinese New Year ... there is a saying that we should try to clear all our debts before we welcome the Lunar New Year, and yes, I'm trying to clear my debts with this dear old blog of mine. I don't believe I owe anyone any $$$ though...

Azuki Bean Ice Cream

2009-01-06T00:35:00.001+08:00

I finally succeeded at making some Japanese red beans ice cream that received approvals from my mum, my sisters and and my sister-in-law. The last attempt was a failure as I reduced the amount of sugar required, resulting in a bland and tasteless ice cream. Thanks to my mum's constructive comments, I did another experiment and finally got the right blend :) Here's the recipe!

This recipe makes about 1 quart

For the azuki paste
1 cup washed azuki beans
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups water
A pinch of salt

For the ice cream
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup sugar (or 1 cup if you prefer to have it a little sweeter)
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the azuki paste: Put beans in a saucepan full of water, bring to a boil, then drain in a colander. Return beans to pan, add 4 cups of water, cover and simmer until beans after very soft and have absorbed all the water. Stir in sugar and cook over low heat until sugar has dissolved and beans form a soft, chunky paste. Add salt and allow to cool. (I used the slow cooker for this which save me the trouble of watching over the stove. Simmering time maybe between 2.5-3 hours long, depending on the beans. Also with the slow cooker you can put everything in at once).

For the ice cream: In a saucepan, combine the milk and cream and bring to a simmer. While waiting, you can beat the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. When the milk come to a boil, turn off the heat and pour about 1/4 cup of the liquid into the bowl with the egg yolk and whisk until smooth. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pan with the rest of the milk and cook over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (custard like consistency). Stir in vanilla essence. Do not overcook or you may get lumps. Pour it through a strainer if required. Refrigerate until ready to use, preferably overnight.

The original recipe calls for adding the bean paste to the ice cream just 10 minutes before it freezes but I prefer to stir the beans (cooled) into the custard before I refrigerate it overnight. The amount of paste to stir into the custard is according to your preference - I used only half the amount prepared. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Good luck!

Happy New Year 2009!

2009-01-01T13:44:00.004+08:00

This year's countdown was special, unforgettable, and it all took place in Pantai Cheras Medical Centre, room #2006. Dad was hospitalised the very next day we got back from Penang due to suspected dengue fever. Later we found out that it was not dengue but an unknown viral infection. We couldn't bear to let him spend the eve in the hospital alone, so we transformed his room into a party place, with balloon characters to make up those who can't be there (e.g. my sister in law, Ophi & Mr. Goo), along with Stitchie, Weewee, Polar, Bunny, Archer & Lucas (my future nephew).

An almost complete family photo

The hospital was probably not the best place to do a countdown, but at least the whole family is together (well, almost). All I wish for in 2009 is everyone to be happy and in their best of health. It is going to be an exciting year with a new family member joining us soon!!! :D

*Dad was discharged on the afternoon of 01-01-2009.

A Bird's Eye View of 2008

2008-12-31T00:31:00.006+08:00

Let's see, 2008 is coming to an end, and instead of ranting about what I should or should not have done, I've decided do a feel-good post here and write about what I have achieved instead.

1. Visited Hokkaido, Japan
2. Visited Hanoi, Vietnam
3. Climbed Mt. Kinabalu (although not to the peak)
4. Took up Flamenco (and passed the SDI Preparatorio exam)
5. Learnt how to bake and make ice cream
6. Organized my online photo collection, ToaMG - The Vault
7. Climbed the Story Bridge
8. Completed at least 1 charity run
9. Sending my aluminium cans and plastic bottles to the recycling centre

These are the things that I can remember just because I have blogged about them. The rest which are not mentioned here does not mean that they are insignificant - it just means that I have a memory of a goldfish. Now I see how important it is to keep a journal or a diary. Honestly, I'm really glad to have started this blog ... if only I could update it a little more often! ;)

I already have an initial list lined up for year 2009, but I'll keep mum for the moment :) Does that include making babies, you ask? LOL! That's for me to know and for you to find out!

Happy New Year 2009!

2009 New Year's Eve

2008-12-29T23:51:00.004+08:00

The plan was to have a BBQ party right at home. With every family member home for the holidays, what else could be better than ushering in the new year together! Everyone was excited and had interesting ideas for the night ... until dad has to be hospitalised this afternoon for suspected dengue.

Mom is with dad in the hospital, and by the looks of it, he would probably have to do the countdown to 2009 there too. Sis have postponed their flights till next week just to make sure dad is alright before going back to Australia. The last time I had dengue in 1993, I was out from the hospital after 3 days. Hopefully the second blood test tomorrow shows a more positive outcome and that he can be discharged sooner. Will see what the doc says tomorrow.

SDI Exam 2008

2008-12-24T02:00:00.013+08:00

I finally got my hands on my flamenco exam certificate last Friday. It was an early Christmas gift. Yep! I passed my SDI Preparatorio Level, together with Clea, Sania and Manuela. Now that it is over and I have completely forgotten about how nervous I was, I must agree that the entire exam had been fun. All of us were dressed up in standard black leotards, flamenco skirts, with our hair neatly bunned and adorned with a large flower.

As we got closer to the exam (which was on Nov 13, 2008), Joyce organized extra classes for additional practices. Although Joyce insisted that we were doing fine, we were all quite tensed and worried (who isn't?). But what I have appreciated most about having taken the exam is my speed of improvement within a short period of time. Somehow I guess its a human's nature that we can sometimes be too comfortable with our current positions. If things like exam never existed, we would never push ourselves to our maximum potential.

Nicola, our examiner was really sweet. At the end of the exam, she gave lots of pointers to all the exam candidates which I found to be very useful, eventhough it was clearly basic information. She also gave a workshop on Alegrias, which was difficult for us Preparatorios, but nonetheless of great fun. Once Fernando asked me, "Is your flamenco teacher Spanish?". He was quite skeptical about a non-Spanish teaching a Spanish dance but I told him I have a great teacher, and of her being Spanish or not was not of importance, I simply wanted to dance only!

Hopefully next year I'd be able to complete my Primer level too!

Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

2008-12-23T01:44:00.009+08:00

After getting an ice-cream maker from my mom as a birthday present, I have attempted to make nutella and rum raisin ice cream, both unsuccessful to my dismay. It was nothing serious though, texture was perfect, but a tad too sweet. Then yesterday I saw some fresh strawberries at the supermarket and made another attempt with a frozen yoghurt recipe. It was so simple to make and turned out as yummy as what I had expected it to be, so here's the recipe!

The following recipe makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

Approx 450g of fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon vodka/kirsch
1 cup plain natural yoghurt

*Note: Original recipe called for 1 tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice, but I didn't have any, and it still tasted good

Slice the strawberries into small pieces. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and vodka/kirsch, if using, stirring until the sugar begins to dissolve. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring every now and then.

Purée the strawberries and their liquid with the yoghurt and lemon juice (if you have) in a blender or food processor until smooth. If you prefer to leave some pieces of strawberries in your frozen yoghurt, you can reserve about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of fruit pieces without the liquid and stir them in later. You can also press the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

Refrigerate for 1 hour, and then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you do not have an ice cream maker, you can freeze it directly in the freezer, but every 30 minutes while it freezes, check and stir vigourously with a spoon or spatula. Repeat until ice cream is completely frozen. This should probably take 2 hours or less depending on your fridge.

OR YOU CAN TRY FREEZING YOUR ICE CREAM THIS WAY TOO! AN INTERESTING SCIENCE PROJECT FOR CHILDREN :)

My First Fondant Cake... a Success!

2008-12-02T23:09:00.009+08:00

Yesterday I went to ICCA at Seksyen 14 to source for some ingredients and tools to decorate my youngest sis' birthday cake. I wanted to make an extra special one for her, knowing her favourite soft toy was the Polarbear from NICI.

While I was there, Nancy attended to me, and asked if she could of any help. I told her I was looking at the possibility of making little figurines to decorate a cake and she asked if I've worked with fondant before.

"Erm, the closest I ever got to working with fondant is plastercine/playdoh", I replied honestly. "Is it the same?"

She just smiled and explained that it is not quite the same, and is a little bit more difficult to handle. She suggested perhaps it would be better to just get a 3D shaped bear pan to bake the cake and just ice with white frosting to turn it into a polar bear. I pondered a while and decided to go with using fondant. I was not quite willing to give up so soon. So she showed me all the necessary stuff I need to work with that sugar paste and I got a few other extra things to experiment with. Mind you these stuffs are not cheap :P

And so I found this nice little recipe for Moist and Tender Chocolate Cake from VeryBestBaking.com and yummy chocolate ganache from Martha Stewart improvised a little from there.

Recipe

Ingredients for Moist Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa (I used Hershey's)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
180gms unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup milk

Ingredients for Chocolate Ganache

200ml whipping cream (approx. 1 cup)
250gm semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup chopped walnut (or any other nuts you prefer)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9-inch-round baking pans (I used only one and then divided the cake into 2 after it is baked). COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with milk. Spread into prepared pan(s).BAKE for 25 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan(s) for 15 minutes; invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

To make the ganache filling, bring cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate in a heatproof mixer bowl; stir until smooth. Let cool completely. Attach bowl to mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until mixture reaches a medium stiff consistency, 2 to 5 minutes, checking frequently. If it does not reach this consistency, chill in freezer up to 5 minutes, then continue beating.

To assemble cake: Trim rounded tops of cakes flat. Stir together half portion of the ganache with the nuts; spread over one cake layer. Top with second layer, and spread remaining portion (without nuts) over top and sides. Smooth with an offset spatula.

Chocolate ganache frosted cake

Note: This is already yummy enough on its own, or you can continue to decorate it with fondant like what I did with mine :)

My first attempt to decorate a cake with fondant... yes, it's all edible!

Happy Birthday Aunty Shirl

2008-11-15T10:24:00.008+08:00

Children and Aunties at SAL celebrating both Aliya's and my birthday :)

This year is the 2nd year I am celebrating my birthday as a married woman *ehem*, and guess what I got as birthday presents from my beloved hubby and family? Cookbooks and an ice cream maker (this was on my wishlist)! Well, I guess that certifies my status as a "si lai". Just can't wait to try out the ice cream maker!

This would also be the last year that I'd be celebrating my birthday at the school, as I have decided to go back to the family's business and help my parents out instead. I know I am going to miss the children very much. And all the aunties too, of course. It is undeniable that your colleagues are one of the main factors that motivate you at work.

My farmyard family, the dog, the pig and and the cow also did a small celebration for me at home. And guess what, thanks to our dinner at Sambal Sushi, we managed to get some free masks for our mass facial session... LOL! It was sort of combi post-Halloween and pre-birthday celebration. Sorry guys, I've decided to put up this photo anyway. But I'll keep your names anonymous ok? :P

Be afraid...be very very afraid...

*Sigh* just the kind of crazy things you won't mind doing anymore after the big THREE-O.

Lagging again

2008-11-08T02:25:00.004+08:00

There are so many things that I want to blog about, and yet when I finally found the time to do it my grey matter is just another blank piece of paper. All these late nights are not helping either. Gosh, what am I doing still up at 2:30am?!?!

Right, I was baking. Hmm.. time to get some sleep... the cleaning can wait till tomorrow.

*yawn*

Decorating Mini Cupcakes

2008-10-04T23:24:00.005+08:00

Had fun this morning decorating some cupcakes for Cathy's & Catherine's little ones this morning. Just applying what I learnt from the previous SAL bakesale!

Not perfect but the kids love it ;)

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

2008-10-02T19:08:00.009+08:00

Thanks to Aunty Lyne* who triggered my baking frenzy, this time I tried to bake a cheesecake. It appears that it was not as difficult as I thought. In fact, I found it simpler than baking muffins or cupcakes. Here's one recipe from cdkitchen.com which worked for me even for the first time!

My very first cheesecake!

Recipe

Ingredients for the biscuit base:

1 1/4 cup digestive biscuit crumbs or approx. 10 pieces (I used McVitie's)
1/4 cup sugar
125 gms butter (softened)

Ingredients for the cake:

500gms cream cheese (softened)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 can blueberry pie filling

Note: Instead of getting a can of blueberry pie filling, I bought glaced berries and topping (which looked like jam) separately and mixed them myself. It was not intentionally done, I just didn't realise there were can ones available. One plus point though, I get to put as much or as little of berries as I want into the topping since I am mixing it myself.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg Fahr. Mix crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and the butter; press firmly and evenly in bottom of ungreased 9-inch spring form pan (or with loose bottom). Chill for at least 30 mins.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined.

Pour onto biscuit base. Drop about 1/2 cup pie filling by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the cream cheese mixture. Cut through with a knife to swirl the pie filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack. (I saw another recipe book which recommended to leave the cake in the oven with door ajar for 10 mins first to prevent sudden drop in temperature). Chill for 2 hours. Top with remaining blueberry filling.

(Hubby insisted that I put his comment in, "Two thumbs up! Even better than the Oreo cupcakes!")

*Btw, Aunty Lyne is actually younger than me, the only reason why I'm calling her aunty is what I would term as an 'occupational disease' - just like the children we address each other as aunties at school :P

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 3 (The Summit Climb & The Descent)

2008-09-15T00:34:00.001+08:00

Although I went to bed early the evening before, I didn't quite sleep well. Our room was next to the kitchen, and right next to the foyer, so noise was inevitable. I was awaken several times during the night by footsteps and voice of (inconsiderate) climbers who couldn't keep their excitement to themselves. I am not a light sleeper, but I guess the over-exhaustion from the previous day climb also made it hard to even catch a wink. I was glad I took 2 panadols before bedtime, which soothed that minor headache I was getting, allowing me to have at least an hour or two of quality sleep (before I was awaken unnecessarily).

After glancing at my watch for the umpteenth time, I decided to climb out of bed. It was a quarter to 2am. The rest were still asleep, so I struggled in the dark to find my 3-in-1 hot chocolate drink. In the background I thought I heard the heavy rain outside; perhaps we won't get to climb to the peak after all. I found out later that it was actually the sound of water gushing down the hillside, as a result of continuous downpour the night before. It was only drizzling lightly and we were allowed to continue our climb.

Last night Lyne wanted to opt out, but I managed to talk her out of it. I convinced her that if she really didn't feel that she was up to it halfway through the climb, she could stop anytime. Since we had 2 guides, one of them would be able to bring her down to Laban Rata. It would be a complete waste to stop right there before even giving it a try to the summit. She finally agreed to join us.

I wore a sleeveless-T under a long sleeve shirt and a windbreaker. To protect my ears from the cold I wore a beanie and I put on a headlamp to see in the dark. I also wore a pair of gloves (which was not waterproof nor colourfast - at the end of the day my hands were purple). Instead of carrying the entire backpack with me, I left it in the room and only brought my waist pouch along with a camera and a water bottle. And DON'T EVER FORGET to bring your climb permit, it must be presented at the Sayat-sayat Checkpoint. We also put on our poncho since it may rain again later.

Dark rocky mountain slope

We set off at about 2:45am, and it was really dark outside. The first 500m was a steady climb on clearly defined steps with handrails, but as we progressed, the climb got more interesting. Soon we were holding on tightly to ropes and no longer surrounded by any vegetation. There were only plain ascending rocks. The air also got thinner, and I had to stop every 20-30 steps to catch my breath. It continued to rain, and that made the climb even more difficult especially when I was wearing my glasses. We also had to be very careful with each step as it was quite slippery.

Lyne gave up after only 500m from Laban Rata, but Cornelius didn't think she was serious, held her hand and continued to pull her up for another 1km. In fact, both of them went ahead of us at some point. Just as both TW and I passed the 7.2km mark, we saw them coming down again. Her Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) apparently worsened and she had to descend as soon as possible. Cornelius brought her to the Sayat-sayat checkpoint to rest while to went up to look for the rest of us.

Although we continued our climb, we saw small crowds slowly descending from the top. I was sure they couldn't have reached the peak already. The sun was not even up yet! Then we heard shouts telling us to turnaround and make our way down. It was too dangerous to continue as water was already gushing down the slopes. Both of us looked lost, but we abided anyway and followed the group down slowly.

Water cascading from the top

So near yet so far. We were only less than 1km from Low's Peak but were forced to descend prematurely. The guides told us, it is better to be safe than sorry. We can always return in future - perhaps not during a rainy season. March and April is said to be a better time to climb.

Descending a rocky slope with water flowing at your feet was not an easy task. We had to be very careful not to be washed away by the strong current. We heard that the day before, a man slipped and broke his crown. :O Whenever possible I tried to hold on tight to the ropes. My gloves were completely soaked and my fingers were freezing (the next time I must remember to get a pair that is waterproofed). I had to remove it several times to squeeze out excess water, but that was not helping much. My hands, fingers and nails all turned purple, not because of the cold but because the black gloves I had just weren't colourfast.

Curious, I asked Cornelius if it was common to have people coming down in such a bad weather and bad condition. He casually answered no, and said that I should grab this opportunity to take more photos! How could I have forgotten about my camera? And so both of us took the opportunity to pose in front of the waterfalls :P

Say cheesseeeee!

We continued our descent slowly and waiting at the checkpoint for few other members of our group. TC was nowhere to be seen. He was well ahead of us during the climb, and we found out later that he was one of the very few that managed to reach the peak but unable to see anything because it was raining and the wind was very strong.

Anyway, to cut a super long story short, all of us managed to reach Laban Rata safely. TC was the only one from our group who successfully conquered the peak. The rest of us were just wet and tired. Lyne's condition improved after taking a supplement for colds and after a short qi gong session with Kuan.

The weather also improved as soon as the sun was up, which made our descent to the starting point much easier. In fact, after the breakfast I was a fully-recharged Duracell bunny and hopped my way down. I just couldn't wait to get back to KK. We arrived the Timpohon Gate at about 3pm.

All's well, ends well

And yes, for the next few days all of us walked like we've got piles. But I still returned to my dance class just 2 days after...itchy feet :P

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 2 (The Climb)

2008-09-14T23:17:00.002+08:00

The very next morning we had our breakfast at the lodge before departing to the Kinabalu Park at 7:30 a.m.

Lyne loading her bag into the van

The journey took about 2 hours, and while the rest were quietly resting and saving their energy for the climb, Lyne and I, the two biggest chatterboxes couldn't stop talking. She taught me how to play "sap ng yi sap (15, 20)" and then we switched to "So you think you can spell". We went on and on, spelling words that start with the last letter of the previous word. Each time it got tougher as we kept coming up with words that end with the letter 'e' and 'y' :P Mind you we got quite noisy back there :P

Lyne & I camwhoring while the rest get comfortable at the back of the van

As soon as we arrived, we registered with the Kinabalu Park HQ to get our climb permit. It took them quite a while, so while waiting we roamed around and took some photos. This was the time where some came to offer us walking sticks for RM 5 each, and since we are getting 7, we managed to negotiate for RM3 each. Around the area where we parked was also a big signboard that marks each stop in the Summit Trail and with the distance and height from the starting point.

The Summit Trail

Still left with nothing to do while we lingered, we took our bags to weigh at the scale. The porters charge between RM7-RM8 per kg. My backpack weighed about 6.5kg while TW's was only 5.3kg (he had his water bottle on his waistpouch while mine was in the backpack). We decided to carry these ourselves. Also we had some bulky warm clothing on a separate backpack, and that weighed about 3kg. This separate backpack was given to the porter.

People waiting inside the registration office

Just when I thought that the weight I had was manageable, TC told us that we had to carry our own lunch! And that alone weighed 1.5kg (consists of cheese and ham sandwiches, springrolls, fried chicken, hard-boiled egg, a bottle of water, a can of Sprite and an apple). So I ended up with 8kg to carry until our lunch stop :O.

Some of the items in our packed lunch

Lyne and Amy preferred to walk empty handed and so they gave both their loads to the porter. Only TC and Kuan did not use the porter service (these are our 2 champions, always ahead of the team during the climb). We finally get to set off about 10:45am, and the van drove us to the entrance of Timpohon gate (about 4km from the Park HQ).

All set to go!

We started about 10:45am, which was considered a little late, so we had to stop for our lunch before the Layang-layang Hut (5th stop). These were the distances between each stop:

Starting Point (10:45am) - Timpohon Gate (1866.4m above sea level), approx 700m to first stop
1st stop (11:20am) - Pondok Kandis (1981.7m a.s.l), 441m to next stop
2nd stop (11:42am) - Pondok Ubah (2081.4m a.s.l), 750m to next stop
3rd stop (12:20pm) - Pondok Low II (2267.4m a.s.l), 920m to next stop
4th stop (1:25pm) - Pondok Mempening (2515.47m a.s.l), approx 800m to next stop
5th stop (2.10pm) - Layang-layang Hut (2702.3m a.s.l), approx. 1100m to next stop
6th stop (3:26pm) - Pondok Villosa (2960.8 a.s.l), 417m to next stop
7th stop (4:00pm) - Pondok Paka (3080.42m a.s.l), 550m to next stop
8th stop (4:48pm) - Laban Rata Resthouse, for our dinner (3272.7m a.s.l), approx 300m to GLH
9th stop (6:20pm) - Gunting Lagadan Hut, overnight stop (3323.5m a.s.l)

A small descent before the real climb begins (still happy)

After our stop at Layang-layang Hut it started to pour, but only for a short while. We continued our journey with our poncho on, as there were still occassional showers after that. Lucky for us the wind was not very strong.

Varied track conditions at different height

In total, we had to walk about 6km distance from the gate to get to Laban Rata, and by the time we arrived we were super exhausted. The last 1km was most difficult of all, as we were completely drained of our energy, and instead of taking approx. 40 minutes for each km walk, we were taking twice as much of time to cover the same distance.

Lyne still looking fresh while I am completely drained
(together with TC, she arrived Laban Rata 10 mins before TW & I)

We arrived just in time for dinner (only served from 5:00pm - 7:30pm)! It was a buffet, and the food was not too bad. Temperature at Laban Rata that evening was about 10.8 deg C. Some of us however, had started to feel a little headache, so we rested for a while before climbing another 300m to our overnight stop at Gunting Lagadan. We also refilled our bottles with water from the restaurant.

Our room in Gunting Lagadan with 8 bunk beds

It started to rain quite heavily that night, and we could only hope for the best the very next day. Frankly I did not shower that night, it was just too cold. Yes, heated showers were available, but it was really limited and we had to wait long time for it. Instead I boiled some hot water and used it on a towel to wipe myself clean before changing into a new set of clean and dry clothes. After packing what I need for the next day, I swallowed 2 panadols and went to bed about 8:30pm.

Next: Mt. Kinabalu - Part 3 (The Summit Climb and the Descent)

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 1 (The City)

2008-09-13T00:27:00.025+08:00

When Choong told me sometime early this year that he would be climbing Mt. Kinabalu, I immediately asked if I could join him (since it coincided well with our school's term holiday). And lucky for me, both MAS and Airasia were competing with free air tickets. When else could be a better time to get the tix?

We spent approximately RM920 per person for accommodation, flight, and airport transfer and some meals.

Return flight KL-KK : RM240
Mt. Kinabalu climb (2 lunches, 1 breakfast, 1 dinner) : RM600
Airport transfer : RM20
Accommodation at Beach Lodge : RM40 (2 nights - with a/c)
Porter fees -shared (3kg) : RM24
Walking stick : RM3

On the morning of 6th Sept, mom sent both of us to the KLIA (thanks mom!). We got ourselves MAS tickets for flight to KK, as it was slightly cheaper than Airasia. We had a pleasant surprise too, as I was not expecting a meal on board a short distance flight. I thought we'd probably just get some juice with peanuts or maybe the best it would be a sandwich. But I had roti canai (which was quite good), and TW had omelette, and both lunch boxes came with yogurt drink, bread and biscuits.

Our lunch boxes on board MAS flight - not bad

Another unexpected surprise was a short stopover at Labuan, my birth town! I don't remember having a transit stopover when I bought the tickets. But anyway, I haven't been back there for at least 25 yrs or more, so that stopover was definitely welcomed, even though we arrived KK perhaps 30 - 45 mins later than the original scheduled time. We got out of the plane for a walk in the airport... just to get a breath of Labuan air... he he he...

TW posing at the Labuan Airport

As soon as we arrived KK airport we called TC who arrived very early in the morning with the others on a separate flight. But he was already in the ferry with his friends to Pulau Manukan!!! And he didn't wait for us :( . Anyway, both TW and I took a cab straight to the Beach Lodge to check in first. I asked the taxi driver about the new shopping center in town and he told us about 1Borneo. That'll be a nice place to visit on such a hot day!

Within 15 minutes we arrived at the door step of the Beach Lodge. TW was clearly put off by the condition of the place from the outside. Not forgetting to mention that it is on the 3rd floor with no elevator! The gate was locked when we reached, so we rang the doorbell. We were greeted by a nice chap. And it didn't look too bad inside too... as advertised in their website, its a little laid back, but everything was clean :) For me cleanliness was very important. Towel and blanket are also provided. What more can you ask for only RM20/night? ;)

View of our room at The Beach Lodge, clean and comfortable

As soon as we settled down, we asked for directions to 1Borneo since TC and gang won't be back until later that afternoon. From the lodge, it would take about 15-20 minutes depending on the traffic. We decided to take the bus, well... to be exact it was me who decided to take the bus (TW hated the heat). Most of the public transport were just vans but they were called mini bus. We had to take the City Bus in order to get to 1Borneo.

The City Bus that travels to 1Borneo

After just 5 minutes of waiting TW wanted to take the cab instead (which will cost about RM20/way). I suggested to wait for another 5 minutes, and finally we managed to board the bus (only RM1/person). Anyway we had to take the cab back as it was raining quite heavily after that (what a change in weather!) and we didn't want to get wet.

1) TW squinting under the hot sun, 2) TW posing in the bus

When we got back to the lodge that evening, TC and gang also arrived. Lyne only arrived about 8pm that evening. After dinner we debated and discussed on what to bring and what not. Lucky for us, Kuan's sister brought us an additional backpack to stuff some of the heavy warm clothing. We decided to leave that backpack to the porter.

We went to bed between 10.30 -11.30 pm that night.

Mt. Kinabalu - Part 2 (The Climb) next!

I survived!

2008-09-09T22:48:00.002+08:00

I did not make it to Low's Peak on Mt. Kinabalu, but I lived to tell. More updates later!

Yummy Oreo Cupcakes

2008-08-05T23:00:00.006+08:00

Our school is having a fundraising activity this Friday as part of "Our Neighbourhood" theme. Apart from letting the children experience fun baking at school, it's the act of kindness that we would like to instill in them. All proceeds from the bake sale will be channeled to an orphanage.

And so all the teachers got really excited and tried various cupcakes recipes - some plain ones (so that the children could decorate them), and others with a variety of ingredients e.g. orange poppy seed, pandan, etc.

I managed to download a recipe from VeryBestBaking.com, which looked relatively simple. Instead of using chocolate morsels as recommended, I replaced it with Oreo instead. And the result was simply delicious! A must try!

Mmm...heavenly ;)

Recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
220 gms butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 packet of Oreo (150g) - crushed into small pieces

Preheat oven to 180 deg C or 375 deg F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Meanwhile, beat the softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with milk. Stir in crushed Oreos. Spoon into muffin cups, filling 3/4 full (you'll get about 20-22 cakes with a 60mm size cups).

Bake 18-20 minutes or until top springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

**You may reduce the sugar by 1/4 or 1/2 cup if you prefer them to be less sweet.

A Chance to Rub Shoulders with Bryan Watson & Carmen Vincenlj

2008-08-02T21:25:00.005+08:00

BW & CV fans in Malaysia had their chance to meet the 9 times World Champion in Latin Dance (1999 - 2007) yesterday evening. The couple mesmerized us with their Paso Doble, Cha Cha, Samba, Rumba and Jive. We weren't allowed any videography during the performance but at least Sharon, Peggy & I managed to get an up-close photo with him! :D

One Happy Aunty

2008-07-21T21:49:00.003+08:00

I've always underestimated the power of a teacher. I never understood why some parents always think we are a know-it-all, always seeking for advice on how to discipline their child at home.

Today one of the parents sent an email to thank the teachers. In her email she said that her daughter is now snacking on baby carrots because Aunty Shirl said that carrots are good for eyes. She had previously tried to encourage her daughter to eat more veggies but had little success. I read the email in disbelief. I've only mentioned it probably once during the class this morning, and that little phrase left an imprint on her memory. She added that her daughter also tries to remember to cover her mouth whenever she sneezes and says please to her requests - all thanks to the aunties who constantly remind her to do these.

Nothing's more rewarding and satisfying than to get emails like this. Just the little things that make your day :)

You are not beautiful!

2008-07-11T21:49:00.004+08:00

Just early this morning Isabella's mom told me , "Isabella thinks that you are beautiful" and I felt really flattered by that comment. After all, children only tell the truth right? ;)

And the very same afternoon, Nika (who doesn't speak much English) walked up to me and said quite loudly, "Aunty Shirl, you are not beautiful!" I was completely taken aback, speaking of frankness! I asked her why, not without a pouting lip, of course. She replied, "Nooo....no this one" and gestured that I remove the piece of hairband from my hair. Aaaah... I see, she didn't like my hair being tied up. I quickly removed the hairband. She smiled and walked back to her lunch place contented :)

Children... ;)

I finished 2 books today!

2008-07-10T22:49:00.004+08:00

I have this habit of reading several books at any one time; leaving one in every corner, e.g. my bedside table, car, toilet, etc. And today I completed 2*; the one in the car and the one next to my bed.

Apart from having the convenience of not carrying the same book everywhere I go, I keep my feet firm in reality and not get my grey matter all confused with a world of fantasy. Yes, I have on many occasions mixed up reality with fantasy. I'm not sure if this happens to those who read a lot too. Once I told it to Moo moo and he simply hushed it as nonsense. He said that the fun of reading a book is actually to get yourself immersed in the world that the author has created. Well, thanks but no thanks, I'm already dreamy enough even without living in an imaginary world.

Tomorrow I start on two new books... he he he :D

*Why I Hate Flying by Henry Mintzberg (got it for 80% off from Popular Bookstore sales) and Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (also a bargain from Popular Bookstore sales)

I'm Running for ...

2008-07-05T22:54:00.003+08:00

Siemens Run 2008

13 years

2008-06-29T00:05:00.004+08:00

That is how long I've graduated from secondary school. Gosh, it does seem sooo long ago!

SMK St. Mary staged a second musical after moving in to their new premise in Taman Intan Baiduri 10 years ago. This time they chose to do Phantom of the Opera. The main lady had a great voice, costumes were extravagant, overall it was good but there are a lot room for improvements. It does remind me a lot of the musical Annie Get Your Gun, staged in 1995, where I was a part of the stage hands and prop master. Those good ol' days!

Now that the school in a location so foreign to me, going back there felt so distant, and yet at the same time, there is this warm fuzzy feeling deep inside that tells me it is still the same old school. I took a glance at some of the yearbooks (way past my graduation years) displayed near the reception desk and I saw familiar faces; my Maths teacher, Pn. Charngeet, my Biology teacher, Mrs. Ng, my Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Liew and my English teacher, Ms. Wong. They are still around! Excitedly I pointed them to my husband, who was obviously less enthusiastic about it.

As I walked towards the school hall, I saw her, and she looked back at me with a smile. "I recognize that face!", Mrs. Ng said to me. "But I'm sorry I cannot remember your name", she added apologetically. I told her my name and that I was in the same batch as Elizabeth Lek - I was sure that she won't forget the top student's name, and I was right ;). She was equally excited to see me, and took down my contact details before showing me to the seats.

During the intermission I filled up the guest book for ex-St. Marians, and there I met Pn. Charngeet! Really, these teachers were just as I remembered them .... such a good thing that they don't age as much as I do... LOL! She too recognized me, and got my name half correct :) I tried to take a photo with her, but the cam failed on me and she had to rush away :( .... lucky for me I managed to at least take down her contact info.

Well, they are planning on the school's centennial event in 2012. I'm definitely looking forward to it!

Wuuuaahhhhhhh..... :D

2008-06-18T00:17:00.003+08:00

A wonderful 1h 15mins dance performance by Iberica de Danza!

The cast of Iberica de Danza who performed at KLPAC

Estupendo!

2008-06-15T20:41:00.008+08:00

Spent 3hrs + at KLPAC today with a bunch of Spanish dance enthusiasts. We started with a group of about 30, but as the workshop progressed, little by little started to quit. It was a little tough for those who have virtually no background in spanish dance at all. It was very difficult for me too, but I stayed put....after all, we were there to have fun!

The workshop was organized by the Spanish Embassy and conducted by Iberica de Danza to promote Spanish culture in Malaysia. Yesterday they had the beginner's workshop, but the timing clashed with my arrival from Brisbane so I couldn't make it. I was hesitant to attend today's advance workshop but I'm glad I went ahead with it! :D

We started with a warm up, brazos (arm movements), pies/zapatos (tapping action with the feet), castanets, and then to Sevillanas!!!!! It brought back so many good memories from Spain. We did the primera copla, which I did quite alright, I think. And for the segunda and tercera I just screwed up.... ha ha ha. We didn't have time to do the fourth one, but it was fine. Don't think I'd be able to remember all of them anyways.

The last half an hour we were introduced to a Galician dance, a fun folkloric dance from the northern-west part of Spain. It looked easy yet so tough! I guess its best to leave it to the experts to do it :D They will be performing tomorrow and on Tuesday....and I got free tix to watch them... Hoooraayyyyyy!!! Hopefully I'll get to see them in the backstage too :)

Photo 1 - From L to R: Olivia, Joyce, Raquel Ruiz (Iberica de Danza), Me
Photo 2 - From L to R: Me and Manuel Segovia (Iberica de Danza)

Hot, hot, HOTTT!!

2008-06-14T22:10:00.001+08:00

After spending a week in the Land Down Under with a temperature between 14-25 deg C most of the time, the weather back home really didn't make me feel welcomed :( The moment I stepped into the house it felt like I was walking into a giant oven. Why am I complaining? I've never been quite a fan of cold weather anyway.... *sigh*

The past week has been a great bonding time with my sisters, Yi San, Yin San and Sean San. They took really good care of me during my stay and made sure that my welfare (especially my stomach, he he he) is well taken care of. Not to mention that they never failed to remind me to spend more money (ehem...with instructions from my darling hubby). My used-to-be-little sisters are all grown up now.... *sniff* *sniff*

Thanks sis!!!! Also to Wei Yong and Joseph for being my part time chauffeur. Big huggies to all of you :) See you all soon back here in Malaysia!

Time to go home

2008-06-13T20:09:00.006+08:00

Decided to give myself a weigh too after packing my luggage and confirmed that everything is within 20kg. Guess what? I put on 2kg! Where on earth did that 2kg come from???

Hurricane's Grill website
Max Brenner's website

I Climbed the Story Bridge!

2008-06-12T20:53:00.006+08:00

The Story Bridge Adventure Climb

Guiri @ Brisbane

2008-06-11T10:13:00.002+08:00

After 2 days filled with supertiring rocks* in the rough sea and walks and climbs in Sydney, my sisters finally left me alone (they had to work). Today SS is going drop me off at a shopping mall then come home to do her revision. I only have 5 hrs anyway, since they close sharp at 5pm. Will have plenty of time to update my blog tonight.

*rocks as in a verb to shake or disturb violently and not a noun, a stone of any size.

Madness at Petrol Kiosks

2008-06-05T01:27:00.005+08:00

This evening's announcement had everyone flocked to the petrol stations causing massive traffic jam at every corner in town.

Starting from 5 June 2008, the price of petrol is increased to RM2.70 from RM1.92.

Bling bling at SAL

2008-06-01T21:58:00.013+08:00

Last Friday the school hall was all bling and colourful for the annual SAL International Day. For the past week, everyone was busy with either preparing the costumes, the deco or rehearsals for the day. And I thought it would be a nice idea for teachers to have their very own t-shirts to wear on that day too. So I took home the silk screen which we used for the children's Alphabet-T and embellished the front with the initials of the teachers using crystal rhinestones. It was time consuming, and I took approx. 30-35 mins to silk-screen each T but the result was satisfying.

Lyne on the other hand spent like what...5 or 6 hours? just to construct the word "SAL runway" on the wall with 1 cent coins. The rest of the teachers, Pei Ting, Mie Mie and Eileen were marvellous with the children's costumes. The rabbit's masks and fairies wings were just like those in a fairy tale. Overall the show went quite smoothly, with a few minor hiccups here and there and a few stunned children (who did so well during rehearsals but were just overwhelmed by the crowd). We had also a wide spread of international cuisine, all contributed by the parents. Just to name a few, we had Kalam Polo (Iran), Croque Monsieur (France), Pavalova (NZ) and of course my favourite Nasi Lemak and Roti Jala (Malaysia).

This coming week will be our last week for Term 2! Am really looking forward to spend my holidays in Brisbane with all my sisters! :D

Popular Bookfest @ KLCC

2008-05-25T17:51:00.007+08:00

The annual bookfest organized by Popular is on from 24 May 2008 till 1 June 2008. Go splurge...I just did! :O

And guess what? I got the hot laminator that I wanted *grin*

The after-effect: This morning I woke up with a shoulder ache :( Try walking from the convention center to the parking at Suria with about 15kg load!

MYOS**, Uncle!

2008-05-21T23:46:00.006+08:00

Sorry, seriously I hold no grudge whatsoever against vertically challenged people. But this uncle at the dance studio really gets on my nerves.

I would normally avoid partnering with him, due to height problem (it's really difficult dancing with a guy whose stature barely reaches your shoulders). But that is not the main reason why I'm avoiding him. He likes to correct other people's mistakes. Mind you, I'm not all high and mighty and refuse to take advices from veterans, but first look at yourself and see if you are the one who needs correcting in the first place. It's always, "You should be doing this, you should be doing that, don't take such big steps, I can't keep up, blah blah blah". Unfortunately today there weren't many guys around to partner with, and I got stuck with him :S

I am probably just a little too tensed as we are now in the midst of getting ourselves ready for the upcoming ISTD Gold Star Latin exam. Being such a scatterbrain, I really don't know how I'm going to remember the choreography for 5 dances!

Nonetheless, there is no way I am going to partner with him again in future classes. NO WAY!

**Mind Your Own Steps

Waterscreen Spectacular @ Putrajaya

2008-05-18T23:39:00.003+08:00

For those who missed the show at Putrajaya recently

Up and Running!

2008-05-17T12:38:00.003+08:00

Mission accomplished! :) From now on please refer to http://guiri.site.shutterfly.com/ for all my photo albums and more ... will no longer be updating http://sitheng.shutterfly.com/. Update your bookmarks, thanks!

Re-organizing Photo Collection

2008-05-16T23:25:00.002+08:00

Am in the midst of trying out the new beta sharing service by Shutterfly. So far I like the features.....if only the site was a wee bit faster. Anyway, for those who keep track of this blog, please do visit http://guiri.site.shutterfly.com/ and let me know what you think of this new arrangement.

Cheers!

Cycling at Putrajaya

2008-05-11T22:47:00.001+08:00

Today marks our 3rd cycling trip in Putrajaya. Ever since our little adventure in Hoa Lu - Tam Coc, TW got hooked. He was quite determined to turn it into a hobby and so he got us a bicycle each. I was skeptical. Why? Because he is the type that gets all hyped-up over something, spends a fortune on it then put it into cold storage. But then again, I'm glad that he has at least shown some interest in a sport activity....so as a wife I must give a bit of support lah.

Mirror reflection of clouds on the lake

And so we sacrifice our sleep on Sunday mornings - waking up at 5:30am just to go cycling. Of course we don't cycle all the way from home (we are not up to the mark yet). We got the bikes hooked onto the back of the car and drove it there. The first 2 times we arrived just as the sun rises (great photography opportunity). Today we got there while it was still dark. So far we have done 12km on the first try (no hills), about 9km on the second one around and in the Botanical Garden (a little slopes) and today we did 11km (more hills and slopes). I turned purple going uphill to Taman Putra Perdana (near Shangri-la). Reminded me of those days in Chambéry while cycling up to Jacob-Bellcombette. It was not that tough really, just that we have not been doing enough cardiovascular exercises. Come to think of it, it wasn't that bad for me, unlike "someone", I didn't have to push my bike up...ngiek ngiek ngiek :P

We missed the sunrise but this was not too bad :)

What I enjoyed most about cycling there are the fresh air, clear roads and breathtaking view at dawn. Not forgetting to mention dedicated bicycle lanes too. I am sure the night view is just as good, must make an effort to go there one of this nights.... apparently they have a spectacular showing on evenings of 15 May - 31 May 2008. Hopefully I'll remember to go!

One of the bridges there...can't remember which one

Also I enjoyed taking photos while I'm there. And Mr. Vain always know the right place to stand whenever I took out my super compact camera. Despite having an SLR, he prefers to keep it in his dry cabinet at home. GRRRRrrrr ..... Anyway, all his perasan photos are in my Shutterfly album :P

We'll probably do a few more rounds in Putrajaya before we dare to go off road. Let's see how long this hangat-hangat tahi ayam can last!

How I Got Rid of the Ganglion Cyst

2008-05-10T01:16:00.006+08:00

I banged my wrist on the table today (intentionally) in hope of bursting that ganglion cyst (or bible cyst as some may call it) that has been bothering me for months. And it WORKED! Ok, that was probably not a recommended treatment, but the last time I had an aspiration performed on it by a doctor, it recurred.

How did I end up with this "gangly" thing? I suspect that it's due to my injury last year to my left elbow. The elbow is still weak, and very often I tend to exert more pressure to my wrist and shoulder without even realising it. On several occassion I had really stiff shoulders due to over exertion.

Anyway, hopefully after this self-administered treatment there will be no future recurrences *fingers crossed*

Flamenco Workshop

2008-05-01T19:14:00.007+08:00

I had a great time this morning at Cyberjaya Community Club with Angel in a Flamenco workshop organized by Joyce and Arte Flamenco. I must say he is really entertaining and fun to work with. I've lost count but there were probably about 30 flamenco enthusiasts present that day, fully geared in their beautiful flamenco skirts, flowers to adorn their hair (ladies only of course) and flamenco shoes.

The techniques session lasted about 2 hours, and then we had a nice buffet lunch at the cafeteria. The intermediate and advance bailaoras (and bailaor) stayed for the advance choreography, and there are some of them who stayed just to watch. Unfortunately I had to leave to the airport to pick up my sis who was coming back from Brisbane so I didn't get to see the second half. :(

Here's a short video on what happened this morning (nope...I'm not in it, have to hold the camera!)

I love shopping

2008-04-24T00:19:00.012+08:00

Don't you just love walking down the aisle in hypermarts or even furniture stores? There are just so many things that will ONE day be useful in your home. Yes, not now, but ONE day. It's all part of a woman's instinct you know, we plan and lookout for the future, like the old saying, Sediakan payung sebelum hujan.

The only problem lies here: how often does one need payung in a desert?

As I walk down the stationery aisle, I'll go, "Oh, binder clips! I don't have any at home. Maybe I'll get some". And in the trolley goes a box of 1/4 inch binder clips, a box of 1/2 inch ones, and subsequently a box each of 1 inch and 2 inch ones. As I continued to stroll, "Hmm, coloured papers, I'll need those too! Who knows when I'll be needing them to make cards?" And the trolley would be filled with coloured papers and cards with all possible colour that you can imagine. "Hey, a laminating machine! I need one too!"*

The same goes with all the other sections - be it kitchen gadgets or toiletries (yes, you don't have to remind me....my face is quite yellow by now). The only department I avoid is the hardware, because my beloved hubby is already stocking up on his own, and the last thing I need is 10 different type of power drills in the store.

Being a lazy cook, I also have 1001 types of bottled sauces in my collection. It's just sooo convenient! Each time I'm off for grocery shopping I find something new. Well, not exactly, I just refrain from getting too many in one go. I have to persuade myself, "No, I don't need them now, so put them back. I can get them when I REALLY need it". However, the very next visit to the store I find myself succumb to the forceful desire to buy what I didn't get the last time.

So, how do I save money??? Saving is supposed to be in the blood of every woman, right? Well, I keep my eye open for special bargains on the shelves from time to time. Big words that say "Promotion", "Super savers", "Lowest price guaranteed", yadda yadda yadda... you get my point. Just the other day Chips 'X' was going for RM0.99 at Store 'G' when the normal price is usually RM1.10!!! Imagine how much I can save if I buy 10 packets!!! *GRIN*

*I still haven't bought that laminating machine yet, may get it when the next sales is on

Un saludo a todo

2008-04-10T23:12:00.002+08:00

A los que lee mi blog de cuanto en tiempo, muchos besitos a vosotros. Yo sé que no os he escrito hace mucho tiempo, como siempre estoy ocupada con cualquiera cosa en cualquier tiempo. De todas maneras, os echo muchisimo de menos, perdonadme que no pueda escribir a cada uno un email privado (porque me cuesta un huevo con el español... ja ja ja ja).

Claro, mi buzon de correo esta siempre abierto, si me quereis dar de nuevo o enviar de algo .... os prometo que voy a intentar a contestar lo antes posible :D

Un abrazo fuerte de la chica con laptop

Hanoi Photos

2008-04-03T00:13:00.003+08:00

Just realised that I have not shared out my Hanoi trip photos yet.... how forgetful! Not to mention that I have not even posted stories of my Hokkaido trip and more of the Hanoi trip. Procrastination..... *sigh*

One step at a time-lah..... go to Shutterfly for the Hanoi photos - you'll have to excuse me, with more than 400 photos, some photos are not properly labelled.....lazy-lah!

明日香さん、ありがとうございまうす！

2008-03-29T23:46:00.006+08:00

Last week I received a note from Poslaju (EMS) saying that I have a package from Japan. Unfortunately I was not able to collect it until today, leaving me in suspense for ONE whole week.

Finally got my hands on it... what a surprise!! It's from Asuka, my sweet sweet chum from Japan who also came all the way to attend my wedding last year :) So thoughtful of her, she sent me a little gift in conjunction with the Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) festival in Japan.

The courier unpacked and its contents - ornamental dolls with candies and crackers!

Thank you very much my dearest Asuka! :D

Frog Can Crusher

2008-03-26T17:43:00.014+08:00

My little toy just arrived today! I was waiting for it since Monday once I found out that the package has cleared customs.

I was a little disappointed when I saw 'Made in China' right at the bottom of the box. Frankly I have lost faith in 'Made in China' products. Anyway, I opened the box to find to big round eyes staring back at me :D It was really cute and just as I had expected it to be.... and I regained my hopes.

The frog can crusher with its arms and legs extended

So how does it work? I washed down a can drink so that I could try it out immediately! The frog's head look quite solid, but the movable parts was kinda flimsy. I put an empty can right underneath the frog's head and stomped hard. Voila!!!

The crushed can inside the frog

Why a can crusher?? Well, I am not exactly an environmentalist, but I try to do my bit too. So, intead of just chucking these empty cans into the bins, I separate them to be sent to recycling centers. One problem though, I don't go there very often, so they are taking up space in my kitchen! Once I asked TW to look for a can crusher from a local hardware store, and what did he get? The salesperson told him, "Guna kaki lah" (Use your feet!)

So I searched in eBay and there was a whole list of can crushers for me to choose from. There were probably many others that are more practical than this frog (which cost me USD9.99), but I've set my eyes on him since more than 5 years ago on a site that sells novelty gifts (they didn't deliver to Malaysia then)....and now I've found him again. How can one resist a long lost love? *grin*

Probably for the next few days I'll find myself drinking a lot of canned drinks... just to step on the frog's head. Wonder how many stomps it will be able to take before the poor guy has to retire?

Symphony to the Ears

2008-03-18T08:29:00.010+08:00

We arrived Hanoi last Sunday, to be greeted with an orchestra of honking cars and motorbikes. The sound of honks and beeps are extremely melodious to the ears, and one should not be offended.

As we watched the traffic from the The Legends Beer restaurant right in heart of the town, we were amazed. Cars and motorbikes waltzed across the "dance floor" and effortlessly avoided collisions just like any professional dancers would. Just honk your way, beeeeeeeeeep beep beep, honk honk, HOoooRRRnnnnNNn, tooot tooot tooooot, deee dooo deeeee dooo deee and you'll do just fine.

Traffic lights are nothing more than an ornament on the street and its probably more dangerous if you abide to them. Once I thought it was safe to cross when the lights turn Green for pedestrians, when a motorbike appear out of nowhere and gave a loud honk. Be prepared to cross the roads just based on your instinct :)

More updates later :)

Term Break!

2008-03-16T02:18:00.002+08:00

School holiday is here again...and I'm off to Hanoi tomorrow! Hooray! :D

Happy Birthday Aunty Sandra

2008-03-15T23:58:00.002+08:00

Sandra invited us to a gathering at Delicious restaurant to celebrate her 22nd birthday. Little did I realise that it was not just a small gathering, but was quite a big group with close to 30 people! Sandra had to go round every table to greet all of us, and while waiting to take photo with the birthday gal, we kept ourselves amused with the camera.

Of course Lyne was always hiding away, and then started taking some nice photos with the glasses and coasters, and that got me going too....

Lyne (her hands) modelled for the photos

Anyway, when finally we got to take photos with Sandra, Michelle looked as if she was possessed :P

Scary...

All in all, we had a good meal, portion was good for the price we have to pay and taste was not bad neither (unfortunately we were so hungry that we licked the plate clean before anyone had a chance to take photos...he he he)

Hope you had a blast, Sandra!

I'm a 30 yr old trapped in a 50 yr old body

2008-03-13T23:37:00.007+08:00

You are only as old as you feel you are.

Says WHO? I feel like I am only 18 and I want to do so many things in the world. But I feel so restricted. I've never been very athletic during school days. In fact that was the very reason I joined the marching team; I can't run, I can't jump, nor can I throw. I don't play racquet games like tennis or badminton because I can't aim. And I dislike sports that involve a lot of people in a team like netball or softball.

I love to sweat out and I realise that I am not restricted to the above just to get a good workout. I love dancing, so I chose to take up dance classes. And yoga classes to stretch all that lazy muscles.

Then what happens? My knees start to creak, I hear snapping or popping sound from my hip joints, my ankles start to act up and recently even the shoulders are being a pest. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if it was just a mere cracking sound, but sometimes it hurts and affects all my activities. And oh...I am now 3cm shorter too. Mum blames it on my late night showers and my fetish for super sour foods. I don't agree since there aren't any scientific proofs to that (though I may be a walking proof myself).

And so I am trying all sorts of supplements (which I hate doing) to see if it helps. Mum always say that I am going to regret it later if I don't take good care of myself now (unfortunately for me it has to be sooner and not later). If it does help, I promise that I'll do some free advertisements here. :D

I Won't Go Home Without You

2008-03-12T22:44:00.002+08:00

"Auntie Shirl", Eric called to me this morning.

"Yes, Eric?"

"I won't go home without you", he continued in a cheery tune.

"Without me?", flattered, I asked to confirm what I've heard.

"No, without YOU."

"You won't go home without me?"

"I won't go home without YOU", he repeated, this time with a clear Maroon 5 tune.

"Oh, ok.....I won't go home without you", and I sang along with him.

"Yeah, I hear it in mummy's car".

Just when I thought a 4 yr old had a crush on me. :P

The Leong Family Captured.......in a Studio

2008-03-09T16:50:00.004+08:00

Arte Flamenco

2008-02-29T22:39:00.004+08:00

Had my first flamenco class today with Joyce from Arte Flamenco Malaysia. Finally got the chance to use those shoes I bought almost 2 yrs ago! I know its a little absurd buying something that I don't need at that time, but I know I'll definitely find a use for it :D Also my flamenco skirt... muahahaha...

This preparatorio class is relatively small at the moment, with only 4 students including myself. Overall I enjoyed the session a lot, as it brought back a lot of good memories from Spain. Let's see how long I can last in this class :P

Japan Trip Album ready!

2008-02-23T22:48:00.005+08:00

For those who are waiting to see photos of our recent Hokkaido trip, I have uploaded some 200 photos to my Shutterfly account. Stories to follow later! ;)

Smelly Surprise

2008-02-13T12:21:00.003+08:00

Finally got home last night from our 7D trip to Hokkaido completely drained..... and what did we find? The electricity switch had tripped (probably due to thunder and lightning) and an unbearable stench coming from the kitchen.

Of course, the FRIDGE!!! I had frozen fish, prawns, sausages, ice cream and i-can't-remember-what-else in the freezer! Fearing the worst I opened the freezer door and the stink practically knocked me off. And then the sight of fruit flies (or whatever they call it) lingering inside the fridge too....UUrrghhh...

And so, instead of a good night's rest.... I spent the night cleaning the fridge; had to throw away every single item in the freezer, and whatever that is not spoilt from the fridge below. What I couldn't get rid until now is the smell. Trying out some remedy that I found online .... baking soda, newspaper, charcoal.... whatever I could find. Gonna leave them in there for a day or two to see if it works.

Will put some updates from my Hokkaido trip later.... btw, it was awesome!

Thank you!

2008-02-03T21:35:00.000+08:00

Just thought that these people deserve credits for doing a great job at my brother's recent wedding ceremony and dinner reception:

Greg's Video (official videographer/photographer) for the event)
Pixies Makeup & Hairstyling (official make up artist for the sisters :D)
Posh Wedding (official pre-wedding photographer)