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

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)

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

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

Details to follow later :)

My First Cricut Project

Rock Melon Lime Sorbet

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

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

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!

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

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

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!!!

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...

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.