How I spent February week 1

I’ve been missing in action for some time. What have I been up to? Well…..I think I’ve done lots.
1. Friends from KL visited me. It was delightful to have Lee Fah and Siew Leng visiting me. I must admit that I was not the perfect host this time around but I’m glad that they came and I’m glad that I managed to make the best out of the things and spend some precious moments catching up with them. It is nice to know that despite not meeting them for almost a year, there is still much to talk about.
2. I went to Thaipusam 3 times! I bumped into the celebration while the chariot was making it’s way to the temple. The 2nd time, I purposely took Siew Leng and Lee Fah there at midnight just to watch the Kavadis and the piercing ceremony. The 3rd time, I followed Karamjit and that was the most memorable experience as I helped out at the drinks stall. I helped to serve drinks and food to the devotees, I helped to arrange and decorate their stall, I mingled with the aunties and their children and I enjoyed myself. Of course curiosity came crawling in to my mind from time to time. Sometimes I found the answer, sometimes I did not. Nevertheless, I admire the Hindus for their devotion towards God. Religion indeed is such a beautiful thing.
3. Someone in campus organized a hiking trip to Pantai Kerachut and I joined 20 of my colleagues for the trip. We walked through the National Park and it was like a dream come through experience for I had always wanted to do the walk and I finally did it. It was a very fruitful trip as I got to mingle and know some of my colleagues better for we are usually so busy with our work that we hardly have time to talk and chat.
4. I have a colleague who likes photography, a fellow colleague loaned her an SLR camera and she asked if I could do some shots for her. I did it and the photos turned out surprisingly well. The camera owner encouraged me to pursue on photography and yesterday, we did some photo shooting at three different places. It was interesting to follow a professional photographer around as he did his job. I admit that I have fallen in love with the SLR camera but of course, there’s still much for me to learn. Not everyone of my shots were good.
5. Ok, I might be pursuing my studies. I’ve been meeting a potential supervisor and we have somehow narrowed down to a topic. I have not been working much on my proposal, somehow I neglected it during the holiday season and yes, I am trying to get back to work and get myself registered as a masters student. Why do I want to do my masters? Well, I see it as a necessity, I’m not moving forward at work, I lack in some skills as well as knowledge. I hope that the research will help me to be more focused on what I’m doing.
So…..all the above have made me not spend much time online, thus the reason why this blog has not been updated.

(Some of my shots- click on the pictures to see in detail)

I’ve always thought that a squash ball was bouncy but I guess I was wrong. It only bounces hard if you hit it hard enough. I had a fun time playing squash for the first time today. My programme supervisor was my coach and boy was she patient with me.
I play badminton but I think I like squash better. It suits my style of hitting the ball and encourages me to really stretch my body and legs, my current set back is that I’m slow with my reflects and I’m very likely to irritate my partner at game because I tend to stand in the way and block my partner.
When I was a kid, I loved badminton, in fact I dreamed of becoming a badminton player and I even got myself recruited for badminton clinics. I was fortunate enough to be part of a clinic coached by the current national coach, Misbun Sidek when I was twelve. Unfortunately, my interest towards the game dwindled after I graduated from university, I realized last month that I was no more interested in the game. I could not enjoy the game anymore. Perhaps, it was due to my age and some stiffness in my body.
I did consider playing tennis but I could not find people who shared the same interest, then I heard my supervisor talk about squash and I joined her and some other male lecturers for the game. It was fun and I like it. I’m now in love with a new game. I’m not good at it, I don’t know much about the rules yet but I’m enjoying it. Looking forward to a new session on Tuesday.

SUNDAY

Muffins for tea and for dinner was

Rissoto, Baked fish, Vegetables

Hmmmmmm......

Today, before going to work, I harvested some vegetables from my little garden. The produce is not alot but I guess my parents have enough vegetable for their lunch. It's fresh and green, I'm motivated to plant more vegetables to the garden. I want it to be organic but.....hmmm.....I think I need to add on some extra effort looking for fertilizers. Fortunately no snails or other insects ate my plants this time.

Ever since I came back from Sydney, I have been a regular hiker. I go hiking whenever I can at Bukit Jambul. The journey is not very long if one uses the two most common routes, he or she will take between 10 - 30 minutes to reach the top of the hill. Though the journey seems to be a little too short, it serves as an excellent cardiovascular exercise to many, thanks to the steepness of the hill.
I enjoy my hikes up the hill. It provides me with a sense of satisfaction to reach the top. The satisfaction is even greater when I beat my own timing. My first hike up took me 30 minutes but I improved my timing as time went by. These days, it takes me between 10-15 minutes to reach the top. I am still not contented with my time, I believe I can improve my time by increasing my speed in time to come. I don’t intent to push myself too hard though, I have to be kind to my own body and also to my heart.
Bukit Jambul has been a safe place to hike thus far, it is rarely isolated in the mornings and evenings and many friendships were cultivated through hiking. Regulars would notice and greet each other along the way. Many people have small chats when they take their rest on the top of the hill and some regulars actually came together to create a little service centre for the public at the top of the hill. The top of the hill is not very wide but they have actually built a wooden gym, equipped with old fashioned gym facilities for men especially to do their weight training. Besides that, there are also a few simple common exercise equipments at the open space and there is a little shed that serves drinks to all hikers for free. Everyone uses the place responsibly as if it was their own home.
I appreciate the efforts of those volunteers who set up the place. I enjoy my hikes and feel very much at home whenever I’m there. I guess this is one of the beauties of Penang, despite the vast development in the state, such pleasant environments still exists. Little things like this makes me glad to be home.


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22 April 08

According to somebody and somebody else, the dentist who treated me this morning was the most eligible bachelor dentist. He has the cutest butt in faculty even though he had put on some weight since last semester. He is the kindest and the most caring dentist in the faculty and somebody would want to have him as her future husband if she had a choice.

Yes that was how the students at Xavier Hall described my dentist and guess what, I missed it all. I was not aware of all these, therefore I did not realize that he had a cute butt and that he was that charming. Nevertheless, I think I was lucky to have him as my doctor because he managed to remove my problematic wisdom tooth without having to cut my gum. Though his four attempts to dig my teeth out did scare the hell out of me, I am glad that I did not have to pay a single cent for the treatment, thanks to Ai Ling for setting up a date for me with this cute doctor.

Thanks to the numbness from the treatment, the students at Xavier Hall enjoyed a good lunch with best compliments from me. I was high on ecstasy after the treatment. I just wanted to celebrate. I drove to PJ Old Town market, bought 1 whole chicken, 2 bitter gourds, 3 tofu’s and 1 salted fish, 10 eggs, 1 kilo of rice and whipped up a surprisingly delicious lunch for the residents in the house. I fed around 15 hungry girls that afternoon. It was indeed satisfying but shocking. I never expected myself to do something as crazy as that.

After lunch was over and everyone had gone for their exams, the numbness left and hell broke loose. The pain was unbearable. As I sat in KFC watching Isaac eat his fried chicken, I wanted to just swallow painkillers…..the pain is still unbearable but I guess it would have been worst if it was a surgery.

I went to Nambucca with an anxious heart. It's difficult to put my experience into words, so there are the pictures to tell the story......

At Nambucca, I stayed at Marcus and Neil's house. They live in a simple town house. You can see the coast from their house, the scenery is really beautiful. It was my first time meeting Neil. He is a nice man, a graphic artist from Gold Coast. I felt awkward initially, to be staying with two men in a house, but they really made me feel at home.

This is the Nambucca River, the town is named after this River which means "Crooked River" in Aborigine language. Most places in Australia are named in Aborigine language, that's why they sound a little odd and can be hard to pronounce

The river is rich with Oysters, many of these oysters are sold in Sydney. Though they are found all year round, locals encourage to only consume these oysters during certain months as they may be polluted due to the change of weather conditions.

Besides, the Oysters, Nambucca is also unique because of it's beach, the beach is full of these black rocks which are said to be a result of Volcano eruptions many years ago. The Volcano is no more active but it has left the area very furtile. During certain months, the whales pass through Nambucca and if you are lucky, you may be able to see them and their blowholes. Another common visitor to this coastal area are the dolphins.

My cousin and Neil owns a farm on the mountains near Nambucca. By profession, Marcus is a nurse but he has taken up farming as a part time. We bought some seafood up the mountains to enjoy. I had a dozen of Oysters for breakfast. It was delicious to eat it with the lime grown in the farm

These are the limes we picked. It's very large, almost the size of oranges. It's very juicy and taste something between lemon and orange, a lovely combination to have with the Oysters. It was no easy to pluck these fruits off the tree initially because they are thorny and we did not bring the right instruments to pluck, we ended up giving the tree a good shake.

Here's a view of the valley from the farm and that good old truck belongs to Marcus and Neil, very old but tahan lasak. It can drive through plants and small trees. I thought it was scary initially but got used to it after a while

These are macadamia nuts. It is also grown in the farm. These nuts are one of my favourites but they are very expensive. Macadamia nuts are one of the most difficult nuts to crack, forget using a hammer to open it, it does not work.

Ah, this is Oscar, their pet dog. He is well loved by them. Oscar has killed around 8 snakes. He eats two eggs per day in addition to his dog food. Oscar responds like a human being. I like him but because he is not that young anymore, he can be pretty lazy at times, needs to be carried off the truck.

These are Oscar's best friends, actually Oscar is afraid of them. These steak cows belongs to Marcus and Neil,there are eight of them all together. Very tame and they look really healthy. Here's Marcus trying to have a good conversation with them and of course, Oscar feels more secure to be with his daddy.

So I guess it's very much obvious that I had a good time. We also went to a pub called "No Beer Pub". They brew their own beer and we were not sure which one to buy, so we asked if we could try. They let us taste the different products and by the time we decided on the beer we liked, we were half drunk. I really felt bad. oh yeah, I finally tasted Crocodile meat. I had it in a pie. It's white meat, taste like something between chicken and fish.

I'm done with Australia, am looking forward to seeing Malaysia again.

Syiokalingam

I'm back from Hunter Valley, it was a fantastic weekend spent with some great people who made the trip a total "Syiokalimgam".

We stayed over at the Indian Ridge, a wooded cottage filled with red Indian elements. There the eight of us cooked and played games as we sipped on a great variety of fine wines. The whole idea of going to Hunter Valley was to hunt for good wines and we completed this assignment pretty well by filling the car booths with boxes of wine.

There are more than two hundred wineries in hunter valley, none of it produces the same product, every winery has a character of it's own and tasting these wines itself is an adventure of it's own. What I liked about this trip was that we got to taste different types of wine for free and we were not obligated to buy from any wineries despite the great hospitality. It was also enjoyable to meet the person behind the counter, each of them had a story to tell, some of them were so down to earth that all of us left the place smiling from ear to ear.

I'm not an avid wine drinker, neither do I know much about wine but that did not stop me from enjoying myself. So, if you are visiting Australia, do include winery tours in your activity lists. Of course, it'll be more enjoyable to visit it with friends so that you can discuss your experience with.

(the syiokalingam group playing with puppies and having a good time at Briar Ridge winery. It was the best, I loved all their wine)

Curry Puffs

I spent my Sun afternoon making these curry puffs, it was my childhood dream come true.

It was fun

The final product

Lamb Chops

I was home alone, tired of having sandwiches for lunch, I decided to change my diet. Went to the butcher shop down the street and got these

2 chicken sausages and 1 lamb chop, the total cost was $ 3.20

So I came home, gave the lamb a quick marination of salt and pepper and a little rosemary. After 10 minutes, I fried it in the pan, nope I did not use any oil to fry these meat.

Here’s the outcome, it was a lovely lunch, I served the meat with boiled peas and some spinach and a tablespoon of plain yogurt, it was simply delicious. And I spend less than $4 for the dish. If I did not buy those sausages, My meal would have been $2

When two or three are gathered.....

I have mixed feelings over tonight’s dinner. I roasted a chicken tonight together with the usual potato and green peas with salad. My main dish, the chicken was not as tasty as I expected it to be. Perhaps I did not put enough “kayu manis” that’s why it was not good enough.

Nevertheless, I found today’s dinner pretty much significant. My guests were students from different cliques and they came together as one to enjoy this meal. There was Isaac, a student whom I got to know better when Cibol was the KLCC President, then there was Raphael, the backbone behind CSS Uniten, a very old friend of mine since CSS days, there was Fiona, the present KLCC president, Dora my ex-housemate and CSSUPM member, Siaw Wee XHRC resident and of course Marcos also XHRC resident from Myanmar. Though everyone did not know everyone too well, we managed to enjoy each other’s company and our meal lasted for 1 ½ hours.

Food was not great but company was wonderful, and I was a happy girl alright. I guess these are the things I’m gonna miss when I go back to Penang.

(My guests for dinner and the menu)

Lets Bake It!

I am still coughing, I don’t like it, it hurts my throat and it’s definitely very irritating to cough a lot. My consolation is that I got an oven. Leslie took it from home for me to use. So yesterday Isaac (my baking partner) and I decided to bake cakes. He baked a Chocolate Cake of which we named “Shitty Shit” and I baked “Sugee Suzy”. It was actually a pretty tiring evening for both of us as we had a long day with the CSS MSU+PTPL students.

Isaac’s “Shitty Shit” was not too difficult to bake as he bought the instant cake mix from the supermarket. It was so easy to prepare. All he had to do was to add eggs into the cake mix and mix it well. He did it so quickly that I did not even get to see him do it.

While we waited for his cake to bake in the oven, I did “Sugee Suzy”. Sugee Suzy needed a lot more effort. 1stly, we had to weigh the ingredients, then to cream the butter, sugar and sugee before we left it to stand for one hour. While waiting, I got Fiona to beat the egg whites till it was stiff (it was definitely not easy so much so that I think Fiona will think twice before she tries to bake). After that, we added the egg whites, with egg yolks, brandy (yes the essential ingredient), flour and vanilla.

We finished baking at nearly 12 midnight. Isaac’s “shitty shit” tasted not too bad. I have yet to taste Sugee Suzy but I suspect it’s a little bit too sweet. Anyway, Sugee Suzy has been given to Suzy (yes I named the cake after her), Isaac and Carol as Christmas present I hope they like it.

(Isaac drooling over his invention and "Sugee Suzy")

Cookies?

Yean Rong and my little monster's birthday was around the corner, after putting much thought on what special surprise we should give them, Pris, Isaac and myself finally decided to bake peanut butter cookies for them. Do not ask me for the recipe as none of us remembers it. All I can remember is that we put in flour, butter, peanut butter and yes brown sugar.

It took us 3 hours to complete our little present. We made 3 jam jars of cookies, 1 for Monster, 1 for Yien Rong and the 3rd one, we decided to give it to the gardener who was delighted with our little gift. No we don't have an oven, actually, we used the toaster. Thanks to Isaac who had faith in the toaster. He was the one who convinced us that the toaster was capable of baking the cookies.

What you see in this picture is not the peanut butter cookie. We were overwhelmed by our task that we forgot to take a picture of it. What you see is "Bloody Tarts" named by Isaac himself. We made it the night before after watching " Les Miserables 21st Anniversary Concert"

Both Monster and Yien Rong has not tasted the cookies yet but I do hope they like it. Whatever it is, I wanna wish both of them

Happy Birthday!

May God's blessings be upon you always!

(Pris & Isaac with bloody tarts)

Board game or Bored game?

Tonight I'm going to play scrabble with Audrey and Mel. I don't know if Dora is going to join us yet but even if she doesn't we are going to go ahead. It's been ages since I last played scrabble, I am a little bit anxious about it. Partly is because I don't master English as well as I used to and my vocabulary is becoming very weak. Audrey and Mel reads alot therefore I can already forsee that I'm going to be the looser tonight unless I play intelligently and conquer all the bonus points on the board.

I played alot of scrabble when I was in secondary school but stopped after I entered University. None of my friends thought they were worthy enough to be playing scrabble with me (which is so untrue) while I on the other hand disliked to think during my free time, therefore I opted for other things to do in order to kill time.

Tonight is the night I feel the scrabble board again after many years. I hope we enjoy ourselves tonight so that we can play board games more regularly. Audrey and Mel will bring pizza over while I've got some Shandy chilled in the fridge for us and some pork crackers from Thailand to munch along with our game.