I Can't Make You Love Me

There are many versions of this song and all of them are beautiful as simply it's such a beautiful song. However this version is my favourite. George Michael has such a gorgeous voice, it's such a shame he no longer sings regularly.

To George Michael, please get better the world is such a better place with your voice in it.

Breathless

So into this song  ...... Breathless by Vanessa Williams

Happy 14th Anniversary

Today 10 May 2012 is Lan's and my 14th Anniversary, well we are still technically married. We would have been out celebrating 14 years of marriage with a nice dinner if we were still together. However instead I was doing work at the office and then went out to shop for itsy bitty short dresses and I don't really know where he is. We didn't even wish each other this time but instead put out our frustrations via Facebook.

For me there has been no regrets, I was very happy for most of the last 14 years and I'm sure at some point so was he. Life got to us, things got to us and other people got to us. Maybe we should have talked more about our feelings, maybe we should have considered each other's feeling more, maybe we should have done a lot of things ...... maybes shall remain maybes. At one time we were right for each other and now we aren't that's it. For all we know we may be right for each other in the distant future, we don't know. 

So for now let's move on and remain friends who don't really call or see each other but know they are there for us. Let's try that. 

Lastly Abang should you ever read this whether now or in the future lets not let what happened in the past 12 months erase whatever we had in the last 14 years. May those memories be cherished in our hearts forever.  A little piece of your heart will always be in mine and likewise a piece of my heart will be forever be in yours. 

Will always love you .......

Alicia Keys - Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)

Loving this song at the moment.


Moment of honesty
Someone's gotta take the lead tonight
Whose it gonna be?
I'm gonna sit right here
And tell you all that comes to me
If you have something to say
You should say it right now 


You ready?


You give me a feeling that I never felt before
And I deserve it, I think I deserve it 
It's becoming something that's impossible to ignore
And I can't take it


I was wondering maybe
Could I make you my baby
If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy
If you ask me I'm ready 
If you ask me I'm ready


I know you once said to me
"This is exactly how it should feel when it's meant to be"
Time is only wasting so why wait for eventually?
If we gon' do something 'bout it
We should do it right now


You give me a feeling that I never felt before
And I deserve it, I know I deserve it
Its becoming something that's impossible to ignore
It's what we make it


I was wondering maybe
Could I make you my baby
If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy
Or would it be so beautiful either way I'm sayin'
If you ask me I'm ready
If you ask me I'm ready


Why give up before we try
Feel the lows before the highs
Clip our wings before we fly away
I can't say I came prepared
I'm suspended in the air
Won't you come be in the sky with me


I was wondering maybe
Could I make you my baby
If we do the unthinkable would it make us look crazy
Or would it be so beautiful either way I'm sayin'
If you ask me I'm ready
If you ask me I'm ready
f you ask me I'm readyIf you ask me I'm ready

Mid Life Crisis Much ?

On one very hot day I decided to wear a simple t shirt dress since I had to run around the malls and get stuff. The problem is it's very short ! I'm talking short short. So short that some may ask, did you forget to wear trousers/pants/leggings ? Certainly too short for someone my age. 

I figured what the hell as I may not be able to wear something this short in a couple more years so why not now. When I was married and younger I wasn't able to wear mini dresses and skirts because firstly I was fat and more importantly the husband wasn't keen. Now that I'm single and my legs still looked ok I'm free to wear whatever right ?

So off me and my little dress went to the mall in the morning totally confident I wouldn't be bumping into anyone as I usually won't. I was happily making my way around the shops when someone shouted "Hoi". Lo and behold it was my uncle, one of my favourites too. He saw me and of course the dress, lucky he didn't say anything but I knew it would soon get around the family gossip trails that I wore a very short dress. I'm sure gonna get it when my dad hears this.

So my question is, should I stop wearing something I love and can get away with due to social noms ? Can't I be happy and just wear whatever I want ? Most importantly am I facing a mid life crisis ? hahahahahaha

Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead

Feeling a bit emotional tonight as I hear this song .......

I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.

Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead, "
Yeah

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."
Yeah

Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."
Yeah

Adele's 21

Tonight is an easy Sunday evening and I'm just chilling as I watch Adele's Concert DVD. While watching all those emotions I had resurfaced. During the early stages of the breakdown of my marriage I listened to this album a lot, I mean a lot. I like any other woman going through heartbreak I thought every single song was written for me especially. All the songs were relevant to my situation and I would listen to it all the time and everywhere. In the house , in the car, on my iPhone, everywhere ! Of course the tears were not far whenever the songs were played. Well it is a break up album. 

In particular it was this song Take It All that brought out the most tears. Listen to it and you would understand. It truly is a beautiful song and I can imagine Adele's pain when writing it. Till now I will still get misty eyed when I hear it.

However not all the songs are about sadness and love lost. This song One and Only is about a new relationship or rather convincing a new love that you're worth it. I hope one day I will be able to sing this to someone too :)

I'm going to see Russell Peters ... woot woot

Thanks to my superstars Ms L & Ms D I'm going to see Russell Peters ! OMG he simply cracks me up !

Blame it on my mum !

I had this conversation last weekend with the girls, it went something like this .... "Look at that woman, she has a small baby and check out her body! It's so slim and she's so tall. If I was that tall I'd be slim too ! I blame it on my mum cos she's short". Then Ms L said "Yea .... why am I not "gatal" and know how to flirt with guys ? I blame it on my mum too .... she didn't teach me to be that way". This made me think, do we blame all our deficiencies whether good or bad on our mothers?

Is it our mother's fault that we don't know how to flirt and get guys without a thought because we were taught to be good little girls ? Would I be different otherwise and would I go up to that cute dude and say "Hi I like you" ? 

Would our lives be different if our mothers had pass on their tall genes and we turned out to be ravishing model like creatures who had men fall at our feet ? Would our lives be different ? Happier ? Richer ? I don't know it might, it might not and should be blame all our misery on our mothers?

In the end Ms L had a point when she said if her daughter, whose father is a tall man did not grow up tall she really should blame her mum ! 

 

The constant thing in life is change

It's been two years since I last blogged and boy has my life changed. The unthinkable happened and my life as I've known it for 13 years has changed, I'm suddenly single ! Well not so suddenly and at the moment not so officially. I'm not exactly married and neither am I divorced so I guess I'm in marriage limbo. The love of my life has decided that I'm not the love of his life and want's out.

This all started nearly a year ago in my most favourite city in the world, London. We were there on one of his biz trips and I'll spare you the details on what and how but basically it all came out. Much later I found out the cause, it was another woman. I have never hated someone as I do her and let's leave it as that.

Anyway after several months of trying to work it out (more of me and none of him) he moved out and I'm left living alone in our home. I had to pick up the pieces of my life and along the way shed a gazillion tears, 13 kgs and gained employment. Also most importantly discovered spirituality via faith in my religion and the most awesome girlfriends.

In the early stages it was so very painful and something that I wouldn't wish upon even to my worse enemy. Hang on I wouldn't say that because I do wish it on her !! Hahahahaha. There were times when I didn't eat, couldn't sleep and was in a daze most of the time. Weeks and months went on without me smiling or laughing and all I did was cry. Completely out of character for me as I'm known to be joyful one. Most people didn't notice but the ones that knew me well who later become pillars of my life felt something was wrong.

At first I couldn't tell anyone I was so sad and miserable but eventually I opened up to less than a hand full of ladies who now remain my confidants and best friends. First to know was an old friend with the same name who I've been friends since I was thirteen. It was this dear friend who one day via BBM asked me if there was something wrong as she has been having dreams of me crying. I must tell you this, she lives half a world away in the middle east ! I guess the connection we formed with each other since young did not go away despite the years and miles we were apart.

Next to know were two dear sweethearts that I've became closer to in recent years. These two are now my rock, saviours and superstars ! It also helps that these two are single. They gave me their shoulders, ears and most importantly their time. They took me away on trips when they knew things were getting too much for me and entertained me with endless lunches, brunches, coffees and dinners. Basically they were there for me and for that I will forever be grateful. Till now we are always together when we can be and their two sweet little daughters are my favourite girls.

A married couple that I became close to over the years who initially were his friends were next to know. They were shocked and when I first told the wife she cried and of course so did I. We cried together. These two now longer talk to him and I've become part of their family. Now more and more people know about my situation as I don't want to lie when they ask. Well must advertise my availability right ? :)

Eventually the over time it hurt less, it mattered less and how can my love for him survive when it's not returned. He hardly comes to see me , call me or have anything to do with me. It's as if those 13 years of marriage didn't exist and that once we were everything to each other. I guess that's how God heals our hurt hearts. I think we still love each other but I guess it's a different kind of love. I wish him happiness but if he's with her he won't get that because my wish for her is that she is miserable for the rest of her life hahahahahaha. Yes I am a b***h, wouldn't you be ? :P Divource is in the works and we lay in limbo while the lawyer works out the settlement.

So where am I now ? I guess I'm in a good place. I have a job that I love, the best boss in the world and even a new best friend in the office that is so alike me that we constantly discover we love/like/hate the same things. I look better since I've lost the weight and so my confidence has risen. I'm relearning things that I've not done for years such as flirting and doing thing I love but stopped when I got married like dancing. I've discovered I am attractive after all and do get looks from men ! I'm back to being me bubbly, happy, funny and loud. Even today a colleague said I was Ms Cheerful of ........... (fill in name of company) always smiling and laughing even when looking at gory pictures hahahahaha. All I need now is to date ..... hint hint :)

I'm moving on !

Beef Pot Pie With Mashed Potato Topping

Recipe from www.kuali.com




Beef Pot Pie With Mashed Potato Topping


Ingredients

300g (Russet) potatoes
1 tbsp butter
100ml hot milk
Salt and pepper to taste
25g white button mushrooms
150g minced beef
25g diced carrot
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
60g chopped onion
40g fennel, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Seasoning

½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Method

Scrub potatoes clean and cook with enough water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Peel and mash the potatoes. Add butter and hot milk then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and fry onion until softened. Add minced beef, carrot and mushrooms. Cook for a while. Add fennel and bay leaves. Fry for a minute.

Add cornflour, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes or until gravy is reduced.

Spoon mixture into 3 ramekin bowls. Spread out the mixture and press down with a spoon. Top with mashed potato and smoothen the surface with the back of a spoon. Run a fork across to make patterns.

Bake in preheated oven at 200°C for about 20-25 minutes or until the top turns golden brown. Remove ramekins out and serve hot.

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Plain Buns

Plain Buns

Ingredients

300g high protein flour
1 level tbsp instant yeast
1/4 tsp salt
75g castor sugar
1 tbsp milk powder
1/2 egg
140ml water
30g butter
Glaze:

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
Method

Combine flour and yeast in an electric mixing bowl. Attach a dough hook and mix for about 30 seconds at slow speed.

Add salt, sugar, milk powder and egg. Mix in water for a minute, then increase the speed to medium and mix for two minutes.

Then add the butter and knead at medium speed for six to seven minutes until dough forms.

Place dough on a lightly greased basin. Cover with cling film wrap and set aside to prove for 30 minutes to an hour.

Punch down dough and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 50g pieces. Form into balls and place on greased bake trays. Leave to rise for 45 minutes to one hour or until they double in size.

Brush them with egg glaze and sprinkle a few slices of almonds flakes or almond nibs on top. Bake in preheated oven at 210 ºC for 10 to 15 minutes.



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Spaghetti al Forno

I found this recipe on www.oprah.com , it doesn't come with a photo so will post one of mine when I make it. It looks very interesting and I hope to try it soon.

Spaghetti al Forno

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil , plus more for drizzling

1 small onion , finely chopped

2 carrots , peeled and finely chopped

1 stalk celery , finely chopped

4 cloves garlic , minced

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste

Casserole:

1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti or linguine

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 large pinch red pepper flakes

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons whole wheat breadcrumbs

Directions

To make sauce:

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin caramelizing, about 12 minutes. Turn heat to low; cook until very soft, 10–15 minutes. Raise heat to medium; add tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and partially cover. Cook 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 450°. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions, subtracting several minutes off cooking time so it comes out very al dente.

Drain well; add to sauce. Add parsley and red pepper flakes; toss to combine. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. Spread level. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake until top is browning and sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Kerutup Beef

This is also from Chef Wan available on www.asianfoodchannel.com

Terengganu Beef
(Kerutup Daging Terengganu)



Ingredients:

125 ml / 4 fl oz / ½ Cup of Vegetable Oil
2 Onions, peeled and sliced
3 Screw Pine Leaves (Daun Pandan), shredded and knotted
1 kg / 2 pounds 3 ounces of lean Beef (Topside finely sliced)
750 ml / 1 1/5 pints / 3 cups Coconut Cream (Santan Pekat)
750 ml 1/ 1/5 pints / 3 cups water
2 Tbsp Tamarind Pulp(Indian Dates or Assam Fruit)
55 g / 2 oz / ½ cup roasted, pounded desiccated Coconut (Kerisik)
1 Tbsp / ½ fl oz sugar
Salt to taste

Whole Spices Ingredients:

2 Star Anise
3 Cardamom pods
3 Cloves
1 Cinnamon Stick

Paste Ingredients (to be Finely Grounded):

20-30 dried Chilies, seeded, soaked in water, and drained
200 g / 7 oz of Onions, peeled
4 Garlic cloves, peeled
2 cm / 1 inch fresh Ginger, peeled
2 Tbsp / 1 oz
Coriander Powder (Serbuk Ketumbar)
1 tsp Fennel Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
15-20 pieces Black Peppercorns
2 cm / 1 inch fresh Ginger, sliced
A pinch Nutmeg
1 cup water

Method:
Heat the oil and sauté the Onions and the whole Spices till fragrant and golden. Add the Paste and fry till the oil begins to rise to the surface.

Add in the Beef, Screw Pine Leaves (Daun Pandan), Coconut Cream, Tamarind Pulp, water, salt and sugar. Simmer ingredients till Beef cooks through and the gravy thickens.

Add on roasted, pounded desiccated Coconut (Kerisik), turn off the fire, stir well and serve.


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Beef in Black Sauce

I just saw Chef Wan making this on the Asian Food Channel. It looks so yummy !

Beef in Black Sauce
(Daging Masak Hitam)
Ingredients:

90 ml / 3 fl oz / 3/8 cup Vegetable Oil
1 kg / 2 Pounds / 3 oz Beef, finely sliced (Striploin, Sirloin, Topside)
3 pieces Tamarind Juice (Assam Juice) - mix Tamarind Pulp with hot water, strain
45 g / 1 ½ oz / ¼ cup Brown Sugar or Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka)
1 litre / 1 3/5 pints / 4 cups water
125 ml / 4 fl oz / ½ cup Dark Sweet Soy Sauce (Kicap Manis)
3 Tbsp / 2 ½ fl oz Chili Powder or ready-made Chili Paste (Cili Boh)
Salt

Paste Ingredients: - to be Finely Grounded

8 Shallots (Red Onion), peeled
4 Garlic Cloves, peeled
2 cm / 1 inch Ginger, peeled & chopped
4 Lemongrass (Serai), finely sliced
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Water to blend


Method:
Heat the oil and sauté the Paste until fragrant and oil begins to appear on the surface.

Add in Beef, Tamarind Juice, Dark Sweet Soy Sauce, Brown Sugar and water. Stir well. Add salt, pepper and Palm Sugar to taste.

Simmer until the Beef is tender, and the sauce almost dry. Serve.


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Easy Peasy Scones

These scones are so easy to make and fast too. The recipe makes about 20 mini scones.

Traditional English Scone

Ingredients

55g/2oz butter

225g/8oz self-raising flour

a pinch of salt

25g/1oz caster sugar

150ml/5fl oz milk

Instructions

Firstly heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7. Next mix together the salt, flour and butter. Stir in the caster sugar and then the milk until you get soft dough. Turn the dough onto a floured work area and knead lightly. Pat to a round 2cm/¾ inch thick. Using a 5cm/2in cutter, stamp out the rounds and place them on a lightly greased baking sheet. Knead together the rest of the dough and stamp out more scones to use up all of the mix. Brush the tops of the scones with a little milk. Bake for 12-15 minutes until well risen and golden.

Cool on a wire rack and serve with butter / jam / clotted cream.

Chantekgifts Ramadhan & Aidilfitri 2010

Since the festive season is again around the corner I've been busy these past few days creating a new range of products for Chantekgifts. Chantekgifts is a little corporate gifts business that I share with a close friend. It's been a bit rough this year as former partners of the company have decided that they want out and so my partner and I will now have to fend for ourselves. What gets me is that they should have told us about their decision earlier before we made arrangements with supplier and stuff. Fair? I think not !! Oh well that's life I guess.

Anyways we came out with 8 baskets & boxes this year, all created, photographed and published by moi :) I think they came out well, don't you ? All are priced between RM60 to RM470.

For details please go to our website www.chantekgifts.com











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Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Loving this song at the moment.

l

Me and my iPad

Yes I've joined the ranks of those disgusting people that has an iPad ! In fact I'm blogging from it right now. I must admit at first I wasn't that interested in it but what got me was when Apple announced that soon you can actually play Farmville on it. That was the clincher !

Since Apple has yet to launch it in Malaysia, hubby got a friend of his to buy it in US. It's pretty cool and can do most things a regular MacBook can do (except Flash related matters). The downside is that you need all these applications that needs to be purchased in order to do everything that would otherwise be free on a notebook. For example to blog with attached photos requires an app called Blogpress as the iPad version of Safari cannot upload photos. There are also lots of free apps but mostly they're games or lite editions of the paid apps.

Mine is the 3G version so we went to Maxis to get the micro sim card and a broadband account. Also I couldn't resist to have it engraved with my name when we saw that it was available at the Mybytes store in Tropicana City Mall. Soon I will also be busy accessorizing my iPad with various covers and cases but currently there's not much in the market as it's not officially here yet. So for now I have to be happy with this red patent leather case.

Can't wait for the Farmville app that's due to be out later this month and when that's available there'll be nothing that can part me and my iPad :P

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Tie me kangaroo down mate !

Two weeks ago hubby and I packed our bags and headed down under for a well deserved break, for him of course as everyone knows I'm permanently on a break ! We were off to the Gold Coast, Australia's favourite holiday destination. The airfare was a steal as we had booked and paid for them more then 6 months ago when our favourite budget airline had one of their sales. Accommodation was at a one bedroom apartment in Broadbeach, at a place called Hi Ho Beach Apartments. True to its name, they were located just across the street from the beach and park.

Hi Ho Beach Apartments

The weather was perfect as it was sunny in the day and cool at night, certainly not what you'd think winter would be. The sky was so blue and the clouds were so white that it reminded me of the intro to the Simpsons.

Surfers Paradise

Blue skies and white fluffy clouds

This was our 3rd visit to GC so by now we've been to all the attractions available in this area. This visit was meant for lazy days doing nothing in particular and the day was spent doing whatever we fancied be it shopping, driving around taking photos, walking along the parks and beaches or watching TV in the apartment. Speaking of shopping, Australia was having their EOFYS (end of financial year sale) when we were there. To encourage spending the retailers had huge discounts for existing stocks. Stores like Myers & David Jones had minimum 30% discounts on everything. According to the news reports the best discounts were on ladies shoes, especially on those expensive designer shoes, some were even 60% off. Unfortunately Jimmy Choos and Louboutins were not available in GC :( However we did stock up on our Bonds undies.

After a few days of our arrival in GC, Apple launched the iPad in Australia. Of course hubby indulged in one, as no one knows for sure when they will be coming to our shores right ? Unfortunately for me at the moment it can't play Farmville but Apple has announced that soon a Farmville app will be released for the iPhone and the iPad .... yeay !!

As for food, I took the opportunity to indulge in many pavlovas, cakes, scones and ice creams while there. During one of the strolls along the Surfers Paradise night market I found an Elmo cupcake which I couldn't resist.

Elmo cupcake which was not only cute but also delish

The 13 days we were there flew by so fast and soon we were at our day of departure. As always we were sad to leave the lazy halcyon days to face reality at home but I guess too much of a good thing is not good either. Oh well there's always the next vacation to look forward too.

All in the Name of Vanity

Today I had an appointment with the lady that does my eyebrows. Over a couple of sessions she has expertly shaped my eyebrows into a natural looking arch to rival the clients of Anastasia Soare in Hollywood. All it requires is a little waxing and some plucking and you too can have beautiful eyebrows. Oh and it kinda hurts if you have a low pain threshold but I was told that the pain is minor if compared to treading.

I have now found another thing to obsess and spend money on. First it was the hair, then it was facials, after that came manicures & pedicures and now it's the eyebrows. I swear ladies as we get older there's more and more things to be maintained! Stuff that you never think about when you were younger, well I certainly didn't. Also when I was younger I wasn't able to indulge in all these treatments on my measly salary.

So when will it stop ? The constant grooming and preening and spending on stuff that men will never understand. Visits to the hair saloon every six weeks, monthly facials, fortnightly manicures and pedicures and now eyebrow shaping every 3 weeks. Will we ever get tired of it all and let it be au natural ? Probably not as only women can understand. The goal is not to defy the aging process but to age gracefully and expertly groomed ;)

Anyway it's a boost to my self esteem when other women see me and say "she's a bit chubby but she has beautiful hair/skin/nails/eyebrows"..... hahahaha.

For those interested :

Benefit Brow Bar

Parkson Suria KLCC

03 2164 2187

Awana Porto Malai Langkawi

This is the view from our room at Awana Porto Malai Langkawi. Not too shabby, the view not the room! The room itself has much to be desired which I shall not dwell on as I'm not paying for it. The problem with this place is that it's in the middle of no where and if you don't have a car you're basically stuck here with limited options for food (was told my the hotel staff that the cab fare to town was RM28 for a single journey). Oh there's no beach too ! If you're looking for sun, sand, sea and surf this ain't the place for you babe. Tomorrow I might make an attempt to go into Kuah, providing there's a taxi service in these parts.

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Testing Mobile Blogging with Photos

I just wanted to test how this works, emailing with an attached photo.

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Close but No Cigar

There you have it fans of American Idol, Big Mike got eliminated !!! Despite his powerful vocals (especially on this song) he got voted off and instead Casey with the so so voice got into top 3.

Does this elimination reflects the demographics of the voters for American Idol ? Young, white, teenage girls ? Or is it just the fact that Americans are still racists ? Out of 8 previous winners of American Idol only 2 are black and we all know how talented African Americans are when it comes to singing ...... sigh.

Fortunately this doesn't mean it's the end for Big Mike, as seen in past "losers" of AI that are more successful now then the winners. I know I won't be buying this year's Idol winner's CD whoever of the 3 it is but when Big Mike's album comes out I'll be the first in line ;)

Mobile Blogging

I've just discovered how to blog using my blackberry. How cool is that ??? Now I can immediately blog when on the move. You know just incase I think of something fantastic that I need to share when I'm not near a computer hehehe!

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Porto Romano

Today was our 12th Anniversary and we decided that we didn't want to do anything fancy and so we ended up having dinner at one of our favourite Italian restaurants, Porto Romano in TTDI. It's not a fancy place but it's quiet and initimate.

Bruschetta

For appetisers we had bruschetta which were lightly toasted ciabatta and tomatoes drizzled with olive oil. I always love bruschetta and the ones here were quite good.

Beef Carpaccio

Next we had beef carpaccio served with butterhead lettuce and some mustard. The beef here is sliced very thinly and served raw but you can't really tell when eating it. I wouldn't say that it was my favourite dish here but it was ok.

Spaghetti Porto Romano

For the mains I had Spaghetti Porto Romano which was seafood spaghetti in spicy tomato sauce. The serving was large and I couldn't finish everything but had most of the seafood which were calamari, prawns and clams.

Spaghetti Arabiatta

Hubby had spaghetti arrabiatta with added chicken breast as originally it came without.

Panna Cotta

For dessert we both had the same thing Panna Cotta, which is our favourite dish at this restaurant. Panna Cotta is a smooth vanilla pudding which is served with a coffee caramel like sauce and toasted walnuts. This is delicious and anyone dining here must leave space in their tummy for this !

Overall it was a great night and we came home with very full stomachs :)

Porto Romano

28, Persiaran Zaaba,

Taman Tun Dr. Ismail,

60000 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel/Fax : (603) 7710 0509

Lisa Fischer - How Can I Ease The Pain - Music Video

Do you remember this song ? If you do you're as old as I am !!!!! hahahahaha

I used to love this song, it was even nominated in the Grammys. I wonder what happened to Lisa Fischer.

Chanté Moore - Bitter

Chante Moore is a great singer that has some how gone beneath the radar of most R&B fans as she is not featured on MTV. I was introduced to her music by a friend in 1994 and has since been buying her CDs. This unfortunately has been quite difficult as most of the time they are not available in Malaysia.

Sheperds In Jackets

Sheperd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

(recipe and photo from www.rachelrayshow.com)

I was watching the Rachel Ray Show this morning and saw her cooking this dish. It looked interesting and delicious.

Ingredients

4 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Salt

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 medium onion, chopped, divided

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 pound ground sirloin or ground turkey

1/2 pound button quartered

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese, for sprinkling on top

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400oF. On a baking sheet, toss the potatoes with a hearty drizzle EVOO and some salt. Bake in the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool. Turn the off oven and pre-heat the broiler.

2. While the potatoes are cooling, place a medium skillet over medium-high heat with one turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Add the bell pepper and half of the onion to the pan, season with salt and pepper, then cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice lengthwise off of the top to expose the inside. Scoop out the potato flesh, taking care not to pierce the wall of the potato, and transfer to the bowl with the veggies (reserve the potato shells). Add the sour cream and paprika to the bowl and mash. Reserve warm.

4. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the ground sirloin or ground turkey to the pan and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they start to turn golden brown, 4-5 minutes.

5. Add the remaining onion and garlic to the pan and cook until all the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes more. Push all of the ingredients to the edge of the pan and add the butter to the skillet. Sprinkle the flour over the melted butter and cook for about 1 minute. Add the stock, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and some salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes.

6. Fill the potato shells with the beef and mushroom mixture, then top each of them with the reserved mashed potatoes. Transfer to a baking sheet and sprinkle with the cheese. Pop the potatoes under the broiler until the cheese is melted and tops are golden brown.

Fourplay feat. Chaka Khan "Between The Sheets"

This is a great song originally by the Isley Brothers and this version is even better with Fourplay and Chaka Khan .

Las Vacas

Today I had the most fantastic steak at this little restaurant in Kelana Jaya called Las Vacas. Actually it's not even a restaurant but rather a butcher's shop that also does dine in for their customers. What you do is pick out the steak from the butchery and they will cook it for you. It's nothing fancy just the steak served with a salad and a slice of ciabatta garlic bread. No gravy, no sauce and no potatoes. The steaks were of such good quality that you didn't need the other stuff. It literally melted in your mouth. They even had wagyu steaks at a fraction of the price you'd pay in Prime, hubby had a rather large one for only RM136. The owner recommended that I try the grain fed ribeye and it was so so good. To me it tasted better then the wagyu and only cost RM45 (well it was a smaller piece).

If you're a steak lover, this place is a must try. The owner mentioned that they were going to open another branch in Mont Kiara .... yeay nearer home !

Las Vacas Meat Shop

No.23, Jalan SS 5A/11, Kelana Jaya

47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor

Tel: 03 78740711 Fax: 03 78740655

closed on Mondays

London Calling

It's been a while since I last bloged, put it down to sheer laziness !

Last February I paid a visit to one of my favourite cities in the world, London. Actually my last visit was April 2009 but I never get tired of London as it's full of memories of my time as a student there. Yea I know it's often cold, rainy and miserable but somehow being in London brings back the good times of when I was young and carefree.

Fortunately London Bridge did not fall down !

Being February it was of course freezing but that didn't stop me from making my way to Oxford Street everyday for the obligatory window shopping ! For the days when the weather was extra horrible, Westfield at Shepard's Bush was the answer.

Somewhere near the London Eye where the que was endless

This time we were there for two weeks and because there were many of us we decided to stay in a short lease apartment. The apartment was in a great location, Lancaster Gate and it was literally 30 steps to the tube station. Great or what ! It was also right in front of Hyde Park not that we went there alot. I think throughout the stay I went across once.

Fountain House

A walk in Hyde Park

We also went to Oxford and it was even colder then London. We stayed in a B&B which was so so. Of course no visit to Oxford would be complete without going to Bicester Village the outlet centre. It's not as big as the outlets in US but I just loved all the European brands available there. Celine, Tods, Burberry, Furla, Jimmy Choo, Ferragamo, Dior, Anya Hindmarch, Gucci ... you name it !

Total damage done was only a bag from Celine & Tods, while hubby got himself a Tumi computer bag.

Can't remember the name of the B&B

Bicester Village the "before" picture, after that I was too busy to pose :P

After Oxford the shopping continued in London where I got myself another Mulberry bag at Selfridges. Visted Harrods once to have the fantastic ice cream and encountered a celebrity. It was Brian May of Queen and he was looking at a Versace handbag with a lady friend (well maybe it was his daughter).

Mango Swirl Cheesecake

Mango Swirl Cheesecake

(recipe from www.kraft.com.au)

For the base:

1 1/4 cups digestive biscuit crumbs

80g melted butter

For the filling:

500g Philadephia cream cheese soften

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons grated orange rind

3 teaspoons gelatine dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water

1 cup cream lightly whipped

2 large mangoes chopped

1. Combine biscuit crumbs and butter and press into the base of a greased 22cm springform pan.

2. Beat the Philly* and sugar using an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice, rind and gelatine mixture until well combined. Fold in the cream and 3/4 of the mango.

3. Pour mixture over prepared base. Puree remaining mango, drizzle over the cheesecake, then using the tip of a knife gently swirl into the cheesecake. Refrigerate 3 hours or until set.

Orchids

These are my current favourite things, beautiful orchids in bloom. The best thing about them are that they're indoor plants with minimal maintainance. They only need watering once a week which is perfect for a lazy bum like me. They are suppose to stay in bloom for about 6 weeks but we shall see. Well at least I'm attempting to plant something other than the stuff in Farmville! Anyways once the orchids wilt and die, I shall get new ones :)

I love them as they add colour to our living room. Can't wait to add more to the collection, maybe some white ones next. It's simple things like this that makes living in the tropics so worth the heat.

Tomato Chicken Stew

Tomato Chicken Stew a.k.a. Ayam Masak Merah

(recipe from Malaysian Women's Weekly and photo from www.pixieate.blogspot.com)

This is my favourite recipe for ayam masak merah, delicious served with tomato rice. Will post my own photo for this recipe soon.

1 kg Chicken chopped into 5cm pieces

Pinch of salt and turmeric powder

½ cup of oil for shallow frying

2 onions sliced

1 small can tomato puree

2 large tomatoes quartered

1 tbsp salt or to taste

1 tbsp sugar

Spices (ground finely)

10 shallots

5 cloves garlic

7-10 red chilies, seeded

1 lemongrass, plump white portion only

3 cm knob of ginger

1. Rub chicken with salt and turmeric powder and shallow fry in batches

2. In remaining oil, stir fry ground spices until fragrant and oil separates

3. Add onions and stir-fry until soft. Stir in tomato puree and bring to boil

4. Add chicken and mix. Pour water to cover chicken by three quarters (about 2 cups). Bring to a boil

5. Reduce fire to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the chicken is tender and gravy is thick. Season to taste with salt and sugar.

Curry Mee

Curry Mee

(recipe from www.rasamalaysia.com)

I've actually tried this recipe and it's good. Even my father who is not fond of curry mee liked it.

Ingredients:

600g shelled cockles/bloody clams (optional)

500g prawns, steamed and shelled; use the heads to sweeten the stock by liquidising them with 500ml water

3 to 4 pieces soaked cuttlefish heads

200g fried soya bean cubes/tow pok (halved or quartered)

300g shredded, cooked chicken meat

500g blanched bean sprouts

600g blanched yellow noodles

300g blanched vermicelli/rice sticks

1kg grated coconut, mixed with 4 litres water and squeezed for the coconut milk to be used as main stock

Seasoning:

4 tbsp salt or to taste

1 1/2 tbsp rock sugar

1/2 tbsp MSG (optional)

Spices (finely ground):

100g shallots

25g garlic

3 tbsp coriander seeds

4 tbsp chilli paste

2 tbsp sliced lemon grass

10 peppercorns

1/2 tbsp belacan granules

Chili oil:

110g chili paste

25g garlic, pounded

175ml to 200ml oil

Method:

Heat 1/2 cup oil to saute the spices till fragrant. Add in salt, rock sugar and 500ml general santan and bring to a low boil till sugar dissolves. Add in the rest of the coconut milk and tow pok. When soup comes to a boil, add prawn stock and seasoning, then bring to just boiling point. Remove from fire and use stock as a soup for the yellow noodles and vermicelli. (Should the gravy or stock curdle, strain it.)

For the chili oil: Saute garlic and chili paste in oil until the chili disintegrates and oil floats to the surface. (Use this to garnish when serving.)

Tom Yam Goong

Tom Yam Goong

(recipe from www.rasamalaysia.com)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups shrimp stock


10-12 shrimp or 8 oz (head-on and shell-on but chop the eyes part off. Devein if you wish)


3 tablespoons lime juice


6 bird’s eyes chilies (pounded)


3 slices galangal


6 kaffir lime leaves (bruised)


2 tablespoons nam prik pao (Thai roasted chili paste)


2 teaspoons fish sauce or to taste


1 stalk lemongrass (use the white part only, pounded with a cleaver)


6 canned straw mushrooms / fresh oyster mushrooms / fresh or canned button mushrooms

Method:

In a pot, bring 3 cups of water to boil. Then add a big handful of shrimp/prawn heads. Boil the shrimp head until the water turns slightly orange in color. Press the shrimp heads with spatula to extract the “goodies” from their heads. Let the stock reduce to slightly more than 2 1/2 cups. Drain the shrimp stock and discard the shrimp heads.

Add lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, bird’s eye chilies, mushrooms, nam prik bao to the shrimp stock and bring it to boil. Add in the shrimp and fish sauce. Lastly, add the lime juice (if you add lime juice too early, the soup might turn bitter). Boil until the shrimps are cooked, dish out and serve hot.

Daging Hitam

Daging Hitam

(recipe from of www.friedchilies.com)

Ingredients:

1 kg beef (sliced against the grain)

500g shallots

345ml bottle sweet soy sauce

20 dried chillies

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin

4 tbs of oil

Method:

Slice shallots into slivers.

Marinade beef in sweet soy sauce for at least 2 hours.

Wash chillies and blend it with a little bit of water until it becomes a paste .

Dry fry the cumin and coriander seeds so it becomes fragrant.

Heat oil in wok and fry your shallots until soft. Lift it out before it becomes too crunchy.

In the same oil fry chilli paste until fragrant. Then add in spices and marinated beef.

Cook beef for about half an hour until it softens. You can add in a little salt if needed.

Add back the soft-fried onions and mix it well.

Allow to simmer for about an hour.

Results:

After about an hour, the beef gravy will be black from the initial dark chocolate colour.

Scatter some crispy fried onions on top for a little bit of crunch.

The beef should be soft and tastes wonderful, naturally sweet from the onions balanced by the savouriness of the soy.