You are the music in me…

Relaxation to me is synonymous with music. I can say that I am pretty much involved with music in my daily life. The radio is my best friend while I am studying in college. I have no idea why my room mates keep changing which makes me feel lonely pretty much of the time. Apart from venturing back and forth to my friends’ block, I turn to my radio as a source for companionship. I am happy to say that this is one technology that has not let me down

It has become a norm for me to listen to songs while revising or doing my work since secondary school. Listening to songs by my favourite singers motivates me more and keep me in a happy mood. In a way, music serves as my stress-buster…in other words better than oral medication. These are some of the singers and songs that I like…

Mr. A-Z (Jason Mraz)

Now this is one cool guy. Jason Mraz is one talented yet laid-back person. His songs and video clips are quirky yet catchy. For me, I think he brings something new and fresh to the music scene. Besides that, his voice is mellow and soothing to my ears. Among his songs that I like are “The Remedy”, “You & I Both” and “Wordplay”. His current hit “I’m Yours” is my favourite as well. His recent duet with Colbie Calilat, “Lucky” is nice too

Within Temptation

Next is a Dutch band called Within Temptation. Their music can be categorized as Gothic Rock. I first heard about this band in college when I came across them on my friend’s laptop. She is a fan of NightWish as well. So these two bands are quite similar in terms of the lead vocalist and the type of music they produce. Both have female leads and their songs are mostly of rock/opera genre. Here are my favourite songs from Within Temptation, “Angels” and “Memories”. That girl totally rocks!!! She has a powerful voice and she is really beautiful. A great package don’t you think so?

Leona Lewis

Apart from that, next on the list is Leona Lewis, the winner of the 2nd season of X Factor, another brainchild of Simon Cowell who is also the man behind American Idol. Honestly, I did not know who she is when I heard her voice on the radio. Her first single, “Bleeding Love” is both a hit in the United States as well as back in her own country, United Kingdom. What I like most about her is ability to put all her raw emotions and energy into her singing as if she has gone through the experiences in the songs herself.

Like they all say, “Let the music heal our soul”

Making it on my own (2)

Since being back home, my goal is to try and eat as many of my favourite dishes as pos sible before going back to Sg. Petani. I have been especially interested in eating a soupy dish in Hokkien called Chau Chai Hu Ngang. When translated directly, the name of the dish is called salted vegetables with fish and big rice vermicelli noodles soup. A mouthful to say…hehe I was up to cooking today, so my mum and I decided to go to the supermarket to buy ingredients for this dish.

According to mum, preparation for this dish is simple and the amount cooked is enough to feed three to four people. The whole process lasts for about thirty minutes. Here is a step-by-step guide to cooking it…

Firstly, you need:

1. One ginger
2. Half garlic clove
3. Two small onions
4. One big chili

Cut all of them into slices.

I am improvising the dish a little. Those in kopitiams always use ikan patin which I do not really like because it may have lots of bones and fat stuck to the skin. So, I use chicken instead. My mum bought three pieces of drumsticks and thighs. Chop them up into big pieces also.

Next, take the preserved vegetables and rinse them through for a while to drain the excess preservatives. Again, the same thing with the veggies…cut them up.

Heat up the wok, add cooking oil and sesame oil into it. Put in the sliced ginger, shallots, garlic, and chili when it is hot. Stir-fry them until fragrant. After that, add in the chicken and mix them around. Add a dash of Chinese red wine and cover the wok, leave to simmer.

While waiting for the chicken to cook and soften, soak the big rice vermicelli in a pot of boiling water

Getting back to the wok…add water to make it soupy. Add a tablespoon of Maggi’s Oyster Sauce into the soup and leave it to simmer again. Meanwhile, drain the rice vermicelli from the pot and rinse it through a few times to get rid of the starchy taste. After that, add them into the soup and leave them another few times. Finally, turn off the stove fire.

Here is the result…chau chai hu ngang

I am very happy with the result…and I will eat to my heart’s content

Lokan(Looking) forward to meet you

Once again, a trip to my grandma’s house includes another cooking session with my aunt. This time she is making a favourite of mine lokan (cockles). She asked me to be her assistant and I was happy to oblige According to my parents, lokan is only available towards the end of the year and it sold as cheap as RM2 per kilo in our marketplace. Washing the mud from the lokan is quite tedious BUT the hard work is well worth it. The meat is round like scallops…yes, little meat only.

Anyway, the way we usually cook lokan is by stuffing the shells with minced meat, vegetables, and lokan. Here are the steps to make ‘em…

The lokan being steamed

Firstly, the lokan are steamed to cook them. Do not throw away the stock though because it can be used as a base for soups.

Minced meat and vegetables

Aunt hard at work

Next waiting for them to cook, prepare the ingredients to stuff into the cockle shells. My aunt prepared them before I came, so I just roughly tell what is needed.

1.Minced meat
2.Minced white turnip, carrots, spring onions and a Bombay onion
3.Five tablespoons of corn flour
4.Three dashes of white pepper and sesame oil
5. Two dashes of Chinese red wine
6. Two chicken eggs

Minced lokan

All mixed up

The lokan is chopped and mixed together with all the ingredients above…

Uncooked stuffed lokan shells

Now, here is the fun part, scoop and stuff the lokan shells to the brim. Then, steam them again for five to ten minutes.

Finished product

These can be eaten steamed, oven-baked, or fried. It is your choice. Yums…

Small fry…

I have said before that I like to eat fried foods despite the cholesterol :/ which I try to make up for later (I never did…:( ) Anyways, my mum and I went to visit her mum again last Sunday. My aunt was cooking again as usual. She is a hardworking wife. She works in the morning and is still able to cook dinner for the family. All her children are working in Semenanjung so only her husband and my grandma are left at home.

This time she made some fritters. I was observing her peeling the Japanese sweet potato which is has purple skin with yellow flesh. It was so round that both my grandma and my mum thought that it was white radish. Heheheh…

The batter is just simple. It is made with corn flour and some water. A bit of oil is needed and the frying is done in a frying pan It is all simple…

The long potato fritters are put together with the round cempedak fritters. Cempedak and nangka are my least favourite fruits. I guess it is due to the peculiar smell the fruits emit. I like the potato fritters best. They taste like french fries minus the salt…a healthier version of it.

Potato and cempedak fritters

I thought she was done with the cooking until I saw her chopping some baby anchovies into teeny weeny pieces. She said she is going to make anchovy fritters with the leftover batter.

Anchovy fritters

I thought that sounded good and indeed they tasted yummy with tomato ketchup or chili sauce. Other than these, I like prawn, banana, and sweet potato fritters.

What about you?

Come eat with me…

Something more about myself…I am not really a morning person. I would skip breakfast when I am in college but I make up for my hungry tummy during brunch. At home is rather much the same situation unless I am sure what I wanted to cook or have for brekkie.

One of my favourite breakfast place is Mitsu Tea House which is quite famous in Sibu for dim sum. It is located behind Rejang Medical Centre near the roundabout to the town centre. So far, I have gone there twice, once with Uncle Jimmy, my father’s teacher friend from SMK Bintulu and second with my aunty and cousin from Kuching. The shop will be open everyday by 7.30am and it will be crowded by 10am. The customers just keep coming. The place is two-storey. The ground floor is open air while the top floor is air-conditioned. We usually prefer to sit upstairs

Air-conditioned floor

Giant painting

The main attraction here is of course…dim sum!!! The menu is in both Chinese and English so ordering food or drinks will not be much of a problem. For drinks, they mostly have different types of tea BUT no coffee. Strange eh? Aside from dim sum, they serve rice and noodle dishes as well. My family and I come mostly for the dim sum and pastries though…AGAIN…it is ALL about the dim sum

Moving on to the FOOD…
The dim sum and pastries available range from RM3+ to RM4+ per plate.
These are some of my favourite dim sums. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Siew Mai

Seaweed skin with stuffed meat & crabstick dim sum

Hakau (Stuffed prawns dim sum)

Yam & meat popiah

Stuffed meat dumplings

Meat & veggie stuffed beancurd dumplings

Now, for the pastries…

durian-filling puff pastries

These are my father’s favourite BUT be warned for those who have diabetes. The high sugar-content in the filling might just shoot up your glucose level. Personally, I am not a fan of anything related to the King of Fruits.

These are my favourite though…

Portugese egg tart

There are suppsed to be three on the plate but my cousin and I took one each. I stole a plate from the pastry-trolley because the waitresses were busy serving the customers dim sum The puff pastry is flaky and crunchy whereas the egg is creamy and soft I was not a fan of egg tarts until I ate these…hehe. I feel happy after eating.

Ever After…

I have never thought much of the issue of inter-racial marriages until Yasmin Ahmad’s movie ‘Sepet’ came out in 2005. The title ‘Sepet’ refers to slit-like eyes, usually among the Chinese people I was in Form Four then in an all girls’ secondary school. I persuaded my dad into buying the movie considering how both of us love Yasmin Ahmad’s directorship in all the PETRONAS commercials that have been advertised on television. Somehow, I find the commercials’ storyline to be meaningful, touching, and inspiring which highlights the messages they want to tell fellow television viewers. Moreover, the accompanying songs are suitable as well. The movie ‘Sepet’ has a star-studded cast with the likes of…

Ng Choo Seong as Jason@Ah Loong

Sharifah Armani as Orked

Linus Chung as Keong, Jason’s close friend

Harith Iskandar as Orked’s father, Pak Atan

Ida Nerina as Orked’s mother, Mak Inom

Adibah Noor as Kak Yam

Tan Mei Lin as Ma, Jason’s mother

Thor Kar Hoon as Pa, Jason’s father

I would say the movie is about young love with a heartfelt tinge of innocence. The story revolves around the relationship between a Chinese boy, Jason@Ah Loong and a Malay girl, Orked. The actress playing Orked, Sharifah Armani is a close resemblance to Orked in terms of open-mindedness. She dared to point out matters that are disapproved by society such as being close friends with a boy of a different race and religion than her. Unlike others girls her age worrying about boys or clothes, she is a fan of Wong Kar Wai’s movies. She eventually stumbled into Jason, an illegal VCD-seller while looking for movies starring her favourite Japanese actor, Takeshi Kaneshiro.

Love between them began to blossom despite social and racial pressures from both parties including objections from Orked’s father, Pak Atan. He believed that his daughter should not be mixing with Jason because of his background and the area he comes from. On the contrary to Pak Atan’s perception of Jason, he is actually a filial son to his family. He often has to protect his mother from his disabled father’s abuse towards her and is therefore closer to her. She is the one he goes to when pouring out his problems and feelings when his own father fails to understand. Jason is in fact a natural-born poet and loves reading and writing poetry. Despite the frowns of society upon them, there are some lighthearted moments in the movie too…:)

Conversations in a fast-food restaurant…yes indeed, this is truly a typical Malaysian story and somehow it has become quite close to my heart Harith Iskandar and Adibah Noor too assume the role of comedians by giving a comical feel to certain scenes.

However, another conflict emerges as the story progresses. Orked found out that Jason was involved with the gang leader’s younger sister and decided to call their friendship off. Orked refused to talk to Jason or hear his explanation until she managed to score a scholarship to the U.K. (mind you it’s not Ulu Klang..hehe). Her mum was understanding enough to let her call him to say a few last words before she leaves. There is a cliffhanger to this movie. You have to watch it for yourself to find out for I am not telling.

Here is part one of the movie…I like the intro song

In a nutshell, open-mindedness is something that we all have to be while living in a multiracial country like Malaysia. We should learn to accept the differences, learn to love and respect and look beyond the various races and religion . Physically we may look different on the outside, but on the inside we are all the same…humans capable of emotions and making their own stand in this world

Making it on my own

Pasta is among one of my favorite foods. Whenever I feel like eating spaghetti, I would buy the ingredients needed and start from scratch. These are a few of my favourite pasta dishes…

Spaghetti bolognese

Fettucine carbonara

Don’t the pictures look tempting? eheh…I could have pick up a fork and start them

Other times, when I am not up to making my own meal , I would buy packets of instant mix pasta from Ta Kiong supermarket because it sells imported goods that are not available in other supermarkets in my hometown. The brand is ‘Continental’ and if I am not mistaken it comes in at least four flavours.

a) Macaroni & cheese
b) Alfredo
c) Sour cream & mushrooms
d) Bacon & cheese

The whole cooking process is easy provided you know how to work the stove and just follow the instructions written on the package.

Basically, you need some milk, a can of tuna, and a bit of butter. There are no exact measurements when I am cooking packet pasta…it is all trial and error for me. By the way, the can of tuna is not compulsory, you can add other types of meat or vegetables to your liking. Be creative and personalise your pasta dish

I usually pour two cups of milk and half a tablespoon of butter into the pasta mix. Normally, I do not use Marigold’s milk but this is what they have from the nearby supermarket so I have a lack of choice. Normally, I would use Devondale’s low-fat milk if I happen to stop by at Ta Kiong. Aside from using milk, Nestle’s ideal milk is fine as well. Mix it all together to get rid of the clumps of powder. After mixing it up, it will look roughly like this…

Then, set the stove’s fire to high and stir the mix until the sauce thickens. If you do not want the pasta to be too watery, then add less milk or stir the pasta a bit longer. It must be stirred continuously or the pasta will stick to the bottom and be burnt which is in my case…not good

When the pasta has softened and the sauce thickened to your preferred consistency, open up the can of tuna flakes and put any much as you like. Cooking is basically experimenting with food..heheh. After that, pour the pasta into your favourite plate and begin eating. Bon appetit’!

Yum…yum… that is all from Sasa’s kitchen. Till next time…buh bye

Gender bender

Yes, I am sure many of you gals out there sometimes fantasize what it is like to be a guy. I guess there are some perks that goes together by being a male. From my observations, there are some in things in your favour when you are a guy.

a) Dating - More often than not parents especially fathers are happy when their sons are able to bring back girlfriends to show them that his manliness or masculinity is still intact and mothers too share the joy in having prospective daughter-in-laws.

For girls, it is a different case altogether. As my own dad put it, “If you bring a boy into this house, I’ll have my shotgun ready”. Scare the pants off the poor wee lads…muahaha! Mothers would warn their daughters to be careful while going out with the other species. “Don’t wear revealing clothes! You’ll get raped! Don’t accept drinks from them in nightclubs! Don’t sleep with boys!”. Honestly, the nagging would get them nowhere. In fact, I think it makes girls more curious about the whole matter which would land them in hot soup.

b) Eating – Guys have bigger appetites compared to girls and they are able to eat huge amounts of food and still be hungry for supper. Excuses are made when guys eat a lot:

a) They are growing and need the nutrition (honestly, growing vertically or horizontally?)
b) They are happy (???)
c) They are just plain hungry (uh huh…)

As for girls, fusses are made when they eat and MORE fusses are made when they are NOT eating. When girls eat a lot or do not, people do not often associate their eating habits with the process of growing up. In fact, statements like these may surface.

a) She is either bulimic or anorexic.
b) She must be depressed or stressed.

Tell me how is this fair? I ain’t exactly a feminist though…be thankful for that.

c) Dressing – Okay, this ‘dressing’ is the kind that is related to clothes. Not the one found in salads or squeezy bottles. Again, guys seem to have an advantage. They take little effort in
picking out an outfit for dinner or any special occasion and YET they look GREAT.

Girls on the other hand…spend hours shopping for the ‘right’ outfit and accessories (jewelleries, handbags, shoes…etc) which may end up being a fashion disaster or being the worst dressed for the night. All that ‘hard work’ down the drain. Ha!

Ever imagine who I want to be if I were a guy?

How bout being the King of Rock & Roll?

Or a groovylicious spy?

A famous talk show host?

Nope… I guess there is only ONE option left

*

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*

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SECRET AGENT 007

Yes…who would not want to be this guy?

James Bond gets what he wants…the hottest women, the coolest gadgets, a lean mean speeding machine and he ALWAYS catches the bad guys and saves the day without even breaking a sweat

Now THAT is something…

Goodies of all sorts

I guess it is true when Malaysians are all about food and I am no exception too. However, do not underestimate my small frame as someone with a poor appetite. I may surprise people and even myself sometimes by the amount of food I am able to digest without even realising it. Then again, my life does not always revolve around food. I do other activities besides studying such as…

a) Sightseeing (scouting for the best places to eat)

b) Reading (and drooling over recipes in cookbooks in my college library)

c) Critical thinking (on what I should have for lunch or dinner that day)

d) Online research (for simple recipes that I can afford to cook in my room)

See? My life does not revolve around things academic 24/7 for those who actually believe that. I am after all human and not a robot

I have to admit that I began to appreciate food ever since furthering my studies in Sg. Petani, Kedah. Knowing that food supplies are getting more expensive day by day ;(

So…I am really glad to be back home where I can be pampered by my parents with yummy food

These are some of the goodies I have been eating for the last few days.

Ban Chian

I did not see any of these in Semenanjung though. If I am not mistaken, they are called ban chian These are quite similar to the apam balik. The filling is still the same; pounded peanuts with sugar and butter but the skin is much thinner and crispier. Personally, I like this version better.

Next, durian lovers might like this

Durian filling pastry

These currypuff-like pastries contain durian filling. My family and I had these at MF Treatment Sdn. Bhd. opposite Rejang Medical Centre. By the way, MF stands for My Foot because the company run a massage centre too…I find the name strange for an eatery though…heheh. The pastry is the same as any puff pastry,crumbly and for the durian filling…the taste of it overpowers your tongue upon contact. I am not exactly a fan of durians so I can not elaborate anymore on this.

Hawaiian Pizza

Moving on, as a fan of pizzas, I feel that the pizzas at Peppino’s can beat Pizza Hut any day. Perhaps because Pizza Hut is too commercialized that I feel that the ingredients loses its ‘magic’ flavour. The man who started the pizzeria is an Austrian sailor who married a local here. I ordered a personal Hawaiian pizza. Based on the photo above, they are generous with the amount of toppings and the price is reasonable. RM 15 for personal, RM 18 for regular, and RM 20 for large. Those who are feeling creative can make their own pizza as well nice eh?

Yam cake (left) & Flaky pastry with butter filling (right)

When I was small, I was not really a big fan of yam cake because the ones sold here are usually in big rectangular shapes. Now, they seem to be selling them in square shapes which I think suits my palate better. The yam cake are available in the steamed or fried version. Again, I like the fried ones because frying brings out the flavour of the yam cake.

I never see the flaky butter pastry being sold before until today…I guess I am already ketinggalan zaman…hahaha The pastry itself looks tempting judging by its golden puffy appearance. True enough upon biting into it, I am amazed by the flakiness and lightness of the pastry…and the rich butter taste just completes the whole experience…yum. My father’s friend from Serian was raving about it from the moment he step foot on Sibu’s soil. I did not think much of it until I tried it for myself…and yes, I had to admit..it is indeed AMAZING. He said the pastry is available in three flavours; peanut butter, meat filling and butter. My aunt bought them at the wet market near the Dewan Suarah (Civic Centre).

Happy reading!

Thank my lucky stars???

I am one of those few who is not a huge believer of horoscopes. I admit that it is fun reading them in newspapers of magazines but as far as life is concerned, I believe that we are in charge of our own life. Whatever decisions we do now may affect us in one way or another later in life. One is capable of changing his or her own fate with fierce determination, courage and a strong faith in God.

I stumbled across this in the email sent by a good friend of mine today and I would like it share it with you all and see what you guys and gals out there think about it.

VIRGO – The Perfectionist
Dominant in relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word. Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager. Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh. Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic.

SCORPIO – The Intense One
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking. Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and Emotional

LIBRA – The Harmonizer
Nice to everyone they meet. Can’t make up their mind. Have own unique appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone. Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible.

ARIES – The Daredevil
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge… EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly – easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.

AQUARIUS – The Sweetheart
Optimistic and honest. Sweet personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn, but original and unique Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric personality.

GEMINI – The Chatterbox
Smart and witty. Outgoing, very chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express themselves. Argumentative and outspoken. Likes change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or inconsistent, but is only changeable. Beautiful physically and mentally.

LEO – The Boss
Very organized. Need order in their lives – like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leos. Attractive.

CANCER – The Protector
Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome. Excellent partners for life. Protective. Inventive and imaginative. Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily hurt, but sympathetic.

PISCES – The Dreamer
Generous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive. Don’t like details Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.

CAPRICORN – The Go-Getter
Patient and wise. Practical and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimists. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be unfriendly y at times. Hold grudges. Likes competition. Get what they want.

TAURUS – The Enduring One
Charming but aggressive. Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings who are stable and secure in their ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard – passionate. Express themselves emotionally. Prone to ferocious temper-tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous.

SAGITTARIUS – The Happy-Go-Lucky One
Good-natured optimist. Doesn’t want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing. Doesn’t like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn’t like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined – tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn’t like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

P/S: I am a Virgo BUT no way am I a perfectionist in everything I do. Hmmm, I guess I like to take charge in my relationships but depends on the situation I am in. Sometimes you just have to learn to give and take if you want to stay in a person’s good books. Yep, I am conservative…I like to dress down in something comfy like a pair of trousers and a plain tee. Oh yeah, I like to argue (Could have made a good debater ) BUT not without a reason.

I like to hear people’s opinions on matters so I further argue to push them further to either make their stand or at least agree with what I am saying. It is a good persuasion method heheh. Yes…I can not deny that I worry…A LOT…on what people may consider as trifles but not to me. Peace loving…yep…that is me. I hate noises because my ears are extra sensitive and I can hear sounds a few blocks away and I am able to recognise my parents’ car by the sound of their
engines…weird huh?

I consider myself an average looking girl with average talents…then again, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder Communication wise, I am quite reserved unless I am keen in being friends with certain people then I will consider by making the first move. For me, I think that it is better having a small group friends whom you can trust and connect with instead of feeling alone in a huge crowd of friends