Girls just wanna have fun (1)

My course mates are in Sibu for a few days before heading to the Eastern side of Sarawak. They are on a three-week holiday tour around Sarawak with Christina Wong as the main hostess as she is from Bintangor. While they are here, my family and I played the hosts during their 3-day stay here. Yesterday, Christina invited me to join the rest of the gang for a lim teh session (afternoon tea) in Parkson also known as Wisma Sanyan. It is currently the tallest building in Sibu. We decided to go to Manna, a cafe-gallery located on the 5th floor of the building.

Manna cafe-gallery

I almost completely blown away when I saw what Christina was wearing that day. The amount of bling-bling on her clothes were enough to beat Paris Hilton :O She has this penchant for all things shiny and glittery as in shoes, clothes, make up, and handbags. She definitely outshined Ching Ting and Jessica…haha

Ang Ching Ting from Tangkak, Johor (left) & Jessica Ch’ng from Klang, Selangor (right)

It seems that we were not the only ones there for Christina has invited a few of the guys from our previous school, SMK Sacred Heart (She and I met in that school when we were studying in Lower Six Form). They were surprised to see a framed photograph of their school rally at the cafe. I supposed the owner is an ex-La Sallean We were hoping to get a discount..heheh

SMK Sacred Heart’s school rally

If I am not mistaken, this was my third trip to Manna cafe. Judging from the decor, I guess it is a fusion of Asian. The name of the cafe, “Manna” derives from the Bible. It was when the Israelites who were freed from Egypt complained to Moses that they were hungry. Moses told God what His people said and He granted them their wish. Sweet breads called “Manna” began to fall from heaven and the Israelites were able to feed their families without starving while traveling to the Promised Land.

Here are a few of the decors at the entrance of the cafe

Traditional sewing machine

Korean costume

The cafe is promoting Korean food but it has other dishes as well such as Taiwanese, Vietnamese, and Western food. The last time I went there was in 2006 when I was in Form Five. I like their Vietnamese Spring Rolls and Taiwanese Beef Noodles Soup. The spring rolls are crispy and the filling is generous enough. It comes piping hot so be careful while taking the first bite or you may end up having a burnt tongue…heheh. Hmmm, for the beef noodles, the broth is not soupy as the normal beef noodles soup. The broth is more like a stew and for the meat, they use brisket which I think is flavourful and compliments the broth and noodles well.

Aside from the food, another thing I like about the place is the atmosphere. The lighting around the place casts off a soft warm glow giving it a nice ambiance. Different lamps are used including scented candles too. There is a big aquarium too…for fish lovers out there…blub blub

Candles

We just ordered drinks and ice-cream for we are still full from our brunch at 12pm. This was what I had.

Wild Berries Punch

The drink is called ‘Wild Berries Punch’ and it cost me RM4.50 Kinda expensive for a simple drink though. I thought of trying the Mocktails at first but changed my mind. I have a weakness for berries…strawberries, blueberries, raspberries…muahaha. I am a berry lover too aside from nuts My friends said that the drink reminded them of Wood’s Cough Syrup (Cherry Flavour)…maybe that was the reason I was feeling sleepy for the rest of the evening…oh dear, my drink got spiked! Haha…
That is the end of part one for now

Popiah party of three

I went to visit my grandmother, my mother’s mum yesterday. She was looking better than the last time I saw her. It was earlier this year when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Thank God she managed to pull through the operation as well as undergoing chemotherapy and other follow-up treatments. Her cheeks look rosier now and she does not have frequent headaches anymore

Our timing must be just right for my aunt invited us to have popiah when she was laying out the ingredients on the table. Popiah making for me is a fun activity and should be done in a group. These are few of the essential ingredients required to make yummy, healthy popiahs

Popiah skin

You can tell the quality of the popiah skin by its thickness. A good popiah skin is usually thin and see-through. However, the popiah skin yesterday was quite thick in the centre. For me, I do not actually care though…as long as I get to eat them.

Freshly pounded chili padi

Finely diced white radish, long beans, carrots, mince meat & tofu

Pounded peanuts

Put all the ingredients together onto the popiah skin.

Popiah making

Put the starch paste on both sides of the popiah so that the ends will be ‘glued’ together. This helps prevent the contents to topple over The Melanaus’ call the ‘glue’ linut.

Linut

TA-DAH!!! Behold….my creation!

My popiah

Hahaha…I know. It looks short and fat because I put too much stuffing in it

Usually, I am only able to eat one popiah at a time because it can be quite filling. My grandmother then began to make popiahs for my aunt’s relatives…

My grandma

…whereas my mum was making for my dad. He was busy fixing dinner at home. Overall, it was a nice visit

Furry friends

I always wanted a pet when I was small. Keeping a kitten was out of the question then because I had asthma. Having a puppy too was a no no as well. My parents said that having a pet requires a lot of responsibility. In other words, it is like taking care of another human being. They have to be fed, be played with, and the medical bills are not cheap either if they fall sick.

I was only allowed to have pet fishes which I thought was quite boring. They do not actually do anything except swim around in their own fishy world. I had two fighting fishes; a red and a blue one named Pocahontas and John Smith respectively

Blue fighting fish

Then my cousins had hamsters.

Hamsters

They were cute considering the way they nibble the sunflower seeds and stuffing the nuts into their cheeks. Strangely, my cousin decided to experiment by feeding the brown male hamster pieces of chicken meat. A few days later it bit me…that was a bad experience for me. Luckily I did not get rabies as my index finger was bleeding. Worse still, it seemed that the alpha male killed the smaller male hamster and ate the newborn baby hamsters It was kinda horrifying realizing that animals too resort to cannibalism by killing and eating up their own species.

It was then in college that I met a few pet lovers like me. There was a mother cat and she had recently given birth. These are her cute kittens. Miao miao…

College kittens

Soleha Soleh…senyum sokmo!

The girl in black is my classmate and good friend, Soleha. She is from Terengganu and is currently the kittens’ stepmother while the mother cat is away…haha. She said the way the kittens were positioned reminded her of pisang goreng (Banana fritters). She and I carried them to our college’s Balai Ilmu because my senior wants to see them. They were mewing like crazy for their mother…probably sensing that they were in an alien environment. I like to pet them and feel their soft fur and warm bodies. I believe that having a pet can be therapeutic because I felt that way while playing with the kittens. I would just forget my worries for the moment and concentrate on them. Furthermore, pets do not judge you unlike people. They will still follow you around and be your best friend no matter what. Plus, they will not talk back

Live life to the fullest

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn’t supposed to ever let you down probably will.

You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it’s harder every time.

You’ll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.

You’ll fight with your best friend. You’ll blame a new love for things an old one did.

You’ll cry because time is passing too fast, and you’ll eventually lose someone you love.

So take too many pictures, laugh too much,

and love like you’ve never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you’ll never get back.

Don’t be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Have a blessed Sunday everyone:)

Jalan-jalan cari makan

Yea, yea. I am finally back in Sibu after a tiring trip yesterday morning. Home is definitely the best place to be after spending my Raya holidays alone in my own college block for a week. The worst part was finding food to eat when all the stalls opposite my college were closed for the celebration and spending of the time alone by myself. I already did not have a roommate for the 3rd sem and the loneliness I felt during the holidays made me feel even worse That was the only regret I felt for this year by deciding not to go back

Over the exam period, I discovered that my weight has dropped to 45kg which is kinda shocking for I do not feel anything at all. I guess it was because I fell sick often due to the unpredictable weather changes. :’(

Now that I am back, my dad is now on a mission to fatten me up…hehe For lunch, chef STP cooked mee sua (longevity noodles) with red wine chicken soup. I wanted a sunny side-up egg to go with the noodles as well. It was delicious considering that I had not eaten a home-cooked meal for almost 4 months and I finished everything aside from asking for a second helping of chicken meat and the red wine chicken soup…wakaka. After that, we decided to go out and have a drive around Sibu before going to my grandmother’s place.

We went to Parkson to have a stroll but nothing catches my eye. The floors of the building were undergoing repair and the tiles were replaced by cardboards to prevent people from tripping over. However, I feel that the cardboards make it worse because it makes the floor more uneven and harder for certain people to walk on like the elderly and those who are disabled. My dad commented that he felt like the floor was going to collapse while walking on them. I just hope that the repairing would done A.S.A.P so that it would be more convenient for shop goers alike.

After that, dad suggested that we go for tea at Thomson Corner near SMK Sacred Heart School. It was only 1.30pm. I thought that tea is supposed to be around 3pm? I guess that the early lunch did not do my dad’s stomach justice;) This is what we had

Cendol

Ang Tau Peng

I had the Cendol while my dad had the Ang Tau Peng (Red bean with shaved ice). I think Thomson Corner serves the best Cendol and Ang Tau Peng in Sibu. The shaved ice is not too much and the amount of santan (coconut milk) and gula melaka (Red sugar) used is just nice. The taste is not too sweet or overpowering for the tastebuds. I never fail to have this every time I come back to Sibu:)

We ordered some tid-bits as well

Jiew Hu Eng Chai

Fried Squid with Mayonnaise

Dad ordered the Jiew Hu Eng Chai (Cuttlefish with Watercrest) and Fried Squid with Mayonnaise. The dish was nothing to shout about to me because I do not actually like eating it. I only took a piece of tofu…heheh. Moving on to the Fried Squid….I have only one word to describe it, YUMMY! The batter is crunchy while the squid inside remains soft and juicy. It is also a must-have for me when I go here:) Perhaps I am bias because I like fried food (Who does not?) although it is unhealthy. Then again, it is only a once in a while treat for me…

Then, we went to the Central Market. Dad was planning to look for Pakon, a smaller version of its cousin, the Durian.

Pakon

My grandmother wanted to taste it so dad decided to try and get it for her. It was not the season yet but he managed to buy three of them. Upon arriving at my grandmother’s house, I helped to open the Pakon by stepping on it…hehe. My aunt suggested using a cleaver but I insisted on trying the traditional way of opening them. It was fun;) The flesh is more yellowish compared to the milky flesh of the durian. Nevertheless, the flesh is soft and Pakon is not heaty like the durian. So one can actually eat to their heart’s content. Nice eh? My aunt and I opened two of them for my grandmother and she loved it. She actually finished all of it on her plate. I am glad that she had such a good appetite. It made my dad’s effort in buying it worthwhile.

Whisper Nuts to You

I am just another traveller on a journey in life.  There  are paths to take, hurdles to cross, and choices to make.  Things do not always go the way I wanted to be, yet I remain patient (or at the very least try my best to. After all, human beings make mistakes).

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things  I can”

– The Serenity Prayer-

Okay, enough musings. You must be wondering why I decided to give my maiden blog the title of “Just Nuts”.

It connotes two things about me ; )

My personality can be unpredictable at times. My expression may show sheer happiness at first and full of worries the next. No, I do not have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)…but maybe  just  a tiny dose of  insanity to keep my life in shades of gray instead of the usual black and white. I guess it runs in the family. Heheh…

Again, you may ask yourself, Why NUTS??? She could have chosen a better title with a hot pink girly backdrop, glittery stuff and all that mumbo jumbo. Bleargh! I think it is better being labeled a Non-Conformist rather than a stereotype. I am not a girly girl, not a tomboy either and I do not scream (Just try and make me, if you dare) . I am just a person who enjoys nothing more than reading books in an MPH bookstore in a pair of comfy tee and jeans ; )  Then again, who am I judge people…do whatever that makes you happy and just be yourself : )

Hmm, more musings…haha. Again, why the title? It is because I love nuts! I love saying the word N-U-T-S and…I enjoy eating nuts of all shapes and sizes. Here’s a list of my all-time favourites (munch, munch):

1. Macademias (smoked, salted, or smothered in honey)
2. Walnuts (the shells are hard to crack but it is worth the hardwork!)
3. Almonds (nice, earthy flavour)
4. Groundnuts (either the Menglembu brand or my grandmother’s version for steamed ones…yum!)
5. Pistachios (do you know they are called “Smiling Nuts” ?, cute eh?)

There you have it, folks! My top-5 favourite nuts and what you should roughly know about me. Welcome to my blog. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers!