Nuffnang

Monday, January 31, 2011

.: Monday Grey :.

What makes a even more blue-er Monday is the lack-of-blue-skies, literally.
It has been dark and gloomy with drizzles of rain this morning, and I reckon, like yesterday, it would be the same for the whole day.

It was extra difficult getting up this morning. And to make things worse, it was extra jam.

I can’t wait to be back in Malacca for the Chinese New Year! :)

Saturday, January 29, 2011

.: Marshmallow Muffin :.

Baked some marshmallow muffin. Mediocre. Pft! :(

Thursday, January 27, 2011

.: Bake In Paris :.

This blogger is absolutely amazing in baking & photography!

*envious*

http://bakeinparis.blogspot.com/

Check out her blog.

*JC you need to get me better camera lens*

Oh, speaking of bake, I baked some orange cupcake/cake last night.

Turned out ok, but again, nothing fantastic. I don't know why I am still looking for THE ONE recipe that really is like 'wow' and will be my trademark bake. I settle not for mediocrity.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

.: In Her Shoes :.

Currently reading In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

.: Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night Sickness :.

Have been feeling nauseated on and off lately. And just because I look like I pregnant (no thanks to me just 'letting go' after the big day), I don't think I am pregnant. Think - because for some reason on another, I think that God love test my sense of humour, and more often than not, just puts me in the unlikeliest of predicaments. I know you love me Daddy, and You just want the best for me, but I think I have enough surprises for the time being already? I am just so not ready to be a mom just yet. Or ever for that matter!

Anyways, I have been vomiting two weeks ago (evening time) and last night woke up at 2am to throw out. Just pray that I get well soon from whatever this sickness is.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

.: G6 : The Experiment :.

As much as I love to spend time with my G6-ers, I realize that our bonding medium now is technology. Gone were the days where we play charades or card games or even board games.

Now, our conversations would go something pretty much like

“Hey, check out this YouTube video!” (often than not, related to parodies and stupid “stunts” like the ones in Jackass, usually followed by snorting laughters)

or

“Have you watched this episode of HIMYM? Here is the part where Barney says something totally legendary!” (again, usually followed by snorting laughters)

or

“Listen to this ringtone I just downloaded the other day!” (this time, followed by an even louder snorting laughters – partially from my contribution. To my defense, it WAS hilarious ok!)

It will be the six of us, with six laptops, Facebook & Youtube sites on at least three of the laptops while the other few runs downloaded episodes of Glee or HIMYM or whatever series we are catching up then.

Reading The Star TechCentral on newspaper today on “The Experiment”, about this lady challenging her kids age 18, 15 and 14; and to a certain extend – herself, not to be hooked up into technology for SIX MONTHS (I can bear the thought of detaching from technology for six hours, yet alone six months?) which include mobile *ouch!*, internet which comprises of the above Facebook & Youtube & much more, iPods, TVs and video games.

I was thinking to myself – what better way to challenge the G6 Group then to go 24 hours WITHOUT technology. I do not know if all will come out alive after the whole ordeal (or even dare to take this experiment in the first place) but I wanna post this challenge to the five of you.

Dare you, or dare you not, go on a 24 hours technology strike?
We can pick a date and do it together, or better still, we can gather together for one day and ‘help’ each other out as we go completely cold turkey with this! (but of course pick a weekend coz there is no way my boss is gonna buy “Oh, but I can’t use the computer coz I am on this pact I made with my cousins to be off-tech for a day!”)

What say you guys?

Monday, January 24, 2011

.: G6 : First Convention :.

Weekend was fantastic, but I KO-ed after the whole thing was over.

Manage to cook & feed the whole G6 members and JC. Which means the 7 of us!

We had:

1) Roasted black pepper whole BIG chicken – sadly, there wasn’t a hint of black pepper taste whatsoever, but love that the chicken was cooked crispy to perfection. Meat was absolutely tender & juicy, thanks to 6 hours of prior brining in salt & sugar water. But the oil that came out from the chicken when roasting -.- OMGOSH! But what was even scarier is that we polish the whole sauce (i.e. chicken fats)! -.-

2) Spaghetti carbonara with mushroom, garlic and loads of sinful bacon – my verdict on this dish was so-so only, but the kiddos & JC especially enjoyed it!

3) Potato salad – Kevin, Ben & Shyang helped to chop the onions for this dish. It was fun as they awed in awesomeness as I thought them the efficient way to chop an onion. They were like utterly impressed as if I had thought them the I-Ching to understanding girls. But nonetheless, they are now certified & qualified onion choppers! Need someone to chop your onions? You can call them anytime >.<

4) Downplayed Ceaser Salad – minus the crutons. But the kiddos enjoyed it nonetheless and were grazing it as happily as cows! Tammie especially enjoyed the cherry tomatoes. I actually intended to try out Nigella Lawson’s moonblushed tomatoes (as oppose to sundried tomatoes, geddit, geddit? nvm -.-), but due to lack of time, just dump it in the salad au natural.

After dinner, we had a big bag of chips, watched HIMYM (again!), had a dozen J Co doughnuts (to celebrate Kevin’s belated birthday) and went out for mamak! (Yeah, I am letting lose baybeh!)

Came back, did the whole countdown thingy on one of the episodes of HIMYM and then we were off to bed! Shyang woke up later to empty his stomach from the front – but that’s another story all together! :)

Can’t wait for the next G6 gathering post CNY at Tammie’s & Kevin’s new place in Bukit Tinggi.

I reckon it will be steamboat (again), but I am thinking – let’s just do satay celup sauce style instead! Agree no? :)

Friday, January 21, 2011

.: G6 :.

That’s what we name our private group in FB, exactly the six of us – Ben (my bro), Yin, Tammie, Shyang & Kevin.

Tonight, the boys will be crashing at my place, joined by the girls tomorrow.

Which means – FREE LABOR (I have floors to sweep, toilet bowls to wash, blah blah blah!)

Can’t wait for us to have fun together-gether again!

I just love my couzzies! :)

*big squishy hugz*

Thursday, January 20, 2011

.: Bali : Novus Bali Villas :.

 When we manage to find time to plan for our mini honeymoon getaway, I asked JC if we could splurge a lil on the accommodation and stay in a nice villa with a private plunge pool instead of some common hotel. He said ok, and so I went to search for bargains for a nice villa in Bali.

After much searching and comparing and reading comments, I said a lil prayer and we settled for Novus Bali Villa.

When we arrived there (late due to a flight delay), we both were pleasantly pleased (well, I was more overly excited as I did a stupid victory dance when the bell boy left - I think it was at that moment that JC regretted marry this crazy woman!).

Since I am not very good with words, I shall let the pictures do the talking. Tho I must admit that the pictures do very little justice to this magnificent lil hidden treasure (also partly due to my lack-of-knowledge on using Photoshop - so these pics are in its raw-est, unedited form)! :)

The walkway out of our villa on the right, very cute!

Welcome fruit basket & some strawberry cocktail (not in picture!)

Full view of our villa!

The private plunge pool - to die for! :)

Outdoor bath - which we will take our bubble bath everyday without fail! 
I heart! :)

Bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles - jasmine scented!
Where is my rubber duckie? :)

Another part of the bathroom! 
Oh, I really heart this place! :)

Full view of the villa & did I mention A PRIVATE PLUNGE POOL? :)

Some reading material to read by the pool while sunbathing, courtesy of the villa!

Our comfortable clean bed, with a nice mosquito netting (not that it was really needed since there wasn't, surprisingly, very much mosquitoes to begin with)

Nice garden in the villa - cool, calm and serene.
Good place to read a book or have long, soul-searching thoughts!

Small outdoor bar. Just love the lil Mexican-like feel of this place. 

A family villa at the back - suitable for family (duh!) or large group of people!

Spa room - another facility provided by the villa. 
Didn't get the chance to try the spa here tho.

A small bridge leading to a dainty lil Spice Garden!

How do I rotate the pics in blogspot?
The common pool (not that we used is since we already have our own private pool)

All I can say about my stay with Novus Bali Villa is AMAZING!
The place is wonderful, service from the guesthouse was impeccable.

If I ever get a chance to return to Bali, I would, without hesitation book this place again! :)



Wednesday, January 19, 2011

.: In The Past Week :.

I have, in the past week,

1) stewed Kiam Chye Buey or known as Salted Vegetable Stew. It is a Nyonya dish consisting of pickled vegetables (usually pickled mustard green) and whatever leftovers you have in your fridge/freezer. Literally! So in I dump my roasted pig from my GDL, some chicken pieces from my wedding luncheon, throw in some canned button mushroom & straw mushroom, some dried red chilly & black pepper for spiciness and a few pieces of asam keping aka assam gelugor (which are dried tamarind slices) for a tinge of sourness. I love this stew, especially when I get to freeze it in the freezer and reheat it whenever I feel like having some. Like most nyonya dishes, the flavor keeps improving the longer you keep it.

2) baked some Chocolate Chip Cookies
Was a big hit with my colleagues & JC’s colleagues, but I wasn’t very satisfied with the outcome. I still felt that it needs more flavor and texture, tho my colleagues seems to disagree and said that it is ok. Anyways, there are a few pieces left, tho I will be baking another batch from another recipe. Perhaps this weekend.

3) started reading The Time Traveller’s Wife and am midway thru it
It was about time I start to pick up my reading habit. And oh ya, stocking my hse with lotsa book! I love this novel and I am so engrossed with it. It keeps me company at night when JC is still not back from work (he usually comes home at 2am – shocking I know!)

4) picked up the iron to iron (duh!) clothes.
I know, I am a spoilt-brat, for the last time I used an iron was when I was 13 and we were in-between maids. Yes, an absolute spoilt brat I know!

I was so engrossed with living day by day since I was back from honeymoon and I failed to realize that it is a public holiday tomorrow.

So to all out there celebrating – HAPPY THAIPUSAM. And to the rest of Malaysians – HAPPY HOLIDAY!

p/s : Pics of Bali (aside from that posted in FB) coming up soon!

Till then, cheers! :)

Monday, January 17, 2011

.: C is for Cookie :.

Now what starts with the letter "C"?
"Cookie" starts with "C"!
Let's think of other things that starts with "C"!
Uh. . .Uh. . . Who cares about da other things?!

(CHORUS)x2

"C" is for Cookie that's good enough for me,
"C" is for cookie that's good enough for me,
"C" is for cookie that's good enough for me,
Oh! cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C"!

Hey, You know what? A round cookie with one bite out of it looks like a "C"
A round donut with one bite out of it also looks like a "C" but it is not as good as a cookie
Oh, and the moon sometimes looks like a "C" but you can't eat that
So...
(CHORUS)
Cookie Cookie Cookie Starts with "C"
Cookie Cookie Cookie Starts with "C"

.: Hypocrites :.

I hate it when some party plays the oh-let-us-all-comply-with-the-tradition card.

I call them hypocrites, for they only choose and nitpick to follow traditions that are to their benefits.

And then chooses to turn a blind eye to traditions that are not followed or modified because it inconveniences them.

What use is it to follow traditions just for the sake of it if it lacks LOVE & COMPASSION?

I rather detach from it than to conform to traditions just for the sake of it.

Please don’t put me up to such torture!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

.: (Yet Another) Mini Update :.

Since my baking/cooking hiatus have been uplifted, I am on the charge to bake some CNY cookies for close friends and family. Am still searching for some recipes that I can try out, considering the fact that I didn’t do so well with the last cookie episode!

The prudent side of me is squeeling old-boring-but-safe chocolate chip cookies but the more adventurous side of me is screaming bring-it-on to try something different.

Until, and only until I am done with my unpacking and some household chores and at least upload some pictures of my honeymoon in Bali, then I will start baking.

In the meantime, I am still searching for recipes!

Oh – my Ara Damansara apartment that I bought for investment is (finally) mine! I will continue to tenant it to the three existing tenant (JC calls them ‘hunks’ – should I be worried that my husband is gay?). Still some issues to iron out, but in the meantime, all is well.

At work, I am doing my quarter closing. My responsibilities are basically still much the same, which is good in a way, but repetition makes this job (or any jobs for that matter) mundane. Thankfully the working environment works well with me, with good bosses and colleagues. Having said that, I am still trying very hard to realize my dreams of being a full time housewife (there is just so much HK series to catch up).

Speaking of HK series, I think it’s bout time that JC and I get our lil home a TV set. Don’t find myself missing much, coz we were not at home the first week, and for this week, the both of us are so busy with work. But I am reckoning that in the near future, I would need a TV to entertain me.

Speaking of entertainment, I have completed two twin series novel (which means for novels) of Sidney Sheldon. Good stuff. I still have Time Traveller’s Wife to digest for the time being before I run out of books to read. I trip to BookXcess would be most timely now! (They are much cheaper than the bookshop in Atria, btw! :)

Perhaps I shall go now, since it is on the way back from work! Oh, let's just see how things go!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

.: Just Married :.

Really appreciate the lil lil things JC do to make my day yesterday.

He helped with the laundry and also got me a lil delightful chocolatey surprise to ‘celebrate’.

The house is still in the mess from the (lack-of) unpacking from our Bali trip, so its definitely not visitor-friendly just yet.

There’s plenty of stuff in the freezer – leftovers of finger foods from our tea reception. Plenty of food to last for at least a week or two.

For now, things it’s a lil bit hazy, especially on working out a ‘schedule’ on housework.

I suppose what should be good is for us to do the laundry during weekends (or Friday night) and then leave Saturdays to grocery shopping and other household cleaning chores.

Let’s just see how things work. In any case, its good that our house is finally our home – a messy one, but home nonetheless :)

Monday, January 10, 2011

.: Bali : Land Of Gods :.

Bali was great, so much so that I didn't wanna come back (to work especially). A pleasant surprise at work, that will make a normal people go "Oh wow, let's celebrate!" but leaves me going "Oh wow, depressing!".

I know, I am a lil of a nutshell, don't take good news well. Or bad news for that matter.

But anyways, it is still nonetheless good to be back!

Pictures of Bali coming right up (once I get my laundries done - if ever!) :)

Till then...

Cheers,

Mrs C.
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