double double toil and trouble
fire burn and cauldron bubble

sumthin's brewing in the distance...i noe fer sure hehe *wink wink*
about u...about me...about them...about all of us...

i hate being restricted to this space. managed to switch off the darn laptop when the owner wasn't home. that means i got to rest peacefully without the darn thing humming or bleeping continuously or intruding my darkness with its face. so irritating...

sucks when it can't respond properly. then again, salihin also just grins when i enter my usual tirade about nuthin-ness. whatever happened to intelligent conversation lar hallo...

just realised i got so many pics i haven't uploaded...starting with big day out in summer all the way to birthdays and the stream of people who came by W.A. ok bedek lah not a stream...more like a constipated trickle hehe

ana banana yang tak jambu will be flying in tomoro. if it doesn't rain and the 1.3L echo can take the trip, margaret river myt be in our books. hubby ku sayang, stay home and study ok...yay!

I’ve had enough. I’m tired. I’m bored. I want out.

You sit quietly, humming religiously while I struggle with my chores. Sometimes you sing me a song. Tell me a story. Sometimes. So I’m done. Watching me sleep is not the same as keeping me company. Churning out information is not the same as having a conversation. I'm sick of having to constantly update you. It's not in the contract!!!!

I need more than what you can offer. I need a challenge. I need what is outside these bare white walls. I need fresh breeze on my face. I need sand in my new Melissa's. I need ink between my fingers. I need grime. I need sweat. I need blood. I'm tired of too many tears.

The world is busy outside our window. And all you want are the comforts of this corner. You stare at me blankly when I talk to you. Animate sometimes. But mostly sluggish. Tired. Disconnected even. I’ve had enough of that blank stare. Of your cold stiff hand in my grasp. The bright lights aren’t as beautiful as you tried to make them out to be.

I want more than that. I want to feel like I can talk to you. Have a decent conversation without you switching off. I'm bored of the quiet. I want a response. A decent response. Click click click

ok after a terrible lunch two days ago consisting of bland VEGETABLE tomyam soup (it's supposed to have prawns and things like that...maybe...), day-old fried fish (should be eaten fresh) and daging kicap (tak kena with the other dishes apparently) which resulted in a bowl of maggi asam laksa, i successfully coughed up a beautiful dinner (that was good). *sigh* when i get it wrong, i get it reeeaaaally wrong. when i get it right, all i get is good??!?! not my fault that we had stale fish. u stuffed urself with nasi ayam at como so no space for my food *sob*

anyway, back to my perfect dinner. grilled lamb as usual (220degs for 70mins will ensure meat that pulls off the bone oh-so-perfectly). cover the tray with foil or all u'd get is crusty dried bits of what used to be a baby sheep *gack*

served that up with sliced tomatoes. too lazy to toss a salad. maybe i should grab a bag of that ready-to-eat you'll love coles' italian salad mix etc the next time i'm not too lazy to get my bum down to the supermarket.

with apple-mango juice. from the bottle of course. strangely, the sparkling juice wasn't enticing enough...plus dessert of kuih lopes kukus courtesy of datin hazreena di como.

and my piece de resistance that made the dinner GOOD? potato dauphinoise. we were watching an old man prance around carcasonne, me reminiscing about francois in his tight black swimming shorts and his gt bike...anyhow, he the old man went on to make the abovementioned dish. looked good. i tried to commit the recipe to memory while the husband started to dribble and go on and on about how delicious the dish looks.

so what i did was, i greased the bottom of a 10inch pyrex with butter. i use pyrex nowadays even to grill meats cos it's just easier to clean. i never EVER want to scrub another baking tray with burnt foily saucy meaty bits stuck to the bottom. woohoo!!!

moving on, i pounded 7cloves of garlic and spread em out on the bottom of the pyrex. then i peeled 9potatoes, large ones and sliced them about 1cm thick. put a layer of potatoes, then sprinkle salt and pepper, then another layer of potatoes until they all run out. on the final layer, i sprinkled abit of cinnamon powder. original recipe called for nutmeg but i didn't have any and the hubby was taking his afternoon nap so i wouldn't want to risk waking him up by running out of the house. long story.

press down the potatoes abit now to reduce number of gaps then beat 150ml cream with 150ml milk and pour it all in. and finally, i covered the top with a mix of grated cheeses: parmesan, cheddar, mozarella. only cos they come beautifully mixed in a coles bag heheh

baked it at 220degs until the top is golden brown (maybe...30mins...? no guarantee...) and the potatoes are cooked. voila! and the husband is happy and burpy.

i tasted a variation once, where there were slices of sweet potatoes and mushrooms, meaty ones, interspersed with the usual suspects. also, a sprinkling of herbs would be a nice touch. the creamy texture of the dish actually makes it good as a base for a pasta dish. alah, gaulkan dengan macaroni yang dah dimasak plus afew squished cherry tomatoes...eh, maybe adding smoked rashers to the dauphinois wouldn't be a bad idea...or bits of chicken...or seafood...

telan air liur kejap...amacam...? like makcik2 kat dapor tak...? ahaha

Labels: i'm not thinking

6oz butter cream with 6oz sugar
beat in 3 eggs, one by one
fold in 2tbsp cocoa and maybe 4oz of selfraising flour
mix in choc chips that have been dusted with flour
(so that the chips don't sink in during baking)
fill 2/3 of each cup with batter
bake at 180degs for 15-18mins

icing:
4 egg whites
1tsp cream of tartar
beat til light
beat in icing sugar a little at a time until the desired quantity is reached
the stiffer it is, the faster it sets
use colouring paste to minimise impact on sugar stiffness

tak jamin recipe ni foolproof. the last time i baked, i had to cheat. emergency!!! hehe watch the consistency of the batter as u add in the flour. the stiffer it looks, the more cakey ur erm cakes will be. if u want fudgy, aim for a more liquid batter. or betty crocker's has a nice selection heheh

Labels: forgotten recipe for a well-remembered fren

i met with a datok
he came with datin
they sent here their son
to learn at curtin

salihin was there
he helped settle in
it was typical of him
to step up with his grin

we went for tandoori
they made me drink lassi
was really quite worth it
my resume they had asked to see

yay!

Labels: poem for a sweltering week

i hear his little chants
calling me
it's calling me
steal me from sleep
draw me from sanity
nourish me

the strings

i will not quit
not later
not now

sorry been on hiatus. ok no that's a lie. i've been a lazy LAZY girl. it's summer, i'm in australia, mate, with sun, sand & surf so sue me. not like u guys miss me or really care about what i'm doin kan. really...? hehe

wasn't planning to put up a post (couldn't be bothered to as usual) but somehow i find myself in front of the trusty dell inspiron 5150. looked thru some blogs. read abit of the news (somehow all i get on tv is local news...ben cousins? or kevin rudd? maybe natalie gauci *yawn*) anyhoo, didy had the audacity to ask what melissa's are. HALLO where haf u been?!!?!? they are the most beautiful things to adorn my dainty feet since like FOREVER! got my 1st pair of clear fishermans maybe 4yrs ago thanks to cuz-cuz lisa (I LOVE U!). they had beautiful bright yellow insoles similar to the ones here. yummy grape bubbleyum scent. topped off with a signature Romero Britto heart. nuthin like a 1st love. i haven't looked back since.

& no there is nuthin wrong with me. i did buy two new pairs in Nice in June 2005 to replace the fishermans that broke after 2yrs of almost daily service. two becos well, how do u choose between funky-ass blue and the classic clears?! u should be thankful i didn't also get the other styles on offer. what can i say, i needed to alleviate the hurt deep inside me when i had to leave behind my broken pair (thanks redapple & jess & cynth for all the support and understanding u guys haf shown/given me) and i did rinse them out religiously after heavy-duty wearing on hot or sandy or muddy days. i haven't worn the metallic gray ones i was given two months ago except in the wardrobe maybe twice just to admire the way they perfectly hug my feet. or to touch or smell them occasionally (bubblegum-scented how fun is that!!!!). OMG i'm like tank evans fondling his trophies in surf's up *sigh* but no matter. i should show appreciation for God's gifts to mankind. trust me, if the woman's feet dun hurt, she will be kind to the man...

they haf melissa's here. u.s website has a good range. aussie ones kinda suck but there are stockists in perth city. i MUST check those out (yay! somethin fruitful to do hehe). saw some in shops in freo. ofcos i was jumpin excitedly like an ape outside the shop but no, when sal2 offered to be the gentleman and buy me a pair i said no. i shall be an adult about it. i dun need another pair of melissa's yet (that is a lie). i promise myself though, i shall go crazy once i get my own dough. am already eyeing a pair of green barbie-ish heels with pink insoles at novo. suntec city wait for me!!!! i wouldn't mind an early birthday gift though. we dun haf to wait til may...

oh oh and i got a new phone!!!! nokia n73 with a 3.2megapix cam and videocall capabilities. sue, call me!!! what i like about the phone plan here is there's this cap plan limit thing that u can keep track of. just go to the network site right on ur phone for updates. plus, i get 100mins free outgoing international call and stuff all for aud29 (hope i din get that info wrong hehe). the phone itself is 10buckaroos per mth for 24mths. ok kan....? been taking stupid photos not suitable for public viewing. can never get my hair or eyes straight at the right moment. and dun get me started on my skin *sigh* but it's kinda fun snapping random crappy shots (i'm fantastic with a regular idiot-proof camera...no, that's sar-casm...). i'm halfway to izyani-dom!!! hehe and watchin tv on that thing, wow...salihin's jealous. i think he kinda regrets gettin a different phone for himself. i did offer to exchange lah kekadang. that is if the mood suits me. but i secretly think he might be plotting to kidnap it for himself. he keeps touching it...

oh and the best part is, when u buy a phone, u actually get software cd and a data cable!!! that means u can actually down/upload stuff easily and manage ur phone!!! the cd installer even has an option to install in malay, man...power...go 3 network!! hehe I LOVE AUSTRALIA!!! but tampines is great too woohoo! haha

eh anyway, would u guys be interested in an update? well, 2weeks ago on monday i went for my medical check up. a cute scottish nurse took my blood. kinda gross lah but he's cute so no pain hehe they poked me so bad it took a week to go away but overall i'm a healthy 38kg 1.52m baby girl with 6/4 eyesight on my left alhamdulillah. amazing how ur body dun fall sick quite as often when it knows more is expected of it. step up to the game lah kira. ofcos the doc made jokes about how i am sooooo light i could possibly be blown by the wind. well, hardy-har-har. like i haven't heard that one before...u fail to realise, sir, that u are as slightly built as i am. so there! after that we rushed to submit my papers.

then went round & round trying to sort out my phone and licence. din do too well that dae cos well, the stoopid bank decided to send me a letter not in the format i requested. best part wuz we had to pay fer it. so dah bingit kan, sal2 decided to confront the bank. how cute haha we got them to send us a new one at no extra charge. nando's made everything ok again. i love nando's...credit to cik daud for baby b'gash's & my 1st bite in birmingham.

ok ignore how terrible he looks. it's me lah ok. the guy's hungry. i'm too good with the camera. result: a veeeery "flattering" shot hehe just concentrate on the food, shall we? extra hot quarter chicken and bbq wings with corn-on-the-cob and peri-peri fries on the side yum! hehe

the next few days were an emotional blur. can't even remember most of it other than we had alot of time for us so that's good. finally managed to get a cellphone (the said n73) from a singaporean francise (takleh lari, balls...go figure) the monday after. then some time last week the malaysian neighbour punya mak came by with her 17yr-old daughter. girl's in college, mom on holiday. makcik kept giving me the once-over and repeatedly asked me where i was from. makcik, awak tu mesmerised sangat ke dengan suami saya yang awak tak dengar: saya pun orang singapura macam salihin. lagipun, makcik, it's not a once-over if it's not done only once. very not polite ler...yang kelakarnyer, i wasn't dressed properly cos i had just stepped outta the shower. so while i was rushing to pull on sumthin presentable, salihin yang baru bangun had to answer the door haha he looked a mess!! sorry darling, taking one for the team hehe woohoo!! and btw, it's aunty, not makcik. whatever...

oh we went for a walk in the city to see angels in the perth sky after conca's for chilli mussels. darn good mussels, i tell u. so good, i got locked in the car for it once huahaha photos courtesy of my new shiny metallic red nokia n73. sexy...




then a few days ago we went to visit umi jah & ami salim. these people actually accompanied baba to pinang mama. how funky is that!!! the 1st time we came to visit, we had brought them videos of our wedding. it stilll amazes me that they are in our lives masya Allah. great to feel like i haf family here. umi jah kept patting me on my knee. she loves baba. adores him masya Allah and she went on & on about mama's cooking hehe i haf to be a better grand-daughter for her.

we managed to wake up on the wrong side of the bed on sunday so that wasn't a very good dae. thanks to pamela, yesterday the sun shone thru hehe helped that we got caught in afternoon rush hour traffic on tonkin highway so almost got ticked off by the sq check-in agent. but pammy was allowed 40kg so no probs there. jogged to departure hall in my heels. no time for hissy fits. all's good. pam's back in foody heaven. i'm still here and it's kinda cold. summer is proving to be a schitzophrenic companion. sending zak off in 4hrs. too bad we're not attending datin aimee's wedding along with him and fatin. trip to kl would haf been nice.

no matter. i'm still making lemonade. made lemon cheesecake again in fact. having it for brekkie, lunch and dinner with no mama around to make sure i eat proper food. what salihin dunno won't hurt him either hehe

i haf to start saving for anotha pair of melissa's, man...gettin jittery with sweaty palms as we speak *gack* can almost smell them. nevermind, it's now 11:56am. haf time to jump back into bed and dream about my next pair.

Labels: shoes shoes glorious shoes

well...if i had my way, i'd be back in tampines RIGHT NOW stuffing my face with a whopper or old chang kee anything or satay from east coast or laksa or fishball noodles or alotta other things from banquet or my mom's cooking or hope against hope, nenek midah's nasi briyani dam. then sal2 & i will spend the next few days/nights at spize for lamb chops and eatzy for chilli mussels (and lamb chops) and to many beautiful places with their many beautiful foods on offer. the burgers may be better at hungry jacks, but they are not halal. and dun even get me started on the desserts. alas, i'm not eating anything but my own cooking right now becos I'M NOT FLYING...yet. powers that be who determine my visa status have decided that i shall wait. so wait, i shall (very the yoda i noe. stars wars was showing over the weekend hehe)

but i shall not be the typical chengeng girl that i am and go cry my eyeballs out, altho i did bawl sporadically for a month after mama left me in perth hehe paisei...tu jer pandai...SO i shall not cry. and i shall stop getting irritated, cos i only end up venting it out on sal2. it is not fair, maybe. he deserves a raise, probably. but i maintain it's not my fault; he's usually the one in the line of fire.

anyway, i decided that i shall be a man and step up to the challenge. keep my chin up. continued abt my business todae pretending that i wasn't supposed to get on that damn plane at 13:45, that i didn't noe didy was gonna surprise me at the airport, that i wasn't gonna miss all that food, and the hugs, and the kisses, and the relieved crying (got such thing ker...?). at least i finally finished the accounting. i got lunch/dinner done. laundry has been stowed. watched some tv. fixed up the otha blog for sal2. installed a software and uploaded stuff using the software for sal2. spent time with my roses. the tomato's lookin lovely so how can i complain. look at it *sigh* yesterdae was even more fruitful. so packed that i had lunch at 21:00 abouts. started with a maggot. small fluffy plump lil thing the size of a grain of rice. yep, the type that asy-asy-b'gash loves with her soursop drinks. saw it wriggling right in front of my room door. my intention was just to put away our stuff, vacuum the bedroom and finish off by washing the toilet. but once i saw our lil traveller, i washed all the linen i could get my hands on including the ones in the guest room and the sofa cover (dry-cleaning only. yeah right. tak pape pun...). the alas in the kitchen had to go (it's now soaking in the laundry room sink. dun see why we nid it in the 1st place). and i ended up vacuuming the whole house. i mean the whole house including behind the dryer. cept for the brother's room. respecting people's privacy. but i heard his room got attacked by flies before *sigh* wish i could get my hands on that one...


thank god i made mee rebus the nite before. takyah masak yay!!! concentrated fully on the tasks at hand. my dae started at 09:45 for sal2's brekkie and ended just after 02:00 with sal2's tapao lunch (for werk the nx day). managed to cancel our flights in between (yes i pulled the trigger myself), broke the ugly news to my parents and did afew other admin stuff. maggot count yesterdae: 7 in assorted places. the rest, i just closed my eyes and sucked it up. literally.


found one todae in the kitchen. this slenge girl forgot i haven't cooked rice in two days, so manalah datang nyer this lil grain on the floor? needless to say, i picked it up with my bare fingers. IT CRAWLED ON MY HAND!!! tak sah lah kalau tak pekik kan. luckily i was home alone... so count for todae: 1 and hoping none crawls into my ear while i sleep.


damage control: closed all windows and sprayed a whole can of baygon (the largest size on the shelves for AUD6.99 on offer) into every crevice i can see. now all that's left is to pray that it bites and they all meet the Maker before i do. animals can be cute, but flies in ozzie? just stupidly irritating.


house is clean, food's on the stove, everything else i set out to do, done. i hear his car in the driveway...


ps. sorry baby girl u had to find out thru someone else. was only confirmed yesterday...

Labels: going home...not

hehe having such a boooootiful dae. sun is out, weather is fine (it's abt 23degs todae), laundry is hangin out to dry, lunch is ready, and i already had my 3pm breakfast. life's good when hubby is out at work hehe

busy dae up ahead tomoro so no plans to do anything much todae. just haf to take stock of my life: i want to start working soon. not that being a housewife is not fulfilling but i dun feel sufficiently challenged intellectually. dun get me wrong. means the world to me when salihin notices the house is clean, or when he suddenly exclaims "that's the shit right there" when sumthin i prepared kena dengan tastebuds dier. how i can be ecstatic when he equates my cooking to crap, i haf no idea. i duno lah. metalheads...*sigh* love is blind i guess or in my case, deaf and duh. the feeling i get tho, he deserves a hug, maybe a kiss also. everything else, i'll consider hurhur at this point, i shall offer airsick bags to all my avid readers hehe

got abit irritated lah juz now. life's not all that rosy. i hate it HATE it when my work area is messed up. if by me, ok fine. i noe i will come back and clean it up. but if by somebody else, man, i wanna bitchslap em good...tak nampak ke that damn coffee stain on the counter. or the rag is soggy cos its drooping into the sink. or that the water jug is empty becos someone is not considerate enuf to boil more water after a water parade (a daily ritual that is starting to grate on me i must add. not the water parade. waking up to an almost empty jug. aku pun kekadang haus sak...). seriously, balls...and dun give me that crap about how i can't expect the same standards of cleanliness from boys as is generally required of girls. that is a whole lotta bullshit coming from someone who...i duno lah!! nak cakap pun buat dosa jer, and it'll probably upset my darling hubby. so deep breaths aishah. u can do this, girl...haha

anyways, little things in life makes it all ok. well, not ok lar per se but at least i get distracted from my state of unnecessary pissedness. am i really that demanding? or a perfectionist? no i dun really want an answer. and baby, a hug and a "then u train us" ain't gon work all the time. Tuhan, tolonglah aku...

but where was i? distractions...distractions...oh ok the little things in life. when i stepped out to hang the laundry, guess what!!! (cue audience: what!?!?!?) my roma tomato is turning yellow!!!! hehe it was ALMOST yellow yesterday. this afternoon, it's yellow, turning red. to the uninitiated, that means the tomato dah nak masak lar...hehe but exciting kan!!! we got chillies (3 1L-tupperware full). our roses, daisies, heliconias, petunias, asters are blooming nicely. the strawberries fuit pretty quickly. the tomatoes haf been challenging. dry, crackling, wilting leaves. pest attacks. flowers dropping off before their time. but now that salihin & i water it ourselves daily (as opposed to having the sprinklers do the job), the plants are starting to bear fruit. it's just sebiji fer now. more are poppin their lil heads. we just haf to make sure we dun screw it up for them hehe scary...

eh, juz realised i started this post wanting to take stock of my life and to plan my next moves *sigh* distractions again...nvm, i gotta got set up a blog for sal2 1st...be back aite. cheers mates!

Labels: distracted

just got a comment on friendster from izyani. we all noe how disciplined i am when it comes to most things so...jgn haraplah aku nak asyik2 update all my blogs, profiles & all that jazz. not that i dun haf the time lah. bohong tu namanya. mama sez i kalahkan her. housewives of the world UNITE! so busy one...taklah but i'd rather be outside in the garden when it's not baking hot (before 10am is gd nowadays), or in front of the tv (that's usually where i am), or in bed (when i'm not in front of the tv).

i won't blame sal2 either although i'd say he spends more time updating his facebook profile & playing the games on offer (i think he's into drag racing now) than staring lovingly at my cute lil face heheh so...

1. gotta get my own laptop
2. block a timeslot to upload photos and update blogs
3. take more pics and do more fun stuff so that i actually got stuff to entertain u guys with harhar

talkin abt fun stuff, we almost went to a post-exam party last night. i say almost cos well, we drove by, went in, shook hands wif some people, then sal2 took me on a tour of his ol place. and nope, no college-type make-out sesh happened. boring...but the best part was....we left soon after. for the 1st tym, i feel damn feckin old, man...so out of place. i mean, i'm not in skool anymore so i haf nuthin much to ask cos qns abt skool juz sux. sal2 oso wasnt too comfy wif that particular group. plus, mosta the guys had their noses down their bottles anywez so...

we decided to go for a drive hehe very ol-skool old people one...we got ice-cream, parked at mackerz and had a nice chat. very 1950s date lar...haha

lesson for the day (or night): party with ppl who...

who...i dunno eh. if i say like-minded people, well, my frenz in sg were kinda fun eventhough i'm kinda "safe". and i'm not that old. just that i'm not in college anymore. with who eh...?

*sigh* i'll try uploading some pics later tonight. for now, think i'm gonna take a nap. sal2's already gone to work. kinda lonely...

Labels: i'm not old

whew weather is much kinder nowadays. low 30's or high 20's are still betta than 39degs altho im still spendin most of it in bed hehe low humudity means no perspiring (not much) altho the icky sticky feeling is still there. resorted to hangin "tapestries" onto my bedroom windoes to kip out the sun. it doesnt wanna kiss me. my skin is totally licked!! no peeling like some people (all ok post winter thanks to BodyShop Cranberry body butter) but im gettin tan lines in all the wrong places eww...

bedroom looks gd tho. feels like im in a bedouin tent thanks to two orange scarves courtesy of ibu & aunty mariam (they will find their way around my face one day insya Allah) but for now they shall join a dark blue throw on my curtain bar hehe anything to kip the heat out. ventilator on almoz all the time so that i dun get snuffed out in my own room. it's gd at nite tho. cool.

what is more exciting is i got kak jah to agree to a wedding dress from Into Camelot!!! exciting kan!!! ofcos the woman started out wif her usual "over nye...." but gave her a few mins wif the webpage and suddenly "the blue & white one in agincourt looks kinda nice..."

kinda..? KINDA...? u ah...eksyen ony...aiyoh...suka say suka lar...hurhur gotcha! but insya Allah u'll get it. even if i may not sponsor, i'll courier it for u huahuahua now to cfm the wedding date. sal2's gettin lonely for a brother *ahakz*

i like that we all can do things for each otha. not tryin to be all gooey here lah with all that ooo-im-so-far-away-u-guys-shd-be-thankful-for-what-im-missing crap. i mean, understand understood lah. i dun think we are all that ignorant & unappreciative. in any case, i feel blessed. i noe for sure my fam's gon be there for me & i wont be made to feel like shit for it. stars are aligning fer sure. got contacts to follow up on, visa's in its final stages (insya Allah), food on the table, hubby in my bed (so exhausted from the exams all he does is sleep it off). perfect!! masya Allah. now all i want fer christmas is for the rest of u to get ur asses here. missin me aint no gd if u aint gon make the trip aite.

also, family, i noe u wanna be there fer me ALL THE TIME but sometimes i nid to struggle for a bit. keeps me alert hehe but muchos muchos gracias

Labels: stayin? or goin...?

o...k...now i noe what 38.9deg is like. weather for todae? hot hot HOT. sweltering. dun talk abt the fan. it only circulates the lazy air right back in ur face. and when i say lazy, i mean LA-ZY. didn't do anything of much significance these past two days. malam temperature can reach 28degs so forget abt sleepin properly. weatherman promises it won't get hotter than this this week. we might even get some rain coming monday. MAYBE. anyhoo, not much desire to do anything. only managed to grab some breakfast eggs late this mornin. when i got home, salihin said he could feel the hot air slap him in the face when he opened the door for me. he's set up camp under the aircon in the living room...

well, at least the heat warms people up har-har kak tini at the butcher's grinned when i told her i miss sg heat. and the lady at the oriental shop is uncharacteristically perky!! apparently i missed the coolest part of the mornin at 7-ish. hallo, maybe it was too comfy to leave my bed duh!! she's been yapping away the whole mornin and didn't even realise it was already noon when i got there. the stamina of some people. my weakness i suppose is that i succumb so easily to the heat. drowsy drowsy drowsy...

sal2 struggles to concentrate on his studying. can only imagine. too bright to see anything. even the tap water is hot. we haf resorted to drawing all the blinds, we close all the doors and keep the aircon on. i'm gonna drown myself in home-made iced lemon tea.

luckily sal2 offered to drive me to pick up some veg and fruits at cannington market. won't haf the discipline to do it myself eventhough i nid melons in my system. starting to feel it in my head. haven't felt like eating lately. God u guys haf no idea how hot it is. NO idea. showering dun help cos u wanna get back into the shower as soon as u get out. the flies are so darned persistent insect repellant dun work (animal testing courtesy of sal2. he is now a fullfledged fly-hunter, running ard the house with a can of baygon. been honing his skill every summer for the past 3yrs. his count for todae: at least 4)

good thing is tho, the laundry dries within 2-3hours so that's great. dun haf to wake up at 7 o'clock (ok maybe 9am) to rush the laundry to catch maximun sun. i just haf to be careful not to leave em out too long. i dun really want extra crispy clothes to break away while im wearin em.

also, the owner of the house came this afternoon. wasn't very friendly initially. typically reserved singaporeans who seem to be wary of everyone. was even reluctant to wait in the house for cecilia (the agent) to arrive. i would think a very heavily pregnant woman (due next mth) would not refuse the refuge of an airconditioned room. but that's just me. funny...in the end masuk jugak. jual mahal jer gaknye

cecilia was her usual over-bubbly self. malaysian but so assimilated to the aussie culture she might not haf noticed how her chattering made the visitors seemingly uncomfy. then again, she may haf chosen to ignore it. they dun haf a very good relationship. long story...but at least they all liked the garden thank god! the chillies & tomatoes impressed the elder visitors most so that's good. kinda drew them out come to think of it. THEN they told me the plant that grows notoriously in the back is actuali edible. woohoo!!! that's one free veggie for us!! and cecilia couldn't haf told me this a few wks ago when she came over!?!? hehe i'm no cheapo lah tapi rezki jangan ditolak...apparently the stuff's good for soup. best thing to haf in this ridiculous heat i think. cecilia suggests i drop the leaves in boiling water with some ikan bilis and then break an egg into the pot. and that was how the women ended up talkin about soups and food in general. how domestic... *sigh*

so all's good. we watered the babies as soon as it got cooler. the tomatoes and mint looked like they needed a good watering. dah macam nak tertido. sal2's pretty emotionally attached to em now. he's extremely concerned for em, peeking thru the blinds frequently for as long as the blinding sun lets him. i'd rather he prepares for his papers but if staring at them (i think he chats with em) and studying their growth patterns keeps him calm and distracts him from much of the pressures of exams, i won't cheat them of that opportunity to bond. so while he's with his books thru the nite, think i'm gonna get acquainted with my pillows hehe

thank u family for everything. love u!!! no stress. i'm a fight this.

Labels: perth weather

well i lied...there's no urfa. heated up the remains of yesterday's fish soup for the hubby's dinner then went straight to bed. woke up disgustinly late todae. the heat wuz so freakin suffocating. i mean, really. the blinds were drawn. the aircon was on fullblast but the heat really hits u in waves, man...could feel the bahang licking at u thru the window.

that only meant stayin in bed til almost noon before shifting to the couch for a marathon sesh of the hbo serial Rome. by marathon, i mean we were done only at 9pm haha disgusting kan!!!! sal2 borrowed the 6-cd boxset from his fren david after they went to watch megadeth smlm

i managed to make "lunch" sometime in between episodes tho heheh so lunch is rice makan ngan chicken soup and stirfried spinach with mushrooms plus meatballs in tomato sauce, all made from scratch. haven't had lunch yet tho... :P

rome wuz good tho. haven't had anything hold my interest for that long lately. but this show is some complicated shitz, balls. everyone's screwin everyone else and u'd be an idiot to trust even ur own mother. lotsa soft porn action (apparently romans then were freakin horny), some woman-on-woman action, alil incest, generous doses of blood, and ofcos the politics. wow...

but that meant i missed jT on rove at 8.30pm *sigh*

Labels: rome marathon

realised i musta got somethin lost in the translation. kinda difficult to find the darn urfa recipe. found somethin that sounds kinda good on http://turkishcook.com so...let's just try it. no harm kan hehe oooo...takut...

but that turkish foods forum looks yummy. lotsa recipes...desserts next!

for the record, yahoo works better than google for me :P

autosaving function just helped me out so i find myself having to retype a post that took me 30mins to draft, and which i was soooooo close to publishing.

got off the phone with mama at 7pm perth time after 94minutes of curhat. just what i needed. feel so much better now insya Allah things will get better from here on. bismillah...

since my mood has improved, think i shall put in some effort in preparing dinner. sal2 has gone out to headbang to megadeth and some otha metal bands on gigantour (i think) so i got ample time to stir my pot hehe maybe i'll try my hand at making urfa, this turkish dish he alwez orders when we go to istanbul restaurant in freo. i duno. probably the draw of lamb swimming in a darn thick tomato-based sauce draws all the metalheads together. tak begitu cik asri? then again, it's probably just the meat in bloody red sauce brings out the hunter deep deeeeeep within him. i dun haf lamb in the fridge tho so he's gonna haf to make do with beef heheh

was in the shower this mornin when i thot of didy and her mango cheesecake/pudding. not sure what it wuz actually but we ate it anywez. family mah...muz show support hehe so i'm gonna share with u the recipe for the lemon cheesecake i usually make ony cos i love u haha eh my mom is interested, and sal2 sez it's the best cheesecake he's ever had, better than the ones in the shops. how can i not love this guy, tell me? haha smart man, i tell u masya Allah

so, here we go: for the crust, crumble 10 digestive biscuits and mix in enough melted butter so that u get a moist mixture that can hold together. u can use gingersnaps if u want. press that into an 8inch pan. if u dun haf the springform type that releases at the sides, line ur pan with aluminium foil. make sure u got some excess foil around the sides so that u can ease the cake out when u're ready to eat.

in anotha bowl, leave 2pkts of cream cheese (i use philly) to soften then stir in condensed milk. maybe abt half a small can max. some recipes use melted white choc but since the purpose seems to just make it sweet & creamy, milk is easier. i hate to haf to double boil chocolate. i also add 2tbsp sugar. fold in half a cup of thick cream that u haf whisked. squeeze in the juice of a lemon. finally, add in finely chopped rind of the same lemon. jangan waste eh adek2...

u can play ard with the amt of sugar, milk, juice and rind. once u got the taste u want, pour the cheese mixture into the pan. no nid to blind bake the crust 1st. juz press crust in, then pour cheese on top of that. cover with more foil to prevent the surface from burnin and the cake from drying out, but leave abit of opening to let some steam out. let it breathe lah sikit...bake at 180degs for abt an hour or until the cake has almoz set. for me, this means the surface is not as shiny as when it 1st goes in the oven. leave it to cool in the oven (that means switch off the oven & leave the door ajar) before putting it in the fridge. cake ni makan sejok2 sedap. ALWEZ cut a cheesecake with a clean knife. u'll get pretty slices with smooth sides. not the gross slops some ppl serve out. yucks!

yg gatal nak variation, u can tabur berries or some otha fruits, fresh/preserved/from a can, before u pour in the cheese mix. since cheese is kinda savoury, i guess an acidic fruit would be good. sour stuff like raspberries or orange slices. maybe peaches or prunes. MAYBE. melons or avocadoes would be gross. else, leave out the lemon rind, and go crazy with whatever fruit u haf. juice from half a lemon at least to cut thru the smell of the cheese.

alternatively, jams/preserves might work. stir it in but not 100% incorporated. just so u get beautiful swirls when u cut the cake. style lah sikit. else, bake the cake 1st. when it's almost baked, take it out and spread some jam. bake for 5-10mins more just so the spread sets.

sounds good? bucci asked once abt baking cheesecakes. this is pretty easy so try it aite. i want a full report with pictures in 2wks. ima can try too. do it as a weekend/holiday project wif ibu/siti ah. at least tak boring kan...? kahkahkah

now, where is that urfa recipe...

thanks didy for the melon recipe...yum!

Labels: cheesecakes goooood...

think im gonna SCREAM!!! not sleeping well. dun feel like eating. i feel so drained mostly. God, i'm friggin irritable...and i'm not even the one having exams *sigh* nid to talk to preserve my sanity :P

think i'm goin back to bed

my head's gonna EXPLODE!!!! my eyes feel like they're poppin out, balls...haven't done anything mentally challenging for so many months yet now i find myself friggin deep in receipts, bills, invoices. u name it. i probably got it splayed all over my bed. blardy hellz lah...

never been the type to be really vigilant with my finances. these numbers...swimming...

sal2's laughing at me. yeah yeah my bad...been complainin abt needing a challenge lately. not my fault lah ok!!! i wuz bored yes. but i had the garden to tend to. and the tv. so i'm PARTIALLY bored heheh i'd say matt aka jesus the metalhead hit the final nail into the coffin. HE pointed out engineering musta been a challenging course. HE surmised that i must miss the challenge. well, i do lah ok. i admit it. didn't think i'm gonna be punished so severely for having such a thirsty mind. blardy hellz lah...i nid someone to talk to...not paperwork!!!

even so, i kinda enjoy it tho especially when i can trace each expenditure and have a mucho mucho claro picture of our finances. i filed everything nicely, in chronological order, in separate files for the house, car, garden, school etc. kak jah would be proud huahaha takyah lah waste money next time on a financial advisor. for all y'all who's missing the point, the engineer is doin the finances for the accountant. thank god i paid attention in econs & finance class. tak sesia dapat C *ahakz*

and to all mah baybees having exams this week & the next, besta luck y'all. insya Allah sukses!

Labels: finance principles one-oh-wan

weird end to a senselessly busy week. spent a whole thursday sleeping in. and i mean sleeping in; i finally woke up at 2pm. yes ma, 2pm...was in the garden the whole of friday sampai i missed a lunch msn appointment with izyani. saturday started late too with the blessings of a very exhausted husband. he wasn't well so i played the dutiful wife and accompanied him in bed heheh a full session of manic uploading of pictures onto photobucket and msngroups straddled my weekend. plus i successfully godeh2 my blog template. it actually looks pretty decent now. also watched the redbull air race before a light round of housekeeping saw me through my sunday where i was so mentally exhausted i came home without the oranges i bought.

learnt a lot of things this weekend. interesting fact: red bull DOES give u wings. well, almost. a man took 8 cans in 5hours and suffered a heart attack. luckily for him, it wasn't his time yet.

it was apparently time for 3 people known to a sista of mine. i won't say the 2 young lives were lost before their time. i was brought up with the notion that when He calls, u WILL answer, ready or not. so stay strong, girlfren. haf faith.

also found out a fren of mine, her husband is suffering from cancer. i'm not sure if he still has the cancer. stage 3 but he's ok after treatment, whatever that means. the info is never accurate when the source tells u it's a secret and no one is supposed to noe in the 1st place. but this girl is a fren. i've known her a long time. i should call her. but what for? show of support? i'm not supposed to noe in the 1st place. this is a very confusing process. i shall wait.

for now, pray for those who have left us. and for ourselves.

it's been freezin cold these past few days, getting back to near 16degs with threats of hailstorms on some days. what the heck lah....i mean, what happened to beautiful spring weather??? i'm sorry ok i complained about the heat. come on lah, the last time i had to worry about getting a tan was when i played hockey and that wuz aeons ago!!!

i'm still slapping on sunblock (occasionally) but i refuse to be caught dead in long sleeves. blardy hot lah ok....i noe someone who wanna action hero. long sleeves block out the sun lah kekonon, but after that wanna go home change into a very thin t-shirt. boleh gitu haha thank god i'm not that puteh or i'd be even more paranoid

anyhoo, i updated myself on the comings and goings of two of my biggest fans. one's obviously struggling with budak2 kental crap (girl, one piece of advice: those crazy bitches will never be happy whatever u do so tell em, "screw it, stuff urselves. as long as i'm happy and my parents aren't embarrassed, kiss my pretty lil toot" haha). and the otha sista, HAPPY HARI RAYA!!!!

i had all these issues too, man...haha but yep perspectives change when u get yanked outta your comfort zone. i jeles tau ur raya pics got so many people...u noe lah me, very lazy to take pics. i dun even pay attention sometimes haha

but raya wuz great. two day cooking marathon (sambal goreng pengantin is soooooo labour intensive so setahun sekali je ok sayang...). went to a few houses spread over two weeks (i went jalan raya without the hubby yesterdae FREEDOOOOOMMMMM!!! tak sesia cos i had rojak india huahahahah i lurve u aunty salwa). had our own open house that 1st raya weekend serving mee siam, kari daging with lebanese bread, double choc chip cuppies, homemade cheesecake & air bandung. invited about 50 people!!! almost like home...
i still missed having u guys around with the preps. cry cry ok...

also, my crazy systems's not letting me post pics so maybe next time my dears...

Labels: 1st eid in perth

woohoo!!! ok my 1st real entry at the request of hardcore fans like bucci and didy muahaha it's almost 11am and i'm still here in my sleep clothes. sent hubby on his way with a brekkie of eggs sunny-side-up and smoked beef rashers plus his usual mug of milo. aussie milo sux; too much milk in it. but if i haf to drink it, i haf to drink it. right? *gag*

so anyways, whadya guys wanna noe? i'm currently trying to scan a copy of my marriage cert to email to singapore but the feckin printer hates me so...i'm gonna cheat. switch off. switch on. there we go...i hate his printer/scanner/photocopier. knows too much, does too little.

anyhoo, been busy this past weeks. cooking, washing, cleaning, watchin dr.phil, oprah, ready steady cook, judge judy all in that order...hard work but someone's gotta do it. guess i'm learnin to go slow and dumb myself down. can get quite frustrating but no one shd worry. i don't vent it out on sal2 that often hehe

sun is out, i should do the laundry. haf to go grocery shopping in an hour. i wanna stay in my bed...

Test Test

1 2 buckle my shoe
3 4 shut the door
5 6 pick up sticks
7 8 lay them straight
9 10 a big fat hen

which the butcher increased the price of

Swan River colony