Grass and Play...

Referring to my earlier posts, the kids and I were in Kedah last week. Me- there for work, the kids just tagged along and using the opportunity to butter up grandma and grandpa...

While their mommy was busy working on Wednesday, they were out playing on the greens on campus. Mysha was terrified of the grass, her grandma even has video proof of it all, hahahaha... Poor kid, mommy and daddy to busy to take her to the park to fool around on the grass and nature. She is such a city girl. I'm beginning to think we should take the kids for some outdoor activities like camping... hmmmmmmm I wonder if they're ready for it?

Anyway, back to the story.... Their daddy drove up to Kedah with their other uncle on Saturday. While waiting for them to arrive, we (my mom, brother and I) took the kids on campus for an afternoon of fun... This time around Mysha wasn't terrified of the grass... The kids wanted to fly kite, even though there was no wind that afternoon. Their uncle had to pretend to the 'wind'. Now, that's a sight -- a scary one, hahaha...

U gotta do this first...

I'll help...

Still trying their best @ flying the kite on their own....


Some adult help... Hey! It's flying... Kinda

After playing around @ the edge of the field, chasing them (which they loved) we headed down to the deer park... Ridzuan was a bit afraid to pet the deers and first, but soon warmed up to them and didn't want to leave. Mysha on the other hand was a different matter all together. She was screaming her lungs out when I took her up close, but was chitty chatty and pointing here and there from inside the car with her grandma....

STOP! U're giving me a headache...

Ridzuan was patting alright... If I were deer I'd go join back the rest of the group! hehehehe... No amount of leaves is worth that hard pat on the head..... Or maybe this guy was just too hungry, I wonder?... hmmmmmm

POCKETS HERE POCKETS THERE, OH MY! POCKETS EVERYWHERE!

I just couldn't believe it! I'm planning to make myself a pair of simple pants for shopping and lazing around over the weekend and had been contemplating of putting an inseam pocket (I found out this word just now, hehehehe... I just called it a pocket @ the side before this).
Unfortunately, being new and sewing with zero formal background in sewing almost made me give up on the idea of sewing a pocket (all you wonderful wonderful wonderful bloggers who have graciously shared your knowledge through series of tutorials and downloadable patterns are my dearest teachers.... thank you so much!).

Somehow just now I saw ikatbag's giveway and went to check what it's all about (not much of a blogger, rarely check my blog. Funny, since the reason I started this blog was so that I could follow others and get updates easily, hehehehe)... Anyway, I was curious about the inseam pocket and there it was! A picture tutorial of how to make the inseam pocket...... I just can't believe my eyes! I'm so excited, it seems so easy.......... Thank you so much

Oh, and the reason for this blog is because I so want those pockets ikatbag is giving away.... My mind's wandering already all the things with pockets I'm going to explore in the very near future....... I hope this entry is a winner......

Oh, yeah... for those of you reading this, this is the pockets I really want to win....

HERE AND THERE...

East and West, North and South.... lately for the past month to be exact, work has taken me around Malaysia.... Soooooo tiring! My poor little Boy and Girl were left to fend for themselves, kinda, sort of... Daddy had to take care of them, kinda, sort of....

The first trip was to Labuan, 21-23 November... Luckily the grandma was there to the rescue... Grandma arrived later in the evening, the same day mommy left for Labuan.... Grandma stayed on for a little over a week.... 29-30 November was Lumut's turn, grandma went back to Kedah the very same same mommy came back from Lumut. So, technically daddy was not alone to take care of the kiddies...

4-7 December the whole Khairul Anuar 'clan' followed mommy to Langkawi. Mommy tried to squeeze in family time and work time. All our plans ran astray due to last minute changes, and we only managed to visit 2 places in Langkawi, The Giant Eagle near the Jetty the afternoon after mommy finished her work and Gunung Matchinchang the very next day before we left Langkawi... We were in line for an hour to catch the cable car up, but was only there for a mere 10 minutes and arrived @ the hotel just in time to check out.

Luckily mommy is good @ planning things, all those chocolate shopping was crammed after dinner (thankfully we managed to get a room @ the Bayview Langkawi @ the very last minute). Mommy had already packed everything before we left for the cable car station, so when we reached the hotel, we just needed to change the kids and grab the luggages... Though it was like the Amazing Race, we still had fun. What's important is that we had time together... Even if it was only to see 2 things out of the looooong list of things to see / visit in Langkawi....

Anyway, back to the here and there thingy... Daddy's true test of taking care of the kids all by himself came later on in the week, when mommy went to Kluang on the 9-10 December... My poor poor poor babies, daddy's still not quite ready yet to take care of you guys without any help from anybody..... Poor things.... Luckily this week it's in Kedah and Perlis, so mommy to the kids along and stayed @ grandma and grandpa's place....

The kids are having fun here, basking in the love and attention from grandma, grandpa and uncle chichik. Ridzuan is spoilt rotten more than ever.... Mommy is gritting her teeth right now. I think they are perfectly flat already and shiny, all that gritting and grinding... hehehehehe.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! YEAY!

Ok, it's been 2 days already, but it's still my birthday week... Happy Birthday to me... A great birthday this year (though lacking in presents, sheesh! hehehehe)... My loved ones beside me, heath, living in a beautiful n peaceful country, breathing fresh air (minus some of the pollution that I also contribute to), a career, lots of birthday wishes, what more could I ask for? Ok, a birthday cake would be nice, but I can let that one go, hehehehehehe....

This is what I got from Mr Buffel..... (every d'Guild member gets one, but who's asking right?)

The Man took us to this place @ solaris mont kiara for my Birthday Dinner...

Inside dining area.... Ok, so this is not exactly the dining area, more of the staircase that led to the upstairs dining area.... but this is inside.... that counts, right?

Outside dining area with the drink station...

The Golden Triangle...

As if we were there...

Nice and cozy huh? a bit of privacy for the family.... Great for a romantic dinner as well...

The Man's Watermelon Juice

Birthday Girl and her sister's Umbra Juice (formally known as the buah kedondong) with asam boi.

I give this drink 2 thumbs up (and that's because I ordered this drink twice, just couldn't get enough of it)....

The Boy's Chocolate Drink...

eeeiiihhhhh passable I would say.... Can't compete with the umbra juice....

We started off our dinner with this appetizer...

Mieng Kham

Was supposed to order this one again after dinner. Yes, I know it's an appetizer... Unfortunately, the inevitable happened... My kids, if not one of them, it's the both of them simultaneously, just have to poop when we're about to sit down to eat @ a new place / a place they've never been to before... And my birthday was no exception. Fortunately, Mysha was sitting beside The Man, and I didn't know what happened until I finished my dessert. The Man was gracious enough not to tell me, so I could enjoy my birthday dinner, Thank U Sayang! He was also nice enough to wash her up after we left the restaurant. Unfortunate for Mysha, mommy did not bring a spare anything for her, so we only had her daddy's handkerchief to cover her up. Good thing we went there straight after work, so her day bag was in the car and there was an extra diaper in there. So, we wrapped her up like a nice lil' present in the car (Even though the drive home is just a short distance, I'm not going to take the risk of her peeing in the car).

Let's proceed with the rest of the menu, shall we?

Saigon Fried Chicken Wings

We just simply loved this dish... Was supposed to order this one a second round, but the above mentioned happened.... Soooo.....

Tempura Squid

Stir fried kale in oyster sauce

Thai Curry Powdered Prawns....

Ridzuan loved this dish... Heck, he loves all things Shrimp....

Spicy Lime Leaves Soft Shell Crabs....

You betcha it was spicy, but it was damn good!

I think this dish is the Choo Chee Fish.

Not sure if Choo Chee is the name of the dish or the way it's cooked. Basically the fish was deep fried and than served with that thick gravy of spices and coconut milk.... This dish was recommended by our waitress that's why I don't remember the name... Just remember the taste....

And for dessert....

Tham Thim Krop.....

It's basically Water Chestnuts covered with tapioca flour (colored red) giving it that pomegranate appearance, slices of jackfruit, served in coconut milk....

Coconut Jelly...

Made with pure coconut water, not one of those coconut jelly come some people make with a bit of coconut water and syrup.... this one u really taste the coconut.... Marvelous!

THANK YOU MY DARLING HUSBAND, for the lovely (and full) birthday dinner... for loving me enough to marry me, for wanting to spend the rest of your life with me and for letting me be the mother to your children. And also, for NOT FORGETTING my birthday... (let's hope The Man never does in the future, shall we?)

tata...

FOOD FOOD FOOD

So many things happened... been there, did that... ate here, ate there.... I'm really tired right now, just finished a 2 days course and I'm mentally drained, so I just want to rest my mind.... The coming posts are for you eyes, not much to read, but a lot to look at, sort of... Been a bit behind on my sewing lately. But I did managed to finally organize my sewing patterns.... This and a few more posts are not going to be sewing related, rather it's gonna be filled with pictures of places we've been to and food we ate these past week or so...


Ready? Saturday November 6th, Nenek held the 100 days tahlil for my late tok aki @ her place in Malacca. Since I've been craving for ikan bakar the good old Malacca way we just had to stop by @ a place to have them. These days ikan bakar places are all over the place, but I think it's been too commercialized and modernized. Even in Malacca most places have evolved into I don't know what to call them. Definitely not the old fashioned way... When I say old fashioned, the fish are grilled over the barbecue pit, charcoal or wood. And eaten with yours truely, the pre-packed nasi lemak. My husband would cringe whenever I say u gotta eat ikan bakar with nasi lemak. He just doesn't get it.

To some, ikan bakar with nasi lemak might sound a bit off or feel the two don't jive, but to me it brings back fond memories of childhood whenever the family goes back to our kampung and dad takes us to the ikan bakar place @ Serkam. Kampung Serkam, I think it's the first place in Malacca, or Malaysia for that matter to introduce this ikan bakar place concept. Or at least I believe it is so... Maybe I'm a bit bias on that since my kampung is just next door, but seriously, lots of people know Kampung Serkam because of it's famous ikan bakar place.

Anyway, here are the pics I mentioned...

Initially we wanted to try out this place. It's been around for quite some time, but I've personally never been there, and thought why not give it a try. The place look really nice... This is the Ikan Bakar Terampung in Umbai...

After a short call to a dear Malaccan friend, we decided to go some place else...... Just next door, also in Umbai. This place is actually @ the border of Umbai and Pernu....


Nope not @ one of those stalls there... but you're getting there. Same area, however, the place we went to was @ the water edge and had like a compound of it's own. More like a restaurant than rows of hawker stall type eateries...


Here u go..... Ikan Bakar Parameswara... Really nice place... Jam packed when we arrived @ around 7.45pm...


See those people lining up @ the back ground? That's where u pick out whatever seafood u want to eat n tell them how to cook it. Everything is sold by weight. They'll weight your seafood in front of you, take your order and send everything to the kitchen area to be prepared.


They've got the normal tables like u saw in the previous photo. However, we just had to dine in this 'fishing boat'. It just seemed much cooler... Not many places have this kinda thing... BIG MISTAKE! It was HOT in there! there was no fan what-so-ever, so u really have to rely on the wind. Unfortunately, there was no breeze that night... But it was still kinda cool dining in there, something different, don't u think? Actually we were really lucky to get that table in there. I saw a family leaving, so I hurriedly went there before it got snatched by someone else.


Our fish.... errmmmm.... Garoupa I think... I forgot....


This is for the fiiiiiiish..... Simple but nice...


The host, the ever so lovely pre-packed in brown paper lined with banana leaves, yours truely, Miss Nasi Lemak....... A big applause folks... thank u very much!


Sweet n sour shrimp....


Batter dipped squid...

I forgot to take a photo of the watermelon juice. So nice and refreshing. No pretense, no nonsense drink. Humbly presented to us in a plastic jug, but the taste, marvelous! Pure watermelon juice, no sugar, not diluted.... I love it!

Post Pox...

It's been awhile........

Been busy with Eid, then it was all those Eid gatherings @ the office and others' offices... and then as things started to get back to normal, Mysha, my sweet dear Mysha got the pox... arrrrggghhhh..... No No No.... Spotty day ahead!

Thankfully she was NOT totally covered in spots. Compared to Ridzuan last year, he got it worse. Mysha was, u could say a bit mild. Except for the spots, she was fine and dandy... walking around the house, finding something to drive mommy nuts, climbing here and there, snatching toys away from her brother, bugging her brother who just wants to watch his Playhouse Disney Channel unbothered by baby sist except she's got spots all over her.... I remember last year when Ridzuan got the chicken pox he seemed so tired, he was very quiet, he just laid there in front of the tv watching playhouse disney all day long except nap times. Their siblings, but they are most of the times totally opposite of each other...

2 things for sure :
They both love to drive mommy crazy
They both want to have mommy's attention on them more than the other...

Who gains for the latter? Mommy!!! Yeay! Because both with have a kissing contest, who kisses mommy last... Mommy willingly oblige my dears.... I think I've strayed too far, hehehehee...

Anyway... thursday afternoon 2 weeks ago, we got a text from my sister-in-law that my husband's aunty passed away in Johor... So early Friday morning, we left KL to go pay our respects. We were supposed to pick up atok (FIL) @ 3am, but nobody heard the alarm screaming its lungs out untill it was 4am... Both my husband and I rushed to get ready before scooping the kids from the bed (yup, we just scooped them up and didn't even bother to shower them....). by the time we left KL it was already 6am... better late than never, right?

After we've paid our respects we headed back to KL, with pit stops along the way.... Visits to my husband's aunt and uncle's place and then a night stay @ Mahkota Melaka... The kids had fun, Mysha with her chicken pox and all...

Oh, yeah.... I haven't wrote on when she got it... Well, Thursday afternoon I was informed that the chickens were on the loose. When we got home we got the text about my husband's aunt. On the way to Johor the next day, around 10am or so, I was playing with Mysha in the car when I noticed something in between her fingers... Oh, No! could it be?! It looked like chicken pox... I searched for more of those tiny bumps with water but only found another one near her left ear. When we arrived in Johor there was what seemed like mosquito bites on her back and later on @ the hotel more mosquito bites appeared.... Early next morning those so-called bites look alike turned into chicken pox spots ready to burst any time..... So that's what I've been up to the past 2 weeks; caring for my spots-full (is there such a word? hehehe) sweet daughter Mysha...

Now I'm back @ the office (3rd day) and I feel so drained out! Yikes... The cause? Not really because of taking care of Mysha, but more of after work shopping for 2 straight days and coming home close to midnight (because of the shopping of course!)... I so wish to crawl into bed right now..... hmmmm, a good foot massage would be even better....

2 MORE DAYS AND COUNTING...

hi ya there! nothing much for story tells... just wanna share the snapshot I took of my tudungs I made for hari raya... Was done in a haste after the kids (and their daddy) fell asleep last night - with those two, anything can happen... when u think they're sound asleep, suddenly they're there right in front of you requesting for a glass juice or some milk and sometimes, a cookie (yeah right, like I'm going to give cookies before bedtime for no particular reason!)...


That blue one I already wore it yesterday to work, can't help myself... I just gotta try one on...

Stay tuned folks, more to come...

YEAY TO ME!

I know I promised to update on the Baju Kurung, but it took me a while. Been busy sewing I kinda forgot to snap pictures... Anyway, this i what initially happened:


Let's move in a little closer...


And closer... See there? that's the worst part... There's more where that came from, just not as horrible as this one...

So, after some 'consultation' with a person who's been sewing waaaaaay longer than me, and who's much more better @ it too, this is the final outcome... U couldn't tell how bad I almost butchered it huh?

The front part...


The back part...


Not that bad, huh? And since I didn't have to re-do the whole thing, I managed to make my darling mysha a cute top....


A close up of the bow...

Yeah, I know it doesn't look much, but it's there. Gotta see her in it for yourself... All we need now is a skirt of a pair of leggings....

Monday Morning BLUES...

But I'm in Red...

I'm so so so so so tired n sore all over. Did some shopping for the kids yesterday, Eid is just around the corner but I feel like there's still 1001 things that needs to be done... HELP!

I managed to accomplish some of the things on my Things To Do List over the weekend, sort of! Arrrrrgggghhhhh.... I should've took the day off today... Tomorrow is our Independence Day Anniversary, could've gotten away with a 4 day weekend if I took today off. But nooooo, I'm just too stingy on my annual leave. Well, I have to be, I need if for out upcoming trip.

Anyway, here's the scoop. I was supposed to do whatever I can with Mysha's almost ruined baju kurung after the kids were in bed Friday night. Unfortunately, the little missy wanted mommy's by her side and only wanted mommy's milk directly from the source ( U could say she was a tad cranky, but her crankiness is not like other kids, not like her brother even... She just rubs her eyes n nose and only wants mommy... Now, who wouldn't be if you woke up @ 4.30am and didn't go back to bed or nap AT ALL throughout the day? But I'll keep that for later, with pictures and all...)

Since mommy already had a loooooong and tiring day, mommy dozed off alongside Mysha and Ridzuan, only waking up @ 1245am but was too groggy to do anything else except remove my lens. There goes what could've been a night full of productivity down the drain.......... boohoohoo...

Come saturday morning I was fresh, so as early as 530am I was in our computer / sewing / arts and crafts room mending away... Guess what?! I managed to save the top! YEAY for me!... I wanted to include the pictures, unfortunately I can't right now these being the reasons:

1. My sister ate my camera... LOL... Seriously, my camera got kidnapped this morning by my 'darling' sister for 2 whole days, I won't see it again until Wednesday morning... Hey. get your own camera man! I haven't transferred the pictures yet.

2. Well, actually I haven't transferred the pictures of the baju kurung before I managed to mend it. The mended and completed baju kurung, I haven't really took the picture yet, hehehehehe...

3. I need to snap the finished product first one I get hold of my camera again...

Besides the baju kurung I also managed to sew:

a sampin for my son (which I need to re-do or somehow find a way to save it. I'm so good @ ruining things aren't I? It's a bit too tight for him...Sorry dear, mommy's trying her best),

a cheerleader skirt for Mysha... Back to the drawing board. Again, it was a wee bit tight to go around that diapered bum of hers... Once it got passed that, it was ok... She looks darn cute in it BTW, diapers and all.

a sleeveless prototype dress for Mysha which I traced the pattern from her party dress I got for her 1st birthday party last month... It needs some fine tuning here and there (my sewing skills being the most part of it), but I think I'm almost there...

a modified version of a peasant blouse... This peasant blouse I've gotten the hang of since I've made 2 already previously for her. This 3rd one however, I lengthen it and did some shirring around the waist...

Sunday was shopping for the kids and our monthly grocery shopping. Mysha again, only wanted mommy to carry her. Unfortunately for mommy, carrying Mysha in her carrier (who is already 10kg BTW) and lugging around a handbag does not jive well. Now I've got a really sore and bruised left shoulder. Not to mention all those other aching in all other parts of my body imaginable. Man, are kids clothes expensive! Good thing we've only got 2 right now...

That's all for now folks and see you real soon. Really? Why not make it Wednesday when I've got my camera back so we can publish some nice (sort of) pictures to go along with my posts (so it won't be that boring).

Solok Lada

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.........



These things called solok lada might not look much, but they sure are yummy! Believe me. It's basically chili peppers (not just any kind, it has to be this special kind, over here they just call it 'cili solok', referring to the end product, fish, coconut, shallots, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, salt n sugar to taste and coconut milk. I've gotta do some research on the history of solok lada before I can tell you how this recipe came about and how the name was derived. One thing for sure, lada means chili peppers and solok, well we maybe because stuff the chili peppers? Maybe... Below are the steps required to make your very own mouth watering solok lada... BTW, being a traditional dish, there were no exact measurements in this recipe, we did it the old fashioned way -- by sight n by smell...


The ingredients...

The main players : the chili peppers. as u can see there, the one in the plastic bag (1/2kg) are the original players, were specially brought in from their native land, Kelantan while the pre-packed longer ones are from Cameron Highlands bought @ the local grocers (Jaya Jusco - RM2.50/pack).

FINELY POUNDED:

Shallots (we used around 1 cereal bowl)
Ginger 2 1/2 - 3 adult thumbs size (depending on how big your thumbs are....)
2 whole Garlic, not 2 cloves... yes, it might sound a lot, but trust me, it's not.
5 sticks lemon grass
3 finely shredded coconuts minus 2 handfuls
2 handfuls shredded coconut - toast them a bit till they're brown and fragrant before pounding
fish - any type u want (We used around 17-20 palm sized mackerel) -- poached n deboned


READY?


First things first, wash the chili peppers and slit it all the way down. Don't cut it, u just want and opening for you to de-seed the peppers and stuff the fish in. De-seeding gives you more space for the filling and also reduce the spice-o-meter of the peppers.



The empty pepper cavity... U can also wash the insides to further de-seed the peppers (believe me, those seeds have a mind of their own and are kind of hard to get rid of.



The fish which has been poached, deboned and pounded... You could also use a food processor if you don't have a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, you could also use your fingers (make sure they're clean n be prepared for the soreness in the joints later on).


Combine the shallots, ginger, garlic and lemon grass and mix mix mix...



Next you add in the toasted and pounded coconut and mix some more...




Now, dump all those wonderful, full of flavor and aromatic spices into your fish and start mixing again.



This is roughly what it looks like... Well, it's not going to change much later on in appearance...



Add in the coconut...



Don't forget to add the salt and a pinch of sugar to taste...
Now we're all set to go go go...



Stuff the chili peppers as much as you can with the filling.



Arrange them nicely in a pot.



Add coconut milk.



You don't need alot. We used about a cup of coconut milk and some water. Cover and cook until the peppers are tender and the coconut milk should just simmer slightly, roughly around 10-15 minutes (maybe more, depending on how much coconut milk you use)...



Time to enjoy!