living in a nutshell

last monday had been.. well, eventful? i somewhat experienced a summary of the past 10 years of my life in a day.

to be honest, the day didnt started out well. instead, it started out with the worse point of my life. i was woken up at 7-ish in the morning by a phone call from yen, asking if i had received ming's messages but i was too tired the night before to actually realise that ming did sent 2 messages around 2am. the moment i read her messages, i knew something was not right with the first thought in my head - death. millions of flashbacks and thoughts then came rushing to my head. i couldnt function. i just laid down and kept telling myself that it isnt anything serious as i waited for a reply from ming. but deep down at the back of my head, i was somehow convinced that it was news about someones death. ming then confirmed that Noorhasmida, aka bulat passed away in an accident. another accident. flashbacks kept running through my head, like a playback of a recorded video, of the very first moment to the very last hour of the tormenting week of Nian's passing.

Ming, Yen and i then went to the funeral the morning itself. walking in to see her face for the last time was horrible. every step i took as we approached her coffin reminded me of that every step sonia, jien ann and i took as we draw near to Nian's house with our hands held tightly to each others. that heavy hurting feeling in the heart, as if someone had my heart squeezed up like a stress ball, came back again. we didnt stay long and headed to stock on baking needs after dropping yen at MBS. i needed something to take my mind off things. what else better than to do the things that you love?

so i finally bought my green tea powder but ended up baking brownies and dipping strawberries in chocolate, aside from making the green tea konnyaku jellies all in one afternoon. i know.. crazy.. sometimes i just need some pushing to get me going.. baking, sewing, surprises and all used to be for love. now, baking is a passion and also for, business ;)

after the non-stop hustle bustle in the kitchen, it was time to head up to the apartment to get ready for the steamboat gathering of the sixth formers. it was a bit disappointing at first having to prepare for the gathering alone, like a hired organizer. =/ but thankfully, numerous calls came in right on time, offering a hand or two. grocery shopping had never been this entertaining, random and fun. it reminded me on what i love about attending form 6, the endless fun and great company. an initial plan of a steamboat party ended up into a steamboat AND deep fried party. the girls were preparing the food for the steamboat while the boys were testing out their deep-frying skills. for one moment, it was as if i was organizing a "kitchen for dummies" session. lols

foooood

brownieeee

yen & i with the green tea jellies

a group photo for the record

the jellies werent a big hit though.. hmm. i'd say green tea is also another acquired taste. not many actually enjoy it.. but me likey it =) it actually didnt turn out like the kind i had at a japanese restaurant.. that one was amaaazing..

after food was the usual gambling session for the boys and pillow talks for the girls ♥ though the girls only consisted of yen, gini and i, we did a lot of catching up and talking about the good ol' days back in MGS. when stories from different sides were finally told and all sorts of gossips! and most importantly, about my favourite "subject" throughout high school *grins* those were the days ^^

on another note, i've been putting some thought on my baking.. how to put it to good use to fund for my shopping sprees and pampering.. lol and with encouragement and suggestions from yen, i think i'm going to start small, taking it as a part time thingy for the mean time.. so watch out for it on fb alrite =)

they called it, "Amy's G-spot Brownies" hahaaa

made with ♥

CNY '10

i knoww.. Chinese New Year ended like, a month ago? but an update's still an update. lol. though this year's CNY seemed a lil quieter than the previous year, i'm thankful cos it was well spent with both family and friends =)

first off, the reunion dinner. the only time of the year where there is roast duck, chicken and pork ('char siew' AND 'siew yuk'.. *drools*) all served in a meal. yumms. and silly me forgot to take a picture of it. =( but last i remembered, there were exactly 10 dishes served that night! yes, i'm serious! including steamed fish, my favourite fried 'meng kuang' with fresh lettuce, fish belly soup, fried vegetable, braised sea cucumber with mix vegetables and not forgetting the traditional cantonese dishes of waxed meat ('lap mei': waxed sausages and duck meat) and braised mushrooms with muscles and 'fatt choy'.. another favourite chinese new year dish of mine ever since i was a kid.. me just *hearts* mushrooms to bits! then after was plain chill out session with a lil chit chat here and there.

DAY 1: started the day all dressed up in red, ready to usher in the new year! first with collecting BIG 'ang pows' from daddy, mummy and grannie greeting the elders and wishing them good health, longevity, wealth and happiness in those bombastic cantonese phrases which i have yet to master them all. haha then comes the 2nd most important meal of the festive, the first meal of the day which definitely must have a vegetarian dish. rice for breakfast, or somewhat brunch. there's just something about china men and rice. haha.. i dont know. i must admit that i'm a bit of a westernised Chinese. sad to say, dont really know much about my own roots. =( well, i shall find out about it one day =) for now, feast your eyes on the glorious food my mum and grannie prepared.

as always, daddy's liquor is a must. lol daddy the alcoholic, mummy the caffeine-holic/coffee addict, korkor the computer-holic/geek and me, the shopaholic of the family. we make a great team. lols

the complete set of dishes with the vegetarian dish in the middle. yuuumms.

after food, camwhore time! our annual family photo session. forgot to get those photos from dad's camera... =( but only the ones from my phone.. better than none =)

korkor, mummy dearest and yours truly.

somehow me likey this picture very much. probably cos bro finally smiled properly in this one. lol still, the colour and all makes it purrfectt! (considering that it's taken with a 3.2 megapixle phone only lehhh.. =))

bro and i

yes people, for the 15,749,398th time, he is my elder brother.. haha.. we are not twins therefore we dont look alike though we do share some common features.. notice our very superly long oval shaped face, fairly wide smile with our straight row of larger-than-usual set of teeth and, our fair skin. so, please dont sound so amazed that we're blood related. lols

aunt suzanne (the one and only closest aunt from daddy's side) and i

sadly, she recently left for Abu Dhabi to be with her hubby.. she makes the best companion to gossip, shop and hangout with! plus, my personal beautician and hairdresser =) now who's going to have a hard time handling my unruly wavy hair and my volcanic face. meh. hopefully i'll be able to pay her a visit by end of this year. woots! Abu Dhabi here i comeee~! screw Melbourne. (sorry ann, no offence LOL =P)

well, during this cny, i spent most of my free afternoons in the kitchen.. trying very hard to be the next famous amy. lols and guess what? batch 2 cookies tasted NEARLY somewhat like my favourite famous amos chocolate chip cookies! but the recipe wasnt really the same la.. still, i was in 7th heaven the moment i popped one freshly baked one into my mouth~! yumms. n again, the silly me forgot to take a picture of it. jeffery said it looks like cow shit (idiot), bro complained that there wasnt enough chocolate chips (as always) but daddy, mummy, granduncle philip, chou and wen said they loved it!! ♥

batch 3 : chocolate chip and raisin oatmeal cookies for daddy and also zheng which they both loved =)
i found myself a new guinea pig who appreciates my bakes. yay!

now, as a penangnite, one must, MUST go and pay a visit to the kek lok si temple during the festive season. it's the only time of the year when it's all light up prettily with decorative lights and lanterns. and again, i'm ashamed that i've never been there after all these years till now. lol it's simply beautiful, somewhat like a scene in Avatar at the ancestral trees or something..

i highly recommend this place to all the shutterbugs..

the place is filled with like, probably thousand over red and yellow lanterns.. occupying ever square inch of the ceilings and the edges of the roof tiles.. pweety.. me.likes. =)

apart from that would be the usual house hoping from the lim's to the fong's to the lee's and to the chew's, the meetups, gambling sessions, the endless partying and chilling sessions ♥ and the farewells =(

managed to party with yi xin again before she head back to kiwi land! =)

all in all, i was blessed with a fun filled week =)

♥

iNerd

today is a day to be remembered, seriously. i had my first clean sweep through every floor of the 4-storey university library for the very first time considering the fact that i'm already in my last semester. i even borrowed 2 books non-related to assignments or whatsoever that i'm studying! yes i know, be amazed. LOL well, apparently i've been hearing numerous comments throughout the semesters on how complete our library is, having one of the best collections among the rest of the local universities. so yeah, i decided to check it out myself since i finally have to do some real research for my assignment.

i was actually quite impressed with the near complete collection of journals in all fields of study, dating back to the 18th century. but i'd say it would be perfect if they are actually able to update and get hold of those from the more recent years, at most till year 2008? the latest one i could find for my assignment was from year 2006. we're already in year 2010. =.=" well aside from that, i'd say they have a decent range of books on social sciences, law and etc. but relatively, they have a wider range of books on business. i guess they have a standard to keep up with considering the fact that the uni is trying to promote their business school. the fictional section on the other hand, is just so... saddening. only about 3-4 short isles filled with seriously outdated books. i didnt find interest in them so i didnt even bother to peek but i could tell by the looks of the condition of those poor books.

apart from that, i did come across a number of interesting books like an autobiography of Shirley Temple Black - the Child Star, true stories of the Marilyn Monroe case, and even a collection of psychotic mental disorder books which includes anorexia, trauma and etc. not forgetting the all-time famous books for dummies. i was actually more interested in books on baking and interior decorating. but sad to say, i was a little disappointed. not only were those books terribly outdated, but also the size of those sections were so small! they only had one shelf of books on interior decorating while only 2 shelves on baking and cooking put together! sigh.

on a brighter note, out of those 2 pathetic shelves, i managed to find this! *grins*


52 recipes on cookies which includes white chocolate and dried cranberry cookies, fudge-topped toffee cookies, cream cheese cookies and many more mouth-watering ones! yumms.. perfect timing for the coming chinese new year. =)

while this is the other book i borrowed:

something that doesnt really describe me, i just dont like making decisions. but there's something to it which i find very interesting and true while flipping through the pages. i got this from the preface:

"... difficulty with decisions complicates all aspects of our lives. It blocks emotional growth and development, leads to multiple failures - especially in relationships - and contributes to the repression of feelings, sowing the seeds of poor health."

i couldnt agree more! i used to know someone who seriously, desperately needs to read this book. but oh well, no harm for me to gain more knowledge as well =)

but for now, it's back to business. my assignments are wailing. i can hear them in sync chanting, "stop procrastinating, time to start working!" lols.

i cant wait to get back and start baking! whee~

batch 1

here comes santa claus,

here comes santa claus,

right down santa claus lane...

so yea, i finally baked my first batch of cookies. not bad tasting though i still prefer famous amos's chocolate chip cookies!!! i'm telling you, i think they put opium or poppy seeds or something innit. i keep craving for them.. LOL

so what's next? suggestions?


update 20/12 : i snipedy n coloured my hair.. sigh. not so chio anymore.. = (( oh well, it's just one of those things i do before Christmas.. i'll have to wait for it to grow again n do something with it next year.. lol

i have such a common face, v2.0

okay, so it's either i'm getting damn gorgeous by the day or our island is starting to be overpopulated with desperate men.

i'd say, the latter.

so, as i was walking back to my car after work, some guy probably in his late 20's or early 30's approached me asking if i'm from Citibank. urgh. do i really have that Citibank look? he aint the first to say that but anyways, to cut the story short, he was pretty damn desperate to get my name and number. to the point that he was still persistently asking for it even though i had already gotten into my car and started to get out of the parking lot.

"CALL ME!"

*nods head* (in your dreams...)

LOL =)

then the phone rang, to check if i was okay after having a glimpse of my "dramatically-ridiculous-scene".. talk about chivalry or rationality.. pfftt... oh wait, we're in the 21st century.. so scrape off the chivalry acts.. but rationality? though modern technology has made our lives easier (especially the invention of calculators, which have made us all so dependant on it even for simple calculations.. basically not using our brains anymore) doesnt mean that we're not subjected to use our heads to analyze and act on something so obvious? well then again, it all depends on who the person is as well right? double standard.. typical. PFFTT.

thank God it wasnt a robbery or somewhat. or else i wonder how the heck will i be able to answer that phone call. LMAO.


on another note,

Happy Belated Birthday Daddy dearest!

upside-down pineapple cake!

baking spree!

the first ever, carrot n cream cheese

& the all time favourite, chocolate cake!

the long forgotten hobby =)

starters: garlic bread

main: spaghetti bolognaise (chicken)

dessert: butter cake with white chocolate icing

*hearts*