Friday, February 27, 2009

안녕하세요 Ahn-nyung-ha-se-yo!


It Friday. I'm taking it slow and steady althought the house is in shambels and I need to plan on what to cook since I am at home.

Finding time to do everything is virtually impossible sometimes. But since I am used to hectic deadlines at work, I leave my notepad open and in between doing the housework I would sit for a bit and jot a few things that comes to mind.

Sya had a fit last night, more like the breakdown blogger friend - suryati had. So much for schedules. Besides I try to tell the baby sitter to follow the routine but DH just spilled the beans and said that she was fed milk before she came home at 7pm. There goes the routine...

Part of it was my bad, I continued watching Intan after Kasut Tumit Tinggi. The minute she heard the theme song - bang! cerah mate sampai la pukul 1am. She didnt even want milk but only plain water. Sooooo 4am anak dara I decided to ask for milk. Naturally she went back to bed but at around 6.00am she would wake me up. My new SUBUH alarm is a hard tug of my long hair by yours truly Cik Syasya yang berzodiac LEO itew.

It was raining so I voluntered to hold Syasya while DH gets the car. Boleh tahan gak dukung my daughter now (although againts docs warning, I insisted to dukung her)

When the rain stop I told myself I might as well go to the morning market at Pandan Indah LRT. Luck was at hand, fresh fruits for SALE (SALE lagi?) The Apek wanted to go home cepat2 so he said "Haiya cincai-cincai la...." I bought Lily Bud Mangos, Korean Strawberries & Seedless Black Currants. I was aiming for fruit salad - maybe pop to Chempaka LRT MyNews for some yogurt later.

I usually have brunch when I am alone at home. This way I'll burn all the calorie by doing housework(hopefully lah!)

Me being me, I notice my favourite coffee mug had some coffee stain (maybe because I took it to the hospital with me and it didnt get proper washing). A little baking soda will do magic. Tak payah sental kuat-kuat pun.





Muiza was being very notty today. Now dia pulak nak tunjuk skill stunt dia. And you know what they say about cats right? They know how to get up but dont know how to get down a tree. Well this did not need a BOMBA to rescue coz it was only my kitchen grill door. I left her hanging there for a good few minutes for discipline and then helped her down.




Somehow I had Spicy Myulchi Bokkeum 멸치볶음 craving as well today. I live in Ampang so I'm lucky to have the Korean Mart near here at the Galaxy Shopping Centre. But then there was no one to take me there to buy kochujang (korean chili paste) so I used the Chili Boh in the fridge and did the sira like my nenek does to her kerepek.

DH wanted fried rice and I had soft toufu and some left over chicken fillet. One thing lead to another....it was Asian Fusion.

My Misoshiru - みそ汁 (Miso Soup) was instant and I checked to ensure there was no shusei/alkohol - ref http://junjungbuih.multiply.com/journal/item/53)

Since we will be leaving early tomorrow for the PEDs, I packed and left the fruit salad in the freezer. That way I dont have to think about breakfast and DH can have his Kopitiam breakfast that I had today ;)



Ok...am gonna concentrate on Intan now...I mute the vol and read the subtitles instead. Takut Sya bangun lagi he he he






Thursday, February 26, 2009

Chicken Noodle Soup For The Soul



It's that time of the year when people have flu and coughs and it rains heavily. What better than to snuggle up with some Chicken Noodle Soup.

Lagipun its a very simple recipe yang even mak-mak yg tak sihat can do. Just plop everything into the pot - Skinless Chicken, Chopped Onions, Chopped Carrots, Chopped Celery, Bay Leaves, salt to taste. Let it simmer nicely then take the Chicken out, cool it and shred. Place the chicken meat into the soup again and add the noodle (I like to put in macaroni). Let it simmer until noodle is soft.






Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Rezeki itu ada di mana-mana

Today when I went out I really wanted to look for new PJs (Pyjamas..Jammies) for Sya.
Kesian anak dara sorang ni, baju suma dah singkat2.
But you know how expensive good quality kids clothing are right?

I was clueless actually, tak tahu where to go to but had Anakku in mind. Tapi itu pun dah tentu one piece around RM20 and above. Consider mahal jugak tu. Nak beli mau ada 10 helai - 5 pasang. Kalo RM300, rabak la macam ni. Brand yang murah2 tu ada, tapi I tak suka bila da basuh dua tiga kali dia berbulu.

Since I so unfamiliar with the Pandan Mewah area, I decided to take the bus. Most buses there showed KLCC so kalau sesat2 pun sampai KLCC ye tak.

But bila sampai LRT Ampang and Anakku in Ampang langkah ni macam berat je nak turun. So I followed the bus sampai KLCC (atau mungkin sebab lutut sakit)

Tapi dalam hati (masa dok termenung dalam bus tu) dah tak tahan sangat tengok Sya's jammies. She grows so fast and I wanted her to be comfortable. I notice now she comes back in her day ware, the ones yang baru beli. My baby sitter pulak jenis yang baik hati, tak nak hurt my feelings so I bet she didnt ask me if I bought any new jammies for Sya.

So I pun slow-slow jalan kat KLCC tu macam orang gila...tak ada hala tujuan. Mula-mula nak menuju ke kedai2 baby kat Masjid Jamek. Waaaaa males-males....cari punya cari arah, hati kuat pulak nak masuk ISETAN.

Since I dont have a habit of Window Shopping, I trus ke children's department. Oh course nampak Baby Guess tutup mata...bukan nak cari baju outing ok...cari jammies. Mula-mula tak jumpa, but then I saw this one stack of jammies from KIKO. Baby KIKO ni typical baby nye jammies....so not my taste (I like bright colors) but sepasang RM17.90 & RM19.90 tu macam memang loteri la kan.



After picking three and 2 packs of socks for her, I pun round stack sebelah dia...what I saw made me want to scream and shout happy.
SESAME BEGINNINGS at 60%.
I love SESAME BEGINNINGS (coz me and DH memang grew up with SESAME STREET). Their jammies are so cantik and bright.








Dah alang2 SALE tu beli la jugak 2 pasang baju day ware




She also got a stylish pink ELLE jammies for less than RM20 Hu Hu



Bayangkan...sepasang at RM65 I got it for Sale at RM26. What a bargain. Rezeki Sya lah. Itulah orang kata, rezeki anak ada di mana2.



Pecel

I am dedicating this entry to my blogger friend Lyana Mauseth. She wanted to know what Pecel Lele was.

This is the recipe for my mum’s famous Pecel Ikan Cencaru. It’s her version of Pecel LeLe – LeLe in Indonesian means Ikan Keli (catfish). She’s not too fond of Ikan Keli so that explains the substitute.

Ingredients

1 kilo of Ikan Cencaru

5 Shallots

3 cloves of garlic

200 grams of akar cekur

50 grams of ikan bilis (anchovies)

50 grams of cili padi (bird’s eye chillies)

Salt to taste.

One teaspoon of tamarind

Coconut milk from 2 coconuts.


The Ikan Cencaru need to be grilled first then deboned to obtain just the flesh.




The akar cekur are washed and scrubbed clean. The shallots and ikan bilis are deep fried first.

Place all of the ingredients you see in the photo below in a mortar and grind. Ingredients from clockwise – akar cekur, garlic, cili padi, fried ikan bilis and fried shallots.



Place the coconut milk in a pot.



Place the pot over the stove and put in the grinded ingredients.




Stir well and bring to a slight boil to thicken.

Once the gravy is thick, place in the pot the ikan cencaru flesh carefully as not to break them.

Allow to cook for another ten minutes, making sure the stove is on low heat as not to break the coconut milk (pecah santan as they say)

You can add terung bakar (grilled eggplant) as well or substitute it with the ikan cencaru if you wish.

One thing about this dish is that, you don’t need other fancy veges to accompany. Pecel is often best with just plain blanched veges. I guess kampong dishes are always simple, taking ingredients from your own gardens or orchid (kebun) and using the catch of the day, hence the simplicity.





Ada sapa-sapa rasa nak "bomb" tmnet tak?

Semalam masa call bukan main manis lagi molots the Call Centre Rep. Macam takde problem besar gamaknya.
TAPI HAKIKATNYA?
We are quite lucky because we opt for one of the high speed.
Patutlah FB kosong *bunyi crikets*

until 5 MAC 2009????? gile ke apa?

REBET!
REBET!REBET!

Circuit faults slow down surfing on Streamyx
By STEVEN PATRICK

PETALING JAYA: Streamyx broadband users will have to bear with sluggish surfing speeds until March 5 due to technical problems, according to Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM).

TM said in a statement that there has been a disruption of TM’s Internet services since Feb 18 due to circuit faults on the Asia Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) between Malaysia and the United States.

Due to this, customers using Internet services may now experience slow browsing while accessing content hosted in the United States, said the statement.

Additionally, customers using Internet Protocol services such as Virtual Private Network (VPN) and other critical business applications linked to the United States may also experience some service degradation.

To alleviate the problem and ease the congestion, some links have been rerouted, TM said.

During restoration process, traffic to North America may experience minor degradation while traffic to other countries would not be affected.


Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Youngest Letto Fan

I watch Indonesian Sinetron Intan so much during my unpaid leave before my maternity leave and during confinement with Sya. The theme song is sung by Letto.

As this is the effect of that...LOL





Monday, February 23, 2009

Hadiah dari Abah

I can't remember the last time my dad bought me a birthday cake. Must have been ages ago.



Sorry..da sedap makan mocha kek ni baru ingat nak ambik kamera. Me to old for blowing candles and birthday song, so walup ke trus LOL

Tapi sejak I kahwin and my husband jadi the only menantu lelaki dia, my relationship with him have improved tremendously. Bukan salah dia pun kan, I ni memang "notty" nak buat camne, sampaikan my dad rasa takde sapa nak kat anak dara dia sorang ni. LOL

This year dia senyap-senyap ajak my mom pergi pekan Parit Sulong. Dia suruh my mom tolong dia beli kek rupanya.

Lepas tu dia tanya I samada I nak makan Pecel Le Le tak (Pecel Ikan Keli)

Dengar aja dia cakap Pecel...waaa terliur I.



Ditambah pula Mama did her famous rojak tauhu



Since I still on a strict diet, nasi satu mangkuk je.



I think this is the best birthday present yet from my dad he! he! He!

SAYANG ABAH!



Friday, February 20, 2009

I am 34 years old...

I like to take photos..but never of myself. I'm camera shy.

However there is an exception. I take photos of myself ONLY on very very special occasions...on my birthday for example...just to see how many wrinkles I've accumulated over the years LOL





Oh yes....our cik Sya-Sya has also turn 6 months today...and she's got this really really cute laugh now.



Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Living with Pain - Day One

4 February 2009 - The Day I was Admitted



I woke up at 7am feeling a bit groggy. Baby Sya has woken up and playing on the spread out quilt in the living room. She has this mystified look on her face. She knows something is up. I muzzle my nose into her neck to catch whatever soft baby sweet scent I can. This is the only thing I can’t bring along, if only there was a way to bottle this so I can spray it on my pillow when I miss her.
Mind you, I packed the very last minute. This is how surreal this feels. Reluctance holds a huge grip making my stomach twist in every corner. But everyone knows for the sake of my health I need this. I need to know.

The letters sit patiently on my blue luggage. I tried to manage as much comfort as I can in that little blue bag. But what comfort can I gain if my family is not around to hold me. I packed my Starbucks Journal...I wished to take a sabbatical from any gadgets as I possibly can. I’m angry inside aren’t I?

I am tired of those numbness, of the ache, of the pain in my knee, of feeling disabled but yet I can still stand on my own two feet. I hate giving excuses that I can take Liya to the playground with her inline skate because “mommy don’t feel so good”. I hate that I can only hold a firm grip, sit still when Baby Sya cries her chest out and I have to wait for DH to come out of the loo to pick her up from the crib. I hate myself.
I wish for more than anything in this world to not wake up feeling like a 89 year old lady when I am only 34. Living with Pain.

I am just too young for this…

I know I am going to miss home so bad that I shed a tear as I kissed and nuzzled my nose some more on Baby Sya. Her mystified look intense. “I know you’re going somewhere Mommy….I know…”

The ride to the baby sitters was painful enough that for once I don’t feel the aches on my back. I kissed Baby Sya again…and watch as DH takes her to Dayana’s place. It feels like God has torn my heart into pieces while I was wide awake.

Not as chatty as usual, I am stoic with silence, sitting still and making sure the back seat belt is comfortable. DH takes a small glance on the rear view mirror and asked me if I was ok. Words have no meaning for I am lost without composition.

HKL is congested as usual, the busy chattering of cars and people passing by this very narrow one way lane. DH drops me off the emergency entrance as I hold my admission letter firmly. The morning air is cold. I pace slowly to admission.

The admission office is colder. There is smell of old furniture. An idiot box chants some RTM soap dialogues.

“Kak, please take a number” a polite young medical officer great me and ushers me to the ticketing machine. All our lives, we have to take numbers and wait.

What if my number was up….you know..THAT number…the one written in your books…

1029. I don’t like the combination. 9 is very bad with me. 9 is so out of place with 2.
Now serving 1027. Please take a seat. You will be entertained soon enough…

This is the essence of government health care. It’s a waiting game if you don’t know it by now.

“I have my GL”
No questions asked.
“Have you booked a room?”
Hmm…I thought this was a ward admission…you can book rooms?
“Sorry, no”
“I will call to see if there is room for admission in the first class ward”

Good thing I had that huge argument on the phone to have a simple procedure of sending my GL.

The day before I had asked for my insurance company to send a copy of my GL via email. What seemed to be a simple procedure turn to be my worst nightmare.
Ladies and gentleman. This is customer service in Malaysia. It took me 3 call centre agents to get the procedure right.

This admission room is cold.

“We only have 4 bedded at the moment. Will that do?”
“Oh…”
“We’ll keep you KIV ed”
“oh…”

By 10am I am sitting comfortably on my bed. DH asked if I needed anything else. Everything seems perfect for now.

I have two roommates at the time of admission.

One young girl who has gigantic screws on her left leg. She was involved in a motor bike accident.

Just next to me in 12B is Auntie Palan who just did a knee op. Chatty. Nice.
DH made fun of how I spoke to her. He said, why can’t you just speak like an ordinary Malay. I jeered at him.

DH stayed for a while and left at 2pm.

I run through the usual. BP check. Medication. Tea time at 3pm and then Dinner at 6pm.
I took my steroids at 1.20am. They are DAMN bitter and lingers in the throat.
I was awaken at 4am by loud rustling of the hospital trolley and someone speaking in either Punjabi or Hindi..am not sure.

An old lady who has fallen has just been admitted by her daughter.
Very high drama that ended with her daughter transferring her to a private hospital because the actions taken weren’t quick enough.

Hey…this is public health…don’t they know that already?



Psssttt.....

Psssttt.....I'm back.

Although a bit fenin now - thanks to the medication.

I'll write my "adventure" soon.

Miss you guys!



Friday, February 06, 2009

The Choosen One

They told us 6 months is the time one chooses one's comfort toy

We waited anxiously...please let it be a teddy bear...or pooh...something yang tak malu nak seret ke hulur ke hilir...tak KEPAM

BUT...as fate would have it...she choose



a familiar face...here goes mommy...



TADAAAAAAA!!



hmm DAP...SYUK...



this is one bantal...that WILL BE IMPORTANT *aisey..

After two babies...I am no rocket scientist when it comes to these things...
they have magical powers lah! Macam that RING tu kan?





Thursday, February 05, 2009

By the time you read this...

I've scheduled this post and a few other just in case am warded longer in GH than I should.

Today I'll be having my first MRI. Since that involves Iodine being injected, I am somewhat blessed to have allergies. Yes...blessed (tak baik complain kejadian Allah swt)

So I need :
Prednisolone 40mg 12 hours & 2 hours before that after before my MRI

This time, I'm prepared I guess...I have a photo of my girls and a wonderful excitement that Sya now can do this :



I love my family....