Aiman gayat naik swing laju-laju... Hehe..

Gulai Ikan Kering

Hari ni teringin nak makan gulai ikan kering. Jenguk la dalam bekas ikan kerin dalam peti ais tu. Ada lagi ikan talang hat tahun sudah dulu. Dok elok lagi. Rempah ikan kerin memang dok ada lagi, so jadi la.
Makan tengah hari aku berlaukkan gulai ikan kering ni je. Senangkan sapa jadi bini aku? Satu lauk pun dah kira ok. Tapi tu la, gulai ikan kerin kena buat sendiri lah, satgi kalau depa yg buat dia rasa tak seropa yg kita nak, tak best la. Kita buat tumis darat, belah sana tak sama kot.
Kalau ikutkan bahan utama dia ikan kerin, rempah, santan dgn bawang je. Macam kurang sihat kan, dah la high sodium. Maka kita kena lah tambah kentang, kacang panjang, nenas, terung, bendi, karot, atau keledek. Tak payah la tunggu semua ni ada baru nak buat, ikut la mana yang hangpa suka. Kita ni makan bukan nak sedap saja, kesihatan mau jaga jugak.
Ingat kot siang dah makan nasik, malam malas dah la. Makan roti2 ja dah la. Tapi tu lah, ada orang kat rumah kena la ra'i, makan sama2 kan. Sebulan ni naik la sikit berat aku ni rasanya, kena 'paksa' makan sedap. Hmmph takpa, winter2 makan pi lah. Pakai baju tebai bukannya orang nampak perut!

The Quadrangle, University of Sydney. This is the main building of the uni during its early days. The architecture of Victorian period always full of amazement. From the coloured tinted glass windows, to the crafted stones and also gargoyles are everywhere, inside and outside the building. It is called quadrangle because of its square shape, with an open space in between its' four walls.

Goodbye Laura

This picture was taken yesterday. It was Laura's last day in OZ. She's submitted her thesis, and went back to the US. We were in the same office at Uni.
Goodbye Laura. Hope you will have a nice journey back home.

Aiman sleeps

Yes, he's sleeping. It was about 8 am. My PIL are here for 3 days now. As all grandchildren I supposed, Aiman has been extra pampered these few days, and will continue to be so for the next few weeks. Hmmm. Layannnn....

I am going to school today. i need to settle a few things pertaining to the ICN Conference in Bangkok. Hopefully the situation in Bangkok will fully recovered this October.

Alright, need to continue with the business I'm doing right now. Chiow!

Vivid Sydney

We went to see one of the vivid sydney; sydney opera house light show. The opera house's sail shaped roof becomes like a huge white canvas as it turns into different colourful patterns, looks more like drawings. It changes every few minutes. The projections came from the cruise ship wharf @ quay just opposite the opera house.
There were a lot of people around, despite the very cold weather. However it was not as crowded as during weekends I reckoned. We easily got a parking space without any hassle. I purposely chose to go during weekdays.
As we walked along the banks, cameras and tripods lined the shore, with photographers waiting for the best moment to capture the scene. Boats and ferries passing by, lights from the sky scrappers nearby, with the clear night sky and a full moon, all added up into making it a perfect night to take some memorable photos.

Some tips on taking pictures at night I want to share (feel free to add up) :
-use tripod as often as possible
-try using the Auto Exposure Bracketting function in your camera. Set up to the max point and see the difference
-using the shutter mode, set a longer shutter time, up to maybe 15sec or more for landscape photos
-to take portrait photos without using the flash, try to find a lamp post or flood lights and ask the subject to stand behind it so the face gets a bit of light. 1/10sec of shutter speed should produce a satisfactory result.
-if the background has enough lighting, you might use the flash to highlight your subject
-always review your photos. You might need to take another shot

More pics at abu-aiman

Train & Bus

I sent my car for a service one morning at Kingsgrove. We were on the way to take the car when these pics were taken. We were in the train from Bankstown to Campsie. Then took a bus to Kingsgrove. After that we drove back home.

Silver Star Service Centre, is the place where I normally send my car for a service for the past 2 years. They did not overcharge and the price are reasonable. Besides, it is also convenient as I can get on public transport easily to get home. The manager, Alex, who I suppose an italian, is also friendly and try to maintain lowest price for me. Before this, when we were staying in Penshurst, I sent my car to a mechanic nearby, Jimmy.

FW: Persimmon @ Pisang Kaki

This is a persimmon or 'pisang kaki' as we call it in Malay. It is now priced at $5.99/kg. It can be cheaper sometimes, depending on the seasons I supposed. The bright yellow colour of the skin always catch my eyesight.

As far as I can remember, the first time I had this fruit was in Medan. At that time I was about 5 - 6 y.o. There's a picture of me eating it in the middle of the market. Why do we call it 'pisang kaki' is always a wonder. i've seen the tree, not even close to a banana tree at all.

The colour of the flesh varies from pale yellow to red. Some people like to eat it when it's still crunchy, but I prefer to wait until it becomes soft, but not gooey. I think it taste sweeter that way. Just wrap them in a plastic and keep them at room temperature will expedite the process of ripening.

During this winter time, most of the fruits have been priced a little bit higher. So does the vegetables. However, don't make this as an excuse not to eat fruits and vegies. There's a lot of varieties to choose from. Make them as a compulsory diet every day.