Hot & Sunny Weekend Ahead!

you know what, there are days when i wake up and couldn't believe i'm living on a desert land, somewhere in the middle east, where the camels roam and pak arab lepak kat starbucks...

when it's hot here, i told myself, malaysia pun panas macam ni kan? i read entries by kak arin and ziah about how hot melaka and kk had been or still is - and yes, i'm right - malaysia pun panas gile jugak!

about early noon i was looking out from my balcony, eyes wandering around - when i stopped and went back to a spot where there were (what seemed to be) a few 'blue lines' on the pavement in front of the apartment next to mine. betul-betul sebelah main road!


they found a comfy semi-oval shade along their 'work station' (they're finishing up on the road construction along the front of JBR and these apartments including mine). quite a sight seeing the men in blue taking naps side by side in one straight row. (this is actually a normal sight in dubai, with construction workers lepaking on the grassy road-side or clearing during break.)

far from family whom they left in their home country, mencari rezeki halal di negara orang. best companions are fellow workers, and any spots in nature is comfortable enough when fatigue calls for it - even hard, stone pavement.

anywhere would do, for a quick nap from the tiring labor and the scorching sun.

don't take your job for granted - enjoy the air-conditioned office and your empuk chair - it could be worse!

* * *

gulf news online did a weather report yesterday:

Forecasters predict hot and sunny weekend in the UAE

By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter
Published: April 29, 2009, 13:46

Dubai: It will be hot and sunny over the weekend with the temperature touching 40 degree Celsius during the day and pleasantly warm during the night, according to the Dubai Met Office.

The dry hot wind is blowing from the desert into the UAE from the south east, said the duty forecaster, noting that the temperature is normal for this time of the year.

Early mornings and nights the temperature will hover around 29 degree Celsius and will be "warm and pleasant".-

* * *

incidentally, my mornings must-read star paper also carried a weather report today. so when it's hot over here, i know my fellow malaysians are experience a close encounter with the sun too...

* * *

Sunny days ahead

KUALA LUMPUR: Sunny days are expected from May till September, with temperatures between 30.7 and 34.1 degrees Celcius, said the Meteorological Department.

“It will be the southwest monsoon period. The weather is forecasted to be be sunny compared to other months,” said the department in a press statement.

It added April was a torrid month as it was the intermonsoon period, coupled with the sun being overhead the Equator. The highest temperature recorded from April 1-28 was 36.1 degrees Celcius, said the department - Bernama

* * *

sheesh, i gotta get some shades...

For Their Aunts & Uncles

hey, i got pictures.
enjoy.




for mak long, aunty ma, pak ngah, aunty shina, aunty wani, aunty da, aunty rini, mak su, aunty na, aunty yaya, aunty ti, uncle amin, aunty teh, aunty naya, uncle abu, pak su, uncle umar and aunty ya.

see y'all in july!

love,
your nephews; khaleef and kahfi

Bits and Snips II

let me tell you bout my sis, my gal pal and my boys. and who we thought was david beckham...

* * *

azi dan member baik dia

my youngest sister azi, a future upm graduate started her industrial training yesterday. she's still our baby sister and it's funny to imagine her behind a desk doing some serious office work! i just hope she doesn't disrupt the office routine with her loud, infectious laughter...

have passion in what you do, enjoy it, get as much as you can out of it and above all - take it easy! oh, and don't skip breakfast...

* * *

we were in the car. it was our usual route back home. then mr. khairul asked, "is that david beckham?" oh, ok more like "eh, david beckham! david beckham! david beckham!" try saying that three times as fast.

ever the loving supporting wife, i quickly took a shot but the car zoomed pass us so fast that we can't really be sure if it were indeed the beckhams.

upon closer 'inspection' - "eh, bukan lah. bukan."

"bestnye kalau iye."

ha ha.

people who knows me well, would know i love meeting famous people. (mr. khairul would just have to live with that. hihi.) the most awesome celebrity encounter i've ever had was of course, the adorable anuar zain. he's super charming and super nice. afdlin shauki and harith iskander come a close second. the worst was (i don't wanna name names) this handsome, strapping dato' who had acted alongside p. ramlee before. super-smug. hmmph.

* * *

chubby, pregnant me & put at my farewell to dubai @ klia

this is my lawyer. and also loyar buruk gal pal. ok, bad joke but this is my blog so sukatilah.

happy birthday to my appointed lawyer (should i be tried for strangling the next person who says kahfi looks more like dad.) happy birthday, put! you don't look A DAY older.

maybe 365 days older. ha ha. gelak lah!

in school, only three malays took up literature in english - myself, put and another close friend of ours, irda. so when you do come over to dubai, i would definitely, definitely take you to makan-makan at 'shakespeare & co'...

* * *

ZZZzzzzz

kahfi's sleeping habits are beginning to resemble big bro.

khaleef when he was kahfi's age, had an odd fascination with my palm. fingers. hand. it was easy to pacify or put him to sleep - just wave my hand above his face or wiggle my fingers to and fro - and he'd be hooked. in awe. fascinated.

growing up, he sleeps better holding someone's hand. even at the nursery, the girls said they do not need to buai-buai or tepuk-tepuk - just extend a hand. let him give a good, tight squeeze and he'll fall asleep.

now kahfi wants to hold my finger! and then he'll fall asleep so easily like a...like a...well. like a baby...

sleep tight,
my handsome knights,
don't let the bedbugs bite...

X-Files vs Fringe

i have always been a fan of the unexplained. paranormal. ghosts and goblins. the weird and wonderful. so it's no surprise that i'm an x-files maniac. for those who had been on another planet for the past 10 years of the show's golden years and don't know what it's about, check out my entry on the x-files.

and when another show comes along heavily compared to my fav show, i can't help but be intrigued. mr. khairul first saw it and was immediately hooked. besides, he was more excited to tell me about it coz he knows what i like.


brought to you by the same man who did 'lost', 'fringe' is about an FBI special agent olivia dunham, who seek the help of mad scientist walter bishop, and his son peter as they investigate aspects of *fringe science (such as telepathy, psychokinesis, reanimation, and teleportation to name a few).

*fringe science is sort off a branch of science which defies the mainstream or orthodox theories. it's highly speculative, widely refuted and lack plausibility. rarely recognized by the science community.
~paraphrased from wikipedia

see, sounds x-files-y, eh?

what do i think? it's unfair to make any judgements now coz the show is new, i've only seen a few episodes AND i am very biased plus sceptical as i watched the show. ("eish ni dah merepek" or "dia ni saje je nak sound sceptical to everything" or "eleh nk buat sexual tension mcm mulder and scully") cammon, this show is trying to please an x-files fan! it has got to really be as good if not better!

since i don't have anything better to do at the time being (read: takde keja) i happily did a list:

- in fringe, the lead is heartbroken-confused-searching for the truth FBI special agent olivia dunham while in x-files it's monotonous-obsessed-searching for the truth FBI special agent fox mulder

- agent dunham started a 'quest' after finding out her dead bf (also FBI agent) was a traitor and involved in something really wrong, while agent mulder started plunging into the x-filed cases as he believed that his sister was abducted by aliens

- agent olivia seek help from a mad scientist, a specialist in 'fringe science' but agent mulder relies on his knowledge and his partner's medical expertise

- agent olivia's sceptical 'partner' is peter bishop, son of the mad scientist - while agent mulder's sceptical side is his partner, agent scully

- agent olivia's boss is this black dude who seemed to purposely sound conspiratory and mysterious - in x-files agent mulder reports to his boss skinner who also tend to sound conspiratory and cover-up-y

- fringe's tagline is 'ask. imagine. investigate.' - x-files' tagline is 'the truth is out there'

well, i miss the x-files and i love the unexplained phenomena. or in this case fringe science, a term i'm hearing for the first time. so, i'm staying glued to the couch for this one! check out the promo trailer...

Google This to My Blog

keyword analysis.

what do they type out in the 'search' box to get to my blog? yang paling mengarut had to be 'abu dhabi indian hot fat aunties friendship'?! what the..!

	Num	Perc.	Search Term
	10	15.63%	syigim
	4	6.25%	MGS IPOH
	3	4.69%	syazrin syigim
	3	4.69%	3rd largest mosque in the world
	2	3.13%	oldboys weekend 2009
	1	1.56%	abu dhabi indian hot fat aunties friendship (wth?!!)
	1	1.56%	koleq boys
	1	1.56%	majestic mosque in the world
	1	1.56%	+problem living in dubai marina (mane de problem! hihi)
	1	1.56%	aku dubai
	1	1.56%	roaches/cockroaches.com
	1	1.56%	how do you spell kadir in cursive
	1	1.56%	blog of nazruddin habibur rahman
	1	1.56%	how to spell mucho gracias
	1	1.56%	words kids need to spell by kindergarten
	1	1.56%	jumeirah beach walk
	1	1.56%	spell the word hid
	1	1.56%	shops in jumera beach resedance
	1	1.56%	japanes word ichiban
	1	1.56%	ichi ban slang
	1	1.56%	how do you spell 30th
	1	1.56%	spell kindergarten
	1	1.56%	How do you spell Gracias?
	1	1.56%	syigim blog
	1	1.56%	Mark Wahlberg
	1	1.56%	nixon crying titi
	1	1.56%	the largest mosque in the world
	1	1.56%	making love for boys from dubai (?????? kepala hotak diorang)
	1	1.56%	syigimblogspot
	1	1.56%	biggest mosque in the world
	1	1.56%	secrets to graffiti on facebook
	1	1.56%	"American Idol" Dubai 2009
	1	1.56%	poems that spell the word baby
	1	1.56%	jumeirah beach residences restaurants walkway
	1	1.56%	mckk old boys weekend
	1	1.56%	dunkin donuts in ibn battuta only
	1	1.56%	how do you spell the word me in chinese
	1	1.56%	maid of honor that is married
	1	1.56%	cooking class in ipoh
	1	1.56%	syigimsharif.blogspot
	1	1.56%	where is the big mosque in the world
	1	1.56%	friends quotes joey i'll love you forever by robert munsch
	1	1.56%	shakespere in uptown mirdiff
	1	1.56%	mckk old boys weekend 2009
	1	1.56%	how do you spell 25 in word form
	1	1.56%	maid of honour is married
	1	1.56%	married maid of honor
	64	100.00%

popular pages
the popular pages (ceh ceh macam le popular sangat ye) - ok lemme rephrase that - the pages that are 'comparatively receiving more views' are still any postings on dubai marina and the walk. there were a lot of views for the writing on my alma mater too, MGS ipoh. recently, however the posting on mr. khairul's old boys weekend in dubai got the most clicks.

keep on clicking, people. you're always a guest of honor here!

*grin*

Tidbits III

here, there and all around...

* * *

abah and umi are back from korea. lepas ni gi mane pulak? they bought matching t-shirts for cucu-cucu podin; haiqal, haqeem, khaleef, sufya, husna and kahfi.

this july they can all wear the t's at the same time...

* * *

@ shina's wedding : my cousin amin with his lil sister naya, me and his mom, my auntyna

my cousin amin is a year away from leaving his teen years. he is 19 today! my advice is get up, get going and get rockin'! happy birthday, bro!

oh, this july i'm coming back so can you make those apam kelapa that i like so much?

* * *

had a skype session with my ex-officemates and my cool boss a.k.a the lady in the aquarium. i miss them so much! read about the coolest office in my world here.

yapped about mohana's soon-to-get notebook, getting envious of jo goin on her usual 'movie date' with hubby henry, dora updating me on the kids and a cameron highland holiday with the girls, and sharing with jennifer my experience as a parent looking at schools for khaleef.

mohana is getting a notebook! yay! everybody's got one now! when she skype from home i can borak with her beau ramesh yang macam hero filem tamil tu. and i can't wait to introduce kahfi to the kids! (what about khaleef? hmmph! they see khaleef all the time already!) read about the kids' most endearing gesture here.

haida said we're leaving her out but i'll say you're the busy bee, missy! clear your tight schedule this july, haida coz we're hanging out at the office eating ikan keli...

* * *

found this vending machine at ibn batutta mall on our usual jalan-jalan recently. 'rent movies and games here' it said. that was the first time i had seen such a vending machine. drinks yeah, tissues a-ha, prepaid yup - even condoms i've heard off - but not dvds and xbox games!

this is pretty cool.

however, just so you know - i don't really trust vending machines. but that's just me.

Roses For A Wednesday

* jiwang alert. you have been warned.

Just Because It's Wednesday
by syigim

it could be my birthday
but that's two months away
for valentines maybe?
but it isn't february

it could be our anniversary
wait, which one? we have so many
is it our first movie, or first date?
first time we held hands? i can't state

it could be mother's day
but it's not yet may
is he giving it out early?
i can't say!

"it's simply wednesday"
was what he says
roses for his wife
the love of his life!

as cliche as this may sound, i replied:

"roses are red
violets are blue
sugar is sweet
and so are you!"

thanks for the roses, honey! :*

* * *

for hubbies out there, give flowers to your other half just because it's wednesday. or a monday. or just a breakfast date. or simply because she cooks your favorite ayam masak lemak cili padi yesterday. or because her smile looks exactly as pleasing, as the day you first saw her.

a dozen, a bunch, a bouquet, a single stalk - it would mean the world.

spread joy!

Who Do i Look Like?

my just10 buddy anneeza put up a posting comparing her and her little daughter, zahra. it's so cute that i asked yong to send an old photograph of my baby years - and this is the best she could come up with! the rest of my baby picts are at abah's house. tunggu july lah!

super cute me and yong

this super-cute picture (with me in it, of course la cute!) was taken as we're chilling out at opah's house in kampung bahagia, teluk intan. (ade orang teluk intan sini?) we go back to abah's kampung every raya. kalau belah mak, it would be tokcik's house in taiping.

this is the tangga batu tempat main bunga api malam raya...

so, who do i look like?

ini kahfi

testimonies from my aunties, uncle and sisters on facebook:

"ha ah..memang ada rupa kamu lah...nanti kami cari gamba kat rumah abah..."
~ yong

"..macam Syigim masa kecik :) uncle rosli masih ingat lagi masa rumah kat Taman Tun... :)"
~ uncle rosli

"mmgla kahfi looks like gim, hanya org yg biasa tgk gim msa kecik je yg tau esp gmbr ni... :), msti auntie na pun setuju..."
~ cik

"..memang setuju, Kahfi exactly macam syigim masa baby......"
~ auntie na

"..wah mcm Yang la jugak. Yang kan mata sepet masa gmbar dpn rumah lama kita dlu. cube Yang scan letak kat sini. same lah!"
~ azi

ha ha.

however mr. khairul said khaleef looks like me because his eyes are bigger. and kahfi looks like him with the sepet eyes.

hmm. maybe it's the other way around. i think i got a better baby picture tucked somewhere where i look exactly like kahfi! you'll see!

* * *

on a totally different topic, the wind is awesome today - i can practically smell the salty sea breeze coming from the open window of my front hall...

Max Payne & Paul Blart in a Gran Torino

hey hey hey it's movies with syigim again! this time i'm reviewing a gothic action movie, a comedy and a powerful drama.

* * *

i like this brother of a nu kid on da block. in 'four brothers', 'the departed' and a few others, mark wahlberg has shown that he can actually act. and he's hot! (do you remember his abs when he's with the funky bunch? grr!)

mr. khairul told me that max payne the movie is adapted from a video game of the same name. throughout the movie i can't help but notice the possible 'levels' in the game that the character has to go through to 'win'. it's not necessarily a bad thing, but makes the characters too 2-dimentional, like chris o' donnel's. who is he again in the movie? hmm.

it has a simple storyline. a cop with a sad past - wife and baby murdered. he was never the same. moody, brood, quiet. vowed to find the killer. all sounds too familiar. but what separates max payne to other vendetta movies are these gems:

• the gothic-city-like setting - dark, gloomy and constantly snowing (if you're thinking batman, nope - this is better)
  
• the eerie, shadowy flying entity
• and for mr. khairul, (who insists i add this) it's that olga chick
• oh, and watch out for a cameo by the 'promiscuous girl'! i didn't know, so it was a pleasant surprise!

it took me quite a while to understand the plot, but i like the comic book feel (you'd know if you've seen 'sin city') that surrounds the movie. max payne is quite the action hero, and i'd compare him to jason bourne anytime. i particularly like the scene when max payne thought he's as good as dead under the icy cold water - and we see a vision - max payne, back in his home, he sees his wife and baby alive and well, so we're thinkin, that's it - he's dead. but then the wife says, "..not yet, max." and boom - he wakes up and saves himself. nice bit.

after the long credit, there's an additional brief scene that obviously showed there would be a 'max payne II'.

"nanti memang ade second part la. i tau tajuk dia!" mr. khairul excitedly said.

"ape?"

"pak payne." he said, dramatically.

it was so, so corny i didn't have the heart not to laugh. pakpayne, maaf ya. gurau sikit! lepas ni dah ke saudi!

* * *

the trailer seemed promising. also, i really like him in 'hitch' where he acted alongside the awesome will smith. funny guy.

after watching the movie, it was proved true - only the trailer is promising.

i've fallen for this before - the trailer seemed to show that it's a decent movie with the funniest scenes but it's not always so. a well-made trailer should pick the funniest from the many many funny movie scenes but the problem with 'paul blart : mall cop' is, the trailer contained the only funny scenes in that whole movie.

sure, the banging against the stationary van while drooling over the cute chick bit is funny, but that's about it. the kitty cat plaster brought a smile, and the sliding towards the pillar bit brought a little laugh. then on, it's just a poor excuse for a comedy. enough with fat jokes!

* * *

* spoiler alert! trust me, you just have to watch this movie!


man, i hate a great sad movie.

'saving private ryan', 'paying it forward', 'braveheart', and the latest, '7 pounds' - these are all fantastic movies with sad endings. the worst thing is, no matter how much i'm sure that somebody is going to die in the end, i can't seem to look away and just had to watch till the finishing line.

sorry to spoil it for you, but i have to tell you that 'gran torino' falls in this category. produced and directed by the still-goin-strong-at-78 clint eastwood, it's sad, but leaves you feeling good.

a war veteran, walt, lives next door to the hmongs, a vietnamese-american family. racism opens the movie. war veteran hates any chinese-looking people, african american hassling chinese girl on the street, the war veteran is shown sitting next to an indian lady wearing sari, while a nurse at a clinic wears tudung.

eastwood potrays the best ol humbug of a war veteran, especially in his tone of voice and facial expression. he's a bitter man, who doesn't give a damn about anyone until one day when his neighbour boy tries to steal his car.

walt loves his car, a 1972 gran torino. the boy in the vietnam family, a quiet, passive tao (affectionately called 'toad' by walt) tries to steal it as 'entry ticket' to the hmong gang. he fails. and that was the beginning of an endearing friendship between the two.

they're so different and have nothing in common - a white and an apek, an atuk and a young boy, a war veteran and a kid who has barely finished school - yet i really enjoyed their exchanges; walt with his mulut laser, and tao just being his age. but i must say, it's always, always eastwood who steals every single scene he's in.

i highly recommend this movie to all you movie fans.

oh, and after you've seen it, tell me - is it just me, or do you just wanna punch the priest?

* * *

that's all for now. join me again as i review another set of movies. till then!

Kahfi Demam :(

my kahfi is having a slight fever. for the first time.
this happened a few hours after he got his 4th month jab.

it' so heartbreaking to see him cry and yet refused to be fed! i'm trying to understand that for kahfi it is not just the physical pain, but an emotional one as well. he has never felt this way before, and i'm sure it scares him to be experiencing this alien discomfort. this feverish feeling is new. unsure how to react, all he needs is reassuring, plenty of cuddling and lots of love.

he took the medicine, and slept.

at the time of writing he is awake, still warm to the touch, but already smiling and cooing as usual!

on a happy note, kahfi is turning 4 months in a few days. here's his highlights :

1. he is becoming curious george! very, very curious; but i just call it plain menyibuk! everytime he's fed, he would turn his head at every sound, especially when mr. khairul is talking to me! and then get back to his feeding. another noise, he would turn his head again. and then get back to feeding. sometimes mr. khairul simply say something to see whether kahfi would turn his head - and yes, everytime. even when mr. khairul coughs! memang menyibuk betul!
2. also, now he's able to grab and hold things
3. put something interesting in front of him while lying on his front and you'd see a determined kahfi trying to reach it
4. just like big bro khaleef, kahfi has shown tendency to sleep better when holding someone's hand
5. has shown great interest in the activities of his big bro khaleef; watching intently when he plays with his toys, when he jumps around or when he sings out loud in the shower
   

get well soon cayang mak!

LATEST : yesterday morning after kahfi had his medicine, fed, he slept like a urm...baby. nyenyak sangat. and he woke up all sweaty, which was a good sign. from then on his temperature went back to normal. even before that he was already sniggering and laughing as usual. yay!

Old Boys Weekend : Dubai

i was bored halfway through. but the boys looked like they ain't leaving soon. looking at them sprawling like well-fed pythons on the al-tawasol carpet, sipping turkish tea, chattering away on batch news and laughing silly on jambu jokes - you'd never knew that some of them were meeting for the first time.

such was the camaraderie. the speret koleq.

for the uninitiated, koleq is the nickname for mckk - the malay college kuala kangsar, boasting some of the most influential name ("ape 'some' pulak! many!" mr. khairul 'corrected' me.) >eyes rolling<, i obliged. my abah went to this school for his whole secondary school years. batch '65. never knew he would get a menantu from batch '96!

khaleef, modeling the "i love malay college (just like daddy) t's. kahfi is bored

for the mckk students, past and present, it was the old boys' weekend (OBW) once more, back home in malaysia. initiatives were taken and the mckk boys in dubai had their own OBW at our favorite mandy restaurant, al-tawasol.

according to mr. khairul, (quote unquote) "OBW is a time to meet long-lost friends, to make stupid jokes and laze around.." he then described how OBW is a time to mingle with successful old boys who inspire the younger koleq generation. also, this is the time you can hear the thundering ducatis and the flashy maserati parked in front of the legendary big school, driven by those who have made it far.

during these 2-day OBW, there are no datuks and tan sris. just call them abang or uncle, for that's the spirit of brotherhood displayed during this celebrated weekend.


it's a different scene inside the humble tent of al-tawasol dubai. nevertheless, the semangat stays the same. the boys from the older batches have stories to inspire, the young ones have curiousity to be quenched.

they conquered the largest tent in the restaurant, the one adjacent to the makan place for males. a long line of mandy ayam and mandy kambing were devoured amidst chats, laughs and reminiscing. most of them proudly wore the 'quad colors' shirts bearing the koleq logo, including mr. khairul. and khaleef!

khaleef hitting it off with jasmin and bro emir

while the boys had their fun, the wives took the time to get to know each other. making new friends is always interesting. i met erin, jasmin and emir's mom. zahirah just came to dubai for four days of conference with husband in tow and left just this evening. later on kak muna came and joined in.

one of our many topics fall on comparing our hubbies - who is the more obsessed koleq boy?

gelak session

the boys had finished eating, but the reminiscing had just started. this time over tea. the conversation was so intense that a pak arab took a peek into our tent to see what the fuss was all about. by the end of the session, the waiter had to 'hint' a polite request for our entourage to leave the tent.


that was it.

the first unofficial OBW held in the middle east, first of many more to come. many more were missed during this maiden get-together - like mr. khairul's classmate afza and senior musyil; but not forgotten. it was not a huge gathering, but it was certainly memorable.

mr. khairul would like to extend his high appreciation to those who made it:

"..Spice v76, Faisal Shon v84, Zaim v82, Nik Norishky v90, Nik Kamil v96, Noor Azizi v97 and Rizal v92. To those who are residing in GCC, please contact me via my FB. The boys are updating the database for MCOBA Secretariat HQ."

here's to the next OBW in UAE.

cheers!

Donut Gemuk & Makan Thai

weekends are for bermalas-malas with the boys, eating out (mandatory mandy) or window shop. i like the eating out part the most. (duuh!) today we ate thai food for dinner from the lemongrass at ibn battuta mall. this is the lemongrass express, as it's only one of the many makan place in ibn battuta foodcourt.

we've eaten at a lemongrass restaurant before, the one in al-qasba, sharjah. al-qasba is wonderful place to bring the whole family, jalan-jalan with the view of the canal whilst we ate. i had the kuey teow (i had a crave for char kuey teow at the time and was hunting for it everywhere i went).

verdict - well, it's no chinese style obviously, but i was craving so it tasted well enough. it uses the wide type of flat noodles which i like, and it has got a generous serving of chicken, prawn and squid pieces so it was worth the price. eat it while it's piping hot!

the lemongrass restaurant at al-qasba, sharjah

it's said that the white curry is its signature dish, but neither of us were too keen to try. when we went to ibn battuta, mr. khairul had the tom yam and he has only good things to say about it! it's a really simple tomyam with just prawns and mushrooms but mr. khairul enjoyed slurping to no end.

tau-tau je dah habis!

owh, and you can actually try the lauk! we didn't know till we tried. mr. khairul once worked at a chinese restaurant, the panda express back when he was in chicago, and he said over there they let customers try out their lauk just like when you try the ice-cream flavors in baskin robbins!

so kalau ade yang gile tomyam tu boleh la try dulu!

the lemongrass express counter at ibn battuta mall food court

* * *

my sis syida thinks it's too sweet, but to me it's a wonderful guilt-inducing fluffy treat. krispy kreme. our fav doughnut place. mr. khairul called it donut gemuk.

go figure.


krispy kreme is also one of the many counters in the ibn battuta mall, this is a must-stop for us. eventhough it doesn't have as much variety in doughnuts like dunkin, we only need 3 types - the choc dream for me, the creme filled for mr. khairul, and the colorful choc rice ones for khaleef. sorry, kahfi has to wait till he turns 1!

untuk mak, bapak and khaleef. kahfi minum milk je lah!

the doughnuts feel fresh from the oven, and stays fluffy even days after we bought them. doughnuts from dunkin seemed pale in comparison, while j co's seemed to be too soft and not padat.

there's one newly opened krispy kreme at 'the walk'. can't wait to check it out!

* * *

i've seen this kind of awards in blogs but this is the first time somebody actually gives me one. it felt kinda nice. thanks nekPP! she wrote in her blog, "walaupun baru kenal...mesra.." which i agree. i've only met her once but she's already one of my stalkers, err i mean, fav bloggers...she blogs about food - lauk-pauk, cookies and cakes! yummies!

terima kasih, nek! cucu seronok ni!

and also, it says in her blog that, to accept this award, some rules have to be adhered to :

• put this logo in your blog
• give this award to blogs most inspirational to you
• express your appreciation
• inform them of this award that you're giving out

so here are the recepients of my inaugural award!

1. azi - my youngest sister, who designed the template for my blog
2. syida - my 2nd-youngest sister, who is my fav blog-critic
3. sofia - mr. khairul's youngest sister who, at 8, is blogging
4. kak arin - my buddy at malaysia hall melbourne
   
5. anneeza - my just10 buddy, who inspires me in her passion for the goodness of breastfeeding and cloth diapers

now you can pass it on! excuse me while i chow down another doughnut...

Ouchy Ouch

sian khaleef!

i was arranging the periuk in the kitchen when khaleef broke a glass. i took some newspaper, swept the area, mopped and double-checked for any escaped shards of glass. and yet khaleef stepped on one.

it was horrible!

here's how it happened: he stepped on something. then i saw his face changed, yet there weren't any tears. i suspected he stepped on kaca but how come he's goin out of the kitchen instead of mengadu to me? he tip-toed to the front hall and i saw little droplets of blood. man, i was the one who panicked!

can you see his funny funky snake plaster?

khaleef was cool as ever. his face was contorted in pain, but he didn't cry at all. i think he was just worried. and rasa pedih. i sat him down and checked the cut. it was a small one, but quite deep. that explains the blood. the only thing he said when he saw the blood was -

"owmygaawwddd...darah..."

while i applied dettol antiseptic cream, he was still looking at the bloody tissue paper while saying "owwmyydodd... daaarahhhh..." then i put the snake plaster and he was already chatting away about snakes. he's fine!

i called the bapak and mengadu - mr. khairul said, "hindustan betul khaleef ni."

he didn't cry so there's no need to pujuk - but to make my khaleef feel better i gave him ice-cream. and eventhough he is usually never allowed a second helping, (he always, always ask, with the nicest 'please' just in case he can get another bowl, but he never does get - yes, i can be cruel) this time i gave in.

he got his second bowl of ice-cream. enjoyed it while admiring his funny 'snake' plaster.

brothers hangin out

at the time of writing he's hanging out with kahfi watching peter pan after a hot shower. kahfi is getting ready for his bath time. khaleef checks out his 'wound'. he turns to me and said, confidently:

"mak..........don't worry. sakit don't worry."

my heart skips a beat. he's telling me not to worry. good boy, khaleef. good boy.

I Bake Brownies!

i enjoy baking. i don't bake a lot. but i enjoy it.


am i any good? i always try to be. i don't know how to bake a lot of stuff, nor do i flip through recipe books or the recipe sites to check out complicated cakes and pretty pastries to bake - i've only tried chocolate cake, cheese cake, choc chip cookies and muffins. oh, and a couple of kuih raya. the cakes turned out fine every time but muffins vary - i've baked really fluffy muffins. and i've baked really rock-hard muffins.

sometimes it's so good that abah would eat some eventhough he's not much of a cake-or-muffin-fan. that, to me, is a major compliment.

my trusted baking buddies : the mixer was what i ask for as a wedding present from just10, and i love the weighing thingy coz you can adjust the bottom part

when it's really bad, i remember only one person in this world would 'sacrifice' herself and take a bite into my badly baked muffin - my mak. kalau yang tak jadi pun mak will just take a bite and gave her comments coz she knew i love feedbacks - especially positive ones! but her trying it out was enough to make me feel that my effort paid off, even if it means having to throw away a huge portion of what i had just baked.

mr. khairul had no complaints thus far. he loved my cheese cake and i enjoy baking for him! coz you know, i bake with lurrvveee...ha ha!

ingredients for the cheese choc brownies

yesterday i tried baking brownies. i found the recipe inside a little recipe booklet given away with the purchase of philly cheese. i was really motivated to try coz i've already got half the items needed, and only a few more to get at spinneys. one thing about me is, unknown ingredients turn me off - when i look at a recipe, i will try it out only if it includes items that i've heard off, i know where to get and i know how it looks like.


khaleef helped. he wanted to do so much more, but he had already gotten flour all over the tikar mengkuang...

voila!


ok, it doesn't look as tempting as it should be. in fact it looks burnt. tak payah la gelak! it looks darker than i expect (salah budget daa..) and the lovely cheese swirls before wasn't visible. luckily only the top, right-hand side was a little burnt. it's actually quite smooth on the inside.

and if you ask me, it tastes choclatey enough! well, i served it hot, and i topped it off with a scoop of chocolate ice-cream. and i waited for my biggest critic to take a bite.

verdict : yummy sounds! no words. just umm and yumm and hmm with every bite till the only thing left on the plate was traces of melted ice-cream.

sigh.

you make me feel like on top of a big muffin mountain with choc chip trees and big cherry mound on top behind fluffy whipped cream clouds. love you!

Tag : 5 Items

i love being tagged. thanks kak arin! at times you just need something simple and fun to write about...

[1]| - 5 Names I go by:

1. syigim (pronunciation varies from 'syigeem' to 'syigame' - i personally don't mind)
2. gim (among my colleagues)
3. yang (i'm the 2nd child - known among my sisters)
4. auntie gim (to my nephews and nieces)
5. queen of everything (ok i made this last one up but it'd be super cool!)

|[2]| - 5 Jobs I have had in my life

1. letter sorter at main post office ipoh during puasa month, while waiting for the spm result
2. lecturer at a private college in ipoh
3. journalist (best assignments was with afdlin shauki, yasmin ahmad and the creator of the sang kancil cartoons)
4. magazine editor
5. mentor

|[3]| - 5 Places I have lived before

1. ipoh since forever
2. asma college uia gombak
3. malaysia hall melbourne
4. seksyen 25 shah alam
5. bur dubai

currently dubai marina yay baybee!

|[4]| - 5 TV Shows that I watch currently

1. f.r.i.e.n.d.s reruns (always!)
2. american idol (go gokey!)
3. the apprentice (reruns too. but i like the people aspect of the show - behaviour, personality, idiosyncracies - plus, donald trump himself is an interesting character, right dora?)
4. the tyra show (i'm becoming those housewives who watches talkshows..hihihi)
5. peep, chirp and quack (one of khaleef's many many many fav cartoons - but this one i like)

|[5]| - 5 places I have been

1. los angeles (sending yong)
2. melbourne (for my masters)
3. auckland (holiday - just abah and the girls)
4. pulau perhentian (first major holiday for us as family - mr.khairul, khaleef and me)
5. dubai (been there, living now)

|[6]| - People that e-mail/contact me regularly

1. abah
2. syida
3. syimee
4. syima
5. azi

i'd say facebook has been a great help to strengthen bonds without having to spend money on calls, or having to write long e-mails. you can just 'poke' to say hey i'm thinking of you..

|[7]| - 5 of my favorite foods
i love to eat okay. period. *big huge grin*

1. char kuey teow
2. spaghetti
3. ayam masak merah
4. mcd
5. cheese cake

|[8]| - 5 things I would like to do

1. write for a living
2. watch theater in dubai
3. dine at burj al-arab
4. own a yellow beetle
5. balik malaysia!!!

|[9]| - 5 Things I am looking forward to

1. macam kak arin, is to see my boys grow up healthy, happy and well-educated
2. work again
3. trips all over middle east and europe
4. bake brownies jap lagi
5. again, balik malaysia!!!

|[10]| - 5 friends I think will respond

1. azi
2. syida
3. anneeza
4. liyana
5. syu