Weekend Gateway

I'm off to KK tonight.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

In case you are wondering, no I'm not gonna climb the Mount Kinabalu.

Maybe next time :)

Oh, it's gonna be my first time flying Firefly.

Will give a review once I'm back.

Take care people.

Enjoy the long weekend :D

Picture from Google.

DESTINY.

Salam,

I have been thinking about this for quite sometime. I have observed people, and more importantly I have reflected upon myself.

I haven't read 'The Secret' (boo me!). Wait, I curi-curi read one chapter in Kinokuniya the other day. If I'm not mistaken it's about positive and negative thoughts. *Maybe it's time for me to finally read it* But I agree with what they try to convey in the book: 

"You are the master of your own destiny"

It's all in our minds. Whatever we decide to be or to do today, that decision will shape our future. And that decision can be about anything. Everything.

Let say for example, you want to open a mee goreng stall. You have a special recipe that you inherit from your great grandmother. You believe it'll be a good business because everybody around you has been saying it's the best mee goreng that they have ever tasted. Now question is, what kind of business you want it to be? How far you want to take it? Nak jual depan rumah je or nak bukak kedai? Kadang-kadang I feel sad looking at some Malay businesses, ones that I think have a lot of potential to go further, but then they settle for ala-kadar je. Bukak kedai pun macam takde effort, no deco, tak bersih etc.

You see, if in day 1 you decide to be mediocre, mediocre you will be. If you let your mind into thinking, 'I want to open mee goreng restaurant chains', your brain will process that dream, and work around that dream. All your subsequent thoughts and actions will be tailored towards that dream. Some people are afraid to think big, or simply they think it's not feasible. That's why there is this saying:

"Shoot for the moon, even if you miss it, you'll land among the stars"

It is okay to dream big. Even bigger than you thought you could do. Because you won't know how capable you are, until you try it yourself.

And again this is applicable to almost everything. 

You make decisions everyday, big or small. Small decisions, like what to eat may not affect you so much. But big decisions like what kinda job you want to look for after you graduate, you cannot simply say, 'Oh takpelah, duduk rumah setahun dulu, lepas tu baru fikir'. Think big, and be specific if you could, so that you have a vivid picture in your mind, making it easy for your brain to work that thought out. Oh I do that all the time. All the berangan-angan, I love it. Haha. 

Here's another example:

You completed your degree in local uni, but you so want to study abroad. You want to experience how it feels like to experience different cultures, different lifestyle, different climate altogether. But you feel you're not gonna achieve it because your English is not that good, and there's no way your family can fund your studies there. So what do you do? Do you just sit and wait for it to happen? It's not gonna happen, I tell you. If you decide that's what you want, work it! Look for funding opportunities, brush up your English etc. SET YOUR GOAL AND WORK TOWARDS THAT GOAL. Rezeki tak datang bergolek, yo!

What brings me to write this entry?

Because I feel so geram looking at people who don't want to majukan diri sendiri, cepat rasa selesa, and worst, DO NOT BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES.

POSITIVE THINKING, that's what we need. If you keep on saying 'No, I can't do this' 'I don't think I'm good enough' 'Naahh, cannot lah', your brain register those negative thoughts, then you gonna achieve nothing.

We must be fluid with our lives. Constantly moving. Not to sit one place for a long time and hoping that miracle happens.

Let's together change how our brains think, and together we achieve our dreams :)))



p/s: I may sound like a crazy woman membebel-bebel up there but I hope you gain something :)

An act of goodwill

I gained two years of my life blog entries back (dramatic mode)

Thank YOU.

Updated: Having mixed feelings reading all the old entries. Sedih, lawak, happy, rasa macam bongok, macam macam ada. Seriously, it was quite an effort you put there. Can't thank you enough.

Interview Part I: PhD studentship interview

Salam,

Before my old blog decided to kill itself (actually I killed it), I have thought about sharing my interview experiences with you people. So far I had gone through four different interviews, different in purpose, and different in approach. So in this Part 1 (let's see if I'm rajin enough to continue to Part 2 3 4), I'm going to share my latest interview experience for a postgraduate program.

I was interviewed by two universities in two different ways. I had phone interview with Nottingham, and Skype interview with Manchester. The questions asked were almost the same (which I'll share in just a moment), but the feelings were different.

Personally, I prefer Skype interview, over a phone interview or a face-to-face interview. First, because I didn't feel as nervous, compared to the face-to-face interview. Maybe I got my brain to think that these people were far from me, so if I did any mistakes, or said something wrong, they couldn't whack me or anything (not that face-to-face interviewer would do that to me). The atmosphere was less intense. They couldn't really 'bantai' you with all sort of questions because the distance and medium set certain limitations to the questions asked. I don't know how to explain this. Please just tell me you geddit! Haha. My Skype interview was very casual, not only the conversation was casual, but I dressed super casually too! I just put on my black 'tudung Indon' and a......pyjama! See, the comfort of doing Skype interview in your own room :) Since I was less nervous, I became so chatty and I smiled the whole time and I made people laughed. Good time ey?

So the questions..(not in chronological order)

1. Why PhD?

I told them about the USM fellowship thing and how I have always wanted to have a PhD at some point in my life. In my essay for university application, I told them how I wanted to be a medical doctor but too bad I was scared of blood. But I may not be a doctor who cure people, but another kind of 'Dr' who finds cure for people. Cheesy, no? Haha

Tips: They want to see your enthusiasm. PhD is a pretty scary thing, so they must make sure you have the will power and can endure all the scary things.

2. Why this university?

Time to gorengggggg. Haha no lah. Cliche answers would be university ranking and top notch research facilities. I also added 'large Muslim community' in my bullet point because it was a concern in the US. In the US, Muslim community is not concentrated at one place, and it's hard to find halal eateries. It's definitely a concern for many different reasons.

Tips: Try to impress them with your knowledge about the university and area. If it has the largest Cancer Research Center in the world, for example, make it a point in your answers. I didn't really do this when I had my interview, but I guess doing little homework will do you good.

3. Why UK, not US?
Jeng jeng jeng. I secretly answered 'US PhD program takes the whole 5 years out my life, when am I gonna get married?' Hahaha. Of course I didn't answer that, and of course marriage is not a concern, what are you thinking? :P I just answered, "Been there for three years and I got tired of the US" and they laughed to it. I know people have been comparing UK and US PhD education a lot and US trumps in that case, but I just want to explore UK and Europe and experience the different cultures and lifestyles and whatnot. *so many AND ah?*

4.  Why Immunology? What amazes you?
Frankly speaking, I don't know how to answer this. It's more of how I feel towards it than a factual reasoning.    I answered (it may sound lame), "I am amazed at how small things like a cytokine can do so much in our body yada yada yada" Seriously I don't know how to describe this interest of mine.

Tips: Know your thanggg! Lucky me it was on Immunology, something I'm very fond of. If USM sent me to do some protein engineering project, seriously I'm gonna BS all the way. So you gotta have passion in what you are doing, then only you can ease your way in answering these interviewers. DWYL LWYD, remember?

5.  Explain your undergraduate research project.
Haha this is the most interesting part of all. I have a standard concluding statement whenever someone asks me this question. So I worked on the role of Notch signaling pathway in cell transformation bla bla bla. They asked, "So what's the outcome of the research? Did you publish any papers?" My answer was, "Oh the research was halted half way, because my mentor died of lung cancer" It's not a joke okay. I know we have this insider joke that goes, "Oh tak habis belajar, sebab cikgu mati". But seriously, I was telling the truth. My research mentor died in January 2010 and the research was just handed over back to our collaborator in Maine Medical Research Center.

Tips: The most sought after PhD candidates are the one with heavy research skills under their belts (I'm talking about science candidates here, not sure about others). I'm definitely not one of those people, as I had only a year of experience compared to my other friends, plus my research was not completed. I admitted that to the interviewers, and they said it's fine as research skills are easy to be developed (they say, okay, not me).

Ermmm what else eh? Oh aaa..

6.  From your opinion, what are the characteristics should a good PhD candidate have? (It's another way of asking, what makes you a good candidate for us?)
Gorrenngg time again. Well not really goreng lah. Excellent time management, committed to work, able to work under pressure yada yada yada.

Tips: This is the time to SELL yourself, whether it's asked in one way or the other. Show them that you are worthy candidate, and that you are willing to learn and work hard in order to patch up your weaknesses (as for me, lack of research skills or rather rusty research skills)

I guess that should suffice for now. Too long already, you might yawn reading it. InsyALLAH I'll come up with Part II; my job interview.

I'll leave you guys with this very useful website, one that I used extensively to prepare for my PhD interview:
http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/applicn.htm

Restaurant Review- The Precinct

Salam,

Sister, brother-in-law and I went furniture hunting last Wednesday (Furniture arriving today, can't wait to have my new favorite thing woot woot!). We  figured there are a lot of restaurants in Precinct 15 that we haven't tried yet. So, we decided to give The Precinct Kopitiam a try that night (God, I just knew Precinct is spelled as PrecinCt not PrecinT. Haha noobsss)

The Precinct Kopitiam specialty is asam pedas claypot. You can choose from ikan pari, ikan tenggiri, ikan parang, ikan kembong and last but not least, ikan SALMON yo! The claypot prices range from RM7.80-RM28.90 (obviously that's the SALMON). I was itching to try asam pedas salmon but then it is to pricey :(

I was a bit jakun to see the waiter using this PDA-kinda-thing to take our orders. They just key the orders in, and the orders will automatically shown on the monitor in the kitchen (at least I thought that's how it works :P)

So all three of us ordered the same thing, asam pedas pari. Sungguh tak creative. When the food came, wah it was sizzling hot mannn. And the fish was hugeeeee. We thought we had to share one claypot, but no, one huge fish for everyone. 

Jeng jeng jeng, now come the most important part of all. The taste! Overall I can say that the food was good, but I prefer the asam pedas to be less 'pekat'. I'm the soup person, give me curry or asam pedas, I would want to hirup em' all. But since the asam pedas here was a bit 'pekat', no hirup for me :( Oh yeah back to the taste. The spiciness and sourness were A-OKAY. 

Oh the claypot set comes with nasi putih and ulam-ulaman too. The taugeh was an add-on.

Not too forget, they also have variety of other menu-cucur ikan bilis, putu piring, laksa, mee goreng, char kuey tiao etc. Oh and they serve cucur ikan bilis with asam pedas yo! Super new thing for us. I was told by Athirah that orang Melaka eat asam pedas with almost everything, including roti canai. Need to try that one day.

As usual, the 'aftermath' picture. 

All in all, a good place to go to if you were craving for asam pedas. But I bet, orang Melaka and orang Johor will say that they can do a better job :) Nice ambiance, affordable and friendly waiters/waitresses (because I asked if I could take a picture of the PDA-kinda-thing and he just smiled and passed the thing to me without hesitation)

*uuuu now my stomach is growling, it's about lunchtime BYEEEE*

Aku sebuah telefon mudah alih

Salam,

No, I'm not gonna write an autobiography entry. I'm not creative enough to the job. It's just a mere title.

Lately, I've grown attached to my mobile phone. I rarely use my point-and-shoot camera to snap pictures because I think my phone can do a better job. Actually I'm too lazy to figure my camera out even after three years owning it. Huhu 

Say no more, enjoy the pictures below. No editing okay, they are RAW!

This one looks even better on my phone.

My favorite of the bunch :)

What's cookin'? - Ep 5

Salam,

Last Sunday night I was down with a weird-feeling stomachache, the kind I never had before. Nak kata senggugut bukan, food poisoning pun bukan. And it lasted till Monday morning :( At work, Dr. Ranald diagnosed me for having gastric when I told him the symptoms and the fact that I didn't have dinner on Saturday night and only had lunch at 4 pm on Sunday. The diagnosis was further confirmed by Dr. Mama. She gave me all sorts of advice including the most random one;

Beli susu kotak kecil2 tu, jangan dah beli handbag and baju, dah macam pokok!

Sempat lagi tu nak bagi pesanan khidmat masyarakat. Dari cerita sakit perut, boleh masuk pasal my shopping habit. Oh mummmyyyyy kuuuu...

I got home after work on Monday, and Kakak the Pharmacist prescribed me some black looking tablets; I refused to take it because of its look (judging a book by its cover). And when I checked at the back, it is actually 'Activated charcoal' hence the color. Lagi lah taknak makannn, charcoal kot! But I googled it, it's actually for to naturalize poison in the body yada yada yada.

From a doctor, Mama became a psychologist, then a nutritionist. She advised me on what to eat and what not to eat. So at the end, I made 'Sup Makaroni', which is the WHOLE purpose of this entry. Hahaha..sorry I took you through the long way :)

SUP MAKARONI

You need: Onion, garlic, cinnamon sticks, star anise, ginger, macaroni, carrot, celery, potato, sup bunjut/perencah sup, chicken stock, cili padi, salt and pepper

Method:

1. Blend onion, garlic and ginger

2. Saute blended ingredients with cinnamon sticks and start anise in a little bit of oil until golden (I didn't have sup bunjut/perencah sup, so I added a bit of serbuk kurma here instead)

3. Add water

4. Once water is boiling, add macaroni, carrot, potato and chicken stock/chicken cubes

5. Now wait forever 

6. Add cili padi to your liking, salt and pepper to taste

7. Add celery

8. Voila! Sup Makaroni siap!

*I really think adding serbuk kurma makes it taste better..hi hi hi*

You can also add some protein, that makes the soup 'Hidangan Sepinggan Lengkap', like we were taught in Kemahiran Hidup very long time ago *uhuk uhuk dah tua*

Traffic jammed deyy in there. If I were to put chicken cubes, lagi lah jammed. 

Last but not least, garnish with bawang goreng and daun sup :)

Oh lapaaaaaaaaar

Bahasa kita, bahasa mereka.

Salam,

(Disclaimer: Entry ni agak provokatif sikit, mungkin ramai yang tak setuju dengan apa yang diperkatakan. Ini personal opinion sahaja, sekiranya ada komen, sila jangan segan-segan tinggalkan di ruang komen di bawah, ye? The topic is opened for discussion.)

Hari ini saya nak cakap dalam Bahasa Melayu, dan jugak bahasa rojak. *macam lah selama ni tak rojak*

Hari tu ada lah sembang dengan seorang kawan, dia cerita pasal PhD dia tengah buat dekat local uni. Dalam ramai-ramai, proposal dia je dalam English, majoriti yang lain dalam Bahasa Melayu. Dia dan supervisor dia siap kena defend untuk dapatkan kebenaran buat proposal dan thesis dalam English. Bila masa dia kena present untuk proposal defense, dia kena soal dengan seorang profesor ni, 'Kenapa awak seorang je dalam English?' Something like that lah. Bunyi macam tak puas hati.

OK itu mukadimah. Soalnya, saya bingung. Kenapa jadi isu proposal tu dalam English ke BM? Personally, saya rasa, lagi better if scientific proposal dan thesis ditulis dalam English. Bahasa global. Semua orang faham. Tambah-tambah lagi research kawan saya ni tentang protein. Kalau research tu pasal 'Khasiat tongkat ali untuk menyembuhkan penyakit malaria', contohnya lah kan, mungkin boleh dipertimbangkan kalau nak buat dalam BM. Sebabnya, tongkat ali dan malaria tu boleh jumpa kat sesetengah negara je, macam Malaysia. Itu pun kalau research tu berjaya, boleh la share dengan tropical countries yang lain, itu pun nak kene translate dulu. Tak ke menyusahkan?

Bayangkan kalau research tu pasal cancer, benda yang orang berkejar-kejar buat, lepas tu kau dapat results mantap gila, kau publish paper, tapi in BM. Bila orang nak cite, dah tak boleh. See, kan dah rugi satu citation di situ. Oh, bila yang sepatutnya English jadi BM, tak payah cerita la kan. Translation nye, mak aih tak terjangkau fikiran nak fikir yang itu perkataan BM untuk perkataan English. 

T helper cell = Sel T pembantu

Non-small cell lung cancer = Kanser peparu bukan sel kecil

Eosinofil teraruh = Activated eosinophil???

*yang dua atas tu memang wujud, taken from the actual research project titles. third one, memang wujud, tapi taktahu apa maksud teraruh tu*

Orang mesti akan argue, bila lagi Malaysia dan Bahasa Melayu nak maju, kalau semua guna bahasa asing. Face it, bahasa kita bukan belum lagi bahasa global. Kalau betul nak scientific research field kita nak maju, gunalah English as medium dulu. Biar orang kenal dulu scientific researchers kita yang mantap tu, publish paper dalam Nature, di panggil pergi bentangkan paper sana sini, lepas tu baru kita publish dalam BM. Masa tu, kalau publish paper dengan loghat Perak pun, orang sanggup nak translate agaknya.

And, kalau betul-betul nak mantapkan Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa kebangsaan, apakata kita mulakan dulu dengan mass media. Sekarang media suka hati je Melayu-kan perkataan English. Muak dengar. Sebagai penonton dan pembaca setia TV3 dan Utusan Online (setia ke?), dah terlalu banyak jumpa perkataan-perkataan rojak ni. Korang rasa mana lagi better, ayat rojak ke perkataan rojak? 

Contoh dalam Utusan hari ini, artikel pasal Aznil. 

"Malah, Aznil sendiri mengakui AF telah mengubah hidupnya secara total dan terus mengangkat namanya di puncak tertinggi seperti mana hari ini."

Total = keseluruhan?

Dalam Konsert AF9 malam Sabtu lepas, Aznil cakap, "......momen kebenaran..."

Moment of truth =  Momen kebenaran = Saat kebenaran?

Dalam montaj Wanita Hari Ini;

Debat Wanita...Konflik...Kontroversi...Drama...Solusi...

Konflik dan kontroversi tu boleh la dimaafkan, sebab dah digunapakai sekian lama, tapi SOLUSI? Come on man, PENYELESAIAN ada kot. Bukannya tak ada perkataan Melayu untuk SOLUSI.

Banyak lagi la perkataan lain, IMPROVISASI, KONKLUSI dan macam-macam lagi lah.

Improvisasi = Penambahbaikan, Konklusi = Penutup, keputusan (bergantung kepada context ayat)

So really, if you want to take Bahasa Melayu to the next level, start with the mass media first. Then only we talk about science in BM. Agree? Good boy.

Saya pun cakap rojak. Point is, apa yang patut tu, biarkan jelah. Macam scientific research, memang patut dalam English, so let it be. Bila research kita betul dah maju, at least setara macam China ke, baru kita go back to basics.

Like I said earlier, this is my personal opinion. Other people might beg to differ. Maybe somebody already in the academia would have reasons why they would publish papers in BM. If you have your opinion about this, do share ya?

p/s: Jangan risaulah wahai pejuang Bahasa Melayu sekalian, kalau dari lahir makan belacan budu tempoyak bagai, jiwa Melayu kuat dalam hati, belajar science in English pun, balik ghumah mike cakap Peghok juge yeob...

Happy things are meant to be shared.

Salam,

I received so many good news lately and I'm over the moon. 

1. My dear friend Aisyah is coming back from the States for a short break in May. Can't wait to see her again after so long. Girl, you better be prepared with gossips updates.

2. KULN NY-NJ is organizing Summer Camp again this year. I hope I will be available at that time to join. Previous Summer Camp was a huge success and I just feel so happy that I can contribute again.

3. This morning, I received an e-mail from Uni. of Nottingham saying that I've been accepted for their PhD program. Alhamdulillah. And I e-mail the Dean from USM asking him to approve my uni selection, and within 10 minutes he replied, 'Go ahead with Nottingham'. Alhamdulillah. Terlalu gembira.

4. Just done with an interview with Uni. of Manchester for my PhD application. MasyaALLAH, as I was writing this, I received an e-mail saying that both professors who interviewed me just now want me in their labs. Alhamdulillah, syukur Ya Allah. I feel guilty though, because I have tentatively accepted Nottingham's offer. I'll see what I can do about this.

The reason why I'm sharing all these news about my PhD application, is really not to 'menunjuk-nunjuk'.  There is a chance that I might not go to any of these unis, because KPT (Ministry of Higher Education) still has to approve me. They can turn around and say 'Sorry, we have no funds for you to send you abroad, please find a local uni to do your PhD at'. If that happened (God forbid), I'll still be sharing the bad news here.

I also find people being very secretive about what their jobs are and where they are working at. I respect their personal rights, however, I'm thinking about it in a different way. I always feel I want to share what I do with my friends and my juniors, because I'm hoping that they will learn from me, both from my achievements and my mistakes, and to learn from what I did, and did not do. Yes, there were times when I was being secretive, because I felt inferior that I was just volunteering at Petrosains with RM5 pay per hour, while other friends are earning RM2K a month doing things they love, and related to their studies. But heck, what was I thinking? Rezeki comes from Allah and what I did was nothing bad that I should be ashamed of.

Me writing/sharing all these, is just to inspire you people, and to offer help should you be in the same situation sooner or later. Because this is what I found from other bloggers, INSPIRATION. I have been a silent reader to many blogs, who tell the story of their PhD journey, career life and so on. I wish I can be a bit of a help to others by sharing a piece of my life here.

Here's to many more happy things in our lives! :))

You should never give yourself a chance to fall apart, because when you do it, it becomes a tendency and it happens over and over again. You must practice staying strong, instead. 

-Eat Pray Love-

Wordless Wednesday

A diary, 2010 planner, 2011 planner, budget/expenses, PhD planning, and two for random scribbling.

Hujan.

Salam,

Petang ni hujan sangat lebat.
Driving in almost zero visibility.
Pernah sekali drive camtu, drive dalam kabus, dari Pennstate ke Pittsburgh.
Obviously, not me driving.

Cuak punya pasal, tutup radio.
Berzikir tak henti.
Nasib semua bawak kereta berhemah.
Dalam hati dok cakap, janganlah nampak accident.
Cukuplah last week tengok fatal accident, siap nampak deceased body dalam plastik hitam.

Bila masuk simpang Putrajaya, teringat hari ni hari Selasa.
Patut ada pasar malam.
Sayu je hati kenangkan kesian orang meniaga pasar malam, malam ni.
Memang tak boleh bukak kedai langsung, hujan lebat sangat.
Kalau hujan sikit-sikit, boleh lah lagi gigih bukak kedai.
Yang jual baju takpe lagi, entah-entah malam ni meniaga kat Downtown Cheras plak.
Yang meniaga lauk-lauk, nasi ayam bagai, rugi macam tu je.
Kalau jap lagi hujan berhenti pun, mungkin tak ramai akan beli, sebab sure fikir lauk dah masuk air hujan.

Entry ni takde motif sebenarnya.

Relate.

Salam,

So I aimed to finish reading Eat Pray Love (I'm so last year, I geddit!) this weekend. Guess how long have I been reading it? Ermmmm I think since December. Lembab macam siput. 

What happened to your 'a book a month', Dila? Truth is, I've been lazy. *Guilty!*

I know what you are going to ask me next. 'Have you watched the movie?'

My answer is, No. When it comes to adaption movies, I prefer to finish reading the novel before watching the movie.  You know when you read books, you kinda create your own visualization of the characters, settings etc. That's why I prefer to watch movie later, because I want to compare my visualization with the movie. Get what I mean?

That's not the purpose of this entry, actually.

When you read any books, do you find yourself nodding to some situations portrayed in the book, that you want to tab that particular page or even highlight those particular sentences, and wish to come back to it to analyze it further? You feel like you can really relate to what is being told by the author, either because you have had similar experience, or simply because you think he/she is right about that thing.

It happens to me all the time. So far, the books that have the most tabs are 'Tuesdays with Morrie' by Mitch Albom and 'Showing Up For Life' by Bill Gate Sr.

I just tabbed this one page from Eat Pray Love'

".....because I seriously believed David was my soul mate"

"He probably was. Your problem is that you don't understand what that word means. People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they can tear your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Nah. Too painful. Soul mates, they come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave."

This is one of the many definitions of soul mate, I guess.

According to this definition, I think I've met mine.

Have you?

What's cookin'? - Ep 4

Salam,

I was nursing two sickbirds at home earlier this week, and guess what I made for them?

Of course not Black Pepper Beef Steak. What else do you serve to sick people, other than Chicken Porridge?

This entry is dedicated to guys out there. If you refused to learn to cook, because at the back of your mind, you know you are going to be married to an awesome lady who cooks for you, please at least learn how to make porridge.

Your future wife is human being, and one day she's gonna catch some flu virus somewhere and fall sick, so please don't ask her to cook for you, and don't simply go 'tapau' food for both of you.

Now, you can settle for some plain porridge, but us girls won't be too impress. *Yeah women are hard to please* I'm gonna show you how to make 'Chicken Porridge with The Works'. Or more like, TELL you.

You need: rice, anchovies, telur masin, daun bawang, ginger, bawang goreng, chicken breast, carrot, oyster sauce, chicken stock/cube, soy sauce, salt, black pepper 

Method:

1. Wash half cup of rice

2. Boil 6 cups of water in a large pot

3. Add rice and thinly sliced ginger to the boiling water

4. Add carrot, chicken cuts and chicken stock/cube

5. Last but not least, add oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste *Don't ask me why I put oyster sauce, I'm just a big fan*

While waiting for the rice to turn to porridge (nasi menjadi bubur), boil one telur masin, and fry anchovies to your liking. I like it super crispy when it comes to having it with porridge.

Garnish with daun bawang and bawang goreng.

The works.

 Boy, was it yummy!

*

As token of appreciation for being a good nurse, the now-healthy sickbirds brought home IKEA meatballs for me. How nice. It even came with a 'Thank You' note.

'Dear Nurse, TQ for taking care of us. May the balls satisfy u!'

-anna&alan-

I thought they have to-go box, but well they don't. Instead, they ask you to purchase the RM 7 plastic container for you to put the food in. These people, very clever one. Eyes see $$$$ only.

Salivating yet? Hi hi hi

What's cookin'? Ep-3

Salam,

Oh my, this post is so long overdue.

Another simple dinner recipe - Mushroom and Shrimp Spaghetti with Alfredo sauce

You need: Spaghetti, Prego Portabello Alfredo Sauce, Button Mushroom, Shrimp, Mixed Vege, Garlic, Butter (substitute for olive oil), Salt and Pepper 

Method:

1. Saute garlic in butter

2. Add shrimp and mushroom

3. Add Prego sauce *I decided to opt out the Campbell mushroom soup*

4. Add half can of water (use Prego can) *I like my pasta sauce a little 'cair', hence the water*

5. Add mix vege

6. Add salt and pepper to taste

7. SIMPLE DINNER IS SERVED *while ringing the bell*

You may add Parmesan cheese and parsley as garnish.

Serve 3-4 person.

Voila!

Lat Kampung Boy Sebuah Muzikal

Salam,

I bet all of us know who Lat is. If you are 20+, you must have watched 'Kampung Boy' aired on Astro Ria sometime during your childhood. If not, what a sad childhood you had! OK I was joking. No hard feelings ya.

Last weekend, I went to see the Lat the musical. Oh boy, was it awesome! It's totally different from 'Terima Kasih Cinta'. TKC was more static, as in the props/settings didn't change much. In Lat, there are different settings for every events that took place in his life.  Almost like Mary Poppins Broadway show I went to last year. Good job Malaysians! We are definitely getting there! I'm not surprised if this musical will be staged internationally. 

The musical approach used by these two productions are also different. TKC used existing songs and just rearranged them to make them more catchy and whatnot while Lat, the actors/actresses are more like singing out the scripts. Get what I mean? 

Thumbs up to Hans Isaac and Harith Iskandar as the directors, as well as to the whole production team.

What I actually want to share here is the fact that all of us can relate to the story of Lat. 

Example #1: DWYL and LWYD 

It is portrayed in the musical that in his early days as a cartoonist, a lot of people made fun of him, saying that being a cartoonist won't guarantee him a good life. His English teacher, Mrs Hew (famous for her 'tall' hair) found the potential in him and that was when she started singing DWYL LWYD. 

Lat followed his passion and see where he's at now. 

Now that's something to learn my children *mother mode on*. No matter what people throw at us, we just have to believe ourselves and go chase that dream of ours. I used to 'kutuk' singers who have university degrees but end up singing their hearts out. Now that I am a degree holder, I understand how it feels. After all it's just a degree, it doesn't necessarily determine what your career life would be. Chef Wan was once an accountant, now he's known worldwide for his cookings. 

This is also a reminder to myself. Just when I thought I have found what I'm really passionate about, tomorrow it'll  change. So indecisive of me. Hi hi. So people, find your passion, follow your heart, DWYL and LWYD.

Example #2: Passion vs Money vs Family

Guess who wins?

That's for you to decide.

Lat had some issues with his career and family. At one point, he was too busy working, he spent less time with his family. That scenario is so typical in our society these days. The mother would say the father doesn't love the family. The father would claim he's working hard to provide everything to the family. Each party has its own reasoning. But in the end, balance is the key. 

Lat finally left his job in NST, went back to his hometown (Ipoh, yeay!) and became a freelancer.

Lat's family won.

How about yours?

Mrs Moira Hew, Lat's English teacher, played by Sandra Sodhy

Faezah, Lat's wife played by Atilia

Lat, played by Awie

Lat Junior (next to Atilia) played by Daniel Eezkandar

Harith Iskandar and Hans Isaac as The Directors

The Man of Honor was in-house that evening! Such an honor to see him in-person.

I went with Cik Zaf and her colleague (the photographer obviously)

Tonight is the last show. Well it's too late now, huh?

Pray there'll be a next time ya!

p/s: Sengaja left you guys wondering what DWYL LWYD is. Got it? Good. No? It stands for DO WHAT YOU LOVE, LOVE WHAT YOU DO.

One side is working hard to make everything happen, while the other side is just waiting for something to happen.

Yes, things can happen.

But not for long, my dear.

Once that one side is exhausted, the ball now is in your court.

You decide.

Best Steamboat ever!

I grew up eating steamboat. The whole family is just a big fan of it. We used to have a steamboat set at home...until one day, the brilliant me found this one place.

..

..

Johnny's Restaurant!

I first read about it in Remaja magazine when I was in high school. Like it was just fated, Johnny's opened its outlet in Jusco Ipoh right after. So off we went. Since then, bye-bye steamboat at home, hi steamboat at Johnny's. It's the family favorite until now. Every time we gather (we used to live in three different continents at one point of time), there's no question about where to go eat.

Yeah we tried other places occasionally; the all-you-can-eat steamboat for RM25++  i.e Flaming Steamboat in Subang and Setapak, Red Wok in Bangi. But we keep on coming back to Johnny's. It's the battle of 'quality' versus 'quantity'. *Seoul Garden Korean BBQ is different. Will blog about it once I give it a visit later*

At Johnny's, they already pick what you'll get for Set A,B,C. Extra RM10 for Tom Yam soup. Fine. But it's the Tom Yam soup that keep us coming back. Tempat lain, naaaah biasa-biasa je - cair, tasteless, not spicy enough, too spicy.  

We took Set B RM 29.90 (10 items)

 

And Johnny's dip sauce is too die for! 

Other places, they serve 10 if not 20 different sauces (sambal belacan, thai sauce, blend chilli sauce, yong tau foo sauce, black pepper sauce etc) Not a single one stands out! You have to mix different sauces to get a decent taste. 

Johnny's dip sauce has secret ingredients, that Mama has tried to decipher for years. We thought, if Mama could make a similar sauce, then there's no need to 'kayakan' Johnny's owner anymore. But it's just so hard to 'tiru' so we gave up. Fine Johnny's owner, you are five thousand richer because of us.

Thai BBQ Beef Noodle. Yumm-eh.

Just looking at this makes me hungry. What's for breakfast yo?

The aftermath.

Bye now! Gotta go find something to eat. Tummy is crying.

Rojak Mee satu!

I just have so much to say these few days.

The juice keeps coming; I just have to squeeze 'em all out. Tak baik membazir.

Had some sisterly time with my sister this evening. Initially I wanted to satisfy my 'Rojak Mee' craving. Read Auntie Nani's blog, and drooled right away. Of course I opted for mamak to cook for me, Auntie Nani is just one amazing woman who makes 'Rojak Mee' on her own. Those maternal instincts, I shall get them once I am married with kids (meaning before kids come to the picture, hubby would dine out on most nights muahaha). For the time being, I shall enjoy having 'mamak' as my personal chef.

Did I mention I had 'Rojak Mee'? Oh yea I did.

I just couldn't tahan looking at those tandoori chickens hanging in whatever-glass-thing-they-call-it, I had to order one. 

I didn't realize how much I missed 'proper' mamak food. I have mamak food for lunch almost everyday, but sad thing is, they serve the same dish EVERY SINGLE DAY! Not fun! Plus, they don't have my-favorite-part ayam goreng. You know, I'm a little bit picky about chicken parts; I only eat chicken breast.  I was the President of Ayam Dada Society back in Rochester; members were me and Jiji, and whoever else. Digressed, big time! So yeah, it was a good decision to treat myself with real mamak experience. 

So my sister and I got into serious conversation about work-related stuff, which I thought of putting here, but now its 12.15 am and I am supposed to hit the sack. Later ya!

OK BYE!