Anyone Can Cook #3: Daging Masak Kicap Pedas

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Not really in the mood of writing so I will just share another home-cooked recipe today. If you ever noticed from my posts on Eids, this is one of the must-have Eid recipes in my home. Usually it would be Mom to prepare this dish on Eid's eve for every year. But now I can finally cook it (almost like Mom's) after she taught me how.

Anyway today's recipe of Daging Masak Kicap Pedas or Fried Beef with Soy Sauce and Chillies is best eaten with Ketupat Daun Palas or Glutinous Rice Cake Wrapped in Palm Leaves for Eid. During normal days, this kind of meat dish is just as tasty as to be served with a plate of plain rice as a side dish. This one calls for my most favorite beef dish ever. It is an easy family recipe so do try it; you will never regret.

'Courtesy of Rasa.com. Spicy level: 3/5'

Daging Masak Kicap Pedas

(Fried Beef with Soy Sauce and Chillies)

What You'll Need:

(A)

1/2 kg of beef meat - sliced into small pieces

6 cups of water

(B)

1 onion (bawang besar)

4 shallots (bawang merah)

4 garlic cloves (bawang putih)

 An inch of ginger (halia)

1 cup of water

(C)

1/2 from an onion - sliced

1 cinnamon stick (kulit kayu manis)

2 star anises (bunga lawang)

4 tbsp of blended dried chillies (cili kering)

3/4 tbsp of coarse black pepper (lada hitam)

1/4 cup of sweet soy sauce (kicap manis)

1 tbsp of tamarind paste (pes asam jawa)

1 beef stock cube (kiub pati daging lembu)

1+1/2 cup of vegetable oil

3/4 tbsp of salt

2 tbsp of sugar

Now Let's Get Cooking:

1. Combine everything in (A) into a pressure cooker and let it cooked for about 20 minutes. Allow it to cool down for another 20 minutes before taking the beef meat out. Take out 1+1/2 cups of beef stock.

2. In a large pan, fry beef meat in vegetable oil until half-cooked and set it aside.

3. Blend everything in (B).

4. Using the same oil in the same pan, saute blended dried chillies together with tamarind paste on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add in cinnamon stick, star anise and coarse black pepper and stir until it turns aromatic.

5. Add in the blended ingredients in (A) together with sweet soy sauce. Saute for another five minutes.

6. Add in the fried meat together with the beef stock. Let it stirs for a minute before add in the sliced onion, beef stock cube, sugar and salt. Stir for another five minutes on medium heat. Ready to serve.

Cooked with much loves, people!

Penned Down #20: Acne, Acne, Please Go Away

Warning: This post might contains some explicit images which are merely to state information for educational purposes. Any misconduct shall derived from this post is deemed to be under your own consequences. 

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Let's do some checklist together. Are you suffering from:

• acne-prone skin?
• acne or non-acne rashes?
• blemishes like blackhead or whiteheads?

If you answer YES to any of above, then are your skins getting:

• too dry by using anti-acne skincare?
• too oily by using normal skincare?
• too irritated by using any type of skincare?

If your answer still YES to any of above, then welcome to my world! We are officially sharing the same skin issue which is acne with sensitive skin. Sounds horrifying but that's one fact we gotta walk with now.

'Acne with acne rashes, blackhead & whiteheads. Courtesy of WebMD.com'

We all know what is acne but why are we getting rashes, blackhead and whiteheads for a complete acne package? Truth is, acne is built on a clogged pore from oil and dead skin cells that can become inflamed. When it is opened, it is called a blackhead; closed then it is a whitehead. It is triggered by hormones and bacteria so anyone could have suffered from acne. Meanwhile rashes occur when your skin get irritated.

The worst part is when our acne-prone skin suddenly became acne-prone with sensitive skin. With sensitive skin condition added, we have to be extra careful in selecting the right skincare for acne to heal. No more anti-acne cream that's too harsh for the skin. Everything needs to be on delicate term now so the right choice will be the organic anti-acne skincare.

'One of organic anti-acne creams in market. Courtesy of Nature in a Box.com'

Why did I emphasize on organic rather than natural skincare? As I have mentioned in my previous post, some natural-claimed skincare lines still use chemicals for preservative purpose. Chemical will only do more damages to acne-prone with sensitive skin. So choosing the organic line which is 100% plant-derived will be much safer option.

But wait, it does not mean you cannot choose some over-the-counter products which you have eyed for. As I always said, choose wisely and never forget to check the ingredient lists beforehand. Be a smart buyer and always go for your first instinct.

If you ever wonder of how your acne-prone skin has suddenly became too sensitive, then you've only got yourselves to blame with. Trying too many skincare products at a time or frequent changes of skincare line will result in sensitive skin reaction. Been there, done that.

 

Of hygienic factor, you either lack in keeping the oily areas clean or over washing your face that might have caused your skin worse. Always remember that having a sensitive skin means everything should be taken moderately. Do not overdo it, ever. Trust me on this.

Anyway I will try to give more words of advice in battling acne based on my knowledge in the next post. It is not that I have been freed from acne ever (I am still struggling, though) but I shall share ways that I have taken just in case somebody needs my two cents. Sharing is always caring and it won't cause you a single penny. No?

Ways to a healthy complexion, people!

Penned Down #19: Wearing Organic

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Since I am suffering from overly sensitive and acne-prone skin, I have always had this thing with so-called natural derived skincare products. Be it homeopathy or traditional home remedies, these choices are much safer to use rather than over-the-counter products which ingredients are definitely chemical. Well at least, that's what I thought until recently.

Somehow I have found out their claims of using only naturally derived ingredients in the skincare line are less than half to be true. If we really read up their ingredient labels, we could definitely see most of the preservative and emulsifiers used are the same chemical listed in over-the-counter products. Maybe some of these words might ring a bell to you; Paraben, Propylene Glycol, Sulphate, Petrochemical, Mineral Oil, Alcohol or Fragrances. No?

If you are from Malaysia then you must be used to lots and lots of locally-made skincare products advertised (which I suspected the only difference is the brand labels while the ingredients are merely from the same formula). Although they provide some success testimonial from users, I can't help but feeling skeptical of how such an affordable cheap stuff could do wonders to problematic skin? They just sound too good to be true, anyway.

 Hell no if any of you think that I am just blindly condemning the local or over-the-counter products, as I speak from my own experiences. Truth to be told, I have tried too many skincare lines since I got myself a costly skin condition a few years back. Be it from high-end brand to medium and low-ends, or locally-made and natural-claimed products; all they gave me were only unfortunate results.

Well yes, I did go to a few skin specialists but all they caused me were a bomb to my wallet with skin improvement nowhere to be seen. However after years and years of experimenting with too many skincare lines, I have finally discovered the main culprits that causing our skins to be more and more sensitive are the chemical preservative and emulsifiers mentioned above. And of course, trying too many products too will eventually causing more damages to the skin.

So what skincare products with naturally derived ingredients that come with naturally occurring carrier agents do we have for choice instead? Well you know the classic answer; you should switch to those organic skincare! They are many brands to choose for but do make sure it is as organic as it claims to be. Organic here means they are 100% plant derived with natural preservatives. We are talking about the real and only natural product claim.

'Their best selling item. Courtesy of Nature in a Box.com'

I Googled and found out a few online stores that provide organic skincare lines. Upon reading some reviews on certain brands, I got myself a few stuffs from Botani. It is a brand from Australia and was chosen for Judges Choice Runner Up by Australian Beauty Awards in 2012. Being a newbie to organic, I had tough time in deciding what brands to buy. But it won't hurt to try especially it is an all natural derived skincare line. No?

Since I have just bought them then I will be updating later for reviews on Botani. Well I don't expect a miracle but at least I wish these organic products will do a little wonder to my problematic skin ever. Let's hope. By the way, I got my organic stuffs from Nature in a Box. They are clearing off some items on great deals so check them out if you wanna try something without causing a large hole in your pocket.

Let's try and go green, people!

Faith Friday #3: Surah Al-Baqarah [2:286]

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

'Original Photo Courtesy of GrumpyCats.com'

"Allah does not place a burden to a soul greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns." Surah Al-Baqarah [2:286]

Another beautiful reminder for us, people!

Penned Down #18: It's No Sacrifice

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Has it ever occurred to us that sometimes we thought we are sacrificing for other people but we actually aren't? We tend to give up something for the sake of others and then proudly declared to ourselves;

'Well yeah, I have sacrificed for these people'. Do we know that literally, there is no such thing like sacrificing involved in the action. So why is that so?

For me, once you keep mentioning things you have been forgone, you are actually implying there was a kind of hesitate feeling involved prior to making the so-called decision. Hesitate means unwillingness; it won't be called as sacrifice if you ever feel reluctant in doing it. I have just realized this fact recently when The Hubster tried to write me off from raising an issue of how I have been sacrificing and yet nobody notices it.

"Stop doing something for others if you don't feel like making one. It's not a sacrifice anyway, if you keep feeling hesitate," And he was totally right.

Like a door slammed in my face, I realized that I need to stop thinking that I am the one doing all the sacrifices for others. It was never for them; it was always done for the sake of my own self. Having my eyes wide open by The Hubster's words, I could finally see those sacrifices been made by people around me in all these years. How unfortunate, for I always took them for granted.

'The Husbter during his days with TLS'

The Hubster; the one and only that is very close to me. He used to have a fine job with a fine monthly figure before he married me. And yet he gave it up just to stay with me here. With only decent job and decent pay, he neither complain nor mentioned about it until today. Unlike me, he never made me feel that I was the cause for his idle career movement. He has been making sacrifices for me all this time and still he is.

Mom; the one and only that love me unconditionally in every aspect. Being unemployed and such, God knows how she has been sacrificing for me only to make sure that I live a decent life like the others. Even though we always got to each other's nerves most of the times, I know that deep down she will always consider me as her forever little girl. Always gotta look out for me in every way, I will never get to repay her ever.

'Yours Truly with much younger Mom back then'

Seeing how much people have done for me, it occurs to me I should not let them continue doing that anymore. It is not an issue of what we have done for people; it's what other people have done for us. The recent Eid-ul-Adha has taught me the true core of making sacrifices in the name of Allah SWT. Every sacrifice done should be accompanied with pure heart and right intention. And, never mention it.

What say you, people?

Penned Down #17: Eid-ul-Adha & Fractured Bones

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

It has been more than a week since Eid-ul-Adha has left us yet here I am, still self-struggling to draft a post about it. I guess it is not too late to wish everyone a Happy Belated Eid! Pretty sure most of you got knocked out with high BP readings due to excessive meat consumption. No?

My Eid-ul-Adha was as usual as everyone's. The only thing different was that this year I took most parts in preparing all Eid dishes since Mom was no longer able to move as freely as she used to. The story was, Mom got her left foot bones fractured when she accidentally sprained her ankle so she had to wear the traditional heavy plaster cast. Knowing her, I could tell the plaster cast would be a HUGE troublesome to Mom later. And boy, was I right.

Feeling too uncomfortable due to inability to make a single move, Mom requested to wear the much lighter fiberglass cast. So we got it changed the very next day. Unfortunately the cast caused her foot swollen and her toes bruised as Mom is a diabetic patient. We then went to a traditional medical practitioner (specialize in fractured bones) and the cast was again removed - forever. It took only three days in total and of course with lots of drama involved. Teehee.

'Colorful fiberglass cast. Mom got hers blue. Courtesy of JoinUsa.us'

Mom was warned not to move around using her left foot in order to let the cracked bones heal naturally. So we bought a portable wheelchair for her to wander around the house and yards. Knowing Mom, she is one active lady. She drives anywhere she wants and does everything she pleases with her own bare hands. So when the limits take on her now, we tried to give our best efforts to help her cope with the new situation.

Back to Eid-ul-Adha, we had Ketupat Pulut, Nasi Impit with Kuah Kacang, Rendang Ayam and Daging Masak Kicap Pedas in the morning. As usual, I baked Chocolate Brownies to accompany the Red Velvet cupcakes made by Yong (Annie brought it home). Well this year's Eid-ul-Adha saw me baking up cake orders from The Hubster's few colleagues on special requests. I would like to thank them for the daring trusts that I would not burn those cakes. Bahaha!

'The Red Velvet by Yong's Bakeri Al Barokah'

Anyhow nothing much to write up anymore. But definitely this year's Eid-ul-Adha had finally taught me the true meaning of sacrifice in one's life. Err.. Will continue later, as usual.

Happy Belated Eid-ul-Adha, people!

Faith Friday #2: Surah Al-Baqarah [2:216]

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

'Original Photo Courtesy of GrumpyCats.com'

"It is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing, which is bad for you. But Allah knows, while you know not." Surah Al-Baqarah [2:216] 

Another beautiful reminder for us, people!

Penned Down #16: Tampon's Common Questions

Warning: This post might contains some explicit images which are merely to state information for educational purposes. Any misconduct shall derived from this post is deemed to be under your own consequences.

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Yeah! So we are back for the Q&A's session about tampons. Since I am a Malaysian Muslim, I will try to answer and elaborate more from those perspective. So drum rolls, ladies! Clear up your mind from now on. From this post and this post.

Q&A #1: Where should I buy tampons in Malaysia?

Truth to be told, there are actually not many brands to choose over in Malaysian market. But they are widely available at any leading pharmacies like Guardian and Watsons. You can choose over high-end brands like Tampax and Playtex or medium-ends like Johnson's O.B. There is tampon selection at Tesco Hypermarket, too and they are wayyy cheaper than above mentioned brands. I sometimes juggled between Johnson's O.B. and Tesco's. Both work fine with me, anyway.

Q&A #2: Should I buy tampons with applicator or without?

It is all depends on you. If you are new to tampons, then it should be advisable that you try tampons with applicator. The applicator will help you to insert the tampons correctly. Plus, it is more hygienic because you won't be needing to insert your finger down there. The applicator will do it all so yeah, the first timers should get benefits from it.

'A tampon with applicator. Courtesy of The Period Blog.com'

Q&A #3: How much tampons will cost in Malaysia?

I am not really sure the exact prices but based on my experience, this is what you can expect. For high-end brands like Tampax and Playtex, they will cost less or more of RM20 for a box of eight regular pieces with applicator. For medium-ends like Johnson's O.B, the price is less or more of RM20 for a box of 32 regular pieces without applicator. For Tesco's brand, the price is less or more of RM10 for 24 regular pieces without applicator. So you can decide based on the budget.

Q&A #4: How to use a tampon? Will it hurt?

Every tampon box will include the instructions leaflet on how to use the tampon for the first time. Usually they will come with step-by-step pictures for easier reference so you might want to follow the manual as it is. The most important thing is to relax and stop worrying. It won't cause you any pain, trust me.

Q&A #5: How should I dispose a used tampon?

Like sanitary pads, it should be wrapped in a paper or plastic before throwing it into the dustbin. For Muslim ladies, you might want to clean it properly with water and soap before disposing it. Remember to never flush the tampons; in fact never flush anything into the toilet. You do not want to be the culprit for damaging the sewer line.

Q&A #6: Can a virgin use a tampon?

This is another common but tricky questions I have always encountered. You see, us Malaysian ladies are still accustomed to tradition and religion practice in certain ways. That includes the fact of how a virginity is deemed to be very important for unmarried girls in our society. Compared to western countries, the idea for virgins to simply put anything in the Miss V for the sake of trying out some new menstruation experience is quite unbearable.

Even though it is proven that a tampon won't tear the hymen when it is worn in the right way but still, the risk is still there. Especially to girls who know very little about their private parts compared to us married ladies, it is advisable to wait until you are married to use such things during menstruation. For now, maybe you should stick to those less-harm sanitary pads until you are truly ready. Just my two cents, girls.

'Tampon brands (some are not available in Malaysia). Courtesy of Google.com'

So I hope this short session will help you (especially if you are from Malaysia) to obtain a clearer and rational views about using tampons during your menstruation times. Please note that all my posts about tampon are written to help set your mind at ease and help you be informed about it. So when you are ready to use one, then off you go. Never live in myth and puzzled minds anymore.

Sharing is caring, ladies!

Penned Down #15: The Tampon Story

Warning: This post might contains some explicit images which are merely to state information for educational purposes. Any misconduct shall derived from this post is deemed to be under your own consequences.

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Continued from this previous post, I do hope some of you have been benefiting from my answers in regard to myths about using tampons. As been promised, here is my honest tampons story to be told and I might slot in some common questions about tampons especially for ladies in Malaysia.

I started using tampons for menstruation when I first got married. Due to some haywire hormonal changes after I was diagnosed with PCOS (will write up about it one day), I have been suffering from allergy rashes at most parts on my skin. Unfortunately, that includes the menstruation times when I had to wear sanitary pads which left me with unwanted rashes and freaking itchiness to bear.

Hoping to stop the damage from became worst, I Googled and that's when I found out the alternatives for menstruation. Between tampon and menstrual cups, I chose the less troublesome (or less scarier) of that short and small stick cotton. Tried it for the first time and never had I felt the big, awaiting relief during that time of the month. I was finally free from my rashes problem. And they are very convenient, too.

'Never had I thought I have choices for menstruation. Courtesy of Menstrupedia.com'

I am no longer having to worry of how should I sleep or lay down on bed anymore. No more leakage, no more itchiness and no more unhygienic feeling of liquid-trapping pad down there. I could dive into public pool or sea beaches like any of my normal days. Sometimes I almost forget that I am having the period because you won't feel the tampon inside once it is worn in the right way. It is a true convenient.

Arghhh! Again, I am not very fond to sum up everything in a page. So I guess the Q&A's session about tampons for Malaysian ladies will be updated in my next post. For now I will just list out the common questions about tampons and I will try to elaborate more on them later. Just please bear with me, yeah? And the list might goes like this.

"Where should I buy tampons in Malaysia?"

"Should I buy tampons with applicator or without?"

"How much tampons will cost in Malaysia?"

"How to use a tampon? Will it hurt?"

"How should I dispose a used tampon?" 

"Can a virgin use a tampon?"     

The answers will be in my next post so please wait up for me, ladies!

Penned Down #14: Debunked Tampon Myths

Warning: This post might contains some explicit images which are merely to state information for educational purposes. Any misconduct shall derived from this post is deemed to be under your own consequences.

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Are you one of those millions Asian women who think a tampon is bad for your Miss V and very danger to be used during menstruation? I was, too (not ashamed to admit about it) until I found out the culprit was actually revealed to be Miss Ignorant and Miss I-Heard-People-Say. There!

This is why we are told to read and read a lot about most of everything. It shall get your mind wandering-free so you will be more sensible especially when it comes to your personal health care. Knowing us Asian women, we tend to be discreet like avoiding the so-called taboo talks because well, they are too taboo to be discussed about perhaps? I am not really sure why but I get the whole picture.

 

Ladies, when you are simply rejecting everything because somebody said so then you are actually isolating yourselves from experiencing a life meant to be explored. Not that I am encouraging you to be too daring for things that proven to be wrong but hey, living with myths is exceptionally uncool. Trust me, I am constantly tired upon hearing these whenever I talk about tampons.

"Do you know people say tampons can be stuck halfway down there?"

"Oh my God, they can actually get lost inside your body!"

"They could tear your hymen; you will be self-deflowered!"

or the worst of all,

"Won't you feel like you are masturbating by inserting something down there?"

 I mean, really man? Really?

Maybe by reading lots and lots of busted tampon myth facts out there won't really change your mind so I am gonna explain the answers from my own experience and views. I have been using tampons since I got married so it means I have been virtually familiarization with it for nearly four years now. So get your mind free about this and listen with an opened heart, please.

Myth Busted #1: Possibility of Stuck

 

You can never get a tampon to be stuck halfway down your Miss V. The muscles at your Miss V's opening will hold it in place until you remove it by pulling out the tampon string. A tampon string is some kind of withdrawal cord which attached to a tampon and placed outside the Miss V's opening at all times of usage. If you feel any resistance when pulling out the string than it might not has absorbed enough menstrual fluid to be soft and pliable. So wait a little longer then you will be fine.

'The tampon's string that acts as withdrawal cord. Courtesy of WikiHow.com'

Myth Busted #2: Possibility of Lost

The opening of Miss V is much too small to fit a tampon through it. As been said earlier, the muscles will hold-still the tampon until the time you decide to remove it. The string will be very unlikely to break and tampons will never get down the cervix opening. You will not lose the tampon in either ways. Do refer to female reproductive anatomy diagram if you are doubting about it.

'Tampon will remain still in Miss V's passage until it is removed. Courtesy of Menstrupedia.com'

Myth Busted #3: Possibility of Self-Deflower

First think first, hymen is a tissue collar attached to the Miss V's wall. It is certainly not a membrane that covers the entrance of Miss V as many people believe. You can Google it for clarification. It has an opening in the center for menstrual blood to flow through. When a tampon is inserted, the gap in the hymen will stretch to accommodate it. In easier words, using a tampon will not affect a girl's virginity in any way unless you put adequate force such as during an intercourse.

Myth Busted #4: Possibility of Self-Masturbating

Again, a tampon is too small and too short to self-masturbating yourself with it. Come on, man. Do you really think a tampon could give you such pleasure? This is the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. Pardon me as I have no intention to elaborate more on pervert thought and crackpot ideas. So next, please.

My Honest Tampons Story & Common Questions

Will update later. Too much information at a time will ruin your eyes. Bahaha. So I will be seeing you shortly whenever I have ample times, soon.

So get that myths busted off your head, ladies!

Penned Down #13: Bidding Farewell & Welcoming

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

To delectable savory of rice, noodle, white bread and home-cooked dishes; I bid you farewell. To scrumptious dessert of pudding, cake, chocolate, ice cream and home-baked cookies; I bid you farewell. To yummy drinks of milk shake, ice blended, carbonated drink and home-made sweet drinks, I bid you farewell. And most of all, to unappealing granny's flabby arm, chicken thigh and love handles; toodles (forever, I sure hope)!

To tasteless wholewheat bread, vegetarian frozen food and less sweet fruits; please welcome. To flavorless gallons of plain water and detoxing activities; please welcome. To rancid cardio workout and endless sweating, please welcome. To unmanageable hunger pang and saliva-drooling; please welcome. And most of all, to a lip-smacking body figure and flat tummy; welcome home baby (with much much longer lasting effect, please)!

Hello a fresh, brand new me! No more excuse, no more delay and no more half-way efforts. I wanna be fit as fiddle, like before.

I am praying hard, people!

Faith Friday #1: Surah Al-Baqarah [2:45]

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

'Original Photo Courtesy of GrumpyCats.com'

"And seek (Allah's) help with patient, perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a humbly submissive (to Allah)." Surah Al-Baqarah [2:45]

 A beautiful reminder for us, people!

Anyone Can Cook #2: Asam Laksa

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Okay, this is the one and only food I would be salivating over and over again. I can eat this three times a day for a week of seven days straight and still can't get them enough. So I can say this is basically the one food that goes up to my dainty appetite (yeah, right). I guess any non-to-my-standard Asam Laksa is still edible. The only thing you need to do is to just squeeze lots and lots of lime juice into it and your bowl are done!

Anyhow the only Asam Laksa that goes to my standard is the one that sold in Fatty Cafe, located inside Billion supermarket in Manjung. Well actually it was the Fatty Cafe's Asam Laksa that turned me into a picky eater today when it comes to this Penang Nyonya's creation. As I recall, I have been eating at Fatty Cafe since I was 13. 

They really serve the most perfect balance between piquant, pungent, sour, and fiery hot flavor; altogether in a mouth-watering bowl. Until today, the cafe is still on top of my favorite eateries. I even had persuaded The Hubster to join my fanciness so now I have my partner-in-crime whenever I feel to dig in my Asam Laksa bowl, repeatedly.

Phew! What a long explanation up there when the main purpose is actually to share the almost perfect and easy peasy Asam Laksa recipe. You will not believe it how easy to prepare this food at the comfort of your own kitchen. Do try it at home, yeah? Arghhh, seeing only the picture has got my saliva drooling like mad!

'Courtesy by Rasa Malaysia.com'

Asam Laksa

(Nyonya Noodles with Fish Broth)

What You'll Need:

3 packs of wet laksa noodles

For Soup
(A)
3 ginger buds (bunga kantan)
  3 lemon grass (serai)
  1 large onion
4 shallots
  4 garlic cloves
3 cups of water

(B)

2 large cans of canned mackerels - discard the gravy
2 cups of water

(C)

6 tbsp of blended dried chillies

2 tbsp of shrimp paste (belacan)  

1 cup of laksa leaves / Thai basil (daun kesum)

6 tamarind peels (asam keping / gelugor) 

 3 tbsp of tamarind paste (asam jawa)
2 anchovy stock cubes (kiub pati ikan bilis)
  2 tbsp of salt
 1/3 cup of sugar
  10 cups of water

For Condiment - *optional

Hard-boiled Eggs - cut into two

Cucumber - julienned
Onion - thinly sliced
Lettuce - cut into thin shreds
Small red chillies - thinly sliced
Limes - cut into two

Now Let's Get Cooking:

1. Bring to boil 10 cups of water in a medium to large pot.

2. Blend everything in (A) and puree till fine. Pour into pot.

3. Blend everything in (B) and pulse few times. Pour into pot, too.

4. In another pan, saute blended dried chillies with shrimp paste until it turns aromatic. Pour into pot.

5. Throw in laksa leaves, tamarind peel, tamarind pastes and anchovy stock cubes into the pot. Bring to simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Add in salt and sugar to taste. It should be slightly over salted, mildly sweet with prominent sour taste. Adjust to your preference.

7. To serve, prepare wet laksa noodles by lightly blanch in boiling water. Strain noodles and place in bowl. Ladle soup over noodles. Top with condiments.

Cooked with much loves, people!

Penned Down #12: Blimey! Casual Vacancy at RM9.90

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Despite of my recent mundane life, I found something that was too good to be true yesterday. The first adult book by Miss Rowling was sold at a clean price tag of RM9.90 at Tesco Manjung! I repeat, it was only nine-ringgit and ninety-cents, mind you. Although it was placed on those promotional item shelves but I doubted how desperate the hypermarket has been just to spring-clean the remaining stocks.

Flipped over the cover and you could easily see the printed price was USD$35 and $36.90 for Canada. I then googled and found out the price for UK was more or less of £20. Locally, the title was priced at RM69.90 both from MPH or Kinokuniya bookstores. So what I am being meaning to say is the deal was too hard to be resist! Especially it was a hard cover. Phew!

No, I haven't had the chance yet to read it although I am the kind of person who would rather stays awake all night just to finish up one book. Not really fancy the kind of read-and-stop-and-read-back style. I found it similar to eating a bowl of cold noodle left overnight. An interrupted excitement never excite me anymore. That's how that is.

Heard that some people found J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy was a tough read. They said there were too many characters you have to follow with a crazy style of opening pages. The most frustrated comment was of course the abrupt ending. I haven't read it yet so I cannot place my opinions on this but hey, isn't the most thing we need to bear in mind while reading is to be prepared with unexpected ending and whatnot. No?

'She must be devastated to see her baby is sold at merely £2 here in Malaysia's Tesco. Courtesy of The Guardian.com'

The funny thing is, this is the first time I bought a hard cover book after 27 years of living. Not that I despise hard covers but the price range between the non-hard covers and hard covers are always a tad too much. I could get two or three non-hard covers for one hard cover's price so that's why. Although I have always wanted to collect the hard covers on all Miss Mayer's titles.

 

Yeah, once I was a vivid fan of Twilight and still am (I am team Edward, anyway)! Bahaha. I must admit the only titles on Twilight that got me excited were the first and last books. The rest were mediocre. However the only brilliant and exciting stories to be written so far was titles by Cecilia Ahern. Grab A Place Called Here and you will know why.

Somehow I think I will do some review on books I have read so far. Maybe it will inspire you to read more on things other than tabloid and magazines (hint: The Husbter). I have hitherto downloaded few e-books from net recently but to read those steamy titles such as E.L. James' 50 Shades of Grey on laptop screen was kind of humiliating. You know, in case someone was walking behind me and stuffs. Teehee.

So read away your day, people!

Penned Down #11: Grumpy Me

Dear Earthlings (and disguised Spacelings),

Often that when we feel too tired, we easily tend to be grouchy. It is one protruding moment when we feel everything we do is just not well appreciated or we might be taken for granted at all times. Easier words; a little above than useless. Well grumpy is my middle name so yeah, been there and done that.

That's why I tried not to write anything when the moment came. Being sensible, we tend to pour the emotions rather than rational facts into words when we feel angry at most. No? Overwhelming with mixed emotional discontent is one important state where we should not burst out those ugly words onto recorded material. Or else the scars will be left forever, no matter how hard you try to erase them in the future.

Being a stay-at-home-spouse is never an easy situation. Not that I whine about how fate has got me into but sometimes I just want to breathe in different breeze than the usual. Doing the same daily house chores with the same daily routine has almost gotten me crazy. Sometimes I feel too exhausted. Not only by physically but emotionally, too.

'Back when we were younger. Grumpy as ever'

Always, always when I started to get clouded with irrational emotion and thoughts, I rushed over to The Hubster and pour everything off my chest. The after-effect was a big, fast relieving (trust me). It was merely to avoid me doing anything silly by telling all sort of private feelings on my blog. That's one reason why I had stopped keeping a journal. 

I think a diary would cause you to write more on bad things happened in your life rather than happiness. It is a sort of escaping devices to jot down all the broken-heart, dissatisfaction and resentment feelings at instant. When everything turns normal, all that left are hideous memories which unfortunately will haunt your life especially when it involves people around you.

Play safe by not airing your dirty laundry in public. Nowadays it has became a trend to update everything on social media and stuffs, including the things-in-private. I wonder how these people sleep at nights when everyone is gossiping about you on your mad-raging posts. Well stop blaming anyone when you have became the center of attention. Being infamous in that way is just sad. People just love hot stuffs, you know?

By the way I have finally discovered that to stop being grumpy, we shall stop being tired. Getting too caught up with work loads will only cause you a never ending fatigue. Stay calm and do your daily routine without hurrying them. Most important thing, ask for help whenever you need to. It is not wrong to tell the others that you are exhausted. So tell them this instant.

No worn-out situation, no grouchy-attitude, people!