Last night I dreamt that I did something with someone which I never thought I would do. Never with this person anyway.

It was smokin’! It was hawt! It was one of the best experience I have ever had!! It was totally different from what I had ever done before. And to do with it this person was, to put it mildly, brilliant!!

Aahh.. how I wish my dream could become reality…

BTW, I was reading this book before I fell asleep.

What??!! We cooked together. Or rather he taught me how to cook. In his gorgeous commercial kitchen next to his house. Let me tell you, in my dreams he is nothing like what you see in Hell’s Kitchen. Gentle, passionate, confident.. wish he could come around and cook with me every day. His weakness? Cars – the bigger and faster the better. Let me share with you a short excerpt from his book:

“The smell of leather gives me as big a hard-on as the sound of the V12 under the bonnet. The willingness of this sex on wheels to do exactly as you command within a nanosecond of your foot pushing pedal to the metal, and the added purr of pleasure from your new partner, confirm your passion as the fuel explodes somewhere deep in the white hot powerhouse.“

A man who cooks and drives fast cars… mmmmm… dreamy…

“So have you written about it?” He looks at me expectantly.
“Written about what?“
“The car.” Rolls his eyes.
“No.” Returns to reading my new Gordon Ramsay book.
“Why not?”
“I didn’t even get to drive it.” Still absorbed in Ramsay’s use of the f-word in every other sentence.
“But you sat in it.”
Puts book down and explains patiently, “That’s different. You can’t write a review about a car without actually driving it.“
“I’m sure you were thinking of blogging about it when you took so many pictures of it.“
Silence.
“But that’s just showing off.”
“I thought you didn’t write for anyone but yourself.”
Shuts book with unnecessary force.
“Fine.”

I write from a perspective of a woman who sees a car as a mean of getting from point A to point B quickly, safely and painlessly. I don’t look under hoods and spew “revolutionary BI-VANOS fully variable camshaft control“, “258bhp magnesium aluminium composite engine” and “new third-generation common rail diesel technology (that includes piezo-injectors, a faster and more efficient form of injection); power is increased by 12 per cent to 228bhp at 4,000rpm while torque is four per cent higher at 520Nm, developed between 2,000 and 2,750rpm.“

What I do notice is cabin space. Boot space. Leg room. I have a thing for spaciousness, so sue me. And since this is my writeup, this is what I observed:

My grandfather’s 1969 Austin used to have one of these starter buttons. I remember he would stick the key in and pop this button to get the car started. As technology improved, cars were no longer using such buttons and one would turn the key to start the engine. And whaddya know, we’ve gone the entire circle and come back to popping buttons to start cars. Only difference is, in the olden days the engine would roar to life. The engine on this one, is so quiet that one would be tempted to pop the button once more as there was barely any discernible sound to indicate the engine was running.

This I really like. Electronic controls for seat adjustment. You turn the dial to adjust your seat. Press the lower square button to adjust the height of the seat. Press the upper rectangular one to adjust the back of the seat. And the middle ‘L’ shaped one to move the seat forward/backward. No more pulling levers and using your body weight to do the adjustments. Best part is, you can actually set to memory all the different adjustments (buttons 1 and 2)!! When you share a car with someone who is off vast different body size from you and find that your optimum driving position is always being shifted around, you will greatly appreciate this underrated feature.

Just look at the number of buttons and dials on and at the side of the steering wheel!! What in the world are the 2 silver buttons on the top for? Ejecting the driver and passenger in times of emergencies?! He did try them out, but only after he stopped the car. Nothing happened.

Err.. I presume the eye-like picture refers to the left and right signal lights. What’s the the P thingy?? To stick your tongue out at the rude drivers??

Urmm.. to switch off something, I guess. And maybe to adjust the illumination on the dashboard?? You wouldn’t want to be blinded by how fast the speedometer needle is moving..

Aah.. finally something I do know! To control the headlights. Strangely enough, it is not located on the steering column but on the dashboard below the driver side aircon vent. This dial is fun – you have the standard switch off, only sidelights, full headlights and one more, auto headlights. Meaning it switches on by itself whenever it gets dark and switches off when it’s bright or engine is stopped. Initially we wondered, “If the headlights switches on by itself when it’s dark, will it also know how to high beam the idiot who is driving on the wrong side of the road??” D’uh.

And the “P” button next to it is the parking brake. Yup, in this car everything gets done by a push of a button or turn of a dial.

This fancy little handle is the auto gear shift. The usual D-rive N-eutral, R-everse and P-ark, all this with just a slight pull with your fingers. Not unlike what Schumacher does when he goes tearing down the track at 280km/hr.

No idea why I bothered to take a picture of this. Very obviously the windshield wiper control. There is also an automatic function whereby the wiper will turn on by itself at the first sign of rain. But being in a place where rain is about as frequent as hail in KL, we didn’t get to see that in action. I guess I just wanted some balance. Took a picture of the controls on the left, so I had to take a picture of the controls on the right.

Couldn’t resist taking these shots of the side mirror. It doesn’t just fold in, it folds up. So space-ship like..

Now this is a cool gadget! The iDrive is a computer-like system, which allows the driver and front-seat passenger to control such amenities as the climate (aircon and heater), audio, navigation (GPS) and communication systems. The LCD panel is mounted in the dashboard and a controller knob mounted on the center console. I had fun playing with the GPS system – you can opt for a 1 dimensional or 3 dimensional map, with or without the voice navigator.

See the bottom left picture? When you are trying to park, this will pop up and the white area will light up to green, yellow and red depending on how close you are to the next object. Much better than the irritating ‘beep…. beep…. beep..beep..beep.. beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep’!!

And even more buttons. This time for the sunshades in the rear passenger windows. One button for the sunshade on the main window frame. Another button for the triangle-shaped window. And one more for the rear windshield. The kids had a fun time playing with the sunshades.

Little boys and their cars. Look at the smirk on their faces. They can barely contain themselves.

What else did I like about this car? I liked the solid feel of the door. You don’t need to slam the door shut. You don’t need the little car icon to light up on your dashboard to tell you a door is not shut. It shuts by itself. And the leather seats don’t squeak. I dislike leather seats that squeaks when you climb onto. Feels like I’m sitting on a whoopee cushion.

The performance of the car? This car is meant to be chauffeured driven. The leg room at the back seat is virtually endless and once you sink into the plush leather seat, you don’t want to get up. The ride is smooth and glides through speed humps as though they were mere bumps on the road. Most comfortable cruising speed at 140km/hr. It was positively yawn-inducing when going at 110km/hr. Excellent handling – corners like it’s on rails. Barely swayed when going round the bend. You just want the journey to last forever.. (what else can I say when I didn’t get to drive the car.. *sulks* )

Despite all its gadgetry and electronic wonders, I do have some complaints.

The glove box compartment is small. And there is no proper place to put my handbag. For all the money spent on designing this mechanical wonder, you’d think that they could design something to store a handbag.

Price of this Beastly Monstrous Wonder here? Approx USD74K / RM270K. (jamie, this little snippet of info is especially for you.. ). Now that’s worth smiling about!

photo of BO courtesy of albie

Update (21 April 2008) :
Sek char woo. Drowned my sorrows in a big cup of Caramel Macchiato after abstaining for 2 weeks. Sigh.

Are you sure??!!
I don’t know.
Pause.
When will we know?
In 2 weeks.
Looks grim.
I’m sorry.
Lightens up.
We’ll get through it together.
Hug.

How time flies! Another year has passed and now you are 4. You are such a typical boy – liking cars, trains and planes. Showing disdain to soft toys. Unless they are macho creatures like dragons and dinosaurs.

This is the only girl in his class he describes as cute. I ask him ‘Is Aster cute?‘. ‘No!‘ ‘Is Liya cute?‘. Another emphatic ‘No!!‘. Sasa really is adorable. No, she didn’t wish him Happy Birthday with kiss nor a hug. And I didn’t get any shots of her alone. She’s shy. And her father’s extremely serious looking. You wish him ‘Good Morning’ and all you get is the merest hint of a smile in return. I would not like to tell him my son did anything to his dotter. Her brother goes to the same school as my dotter. I wonder if he’s cute..

A modest little celebration for my little one. His classmate, the boy in green, had a HUGE celebration recently. For party favours, every boy in the class received a remote controlled car and every girl a doll with full accessories in a suitcase.. O.O

So colorful and vibrant. All the children’s artwork are displayed all over the walls. They have playing and reading areas. Wished my kindy was as fun. Now I know why I am paying close to RM15K a year for school fees..

Little jeweled cuppies for the (other) jewel of my eye. Why this time my cake like souffle liddat? I betchu when I actually make souffle, it will never rise! Had to cut off the top to put the frosting. Using up colourful jelly beans to brighten up the little cuppie (now, what to do with the remaining 107 pieces of jelly beans..) All the kids loved the sickly sweet cream cheese frosting because they all licked the cake clean before eating it!

Happy Birthday, my little one. May you stay happy and laugh a lot for as long as you can. Don’t grow too soon, ok? And should you discover the photos, please don’t ask me 10 years down the road why your sister has had birthday parties every year since her first birthday and you didn’t. Maybe it’s a firstborn thing. I don’t know. Grandma and grandpa never threw me a birthday party. Even if they did for tai-yee. For what it’s worth, you will always be my firstborn son, ok? (see, I knew there was always something useful about having 2 kids of different gender...)

Please be warned that the following post may contain some incredibly corny and mushy lines. Those who wish to stay, please bring your own barf bucket. Thank you.

This is actually a tag from Firehorse many many moons ago. She has retired from blogging, temporarily I hope, and I really miss seeing her around. So my dear FH, this is for you. Don’t stay away too long, ok?

My first trip to PG was when I was about 8 years old. A kid, what did I know? I didn’t know how to eat, well actually didn’t know how to appreciate great PG food like CCF, lorbak, assam laksa, oh-chien and char kway teow. I was just happy to be able to play with my cousins and romp at the beach (all innocent, ok? I never played hamsup with anyone.. ) .

My second trip came much later, 10 years later to be exact. I followed my godparents to attend my godbrother’s convocation. This time I prided myself to be a sophisticated KL-ite, who has seen the best KL nightlife has to offer and was curious to see how PG was like. We stayed at the the Parkroyal Hotel, and apparently the disco there was quite the ‘in’ place then for PG’s young and trendy looking at the big crowd of youngsters there. It was here I had my first taste of parasailing – it fun, fun, fun sailing high above the ground. It felt so quiet and peaceful up there, it’s no wonder my superpower wish is to be able to fly..

I liked it there. I liked the pace of the town, not as fast as KL but not as slow as Ipoh. The shopping malls had my favourite shops. I loved the tree-lined streets and the beautiful mansions. I thought the pre-war shophouses looked charming and the trishaw rides amusing. I loved the smell of the sea so near to the town. I even loved taking the ferry!

I envisioned myself getting a job in Penang so that I could return. To cut a long story short, I did the next best thing, I married a local boy. And whaddya know, even though he has left THAT island, we still ended up at THIS island. So I guess, we’re destined to be island-people!

Actually, the original tag was not Why-you-like-the-place-your-husband-is-from, but 10-reasons-why-you-should-marry-guy-from…
How do you give an answer to a question like that?? Love has no rhyme or reason. I didn’t marry him because he was PG. I mean, I did but that wasn’t the only criteria. Let me try to count the ways..

1. I married him because I trusted him (I trust him 110% all my secrets)
2. I married him because he wooed me (when he first brought his mom to see me, he also brought along 2 dozen long-stemmed red roses. And to this day, the one and only time .. flowers that is. I see his mom all the time)
3. I married him because he had PG plate on his car (I thought his PBX number plate was quite unique amidst all the Wxx and Bxx number plates)
4. I married him because he took care of me (he always took me to wherever I wanted to go, even all the way to Ipoh)
5. I married him because he made me laugh (I once went to a dinner in Kajang, and he came all the way to Kajang to look for me because he missed me. My aunt made my uncle go out of the restaurant with me to make this fella wasn’t some pyscho stalker..)
6. I married him because I had respect for him (this is one of the most important tenet in a marriage, along with love and trust)
7. I married him because he respected me (He always asks me before having his way with me..)
8. I married him because he took care of my parents (He is the one who always reminds me to be more considerate towards my parents and always think of my parents whenever we go anywhere)
9. I married him because he took care of his parents (He is a good son, always a good indicator to what kind of father he would be.)
10. I married him simply because he asked me to (Well, I’m not the kind of girl who assumes the guy would marry her just because they have been together for years. Actually, he told me he would marry me after going out for only 2 months. I guess since he is a PGite, I decided to give him a chance and not get spooked by his confidence.. FYI, we got married about 1 1/2 years after his cocky declaration.)

Isn’t it wonderful when you are with someone who inspires you to be a better person? I have blossomed in more ways than one (and that unfortunately includes my girth.. ), basking under the glow of his love. He is very indulgent, allowing me to do as I please most of the time. He trusts me to do the right thing and it’s amazing what it does to your self-esteem when someone has total trust and confidence in you. I have grown to be more matured, independent and self-assured. There are always little fears like how my happy little bubble may burst and I may be left to fend for the kids all by myself, but hey! when push comes to shove, I know I will be able to do the right thing when the time comes.

Each day I find
Our hearts a little closer,
Our lives a little fuller,
Our love a little deeper.

11 years together is but a drop in the ocean. There is still so much I want to do with you, and I am thankful I have a lifetime to do so.

I was looking through my photo archives, and realised that we hardly have any photos taken with the relatives. I have more photos of my failed cooking experiments than those of my children with their grandparents!!

Yeah, I have plenty of pictures of my new dining table…

When we were still in the same country, we never bothered taking photos whenever we met up unless it was for special occasions like weddings, birthdays, etc. (come to think of it, relatives far and near do come together during funerals but that hardly seems like the right time say ‘cheese’, eh?). I remember I used to enjoy bringing out my childhood photos and seeing cousins, uncles and aunties in a different era. Relatives whom we hardly see anymore because everyone is now scattered all over the country. Uncles and aunties whom we will never see anymore because they have moved on. In this age of digital photography where photo opportunities are practically limitless, we should be taking pictures whenever we meet up with family. Especially now when the kids don’t get to see members of our extended family whenever we like.

I was making some calls back home a few days ago, catching up with our parents and my godparents. It tugged on my heartstrings to realise that age was catching up with everyone as they half-complained that they are not spring chickens anymore and that travelling can be hazardous as they may fall and injure themselves seriously. Not long ago they were the ones who was taking care of us, making sure we were well-fed and out of harm’s way. It’s distressing that they are in their twilight years and we may not have that much more time with them anymore. I get very fearful whenever I get a phonecall from home, especially when it comes in an odd hour. I worry that it may be bringing bad news and I fear that I cannot make it home in time. Sigh…

There is so much I want to do when I get home. Besides eating. Actually the best thing would be to eat with the family, don’t you think? 3-5 meals a day for an entire month – that gives at least 150 chances to sit down together. I’m sure that is time enough to snap photos with entire clan, yes?

*cheers up*

Looks okay right? Like an almond torte sandwiched with banana and chocolate cream covered in chocolate icing.

WRONG!!

Butter cakes I can handle. Cheesecakes no problem. But sponge cakes!! First I over mixed. Cake turned out fine-textured but dense. Never mind, can still use as base for cheescake. But I em kam yuen (not satisfied), so I did another one. This time I under mixed. Cake turned out crumbly and dry, even had little pockets of flour! But it is such a waste to throw away, so I made it into a Chocolate Banana Cake. And discovered my new favourite icing – Chocolate Ganache. Easiest icing to make in the world. Just heat up equal amounts of chocolate and cream. Add a little knob of butter. No whipping. No creaming. Just stir languidly until the chocolate and cream are amalgamated. Easy to spread. Hardens like a dream. (for some reason, those two sentences together don’t sound decent..) And because I just discovered my kitchen tap is capable of really hot water on demand (whenever I remember to switch it on), my cutting skills have improved tremendously!

Just run the knife under the hot tap before each cut. Guaranteed to look as neat as neat can be. And the combination of sweet banana and creamy dark chocolate just managed to make everyone forget about the dryness of cake…

Oh well, my sponge cakes were a disaster. Luckily prawns don’t require a light hand.

Half a kilo of beheaded crustaceans drizzled with a some olive oil, freshly grinded black pepper, a smattering of sea salt, a generous dollop of HP sauce, some squeezes of a lemon and top it off with a few blobs of butter. Flash it under a hot grill for about 10 minutes and you have succulent grilled prawns swimming in a buttery lemony tangy sauce. Get ready some crusty bread, line the table with newspaper to collect the shells and feast away!

When you are on foreign soil, you have a tendency to think fondly of the simple food which you can get cheaply and easily from the nearest neighbourhood stall. When you can’t find anything that comes close to what you yearn for. When every official function has that dish on their menu but you don’t get even a whiff of it because everyone else has cravings for it. When you read some flogger waxing lyrical about the heady lemongrass aroma that comes wafting from that plate of SATAY!!!

What’s a girl to do but to make her own – big fat pieces of thigh meat with little bits of fats for added juiciness, lots of fresh crunchy cucumber and onions, and best of all, I can have as many as I like without having to count the number of sticks I have consumed!

Recipe courtesy of RasaMalaysia. Only thing, next time I will make it slightly charred and the peanut sauce too. And maybe some nasi himpit to with it too.

Please, please don’t make me yearn for ipoh sar hor fun, CCF, chee yoke fun, fried balitong, hokkien mee or char kway teow with extra see ham… (don’t think, DON’T THINK!!)

8308 – This could be the most historical day since Merdeka 50 years ago! Could this be the start of better things to come? Go on, make the right choice. Me? Nah… I’ll have better luck with the horses. damacai/4D anyone?

I wonder what’s the deal with the number 5? I was looking through my tags-to-do list, and saw these few tags that requires 5 answers to each question. Well, I’m not going to be a hero and accumulate 5 of such tags before attempting them, so here are 3:

1st tag (Five things/People I Love and Hate) by Agnes.

Agnes is great at chronicling her stay in AD, unlike some people who live in the same city. If you want to see the sights of and learn more about AD, just check out her site.

Let’s put a local spin on this tag and change it to 5 things I love and hate don’t like about AD.

Five things I love:

1. The cool winter months.

2. I can reach places within minutes with minimal traffic.

3. The sea is nearby.

4. There are lots of different cuisine to try out.

5. It’s not too congested and bustling, and there are still many parks and open areas around.

Five things I hate don’t like:

1. The hot, sweltering summer months.

2. People smoke everywhere including inside shopping malls and restaurants.

3. Impatient drivers who honk incessantly when you are a microsecond slow in coming out to the roundabout or when the light turns green but have no qualms about making other people wait while they hinder traffic by parking indiscriminately.

4. Litterbugs who simply dispose of glass bottles, cigarette butts, fruit peels, teabags, empty containers and plastic bags in park gardens, car parks and other public areas.

5. The speed-crazy cab drivers.

2nd tag by FBB

5 things found in my room

1. Salt Crystal Lamp

A natural ionizer, reputed to release negative ions to freshen and improve air quality by removing harmful particles from the air. My children suffer from mild asthma and our noses are sensitive to dust (always sneeze whenever there is dust in the air) and so far by having this lamp around, we have noticed an improvement.

2. Phone charger

I don’t let it dangle in the air (unlike some people.. ) and instead let it rest on the rest of the bundled up cable. The power point is just next to my bed, so it’s convenient for me to charge the phone while I read in bed (it charges pretty quickly, within 1/2 hour it’s fully charged. And within 1/2 hour, I’m ready to put down my book and sleep..).

3. Coat hanger

4. Bed (obviously)

For safety reasons, always good to sandwich your kid’s bed between yours and the window. Just remember to make sure the windows are permanently locked.

5. Closet

(unless you’ve got a huge 15 room villa in which case you can have another room just for your clothes. And shoes. And husband.)

5 things I’ve always wanted to do

1. Take good photos

Such a sad photo – could not capture the beauty of the gorgeously lit building at all!! I reckon it’s time to get one of those new fangled cameras with Optical Image Stabilizer, yes?

2. Dive with the dolphins and swim with the clown fish

3. Make a pilgrimage to Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.

4. Visit all the countries in the continents of Europe, Australia and Americas at least once.

5. Be a space flight participant

pix courtesy of aljazeera.net

5 things found in my bag

Actually I stopped carrying bags a while ago. But there will be occasions where I am out with the kids and will need to carry more than just my wallet and mobile phone and the 2 pockets on my pants just don’t cut it, unless I am wearing MC Hammer-style baggy pants..

1. Shawl

I carry this with me all the time, winter as well as summer. ‘Summer??’ you ask. You see, over here during summer, the aircon will be on full blast at most restaurants. So although it’s flaming hot outside forcing you to dress in as little as decently possible, it will be freezing cold inside, hence the need for winter wear during summer. It’s a desert thing. Go figure.

2. Wet wipes – For the spills and the squirts. All mothers carry this. It’s a mother thing.

3. Extra clothes – For the spills and the squirts. All mothers of babies and toddlers carry this. It’s a mother-of-babies-and-toddlers thing.

4. Story books

H is an avid reader, so I carry books around to keep her occupied. And to prevent such scenes – ‘Mom! I’m bored!’, ‘Mom! is the food here yet?’, ‘Mom! I’ve finished my food!’.

5. Errmm… maybe for emergencies, this??

5 things found in my wallet

1. Driving license
2. Health Insurance Card
3. Credit Card
4. ATM Card
5. Money

5 things I’m currently into

1. Baking

Baked donuts are so much healthier. And cheaper..

2. Steaming

I’ve been steaming lor mai farn quite regularly, until I’ve depleted my stock of har mai! No more lor mai farn until June??

3. Braising

Mmmm.. braised pork belly. H’s favourite dish.

4. Grilling

After a stint in the grill, the crispy salty bacon and tender sweet beans are absolutely made for each other!

5. Roasting

My virgin attempt of siew ngap during the CNY potluck party! Turned out not too dry thankfully despite it’s less than perfect skin!!

3rd tag by May

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I cannot for the life of me remember!! I would have been married for a year and working for this trading company. If I had a blog then, maybe I would remember. I’m sure 10 years from now, I would be better equipped to answer this question..

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Ahh, I already had a blog then!
*goes to check*
I was having a talk with H about the birds and the bees..

Five snacks you enjoy

1. Dark chocolate
2. Coffee
3. Dimsum and canapes
4. Errr.. *thinking hard*
5. *still thinking*

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to

1. Clouds Across The Moon (The Rah Band)
2. Never Gonna Let You Go (Sergio Mendes)
3. Superwoman (Karyn White)
4. I Love You Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
5. Suddenly (ONJ & Cliff Richards)

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire

1. Eat
2. Sleep
3. Bathe
4. Play
5. Breathe

Five bad habits

1. Temper, temper
2. Over-eating
3. Big time procrastination
4. Surfing the Net over prolonged periods of time
5. Getting stressed whenever we are late

Five favourite toys (I am going to assume that these are things we’d like to have. Wedding anniversary is coming up, in case anyone needs some ideas.. except for items #2 & 4 which I already have.)

1.Kenwood Patissier Mixer Red

Pretty little thing, ain’t she?

2.Kenwood Multi-Pro Food Processor White

So many attachments, so many things to play with!

3. Volkswagen Touareg

4. Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone

Just the thing when I need to be alone in a roomful of people. Just plug in the earphones.
See, misti? The ding-a-ling is always with me. But the little music note dropped and disappeared!! So sad..

5.Elsa Peretti’s Open Heart Pendant

This isn’t a toy? To me it is..

Five things you like doing

1. Talking with mrkat in bed (yes, we really talk. And no, swearing in the midst of…ahem.. does not count)
2. Reading without having to stop to do chores
3. Baking without having to stop to do chores
4. Chatting and dining with family and friends
5. Sleeping in when it’s cold

Five things you would never wear again

1. Mini skirts
2. Stilettos
3. Animal print anything
4. Big Hoop earrings
5. Blue eyeshadow

Finally! Finished!! These 3 anyway. I’m pretty sure there are some more.. hidden somewhere.. Save those for a rainy day, shall we? Thanks for sticking around for so long anyway!