ayam adobo & terung goreng berlado

terong goreng berlado

ayam adobo

i didn't know what to cook for lunch (cum dinner). dah lah makan ayam everyday because the niece doesn't eat fish, she couldn't stand the smell. i called ibu how to make ayam adobo (ke sebenarnya bodo but she didn't want it to sound vulgar). fried chicken combined with sliced garlic and ginger, soy sauce, lemon dressing and salt. but it didn't turn out like ibu's.

then, there were some aubergines so i decided to make terong goreng berlado. shallots, garlic, belacan and cili padi+cili merah. i don't know how it taste because i rarely taste during cooking. haha. but it looks quite edible though.

okay, off to park.

tengah mood bergossip ni

it's saturday and i know i should be going out and have fun but i'm contented as it is. i'm having the whole house to myself, the kids are out with the mother. they have been cranky and screaming all day, being cooped up in the house. a moment of peace.

i wanted to upload some videos i took of nuha but my lappie couldnt detect the phone. something must be wrong, either the phone or the lappie. lagipun, i just realise my voice sounds so different and unrecognisable. rasa macam buruk je. xpela eh, maybe another time, with my camera.

my almost 5-year old notebook (how time flies, i feel like i just bought it yesterday!) is starting to show signs of old age. i pity how it tries to fulfill all my demands, especially when i urge it to be quick. i can imagine, like an old man trudging up the hill, panting and gasping for air. ;p kesian kan? i'm not a gadget freak so i don't feel like buying a new one. maybe, i just need to reformat everything and start afresh (on an old notebook). mesti banyak gila virus berkulat-kulat kat dalam ni. ish ish.

it's been almost 2 weeks i haven't spoken to ibu. seeing that perempuan kecik itu did not go to school last week, i feel uncomfortable having intimate conversations with ibu with her around. you'd be surprise of what she can pick up from your conversation and suddenly if it reaches the mother, i'd be dead meat. with a new trick in the pocket, i hope to talk to her soon after bundling the little bugger off.

so, i did some groceries this morning. and i still cannot grasp of how cheap things are. everything amounted to 70quids which i believe would have been WORTH rm300++ back in malaysia. mind you, fresh grad salary is around 2k here, so that means it's dirt cheap. and halal food is more convenient compared to 16 years ago when we were here. now, there is this place called medina, which is just 10 minutes drive away, that sells koshered meat (halal), hotdogs, burgers and many more. i'm proud that muslims are getting concious of what they eat and took great considerations to make them easily accessed. so universal lah. no more of DIY dishes after this. hahah.

still on the same note, right across the street, ada a thai restaurant that has a halal sign up on the window. tapi dia ada jual stir fried pork juga ya. ('_') maybe dia ingat if the pigs are slaughtered, then it's halal. someone has to do something about that, it's deceiving.

almost a month now. rasa macam nak balik, jumpa sayang, pastu datang balik sini semula. ada berani?

BIG EGO, small body

figured out a way to get her to school. yesterday, in the kitchen.

me: napa ha taknak gi sekolah? semua orang pergi sekolah tau. bukan best pun duduk rumah, asyik gaduh je dengan cik sarah.

her: biarlah. ha suka aduh dengan cik arah.

me: (melampau kau ye? ;p) ehh ada pulak macam tu. nanti macamana ha nak pandai. haa, kang emil (a neighbour's son) lagi pandai dari ha.

*an idea starts to form in my head*

her: taklah. ha lagi pandai.

*ceh, pandai syok sendiri. start cucuk jarum*

me: tapi ha tak pergi school, emil la menang. mesti nanti dia pandai baca dulu, pandai kira dulu, pandai cakap english dulu. hah, nanti mesti nuha kalah.

her: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa mana emil menang. ha lah menang!!

me: ha nak menang kena lah pergi sekolah. taknak emil menang kan?

her: *nods* ahh, ha nak pergi sekolah ha nak kalahkan emil.

*puas hati*

berjaya suntikan aku. itu je ubat untuk orang ego besar ini. cannot stand being on the losing ground. even for the last day of the week.

why cute pandas are always hungry

when i first arrived in england, i didn't experience jet-lag like most people do. that's because i never sleep sticking strictly to time. in fact, i can sleep whenever i want to or not. instead, i face serious hunger pangs.

it's summer so we have longer daylight. maghrib is at 930pm and isyak at 1130pm while subuh will be at 330am.

i thought i could wait up till subuh then crash the pillows. it's easier said than done. since i get up at 730am everyday, sleeping late isn't exactly a wise option. and i would be on the move all day without a nap.

back in malaysia, i try to avoid eating at night. if i do, it would be on rare occasions. but now, since sekarang malam pun lambat, the brain (or should i say the tummy?) still computes that it's still daylight and it's okay to eat. AND it's not!

if i have something around 9-10pm and goes to sleep at 12am, imagine what i would be? and it doesn't help that the effort of staying awake for isyak really makes my tummy grumbles and to make things worse, my last meal is usually lunch at 4pm (and breakfast at 9am). yang paling annoying is that i don't really feel hungry during the day but exceptionally hungry at night. see where the 'jet-lag' is?

bet the fasting month will be a great challenge. masa kecik-kecik dulu tak aci, sebab ada main tipu. hehe.

now, i'm like a dark circled eyes and a forever hungry panda except that i'm much cuter. can ah?

comel kan? tapi berhati-hati ya..

okay, my previous stated observation turns not to be valid at all. she did wake up early and even came with me to send off her sister. but she still refused to go to school today.

im not being biased here but i realise that anak2 buah sarip memang semua macamtu, abit mengada, spoilt and boleh kureng ajer skit dengan orang lagi-lagi with parents yang buat tak kisah. anak2 buah aku belum tunjuk belang lagi agaknya. ;p

nasib baik bukan anak aku kalau tak dah lama aku buat drama scene. so, sebab tu aku tak kisah sangat kalau taknak pergi sekolah sebab bukan anak aku yang taknak pandai. boleh gitu? ;D

there was a bit of drama yesterday. the little punk tested my patience.

i was face-booking when she suddenly came up and threw me an ikea plastic bowl. yes, it didnt hurt, of course, but i said to her,

'ha, jangan buat orang macam tu. mana boleh sakit2 kan orang.'

did she listen. nope, instead she banged me with the bowl which hurts little bit.

'kalau macam ni, cik sarah taknak bawak gi park petang ni. taknak bawak orang yang taknak dengar cakap.'

she threw a tantrum.

'NAK PERGI PARK!!!'

'okay, jangan pukul orang macam tu lagi tau?'

dan budak kecik tu libas aku dengan kain seluar dia. naik angin aku.

'okay, memang cik sarah taknak bawak langsung.'

and i ignored her. totally. so she pulled my hair and scratched my face while sreaming her head off, 'NAK JUGAK PERGI PARK!'

since i didnt flinched at all, even though i was abit afraid that she damage my face, lagi la bengang budak kecik tu. she stomped around the room and menjerit2. that was the final straw.

'KELUAR BILIK CIK SARAH SEKARANG JUGA!'

oh, melalak dia tak pernah kena marah macamtu terus menangis dan masuk bilik mak dia. and i just let her be. aku pun jahat, after a few while, i took the keys and opened the front door, pretending to go out. i scooted back to the living room. she went out of her room and realised that i wasnt in my room. lagi lah dia menangis sedih. haha.

then, i was busy in the kitchen cooking lunch, dia pun datang terhegeh2 sambil nak buat2 baik. asking all kind of questions to get my attention. i just ignored her and kept silent. when she pestered, i said

'cakap sorry dulu'

'cik arah yang buat ha'

'sapa yang tarik rambut?'

'ha' (in a little voice)

'so siapa yang cakap sorry?'

she kept quiet. and she wont say sorry, being the big ego she is. haish anak orang nih.

when i told him about this, all he asked is,

'muka you cantik lagi tak?'

tolong jangan mengamuk ya?

so much for the success getting the lil niece to school last week, this week is such let-down. yesterday, and today, she has missed school. and i dare not imagine how the whole week will be like.

such a drama queen, aint i? ;p

well, according to my observation, the main reason i got her off to school is because the mother woke her up AND her mood will start off in a good way. but then, its only when she hears the mother is around because for the past few days, she woke up to the mother's absence. she didnt make any fuss at all though she still refused to go to school.

when i asked if the niece has woke up yet, the mother will say,

'takpe lah dia penat kot. biar jelah dia tidur nanti mengamuk plak kalau kejut dia.'

what more can i say? at least, i have more fun things to do besides sending/fetching school. ;D

weekend project

so, i was forced to make these over the past weekend so that someone can satisfy her craving needs.

spagetti carbonara topped off with roasted chicken

fabulous oreo cheesecake