Best Friends...

I live in an old neighbourhood. Houses have been around longer than I have been alive, so yeah, its pretty old. In this pretty old neightbourhood, there are friends. Best friends. Forged through the years of familiarity and proximity. I want to talk about a couple of them. Firstly M. He is best friends with R. Every evening for the past 6 years or so, come rain or shine, he comes over to R’s place to play. It’s really heart warming to see them together. They play, and laugh and have a ball of a time. Some days, R waits patiently in the garden for M. He doesn’t move a muscle. Perhaps a lazy look at you when you call. But there he sits, rock still, head held high in waiting. Then, as always, M shows up. The change in R is remarkable. He breaks out into a goofy grin and suddenly every muscle in his body moves, in glee. There are times M stays on till nightfall. Those nights, R’s mom will patiently walk M home, holding R in one hand, M in the other. It’s a lovely, lovely sight. Secondly, C. He is best friends with P. Both generously blessed with beauty. Everyday, and I mean everyday, and at all times of the day, C and P can be seen together. Whether strolling around in the gardens or sitting on a wall, they’re always, always together. Talking, singing, eating and generally, just hanging out. It’s hard not to smile seeing them together. M & R are Man-Man and Rusty. 2 neighbourhood dogs, living 5 houses apart. Barred by closed gates and leashes. C & P are Chicken and Pheasant. Two different species of fowl, which would never have met in the wild, living together, beautiful plumage and all, 2 doors away from me. Their stories got me thinking. Do humans love their best friends the same way? With such fierce loyalty and devotion, and with such easygoing comfort of presence? I then started to keep an eye out for a human instance of best friend-ship around the neighbourhood. I found none. Sure we are a friendly neighbourhood. We hand out and receive cakes and cookies, generously give and receive the bounty of fruiting mango, rambutan and papaya trees. We cook just a little bit extra to hand over the Mr. X’s daughter, who will be home alone today. That sort of thing. But are we truly, and really best friends? Or even good friends? If not for a neighbourhood rukun-tetangga issue (another post for another day) I wouldn’t even have known that the family in house No. 3 have moved in for 10 years! To me, they’re “new-comers”. Or that the family in house No. 7 are second-generation dwellers in the house, with 3 young boys. I wouldn’t have known all of their names, contact details, or even what they do. Such an unforgivable fact. Since I’ve lived in my neighbourhood, literally, all my life. And thinking about it, I have an aging parent, living at home. The closest form of help when I’m away, is literally, right next door. They may not be doctors or firemen, but they are several pairs of trusted responsible adult hands who will be there to help in your hour of need. And really, what could be more precious than your home and the people in it? Tsk tsk on me. It’s a fairly large neighbourhood. I still have many many neighbours to get to know, and to let know that I exist. I am here. Call me if you need help. Your home is just literally steps away. I CAN HELP. And from recent experience, it really isn’t hard to be friends with your neighbours. They get irritated by that same crazy chicken (yes, I’m talking about you, C) who crows and coos at random hours of the morning (think 2.48am) and they get to enjoy the canine chorus in G major EVERYTIME the old-newspaper truck comes along, tooting his song. And you would have seen each other, almost every day. You use the same slip roads to get to and from home, you wait at the same traffic lights. You shop at the same “Thamby’s Shop” for bread or last minute potatoes (while chicken simmers in curry broth at home). You KNOW them, but DON’T know them. Sad isn’t it? Perhaps it’s about time we take a page from scruffy little Man-Man (a little terrier whose eyes are always hidden, standing about 12 inches tall) and Rusty (a rescued majestic thick-barrelled mix breed with abandonment issues) and Chicken (who *hint hint* needs an alarm clock, pronto!) and a Pheasant (the coolest and prettiest chick in the neighbourhood) and make best friends of those around us. .

Semester I done, another oh... 7 to go!

Almost as soon as it started, my first semester's done! Lectures, assignments, presentations, study groups (yeah right!) and final exams all bungkus, ta pau, finished!

It's a relief, as it always is, since exams are over and done with, but scary, cause technically, I'm supposed to know stuff about the subjects I did in Sem 1, and judging from the hollow echos ringing in my sleep deprived head now.... I don't think so!

It was a bit of a roller coaster ride, you wait in anticipation, get on the ride, all smiles and anticipation. The wheels start rolling and you IMMEDIATELY regret it, screaming at anyone who will lend an ear "WHY THE HELL DID I DO THIS??!!" and then in a blink of an eye, it's over. And you walk away feeling kinda proud you had the guts to get into that machine in the first place.

Well, kinda feeling that now, except that, my roller coaster ride's a pretty long one, with several intermissions thrown in here and there. So yeayy! Exams are done, and it's semester break till after Chinese New Year :D, and then, *boxing ring bell striking* Round II begins...

So for the next month of so, life goes back to normal.

So excuse me peeps, I gotta decide what shade of pink my nails are going to sport this CNY....


For those in the know, I'll blog about my handphone... err... issues another time :D





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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - Welcome 2012!

There's nothing like buying a pair of killer heels, especially in my size! So got a pair yesterday and am already teetering all over Shah Alam in them. Okay, so they're almost 5 inch heels, peep-toe and tantalizingly sexy - IF I dont fall flat on my face that is.....

Anyways, just a short note to say "MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR" everyone! (and "everyone" on this blog means Phi, Buck, Yin and maybe Eric) so have a blessed 2012 and may it be a successful and happy year for us all!

Oh! For those who know about my studies, can you believe I'm on my final break before the finals???? So yeah! Pretty much 40% of the coursework in form of assignments and presentations etc are done. Yes, there were sleepless nights and early mornings, tonnes of coffee and plenty of curses, a million "WHY THE HELL DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS??!???!!!".

But it does feel like I blinked (and whined a lot) and suddenly, the 1st semester's ending. Suddenly it was the last lecture, and in a couple of days, final exams. Still a long way to go yet, I need 11 papers in all. CRAZY!!!!! But then again, I figured I must have been crazy when I signed up for this, so like begets like. *sigh*

Alrighty then, time to go teeter to the pantry for a hot drink.

Warm hugs to all!





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Buttercup

It's the weekend. And here I am, sitting at the kitchen table, notes and such spread out, trying to type out a 10,000 word assignment.

So far, I've got "0", but oh well, at least I've started reading up on the thing... nevermind the looming deadline.... seriously... HELP!

But the reason I'm posting this, aside from tha fact that EVERYTHING else is suddenly so much more important than starting my assignment, (seriously, everything... like doing the laundry, or counting the pandan leaves in the garden) is to share with you my 8 inch high pillar of support.

When I'm studying, my dearest Buttercup sits with me.

When I'm bashing my brains out upstairs, she waits patiently, on her little rug at the foot of the stairs, looking up, waiting for me. "She doesn't move. She'll just sit there and stare up the stairs." says my sis.

*Be still my melting heart*

She's here now, under the kitchen table, sprawled on her belly, roasted piglet style, head on her front paws, content to simply keep me company. It's as if she knows how hard this is for me (rusted brains and all) and she is, in her own unique way, offering all the support she can muster.

I love my Cup-Cup.

I really, really do.

Ok, back to the hitting the books.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.




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It's Been a While....

You know when you begin a project that you thought was brilliant, had such hopes for it, thinking it'll be interesting and fun?

Well, I started one.

Thinking it'll be interesting.

Thinking it'll be fun.

2 weeks into the "Project", I sit, blankly staring at the space in front of me, listening to my own inner voice silently screaming in my ears "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!????!!!!??!!!"

*gulp*

It's been some time since I did this.

Give me grace, give me wisdom (although a little of this at the time of signing up for this Project would have been good - but let's look at glass half full here)...


God help me.



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Macaroons!

ANYWAYS, I've gone and FINALLY tried my hand at making macaroons.

They have been eluding me for years now cause firstly, I never heard of them (in the early years) and then later, I turned my nose at them cause I felt "Cheh, just 2 biscuits with some filling squished in between them, WHO COULDNT DO THAT???"

That is until I found out that macaroons are the current rage and they are selling at RM4 per macaroon. Seriously. Those little neon coloured biscuits with some filling squished between them... 1.5 inch in diameter sell for more than what I'd pay for a bowl of mee hoon kueh! (not the kay-liow version with extra ikan bilis and fried onion - which would cost a bit more... but i digress).

So I tried making some. First attempt failed of course.... they rose and everything but didnt have any "feet" (*the ruffley edge running around the bottom of the macaron disc), and the surface cracked. badly. On top of that, I had followed the recipe to the T and it turned out tooth achingly-send-a-herd-of-elephants-into-diabetic-shock (hi Eric!) kinda sweet!

2nd attempt worked tho..... feet and everything. Managed to cut 60% of the sugar... wasn't very confident it'll work cause ALL the recipes warned, put motion sensors and plastered DANGER WARNING signs against messing with the recipes..... BUT ...... (as Austin Powers would say... "I like to live DANGEROUSLY...")

So i cut the sugar, piped the little macs and hoped for the best.

Curiously enough, made them in orange and pink. The orange ones rose, but without feet, but the pink ones... my NEON coloured pink ones (I was going for sweet pastel pink.. these food colouring thinggies really should come with better directions...) but anyways.... my neon pink ones rose, WITH FEET!!!!!!!!!

Oh the JOY!!!! Now I understand what these blogs mean when they talk about the "rush" they feel when a batch of macaroons turn out right... It's like you've performed.... (*Sleepless in Seatle pause for effect here) .... "MAGIC!"

So anyways, I immediately whipped up a batch of strawberry swiss meringue buttercream and sandwiched them precious pink discs together.

My sis tried it, and she, has shown her support by being straight up and almost BRUTAL in her honesty when it comes to my baking....

(Me : I think I'll bake a xxxx cake today! (*eyes shining with excitement, mind
already taking in the measurements and ingredients)

Sis : Please don't bake. I'll take you shopping, buy you anything you want, but
please don't bake...)

... actually said "WOW! Now THESE are macaroons!"

I take it that she approves.

Well anyway, neon pink or no, my little macaroons happened! And I was the happier for it.

Next project..... Salted Gula Melaka ice cream - No thanks to Eric, who MADE me (he litereally put a plastic tea spoon to my neck) try this after lunch the other day... and since then....the idea of making this has taken root in my brain and it won't go away till I have a big sloppy mess of cream, gula melaka and salt in my freezer!

Till next time!





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More Updates!

This little beauty's getting better too...

My Buttercup :D


(and here we go again with the picture posting ritual... you know the drill... Pretend. Please...