My mother's cooking

Today as my parents fast for the Muharram month my mother cooked something nice. These are my favourite dishes . They complement each other beautifully.

She cooked 'gulai ayam' or chicken curry ,spinach and sweet potato  , fried chicken and sambal.  The sambal add more zest  to the curry . Sambal is made by pounding red chilies, salt and shrimp paste . Then add some salt and squeeze some lime .  When my husband comes back home early , he likes to watch videos. So I would leave him be for awhile . Then I add a lot of rice for him and more fried chicken  because he loves my mother's curry. I don't  normally cook at home  for the family because I am not as good as my mother when it comes to cooking .As I  might have written somewhere  my mother said that she has cooked since she was 12 so experience counts. He he he.

I went to One Utama yesterday , I saw  the Women's Weekly cookbook called 'Little Pies'. I like  the small little pies or the mini fritatta. I have yet to buy the muffin tray. Another dessert that caught my eye is poached pear in syrup served with hot chocolate , vanilla ice cream and cream or chantilly cream . Later I found out  the  dessert is called Poires Belle- Helene or  Pears Belle Helen.Little do I know that I am into French cooking.

Well ,Bon Apetit.

Tumeric powder for pimple, Tia Amelia and raw meat for kitten

Last week I have three ugly looking pimples . They were large. Fortunately I remembered the turmeric powder or Kasturi manjal which I had bought  before. So I took some powder and add some water and put  it on the pimples. It stings and I could feel my skin tighten immediately . After 3 days inclusive of  one day  using it as  a face mask my pimples is gone and  with  no apparent scar. I use  the Eswari tumeric powder  for the face which can be found  at the  Indian shops at Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur.

My mother is also using Tia Amelia turmeric cream. I used to wear it  and the result is great. but since I love to try out new creams I don't use it so much. My mother faithfully uses before retiring  at night without fail.  . The big size cream costs RM 69.90. I think turmeric is great  for the face . Now my mother's face is flawless.

I was also  searching for the right kitten food. After delving for the premium dry and wet kitten food. I find myself   going back to the idea of   feeding raw food  to  Jingga. I liked the idea  so  I went back searching for the blog  I used to  look at  and I found it at : http://www.catnutrition.org/pictorial.php . I like the idea of feeding my kitten with raw food. Jingga has benefited from eating boiled chicken breast . His eyes are large and shining.   He is now  2.8 kg.  . Another website is for making raw cat food is : http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm#The_Basics .

The thing is that I don't feel like buying a grinder which is a must . Perhaps I should buy the  other ingredients for the supplement or  for the cat's elixir.  Do I have the monies to buy it  that is the question  or  do I just close my eyes and buy it as  you only have to buy  it once ? It looks like a hassle but I love to see the photos of the beautiful cats  after eating the raw diet.

Another website I stumbled across is http://www.felinefuture.com/?p=2381 . They have a powdered premix called Instincts TC and Instincts   Plus   which is to be added to the raw food. I have not seen the premix in Malaysia. Perhaps it is available if you ask around. Still you have to have a grinder. Or I might take out the cleaver and chop , chop,chop.There is grinder sold  at Tesco for less than RM 200 and I have seen another sturdier looking  grinder for around RM 500 at Best Denki stores  or Jusco. I also like the jar for storing the prepared but  from what I read zip lock bags are used.

Happenings

This week all of us went to Viccudha restorant in Damansara Utama. It's a Thai restaurant which is very popular  .All of us were there except Yati, Sadd, Mal and their families. It's to celebrate those whose birthdays are in December . Mine included too he he he.

I have been thinking of making the Ile Flottante or Floating Island recipe. It's a classic French recipe. I'm seriously considering to make it. It's not that  I will make it some day.  The first time I saw this snow white beauty with the custard sauce or Creme Anglaise was in Martha Stewart show at NTV7. I like to watch the show in my room around 11pm or 12 pm . The recipe calls for 18 egg whites, so now I have been collecting recipes via the net .

You can poach it in milk too , I saw that in a recipe from AFC . The  Asian food channel,  there is one from You  tube too . Now I have to find the cream of tartar. Maryam my niece also made some ice cream with a kid's ice cream maker . It does make ice cream . Her birthday is coming soon. Now she is into cats.

Last Friday  and Saturday the ladies  went to  One Utama to shop for clothes.  . Nas is here about two weeks.  My brother Zahid works in a tuna company. The tuna is very tasty .  However the tuna is not sold here in Malaysia .

There's a new all white male cat which appears in the house chasing Jingga . Jingga is very scared. It has been quarelling with Awang who came back after two days of dissapearance. 

Colmar Tropicale

The Black swans

On Sunday , our family went to Colmar Tropicale to celebrate my father's 73rd birthday. My brother Zahid  and family came back for their  vacation from Seychelles. My sister Nas and children , my two brothers, GG and Mal ,my parents and I .  Colmar Tropicale is situated on  Bukit Tinggi ,Pahang  . It is a french themed resort Alsace to be exact  . Very romantic. It is one of Berjaya group's  many properties.  I have not been there before so this is a very nice trip for me also.

In the morning my mother prepared Nasi Lemak.  With fried chicken, sambal , 'kangkung' and of course the nasi lemak which she had cooked  last night. We are off around 12.00 noon. I had left  a bowl of  dry cat food for Jingga and the other cats.  The trip was not long from Kuala Lumpur to Berjaya Hills. It was cool when we reached there . The buildings are nice , we took a lot of pictures.There were many visitors.

The white swans

  
We went to the rooms at 5.00 pm The suite was   large with two rooms with white poster beds overlooking the square. After wolfing down  the nasi lemak I was back to la la land. My mother also plonked besides me. Before we got to our rooms, we went up to the Japanese gardens. The trip up the gardens was fun as it was a winding road on an open air van.  My nephews and niece rented the kimonos . Maryam looked nice in the red kimono so did Zahin and Hamzah.

It was beautiful at night with the  the lights. We had dinner at the La Flamme restaurant. We had lasagne , alfredo spaghetti, carbonara and bolognaise and pizzas. Some of us did not go to the bowling alley and tried archery. My mother also did not want to watch the international dance  at the square at 9.30 pm.  I was very tired and retired early.

                                                             

The next morning after breakfast we went to see the white swans and  the black swans. The pair of white swans  swam to  us . So we bought some food for them. My mother said to give the swans  the food on the palm  of  our hands but I was scared. The black    swans are beautiful . It wanted to go to the other side. of the pond. . Then we went back. I would definitely go back to Colmar with my husband one day.

My nephew wanted to see the rabbit but too bad the rabbits were not around anymore . So we went to horse trail.  The guy at the stables told us that the horses can bite so to be careful.  Then my two nephews and my brother Zahid took a ride.

 

After that we went back and had lunch at D'templer , a chinese Muslim restaurant at Gombak.  The dishes are tasty.  We had some dimsum  and of course rice. He he he.

Steamed asparagus , poached eggs and hollandaise sauce

 It was Aidhil Adha last week. Nas had cooked bryani rice and the tomato lamb .  It was tasty .

On Saturday I made some steamed asparagus. First I made the hollaindaise sauce using a recipe for a blender hollandaise sauce from Allrecipe. It works well and quick.The  recipe is quick and easy. Just blend the egg yolk , lemon juice and mustard, then pour the hot butter slowly while blending the egg yolk mixutre in the same blender . I steamed the asparagus  with some salt while doing so. I think I have steamed the asparagus too long  . It became limp and soggy.  Then came the poached eggs. My mother wanted to help too. We don't eat poached eggs in the house. Later I learnt how to poach eggs from  Video Jug using egg rings. I saw some sold at Tesco . The next time my husband goes there I will buy maybe two of those . It is said that you can make really nice pancakes using the egg rings, and make an egg banjo.

This recipe is one of  the dream recipe . The recipe  I love to look at and always come back . So the next time, I will try to poach the eggs first. I will steam the asparagus for lesser time. After that we put the dish in three separate plates. The verdict is  eveyone ate it. My mother, my sister and my brother. I kept the recipe  of the this dish  years ago and kept it in mind .  It looks good.  Yummy.The thicker asparagus cost RM 5.00  per bunch.

Penang and Nasi Lemuni

Last Friday I went to Penang with my parents and my brothers. Left at home were  my husband and Jingga the kitten. I have bought enough food for the kitten and also for Awang. I received a cookbook from GG , and a food steamer  from Yati and Nas. Doctor Doctor.  I was thinking of making the poached eggs and steamed asparagus with or without shaved parmesan. Parmesan cheese cost RM 20 , perhaps I will try the hollandaise sauce instead. There is a recipe for  orange sauce somewhere in the tube. It was quite a long trip , I slept  all the way. Nas's  new house is in Changkat xxx somewhere in Penang.  It's about 2 1/2 storeys.Nice with Bofi kitchen . He he he .

  That night we went to have dinner at  the restaurants  downstairs  . I had lamb khabsa and  so did Mal.  GG had a potato dish.Everyone else had  Thai food.  The lamb khabsa is like a lamb soup spicy , with large portions. It was served with  rice , salad and the chili.It was food conversation all the way to Penang.  In the morning my father wanted to try the Nasi Kandar  at  Kg Melayu. It was situated in one of the flats. I forgot where. There were people waiting in line  . It must be good. I had a fried  chicken Maryland . So did GG and my father. My mother took the fish. The next thing my parents were buying crab . For the crab curry, I still do not know how to make the curry.  The next morning we went to Sardon area ,at the  food stall. I did not catch the name. It's famous for breakfast . My mother and I had nasi Lamuni . . Nasi Lamuni is an anti aging rice ,made with the Lemuni  leaves. Did you know ? I did not .It was tasty.

The next day we went back to KL without my mother . My mother will stay there until today . We stopped at  Tapah rest area.  There was a stall which caught our area . It sells coffee. How can I forget the name.  We went to the other stalls but we came back there  . I had iced mocha , Mal had cocoa , my father had coffee and GG had iced coffee.  When I came back home I was greeted by Jingga which meowed , it was hungry.

44

I am 44 years old yesterday. I thought I was 45 so I am younger . My husband treated me at a nice restaurant.  It was Persian food or Iranian food. Jingga  the kitten sneezes most of the time at home . He is up and about  . So I am 45 years old. I feel old . I am not even 50 . Perhaps I have to take more supplements  or  broaden my horizon .

 My mother  found a new product called Stevico. She bought the  Broccoli  and Spinach one for her cattracts.  It tasted like orange.She had refused to go for  her eye surgery . She is afraid she said.  I like the one with  the  wild  Brazil tomato extract .It is for the anti aging and can  reduce pigmentation if used for 90 days. Each box cost RM 200. Perhaps I will try one day.

I received a cook book from my brother GG.  I also liked one of the breakfast ideas from a website. Though it looks nice , I have not found the time to make it. It is poached egges  with yoghurt . A Turkish recipe . It looks simple and could be nice The website is . http://almostturkish.blogspot.com/2007/03/turkish-poached-eggs-with-yogurt-lbr.html . I think I will try it at my husband's  stall. He has  the paprika and I will buy some youghurt.

The spicy buffalo chicken wing I tried  is very nice. Not too spicy  .I made for my husband with drumsticks and other parts of the chicken. Maybe the  next time I will marinate the chicken in  the mixture for  a longer period of time so that  it will be more tasty  and I will try  to marinate  a whole chicken in the mixture My husband likes it . He is a picky eater so I don't try any new dish with him. I just go for the simple  recipes.

Chicken wings

Today I went out with my husband after a long time. We went to our favourite  restaurant. Al Rawsha at Jalan Damai. As usual we have the lamb mandy. Mandy is actually  rice . It is said to be from Dubai, that is what I found out when googling for Al Rawsha. It  rained heavily in Kuala Lumpur  this evening.

I was also browsing for something to try out . A recipe of chicken wings came to mind. My sister  Nas has gone back. Nas had made  tomato rice. She also made her salad  with tomato , cucumber , salad leaves and lemon juice. It is tasty . I will try that.  When my sister Sadd came for a day , we had crab curry.  Blue crabs that is .

I was thinking of the many ways of making chicken wings. At first I wanted to do Buffalo  Chicken Wings recipe but then I have to buy  some other  ingredients . So after  a long time browsing I settled for a recipe by an Indonesian lady who lives in Australia. I have all the ingredients at home , so I have made some now . It is in the oven and will be ready to eaten in about 20 minutes . My mother and I will try  it  soon . There are other interesting recipes by foodwishes with sweet mustard sauce and another from Itkman who also does simple dishes.
So for those who are interested here are some of the links , the honey and barbeque sauce.
.http://www.zumurphy.com/2009/06/honey-bbq-chicken.html

the spicy bufalo chicken  wings :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDdQXzz5XQ0
and the one from Foodwishes :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxaN0nTmxD8
and another from Itkman :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48BLmqqMZos&feature=fvw

Cabbage Soup diet and Vegetable Fritatta

A couple days ago I started on a Cabbage soup diet. However I did not finish the seven days diet.  I made the soup in a huge pot. On the first day , I felt very hungry having only soup and fruits to eat . On the second day  I ate something else . I felt very tired perhaps because  I have not been on a diet before  .  Perhaps my body could not take it . However the good news is ,  that before I started eating the bean salad for dinner and embarking on the cabbage soup diet  for about two days, my weight is 78 kg. On the second day of the the cabbage soup diet I weigh 75 kg. I lost 3 kg  ... It means that going for the  soup diet  does work  but  I felt very hungry and there are some who wanted to sabotage my diet . He he he.

For those who are interested  in the cabbage soup here are some links :http://www.soupsong.com/rdiet.html  and  a local one http://www.boredworkers.com/2009/09/13/cabbage-soup-diet-day-1-soup-fruits/  . The cost of the vegetable is roughly RM 20 and I bought some pears which cost RM 10 , RM 2.50 each. You have to prepare it twice because   by the third day , the soup is nearly finished since every one in the house felt that it tasted delicious . I thought of continuing the soup diet with  some " Sawi  "  or musrtard greens and a little bit of chicken but I still have to eat in the morning   though.

One of the mornings I finally made a Spanish omelette based on a mini cook book I bought years ago.  I made it  with some boiled potatoes  and  some Italian parsley .Roughly chop   half  an  onion and a few cloves of garlic. Heat  the oil and cook  the onion and garlic until translucent . Then add the boiled potatoes which has been cubed  , for a few minutes since I used  half of a large potato. And then put the onion mixture into  a bowl. Lightly beat 3 eggs  and then add to the mixture. Heat some oil in the same  pan add the egg  mixture. Wait until it begin to harden , transfer  the pan into the oven .      Bake it  for about 20 minutes at 150 C. Ooh do not forget the salt and pepper of course  .  My husband said it is nice. My  mother liked this omelette which is also called  a Fritatta .  It seems that one  also can make it in  a muffin tray. People have been making this for a long time.

Today when my sister Nas and her chidren  is here , I tried to make a Fritta using steamed broccolli  and grated cheddar cheese. I think I have added too much salt. Tomorrow I will try to make another Fritatta  for my husband  using the broccoli , boiled potato and grated Kraft cheese.

Here are some links about Fritatta and some mini Frittata which could enlighten :

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/vegetable-frittata-recipe.htm

This is an Iranian Spinach Frittata

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdZ4Jh6L_f0

This is from you tube about Mini Frittata which I plan to do in a not distant future

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXUZ12yxqcM

Another one about mini Fritatta

http://www.sugarlaws.com/mini-spinach-frittatas

Bean Salad

I made  a bean salad yesterday. So off I went to buy a tin each of garbanzo beans, red kidney beans and black beans. I thought of buying the dry ones but it is too much hassle. Since I do not know how long to cook in the pressure cooker .  I also purchased some lime , tomato and cilantro.   I chopped the cilantro ,some red onions and the tomatoes. I just squeeze the lime and add some salt and some sugar.

It is quite good if I say myself. It yield a large Corning bowl. So my parents and my brother tried it. There is some left . I thought of having this salad for dinner instead of my usual fare. My diet is the  Bean salad diet . I thought of adding Fava beans but it was not available at the neighbourhood supermarket.The next recipe I want to try is  the Vietnamese Beef noodle soup.My sister Sadd gave me one recipe . Or may I would try some recipes from the booklets I bought  since 2001. I have not tried many of the recipes. Once in many months I would read the books again . I think I should note my habits as well.

I have been drinking Roselle tea for  a month. I bought it from Herbal Bloom.Roselle is   high in  vitamin C. I just put one dried calyx  into a cup and add hot water.  There is a choice of either buying tea bags or the calyx .

I have bought some Cocoa Collagen Power Plus , so far I have sold one to my mother .

Some happenings at home and Shamelin Mangostyn Juice

Last night my father had vommitted. He did not want to go any clinic because he felt weak. This morning he is still weak . It might be food poisoning but it's  not for sure. Perhaps it is the meat that  he ate at the  many open houses my parents went to  . My mother had cooked chicken soup and chicken porridge for all of us to eat tonight . My father also bought Cod Liver oil. The one  he used to give us when we were little.  The one in the orange box with a man carrying a big fish .I also take the oil  for my athma which came up  mysteriously.

It rains every afternoon.  Oh ...  the rainy days are here . Jingga is getting friendlier. He does not go into the drain nowadays . I think he learns his lesson. He also does not climb the mango tree.  I spot some mangoes growing on the mango tree in front of the house.

Last Monday I saw a programme called Spice Route 2 on TV3. It was about the durian tree which originates from Zanzibar in Tanzania. I always thought the durian is from Malaysia. I should google other fruits as well.
My sister  Nas had informed me about the importance of taken the soursoup  fruit which is very good to fight cancer. Perhaps someone would make the Soursoup fruit juice like the manggosteen juice . There is a Bumiputra  MLM company which sells the mangostyn  juice called Shamelin Mangostyn juice  for RM 260 for 6 bottles  if you become the member .The retail price is RM 50 per bottle. It is sold in a box of three bottles .If you are interested you can find them here http://shamelin2u.com/shahir.htm .It's in Bahasa Malaysia but the company which distribute it   is  Shamelin Bina Sdn Bhd. Shamelin Bina is one of the subsidiary of Koperasi Shamelin which had constructed  the Taman Shamelin Perkasa a residential area in Cheras Kuala Lumpur  back in the 80's.

Open House

Today I went to an open house with my parents . It was held at Felda Jalan Semarak . My father has served there for 25 years . My father has  many friends and they still remember him. My father will be 73  this year. My mother who is somewhat reserved is   65  years . I will be 45 years old  this November. So in twenty years time I  hope  I will be like them. Hopefully in good health.

My father said that the   'rendang ' is very good accompanied with the 'lemang' of course.Lemang is a glutinuos rice dish  usually cooked in bamboo.It is always accompanied with 'rendang'. A famous dish which appeared during the festive months . My mother is now selling HPA organic chicken. So far business is good.

The kitten  Jingga is still here. He is very friendly.  I thought of my many mistakes when I took care of Rosa,  and her kittens .  I think I will bath Jingga  the proper way. He is  relaxing near the  screw pine bushes. It has been raining every day . Nowadays it usually rains at  3 pm or 3 am. There was a black out in the early morning  a few days ago.

Kitten

The kitten is still here. It is a male. I  have checked it . It  was yelping most of the time. The cat like Tompok is called Tom. Awang is not here today. At last the kitten  comes into  the house. It took one week  for him to do so. Nowadays I am using Safi face cream with aloe vera  I have also bought  a facial soap from CNI . I just  love to wash my face with soap .

I think I will switch the soap next month  to Nu della skin care. It has a Malaysian Holistic Spa concept. The nearest salon is at Kota Damansara. You can find the site here http://www.sriserumpun.com/boutique.html

I am thinking of doing an online business selling a product called "Cocoa Collagen Power" .  I have to take action.

Cat in the hole

My sister and her family from Jakarta were here for a week , and another sister Dr . Dr and her family too were here for the weekend. As usual the family members gathered with pulut durian a.k.a glutinous rice with Coconut Milk and sugar, and fried Kurau fish. My little niece had asked me to te read for her Dr Seuss's book 'The Cat in the Hat'. I read it only half way. I did not watch the movie however. She said it was 'cool'.

Today the fat cat with blue eyes , had chased a kitten, a new edition into the hole . I was afraid it might be go straight into the big drain. I watched it as it was near the drain. It was hollering the poor thing. The strange thing is when I called the fat cat blue eyes, it came to my rescue . It dutifully sat near the kitten in the drain and I think it showed it how to get out . When I came back from the mall , the kitten is in front of the house . Hollering .

Poor kitten . My mother said it missed it's mother. I gave it some fish yet it would not stop meowing , I tried to touch but it was still scared. So fat cat came to it's rescue. The kitten is a she and I smiled at the courtesy of a gentleman aristocat. There's a Malay proverb which if translate literally is " shy, shy cat " or just as shy as a cat. It goes to anyone who wants to be close but act as if it doesn't want be near. Not a tease but just as shy like a cat.Not like a dove but that is another matter.

P/S : Sukin skincare is also available at Jusco One Utama and so is Pixie whitening two way cake .

Safah Herbs and Sukin Organics

Two days ago my mother had treated me with a salmon teppanyaki. I went to the Body Shop and there I saw the foundation brush for RM 59. The face and body brush is at RM 68. I was in a hurry so I think that is the price .

I went to Watson's .There I saw Sukin Skin Organics from Australia  .I come to know of the skincare from one of the local beauty blog . Previously it was available in Singapore . The price is between RM 30 to RM 80 . It is without SLS and Paraben among other things. I was thinking of buying Safi instead . You can find everything about Sukin skincare here http://sukinorganics.com.au/.

I have made a rice body and face scrub. I got the recipe from an older forum from a lady named Liz Dee. The recipe is to take handful of rice , I took glutinous rice . Soak at for one day . The next day toss the rice , add thumb size turmeric. That is the ibu kunyit. Blend it . I put three handfuls , the Eswari turmeric powder which can be bought at Indian shops . I put three tablespoon.

Then there is another local company which use traditional items for skincare. I bumped into it while I was searching for how to make green gram scrub. It is a wonderful site, I have not buy any of the the items.The website is : http://safahherbs.com.my/. There is traditional body scub, mask, soap and beauty oil . There is a wonderful centella and green peas body scrub. The company also conducts beauty courses and other services . The price for a scrub is from RM 11.90 for a 60 gm scrub to RM 119 for a 600 gm scrub . There is also super facial soaps like Aloe Honey soap for RM 12.90 for 50 gm. All price is for West Malaysia only. Maybe I will try the soaps one of these days.

Selamat Hari Raya , Eid Mubarak

A happy Aidil fitri to all muslim members . My siblings from Jakarta, Penang and Puncak Alam were here for the Aidil Fitri. It was most a joyful time. My mother had made her famous rendang chicken . The cat with blue eyes and two of her kittens had dissapeared. Only two were calling out for food . Perhaps I should check them out from time to time. Tom the new orange cat was here yesterday . Her stomach is bulging.

Today I went to Kuala Lumpur and my pinkish salmon linen was ready on Hari Raya's eve. It is still quiet at the Jalan Masjid India. I went to Haniffa textile and Mydin. At Haniffa I spotted the Pond's Cleansing cream and one for Dry skin. The other thing I bought was the Color Stay Revlon foundation in Sand Beige. At last after months of salivating in front of the computer.

My sister Nas bought one for her too. We bought a concealer from Maybelline. Today I bought a Mustika Ratu foundation stick for RM 18 and a face powder for RM 8.50 at Mydin . It was a good buy since I was thinking I will slather it for a few days to come.

I also spotted some Kryolan foundation at City One where my husband has a food stall. It cost from RM 85 above. My colour is Sawo Matang . This is colour suits me most compared to Kuning Langsat which is too fair.

My sister Nas brought us for dinner at Sushi King two days ago. I like the fried tempura. We will have a party next weekend.

Cats

It's raining now. I have been up looking at the You tube for an absolutely flawless face. After much glueing to the computer , I realize I only need to buy the MAC 109 and the 217 brush. I also realised that I should use the stick foundation for more matured ladies. The foundation will cost me about RM 100 . My husband stared at me when I mentioned it just now .

I think what I will do is to find a cheaper version of the foundation brush, I read that Watson's has one . I have to find a good concealer . I have never used those before . Farmasi Cosmetics the one I mentioned earlier has a primer , concealers,stick foundation and all that would cost me a bit more than RM 100 or I could buy Mustika Ratu 's stick foundation. I thought of buying their Honey soap ,lulur , scrub and jamu.

The cat with blue eyes has four lovely kittens. One day I saw her holding a fish in her mouth then I saw them . Four lovely kittens inclusive of an all black kitten . They have large eyes like their mother. I haven't had the chance to hold them because they were afraid of me. So now I have four little ones for friends. I have not tell this to my niece Maryam.They go out at night . The kittens I mean.

Tom the orange cat meow when she comes home. Now she is languishing somewhere in the house. I think she is pregnant. Why do pregnant cats come here ? I saw a wonderful video on cats , it's about cats which live on a hill. You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwM6f0liHpo It's called A Cat House on the hills. It's about a lady who takes care of 500 cats on her 6 acre land. It's very sweet. There is another large male cat with blue eyes.His coat is light brown. He seems lost. Has he been thrown out or purposely left here ? His owners must be very worried. Awang does not dare to fight with this one . He has been howling perhaps he is expecting his owners to show up . Poor boy.

Make up Artist - The cost

It started with Nurin Photopages. The basics for make up classes which goes for RM 300 per day. For two days which includes Bridal Makeup classes it is RM 650. I like her make up . It looks fresh.You can find her at :http://nurinmakeover.fotopages.com/
And then on and on I went to see who sells what. You need to have good brushes , the sable ones. I found a web selling Kryolan items on line. I came to know Kryolan from my sister in law who reads URTV. A Kryolan tv stick cost RM 85 for Hari Raya sales and there are Naturactor loose powder and foundation and also the loose powder from Dodo Plagantong . The lady Azwa also sells sets of brush . You can find her at :http://kryolan-malaysia.fotopages.com/
Another website with is full of beautiful before and after photos is seindah wajah. You can find it at :
http://www.seindahwajah.com/index.html.

One has to find good foundation and loose powder ,from what I read .That includes the primers. Kryolan and Mac are good base for stunning faces. Well if you have the budget then by all means do buy. The cost for Kryolan is about RM 500 for a basic set. The brushes are about RM 200. Classes are from RM 650. I haven't even come to the colours .

There are the 88 eye colours for about RM 100. Coastal colours . Kryolan has lip colours ,blushers and eye colours for about RM 300 a set . Then Mac. Oh Mac.

I also like the colours from Giffarine . Giffarine is a skincare company from Thailand. It's new here. They have really nice colours , supplements. They do have nice pomegranate juice . Furthermore they have lip tester and powder tester. You can find it at : http://giffarinemalaysia.blogspot.com/search/label/FOUNDATION and news of Giffarine at :http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=0830&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Kesihatan&pg=kn_07.htm

There is another makeup from Istanbul. The colour is sexy and glam .It's called Farmasi Colours .I like the eye colour and glittering lipstick. Here is one of the website selling the range :http://www.yourbeautymall.com/

So what is the cost ? About RM 1000 and above. At least RM 3000 for good brand. Good luck for all the make up artist wannabes like me. Selamat Berbuka Puasa everyone.

New cats on the block

A cat reminiscent of my tompok appeared. I saw her last week. So I fed her some chicken. Another new comer . A male white cat. The beautiful cat with blue eyes is still there. Today the new Tompok made noise. I gave her fish but still she did not want to be quiet . At last I picked her up . I think she thinks that I am her owner or she is lost herself. Awang was angry but then he hissed whenever I am around. I am thinking of starting an online beauty store. I think it will be for next year . Next year's project.

Romantic ,Beautiful Homes and Kutu.

La Belle Vie - Bel Air

It's the time again. I am back to my favourite themes. Romantic homes and Louis XVI furnitures. While I like English style themes , I am drawn to french furniture. Rococo , and more and more I am drawn to Louis XVI furniture once I know the difference. I love french doors . This is my dream home . It's called La Belle Vie, which is French for "beautiful life." It is in Bel Air and there are many Louis XV and XVI-inspired details. It's now for sale for USD 53 million. Well ,I read somewher that you have to dream for something that you want . These are my favourite things to surf .I like white furniture . I also like to surf the Horchow Collections, France Era, Sweet Pea and Willows and all others. Well it's no harm to dream of something lovely.

Now I also like a site called Cindy's Romantic Home. I love Cindy's blue bedroom. I love her white furniture. And she paints her funiture white something I wanted to do but do not know how. I like her French dining table and chairs with blue toile fabric . Toile is also very french. I especially adore her white lacy linens. Vintage of course . I also love the shrimp louie she has with her daughter Lauren outside with the white linens and all . Maybe I should do that also and have outdoor food with my parents . You can find the shrimp louie on the patio at :http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html

I just bought a Carvenzi white furniture bedroom with some romantic details. There is a brown chest of drawers which I thought of painting it white. I don't feel confident about sanding it . I did once with an old dresser . Perhaps I put new white doors for my cupboard . That will cost me RM 500. I thought of buying white and blue wall paper somewhere and that would cost me RM 1000.00. I think I will do some Kutu . Kutu is a system played by Malay women to buy what they want. It's played in a groups . It's like you can pay in installments not to the bank but those who offer the stuff. For example you want to buy something for RM 500 . There will be 10 ladies in a group , each will pay RM 50 per month and then when it is your turn , you will get the stuff and so on until you pay for the rest 9 month. It is a swell way. Most women do this so you have some monies to do whatever you want . My mother is the Kutu leader which means , she is the one who is conducts the Kutu and she will get the Kutu on the first month. Kutu leader and kutu players have to be trustworthy because some people might run away with all the Kutu money on the first month or refused to pay because they do not have sufficient funds.

Gold skincare

I have been reading on gold in skincare for the past two days. Anything that has gold in it , the serums , the ampoules the facial. I personally think that gold is a good way to heal the skin. It has been used as far back as the ancient Egyptians particularly by Cleopatra that is. I found an interesting site on the usage of gold. It's called the skin gold thread cosmetology.Using the face grids in like the Egyptians did , scientists in France and Russian had succeeded in the implantation of 24k gold thread into the face in 1999. It would be for those who want to look young for ever . As gold be for eternal youth.This is the site that says it all http://www.wanling.com.my/gold-thread/english/index.php.

It reminds me of the old malay practise that use gold called 'Susuk,' there 's the gold , and sometimes diamonds. Then there is UMO, the creator of the original UMO 24 Karat Gold Facial Treatment. Their headquarters is in Japan. Of couse there is the popular gold cocoa mask from Korea which I have bought and is using. It does brighten the skin.

There are some local companies which use gold in their skincare . One is BML a popular skincare by Becky M. Leogardo . It has been around since 1994.The skincare is hugely successful. Their gold skincare is called Alexa. Another gold skincare is from Silvana Ultimate. Silvana Ultimate has been around for 14 years .They have just launched a the gold set for RM 699 with Anita Sarawak as their ambasadress.

Years ago I used to buy a gold turmeric cream from Himani whenever I have any pimples. It does heal the pimples but it has a strong scent though. Shahnaz Hussein also has her own gold range, there is a mask, scrub and a foundation. I think they would have the gold facial as well.

So far I have found some ampoules that have gold in the first is tne the Beautee 24k Gold serum. There's the Italy 3003C Nano Gold Gel Mask and Italy 3003C Nano Gold serum which cost about 100 USD but you have to put it in the fridge once it is opened. Then there is the Swisa 24 Karat Ampoule which cost USD 249. So now you can choose to use the skincare, the serum or the ampoules. Then you can go for the 24k facial. For the ultimate in gold then go for the gold skin thread and be young forever .....

Mondays

Mondays are long. Last Saturday I sent my sister and her husband off to Dubai. It was sad . Then yesterday it was a long day. Today something happened to the the coding software. So now I am surfing again. It's raining this evening. I bought some jamu today . I think it 's good. I will go down on Wednesday to buy some beverages , I hope the girl at the shop does buy it.

Turmeric juice

My sister Sadd came back from Jakarta . She was on a show on Friday morning . All my sisters were here. We went to Shah Alam to Gulati's and then to have a nice lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. This month we started to buy oranges and apples again for juicing purposes. I have not been very adventurous with this juicing thing though . I thought of buying some beets for the colour. So far I have not bought any. Last year I have made some Turmeric juice a.k.a Jamu Kunyit Asem. . I am not going out so much now . My sister Yati is going to Dubai this Saturday. Then it will Ramadhan. It was hectic last Ramadhan. I have not named the new cat but I think it has an owner .

Zamian Cocoa Mask and Muna Asy Syifa Herbs

I have received the gold cocoa mask today. I have tried and I liked it ,the mask is velvety and my skin feels soft after 20 minutes. I also received a Cacao facial scrub.I will wait and hopefully my pores will shrink by then . I think it will take about one month judging from the testimonies in the internet.

I also dragged my mother yesterday evening to buy some herbal preparations by Muna Syifa . The herbal product is free from preservatives and has been around for 40 years. What I liked most is that they have really nice traditional products for ladies and for a blissful marriage. I liked the bath herbal preparation. My mother seemed to like it too .

Today I also saw a toxin and fat foot patch from Japan.All you have to do is to put the patch on your feet and go sleep. It is sold for RM 89 for one pack. My husband is losing weight so perhaps I should try.

Korean skin care

Shills Hydrating Nutrient Mask = It can be used overnight . The difference is wonderful . It is made with sprirulina extract .

The skin after using the golden cacao mask

Look the no more pores !!!

For the past one week I have been surfing for beauty products. I stumbled across the BB cream. A Korean product which is used by the Korean movie stars. I have also wondered how they do get the flawless look. I found out about Skin79 which can be bought online for RM 70 to RM 90 depending on the seller. The retail price is RM 179 to RM 189 . Skin Food has their own BB cream which sells for RM 54.90. And then from there I saw their ad for the face mask. Well a picture is worth a thousand words. Need I see more, I was hooked. I was hooked by the photos only , not the description.

One of the face masks which attracted me most is the Shills Hydrating Nutrient Mask 50ml which cost from RM 39 to RM 50 depending on the seller. And another one the Korean Gold cocoa mask set which comes with two different soaps. I have just bought the mask from Wanita Melayu.com seller Zeta Joe for RM 81 . She said that I could use it over night. So here are some of the photos of both masks. Enjoy.

One Year

It has been one year since I 've blogged. There are two cats which called out whenever they are hungry. One an old orange coloured male which really looks dirty and there is a cute female cat with blue eyes. I haven't seen her before but cats will be cats. They come and go. I did not see the white kitten for a long time .Yesterday I went out with my mother to attend Dr Azizan Osman's seminar on potential wealth . It's mostly on wealth and on birth dates . Awang is fighting with another cat outside the house.

I think I will get a book by T Harve Eker. He wrote the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind. I have to finish some work. The picture above is my dream bedroom.

One year

Next week on the 29th of July it will be one year since I first blogged. Looking back, some things have changed. I am finally working at home . These are some things in my wish list :

T le clerc face powder, Lancome foundations , Roc Multi Correxxion and some Kose products .However I think that it is better for me to spend below my means. At this moment, still things are said I find that I always go back to the natural skin care . I went back to the honey and egg yolk mask, and I find my self pouring the old aromatherapy books that I bought way back in 2003. I bought an Eve Taylor's facial oil no.5 for my mother. It smells very nice , the geranium scent . I thought of buying the geranium essential oil and some others by Biossentials. They have a lovely range sold at the British India store in Bandar Utama. I also discovered Sutra essence which is produced locally. The essential oils are not so expensive compared to the ones by Eve Taylor.

You can find Sutra essentials at http://sutraessential.com/ and it can be bought on line from http://www.kedainiaga.com/ The Eve Taylor essential oil can be bought at the Leonard Drakes stores.

I think I will buy for my self the face oil later when my Olay has finished. And another thing which I realised is that I tend to go back to Olay. I have been reading skin care product reviews . Currently it is my favourite thing to do. I am still using the Esmeria Hydrating face wash. It does not contain SLS or Paraben and I do not feel any tightness after I wash my face . I also stumbled across a local product called Giena skin care where the products do not contain SLS or any harmful chemicals. I called to ask how much is the aromasense serum. Since the cleanser itself cost about RM 100 , I think it is safe to think that the serum will cost more . You can find out about the products here at :

http://www.giena2u.com/flash/home.swf

Lady bird books

I have been surfing for beauty products while working. There are some things which caught my eye. One the Colour Stay revlon foundation. I saw that many women in You tuve loved this foundation. Another is from Kose, a whitening mask which is black . And then I watched old footage of Fauziah Ahmad Daud back in 1983.

Today I talked to my sister Yati about the old fairy tale books by Lady Bird. I especially liked Cinderella. Yati and Saadah thought it is the most beautiful Cinderella book they have ever seen and so do I. Yatie will be off to Dubai to stay for two years. So another sibling is staying elsewhere. When I was surfing I discovered the Ladybird prints and there she is . Cinderella in her pink gown and some other covers which I remembered. I hope one day to get back those nostalgic books.Here is the website for those who remembers http://www.ladybirdprints.com/collection.php?collid=586

Blue berry pie

Yesterday I made my first blueberry pie. The recipe calls for some lemon juice but I did not get those. I have lost the weighing machine but luckily I have written the cup measurements. It gets very soft when I add the egg perhaps I should use cold water instead. I have the recipe from where I don't remember right now and the pie crust is really buttery soft. One can of blue berry the S & W , will yield little blue berry so next time I should add two cans but it is expensive . I do not make a pie like what a pie should look like.

My parents had a shock when they come back to the renovated house . It is really nice. They have a nice time in Seychelles. Yesterday my sister Nas, bought one of those pressure cleaners. I saw the yellow one called Karcher .It does clean the very moldy walls. So my brother Mal, is the D.I.Y man of the day.

My next project is spinach quiche. Another savoury pie apart from the cottage pie.It seems that my baking repertoire is pies. I would like to make tartlets . Then I have to buy the pie tin and a weighing machine. Making this pies is relaxing.

Coming home

My parents will be coming home tomorrow afternoon. My siblings have been renovating the house for the past two weeks. It is a surprise for my mother .

The work I have done, I mean my work is done too. I bought a new white furniture for the bedroom . I have wanted white for some time now. I have thought of painting the walls in my room blue but I decided not to.

Awang is trying to get into the house. He looks thin. I made a cottage pie and an apple pie for my sister Yati the other day. She had bought some potatoes from Jusco . Potatoes would make a

difference .It is very soft . I thought of doing one for my parents tomorrow.

Cottage pie

I have made a cottage pie few days back. The cost is about RM 30. As usual I got the recipe from the net. The difference between a cottage pie and a sheperd's pie is that a cottage pie is made with beef and a a sheperd's pie is made with lamb . I had forgotten the 'Lea and Perrins ' , parsley leaf and beef stock cube was not available at the neighbourhood shop. I add soya sauce and tomato sauce and plain water instead. My sister and brothers said it was nice. They are my loyal supporters. I have taken these recipes for the cottage pie

http://britishfood.about.com/od/recipeindex/r/cottpie.htm

another one from Elise.com

http://elise.com/recipes/archives/000216easy_shepherds_pie.php

and another one from allrecipe for a proper english Cottage pie

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Proper-English-Cottage-Pie/Detail.aspx

My parents have a good time judging from the pictures sent in the Facebook. The reason for trying the pies is that it is simple to do. With Malay cooking , I personally feel that it depends on the cook. You know that it is good when you taste it. With the pies I think I can lookup the recipe , buy the ingredients and I feel it is good enough for me. Another thing is that there is no comparison. With malay food , my mother's cooking is better always. I made an apple pie the next day.

Tompok and her litter photos

Kuntum

Pico

This is Poppy the energetic one

Poppy sleeping

Tompok

The kittens and Tompok sleeping

The kittens nursing

Tompok and Rio

Bella Rose and Kuntum sleeping

These are some of the photos taken of Tompok and her kittens. I will have to say good bye to them tomorrow morning.

The Kittens at two weeks

My parents had safely landed in Seychelles .Happy holidays. There is an incident on the 3rd June which I do not want to write in this blog. The kittens will be two weeks tomorrow. Officially their names are Pico,Rio, Poppy, Bella Rose and Kuntum . The first three are male and the two are ginger colour and are female. Kuntum being the largest, Bella Rose and Rio are very friendly, Pico is sickly and Poppy the most energetic. My sister Nas will be here for two weeks.The cat Tompok has been fed with cat food and chicken. I have been surfing for kitten's progress on the net. So far I haven't tried any new recipe. I should go to baking class but then I have to buy a new oven. I have also left my embroidery hobby. I should start that again.
I am still at work hopefully for another year. I feel very tired these days . I will start working on Monday.

Kitty Cat and Oeufs en cocotte

The kittens has not opened their eyes. I feel scared. Yesterday morning Tompok the mother cat, had carried all her kittens under GG's bed. I wanted to look at them at 7.00 pm. One kitten was under the clothes. So I transported all of them under my bed. I do not think it is a good idea. Today I had bought some new catfood. I had been surfing the net for information on kittens and what to feed them . I do not want them to end like Chomel which .... I have been surfing on a nice brand called Natural Balance by Dick Van Pattern . You know from Eight is Enough ?? Do you remember ?? I should not have touched the kittens. Actually not peering and holding the babies.

There were times when I could not sleep and I will watch the Food and Travel channel. One night I just happen to see Nigella Lawson cooking one tasty and simple dish is eggs cooked in cream or in France, this basic methods of baked eggs is called "oeufs en cocotte " or shirred eggs.

It is very nice and simple and for one egg you could eat it for supper or breakfast like I did this morning. I have been eating this dish whenever I buy cream. I haven't eaten it with salmon though . I found just the programme I had watched from Nigella Lawson from You Tube

.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wusyZLcTRs

and another one from a lady called Muna Mahzar who bakes her eggs with salmon

http://denhaag-ladies.fotopages.com/?entry=1636185

Newborn kittens

Tompok has given birth !!! It was in the wee morning that she could not sleep and yesterday she did not want to eat anything. I thought she was not pregnant. She wanted to go in my mother's room. I didn't put her in my room because she might disturb my husband. So this evening I searched for her . My mother said she had heard her cry in the afternoon under the room . So I was worried. And then she came out from the blues. She had given birth under my parent's bed. I took a torchlight to see the kittens. Tompok has 5 kittens. Three black and white kittens like Awang and two orange coloured kittens. We moved her into a cage in the house . Awang came into my mother 's room and I was so scared if he might eat the kittens. My father said that maybe he wanted to see his kittens. My mother said after he bite off one of it's head. How gruesome. Tompok has gone out , she was very tired. I fed her some fish. I have some names to give the kittens like : Kuntum, Bella Rose, Venus, Garfield , Rio, Poppy and Alexander . I think I will spay Tompok and find a bigger cage. My sister Yati is very worried of this colony.

Roast beef

On Friday evening I made roast beef and potato gratin. This is the first time I have made any roast beef.I bought most of the items at Cold storage One Utama . For 600 grams of beef it cost me RM 23.90. I bought a Bula heavy cream and an old style whole grain mustard called Mourtade at' Ancienne from Beaufor . The other items were bought at Jusco. My mother helped with the peeling of the potatoes which my father bought the day before. One thing which is difficult to know is when the beef is cooked. That is why a meat thermometer is needed . However we cooked the the beef and the potato using my mother's Tupper chef. The last 10 minutes of the beef was cooked in my mother's wok. Since my father wanted to try the roast. For a first timer I think it goes well.

My brother GG has come from a day in the hospital. It is still not known if he is suffering from dengue. He had a blistering headache and the doctors he went to gave him pain killers.My sisters and brothers were here . There is a dinner last night with a lot of prawn , petai, fish and my mother's fish curry.

Back to the dish I made I felt the potato gratin is very nice but there were no seconds for the roast beef. I also bought some broccoli to be steamed. I still have the mustard. I found a recipe for the potato gratin at :

http://foodgloriousfood-toto.blogspot.com/2008/04/slow-roasted-lamb-with-gratin.html.

The roast beef video recipe could be found at :http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-roast-beef. This is an easy way to prepare roast beef but a meat thermometer truly helps. I saw one at Sogo for about RM 50.00. So far this is the only place which I know that sells a meat thermometer.

I saw a lovely oven in Sogo last two days. It is much bigger than the one at home and maybe a leg of lamb could be shoved in it. It cost about RM 340 which is on sale. My mother said that I would be better off cooking than sewing. Shall I listen to her ? Mother knows best . he he

The Dreamer

I am a dreamer. My husband tells me that. I am living in a world of fantasy. I am browsing at the food blogs . It is about roast lamb and potato gratin served with steamed vegetable. I am dreaming for sure. When will I try these dishes ? I like lamb. My mother doesn't really like it but my father does. My husband loves lamb. He taught me a simple dish. I thought of going to Al Rawsha at Jalan Damai to eat the Lamb Mandy . This time I will try other dishes as well. Or I can buy some lamb and try making the roast lamb . I have been wanting to do that for a long but I will try it one of these days. Well, perhaps I am a dreamer. What is wrong with being a dreamer ?

My brother GG has a terrible headache. I hope it is not serious. My cat Tompok has not given birth although her belly is swelling . I hope she gives birth at home and I will have some kittens to play. It is still very hot these days. The lights went out twice these evening.

The cat died

The gentle cat which I mentioned some time ago had died about four days ago. I missed him. Poor cat. He was very gentle. Awang had sneaked into the house and was at the kitchen. He was licking his paws. He must have found something to eat. I managed to embroider the rose. There are three more roses and another four rose buds. I have three more petals of rose to finish to move on to the fourth rose.

Working days

As it is known, I am at work again. I work mostly in the afternoons until late evening. Yesterday I was very tired and slept at 9.30 pm. I wanted to open an account at BSN bank near my house . It took about 2 hours to open the account. I bought Avoderm cat food the other day as Royal Canin is too expensive well I thought it will be a waste if the cats do not want to eat. My parents dutifully put the cat food in the mornings. My mother said that Awang and Tompok love the dry cat food in the morning. I think Tompok will give birth soon. It is getting hot these days . I watch "Matahari" at TV3 in the evenings.

I had wanted to make roast beef for some time. I am afraid that it wont' taste good. I thought that I would buy the mashed potatoes from KFC. I look up in the You tube mostly . Classic English roast beef should be accompanied with Yorkshire puddings or roasted potatoes. Well , there is one particular recipe which uses the slow cooker . The slow cooker at home is the smallest size. My father loves to eat ox tail soup last time. My mother said that it is one of the reasons for his heart failure. Now my youngest brother Mal seems to love this type of soup. I love this soup too . I like meehoon soup. A vermicelli like noodle with ox tail soup. My mother would prepare it's condiments of boiled eggs. spring onions, slices of limes and not forgetting the chili. Oh I forgot the meat balls. My mother would use chicken and potato for the meat balls but my father said it tastes better with beef. Some of the other family favourite tea time treats are laksa kedah and mee mamak. I would go for the roast leg of lamb. I wonder when I would try this dish. Since my mother is saying that her Tupper Chef wok can do wonders.

Cat's intelligence

Today Awang the male cat,lets me pat him on the head. No more hissing or being hostile. Usually I would take out the flesh of the fish and give it on a plate to Tompok. I would give him the whole fish. Today I have two kind of fish. One I had bought yesterday and it was not so big and another the house hold fish which is plumper . So, I boil the fish and I had wanted to give the smaller fish,head and all to Awang. He refused to take it !! So I took the flesh of the two fish and feed both and he ate it. Cats do have feelings or mind . Or whatever . It means that he knows the difference ???

Working days

This is my second week working at home .So far so good. Now I am doing transcription and data analysis .My working time is from 2 to 3 pm until 9 to 11 pm. It's something like that. It's confirmed that my parents are going to Seychelles in June.The modem has blown up a few days ago . It's because something had exploded at about 3 in the morning. Now I had better be careful to turn off the modem at night .

I had befriended a gentle old cat. It is a black cat which looks like my old cat Tiberius Hitam, he likes to eat the dry cat food. I dreamt of Hitam in the afternoon . I was feeding him some prawns. Tompok is very pregnant. I feed her chicken once every two days . Mostly I feed Awang and Tompok with the Whiskas food in the foil. It would cost the same if I were to feed them a drumstick at a time. Tompok had been wanting to go to my mother's room . I think she will give birth soon.

I hope that my work at home is for a long time. Awang is not himself. His eyes , they are not shiny. He is quite weak.

The other day one of my father's friend's daughter had been mugged on the way home. It happened about 7.00 in the evening. After hearing the news I feel scared to open the gates at the back. I know that it is very frightening to be mugged.

Work At Home

I have been offered work ! I will be doing some work at home using the computer . Searching for some materials for my sisters. Dr & Dr. I have wanted to do something at home since 2007. So here goes. Hooray !!!!

Tompok is at home . I had fed her some raw chicken . She is pregnant again. I think she lost her kittens to the rain. It is raining heavily in the afternoons. No more sunny January to July months. My husband is taking another job. So I see less of him. Due to the economic slow down, many people are searching for cheaper lunches. They do skip the pizzas. Maybe it depends on where you are staying.

I do want to keep the promise to take care of my cat and bring her to the vet when she is sick. After Comel's demise , I felt so sad.Now I have the oportunity to take care of a cat. I know I fed her food so that she will be with me . I feel I need a cat for a companion and with that comes a responsibility . Awang did not appear today. My mother said that there was no food when he comes in the morning . Maybe he is sulking somewhere . Cats do sulk.

I have been surfing for a nice roast lamb recipe. So far I had seen the Morroccan lamb recipe which will go well with mint yogurt sauce and bryani rice. My father is fasting today. Fasting is for good health.

Awang's story

This morning Tompok did not appear at all . So, I fed Awang . I called him Awang for my lost big ,fat cat. When my sister Nas came for the weekend I found some old pictures of Rosa , Elena Daniela, Perseus , Awang and Cleopatra Chomel. Cat's and kitten's pictures taken back in 2005. The year I turned 40.

Life is not complete without these creatures. Today when I came back , I saw some fur. It belongs to Awang. The Awang I lost in 2007 also fought a lot . Just like my Hitam. He had made this house his territory. Could cats come back to their owner ? Or am I just telling my self stories? When Awang disappeared one fortnight , he came back very thin and sickly. Is this my Awang which could have been saved in the SPCA ? Or could he walk back home ? I have pictures of him.

Tompok is here licking her face. I saw a nice programme in TV3 on Saturday , the first cat reality programme in Malaysia sponsored by Friskies. It is a good programme. My niece ,Maryam , lost her her hamster and we went to buy a new one for her. There is a very big cage for cats which cost from RM 300-400 . My sister Dr.Nas is advising me to help my self first. Life is so dull without cats. They do understand you. If my mother tells Tompok why are you sitting on the sofa. She would stare at her and then leave the sofa. Sometimes I speak the Kedahan dialect with them , asking them to come back or asked them to come in the morning .

Awang is outside , he went into the house just now and he is now lazing outside. He refused to be touched.

Exercise

I bought an exercise video three days ago. It was a dance blast for 10 minutes. I have done 30 minutes and I sweated a lot. A physiotherapist said that exercise will be useless without a proper diet. So , I have to look at the food I take. There is a 10 minutes exercise for the abs and another 10 minutes for the thighs.

I saw my sister Sadd yesterday.She came all the way from Jakarta for one day only. I asked her about her cat , a Persian cat. Tompok the cat is in the house. I felt sad when I see her . She reminded me about my dead cats . Hitam and Cleopatra however , I have Tompok as a friend. She is very hungry so I fed her the Whiskas and Friskies. Maybe if I have more money , I will buy a mincer to mince some chicken. I had seen in the net , that cats will grow very fat with raw chicken meat. You have to mix it with some salmon oil , egg yolks some taurine . I hope I can find chicken liver . I know I had seen chicken liver in Giant supermarket but then I have to go to Giant at Kota Damansara. Tompok is resting in the house. Now I have a cat again. Not a pretty cat but it will do. I am afraid to take a kitten for the fear that I could not take good care of it's health like Cleopatra Chomel.

I had gone to Tropicana City with my mother a few days ago. I saw a Brothers sewing machine for RM 599.00 at the Carrefour store. There is another sewing machine. I cannot remember the name for RM 370.00. My mother told me to learn how to sew . I think there is a place to learn to sew at the Brothers in Petaling Jaya . I am not so sure if I wanted to buy the machine. I have to think it through.

Fickle

I am at wit's end whether to work or not. My mother prefers me to work although she doesn't admit it. My siblings said that I would be better off if I stayed at home. My husband said, I should stay at home. Years ago , I would be happy if someone said that .

Yesterday I went to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to buy some materials to make two dresses. I also bought some linen to make a blouse. It is very tiring , and at 5.00 pm I went to One Utama. I thought of buying a book but books are not very interesting. I thought of buying a chick lit book .Like " Confessions of a shopaholic" . It looks interesting and it has been made to a movie. I thought of writing a book again but it is very tiring. I feel tired most of the time.

I would like to do more exercise and I think I will try the Latin exercise. For 10 minutes I can exercise without doing the crunches . There are the Kathy Dennis and Denise Austin exercise Cd's but I do not like doing crunches .

So , now I will see what happens. My mother always tells me that god knows best. She is looking forward to go to Seychelles in June. My sister Yati will be going to Dubai, god willing in September. As for me , I would like to try to work but if it feels daunting , I will be a housewife.

New Book

I went to Kinokuniya bookstore in KLCC yesterday to buy a japanese book called "Floral Embroidery" by Ondori. The flowers are so beautiful . There is another book on roses but it is more expensive at RM 90.00 . I thought of buying a book on how to make bags but that can wait. I realise that I have to buy a sewing machine to make bags and a host of other items like an olfa cutter. I think I will buy a Raleigh sewing machine at Tesco. My mother is concerned if I buy a Singer machine and I would not use it and it would be a waste , what with me not working and so forth.
I have another book to dream about. It is called '' Redoute's finest flowers in Embroidery " by Trish Burr. It is crewel embroidery. I think I would go to Kinokuniya and ask if they can get it for me. That too would be later.My sister Nas and her children had stayed for a week during the school holidays. They brought their pet hamsters, Bubbles and Momo.
My other sister Yati came, my mother made pizza using her tupperware cookware. In the afternoon my mother made chicken bryani. And then my brother Akmal made beef lasagne. I made greek salad. Since my husband went to a Arab shop in Chow Kit to buy some olive oil , I took the opportunity to buy some Feta cheese. At night I felt so full.
Last week I made some body scrub. I bought some French Salt at RM 6.50. Fill it half in a small plastic jar. I added some olive oil , sesame oil and castor oil. And then I added a few drops of an old wrinkle oil for steaming which I seldom use. So I have a basic body scrub. I think I will to use brown sugar and honey the next time but for now the salt is good. It is supposed to be good for scars and it does scrub well. No more chemicals ....

Overweight

I am not only overweight but have reached the obesity status. I eat a lot especially at night. The cravings for food could not be controlled. My father wanted to know if it is safe to take slimming pills or powder. I had attended a wellness program especially for the overweight. I have to take 8-12 servings of carbohydrate and to follow the food pyramid. I have to do more activities and less food. All I know is that I skip breakfast, eat a lot during lunch, 1-2 cookies after lunch .I have a pre dinner at 5.00 pm , dinner at 9.00 pm and munching all through the night. Especially sweet food.

Today I went to Ikea after following my mother to the ASN office in Ampang. Before that I had lunch.Then after the salmon dish at Ikea , I bought some prawns and I was still hungry for a hot dog.

I have been thinking of my cats. I missed them terribly. I want a cat .....

My favourite channel is Asian Food Channel ,Travel and Living and Malay dramas. My mother refused to take the HBO channel or the News channel. I am surfing mostly on food especially on the You Tube channel on fat laden food like ,ribs , steaks, potato Au gratin. My brother GG also supported me when I tell him that I would buy lamb shoulders. He had high fever the last time so my father said not to buy any lamb because lamb is hot and his fever would not subside.

I feel out of breath now. Perhaps because of the long time in the car . A nice nurse told me to eat a cracker or a fruit instead whenever the hungry pangs attacks. I need to do more exercise but I don't like to walk alone . More exercise. I feel tired already. I saw in one of the my favourite channel how a woman became too fat a.k.a obese by making and eating brownies at home. I too had thought of baking brownies and munching them while watching the Food channel. It would be heavenly .....

Awang

My sister from Penang is here for three days. I told her that a cat reminiscence of my lost cat Awang had come to the house. Since I have fed him fish and occasionally pieces of chicken he dutifully come everyday. He refused to be touched. He ran as soon as I get close to him. Maybe he is a stray cat . My niece had brought her hamsters so the Awang the cat as I call him would come in the house. At first I wondered why , but now I know that this cat had smelled the hamsters.

I was surfing for and I found a website called Tea and cookies. I found about a nice soup called creamy garlic soup which looks nice. Today my mother had made some prawn and vegetable fritters . She told me that my sister in Jakarta would make the vegetable fritters in the morning.

Awang had just been chased out of the house because he wanted to come in . Poor cat. It is quite difficult to care for a cat since they pee a lot in the house. Perhaps I just feed the cats that come . Just that.