:: My Wish ::

I can't believe another year is over. 2009 has passed so fast. I know, that's what everybody says at the end of a year. But I feel like the older I get, the faster the years go by. And that scares me. A lot.  And even more after watching 2012.    

I wish that the year would be slowly fleeting instead, so that I could have time clear my desk.  I wanted so much to blog but I just couldn’t find time to.  I have sooo much things up here embedded in my brain but as soon as I try to type it down I did not know which story should come first that in the end I switched all off.

In the year of Jonas Brothers and vampires who don't go all the way, 2009 has in fact been a very ‘prosperous’ year for me.   It was not all rainbows and butterflies, but I am glad that things have been the way they were and even though I have made bad decisions occasionally, as a blessing in disguise, there were reasons behind all those.  Cliché.  Yeah! I know.

Well what more can a single mom like me wish for a new year except for less work and more moolahs. 

Anyhoooooo... May 2010 brings you health, wealth, hope and wealth and love and peace and wealth and happiness and ummm...have i mentioned wealth?

And to quote Rascal Flatts' "My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to, your dreams stay big, your worries stay small, you never need to carry more than you can haul."

Toodles!

:: Tak Cantik Tapi Sedap ::

More than any other given time of the year, monsoon season pulls me toward the kitchen. Maybe it's because so many of the things I love – the aroma of the spices, the cold chilly chunky meat out of the refrigerator, the sound of sizzling deep fried food -- feel synonymous with rain.

Since we have Daging Qurban flocking in the fridge I was thinking of doing something with it.  Beef Stroganoff is a perfect comfort food for the season.

I learn to cook western, from Mrs Kiffer our Alaskan next door neighbour, well actually Mommy did and I learnt most it from Mommy.  Beef Stroganoff is the family’s favourite.  It doesn’t look nice, the colour is quite dull but the taste is heavenly.  The beef, cut into hefty chunks, is flavorful, the mushrooms are tantalizing, the noodles are simple and delicious. 

I don't remember what cut of beef I used as I picked up what was available.  I think any cut that doesn't require long braising would work.

I googled out a little info about the background of the dish.  It was originally from Russia.  It has been around for several centuries, but it wasn't until the fifties that it became all the rage in the US.

Retro food strikes again!

This is how I prepared it. 

Half a kilo of beef (any cut would do but sirloin is preferable so they say)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Corn Oil would be recommended, around 3 tbsp
1 onion, thinly sliced (you can add more if you’re into it but too much of onions would spoil the taste)
White mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick or canned button mushrooms would do.  (But shitake is a no no.)
1 tbsp. mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups of beef broth (stock of sup tulang with some parsley, onions, carrots and celery)
Chopped fresh dill, for garnish (optional)
Egg noodles, cooked and kept warm (you can opt it with rice or any pasta of your likings.  It doesn’t really matter)
McCormick Dill for garnishing if you couldnt find the fresh one.

Slice beef into 2-inch-long strips. Season it with salt and pepper generously.  I normally put meet into a ziplock bag and shake it well to marinate before I cook it for about 2-3 hours.  Then you heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown meat, about 1 minute per side; remove from skillet, and set aside.

In same skillet, heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium heat. You add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned about 5 mins. Add mushrooms, cover. Cook until just tender, less than 8 minutes. Add broth; simmer for less than 10 minutes.

Stir mustard into mushroom mixture in skillet. Put the beef back to skillet; cook over medium-low heat until heated through about a minute or so. Remove from heat, and stir in sour cream. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Serve immediately over egg noodles. Garnish with dill.

Voila!!! Bon Appetit!

:: Driving 101 [for dummies] ::

Ok lemme start by confessing, I drive fast.  Not like a bat-outta-cave fast, but acceptably fast. 

What annoy me the most is people who drive slow, like an ant-slow slow.  If they could just plan well ahead their journey, there would be no traffic cause everyone would already be where they need to go! Okay, here’s a scenario:  Why get in the right lane and stay there while you have to turn right or make a U-turn not in another 3 kilometers?  There are 18 right turns before that and 50 cars in front of you, half of those cars will turn before you, causing them to hit their brakes to slow down before they turn, and every car behind them will do the same.  Man!!!! Get in the lane to the left and after the last right hand turn BEFORE yours you can merge into the right lane as everyone else is slowing down for that turn before yours.  See, you will save time and fuel!

Hah!  Now I’m giving driving lessons la pulak…

Everyone thinks they can drive great.   I don't believe speed kills. I believe speed and ignorance kills.  Accidents happen when you are too careful enough that you drive too slow and annoys others that needs to be where they need to be in time but since you’re driving slow like a snail at 8.00 in the morning and there are like twenny annoyed cars behind you try to overtake.  That is when an accident occurs.

Speed kills.  I suppose everybody would agree with that.  But the truth is, only one in 20 accidents is caused by drivers breaking the speed limit.  It’s a proven figure made by the government. I have never been in an accident, which is the truth.  I pray to God that day will not come.  I only received one speeding ticket in 2004 or was it 2005, I couldn’t recall.  It was somewhere in Bahau-Segamat route.  It was almost dark okay and I had to do some extra speeding for a good reason.   You just wish the traffic police would buy such reason don’t you?

So the reason I'm writing this... I ALMOST GOT KILLED BY A SMOKING JACK[ASS] YESTERDAY!

I think there should be a law reinforced that smoking while driving is as dangerous as texting or eating, or talking on the phone or drinking or nose picking or any other matter that distracts you from driving.

I was on my way to pick up my sister to go eat and I am driving out Kuantan-Terengganu bypass towards Semambu. Just as I passed Toyota Showroom on my left there’s a right turn to Semambu Industrial Area and I saw about one car ahead of me, there’s a guy who’s driving a black Vios has his right arm out of the window holding a fag.   That’s on the wheel.  In UK, one could face prosecution if one smoke at the wheel.  Why it is not called here in our country?  Anyways, he did like 30 kmph not sure if he’s wanted to turn to the right but I didn’t see any signal lights given.

I look in my rear mirror while I stepped on the brake pedal, and as I am switching lane, this huge loaded trailer is fast barreling towards me, well this Vios guy wasn't going anywhere, he was in the middle of vacillating, if it’s this turn or the next turn and I had to do something upon hearing the squeaking sound made by the truck brakes as the road was descending.… and I was already crossing the line, he would have had to brake for the car in front of me as I squeezed my butt out . He was inches from my bumper if that far! Luckily there’s no car on the exit ramp on the left or else I would have collided into one. 

Geramnya.  I drove a little few feet forward just enough to stop next to the Vios guy, took a good look at his face and he looked at me with the blurry kinda look, while pulling deep his ciggy.  Sangat geram! Tak sedar ke orang dah nak kena langgar kat belakang dia?

:: The Night I Could Not Sleep ::

I couldn't sleep last night
It was too late to make a call
So I searched for something to do

I mopped the floor both living and kitchen
And I turn on the radio and listened
I wanted to do the laundry
But I ran out of detergent

I just kept walking around
and trying not to frown
I finally decided to lie down

Close my eyes till my memory seep
It doesn't help counting sheep
when you can't sleep

In the small bed I been twisting and turning
Till I felt sweat on my skin
I felt the weirdest I've ever been

Again, I started counting sheep
Even their feet

It was really late
And I know I started to annoy my bedmate (Alyssa la)
 
Then I switched my iPod
Listened to few songs
I swear this was the last song, before I finally poofed*

:: Quran Buruk ::

I remember my grandma once mentioned the meaning of ‘quran buruk’.  As decaying as it may sound, it is something unpleasant.

I visited the wife of one of my dad’s friends last Sunday.  She’s in poor shape I gotta tell.  Type 1 diabetic and her condition’s not so pretty.  She kept on saying that she’s gonna die soon.  Kept apologizing. 

Both of her legs are swollen.  I’m not sure if someone could get elephantiasis through diabetes.  She got her middle toe amputated cuppla weeks back.  And since then she looks gloomier than before.

I’ve known her for few years.  Since the first day I knew her, she never looked happy. 
To make the story juicier, she allowed her husband to marry another woman early this year. THAT after 3 weeks of silence-treatment by the hubby who is supposedly an Ustaz.  His excuse was, for someone to take care of her while he’s working, someone to take care of their 6 small children.  And his excuse has been excused.

Abah and Mom heard that she was terribly unwell and that we went to pay her a visit with another family, a close friend to Abah, which happens the wife is a doctor.  She briefly checked her up and insisted Ustaz to bring his wife to the hospital because she refused to eat for more than a week now.

She is depressed, all of us are certain of that.  The mix feelings of the husband married to another woman, of her being sick, the nurture she was promised that she’ll get, the lacking in attention which is now divided. 

There I was sitting next to her bed trying to put myself in her shoes while I also alternately glanced at ustaz, studying his behavior, and the way he looked at her, I could see the indifference.  He has no feelings towards her anymore.  Naught. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Nothing.  Sympathy? I could hardly see it.  That’s the trouble when you have the ability to read someone’s micro facial expressions that could reveal their true feelings. I could see something between contempt and disgust through the lines on his face.

And what triggered was what my Tok Wan pernah cakap, Quran Buruk ni, nak disimpan tak boleh dibaca, nak dibuang rasa tak kena. 

 While driving back home, everybody was quiet, perhaps recollecting what we have seen and Abah broke the silence with one question “Rasanya Ustaz ada lagi tak rasa sayang pada zaujah dia?”  and silence hit back.