Parmesan and Basil Rusks

Yesterday I made a savoury version of the Sarf African Rusks.
I made it with Izani in mind. I think it's a good way to sneak in some fibre into his diet.
okay, first the recipe, even thought it's not really that different from the sweet version.

Parmesan and Basil Rusks

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups wholewheat flour
3 heaped teaspoons baking powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried chopped basil
a pinch of salt

125grams cold butter
1 egg beaten
360grams Labneh or sour cream

Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Rub butter into the dry mix to form breadcrumbs.
Beat the eggs. Add eggs into the crumb mix bit by bit. Then add the Labneh/sour cream into the mix, a spoon at a time, making sure it is well mixed each time. Mix/Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the bowl.
Turn dough into a 5" by 8" cake tray and press to form a uniform flat shape.
Bake in a preheated oven @350F for 45 minutes.
Take out and let cool, then cut into finger sized pieces.
Arrange on a flat cookie sheet (or line your oven wire rack with aluminum foil and arrange right on the rack). Set oven to the lowest heat possible and let fingers dry out overnight.

The house smelled so yummy when the rusks were in the oven!
It turned out yummy too. The parmesan taste wasnt so strong and once in a while you'd get a taste of the basil which give it a little kick. Next time i'm gonna try with different savoury ingredients and herbs.. Maybe add chicken stock granules and parsley?
Today I had these rusks dunked inside a bowl cream of mushroom soup. Say it together now: Yummeh!

---

The little amateur entrepeneur in me is wondering: would this be a saleable item?
Kalau buat business, rasa-rasanya laku tak? Ada ke orang nak beli roti keras ku?
Would you buy my rusks?

B@hrain F1 GP 2007

Forgive me if I was too excited about getting to go to the B@hrain GP.
Every year, even when we were in Malaysia, Taufik had gotten tickets because he has to bring clients to the event.
Prior to this, I had never wanted to go, because Sepang was hot and crowded and the traffic jam is awful, and I'd rather be sitting in the comforts of my living room in shorts and t-shirt. Last year, however, fearing that I'd never catch Schumy in action again, was the first time I felt the desire to go. Unfortunately, I was 8+ months pregnant with Izani (or did I just give birth, then? I can't remember).
Aaaaanyways.
When Taufik asked me whether I'd be interested this year, of course I said yes. Kimi + ferrari = WOO HOOOOOO!!
It was also a bonus that it happened to be Izani's Birthday. It's be sorta a birthday present for both him and me. For me: because I had managed to take care of him on my own (almost lah) for one whole year!
Since the kids had school, they couldnt go, so I had asked a good neighbour who really likes my kids and whose son is real good friends with Ihsan whether she'd take them in for 3 hours or so.

All set, we left for Bahrin at 11am. We arrived at the circuit by 12:30pm but we stopped for lunch at Fuddruckers first. We met up with Taufik's colleagues there and when it was closer to 2pm we headed to the circuit.
Traffic into the circuit was bad because they diverted roads for god knows what reason and people's confusion of where to go made it worse. We finally got to our parking lot which was almost full so we had to walk quite far to our stand.
The weather was nice. It was sunny, but not scorching. There were strong gusts of wind and it felt slightly cool, not hot. We didnt even sweat.

Okay, so here's where the drama started to unfold.
Taufik didnt bring Izani's stroller, so he had to carry Izani in his arms all the way from the car to the stands. He handed the ticket to me for me to hold. I put it into my small 'purse'. It 's just a tiny sling purse, enough to hold a credit card, a picture ID, a copy of our iqama (residence permit), a pair of socks and sleeve-sock thingy (for solat) and my phone. The tickets were kinda big, so it stuck out.
You know what's coming, don't you?
So we were walking across the car park towards the stands and as we got closer and closer to the entrance, I was going "omygod omy god i can't believe I am really going to get to do this" in my head. Then, I looked at my purse and gasped.
"where are the tickets? Did you take it from me, taufik?"
Taufik had this look on his face that spelled death for me.
Before he could say anything, I had turned around to look for the ticket.
I retraced my steps, going "omygod omy god i can't believe I lost the ticket what a stupid idiot why did i put it in my purse i should've shoved it down my bra or something" in my head.
I looked e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. but no sign of it. in between cars, under cars, even at places where I hadn't walked through. A guy in a moped rode by, he worked for the ciscuit so I stopped him and told him "I had lost my ticket, can you help me look?". he just pursed his lip and shrugged, meaning "what can I do?" and I said "just ride around and see if you can find it. please" and he just said "I will tell my friends". and prolly laugh about it saying a stupid idiot lady lost her tickets. at the entrance. stupid idiot lady.
So I walked back to where Taufik was with Izani and asked him whether he found it and he started to ask me how I lost the ticket and all I could say was I was so so so sorry I want to kill myself.
He gave me Izani and went off to try to find the tickets himself.
I stood there, watching him go where I had gone, feeling so bad. and kicking myself (on the head, in my head). perhaps I was too excited that I got borderline boastful and this is my punishment? How in the world could I lose the ticket? and so close? I thought maybe my hand accidently knocked it out of my purse or something. I kicked the dirt as I saw a mcDonald's McChicken wrapper being blown by the wind towards the right of the lot.
wrapper. blown. wind. right of the lot.
I ran towards the right of the parking lot and saw the ditch that lined it. I walked along the ditch, saying please please please, this time to Izani. i walked pass several cars, I don't know how many, almost falling into the ditch at times. A lot of mcDonald's wrappers. some soda cans. empty doritos packets. a long rectangle white thing.
Please please please, I said louder as I walked into the ditch as carefully as I can so that Izani and I don't fall on our heads. I picked the thing up.
It. was. our. tickets!
Alhamdulillah! masyaAllah! Subhanallah! YAY!!!
I called Taufik up and told him the news and he came back to me.
As we walk quickly towards the entrance of the circuit (we had missed the airshow by then), the tickets firmly in my hand (i gripped it so hard it was a little crumpled by the time we reached the gate), I asked Taufik if he would ever bring me again if I had lost the tickets. he just laughed and said "Nak buat macamana?" (What can we do?). He didnt really answer my question.

Anyways, back to the race:
We were seated on the bleachers at Turn 1, which I think, are the best seats to be in, because you get to see the mad scramble to overtake at the start, and you get to witness the excitement of waiting to see who gets to overtake who when cars come out of the pit lane.
I found the engine noise ('The Buzz' as The Elusive Mr. R had pointed out) to be bearable at first, but after a while I found it to be quite annoying.

The little durian shaped f1 fan

We put on earplugs for Izani, and covered it again with his pointy hat, but I thnk he could still hear the noise a bit, because towards the end he tried to fall asleep but keep waking up every time cars pass by.

Even though there was a point in the race when I felt the urge to take a nap (like I always do when I watched it at home on my sofa), I found watching the race live to be quite exciting and fun. When I'm at home I would be the only one who would be jumping out of my seat and punching the air and screaming YES YES YES when a particularly good overtaking maneuver happens, at the stands, the whole lot of us would be applauding and going "yeahhh!!!" and cheering the drivers on. I guess it's the same as watching any organized sport, the crowd feeds on each other's adrenaline and makes the event more exciting.

I was so dissapointed with Kimi's performence in this race. I thought he had a lot of opportunities to overtake Hamilton but either his car or himself wasn't up to it or something. Hamilton, on the other hand, I am VERY impressed with.
I'm sorry Alonso fans, I cheered so loud when Heidfeld overtook him. heh heh.
Padan Muka.

okay, so that's the story, balamory.

D0ha, Q@tar (April 9th to 13th)

WARNING: VERY LONG!!

okeh, yang ni boleh tengok gambar mak-mak :laugh:

Initially, we wanted to leave on Sunday, the 8th, right after the Mal@ysian GP. And we did leave right after the GP. One third of the way, I overheard Ilham ask Taufik about the passports and what all the stamps mean. Taufik then made a stop at a gas station and checked our passports, because it just occured to him that maybe our multiple entry visas might have expired. The visa is only valid 6 months (muslim months, that is) from the date of activation. The last time we activated it was when we went to Farah's place in Bahrain for iftar. That was Ramadhan (the 9th muslim month). It is now Rabi Al-Awwal (the 3rd muslim month).

"uh oh" went Taufik.
"aaaarrrrrrrrggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!" went I.

Taufik called up his secretary and after being told that he will do his best to help us get the visas by noon tomorrow, we turn back to Kh0bar to give our passports to him.
I reluctantly sms-ed lollies the bad news, and sulked in the car. We ended up spending the afternoon at one of the malls (Taufik's attempt at appeasing the burning embers of my anger) (it worked).

[cut to next day]

We got our visas slightly after noon, as promised. After having lunch, we headed down highway 10, again. The weather was kinda weird. There was a sandstorm, then it rained, then we drove through a sandstorm again. Taufik complained coz he just washed the car.
We arrived the border after driving for only 2.5 hours, but the immigration procedures took a very very very long time, slightly more than an hour. Perhaps because this was our first time crossing into Q@tar, they had to enter our data into their system (all 6 of us) first. I was told that the second time would be easier. (So bolehlah pegi lagi, ek?) The visit visa for Q@tar cost QR105 (about SR110 or RM110) per person and it's given upon entry.
From the immigration, it took us another hour to reach lollies' place because by that time it was already dark and we were in an unfamiliar place and we had to drive through so many roundabouts.
We had a yummy dinner, then pavlova for dessert, then chit chatted, then we headed for bed. We were given the 'entertaining' room to sleep in, but all the kids wanted to sleep together so they dragged 2 of the mattresses into Haziq and Sya's room. Since they were playing instead of sleeping and were so noisy, we decided to pull some of them out. I think all of us finally went to sleep around midnight or so.

Day 1:
... started late... heh heh.
We had cekodok (banana croquets) and curry puff for breakfast, then we headed for JungleZone but was dissapointed to find out that it would only open at 1pm. So we headed to the Corniche road instead for a bit of sight seeing. The kids zipped so fast to the playground that you'd think they were play-deprived kids.

Kids at the playground and at the park on Corniche road
As you can see, D0ha looks like a city under construction, but the the buildings that are already done are quite amazing. If you're into modern architecture, you'd have fun walking around D0ha looking at the mixture of european and middle-eastern influences on its buildings. I don't have pictures, but there was this building under consruction that was going a little zigzag, and a building that looked like three cubes stacked on top of each other thanks to clever window treatments. Taufik's favourite building is the Four Season's hotel which had a filligree dome on top of it's towers.

There was a dhow, the qatari traditional fishing boat, that was giving rides along the corniche, and since we had time to kill, we decided to take a ride. While we waited, the kids wanted to jump in the water and kept asking if they could have a swim. :confused: I don't blame them, coz the water is really clear and clean (unlike the water in Kh0bar :P), we could even see colorful fishes swimming about.


Waiting for the dhow boat

After the boat ride we started getting hungry (actually we got hungry on board of the boat, luckily we had bought some fries for Izani before getting on), so we returned to the mall and had lunch before entering JungleZone.
JungleZone is basically is a small amusement park with a jungle theme. We were lucky because they were having a 'buy 2 get 1 ticket free' promotion for the school holidays, so that basically covered all 6 of our kids. A ticket gives you unlimited access to all the rides, so it was well worth the money!
The kids had fun on the rides, but their favourite was the 'freefall' ride. It's basically seats around a pole and the seat go up and would free fall in spurts, and it would repeat for a few times.


Sya and Anis on the freefall ride

Anis and Sya were particularly cute on the freefall ride coz you could hear them shriek in delight from across the park everytime it falls. Anis was even brave enough to go on the ride alone several times.
They also enjoyed the bumper cars. They kept coming out and getting back in line for it time and time again. Even Lollies went on the bumper cars two or three times, wrestling with an arab boy for a car at one time!

That evening, we were brought to Souq Waqif, an old market that is restored/preserved in its original condition. The market is quite popular, for we had to park a bit way off and had to walk to get there. Yazid brought us to a store that sells falcons, something we had never seen up close before.
The store owner was so friendly and accomodating. He offered us tea, and showed us how the traps work. He even took out one of the falcons and put it on his arm so that we could take pictures. The kids were scared (because of the bird flu) but they were still intrigued.


The falcon and closed shops in Souq Waqif

We then walked into the souq to check out the wares. The smell of spices greeted us and made us feel hungry. After checking out the stores, we had dinner at one of the restaurants. It's refreshing to be able to sit in an open space and eat, without the abaya or a cubicle.
By the time we finished eating, all of the stores had closed even though it was only about 10pm! I guess I'm getting used to S@udi timing, where their stores close around midnight.
Walking through the souq after closing time was really a different experience though. All the shop doors were closed and covered by these 2 huge doors made of wooden planks and huge brass hinges. Combined with the mud walls (faux or not), it's like suddenly you are transported through time to olden days. Lollies and I agreed that we suddenly felt like we were in an old P. Ramlee film, and felt a sudden urge to cross every door with a chalk. I had that song "Aiya Cik Siti, pelempuan manyak mudaa.." going on in my head for the rest of the night.
We slept at around.. erm late.

Day 2:
We had pancakes for breakfast. So yummy, that Lollies had to make a second batch!
Yazid had planned to come home early so that he could drive us to Wakrah beach, and the kids are all pumped up to get some time in the water. But before that, we had half a day to kill. So Lollies brought us to the port, where there were fisherman selling fish. The fish were SO fresh, that they were still flipping around!


The port at corniche road

Then we headed for CityCentre, a mall right smack in the middle of D0ha city. After lunch, Ilham, Haziq and Sya got to try some ice skating, while I brought a sleepy Izani out for a walk till he fell asleep.


Ilham ice skating for the first time in his life

Lollies bought some KFC and after joining Yazid at home, we drove to Wakra beach, which was only 45 minutes away. The sea was, unfortunately, not as clean as the one at the corniche, so the kids just played in a tide pool a little bit away from the beach. By my standards (which is very high, since I come from Trengganu), the beach wasnt much, but the kids enjoyed themselves immensely nevertheless. I guess it's the company that counts! ;)


Kids + water + sand = FUN FUN FUN

After having a picnic dinner, we brought the kids to a nearby rest area to rinse themselves off and we headed home and called it a day.
But, not before we ate more chicken tikka and had more tea and chit-chatting.
Another night of sleeping late.

Day 3:
We were supposed to head home on Thursday, but Taufik's friend from the Sm1th office in D0ha invited us over for dinner so we decided to stay an extra day.

Lollies made yummy nasi lemak with fried chicken.
We decided to re-visit Souq Waqif to purchase some souviners.
The Souq has a different atmosphere during the day. There are more locals than tourists, and more of the shops are open. Taufik bought a reproduction painting and i bought a dress for Sya and Anis, each.


The traditional and colorful Souq Waqif during the day

If i can ever give you a tip for shopping, it'd be this: Always try to shop as early as possible. The shop owners are usually more receptive to bargaining and are usually more willing to lower their prices if you are their first customer. ;)

That afternoon, Lollies brought me to the "Thursday-Friday Market", which despite its name, opens everyday. I had a goal of buying a nice abaya for under QR120, even though Taufik had given me more than that. So after checking out most of the stores and looking at the time (We had to leave for Taufik's friend's place by 6pm), I settled for a nice embroided, fitted abaya and managed to haggle for it for QR100!! woo hooooo!!! (sorry, no pictures as of now)

That night I went for dinner to Taufik's friend's house with 6 kids (4 of mine and 2 of Lollies) and then came home for maruku and tea and more chit chatting. What was supposed to be an early night to prepare for the next day's journey home, turned out to be another late night. tee hee!

So we headed for home on Friday. We intended to leave by 10:30am the latest, but after having yummy fried noodles and yummy soy fried chicken, the kids insisted that they should finish watching Iron Giant and then we had a photo session and after all the goodbyes, we finally managed to make a move at 11:15am.
We reached the border by 12pm. Fortunately the immigration points took less time than before, so we were in Saudi by 12:45pm. Aside from a stop for gas, and another to buy a huge and long runner (for just SR120!!) from a streetside merchant, our journey was smooth and uninterrupted. We got home by 3:30pm roughly.

-------------------

As I said, we had a really really good time. The drive wasn't that bad, and it was well worth it when we got to D0ha. Lollies' family's hospitality is tremendous and indescribably generous. We felt like family and not just internet buddies, and even our husbands, who had never met before, clicked together well. Even though Yazid wasn't around during the day because of work, Taufik never did once felt uncomfortable or out of place, because Lollies was such a friendly, approachable and chatty person.
I don't think I need to mention how my kids clicked instantly with Lollies kids. When we were at the playground, one of the mothers that was there with her daughter asked me whether they were all mine! She said they look and act like really close siblings. I had to point out to her which were mine. Even then, I mistakenly pointed to Sya and said she was Anis.

Lollies, anytime you want to come to Kh0bar, you are most welcomed!! I would be honoured to return the kindness you've shown me the 5 days 4 nights we invaded your house!

Black day in Bl@cksburg

From MSNBC: Worst U.S. shooting ever kills 33 on Va. campus

When I went to UIUC, the worst thing that I thought would happen to me would be I'd oversleep and miss a class.
Or fail a paper. Or forgot to do my homework. Or not have enough money for lunch.
The ugliest thing I saw was a blond girl driving the porcelain bus, squatting on the floor of the toilet, puking into the bowl, because she had had too much to drink.
The most violent thing I saw was someone hitting a squirrel at the Quad, perhaps coz it had run away with his sandwich.
The scariest moment in my life there was when a boy came into my room (drunk) and threatened to sit on my Quran.
Never ever did I fear that I would get hurt. Never did I fear I would get shot.

Something is terribly wrong.
People get angry all the time, but to be able to express that anger in such a violent degree, something is wrong somewhere.
It is becoming waaay too easy to kill someone these days.

My heart goes out to the families of the victims.



:@

Izani is One today!

I have updated his blog with his progress.
Go and visit him!

look out

... for us if you watch the B@hrain F1 on Sunday.

I'll prolly wear red with a colorful headscarf, and Izani will wear his pointy hat.

i hope kimi wins this one!!!

Edge Of The World

The weekend before we went to Qat@r to meet lollies, I joined Sunflora in a trip to a place called the Edge Of The World.

The Edge of the World is a point in the Tuwaiq Escarpment with breathtaking views of the plains below. The rocks of the escarpment form a window frame. It is possible to climb one of the jebels, but care must taken as there is a lot of loose rocks, and the sheer drop would be fatal, it has been reported that an expatriate actually fell off the edge and did not survive.

We drove to Riy@dh on the evening of the 4th of April, and spent the night at my friend Zura's house. Early the next morning we met up with Sunflora's family and 4 other cars (there were 8 families altogether) and drove off towards the north. We came to a small town which name escapes me. Outside the town we drove through a date plantation. The date trees resembled palm-oil trees so much that it reminded us of driving through a ladang felda in Malaysia, especially when we even saw a stall selling fresh vegetables on the roadside.



Several kilometres after the plantation we started going off-road, and entered what the locals call "Acacia Valley", because it had a lot of acacia trees. Being Mal@ysians, we couldn't resist stopping to take pictures. tee hee.
Just like the iris fields in Tum@yr, the acacia trees stretched for miles, but in a strip, surrounded by the desert and hills of rock. It is amazing to witness how fertile a desert can be, even if it is given the minimum amount of water.



The terrain started getting very rough from then on. The kids had fun going "aaaaaaaaa" and listening to their voices vibrate. Even Izani joined in. At some points we had to go up and down steep slopes, which made us thankful that we were in a 4by4. Even though the distance we covered wasn't very far, because we could not travel more than 40km/h, it took us almost an hour to reach the first site of the escarpment. But oh was the ride worth it!



The view from the edge was spectacular. It was probably not as deep as the grand canyon (I suppose, because I havent been to the grand canyon), but it was still deep enough to give me vertigo. We had to hold on to our hats because the winds were strong enough to blow them off our heads. In fact, Anis and Izani lost theirs several times, but thankfully they didnt fly off over the edge and we retrieved them quite easily.
Before going off to the second site, we decided to break for lunch. So we went off to look for a suitable spot among the acacia trees. We found one that was in what looked like a dry river bed, and we were not the first ones there. Apparently the Acacia Valley is quite a popular spot for picnics. I could understand coz it was very shady and the acacia trees were beautiful.
We laid out our picnic mats and took out our flasks of teh tarik, tupperwares of rendang, nasi lemak, sambal tumis udang, fried chicken and quails, roti canai, sandwiches, sausages, chocolate cake and balang of rusks. (No prizes for guessing which one was mine). The picnic was more like a gastronomical feast! (and a photo session). I got to know some of the other ladies besides Sunflora. There were 2 Kak Nors, Fiza, kak nora, kak zaitun and Annie, who was from Makkah and was in Riyadh visiting her brother.



After the picnic, we drove to the second site, which was similar, but this one had a hill that you could climb up for a more aerial view of the whole valley. I didnt climb up the hill because the rocks were kinda loose and I didnt want to risk slipping off it with Izani in my arms. So I hung around Ihsan and Anis, who started picking up and examining rocks. Ihsan showed me a rock that had weird looking spots on them and I was suprised to recognize them as corals. I asked Sunflora later and she confirmed that that area used to be underwater and she showed me a fossilized seashell that she found.
Masya-Allah!
We headed for home (Riy@dh) at about 1pm or so, and after telling Ilham about the fossil discovery, we made this riddle up:

What is the dinosaur found in Saudi?
A Rabianosaurus.

:D



As usual, I am still amazed at the things that we can find on this land when we dare to go a little bit off the beaten path.

---

After the Edge Of The World, we headed towards Jeni and Rizal's house, where She treated us with nasi ayam and her homemade keropok lekor and baked macaroni which Anis absolutely loved!
That night we just relaxed in Zura's house.
The next day Sunflora treated us for a steamboat lunch and then we headed to IKEA for some shopping. Tee hee!
We headed home on Saturday afternoon, after another round of shopping for souviners at Dira Souq. I would recommend Dira Souq to anybody visiting Riy@dh, but don't ask me for directions...

Nak lagi!!!! (i want more)

picture courtesy of Lolly Q

Suffice to say, I had a great time in D0ha, Q@tar. :)
More stories tomorrow. Now I have to unpack and buy groceries. Tomorrow is the first day of the 2nd term of school.
:@

Sarf African Rusks

Rusks are really hard bread/cake that is usually dunked into tea or coffee.
Kak F made this for us during one of our picnics and the kids loved it so much. It was crunchy and deliciously creamy. Kak F got the recipe from one of her friends who is from Sarf Efrica. (I immediately thot of bloo somehow. :) )

The recipe she gave me stated 'All purpose flour' but she asked me to look for amer1can or br1tish flour. Somehow ar@bic flour doesnt work too well with the recipe, she said. Not being able to find any Amer1can or br1tish flour, I decided to use wholewheat flour after googling for the same recipe and finding out that most of them used that. The result was a fibrous, chewy rusks that I found to be very very delicious.
I also modified her recipe a bit by adding sliced almonds ( heh heh me and my nuts!) and some vanilla for added yumminess. I also made a second batch, but this time with cocoa powder, to make chocolate rusks. Yum yum yummeh.
This recipe is actually quite easy peasy, but it takes a little bit of work and time at the end, so I decided not to put the 'easy peasy' prefix on them coz some people might find it easier to spend a few minutes driving tot he store and picking up a bag of rusks than making it themselves.

Sarf African Almond Rusks

1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups wholewheat flour
3 heaped teaspoons baking powder
0.5 cups sugar
0.5 sliced almonds
a pinch of salt

125grams cold butter
1 egg beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
250ml (1 cup) Labneh or sour cream

Mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Rub butter into the dry mix to form breadcrumbs.
Beat the vanilla into the eggs. Add eggs into the crumb mix bit by bit. Then add the Labneh/sour cream into the mix, a spoon at a time, making sure it is well mixed each time. Mix/Knead until the dough forms a ball and does not stick to the bowl.
Turn dough into a 5" by 8" cake tray and press to form a uniform flat shape.
Bake in a preheated oven @350F for 45 minutes.
Take out and let cool, then cut into finger sized pieces.
Arrange on a flat cookie sheet (or line your oven wire rack with aluminum foil and arrange right on the rack). Set oven to the lowest heat possible and let fingers dry out overnight.

yummy dunky crunchiness

To make the chocolate rusks, I omitted almonds and added 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and used only 1 teaspoon vanilla. Next time I'll leave the almonds even with chocolate because it added an extra crunch to the rusks.
I used my hands to mix everything and erkkk it took quite some work. I'm sure it's easier if you have a good mixer.
Izani just loves these rusks too, and now that he's very adamant of eating on his own, I am seriously thinking of making a savoury rusk.. maybe cheese or chicken flavoured. Would be interesting , eh?
I'm gonna save up for a proper mixer, then!

---

In other news,
I will be travelling here and there starting tomorrow. Taufik has taken leave next week, so our holiday has officially started. We're going to riy@dh this evening, then we'll head for Q@tar on Sunday (Lolly Q, here I come!). I don't know if I will get a chance to blog in between.
In case I don't, See Ya!

p/s kak long, Anis tengok amerikan idol and cakap lakisha looks like Aiysha, cuma gemuk. I prodded further and she said she's got pretty eyes like aiysha. and kebetulan harini rambut dia pun straight macam aiysha.
:D

Clay Play

Yesterday it was raining and I wanted the kids to take a break from playing with the PS2, so I had to appease them in some way after hogging the TV to watch The Biggest Loser.

I had some flour that had some weevils in it, so I decided to put it into good use.
We decided to play with homemade clay.

To make homemade clay:
2 cups flour + 1 cup salt, mix thoroughly in a large bowl
rub in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Add 3/4 to 1 cup water bit by bit, till it reaches a clay like texture, i.e. it's not crumbly, it's pliable and it's not too soft.

We laid the picnic carpet by our sliding door and laid a plastic mat on that, and I gave the kids a chopping board each where they can shape their clay.



At first the kids made simple stuff: balls, flat discs , snakes and stuff. When I got Izani to take a nap, I got a chance to show them the 'possibilities'. I made a rose, then a starfish and an octopus. I helped Anis with a snail and she made another two of them (one daddy and a baby). She made a heart, a worm, another snake and i coiled it up for her. Ilham made 2 dinosaurs and spelled out his name. He also made a gingerbread man. Ihsan made a dead fish, a person and another coiled snake.



We layed them all out on a cookie sheet and put it into a 250 degrees farenhite oven and baked it for an hour.

Today we went to the art store and bought some acrylic paint and spent the afternoon outside in the backyard on our picnic carpet to paint the figures, till Izani woke up. (Notice that the rose in unfinished and the octupus and starfish are unpainted)



They're not really masterpieces, but what the heck, it got the kids occupied and out of my hair for several hours, so I'm happy. I told them that I'm gonna keep the nice ones in our display cabinets. They are so proud of themselves!

Ilham is brimming with ideas.. he wants to make his own chess set someday. I think that's a brilliant idea! :D

Easy Peasy Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Dedicated to nina and naim.

This is a variation of the Spaghetti Bodoh recipe I posted earlier.
Again, this recipe does not include any meat or veggies, you are free to add them if you like.

Easy peasy pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

250gram pasta (cooked per instructions, al-dente)
half a head of garlic (about 5 to 6 cloves, chopped roughly)
4-6 tablespoons of tomato paste
4-6 tablespoons of sugar
half a cup of stock (I used beef stock)
1/4 cup cream (I used whipping cream)
dried or fresh herbs (optional, I used dried basil and fresh parsley)
extra virgin olive oil
vege oil for sauteing

Saute garlic in abit of vegetable oil till fragrant and nutty. Add stock and dried herbs, bring to a boil. Add tomato paste and equal amount of sugar (or, to your taste), stir to mix, bring to a boil. Add cream, stir to mix then toss in the pasta. Toss till pasta absorbs the liquid.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of finely chopped fresh herbs.

Sorry, no pictures, Taufik brought the camera to work.
I made this with spaghetti coz that's what the kids wanted. But I've made this with macaroni before and it was equally edible.
You can turn this into a yummy bolognaise by browning the mince meat before adding the stock. You probably need to add more tomato paste, though.
Basil could be replaced with the ready mixed Italian herbs (Kat giant ada jual, McCormack), or just oregano, if you like. Parsley could be omitted, or replaced with mint, fresh basil, whatever you like, the herb police wont come to get you.
To cheat, you could replace the tomato paste + cream with a can of cream of tomato soup (and add more cream if you like).
If you want to add veggies, add it towards the end, before you add the cream. The cream needs to be added last so that it doesn't curdle.

bon apetit!

---

Hey what happened to zan and famygirl? Something going on in FSL?

Easy Peasy Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Dedicated to nina and naim.

This is a variation of the Spaghetti Bodoh recipe I posted earlier.
Again, this recipe does not include any meat or veggies, you are free to add them if you like.

Easy peasy pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

250gram pasta (cooked per instructions, al-dente)
half a head of garlic (about 5 to 6 cloves, chopped roughly)
4-6 tablespoons of tomato paste
4-6 tablespoons of sugar
half a cup of stock (I used beef stock)
1/4 cup cream (I used whipping cream)
dried or fresh herbs (optional, I used dried basil and fresh parsley)
extra virgin olive oil
vege oil for sauteing

Saute garlic in abit of vegetable oil till fragrant and nutty. Add stock and dried herbs, bring to a boil. Add tomato paste and equal amount of sugar (or, to your taste), stir to mix, bring to a boil. Add cream, stir to mix then toss in the pasta. Toss till pasta absorbs the liquid.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of finely chopped fresh herbs.

Sorry, no pictures, Taufik brought the camera to work.
I made this with spaghetti coz that's what the kids wanted. But I've made this with macaroni before and it was equally edible.
You can turn this into a yummy bolognaise by browning the mince meat before adding the stock. You probably need to add more tomato paste, though.
Basil could be replaced with the ready mixed Italian herbs (Kat giant ada jual, McCormack), or just oregano, if you like. Parsley could be omitted, or replaced with mint, fresh basil, whatever you like, the herb police wont come to get you.
To cheat, you could replace the tomato paste + cream with a can of cream of tomato soup (and add more cream if you like).
If you want to add veggies, add it towards the end, before you add the cream. The cream needs to be added last so that it doesn't curdle.

bon apetit!

---

Hey what happened to zan and famygirl? Something going on in FSL?

Bring Chubby Back!!

dayyuuuummm
I can't believe they chose mohawk over curly.
I mean I know he was lacklustre this week, but then he is a waaaaay better singer than Sanj@ya, who sang so weakly, i can't even hear what he was singing.
meh.
I know the boys are no competition to the girls, but I really didnt expect Big Chris to go before S@njaya or Phil. he didnt deserve to go yet.
I don't know what else to say except that I am really really dissapointed.
I will miss Big Chris and his humor.
I hope D@vid H@sselhoff is crying wherever he is.

There comes a time ...

There comes a time in the day, or the week, or the month, or the year,
when I get really sick of my kids.
Sick of them being so noisy. Sick of listening to their incessant and nonsensical stories told in bad grammar and constant urms and stutters. Sick of their ability to make a mess out of something I just tidied up a few minutes ago. Sick of their carelessness of handling fragile things. Sick of their inability to keep their rice on their plates and in their mouth, not on the carpet. Sick of their bickering and whining and 'reporting'. Sick of them always calling calling me to tell me what someone has done. Sick of their constant hunger and pleads for permission to eat some crisps or Snickers. Sick of having to repeat the same instructions or requests for more than 3 times, only for it to fall on deaf ears or partially deaf ears and having to repeat them yet one more time. Sick of questions on how long till it is their turn to play the PS2. Sick of complaints of how someone is bugging them by giving instructions on how to play a certain game. Sick of hearing how someone is being bossy. Sick of cooking something, laying it out on the table and getting an "I don't feel like eating" instead, when just a few minutes ago they pleaded and pleaded for something to eat. Sick of having something sucking and clinging on me all the time. Sick of washing babies' bums. Sick of smelling sour poo. Sick of having to wake up or half wake up in the middle of the night to pull up my shirt.
Sick sick sick.

However,
sometimes one of them would come up with a real gem that makes me laugh and puts a smile on my face for the rest of the day. They are quick to say sorry and claen up. They help me out in the kitchen when I ask them to. 3 of them can even wash the dishes and do a decent job at it. They are not averse to tell me something is yummeh and please can I have some more. They know how to take care of each other. I can trust at least one of them to look after the baby when I need some alone time. Babies' bums are so smooth. A tiny hug from tiny short arms are the best kinda hugs in the world. And nothing boosts your ego as much as someone telling you they need you.
Furthermore, I am guaranteed four pairs of adoring eyes, four hearts filled with undying love, till the day I die.

It's the start of a 2 week easter holiday, by the way.
wish me luck.

Easy Peasy Spaghetti Bodoh

"Spaghetti Bodoh" literally means "Stupid Spaghetti", but actually it's just my name for just plain spaghetti, with no meat nor vegetables.
I made this yesterday for the kids, coz I had nothing to put in the spaghetti. But they still loved it nevertheless. I later found out that I actually had some sausages, but it was too late, they've already eaten everything... tee hee.
Izani liked it too, especially since there are no huge chunks of anything that he'd have to chew on.
This is a very simple and basic recipe, and you could add in other ingredients (spices, meat, vegetables) to make it not so plain.
Preparation time: 8 minutes to boil pasta, less than 10 to do the rest.

Easy Peasy Spaghetti Bodoh

250grams spaghetti boiled per instruction, al-dente
half head of garlic peeled and chopped finely
half a cup of stock chicken or beef or[I] ikan bilis also can[/I]
sprinkles of herb of choice I used dried basil. U can use fresh parsley or whatever you have
grated parmesan
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat up the olive oil in a good-sized pan. Saute the garlic till fragrant and nutty. Add chicken stock and the dried herbs (if you're using dried ones). Let sauce boil for a minute, then toss in the spaghetti till it's well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then turn off heat. When you serve, drizzle some olive oil on, sprinkle some parmesan cheese and fresh herbs (if you're using fresh ones).

As I said, this is a very basic recipe. You can add other ingredients to change it up a bit.
While sauteing the garlic:
You can add red pepper flakes or dried chillies cut up into small pieces to make a spicy olio. Add cubed sausages, chicken or prawns or even tofu for the protein.
While adding stock:
Add some cream to make a creamy sauce. Add tomato paste or crushed tomatoes for a red sauce. Replace stock with milk, when it bubbles up, add cheese to make alfredo sauce.
While tossing in pasta:
Make it a primavera by tossing in pre-sauted vegetables. Toss in crunchy bits of ikan bilis goreng or crispy fried mortadella bits.

I think you get the idea.

Easy Peasy Spaghetti Bodoh

"Spaghetti Bodoh" literally means "Stupid Spaghetti", but actually it's just my name for just plain spaghetti, with no meat nor vegetables.
I made this yesterday for the kids, coz I had nothing to put in the spaghetti. But they still loved it nevertheless. I later found out that I actually had some sausages, but it was too late, they've already eaten everything... tee hee.
Izani liked it too, especially since there are no huge chunks of anything that he'd have to chew on.
This is a very simple and basic recipe, and you could add in other ingredients (spices, meat, vegetables) to make it not so plain.
Preparation time: 8 minutes to boil pasta, less than 10 to do the rest.

Easy Peasy Spaghetti Bodoh

250grams spaghetti boiled per instruction, al-dente
half head of garlic peeled and chopped finely
half a cup of stock chicken or beef or ikan bilis also can
sprinkles of herb of choice I used dried basil. U can use fresh parsley or whatever you have
grated parmesan
extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Heat up the olive oil in a good-sized pan. Saute the garlic till fragrant and nutty. Add chicken stock and the dried herbs (if you're using dried ones). Let sauce boil for a minute, then toss in the spaghetti till it's well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then turn off heat. When you serve, drizzle some olive oil on, sprinkle some parmesan cheese and fresh herbs (if you're using fresh ones).

As I said, this is a very basic recipe. You can add other ingredients to change it up a bit.
While sauteing the garlic:
You can add red pepper flakes or dried chillies cut up into small pieces to make a spicy olio. Add cubed sausages, chicken or prawns or even tofu for the protein.
While adding stock:
Add some cream to make a creamy sauce. Add tomato paste or crushed tomatoes for a red sauce. Replace stock with milk, when it bubbles up, add cheese to make alfredo sauce.
While tossing in pasta:
Make it a primavera by tossing in pre-sauted vegetables. Toss in crunchy bits of ikan bilis goreng or crispy fried mortadella bits.

I think you get the idea.

Statues in Jak@rta

Ind0nesia, in general, and J@karta, specifically, has many many statues. There is a statue or a monument at almost every junction of the road. I wish I had the opportunity to take the picture of every statue I saw, because all of them were beautiful and exquisitely carved. Unfortunately, most of them were seen out of the windows of a travelling car, albeit in a macet (traffic jam), still, not a good condition to take pictures.

These ones were taken at Taman Monas, short for Monuman Nasional (National Monument Park). It was new year's eve, so there were lots of people hanging around at the park waiting for the celebration and fireworks to begin, even though it wasn't for another 7 hours.
The one Ilham is 'holding' is the aforementioned National Monument. It sits right in the middle of the park, surrounded by a wide cobbled circular path. On this path you can get rides on a horse driven carriage/buggy. (As tourists, of course we got on a ride!)
Surrounding that cobblestone circle are large areas of grass where people can sit and play kites and eat kacang. There were fountains and flowers, and of course, more statues.
One of the statues is of Raden Ajeng Kartini, shown above with Anis (who is trying to imitate her). This statue was a gift from the Japanese government. I'm not sure who she was, but from the statues, it looked like she was some sorta of princess, who helped the nation when they went through a very difficult time. (Maybe diah can tell us more?)
The statue of the guy on the horse was of Fatahilah, a prince who led a revolution against the dutch. He was imprisoned for his 'crime' by the ruling Dutch.


Taken from pikofdawik.slesta.com
This is Tugu Tani, a sculpture dedicated to the farmers in J@karta, which was extraordinary. The flowing fabric, the depicted movements, the expressions on the still bronze faces were just amazing. (Sorry that the picture does not capture that). Tugu Tani is not in Taman Monas, but at one of the junctions in the center of Jakarta. A very congested junction if I may add.

Anyways, if you like looking at statues, (ehem, didi) you would love Jak@rta. If I wasnt travelling with 4 kids (and one of them whom I had to carry around all the time), I'd probably take walks around Jak@rta and just spend the day takking pictures of their many statues.

The case of the missing plant

A few days ago I bought a pot of [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanchoe"]Kalanchoe[/URL] to replace the dying plants I had on my window sill. The afternoon Saudi sun proved to be too hot for the plant and I started seeing scorch marks on its leaves, so I moved the plant to my patio yesterday morning.
I walked out to water it this morning and it was GONE!!!
dammit.

Whoever took it must have done it between last night and this morning because Ilham said he saw that it was still there when he took out the garbage yesterday evening.

I am so pi88ed!
It cost me SR20 to buy it. SR20 may not be much to some, but it's a lot to me, especially since it came from my hard-earned allowance, money that I could've spent on .. erm .. more plants. and stuff.

I'm not gonna let this thing get me down though. I'm gonna turn this into my favour.
I'm gonna send Ilham and Ihsan out on a 'recon mission'. They are to scout the whole compound and search for the missing plant.
That's at least an hour of distraction from messing up the house and going boom boom rat tat tat on the PS2.

spring is here

Edited to add more pictures

The prank

Last night our house was a flurry of excitement, all because of an egg.
I was preparing dinner and Taufik and the kids were in the living room reading and playing with Izani and doing stuff, when our doorbell rang.
Ihsan went to open the door, and then I heard "oops", a pause, then "Hey, who broke the egg???"
Some cheeky boys put an egg on our door handle and pressed the bell and when Ihsan opened the door it fell and broke on our floor!
This wasn't the first time someone pulled pranks on our house, so Taufik quickly went outside to chase the culprits while I called security.
The security guy came and we showed him what happened. He asked Ihsan whether he got a look at the boy, but unfortunately he didnt, coz when Ihsan heard the bell, he opened the door and didnt bother looking at who it might've been.
I told the security guy about the last prank many many months ago, they kept pressing the bell and ran away. Once I caught a glimpse of the boy, because it just so happened that I was walking by the front door when he pressed the bell and I saw him running away when I opened the door a second later. I called security the last time it happened and the pranks ceased, till last evening.

Taufik came back from his chase and told us he couldnt find anybody, but he saw a car driving around without the headlights on, so he suspects that the driver probably was looking for the pranksters as well.
Our kids kept running in and out of the house, wanting to join in the search and the solving of the mystery.
Ilham kept jumping "ooh ohh maybe they ran that way" "maybe they ran this way" "Let's go look behind that house!".
Ihsan said "I see footprints on our driveway! maybe it's theirs!" and kept peering at the shoe prints until I pointed out that the size and pattern matches his sandals' and it probably is his coz he kept running about.
"Maybe we can dust the eggshells with fingerprints!" suggested Ilham, but too late, I had cleaned up the egg. Hey I'm not gonna let a raw egg just sit in front of my door step.
"Maybe we can go to the minimarket and ask whether there were kids who bought eggs!" Ilham said, and I let him go just to satisfy his curiosity, but he came home dissapointed coz the minimarket guy said no kids came and bought eggs recently. When I concluded that they probably got the eggs out of their own fridge, Ilham suggested checking everyone's fridge for missing eggs.
*rolleyes*

"This is so much fun! It's just like CSI!" the boys proclaimed at dinner. And we proceeded to discuss about fingerprinting and how it's no use without a database. So our best option would be to be clear on what we're gonna do the next time someone rings our doorbell.
We came up with these guidelines:
1. We will look through the window to see who it is.
2. If we see someone running away, we are to take note of what they look like, especially what they're wearing.
3. If there is nobody, then we call the security and tell them someone rang our doorbell and ran away. Then the security can come and see if there's an egg on our door.

I hope the kids will remember the guidelines the next time the doorbell rings.
I am secretly excited about catching the prankster too. Taufik, on the other hand, is not so secretive about his desire to kick the prankster's ass.

How to survive being an expatriate's wife, lesson 2

I remember the first time I witnessed a 'jewellery frenzy'. A lady from Riy@dh came with her bag of crystal jewellery and displayed them during a get-together dinner party. Looking at the hoards of ladies gathering around that table, you'd think she was giving it out for free.
I looked at them, too, of course. They were too chunky for my taste, but it doesnt hurt to look. I called Taufik over to also take a look. Manalah tahu kan.. dia mimpi pelik ke semalam... Who knows, maybe he'd lose his mind for a minute and decide to buy me something.
As expected, he didn't buy me anything. Too chunky, he said. The other ladies comforted me with words of encouragement. "maybe he'll buy you something else another time", they said.
Then a few months later, at another dinner gathering (of roughly the same folks), a Burmese lady came and showed her offerings of gold and precious stones jewellery. There was one that caught my eye, because it was not chunky and it was pretty, but the price was too expensive for me. So again, I called Taufik over to show him the piece. If he doesnt buy it, at least he would know what I like. The other ladies were abuzz when he came over. "Elisa suka yang tu, beli lah.." they coaxed him. "eheheh .. takpelah, terimakasih" was all he replied and he walked away.
I think the ladies were more dissapointed than me, because one of them even said "Kesian..." to me.
*sigh*
Though I was kinda miffed and embarassed that someone actualy pitied me for not getting some trinket, I took that opportunity to remind myself that having jewellery might be a priority for her, but it's not mine. And neither is it my husband's priority to buy me jewellery. For him, he would rather bank in XXk of money into my savings account than buy me shiny things.

I'm sure everyone, not just expatriates, have their own set of priorities. But when you're an expatriate, you obviously get more money than if you were not, and this could actually exagerate what your priorities are.
Some people, would rather spend a lot of money on travelling here and there and everywhere, but they don't mind driving a Chevy. Some people spend a huge portion of their money to enable them to drive X5s and SLKs, but they don't get to travel much. Some people's houses are filled with furniture and accessories and their jewellery boxes filled to the brim with all things that glitter but they don't have savings. Some people rent smaller houses so that they can send their kids to a better school. Some kids are sent to a not-so-good school, but the school has religious lessons and are just a few blocks away from their house, which means less travelling time, thus more family time.
I'm sure each one has their own pros and cons.. you can't really argue which ones are better and whether yours or theirs are right or wrong.
What you can do is you can find out what works for you. Make sure your priorities align with your husband's priorities, so that there are no conflicts during decision making and spending of hard-earned money, irregardless of how much it is.

Lesson 2: Everyone has their own set of priorities. Everyone can justify their choice of priorities. Don't compare and don't judge if other's are different than yours.

today is izani's day

Updated on Izani's development at 11 months. Go check on him.

oh by the way,
the doctor looked at izani's finger and said he didnt need stitches. She just gave me some betadine and antiseptic/antibiotic lotion and asked me to change the bandage every 24 hours. When I last changed the bandage the cut looked better.
Alhamdulillah.
Izani and I are still recovering from our cold and cough though.

oh, Yesterday was Mother's Day at the british school. Anis and Ihsan came home wtih Mother's Day cards. Anis also made a picture of 3 cut out flowers, each with the words I, Love, and You.
Ihsan's card contained his handprint and a poem:

Sometimes you get discouraged, because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints, on furniture and walls
But every day I'm growing - Ill be grown up some day
And all those tiny handprints, will surely fade away
So here's a little handprint, just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked, when I was very small

How lovely!!
I think I'm gonna frame that one up :)

first cut is the deepest

Izani stuck his fingers into the drainhole of the bath tub when I was bathing him yesterday afternoon. He does this all the time. he like to stick his fingers into things. He's a curious little boy.
I turned off the tap and wrapped his towel around him and gave his hand a slight tug while telling him it was time to go. He took his hand out and started crying. I thought he was just protesting about having to get out of the bath, but then I noticed that his finger, the one he had stuck into the drainhole, was dripping blood.

Oh. My. God.
*panic panic panic*
Taufik was not home, he had to send the boys to a playdate in another compound.
i was all aloooonnnneeeeee.
what to do what to do his towel was getting pink.
think think think, get it bandaged.
but get him in diapers first, in case he pees.
I rumaged through my drawers and got some round facial cotton and wrapped it around his finger, the cotton turned crimson on contact.
got him in diapers as quick as I could.
Izani cried, I don't know whether coz he didnt want to put on his diaper or because he was in pain or because he's sensing my distress when I saw that he's starting to eat the cotton.
I took the now red cotton away from his hands, he wailed louder coz now he doesnt have anything to chew on.
I wrapped a new piece of cotton and then proceeded to look for bandages, handyplast, whatever.
We were out of Burnol. dammit dammit.
Saw minyak gamat*.
will have to do.
took bloodied cotton out of izani's mouth, held him on my hips while I use my free hand to cut up some cotton bandage squares leftover from when I returned home from giving birth to this boy who now has a bleeding left index finger.
so many thoughts raced through my brain all at once.
Did i tug too hard? how big should the square be? Was it my fault? Does minyak gamat sting? I am sorry baby I am so sorry. It says "Untuk luka kecil dan senak perut" so should be okay yes? Stop chewing on the cotton!! Why oh why didnt I take his fingers out gently?
I cleaned the wound with some alcohol prep, which made Izani scream coz it stings, but I had to see the damage, and I don't want him to get an infection.
The cut is kinda bad.. the skin was stripped. it was like someone (ME!!! aaarrrggghhh!!!!!) took a knife and carved around the inside of his knuckle. But I saw no bones, and it didnt look like it needed stitches, so i was kinda relieved.
I wanted to scream, but all I could do was say sorry sorry sorrrry
By then I didnt even care that he was chewing on the cap of the minyak gamat.
I finally wrapped his finger up with minyak gamat, cotton bandages and some tape.
he chewed on the bandages while I carried him around on my shoulder.
I breastfed him till he fell asleep, then I had a good cry.
We're going to see the peadetriacian in 45 minutes.
It's probably just small cut, but to a mother, the pain she feels is deeper than the wound looks.

*minyak gamat- an ointment made from sea cucumbers, said to have healing properties.

sickly strawberry

I'm not well.
I have been having an intermittent cold all week. Izani too. So it doesnt help me, coz when he's waking up coughing or struggling with a blocked nose, I'd be waking up too, and it means I don't get the rest I need, thus making my cold worse. And now I am feeling an onset of a sore throat. Even a stack of pancakes for breakfast this morning didnt get to lift my spirits. My other kids, however, are chattering like squirells and jumping about like rabbits in the living room from the sugar in the syrup.

Izani turned 11 months yesterday.
I've got a video and pictures as usual, but mehh... I will update you guys when I'm feeling better.

btw.
I am still sulking about Sundance.
and even though I thought Brendan deserved to go for committing the cardinal sin of forgetting the words, I still think Sanjay@ is waaaay out of his league here.
Did you guys cry too when Melinda sang?

gotta go. laytur peeps.

p/s oh oh i went to the school's spring fair the other day and bought Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Cagebird Sings for 3riyals!! 3 riyalsss!! can you believe it?? I miss second hand book stores. They don't have any over here.

Billy No Buzz

okeh, let's get back to our regular programming...

Today was the staging of Keystage 1's Production of Billy No Buzz.
The story was about Billy, a bumble bee who couldn't buzz, so other bees didn't want to be friends with him and neither did other insects. He ran away and met some dragonflies who befriended him and showed the other bees that Billy was just like the other bees, except for the buzzing bit. So in the end the bees accepted Billy as their friend and so did the other insects.

Isn't the stage decoration amazing??
The story was told with singing and dancing and a few dialogues in between.
It was so much fun to watch tiny little kids singing and dancing and prancing around in costumes. There were more parents on the aisles taking pictures than sitting down just watching. The songs were fun and catchy, even I was singing along, and I was happy to notice that I wasnt the only one who had been forced to listen to my kids practising the last few weeks.



Anis played the part of a butterfly and Ihsan played the part of a dragonfly.
Anis looked like she had a lot of fun dancing her part and I could see her singing her heart out when she wasn't in the middle of the stage but was in the back with the rest of the 'choir'. I saw her scanning the crowd to find me or Taufik, but I guess she didn't see me coz she didn't wave back when I waved. She was happy to see me backstage when it was all over though. (Taufik couldn't come coz he had to go to AFK, an hour's drive away)
Ihsan had 2 lines and he delivered it very well. His enunciation and expressions were clear. When he was singing, he had a straight face at first, but when he saw me, he did that usual shy grin and looked down. I was afraid that he would fumble his lines because he was aware of my presence, but I am glad he didn't. I was so proud of him!

Kudos to the DBGS KS1 teachers!! I think they did such a great job at teaching the kids, decorating the stage and making the costumes. Just like last year, all the decorations were taken from the children's art classes, the songs taught during music lessons, and this year they incorporated some maths in one of the songs (last year when they did The Tadpole, the underlying subject was science).
What a fun way to learn! :D

because i blog

oh gosh, i dont even know where to start.

okay, I admit.

I am unemployed.
But I am so by choice. It's not that i don't have qualifications. Therefore, you can't really equate my unemployment to being useless, or brainless.

I am a woman.
That I can't help. God made me this way.

But am I a liar?
I don't think so.
I write fiction, sometimes, yes. I exagerrate most of the times, yes. But then calling me a liar would be equivalent to saying all politicians are out there to do the greater good.

Am I out to promote disunity?
I would like to disagree. In fact, I would like to argue, that I am actually promoting unity, and am in fact, contributing to building a better Malaysia.

I may not be out there working for some company, but I am raising the future of Malaysia. Because I am unemployed, I am able to give my full attention to the formation of my children's minds, Malaysian citizens themselves. Because I am unemployed, I have all the time in the world to teach them to be honest, not to litter, to be polite and tolerant, to obey the laws of the land, to not grow up to be criminals and terrorists. Because I am a woman, I am able to give birth and populate the world with more humans that are honest, do not litter, polite, tolerant and obey the laws of the land. (After this, I have to make sure to teach my children to think before they speak).

Because I blog, I am keeping myself sane so that I can keep up with the trials of raising a family. I get validation for my feelings when my readers tell me I'm not the only one who goes through rough times. I get support and advice when I have doubts. I get ideas on what to feed my family. I get inspired to try new things, to explore new horizons. I have a virtual support group that consists of people from various walks of life, various beliefs, various lifestyles, various points of views from different parts of the world (from Canada to Australia, from South Dakota to South Africa). I wouldn't have had that without blogging.

All of the above are facts. Not lies.

I would also like to think that people are in turn, inspired by my writings.
That some mother in shah alam who just came home from work and is tired would remember my recipe for kid-friendly ayam masak merah and would still be able to serve a decent dinner for her husband and kids, avoiding excuses for infidelity and malnutrition. Thus, a more unified and healthy Malaysia.
That some girl who just got engaged would remember my tips for a happy marriage and go on and build a happy family, one that would further build a happy Malaysia.
That some parent travelling on PLUS highway with bored kids would suddenly be reminded of the games my kids play on roadtrips and engage in a healthy competition among themselves, keeping the driver alert, thus keeping Malaysian roads and highways safe.
That some hungry malaysian medical student in a foreign university could whip up a healthy salad for dinner and be pumped up for her next assignment and go on to graduate and save the lives of other malaysians.

Sounds like mere speculation?
oh but so was your comment, mr. minister.

---

If you're confused, read this, or my dad's latest post.
or just read this conversation:

elisa taufik: eh i tengah baca my dad's post nih
elisa taufik: so skarang tengah trying to find out apa tg adnan cakap
elisa taufik: :O
elisa taufik: i am appalled!!
Lollies Goddess: err sapa tu?
Lollies Goddess: jap i baca
elisa taufik: tengku adnan cakap dlm sin chew jit poh that bloggers are liars and that most bloggers are unemployed and most are women who like to promote disunity
Lollies Goddess: woits!
Lollies Goddess: WWOOOIIIITTSSSSSS!
Lollies Goddess: sedapnya blanketkan soma orang
Lollies Goddess: eh eh eh i nak jawablah survey minah UM tu
Lollies Goddess: a student tengah buat thesis on bloggers
Lollies Goddess: no wonder soklan pelik2
Lollies Goddess: like tengah nak gauge bloggers ni anti social ke, loner ke
elisa taufik: eh which minah UM?
Lollies Goddess: entah some chinese girl
Lollies Goddess: i malas nak jawab sebenarnya
Lollies Goddess: takpalah i jawab
elisa taufik: mana u dapat survey tu?
Lollies Goddess: dia email kat i
Lollies Goddess: i was picked by random
Lollies Goddess: this is to help her thesis
Lollies Goddess: you nak?
Lollies Goddess: i tak nak jawab sebab dia pakai email yahoo
Lollies Goddess: macam ala ala tak professional gitu
Lollies Goddess: (eh student um tak ada email dot um dot com eh?)
Lollies Goddess: pastu nama dia babygurl
elisa taufik: ha ha post lah survey tu kat semua female bloggers you know so that she gets all the answers she needs. Kalau she's not legit, then padan muka mailbox dia penuh. kalau dia legit, then she'd get a better picture, no?
Lollies Goddess: betul gak tu
Lollies Goddess: out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women.
Lollies Goddess: woits again
Lollies Goddess: manaya survey tu
elisa taufik: hello, just because we're un employed, doesnt mean we dont do anything
Lollies Goddess: setau i kalau unemployed pun they are wives mothers
elisa taufik: we are MOTHERS dammit
Lollies Goddess: eh sama
elisa taufik: right
Lollies Goddess: tulah
elisa taufik: we are forming future malaysians
Lollies Goddess: apa benda cakap ni?
elisa taufik: haha
Lollies Goddess: dotters and so forth
Lollies Goddess: in fact setau i pompuan bloggers lah yang paling promote unity
elisa taufik: tulah dia
elisa taufik: eeee geramm betullll
Lollies Goddess: cerita pasal family happy happy masak masak
Lollies Goddess: cakap tak ada fakta!!
Lollies Goddess: shahrizat kata apa ya?
Lollies Goddess: sebab i rasa dia memang undermine pompuan
Lollies Goddess: isu dia, satu, pasal pompuan bloggers are liars
elisa taufik: siapa undermine? sharizat ke, tg adnan?
Lollies Goddess: dua, bloggers are liars
Lollies Goddess: shahrizat..kan dia ministry woman and all that
Lollies Goddess: dia tak nak defend ke
Lollies Goddess: and why the ministries blanket bloggers macam rebel pulak ni
elisa taufik: ha betul betul
elisa taufik: dammit
elisa taufik: dammit dammit dammit
elisa taufik: i rasa macam nak tulis
elisa taufik: tapi lapar pulak dah
Lollies Goddess: haiyaaa geram betui
Lollies Goddess: i rasa kita kena tulis
Lollies Goddess: ha ha ha
Lollies Goddess: i nak gi ambik budak
Lollies Goddess: sungguh female bloggers kita ni
elisa taufik: okay, we go save our family first, then we go save the world!!

Enterprising Indonesians

I guess I better start doing this bit by bit..

The thing that I notice most about my trip to Jakarta and Bandung is that Indonesians are very enterprising. I see people of all ages trying to sell something. It doesn't matter if what they're selling makes sense or not, or whether the business is successful or not, they will try.

The moment we reached the first traffic light in Bandung, our car was besieged by people selling maps and magazines. There were maybe 10 or 15 of them, all selling the same thing. During our shopping trip the next morning, we saw small kids and old men hauling granite mortar and pestles on their shoulders, their backs bent from the weight. My mom took pity on one young boy, perhaps only 7 or 8 years old, while we waited for my sister to buy us some tit-bits. She paid 12thousand rupiahs for a medium sized one, even though my sister's maid complained that it costs half of that at the wet market. Takpelah, sedekah (as a charity)... said my mom. I looked at the boy and imagined Ilham peddling mortar and pestles around town, and agreed with my mom.
At the traffic lights in Jakarta, there were men selling magazines and IKEA catalogs. Some traffic lights have teenagers playing their guitars and singing, and I don't know whether drivers paid them to sing or to stop. My guess is the latter, because they would stop once you paid them.
Even when parking or getting out of your parking spots, there would be men rushing to help you. "lepas lepas" (you can pass through) they'd shout. "balik lagi pak" (turn some more) they'd instruct. Before you leave, you'd slip them 1thousand rupiah. (that's like 50 cents). They are everywhere and we are thankful for them when the traffic is particularly heavy, but we pay them anyway even when there's no other car in sight.
I won't even mention the tiny tiny kids who walk and sometimes run up to your car to beg for money. I get choked up just thinking about them. (In Bandung we saw a boy about Anis's age, sitting on the road divider with his baby brother sleeping on his lap. I almost got out of the car to grab him and bring him somewhere, anywhere, just out of there.)

Some things that they offer do not make sense though. On one busy road in Jakarta, there were several signs for "Ketuk dan Cat". I soon realized that they were offering services to do bodywork. On your car. By the side of the road. With a hammer and a can of spray paint.
And the thing is, it's not just one crazy guy who's offering this service. behind him all along this road, there were at least 20 others doing the same thing. They sit on a stool while smoking a cigarette and when they see a car passing they'd stand and point at your car and motion you to park. When no one stops, they sit back down on their stool and go back to smoking a cigarette.
If you ask me, I think it's just a guise to fool their wives. They tell their wives that they're 'working' but actually they're actually just sitting around and smoking. "Alas, no one wants to do bodywork today, dear", they'd tell their wives when they go home.
tee hee.

Some business tactics are just plain annoying. In Tangkuban Perahu (where the volcano was), they practically swarmed us everywhere trying to sell knick knacks, from marble eggs to furry hats, to angklungs to necklaces to oh god knows what else. They were persistent to the point of being annoying. We actually had to rush through the visit because the fear of being harrassed by the sellers were taking away from the awe-inspiring experience of seeing a real life volcano. I understand that they're just trying to make a living, but I suggest the government teach them some tact, because if it gets too far, it could really spoil the tourism industry.

One enterprise that I am really thankful for, is the jamu sellers. Every morning this lady would come in her traditional kebaya (shapely blouse) and batik sarong (shapely long skirt) to my sister's house and serve us with kunyit assem (a herbal perparation of turmeric and tamarind juice). I think the jamu helped me get through the numerous excursions in Indonesia without feeling so tired. No wonder the Indonesian ladies are so gantang (energetic and firm) !

Mokciknab's beloved Jamu Lady

Overall, it impressed me that the Indonesian people are very hardworking and determined. They are not the kind who would lie down and wallow in depression. They're the kind of people who would pick themselves up and do something to survive, day by day.

Anis' Picnic Party

We decided to have a picnic party for Anis yesterday.
My neighbour Liza couldnt come coz she postponed her umrah trip from last week to this week. Sharlee couldnt come coz her daughter had a fever and her husband had a presentation for his bosses. So in the end it was just us and KakF&ABC's family.
I thought KakF would be bringing her whole brood, so we bought a bucket of KFC to go with the cake. It turned out that her other kids had other plans, so only her youngest daughter Awni came to Anis' party. Anis was so happy to see her classmate and best friend.
We forgot to bring a carpet, so we just sat on the grass and ate our food. After finishing all but 3 pieces of chicken (ha ha good thing!), we cut the cake and then the kids played football and ran around.

Happy Birthday to Anis!

p/s HanyFF, recognise Awni?

8 singing girls

if it were up to me, I'd bring in all the 8 girls and only 4 of the boys.
As bad as ant0nella's singing was, it was waaaay better than phil's.

who's gonna go home, it's hard to tell. I don't know whether ant0nella's 'exposure' would be to her advantage or her demise. If american voters phone in based on singing only, I say Ant0nella and Haley would go.
But if there are voters out there who vote based on what's in their pants, Ant0nella might get through to the top 12 and sabrina and gina might be in jeopardy. I wouldnt be that suprised if jardin was picked to go because I thought she was kinda lacklustre this week. But she's one sweet girl, she might make it.
If Gina goes though, I'd say what a way to go. She rawked the house!

elisa out.

The world says hello

"Good morning starshine, the world says hello!"
- Willy Wonka in Tim Burton's Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

Announcing the birth of Syed Ahmad Aqif, second son of TDB, the one who doesn't blog.
He was delivered via C-section at around 8:30am today, the 9th of March 2007.
According to TDB, he is 3kg-something., fatter than Arif and appears to have a very large nose (don't all babies? No need to worry lah, dolly).
Mother and baby are doing fine in the maternity wing of PMC.

May you grow up to be anak yang soleh dan muslim yang berguna, insya-Allah... !

Che'Teh, Pak Teh and your cousins can't wait to see you!!

p/s nina, email us pictures when u get the chance.

8 singing boys

oh.my.god.

i nearly fell off the sofa when ryan announced that someone was going to sing pearl jam!
then i prayed that it wasnt sanjaya.

i think sundance did a good try, but the whole performence just goes to show that you can try to sing like eddie, but no one can play like jeff, stone, mike and whoever is on drums this time 'round. (I luaghed out loud when the back-up singers did the "hoo hoo hoo" part tho.. tee hee! good try.)
I hated that simon said that jeremy wasnt a good rock song, but I would have to agree that it was not a good rock song to showcase your vocals on a show like americ@n id0l. Pearl Jam has other more melodic songs than jeremy. He could've sung black? but maybe it'd be too morbid. I think Betterman would've been better.

whatever it is, today will go down in history. The day when PearlJam infiltrated Americ@n Id0l.
yeah baby!!

on with my predictions:
i think sanjaya and phil will not make it. That was the most awful rendition of a lee ann rhimes song i have ever heard. Sanjaya is .. i dunno. A malay word for him would be lembik.

If you notice, Blake, Small Chris and Big Chris (and Sundance) stand out because they are not scared to show their personality.

elisa out.

Easy Peasy Chicken Salad

Being a lazy housewife, I have to think up easy peasy and ready in minutes lunch for myself. (Eversince Izani was born, I don't have enough time to prepare lunch for Taufik so he doesnt come home for lunch, so usually it's just me and Izani for lunch).

So here's something I made when I found out it was faster to fry up my kids' frozen chicken nuggets than to wait for meat to defrost, and after I got sick of eating variations of instant noodles.
The beauty of a salad is that you can make it with whatever ingredients you have lying around. Any fresh leafy vegetables that tastes good raw would provide a good base, then you can add up other fresh raw vegetables like carrots or celery or even herbs like basil or coriander leaves. Don't have croutons? Use nuts to provide the crunch, OR use crispy cornchips (wahh have to try with twisties next time).
Since you're making this salad yourself, you can be as versatile as you want, based on your own taste. Don't like veggies that much? use more meat. Already had sausages for breakfast? use less meat, more veggies. Dont fancy breaded chicken or processed food? Grill some fresh chicken breasts seasoned with your favourite seasoning. No chicken? Use canned tuna. Or even ikan bilis goreng. And you can use whatever dressing you like.
Here's how I made mine today:

Easy Peasy Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
3-4 frozen breaded chicken breasts, prepared per instructions on box
quarter of a small head of iceberg lettuce, cut into bite size
half of a small carrot, shredded
one stalk celery, cut into small pieces
Ranch dressing in a bottle
a handful of raw almonds and cashews

Method:
While the chicken is cooking, cut up vegetables into a bowl. Pour dressing over and toss. When chicken is done, cut into bite sized pieces of slices and lay on the bed of vegetables. sprinkle nuts around.

Yummeh!

Easy, no?
I used breaded chicken filets that cook in the oven for 15 minutes, so this dish took me at most, 20 minutes. The other day I had it with honey mustard drizzled on the chicken, but today i forgot.
If you don't have an oven, buy chicken filets that can be cooked on the stovetop or the microwave. The first time I made this, I used my kids' chicken nuggets and just deep fried them per instructions. tee hee. (but it was slightly oily, so I prefer the cook-in-oven kind).

Enjoy!

p/s masakan yang bagus untuk budak2 sekolah yang baru pindah apartment. ;)

How to survive being an expatriate's wife, lesson 1

The first few weeks that I was here, I was invited to another Malaysian's house. Her house was beautiful, her furniture and decorations were nice, all knick knacks looked expensive and exotic and well arranged. I came back into my almost bare, standard-furniture-provided-by-the-landlord-and-undecorated house and felt a bit dejected and intimidated.
I felt like I could never invite people over. My house doesnt have pretty things to look at, I don't even have enough plates to serve food! What will they think of me? They would think I don't know how to keep house. They must think I am darat.

It took me a while and alot of whining and back and forth talking with/to my husband, but I have finally learnt my lesson.
To survive being an expatriate's wife, you have to be very confident in yourself and what you have. If you're not, it will be very easy for you to get hurt and depressed.

Most expatriate's wives do not work, therefore their life revolves around their husband, their kids, their home and themselves. Most conversations will also revolve around this subjects. What my husband bought me, how much I spent on my last holiday, what I feed my kids, how I decorated my home, where to get the best bargains.
If you're a person with even the slightest low self esteem, you might misconstrue some conversations and feel like you're being put down.
My husband don't buy me gifts, therefore he doesnt love me as much.
My house is small and bare, therefore I am low class and am not a creative person.
My house is a mess, therefore I am an incompetent housekeeper, or I dont love my family as much as I thought.
I feed my kids junk and I am not a good cook, therefore I am a bad mom.
I don't go shopping, therefore I am boring and poor.

Oh there are many many ways that you can feel intimidated when you're chatting with an expatriate's wife, if you let it.

What I have learned is that you need to look at what you do have and be content and happy with it. You'll never keep up with the Joneses, so why bother. Be the best that *you* can be, and be happy for yourself.
If you can't afford to buy 'things' (or if you have a husband who wont buy things *cough*like me*cough*), take up a hobby and make things yourself. It might not be as pretty, but at least you can look at it and be proud of yourself.

It was a wonder why it took me so long to learn this, when it is the very thing that I have been trying to teach my kids...
tee hee!

one hundred books

I better do this before I forget.
Plus it beats commenting about it in everybody else's blog.

I just hope I can remember the 'rules':
Bold - I've read,
Italicize - I want to read,
Crossed out - won’t touch with a 10 foot pole,
cross (+) - on my book shelf,
asterisk (*) - never heard of.
underline - the movies of the books I have watched

1. + The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown) - was intrigued by the online game, bought the book. Havent watched the movie.
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - I should get a copy of the Book AND the movie lah. (hint hint : good birthday present)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell) - i wont cross this out, though i'm not sure I want to read it.
5. + [B]The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)[/B]
6. + The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. + The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien) Why are these books listed in the wrong order?
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) - i watched the mini-series. does it count?
9. * Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. * A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling) - pretty gruesome, no?
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) - i heard that it's not so good, but I wont mind reading it if I find it lying around somewhere.
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling) - will watch the movie when it comes out
14. * A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden) - borrowed the book from a friend. I thought the movie was not as beautiful as the book.
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. * Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King) - which one is this? Anyways, I think he writes better short stories than books.
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling) - borrowed.
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) - have to read again.
21. + The Hobbit (Tolkien) - Loved it more than LOTR.
22. + The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) - very confusing and a bit depressing, but still very intriguing. Always reminds me of Mel Gibson in Conspiracy theory.
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) - Yummy christian bale!
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) - lovely lovely book.
25. * Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) - saw snippets of the movie, looks really funny. Will probably buy it the next time I see it.
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) - not sure if I watched the movie.. i do have this image of Sir Lawrence Olivier in my head from the movie.
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) - Loved the movie!
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) - judging from the movie, I'm sure this will be a good read.
30. + Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom) - Did they make this into a movie?
31. Dune (Frank Herbert) - i thought the book was better than the movie. I only understood the movie after reading the book. btw, Sting played a villian in this movie.
32. The Notebook – (Nicholas Sparks) - I loved this movie!! Wanna read the book.
33. * Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell) - the movie was really boring, i fell asleep. I think my siblings will rub it in if I didnt read it.
35. * The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) - is this about horses by any chance? Coz I think i've read Ken Follett before.
37. * The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. * I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. * The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. + The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) - my favourite Coelho book, thus far.
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) - wasnt this made into The 13th Warrior?
42. * The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) - From pb's comments on it, it sounds pretty interesting.
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella) - i wanna see what the hype is about.
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom) - saw the movie halfway
45. Bible - read bits and pieces of it. But how do you tell which bits were re-written and which were the true words of God?
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy) - watched the mini series.
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas) - Loved that guy. Whats his name. The guy who played Jesus Christ. Jame Cazievel or sthing
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt) - i know it's on my mom's bookshelves somewhere.
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. * She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. * The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. * Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. * The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough) - mini series, starring Richard CHamberlain
59. * The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger) - but I don't mind watching the movie.
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. * The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy) - i heard that this one is really long.
64. Interview With the Vampire (Anne Rice) - liked the book better than the movie.
65. * Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) - read it three times, still boggles me.
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares) - i enjoyed the movie, but I dont think i want to read it.
68. Catch–22 (Joseph Heller) - it's lying around in my mom's house somewhere
69. Les Miserables (Hugo) - this is a book? I thought it was a play?
70. * The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint–Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding) - dont want to read it.
72. + Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez) - it's on my shelf. I've started reading it, but have not gone past the first chapter coz I started sewing. will want to watch if it is ever made into a movie.
73. Shogun (James Clavell) - mini series!
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje) - okay I'll read it the next time I go to my mom's house.
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. * The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. * A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. * The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) - i wanna watch the movie too!
81. * Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) - first time I heard it, it was from Onde2.. but it's quite a classic, i found out.
84. * Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen) - was an english assignment.enjoyed the book and movie.
86. * Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. * Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. * The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. * Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of a Lion (Ondaatje) - i've seen this book.. kat mana ya?
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding) - very disturbing. made me cry. loved balthazar getty in the movie.
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck) - recommended by Oprah, but never bought it.
94. * The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) - i think i like the book better than both versions of the movie.
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton) - LOVE LOVE the movie!! A must see for 80's brat pack fans.
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. * A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. * The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

wah.. according to this, i havent read that many books, eh?

Tumair's Iris Field

This roadtrip was almost cancelled when we received news about a shooting incident near Madinah.
Sunflora called me to ask whether I still wanted to go, and I asked her if her husband still wanted to go. He did, so we did too. I had expected that there would be only 2 cars, but it turned out that there were other people who were unperturbed by the shooting incident (even though some of the victims were their neighbours).
We drove about one and a half hours north of Riy@dh to Tum@ir, then about another twenty minutes off-road at Tum@ir to reach the Iris Field.
The moment we got there a sandstorm started, and a herd of sheep passed by, almost trampling the tiny iris plants. Being tourists, the first thing we did was rush over to take pictures of the herd.. heh heh.
We parked right by the edge of the 'field', to wait for 1pm, when the flowers should bloom.

While we waited, we prayed for the sandstorm to die down and chowed down on food brought by the other better prepared folks. I only brought some fried meehoon that Zura and I made that morning, while other folks brought roti canai, dalca, kuey teow goreng, nasi goreng, mexican bread, chicken wings, ice cream, tit bits and teh tarik. adusss... malu seh.
After we got tired of eating delicious dishes with sand on the side (and inside), some of us started picking out our own clump of iris to monitor. At around15 past 1pm we began to see some flowers starting to bloom. I grew impatient of waiting for my clump to bloom so I started wandering around from clump to clump.
Taking pictures was quite a task coz the wind was blowing so hard and from unpredictable directions, we didnt know which way to turn to avoid getting sand in the exposed orifices of our equipments and bodies.



Satisfied, we finally left around 2 something, to head to one of the ladies' house to resume the picnic, sans sand.
Cleaning ourselves up, we found sand everywhere! My white headscarf had turned beige and even my booger was a shade of reddish-brown (the color of sand in that part of the desert).

All in all, it was a good trip. Even though the irises were small and the 'field' wasn't as big as I thought it would be, I was still amazed by the beauty and magic of God's creation. I also made new friends, yay!!!

Sunflora, please do tell Anis, Salinah, Nora and Kak Saadiah that if they are ever in Khobar, they are most welcomed to come over to my place! (You included lah of course!)