Potluck Party

We had potluck lunch party today at office. I always look forward for potluck parties; firstly, I'd get to 'experiment' on some culinary items to be served, secondly because of the wonderful company, and thirdly because of the food (of course!). This is the second potluck we are having among the '1st and 2nd floor-ers' and it was a blast.

Lots of food to be devoured and it's finger-licking good.

For the previous potluck party, I baked cheesecake and made potatoe casserole. This time, I baked traditional choc cake with choc ganache.

Pre...

During...

Post...

The group photo:

Fulfilling Vow

Last Sunday, we went to Batu Caves on the occassion of Thaipusam to fulfil my vow. Thaipusam fell on Wednesday (23/1/08) and there was still a big crowd on Sunday. Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (Jan/Feb). Pusam refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates both the birthday of Lord Murugan and the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel (lance) so he could vanquish the evil demon.

A few years back, I vowed that if certain of my dreams were to come true, I will carry pal kudam (milk pot) up the 272 steps in Batu Caves. If you ask me, I was in a desperate position to complete my Masters thesis and get it accepted after slogging on it for day and night; and I decided to make a vow. It all boils down to how much faith you have in the things that you do or think; if you make a vow just to 'test' whether it works, then there is no point. I believe that faith makes all things possible; it doesn't matter which religion you are in. What matters is your unwavering faith and above all having equal respect, love, and kindness to all human race irrespective of race, religion, and nationality. It's easy to be condescending by questioning certain held beliefs, which we find it hard to explain scientifically or logically. I believe that scientific or logical explanation is just to fulfill the insecurities of human being, who finds it more convenient to believe what he/she sees rather that what cannot be seen.

Anyway, back to our journey to Batu Caves. I felt a deep sense of fulfillment for successfully carrying out my vow; which I missed last year due to unforeseen reasons. After prayers, we went around the stalls and bought some sweets (laddu). Went back home straight after that.

The Gang Chilling Out

These are my four lovely doggies, chilling out after a nice bath in the sunny afternoon. It's definitely a good workout for me bathing the four rascals.

From left: Dolly (the most obedient of the lot), Benjy (camera-shy), Casper (the un-friendly ghost), and Prince (the silent 'killer'). Love them to bits!

If...

I found this interesting question in one of the websites:

"if you could spend 30 days in one location (and only one location) anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go and why?"

My answer:

I would love to go to India again. If I have 30 days to spend in one location, I know for sure I'd go for India for the hustle-bustleness; you can never get tired of India because there is just too many things going on at one time and it is a land endowed with beauty and diversity. Plus I can indulge myself in the mouth-watering dishes; please my hunger for artistic endevours in its amazing architecture of temples and the hand-made wooden crafts, sculptures, and paintings. The best of all is the ever-so-interesting-and-curious-looking people who will just 'spice' up your stay there. Nothing in this country is ever quite predictable; the only thing to expect is the unexpected. Some travellers are only too happy to leave, while others stay for a lifetime.

Aqua-phobia

Everybody has phobias - at least what I think so. I suffer from Aqua-phobia. Although I know how to swim, but when it comes to deep waters (anything more than my height), I become nervous. I am so afraid that if I am in deep waters and I suddenly forgot how to swim (yeah, I know; chronic), I'd drown; or if I get tired halfway swimming, I can't stand on my feet at the deeper end. And so, you can always see me hanging around at the shallow end of the pool.

Source: Wikipedia - "Aquaphobia is the kind of specific phobia, an abnormal and persistent fear of water. It involves a level of fear that is beyond control or that may interfere with daily life. Specifically, people suffering from aquaphobia may experience anxiety even though they realize the water in an ocean, a river, a lake, a creek or even a bathtub may pose no imminent threat. They may avoid such activities as boating and swimming, or they may avoid swimming in the deep ocean despite having mastered basic swimming skills [This certainly describes me!]. This anxiety may also commonly extend to getting wet or splashed with water when it is unexpected, or being pushed or thrown into a body of water".

According to the source, some people may develop the phobia as a reaction to a traumatic water experience---a near drowning or other such event - the experience which I had when I started my swimming lesson as a kid. I strongly believe that throwing a child at the 12-feet end of the pool so that the child naturally learns to swim is NOT A GOOD IDEA! - at least in my case.

Although my condition is not the Chronic Water Phobia, but it does inhibit me from learning a water skill or freely entering a mass-volume water environment such as a swimming pool, sea, lake, ocean, or river.

I have tried conquering the fear - by taking swimming lessons - I did amaze myself though by touching the ground of the 12-feet end of the pool numerous times - but I guess I pushed my limits in doing that - and it didn't create a wonderful feeling during the process - although it did boost my pride of being able to do so. After a while, I admitted that anything deeper than my height is a BIG NO NO. I'd be perfectly happy swimming in the 5 ft level.

Deadline

I have been busy with coordinating the industrial training work, and hardly can find time to concentrate on my PhD studies. I feel guilty each time I bump into my supervisor; he certainly seems more eager than I do in this. And I am tired of giving him the same excuse of my lagging behind the deadline. This time round, I am no longer the coordinator for industrial training though I am still in the committee; this shall reduce my workload alot besides having to teach. Everytime after meeting my supervisor, I'd be so energetic and determined to 'crazily' sit and write up on the thesis. But, after seeing the piles of letters and fax on my table, I'd be drowned in that work of sorting out and organizing. I've finished most of the paperwork; I am relieved! Now, I must start serious reading for the thesis.

My supervisor had long been asking on the date for my proposal defense (it's long overdue) and I haven't been giving him definite answers; I certainly am not looking forward for that. After giving up waiting for me, finally he set the date for my defense, which will be next month; 27th Feb. Okay, I work well under pressure; especially working on deadline...

WEEKEND

Last weekend was Karen's (Sharon's sis) wedding. On Friday, Ai Lin, Chin Lay and myself went over to Sharon's place to discuss about the 'bully' session which is to take place on the next day, i.e., Saturday. We were the Chee Muis (a.k.a bridesmaid or kaki bully in this case) for Sharon's sister's wedding, and we were looking forward for it, hehe...so on Friday night, we planned on how to bully the groom and the bestman. Sharon prepared the halapeno pepper sauce, bitter gourd sauce, black soya paste and honey sauce to 'feast' the groom and his konco-konco.

We had a fantastic dinner on Friday at her place; satay, pizza, noodles, chicken curry, fruits and wine. The next morning, we went early to Sharon's house to help her out. Chin Lay and I wore the same dress we bought for the occassion; it's a spagetti-strap-bubble dress in champagne color; I absolutely love the dress. It was my first experience attending a Chinese wedding; and I had a good time, especially the Chee Mui session! It was so hilarious! The deal was if the groom can't answer questions about the bride's family, he/his buddies has to have a taste of the 'special' sauces. Obviously he doesn't know the birthdays of all the members of the family, so they had the 'privilege' of tasting the homemade sauces. The pitiest of them all was the bestman who has to eat the chilli paste; he maintained his cool, but after that seen sweating profusely; haha tahan macho. After the tea ceremony at the bride's place, we headed off in my car to the groom's place for another tea ceremony; we had delicious Nyonya dishes there.

Later in the evening, we attended the wedding dinner at CityBayview Hotel. Karen looked stunning in the traditional Nyonya outfit and later changed to a beautiful evening gown. I shall post the pictures later (since we forgot to bring our camera, we have to get a copy from the photographer).

BACK

I have been away to Thailand for one week and was back on 15th Jan. I was anxious to start my piles of work the next day, but found my PC was 'acting' weird. All my folders started to disappear (and I don't know how!) and thank God to my lucky stars, I did manage to back-up few folders; the other folders just cannot be retrieved; damn! Right now, I am computer-less (still waiting for the IT guy to sort it out) and am using my colleague's PC. This just had to happen at the time when I needed to sort out so much of pending work and other deadlines. Nevermind, I'll just wait patiently for my PC.

I shall update on the trip as soon as I get my PC back. Cheers!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

I tried this recipe once and it turned out well. I absolutely love baking cake with frosting or icing. Shubs tasted it and loved it; she later baked it for her hubby. Herewith is the recipe:

Cake Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 and a quarter cups of vegetable/canola oil (the oil actually binds all the ingredients and carrot together)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 to 3 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp of nutmeg
- 3 cups of grated carrot
- 1 cup chopped pecans/walnut/almond
Frosting Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 250 gm cream cheese, softened
- 1 and a half cups icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped pecans/walnut/almond

Steps:
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
- In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in almonds. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes.
- Let cool in pan for 10 minutes.
- To make the frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, icing sugar, and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped almonds. Frost the cooled cake.
Yummy!

Blueberry Cheesecake

This is one of my family's all time favorite, which I bake frequently (very frequently, in fact, after which I know the recipe by heart); and I got fed-up since I know how the end-result will be like. But still since it is always in 'demand' I end up baking it for every occassion or sometimes for no occassion, hehe. Herewith is the recipe:

Ingredients for the Crust:

- 1 cup Graham cracker crumbs

- 2 tbsp white sugar

- 1/4 cup melted butter

Ingredients for the filling:

- 250 gm cream cheese

- 1/2 to 3/4 cup sour cream (depending on how sour it is)

- 3/4 cup white sugar

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

- 4 eggs

- 1/3 cup blueberry jelly (or blueberry jam)

Directions:

- Combine crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, and butter. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch pan.

- Mash cream cheese until soft and creamy. Gradually beat in sour cream, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla and flour.

- Beat in eggs one at a time.

- Pour mixture into crumb-lined pan.

- Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) oven for 1 hour or until firm to the touch. (Since I have a small oven, the top of the cake will be in uneven color, so the blueberry jam is a cover-up!)

- Cool and spoon the jelly (or jam) over the cake.

- Chill until ready to serve.

It's that easy! Enjoy!

SOLO TRIP TO BANGKOK (9th – 11th August 2007)

I’ve always wanted to go to Thailand; but it’s difficult to co-ordinate and get the right timing for everyone. So, one day, I woke up and just decided to book a flight to Bangkok and go for a solo tour around the hustle-bustle-ing city. It was my first experience of traveling alone; I fret the idea of eating alone even, but this solo trip turned out better than I anticipated. I chose Bangkok since I know it’s a busy city, and I’d likely feel less alone; and I was right! I decided it would be a 3 day trip since I don’t wanna risk being bored, just in case. And boy, was I wrong! 3 days was not enough, obviously; it’s a shopping heaven!

DAY 1 (Thursday – 9th August 2007)
· Arrived at Suvarnabumi airport at 3 p.m. Cleared immigration by 4 p.m. The taxi fare to the hotel was 900 baht; managed to reduce to 800 baht; I am sure I could have reduced it further; but it’s okay considering it was my first experience there. It was about 35 km from the airport to the hotel. Had a nice chat with the cab driver; People here are so polite and nice; the only problem is communication barrier; they can’t speak English well; most of the time they can’t understand what you are saying and vice versa.
· Reached the hotel about 4 p.m. Beautiful 4-star hotel facing the Meenam River; the hotel name: Meenam Riverside Hotel. It has a very beautiful view, especially at night; with boats decorated with glittering lightings. I absolutely loved the room; very cosy and nice. It gives off a good vibe of being there.

Day view from hotel room

· The people here are so down to earth and friendly; absolutely love them; they make the stay absolutely memorable.
· I noticed that even though the men there do look at you and ogle, it’s merely a look of admiration and not a lustful one.
· Left the hotel at about 6.30 p.m. Asked for some direction and headed to the town by a taxi. Went to Pratunam to shop for computer-related items; it’s a replica of Low Yat; a good bargain; bought a silicon casing for iPod costing about 230 baht (RM 30).
· Had dinner in one of the roadside stalls near Pratunam; had fried garlic rice with chicken for 20 baht. Not that great; definitely got lots of space in my tummy for more mouth-watering dishes.
· Then headed to Suan Lum night Bazaar by a ‘tuk tuk’. It’s a shopping heaven. I was told that the place closes at 3 a.m. It was like a mini Jonker Walk in Melaka except that this one is much bigger; infinite number of shops selling variety of things from clothing to handicrafts; you’ll get tired just by walking. The art of shopping here is to haggle as much as you can. People here are so nice, you get to haggle comfortably. I am never good in haggling; but I tried my hand here. I managed to do my share of haggling and got good bargains. I mainly bought handicrafts made from wood; they are absolutely beautiful. Bought some snacks to bring home as well. Didn’t buy any clothing; will get it in Chathuchak Weekend market on Saturday.
· Shopped till my legs and hands ached. I shopped till I dropped, nearly.
· They also have lots of nice looking places to dine there. Absolutely love the ambience, with plenty of lightings, cosy and romantic. A definite must-go place next time.

· Had a fun night out; with lots of shopping and a wild ‘tuk tuk’ ride; it was a fun ride! Came back to the hotel by 10 p.m. Watched a nice French movie, accompanied by a nice cup of tea. Hit the bed by 12.

DAY 2 (Friday – 10th August 2007)
· Got up at 5 a.m. It gets bright here early, by 5.45 a.m. No wonder people here start their activities so early. The ‘tuk tuk’ driver was telling me yesterday that he goes to sleep by 10 p.m. and wakes up by 4 a.m.
· Planned to go to Wat Pho temple in the morning. Things I wanted to do on the day:
- Visit temples
- Take boat ride at Meenam Riverside Pier
- Go for a massage
· Had a nice breakfast in the hotel; sat outside by the pool. The hotel staffs are extremely hospitable.
· Took the Meenam Riverside shuttle boat to Santurn pier. Got a day pass for 100 baht; for unlimited boat rides to a maximum of 9 piers (the major tourist spots). I overlooked the last part of the day pass conditions; and decided that I will sit in the boat till the last stop to enjoy the view along the river bank. The journey was fantastic; passed by some villages. It started to drizzle by then.

View from the boatride

· Got down at the last stop and took the return boat back for 13 baht.
· Got down at Pat pier to visit Wat Pho temple. It’s a very nice small town.

At the entrance of Wat Pho

· The reclining Buddha statue and the Wat Pho temple is breathtaking. Took some shots there; it was crowded with tourists.

The back of the reclining Buddha

The scriptures on the feet of the reclining Buddha

The reclining Buddha

· These were the shots from the Amazing Race that was featured last season (can’t remember which season), where the participants had to count the shillings dropped into the container in the temple. It certainly felt great to be there. Went around the temple.

9 sacred places

· Started to drizzle shortly after. Cancelled the plan to Wat Arun since I had to take another ferry to cross the river and plus it was drizzling.
· Bought some fruits back for lunch. Reached the hotel around 1 p.m.; watched a nice movie titled ‘Absolution’; it’s about a comatose man who can heal people by placing his hand on the affected areas.
· Had a nap; woke up at about 4 p.m.; left the hotel to the town at about 5.30 p.m. The taxi driver pissed me off a little; he didn’t know the way plus he was talking a lot, all irrelevant topics; we actually passed Silom Road and went all the way and took a U-turn and came back to the same spot; and it was heavy traffic at that time! Caught in a massive traffic jam. Finally, I asked him to drop me off at a point. The issue was the he was intending to drop me off at a nice Tom Yam restaurant (which he didn’t know where!) because that was what the hotel concierge informed him. I kept telling him that all I wanted is to go to Silom Road and walk around. Communication breakdown!
· I was fuming; had to walk to go to the main shopping area in Silom Road.
· Went for a traditional Thai massage first before dinner. The place looked very Japanese-style-ish with a long stretch of rooms along the corridor with sliding door. I requested for a female masseuse and was greeted by a he-turned-into-woman; she is a very sweet person. The massage session was quite an experience; with my whole body twisted and turned around like a mechanical doll. I had to control myself from ouch-ing. Although it was a ‘vigorous’ massage, she did so with full of grace. It costed only about RM 30 for a full-body one-and-a-half-hour massage.
· I felt so invigorated after the massage; despite some pain here and there.
· After that, went for a scrumptious dinner. Had tomyam kung with lots of fresh seafood; the prawn and crab was so succulent; yummy!

· With a full belly, proceeded to shop. Bought clothes and some handicrafts. Behind the line of stalls selling clothing and handicrafts, there is a long stretch of bars offering all kinds of services for the lusting men. It was a sad sight seeing all those young girls dancing on a stage around the pole clad in a bikini with men watching them with lust. There were a handful of pimps yelling out good bargains for certain ‘packages’; had a sight of the different face of Bangkok.

Night view along Silom Road

· Continued shopping. Decided to take a ‘tuk tuk’ back to the hotel; had a fun ride. Reached hotel about 11.30 p.m. Packed some of my things – leaving tomorrow.

DAY 3 (Saturday – 11th August 2007)
· Got up early; had breakfast in the hotel.
· Took a cab to go to the weekend market (Chathuchak market). The cab driver mentioned that the market is not opened so early; it opens about 10.30 a.m. So, he brought me to the largest gem and jewellery factory. It was quite impressive; so so many precious stones on display.
· After that, he dropped me off at the weekend market. The shops were just opening. Before they open the stalls, it’s a ritual that they offer their prayers – devout Buddhist. I admired at the simple and contented life that they lead.
· The market is so so big; at a size of 10 football field, there are infinite number of stalls selling various items ranging from clothes, souvenirs, handicrafts, food, and even pets!
· I spent so much time in the pet shops; so many of them; cats; dogs, and all kinds of other pets animals. I was so excited! Bought some toys for my doggies. Walked and walked; just so many shops that you’ll need one whole day there. Spoilt to choices. Good bargains with so many choices.

Puppies!

· Didn’t have the heart to leave the market; left the place at about 11.30 a.m.
· Checked-out from the hotel and headed to the airport with a heavy bag.
· Flight at 4.30 p.m. There was a delay in the flight. The situation at the lounge was so tensed with kids screaming at the top of their lungs and poor parents trying to pacify them. Terrible headache.
· Reached KL at about 9 p.m.
· Went to see my sister for a while in Jalan Pantai.
· Back home – past midnight.
· A fantastic trip!

Differences between Ham, Bacon, Pancetta and Prosciutto

I've heard these terms used frequently in the Food Channel and although I know what it is but never quite understood how to distinguish between them. I looked up the meaning of these items in Merriam Webster's Online dictionary and the explanations in Wikipedia and finally am able to distinguish these ingredients.

Ham

Ham with cloves

Sliced ham

Ham is the thigh and rump of any animal that is slaughtered for meat, but the term is usually restricted to a cut of pork, the haunch of a pig or boar. Although it can be cooked and served fresh, most ham is cured in some fashion.
Ham can either be dry-cured or wet-cured. A dry-cured ham has been rubbed in a mixture containing salt and a variety of other ingredients (most usually some proportion of sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite), Sugar is common in many dry cures in the United States. This is followed by a period of drying and ageing. Dry-cured hams may require a period of rehydration prior to consumption. A wet-cured ham has been cured with a brine, either by immersion or injection. The division between wet and dry cure is not always hard-and-fast as some ham curing methods begin wet but are followed by dry ageing.
Dry-cured varieties include Italian prosciutto crudo (prosciutto di Parma). The United States has country ham (including Virginia ham), which might or might not be smoked. England has the York ham. Germany's Westphalian ham is usually smoked over juniper, in Belgium there is the smoked Ardennes ham, and from China there is the unsmoked Jinhua ham. In Bulgaria the specific Elenski but is produced. In Iran, the dry-cured Zard Kūh ham is produced.
Ham is also processed into other meat products such as Spam luncheon meat. Baked ham is also a traditional dish served on Easter.

Prosciutto (pronounced as prō-ˈshü-(ˌ)tō)

Prosciutto is the Italian word for ham. In English the word is almost always used only for dry-cured ham which has not been cooked, in particular from central and northern Italy such as Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Daniele. The word prosciutto derives from the Latin perexsuctum, which means "thoroughly dried" (lit., "(having been) very sucked out"). In Italian, "prosciutto" refers to the pork cut, not to its specific preparation. Italian speakers therefore make a distinction between prosciutto cotto (literally, "cooked ham"), which is similar to what English speakers would call "ham", and prosciutto crudo ("raw ham"), the dry-cured ham which English speakers refer to as simply "prosciutto" or "Parma ham". By default, in Italian menus (typically in pizzerias) an unqualified "prosciutto" refers to "ham" ("prosciutto cotto"), whereas "prosciutto crudo" is sometimes referred to simply as "crudo".

Bacon

Uncooked streaky bacon

Bacon is defined as any of certain cuts of meat taken from the sides, belly or back of a pig that may be cured and/or smoked. Meat from other animals may also be cured or otherwise prepared to resemble bacon, such as beef, lamb, chicken, goat or turkey bacon. In continental Europe, it is used primarily in cubes (lardons) as a cooking ingredient valued both as a source of fat and for its flavour. In Italy, besides being used in cooking, bacon (pancetta) is also served uncooked and thinly sliced as part of an antipasto. Bacon is also used for barding and larding roasts, especially game birds. Many people prefer to have their bacon smoked by using various types of woods. This process can take up to ten hours depending on the intensity of the flavour desired. Bacon may be eaten fried, baked, or grilled.
Traditionally, the skin is left on the cut and is known as bacon rind. Rindless bacon, however, is quite common. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, bacon comes in a wide variety of cuts and flavours. In the United States ordinary bacon is only made from the pork belly, yielding what is known in Britain as "streaky bacon", or "streaky rashers". In Britain bacon made from the meat on the back of the pig is referred to as back bacon and is part of traditional British and Irish breakfasts. In the United States, back bacon is called Canadian-style Bacon or Canadian Bacon. The USDA defines bacon as "the cured belly of a swine carcass," while other cuts and characteristics must be separately qualified (e.g. "smoked pork loin bacon").

Pancetta

Packaged pancetta

Pancetta is an Italian form of bacon. It is pork that has been salt cured, salted and spiced (nutmeg, pepper, fennel, dried ground hot peppers and garlic are often featured), and dried for about three months (but usually not smoked). There are many varieties, and each part of Italy produces its own type. In Corsica, it is considered a regional flavour.
Pancetta can be rolled (the most common type available outside of Italy, see photograph), or straight (with all the fat on one side). The straight variety is more common in Italy than elsewhere, especially where home-made pancetta is still produced.
When served on its own, the rolled pancetta is presented in very thin slices. More often it is used to flavour other dishes, especially pasta sauces. Recipes such as all’amatriciana often contain pancetta as a substitute for guanciale, which is much more difficult to find outside of Italy.
In the United Kingdom, Pancetta is more commonly sold as packs of cubed belly (rather than rolled). It has recently gained in popularity, to the point where it is now frequently available in supermarkets.

(Source: Wikipedia)

New Year Resolutions

It's a brand new year - time flies so fast! I pledged to myself to make full use of my time and to accomplish the goals that I've set for myself last year! (in which I have procastinated alot). I tell myself this year that before I hit 30 (darn!) next year, I have to accomplish some of my goals this year. One of it is to complete my PhD thesis write-up by this year and in the process publish at least 4 journal articles and attend 2 conferences.

I didn't prepare any list of resolutions this time - this time I believe action speak louder than words and I am gonna accomplish-as-much-as-I-can-while-having-lots-of-fun-along-the-way. This saves me from breaking the resolutions put on paper. By end of this year, I wanna look back and feel proud of things achieved in this year and feel fulfilled. I resolve to allow only positive thoughts which will be a catalyst towards achieving all my goals.

All in all, my gut feeling tells me that this gonna be a marvelous year. Happy 2008, filled with joy, happiness, and abundance!

Cheers!

NEW YEAR

Happy 2008! I spent New Year's eve and new year day in the hospital accompanying my mum. She underwent a surgery to remove a lump in her breast. She is doing fine now and in good spirits.

Well, it was a memorable stay in the hospital, as funny as it sounds! Indeed, it was. I had a great time with the patients in the ward. It was filled with 'happenings' - which is why I never felt bored sitting there from day to night - time flies! I realised that regardless of race, gender and creed, we all blend in as ONE; and helping out each other in times of need is the true human spirit - which is what i experienced during the stay in the hospital. Since I was the only non-patient in the 4-bed room, I was helping out the other patients. There was this girl (she is a special child with learning disability) beside my mum's bed; her name is Asha... Poor girl, her family was not there for her. It was indeed my greatest pleasure in lending her a hand and being there for her. The other makcik was the entertainer in the room; with all her jokes and heart-warming gestures. Another makcik just went for a surgery to remove her breast - and it was also my greatest pleasure to help her out. I felt so fulfilled and happy. The other entertainer is the 11-year old boy from the other ward. He was there to accompany his mother who is recovering from a surgery. So, it was all cracking-jokes-and-laughs session in the ward. It was truly terapheutic. I truly laughed my heart out. Reminded me of Robin William's role in Patch Adams. That was how the atmosphere in the ward like. Filled with laughters; lively.

So, this new year celebration is a special one for me; being beside my mum and helping out others truly made me happy and contented. I thank God for these precious moments which I will cherish forever. And I thank God for all these wonderful people I met during the stay in the hospital. This experience made me realise that despite the tensions among races and prejudices that is evident in the 'outside' world, the true human spirit brings about unconditional love; that's the magic of the human spirit...And I realised that I have lots to offer.

UK TRIP (14/11/06 - 27/11/06)

I finally managed to find some time to upload the journal on the UK trip.
- The following journal on the trip may seem lengthy because of all my ramblings here and there; but it’s worth a read. The thing that I fear the most is forgetting everything I’ve remembered. Out of that paranoia, I keep a journal of the most memorable moments in my life. In case I am diagnosed with dementia at some point in my life (being paranoid again), I still have all my memories penned down. Alright, alright, before I get diverted again, let’s start the recollections of the journey.

- Flight on 14/11/06 at 11 a.m. from KLIA – reached Heathrow London airport at 5.00 p.m. The meals served during the flight was absolutely delicious. Had the best ever satay in my entire life; the peanut sauce was perfect!

UK Trip - Day 1

Day 1 (14/11/06) – Tuesday:
- Alfred made some arrangements to rent a car to drive down to Cardiff.
- Stayed a night in London. A nice apartment with a kitchenette.
- Went to a Northern Indian restaurant for dinner. The food was fantastic- had spinach with cheese, some vegetable curry- forgot the name of the dish – all I remembered was that the food was really tasty. Couldn’t finish the meal – tapau for tomorrow’s breakfast.
- Headed to the apartment and had a good night sleep.

UK TRIP - Day 2

Day 2 (15/11/06) – Wednesday:
- Got up early the next day. Alfred went to pick the car and I made some simple breakfast (not that I made it anyway, just heated up last night’s food), but it was darn good, even if it was left-over.
- It was a cold sunny morning, at least the combination that I could wish for, not cold without any sunshine (that’d be dreadful).
- It was a nice hired car we got, a Volkswagen. The plan for the day was to drive down to Cardiff to see his sister, Sharleen and stay a night there.
- On the way, we stopped at Windsor Castle and had a fantastic walk down the town. It was a beautiful day, all that I could remember. People on bikes, family with children, just strolling along the park; they are all so happy.
- Commentary: Windsor Castle – off London – the Queen visits every weekend; some parts of the castle caught fire; it was renovated then; it’s a big castle.
- Just walked along the road and admired the view along the way. Took some pictures, didn’t go inside the castle though, the reason being, it was boring to spend our time looking at some prehistoric building on my first day in the UK.

Windsor Castle

- We bought some ice-cream in Ben & Jerry’s. It was so good!
- We continued our journey heading towards Bath, a tourist attraction town known for its hot springs and the Roman Baths. Commentary: It was a Roman city with the original Roman baths and remains. Bath has been home to historic writers such as Jane Austen.

- It was a beautiful drive to Bath. Views along the way are magnificent with beautiful cliffs.

- We had some trouble to find the way to famous tourist spots in the town. Well, it was more because of my incapability of reading the map, or rather was stressed out looking at the map; and it is such an elaborate map; not that it’s not good, but I had to take a long time to find the streets, in which the printing is darn small; and I get confused with all the names of the streets! I was darn stressed in the car for being such a bad navigator. This is compounded by my ‘failing’ memory; I keep forgetting the names of the places, which is darn confusing, being my first time there. I felt like the stupidest person on earth.

- So, enough of my ranting on the ‘navigation’ issues. So, finally decided to follow the “Bath Sightseeing Bus” rather than relying on my poor navigation skills, hehe. That was kinda funny, following the sightseeing bus and stopping wherever it stopped, and laughed about it. And so, the sightseeing bus took us on a sightseeing tour for free, hehe. And finally we found our way into the main attractions of Bath.

Spies! (with Pink Panther music in the background)

- Indeed, Bath is a beautiful city with some amazing architectures.

- We drove around the town and had our lunch there. We had pork stew and vegetable lasagna, it was darn big serving, and we had to struggle to finish our meals. The food was good!
- After our lunch, we took a walk along the park. It was darn windy, and was such a lovely day with a beautiful park. Along the park, there is a pond of ducks and swans. As usual, I got excited and took lots of pictures there.

- We continued our journey with our bellies filled with pork stew and lasagna.
- We headed towards Cardiff to see his sister. It was already evening by the time we reached Cardiff. Met up with his sister and went to Tesco to do some shopping. Went to dine in a restaurant (can’t remember which restaurant), with a nice ambience near the dock. It was darn windy that night, and I enjoyed our walk to the restaurant. The food was good, but I couldn’t eat much, especially since my stomach was blotted due to constipation.

Alfred and Sharlene

- Had a nice walk back to the car; sooooooooooooooo windy.

- We have to catch a 6.50 a.m. flight to Edinburgh the next morning. We were dead tired by the time we reached the hotel. Had a short good night sleep and woke up at about 4 something since we had to return the car at the airport.

SCOTLAND - Day 3

Day 3 (16/11/06) – Thursday:
- Boarded the 6.50 a.m. flight to Edinburgh.
- Had our breakfast at Costa; I enjoyed the sandwich; Alfred managed to find a fantastic car for our drive in Scotland.
- Started our journey to Stirling. On the way, Alfred showed me Schlumberger’s training ground in Livingston and we went to the office to enquire about the accommodation during the training.
- Headed off towards Stirling.

- The views along the way were fantastic, with farms all along the way, and sheep grazing the grass; it is beautiful. Minus the navigating issues, I enjoyed the views along the way.
- We managed to find our way to Stirling (with occasional stops to read the map, hehe).
- I was feeling nauseous along the way; the drive and the weather didn’t help though. And looking at the map to find directions drove me even dizzier and nauseous. Stopped by a bed & breakfast (B&B) place and put up a night there. The hostesses were very friendly; I think I still remember his name, Tom.

- I liked the design of the bathroom as well as the painting on the wall.

- Since I was feeling a little sick, decided to have a short nap before going for lunch. I didn’t feel like eating anything; just felt like throwing up; my stomach was churning.
- So, had a good nap and by the time I woke up it was almost dinner time. I got up in the middle to have some snacks; I was starving. I get darn hungry so fast during the entire vacation.
- We went for dinner in a nice cozy restaurant, it felt like home. The food was good (a little bit salty though) but I couldn’t eat coz’ I was still feeling sick. Ordered vegetable soup and haggis-filled pasta. Alfred had shrimp and chicken. I forced myself to eat despite feeling nauseous. I was hungry but couldn’t eat.
- We drove up to Stirling castle that night and the view from the top was glorious. But it was too cold, and we had to get back to the car. Unfortunately, we forgot to take some pictures of the castle. I guess I was too tensed up till I forgot to bring my camera, huhu.
- Drove around Stirling town; nothing much to see, really; except for the castle and the William Wallace monument.
- Alfred was looking forward to go to the castle and especially the monument the next morning. Nite nite.

SCOTLAND - Day 4

Day 4 (17/11/06) – Friday:
- The next morning - breakfast was superb, being my first time there and enjoying the typical Scottish breakfast; cereals, some fantastic prunes to go with the cereals, scrambled eggs, sausages, tomatoes, toasts, fresh juice, and a good cup of tea.
- We packed and left that morning; headed towards northern parts of Scotland. On the way, stopped over to visit the William Wallace monument. Commentary: The 1995 Mel Gibson film Braveheart is based on the story of Sir William Wallace. Unfortunately, it was raining that morning and we had to cancel the plan. However, we managed to stopover and take some good pictures.

William Wallace Monument

- We headed off north and planned to put up a night in Ullapool.
- As we drove away from Stirling (I’d say a boring town, with nothing much to see except the castle and the monument), I felt relieved, don’t know for what reason.
- The views along the way were superb, with farms stretching from one end to the other. I was savoring every moment; the beautiful colors of the leaves, trees standing majestically, some sparse, some with golden leaves, some with leaves just turning into gold, and some still retaining its leafy green texture; beautiful autumn!
- We decided to have our lunch in a small town (can’t remember the name of the town though). It was still raining from the time we left Stirling. We had our lunch in a place called Skiing-Doo. I had spaghetti and Alfred had something with haggis. And we had fantastic vegetable soup as a starter. It was good, especially so since we were starving. We continued our journey, and on the way it started snowing! I was so excited. I was enjoying the views (beautiful farms with sheep and a chain of snow-tipped mountains as the background! Mountains standing majestically overlooking the lake. Need I say more! It was absolutely breathtaking). We stopped for a while; I wanted to feel the snow and take some pictures. I can still visualize everything so clearly on my mind; the pictures didn’t do it justice, of course.

Breathtaking view

- So captivating.

- On the way to a small town, we passed by a creek; so beautiful.

As good as it gets!

- I took over the wheel (can’t remember from where to where; drove for about 2 hours or so).

- We continued our journey up to the north.

- The weather was rough all along the way. It was one heck of a drive. The road is winding multiplied by the fact that it was snowing and after that raining heavily.
- We finally reached our destination for that night, Ullapool. Drove around to find a nice B&B to stay over. Finally found one overlooking the loch. It has a beautiful view from the room we stayed in. And the room is very spacious, a sharp contrast from the place we stayed in Stirling. Good choice!
- Didn’t go out for dinner that night. Was exhausted from the long journey. Had some grapes and bananas that we bought on the way.

- Had a good night sleep.

SCOTLAND - Day 5

Day 5 (18/11/06) – Saturday:
- Got up early and packed to leave. Enjoyed the view from the balcony. It was beautiful with the sun’s reflections on the sea water. It was like little diamonds sparkling in the ocean with a chain of mountains as its background. Absolutely breathtaking.
- Had a good breakfast; oat porridge, fried eggs with bacon, hotdog and tomatoes; and a good cup of tea.
- It was a nice bright sunny morning. So, it was perfect, we spent most of Friday traveling with the not-so-good weather condition and on Saturday, it was a perfect day for us to go sightseeing- just exactly how we planned- luck was on our side. Took some nice pictures outside the B&B.

- We started our journey towards Durness. Stopping occasionally to admire the breathtaking sceneries.

Stunning!

- On the way, just a few minutes after leaving the B&B, we spotted a rainbow over the mountain. It was such a perfect view to see in the morning. We stopped over to admire the view. Such a beautiful day! Wished it never have to come to an end.

- We stopped for lunch early that day in a pie shop a.k.a. Riverside Bistro; apparently this shop is well known for its infamous pie. We had onion soup and halibut fish cakes. A light lunch and that was the best meal we’ve had during our entire vacation. A good choice. Yummy! Totally loved the halibut fish cake! And we ordered cauliflower with cheese pie to take away for snacking later.

What joy it is to be alive and enjoy such good food! Hallelujah!

- Stopped by the beach on our way. The walk towards the beach was stunning with beautiful farm, sheep grazing the grass; though it was freaking cold and windy. But I was so excited that I almost forgot the cold when I saw the shoreline.

- I enjoyed the beach very much and just wished it was summer at that time. My eyes were teary because of the strong wind and cold and my fingers felt numb. But still, I didn’t feel like leaving that place.

- Once we got into the car, I felt nauseous again. Must be the drastic change in the temperature from outside and inside the car. Gosh, I felt sick. Nevertheless, it’s all worth it, walking along the beach.

- On the way, we saw a flock of sheep running towards the car in a straight line, while bleating happily; so adorable! Such coordination!

- We drove up the hill heading towards Stoer Point and Old Man of Stoer; stunning views of the coastline along the way.

- We parked at the Stoer Lighthouse to take some pictures. I didn’t get out of the car, was feeling nauseous. Alfred went out and took some pictures of the choppy sea and the lighthouse. It was a spectacular view along the rugged coastline, with its sheer cliffs and crashing waves.

Stoer Lighthouse

- We continued our journey heading towards Old Man of Stoer. It was a gravel road leading there and there was a large puddle of water on the road and we decided to turn back (don’t wanna be stranded in the middle of a no-man land).

- We continued our journey and marveled at the magnificent views along the way.

- We saw a few reindeers! Quickly took some pictures before it bounded away. Yay!
- The drive up north from Ullapool to Durness was all filled with beautiful sceneries. I lost count the amount of times I said “beautiful; spectacular; amazing; breathtaking”. Basically, I have no words to describe the journey. Absolutely amazing.
- I asked myself whether I would choose to settle down in a place like this; and I find myself saying “NO”. I’d rather see these places once in a while during vacations rather than living there and eventually forgetting to truly appreciate the beauty of that place; that’d be such a waste, wouldn’t it. The most important thing, I believe, is to savor every single thing that we come across; be it in our daily lives or during our travel. It’s easy to say “Oh, how I wished I could stay in a place like this; how I wished I could go to these kinds of places more often”; it’s also easy to forget to appreciate the wonderful things that we have now.
- Durness is a small town with about 500 people. A lovely town; I loved the atmosphere.
- We reached Morven’s Bed & Breakfast at about 4 in the evening. We put up a night there. It’s absolutely the best place we’ve stayed during our entire vacation. Despite being a small place, the environment is extremely cozy and it feels almost like home; the hostess is extremely warm and friendly. Poor lady though, she kept apologizing for forgetting the pillowcase and milk for the tea. We had an excellent and a memorable stay there.

- The view from the room is spectacular; it’s facing the loch. Couldn’t wait to see the sunrise the next morning; it’d be fantastic.

- That night didn’t go out for dinner. Had the pie we bought in Riverside Bistro. The best pie I’ve ever had! So cheesy and creamy and vegetable-ey.
- Had a good rest that night.