My student, My troubleshooter

A problem that can't be fixed by a Dell Technical Expert over a super-long phone conversation is solved by my student in a matter of minutes. I was having some problem with my laptop speaker volume - which was not loud enough for my used-to-blasting-in-the-eardrum hearing. I got tired with the end-less list of commands by the technical guy but still unable to fix the problem at hand; I almost wanted to tell him "it's ok, i guess i can figure it out by myself" and the phone got disconnected just in time :P And my student who was witnessing the entire 'merry-go-round' troubleshooting process offered to help; I was skeptical at first; but didn't wanna dissapoint her. And she called her boyfriend and he assisted her step-by-step through the process and wow it was solved before I even realised :) Thanks, Kim Lan!

Six-Pack Ab

Soon to be like mine ;)

I dream of having a toned and flat ab; speaking of which I manage to camouflage the flabby part of my lower ab well with proper attires, hehe (now the secret is out); the same resolution which I didn't follow-up consistently last year - to get a perfect ab - I am gonna go for it again - this time, my biggest motivation - for my big day; what else! So, sit-ups here I come.

The Crazy Old School Days

I certainly had the best childhood memories... and the best times during primary and high school... and also the best times during university days...with a bunch of crazy wacko loyal friends :)

During primary school, had a bunch of crazy friends and I remember all the games we used to play. We come to school early and play all those old-school games; and it still puts a smile on my face when I think about it. We'd play 'hantu galah' and 'ibu ayam' during recess; and I think that's the most fun game any kids could play (instead of studying or sitting in front of a computer 24/7); so I am thankful that I enjoyed my childhood to the max; because now i know it'd never come back... After school, we used to play the 'rope game'; we are always doing something fun...And that was the time I fractured my collar bone when a dear friend of mine playfully pushed me, hehe... all the memories; precious memories...

In high school, we come to school very early because we take the first-trip bus to school. And the time we spent in school during the early morning is a blast! Our dear friend Charmane is the main entertainer of the lot :D and I can never forget the 'stunts' we do together, haha... it's no joke when they say "convent girls are brats!"; so true... and we were the leading example. We used to play all sorts of games behind the school field in the wee hours of the morning... really wacko crazy hyperactive convent gals! Unlike certain of our classmates, we were not into boys and crushes and stuff... we were still crazy kiddos during our teenage years... Then after school we used to walk to the shopping complex and go to the bookstores to rent books; and I remember reading Mills & Boons for the first time during high school and getting excited like a jakun, haha... and I remember once that there was this Anatomy book in our school library which illustrates all the male and female 'parts' and we were all so excited as if we found a gold mine! and I remember one of our friends even hid the book so that the book won't be found and be taken away; and the news of the book was spread like a wild fire among all our close friends...haha; oh boy, those jolly good days :)

My best friend and I used to go to LD (Laser-discs) centre to watch movies; I can't believe we went to all these places alone despite it's creepy-looking-ambience. At that time, we were oblivious of the risks and that's why we were happy-going-smooth-flowing-jolly-golly people, hehe not worried about any s*** in the world. Compared to now, as a grown-up, we take more calculated risks, which can bore me at times.

We used to go to the crocodile farm and the 'ghost house' and it was so much fun. We also had picnics in a recreational forest which was so isolated and quiet; haha; but all that risks were not on our mind as we were busy enjoying the food each one of us brought and enjoying each other's company. We were so used to taking 2 buses to get to the town; when I think about it now, it appalls me of our dilligence and courage when we were still young. And we did so much more things than what I can describe here. And we were all lucky for having sporting parents who gave us all the freedom in the world. Maybe that's why we never misused the freedom given to us. We certainly had the best childhood times; and we did all the crazy things; and the memories stay forever and I am thankful for that.

TGIF

Had a busy week... but don't really know what I did, lol.. time just flies. Finished all my classes for the semester, YAY! Now I can focus on my research and my other stuffs :) until the marking starts...ooo

Yesterday had a great night... went with Chin Lay to catch a movie; we watched 'Definitely, Maybe'; I absolutely loved the movie; not too corny; a well-narrated story; we enjoyed it from the beginning till the end; the best part was the guessing game of who is the mother of the little girl; and the little touch of humour along the way.

Then we had our dinner at "Jom Laksa" at the ground floor of Malacca Mall. I had the best bowl of Tom Yam Laksa; the ingredients used were of good quality and fresh; and the gravy is thick and packed with flavor. Chin Lay had Asam Laksa which was good as well. Looking forward for the weekend; Alfred and I probably will go sample some new dishes; fooooood, here I come!

Chitra Pournami (Full Moon Day)

I must say that I am not religious enough to observe all the festivities in Hindu calendar and this at times makes me feel awkward when my neighbors/colleagues/friends talk about these occasions on which I don't keep myself abreast with. My family and I are the most low profile individuals when it comes to being involved in temple celebrations. We are spiritual people and we love to go to temple just to pray and sit around the peaceful surroundings of the temple. But when it comes to all these temple-social aspects, we don't involve ourselves.

So, yesterday was Chitra Pournami day (of which I only came to know from my grandfather. Frankly speaking, despite Deepavali and Thaipusam, I have been totally ignorant of other festivities in Hindu calendar). I google-ed on Chitra Pournami and learnt a few things.

Chitra Pournami is observed on the full moon day in the month of Chitirai (April/May). In this month, the sunshine is in its entire splendour, and the moon which borrows its luster from the sun is just as resplendent. The day is believed to be conducive to the happiness of humanity in general. According to Hindu mythology, Chithragupta, the chief accountant of Lord Yama or the God of Death, keeps a record of all the good and bad deeds of men. On the day of Chitra Pournami or full moon day, which falls in the Tamil month of Chittirai, people make special offerings to please Chithragupta. The full moon shining in all its splendour is a sight to watch. Special prayers are arranged at all the temples.

There was a procession with a chariot around my neighbourhood yesterday. Every year we look forward to that. Although we only joined the procession once (a few years back) we always look forward to the chariot passing by our house. I managed to take some shots (not very good shots, though) of the colorful and vibrant chariot.

The lights glimerring on the chariot

My dogs were totally enthralled by all these :)

Woman

My writings of a woman:

Sometimes a woman nags...

At times she tries to convey a certain message by dropping hints along the way...

At times, all that she needs is tender loving care...

But Sometimes she needs more than a loving word...

Often times she just wants her man to herself...

At times she is just silent...

But at these times, million things are playing on her mind...

Most of the times, just the look on her eyes sends out the message of love...

At times, it takes more than that to understand her...

All these doesn't mean that a man has to be a cryptologist to decipher the code of a woman...

All that it takes is love and understanding...and picking up the hints sent out, haha.

~Geeta~

Siesta

I have always been a night person and my family and close friends know that I was not a morning person at all - that was during my schooling and campus days. For the past year or so, I have been a morning as well as a night person and lately I have not been getting enough sleep because of my late-to-bed-and-early-to-rise-sleeping pattern. That’s why recently I have been taking some time off for my siesta after work; feel so invigorated after an hour or so of cat nap. And I am thankful for my work hours in which I can have my siesta if I wanted to; but I must admit I haven’t used much of that privilege; but at least I know that I can if I wanted to.

Today’s morning walk was fantastic. The clouds gathered foretelling a sign of rain and the breeze was so cool, moist and fresh; it didn’t rain until we got back home; lucky us. We saw a few dogs and puppies enjoying their morning walk; my dogs enjoyed their ‘socializing’ hours by growling at those dogs and they were definitely mesmerized when they spotted a few cats – like they have never seen cats before. We saw 2 birds kissing passionately on the wiring cable; a totally therapeutic morning.

Morning walk

My latest addiction – early morning walk. I just came back from one; with my dogs, of course. No matter how late I get to bed the night before, I somehow spring to action when it comes to taking a morning stroll accompanied by the rays of sunlight peeking from the feather-like clouds; absolutely beautiful. For me, it’s definitely not worth the sleep-in to miss this morning walk. And my dogs, no matter how groggy they are when they wake up, are always excited when I pick up the leash. Since I have 3 dogs, I will make 2 trips; I am more than excited to make more than 2 trips; we take a longer route during the weekends. The chirpings of the bird and the morning breeze is my alarm clock – so fresh and soothing it can beat out any grogginess out of my head. The idea of waking up to all these makes you start the day with high spirit. As it goes ~ I love the mornings since it makes me feel so alive~

Rainy morning at office

Yay Yay! It's raining....it's pouring here now... and I am revved up in work. I get so 'boosted-up' when it rains; provided I am not picnic-ing, of course. Absolutely love the rain and the after-rain scent; the raindrops on roses; and the moist breeze; perfect! it has been years since I played in the rain :) the last was when I went to the A'Famosa safari with my friends, and it started pouring during the elephant show; and the elephant trainers were so excited seeing us running bare-footed towards the car; and it was so fun getting wet and laughing along the way; we didn't mind the rain; instead we took our time to get to the car; looking at the elephant trainers dancing and having fun with their 'pet' under the rain. Happy happy joy joy!

The Day that is

Today, I am grateful for the 'wake-up' call from Casper (it's so so cute; and my mornings are fabulous because of him); the beautiful skyline which accompanies my morning drive to work; the sound of the breeze as I drive by with the car windows down; and the smiles I brought on my students' face today. And plus I am thankful that I'd be finishing all the syllabus for the subject I am teaching by next week, yippie!

Me and My Sometimes

Sometimes life can be so mundane that we forget to have fun...

Sometimes we are so engrossed with other stuffs that we forget the euphoric feeling emanating from within just by the thought of doing something different...

Sometimes we get so technical we forget the element of surprise...

Sometimes when you get up and wonder what the word surprise mean...

Sometimes you are surprised with a surprise which is no surprise...

Haha sometimes I know I talk crap!

But sometimes I wish there are more surprises for me to be surprised...of course good ones la :)
Because I just love surprises!

*hint hint - to my other half - hahaha*

~Geeta~

Cream Cheese Choc Brownies

Last Saturday I wanted to indulge for a treat...so I decided to bake; this time i baked cream cheese choc brownies...it turned out soft though; but the texture was so tempting - soft creamy and goo-ey - my perfect idea of a treat :) it's definitely an easy dessert option.

The recipe as follows:

Cream Cheese Filling:

250gm cream cheese

1/4 cup castor sugar

zest of one orange

juice from the same orange

1 teaspoon cornflour

1 egg

1. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy, and add in the remaining stuff until it forms a nice smooth batter;

2. Set aside

Chocolate Mixture:

250gm chocolate (I used Nona cooking choc)

60 gm butter

1/2 cup sugar (I reduced the sugar quantity alot and it still turned out sweet - but not too sweet)

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs + 2 tablespoons cold water

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

1. Melt the chocolate with the butter.

2. After it's cooled a bit, add in the remaining stuff and stir.

3. Pour batter into the baking tray.

4. Add in the cream cheese mixture in dollops, and use either a skewer or fork or palette knife to give it the swirly marbly effect.

5. Bake in 180C oven for 35-40 minutes.

6) The centre of the mixture will still be wobbly when you take it out from the oven; but that's okay; coz' u are gonna love the gooey texture of the brownie :) and the orange zest gives the brownie an Uuuumpphhh effect :) Enjoy!

Progress

Ongoing progress:

1. Mar 28th - submitted a paper for conference in Korea and to a journal (waiting for referee's review);

2. Apr 4th - submitted first draft of Chapter 2 to my supervisor (it was so draining to even start writing on literature review - although I know that it's a step-by-step process, I always tend to get ahead of myself and this stresses me out - me always trying to be a perfectionist);

3. Dateline today (11th Apr)- submit the 1st draft of the second paper to my supervisor.

4. Promised for the second draft of Chapter 2 on 18th Apr.

Till then, I am gonna have a great weekend :)

Steamed Fruit Cake

Last Wednesday, my mom made her infamous Steamed Fruit Cake to bring it to over to my cousin's engagement party this Saturday. This recipe is passed down from my grandmother. I used to remember the times when my grandmother makes this cake and we will devour it happily. This is the second time my mom is making this cake and I'd love to share the recipe since I love this cake so much because of its springy texture. It takes 4 hours to steam - but trust me, it's worth it!

The recipe as follows:

• 12 oz. butter
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 tin golden syrup (I forgot the brand name; but it comes in a green color tin)
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 6 eggs
• 1 packet mixed fruits (Big Sister brand)
• 1 tsp orange essence

1. Cream sugar and butter.
2. Add golden syrup and mix.
3. Then, mix with yellow of eggs.
4. Beat egg whites into another bowl.
5. Add flour and fruits with the egg whites.
6. Steam for 4 hours.

Yummy-licious

This is Casper in his Yummy-licious-moments!

Dear God, please bless my food

Oh Boy, that was delicious!

I am done; can I have one more, pls?

p/s: he didn't finish the whole cup of yogurt; I just gave him some after finising my share :)

Everything

Absolutely love this song...absolutely crazy over Michael Buble.

You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.

And you play it coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.

And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.

[Chorus:]And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

[Chorus:]And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.'
Cause you're my everything.
Yeah, yeah

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

My Best Friend's Bundle of Joy

First they named her Butter; then the name changed to Cocoa; and she's such a darling, isn't she! Puppies definitely shower you life with one heck of fun-filled moments!

p/s: My bestfriend is kinda camera-shy - so Cocoa decided to pose instead :)

Today

Today, I am thankful for waking up to the chirpings of birds and the greetings of my beloved dogs. I saw the most beautiful bird in our garden today; with a bright yellow coat bathed in the rising sun light. The morning breeze with its gentle blow caressing me as if complementing my every move; I feel as if I am flying. I am re-playing Michael Buble’s ‘Everything’ over and over again in my office; enjoying the song to its every beat and dancing to its beat – keeps me swaying in a dream-like world. I love my life :)

Teacher

Attributes of a good teacher:
1) the ability to shout on top of your lungs - so that you will be heard LOUD and CLEAR
2) the ability to give 'killer' stares - to 'startle' a noisy classroom (it works for me!)
3) once silence is restored - continue back teaching as if nothing happened (coz' it's pointless to reprimand students with scoldings; but they just know when to stop once you give out 'stares' like that)
4) teach with a deep passion
5) Praise and smile at the students and love them to your heart's content; and
6) Patience!

~Geeta~