Wrinkles - OH NO!!!!!

I just realised today that I have developed some fine wrinkles beneath both my eyes lar.. My eyes were itchy last night, and I had been rubbing my eyes prior to going to bed like there was no tomorrow! Today morning, I got up to some sore eyelids and realised that it was a bit dry. Nevermind - a lil bit of moisturiser should do the trick.

But NO!!!!! I just checked the skin beneath my eyes under this bright white light in my office, and realised that there are some lines there beneath both eyes.. How lah? Dang! I should have started on that ANEW eye cream care ages ago. Time to singgah AVON later after work. Some local celebrity swore by it, so maybe I should try it.

I also vow to drink more water - to keep my skin hydrated. It doesnt help when the digital scale tells you your body fat is more than your body water content kan? I suppose that makes sense too - how to have more water when your body has more fat, right? So I should then perhaps consider the underlying cause - maybe i should consider losing the body fat first, so then the body water content can increase and hence my skin will be hydrated and hence no wrinkles.. So no maybe NOT coz of not putting on the AVON lar, maybe it's coz of the weight.. Oh oh.

1 year pun dah pass by - I am only left with 2 months to achieve this losing weight goal which I had set earlier on this year. My bad as well lar as I hadnt really been good at keeping my resolution either - most of the time it's been 'oh.. f*** it' and i have been having this reputation of stuffing my face like shite only, kan? So haiyo.. Tak apa la..

So I need like a brand new makeover. To be a new younger healthier me. God help me.

Self Appraisal

Today I feel like crap. Loser with a capital "L". I shan't go into details why but I truly feel like shit today la wei.. Enough said.

Memoirs of WMM 1007

Two days ago, my hubby took that move. He sold off his Honda City 1.5 (A) Vtec to a used car dealer in PJ.

She was a brilliant car and had truly served us well. We bought the car in 2005, brand new from TTDI's Honda. I still remember first checking her out with hubby at the Honda showroom. We thought it was great car which fitted hubby's budget. I pulak especially loved the car boot space. (Yes, yes I tend to lug everything when we travel. So spacious boot space = happy me) And boy, we went everywhere in the car. Almost everywhere in Peninsular Malaysia.

All in all, she was very well behaved. It was only when recent talks about selling her came about, I noticed something a little different than usual. I dont blame her though. I am sure she felt as attached to us as we were to her. My dad-in-law used to tell me his stories about his previous cars, - I am beginning to believe his stories and agree that cars also have feelings.

Kasihan dia. The recent hari raya trip home, someone decided that her cd player wouldn't play joyous raya music. Our return trip home was a quiet one. Not long after that, someone also decided to blow hot air from her aircond. Which was never to happen before.

But anyhow, in the hopes of securing a better family car - hubby took that move and had her sold off. So we're moving about in my car now, and hubby now takes the motorbike to work. The motorbike hasn't been cooperating though, tayar pancit la. Dah repair, pancit lagi. Think she must have told the motorbike to not cooperate as well.

Anyways, the new car arrives next week. And we hope that the new car lives up to our expectations too. She's got some pretty big shoes to fill.

TB or not TB?

TB = Takut Bini

"Bukan saya takut bini saya.. Bini saya tada takut sama saya."

That's what my husband said the other day when the Bank Officer (where I took my car loan from) commented on how he (my hubby) must be dead scared of me since he had a 'very fierce' wife.

I laughed out loud until I had tears in my eyes when I heard this from my hubby.

But seriously, don't play-play with me arr.. I can be very garang when circumstances warrant me to. Like for instance, when the Bank Officer calls you telling you that you should go take the car to the blardy Puspakom for the 2nd time when you have already done so previously at your expense (time and money).

Ingat keje orang duduk rumah goyang kaki aje? That was enough to piss me off and lash out at the said Bank Officer.

But all's well and settled now. My car is now my car. :)
But I will remember this line coz in a way, it does sound like me. :P

Pantun Duit Raya

Bukan nak mengata atau mencela,

Kita pun sekarang ni di bulan mulia..

Tapi kalo bab-bab bagi duit raya..

Karang bagi sikit sangat pun sebenarnya tak kena...

Duduk pun memang di rumah mewah,

Kereta siap pasang tiga empat buah,

Yang tak faham, anak-anak pun masing-masing dah besar gajah,

Takkan satu rumah tu, RM2 sepeket hijau seorang budak pun dikira sudah..

Budak-budak tu pun bukannya orang lain,

Semuanya anak saudara rapat belaka,

Kalo macam ini la depa bikin,

Jangan terkejutlah kalau ada yang berkata-kata..

Lessons this Hari Raya

I learnt the following tips this hari raya:

TIP 1 - KUAH KACANG

1. As beginners - one should not make 1kg of kuah kacang. Instead, one should only start making kuah kacang with 0.5kg first.

2. One should also dry fry / roast the groundnuts until it's blardy brown (sikit lagi nak hangus) and even try to peel 1 groundnut to see if the insides are brown fully. Kuah kacang is NOT kuah kacang if the groundnuts are still white inside!

3. One should tumbuk the groundnuts. Not mesin it. My Tok Ucu in Sabak Bernam spent weeks prior to Hari Raya just to tumbuk 5kg of groundnuts to make her very delicious kuah kacang ayam.

Now WHY am I writing these tips down? Well.. Coz comments on my first ever attempt (I know, I know.. It is my first time making kuah kacang) at making kuah kacang were that:

1. The colour's way off - Ikram, my bro-in-law asked if I had made kuah dhal instead for hari raya.. Even dad asked - What's this?? Mine was seriously yellowish - from the white groundnuts and the blended turmeric.

2. Minyak pun tak naik. Tak pecah minyak pun? Kuah kacang apa macam ni ni?

3. Tak cukup cili kering. Ni mesti tak cukup cili kering ni.. No red colour.

4. Bubuh serai tak? My mom asked if I had put enough kuah kacang.

The thing was member (me la tu) damn eksyen - didnt wanna ask how to make it - I just based it on some kuah kacang recipe I found on the internet just the day before hari raya. Actually it was a pretty vague recipe come to think of it too.. But I was already halfway thru grinding the ingredients (and it was pretty late too for me to make some calls to ask how to make kuah kacang) to realise that it was a pretty lousy recipe. Hmmph! Anyway enough said.

Verdict: A for efforts, C- for results.



TIP 2 - MEE HOON SOUP UTARA

I also learnt the following:

1. To let mee hoon have some colour - (well, silly me always wondered but never bothered to ask how some mee hoon had that yellow tinge..) - one should add some turmeric powder (DUH!) to the boiling water before one starts to celur the mee hoon.

2. One should also not celur the mee hoon for toooooooo long or else you'll end up having soggy mee hoon. (Again, DUH!)

3. One should immediately rinse mee hoon with cold water to avoid it from being sticky. (I know that principle applies to pasta - just didnt click my blardy head that you should also rinse mee hoon). Gua kena sound from me mom-in-law about this ler..

4. One should use fork to make little swirls of mee hoon prior to putting them on bekas hidang and gunting so that it would be easier for people to take them unto their plates (tip courtesy of my new sis-in-law, Siti)


TIP 3 - POTONG DAGING

I also learnt that there is a way for you to cut meat. I mean I knew since from before pun.. I remember my own mom once told me about this before. But for the life of me, I STILL do not know which way is correct. Something about following the strands or something like that. Anyhow, I have had it cut into smaller thin slices so that it cooks easily. If someone visiting this raya finds that some of the beef pieces are a bit hard to swallow and would have to gulp water down so that the piece is easier to swallow - I truly apologise k? Hehe.

Anyhow - those are my lessons learnt as at Hari Raya ke-4 this Hari Raya. I am sure I will blog about some other lessons I have learnt as we progress thru Syawal. :P


Anyway, on another note - it wasn't all just constructive criticisms that I obtained. I also received compliments and some pats on my shoulder ler.. My satay goreng and ketupat got an 'A' for both effort and results. So that's something to be pleased about. Woohooooo!!! So, I'd like to thank whoever posted that satay goreng recipe on the internet (can't remember what her name is) and a certain Miss NONA for making available ready-made ketupat packets. All you need to do is just boil 'em in a pot of water for 45 mins. And walaa... Excellent ketupats! Hehe.

That's all for now. See ya soon. Do post your comments and other tips if any. Thanks.