Throw Outs

Feeling bored at home. The kids are starting their months long school holiday and the thought of them lurking around the house made me feel slight uneasy. You know, kids being kids, they never bother to stack up things properly; never attempt to return things they took, back to their original position, etc. I can foresee my place will turn into a dump site, say within a week? So, I decided to carry out some 'clearing out' before things get worst.

No matter how much I throw away, sell, or spruce up, I am still feeling the need to do more. I have a gigantic pile of old framed pictures that I need to clean out this week and donate, or sell, or even just toss. Then I need to MAYBE tear down a piece of furniture in our living room and throw it out.

Oh and there’s still MORE clothing that I need to go through and get rid of. Urgh!

Eating Pasta With Chopsticks

While sorting out my memory card and at the same time doing some backing up of data, I spotted some pics taken in Pasta Zanmai restaurant. Don't seem to remember 'journaling' about this restaurant. It was ages ago, three/four months? Yeap, sometime in August.

Pasta Zanmai is the latest venture of the Super Dining group of eateries which include Sushi Zanmai, Rakuzen, Zen, Kura group of restaurants. There are now a number of branches scattered in various shopping malls. We went to the one at 1 Utama. It is situated on the ground floor of Promenade, right opposite Sun Moulin Bakery and next to Carl's Jr. It can be hard to spot as it is hidden behind the Japanese grocery shop, Shojikiya. The place is quite small with semi-circular booths in the middle.

Acknowledged as a fusion of Japanese and Italian cuisine, I was skeptical initially as I thought it was a funny and weird mingle. Upon entering and scrutinizing the menu, we were spoilt with choices of different varieties of pastas, rice and other Japanese dishes. It offers a more fashionable fare, creating Japanese pasta dishes cooked with Japanese ingredients such as seaweed, miso and sesame are liberally used here. The outcome? Well, let's just say the combination is interesting; the palate requires no time in getting used to.

The interior is appealing as it is decorated creatively with huge lamp-like structures.

The open kitchen is at the back, allowing you to observe the chef preparing your pasta.

The colourful yet informative menu.

My son was somehow attracted to this slab of meat as opposed to all those mouthwatering pasta dishes.

The dessert menu is so enticing!

The iced green tea filled in a bamboo shaped glass.

After so long, I can't recall what this is called? Something mushroom, enoki in cream sauce ...

Tempura prawns in goma. Very nice stuff, definitely the best pasta dish of the day.

Sirloin steak, sexily glazed.

Ordinarily, Italian style pasta have three bases, more or less: tomato-based (bolognaise), cream-based (alfredo) and oil-based (Olio). At Pasta Zanmai, there are currently seven bases, and growing. Apart from the three mentioned above, there are the traditional Japanese style, called wafu; sesame sauce made from grinding sesame seeds into a paste; soup-based and meat sauce.

The goma (sesame sauce) versions are very popular. The nutty texture adds a dollop of luxury to any dish and also uplifts appetite. That’s why it's their signature dish.

We Asians, tend to regard pasta as an unbearably heavy meal. But this new pasta trend from Japan is breaking that prejudice. And once you eat at Pasta Zanmai, your perception of pasta will never be the same again.

Interestingly, at Pasta Zanmai, you eat the pasta with chopsticks instead of a fork and spoon, adding to that Japanese experience.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves a lot. I would definitely return to try the other pasta dishes. Umm, and the desserts coz this time we didn't save our stomach for the dessert, pity!

Piece of Art?

Can you figure out what these are? They are merely some Italian meringue buttercream and handmade fondant covered cupcakes in white and different shades of blue. You got to view it from a distance to admire the full image.

There you go, it is indeed a cupcake mosaic featuring an image of the new president, Barack Obama.

A New York cake designer, Zilly Rosen created this food artwork of Obama by utilizing 1,240 cupcakes. In this project, the cupcakes function like pixels in a computer image.

Some seems to think it is awesome.

But for me, it is so darn unappertizing. Please people, I just do not wish to see politics in my food!!!

Coloured???

Something that I would like to share:

This poem was nominated by UN as the best poem of 2006, written by an African Kid.







When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black




And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray




And you calling me colored?



****************

Now that America has shown they can elect a black President and majority of them have put their racist tendencies behind them, it is time to repudiate all those that would continually play the race card. And, you know who you are.

Well, it's over. Let us hope for American's sake that CHANGE just does not mean the election of a black President and that from Obama's perspective it means much more. However, one thing is for certain that it will not be smooth sailing.

Despite the headline reads "Obama cruised to victory", it hasn't been easy for him. And now that he's in, it won't be easy at all. Obama is inheriting the worst economy America has had in decades. And there are plenty of people just waiting to blame everything on him. I hope he will come through the next four years well.

I was watching the live coverage from CNN. The more I watch, the more I wish there was this sort of democratic participation in Malaysia (and, dare I hope?). In Bolehland, the only time we gather in large numbers for political reasons is to protest (for more democracy). We never gather to celebrate politically. We are never excited about elections. And why should we be? ... ... ... ahem.

Japanese Homeware Giant Lands in PJ

Hooray! Great news for fans of Japanese livingware who live in West Malaysia: Daiso, the 100 yen store chain, is opening a branch in - The Curve (on Level 2, next to Nichii) pretty soon. This will be their second outlet in Malaysia, after their successful first opening in KK.

Daiso, originated from Japan, is a unique combination of dollar and convenient store, carrying over 100,000 types of high-quality stylish household and lifestyle products at unbeatable prices. There are three Daiso stores in Singapore, where everything is going for $2. In Bangkok, Daiso stores are ubiquitous, popping up on corners and in malls, and even within department stores, where everything sells at 60Baht.

Now in Malaysia, all goods are going at a uniform price of RM5, hence the tagline 'Always RM5".

Before I heard this piece of news, I was planning to pop into Daiso during my upcoming Bangkok trip, to 'sapu' some cutie pastry cutters, silicon moulds, food picks etc. Now that with the opening of Daiso in PJ, I won't mind waiting a little longer, since the price, when converted, will be cheaper in Malaysia as opposed to 60Baht.

I'm so excited, can't wait!

Lou Por Paeng - Wife's Biscuit

My dearie neighbour came back from Taiwan and brought back some local delicacies. Besides the famous mini pineapple shortcakes, there was also this :

Lou Gung Paeng - Husband's Biscuit

Frankly, it tasted a bit weird. I don't know how to describe, but just not to my liking. Perhaps it was the seaweed that they added in.

My favourite chinese pastry is no doubt the Lou Por Paeng - Wife's Biscuit.

There are a few legends relating to wife's biscuit.

One of them being: A needy couple used candied winter melon to make some round shaped pastry and peddled these on the street. It was such a hit that the husband decided to name this pastry wife's biscuit as a gratitude to his wife.

Yummy candied winter melon

The other being: A Teochew pastry chef brought some candied winter melon pastry baked by his wife to his colleagues in a restaurant in Canton. The chefs thought that the pastry tasted awesome and decided to tweak the pastry and sell them in the restaurant. As the pastry was first baked by the Teochew chef's wife, they decided to name it 'Wife Biscuit'. (Credit - Wikipedia.org)

But, I always relate wife's biscuit to the Hong Kong drama series, Square Pegs 戇夫成龍. The utterly touching love story. Remember the famous main character - stupid and good nature Ah Wong 丁常旺, played by Roger Kwok? The length that he is willing to go to earn his wife's (Ling Choi Fung 凌彩鳳, played by Jessica Hsuan) approval and affection is heartrending, especially the part where he painstakingly dried up the candied winter melon and baked the special pastry where he later named it Lou Por Paeng.

Beauty exists in simplicity is what this series is trying to say. Judging by the awesome lou por paeng, I totally agree.

Anyway, this is a popular snack in Hong Kong. The most famous one is probably from an old confectionary shop in Yuen Long. Years back whenever we visit Hong Kong, we used to make special trips to Yuen Long just to buy them. Tasted awesome when just out of the oven. The pastry is very flaky and fragile.

Craving for lou por paeng? No need to fly to Hong Kong these days. Just pop into the confectionary shop, Sin Eng Heong in Ipoh. Their lou poh paeng can certainly compete with those in Yuen Long.

Their other pastries are equally alluring, in particular the kaya puff, flaky, crispy, fragrant and egglicious kaya filled.

On weekends and public holidays, the acclaimed pastries may run out fast, it is advisable to order in advance, to avoid leaving empty-handed and sour-faced. Aiyah, I have misplaced their number and address. Well, the shop is on the street next to Lou Wong Bean Sprout Chicken.

Let me end this post with Ah Wong's famous line, "I'm happy as long as the one I love is happy."

Steamed Layered Kaya Cake

My little kitchen has been neglected and I guess my little one felt it too because last night he mentioned that I haven't been making cakes/desserts lately. Oops, sorry dear, mommy was too busy minding other 'more important' matters, i.e. planning for the Bangkok trip.

Actually, I have been contemplating making steamed kaya cake since last week. With my mom staying with me these days, and in order to help her with her Alzheimer's condition, I constantly spend time trying to refresh her memories of the past. I talked to her about the old days, what we did, what we ate, where we went, etc. When it comes to food, I vividly remember mom loved to buy the kaya layered cake from a shop in old town Ipoh. The kaya cakes were very 'laku', no advance order, no cakes. The cakes were nice and soft, with just the right amount of kaya to add to the sweetness, yummy.

That's what led me to make this kaya cake. But, I am lazy to come out with homemade kaya. Finally managed to grab a jar of kaya from the bakery to make this tonight. The recipe I found is wonderful, the cake turned out promising. My son had so many servings even after a heavy dinner.

Which One to Choose?

I've been spending a lot of time on the search engines lately - searching for good deals in hotel accommodation, reading reviews, deciding on which hotel to stay during our upcoming shopping spree in Bangkok.

Some hotel travel sites are no doubt better and more efficient than others. Sometimes, getting the best priced hotel can cause a major headache. The price fluctuates each day and at different seasons. I hate the idea of being taken for a ride if say I had made a booking and realized later that I had overpaid for it.

Back in the old days, we would have to spend a lot of time and money to make sure that we are getting the best deal. We would call up the hotels to enquire and then, compare with the prices we got through from the agents. But that would cost us a lot in long distance phone calls and also the hassle of talking to travel agents.

In the present day, we are able to access to hundreds of hotel travel websites which provide detailed information, colour photos, location map, pages after pages of travellers' reviews of the various hotels. It is good to do a hotel comparison with a one click search as that saves time from searching through several travel websites. It is just one simple interface with a few buttons you need to find out prices of hotels. I am an all-supporter in online travel booking - it's convenient, fast, simple and literally hassle-free, plus, you save on online travel booking too!


I still can't seem to make up my mind on the few hotels I have shortlisted. Do not expect accommodation to be cheap if you want to travel comfortably as a family but for solo travellers, budget accommodation rate is definitely possible. I'm still hoping to pick the right accommodation hotel in Bangkok though.


The current global meltdown is sending me some warning signals to my spending habits. I suppose I may have to give up my desire to stay in the new Centara Grand @ Central World though the photos on the official website are seriously enticing! I've decided to cut down on our family vacation accommodation options and use the savings for shopping instead.

Ayuria's Aquascape

In one of my previous post, I did mention that we went to Ayuria for a swim. Then I received messages from friends asking me where this place is.

Ayuria, is the third condominium development in Mont' Kiara by Hong Kong developer, Asia Quest after its much successful Sutera and Cendana.

It is located up the hill beyond Jalan Kiara 5, next to Sutera and opposite Cendana. It is made up of three tower blocks. The jewel in the crown is a 520-foot long winding landscaped water feature that meanders around the tower blocks. This 'Aquascape' embraces a half Olympic length swimming pool, 2 lap pools, a children's wading pool, hot water spa, sauna and more. This exceptionary long pool with state of the art water garden is a most unique feature, found in no other residential development in Malaysia.

The aqua foot reflexology path

The water slide structure. Not very impressive though.

The jacuzzi

Fancy staying in this prestige and serene environment? It will only cost you RM1 million for a 1600 sq. ft. unit.

My Bottomless Stomach

I have been eating since I woke up this morning. Everytime I walked out of the kitchen, I have something in my mouth. First, it was a huge bowl of Honey Bunches of Oat Cereals. Then it was half a bar of Cadbury white chocolate, and I finished off my mom's unfinished breakfast of cheese on wholemeal bread toast. By mid morning, I guzzled down a curry puff and a nice cup of coffee. And now, while I am preparing to bake a banana cake, I am working on a mega bowl of Bak Kut Teh noodles.

With the global financial meltdown, every housewife out there is carefully, strategizing how to cut down their grocery bills. But, on this end, I found myself stuffing like a piggy. WTH. I urgently need appetite suppressant, by a lorry truck, please!!!

White Coat Hypertension

Took mom back to Ipoh for her follow-up sessions with the orthopaedic specialist and the geriatrician. Glad and relieved that mom's blood pressure has returned to normal, meaning that I can now discard the mecidine prescribed by the geriatrician for reducing blood pressure.

On the subject of blood pressure, have you ever heard of the "white coat hypertension"? Well, we all know that hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Whereas 'white coat' refers to a doctor's white coat, and therefore signifies a clinical or medical environment.

In simple terms, white coat hypertension means that having a high reading only when your blood pressure is measured away from your normal home environment, usually in a clinic or a hospital.


The white coat effect is caused by anxiety you feel while in a clinical or medical envinronment and raised your blood pressure when your body stimulates your fright response. Many people may think that they are relaxed when, in fact, they are not. It can affect anyone, young or old, male or female and some people find that anxiety can raise their blood pressure by as much as 30mmHg on the systolic (top) number.

Sad to say, I happen to belong to this group of people. Essentially, my blood pressure readings taken at home are often lower than those taken at a doctor's clinic. I recall that on one particular occasion, it shot up to 140/95mmHg, and I was wrongly diagnosed as having high blood pressure and nearly receiving unnecessary treatment.

Now that I know I have this white coat effect on me, I keep telling myself to relax everytime my blood pressure reading is taken by a doctor. But, the more I reminded myself to relax, the more tense I eventually became. I sometimes wonder if the doctor happens to be a handsome, good looking and soft spoken guy, may be the reading would turn out to be otherwise...

Dato Khan?

In India, they called him King Khan.

In Malaysia, they now called him Dato' Khan.

Yeap. I am talking about Bollywood's heart throb Shahrukh Khan.

The many girls' and aunties' dream guy. Hot! Hot! Hot!

If you have followed the daily, you would have probably read this :

"Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan was conferred a Datukship by the Melaka Yang DiPertua Negeri"

I was flabbergasted!


Isn't Datukship be given to individuals for their contributions to a state or the country?


So, what on earth has Shahrukh Khan contributed to Melaka? Must be something that we do not know.


The Chief Minister's explanation is that Shahrukh Khan has helped in promoting tourism in Melaka by featuring Melaka in one of his songs, in a movie.


What? This is becoming a laughing stock to the Bolehland. Thousands of people sacrified for the country but was conveniently forgotten. And now, an Indian movie star who absolutely has no idea where Melaka is located on the map, is being conferred a datukship.

Not that I am against him. For all I know, he has nice feature, sexy, wonderfully good at shaking his butt, rolling down hill, jumping from a tree to another tree.

So you people out there, don't bother to work your butts off in order to be recognised and anugerah. You need only shake your butt like Shahrukh Khan does, the Datoship will be delivered to your doorstep. Easy-peasey.

My Maiden Attempt At J.H.C.

J.H.C. stands for Ju Hu Char, a popular nyonya dish. Hokkien Lang like to cook this dish when there is festival. It is basically stir fried turnip (sengkuang) with shredded dried cuttlefish.

There were abundance of turnip at Jusco and I bought a medium one. Took out my mini plastic grater, chose the garnishing blade, there I was, exhausted all my energy to shred the turnip finely. I added in shredded lean pork instead of belly pork. However, I forgotten to soak the chinese mushrooms in advance, therefore it was omitted. Finely shredded cuttlefish is a must as it gives the dish oomph!!!

Umm. So sedap! I could eat unlimited amount of this.

SIL From London

My sister-in-law Angie from London, made a last minute decision, boarded the plane back to M'sia for a short holiday. We haven't seen each other for years coz we have always been on a cross line! Everytime I went back to London to have my PR extended, she just happened to return to M'sia for a break. I was overwhelmed when she facebooked me that she will be in town.

Unfortunately, with mom's condition, I could not meet her at Starbucks over a Frappucino nor go out for some sushi/sashimi to satisfy her cravings for Japanese. I was delighted that she turned up at my place, all the way from Seremban, armed with lots of goodies and prezzies for me and the kids.

The "Passion Fruit" happens to be mine as well as my daughter's favourite line from the Body Shop. Thanks, Angie. Luv it!!

Amongst other goodies like the Korean Ginseng Tea, the honeycombed cookies, there were also slices of yummy cakes from Secret Recipe.

Thinking back, we used to sit around the facing-bricked fireplace during winter nights, decked in our usual thick woolies and track pants, sharing stories and exchanging gossip over morsel of Mr Kiplings' apple pies and cups of warm hot chocolate. Or during summer, we would be sitting outdoor, on the dewy lawn of my MIL's place in Slough, watching the kiddos playing and chasing each other, over Marks and Spencer's chocolate eclairs and a pot of English tea.

A decade on, we too, sat outdoors, under the shade, in the breeze, over shits and giggles about our unglamorous lives, our inner rebellious self staging ahead for a real battle, more stories unfolded, more secrets revealed.

I could see it - the hopes, the relief, the uncertainty, the desperation from unfulfilled expectations - it is all written in her gaze. I am glad she is very optimistic towards the future. I sincerely hope that things will work out well for her, in all aspects.

Friends Forever

Although it was a short and sweet meeting, her simple gesture of earnest gratitude more than warmed my heart. Thanks for everything, Angie. So, can I count on you to 'ransack' Jogoya together with me, next August?

Literary Troves

Since I am on a long break away from work and activities, I now have time to pore through books that I bought from the not-so-long-ago Times warehouse sales.

Well, it was in August that I encountered this wonderful book sales while sending my kiddos to electon lessons. Felt like I had stumbled on Treasure Island as I stepped into the sea of books. Spread out there were shelves after shelves, rows after rows, boxes after boxes of paperbacks, hardcovers, magazines and what-nots.

For once, I was lost! I didn't know where to begin. I strolled along the tables on which the books were laid, ran my fingers and rummaged through the literary troves and hunt for my own treasures.

Most of the paperback fiction published few years back were going between RM10-RM15. This was indeed a bargain, as these books are normally priced between RM30-RM70.

My daughter and I managed to loot from the scattered piles of written work some of these titles.

I do wonder, how on earth is the government going to cultivate a reading society when books are so damn expensive nowadays, and warehouse sales like this one come but once in a blue moon?

I am now devouring these books one-by-one. It is definitely better than reading the Malaysian newspaper......