You've Got Mail - Quote

The odd thing about this form of communication is you're more likely to talk about nothing than something. But I just want to say that all this nothing has meant more to me than so many something, so thank you.

I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Synopsis 

I've lost it. :( The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!! :)

A couple of glasses of bubbly with the girls at a charity do and Poppy's life has gone into meltdown. Not only has she lost her engagement ring, but in the panic that followed, she's lost her phone too. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number with the hotel staff. It was meant to be!

Except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn't agree. He wants his phone back, and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, phone messages and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents, can things get any more tangled?

 

Review 

 

 When I first read this book, I knew how this book would end. Well, a girl going to get marry, lost her ring, found a phone and met a guy. The outlined of this book is so obvious that this girl will fall in love with this new guy that he has just met and felt like that his fiance is not the ONE.

What I didn't count in is that the her journey in this book of how she found out that her fiance is a commitment-phobic and and just using her to prove a point (though at the initial stage I suspected that one of her friend is the thief).

Overall, it is a definitely a fun experience and I could not stop laughing all the way reading this book.

Kinsella did it again!.

Life Mask - Emma Donoghue

Synopsis :
Set in London during the late eighteenth century and with the French Revolution as its bloody and passionate backdrop, Life Mask tells the tale of three women caught in a kind of love triangle.
Donoghue’s fourth novel is formed around a fictional recreation of the relationships between a group of real-life historical figures. Eliza Farren is a Drury Lane actress whose virtue is her most prized possession. Her long-running relationship with the twelfth Earl of Derby has never progressed beyond conversation and the occasional hand-touching as it is always played out under the watchful eye of her mother. Derby is a married man, although estranged from his wife, and this chaperoning is a situation devised (as much by Eliza as by her mother) to keep Eliza’s reputation intact. Anne Damer is a successful sculptor who meets and befriends Eliza. She is unable, or unwilling, to acknowledge that she has lesbian feelings towards Eliza, despite the obvious warning signals, and here the story takes off.


My Thoughts :
It is bit boring at the initial stage of this book. Not much of excitement until at the later part whereby the rumors of Mrs Damer's situation has caused the friendship or perhaps relationship between her and the rising actress of Miss Eliza Farren to drifted apart. I was not familiar with the word "sapphist" until I googled it up.
Pretty intriguing plot towards the end.

Just another reason for food....

One thing my colleagues and I have in common is food. How we love food and love to spend for it. One of the day, when we feel like cooking something, we would just dished up anything and share it with the rest. Last week,it feels like pasta day hence the Meatball Pasta and Prawn Olio. One of my colleague made a superb Red Velvet cake with Cream Cheese frosting. Coincidentally, it is one of our colleague birthday so it is another reason to have these food.

O

Lunch

Last week, my colleagues and I plan to have lunch at Publika. We drove out around 12.50pm and we actually reached Publika at approximately 1pm even though I was driving my precious old Kancil.
Round and round we went looking for parking and we ended up spending about 15 min just to look parking but to no avail. I got tired of driving around in the parking lot and we are seems to be competing with other people for a parking space and finally I gave up. Told my colleagues, that this is a waste of times and but we still need to eat. Next choice, we went to ChillaCup and luckily they managed to prepare the food within 10 mins.

Seafood pasta

Fruit waffle with vanilla ice cream

More Than Words

Coffee of the day

I was kinda late this morning, thanks to Euro 2012. Don't have time to sit for good breakfast and I really need to pump in some petrol. Warning lights are blinking ferociously since yesterday evening. And lucky for me there is a drive through Mcdonalds at MRR2 Shell Station.

Nasi Kerabu House

This is a long overdue post. There is a new place called Nasi Kerabu House open at Sri Gombak area. I have been meaning to try it but could not find the perfect time. One day, he just popped up at my office and off we go to try this place.
If I'm not mistaken the yellow rice is called Nasi Kerabu Tumis and the blue rice is the normal nasi kerabu.

Prawn Olio For Dinner

Had this urge to eat Prawn Olio for weeks. Lucky for me, I still have balance of this colorful pasta. Looks like Linguini but with colors. Sauteed lots of garlic in a warm olive oil. The smells of the garlic really making me hungry. Throw in handful of washed and peeled prawns (I'm lazy to spend time peeling it while eating hence the shortcut version). Add in some mixed italian herbs that my sister bought for me from Perth and lastly I tossed in yellow and red capsicum together with loads of black olives. Not forgetting a pinch of salt to taste and a bit of blackpepper.
Wallahh!!!!....

Picturesque Post #8

Thai Coconut Soup

With the image of delicious crab dish stuck in my head, off I went to the wet market with the kids after we have our breakfast at MacDonald.
Round and round I went in the wet market but I couldn't find a single crab left. The fish monger said there were plenty early in the morning but none was left towards mid-morning. Oh dear..oh dear...I guess till next time then. So I settled for thai food instead and to be precised Thai Coconut Soup. It tasted more like tomyum actually. I found this recipe from Yummylicious-jun.blogspot


Here it goes :

10ea prawns - de-vein
5ea squids - cut into ring shape
1 tb - red curry paste
2ea - lemongrass - pounded a bit
1 inch galangal - sliced thinly
1 tomato
4 kaffir lime leaves
4 bird eye chillies - more if you want it spicier
1 onion - cut into cube
1/2 lime juice - more if you like it sour
1 cup of coconut milk
2 cups of water
fish sauce, salt and sugar to taste

Method :
Sauteed the onion. lemongrass and red curry paste.
Add in coconut milk, water and galangal.
Keep on stirring to avoid it went all lumpy.
When it at boiling point, add in bird eye chili, kaffir lime leave, prawn and squid.
Do not overcook the prawn and squid.
About 5 - 6 mins, add in the tomato.
Add lime juice, fish sauce, salt and sugar to taste.

And with that I fried some fish and stir fry some mixed vegetable to accompany this yummy soup.

Salted Egg Fried Squid

I remember last time when we had dinner with couple of friends in Bangi, we went to these restaurant called Red Wok. Quite famous with the Chinese Muslim dishes. And one of the dishes that makes me want to frequent my trip there is their famous Salted Egg Fried Squid. I browsed the internet and came across this recipe from Resepiuntuksayang blogspot. It looks simple though I need to steam the salted egg yolks but since I bought this new steamer from Tupperware, I have been thinking ways to make use of it. The steamer is quite small hence my options are limited. Even for fish, I can only steam fish cutlet instead the whole fish.

Red Steamer from Tupperware

These are the ingredients but I didn't follow exactly from the blogger.

Ingredients :

5 healthy large squid - clean, wash and cut into rings or whatever size you desire
2 stalk of curry leaves - just take the leaves
5 bird eye chillies - cut into small pieces
4 garlics - diced it
2 tbs evaporated milk
2 salted egg yolks - steamed for 5 min then mashed it
butter
eggs - beaten
Premix Fried Chicken flour - or any flavored flour for frying
salt
white pepper


Step 1 :
Blanch the squid
Dip the squid in the eggs then coat it with the Premix fried chicken flour. Then deep fry it
Put aside once all the squids have been deep fried

Step 2 :
Melt the butter in a wok
Sautee the garlic, bird eye chillies and curry leaves
Combine the steamed salted egg yolks
Add in some white pepper and salt to taste
Add in the evaporated milk until it bubbles up then combine the deep fried squid.
Make sure the sauce covers all the squid.

Wallaaaahhhh ready to eat.

That's the last portion I managed to save so that I could snap the picture. I'm really bad at taking picture. Whatever it is the family loves it.

The Lockless Door - Robert Frost

It went many years,
But at last came a knock,
And I thought of the door
With no lock to lock.

I blew out the light,
I tip-toed the floor,
And raised both hands
In prayer to the door.

But the knock came again
My window was wide;
I climbed on the sill
And descended outside.

Back over the sill
I bade a "Come in"
To whoever the knock
At the door may have been.

So at a knock
I emptied my cage
To hide in the world
And alter with age.

Breakfast Anyone?

Feeling hungry anyone?

Picteresque Post #7

Teatime ?

This is actually an old picture I took somewhere in November. I haven't got the time to post it (same old excuse). The kids were having their classes at Solaris Mt Kiara and since it took about 2 hours the most for the kids to finish their classes we normally decided just to have coffee while waiting for them.
The usual spots would normally be either Coffee Bean, Chillacup, Dr Cafe Coffee or Bistari.
That day would be Chillacup cause I have this thing about their Caramel Machiatto. It is simply divine.

The divine Caramel Machiatto

Beef pepperoni Pizza

KLCC..

I think the last time I went to KLCC was like 3 months ago. I was quite surprise to see the new tenants that they have. Loads of new shops available and there are even new lane appearing in the mall or was it there but I didn't realize about it.

There were like a sea of people in KLCC and I feel suffocated with the crowds I'm in....especially with the smell...yucks!!!!

We had our lunch at Chillies, we were supposed to wait for about 20 mins but since the other people who are waiting do not have complete group, they gave us a table first...yeay!!!!.

Before we went back home, I got myself 1kg of macadamia popcorn and 1kg of caramel popcorn at Garrett's. And I have been munching it every evening while watching TV until my gums hurt and my jaw felt tired of all the chewing. Damn!!!! the macadamia caramel popcorn really are yummilicious......

Pancake Again....

People says practice makes perfect. Does it really apply to me? Well, I don't exactly practicing making pancake everyday. Just and when I have the desire to make it for the kids and with all the limited time I have, I tried my best to make it edible...hehehehehheheh...

Morning Ramblings

One thing I like about staying in an apartment is that I got to have a top view of my surrounding. At dawn, the air is serenely cold even though that my apartment is at the heart of the city, amidst all pollutions that human beings themselves created and contributed in the name of life's preservation and survival . What an irony!!!.

Life could have never been better.....at that moment. But once the sun is awake and generously open up its love to all, I can feel the heat seeping through like a love of mother nature loving its surrounding without any boundaries. 

With a mug of coffee and a book, I tried to immerse myself in the plot that has been laid out in front of me but I could not concentrate as I have so many thoughts going through my mind.

Things that are unnecessary, things that are essential, things that should have been left behind and things that involved the future.

Hence I grabbed my lappy and started rambling my thoughts.

What a life and I love my morning view....

Picturesque Post #6

Someone Like You - Adele

I heard that you're settled down

That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.
Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light.

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,"

Yeah.

You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days

I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."

Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
"Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."