Side-Tracked

It was a busy weekend and I am so relief its over. Hubby had a friendly non-professional football/soccer match yesterday and I decided to bring along Little Eagle to cheer him. However, since field used for the match was next to a playground and open food court (at Pancur Hitam, Labuan beach)... you can guess what me and son were doing instead*giggle*. By the way, thanks to some advices/infos from a blogger friend, Willie... I decided to play around with my digicam. Let's just say I'm in the mood for it ^^.

By the way, we did went to cheer for Hubby about 10 mins before the game finished *smile*.

Little Eagle cheered for his daddy and at the same time commenting about the tree, the people, why there's no monkey on the tree.. etc...

Enjoy your Monday!!

Giler Tag daripada KadusMama

Di "cop" oleh si KadusMama. Ini adalah post pertama saya dalam bahasa melayu. sila ambil perhatian bahawa slang negeri turut digunakan dalam penulisan di bawah (ayat skema sungguh).

Tag Yang Pertama

1. Bekas kekasih saya adalah : seorang yang baik tapi tiada jodoh.. hihi...

2. Saya sedang mendengar : Wish You My Love.. lagu korea lah. apalagi!

3. Mungkin saya patut: belajar bahasa mandarin

4. Saya suka : banyak benda... ^^

5. Sahabat-sahabat baik saya : baik-baik belaka (macam tiru dari si KadusMama saja nih ^^)

6. Saya tak paham : kenapa orang boleh tipu di siang hari. Ingat saya bodoh sangat ka?

7. Saya kehilangan : kawan yang sangat baik

8. Ramai yang berkata : masakan saya sedap... (ini namanya "masuk bakul angkat sendiri")

9. Makna nama saya : rasanya pernah diberitahu tapi dah lupa

10. Cinta itu adalah : cinta saja....

11. Di suatu tempat, seseorang sedang : berfikir.. berfikir... dan terus berfikir.... (mau makan apa kan lepas ani?)

12. Saya akan cuba : jadi lebih baik dari hari ini (ahh.. malasnya ^^)

13. Ayat SELAMANYA membawa maksud : selagi saya boleh ingat ... hehe (ini untuk orang pelupa seperti saya)

14. Telefon bimbit saya : berwarna pink dan jenama sony ericsson

15. Bila saya terjaga dari tidur : saya cari telefon bimbit untuk tengok jam berapa

16. Saya paling meluat apabila : mmm... sudah lama saya tidak rasa meluat. dah lupa.

17. Pesta/Parti adalah : sesuatu yang menyeronokkan kalau saya bukan penganjur, dan disertai dengan makanan yang sedap2.

18. Haiwan yang paling comel yang saya pernah temui ialah : anak arnab

19. Peringkat umur yang paling menyeronokkan bagi saya ialah : tak dapat pilih

20. Hari ini : hari yang baik....

21. Malam ini saya akan : tidur

22. Esok pula saya akan : pergi menyanyi dan menari dan mengemas (banyak benda lar..)

23. Saya betul-betul inginkan : anak perempuan (doakan ya... ^^)

24. Ketika anda lihat wajah anda di hadapan cermin pagi ini : belum lihat cermin dari pagi tadi (percaya atau tidak?)

25. Pusat membeli-belah atau arked permainan : tentu sekali pusat membeli belah

26. Makanan Barat atau Jepun : dua-dua pun ok

27. Bilik yang terang atau gelap: bergantung kepada aktiviti

28. Makanan segera adalah : makanan yang boleh dimakan sekali-sekala

29. Ayat terakhir yang anda katakan pada seseorang? Ok boss (merujuk kepada suami saya)

Tag yang kedua

1. Apakah perasaan anda sekarang? tenang dan gembira

2. Saya nak makan? pencuci mulut yang sedap (Joy.. saya rindu dengan Triffle semalam)

3. Saya tak suka? hmmm... makanan yang tidak sedap dan wayang yang melalut

4. Impian saya? pergi melancong ke ... huhuhu...

5. Haiwan yang saya tak suka? yang berbadan panjang seperti tiub. sila bayangkan sendiri

6. Saya harapkan? saya dapat mengendali lebih banyak perkara tanpa stress!!

7. Jika boleh putarkan masa? saya mau menikmati kehidupan yang dulu-dulu sekali lagi. BEST and no regret!! (ai... tercakap english pula)

9. Handphone saya adalah sebuah? pembantu peribadi saya.. hehehe

10. Saya pernah bercinta sebanyak? hmm..cinta monyet pun kira sekali ke?

11. Kawan-kawan saya? pun baik-baik belaka (walaupun kadang-kadang membengongkan)

12. Pernah dikhianati? sudah tentu

13. Apa yang hendak anda lakukan terhadap orang yang mengkhianati anda? apa best ah?

14. Siapa yang anda nak Tag? si Herda, si Mareq, si Adora, si Sastrie dan tentu sekali mangsa kegemaran saya dalam kategori tag-tag.. si Eija

Semoga bergembira menyiapkan tag ini. hehee... Selamat bergembira di hujung minggu.

Bargain Skill? NOT

How good is your bargaining skill?

Few days ago, I persuaded my sister (whose around for holiday) to go shopping for some shawls with me. I needed fourteen (14) of them and NO, I did not need them for myself. A junior needs those shawls for a dancing presentation so I offered them to buy it since they do not have time to hunt for it downtown.

In front of the shop

Me: Ei... you know how to bargain ka?
Sister: No... I would be happy even if the 'tauke' (shop owner) willing to give me 30 cent discount.
Me: maa~~ me too la. Aiseh... what ever la.

1st Scene of self-humiliation
Enter the shop... chose some shawls with price tag RM4.90 each. Then me and my sister tried to try our bargaining skill... konon.
Me: Mmm.. can we get discount for these?
Shop-girl: How much?
Me: Mm... RM4.50?
Shop-girl: ah?? I give you RM4 lar...

2nd Scene of self-humiliation
Looking at some fabrics with price-tag RM9.90 per meter
Me (semi-whispering to my sister): uuih... do you think I can reduce the price to RM9?
Indian shop-owner suddenly talking at my back: I'll give you RM8 per meter.
*aigo... I should have not tried making a fool of myself attempting something that's really NOT ME. hehehhe....

Now, the so-called rules to bargain (as I read from CLEO) is you should reduce the price as low as you can. But in my case, its the shop owner/ assistant were the one who reduced the price for me. My mom laugh to our story and said that we're terrible. What ever....*smile*

Tenom Coffee

Tenom, my mom's hometown which is for me, one of the greatest place to be. I can remember vividly the smell of the air, which in the morning filled with the aroma of local coffee. My childhood memories filled with the aroma of these beans. Processing our own beans after harvesting it from the trees around my grandparent's house was somehow my usual routine when I was small. Oh yes... that's include grinding it manually. Now the trees were gone and those left only the ones that still grow at the orchard (which was far from grandpa's house). My young cousins do miss a lot nowadays ^^ since now, we mostly get our product from the stores.

During our last visit to Tenom, hubby insisted on getting some fresh coffee powder from the weekend open market (known as Tamu). Unfortunately we had to go back to Sipitang (to my in-laws) ASAP, so I asked my sister to buy it for me. Sadly, I missed the havoc during the Tamu... We had our 200gm of freshly-coarsely-grind coffee for just RM6 (about US$1.70).. yes it's terribly cheap. If only you can smell the aroma^^.

Tenom's folk love their coffee so much that they'll have coffee even for lunch when its hot (though I am not a "heavy drinker", am more a tea person^^). At any events that take place at mom's home-village, Kg. Baru Jumpa, things would be so wrong without serving this beverage especially to the old folks.

Now... anyone care to join me for a cup of black coffee?

Making Kimchi

They say, if you did not made it the first time, keep on trying. hehehe....

Finally I actually succeed in making/ fermenting .. korean favourite dish.. KIMCHI.

I tried making it once, but I failed. I am quite lucky with the kitchen goddess and usually ended up with good food even at first attempt but I guess the kitchen's goddess is somehow making some sort of 'boycotting' *giggle*. Clueless on the reason "WHY I failed", I stop making attempt re-doing this dish. Plus, hubby kept saying korean food was tasteless which lead me to think, "does not worth the effort to try making it again". Well until after the latest meet with my sunbae (korean word for senior), Rin-chan, at Grace Point, Sembulan *wink*- the salad and the dumplings were nice (forgot the name though...help me here Rin-chan).

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ah.. thanks Rin-chan, the dumpling was "Kimchi Mandu"
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Hubby managed to persuade me trying making it again. And so I did. Guess what, the red-sauce for fermenting the kimchi tasted just like the "salad-dressing" at Grace Point, Sembulan. You can find lots of Kimchi making recipe, but I found mine here. Of course I adjusted the amount since I was just making a small batch.

After three days inside my fridge...

Even though it stated in most recipe to just put it aside on the counter for three days or so to allow fermentation process (before putting it inside the fridge), the super hot weather in Labuan would spoil it for good. So after mixed the red-sauce & cabbage together and leave it on the counter for 2 hours, I put them straight into my fridge.

Now, as to the answer WHY I FAILED the first time. I guess it must be the salt I used. You should NOT use iodised salt to make them (I used them on my first attempt since I did not find any sea salt and thought... salt is salt.. which is not). Do use SEA SALT. I'm terrible with my chemistry so do not ask me why. Just follow the rules stated ^^.

Tonight, we had kimchi fried rice for dinner along with baby kailan & raw tomato salad as side dishes. It's meat-free-night ^^

The Old Ciku Tree

During the short visit to my grandparent's house (mom's side) last weekend, I noticed that it's almost fruit season in Tenom. Even the durian tree bears fruit. However, still need to wait for months to enjoy the sweet fruits.

As for the ciku tree that grows next to my grandparent's house, it's been there for a very long time. Mom recalled that the tree had been around since 40 years or more. That means its older than me. But even in its old age, the tree still gives lots of fruit. I don't know how long will the tree last, but I hope it'll still be around in years to come. If only the fruits were ripe during our visit, then Little Eagle can enjoy the natural sweetness from mother earth.

There goes the ciku. I however are not a die hard fan of this ciku fruit from this tree because it's SOOOO... sweet. Seriously sweet, I'm not kidding. hehehe... the rest of the family however love it.

Lundayeh's Wedding Feast

Attending a Lundayeh's feast at a Lundayeh's village will not be completed if you do not spend some time under the "sedayan" (english translation= tent) which traditionally made from bamboo, some planks of woods and big canvas. However, these days you can also see some used modern 'pasang-siap' tent which you rent from a tent renting companies and even a mix of both (modern & traditional).

The food normally laid out on the table (I wonder why the house-flies normally are not around during feast like this). It's a mix of everything and you can eat all you can. They'll even re-fill the side dishes for you if you ask for it.

To the Muslims guest attending a non-muslim's wedding, please notice that there's a special tent with food specially made just for you (of course prepared by Muslims as well). The specially assigned area normally placed at the front, near/next to the bride & groom's "bersanding" seat. It's important so you won't be shocked with the "normal-feast food" on the other's tables ^^ which usually consist of pork, pork and more pork ^^ (boiled, cooked in dark soya sauce, sweet & sour etc).

Lundayeh's wedding feast rarely served liquor. I actually have NOT been to/heared any of Lundayeh's wedding serving them. Atleast not during the day time. So those whose planning to "hit the spin around channel", you might saved it later okies!! ^^

The above photos were the only photos taken by me during the lunch time.


The rest were taken by a new photographer I assigned^^.

"Luba Tinga" translated as "Wrapped Rice" (the hard version) and a bowl of clear soup. The rice grains used for the wrapped rice was a good one with nice fragance. I forgot the name of its type...aigo~~
more info: some Lundayeh or Lunbawang (especially from Sarawak) might call Luba Tinga as Nuba Tinga. It's the same thing though.
Wrap Rice~ it's not that I can't cook it, but I can not mastered the wrapping skill instead since you have to do it while it's piping HOT! and the elders mentioned that the way your wrap a rice will affect its taste. In other words, bad wrapping skills will end up with bad taste.

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happenings during eating time. Those are my uncles... yup! even the old one ^^

Now, introducing the photographer of the day

a self-portrait of
Little Eagle aka my son

I'll be uploading the rest of the photos taken by son at my FB


~~ENJOY~~
more to come!!

Attending a Lundayeh's wedding

It's not an excuse I know^^. I was busy doing nothing that I ended up posting nothing in my blog as well. hahaha....

Anyway, was away to the mainland to enjoy a short 5 days holiday. Most of the time spent on the road, searching for places, ended up LOST... will talk about that next time ^^.

6th June, we attended a wedding at our hometown, Kampung Baru Jumpa-Tenom, Sabah. Both; bride and groom are a family members of me. Shocked? The bride is my mom's 3rd cousin (an aunt I just call by name since she's way younger than me) while the groom is my 3rd/4th (cant remember) cousin from my dad's side (with his mother).

It was a good day with tremendously great weather but I only ended with THIS SINGLE PHOTO of the couple due to (are you ready for my reasoning?)... I felt so 'left-out' compared to the others cameramen/women with their 'canggih' camera (I can still hear their camera's shutters went zip-zap zip-zap..)... aigoo~~ and I was so hungry (though I had a heavy breakfast) that I suffered from SHAKING HANDS and the photos I took ended up blurred........ *sigh*

However, I wanted to share a cute/funny moment during the wedding. After the couple made their entrance, this boy (what to call them? If girls we called them "flower-girl", if boy...hmm... I wondered)

started to sit on the steps,


take off his shoe AND his socks...


started scratching both feet....


yawned...


and after a while.

Then "something" came up to add the lengthen of the ceremony which ended with both boys carried off from the front because they were in a deep "wonderland". Even Little Eagle slept too...

Little Eagle in dreamland on his daddy's shoulder.

To the couple, Billy & Emilda
May God bless the future of your new family!!!

**Of course after the wedding ceremony at the church, we went straight to the bride's house to feast on some foods. Will post about it later. Will going to introduce a new photographer as well. hehhehe....stay tune!!!

Something sweet & salty

I easily lost my appetite during the hot days. However, something salty and sweet and a little bit sourly could do the trick to overcome that. Among my favourite is Sweet and Salty seafood. It's so simple and yet delicious. As today, I'm using some fish. You can actually make other varieties of other seafood e.g. prawn and squid.

Just deep fried the fish/ squid/ prawn for a while. I like my fish barely cooked, with the flesh still soft. Prawn and squid may take shorter time. Then it's time to make the sauce.

Sauce - You'll need:

garlic
chopped tomatoes
some plain water
tamarind paste(asam jawa)
oyster sauce
sugar
salt

Saute the garlic in the pan and add everything else in. Add oyster sauce, sugar & salt to taste. Add in the previously fried fish/ squid/ prawn. Stir and leave for a while till the sauce thickening. Voila!!! you're done.