Tuesday, July 6, 2010

habis diploma nanti...


minggu depan baru tamat praktikum. aummm~ ape motif buat bunyi? entah.
tarikh keramat 18 julai cepatlah muncul!

8 julai - eclipse twilight. semalam cuba booking, sudah fully booked di mid valley '-_-''
terima kasih GSC. esok aku bergegas, terpacak tegak di kaunter GSC seawal 10pg.

kawan-kawan sekalian, tumpang tanya.
Kalau sudah ambil IELTS, perlu lg ke ambil MUET utk ke IPTA?

sy mahu sambung degree di IPTA, dan oversea kalau blh. tp ye lah, MUET syaratnya.
tgk tarikh tutup pendaftaran hari tu, 16 Jun, terlambat few days je! huwaaa.
terpaksa tunggu tahun depan punya. HUWAAAAAA!!! ;(

tp itulah jgk, sy diploma IPTS. maka faham sajalah pandangan org lain. apa?
mmg lah SPM aku 5A je. sape tah memandai kate 8A. muahaha. mmg tak dpt matrix.
(tak de rezeki kot. kwn aku 1A ngan 2A pun dpt gi matrix) tp ada hikmahnya. ;)
nak pula aku gi UPU engineering? NO NO NO. sikit pun tak pernah minat engineering.
aku tolak tepi tawaran tu -which is ramai org kata aku bodoh & rugi.
ngoi! aku tak minat, nnt kaw tgklah aku tak enjoy langsung belajar.
dan aku ends up dgn MAJORITY org skrng, belajar & kerja benda yg tak minat.
aku tak mahu jd typical dr segi itu! ;P

sampai hati UIA tak mahu terima aku minta law? sobbb. mmg harapanlah aqilah.
UITM pun tak terima. waa. tapi tak pe lah, sbb wkt sem berapa tah. aku ada ambil law.
law of communication - ada la sipi2 akta and undang2 segala bagai. the thing is.
tedetik dlm hati aku "nasib baik tak ambil law. aku tak minat hafal" then aku pk balik.
nape aku nk jd lawyer? sbb aku suka bila kita pertahankan hak org lain dgn yakin!
tp itulah, proses pembelajaran die aku tak minat. so cam gane? '-__-''

jgn perasanlah diri. zaman kaw SPM, UIA terima budak 8A, 9A je utk law.
UITM, ada jgk 5A dia terima. entah kenapa aku tak dapat? hurm. wondering~
maka tolak ke tepi. ambil saja pilihan yg lain, yg at least ada sedikit minat.
maka dipupuk minat itu mekar. cintaku pd broadcasting ;)

CGPA lebih 3.0 so far. boleh la kan? 3.33 kot. tak ingat. tp...
tak masuk lg 1 paper - bulan 8 nnt baru ambil, sbb wkt exam, pergi umrah.
and tak masuk lg GPA utk FYP and marks internship lg. harap2 tambah.
kalaulahhh 3.5 above lg gempak... wuuu~

itulah. pointer makin lame makin turun. ngeee. bnyk lemak kaw ni aqilah!
mmglah kami bnyk practical, jln sana jln sini. tp teori ttp ada dlm exam. adatlah.
kamu tak tahu bertapa malasnyaaa sy membaca. gile last minute. pernah terfikir.
sylah student perempuan plg sgt tak suka membaca. tak serupa perempuan!
dan sebenarnya kan. rinduuu sgt maths. sob sob. maths maths maths!

okay lah. ramai org sudah mula bertanya. apa aku mahu buat tamat diploma ni?
jawapan aku utk kwn2 rapat - aku nak mengangkan dulu dkt rumah sampai bulan 12 ;P
sbb? sbb daripada sem5 sampai sem7 (intern) sekarang ni, kami tak ada cuti okay!
org lain cuti, kami buat mcm2 project. tambah tolak, lebih setahun kami tak cuti!
maksud aku, mmg tak ada cuti sem apa semua tuh. straight intern plak tu. fuhh~

apa aku nak buat sementara bulan 12? banyak woo plan aku!
survey tempat2 aku boleh further study, ambil MUET, IELTS. then,
hari2 aku masak menu baru -bnda plg menggembirakan mama & abah.
apa lg, kembangkan balik jualan tudung aku. kemudiannya.
aku mahu ke macam2 kelas, kursus or seminar. mahu belajar mcm2 bnda baru.
belajar drive merc, xtrail mama & abah - bnda no2 menggembirakan mama & abah
dan aku hajat nak gi bercuti. ye enjoy! wahhhh.

oklah. aku nak mandi. tgh tnggu nabil actually. huhu.
aku dah masak macaroni goreng + moist choc cake. nak suruh dia makan! ;)
aku cuti ini hari! esok jg, jumpa finaz baru blk dr russia + naiya. tata!



Retro Reverse

You may remember I mentioned that we drove to Tampa a couple weeks ago to celebrate the brithday of one of my oldest (literally, haha, Richard!) and dearest friends.  We really have been friends for years.

As wedding plans were in progress for Henry and me (a hundred years ago), Henry made a last hurrah trip to Alaska and I made one to the beach in Sarasota.  Dick met me there and we hung out for a few rainy days, stuck in the hotel room while I addressed wedding invitations.

We once had too much to drink and weaved our way through the Kapok Tree restaurant in Clearwater singing Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" at the top of our lungs.  And we swore years ago we would go to the old folks' home together.  Of course, if we ever do, we will take the place by storm - cooking storm, that is.  He and I are both passionate about it.


He swears I taught him how to make risotto.  I think he's so old, he forgets.  He probably taught me.  For his birthday last week, I gave him a copy of Thomas Keller's AD HOC AT HOME.  I challenged him to cook his way through it and he probably thought I was kidding.  Guess what, my friend?  I meant it!  Get cooking, boy!  Throwdown!

I've got a head start.  I've already made Ad Hoc Brownies and now I have made Ad Hoc Pineapple Upside Cake.  Bring it on, Simpson!


Let's talk about pineapple upside down cake.  I love this dessert.  Next to bread pudding, it's probably the dessert I love the most (no fancy stuff for me, sorry).  My grandmother (who lived in the house I recently posted pictures of) made a good version and that's where I learned to love it.  Yeah, it's pretty retro.  Remember it with the perfectly arranged concentric canned pineapple rings with maraschino cherry halves in the centers?  Oh, so fifties!

Thomas Keller has now updated it with the use of a silicon baking pan (genius!) and a brown sugar pan "schmear."  His "schmear" method eliminates the graininess of the original brown sugar topping.  And of course he has eliminated the maraschino cherries.  Good call, Thomas!

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE CAKE  (from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller)

Pan Schmear:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon dark rum
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract
Kosher salt

1 Gold (extra-sweet) pineapple

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, honey, rum, brown sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth and well-blended.  Spread 1/3 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch round silicone cake pan.  Sprinkle lightly with salt.  (The remaining schmear can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using).

Cut the top and bottom from the pineapple and cut away the peel.  Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters and cut off the core from each section.  Cut each piece crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices.  Beginning at the perimeter of the pan, make an overlapping ring of pineapple slices with the curved side facing out.  Make a second ring inside the first one, overlapping the slices in the opposite direction, working toward the center of the pan.  Reserve any extra pineapple for another use.

Cake:
1 2/3 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 large eggs (I used extra-large because that's what I had on hand)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon milk

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.  Sift flour and baking powder together; set aside.  Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until light and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.  Mix in the vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the second and scraping down the sides as necessary.  Beat in the milk.  Add the flour mixture in three parts, beating until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and spread over the pineapple.  Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the pan and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool the cake on a cooling rack for 20 to 30 minutes.

Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter and serve warm.  Leftover cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Serves 8



As usual, I have a couple of things to say.

First of all, if you can't find vanilla paste in your local store, Amazon sells it. 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dgrocery&field-keywords=vanilla+bean+paste

Second, it is well worth it to buy yourself a silicon baking pan if you don't already own one.  It makes getting the sucker out of the pan MUCH easier without leaving half of the topping in the bottom.  I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $10. 
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=14758240

I've got mixed reviews on this recipe.  As I said earlier, I like the "schmear" idea.  But I didn't think there was enough of it, so I would probably use the entire amount next time.  Then again, if you don't want your cake to be very sweet, you might disagree with me.  Personal preference.

This recipe produces a cake with a very fine crumb.  I might like that for another cake, but I sort of like a more "homespun" version for a comfort food recipe like this.  I also thought it was too dry.  Next time I make it, I would cut down slightly on the baking time.  I would also consider serving it with a little freshly whipped cream.

Do you remember "Fried Green Tomatoes?"  I was lucky enough to be on the food styling team for that movie.  The sushi Kathy Bates ate was brought to the set personally by me!  See the plate in this picture?  I have 15 of them.  They were some of the props we used for the Whistle Stop Cafe.  Cool, huh?



Speaking of plates?  Step up to it, Simpson!

Wonder Rocket: cute clothes and more!

Hello there, are you having a good week? Here in Spain is so hot these days, but tonight I'm on my living room with my window open, and it's really nice!

I would like to thank you all about the support of my last post about the Mori Girls fashion, I'm really glad you all like it! And because of this, I want to share with you one of my latest discovering related with the Mori Girls: Wonder Rocket, a lovely Mori Girls fashion brand!


These lovely brand contains some of the most cute clothes I've ever see. I love their tights, and the skirts, so cute! Moreover, their pictures are so inspiring... I want to look like one of those girls!






The fabrics are so beautiful, and looks so comfortable!

I guess that they're not selling internationally, but maybe via intermediary we could buy some of these gorgeous things... I'll try to investigate a little bit more!

Boiled Eggs with Chili Sauce (Telur Balado)

Boiled Eggs with Chili Sauce (Telur Balado)

6 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
6 red chile peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic
4 medium shallots
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 cup oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Deep fry the eggs in the hot oil until they are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside.

Combine the chile peppers, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and shrimp paste in a food processor; blend into a paste. Add in peanut oil. Process again until smooth.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour the chile pepper mixture into the skillet. Stir the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper into the mixture.

Add the fried eggs to the mixture, turning to coat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Boiled Eggs with Chili Sauce (Telur Balado)

Boiled Eggs with Chili Sauce (Telur Balado)

6 hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
6 red chile peppers, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic
4 medium shallots
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon white sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 cup oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Deep fry the eggs in the hot oil until they are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes; set aside.

Combine the chile peppers, garlic, shallots, tomatoes, and shrimp paste in a food processor; blend into a paste. Add in peanut oil. Process again until smooth.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour the chile pepper mixture into the skillet. Stir the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper into the mixture.

Add the fried eggs to the mixture, turning to coat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

a hope

Tuhan memang selalu memberi yang terbaik untuk kita, bukan apa yg kita inginkan, tapi apa yg kita butuhkan..
"Tapi Tuhan, maukah Engkau mendengar doaku jika aku melakukan sesuatu untuk orang yang sangat aku sayangi? Aku melakukan ini semua bukan untuk diriku, tapi untuk orang yang aku sayangi.. Aku pasrah kepadamu jalan hidupku Tuhan, jika Kau ingin memberiku hukuman, aku rela menjalaninya.. Tapi janganlah hukuman itu membuatnya juga tersakiti. Aku sudah terlalu cukup menyakitinya... Kumohon, dengarlah doaku..."