play the game

assalamualaikum :)

hey i just finished watching a movie recently, and i accidentally watch it, at first. i was sitting alone on the brown sofa, in front of the tv. keep pushing the remote's button, and walking around from the main hall to the kitchen, searching for some foods, (cehhh) since i didn't found anything interesting to watch. and the last channel was Hallmark, and a few minutes later, it seems like my body was glued to the sofa and my eyes were attached to the screen. BOLEH plak?



the movie was launched somewhere around 2008, correct me if i'm wrong. well it sorts of the guy was a real player, but he is nice & kind hearted. he met a girl, and he played the game, and suddenly he found out that --- SHE'S THE ONE! and the girl seems to be so cool, act like there's nothing happened. they were a good friend, and finally, when he confessed that he truly loves her, she left him with a reason --- YOU ARE NOT MY TYPE, because she was looking for a sincere guy, who would tell her that he loves her from the beginning.

that guy turns to be totally messed up, and yar, later on, life goes on. act like nothing happened, move on. he turns to be a better grown up guy. and they met again, at a laundry shop and... he said, (well yar a part of it lah!) ---

"when i met you, i was lost, and when i found you, i found me"

WAAAAAAAAAAAA. i wrote that down okay! hahahahahaha. lame, i know.

and at the end of the movie, well actually, the girl planned everything, and she's the one who attracted to that guy at the very first place. and she tried to change him to be a grown up guy, and so, she just play the game. :) and both are finally better & live happily ever after. ohh me goddd, well it knocks me off my feet. (sebak)

i tried to google all thos quotes from the movie, but it seems like i didn't find any. so here's a few that i managed to wrote down as a notes in my phone. LOL.

"are you a player or you were just playing?"

"if she's not interested in a man you used to be, she might be interested in then man you are"

"if you wanna win the game of love, you should stop playing games with the woman"

"i'm interested in you... more than a friend"

haih. *smiling* it obviously is not the type of movie i love to watch but i'm a normal person too. in fact i'm a girl! i can't always run. sometimes i have to look back and try to smile. and hoping and praying that nothing bitter from the past will happen again. and that sweet part, keep me going. :)

i do believe, somewhere somehow, someone who were made for you, is thinking of you, too.

right time, right place, there u'll be. --- "she / he is the one"

Sweet and sour shrimps (Udang Asam Manis)

1/2 lb of medium sized shrimps
5 pieces of garlic
3 oz. flour
1 pcs of egg
2 spoons of tomato sauce
1 lime
1/2 spoon of sugar
salt and pepper

Clean shrimps, remove the heads but keep the tails.
Clean garlic, and slice thinly. Sprinkle over the shrimps.
Make a mix of the flour, egg, with enough water, salt, and pepper.

Heat oil on a pan.
One by one, put the shrimps into the pan by first dipping it in the mix above. Fry until golden.

Put on a plate, serve with sweet and sour sauce (just mix tomato sauce, lime and sugar.)

Sweet and sour shrimps (Udang Asam Manis)

1/2 lb of medium sized shrimps
5 pieces of garlic
3 oz. flour
1 pcs of egg
2 spoons of tomato sauce
1 lime
1/2 spoon of sugar
salt and pepper

Clean shrimps, remove the heads but keep the tails.
Clean garlic, and slice thinly. Sprinkle over the shrimps.
Make a mix of the flour, egg, with enough water, salt, and pepper.

Heat oil on a pan.
One by one, put the shrimps into the pan by first dipping it in the mix above. Fry until golden.

Put on a plate, serve with sweet and sour sauce (just mix tomato sauce, lime and sugar.)

Favourite Things

For someone who spent the first six years of her life with basically zero dairy consumption, I sure love cheese. It's pretty funny that the first time I tried pizza ("real" pizza, not roma pizza) I thought it was absolutely disgusting. Oh, how times have changed!

Anyway, high on my "favourite foods" list is macaroni and cheese. I'm pretty obsessed and probably eat some form of it at least once a week. And I'm no snob - Kraft dinner is included in this category. At any given time we always have at least one "emergency" box in the cupboard, but usually (like now) it's more like three. Of course, I do usually end up doctoring up the KD at the very least with some extra sharp cheddar but I appreciate the convenience of the box.

Some days though, only the real thing will do. Gooey, rich and cheesy with the crunchy baked topping? You can't beat it. I came across this skillet mac and cheese recipe about a year ago and have been using it in variations ever since. I love the fact that it's basically a one-pot (or skillet) dish and goes straight from the stove to the oven (seriously this is 99% of the reason I love both my cast iron skillet and dutch ovens. It's genius, really). I have had to toy with the measures a bit, as I found the original recipe a bit drier than my liking and I rarely have cream in the apartment. But I think I've finally got the recipe just the way I like it - creamy and saucy but not soupy and full of cheesy goodness. Yum.

I added spinach and cherry tomatoes this time in an attempt to "lighten" the dish up aaand maybe because I ate next to no fruits or veggies this weekend (who wants scurvy? Not me!) Anyway, turns out it was a good call as it was DELICIOUS. I may go as far as saying this was my favourite mac and cheese. The pasta to cheese sauce ratio was just right, and the added ingredients helped to keep the dish from feeling too heavy and rich. Not to mention the fact that it just looked nicer with the added colour in the dish.

The best part about this recipe is that it's so versatile - you can add herbs, meat or whatever vegetables and any other additions that you like or just go for the straight-up macaroni and cheese. It's delicious either way and great for leftovers or freezing afterwards.

Note: So I just realized this picture doesn't really look anything like a macaroni and cheese. But I swear it is! And it's delicious! Try it!

Skillet Mac and Cheese
adapted from Serious Eats

1/2 - 3/4 lb dry short pasta* (I used penne but usually go with the traditional elbow macaroni or sometimes bow ties)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard (whole grain or something good if you have it, but plain old yellow works too!)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I actually used whole wheat because I'm out of AP, sometimes I used bread flour. Meh, it's just thickener. You can't tell the difference)
2 cups milk (the recipe says whole, but who actually keeps that around the house? I just use 1 or 2% depending on what I have)
2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for topping
1/2 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs
1 bunch spinach
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
A hunk of Boursin (optional!)
Fresh ground pepper

*The amount of pasta you should use depends on whether or not you're adding extra ingredients. If you're a purist and making straight up mac and cheese, you can use more pasta. I tend to almost always add something or the other so half a pound is usually sufficient.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit, or 190 degrees Celsius

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until somewhat al dente (i.e. should be soft on the outside but have a tiny bit of bite still to it) but not fully cooked. Basically you want it slightly less cooked than you would like to eat your pasta, as it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain it and rinse with cool water.

3. While the pasta is cooking, melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet (OR a dutch oven OR any sort of oven-safe skillet/pot that seems the right size) over medium heat until the foam subsides and add the flour, whisking to remove clumps and prevent burning. Slowly add the milk in small amounts, whisking as you go to get all the clumps. Whisk in the mustard and 1/2 tsp salt.

4. Set aside about a 1/2 cup between the Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses. Add the remaining cheeses a little at a time while stirring the whole time until they are melted into the sauce. Taste for salt and season with pepper as needed.

5. Turn off the heat, add the pasta and stir to coat. Add in the spinach and tomatoes and whatever else you're adding to the dish, and stir until it's all nicely coated in the sauce. Combine the breadcrumbs, the rest of the cheese and some salt and pepper, and sprinkle over the top.

6. Bake until the top is nicely browned and the sauce is bubbling, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Hola

I am back. Been thinking hard, and i have made a decision to post again in this blog instead of the other one that limit the stories i need to share.

Why? Because i want to use this blog as an inspiration and also as a motivation for me to do my work well.

How? i really have no ideas, but basically i will just write whatever i do pertaining to what i need to do, and hopefully i can monitor the trend chart.

what? the work i need to do is rather life and death, at least to me. I need to have at least 3 papers this year, and i need to complete at least one by june. I have exactly five months to complete a single paper.

Having this blog will, firstly as a journal that tells my progress and secondly as a rough paper so that whenever i have any ideas i would just write something in it, using my blackberry so that i would not forget about it. Thirdly, to satisfy my needs to write without making me suffocated with the limitation i have created in the other blog.

oke. here for the best. cherios

Cheezburger of the Day

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

New toy

I can't help but be full of excitement today. We finally received our iPhones in the mail! What are some of your favorite apps?

Sustainable Fish Recipes for Dinner: Mackerel with Mediterranean Style Salad and Garlic Toast

Although I have taken a little bit of a break from fish on this blog in the past couple of postings, I have still been working away, creating sustainable fish recipes in support of, "The Big Fish Fight." It is vital that we do not lose sight of this campaign and what it is hoping to achieve, in the wake of the initial flurry of publicity. For this reason, I will continue to add to the resources relating to the cause which are included in the right hand column of this blog and posting regular sustainable fish dinner ideas on this page.

Mackerel is the sustainable fish which I am featuring tonight. This recipe not only takes account of a sustainable type of fish, it is also extremely healthy in all respects. The recipe is very adaptable, with the salad ingredients variable depending upon taste and the mackerel is equally delicious served hot or cold. In this instance, I am serving the mackerel cold, with only the garlic toast being served hot.

Ingredients for Two People

2 fillets of fresh mackerel
8 to 10 lettuce leaves
2 medium tomatoes
4" piece of cucumber
12 pitted black olives
1 small stick of celery
Half a small red onion
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for frying mackerel
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic
4 large basil leaves
2 tbsp plain/all purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices from French style loaf

Method

The dressing for the salad should be prepared first and ideally a couple of hours in advance. This will allow the flavours time to fully infuse. The olive oil and white wine vinegar should be added to a small bowl. The basil should be chopped and added along with the peeled and grated garlic clove. Season lightly with salt and pepper, stir very well, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate until required.

The mackerel fillets in this recipe are pan fried in olive oil. Add some olive oil to a large, non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Scatter the flour over a dinner plate and season with salt and pepper. Pat the mackerel fillets in the flour on the skin side only, shake off the excess and place them in to the pan, skin side down. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Fry until they can be seen to have cooked almost all the way through (three or four minutes) before reducing the heat, turning with a fish turner and frying more slowly on the flesh side for a couple of minutes to complete cooking. Remove them to a plate, cover and allow them to cool while the salad and toast is prepared.

The whole idea of a salad like this is that it is rustic and representative of the ancient peasant culture from which it originates. This means that there need be no uniform chopping procedures involved. The one ingredient I do like to make sure I slice fairly thinly is the red onion, as a large bite of onion can be fairly overpowering. Slice the onion, therefore, and add it to the serving dish. Shred the lettuce, half the cucumber lengthwise and chop, half the tomatoes and segment and chop the celery. The black olives should go in whole. Season with salt and pepper and simply turn it over with your hands to mix.

Take the dressing from the refrigerator and give it a thorough, final stir. Drizzle it over the prepared salad.

The garlic toast could not be simpler. The slices of bread are simply placed on a grill tray and toasted lightly on both sides. While they are toasting, the remaining clove of garlic should be peeled and lightly crushed to release the juices. It should then be rubbed gently over the hot toast to impart some of its juices and flavour before the toast is plated for service.

The mackerel fillets should be placed on top of the salad as shown at the top of this post and the two dishes taken to the table. The mackerel fillets and salad can there be transferred to serving plates.

Super Bowl Musings

Being a lifelong Packers fan, I loved the results, but I was a bit surprised. The Steelers looked like they had it all together in the second half. Even after the Packers' 70-yard drive at the end for the field goal, I still thought the Steelers would pull it out. Their total disorganization on their final drive was pretty shocking. You wouldn't think that a veteran team would muff what was a relatively straightforward 2-minute drill.

I wonder if the pressure of the game is what got to them.

Lichens

"All lichens are an alga and fungus living in a symbiotic relationship."

I did not know that. More here.

What The Loop Pizza Grill has learned about Facebook

February 7

I just got off of the phone with Cathy Manzon, director of marketing for The Loop Pizza Grill, a 14-unit chain based in Jacksonville, Fla. Mostly I was talking to her about pizza trends for a story I’m working on for the magazine (available online for subscribers).

But I also asked her about how they get feedback from customers. She said they have comment cards, but people very rarely fill them out.

If they have something negative to say, they generally register their complaints on the web site.

If they have something nice to say, they say it on Facebook.

I thought that was interesting enough that it was worth sharing.

Link of the Day

Our Monastery of Miscellaneous Musings muses miscellaneously in this post. A little more than halfway down the post, there's a video that's worth watching. I had considered posting it here, but I just wasn't in the mood at the time for the depravity of the thing.

After watching it, I think you'll agree that we can all stop hearing about the Right's "Climate of Hate" now. The racism canard can stop, too, particularly the stuff about "code words".

Mengenang Valentine's Day 2009

Tidak tau kenapa tiba2 jadi kangen sama 3 sahabatku yang satu ini, Budi, Mona, Mimi.. hahaha.. =) Masih ingat dua tahun lalu semua, waktu belum punya pacar aka jomblo, mereka bertigalah yg menjadi datingku..haha..
Spend quality time gila2an dengan mereka, di masa2 hati yg sedang kosong, iyahahaha.. XD They are my best that time.♥
BTW, thanks guys for best memories..Haha.. Kangenku semua sama kau semuaaaa.. haha :*
Ini dia kenangan kita malam itu, haha.. keluar berempat pake baju yg sangat2 santai, kayak bukan hari valentine, haha.. dengan vehicle Grand Vitara silver DD 1428 AD, and me as a driver..haha..
Setelah jemput mereka bertiga, kita semua pergi KFC makan2..haha..

me, mimi, and mona..huhuuy masih gaya2 ababil semua dsnii =D

with my bestfriend from SD, mimi..ah i miss you chayaank =D

dicandid tiba2 dari budi =,= muka jelek..haha..

lesehan ala KFC?? woooi ini bukan sari laut wooy..haha

kenyaaaang XD hahaha.. =)

bersisa tulang dan dosa.. =P

my girls, mona and mimi♥

me and budi gila..haha..nda berubah2 mukanya daridulu =P

oke finish dari KFC, kita pergi menggila tidak jelas keliling2 palopo ganggui orang pacaran yg lalu lalang..ahem! Kerjaan org jomblo..hahaha

Mona sama budi berfoto ala2 ababil =P

inilah dia datingku malam itu, terima kasih babess! haha..

such a crazy valentine! 

dan lagi2, gaya ababil -,- lidah melet2 haha..

i love you all babeee..

kayak hantu mukaku dsni..haha.. XD

nda jelas sekali =_=

wajah2 menderita cowok jomblo yg menanti pasangan di vday..

=P

HAHAHAHAHA..

four of us! =)

tidak jelas mode ON

apa seeeh? peace love and gaul ya?? HAHAHA..

ini lagi wajah2 tasteless semua

wajah2 tidak ada cinta krn single..HAHAHA =P

dan lebih2 ini foto ini, tdk jelas lagi.. XD

BESTFRIEND TOSS~! =)

Haha jadi kangen semua deh sama mereka bertiga ini.

Karena kuliah, semua sudah pisah2..

Mona, apa kabar kamu sayang??? Long time, though its hard because youre single now, selalu semangaaat! If no bf take you out on Vday, friends will do! =) Jangan selalu galau di timeline twitter, haha.. =P

you know I'll be always there.. ;)

Mimi, rindu beratka sama kauuu T__T

nda pernahki ketemu2 kodong waktu liburan kemarin.. Haha.. Of course mimi sudah beda, sekarang udah ada kak uni, jd dia tidak single lagi kayak dua tahun lalu, haha.. =) Langgeng2 ya sayang!

Kangeeeeeeen sekalika sama kauuu =(

Budi, jgn lemah sekali sama cewe, haha... berhentilah bersedih! kalo jodoh tidak akan lari kemana. berjuangko dapatkan ehem! HAUAUAUA.. All best luck for you! Jgnko sombong kalo ada pacarmu..haha.. Kangen beratka sama kau juga, brp tahunmiki nda ketemu kawan? wakaka..

Dan saya sendiri? Saya tdk jomblo lagi..HAHAHA.. I got someone that made my life complete now =)

Nade niga namu namu namu chuaaaa♥

HAPPY PRE VALENTINE! semuanyaaaa..

all my bestfriends, Mona, Mimi, Thamy, Icha, Dika, Amma, Dede, Puput, Diva

and my boys, Ian, Lutfy, and Budi!

HAHA

LAST,

ESPECIALLY MY FAVORITE, ALDY, hehe.. =)

MISS YOU ALL! =)