Oppa Gangnam Style

I know. I know. I've been neglecting the blog for quite a while. Sigh. Soooorrryyyyy. Gotta try putting more discipline in blogging routine.

Oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna blog about how to dance to 'Oppa Gangnam Style' song. But of course, I'd like to blog about my favourite topic; food! You see, food can be a good way to reconcile with old friends. I mean, a decent meal would make the meeting less awkward, true?

Anyway, back to the topic! I've never tried any Korean food before. I was too scared of how the taste might turn out! I had Japanese food all the time, since I was a baby (*exaggerating*) ! And I love Japanese food! So I was a bit nervous when I decided to try on Korean!

So, we went in this Korean restaurant at e@Curve called 'Bulgogi Brothers'.

'Annyeong-haseyo', they greeted us! I swear I felt like I was in Korea and I almost replied, 'Hye Oppa'!

Looked at the menu and we didn't know what to order! All these foreign terms; Haemul Doenjang, Kaal Doenjang, what?

We ordered 'Bulgogi Bibimbab' and 'Bibim Guksu'

 Bulgogi Bibimbab

- Beef , vegetable and yolk on top of hot rice, served with spicy sauce.

Bibim Guksu

- Cold noodle with mountains of shredded cucumber, kimchi, bean sprouts and eggs. Served with spicy sauce.

I was stupid enough not to read the word COLD! *slaps forehead*

Called the waiter to ask the chef to reheat the noodle. Chef came out and explained that by reheating it, the sauce will be spoilt - temperature related.

Sigh.

The chef was kind and sweet enough to exchange the meal for me, without charging for my Bibim Guksu. Yay! I almost hugged her.

Since I've tried Bulgogi Bibimbab, and it was delish, I wasn't hesitate to order Chicken Bibimbab!

Chicken Bibimbab

-Spicy chicken, vegetable and yolk, served on top of hot rice.

I dont't know why, or maybe it's just me but I prefer Japanese food over Korean food, anytime!

Anyway, you can check out Bulgogi Brothers Malaysia Facebook page here!

Kursus Kahwin

I have a bestfriend of 14 years and....

we address each other as 'Lessy'!

Haha. Absurd, I know.

JAKIM has made a new legal rule where it is compulsory for every Muslim in Malaysia who wish to get married, to attend a marriage course.

Lessy's getting married soon and she has been bugging me to teman her to Kursus Kahwin, just because her fiancee is away! So, me being a good friend, has commited my weekend to her and only her. Pfttt.

It was a 2 days course held at Masjid Al-Taqwa, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI). The course started at 2pm and finished at 7pm on Saturday but it started a bit early on Sunday; 8.30am and we finshed off by 4pm.

Masjid Al-Taqwa, TTDI



The course discussed about basic things like Marriage Procedure, Communication in Marriage, Health, Financial Management, 'Akidah & Ibadah, Ways to Handle Stress in Marriage etc.

  As basic as it sounds, it was refreshing to be reminded with all the hukums and deeds in marriage, and Islam generally. And it is always good to listen to their first-hand experience about the hardships and struggles of marriage. It aint always a bed of roses okay?

This course is held on a weekly basis, so you can just call to make a booking.

You will get the certificate on the following week. Yup, it's quite fast! The certificate is valid for a lifetime, with no expiry date! So, even if you don't have any plan to tie the knot anytime soon, it is always a good idea to attend the course and keep the certificate, just in case! ;)

Please contact Kak Ana / Fauzi at 012-6032257.

The 'manual' handbook for future reference!

Doodle?

Good luck guys!

P/S - Less than 50days to Lessy's wedding!!! I'm nervous. Hehe.

Organising 101 : Accesories

I was in my organising mood last weekend.

Since most of my earrings had lost their pairs and my makeup brushes were nowhere to be found,  I thought I should focus on organising my accesories first.

Problem was....

I didn't know where to start!!!

Calmed myself down and went to Ikea instead.

But I couldn't find anything I want there. So I went to Daiso at The Curve.

Daiso is like a Doraemon's pocket shop! You can find almost EVERYTHING there, and the best thing is they only cost RM5 each!!!



I bought earring, bracelet and makeup holders.

Earring and bracelet holder

Makeup holder

Problem (almost) solved!

Except....

Do you notice the clutter of necklaces beside the makeup holder?

I didn't buy anything to hang my necklaces (and my rings and my headbands) !!!!

*slaps forhead*

Hmmm.

Googled and found this Jewellery Organiser from Diva.

Yayyy! Let's hope they have it here in Malaysia!

Can't wait to continue my Organsing 101 Series this weekend.

Will blog about it again, when everything is, mmmm organised?

Hehe :)



of Arafah Day and Aidil Adha

First of all, Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adha!!!

Hehe

We had a long weekend since Friday is Hari Raya. Malaysian can never have too many public holidays.

Wednesday evening, Mom texted me; "Puasa Hari Arafah ganjarannya sangat2 besar. Kalau larat puasa ok?" (Translation : "Allah gives a huge reward to people who fast during Arafah day, please fast if you feel ok.")

Short, simple and no tone of forcing, I like. But it left me with a question, what ganjaran?

So I googled and came across this article.

Click here to read more.

"Fasting on the Day of Arafah absolves the sins for two years; the previous year and the coming year ...."


Whattttt? Wow, that is one handsome reward He promise to give.


And if you've missed this year's puasa, it's okay. We can set the reminder for next year's, InsyaAllah..

Tortilla Wrap

I was being adventurous and decided to travel to Mexico....

(Pap-pa Americano)

...by making salsa and tortilla wrap for dinner!

And no, it didn't turn out like this! (This is from Google)

How To Make Your Own Tortilla Wrap

i) Salsa

Mix all of these ingredients together :

Tomato (diced)
Capsicum (diced)
Onion (diced)
Cilantro (chopped)
Lime juice
Grounded black pepper
Salt & sugar
Olive oil

ii) Grilled chicken

Chicken breast
Teriyake marinade
Olive oil

- Marinade the chicken breast, and grill using some olive oil and garlic for about 2-3 minutes

iii) Tortilla

- Get the round tortilla at your nearest grocer. Opt for wheat tortilla for a healthier choice. Grill it for 1 minute on each side.

.............................................

When you are done with Step i, ii and iii, wrap them together and...

Tadaa!!

Your healthy tortilla wrap is ready..

Enjoy!

The bond

I'm lucky to have spent my secondary school years in a place that treats every girl as an individual, a place that teaches a young lady to be not only outspoken but grounded at the same time, a place that believes a girl too can lead, a place that teaches education beyond the curriculum of classroom, a place a girl can grow with confidence to be her own person.

Sekolah Seri Puteri (or SSP in short).

We used to be in Kuala Lumpur, before we moved to Cyberjaya in 2003. My batch was quite lucky to have experienced both premises. Although the Cyberjaya school was new and all, I honestly prefer the one in Kuala Lumpur for some reason!

Sekolah Seri Puteri, Cyberjaya.

I spent 5 years of my life there (well 3years in Kuala Lumpur, 2 years in Cuberjaya). And if you ask me what is the most rewarding experience I could recall. Without doubt, I would say it's the friendship; the strong bond we have with each other. We grew up together, watched ourselves grew taller, we fought and we made up, witnessed each other's mistakes, we blosommed and flourished as leaves on the trees; we were there during our formative years!

Although we have left school for almost 8 years now, and we didn't see each other as often, we still can strongly feel the bond between us.

Whenever we see each other, we are back to our old kid-self. We giggle, we talk about the most ridiculous things, we make fun of each other. We connect, immediately!

Some of us are married now, with kids to look after. Time flies, but whenever I'm with them, it's like being 16 all over again!

 
Just few days ago, I was wiping my hand with this Watson's green tea wet tissue, when I suddenly  smell something really familiar. A smell of the perfume I was using back in my SSP years. The only problem was, I couldn't remember what perfume did I use back then! Grandma's memory!
Me being me, I couldn't carry on with my work for the rest of the day, without knowing it. Bad habit that I posses, when I'm curious, I just have to find out, one way or another!

  While on a mission to find out the perfume's name...

I just knew who to ask! It got to be Odd, a bedmate of mine in SSP for 3 years. I texted asking whether she remembers the perfume I used when I was in SSP. Well, it didn't really suprise me that she did remember! And she hasn't forgotten a lot of other things too. Awwww.

So, what's your most memorable experience from high-school years? Please share :)

Malaysian on Eating Out

Us being Malaysian, we loveeee eating out. From mamak place, hawker stall to the fine wine and dine restaurant! We basically whack everything because obviously we have good taste in foooodddd.

Take our infamous breakfast >>>> nasi lemak!

Oh god, it's so sinful but so yummy! Especially those seringgit nasi lemak wrapped in banana leaf and newspaper. Man, they have a bit of everything wrapped together, santan rice, anchovies, egg, peanuts and the sambal! Sometimes there have add-ons; sambal kerang, sambal sotong, paru, begedil! Fuhhhh. Best served hot!

Oh, and the cendol lorry by the roadside is the best cendol you could ever ask for. I'm not kidding!

I guess I don't have to further elaborate on us being 'overly attached' to our mamak food. Even after having proper dinner, we can still hangout at the mamak place for some late night 'snacking' on roti canai and teh tarik (or indomee burger goreng with telur mata in my case).

Okay okay, I'm a bit off tangent here.

My point is, yes the food is super yummy, nice, irresistable and all. But when was the last time we checked our cholestrol level? How sure are you that they are not recycling the same oil to fry you indomee goreng? How sure are you that they practice good hygiene whilst preparing the food?
Have you noticed more and more people our age are getting cancer these days?

Our health's condition is highly dependant on our food comsumption.
It's simple. You are what you eat! True!

So maybe it's time that we start changing our eating habit, well slowly but surely. I know it is a bit ridiculous to cook for every meal, especially during weekdays since most of us are working! I know it is a bit drastic if we suddenly have to stop eating out. I mean, I know for sure I can't give up indomee burger goreng! Or banana leaf rice.

But what we can do is, to control our portion and plan our menu. And the simplest thing to do that is by cooking. Cause you know exactly what's inside the food.

So I thought I want to give this whole heathy eating a shot. I just made my own lunch boxes, good for the entire week. Grilled chicken, boiled brocolli, baby carrots and brown rice!

To spice things up a little bit, I made other lunch option (I get bored very easily), grilled chicken with lettuce and bread.

 
But I have to be real too. I love (unhealthy) food! And unlike my baby sister, I'm not blessed with high metabolic rate. I'm the type of person who would gain weight EASILY if I go a bit over board with my food intake.

So, to not over indulge, I dedicate one day of the week where I allow myself to whack everything I see! Everything sinful, everything oily, everything yummy (i.e banana leaf rice)! I called this a 'cheat' day. Mind you, this is not always the case. Sometimes I had 3 cheating days in a week, or worst, 4 days! Lol. But hey, I'm trying here okay!

Oh, and exercise! But that needs another post on its own.

So now, I have to think of another healthy menu for next week! Any suggestions?