As long as it doesn't kill you

Wow 31st of December! It's already been half day through and I still haven't gone out from the comfort zone of my room and dining table. Still, I'm not the laziest one around, because Fawee is still tucked in bed. We laid three bedsheets on her in an attempt to wake her up, hoping to see her all sweaty and flustered because of the heat. Two hours later, she's still hell-bent on holding her fort.

Lately, my weight shoot up again. Looking back, I started gaining unreasonable extra weights when I was 14. I befriended a very nice person back then, and we often go for recess together. I ate what she ate, same food and portion too. Maybe it was the in-thing to do back then, copying your friends. One thing that never crosses my mind was how fast I started to imitate her large stature. Soon after, I adopted big portion of meals daily.

It's been 9 years since I've been living under the label of 'the fat friend'. So it doesn't come as a surprise that my new year resolution will be 'stop working in food industry'. Temptation here is crazy! or at least, 'shed off 12 kilos, one per month'. Yeah, that sounds decent.

Good luck to you and your new-year resolution/s!

Today's meals are on us, Momoe

Stepping out from the interview room, I feel the sense of emptiness inside. Partly because of the light breakfast, but also because reflecting of how I carried myself during the session, I might have left a negative impression of myself. And I also learned how unfortunate to be the second candidate. You are summoned before you can pick up anything from the first interviewee, and you had to leave without hearing other people's experience.

The 1st 10 minutes was ice-breaking session, since the interviewers said I looked nervous. I rubbed my palms against each other and I wasn't secreting a single sweat. Yeah, my infamous sweaty palms were out of service that morning. I started losing the will to fight after meeting the other six girls who came for the interview. 5 were fresh out of schools and one was an otai (old timer) from private practice. The following 10 minutes was the realization of me+interviewer on my chronic self-esteem issue, and the final 10 minutes was a consoling session of the interviewers that I was selling myself short, and apart from that, I made a hell of a businesswoman (because talking non-stop is my forte?)

I can't bring myself to tell this to Father, Mama, Auntie Nyah, Kak Rini, Kak Ela and Pak Utih. As soon as the restlessness of keeping a secret strikes me, I felt asleep. Since I arrived home at 3 pm today, I slumbered twice. That's why I was so glad Erol came to visit me after the interview. Erol is already a therapist in PPUM, and he rooted for me to get the job. His eagerness won't affect the outcome actually, but having friends' support really matters in some situations. He brought me for a waffle and latte treat, and walked me to bus stop.

Oh man, now I feel troubled letting down all those people who had high hopes in me. Eyes are shutting down too.

Let's pray for everybody's well-being and peace of mind starting now, Tanaka Koki said that to me, through telepathic course.

Momoe signing out to combat delusions!

A song for the lost soul~ah ha I sounded like a poet!

I PMed a friend residing in Singapore this morning, and he told me how lonely he feels not celebrating Christmas this year with his family back home in Philippines. Freshly out of bed at that time, I said nothing to comfort him. Thinking back, it makes me feel like plucking my eyelashes out of regret.

So I tried looking around (browsing my .avi, not the internet) for any emphatic Christmas song, in an attempt to make his Christmas a bit better, if not worse. I had this really beautiful Christmas song, sung by a Japanese group KAT-TUN. Secretly I feel proud of myself, but I was left dumbfounded when I read the translation. The song is actually about lovers going separate ways, but still hoping to rekindle.

Please forgive me with the spirit of festive season.

White X'mas by KAT-TUN

Mr. Brain said feed your brain with sweets

The past weeks had been, uhm, hectic? It is normal here in our household, since everybody wants to display their exquisite sense of humor. Including Rayzo. Interesting fact: Dila and Fawee are excellent cooks. Mama said it's because she guided them through the whole cooking process, in an attempt to make me feel better about my tasteless cooking. It's okay, I prefer eating than cooking anyway.

Last weekend me and Jack went to our eldest cousin's wedding, Dr. Boboy. The weather was cloudy, I think we has a little rain in the middle of the ceremony but it wasn't life-threatening. We stayed to help around till the very end and lived to bring home the second tier cake out of a 3-tier wedding cake sponsored by Boboy's pops' friend. When I saw how big the cake is, my heart cried out of fear for the upcoming calories.

Oh yeah, and we made 1000+ of these sponge cakes for the wedding for the guests. Hard work really, even for seven people (yeah Rayzo helped too. He still get credits even if he made a cameo)

Bulky size cakes, fitted into individual plastics before being inserted into boxes

Dila took over the title pastry maker in the house recently. She made eclairs plus pastry cream (I usually use whipping cream, no hassle). The cream was a bit burned, but still better than the lazy bum who don't even add sugar to the whipping cream.

Next week I have an interview to attend to. This time I know not to put much confidence in securing the job. And on the weekend I'll be attending a course on rescue operation as a part of my never-ending Red Crescent instructor course. My last experience of rescue operation taught me to be in good shape, because it is strenuous physically and mentally. Note to self: don't forget shampoo.

Surprise surprise!

Since me and familia moved to kampung about five years ago, I squirreled away from any social gathering held by the kampung folks, mainly because I wasn't acquainted to anybody of my age. My weekends were filled with trips to the city, inevitable shopping emergencies and just plain sleep-ins.

Today I was out of excuses. Mama brought me and Dila to a majlis khatan and cukur jambul. Baba and Abang went ahead of us, because I took too long to get ready. I thought we might witness cute, apathetic (might be they are curbing their fears) boys getting ready to be circumcised, but all I saw were happy, energetic kids running around the open hall where the event was organised, and their parents happily chatting with each other, totally ignoring the rampage that's going on.

The event started off with prayer reciting, and in five minutes, I found myself lining beside the banquet table . I guess it's normal, forgive my inexperience-ness.

While digging into my plate of lamb curry and other colourful dishes I can't make out the ingredients (but they sure tasted good), I saw the popular albino kid me and my cousins saw first time in Nek Ngah's house. He was wearing yellow baju melayu complete with ketayap. I referred him as 'Powder', after Sean Patrick Flanery's movie. I was looking at him when our eyes met (that does sound a bit pedo) and smiled at him, but he ignored and looked away. Ah, it's been awhile since last I got rejected.

While watching the kids making hullabaloo, a boy about 6, 7 year-old walked past me. I can imagine how he looked when he's older, because he's already look like one. Premature aging, first time I saw a real-life specimen. His face is not wrinkly, but the skins seems like it lost its elasticity. The skin under the eyes and the cheeks are sagging, also the skin at his hands joints. Baba later on told us he is 14 year-old boy on our way back home.

Today's occurrences made me reminisced the good old days of my practical years in university: how hospitals scare the hell out of me. It still amazes me how I was able to complete 6 months of practical without telling a single soul of my fear. Maybe because it sounded silly to me at that time, getting a cold feet of hospitals. There, I've said it.

Oh, and I'm also a Red Crescent Society member. Mind-boggling, no?

Rainy morning blues

Since the beginning of Fawee's SPM, we began travelling back and forth her school for breakfast and lunch time, bringing packed home delicacies for her. Me and Dila (Ms ID) are assigned to dispatch lunch, because it's impossible to wake us up in the morning.

So both of us driving amateurs take turns driving over, me driving to and Dila driving back home. It was all prudent and safety-first driving till I get too comfortable behind wheels.

One day I was driving with Abang, and how terrified he is all the way in the 15-minute journey. I sped till 80 km/h driving in a zigzag motion through the narrow and crooked jalan kampung and I even took over a bus. I can see he had weak knees, literally. Baba told him, "that's the way how you would drive", so I was spared the tongue-lashing. Heh, maybe it was desperation to show him that I can drive. Next time I'll use blindfold.

Fawee finished her SPM yesterday. Me and Dila went over to pick her stuffs up, including one AF bag, a box of books and a book rack. She sure knows how to utilize us. You know how it is when we are packing up, we stumbled on those nostalgic stuffs and start reminiscing. So 30 minutes work extended to two hours. Dry, clean clothes were stained by sweats and make-ups being rubbed onto.

Now my room looks like a warehouse selling pirated CDs.

Sloppiest Ice Cream Cake..yet

Ingredients for ice cream cake:

1/2 kg sponge/chiffon cake

1/2 kg ice cream, softened in room temperature, then molded into cylinder of the same diameter of the cake, before being frozen to retain shape

frosting, whipping cream's good too, only the downturn is extra calories (sorry, too much diabetic recipe books lately)

*spoiler alert! I used chocolate sponge cake, (cheap) strawberry ice cream, chocolate frosting. Simply because all mentioned items' expiry dates are approaching.

Assembly made-easy:

Cut cake into half, horizontally. Fix the frozen ice cream in the middle and place the other half of the cake on top.

Weird colour combination/taste

Smear the frosting/whipping cream all over the cake. If the ice cream starts melting and get in the way of frosting process, shimpai shinaide. You can freeze the cake for 10 minutes, then continue frosting. Or you can do it my way, turn a blind eye to the ugly sight of chocolate/strawberry marble effect.

Putting on make-up time!

Tada! Ready for presentation! At least good enough for food fight.

The visible white line in the middle of the cake is due to the ice cream's temperature. And you thought something paranormal happened..kuh kuh kuh (creepy laughter)

Best to freeze the cake before eating, be it 10 minutes or 10 hours.

Itadakimasu~

Post di kala senggang

Spotted during a trip to AmiPlus in Batu Berendam, Melaka.

The creativeness is overflowing.

Happy Mama's Day

The most common comment people give if they are interviewed by TV station during Mother's Day on May is 'every day is Mother's Day'. I'm well-informed because I am one of those people quoting that noble citation.

On Mother's Day, we are obliged to shower Mama with affection, be it cakes, chocolates, fancy spa trips or just plain doing household chores. And thou should not do anything that can agitate your Mama.

But sometimes Mama just drew me up the wall. Shit happened, what am I supposed to do?

Of course, she gave me a tongue-lashing, and I gave her a piece of my mind.

5 minutes later, guilty conscience seeps in and I feel like banging my head to the wall, regretting my quick-temper.

Sorry Mama. So much for celebrating Mama's Day everyday.

Sojuk!

Since 9 this morning I've been baking 1200 cupcakes to fill in tomorrow's order. Last batch of cupcakes was finished at 8 pm, but it can be earlier than that if I exclude baking cinnamon rolls and cookies (both for personal gratification heh). Working today was fun mainly because Ms ID is around.

But Ms ID also bought a 'gift' from Penang, a fancy sickness called cold. Now I have to bear with it because I was too lazy to get myself a cup and drank from hers couple of days ago.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to go to Klang with Kak Izzat this weekend. I still have the hots for nasi minyak. And Koki Tanaka. At last, a man who can't resist me. Shoo me off and I won't buy your album!

This nasty looking dude is Koki Tanaka, the man who made the weirdest song ever.

I love weird.

image decently taken from

http://pipaproyect.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/scans-koki-in-pink/

Himono-onna

This morning at 4.30 am, Charlie Clouse's Saw theme aka my alarm rang. The five of us eligible to fast (Mama, Chichiue, Bro Jack, Ms ID and I) had our sahur of roti canai+oats+various buns available on the table. We decided to fast to commemorate Ms CSI's first day of SPM. She is named that way because of her intense ambition of taking up Forensic Chemistry and making it her life-long career. So much for watching Grissom? Hmm..

After Subuh, me and Ms ID start off our slumber party. We woke up at 8, have some silly conversation, continue sleeping till 11. I opened my tired eyes (tired of shutting them too much) and saw Ms ID watching 'Hotaru no Hikari' on her lappy. I joined, and time flew by. At 12.20 pm, Mama told us to get ready to go to Ms CSI's school (which is 10 minutes drive from home). Since she is bound to her boarding school, her hobby is calling home and ask for favors, e.g. toothbrush and toothpaste, sudden craving for cakes.

So to stay true to the post's title, both of us himono-onna (literally dried up fish girl/ messy and lazy girl) showered and readied in 10 minutes' time. Ms ID can really pull it out, dressing cutely while I looked haggard (of sleeping of course), with T-shirts and sweatpants. What ever.

Us girls then went to see Ms CSI, she had her lunch made by Mama and spent the time before her next paper at 1.30 pm chatting with us.

As soon as we arrived home, I continue my sweet slumber~ till 3.30 pm when I realised I can wake up with double chin if I keep this up.

I want to blame Ms ID for influencing me.

What's in That Little Head of Yours I Wonder

It puzzled me on how can you hold a grand, special day of your life when you shove me off the time I asked for my munny back. And you even have the balls to invite me?

What the hell. It's like going on a fool's errand trying to get what's mine.

Mama said, forgive and forget. So first step is omitting you from my life.

Facebook. Remove from friends. End of story. Peace of mind^^

Aidil Adha@Penang

Heh not a conventional move, but I did celebrate Aidil Adha in Penang, along with Ms Designer. The initial idea was accompanying her beraya di perantauan for the first time, but in the same time I met a new friend and rekindling an old flame. Haha flame my foot. Rekindling an old friendship, a friend I haven't see for three full years.

On Monday from hometown Melaka, I took the bus to KL, staying there for a night at Nyah's (my auntie) house. The journey to the north started the next day, where I jumped on the bus to Penang and numbed my bottom for four-and-a-half hours. Truth to be told, the bus ride was very comfortable. I had my sweater on and the girl beside me was petite, I can sit in the middle of our seats without her complaining.

Arriving in Sungai Nibong bus station, Nyah and Dila's mutual friend, Kak Renee picked me up. For an innocent, lost soul like me, Kak Renee sure is my benefactor during my stay here. We went for lunch at E-Gate, an area near Queensbay where all I can see were restaurants, hungry people and promotional buntings of each and every restaurants. We sat there for nearly two hours, eating noodles while establishing rapport. I was taken aback on how well-informed Kak Renee of my life. It was refreshing to hear what other people have to say about me and my family haha.

She then drove us to USM, where we meet Ms Designer or Ms I(nterior)D, for a sophisticated feel. Ms ID just finished her last paper for the semester. We fetched her and her friend from their exam hall named Hamzah Sendut (the name will cling tightly in my frontal lobe for the rest of my life) and off we go to Queensbay Mall. Had our dinner there, speculated whether J.Co's waiter is a gay, brushed off a taxi driver who wanted RM20 for a ride back to USM, finally we arrived at Ms ID's college by the love and car/care of Kak Renee. Settling down for the night, I never knew that was the last time I'll see Ms ID's friend, even though we stayed two rooms apart. Misteri..

The next day was Aidil Adha. I was surprised from slumber by the vicious, never ending bell ring of the college. At 4 am. I woke up, watching Ms ID still calmly sleeping on the opposite bed. She told me to sleep of the faulty alarm. It was like tinnitus, but my sleepy head is well, headstrong. But I was soon awake again from the Takbir. Father's face appeared in my head, and I spent 5 minutes imagining a typical morning raya before resuming my sleep. Hey don't judge me, I'm a woman blessed with ABC (Allah Bagi Cuti).

At 9.30 am, we went out for breakfast with Kak Renee. She then sent us to Gurney Plaza. Me and Ms ID drooled our time off watching Chris Pine in Unstoppable, a true story of a runaway train in North/South (short term memory wasn't functioning well) Pennsylvania. I then called my friend, Ir hoping to meet her there. But I should know better that Hari Raya means family gathering, but as a well-known thick-skinned person, I kept on texting her. Gimme a break, we haven't see each other for 3 years. She picked us up from Gurney Plaza and brought us to her Nana's home in Kampung Harriot (silence the t, so it sounds French).

We had our lunch there, and of course trading stories of our fellow ex-classmates. Ir had some rough moments, but she's doing superb now. It was mesmerizing to see how beautiful her family members were (does it sounds creepy?sorry for the lack of self-control). Meeting Ir was also refreshing, and I would love to meet her again in the near future.

She later drove us back to USM, at around 4 pm. Ms ID and I were happy, satisfied, full and sleepy. We did some packing up, drooling (again?) while watching Mizushima Hiro and talking about our future. InsyaAllah all our effort up to this point will not be in vain. InsyaAllah, insyaAllah.

This morning, Ms ID went off to her driving school. She'll be tested by JPJ to get her P license. Me? I'm left in her room, doing minor packing (lie) so by the time she's finished, we can get ready to board the bus back to KL.

Signing off. Have to pack Ms ID's lappy now.

Anata wa..suki desu! (hands clasped together, sambil pipi merah malu2 kucheng)

For the first time in my life, I went through multiple drama series marathon. I don't like staring at computer monitor+tv screen more than 1 hour, because my eyes are sensitive to light (perasan True Blood). Anyway what happened was, after watching 20 episodes of Sungkyunkwan Scandal, I proceed to japanese drama 'Yankee-kun to Megane-chan'. Hilarious, but what's refreshing is the transition from jambu Koreans (they don't grow moustache there? even I have one!) to a rowdy Nihonjin. He even make funny mouth gestures, different from Koreans because even they make one, they are still jambus.

English title: Delinquent-kun and specky-chan. Narimiya Hiroki's picture is editted, so he appeared prettier than usual subject.

After 10 episodes of watching the mouth-watering Narimiya Hiroki, I went back to Korea mode and watch 'Personal Taste'. Why I watched a drama with the word 'gay' on its synopsis? Because Lee Min-Ho was in it. Enuff said. I watched till episode 6 when I realised how the drama lacked those heart fluttering moments. That's something unusual in Korean drama (the vast knowledge was gained from watching 2 Korean dramas from beginning to the end). Where's the hand-grabbing-while-walking-in-different-direction-and-shown-in-3-different-angles part? noooo.. p/s: Min-Ho's glowing complexion overpowers the heroine, watch it with sunglasses on.

How can you not call Min-ho gay in this picture? Amazing how the loose-neck sweater can do much for a person..

So I pursued another J-drama, 'Yamato Nadesiko Shichi Henge'. It was supposed to be a romantic-comedy, but somehow it evolved into a family drama, maybe due to the complexes all of them had. I have a soft spot for family issues, so this drama is really tear-inducing. And the hero, aah as pretty as he can be, can really act as a manly man. How to tell Ms. Designer I've fallen for a pretty boy?(followed by annoying 'kyaa' screams).

From left to right: perfect eyebrow Kamenashi Kazuya, too much tanning Miyao Shuntaro, why he hunched his back on a promotional poster Tegoshi Yuya, girl, little boy, woman, what's that on his left tight Uchi Hiroki

Next time I'll write about something more interesting. Can't get Kamenashi Kazuya out of my head (cue for 'kyaa').

Nihon no dorama no suki you na..

Oh Aku Terkedu

I love to tease Simone, our cat. She's and ordinary domestic cat, but her length falls short behind other cats. Given her big belly that looks like a halfway-pregnant cat (she's neutered), we refer her as the compact cat.

One day, I held up Simone's front legs and start annoying her by making her twirl. She was purring furiously at me while I kept laughing at her with my loony face. When I put her down, I realised Rayzo was sitting, facing directly towards my direction. He was smiling and said,

"Sakit"

Shocked. Humiliated. Nervous laughter.

Simone, having a nightmare of drowning

Pretty Insun

2nd review on Korean drama, titled Pretty Insun. I believe Insun is the same girl as the heroine of Summer Scent, but my sister Miss Designer beg to differ. Maybe she aged, or she went under the knife (hehe) she said. The story is about Insun (big picture, left) who committed a murder when she was a teenager. The story behind the murder is still not being elaborated, though it's already 8th episode. The dude to the right is Sangu, her childhood friend plus the one who carried the torch for her. So the story is about how Insun copes with her life after prison.

She constantly has issues with her self-esteem, so it seems really real to me. So far as the story goes, Insun was reunited with her long lost mother, the pushy Seonyeong and her half-sister the apathetic Jeongya. Then, come along her nasty adopted brother Geunsu. To run away from her life's stress, Insun likes to seek her benefactor, her then school teacher Mr. Seo.

At one point, it's disappointing to see how ego makes Insun and Sangu's relationship falls apart, but as Miss Designer said, it's how they keep the ball rolling. So I turned to Jeongya and Geunsu. Jeongya wears this uninterested look, mostly because how their mother keeps forcing her to fill in her shoes as an actress. At first I thought she'll be like that for the rest of the drama series, but she started to show more emotions when Insun and Geunsu come into her life.

Geunsu is rowdy, but his character is yet to be developed. He and Jeongya look so cute together, and I'm hoping to see more of them *sparkling eyes*

Oh no, I might google Geunsu tonight.

Jism? How in the world to pronounce it?

It's the newest gadget in da house. Mama had been eye-ing this electrostatic therapy machine for quite some time. It claims to be able to get rid bad cells in the blood and steer the user away from illness, such as cancer(but if you already suffering from one, you are forbid to use this! because there's possibility it will exaggerate the malignant cells, so they say) and headache (this is what appeals to Mama, since Rayzo has an issue with his headache now and then). And some other benefits, which I'm too lazy to type them down. Click for more info.

We had it since last Monday, and last night was the first time I used it. Admit it, the word 'electric' sends chills to the bone no? :O so after 30 minutes of therapy, not only I feel energized, but also there's significant change to my physical.

Kidding xD

It takes time, everything does. I believe that's the way things should be, so that the good effect will prolong. So what was the immediate result? I burped a lot, passed gas a lot and my mouth became dry, just like what those al-Jabbar (the company who imported the machines from Japan) guys told us beforehand. Well I'll start using it regularly, and hope I'll have a peace of mind after spending RM 5 500 for the machine.

p/s: apart from the toxic being omitted by gas, pimples will also pop up as a result of dislodging oily matter. Is it still worth it? *sweating palms*

Did we bump on each other last night?

This incident happened while I was asleep. Fine, a dream. I dreamed of a new friend I met a couple of weeks ago in UiTM. I'll refer him as Mr. Vest because he's fond of wearing the Red Crescent vest. Maybe he's just like me, enticed by the vest's light-reflector function.

So, what happened in my dream? I confessed my shojo/romantic feelings for him (eh?) and he accepted it. And we ended up in a reversed-role relationship, where he's being cute and all, sending cute messages through the phone and wearing cute apron while cooking food (cute is all the adjective I want to use).

And as for me, well let's just say I was kinda annoying+snobbish+wears manly clothes kind of character. So much for the one confessing.

Anyway in real life, I like befriending Mr. Vest because he simply gives off good vibes. Nice smile, respectful to others, even to me whom got off on the wrong foot with him (I scornfully asked him to take off his vest when we first met), plays guitar and a talented photographer.

This morning I got a notification on FB telling me that he added me in a group. It's trivial, but really, did we bump on each other last night?

Cheesy me haha.

Comfort Food 1: Spageti Carbonara

Why am I suddenly writing about food? Because I found several key items for making spageti carbonara while cleaning up the larger-than-life freezer in my baking kitchen.

Crab filament sticks (a healthier option is of course real seafood, or chicken/meat whatever if seafood is lethal to you)

And mozarella cheese. The name says it all, perfect italiano~

And yeah, spageti. I found a block of frozen solid in the freezer, and that kicked the pasta craving in me. The spageti is being thawed by steaming.

So, three key items (just like Blue's Clues), I started off with melting 2 tablespoons of margerine.

Throw in 2 pieces of chopped garlic. Must fend off sparky sparky Edward!

I used low heat because I'm sure to burn the garlic in the middle of taking pictures. Add in 2 tablespoons of flour to make the roux (ahem 1st french word).

Stir, stir till it becomes a paste and put in about 2 cups of milk. I made mine with evaporated milk, so I put in 1/2 cup milk + 1 1/2 cups plain water. Whatever works. Usually they do.

Pour in a little at 1st, so it won't become lumpy, or use cold milk. And down with the rest of the milk. Dump in the crab sticks and a little salt to taste . Keep stirring until it forms a thick gravy.

Turn off the heat. Put in the spageti, coating them with the gravy.

The half-finished product. I prefer to make thin slices of cheese, arrange them on the top and bake them brown. Or the cheese can be grated and mixed along with the crab sticks.

Putting cheese on top. Using a microwave to melt the cheese is okay, but it won't brown the top. So I use the oven. Set on 180 degree celcius, about 10 minutes.

Walawei looks so nice. Top picture: no top brown is seen, because I stumbled the baking pan and it went upside down into the plate. And a pair of chopsticks to gobble it down. Forks are too easy.

After scraping half of the carbonara back into the baking pan, I re-bake it plus more cheese, just for the sake of taking a picture with brown top. I have lots of time in hand anyway. Meanwhile my duty to clean the freezer is still left undone.

Err this is supposed to be a portion of 2, so don't follow my example of not sharing and watch your waistline.

Next on Comfort Food edition: Botok-botok (You: What in the world?) special for Miss julie^beth

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

The debut of my Korean addiction. A gist of the story: The heroine girl took over her brother's place and become Kim Yunsik aka Big Man, a student in Sungkyunkwan school/university/studying place?. Because formal education is only available for boys, she has to well, become a boy. I personally think she has no problem because the boys are looking like girls anyway. Those hairless and pretty faces. Enough said.

Let's talk about the eye candies. There's the upright Lee Sunjeon, who is envied because he is the prime minister's son. It's funny when he tries to be as philosophically as possible in as many occasion as possible. But amidst his untouchable outlook, he's very helpful to Kim Yunsik, and sometimes uncomfortably close too, considering that he knows her as a he. Anyway I'm rooting for him to score the chick, coz he's just adorable wink wink*

And there's the rebellious Mun Jaeshin. He has the typical attitude 'I know I'm fabulous but life is boring' found in most Korean heroes. Maybe it's some sort of a dream boyfriend over there. Maybe this character is too common, so his kind gesture towards Kim Yunsik doesn't affect my preference of the other protagonist.

Up to yesterday, it has been six episodes aired. I don't want to expect anything because I'll end up googling for it. I don't want to get busted for googling a Korean drama. Let's tuck this obsession-in-the-making neatly between knitting and photography.

Aniyo Haseyo - I used this word too much till I forget the meaning

I was stalking Miss julie^beth's + her sister's blog who happened to be a pro-Korean's..pretty boys (ahem, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do) and I found myself in the hot seat of becoming a Korean drama junkie sooner or later.

Mother likes her drama, be it Korean, Tagalog or Indonesian. Don't ask me how she tolerates the diversity, there's subtitles. Indonesian is the least I fancied because I've yet to see a drama where the hero and heroine are not erm.. simple-minded and accept their fates as it is. If somebody poke you in the head, poke em back! At least don't cry in the corner, wimps.

Tagalog erm.. full of overwhelmingly beautiful people, even the house keeper is beautiful. But one series can stretch to 200+ episodes (the least) and judging from my short attention span, I'll only annoy Mother for asking too many questions because I forgot the role of each and every characters.

Ahaha Korean.. Monday and Tuesday nights start with 'Sungkyunkwan Scandal' (I can type the name without checking on MySoju.com yikes!) at 9.03 pm (weird time). An hour later the fun continues with 'Pretty Insun'. The heroine is the frail girl from 'Summer Scent', I prefer her with long hair, but at least she has other emotions rather than 'sad, frustrated, confused' in this drama. Pretty Insun runs from Monday to Thursday nights, while 9.03 pm slot time for Wednesday and Thursday are for Rain's (yes, yes Rayzo's hero from Full House) 'The Fugitive: Plan B'.

Uh oh I feel like putting up posts just for them 0.0. I wonder if this is how it begins for a birth of a potato couch.

p/s: Rain's name in 'Ninja Assasin' is Raizo? Purely coincidence with Rayzo's name? There's butterflies in my stomach, with Rain's smiling face on one wing and Rayzo's tantrum face on the other.

You are what you eat

I'm a business person. So it's only natural to support other fellow businessmen. I like wandering around flea markets and buy any product that caught my attention a.k.a gaudy stuffs.

Today I went to Amcorp Mall in PJ. They organised flea markets in the mall every Sunday. Most of the hawkers sell vintage stuffs and decorative ornaments. There are stalls selling adult collectibles too. And, behold, they have cake stalls too. I bought a jar of coconut cookies and several packets of home-made chocolates. The cookies are divine, tough and crumbly, the way coconut cookies are supposed to be. 5 stars!

Then comes the chocolates. I can still remember the sweet, motherly smile of the madam selling those morsel-sized chocolates. She had chocolate with dried kiwis, chocolate with cashew nuts and chocolate with dates. I bought all 3 variations and scored myself a freebies, mystery square-sized chocolate wrapped in golden paper.

The chocolate wasn't so nice, tasted like the time I made chocolate using compound dark chocolate plus cheap white chocolate to taste. It tasted more like dark chocolate rather than milk chocolate, bland in short. The barely-there kiwis, cashew nuts and dates were adding salt to the wound. But the ones that made me stopped eating was the mystery chocolate. It was so bland it made the raisins added tasted like plastic. My verdict: minus one star.

The aftertaste is still lingering in my mouth. Maybe it's all in my head, but I'm sure this unpleasant memory will trigger nauseous reaction during this entire week.

Lesson of the day: When cocoa craving kicks in, always stick to Cadbury.

Funny story..

0.0 This is like something out of a dream. The Basic First Aid exam tomorrow is cancelled. Thus, today's tentative will be game, play game and game some more.

Hmm before that, let's try calming Rayzo who's throwing a fit right now.

Can you put the blame on LL Cool J?

I was watching 'NCIS: Los Angeles' on AXN, till Father asked,

"Have you delivered the batik cake?"

"Batik cake?"

"THE batik cake" (imagine boggling eyes)

I rushed to my working kitchen, still in home's compound, and bring out a tray of frozen kek batik from the humongous freezer, which is big enough for 6 adult+one 6-year-old child's bodies to fit in (the accuracy is disturbing).

I saw Father was on the phone, probably calling the customer to apologize. Still keeping his head straight, he took the tray from me, along with his trademark cake knife-in-the-form-of-butcher knife and drove off.

Again I forgot the few cake orders bestowed on me. Maybe I should consider tattooing them (haram!)

Shell is an adorable gas station with the cutest logo

I dislike refilling car's gas tank. Me and my Big Bro Jack share a car, so only once in a blue moon I'll have go to the gas station myself. I'll lost my composure as soon as I bring my car next to gas pump. I'll get nervous if the car didn't park precisely in the allocated box. Then there's problem opening the fill cap, and I never miss bumping my head to the door. I'll then keep touching the car to neutralize my electrostatic energy for the fear of creating any sparks that will light up the whole gas station (I read it on a poster in Shell. Implausible, but better safe than sorry).

Then the awkwardness of walking to and from the cashier counter to pay. Then comes the friendly questions from the cashier that will be responded with huge, nervous laughter every time.

I express my concern (ahem) to Jack, and his solution: practice makes perfect. I dislike that idiom too.

Don't stop till you Drop

In 4 more days, I'll be sitting for Basic First Aid exam. Uhuhu after 3 years of leaving school, it has become hard to keep still the attention span for longer than 5 minutes. Nevertheless, I sure have the much-needed confidence. But heck, i had that too when I went to an interview for a job. And I was turned down, leaving everybody dumbfounded, especially myself.

Hopefully it will be smooth sailing with the exam. If else, I should just throw away my fancy triangular bandage with red crescent logo on its peak.

All the best to my comrades. Let's be there - with bells on!

Of Essay and Account

A memory crosses my mind.

I was reading an essay exam question. A very cute title, 'You have 1 million ringgit, how would you spend it?' I raised my head, sweeping away my bushy hair. I stared blankly at the handsome Cikgu Azman, my Malay language teacher (haha, he's a darling). He grinned. I looked back at the paper and started scribbling.

One week later, Cikgu Azman handed out our exam paper. I got 2. Out of the allocated 30 marks. He smiled and said, "this is Malay language, you should write an essay, not make an account sheet on how you'd spend your money. Don't get confused next time". I can see Wan Muhd. Hafizuddin and Syahirah looked at me with perplexed faces.

That was 10-year-old Momoe, back during her green days.

Taking Personality Test is the best way to blow away the cobwebs

Taken from http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Your view on yourself:

You are intelligent, honest and sweet. You are friendly to everybody and don't like conflict. Because you're so cheerful and fun people are naturally attracted to you and like to talk to you.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.

Your views on education

Education is less important than the real world out there, away from the classroom. Deep inside you want to start working, earning money and living on your own.

The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success:

Success in your career is not the most important thing in life. You are content with what you have and think that being with someone you love is more than spending all of your precious time just working.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:

You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long.

p/s: Sweet talker. I'll buy to this.

Itaewon in Seoul in Korea

It was time for 2nd breakfast. I sat in front of the TV with Mama and watched a documentary on KBS World on 'Greatest Muslim Festival-Ramadan'. The shooting revolves around Muslim Street in Itaewon.

Yeah, usual stuffs about Ramadan; the sahur, the prayer, the breaking fast, the al-Quran recitation. But no Qiyamulail being mentioned. Maybe the production group have to sleep early. Muslims in the documentary are mainly Bangladeshi, so it's a good thing they don't name the show 'Ramadan al-Mubarak: Korean-style Unleashed'. But it would be nice to see how the Muslim Koreans, being the minority, honouring the month of endless blessing from Allah.

Why is it worth mentioning? It's Korea, what else! geez.

I Love You, Rayzo

Rayzo is 15. He is about 157 cm (5'3"), medium-built. He has a round face, with acne scars on his nose and temple. He has a thin mustache, never been shaved since it first grew, back when he was 13.

Rayzo likes to play games, be it computer or PS2 games. Deep down, I think he's eternally grateful on the discovery of Internet. He'll be on his PC most of his waking hours. YouTube is his favourite website, because that's where he watches clips of his beloved TV star, Rowan Atkinson aka Mr. Bean. Superman Mr. Bean, Mr. Bean's Invisible Drum Kit, Mr. Bean's Magic Trick to name a few. When he's feeling a little oriental, he watches Secret Letter by Hyde and Full House OST.

Other times, he's either in his room, writing on an art block with extra large fonts or taking a shower. When he's happy, he jumps around the house, rocks his chair or just laugh out loud, real loud. It's tricky when he's not in a good mood. He screams, he bashes his head on wall, he strikes other people physically, he once smashed a sliding door to bits.

Rayzo is born with Autism. i pitied people who took him as a retard. He's my colourful brother, and I love him.

The Piercing yet Vibrant Sun

In short, it's hot today. It makes me traveled back to 8 hours ago, when Father was working very hard on his vast kebun (land). The endless string of dripping sweat, the back ache from bending vigorously to plant a part of ubi keledek (sweet potato) stem on the garden bed, stand up, walk a few inches away and bend again to plant a stem, carefully distancing them from each other. I feel pathetic for sleeping in.

No time for remorse. I have a paperwork to settle.

o.o Clueless, Staring at old Dell bulky monitor

Uh oh the pink 1.9 water bottle is empty. Should refill it immediately.

Changing from BenQ wide monitor screen (i never bother to measure the size) to a 16-inch feels uncomfortable. Maybe because Sean Patrick Flanery's face becomes smaller. But at least it's for a good cause. Rayzo won't strain his eyes as much as before by using his new computer screen.