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.