Goreng Only

Back when I just entered secondary school, someone answered "GORENG only larh!" to a question posed on the eve of a test. Since then, the phrase has been scarce but consistent throughout my life, providing that ever-encouraging voice for the students who'd left it til last minute AND those who'd over-studied (that they've become as tense as the spandex on our friendly neighbourhood Kungfu Panda) alike. Goreng- a Malay word for FRY- seems simple enough, but even when GORENG is used as a last resort, it must work in tandem with simple common sense to have a more than 10% chance of success. As you must have guessed by now (even if you're not familiar with this term), it is basically a suggestion to someone to just try their luck in attempting something despite the fact that they have no idea what they're doing.

Similar term: "Tembak saja!" (shoot only)

You see, here in Leeds, I've been giving myself short term goals not just in the wonderful world of academia, but also in terms of achievements in the kitchen. Sometimes when you're lazy, you tend to take a mental note of all the foodstuff you have, followed by attempts to combine and turn them into a dish (making sure that it would be edible). This particular process is similar to solving a jigsaw puzzle, trying to fit the pieces together...only in this case, you might get pieces from a variety of different puzzles, deeming them unfit to be pieced together. This is when your GORENG-ing skills come into play. You put those that are compatible with each other and GORENG ONLY. :P Of course, rudimentary culinary ken (such as how you shouldn't mix soy sauce and Lau Gan Ma together) is expected to be known by any who wants to tempt fate in this context. The extra ingredient of course, is wholly dependant on the cook's instincts. This final push is the difference between an utterly inedible platter and a savory heaven. 

After 6 months here, I am (excuse my small moment of narcissism if you please) proud to say that I have come a long way since the days when I couldn't even cook a decent pot of rice. The overall heightening of standards involving ovens, pots and pans is nothing short of amazing, and I attribute this to the willingness of yours truly in being a miser when it comes to take out. (OKOK, I admit that I have been succumbing to Mahmoods and Punjab of late, but that hasn't stopped me from more experimenting in the kitchen).

Spurred on by the satisfaction of some of my "labrats" (Special thanks to Jerm, Zy, Jy, zhong and everyone else who have sampled my dishes), I am emboldened to continue my endeavor into this relatively new field as a novice, despite knowing that I am but at the beginning of a long hike up the path to culinary enlightenment. I'm still mistake-prone, but hey, this is how we improve- through our blunders, lessons are learnt. 

In the meantime, I'll be taking a short break from everything (not that I hadn't already started). If you haven't heard, I'm going to London, then Venice, ITALY!

I think I should spend my brainjuice doing something more, oh I dunno... PRODUCTIVE maybe?

Just for the sake of numbing your mind with some Q-facts, here's an equation

Sien= depressed= emo =/ style of rock music

 (can't insert the not-equal symbol, so I guess '=/' will do)

This can be further expanded by assuming

Depressed = restlessness + search for solution

Where,

Restlessness can be negligible because... JUST BECAUSE. (Don't ask so many questions!), and

'Search for solution' may react with some 'brainjuice', producing a solution which is therapy, specifically FOOD therapy.

Food therapy

Definition:refers to the treatment of disorders (i.e. STRESS and DEPRESSION) through therapeutic exercises and the application of food consumtion (make sure it's some smacking finger-lickin'  stomach-fillers). 

Pander to your tummy's wants and notice how you feel much better now!

Therefore, it can be finally written as:

Sien= food therapy

Where 'food' at this very moment points to the lonely cornetto cone (sitting there all alone in our freezer) that requires my undying attention immediately.

updateZ

Have not been in the mood for writing anything the past week. In fact, I haven't been in the mood for lots of things the past week. I shall keep this update short and sweet then.

- Going for an Easter programme at the chaplaincy at the invitation of Carl and the church ppl. I may not be religious, but hey, the only reason we're getting a 1 month break here's because of Easter right? Gotta at least know what's it all about, Easter bunny and eggs aside.

- Internet connection this week has been a redolent of what we used to have back in INTI.

- Just received the secret formula from a source this afternoon for a mini holiday project dubbed "The RICH project". Cue: EVil LAUGH*~

Happy holidays people!

No b*tchin today

There are some who possess the acute ability to be extremely vigilant in the sport of spotting others' mistakes. At the same time, it makes me wonder how these people (this person) can be completely oblivious when it comes to their own flaws. I may be flawed all over, but at least I recognise my weaknesses. Some are repairable while some aren't (e.g. my handwriting, my height etc etc). I know I complain a lot, which is why I shall restrain myself from granting any more space in this post to my own grumblings.

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There are those mornings when you wake up feeling like jelly and that your bed's the only place you want to be throughout the day; then there are those where you awake to a renewed sense of hope, a feeling of rejuvenation as rousing as an Obama speech at its best, a new belief inside that your procrastinations antics will not rear its ugly head today.. no siree. There is even that smack of confidence which allows you to believe that having the world at your feet isn't an impossibility after all (even as an ordinary Joe).

To-day, I feel fresh and ready for a thousand battles!

Cheers to the day.

(NO more griping)

International Women's Day

I'm not the guy who remembers the Birthdays of friends and family, much less if it's a day like International Women's Day which incidentally falls on the 8th of March.. today. Okok, maybe I do remember a handful of birthdays but that's beside the point. Today, as I've learnt this morning, is international women's day.

International Women's Day started off in the early 20th Century with palpable political overtones. The socialist movement prompted countries such as Russia, China and other countries from the Soviet bloc back then to adopt this day as a public holiday.  Well, I do not boast to be a feminist activist of any kind, but for the sake of recognising the role women's played in my life, I think some form of acknowledgement is in order.

From the cane-wielding warm-hearted dragon, to the ghost that drifts about in undated memories, to the flurry of past romances, to the tireless, determined colleagues with whom I've worked, girl power is ever-present in my life thus far. They do what us guys do, only leaving out the physically demanding stuff. That, they more than make up by causing your head to swirl with delight (when you fall head over heels for one), forcing the strongest of men to do the dishes +take out the trash and making the world a better place to live in by just being beautiful :P. Despite their contributions, outdated thinking, archaic religious laws, the set-in-stone social mindset and strict traditions are preventing many women from achieving their maximum capacity. A recent example would be the protests against a conference held back home. 

I play no substantial part in the feminist movement, meaning you won't find me marching with women's rights activist under a picket, braving the infamous chemical-laced water jets from our own red-headed army. I am more of a sympathizer for the movement, you see. 

A special tribute to the dragon:

I owe her- as much as the total amount of rice I've consumed since birth- for grooming me to become who I am today. She is my voice of reason and although being so far away from her has dampened relations somewhat, she is still the woman whom I respect and love the most. I blame her not for my flaws, but hold her in high admiration for what she has sacrificed for the family.

To the females I know who according to the "International Women's Day" site, do 2/3 of the world's work but receive only 10% of the world's pay (Dubious statistics..but then again, if the "work" includes housework... I've got nothing to say :P). To family (immediate and distant), friends, once upon a time acquaintances:

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY!

Blockage and Sibs

I'm posting this after waging war with my Internet connection and rummaging through all my drawers and piles of notes/books for a postcard that I bought a month ago. Where the blazes is it?? 

Few things I realized after going through (and tidying up) my room:

- The alarm clock is either 5 hours behind time or 7 hours ahead, and this is after adjusting the clock 3 times before. Guess it's chuck-it-out-the-window time.

- I have too many empty slips of paper lying about.

- My propensity to write down recipes on the "pro-vision" notepad has resulted in quite an impressive collection of simple dishes (impressive for ME lar OK =,=, taking into account that one year ago, I could barely cook rice properly) 

- I need a bigger room next semester = . =

- I smell chicken in the room. OH wait a sec, that's just me. (I need a bath; my cooking shirt needs one too)

Ideas are running dry here. I need an inspiration.

***After 2 huge marshmallow-filled chocolate "wheels"***

I'm still inspiration-less. 

Perhaps being awake and smelling like chicken at 2am isn't the most suitable conditions in which to blog.

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My couz says that she misses her bro.[cass] I feel bad for not being there for my brother too.

I've always thought that when he trudges through that minefield in secondary school, I would be there for him to provide guidance, to tell him to grab opportunities that I missed and regretted, to tell him that it's alright to not be in the popular gang. I would be there to give advice like that wise old man on top of the hill (Only that the hill should have its own McD chain which sells in Ringgit Malaysia). It didn't cross my mind when I was applying to universities abroad that I would miss out this much. Perhaps it was excitement that clouded my vision. On hindsight, it was definitely the excitement. As a result of this, the disappointment of not being there became greater than it was supposed to be. I didn't get to see him set up his own msn account. I won't get to see him shoot 5 inches taller and still not notice it.

Watching my brother grow up was kind of like chewing a bittersweet candy. You love him one moment and you want to strangle him for breaking your phone the next; enjoying one moment, while the next, your disgusted face says everything about the bitter taste in your mouth. Sometimes when you want to talk to him, he remains incommunicado until you've forgotten what you wanted to say to him in the first place. 

Nevertheless, he is my brother, and he IS the person whom I've shared the same room with for the past 7,8 years (can't remember how many years exactly..) I never thought that I would be half a globe away as he grows into a new skin that will redefine his life. His priorities, his friends, his interests.. all the budding and blooming is bound to happen within this crucial period. (Unless of course, you are like me- a late bloomer- in which case, good luck =.=)

Then, there's my sis. The bookworm and artist of the family. I'd love to be either but turns out that I'm only half a bookworm :P and nothing close to an artist. I remember cycling with her in the compound of the used-to-be vacant house opposite ours. riding up the slopes and down... I remember how I silently rejected her because I thought that she was invading my space in the house with her listening to the music I like, watching the shows I love. (Hey, teenagers are stupid OK? I was no exception). 

It's not double-standards that I'm practicing here by giving only the tiny above section to my sis while my bro gets the rest. No, it's just that I know she is the independent one.. the one who is stubborn, hardheaded and determined enough when it comes to pursuing the goals she set for herself. In the end, I'm more concerned about that boy who's now boarding adolescence's roller-coaster ride. The onus is therefore, on, ehem* hint*PY* hint*, someone who's there at home with him to guide him while being his safety net.

I'm just having a tiny bout of homesickness, should be fine in a jiff.