Blondies & Plates

Blondies. Aren't they cool? I think not many Malaysians have heard of blondies as opposed to the darker half aka brownies. Blondies are basically brownies without chocolate. And they taste great.

To me and Hubs that is.

Coz we are both enlightened people and have no fear of a little extra sugar and all things sweet.

In essence, they taste like caramel in the form of a chewy cake. And the taste of dark brown sugar paired with butter is a winning combo - sooo deliciously rich.

I used the recipe from Elise here. Cut down the butter as several commenters said the base came out slightly oily.

I also fancy plates. Colourful, cheery, chic plates. They made my Blondies look better.

Arent they lovely? Got them from a charity bazaar last weekend at Great Eastern mall.

Doing my bit for charity at RM16/ plate.

Pretty Flowers!

My dear hubby finally agreed to take me to Sg. Buloh to get cheap cheap flowers! (I got tired of paying for convenience as well as through my nose at the nursery at UK (read Ulu Kelang. You can see it along MRRII.) Don't go there! They charge almost double as I painfully found out.

I love flowers but growing them is simply not in my genes. Come to think of it, even keeping them ALIVE is a challenge. Boo hoo.

Anyway, I AM stubborn and I WILL find a way to keep my green friends alive for as LONG as I can. So this time round, I picked more suitable plants for my balcony. I put my trust in the lady at the nursery.

me: Can stand hot sun?

flower lady: ya, this one can. Put fertilizer the red kind once a month. Put just 10 biji and water everyday. no problem wan.

me: ooooOOoo ok. i want this, and this and that.. (excitedly choosing my victims..)

So I got myself several hanging flowers, one potted plant for my toilet (potted plants in the toilet really makes the toilet look better - for what purpose I don't know. I just like toilets to look inviting haha!) and a white desert rose (father's day gift for my dad - if its still alive by then).

Total: ~RM 70 for 6 plants. Not bad eh?

Extra Public Holiday!

PUTRAJAYA: May 2 has been declared an additional public holiday because both Wesak Day and Worker’s Day fell on May 1 this year.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohamed Sidek Hassan said in a statement that the declaration for an additional holiday was based on the Holidays Act and Holidays Ordinance for Peninsular Malaysia, Federal Territory of Labuan, Sabah and Sarawak.

Yippeee!

My new oven!

Yay! I finally got myself an oven. I had been fidgetting whether to get a microwave and an oven separately or to just get a microwave+grill+convection (3-in-1). After an afternoon of surveying the various electrical shops with my mom and pop, (they sure love scouting for appliances. My dad of course is the same old same old, heads straight to see wat's new at the home theatre system section)

So! most basic microwaves (without grill or bake functions) cost approximately rm300-rm500. That's pretty affordable. BUT when you add in the grill and bake functions, the price skyrockets to 1.5K minimum! whoooaaa. and the sizes are humongous. They can't seem to make them smaller. AND they are mega heavy ok.. Sigh, i guess these factors deterred me completely. My kitchen worktop isnt the tough, granite kind so i doubt it'd be able to stand the weight of a MAMAmicrowave man. PLUS i think it'd also take up the entire space of my already tight worktop space.

So! i decided to just go for an oven first. i can continue to heat up my food with my trusty MAXIM pans. No killer Waves here haha!

Then! AAAAUUUUugghhhhhh.... proper brands like Elba were scarce. All 3 major shops didnt carry it. Sharp, Panasonic etc apparently dont make electrical ovens anymore! they're all going for the super 3-in1 microwaves... Sigh, guess more money to make there. Electrical ovens just cost around rm150-rm300. Boo! well, no can do. I came to get an oven and an Oven i'm gonna get! so help me!

So i finally decided on this...


my SASAKI oven. See it all new and gleaming......
Cost - rm299. On promo!
34L capacity, a large bird can fit in - no problem. (so said the shop guy)
Stainless stell housing for that ultra-modern look
Rotisserie and grilling functions
Non-stick inner coating, just gotta wipe down the oil.grease stains. ha.

Wot a catch! except... anybody heard of SASAKI?

Pressies!

haha! as alwayz, my hubby bought me lots of gifts from his recent trip to Dallas.
- a simply adorable little white bear (bought from a souvenir shop at his TI HQ! *roll my eyes - trust a man to get a gift from his office - where's the romance?)
- a Victoria Secret babydoll night dress in pink! I'm thinking the cut is flattering and maybe I should wear it to a wedding dinner but my hubby objected to that rather vehemently..
- oooOOOOooo a Coach bag.. in a rich tobacco colour - LOVELY choice! erm i do think its a makeup bag coz its rather small, but hubby insists that its a Trendy Hand-bag. Oooeer, okay but I love it!
- a really cool trendy long T-shirt from banana republic
- LOADS of reese peanut buttah chocz..our fav!

here's me with my gifts!

My very first Coach!

Yay! My Hubby is Back

its been 10 lonely nights without my hubby again. In all the 5 years of dating, I've been the one constantly travelling overseas. Things decided to take a real testing turn just after we got married. He's been whisked off to Japan for 2 weeks and then to Dallas for another week! Someone's testing my mettle, and I've never stayed alone at all before this! I must say, the first time when he went to Japan, I was so afraid to be alone at night that I had to leave the lights on and the radio too throughout the nite. When I locked my room door, I could just about 'see' all sorts of shadows playing at the crack below the door.

But now, I'm quite ok. At least I can lull myself to sleep with thoughts of fewer nights alone as the days pass by. SO last night was my LAST night alone.... he's back today! YAY! heh heh, and i think he got me some precious handbags *wink! I don't know which I'm looking forward to more. nah, kidding... not the most exquisite, soft calf leather handbag in the WORLD could replace my hubby *grin

Orite - gotta keep myself busy by actually doing some work till lunch time and I'm off to pick him up.

Bliss!

That's the beautiful island of Redang, located on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It has the whitest, finest sand in the world! (at least in my opinion), and the bluest, most crystal clear waters. You can just lie on the sand or dip in the sea for hours ahhh that's bliss!

This is actually my 2nd trip to Redang and to the same resort too! haha, i'm not the adventurous type. Came here in 2004 with a good friend and vowed to return again with my hubby.

3 days just arent enough, i think all the americans and europeans spend weeks here! Sigh, if only we had that sort of culture in Malaysia. Even getting a 3-day leave proved testy. Had to be on my toes prior to my leave in case anything came up. And yes, something did come up! it was indeed a challenge to keep it out of my mind throughout the trip, but when i sank my feet in the sand and let the cool waters soothe away the worries, i had some peace, at least for a while.

Already planning my next trip! Till then... its work again. toodleloo!