Martha Stewart

Do you like Martha Stewart?
I love going through her website for idea on craft, cooking, decoration, and etc.

Did you hear that she is coming to Malaysia??
Yep... she's coming for about a week around mid May 2010.

How cool is that?

It's in The Star newspaper today.

If you haven't visited her website... check it out.

It's definitely a must visit !!

http://www.marthastewart.com/

How my kids play Uno Stacko ...

Do you know how to play Uno Stacko?

I myself love playing it.
Its so much FUN !!!


My kids on the other hand, love to build stuff with them.
Big G makes it into building with car parks and etc.



Little G on the other hand.... builds.....

YEP.... RACE TRACK for his cars !!! LOL!!

Don't kids have the best imagination?

Birds Nest

Just the other day, my MIL's brother gave her 2 boxes of birds' nest.

And it costs like RM650/100g

2 boxes??

Well... he could afford to coz it is his biz. Hahahaha.

I have never tried such an expensive birds' nest before.

And today finally I have .... LOL!

Chilled cold and with a bit of honey... super delicious indeed :)

The morning sight at KLIA

Due to the volcanic ashes in Iceland, so many flight were delayed.
My SIL and niece are still stuck in USA for more than a week.
Lucky for them, they are staying at my sis' place so need not fork out extra $ for accomodation!!

Yesterday was at KLIA.
And here is the sight @7am ....

Stretcher beds (or watchamacallit) all lined up before the checking counters....


A close up...


People sleeping while others were lining up to check in :(


Purposely blurr the take as didn't want to make anyone look obvious...


A noticed board for all stranded passangers...




Stranded passanger... (muahahahaha)


Me Mommy PRETENDING to be stranded... LOL!!!


On our way home... all the beds were pilled up already.
Guess everyone woken up ;)


Honestly I feel for them.
I even saw a family with a baby.
Imagine that !!
They were busy changing the baby's diapers.
The father making milk.
The bro/sis were entertaining themselves.
Oh my... I cannot imagine myself travelling with kids and experiencing this :(

I hope they situation gets better soon and all these ppl get to go home safely even sooner!

Optical City Customer Service

Have you ever visited Optical City @Ikano?
My mom recently did her bifocal glasses there.
Cost a whooping RM700++

It was suppose to be ready in a weeks' time.
And when the date arrived, I gave them a call.

Waited about 10 minutes before the guy could get back to me.
Finally all he could say was "Sorry Miss... the spectacles not ready yet. When ready will call you ok?". So I thought, ok fine.. a day late.. never mind.

The next day, waited for their call.. no one called.
So I called them back.
This time, the guy said "Miss, I'll call you back"
In 10 minutes, he did.
And his reason was "Sorry miss... the spects arrived but there was some problem with the lenses so we had to get it redone. I will call you again once it is ready"
I asked.. "How long will it take?"
His answer "Err.. not sure la... depends on supplier. But don't worry.. we will call you once it is ready".
FINE!!

Waited and waited. No one called.
I called after 3 days... same answer "Sorry miss.. still not ready... will call you back"
But still no one called again after a week.

I got so fed up WAITING for them to call.
I called them up again.
Again "Sorry miss.. but still haven't arrived yet"
Told them "Pls hurry coz my Mom is leaving soon. You don't expect her to change her airline tix just to wait for her spect right?"
All he could say way "Ok ok miss.. will rush the supplier and tell them its urgent"

We waited and waited.
A day before Mom left... I got so pissed off.
No call.
No explanation.
Finally I went to the place.

Gave the girl my receipt and said " I want the collect the spectacles today!!"
She came back after 5 minutes and said "Sorry miss.. the lenses just arrived today"
I snapped !! I haven't snapped in a long time ago!

I told her "Why the HELL didn't anyone call me?????? I have been waiting and waiting and no one called. It's more than a week delayed and my Mom is flying off tomorrow !!"
I was ready to ask for a full refund then she said "Ok misss.... I will get it ready by 5pm"
And it was only 1++pm !!!
I was like "You want me to walk around and wait for you till 5pm??? You think I don't have a life? You think I live around here? I need to rush back and pick my son from school after this. I want it to be ready NOW or else I want a FULL REFUND"
She quickly jumped and ran to the inside room and rush back to me saying "Ok ok miss.. pls come back in a hour"
I looked at her and said "What time would that be?"
She ran back inside again to check the clock and ran back out and said "3pm pls come back"
I walked out of the shop.
I had an hour to spare.
If it wasn't ready I was sure to throw a huge fist !!!

Before 3pm, the lady called saying it was already ready for pick up.
Took Mom and within 10 minutes we were gone.

NEVER EVER WILL I GO BACK to that shop... EVER !!!!
Talk about Bad Customer Service.
What they could have done in less than an hour..they wanted customer to wait till 5pm after delaying for more than a week!!
Where is their sense of urgency?
Where is their sense of making customers happy?

You may think I may have been too harsh but what would you have done if you were in my shoes?
I used to work in the Customer Service line .. handling calls from all over the world in a BANKING industry which customers satisfaction is MUST !!! So you can see where I come from.

Oh hell... its been a while since my blood boiled.
And I have been told I am a very patient person.
SIGH!!!

Can an average Malaysian family survive....

... with RM3K income monthly?
Check out this attachment my friend sent me !!!

click to enlarge

.... HOW MUCH DO YOU EARN??

Delta Airlines...

.. just got news from my SIL last night.

They were suppose to fly from US to London yesterday but Delta Airlines have postponed their flight due to the volcanic ashes that has been hitting Europe since last week Thu. 

Mind you some airlines have already started operating yesterday. But due to so many rescheduled flights, my SIL & niece flight is gonna be delayed for at least a week !!! Yikes!

No wonder I keep hearing news that people are getting BROKE! Yep.. broke as in running out of money due to all these delays. Poor peps!!

Anyway, we shall see how it all goes now. 

Cross fingers the volcano stops flowing really soon (estimated to flow for a least a week or so)

And to my SIL and niece... continue to enjoy your stay in US .. hehehe :)

Apartment For Sale

I have an apartment in Damansara Damai
It's at Saujana Aprt
3rd Floor walk up apartment
850sq feet



The place is fully grilled.
Complete with fans, 2 air condition, water heater, a lovely huge tv-cabinet, a wardrobe, dining table (practically half furnished)
A lovely renovated kitchen cabinet on both sides.

There is hair saloon, a few sundry shops, laundry shop, mamak shop, swimming pool, hall, guarded and gated and a caddy is even provided for those who don't have a car as it is up on the hill.... how cool is that??



Now how do I go about selling it?
Any takers?
Any agents?

How do I settle my loan? S&P?
How is the whole process done?

And lastly, how much should I sell?


****
Oh and forgot to mention...
It now uses a TOUCH N GO card system... canggih ya??


Again, I forgot to mention, outside the apartment...
* Maybank
* Post office
* Maxvalu (Jusco Supermarket)
* Pasar Malam (every Fri)
* Bus depot
* Clinics, Specialist Hosp, Dentist
* Workshops, Sundry Shops, Speedmart
* Police Station
* McDonalds too !!!!
.... basically a VERY VERY WELL developed area :)

It's been really hot...

I mean the weather !!!
Been sweating a lot.
My hair has been getting frizzy and dried too.

What do I do???

I got myself...


*snip* *snip* *snip*
From very long hair to shoulder length.

Will share pics once I get to take photo of myself :) Hehehe.
Am not very good in taking self portrait.. haven't mastered that craft yet.
Kakaka.

Happy a Cool-ING day everyone !!

Wiggles Live in Malaysia

Oh... am so excited !!
The wiggles are coming to town :)
Together with the original cast.
Jeff, Murray, Greg and Anthony.
Not forgetting The Big Red Car & Captain Feathersaw, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog and Dorothy the Dinasour.


My kids grew up watching them.
Singing to all their songs.
Dancing to all the tunes.

I mean, how often do you get not so young man in colorful tees, jumping and dancing.
But once you hear their song, you simply get hooked !!!

So book your tix now at..
http://axcess.com.my/s_wiggles10.asp?id=2690472635337447489059904438822176368054

Honey Dew Melon Strips Drink

Today bought some honey dew melon from the market.

And since the weather is super hot, decided to make some melon strip juice.

Cut the melon into half...


Then scrape the fruit into strips like this...


Add some ice cold water + some sugar to make it sweet to taste..


Serve chilled and enjoy :)

** pictures courtesy from the internet :)

Here below is my finished product......

Volcanic Ash Clouds in Iceland

Did you hear about this?
I haven't been reading the news for the past few weeks so I only found out about it today.

OMG!! So scary!!
My relatives are in UK and so many air flights has been cancelled.

My sis in law and niece are suppose to fly to London next week.
Not too sure if they can with all the rescheduled flights.

Found some videos on the volcanic ash erupting.
All I can say is that am soooo glad Malaysia is far from volcano unlike our neighbouring countries like Indonesia and Philippines.

Watch this if you have the time....


and this one too...

Macaroni & Cheese

My kids all time fave !!
Something so easy to whip up and so delicious to eat :)

Here's what we normally eat.... less than RM10 each



... sometimes we have these too.. about RM10 each box


And recently I managed to find a few others...


Scooby Doo and Sponge Bob

OH and Spiderman too !!!

... trying to look for Pokemon but can't seem to find it.

How do you cook this?
Simple... boil the macaroni till desired softness
Add some butter/margarine/olive oil to prevent stickyness after draining
Return the boiled mac into the empty boiling pot
Add some milk and the powdered packet included in the box
And mix thoroughly.
Serve hot!!

For better taste, add your kids' fave topping... chicken, brocolli, or whatever you can think of.

Sound easy? It sure it ... and its yummy and healthy too !!!

Fried Mushroom

Oh yes... the other day hubby bought some fresh mushroom from Giant.

Told me to deep fry them.

Talk about cravings !!! Hahaha.

So here's what I did.

I washed the mushroom thoroughly and pop them in the microwave to cook for a bit.

Once it was steaming hot and a little soft, I dried them with kitchen paper and let them cool a bit.

Took some tempura powder and mixed it with COLD COLD water to make a lovely thick paste just right for dipping.

Sprinkled the mushroom with some salt and pepper.

Heat the wok and dip the mushroom onto the flour mix and fried the mushroom.

Remember to drain the mushroom using kitchen paper to avoid any extra oil... kakaka.

Results? Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside fried mushroom :)

Wanna try? It's easy and yummy !!!

Again... I don't have pics as it was already dinner time and it was amongst the first dish to be finished. Hehehe.

But here's a sample pic of how it looks like... courtesy from the internet :)

Pizza for tea

Today I pop in the oven my own recipe of pizza :)
Yep... bought the base at my local hypermarket.

Got some cheese topping, some tomato puree, some pepperoni slices, mushroom and some pineapple too.

Sprinkles all on top and baked my pizza!
It's so easy to do and so yummy too :)

Didn't manage to take any pics... as it was half gone even before it had the time to get cold.

Hahahaha.

So if you're craving for some pizza.. go make some yourself and color it with your fave toppings !!!

ENJOY !!!!

Definitely more cost saving and almost as tasty as .....

(at least that's what my kids say.... LOL!!)

My Mom got so excited now she says wanna make some LASAGNE!!! 

Hahahaha... so we're gonna make another trip to our local hypermarket to get supplies soon :)

YUMMY!!!!!

Edible Images for Cakes and Cupcakesn - How to Apply

Did you know the latest craze for cake decorating is using fondant and gum paste?


But did you know that using edible images is also catching up pretty fast?

I love baking!
Unfortunately with my crazy schedule lately and the super hot weather, I haven't had the chance to bake much!

A friend of mine who baked my son's cuppies last month asked me where he could get edible images as he needed to make a portrait cake for his Mom for Mother's Day. Sweet huh? Yes..he is a big chubby guy who has the heart of gold ! That's why I call him TAI KOR :) LOL!!

Have you ever wondered how to use those edible images? I mean how to apply them onto your cakes/cuppies the right way?

I found this article...

Cake Decorating – How To Apply Edible Cake Art

There are many edible cake art images available for cake decorating, that will make your cakes stand alone in excellence. You must follow the directions carefully for best result and ease in application.

Tips to Apply Edible Cake Art:

- Make sure you have clean, dry hands before touching the image. If you are working with a frozen cake, let it thaw a bit before applying the icing. Edible Image(r) cake decorations need a bit of moisture to blend into the icing.

- If the cake is dry, spray it with a light mist of water, brush on light syrup, or add a thin layer of icing before you apply the image so it will stick to the cake. If your cake is moist, don’t add water or moisture to the cake. Too much water will cause the colors to run.

- Once the image is applied, it cannot be removed or moved. Know exactly where you plan to place the image. Using care apply the image to your cake, face up. Once the image has been applied, tap the image down gently with your fingertips. Start from the center of the image and work toward the edges.

- If the image should become moist or hard to remove from the backing, it can be placed in the freezer for a couple of minutes, the image should peel off easily.

- If the image should bubble after it is applied, gently tap and DO NOT RUB the image. If the cake is still frozen after application, it should be placed in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. Avoid exposing the image to ultraviolet light. The image may fade over time, as with any food coloring.

- If the image bubbles during freezing, again you can gently tap the image.

Royal Icing

- Make sure you add a good mist of water over a cake iced with royal icing before you apply the image

Non Dairy Whipped Topping

- When working with this medium, do not add any extra water before you apply the image. Keep the finished cake in the refrigerator to maintain the integrity of the image and the topping.

Poured White Chocolate, or other poured icings

- Apply the image while the icing is wet. Be sure your cake is on a flat surface or the image may slide.
Standard Instruction for Application

- Remove the Edible Image(r) from the sheet just prior to application.

- If there are still images in the bag, reseal it immediately.

- Remove the image from the backing sheet by gently placing it on a table edge, (facing up) and rolling the backing sheet over the table edge. This will loosen the image so that it can be carefully peeled from the backing.

Thanks to ....

http://www.cookingitalianrecipes.net/cake-decorating-how-to-apply-edible-cake-art

(visit the site for more info ok)

Dalissa Sweet Treat Birthday Giveaway

Oh yummy !!!

What cake is this?
Can you guess??

Yep.. its SNICKERS Cheese Cake !!

OMG.... I so love snickers :)

 

Imagine those yummy peanut and those yummy....

 

I am sooo drooling already !!! Kakaka.

Anyway, should you want to give it a try... you can get it from..

http://dalissacuppacake.blogspot.com

 Check them out now :)

Oh if you wanna win the cake like me.. you can join their giveaway contest at..

http://dalissacuppacake.blogspot.com/2010/04/dalissa-sweet-treat-birthday-giveaway.html

Blah blah blah....

The weather is hot.

I am so busy.

Organising contest.

Getting sponsors.

Cracking my heads with more ideas.

Updating blogs.

Receiving packages.

Updating inventory.

Again... updating blogs.

Feeling tired and sleepy.

Yet needing to finish up as much things as I can.

Loving the aircon while my son takes his nap.

Yet scared of my next electricity bill hiking up again.

Thinking of making pizza.

But decided not to as the hot weather might lead to sore throat.

Thought of baking some pastries.

But the hot weather and the thought of hot oven, is such a turn off.

I'll probably just drop by Giant and buy some buns off the shelf instead.

Admiring the new VS paper bags that just arrived in the mail today.

So sweet, so pretty, so lovely !!

With light pink motif.

And lovely pink straps.

Golden circle and wordings.

The sweetest bag so far !!!