Baking with Adam

Yesterday I had one of the best experience with Adam. He came back from school and told me that he baked fairy cakes at school with his teacher. Matching his enthusiasm, I asked how to bake it and what are the ingredients. Surprisingly he remembered everything, step by step. Then he said he wanted to jot the recipe down so he won't forget.

After a few attempts he got frustrated. He wanted to cramp everything in one page but his writing were too big.



So he made me do the list. I had to, because he was already near tears.



Then he decided to give it a try straight away. I was reluctant at first because it was already near bed time for him. But he was so excited and could not be persuaded otherwise.

Adam: Mama, do you have all the ingredients?
Mama: errr... yes.
Adam: Do you have the casings?
Mama: yes.... (did not have the heart to lie)
Adam: I WANT TO MAKE FAIRY CAKESSS!! (shouting as usual, bouncing on the sofa)

So I gave in. I thought why not. The recipe is super simple. No measuring or mixer required. Just 8 spoons of flour, butter and sugar each, 2 eggs and mix with wooden spoon. I asked Adam whether he had missed any ingredients, but he was confident that he did not miss anything. Nevertheless, while breaking the eggs into a bowl I quickly add 2 spoons of milk and a drop of vanilla into the eggs, while he wasn't looking.

Then he insisted to wash hands and wear an apron. I had to fold my apron into half and tied it to him. Then he asked, with a bossy tone..

Adam: Have you washed your hands, Mama?
Mama: dahlerrr (sabar je lah)

The pictures say it all....

Then after all the cakes were eaten, Adam suddenly remembered..

"Mamaa! We forgot baking powder!!"

(I knew it, that's why I used self-raising flour)

Many Things

Anybody missed me? hehehe...ok ok boleh turun tangan sekarang..

Did not have enough time to write anything because have been going out a lot since Papaboyz's parents were here (mama still here, papa has gone back to Cairo, or 'Pairow' according to Ammar).

Earlier this month we went to visit 2 World Heritage Sites- Stonehenge and Roman Bath, but will upload pictures in a separate entry later.

My Birthday

I turned 29 on 16th November. Nobody baked me a cake of course, instead I asked Papaboyz to buy me a cake that I like very much, triple layer carrot and orange cake with white choc and cheese cream icing.




And a tip from me- if you marry a gadget-enthusiast, ask a gadget for your birthday present. Don't ask for jewelery or handbag or Prada shoes, haram nak dapat.

So I asked for a camera. I said 'just a cheap one that can take pictures' hahaha really macam describe disposable camera. I want to have my own camera because Papaboyz's Nikon D90 is too complicated for my kayu hands and too bulky to bring everywhere and it takes forever to wait for Papaboyz to edit photos before I can upload them.

So a gadget present from a gadget-lover? You will surely get the best! (ni bergantung pada budget ok).. Now I'm a proud owner of a red Samsung PL70 with a pink casing (got it at half price). Takyah gambar la ok.


Enid Blyton

Sometime last week I watched a BBC film about the life of my favourite childhood author, Enid Blyton. Any kids who grew up with the kids at the Enchanted Wood, or the students of Mallory towers will surely love her dearly. It is because her stories are adventures where every kids want to be- a world of no adults.

But I was shocked to know that her own daughters, Gillian and Imogen actually suffered because of lack of affection from her. We probably think that to have Enid Blyton in your home who probably tell you stories before you go to bed every night is like a dream come true. But she actually were always in front of her typewriter, pouring all her thoughts and feelings into her books- like when she was happy then you get all the happy party stories in her books. And when she was sad that was when the Wishing Chair would fly to faraway places, or when she was confused with her own relationships with her first husband (coincidentally during World War 2) that was the time the Secret Seven Adventures (mysteries) started. And when she miscarried a baby boy, Noddy was born.

Quite sad really. Well, her books were sold about 500-600 million copies (and still selling at 1 million copies a year). And they argue that her stories were actually racist and reflected English social hierarchy at that time. In other words, lack of political correctness (this is what you get when adult review children books). Reflecting back, I don't think I noticed. I only remember the comforts in her stories, where I escaped to the lands on the clouds that arrived on the Magic Faraway Tree (my fav- Land of Chocolates and Goodies) and my best friend, Moonface who makes Toffee Shock candies and has winding slide in the middle of his house (if I remember clearly).

Oh, I also just found out that she has another pen name, Mary Pollock (her first husband's surname).


Dr UmiM

Recently a school friend of mine finished her PhD. She is the first to have a PhD in our batch, and what more is that she graduated from Oxford Univ! She is actually my oldest friend (we were good friends in kindergarten and met again in TKC). A mom of 2 boys, Imran and Rayyan, we know that the journey has not been easy for her. But Alhamdulillah, hard work eventually pays. To Kell, you are truly an inspiration. Really proud of you :)


Ammar: hey imran, kau tau tak mak2 kita masa kecik kawan kat tadika?
Imran : ye ke? sekarang kita pulak kawan ok

To my other friends who are pursuing their studies, be brave and persevere. May Allah accompany you every second of the journey.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist

The author is Mohsin Hamid, an American Pakistani (a Princeton University and Harvard Law School graduate) whose first novel, Moth Smoke won a number of awards and was published in 10 languages. Impressive background. I first saw this book on a bookstore's shelve and was attracted to the intriguing cover. A man in white kurta under a beautifully carved (Moghul?) arch looking over a river to a city that looks like New York. He appears comfortable in his Asian element but he is looking longingly at the city of skyscrapers.

The whole book is the voice of Changez, talking to an uneasy American in a cafe in Lahore, Pakistan. It is like Changez talking to you, the reader. You are the American, sitting in front of him, listening to his stories.

Changez is a Pakistani with perfect American accent, went to Princeton University, graduated with flying colours and was accepted to work as analyst in a prestigious valuation company. Then he fell in love with Erica, a beautiful New York elite. But deep inside him he has this feeling of homesickness that later turned into anti-American thoughts. He gradually felt that he is equivalent to a Janissary (an infantry unit in the Ottoman Empire comprised of captured Christian male children), trained and given benefits to help destroy the Ottoman's enemy (which was their own homeland).

But the beauty of this novel is that without any action (guns/bombs/kickboxing etc) it still gives you gripping suspense. Why is Changez telling you the story of his life? And what makes you stay in the cafe to hear his story until the sun settles and the night darkens? Why the successful American Changez abandon his high paying New York job and return to Pakistan?

Changez's voice is probably the voices of millions of Muslims living in America post 9/11. Why reluctant? Maybe because Changez loves and hates America at the same time.

Fully recommended by me.

p/s don't read the reviews in Amazon before you read the book because the reviews are quite revealing.

Making The World A Better Place

People, if you have time, do visit the World Challenge 09 website to vote for a cause that you believe in. It's the least we can do to help these organizations heal the world.

Now in its fifth year, World Challenge 09 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. World Challenge 09 is brought to you by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference.

I think they are all brilliant projects. The winner will receive USD 20k grant from Shell and 2 runners-up will receive USD 10k each.

So, vote now! Be it tsunami homeless victims, Afghan widows and orphans, or endangered gorillas and cheetahs, the power is at your fingertip...

He's My X and You're My Y

I was thinking of writing a book review on Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist but since it is already late so I think I will write it later. We are going to London today to meet Papaboyz's parents. We haven't seen them since we left Malaysia and at that time Ammar was smaller than Abid now! Can't wait to see their reaction :))

So for today I want to share a raw talent with you readers. This is a clever poem by my school friend Siti Aminah Ramli. She has written a few brilliant pieces and this is my favourite (excuse the grammar..who cares hehehe)...


He's My X and You're My Y

You can still imagine he/she remembers you
cause they are not there to answer
you can imagine they're there
to wait for your call/sms/email..
even if they're NOT!!
You will still remember him/her
as the person you once knew
slim.slender and lovely
like the first time that you laid your eyes upon them
that make you fall in love,
You will still think he/she is S in size now and forever
even the fact he/she is XXXL hehehe

There are big different between
the person that you think
you'll miss in life
and the person whom you shared
your life with

He's my eX and you're my Y
because he's not the person that cares for me
day and nite
he's not the one that stay around
when everyone's gone
he's not the person that wakes up
each nite to prepare milk or change my baby's diaper..
he's not the one that I call
every 10 minutes when my car broke down

You're my Y cause
you're the reason Y I'm happy
you're there always without a reason Y
cause love doesn't need a reason Y
I'm really glad to have you by my side
and pray it'll be forever
I'm also really,really glad that
he's just my X and you're my wonderful Y

by Siti Aminah Ramli (with permission)

(fyi my ex is orlando bloom)


We'll be gone for a few days.. Meanwhile I will ask you a question, Bibliobibuli style..

What are you reading now? (me: John Wood's Leaving Microsoft To Change The World)

2 years...

Today marked the full 2 years we are here. In these 2 years we have never been back to Malaysia, unlike many of our friends. Last year I was working full time, and this year, well, first part of the year I was pregnant with Abid and now Papaboyz is busier with his work, exam coming, conference etc.

Doesn't feel like 2 years have gone....

I must say for the time being this is less than ideal for my career. Many of my friends have begun their masters (to become specialists) and by the time I were to start working again many would be my bosses. But if I were to live till 88 (my grandmother's age now) and assuming I will work till age 65, I know this gap years won't make a dent at all to my glorious career (berangan nak menyedapkan hati).

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work in the NHS (National Health Service) here and I could see the lacks in our own Kementerian Kesihatan. Their patient database is very2 advanced that it is research-friendly, which is very important for the future of medicine. I promised a friend that I will write about my working experience here..err soon ok..(tunggu mood datang).

And as for my boys, I'm glad that I'm staying at home now. I imagine that I will never be able to get to know them if I were still working. At least we have a good start together. I'm happy that they learn the basics directly from me. With these strong roots and foundation, I hope they will grow beautifully and 'fruitfully', and whatever happens that will sway them away they will be strong enough to keep their feet on the right path.

For the time being I will just enjoy the unlimited cheap books and cheap fruits (dalam hati- and cheap chocolates) and time to blog and baking and baby talk (things doctors don't do).

And I thank Allah for putting me within walking distance to the fantastic super efficient library.

p/s if we can get a beautiful autumn shot I will share with you people (time to change the red-orange spring tulips header)

To Nick Griffin...

A note to Nick Griffin (British National Party leader)

Hello..

I watched your debate on BBC's Question Time last night.

You said Islam is vicious and wicked. You said Islam second-rate women. You said this based on 'what's written in the Quran'.

So you have read the whole Holy Quran, haven't you?

But clearly you have missed that Islam has given the rights of divorce and inheritance to the women many hundred years before any western civilizations do.

And what do you call the culture of using women as sex symbols in everything that can be shown on tv? Doesn't that second-rate women? Putting women at its lowest?

Oh! I forgot. That's freedom of expression.