:: famous for a day ::

I like watching the Kardashian family shows. Despite their sometimes outrageous behaviour towards each other and sometimes disrespect towards their parents or partners, I still feel they have strong family bonding that awe me. Among the three big sisters, Kourtney is the one I like the most because she is more relax and down to earth if compared to Khloe who is rough and Kim who is more like camera conscious or in Malay 'control ayu'.

I usually look at their photos because I follow them in Twitter and I always like those candid shots, especially family shots of Kourtney, Scott and Mason strolling during shopping or walking on the street like these...

I always wish to have that kind of shots and today, my wish comes true when I saw this...

That is the three of us, appeared in Sinar Harian today. Hokayyy... I know I am not as glamorous as Kourtney Kardashian in that picture but I still like the full candid shot. It is babyAdy's first appearance in the mass media and hopefully this is not the last :-P

By the way, that photo is taken during our visit to Karnival Karangkraf 2012 at Shah Alam yesterday. We went there to check one of the booth after hubby's friend, Eunose told him about it through phone in the morning or else we would not reach there because we never knew about the event at all. Have not been to such carnival for a long time and the crowd was still huge despite the hot weather (yes, agree with the caption). We were there from around 3:00 to 4:00 something when the sun was shining brightly, which explains our squinted eyes...and we also did not notice any photographer nor realise when it was captured.

Nothing much, just a note of thanks to Karangkraf's Sinar Harian for making us famous for a day.

:: a warm housewarming ::

BabyAdy and I spent the whole Saturday evening with Nor and Fila. Fila who shared a room with me when we first started working then became a roommate to Nor for many years. She is living somewhere else now so she invited us for somesort of housewarming. Nor fetched Ady and I from home after attending a baking class in Shah Alam and the three of us arrived at Fila's place around 3 something. It was a casual meeting and as usual, the main agenda is eating while gossiping chatting.

We were entertained by such a wonderful hostess who prepared us fried bihun, chicken skewer, egg and cheese sandwich, and popia. Nor and I were both starving so we ate like nobody business and because of that we both became very sleepy. We watched an episode of HIMYM and then decided to have tea (well...to keep us awake) while tasting the cheesecake that Nor has baked and brought from her baking class. I tell you, the cake tasted really good. I am not a cheesecake person but I liked it because it was not too cheesy and sweet. Perfect for my liking. Not only that, she also learnt making vanilla cookies that tasted like Danish butter cookies and they were awesomely delicious too. I am so lucky for having BFFs who love cooking and eating. Love you girls! *big hug*.

After having tea we continued watching tv and the two girls were drooling over Neal Caffrey in White Collar. We only watched half of Glee season 3 first episode before we made our way home because it was already 8 something. Anyway, this was what I gave Fila as a small housewarming gift:





A butter dish; and since I am in the mood for making craft projects, I decorated the item with felt pompom and made a pin cushion, placed as a butter. Last but not least, big thanks to Fila for being such a wonderful hostess and also to Nor for the ride, cake and cookies.

p/s: to Rabby and Rynn, hope to see you both in the next meeting / outing. The more the merrier. Peace.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: pompom felt flower ::

I am in the mood for making craft projects. I actually planned to make satin rose buds but couldn't find any tutorial for the rose buds I wanted. As I clicked from link to link, I found other tutorials instead and some of the handmade flowers are cute, pretty and easy to make. My hands were itching to make one, so last Tuesday night (after making the quesadillas) I managed making the pompom felt flower, thanks to this link. It was so eff-ing easy because items required are only felt cloth, superglue / hotglue and scissors.

How to make it:

1. Cut 1.5 inch wide strip of felt cloth.

2. Fold strip to half . Glue along the edge to stick the two edges.

3. Snip the strip into thin stripes but be careful not to cut all the way through the edges. 

4. Cut a circle shape of felt cloth as the base. Stick the strips around the circle and cut off any leftover.

5. Continue sticking the next layer on top of the first strip.

6. Stick another layer on top and decorate the middle part either with another layer of felt strip or with a bead.

This pompom felt flower is cute for headband, brooch, necklace and even shoes. Love it~!

:: homemade beef quesadillas ::

I have a thing for Mexican food. From fajitas, quesadillas, burritos, nachos, even guacamole to salsa... man, they are all my favourites! I usually ate at Chilis but ever since I came across a stall named Popilla, having Mexican is just like having fast food. If you like Mexican food and never heard of the name, you are missing something because Popilla is one decent stall selling Tex-Mex food namely tacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchilada, mexican rice and nachos. The one in Ikano is just opposite Cold Storage, another in KLCC is in the Signature food court and there is also another stall in Pavilion that I never been to.  

I usually have their beef quesadillas set that came with nachos and pina colada, but it is quite difficult to get them because neither Ikano nor KLCC nor Pavilion is near home or office. Since I really like the quesadillas so much I then said to myself one day, "why don't I make them at home?". After reading this post by thepinkstilletos I became more inspired and after a quick visit to Cold Storage last Tuesday, I finally managed making my own homemade beef quesadillas later that night. Here, I am sharing the recipe as my own reference and also for readers, in case you feel like having Mexican at home ;-)

Basic Ingredients:

- Minced meat

- Taco seasoning mix

- Shallot

- Garlic

- Cheese (grated / shredded)

- Tortilla bread

Step-by-Step:

1. Fry 200g minced meat with a table spoon of cooking oil until brown. Put aside.

2. Boil 2/3 cup of water with a sachet of seasoning mix and stir until well mixed. Pour meat into the mixture and keep on stirring. I somehow found some olives and mushrooms inside my refrigerator so I just add them in together with diced shallot and garlic. Thinking of adding diced green capsicum, onions and tomatoes next time. Add pinch of salt and sugar according to taste.

3. Keep on stirring until the mixture is dry.

4. Heat a tortilla bread on a pan.

5. Spread some butter at half side and sprinkle some grated cheese on another.

6. Put beef mixture on the cheese side and sprinkle some more cheese on top.

7. Fold the tortilla and flip. Cook until cheese is melted.

8. Cut into half or quarter and serve with sour cream. Even better with guacamole and salsa too. (here is my easy salsa dip recipe)


Verdict: I was so happy with the outcome. It was my first trial and I was so excited because hubby liked it too. Luckily he urged me to buy the taco seasoning mix or else it won't turn out as expected. The mixture was enough for three tortillas and total cost is way cheaper than buying three ala-carte quesadillas from Popilla. I will surely make them again next time, perhaps with salsa and pina colada. Me encanta la comida mexicana!

:: red is louboutin? ::

Red is the warmest of all colours and often associated with heat, energy, danger.

Red roses convey love, passion, romance.

For the Chinese, red ang pow symbolises good luck...

...but in world of shoes, red sole is associated with

Christian Louboutin shoes.

The red sole heels might be dream shoes for many shoe lovers. I am a shoe lover too but I chose to ignore looking at designer shoes because I know they all come with hefty price tags. I can consider spending thousands $$$ on a piece of designer handbag but to spend thousands on shoes, well I'm still not rich to splurge on something I wear on the feet. That is a fact I have to endure so I normally buy shoes from ordinary brands, as long as they look pretty. 

During an afternoon outing with BFFs at Empire few weeks ago, Rabby mentioned about someone wearing red sole heels. I told her red sole shoes are associated with Louboutins and because of that subject, I 'broke my curfew' and searched about it later that night. Ahhh...red sole heels underneath black or nude are simply gorgeous. I have been thinking about it since then (now, that's why I chose to curb myself from looking at designer shoes -_-) and somehow the Internet gave way for me to own them...

  ...so say hello to my red sole skyscrapers...

A perfect steal, only RM69 from Kiss & Tell

Now red sole heels no longer means Louboutin :-P

:: kuning itu yellow ::

posted from Bloggeroid

:: fabulous friday ::

What I had during lunch at KLCC:

Popilla Beef Con Quesadillas | Nachos | Pina Colada

Starbucks Grande Dark Mocha Frap | Marble Cheese Cake

Maya Cookies

*

What I got:

Are these true???

Many thanks to Nor for the Starbucks treat, Maya cookies & zodiac necklace.

Fila, thanks so much for joining having something with us ( I don't think Jimmy reads this blog :-D )

:: zombieland ::

We stepped into Room 280 around 6 pm yesterday and I have been staying inside this room ever since that. Not even one tiny step out of the door. None.
I didn't sleep at all on Sunday night, only slept less than 4 hours last night and my skin already started having breakouts. My body, my mind are extremely exhausted and at this point I don't think I could even solve any math equation.

Welcome.to.Zombieland.


On another note, quick updates on Ady's condition:
- viral trace found in his blood.

- the highest temperature recorded was 40.2 degree at 1:30 am Tuesday. After a bath and medication, the temperature slowly reduced and constant between 36 to 37 degrees until now.

- tiny rashes on the face and upper half of the body appeared since noon yesterday. Doctor said they are 'fake measles'. Look like measles but not itchy. Common in babies and kids below 2 years old. Positive sign to show end of viral fever.

- Ady can discharge today (yeay)

posted from Bloggeroid

:: a special day ::

17th January 2012
Today is a momentous day. Ady Rifqi is exactly 7-month old on this date and I am celebrating my 31st birthday (that old already? Still feel like 20's though...haha). As usual and practised annually, I already applied one day leave to celebrate this special day. This year it is more special because I can share the joy not only with my other half, but also with my cutie pie mini half. My very first birthday celebration as a mother. Wow.

We came to Sime Darby Medical Centre (SDMC) yesterday afternoon for a follow up appointment with the paedatrician regarding Ady's skin infection last time. Alhamdulillah he is fully recovered after the treatment and especially after we started giving him soy based milk, Isomil so we thought the visit was only to close the case. Actually Ady got fever since last week. It was mild on Tuesday and Wednesday, recovered on Thursday, another mild one on Friday but high during the weekend. He was okay on Sunday night but his temperature increased again yesterday morning so during the check up we highlighted that to the doctor. Didn't expect it, but guess what, the doctor straight away instructed Ady to be admitted because the whole story was not good. She wanted to monitor Ady's condition so now here we are again, back in the paedatrician ward just like 2 weeks ago.

Hubby had to close his shop and take our stuff from home but he was still in time to wish me in person. He never forgets the birthday card and this year the lovely card comes with pictures and the most "signature" so far - from hubby, Ady, our 4 kittens and adopted cat, Ginger. So sweet of you, Bee and me as usual, shed several drops of tears.



At this age I care less about where and how my birthday is celebrated because I am already thankful to be granted with the best gift ever from God. A very loving husband, a cute lovely baby, supportive family and friends, good career and health...all come in a nice package with a big bow. Alhamdulillah, syukur. Although no outing to shopping malls or dinner in fancy restaurant like before, it is still a nice, memorable birthday. With His blessing, I wish for continuous happiness and health through out the year so I could write another birthday message on this date next year. Last but not least, thank you to family and friends for the thoughts and wishes. May God bless us all. (*hugs*).

posted from Bloggeroid

:: year end shopping spree ::

After a rough week, I finally have a short "me-time" in the office.

*phew*

It's lunch time anyway so it is not wrong to blog from my work station, right? Been very busy with life so I now have a lot of stories to share, yet too little time to do it. We had jam-packed weekends last month and I am planning to have a quiet weekend at home tomorrow because my body is extremely exhausted. A week before Christmas we went up North for a wedding, then our Christmas weekend was spent in the opposite route as we went down South for family vacation and last two weekends, our New Year weekend was spent in ward instead. What a month!

December passed by with a lot of memories... and a number of impromptu shopping spree too. I have love-hate relationship with December because there are so many irresistible promotions and sales everywhere. Probably I should take a break from spending and start saving from January till November so I could spend my savings all in one month with better bargains. As for now, I am officially broke. Only few RMs left until the next pay day -_- and before I start hating myself for being a big spender, here is list of items I have bought through out December. At least I can reread this entry over and over again to see how many new investments I have made for myself and for my loved ones.


A day before going to Singapore - Sunway Pyramid
- Short sleeve t-shirts for Ady (3 pieces)
- Ralph Lauren khakis short for Ady
- 3 tones shawl for myself (2 pieces)
- Dorothy Perkins black waist belt
- Mango Slim Fit jeans in faded black
- Casual belt for hubby
- Miss T water tumblers for my lil sis, Atiqah and Adibah


In Singapore - Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road

- Escada Desire Me EDP 75ml*

- SKII Facial Treatment Essence 30ml*

(*thanks to father-in-law for the pocket money)

Last week of December - Mid Valley

 

- Fisher Price toys for Ady (2 types - thanks to Nor for RM10 contribution)

- Diva Vintage Lace Necklace

- Diva 2 in a pack bow headbands

- Mango striped shirt

- Mango leather ankle boots for Nor's birthday prezzie

- Bonita leopard print ballet flats 

- Camel Active shirt for ibu

- 3 for RM10 accessories: headbands and hair clips

- MAC lipstick in Bombshell (free from back-to-MAC program) 

I really need to curb my spending habit but I already have few items in my 2012 wish list (damn!).

Goosfrabaaaa goosfrabaaaa...

...err okay lah, let's get back to work. Happy Friday peeps!

:: red day ::

As I mentioned in the previous post, I will be going to Kenny Rogers annual Healthy Eating Day. It happened today and this year it was a foursome outing with Nor, Rabby and Ita. Rabby fetched us from office near lunch time (thanks Beek!) and we went to Tropicana Mall because we felt the crowd must be lesser than Mid Valley. Tropicana is not that far from our office anyway. When we saw Kenny Rogers name from afar, a bunch of people were already queuing in front of the restaurant, most wearing red. It was like an event and it was exciting watching people who were as excited as us queuing for food. Waiting time was shorter if compared to one we went two years back in Mid Valley. It took us less than 15 minutes and as we were busy taking photos, our table was ready before we knew it. Although we could not choose the side dishes (only coleslaw, mashed potato & baked beans), we still had a very pleasant Healthy Eating Day experience this year because we got our dishes and drinks as soon as we took our seats. We were so impressed and kudos to team Kenny Rogers Tropicana Mall. Job well done and if we have the opportunity to go to next year's KR Red Day, you will know where to find us ;-)

I had fun with the girls and here are some of our pics...





The three hot, red ladies

 



I was wearing pink because I have my beloved red wallet

 



A pose before enjoying our meal



This was taken when we left the restaurant. The queue was longer than before. Luckily we escaped this.

 

 

Tips for next year:

- Go to secluded Kenny Rogers branches instead of major shopping malls.

- Arrive early before lunch time to avoid peak hour and long queue.

posted from Bloggeroid

:: kenny rogers buy 1 free 1 day ::

This is my post last year .....

..... and this year, Kenny Rogers Healthy Eating Day is here again

TOMORROW

Wednesday 11.01.2012.

WEAR you red clothing or footwear or accessories

BUY 1 Kenny's Quarter Meal

get FREE 1 Kenny's Quarter Meal

I missed this event last year, but tomorrow insyaallah I will be queueing on their door.

Join me!

:: ady's first food ::

Ady is 7 months in a week time. Half of this post was already in draft since last month but I couldn't publish it because I don't have time to finish it up. At this point, I'm quite disappointed for leaving my blog unattended for weeks and I already owe myself a long list of posts. I really need to put blogging in my schedule everyday because Nor told me before that serious bloggers scheduled their time to update their blogs. Being a serious blogger is not the main intention though, but at least I won't leave any great moments passed by just like that without capturing it here. Guess I really have to find the time and try harder then. 

Anyway, Ady had his first solid food on the day he turned 6 months. As parents, we were both very excited and hubby even recorded video when I first spoonfed rice cereal into Ady's mouth. Ady's first solid food was plain rice Neslac and Ady loved it very much. He ate slowly at first, but after few spoons he started making noise when I late feeding the cereal into his mouth. He just couldn't wait maybe because he was hungry and in the end, a small plate of rice cereal was completely gone.

** Ini dia rupa budak kecik yang kenyang **

So far Ady eats rice cereal as his staple food but instead of giving him plain cereal all the time, I boiled carrots, mashed and mix them together. I did boil red apples before we went to Singapore but didn't feed him because it was quite sour and I didn't want to take any risk since we were on vacation. Maybe I will do it again this week and see whether Ady likes it or not. During our stay in the hospital two weeks ago Ady was given pureed porridge, either fish or chicken. I think he preferred chicken porridge because he managed eating half adult-size bowl. My mother already told me few times to cook porridge instead of continue feeding Ady rice cereal but I couldn't do it because our blender is used to blend chillies. We have to buy a dedicated blender to puree Ady's food and now I have no excuse to prepare pureed food for our baby because I already got this new tool yesterday, thanks to mr.Hubby :-)

It is a hand blender. Retail price stated in Philips website is RM229 but it was sold at RM209. For that purchase we got RM10 Tesco voucher and the SA was kind enough to give us free Philips plastic containers. I got very excited so I straight away cooked rice porridge when we reached home. It was already 3 something in the morning but I was very eager to test it so I did. I have to admit that I don't cook often but I am always intrigue with sophisticated kitchen appliances. That stuff is superbly awesome and I got a bowl full of pureed porridge in a minute. Not only blending knife, the set also came with a whisk and chopper to turn it into a hand mixer and food processor. Hah! no more reason for not cooking -_-

Anyway that item below the blender is actually a fish & vegetable steamer. Bought it in Melbourne 2 years back, it can be used to steam fish and vege inside a microwave with only 1 - 2 tablespoons of water. I actually forgot about its existence but since I was very excited to make Ady's food last night and wanted to steam broccoli, I somehow remembered it. After two trials and over steamed broccoli, I now know that it only takes 1 - 2 minutes to steam vege with that thing. How easy is that. Okayyyyy...I have to repeat...no more reason for not cooking!

I guess that's it for now then. Couldn't wait to feed Ady with his first mama's cooking tonight. Toodles!

:: tips untuk jadi kurus ::

No need to spend $$$ for slimming centres. If you want to be slim, it is easy when you are a full time working wife with a growing baby and no maid or assistant at home.

Testimonial: I am now thinner than pre-pregnancy. Yesterday I managed wearing my wide legged office pants that I have ignored for 3-4 years. Several weeks before I managed wearing my size 25 Levis comfortably which I no longer fit way before pregnant. I.am.happy.

posted from Bloggeroid