Cleffairy's Blog, page 172

Okonomiyaki

My son and I were famished the other day after our movie session in KL Festival City MBO, and I decided that getting ourselves some snacks will do us no harm. Initially, I thought of going for something heavy, but then again, dinner was still quite far away and I wouldn’t want to spoil our appetite.

I spotted a vendor selling some typical Japanese street-food, and instead of going for the usual ‘takoyaki’(octopus balls) I decided to buy Okonomiyaki instead.

Okonomiyaki is a type of savoury Japanese pancake that’s made from flour batter, vegetable and meat scraps as well as some seasonings and served with generous topping of shaved bonito flakes and mayonaise. I ordered a set and it merely cost me RM2.90. The portion was rather small, but it was enough for both of us.

The taste? It was awesome. The Pan fried Japanese pancakes was filled with loads of shredded cabbage and octopus. My son hated veggies, but he gobbled this one up, so I suppose Okonomiyaki is a good way to trick my son into eating some greens.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I’m sure some of you have issues in feeding your kids greens too. Tell me, how do you trick them into eating greens?

Cleffairy: Itadakimas!!!

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I Love Yoo!

I was lurking around in the mall with my son again the other day after his holiday class. It was a rainy day and despite the fact that I did not plan to window shop again in such a short period of time, I had no choice but to stay in the mall as it was raining cats and dogs and dinosaur outside. I had no idea why it rains so suddenly like that. It was really sunny and then out of the sudden it raina heavily. Having umbrella does not even help at that point.

My son and I were practically drenched from the rain and we were feeling cold. And so I decided that there’s nothing better to do than to warm our tummies with a bowl of hot porridge.

We headed to ‘I Love Yoo’. The outlet is located on the ground floor of KL Festival City and I ordered a set of porridge costing Rm4.90 for myself and a medium sized currypuffs for my son.

The set meal was pretty decent, I must say. It comes with a bowl of scallop porridge along with a pair of Chinese crullers. The porridge was thick and creamy, just the way porridge should be and the crullers was crispy on the outside and fluufy on the inside. I was surprised that I was actually considering to order another round of it.

I Love Yoo! may be quite commercialized version of common traditional Chinese breakfast, but if you’re a fan of simple comfort food, you might want to give them a try. They have a few choice of porridge along with soya milk as well as assorted fried buns and pastries.

Cleffairy: I love you.

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12.12.12

12.12.12. It’s a lovely date, isn’t it? A lot of people hail this date as special. Some decided to propose to their intended while plenty  others choose to mark the date by tying a knot or giving birth.

I wish I can say that 12.12.12 is my big day where I finally marry the man that I love and celebrates it with my loved ones. But I can’t. I am not fortunate enough for that and the date held no significant to me.

My husband was busy with his work, my son have holiday class to attend while I have some pending write ups to do. 12.12.12 was just another day for us to pass. It sounds pathetic, no? I thought I sound pathetic cuz I’m all routine and mundane while everyone else is doing something special on this date.

Melancoly plagued me a little bit. It’s been awhile since I let my hair down a lil bit and so, I decided not to go back home after picking up my son from his class. Instead of going straight home after lunch, I drag my son to the nearest shopping mall to hang out with me. We window shop for hours while enjoying the Chrismassy atmosphere at the mall. It is very thereupeutic, I must say. The boy used to make a fuss back then when he window shop with me, but this time around he did not. I suppose he’s relieved to get out and chill out too?

Frankly speaking, I was quite surprised that the boy did not insist me on buying him stuff or whined for some snacks. I knew that he was quite tired and hungry, but instead of complaining like he used to do, he just tailed me around. Amazing milestone, I must say. Made me wonder what I’ve done right? Or rather, what I have done wrong as it seems to me that he’s too accomodating. He must be really bored at home to the point that he did not mind tailing me around and walk with me for hours.

Anyway, I decided that my son is a good companion and make quite a wonderful date. So I decided to treat both of us with a movie in the cinema, and dinner after it’s over.

Since my husband is working and was not home, I wasn’t really in a rush to go back to an empty home. We stayed in the mall til it’s closed and we were only ready to call it a day after supper at 11pm.

12.12.12 was nothing special to me and I had nothing pre-planned, but hell, I had so much fun with my son. I wonder if he’ll remember this when he grows up and cherish our memories together? I certainly do hope so.

Cleffairy: Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but it’s all about dancing in the rain and enjoying the precious moments.

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Bed Bug Bites

Whenever I wake up these days, I’ll see dots here and there on my body. It’s itchy and it’s irritating. I suspect there’s a colony of bugs on the bed. Tsk tsk tsk. I know that the only way to get rid of the bugs is to either sun the mattress or just get rid of it, but how do you get rid of the itchiness and irritation? The cream that I’m using is not exactly useful. Any remedies you can recommend me? Cleffairy: Nite nite, sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bug bite.

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Me, My Boy and Naan Pizza

So, the boy was kinda upset about something last night, and he was making quite a fuss. He refused to sleep and he wanted supper. Outside. I couldn’t exactly stand his fuss. All I want is just for him quiet down. But then again, I wasn’t exactly in the mood to slack around in the regular restaurant that we both usually patronize last night. It was raining and I would very much prefer to just stay home and snuggle with my cat and a good book.

The boy was still fussing after a while, and so, I decided to compromise. He wants a hearty supper. I want peace. So we went out to take- away a piece of naan after the rain stops. When I came home, I decided that the naan is too plain and hell, we both deserves a little indulging, so why not spice up things a little bit? Nobody is there to stop us anyway.

I sprinkled the naan that I bought with cheese and sliced hot dogs. After stuffing the thing into the oven for a while, we got ourselves a very decent homemade pizza.

The boy finally feels happy again and I got the peace that I wanted at the end of the night. Who says you need to spend a lot of money to indulge and enjoy life? I certainly think that we don’t need to spend so much money to indulge in food. All we need to do is just be creative and enjoy life in small ways that we can.

Cleffairy: I got to take note to stock up some naan at home so that I can use it as pizza base during ‘emergencies’ like this. Comfort food can do wonder for people’s mood!

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Misteri Mayat Terapung di Resort Melati

I used to read a lot of Malay novels. LOADS of them. When I was still a teenager, that is. I borrowed them from the library. Unfortunately, as an adult, I don’t exactly read Malay novels anymore, and I realize that’s quite a shame, because local authors are not exactly bad. They are just undermined, and people don’t exactly look up on their work because the of the language that they used to deliver their stories and ideas is not exactly something that can go global.

Anyway, I made a point to hunt down at least one Malay novel during my recent trip to Big Bad Wolf Sale preview. I want to brush up Bahasa Malaysia a little bit. It’s been quite a while since I enjoyed reading books by local authors.

I dug  this book from the Malay books section. ‘Misteri Mayat Terapung di Resort Melati’ written by Kusyi Hirdan. Now, the cover is a tad unappealing, but I bought it nevertheless. I thought it would be interesting for me to read mystery in Malay language again. And I was right. The book is interesting.

Unlike most story in mystery genre, this novel started off a tad differently. The prologue kicks off with a broken marriage where a rich husband somewhat fell out of love with his wife, and fell for his sexy secretary. Like most Malay Muslim men in his predicament, he opted for polygamy, in which, hurt his wife deeply. Heartbroken, the wife insisted on divorce instead. The parents of the man disapproved, of course. In their opinion the new woman in their son’s life is just a gold digger and merely wants his money and inheritance. He insisted on marrying the other woman, and as the consequence, the parents transferred all of their money and inheritance to their daughter in law.

The real story began twenty years later, where a young woman who is not related whatsoever with the prologue came into the picture. She just broke off with her scumbag, gigolo of a fiancé. (Yea, he was really a gigolo. He cheated on her for money with his boss, who is way older than himself). Wanting to start afresh, she quit her job, and decided to work in the secluded Resort Melati as a PR Manager instead.

That is where the real story begins to unfold. She met a lot of people who have loads of dark stories to tell, and of course, stumbled upon a dead body that’s floating in the lake during the first week of her stay in Resort Melati, which is not the first dead body found in the said resort. Things gets really interesting from there on, and she found herself getting more and more involved with the people around her, who is probably a potential murderer.

What I really like about this book that it brought out plenty of issues up. Mainly; infidelities- the cause and effect of it on people who are involved. The story flow of this book is not bad. I finished this book in just a few hours, and I was really hooked and could really sympathize with certain characters in the story.There is some part of the story is a reflection of reality. Falling out of love, falling in love with another person, the heartbreaks that plagued those who were hurt in the process, etc etc.

The author relates one character with another pretty well, I must say and while the whodunnit part is pretty obvious, the story still keeps you guessing what will happen next.

A recommended read if you like mysteries. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

 

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Chain Letter 1 and 2

This is another one of those books that I tossed into the shopping box during my latest book hunt at the Big Bad Wolf Sale.  I used to read Christopher Pike’s books as a teenager, and I thought perhaps I should revisit my yesteryears a little bit by buying this book.

Chain Letter (Book 1) by Christopher Pike does not disappoint. Everything I like about mystery is there. I mean, I love how the story started; where a bunch of teenagers did something that will haunt them for the rest of their lives later on. I like how they buried a dead man in the dessert and decides to zipped up, and then, BOOM, somebody knows their dirty deeds and sends them a chain letter, instructing them do to things that will either humiliate themselves or they will be hurt by the sender.

Chain Letter (Book 1) is pretty impressive. I couldn’t guess who was the sender of the chain letter until the very end. the storyline unfolds perfectly, but I can’t exactly say the same with Chain Letter (Book2). ‘Chained Letter’ should have been left a standalone book. First book was all mystery and rational logic but second book ventured into serious paranormal and horror plus plenty of sexual reference? That did not exactly sit well with me. It should have been ok if it was paranormal in the beginning. I find it difficult to stomach, and I did not exactly like the ending of book 2. There’s too many questions left unanswered.

Overall, this is not really a bad book, but I really would have preferred if Chain Letter ended at book 1. I rate 4 stars for the first book, and a 2 star for the second.

 

 

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An Unexpected Angel

Retail: $8.99

120 pages

Genre: gift/holiday, inspirational

Publisher: Cedar Fort, Inc.

Release Date: October 9, 2012

 

It’s winter, and if you’re looking for a good book to curl up with during those dark and gloomy nights, then ‘An Unexpected Angel’ by Janet K. Halling is just the perfect thing you need. The book is not only inspirational, but heartwarming as well. I could easily relate to the character, Ella, and I found that the story is easy to absorb. This book is literally a book that feeds your soul. You just feel good after reading it.

To tell you the truth, I was low on spirit and feels pretty much lonely when I started reading this book, but this book made me think, and it made me feel that during the times of desperate need, you’re never actually alone. You may not realize it, but all you need is just take a breather and look around you whenever your world crumbles beneath your feet. You’re never actually alone. It’s just that sometimes, you overlook it because you’re too overwhelmed with negativities.

‘An Unexpected Angel’ is hard to put down, and definitely a keeper. If you’re looking for some chocolates for your soul, then this book is just the thing for you. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book to all those who would love to spend their time reading a very good book.

I received this book from the author herself as a part of her Blog Tour, and I was not compensated in any ways for writing the review for this book.

Book description:

Ella Davies, is focused, independent, and driven. Her hard work is finally paying off and she is on the brink of great success. But what no one knows is that her frantic drive is born not from a desire to succeed, but from a need to forget – forget her past, forget her guilt, and mostly, forget the tragedy that changed her life forever.

Ella’s strategy seems to be working but on Christmas Eve she meets Cohen, a strange man with an even stranger purpose. Cohen catapults Ella back through time and forces her to confront not only her own pain, but the pain of those long since passed. In the process, Ella learns about courage and compassion and that in the darkest hour, no one is ever alone.

About the author:

Janet K Halling discovered her love of writing at the age of six when her story of a lonely duck won a first grade writing contest. She has a degree in Marketing Communications and lives with her family in northern Utah. She is currently working on her next novel.

Wanna know more about her? She’s on Facebook. Check it out here:  Facebook.com/Janetkhalling

You may also watch the book trailer on YouTube. The book is available for purchase HERE.

 

 

 

 

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The story of an old man, rambutans and langsats

I was having supper with my son at the regular mamak last night, and they were screening the movie ’2012′ from Fox Movies through their projector. It was the second time I’ve watched ’2012′. The movie is about the end of the world and is pretty much action packed. In my humble opinion, it’s pretty much emotional and delivers quite a few messages to the viewers.

I was really engrossed with the movie. Then, out of of the sudden, an old man, at least in his late 70s came over to my table and gave me and the boy some rambutans and langsats to eat. He was sitting with a group of his friend earlier on. All of them were senior citizens, and they were having supper together while watching the movie. The man does not look rich or anything. He even have a bicycle parked beside his table with a basket full of rambutans and langsats. I assume he have bought it earlier before having supper as there was a fruit stall selling both of the said fruits nearby.

His action shocked me for awhile cuz he is a stranger. I know I’m not supposed to take anything from a stranger. We all were taught that. But as I’ve observed, he was completely harmless, and I noted that he even gave the waiter some of his rambutans and told them to eat up too after giving some to me and my son. And so, I said thank you to him, and after saying thank you for his treat, I realized that perhaps, the humanity, the kindness and generosity is not lost after all despite of the materialistic world.

That old man… made me wonder… he probably have a family… a wife who is as old as him, or grown up children waiting for him at home to share the fruits with, but he chose to share some of his sustenance with strangers who meant nothing to him. Or perhaps, he did not have anyone to share it with at home, and so, he chose to share the fruits with strangers.

Either way, he’s still a generous man. He’s probably living on a small pension or allowance from his children, and yet, he still extended his generosity and kindness to the people around him. He looks so old and frail though, and that made me wonder if I’ll ever meet him again, and if I could ever make friends with him. It would be nice to exchange pleasantries whenever we meet again, don’t you think? And perhaps, if we ever meet again at the restaurant and my pocket permits it, I could pay for his drinks and his meals and treat him in return.

Cleffairy: I always feel that crossing path with certain people is not just a coincidence. There is always a reason why certain people is in your life, and some others are not.

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Belle de Jour: The Further Adventures of A London Call Girl

I got this book from the recent book sale that I went to. I bought it because… well, you know, I used to read Belle’s, a.k.a Dr. Brooke Magnati’s blog. She’s a real call girl and writes a really explicit blog. I found her blog really interesting (she jot down on how she works as a professional during the day and a call girl at night in her blog), and so… I bought this.

While I couldn’t really stomach ’50 Shades of Grey’; an erotic novel that in my opinion not quite worth reading, I can proudly say that I manage to skim through this book.

Not a very easy read, hard to concentrate, but I learned quite a few things from this book; not about sex, but more about relationship, and what is really going on in men’s head in general. I gained quite some understanding from this book through the perspective of someone who works in the sex trade.

From this book… I learned that men are visual creature, and more often than not, they are looking for fantasies, and people who can boost up their ego. As Belle said in her book, there are reasons why women are cooks and men are chefs. Men’s ego needs to be constantly stroked; which is not always done by a wife.

There’s another interesting thing that I noted when I was flipping through this book. Despite the fact that Belle is ‘professional caregiver, she does have terribly good insight on relationships; seeing how she have encountered plenty of men throughout her ‘adventures’.

What I couldn’t forget about this book is that Belle does have conscience and to think that a call girl would actually tell you that when your marriage fails and you feel that your spouse (wife, as she meant) doesn’t understands you anymore, you’re better off with condoms and 2 hour romp with a prostitute rather than having affair and ends up being emotionally involved and hurts everyone in the process hits me real hard.

When I saw what she implied in one of the pages, it hits me hard. Hey, I’m all for the to have and to hold, for better or worst and remaining faithful to your spouse throughout your marriage, but she’s really right. It’s better to find a prostitute for a sexual release rather than gets emotionally involved with someone else and hurts everyone in the end.

I hate to say this, but there are a lot of things in this book that made sense, and for that alone, despite the fact that I struggled to read the book chronologically and page by page, I give this book a 4 star. It’s kinda enriching and educational to say the least.

 

 

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