Maybe....just maybe, we are bringing this blog back to life

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

It's been years since my last post. Life has changed so much for me. Its been a very rewarding journey for me and I am soaking up each day of motherhood. Recently, my dad and I have talked about the meaning of life *gasp* and our contribution to society. He said that he has had personal successes and achievements in his personal and family life but he has not felt that he has contributed enough to society and to his beloved Island of Penang. So I thought, maybe....just maybe...we can revive this good old blog and help give him a voice on the internet. We will be talking about issues of conservation and how to keep Penang Island clean and perhaps better manage our God given natural resources. He may start his own blog in the future but for now, we can share a blog and united voice to advocate for the betterment of Penang.

Not Been Blogging for a Year!

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

So I kinda stumbled onto my old blog while cleaning out my bookmarks and realized that I have not posted anything for a whole year! Wow, I can't believe that time flies so quickly. I guess the sands of time moves especially quick when you're having a wonderful time.

In a year, I had....

• Bought a wedding gown
• Gone home to Penang for a visit
• Hired a fabulous wedding planner in Msia
• Designed my wedding logo and invitations
• Worked hard
• Been on a committee at work
• Struggled with the visa and immigration issue
• Made new friends
• Planned a surprise birthday party
• Moved in with the fiancee, only to move again into a bigger apartment. The second move was a disaster as we did it in only 3 nights (we had to work during the day).
  
• Registered my marriage in the US
• Received a surprise birthday party....which was totally awesome!
• Realized that I have the best group of family and friends a person could ever ask for
• Thanked God copiously and repetitively
• Planned a Pig Roast to celebrate our marriage
• Tasted lots of cake :)
• Realized that I am completely overworked
• Planned a wedding for 350 guests, 10 000 miles away from where I live. Cannot be more grateful to have Touching Hearts as my wedding planner
• Discovered Bikram Yoga....and how poor my own state of physical fitness was
  
• Survived the Pig Roast which included a thunderstorm, car breaking down and having power failure as the guests were arriving but then realized that nothing could ruin our celebration because I had awesome friends, family and a wonderful husband who took everything in stride.
  
• Updated my blog!!!!!!!!!
  

Just Tired

Nothing new, in fact ...same old same old. I am seriously tired. Two more 10 hour shifts to go. Just have to keep going.

Ever feel like life is about just hanging on, one day at a time?

Good night peeps!

Pain, Pain and More Pain

Definitely not a post about food.

The bf....now fiancee came up this weekend to visit and brought an exciting new toy, the Wii Fit!! We had so much fun with the new game that it was so worth the effort in tracking down a unit in the first place. Believe it or not, we have been trying to buy one since May.

Anyway, in our craze to out-do one another and prove whose fitness reigns supreme, we abused our poor bodies on Friday.

On Saturday, we joined our good friends B and M on a 5 hour canoing event, aptly named "Brews and Canoes," organized by the friends of the Milwaukee River......had a up close and personal dunking into the polluted river when our canoe hit some rocks and tipped us over...... and generally abused our bodies some more. Not contend to let a spare moment pass without turning on the Wii Fit, we then played late into the hours of the night.

Sunday morning.....woke up pleasantly sore, but still able to move without screaming in pain, we went out for a leisurely brunch with friends and then the fiancee drove home, and had an easy rest of the day. Me, I was not smart. No sireee....I decided to bike to a friend's house...about 1.8 to 2 miles away.....which was fine. Then went for a nice long walk to the beach with said friend, her husband and very active, lovely child. Still okay.......learned how to skip stones. Great! Then walked back to friend's house. Crap! Realized that sunlight is fading and I have no lights on my bike. Said goodbye at least 10 times to friend and family before leaving the house. Damn, now it's getting dark and I am slightly scared. Biked home really fast.....meaning...really fast for me. Lance Armstrong would probably do it in half the time and even less effort.

Now, I just feel pain. Burning pain in my thigh muscles. My vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and rectus femoris are all screaming bloody murder at me now. Not that I feel good in the other parts of my body as well.

This weekend shall be known as the weekend of PAIN!!!!!! Arrggghh.....!!!!!!

Now where's that Advil?

Sorry

Sorry that I have been MIA for so long. I guess I just don't have it in me to blog daily anymore. It has been extremely therapeutic for me and the realization that I have fully recovered from a truly difficult time is bittersweet for me. I no longer have to blog to escape certain realities of my life and yet, I have abandoned the outlet that has seen me through difficult times. I leave you here with my #1 favorite song....ironically entitled 'Sorry'

P/s Milwaukee was hit with 16 inches of snow in the course of a day, IN MARCH. And people keep asking me why I want to move.

Home At Last!!

I am in Penang and I am having a BLAST! It was really great catching up with high school friends that I have not seen in a while and seeing how everyone has changed.

Do not really miss the freezing cold and mounds of snow. The heat needs getting used to though. Will write more later.

Ta for now..

Tick Tock, Tick Tock...

Widget says, " Only 21 days left before trip to Malaysia."

Why does that feel like an eternity...and yet, when I think of all that I need to do before I leave...not?

Anyway...Wishing all off you a Happy New Year and all the best of things to come in the year 2008.

If My Head Was Not Attached To My Body.....

This was one of my father's favorite sayings when I was a child.....unfortunately, it still applies today. True, I am slightly better organized and do lose things a LOT less (it gets a little painful when you start paying for your own possessions), I still get a little scatterbrained sometimes and "misplace" things. It's not really lost, but just...misplaced...the irony of which is that said "lost" item appears a few months later when you least expect it and have bought another replacement. Yes, I do my part to keep the flagging US economy going....and no siree....I don't do it on credit! See, mom and dad, I did learn something from you, after all.

Okay, so...the currently misplaced item is my battery charger for my digital camera...gasp! I know, this is why I have been unable to blog my home cooked meals lately. And I have been cooking a lot more because I am currently on a health kick. Funny isn't it, that my "health kicks" always coincide with an upcoming trip home to Asia? You see....eating healthy does have the wonderful added side effect of weight loss for me. So, in anticipation of people back home that have no shame saying..."Wah...U.S food it so good ah? You so fat already!" or "Your face is so round, you look so...prosperous." And more, the completely shameless and clueless ones will start pinching your cheeks or even worse...tummy flab roll. Stop already! Being a size 2 in the US means NOTHING in Asia where skinny, anorexic looking girls are the norm! Well still, to give the haters their due, I am usually seen stuffing my face in Penang and eating twice the normal portions of food so I can why they cannot resist the applying the adage, it takes a village to raise a non-obese child.
*Scratching head, wondering how I got from misplacing camera's battery charger to this rant*

Anyway, I'm making Asparagus Stir Fried with Tiger Prawns In Chili Paste today. Sounds good and it's unbelievable simple. I'll post a recipe and pics when I find a solution to said problem above. However, don't hold your breath.

On a completely different but more important note, please support the Menu for Hope 4 that ends December 21st. It's a charity fundraiser organized by the fabulous Pim of Chez Pim that supports the UN Food Programme.

This year, they are raising money to feed the hungry schoolchildren of Lesotho. Since I am a big proponent of keeping kids in school, I entered the raffle too and did my part. Ya gotta walk the talk, honey! So I am a little late, since the raffle ends on Friday but it only takes a few minutes of your time and it's unbelievably easy. The hard part is picking out the amazing prizes. That took me a while. So don't wait any longer and get to Firstgiving and start donating! They have raised $45, 520 at posting time. Results will be posted at Chez Pim on January 9th.

3 AM Food Craving

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

Why do I do this to myself? I come home from work at 3 AM and what do I do? I sit in front of the computer, read food blogs and then look through my archives of Penang food pics and then suffer. I am craving this right now with a capital K!!!


For those of you who are unfamiliar with Penang cuisine ( well...probably not many.. because the 4 people who read my blog already are familiar with it), it's a dish called Chee Cheong Fun, Pig Intestine Noodles would be a direct translation. The moniker is derived from the rolled up appearance of the rice noodle which resembles intestine and not because it's made from pig parts. It's actually harmless white rice noodles, steamed in sheets and then rolled up after being oiled. The rolls of noodles are stacked up in a glass case, usually until a portion is ordered by a customer and then it is steamed and then cut into bite sized pieces.

Then the seller ladles on prawn paste, tee cheow (hoisin sauce), shallot oil, chili paste and then tops it with toasted sesame seeds (Bamming Emeril style optional) and serves it up with a flourish.

I always ask for the noodles to be unfurled prior to saucing because I like my noodles to have maximum surface exposure to the delicious sauce prior to stuffing my face. As children, my brother and I took utmost delight in unfurling each rolled up piece of noodles slowly and then stirring it into the sauce, to the dismay of our dining companions, the adults. Can you imagine how long it would take us to eat a plate?

A morsel in your mouth reveals a tangy, sweet and fiery taste, all at once from the amazing sauce. The soft chewy and silky noodles are an amazing canvas for the delicious finger and plate licking good sauce.


We like to eat this dish in the morning at MaCallister Lane in Penang. Can anyone help with the exact location of this stall? Update: Thanks to Tine who says this stall is very hard to miss because it's located near the junction as you turn into MaCallister Lane.


Now going to bed, very frustrated.

The Godsister Should Love This

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin

Oh boy... I just microwaves 2 peeled bananas in a bowl, mashed them with a fork, added some brown sugar (no gula melaka, alas) and a pat of butter. Stirred it together and ate it all up. It's 4:53am.

Ah...how the mighty have fallen.

Just occurred to me that the addition of a drop of pure vanilla extract may not be amiss.

Witty Repartee...NOT!

I was walking down the hall leading to the emergency room last night when I passed two nurses in their winter coats, in the middle of their shift (obviously going out to smoke cigarettes). We exchanged hellos and as we were parting ways, I said playfully, "Hey, you know, smoking is bad for you."

To which one replied, "Yeah, so is being a bitch"

Huh...WTF??????????

I was so stunned because that comment came out of the blue that I could only call out, "Hey, that was uncalled for!"

In my fantasy world, without missing a beat, I would have immediately volleyed back, "Then you'd better quit, shouldn't you" or "It takes one to know one" or better yet, "Oh fancy that, a talking female dog!"

In the real world, I fumbled...hahaha...not that I would have been that rude anyway. My father has always said, "You do not have to sink to their level to fight them," an advice that I've taken to heart. Still, I sometimes wish that I did have a quicker, wittier tongue.


UPDATE: I went to work today and was told by said nurse above that she meant that being a bitch was not good for her.....not me. A fellow colleague had asked her about our little exchange and suddenly realized that her comment could have been perceived as insulting to me and apologized. Since I smiled at her as soon as I saw her today (even before hearing the explanation), she realized that I had no hard feelings. Alles gute!

Dear Anthony Bourdain..

Dear Mr Anthony Bourdain,

I have been a big fan of your wonderful show and acerbic wit ever since I stumbled upon No Reservations 2 years ago. I loved the fact that you've shown us that eating well does not necessarily equate to paying exorbitant prices. Unless of course, you're talking about El Bulli, for which I would gladly sell my left pinky toe to finance the meal. I am extremely fond of all my toes, I mean, how else would my Manolos fit properly...ok, who am I kidding, I don't own any Manolos...but I digress....

You have brought the art of gastronomy to the street level and have used street food as a conduit to exploring and understanding a foreign culture. I do salute you!

I could barely contain my excitement when the episode of No Reservations: Malaysia aired. As a Malaysian, I am inordinately proud of our cuisine. Where else in the world can you find food with Malay, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, English, Thai and Indonesian influences, often along the same street or square, reflecting the multi ethnic population of it's citizens?

However, to my horror, I barely heard a mention of Penang Island during the one hour episode. This is an outrage! Penang is famous for it's uber-delicious food. It's one of the best states in Malaysia to eat in. Forget the wild pigs in Borneo. You will weep at the first taste of Char Koay Teow. I fear that you may never forgive yourself for missing out what may have been the best hawker food and seafood that you have ever tasted. I therefore must insist that you recount the votes...I mean, visit Penang Island and gorge yourself with the amazing array of gastronomic delights that awaits you. I will volunteer to be your guide. Consider yourself invited!

Yours sincerely,
TrueBluePenangite

p/s Offer valid only from Jan 20th to Feb 24th. Airfare and accommodations not included. Sponsor is not liable for any gastronomic related illnesses (ie overeating,unintended weight gain, elevated cholesterol, depression after leaving Penang).

Lonely....

He left for Penang, Malaysia yesterday.



My Widget tells me that I have 41 more days to go.
It just seems like a loooong time.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
And a fire would be delighful,
And I can't go anywhere, I know,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And in fact it's also sleeting,
Driving visibility is way down low,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

I will actually have a good night,
Because I don't have to go out in the storm;
Not going to work tonight,
Thank God coz I'll actually be warm.

I know the ER will be busy,
Full of drunks and crazies,
But as long as I don't have to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.........
(sung to the tune of Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow)

Milwaukee is currently experiencing temperatures of -1°C with gusting winds up
to 45 km/hr, which makes it feel like -7°C. We are being hit by freezing rain and heavy
snow right now but looking at the Weather Channel's doppler map, I know ice is coming soon. Aren't YOU glad you don't live here? My fridge and freezers are stocked up in case I can't get out of the house..hehe

P/s Will update picture when possible.

Cashew Chicken

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.—Brillat-Savarin



I was reminded two days ago that real bloggers actually update their blogs...so I took the opportunity to test out Rasa Malaysia's Kung Pao Chicken recipe that had me almost drooling onto my keyboard. For years, I've heard of Kung Pao chicken in Chinese-American restaurants and thought that it was a made up dish....kinda like Chop Suey. However, after reading RM's blog about cooking authentic Kung Pao Chicken, I realized, "Hey, my grandma makes this dish!" It was similar to a dish that my grandma calls Cashew Chicken and does NOT in the slightest bit resemble the Americanized version of Kung Pao Chicken.

The pleasant memories flooding my tastebuds prompted me to make this dish tonight. I adapted RM's recipe, substituting cashew nuts for peanuts, added sesame oil and oyster sauce to the dish. I also cheated on the steps and cooked it all at once instead of cooking the chicken and sauce in two steps and then combining them.

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:
5 pieces of boneless & skinless chicken thighs
1 large handful of roasted and salted cashew nuts
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 stalk diagonally sliced scallion
8-12 small dried red chillies
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 thumb sized knob of thinly julienned fresh ginger
1/2 of a small yellow onion, sliced


Chicken Marinade:
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoon ShaoXing wine
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Pinch of black pepper to taste

Sauce:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3-4 tablespoons water (depending on how thick or runny you'd like the sauce)
1 tablepoon corn starch
1 tablespoon ShaoXing wine

Method:

1. Prepare marinade and sauce in separate containers.
2. Clean chicken meat, pat dry and cut into 1cm cubes. Place in container with marinade and mix well. Set aside for 1/2 hr.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a large pan/wok on High setting until the oil is smoking. Add garlic and fry till golden brown.
4. Add scallions, ginger, chilies, onions and cashew nuts to pan. Fry together until the aromatics are soft and fragrant.
   
5. Add the chicken meat and cook until all of the pieces are cooked through
6. Pour in the sauce and stir-fry until sauce thickens and coats the chicken pieces well.
7. Add a pinch of sliced scallions "Emeril" style after plating for style and drama.

We ate it with steamed jasmine/long grain rice. It was GRREATTT!!!! The bf gave it two thumbs up :)

I Dream of Blue Skies, Warm Seas and Good Food

Sitting in a cold lonely room,
Wishing for some sunshine and warmth,
Reminiscing about lovelier times,
Can you blame my longing heart?





I will return to you one day.......Greece, I love you....

Murtabak Fever

I just can't help it, I want to eat this dish so badly!!! According to the countdown clock on my dashboard, I have 94 more days to my Malaysian trip. This is going to be one super exciting trip because I am :

a)Going home to see my parents and grandma. Always a pleasure.
b)Going to be a bridesmaid to my bestie, Tine.
c)Finally going home for Chinese New Year (Feb 7th 2008) after missing out on the ang pow action for 7 years.
d)Going to take a short family vacation to Perth to see my brother. Tried to squeeze Melbourne into the Australian trip but it was too much for me to handle. Yes, I am wimpy. You try sitting on a plane (and in airports) for 32 donkey hours from the US to Penang and see how well you handle it.
e)Going to eat Murtabak...with curry and the red onions (See dish above). It's a large piece of pulled dough that is stretched paper thin and then filled with a mixture of minced meat, seasonings, onion and garlic folded into a mixture of beaten egg before being folded like an envelope to seal in the filling and griddle fried until golden brown.

And wash it down with....you guessed it..... Teh tarik!

Watch how they make it here. What's not to like?

What City Do You Belong In?

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock. A unique soul like you needs a city that offers everything. No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

Ya know, I would have guessed Paris. I suppose I am a little colonialist at heart.

Beautiful Ending To A Beautiful Day

The bf and I took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather and went for a walk last week. we were awed by this beautiful scene. I can't believe I live here!! This picture was taken at Lake Drive, Milwaukee.

Finish this sentence...

I don't usually do memes but I was inspired to do this one from MayNi, ingenuously sent via email:

1. I've come to realize that my last kiss was.... going to have to last me 2 weeks until he returns again...sob

2. I am listening to... Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley

3. I talk... like I have verbal diarrhea

4. I love.... eating and dressing up to go out.

5. My best friends are.... more precious than the rarest gems...John,MayNi, Christine, Lia, Doris, Anastasia, Georgia, Ming, Jamie and Wans

6. My Car is... a beautiful Honda Accord that was the biggest purchase of my life....and I love it!

7. My love life.... is blessed. And also very private :)

8. I hate it when people ask.... me why I speak English so well? or why don't I have an accent since I'm Malaysian or my personal favorite...How can you be Malaysian Chinese? I always reply, "Have you heard of African-Americans? Chinese-Americans? Polish-Americans? Do I need to continue?"

9. Love is.... what keeps me going. I am a hopeless romantic.

10. Marriage is... what you make of it.

11. Somewhere, someone is thinking... why is smoking not banned yet? Ok, I confess, I'm the one thinking that.

12. I'm always... running late. It's a disease

13. I have a secret cheesy crush on..... Colin Firth...it's the damn English accent

14. My cell phone... is my constant companion. It's my phone, alarm clock, calculator, calender and sometimes camera.

15. When I wake up in the morning... I snuggle deeper into the sheets and blankets.

16. When I go to bed at night... I call the bf.

17. Right now I am thinking about... what to eat for lunch. I hate going to work at 11am because I never know whether to eat breakfast or lunch.

18. Babies are.... especially adorable when you can give them back to their parents at the end of the day.

19. I get on myspace.... ?

20. Today I... go to work and think positive thoughts. Okay, maybe I'll pray at work. Constantly

21. Tonight I will... sleep well after I hit the gym

22. Tomorrow I will... clean up my house...I have said that everyday for the past week :p

23. I really want to... learn French, move to Europe, exercise more, ride horses, sing soprano, travel the world and love my job.

24. Someone that will most likely repost this is... Christine..because I am tagging her to do this on her blog.

Christine, you heard me...you're it!