Kisah dan Lagu

I posted a new story in When Words Fail, Music Speaks. Check out my other blog at http://shs-shark2.blogspot.com/

Cooking Etiquette

These days I cook a lot. On most days I try to minimize to once a day but I sendiri tak larat nak makan lauk yang sama 2 kali sehari.

When it comes to cooking, I manage my time properly and I like to keep my kitchen area clean. What I mean during and after cooking I will make sure all pots and pans are washed and arranged on the drying tray. I will wipe the stove to make sure food access are not left around.  I learned them from my mom who is a clean freak....hahaha sorry mom! Then after dinner I will wash the dishes and disposed food access in the sink into the bin. Manalah tau nanti Cik Tikus datang cari makanan.

Credit to openstudiodesign.blogspot.com

I thought I was crazy for having the ingredients properly arranged and organized. I do wash the cutting board numerous time when I shift from cutting garlic to onion to vege and to poultry. Later I found out, I am not a weirdo. Professional chefs too do that...well except Jamie Oliver.  In my personal opinion, when it comes to cooking program I feel he is unhygienic at times. Sorry Jamie's fans. Again it is just MY PERSONAL OPINION, ya....I have no plans to insult anyone but you must develop a good cooking etiquette.  Cleanliness is a major part of cooking. You may say, "Hey, I'm no professional chef." ....yes, I tahu but at least for a start please clean up after your mess. That's all I ask. Period. So,...the morale of the story tolong basuh dulu sebelum settling down untuk makan. Jangan biar the pots and pans stacked in the sink. You cook, You clean. Itu je.....

Most times I find difficulties letting out my emotions because it'll ended up back firing, back at my face. Finally this article is not intended to hurt anybody's ego. Just something I have been holding back.

Apologized for the inconveniences cause and thank you very much for your cooperation. (hahaha macam tulis formal e-mail pulak rasanya....)

Talk About Innocence.

I cannot recall what triggered this memory of me being in the school band. But hope you will enjoy this.

Oh yes, now I remember. On 02-Apr Miss Cockroach attended a 2 hour performance by Seri Puteri Symphonic Winds at Seri Puteri School in Cyberjaya. She said she enjoyed it very much. She has been looking forward to this event a month earlier when she purchased the RM10 ticket. In fact Miss Cockroach was sick that weekend and she insisted of going to watch Symphonic Winds. A little hesitate, I let her go. Doctor gave her the 'okay' if she takes her medications on time.

When she came back she told us of her experienced and my other half started his search on You Tube of Symphonic Winds.  Wow! They are good. They have performed in Singapore and won a gold medal at the Australian International Music Festival in Sydney. Jangan marah...they also performed in the Sydney Opera House!

So this brings back memory of my primary school band. Small but the pride of our school....hahahaaaa. We normally performed at school events and one time, we were invited to attend a band competition in Ipoh.

Well, this is not the performance in Ipoh. This is our school band. Consist of one xylophone, 2-3 triangles, a drum, a blow keyboard (sorry not sure what it is called) and bunch of us on recorders. Oh yes we had one cymbal. That was our uniform minus the paper mache sash. I am on the right with the white recorder. I had a blast. Amazing and with that skill I can play local pop songs too during my free time until my grandfather asked me to shut-up.

We have been practicing hard to give our best in Ipoh. Finally the day came and we boarded a school bus and headed for Ipoh. Hopes for our band can at least come in top three. Who can be better than us.....The bus slowed down and we passed a huge field and as I gazed I wonder who were these people in red and gold uniforms and tall hat with feathers.....Unbeknownst to me, our music teacher (I cannot remember his name, but it'll come, it'll come....) announced that we have arrived. Stepped out of the bus and heard loud banging coming from a hall. We walked over and saw a band of maybe 40 musicians with complete uniform attire playing instruments I could not describe...there were short trumpets, curled up trumpet and a long extended trumpet, single drums and even side by side drums....but....what impresses me the most was the handheld xylophones....not one but maybe 4 to 5 of them. Enjoyed their performance and they do look kind of funny with the feathered hats.

Then it was our performance....we were nervous, we performed, we did not make a single mistake......and we left.  So we did not win. Perhaps luck was not on our side. On the bright side, it was a really good experience and an eye opener....talk about innocence, huh?

Who is Miss Cockroach?

Credit to freerepublic.com

Someone asked me who is Miss Cockroach? Hahaha.....

This was posted in my Facebook wall on Mar 1, 2014. Here how the story goes,......

Tonight (after dinner)I know how she dragged rubbish nights. I asked Shakira to take the rubbish out. I heard she was mumbling and talking. I raised my voice slightly (pissed off angry) from inside the house..."Shakira, stopped talking to yourself....! (she has the habit of doing that-having conversation with herself). She replied, "I'm talking to the cockroaches. I do understand their language!"....duh? Sabor je......

So that's how the name Miss Cockroach stuck with my daughter...hehehe....

Going Bananas!

Last Saturday morning, I made 2 mugs of milo and called Miss Cockroach to join me for breakfast. She obliged. I opened up a container full of sugar coated cracker biscuits. We dipped the biscuits in the hot milo and ate. Hmmmm...glorious.

Then I started telling Miss Cockroach when I was growing up living with my grandparents food was not luxurious as what we enjoy today. I recalled eating 'biskut lulut'. It is as big and as hard as your knee. Hence, it's called 'biskut lutut'. She laughed. "Are you serious?" she said. The best way to eat it is to dip in a cup of coffee and when it softens you just bite into it.

Credit to jassnani.blogspot

Miss Cockroach sat and listen and somehow I felt pity that my children these days do not get to experience like my childhood. Partly I am to blame too. I have been very protective of my children. I am always nervous when they are out of my sight. Kalau my son nak keluar naik basikal pun I risau, takut kena langgar kereta ke, jatuh masuk longkang ke,...ya memang pernah pun jatuh masuk longkang....hihihi....It's every parent's nightmare.

Anyway since she was so into my stories I continued about my grandmother's kebun pisang (banana orchard?) Ala, kebun yang sekangkang kera belakang sekolah Sultan Mahmud Shah, Kampung Padang Bola je.....My grandmother loves to plant banana trees and cassava trees. Normally she will walk across the football field in front of our house to get to her kebun. She brought along snacks and parang in her basket. One afternoon, I saw her dragged a whole bunch of bananas from across the football field. My sister and I  ran to her and helped her carry the fruits of her labor.

I tell you....that one whole week we ate banana. She prepared gulai pisang muda with anchovies, kek pisang, lempeng pisang, cekodok pisang, pengat pisang, lepat pisang,...basically it was banana week. Then she would steam the cassava or ubi kayu and cicah with kelapa parut and sugar either for breakfast or afternoon  tea. Maaf ye,...dulu kelapa kita parut sendiri tau! Da Bomb!

Credit to surihidupmama.blogspot.com

Sekarang ada versi ubi kayu cicah dengan sambal tumis ikan bilis. Yes, memang sedap. Then we have the pucuk ubi masak gulai lemak cili padi, pucuk ubi rebus cicah dengan sambal belacan,...ya Allah rindunya dengan my grandmother. Sekarang susah nak cari masakan yang betul-betul trandisional sebab dah diversified to cater modern taste bud.

Adakala tu sebak jugak masa cerita kat Miss Cockroach. But I would have not experienced the kampung life if I've not stayed with my grandparents then. Personally, it was kind of a hard life for me. But I treasure the memories.

Sekarang my kampung dah tak macam kampung....