It is cited to be one of the most tedious cakes to make and yet I ventured into making one yesterday. It took me almost 4 hours to make the darn thing and when it finally came out, I'm glad to say it tasted sort of what my Mum's when she made it.
Also, now that I know what actually goes into the cake, I'm a bit more worried about eating it. Man, if you've got a cholesterol problem, DO NOT EAT LAYER CAKE!
It still is painful to simply give it out though. Yes, it would be horrible if I ate it all (see paragraph above) and that I can't keep it forever so I eventually have to give it away. Sigh.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Saturday, May 14, 2005
NZ pictures
Here are more photos from my NZ trip.
The entrance to my faculty Management Studies, Waikato Uni.
Enjoying a short break along the Waikato River with Kenneth, who hosted us in Auckland and brought us to Hamilton. NZ was where I learned that ducks can really fly great heights and distances. Malaysian ducks can't.
Single scoop in my right and double scoop in my left. Yummy Tip Top ice cream! And so cheap! Who cares if it was freezing cold then? This is a ritual stopover for travellers between Auckland and Hamilton.
KFC burgers are HUGE in NZ! This is my fav, Tower Burger.
The busy street of Oamaru (where we spent a night) on a weekday at 10am. Oamaru is famous for the penguin landings. Used to be a thriving town but now...
Larnach Castle, Dunedin (pronounced Duh-nee-den (as in "then"), not Doo-neh-din), the only castle in NZ. Very tragic history.
Blue Pools. We would have missed them if we didn't meet an American lady who pointed it out on the map to us. Gorgeous, crystal clear blue pools. I'd have dived in if it weren't so cold then!
Sunset facing Australia
Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World, Wanaka
Part of the Puzzling World. Both guys on left and right are of same height. This optical illusion was used in Lord of the Rings to differentiate the hobbits from the rest.
Tired even before climbing the glacier behind. Franz Josef Glacier. KS wanted to give up even before touching the ice. Do this only if you have the energy.
My all time fav NZ cookie, Cookie Time. Bought so much at the Christchurch Headquarters that another customer stopped in his tracks, looked at the pile I was carrying and said, "They're THAT good, are they?" which made me put back one more pack onto the shelf in embarrassment.
THE Christchurch. Love the blue sky.
KS's version of taking me with Christchurch. Spot me.
A flower which looks like a ballerina
Flaming Tree. I love the colours of Autumn.
Our South Island travel route in 8 days
The entrance to my faculty Management Studies, Waikato Uni.
Enjoying a short break along the Waikato River with Kenneth, who hosted us in Auckland and brought us to Hamilton. NZ was where I learned that ducks can really fly great heights and distances. Malaysian ducks can't.
Single scoop in my right and double scoop in my left. Yummy Tip Top ice cream! And so cheap! Who cares if it was freezing cold then? This is a ritual stopover for travellers between Auckland and Hamilton.
KFC burgers are HUGE in NZ! This is my fav, Tower Burger.
The busy street of Oamaru (where we spent a night) on a weekday at 10am. Oamaru is famous for the penguin landings. Used to be a thriving town but now...
Larnach Castle, Dunedin (pronounced Duh-nee-den (as in "then"), not Doo-neh-din), the only castle in NZ. Very tragic history.
Blue Pools. We would have missed them if we didn't meet an American lady who pointed it out on the map to us. Gorgeous, crystal clear blue pools. I'd have dived in if it weren't so cold then! 
Sunset facing Australia
Stuart Landsborough's Puzzling World, Wanaka
Part of the Puzzling World. Both guys on left and right are of same height. This optical illusion was used in Lord of the Rings to differentiate the hobbits from the rest.
Tired even before climbing the glacier behind. Franz Josef Glacier. KS wanted to give up even before touching the ice. Do this only if you have the energy.
My all time fav NZ cookie, Cookie Time. Bought so much at the Christchurch Headquarters that another customer stopped in his tracks, looked at the pile I was carrying and said, "They're THAT good, are they?" which made me put back one more pack onto the shelf in embarrassment.
THE Christchurch. Love the blue sky. 
KS's version of taking me with Christchurch. Spot me.
A flower which looks like a ballerina
Flaming Tree. I love the colours of Autumn. 
Our South Island travel route in 8 daysFriday, May 13, 2005
Belly Dancing
It's hot, it's new.... it's stupid.
I felt so stupid trying to follow the video. Somehow the fact that the instructor did not have a super slim waist contributed to my suspicion on whether this really works.
Heck, I'm still going to try it again and make KS do it with me so I don't feel so ridiculous.
I felt so stupid trying to follow the video. Somehow the fact that the instructor did not have a super slim waist contributed to my suspicion on whether this really works.
Heck, I'm still going to try it again and make KS do it with me so I don't feel so ridiculous.
Preciousssss
As mentioned earlier, most of my stuff is precious to me. But yesterday I experienced one of the worst I've-lost-it-and-the-world-is-going-to-end hours. I lost my Recipe book.
A Recipe book is a handwritten list of recipes accummulated over a period of one's lifetime. Although mine is only a couple of years old and relatively few recipes compared to my mum's Recipe book, it was heart wrenching when I couldn't find it ANYWHERE! I enlisted the help of my sister Jan to look for it in PJ, I even asked my mum if she took it back to Alor Star by accident and asked her to look for it there too.
Rushing home, I frantically turned the kitchen upside down and the pile of boxes and bags I just brought back from being kicked out of the PJ house and waited anxiously for KS to come back so that I could ransack his car too. When his car proved to be clean and empty, I nearly burst into tears in desperation.
KS slowly searched the house for me while I fluttered from one end to the other and he finally found it. What joy! The relief was immense and I vow to reward him with a nice slice of layer cake this weekend.
A Recipe book is a handwritten list of recipes accummulated over a period of one's lifetime. Although mine is only a couple of years old and relatively few recipes compared to my mum's Recipe book, it was heart wrenching when I couldn't find it ANYWHERE! I enlisted the help of my sister Jan to look for it in PJ, I even asked my mum if she took it back to Alor Star by accident and asked her to look for it there too.
Rushing home, I frantically turned the kitchen upside down and the pile of boxes and bags I just brought back from being kicked out of the PJ house and waited anxiously for KS to come back so that I could ransack his car too. When his car proved to be clean and empty, I nearly burst into tears in desperation.
KS slowly searched the house for me while I fluttered from one end to the other and he finally found it. What joy! The relief was immense and I vow to reward him with a nice slice of layer cake this weekend.
Keep Left
As I was driving home yesterday along the many highways, I realised that many people despite signboards and common sense tend to keep to the middle lane of a 3 lane highway even if they're crawling at 50km/hr. Okay, I must admit I do it too at times although I'm usually at the rightmost lanes speeding along.
So I decided to see what it would be like just to stick to the leftmost lane and there was hardly any traffic on that lane. I overtook vehicles after vehicles on my right but heck, I'm going at a steady speed according to the speed limit and they should be the ones on the leftmost lanes.
This is also another fact/tip. When there is a jam in KL, always keep to the leftmost lane. Somehow, it moves the fastest.
So I decided to see what it would be like just to stick to the leftmost lane and there was hardly any traffic on that lane. I overtook vehicles after vehicles on my right but heck, I'm going at a steady speed according to the speed limit and they should be the ones on the leftmost lanes.
This is also another fact/tip. When there is a jam in KL, always keep to the leftmost lane. Somehow, it moves the fastest.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
$
It's always been playing at the back of my mind as to HOW to increase my income. Of course, if only my neopoints COULD actually translate to real money, I would easily be a millionaire now.
There's a friend doing part time reporting, another doing part time work for an international company on the internet, another one on the verge of deciding to set up a .com and here I am, still trying to think of what my hands can bring me.
There's this big insecurity, what is people don't like my stuff? Where do I sell it? How do I sell it? Would I actually love doing it day after day even if I currently love doing it on weekends? I'm talking about baking here if you hadn't picked up the vibes.
This weekend will be a stepping stone for me, I hope. I plan to bake my mum's layer cake secret recipe. Growing up with it, it simply cannot compare to any layer cake out there, even if they bring it back all the way from Indonesia where it originated from. Of course, this will be my first time making it but hey, I've got to start somewhere don't I? *glup*
There's a friend doing part time reporting, another doing part time work for an international company on the internet, another one on the verge of deciding to set up a .com and here I am, still trying to think of what my hands can bring me.
There's this big insecurity, what is people don't like my stuff? Where do I sell it? How do I sell it? Would I actually love doing it day after day even if I currently love doing it on weekends? I'm talking about baking here if you hadn't picked up the vibes.
This weekend will be a stepping stone for me, I hope. I plan to bake my mum's layer cake secret recipe. Growing up with it, it simply cannot compare to any layer cake out there, even if they bring it back all the way from Indonesia where it originated from. Of course, this will be my first time making it but hey, I've got to start somewhere don't I? *glup*
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Culture Shock
Today in the papers there's mention of this guy from India who marries an Iban girl in Sarawak. He's now suing her family for shifting in with them as he didn't realise that culturally, that's what Iban girls sometimes do, they bring along their family to stay!
I found it so hilarious, albeit on the guy's expense. These are the sort of things one should discuss prior to getting married. So so glad that my church has pre marital counselling.
Malaysian newspapers can contain humourous tales sometimes.
I found it so hilarious, albeit on the guy's expense. These are the sort of things one should discuss prior to getting married. So so glad that my church has pre marital counselling.
Malaysian newspapers can contain humourous tales sometimes.
Pile of Clothes
Yesterday I had a good long conversation with one of my colleagues. She was describing how her sister-in-law is so lucky that her husband can tolerate her. Why, her laundry skills would have chased any decent guy away, according to my friend.
This lady apparently line dries all the clothes and when she collects them, she just dumps them into the cupboard in a heap. And when the husband wants to wear one, he opens the cupboard, pulls out one from the pile and irons them himself. My friend described how she was there and opened the cupboard and all the clothes fell out.
Moral of the story is, never invite this friend to my house.
This lady apparently line dries all the clothes and when she collects them, she just dumps them into the cupboard in a heap. And when the husband wants to wear one, he opens the cupboard, pulls out one from the pile and irons them himself. My friend described how she was there and opened the cupboard and all the clothes fell out.
Moral of the story is, never invite this friend to my house.
Melting Plastic
Many moons back, I attempted an orange butter cake recipe which required a tablespoon of orange rind. After grating 2 oranges, I scraped enough to fit one tablespoon of my plastic measuring spoon. Then I had to go out for lunch so I left everything as it was, rind in the spoon.
When I got back, I happily continued baking and it was only when I was washing up that I noticed a strange texture inside my measuring spoon. It had melted from the rind! I blamed myself for leaving it in there for too long and decided it will never happen again.
Then, a couple of months ago, I made another orange butter cake. Why not use the half tablespoon measure twice instead of the melted one? And this time, make sure it's in there for half a sec only. To my dismay, even half a sec was enough to damage the spoon again.
At this point, I must explain that things are very precious to me. I keep all my old t-shirts although they're faded and with holes. When KS broke a wooden stool, I was more concerned about the chair than of whether he was injured. And these measuring spoons are even more precious to me as I love baking and it's an essential part of the process.
Miserably, I kept them into the cupboard (but I must say it didn't stop me from ever wanting to bake orange butter cake again). Then when I got back, my darling aunt from Canada actually bought me this gorgeous set of measuring cups and spoons! I was delighted beyond words and now am inspired to bake this weekend. Cookies or cake, anyone?
When I got back, I happily continued baking and it was only when I was washing up that I noticed a strange texture inside my measuring spoon. It had melted from the rind! I blamed myself for leaving it in there for too long and decided it will never happen again.
Then, a couple of months ago, I made another orange butter cake. Why not use the half tablespoon measure twice instead of the melted one? And this time, make sure it's in there for half a sec only. To my dismay, even half a sec was enough to damage the spoon again.
At this point, I must explain that things are very precious to me. I keep all my old t-shirts although they're faded and with holes. When KS broke a wooden stool, I was more concerned about the chair than of whether he was injured. And these measuring spoons are even more precious to me as I love baking and it's an essential part of the process.
Miserably, I kept them into the cupboard (but I must say it didn't stop me from ever wanting to bake orange butter cake again). Then when I got back, my darling aunt from Canada actually bought me this gorgeous set of measuring cups and spoons! I was delighted beyond words and now am inspired to bake this weekend. Cookies or cake, anyone?
Long distance call
In January, my aunt packed up her luggage and left for Vancouver to help out in a church there. I tried contacting her via her email but never received a reply. I was only informed that she called once to tell my grandma and cousins that she had arrived safely.
Then today, she calls my office line. It's good to hear from her as I was getting a bit worried as to what's been happening to her. Funny thing was, she was already feeling cold before she left and Malaysia is summer year round and she was going smack in the middle of winter in Canada of all places! I was really worried that she might have just frozen when she stepped off the plane and the authorities had to defrost her while wondering whom to call.
Lesson learned: always remember to call home once in a while when you're away just so that your loved ones know you're still alive.
Then today, she calls my office line. It's good to hear from her as I was getting a bit worried as to what's been happening to her. Funny thing was, she was already feeling cold before she left and Malaysia is summer year round and she was going smack in the middle of winter in Canada of all places! I was really worried that she might have just frozen when she stepped off the plane and the authorities had to defrost her while wondering whom to call.
Lesson learned: always remember to call home once in a while when you're away just so that your loved ones know you're still alive.
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