Of Cheap Thrills and Real Fun...

Seeing my dogs chasing after squirrels and barking up a tree can really make your day. Sniffing and hunting as if she's a hunting dog in a forest, looking for her prey,Fluffy is as cute as a dog can get.

I am torn between the will to clean and help around the house or spend my time reading, surfing the net, enjoying my own free time at my own pace. I finally brought my guitar home, need to change the strings though. Classical guitar, it sounds nicer than acoustic, the name I mean, the sound of an acoustic may sound nicer but, to me, a guitar is just a guitar, it's the talent, more of the passion that matters to me. A person may show tremendous talent in an instrument but without the proper emotions and passion, I'd rather watch a beginner starting off with passion and love towards their playing anytime.

source: http://www.learnacousticguitar.org/

Hopefully, I will be able to master both the piano and guitar soon. I have been procrastinating long enough on these two instruments. Even my Croation Rhapsody which I was so enthusiastic about at the beginning of the year,I only managed to learn up the first 2 pages, memorized them to be exact. 3 MORE SHEETS OF MUSIC TO GO!

Ok, let me rant a little about my dream house, since I've already started on and on about having an enormous library. You know hos some people dream about having the perfect bedroom and living room and garden, well, I'd prefer the perfect kitchen and library. I had even thought that if my house was to small to build my perfect kitchen, I would demolish the living room and all my guests would have to end up sitting in my kitchen! =)

Don't worry, in compensation, I would feed my guests till they can stuff nothing more into their bellies.

source: http://www.everydayminimalist.com/?p=664

There, my dream kitchen, filled with every pot, and tins and cutlery and plates and knives. Everything, perfect with every imaginable items that are needed in a kitchen. Large ovens to roast 20 birds at once, thousands of cake tins enough to build an empire of cakes and cookies and other delicious goodies. Hey, I just rhymed. =) That's it, my next post shall be about Cookies and other delicious goodies. Oh, the number of sharp knives and forks, one may think twice trying to break into my house. Bowls and plates, pots and pans. Ohhh...Chopping boards, rolling pins. OK, paging Dixie,Dixie. Earth calling space. COME BACK TO EARTH!

source: http://winewriter.wordpress.com/2007/12/04/kitchens-id-love-to-cook-in-photos/

Doesn't this depict a picture of perfect homeliness?

The first thing I usually do if I enter someone's home, I must see their kitchens. Call this obnoxious or a compulsive disorder,but hey,I'm human. =) I crave for perfection just like any other normal person would.

Ok, enough ranting for now. I'm not even sure if I'm writing this for my own sake, like a little diary or for people out there to catch a glimpse of my somewhat, perfect-but-not-too-perfect life. Stay tuned for more imperfections of the daily life of an imperfect person.

Devil's food cake...

source:http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Desserts/Chocolate-Cherry-Cake.aspx

source: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2007/08/devils-food-cak/

First off, I'm learning to source my pictures which I normally don't. But I do think that credit must be given. =) So yeah, all pictures will be credited and sourced to my best efforts.

I made devil's food cake on Sunday with the help of a certain tall and lanky, noisy helper. No,it's not my sister.She's too busy "studying".

Well, anyway, the cake turned out great, since this lil small town of Seremban, I could not find cream so I had to substitute it with milk and butter, which is basically the same thing unless you wanna make whip cream than sorry mate, you got to look for the real cream then. The icing was a tad bitter... well, quite bitter to be exact as I had used the leftover chocolates which were 85% and 70% cocoa.Very bitter...hmmm, but my family said it tasted exactly like American Chocolate cake,if only the icing was sweeter. =) Looks like Grandma's recipe book really can be trusted!

I have been pestering my mum to buy round cake tins as I only have rectangular ones and truthfully,I'm kinda bored with rectangle cakes already. I know,I know, no matter the shape, the taste is still the same right? But I really like round shaped cakes. =) Nice to see nice to cut ma.

Oh yeah, the first picture, my cake texture and colour is exactly the same while the second picture is to show you the icing I had poured on the cake except that my icing was darker, much darker in colour as I had used dark bitter chocolate.

OK,more recipes and book reading to come.

Frugal and fragile...

Well, seems like the full nerd mode is going well. I've finished 2 books in 2 days already. Not up to my usual standard yet but it's getting there. What can I say, I've got to occupy the time that I've got on my hands,what better way than to read, which not only occupies my time but at the same time, improves my language and grammar(hopefully)?

Ever noticed that the mind tends to wander and little itsy bitsy pieces of insecurities and nonsense creeps into your mind?

It will be 2 years this Saturday and yet,I still feel the insecurities and uncertainties that I first felt on our first day. Why is it you may wonder, it might be the lack of self confidence in myself that so very often takes over me. Even until now, I sometimes feel that either I am not good enough or maybe I am too good. Don't get it, never mind.


I borrowed two books from the Taylor's library.

Source: http://www.fishpond.co.nz/Books/Fiction_Literature/General/9780751542455/?cf=3

Crossings, is a book by Danielle Steel and this is my first time reading one of her works. I have to say, she did a very good job in details. This book had a serious edge to it and yet very intriguing. The plot had me stumbling to find out more about the characters, about Liane,a very young woman but has shown maturity beyond her age. Set in the period when the Germans were attacking the French, and Japanese with the Americans, a tale stunningly told, a love affair, her love torn between a man that she loves, married, dear old Armand, a man 20 + years older than her but is far away, defending his country, or the young Nick Burnham, as charming and handsome as he is but married to a woman, so full of herself and her philandering ways. The struggles she has to go through to support the man she loves and to comfort the man living in pain and is attracted to day by day. A tale as original as it can get, this book had my eyes glued to it.

source: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/jane-costello/nearly-weds.htm

This book has a similar plot to the Sound of Music and The Nanny and many others. Just can't seem to think about any right now. Zoe gets stood up by her fiance, flies off to America to work as a nanny, falls in love with her employer, who puts up an obnoxious, defensive front after his wife died. He soon slowly falls for her, she falls in love with him, she get's into a dilemma of choosing between her hot,American but annoying and unpleasant boss or her fiance who's begging her for a second chance. A well predicted ending but I quite enjoyed the story and humor in it. Very predictable though but good enough to keep me reading on.


What can I say, I am a sucker for romance novels. I use to think that, friends and family should just buy me a book each for my birthday, Christmas, and all the other gift giving holidays as my presents!

Next book am going to devour is... jeng jeng jeng, a classic story but WITH a new twist in it. It's Peter Pan in Scarlet! Interesting isn't it,believe it or not, I use to have a crush on the cartoon version of Peter Pan(actually,I still kinda do). I would dream that he would come through my window and I would fly away with him. I've always thought I would make a better Wendy than Wendy did. Haha. =)


Yup,interesting, Peter Pan. Need I say more. He's Peter Pan. Read more to find out! *drools*

PS: To the person concerned, that's for leaving me all alone. I devour,swallow,engulf and consume books due to boredom. You know who you are. I'm watching you. @.@

Just once...

Just once, I want to feel...

Just once, I do not want to be the stronger one.

Just once, I do not want to worry but to be worried by.

Just once, I want to act all childish.

Just once, I want to let everything go.

But in the end, you still pull me towards you.

Why can't I seem to let you do the worrying?

Why can't I let myself do what I want without being held back. There are so many things,holding me back. Why...

I thought I got over this phase. Looks like it's just the beginning.

Contradictory...

Even in the run-down dirty,congested and terrible living conditions in Mentari, there are still people who make the effort to decorate their houses during the Festival of Lights. This was taken during Deepavali and as I walked pass this, it brought a smile to my lips, thinking of how some people leap at the very chance of having a holiday and decorating.

This is Fluffy.

This is how my sister takes a break from all her studying. The poor dog may look tortured but she is actually enjoying it.


On the way to cousin's wedding. Wore a dress that belonged to my aunty. This dress is almost 25 years old? Not so sure about the age but it is definitely from the past where bell bottoms and frizzy long hair were in fashion. My mum has been recycling her old (old as in, clothes that she wore when she was young, not the old,unwanted clothes) by taking them out of those old dusty cardboard boxes and dressing me up in them. I have to say, some of the dresses do look like they are bought from those famous and over-priced shops like Forever 21, Topshop and others. =)

Now, with all the free time, I am going to waste it by baking and cooking. Mum just bought a cookbook entitled 'Grandma's quick and thrifty cookbook' and I am, in a way going to try cooking and baking all the recipes in there.
My source of inspiration? I've been addicted to the movie Julie & Julia which for some reason, I can't help but to watch it over and over again.

When I am old enough to support myself with my own house, I'm going to have a whole room specifically for books only. A whole personal library of books. Ranging from cookbooks to storybooks, fiction and non-fiction, science fiction, romance novels, adventure stories, mystery and maybe a small collection of horror/murder stories.

Imagine the collection of books, just for recipes, and the ones above are just a fraction of recipe books. Try imagining owning and buying all the recipe books in the world. I can open a small library by then. =)

You want to know what can really make me happy? What makes me contented and warm and gushy, you know, besides eating...

Books.

Endless, thousands of books, waiting for me to read them. Sitting quietly in a corner, filled with books. Turning each page, reading from cover to cover, book by book. I am already planning to build a collection of books. Something like the pictures below.


That's were I feel one should spend their quiet times in. Maybe it's just me.

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan


I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot


To sit alone in the lamplight with a book spread out before you, and hold intimate converse with men of unseen generations - such is a pleasure beyond compare. ~Kenko Yoshida


Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book. ~Christopher Morley

These are just some of the meaningful quotes I found from this website. Click on the link and read through them.

So, I am challenging/encouraging you to pick up a book and throw it at someone. Hahha,was just testing whether you were asleep or not. =p Nah, try reading a book. If you didn't like the book you read, pick up another and another until you have found the one you like, the one you found inspiring, the one you found love.

Breathe of Life...

I've been suffocating for the past few months. It's like I've been wearing this really really tight corset those ladies in the Vitorian era use to wear and finally it bursts open! Phew... I really have to thank God for helping me survive the past few months, not to mention the support given by family and friends.

Well, I've vowed to be more hardworking next year(sounds familar,well, I say it almost every time I procrastinate). My mum wants me to improve my language and grammer skills. I want to improve on my cooking and baking skills.Oh, including piano and guitar. Am gonna start and finish something for once.

Thanks to the hectic months, I've not been putting much effort in exercising, my stamina really dropped.

Yesterday night I attended my cousin's wedding. It was really beautiful, she was really beautiful. But as usual, all weddings starts later than the given time. I was quite hungry by time the food arrive. It was quite an affair. Food was not bad. Cold and shivering through the night. Went cuckoo with Chris all the night.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Revamped look... Coming Soon.

Pictures-taken-by-self, to me, comes once in a blue moon.

More updates later when I've overcome this hectic period.