Outing with the boys

We all know who the girls are.  Today its 'the boys'.

'The boys' are the orphans or under privileged children I used to teach at Rumah Aman a few years back.

I have not written about them, I don't know why, but its not easy to write about them, eventhough they are close to my heart.  Its one of those things, maybe a painful nerve that stops me.

I taught English for over a year or so  to 30 small boys at that time, aged 5 to 9.  Its one of the more significant phase of my life.  But I had to stop to be at home for my family.  They have been in my heart eversince.

Yesterday I took the ones that the parent or guardian does not take home during the holidays. The ones the family is too poor to make the journey or no guardian at all.

They have grown much.  Taller and bigger. Amirul 12, Fadzil 13,Izul 11 and twins Ilyas and Ilyasak 8.

The plan was to see the movie from one of my favourite novels, Life of Pi.  Since the movie at Mid Valley was fully booked, we went to Mines Wonderland, a place I rarely go.  I heard there was a book fare at The Big Bad Wolf, (such a cute name for a book shop). But the fare had ended the day before, and the show stars at 6.45pm, we had alot of time to kill.

We hung around the Mall, went to the surau to pray zohor,  walked around, had tea at the 'Toast Box', went to surau for asar, walked some more.  Got everyone a Cool Blog, walked to see  huge cat fishes in the man-made river that passes through The Mines.  We had early dinner at Chicken Rice Shop then headed for the surau again  for magrib.  I specifically ordered them to take their wudu', prepare and get ready for prayers and as soon as magrib starts, pray quickly so that we can catch the beginning of the movie.

Alas, I was the only one who followed my orders, when I came out (the first) the boys were playing outside the surau.  By the time we got to our seats , a quarter of the movie was over.  Luckily we did not miss the highlights of Pi at the ocean with the Richard Parker the Tiger.

In the car on the way back I asked them what they learnt from the movie.  Amirul said, 'jangan putus asa'.  Izul said, 'berusaha' and Fadzil said, 'buat baik pada binatang'.  I asked them a tougher question.  Apa sifat yang ada pada Pi?  Amirul said,' tak putus asa', Izul said 'berusaha' and to my surprise Little Ilyas said, 'berani'.  Then I asked  'soalan cepumas'.  Apa dalam hidup kita yang kita rasa susah sangat tapi kalau kita buat sungguh-sungguh macam Pi, kita mesti berjaya macam Pi.  Izul said 'naik tempat tinggi'.  Little Ilyas got it right again by answering, 'periksa'.

If the movie had given the boys an example of  human courage, it was indeed a day well spent.

I do not know if the boys enjoyed themselves but I certainly did.  It put a smile in my heart.  The camaraderie between us was of genuine fondness without any divides. The boys like me and I like the boys.  I had the twins holding on to both my hands all the way when they were not scampering about or scaling the escalators.  The boys did not have to be 100 percent on guard and could be their ownselves with me.  Which, is not always a good thing.

I was not a good teacher in a sense that sometimes another teacher need to stand at the door to keep my class quiet.  I used to feel disappointed with myself for not being able to keep the class in order like the other teachers.  But they are instances that make me feel good like when the boys come back from school and pop their head into my class and ask 'bila teacher ajar saya?'  And by some luck, they usually do well for my subject.

It takes alot, a whole lot, to educate and discipline the orphans.  It takes someone made of steel.  And I think, I am more of a  emm.... cotton candy.

Lion city, here we come

I received an invitation from my cousin-aunty to her daughter's wedding in Singapore.  Since no one else is going from my family, and Aunty Naemah came to Picipu's wedding, I had to reciprocate.  And for the first time in her adult life, my sister Idah wanted to follow  with her three children.  So did our Aunt Chor. All the 6 of us found ourselves waiting for the delayed train outbound South.

It finally arrrived and we settled into our bunks. The train speeds, bumps, jolts and swayed like mad, I could not sleep. Alhamdulillah we made it to Woodlands safely for the wedding.

Arriving very early in the morning, we took a taxi to Abang Amin's house at Pasir Ris and after a hearty breakfast and happy-to-see-you-again banter, we got ready for the wedding and took the very efficient public transport to the Community Hall at Hougang,

More happy-to-see-you-again encounters, I met many other relatives whom, like me, has changed somewhat due to age and lack of exercise.  The younger generation  has grown  that I could not recognise them, including Suzie, the bride if she was not the bride on that auspicious day.

The food was great. Beautiful buffet and food arrangement with many varieties of delicious  food. And of course, there was sambal goreng!

Since so many guest kept coming to the staggered invite, we decided to make room and left the ceremony with a heartfelt 'nanti-jumpa-lagi,'  and went shopping to Geyland Serai taking along the wedding favours, goody bags and packed 'Nasi Beryani'.

Then Idah said, 'tak best sangat lah Singapore ni'. She had summed up that she had seen all of the country, and  to do justice to our Dad's kampung, I took them to Orchard Road, where the shopping splendour is and left her speechless. Everything was expensive. All that I could buy at CK Tang was the plastic jelly moulds.

Day 1 over.

2nd day was kid's day.  Universal Studio. Awesome and  worth the price of the ticket.  If I were to write what we did there, it would be one long post, so you have to go and see for yourself.

 Knowing that l do not like rollercoasters, Idah tricked me on getting on one, I nearly died and as soon as I got off, l had to recollect myself under the dinasour and its watering egg.

So much to do and try out at the theme park, it even 'snowed' that night. From 10 am till the Universal Studio staff lined up to wave the visitors goodnight at the entrace, everyone still had something they did not try out.

Very tiring 2nd day over. We took the MRT from Vivocity to East Harbour, (or is it West Harbour??) to Koven station, then a bus to Pasir Ris, one long public transporting.

Day 3 was Aunt Chor's day to Mustafa Shopping Mall, a much bigger version of our Mydin. Many floors of many merchandise.

Before Mustafa Mall, we went to Arab Street which have had a massive facelift  and had been conferred the title ' heritage village,'  bringing us back to way back when when Kak Limah's family used to live there with the other merchant families.

Near Arab Street there is the Haji Lane, two rows of shops interfacing, had turned into boutique style, smallish, chic and extremely charming shopping arcade.

That night, still not familiar with the city, we were late to the train station, and ran while waving for the train to wait. Unfortunately I could not take a shot in that state of activity.But we did look comical as we ran 'pontang panting' with our bags and goods.

Johor Deli

Today I ate these for lunch! Johor food made by Johorians.
It reminded me of my childhood, the old days when I used to eat my grandmother's delicious food in Muar.

:D

My first asam pedas

Assalamualaikum, Picipu in the house :D  

After living for 27 years O_o I finally managed to cook asam pedas. Yeah I am that bad. But nothing is too late kikiki ;)

The taste was alright, not bad for a first-timer hehehhehehe. But definitely not as yummylicious as chef hajar's. Hmm I think next time I need to put more daun kesum and some lady fingers.

Mama is so quiet.
Maaa oOooOOo maaaaa.  I bet you are bottomless in Singapore :P

Ok see ya. Will report more from my kitchen inshaAllah :D
Bye bye!

A carrot for my birthday

Last night Mimi came back with my belated birthday present. A soft toy carrot.

I think this is what happened.  She was walking, and she saw the carrot.  Then, something goes in her head.  Mama! She thought of me, because I Iove to eat vegetables.

Last night too, hugging the carrot,  I watched Dr Oz on Astro speaking on food for the heart. I made a strong intention, that in conjunction with Hijrah, I would like to change my diet to what Dr Oz recommended. More vegetables, beans, fruits, brown rice and humus. Must check out what that humus actually is. The lady who eats all this looks very healthy.  Most important, 30 minutes of exercise everyday.

Food for help

Food for help.  A strange way of putting it. I do that.  When I have problems,  I give food to the mosque or someone, or cats.  I sometimes buy bananas and sent to the mosque, with the prayers that Allah would soften the blows.  That Allah would give me strength.

Giving is therapy.  When you are facing diffiiculties, you are at the end of the road, you see no way out, just give.  Give to the needy.  Give to those who ask for help.  Give to anyone. You problem would insyaAllah somehow become more bearable.  Then you eventually cross the worse safely, and find your way out.  There is magic in giving

                                                          Off to the mosque

Pasta ala Picipu

Went to Picipu's house yesterday.  She served a simple pimple pasta.

Aren't they pweetyyyy???

I go mushy over these so sweet and pretty as a picture cupcakes.....you can get them at Amcorp Mall, at the entrance.

Mummy's cook book

This is my mum's cook book. All tattered and torn. If I recall  it must be nearly 42 years old because I can still remember when I was around the age (minus 42) when she used to go to cooking class, those days called WI. She would bring back some small amount of the food she learnt and after that hardly makes them. If she did, I don't remember.

Sobirin's birthday cake

Today is my nephew Sobirin's 17th birthday. I bought him this moist chocolate cake. Yummy.  The girl at the cake shop piped Sabirin instead of Sobirin.  Ish...suka hati je...

Nasi Tomato Kak Ros

There is this chef. unknown to everyone, except family and friends.  She cooks mean dishes.  They may not be top notch dishes like beriyani or ayam golek but whatever she cooks has that deliciousness other cooks rarely achieve.  She has been cooking all her life. She talks about food all time (all the time!) and her  passion for cooking still runs strong at her age of 71. She is my elderly friend, sometimes the elder sister I never had, sometimes old enough to be my mum, and most of the time, my teacher.  She is the pint-sized one and only, KAK ROS.  Here is a  picture of nasi tomato she made this morning that smelled so good, we ate it in the car. Authentic and delicious.  Meletop at Lil Haven. Can order...

Rainbow on your plate

My first food post is this awesome cake made by Ida at Lil Haven. THE RAINBOW CAKE!   I am also using this cake for my image, since I love everything rainbow.  It tasted fabulous. First  layer tasted purple, then it tasted blue, then green. Orange, yellow and red tasted brighter.  When you finish the slice, it felt like you have eaten a bit of the rainbow.  Can order.

A PLACE IN THE STOMACH

From now till time unknown, I will post on food.

Wonderful food and some story.  Should be short and sweet.  Abit busy these days to write long.

Taking my little camera with me now, all set to venture this new topic....tungguuu......

getting my food blog right

Ok....trial and error. Somehow it got complicated, this food blog I am trying to create.

So why not I just turn' a place in the heart' into 'a place in the stomach?'

We will just go from here, capturing food that comes before me, on this old blog.

Make life simple.

Its a hard place out there

No wonder most people are foolhardy.  If I have used the right word.  Its not an easy place out there.

'Fight the fight' is one word I got from a movie.  We have to overcome the challengers.  To settle the problems.  To do what needs to be done.

Not easy at all.  Things go wrong. Things can go wrong all at once.

The unexpected happens.  Take you by your tail.  And swings you around.

Lose your cool and you might lose it all.

The best thing we can do is to take ablution, (wudu'), open the Quran and read and understand the verses.  Go back to your centre to why we are put in this world.   What to do as Mukmins.  Mukmins take care of their solat, guards their mouth and hands from hurting other people, fulfills their promises and do not 'melampaui batas', means not to cross their limitations.

We go out with all good intentions, only to encounter obstacles, the biting reality and your own weaknesses.

If only we have the right answer and the right solution for every situation.

We don't.  I don't.

Be we learn.  Or we lose.

the killer dish is found

One month have passed at Lil Haven.

I shop, I cook, I sell, I clean up, the whole works. It was fun as it was tiring.  Oh yes, I also serve.

Many dishes were plated. Our set meal was made out of one of these.   Nasi Tomato, Nasi Serai, Nasi Carrot and Nasi Goreng Seafood for the rice variety. We made Ikan Masak Asam, Ikan masak cili. And we also made Tomyam, Ayam Kurma, Ayam Masak Merah and Ayam Rendang. And we had Sambal Udang.

For vegetable dishes we had  made Urap Kacang Botol, Acar Rampai, Paceri Nenas, Mixed Vege, Masak Lemak Putih, Kacang Panjang Goreng, and Salads.

But guess what that 'Wowed!' our regulars?

Kak Ros's SAMBAL BELACAN!

That got the best reviews. The killer dish I was desperately looking for.

And why ever not?  Kak Ros had been pounding sambal belacan for 50 years.  It will, without a doubt, remain unbeatable and reign supreme over all other sambal belacans.

Early morning people

Since I started my lil food business with Lil Haven, slowly I have transformed into an early riser or early bird.  Having to help Hajar with her nasik lemak and to cook my meehoon, we wake up early. Much earlier than usual.  A good habit inculcated.

I guess l like to shop fresh.  I like to buy the ingredients just before I cook it.  This would could qualify me a meticulous cook or a last minute person with bad time planning. But that is how it is and our food last long into the evening.  So, as earlier as 6.30am I would be at Balaji, the Indian sundry shop to wait for the lorry that brings the fresh produce from the wholesale market.

Around me, I would see the men walking home from the mosque, the mothers waiting with their school going children for the school bus, the other early birds buying things for their house hold at Balaji. All sorts of   people walking to the bus stops to get to work, or going into their cars,  the other stall menders with many kinds of tasty breakfast dishes waiting for customers ( and here I am, waiting to buy the prawns for my meehoon to sell in an hour).

Then I went 1 step further by going to Old Town wet market, the biggest market in PJ at 6.00 am.  When all is dark and still asleep, the market was brightly lit and lively, bustling with all the buying and selling activities. To tell  you the truth, there are two places that I love to be at, the mosque, and the market. Market, not supermarket.  This is not a good thing since one is the opposite of the other but I love to see nature's produce. The abundance of vegetables, poultry, seafood, beancurds, fruits and flowers.  It makes my heart expands to its seems. Hihi.  What a boring person I am.   Maybe food is a quiet passion I did not encourage.

By evening I find my body extremely tired and my eyes close pretty early. Its a new clock in my head. And so is the gusto for cooking.  

Step it up, step it up

How do we get sales to pick up.

Ok, logical solutions.  Get a killer recipe and nail it.  But.... I do not have one. 

I see too much AFC, Asian Food Channel on Astro.  What do people in Centrio Soho, this upscale and upbeat and chic home cum office, and boutique offices  lifestyle people go for?  

This new culture has found itself  in Kg.Kerinchi. And Kg. Kerinchi has it all. High end, medium end, low end, high rise, medium rise, low rice. Modern living, ordinary living, foreign living.  One word, 'Chacha Marba' (jumbled)  and it is just so...emm...interesting.

Centrio Soho itself is a modern design building, its living quarters consisting of double storey studios, more like a big compartment, divided into two, horizontally.  And Lil Haven, is at the retail floor. 

Sue showed me one famous artist living there, selling his drawing by the thousands. There's a Max. And Allan who would come for 'Lil Haven famous' oatmeal cookie and ice lemon tea everyday.  There is Bala, an Indian who orders ice coffee black no sugar take-away.  There's Kim, who gjves alot of feedback on the food.  There's Sam my biggest supporter, Michelle, Irin, Mr cute Chinese CEO, there is En. Mat Parang Tajam. Another biggest  supporter, Tim who is from Philipines I think,  would  always ask me what the food is made of.  I would go, 'rice floor and coconut milk' for the kueh lapis, ' tapioca, sweet' for the bingka ubi. 'Sticky rice,  savoury with  coconut sambal filling' for the pulut panggang.  Ida's mother makes these delicious traditional cakes.  They are cake making family.  "Pancake with  coconut and palm sugar filling' for kueh ketayap. How I enjoy enlisting the ingredients to Tim, who soaks it all up and buys the kuehs.

Its nice to work in Lil Haven, to watch the people, to watch Ida bake and help her colour the frostings and give unsolicited ideas for her cakes, and to smell the aroma of cakes and biscuits in the oven.  

All is not easy.  I have not found the killer recipe.  

These people are all smart and world-wise and would not throw their money easily. 

Earlier I bet on home-cooked food but after 10 days,  maybe Centrio Soho finds it emm...boring.

Step it up, step it up. Huhu....I wonder what is Secret Recipe's secret...

Tomorrow I will take pictures.

Back to business and 49

It is a few hours past my birthday.  49.  Yesterday I received birthday wishes from those close to me including my dentist.  Thank-you loved ones.

Its back to business and I have taken a bigger step from my stint  sellling cookies during Ramadhan at the bazaar in Amcorp Mall. I am now helping Sue at her quaint cafe, Lil Haven, down the road, in the neighbourhood.

Sometimes one knows not what one loves until one sees it.  I don't 'love' Lil Haven per say  but when Sue tells me she needs help to keep the place open, I just have to do something..

Sue has put in alot in her cafe.  Her decor, her product, her cooking all shows it comes from her heart.  A cafe in blue hue,( I am a blue person, according to the colour therapy expert, Dr Rahim, section 13 Shah Alam) all is done in good taste. Everyone in this Chaca-marba (mixed and diversified, that's me too, in my head) area  comes here.  White, black, yellow, brown, they all go to Lil Haven for coffee, or for Sue's signature drink, ice-lemon tea, all sorts of cakes, scones, big biscuits or sandwiches.

So I paid for a small space and sell  nasi lemak and meehoon in the morning, and lunch in the afternoon, food that Sue does not make but what the cafe needs.  So I became the complimentary unofficial not actually  partner of sorts and my forte is to fill up the blanks in Lil Haven.

I am not that great a cook but under the category of home-cooked,  honest and wholesome food, I don't do so bad.  Nevertheless,  I seek a wonderful cook, Kak Ros to cook the main dishes, got Hajar to make her signature nasi lemak along side with whatever that I can cook decently.

Boy oh boy, it looked much easier than it is. This is hard work. No joke. Penat giler.

Sue appreciates  my help and I guess two heads are better than one.  I have been meddling in the food business for sometime now, selling or cooking this and that but not in a serious way.  This is a bold step I am taking and when I cannot meet the requirements, I have no choice but to step it up and is continuing to do so till now.

I pray Sue's dream to see her cafe succeed would come true.  She deserves it.  Lil Haven is an oasis for tired rat-racers and others to unwind with tea or coffee or to just meet up. Ida, the talented baker deserves a mention here too since she bakes really delicious cakes.