My New Walls...

After 2.5 years of staring at plain boring cream walls tainted with drawings of little Picasso and a multitude of food stains, I have decided to give my walls a makeover :D

I bought the package at HomeDec in November last year but only now do I have the resources to do them up.

Installation at the dining area. This guy was very skillful and quick. I couldn't help but be amazed...

Installation at Zareef's room

Tadaaaa... dining area.

TV area

Zareef's room. Please excuse the mess. High time to do a garage sale. Seriously!

Finally, my bedroom.

I just can't stop staring at my walls. They are simply mesmerizing. I love them! :D

Chili Crab Craving...

If you're on my Facebook friends list, then you'll know that I have been craving for chili crabs for quite some time. Yesterday was a free day (no cake orders and no car pool), so I decided to cook the chili crabs myself.

Nothing beats a homemade meal especially when it's cooked with love and fresh crabs that were just wriggling out of the tank just a mere hour before that. The taste? Totally outta this world! Here's the recipe if you crave for chili crabs like I did... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 flower crabs, cleaned and cut into half
1 sprig of coriander (chopped for garnishing only) - I didn't have any so I made do without it
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of tamarind juice
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1/4 cup of water

Spice Paste:

8 dried red chilies (soaked in hot water and deseeded)
1 tablespoon of taucheo (fermented yellow bean sauce)
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch of fresh ginger
2 inches of lemon grass (the white part only)

Tamarind Juice:

5 seeds of tamarind
Water

Method:

1. Clean the crab and chop it into pieces. Save the green and juicy stuff inside the shell and set aside.
2. Pound the spice paste with a mortar and pestle or grind them using a food processor. Make sure that the spice paste is finely blended or pounded.
3. Soak the tamarind seeds in some warm water for 15 minutes. Extract the juice and discard the seeds.
4. Heat up your wok and add cooking oil.
5. Stir fry the spice paste until fragant and spicy.
6. Add the crab and 1/4 cup of water and do a quick stir. Cover the wok with its cover for 3 minutes.
7. Add the green and juicy stuff from the shell and stir well.
8. Add in sugar, tamarind juice, a little salt to taste and continue stirring for about 2 minutes or until all crab pieces turned red.
9. Dish up, garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

Zareef, Oh Zareef...

We were eating lunch one day about a month ago when Zareef started talking about his classmates of both schools (he goes to SKPU2 in the morning and KAFA in the evenings). I always cherish this private moment that I have with him where he and I would chat and eat, then chat and eat again with Zara diverting our attentions intermittently.

Back to the topic of his classmates, he would tell me that si A doesn't know how to spell or si B would always be late for school (yeah right, he talks as if he's always early :P), or how si C have to go to a daycare center in a van for a transit before proceeding to the same KAFA as he is.

I explained that his friends had to go to various daycare centers by vans after school for a transit because their parents were not able to pick them up from school due to work commitments.

That made him moved on to the next topic which was his friends' parents' occupation. After regaling me with half of his classmates' parents' occupation, I asked him, "What did you tell your friends about Daddy and Mummy?"

He said, he told everyone (rather proudly I might add) that Daddy is an Engineering Doctor while Mummy works at A*IA and P*roton. That answer made me went 'Huhh?'. I asked him why did he tell his friends that I worked at these organizations when he knows fully well that I've stopped working with them and that I am now a SAHM with a cake business on the side.

He just kept quiet. His plain and honest reply was "Friends Zareef punya Mummy yang lain semuanya kerja. Kalau Zareef cakap Mummy tak kerja, tak best la".

I was taken aback with his reply. "Zareef cakap tak kat your friends that Mummy bakes cakes? Tu pun kerja jugak" to which he nodded but not before adding "Kadang-kadang je".

That statement hit me hard right in the face. Now I've realized that my son secretly wishes that I work, just like other moms. He is in fact, quite ashame to admit to his friends that his Mummy doesn't work.

Truthfully, I'm quite shock that he feels that way. I would be lying if I were to say that it didn't hurt. Kids will be kids but you can count on them to be the most honest to goodness creatures on Earth and you can always rely on them for truths from the heart. Now I know how he feels.

Hmmmpphhh... this conversation took place over a month ago but it has always bothered me eversince. I'm so sorry you fell that way Zareef. I truly am...

What's On My Fridge?

These...

Front view


Left door...


Right door...


Right side... Zareef's art work included :D

So now I guess, you know what to get for me as souvenirs eh?! *wink*