"Lessons in life"

When I got the email last month from Ze on this, I knew then that it'd end up in my blog..hehe..

But b'cos it was in a powerpoint format, I needed the time to "re-process" and "re-do"...

..some more, I don't need all the 45 lessons [ too much 4 me :-) ] ~ so I chose the ones that I'd like to share and did it in video format, accompanied by one of my fav. song - "Mustika" by M.Nasir.

and of course, I'm giving the credit to the person who did it - He Yan - back in Nov.09.

My way : Chocolate cake

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
****************************************

(warning : hehe...I'm not responsible for any "misguided thot" on MY choc cake)
:-)

Its been a while since I last baked a cake so when Nazeem n his friend were here over the long weekend, I decided to make one..n Nazeem went "yea!" when i told him that..hehe..

I'd actually forgotten the basic recipe so had to look for a simple one over the net, but as usual, did it my way.. :-)

Ingredients :

1 cup of butter
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of cream cheese
2 eggs
1 cup of milk
(I used full cream evaporated milk)
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1 cup of chocolate chips

Method :

1 ~ Cream butter and sugar, then add the cream cheese, cream further.

2 ~ Add the eggs, milk and vanila

3 ~ Add in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder.

4 ~ Add the chocolate chips.

5 ~ Fill into the tray (for cup cakes)

6 ~ Bake in pre-heated oven at 170C for 25 mins or until its cooked.

That night Nazeem helped me in mixing the ingredients and all, so its only fair that he got the first taste of it..

His friend, Hafiz was surprised to see my nephew helping me but in the end he joined as well!..hehe..

Told Nazeem that they could take back the balance to their school the next day, but he asked..."hehe...will there be any?"

(Still hot in the oven)

(Another batch)

True enough, when I woke up the next day, only about 1/3 of it left,
and they finished it off during breakfast! hehe..

"Che Na, can u please make cheese cake next time?"

oh oh...another round of fact@recipe finding mission on the net!

..haha..

New delivery...

*****
***
*

....for a healthier n slimmer me... :-)

Starting early this month, I'm seriously into fitness, exercise regime and..errr..dieting, and therefore not surprisingly, I've added a new item to an already congested space @ home, hehe.. :-)

At 3pm, this was delivered to our home..

By 3.45pm, I'd already cycled for 13 mins..

"Lost" about 100 cals(?)

n the distance of 4kms?

Now I could cycle whilst watching TV, and if it happened to be between 5pm to 6pm, I'd have extra "fun" ~ watching my favourite TV channel - cooking programs @ the "Asian Food Channel"..hehehe...

@ d Tea House

Location : Central Market, KL.

Occasion : Lunch

(the sign board)

(the inside view)

Rows of different type of teas

Tea flavored with dried slices of Assam fruit(asam gelugor/asam keping)
(~ Sipped before a meal, Assam tea has the power to nourish the body with rich antioxidants and convert fat into energy, decreasing inches from the waist and belly.)

(the fruit)

What asam gelugor/keping look like
~ I remember helping my mum slicing the fruit and let it dried under the sun :-)

*****

Mas Cotek Tea ~ Remedy for detoxification, blood circulation and helpful for digestion system.

(MAS COTEK – RESULT SHOWS LOWERING OF CHOLESTEROL AND TRIGLYCERIDES)

Our lunch :

(Nasi lemak with rendang)

(Laksa Penang ~ it was ok but quite "sweet" for me due to [I guessed] a bit too much of 'petis' @ sticky black fermented shrimp paste)

errr...there goes my diet...now extra extra miles..hehe..

We tried Mas Cotek and the Asam Gelugor tea
~ but asam tea was quite sour...

They had this set for sale, was told that its a hit with tourists but I wanted to buy the mug for my collection ~ it was out of stock.

:-)

Doctor's visit.

It had been exactly a month ago,
That I went to see the doctor.

For a medical check-up that'd been long over due,
So there at the clinic finally in d queue.

My blood sample was needed,
And for that my arm was injected.

"Come in a few days", I was told,
The results should then be "unfold".

And up until yesterday, I still didn't know,
But today for my peace of mind, I had to go.

Alhamdulillah ok except for my cholesterol,
And so I was advised on my diet control.

Lamb chop, prawns are currently a "No, No",
and I promised to exercise more n more.

Relieved to be back at d waiting hall,
It was not so bad after all.

As I could be heard laughing inside,
Remarked a friend who was waiting outside.

But I'm sure the doctor would understand,
If I defer to go and visit her again.

But if this "doctor" is behind the door,
Would people be willing to go more?

["Mc Dreamy" of "Grey's Anatomy" series
~ but i dont even watch it.. :-)]

hehehe...

Earth's Most Amazing Places

From my mail box : National Geographic Photos

Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) ride out
high surf on blue-ice icebergs near Candlemas Island
in the South Sandwich Islands

For trees that grow on mountaintops near Cape Town,
South Africa, wind can be a magnificent sculptor.
Trees that can handle the wind's effects
best will alter their shape to deal with the load of the wind.

Silhouetted by the sun, the Hand of Fatima rock formations
near Hombori village stretch toward the sky in Mali.
The tallest tower rises 2,000 feet (610 meters)
from the desert floor. Lore has it that the formations'
name stems from the five towers' resemblance to a hand
from the sky.

Erosion's force becomes clear in these limestone cliffs
in Port Campbell National Park, Australia.
About five million years ago the area was a
limestone plateau, but as sea levels rose the effects
of surf and rain began to carve out these
magnificent cliffs, along with stacks and arches

A storm passes over Yellow Mounds Overlook in South Dakotas
Badlands, casting light and shadow below. Although
the regions name derives from the Oglala Sioux

Travertine chimneys near Lake Abbe, Djibouti,
were created by hot springs depositing
calcium carbonate the same process that creates stalactites
and stalagmites. Some of the formations reach
165 feet (50 meters) near the lake located
on the Ethiopia-Djibouti border.

A thick blanket of snow covers West Thumb Geyser Basin
in Yellowstone National Park. There are more
geysers in this park than anywhere else
in the world.

Towers of salt and a riverbed colored by crystallized salt
create an otherworldly landscape in Ethiopias Danakil Desert.
Sitting more than 300 feet (90 meters) below sea level,
with temperatures reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit
(49 degrees Celsius), local inhabitants prize the
Danakil for one thing: its salt deposits.

A deep gorge drops some 650 feet (198 meters)
near the abandoned city of Araden, Crete. Visitors
can descend into the gorge and walk a little
more than 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) to the Mediterranean Sea.
In addition to magnificent scenery, the gorge provides
a 2,460-foot (750-meter) descent to the sea.

Towering in close symmetry, these basalt
columns near Fingals Cave form the base of the
Scottish island of Staffa. The columns formed
when cooling lava flows met bedrock and the regions
cold weather. The island contains three main caves.

Thank u Ze for sharing this with me...

:-)

Extra kgs...

I don't mind that sometimes our bags "gained" extra kgs on our return journeys..

..filled with keropoks from Terengganu

batiks, telekungs, etc from Jakarta/Bandung trip

chocolates from Langkawi... :-)

but..(sigh..)


I do mind when the extra kgs are in me...

...hehehe...

have to start watching my diet,
(mmm...how do i count the calories?)

(from "Kung Fu Panda" movie)

make myself "available" to shed the extras extras...

(from "Kung Fu Panda" movie)

Kung Fu???

(from "Kung Fu Panda" movie)

slimmer in weeks, months?

I'm hoping...hehehe...

:-)