Sunny Smiles

It's been a long, long extended weekend. Being cooped up with nothing but a laptop and a mind like mine is depressingly suicidal. But, hey. At least I had chocolate! I bought this tin of chocolate from +M&S - it was part of their Best of British Summer. With was a wonderful wonderful surprise to prise open the lid and discover individual chocolate medallions wrapped in summer-themed foils: smiley suns, sandcastles and ice lollies! After the past few gloomy grey days, this little bit of sunshine certainly brightened up my day. And it's another happy thought that once I've finished all the yummy chocolate, I have a colourful tin to store things inside; I'm thinking of using it as a name card holder!

Hope the holiday has been put everyone else in a better mood! My consolation is that I have chocolate to keep me company, lol!

Stupendous Stewy Surprise!

I had a sudden longing for hot, savoury stew the other week, and I finally managed to satisfy my craving on Saturday! It was raining all day too; I couldn't help remembering a line from I Capture The Castle: 'stew is so comforting on a rainy day'. It certainly is, I've tried and I know ;).

I followed a recipe from the every lovely Pioneer Woman, her Sunday Night Stew is so simple and quick! I omitted the turnip and mash due to lack of funds for ingredients, but that cheesy mashed potatoes look and sound fantastic. I shall keep it aside for another night :D.

I would've enjoyed a tad bit more onions in my stew, and a bit less salt. I should probably use a low-sodium broth the next time. Anyway, that's one food craving settled for now. I've also managed to level up my cooking skills! This has been one of my read-and-dive-into attempts, and I am again reminded of the wondrous beginner's luck I have. Haha.

What about everyone else? What's bubbling in your cooking pot? Hope it's flavorful, nourishing comfort food for your heart and soul :).

Shrimpy September Swallows

 This is one of the rare moments when I can really do nothing but sit, chew, and thank the gods for letting me come into this delicious world.

Today's lunch came straight out of my imagination (and whatever ingredients I happened to have, which isn't much, really). It is a spicy shrimp and bacon pasta! It's very orange, yes, but due to aforementioned circumstances, I don't actually have anything greeny to add in. Hence it is a lovely analogous palette of bright oranges, translucent pinks and blushing coral. And it's deliciously spicy!!!! ^O^. I can't begin to tell you how delicious this is. Perhaps to people who don't like spicy food, this will be something of a rocket bomb to the tongue. Perhaps the reason why I am sniffing right now is a mixture of the dish being oh-so-good and oh-so-spicy.

I didn't use any premade sauce, even though I do have some. But I relied on the salty bacon and juicy tomatoes to provide the liquids. And I helped it a bit by adding Tabasco. Bwahahaha.

I once watched Man Vs. Food and Mike was munching on something meaty and saying 'I don't ever want this mouthful to end'. That pretty much sums up all there is to know about this meal :D.

The bacon provides the right amount of saltiness, and the garlic and onion slivers give the fresh shrimp a lovely boost. You could most definitely make this yourself! It's so easy, and the bacon could be substituted with sausages or chicken ham if you want something halal. But the outcome will definitely be mouth-watering. 

Hope your lunch is as delicious as mine! Cheers to good food everybody! \ ^O^ /

Polka dotted artsy dinner movie!

A.k.a I've run out of interesting blog post titles =P. Bear with me, I'll get back into the swing of things soon.

 Hello everybody :D. I'm back on this side of the country, and ye gods it's hot T_T. It's hot everywhere,  but Melaka just seems to have spongier properties, the way it soaks up all the heat and humidity. Oh well. The price to pay for living in a country that has an unbeatable variety of good food.

I got Chewwy back, yay! Charged her up well in time for dinner with my sister. She took me to a cafe near Jonker whose name I can't remember. Lol. All I know it specializes in 13 states coffee, but that's not the name of the place. 

 The cafe was beautiful though. It's cosy with warm lights and painted wooden furniture. And hanging overhead were a dozen mini disco balls. So pretty! They also have a lot of kitsch decorations strewn about the place, making it look both artistic and casual.

Love the quirky signboard! And the converted retro telly-cum-aquarium. Very clever! Not only that, they also have shelves full of old knick knacks and relics from the past, like washbasins and kettles and whatnot. And lots of coffee jars and cans because that's what they're all about.

I especially liked this particular wall because it was so colourful! And the canvas paintings are just perfect on it. It reminds of something out of a Jimmy Liao artbook:

The cafe has a really nice weekday dinner set: for under rm30 you can get main course with soup, drink and a custard dessert. My sister and I both had mushroom soup:

And I had salmon with teriyaki sauce while my sister had chicken with mushroom gravy. The mash was garlicky soft and very delicious. Both main courses had a side of boiled vegetables and cucumber and tomato slices.

And dessert was custard in shot glasses! My sister had chocolate oreo, mine was strawberry. So yummy! One was bitter and the other was sweet-sour; both were perfect together. The shot glasses were small, but the miniature portion was just the right amount to end the meal.

We went for Madagascar 3 after that and...well. Haven't laughed that much in a long while. That much and that loudly. But the movie really was that entertaining and hilarious; everyone in the audience were in stitches. The odd thing about it is that after the movie I barely have any recollection of what I was laughing about .___. Strange but true. Not that I mind watching it another time. I would, and this time I'd watch it in 3D 8D.

Oh, I did remember this though:

gif database

Awwyeah, rock that crazy ass rainbow afro, lol. 

Tune in to more posts soon folks. Celebrate for it's Friday tomorrow! Come down to sunny Melaka! Make a date to eat at 13 States cafe or go watch Madagascar...or do all three! :D

Yummy Munchles.

Hello everybody~! This post is about food, so if you're feeling full, I suggest you to wait until you're feeling peckish before you read on :D.

Anyway, what do you guys usually eat at Makanlah? Seriously, my food choices are pretty much limited to Chinese of Malay rice (4 bucks), with the occasional sandwich or oblong (or, as Esmond would put it, obscenely long! Which is a weird ass lie to tell since the oblong does not look obscene neither is it long...I digress). But since today was special, we decided to try something we never had!

Shamiel and I had Indian food! 9rm a plate, but dayum there was just so much food! You could pretty much take everything on the menu, or all of one if you wanted. How awesome is that? And the guy at the counter was plopping spoonful after spoonful of rice on my plate, to the point of me having to go 'STOOOOP YOU PUT SOME BACK RIGHT NOW! O^O'. After he returned some rice back to the mothership, I settled on butter chicken, tandoori, fresh salad, and a spoonful of curry. Omg. How delicious was it, you ask? It was, amazingly delicious. Okay, so it isn't as spicy as I'd have liked it to be, but it was very flavourful. And the tandoori! Homg! So tender and succulent! I can't believe that Makanlah serves up food this good, lol. Of course, it isn't cheap, but so worth it. And a treat once in awhile is okay, no? =)

Here is what Esmond had, from the Kazakh corner. We saw someone walking past with a plateful of dumplings and we were 'O^O where did THAT come from???'

He ended up getting two for himself, amongst other things XD.

Can you believe this. 10 bucks for a plate brimming with good food. And the customer before us was like 'why won't you throw in another of that? It's too little!'. Are you insane, girl? This plate on its own can keep me alive for a whole day O_O;;. Anyway, Esmond's meal consisted of deliciously soft mashed potato, two dumplings, potatoes and chicken, something that looked like an oversized beef meatball, some salad/slaw, and a hunk of bread. Holy smoly. I'm going to have a whole plateful to myself when the new semester starts, I promise myself. Lol. 

Anyway, I'm going to continue my food fest by visiting all my favourite pig out spots in Melaka soon enough, so prepare to see me waddling up to you all fat and puffy =P. Nah, I kid. I shall work hard this holiday! I shall go for morning jogs and do some other form of exercise, somewhere somehow! 8D. Work with me, my fellow brethren. Let us all shed some pounds so that we will feel less guilty when we pile them back on 8D.

Time for shuteyes. Goodnight everybody! Have a happy Toosday!

Foody-Two-Shoes

It's funny how I think up of random titles to name my blog posts. Most of the time I think about what I'm blogging about, and if there are more than one topics I try to link them together and come up with a snazzy post title. It entertains me somewhat, and I hope it entertains you too.

I was suppose to make this post yesterday night but I was busy with something else so I couldn't. This is what I had for dinner! No, it's not your usual brown rice with sesame seeds. It's PORRIDGE!!! 8D.

I never really liked porridge. Do you? I especially hate plain white porridge because it just reminds me of being sick. I hate the bland, boring taste. And I don't like porridge that has too much ginger or cilantro. And fish porridge. Oh god. Fish porridge. Seriously the person who decided that 'Hey, why don't we take fish and put it into porridge?' needs to get shot. For something so soft and meant to be swallowed, why in God's name did you have to go put something with little bones into the mush? It's so goddamn annoying, when you're going *slurpslurpslurp* and you have to pause and pull fishbones out of your mouth, or worse. You go *gulp* and suddenly there's a foreign object stuck in your throat that promises you hours of endless torment and anguish. 

I liked my porridge though. It was non fussy, savoury, and very yummy :D.

My housemate Pearlyn found me in the kitchen furiously stirring half a stock cube in a bowl. And she was shocked that I planned to make porridge with the stock (she says people usually just use plain water). I was shocked, lol. I had the impression that everyone made porridge with a stock base, which was why I purposefully purchased stock cubes at the supermarket. Even Esmond said he'd never heard of people doing this. Oh well. My chef instincts told me that I had to make the porridge with stock, and I did. And ooooh I ain't regretting, yo XD. The porridge came out flavoured; I barely needed to do anything else with it. Buuuuut, I bought MUSSELS from the supermarket as well, so I stir fried some bright green veggies with those and had that as a side dish with the porridge. Absolute heaven :D.

And then....

8D.

I went to Mid Valley yesterday for reasons you need not know about and...well...yes. I got them babies \^O^/. Next time you see me please whack me across the head and make me solemnly swear I will not buy another pair of shoes until the next year.

Ooooh that's gonna be hard XD. But it has to be done.

They are so gorjas tho :'D. All that cream and little dots of red and green. I shall take photos of me wearing them soon enough, more for my own pleasure than yours. Lol. 

A question I'd like to pose to all the girls: how hard does PMS hit you? And how do you cope with it?? =P. I'm curious because all I can do is sit and rage and make the lives of people around me miserable. Any better way to handle this? You hafta admit, I'm more or less a gentle person on normal days (hah), but during the odd week in the month I go rabid, lol. Feedback and comments are much appreciated! :D

Happy Saturday everyone!

Lunch Break

Haha, I love looking at food when I'm hungry. It makes my tummy rumble and my mouth water even more. And then I enjoy my next meal more than I could ever imagine possible XD.

So last Monday Esmond and I went to Street Mall to satisfy my lust for spicy Indian food. We went to the Indian restaurant over there (can't remember the name) and man, it was surprisingly good! We weren't quite sure about portion sizes, but we were glad we agreed to split the order when the food came. 

We had mutton biryani and a potato naan:

The biryani comes with a side of cucumber raita and curry- yummy!!! It was deliciously spicy, and the mutton was very tender. The fried egg on top came as a surprise, lol. Wasn't expecting it at all. The naan had mashed potato and spices inside. Super yummy! But really filling; I don't think I would be able to manage it on my own. 

The restaurant had probably one of the most impressive menus I've seen in a restaurant as small as it was. The photography was impressive! I did not take any photos but I certainly will the next time I go. And I will most definitely go again, for the food and its prices! The individual prices are not exactly cheap, but what surprised me was that there was no tax. The bill, when it came, was a happy surprise for my wallet and I :D.

What are you all having for lunch today? Hope it's something yummy! Happy Monday everybody!

Birdy Out of Cage

I'm going to be blogging from the previous weeks of April when you never saw my face around here. You've been warned. XD.

So I'm sure all of you remembered the fancy times when I ranted like an enrage warthog about being stuck in two places for extended periods of time. On the second weekend of April after much hard work and submission of assignments, Esmond and I went out on a two day shopping spree! Not that we bought much, really. But it was pure bliss to be finally out and looking at fresh new things. It was unfortunate that I was suffering from an awful sore throat and cough, but I enjoyed myself nevertheless. 

Thursday night was not short of excitement, though XD. After a day from mock presentation and submissions I came back from dinner with Esmond and his famileh tired and sore. I opened my cupboard to take things and put things in, and so brain dead was I that I did not notice one whit that I had a new occupant in the cupboard. Until Esmond flung the cupboard doors open dramatically at the last moment and pointed it out. And even then it took me a while to register.

Moral of the story: You do not try to surprise Joanne when she's brain dead. You will be sorely disappointed. 

Here's what I found in my cupboard anyway:

Yes, yes, YES! IT'S TOTOWO!!!!! ^O^

He's big, fat, and oh so huggable.

So fat I can barely put my arms around him when I sleep, but he's perfect as a tummy-warmer and for resting your chin on ^O^. Probably the nicest surprise I've had in a long while ^O^.

On Friday we went to Sunway for ramen and shopping. I think Ichiban Ramen has the tastiest ramen around. I love the broth, though it does smell a tad weird >w<.

 After walking round and round and going into countless shops we had tea at Krispy Kremes! The new attendant there was so nice and helpful. Talk about service with a smile :D.

I was quite prepared to go crazy and shop like mad but I ended up only buying two skirts on sale (30rm for two! Any awesomer and it'd be free 8D), one of which I wore the very next day to Pavilion. On a side note, it seems to me that I have this awfully big smile on my face all the time. But I had that annoying hoarse voice and cough. It's funny that I look so normal when I was dying inside XD.

Saw this adorable big yellow thing in Isetan, KLCC! Part of a mochi promotion. The melon flavoured mochi sample I got was yummy ^O^.

Esmond and I took the new walkway from KLCC to Pavilion after. It didn't feel quite so far compared to the last time I walked it. Back then it felt like it took forever to finally reach the other end .__. 

I managed to get what I wanted in Kinokuniya! The third and final installment of Howl's Moving Castle. Entitled the House of Many Ways. For some reason the imagery in my mind was a lot more dull and muted, compared to the brightness of the ones I have of Howl's Moving Castle and Castle in The Air. I need to read it a second time to polish and refine the images soon.

Anyway, there was this amazing spectacle outside Pavilion: rows and rows of Ferraris! It was some sort of gathering by the Ferrari Owner's Club, and the sight of so many beautiful cars was really something. But there's something strange when there's just so many of them gathered together. It doesn't look quite so luxurious as when it's just one car in the middle of everything. Still interesting though.

 Esmond was very colour-coordinated that day, yes.

The original intention for going to Pavilion was to visit a product exhibition at the top floor, just outside Tokyo Street. There were some pretty darn awesome ideas there. After that we went to Tokyo Street and came across this little dood:

The nights were spent hacking and coughing though D=. That cough took quite a while to cure. I'm glad it's all over now and I've got my sexy squeaky voice back XD. The week after was semester break, which I went back for a week with plans of going gangsta on the shopping. Hah. My plans were wiped away as easily as chalk off a chalkboard. I spent my waking hours sitting in front of me laptop working away on the 4-page comic that was due the week after. Then I got so mad I went 'fk this shyt' and went out to do grocery shopping on Saturday and bought 3 dresses and a pair of shoes, with enough groceries to last me a while besides. Anyway that one is done and happy, and all shall be revealed in the posts to come. And believe me there will be more.

Stay tuned :D.

End of March Lunch

 On today's menu: teriyaki salmon steak with seaweed and black sesame rice.

Yeah, it's the time of the month where I feast like a king. As the month progresses the meals will be frugal and you'll notice my posts about food become scarce.

I love sesame, by the way! I sprinkled sesame seeds into the rice while it cooked, with a drizzle of sesame oil and a pinch of salt. The result was soft, fluffy gray rice. Very fragrant and delicious :D. It's a  nice change from plain rice.

Back to inking! Farewell for now <3

Pok Chop~!

Warning: This post about my dinner is not halal. You have been warned.

I went grocery shopping today and found 3 pork chops for less than 6 bucks. I've never cooked pork before though. But I went ahead and bought them and when I got back I slapped one into some garlic and salt and pepper and herbs and tabasco and popped it into the fridge. Then when it was time for dinner I spread a coat of corn flour mixed with basil on it before it slid into a nice hot pan of garlic infuzed oil. 

It was a splendid dinner today, that's for sure :D. I haven't eaten pork in a while, simply because it's just not so readily available in my current situation. It never actually crossed my mind to begin with until I ambled into the non-halal section of Carrefour today. 

Then there was that retarded mix-up about the price of two packs of sausages and I feared missing the bus back and having to wait for another hour. My God, Malaysians are just blardy slow. Blardy blardy blardy slow. I wish I could clone myself just to double the attendants' speeds but...yeah, I didn't. But after a long while I was refunded my measly 2 bucks and I shuffled over to the bus stop at top speed despite being weighed down by much groceries. The miracle was that the bus was late and didn't come round till 1.16. So much win! :D.

Ah, broccoli. And potatoes. And ketchup and mustard. The world is so beautiful with things like these around. 

I'm broke though, lol. But at least I won't starve till April ^O^. Don't you just love food? Screw not being slim and pretty. Eat and be happy! I think the diet doctrine is completely ineffective to me, unless of course by diet you mean a well balanced diet and not an 'all-of-one-thing-and-none-of-the-other' diet. Listen to good ol' Buddha! Live a life of moderation! Too much is not good; too little is bad too. Tis be a life of moderation for me. Amitābha. 

How was dinner tonight everyone? Hope it was as yummy as mine, halal or not. Have a happy Friday night!

JELLY!!! ^O^

...How come things I cook up always end up weird in some way? =/

Okay, so I made jelly from a packet yesterday. And from previous times making jelly, I always remembered them...firmer. Not as firm as the agar-agar or konnyaku varieties, but just...well...they seem to hold themselves up a little bit more, and with less wobble.

This one I made was jiggling and wobbling like nobody's business...

...I wanna try making another one, using konnyaku powder. I shall infuse it with fresh lime juice and rose water because I can 8D.

Oh, and since the previous post I've not begun on my assignments *cracks knuckles*. IT'S CRUNCH TIME.

Sprouting Experimentational Awesomeness XD

Today, my rocket science in the kitchen continued with a new element in the spotlight=> Brussel Sprouts.

Before this the only thing I actually knew about these little green thingies is how detested they are by little children in TV shows and cartoons. Buying them for the first time, I can't help but notice how they resemble weeny cabbages (sho cute XD) and because I like cabbages I don't believe I felt much antagonism at first glance.

Was suppose to cook/eat them with Esmond (I actually BOUGHT them for him =P) but due to unforseen circumstances I had to experiment and test solo this time.

Anyways, I did some magic Googling and found a suitable recipe here for me skillet and ingredients, and that got to preparing and cooking. The first thing that caught my attention when the sprouts were browning in the pan was the smell. Wow. It was a deliciously nutty aroma, not what I was expecting at all. Tastewise...hm. They're really like bite-sized lettuces. A little bit bitter but I thought that actually made it taste more interesting. And it was filling O_O. That or I was still full from me yummeh lunch of salmon+lettuce/cherry tomato salad+potato. Yesh, envy me and my gawdawesomeness while I envy you pulling on your size 0 jeans =D. Anyway I saved half of them sprouty goodness for tomorrow's sausage lunch, woohoo.

Was suppose to be going on major rant mode about me assignments but I don't think I want to, simply because I really don't see a need to XD. Am actually enjoying them somewhat. Now that the boring ones are out of the way (oh wait, History of Art exam July 5th FTW XD) I can swim along and poke and fiddle round =D.

The semester's ending though. Two more weeks. Then...then...awesomeness shall go to the next level. Haha. No, that wasn't how the sentence was suppose to end. Twas suppose to be awfully emo but I shall not be awfully emo at this very moment. After all, Buddha says that we should not regret the past nor worry about the future, but to live in the present and be the best of yourself in the present moment and I don't see why we shouldn't agree with the man.

Weekend again. I shall attempt to complete all me assignments and not get bored. Who'd think that the day would come for me to dislike weekends and look forward to Mondays, eh? XD. Guess changes come along in all ways and forms, haha. Part of life, change is. Just gotta accept, adapt, and chill~


Ramble done for now. I should start thinking about another story soon. I've left my other blog dead for a twee bit too long. Until then, stay cool =D.

BANG BANG

Bangers and mash with onion gravy~

Having absolutely nothing to do in class today, I flipped through Leah's copy of yesterday's Star- and came across a page of food recipes. They looked easy enough, so I brought the pages home to try them out. I tried out bangers and mash with onion gravy (picture above) for dinner today XD. Yeah, yeah, most of you will be wondering what the heck is a banger. It's just a fancy British slang for sausage. The dish itself is a rather popular meal served in pubs in England, if I'm not mistaken. Anyways, it's really yummy XD. And yes, it's actually edible. Told you I can cook edible food without burning down the kitchen. The dish techinacally consists of sausages, mash potatoes, and a brown gravy made out of onions, stock and red wine. I messed the wine part up- the recipe needed dry red but I didn't happen to have any around the house. My dad opened a bottle of regular red wine specially, and the result is pretty nice, if I must say so myself. It was pretty easy to make, really. Nothing too fanciful. Fry sausages lightly, followed by onions, rest of gravy ingredients, then pour the lot into a baking dish and into the oven. The mash was simple enough- boil potatoes till soft then mash with butter. Yum. Though I think I did put a bit too much stock, it still tasted great =D. And the mashed potatoes were just the right consistency too! Not too dry and lumpy, and yet not overly smooth and watery. Just a nice silky, soft lump of yummeh potato XD.

Uhm, the bread's all fake. Just in case you were wondering.

Waaaa!!! One Academy's design competition was brought forward to the 22nd August aka next Saturday!!! No wai!!!!! DX DX DX. My head's all blank. I think that should be the best way to enter a competition. Blank and as empty as a flowerpot. So that I can just throw in all I've got without any restraints when the time comes....right? @.@.

I'm so so sorry, twinny. I can't make it to your housewarming ;___;. And I so wanted to go ke-po in your house too XD.

I shall leave for now. Till next time, folks.


I'm going to try baking the Parisian Apple Tartlet next =D.

Risotto~

Risotto with mussels. Yummeh~~

Goddamn, I'm effing sleepy. And I still have to at least make an effort to study. Second day of UP3 tomorrow. Moral, English, and Science. Ahaha. Moral. Goddamn.

I should stop sleeping in the afternoons- it makes me go woozy. But it's true, what Farha said. 'Apabila saya tidur, saya akan berangan, barulah saya dapat wawasan...' XD XD XD. Okay, so that was shit, but what the hell. It works for me.

I'm going to buy risotto rice the next time I go to KL, then attempt to make some for myself. Which simply reminds me that I've not left my house for the past three weeks except to go to school and tuition. Anywhere else is bleh. Gosh, I can't remember how the outside world looks like nao. I've been living under a rock XD. And, just to answer the question that might just be wavering in your mind, yes, I can cook. Not much, but enough to make edible food, and enough to not set the kitchen on fire. I know how to turn the stove on, at the very least =_=. And at least I know what ingredient goes with what. Mind you, I don't mean all the complicated Chinese cookery and whatnot (though I do have some n00b-ish experience in stir fry and some other Chinese shit XD), but I can come up with some pretty tasty non-Malaysian food when I'm left alone at home and have to forage for my own food. Like cheesy scrambled eggs. It's so dang simple, yet super duper yummeh. Oh, and mashed herbed potatoes. Delish. And that awesome cheezy weezy bacon sandwich I made some time ago. Two different types of cheese (smoked cheddar and mozarrella), streaky bacon and random herbs between two slices of bread and whacked into the oven to cook. Bwahahaha. Oh, I forgot to mention the Tabasco sauce. All hail Tabasco sauce!!! I don't know why, but I just love love love the sour, spicy heat of the sauce. It's not spicy in the red-hot Malaysian cuisine spicy, but it's prickly and heaty- kinda makes your tastebuds tingle. And it goes well with practically everything. Except Malaysian food, I suppose. Lol.

Dear God, I just had dinner not an hour ago and I'm starting to get hungry again XD. Alright, enough about food. Back to studying. I've nothing to blog about because the previous post has satisfied my lust for blogging for now.

I feel like drawing XD.

Wake up Joanne...
How can you sleep at a time like this...
Unless the dreamer is the real you.