Aliza's Site

Aliza's Site http://zazook.multiply.com/ Wed, 11 Jun 2008 14:22:06 -0000 Sun, 8 Jun 2008 05:09:36 -0000 Aliza's Site http://images.zazook.multiply.com/logo http://zazook.multiply.com 100 100 Aina Nadira <a href="http://zazook.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/SEthrAoKCCYAACssVhI1"><img class="alignleft" src="http://images.zazook.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/SEthrAoKCCYAACssVhI1/after-bath.jpg?et=seLopzPf5kv837rr4kAG2g&nmid=0" border="0"></a>This is Aina Nadira.... Our baby girl. Born on May 12, she is now almost a month old. Needless to say, she's brought quite a few changes in our lives and honestly, with her around, I don't feel like I want to go back to work anymore! Ideally, I'd always wanted to stay home and care for my babies, bring up my kids on my own. Unfortunately, that's not possible for now... BUT, doing some calculations, I guess having a child a bit later in life has it's plus points because by the time Aina is a teenager I may be able to opt for early retirement!!! (that's the only way I can console myself for not being able to be a stay-at-home mom!!!) Bringing Aina into the world definitely has it's challenges... but I believe every cloud has a silver lining, and we can only do the best and HOPE for the best outcome for everyone. So far,  it's been a learning process, and we can only go with the flow and pray that what we're doing is best for her. First two weeks was difficult for me, as I had a bout of ... http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/13/Aina_Nadira Sun, 8 Jun 2008 05:09:36 -0000 Putrajaya Floria A Festival of Flowers & Gardens in Putrajaya inconjunction with Merdeka http://zazook.multiply.com/calendar/item/10006/Putrajaya_Floria Tue, 7 Aug 2007 06:09:15 -0000 KITCHEN CONUNDRUMS III <A href="/photos/hi-res/upload/RrRvwQoKCqAAAB9eLkE1"><IMG class=alignright style="WIDTH: 175px; HEIGHT: 234px" src="http://images.zazook.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/RrRvwQoKCqAAAB9eLkE1/12596883.jpg?et=hhrbVD6x5Kw8qfRibdd3Pg" border=0></A>Braised Cucumber with Carrots 1/2 cucumber, cut whatever way you wish 1/2 carrot, cut similar to the cucumber 1/2 chicken stock cube + 1/4 cup water shrimp (or chicken, whatever you have leftover basically!) some slices of shallots, garlic and ginger (amount is up to you...) ground black pepper and a sprinkle of sugar, to taste how to: Heat oil in wok and stir in the sliced shallots, ginger & garlic. LOW FIRE please so that they won't burn add in the stock mixture and let simmer gently over medium heat for a few minutes. Add in the carrots and shrimp (if using chicken, add in with the stock), and cook for 3 minutes. Throw in the cucumber and check taste. If too salty, add a little bit water, but watch out as the cucumber will also release some liquid as it cooks. Season to taste, and serve. http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/12/KITCHEN_CONUNDRUMS_III Sat, 4 Aug 2007 12:24:35 -0000 Rachida's Malaysia Visit http://zazook.multiply.com/photos/album/5/Rachidas_Malaysia_Visit Wed, 1 Aug 2007 14:40:23 -0000 KITCHEN CONUNDRUMS II <A href="http://zazook.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/Rq6G0AoKCqAAAHQugVg1"><IMG class=alignright style="WIDTH: 221px; HEIGHT: 146px" height=183 src="http://images.zazook.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/Rq6G0AoKCqAAAHQugVg1/DSCN1297.jpg?et=aPKpvAiU8UiDY%2C8hdKrliA" width=251 border=0></A>Sardine & Bread Gratin Ingredients: 3 - 4 large, thick pieces of bread 4 large eggs 1/4 cup milk 1/2 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp ground white pepper 1 med-sized can sardines in tomato sauce 1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese 6 cherry tomatoes, halved Method: preheat oven to 180'C. arrange bread in an 8 x 8 inch pan, cutting in smaller pieces if necessary. combine the eggs, milk, salt & pepper together and beat to combine. pour the mixture over the bread and let soak while you prepare the topping. in a bowl, mash up the sardines together with the tomato gravy and add a squeeze of lime (optional). sprinkle 1 Tbs each of the cheeses and stir well before pouring the mixture over the bread. arrange the halves cherry tomatoes, then pour the balance of all the cheese over the top and bake in preheated oven for 30 - 35 minutes. http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/9/KITCHEN_CONUNDRUMS_II Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:48:57 -0000 KITCHEN CONUNDRUMS I <A href="http://zazook.multiply.com/photos/hi-res/upload/Rq6HcwoKCqAAAHmw@Jw1"><IMG class=alignright height=211 src="http://images.zazook.multiply.com/image/1/photos/upload/300x300/Rq6HcwoKCqAAAHmw@Jw1/12872183.jpg?et=cMUy%2CEhIAx4Xkq9woraILA" width=280 border=0></A>Oriental Squid  you need: 6 pcs of squid, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces - scald with boiling water and leave for 5 minutes 5 pcs (large) curry leaves 3 shallots (small red onions), sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbs tom yam chili paste 1 1/2 tsp curry powder 1 Tbs oyster sauce 2 tsp fish sauce 5 Tbs hot water - mix all ingredients to form a paste salt, sugar - to taste how to: heat a little oil and fry the curry leaves with the onions and garlic till fragrant and slightly browned. add in the paste and let the mixture boil about 3 minutes. add in the squid, and stir well. simmer about 5 minutes, till squid is done, then check seasoning. serve hot. http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/8/KITCHEN_CONUNDRUMS_I Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:18:57 -0000 North America Mission http://zazook.multiply.com/calendar/item/10005/North_America_Mission Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:03:57 -0000 Harry Porter - Order of the Phoenix to be perfectly honest, this is the only Harry Potter movie that i sat through in a cinema from start to finish. before this, i've only watched it on Astro, and even then, in bits and pieces when channel surfing :-p I think this instalation is very good -- healthy mix of suspense and adventure. since i've never read any of the books, i guess that is good in a way as i went without any expectations. in all, a great and entertaining movie suitbale for the family :-D http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/8 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:39:08 -0000 TRANSFORMERS actually, i'd give this movie 10 stars hahahahah! it was SUCH a thrill to see Optimus Prime come alive on the big screen!!! the effects used for the movie truly is out of this world, and i hope they come up with sequel... amazing how they got all the characters so accurately, i felt myself being transported to my kiddie days!!! i would recommend this to everyone i know http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/7 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:35:14 -0000 Shrek 3 LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! Great story and funny lines make this movie worth the queue!!:-) Don't really know what to say about it... I mean, it's SHREK for God's sake...!!! So, hopefully, to those who've not watched this, please go and catch it before it's http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/6 Sun, 1 Jul 2007 08:40:34 -0000 Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End Watched this movie and enjoyed it tremendously. I'd watched the first 2 but only bits and pieces, in the DVD version. Johnny Depp was, as usual, excellent! It was interesting to see his 'inner battle' when contemplating his course of action after Orlanda Bloom was injured. Not wanting to say too much about this movie, in case in case there are people who've not watched it, I will leave it as it http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/5 Sun, 1 Jul 2007 08:12:36 -0000 Shopaholic & Baby Another of the Shopaholic series is BACKKK!!! I love Sophie Kinsella's books, and her Shopaholic series is extremely entertaining. I got hooked from the first "Confessions of a Shopaholic", and even my youngest sister loves them! This time around, Becky is expecting a baby, and you can expect her to start her shopping spree for totally ridiculous and frivolous items. I started giggling from page 1, and the giggles were soon followed by full-blown hard guffaws of laughter till tears rolled down my face!! What I really love about Becky is that no matter how ridiculous and frivolous she is in the beginning, she always comes round to her senses and do the sensible thing to make things alright again..... If you have not read ANY of Sophie Kinsella's bools, go out NOW and get yourself a copy of any of the Shopaholic series... You'll be http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/4 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:31:19 -0000 Zombi Kampung Pisang Watched this movie on Saturday, and although I as a bit apprehensive at first (not really a fan of dumb, slapstick movies) I decided to go in with an open mind, and expect an idiotic movie that was strictly for entertainment with no logic at all. And, it delivered! It was funny, I laughed my head off where it mattered, and kudos has to go to AC Mizal (although I am NOT a fan!) and to Que Haidar for a job well done. This movie is about the sudden multiple deaths of some villagers, and the subsequent disappearance of their bodies. Turns out that it is all of them have one thing in common -- they had free meals at the local shop. Things turn chaotic (and at times idiotic!) when it's discovered that the missing bodies have now turned into zombies. And so begins the attempt of the surviving villagers to escape. Bear in mind the village has got no cell phone coverage, and all the public phones have been vandalised. The story, although a bit mixed up and choatic, does hav... http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/3 Mon, 30 Apr 2007 00:23:31 -0000 Taman Negara a personal + biz trip to see what's new.... watch out for updates at <a href=http://visitmymalaysia.fotopages.com>http://visitmymalaysia.fotopages.com</a> http://zazook.multiply.com/calendar/item/10004/Taman_Negara Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:42:51 -0000 Norbit (Eddie Murphy) I'd initially wanted to watch The Holiday but since that was a VERY long wait, I decided to go along with hubby's selection of Norbit. Typically Eddie Murphy, it was a funny movie about a guy whose life was basically taken over by a woman, and a huge one at that. While the movie was funny, I just wasn't too happy with the fact that it stereotyped plus-sized women (just watch it to know what I mean), and that it made exaggerated fun on the extreme size of 'Mrs. Norbit' It was an entertaining movie, but I personally do not think that it was suitable for kids, considering the kind of jokes and insinuations it http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/2 Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:07:42 -0000 A Nyonya in Texas I absolutely HAD to get the book as soon as I saw the title!! The writer wrote mostly of her experiences as a Malaysian Nyonya (Straits Chinese) in the land of gallon hats and rodeo riders, or so she thought. It was a very interesting, hillarious read and my hubby who was next to me as I read the book in bed, became so dumbfounded that I was laughing my head off most of the time I was reading!!! A really refreshing read for http://zazook.multiply.com/reviews/item/1 Wed, 21 Feb 2007 00:02:52 -0000 Donkey Years, huh?? It's been donkey years since I've written anything here, and with more than a couple blogs that I keep, it's sometimes hard to determine what topic goes where <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/teeth.png"> Anyway, it's well into February now, meaning that my marriage has passed (barely!) the sixth month mark. How has it been..........? Well, to be honest, ups and downs <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/shade.png"> I mean, what was I expecting, right? Marriages need to be worked on, and to bring two different people under one roof, from separate backgrounds, would definitely NOT be an easy task.. You can be all lovey-dovey when you're courting, but come marriage, then you realise the seriousness of the matter, and sometimes, it takes a bit of growing up to be able to see things clearly (even then, not so clear still!!!!) Anyway, it's only been six months, and I must say that it's been quite good. I get the lazy-bug more frequently these days, but I blame that on the hot, sticky weather <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/wink.png"> Well...I guess this is it for now..... about ready to get started on the piles of... http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/6/Donkey_Years_huh Tue, 20 Feb 2007 23:55:18 -0000 Malaysia - What's There? a simple fotoblog that has pictures of various destinations and attractions in Malaysia, updated from time to http://zazook.multiply.com/links/item/3/Malaysia_-_Whats_There Tue, 20 Feb 2007 23:47:00 -0000 MatBond's Life Journey hubby's page -- mostly about http://zazook.multiply.com/links/item/2/MatBonds_Life_Journey Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:55:42 -0000 Pemanggil Trip to http://zazook.multiply.com/calendar/item/10003/Pemanggil Thu, 15 Feb 2007 07:53:20 -0000 Sleepy, Sleepy Day... We enjoyed our buka puasa last night, just some spicy sardines in tomato sauce* and par-boiled baby brinjals with sambal belacan. We just bought some sweet kuih as our 'starters', if you may. Today... well! Been practically banging my head on the keyboard all day!! SOOOooo sleepy! Just got back from the mall across the office. I went there to buy some stuff to prepare for our buka puasa this evening. Menu planned? Sweet kuih (most probably bought at the Bazaar) Kuay Teow Tom Yam Vanilla Ice Cream with Caramel Sauce for dessert (maybe!) <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/star.png"> It's getting to be a HUGE chore to figure out what to eat every day.... No wonder mom usually prepares a menu for the whole month!!!  <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/confused.png"> Anyway, my shopping list included: - lemongrass - bird's eye chilli (cili padi) - coriander leaves - spring onions - chinese parsley - young corn - tomatoes - dishwashing liquid - powdered milk - ghee - tom yam paste I could not find the fish sauce required (and crucial!!) for tom yam but I guess I'll just used what is ... http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/5/Sleepy_Sleepy_Day... Thu, 5 Oct 2006 06:28:52 -0000 Moving & Clearing The movers will be bringing the boxes (finally!) from mom's place to our. It'll definitely be a hectic day of unpacking and re-arranging http://zazook.multiply.com/calendar/item/10002/Moving_Clearing Wed, 4 Oct 2006 06:15:09 -0000 It's been difficult... ...it's been quite difficult to update my blog these last few days. I'd had taken some pics and wanted to add them in here together with a bit of update on my activity but unfortunately nothing ever comes out!! <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/sad.png">  Wonder what's up with that.... Anyway, we had an invitation to buka puasa at The Regent KL yesterday so our meal was extremely rich and satisfying, not to mention the fact that we were such gluttons!! <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/confused.png"> This morning, our sahur was screwed as somehow his piece of chicken was weird -- seemed uncooked!!!  <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/omg.png">  Well, eveything ended up in the bin. We'd been having bananas, tau foo far and other nonsense for sahur the last few days that I think we just can't take in 'normal' food anymore... Hmmm... I did not take out anything from the freezer this morning so I have no idea what our meal will be tonight... I have a can of sardines so we might be having sardine sambal or curry! Maybe add one type pf veggie... Maybe I'll just boil the little terung pipit (the tiny eg... http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/4/Its_been_difficult... Wed, 4 Oct 2006 06:10:16 -0000 Busy Bee Sunday It was a day in the kitchen again for me.... Started of with making pineapple jam tarts for hubby dearest. He loves them a bit burnt. Anyway, he tasted some after buka puasa and said that the jam was still moist. He likes it dry <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/sad.png"> Then after zohor prayers, started on the currypuffs. Roped hubby in to twist the pastry close as he does it SO WELL!! <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/tongue.png"> Mine isn't as fine and cute.... Then after asar, went down again to fry rice for our entree  <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/shade.png"> The simplest meal...! 15 minutes to maghrib, decided to make some caramel for dessert. Poured the sweet goo over some banana slices and then scooped over some vanilla ice cream. Voila! Sweet dessert for hubby's sweet tooth. Feet ache like crazy right now so am relaxing a while before I perform isya' prayers. Hopefully next week I get to start on choc chips and another variation -- strawberry and white choc chips <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/embarassed.png"> http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/3/Busy_Bee_Sunday Sun, 1 Oct 2006 12:37:19 -0000 Saturday's Hard Labour Kitchen Explosion (of food) Time...! The many ingredients for the many dishes http://zazook.multiply.com/photos/album/3/Saturdays_Hard_Labour Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:12:19 -0000 My Kitchen Explosion (of Food!) Saturday. A day to invade the kitchen and cook our meal for the week. <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/smile.png"> Started by preparing the currypuff filling (but unfortunately not enough time to make the dough -- will make them tomorrow), then cooked the beef curry. Raided the kitchen and found some tomato paste, so decided to cook spicy beef in tomato sauce (daging masak tomato). Then, started to prepare the stock for the chicken rice, today's buka puasa menu. It was weird because halfway through, I realised I'd run out of ginger and a few other crucial spices!! <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/omg.png"> Urrghhh!!! Then, marinated the chicken for the rice, before tackling the spices for the other chicken dishes for the rest of the week. Prepared ayam masak lemak cili api and ayam berempah kantan, and because I was lazy, I cooked the tenggiri with the same masak lemak cili api ingredients <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/shade.png"> Attached are some pics from the food explosion...  I am hoping to start baking Raya cookies tomorrow <IMG src="http://images.multiply.com/common/smiles/embarassed.png">   http://zazook.multiply.com/journal/item/2/My_Kitchen_Explosion_of_Food Sat, 30 Sep 2006 14:01:21 -0000