Thursday, 14 August 2008

Knights In Shining Armour

I have often thought that chivalry, especially among the younger generation is more of a myth rather then the truth. Fiction rather then fact. In a modern world where women are more vocal in voicing out their rights and of equality, somehow some has managed to misinterpret feminism as the need for women to eliminate men and their functions at all. Men with courteous manners are fast extincting species indeed, if you ask me.

An acquantaince of mine, whom I met through a mutual friend once said, " Well, you women, always asking for your rights la, hak sama rata la. Bile kitorang lelaki lebih sikit, kata male chauvinism la, sexist la. Bile kite puji dan appreciate you ladies, kata sexual harassment la. Cam ni, better not to exert any chivalry at all. Buang masa dan tenage aje". (You women often ask for your rights and equality. When we men are better then you, you call it male chauvinism. When we appreciate you, you call it sexual harrasment, sexist. Best not to be chivalrious at all. It's a waste of time and effort).

I almost strangled that "la" man. Thank god for public places and to my family who taught me the importance of good manners. Else, I would have "choked-slammed" him and squashed the tiny man into a squidgy pancake. Safe to say, he and I remained just as what we are and should be, a mere acquaintance.

After class last night I found myself stranded at the desserted car park of the faculty, with a flat tyre. I wish I could say that I am indeed a "Jack of All Trades". Unfortunately, I am neither a Jack nor a Jill in this matter. One thing's for sure, when it comes to automobils, cars and mechanics, I am utterly lost. I was standing there contemplating my next course of action, as to whether I should call for help - which only God knows when they will come as it was already late in the evening, or just dumping the car there and catching a ride back home with Lea and dealing with the matter first thing tomorrow morning, when a 'knight' who just happened to be my classmate, stopped by and courteously offered his assistance. Next thing you know, he had called upon his other 'knights' and together, under the supervision of "Princess Lea", the mini entourage managed to change the flat tyre to the spare one within 20 minutes (unfortunately, when asked, I was ignorant enough not to know that I have a spare functioning tyre in the trunk. How embarassing!!). The task was made a little bit difficult as I had parked the car on a hillside, so there were concerns of the car sliding down the road and of the passing motorists whizzing by as if being chased by the devil himself plus the apprehension off being knocked over under the poorly illuminated road. I was then put in charge of manning the traffic and also became the designated camera-woman for the day.


"Apo ko buek tu, Man??"

Ever so cheeful Pian - Kluang man

Knights (and a Princess) of the Flat Tyre - (from the left) Pian, Izaini, Man, Lea and Hasib

The culprit. What in god's green earth is that?? !!!

It is a wonderful feeling indeed to know that all is not lost. That there is still hope for us (women) to find men whom we thought exists only in romance novels. A James Bond and Paul Bunyan all rolled into one - a gentleman with a courteous conduct, intelligent and manly at the same time.

Now, here comes the million dollar question : How many future-to-be-lawyers would it take to change a flat tyre? Ahhaakkkss ;)

Monday, 11 August 2008

Diary of a Pastaholic : Fettuccine Shrimp Fra Diablo

Among my family and close friends, I am well known for my obsession for anything and everything that is to do with pasta. Baked, fried, sautéed - my addiction for it has no boundaries. There are times when I will travel to uncharted territories just to find the ultimate pasta dish (although most definitely Italy is not within the range where I can travel to at this point of time).

One of my favourites back then was a dish served in Italiannies, One Utama. However, it has been recently taken off the menu for reasons unknown, even when I made enquiries with the staff. Ever since then, I have been looking high and low within the Klang Valley area, dragging my "mobile bank" with me and subjecting him to many pasta tasting sessions when in fact, he is not even a pasta fan at all (yes, I know, I can be cruel sometimes). After many frustrating expeditions, in which I have failed to acquire the same dish that I crave for, I finally decided to make it on my own. Hence the current post.

Here comes the recipe :


Fettuccine Shrimp Fra Diablo
---------------------------------


Ingredients:
--------------
1 packet 500gm fettuccine (cooked as per instruction on the packet)
3 tbs. Olive Oil
12 Large Peeled Shrimp (deveined and leave the tails intact)
3 tbs. Chopped Garlic
1 large Bombay (yellow) Onions - Diced
1/4 cup Blanched Asparagus
1/2 cup Raw Spinach
3 tbs. Toasted Pine Nuts ( raw pine nuts can be bought in selected supermarkets then fried without oil at a low heat until they turn golden brown )
6 Diced Large and Juicy Tomatoes
2 tbs. tomatoo puree
1/3 cup Cream
2 tbs. sweet soya sauce
3 tbs. light soya sauce
1/4 cup Crumbled Goat Cheese (feta cheese)
1 tsp. Chopped Parsley & Spring Onions
2 tsp. paprika
Pepper to Taste


Method:
----------
1. Preheat pan and add the olive oil and shrimp. Add some paprika and sauté until pink and opaque on the outside. Once cooked, remove from pan and set it aside to rest.
2. Add the garlic, onions, and some pine nuts. Add a dash of pepper. Sauté until fragrant or onions became trasparent.
3. Add the tomatoes. Cook until it resembles a sauce. Add tomato puree followed by the cream. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until slightly thickened.
4. Add the light and sweet soya sauces - to taste. Add the asparagus, spinach and the remaining pine nuts. Lastly, add the cooked shrimps. Cover the pan for 2 minutes or until spinach stars to wilt.
5. Add the cooked fettuccine and allow the pasta to heat for one minute while stirring gently to heat the pasta evenly.
6. Lift the pasta out of the pan. Top with the sauce, crumbled goat cheese, a dash of paprika and
chopped parsley with spring onions.
7. Best serve hot.


*Note : I often use soya sauce to substitute sugar and salt. It adds an Asian twist to it.



Result wise?? I believe I have satisfied many hungry tummies that day, although I can't be too sure whether the compliments received were genuine enough - they are afterall, my family. They have no choice but to support me anyway ;).

I know they say that a picture paint a thousand words. Well then, let's have them speak for themselves, shall we ??



**P/S : My apologies for the low quality pictures. Obviously I require a camera with a higher resolution in order to obtain better results *Cough, cough* Am a Libran...**hint, hint ;)

Thursday, 7 August 2008

The Most Famous Section

Last night, I had an interesting conversation with my friend, the future "YBhg Tun", concerning Malaysia's Penal Code. Instead of displaying his interest for the next coming subject in our class, just as most of our male population did, he claimed that the most "hap-Pening" section in the Penal Code is not that of section 375, but is actually section 377 instead, in particular the sub-sections a, b and c respectively.

According to Malaysia's Penal Code, under Unnatural Offences, it is stated that :


Carnal intercourse against the order of nature

377A. Any person who has sexual connection with another person by the introduction of the penis into the anus or mouth of the other person is said to commit carnal intercourse against the order of nature.

Explanation—Penetration is sufficient to constitute the sexual connection
necessary to the offence described in this section.



Punishment for committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature

377B. Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.



Committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature without consent, etc.

377C. Whoever voluntarily commits carnal intercourse against the order of nature on another person without the consent, or against the will, of the other person, or by putting the other person in fear of death or hurt to the person or any other person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than twenty years, and shall also be liable to whipping.



Right, I can understand subsection's (b) and (c), having taken into consideration factors such as from the religious point of view, also that from the hygiene and individual rights perspective. However it is sub- section (a) which I am just a little bit concern about at this moment. Based on the said section, after further analysis and also, digesting of information, I do believe that most of the adults that I know, who are currently pursuing a healthy and legitimate sexual relationship could be, or am almost certain to be that of a habitual offender!! I can't say much here as I do know for a fact that there is a certain "minor" who reads my posts regularly, but I am quite sure most of the adults know what I am referring to.

Call me liberal, but in my opinion, with regards to heterosexual relationships, if it is consensus and if the purpose of such acts is to enrich one's sexual life, without causing harm to others and does not exceed public indecency, then it should not be much of a big deal, isn't it? As a friend commented to me just now, " What ? After everything that has been going on, even our 'holes' are now controlled by the government??!!"

I do hope they have enough space allocated in the prison cells to put these "offenders" in place. Should the lawmakers intend to completely abide by the rules, then believe me when I say that I am quite sure - no, positively sure that they will certainly be needing it. A lot!! *LOL* ;)

Tuesday, 29 July 2008

Bagaimana Untuk Menggembirakan Seorang Wanita

Another forwarded email.

How To Make A Woman Happy
----------------------------------

It's not difficult to make a woman happy. A man ONLY needs to be:

1. a friend
2. a companion
3. a lover
4. a brother
5. a father
6. a master
7. a chef
8. an electrician
9. a carpenter
10. a plumber
11. a mechanic
12. a decorator
13. a stylist
14. a sexologist
15. a gynaecologist
16. a psychologist
17. a pest exterminator
18. a psychiatrist
19. a healer
20. a good listener
21. an organizer
22. a good father
23. very clean
24. sympathetic
25. athletic
26. warm
27. attentive
28. gallant
29. intelligent
30. funny
31. creative
32. tender
33. strong
34. understanding
35. tolerant
36. prudent
37. ambitious
38. capable
39. courageous
40. determined
41. true
42. dependable
43. passionate
44. compassionate

WITHOUT FORGETTING TO:

45. give her compliments regularly
46. love shopping
47. be honest
48. be very rich
49. not stress her out
50. not look at other girls

AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU MUST ALSO:

51. give her lots of attention, but expect little yourself
52. give her lots of time, especially time for herself
53. give her lots of space, never worrying about where she goes

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT:

54. Never to forget:

* birthdays
* anniversaries
* arrangements she makes








HOW TO MAKE A MAN HAPPY

1. Show up naked
2. Bring food


*LOL. I wonder, should the two requirements above be executed independently or concurrently... ;)

Friday, 25 July 2008

Cuppie Cakes

With the visit from Aunt Flo, came the cravings.

I have been craving for a slice of Belgian chocolate cake for almost a week now. Been driving him up the wall with my constant wailing and sulking. I can be quit picky sometimes, especially now.

And I can be a pain in the arse too. "No, I don't want a whole damn cake. Only a slice. And no, not any chocolate cake will do. I want BELGIAN CHOCOLATE CAKE. Get it??!!"

*Sigh, it's a wonder why he still tolerates me. I know I wouldn't.

The other day, daddy brought home some cupcakes. It is not a substitute to my belgian chocolate cravings, but it will simply have to do for now.

Anyway, they're so cute. Can't resist them. I like!! :)

Friday, 18 July 2008

Facebook-ing

"Based on a popular social networking site, the term "facebooking" has emerged as a verb to describe the activity of logging in to Facebook in order to create a profile, share personal information, and meet other members...." -- netlingo (www.netling.com)

I would simply call it as an 'addiction'.

It began during last semester break, after the exams were over. Naturally, a couple of my friends and I had made plans to celebrate our so called 'freedom' and would reward ourselves by going for a mini-break to Kuala Selangor to see the "kelip-kelip". Unfortunately, due to some 'oversight' on the finances department, our planned trip to the homestay did not materialize. We all ended up 'staying at home' instead, confining ourselves to our own rooftops, forcing ourselves to discover our creative sides and fulfilling our time with activities which preferably, does not include much spending.

I took this opportunity to check on my long, and much neglected personal email account. You know what they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. In my case, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the number of unread emails that I had only to realise after that most of them were only spam mails (and there I was thinking that it could be mails from my fan club, sigh...). As I did some maintenance work cleaning up the account, I found a few invitations from friends to join Facebook (hereafter known as "FB"), all dating back as late as October 2007. I have heard of this new phenomenon, from other friends and advertisements on the television, but I have yet to try it out for myself. Looking at that moment, as I had some time on my hands, feet and brain capacity to use, I told myself then, "Sure, why not?".

And I have been hooked eversince.

I find myself going crazy over the many applications that FB offers. There are quizzes to take (most of them are more ridiculous then another, but still fun to take though), games to play and you can even listen to music online. There is even a application called Flog Blog that links FB to your existing blog so that everyone in your list is notified whenever your blog is updated. Also, one could send pets, plants, beautiful roses, teddy bears, starbucks coffee, donuts, chocolates and ice-creams, birthday cakes, versace goods, coach handbags, even sexy 'dudes' as gifts to their friends and it is all for FREE!! WooHHooo!! I like, definitely!!!

Look, you can call me a cheapskate if you want, but hey, it is the thought that matters, right? ;)

However my most favourite activity is re-discovering "old" friends. Former work colleagues, my housemates during my overseas days, friends from uni, college, high school, tuition, the "mafia square" pasar malam gangs and even the "play-badminton-at-gina's-house-to-see- abang-uitm" gangs. And through the "6 degrees of separation" theory, I even found my old primary school girlfriends whom I last saw them 17 years ago. To my pleasure, they all remembered me still. Well, actually most of them remembered me as "Siti" the girl who liked to draw a lot, but who cares? All that matters is that they remember and that they did not mistaken me for a crazy nutcase who wants to add every tom, dick and harry as their friends in FB!!!

Seeing all of them here, makes me proud to know that I have had the pleasure of being in their company once upon a time. To see all of us grown up and have been successful in many ways in our life made me realize just how far I have come from whenst I came. The journeys I made. The people I have met. The good times. The bad times. The memories.

I say, Kudos FB!!! Without it, I may never have found all of them again.

The girls from both primary and secondary school are planning for a re-union. I do think that I may have to re-look at my diet plan again. Thank god Ramadhan is coming. Need some 'trimming' here and there, if you know what I mean ;).

Monday, 14 July 2008

Got Tagged

...by the ever resplendent K.Ina. I have no clue how to go about doing this so I am just going to start praying and jump straight into it (with all fingers and toes crossed! ).

5 Presents ( as in 'gifts' ka? ) :

  1. Ma Familia
  2. Amor Mio
  3. My buddies
  4. My good fortune
  5. Myself


5 reasons for the above:

  1. For their unconditional love and support for which without it, I would have never survived this long.
  2. He accepts me the way I am, my good and bad, my strengths and weaknesses, my rights and wrongs. Thank you for never giving up on me.
  3. The "3- suku" gangs and the "otak-kering" gangs. You know who you are. It has been an absolute pleasure being in your presence and taking this journey with you.
  4. I have had my share of trying times but still, I believe most of the time I have certainly been blessed.
  5. Do I need a reason for this?


5 characteristic I like in the person I admire:

  1. Wise
  2. Humble
  3. Intelligent
  4. Compassion
  5. Hygienic


Best thing he ever did:

To forgive without prejudice.



5 things you do when you are bored:

  1. Read – books, newspaper, magazines, blogs, printed advertisements, etc (you get the general idea)
  2. Watching tv (when I have the time)
  3. Surfing the net
  4. Cook
  5. Write


5 great inventions:

  1. Internet
  2. Electronic Devices/Gadgets - Mobile phones, Camera, TV, Radio
  3. Literature - all forms
  4. Automotive
  5. Human being (err, I think this one doesn't count laaa. Silap 'kategori' ni....)


5 most hated:

  1. The darkness
  2. Hypocrites
  3. Society without manners
  4. Braggarts
  5. Self-Professed Liars

5 people to be tagged:

Aiiyaaaa....mana mau cari orang untuk kena 'tag' ? Anyways :

  1. Hadi Tonet
  2. Dino
  3. Dianne
  4. Cynthia
  5. Najjua