melting.moment

stressed! by mid afternoon you were so done with friday.  work never seems to end and escalation never ceased...

you called it a day, a week in fact in a stress mode. you wanted so much to eat a mock clay pot rice only to know that there is no more chinese sausage in your fridge, bummer! you had your "clay pot" rice anyway except it's cooked in rice cooker and without the sausage. thus something is missing taste wise.

you went to gym, had a good sweat! feeling slightly better yet you know something is missing, so you whisked up this quick and easy dessert - moelleux au chocolat after your gym tonight.

 in 20 minute, including the preparation, baking and washing up....

you found your melting moment... yes, warm and melting... your heart is melt and your stress is gone...

it's chocolate, it's warm, rich and soft...

happy friday.

::english.scones::

english scones. not that you already missing london, it's just the matter of fact that you can no longer be effective when you work remotely.

you replaced the milk with cream when making these scones, the scones give a creamier and crumbly texture from within....

you could eat it plain, since you already added dried raspberries but you prefer to have a thin layer of butter and some homemade ume jam....

today, you finally received your entry clearance from the uk border agency. it's took in total 20 working days to process.

that said, you had at least eight weeks of stay put time post your surgery in july.  you are more or less ready to dive back to jet-set lifestyle where you will have more access to english scones, marmalade jam but you will have no time to bake at home. life isn't perfect after all, that's why we need God.  you have your accommodation booked till end of the year and you are heading back to london next week.

pasta.for.one

work life without traveling means working from home. on those not too busy day, you will whisked up some italian pasta for one.  chef cannot take sour food so tomato based pasta is out of reach when you have to cater for him

but lunch for one, you can play with tomato generously.  you love it when the sauce is freshly made ^^. basil and tomato is perfect combination.

likewise, a bit of prosciutto and cheese for another day.

frankly speaking you are a little worried as you already submitted your passport for the uk work visa about 20 working days ago, until today you still hear nothing about the processing.  it's no longer fun nor effective working remotely when the entire team already return from their summer vacation and rejoin the team in london. you know it's just a matter of days.

and tonight, when you do the express airway bill search again, you saw that the tracking is activated. that means you will get your passport tomorrow or a day after.

and a reality check - weekly travel schedule will continue...

::reflection::

your niece posted on facebook how her boyfriend prayed, with the ending "i hope you (God) are having a great day, Lord". it's hilarious at the first sight, but when you think deeper, this prayer sort of put you to shame.

did you ever ask or wish God a great day? not that He (the Almighty one) needed one but all you did is to trash out your problems and petitions to Him. it's nothing wrong to submit your problems (big or small) to God since He is your Abba Father.  but yet a simple statement like that put you into deep reflection.

oh well, it's monday, it's just a thought musing!

bak.kut.teh

::stuffed::

another celebration. another occasion. another feast. this weekend was a good moment to get away for a long weekend because monday is a bank holiday in uk. but, family obligation comes first.

instead you went for a family dinner at the wok restaurant. one that you like to go for a real feast. food was great, one can never try all the food on offer, even if you're only sampling a spoonful. it's just that many of choices. 

you didn't go full monty and try your best to be sober yet you came home totally bloated and stuffed.

 opening pressies.. knowing she is a perfume lover, she actually got two perfumes, one from her daughter and the other from her son.

 and the dinner ended with a ice cream courtesy of the house.  a typical treat that most birthday boy/girl will get...

old.fashion

you called it old fashion pound cake. he called it oma cake (granny cake).

 you didn't bake this but chef baked this...

 at the rate that he is baking and improving, you probably can retie from baking...

 this was good, still a little dry but he has master the consistency and the texture

 and you really won't mind having a piece of cake as your breakfast...

or  simple afternoon tea, even though to you, this is still an old fashion cake ^^

::cruise::

 you were on a cruise. a sort of titanic cruise ship but permanently docked at the rotterdam seaport.

 you arrived just before the sunset. 

 sitting at the sun deck where the pool is

  and enjoying the very first rare night terrace without putting on another layer in the night.

 the bar at the deck

 you then walk around to explore the cruise ship, to the upper level deck where it's not open

 the view from upper level deck is awesome, seeing the lower level where kids jumping in and out of the pool, and the sky that about to set complete

 needless to say, the view of rotterdam is quite amazing from this end.

 you sat there, chatting and drinking until almost mid night. you could stay a little longer but it's probably not as you have another appointment the next day

 a glimpse of ss rotterdam at mid night....

well, it's a cruise that didn't sail anywhere, yet you are contented and satisfied by being on the cruise for the evening...

you will be back again :).

summer.water

the last weekend has been so hot and grilling. you recently read somewhere in magazine about scented water.

you did it the lazy way but just inserting the herb into a bottle of frizzy water and keep it in the fridge over night.

cinnamon infused water is cool, earthy and yet refreshing. adding another earthy and woody dimension of just drinking plain water but unsweetened.

you insert a spring of fresh mint into another bottle and drink it shortly after an hour or so.

you add a few drop of maple syrup to the drink. it's very subtle, there's not much of the mint scent but the maple syrup kind of a rescuer for this glass. it quenches the thirst and cool you down for sure.

 you had another bottle of mint with cardamon seeds, this bottle was infused overnight, you can smell the aroma of the fresh mint and the subtle fragrance of cardamon. you top bottle so far.

an ordinary mint tea, nothing to shout about, it's just mint and cold hot water and a few drops of maple syrup. yet another summer water for you.

another bottle with ginger, lemon grass tea bag served chilled.  the color of the water is muted but the taste is refreshing.

Jesus is the living water and often people don't understand what living water means. imagine one can survive famine for months but not water for days. Jesus is the living water that brings forth life, certainly everlasting and abundance life.

cheers to the living water. cheer to the summer sky.

book.roti.summer.heat

the good thing about home alone is you can eat what you want. chef couldn't eat anything hot, spicy or sour. that literally rules out your malaysian cuisine.

you are not obsessed but once in awhile a treat would be glad. today, you defrost the dahl curry that you made awhile ago, heat up two slices of malaysian style indian savory pancake and indulge it with the curry dahl.

oh well, it's good especially eating it at the garden under the familiar malaysia heat minus the humidity. you are tempted to whisk up a glass of teh tarik, only that you really do prefer the fresh mint tea.

you carry on reading the on gold mountain- the book by lisa see. in weekend like this, sometime the best is doing nothing. you're perspiring, even sitting under the shadow. by the time chef came back from work, when your "me only" time is coming to an end, you had had a good read and totally relaxed.

and you are ready for the evening.

selamat.hari.raya

open house by the embassy. you're eager to go, but frankly speaking just for the food and to meet a few friends.

 there are enough choices on the buffet table, although there's no curry or satay.  nonetheless the food is fine, you love the ayam masak merah (red chicken) the best.

 your food

 he's reluctant to come because spicy food is not his choice...

meeting friends, new and old....

it's really hot and you didn't stay too long as chef has to fill his portion at mcdonald's and you are eager to go to the church for the very first time after six week.

solitude

you should have sleep longer but you woke you earlier than you expected. it sunny saturday and home alone day.

you whisked up your breakfast, a bowl of serrano  ham with honeydew.

not your usual breakfast of cereal and cold milk, but a special treat on weekend where you have time to enjoy every single bite and do some reading.

a small spread of home made ume jam and butter

to go with the two slices of toast...

a cappuccino and a glass of summer water.

it's still and refreshing in the mid morning. clear blue sky which will certainly become soaring hot later.

moment of solitude. moment for one. the "me" time.

although you have plenty of visitors, butterflies hovering around the flower patch, but they are silence and pretty visitors that didn't interfere with your quiet time. solitude.

 your stomach is satisfied with the breakfast, your spirit is filled with your daily bread and you are ready for the weekend. even though it started rather lazily.