TAGGED - fourth time

Tagged on Tuesday

I have been tagged by Peggy at queenmothermamaw.blogspot to list 6 uninteresting things that make me happy, and to pass it on.

Here are the directions to do:
Blog your 6 items, then pass the tag along to 6 other bloggers. They just need to link back to you.
Blog their 6 items, tag 6 others and so it goes.
Be sure to visit their blogs to inform them they have been tagged, if they would like to participate.


SIX interesting things that make me happy:

1. Waiting for this precious moment every day for my grandson to say

"Common meemee, give me a hug!"

There goes his kisses... its so indescribable when he presses his face, flattens his nose, grabs my neck and sometimes... he went all over my face...ow! He is now 16 months old and a real chatterbox.

2. When things go very quiet, for a while I thought I was all alone in this house. Suddenly the familiar sound breaks the monotony of the engrossed and busy blogging grandma ... It's so sweet to hear "Meemee!" Ha! Here he comes. For over ten months now I have taught him to address me as "WAN" but what he says is "Meemee, mummy!". How do you like that?

3. Out into my scruffy (?) and untidy garden...Despite this description, it still gives me great pleasure to see them growing along with me and thriving to cheer me up.

these pictures are taken using my hand phone... the shots are not so clear.

4. For 5 days looking after each other (me and my grandson) in the house, I enjoy dinners with all my children.




5. Always looking forward to host gatherings or to attend family weddings ...with old school mates from younger days... really long time friends and still very much keeping in touch...wanna try to count the years? ... it was from 1967-1974...


6. Leisurely sewing beads on old clothes as makeovers... I am still an amateur in this but I have tried doing my own designs on my daughters' garments.




Now I would like to tag these folks if they would like to play... (here comes the hardest part to choose or not to choose :)

1. Tea Time With Melody
2. The Garden of The Dutchess
3. Laura of Our Scented Cottage
4. Barbara of Ramblings from an English Garden
5. Kim of Happy @ Home
6. Beverly of Tea time and Roses

Nasi Minyak Terengganu

pictures and recipe is borrowed from another blog. in case you have an original recipe (authentic) of "Beef Masak Hitam", please share it with me, my visitors and our kitchen.

NASI MINYAK HUJAN PANAS Ingredients : 4 cups Basmathi rice ~ washed and put through a strainer To saute : Star anise (bunga lawang) Cinnamon stick (kulit kayu manis) Cardamon (buah pelaga) Cloves (bunga cengkih) 3 shallots ~ sliced 2 cloves garlic ~ sliced 3 tablespoons ghee 1 tablespoon margarine 1/2 can evaporated milk 3 1/2 cups water cashew nuts 1 screwpine leaf (daun pandan) food coloring : red, green and yellow salt to taste Method 1 : 1. Heat a pot and add in the ghee and margarine. 2. Add in the star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamon, cloves, shallots and garlic. Fry till fragrant. 3. Add in water, evaporated milk, salt and screwpine leaf. Stir well. 4. Add in the Basmathi rice and leave to cook. 5. When almost ready, put a few drops of coloring on three parts of the rice. Do not stir. 6. Leave it for a while, then stir to mix. 7. Sprinkle the cashew nuts and cover to cook. Method 2: 1. Place rice, screwpine leaf and enough water (slightly less that what's needed to cook rice) in a pot and cook on the stove. 2. Meanwhile, in a small wok, melt margarine and ghee. 3. Add in the star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamon, cloves, shallots and garlic. Fry till fragrant. 4. Add in evaporated milk, a bit of water and salt. Stir well. 5. Pour into the half-boiling rice and stir well. 6. When almost ready, put a few drops of coloring on three parts of the rice. Do not stir. 7. Leave it for a while, then stir to mix. 8. Sprinkle the cashew nuts and cover to cook.

ANNOUNCEMENT...

AN early morning call took me by surprise! It was THE Wan Syukur bin Hj.Wan Ngah, the great nasi dagang maker, caterer and a former banker. He expressed his wishes for me to write in my blog and it was not hard at all. Indeed it wasn't!! BUT from yesterday morning, I still couldn't compose myself to write and meet his request. WHY? Because I was so overwhelmed with visits and counter visits from blogger friends from across the continents.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT:

Anyway, NOW, he starts selling Laksa Kuoh Masok Terengganu (the above picture) at Medan Selera (Subang Jaya) MPSJ in SS19 in the EVENINGS until night time. He could be contacted at this number 019-3645467 in case you get your yourself driving in the wrong direction ( I wouldn't say lost) which might end your journey to The Monash University (Malaysia) Campus in The Sunway Lagoon and Resorts.

On weekends from 7:30 am. till the food is sold out which normally finishes by 10:00am., he sells his famous Nasi Dagang with huge (very sizable) Ikan Tongkol and Acor Timun (cucumber pickle) . Nasi Minyok Terengganu with Beef Masok Hitam and Ayam Masok Meroh topped the menu list for non nasi dagang eater.... Working days normally keeping his hands full with orders from customers who come and collect cooked food from his house in Section 11, Subang Jaya, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

I hope this announcement MEETS its purpose and hopefully too, other bloggers from Malaysia would take note of this... I guess you know who you are... Hey pal, when is our next Saturday breakfast trip to this place? I am refering to my PIC, blogger realtives, young and middle aged....

You are welcome to copy this "notice" in case I miss a lot of local "traffic"... in this blog sphere.

Nasi Dagang Terengganu

This posting is borrowed from The Terengganu State Tourism Board... I want to related this to my next posting "Announcement Request" by Wan Syukur, the famous Nasi Dagang caterer in The Klang Valley who happened to be my friend, my relative and my constant supplier for festive seasons. We once studied together in the same institute. He later became a banker then a remisier... finally he became a businessman partnering with his dear wife... thus to us he is the famous "Nasi Dagang Wan Syukur" and not the other way round to say "Wan Syukur Nasi Dagang". This is a Terengganu local speciality, very authentic indeed, which tourists who come by could not afford to do without. Even non-tourist like us... we could have several helpings in a day without any problems... lol!
Nasi Dagang is a rice speciality of Terengganu. The Dish is made by cooking rice and glutinous rice together, to which is then added coconut cream once it is cooked. It is eaten with it's own specially made side dishes of tuna curry and a light vegetable pickle. Simplicity is its essence.
Ingredients: 300g nasi dagang rice or substitute with 200g good grade Siamese rice mixed with 100g glutinous rice 1 grated coconut to extract 3/4 cup thick coconut milk 3/4 cup thin coconut milk 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds ( halba ) 2 cloves garlic, sliced finely 3 shallots, sliced finely 2cm young ginger, sliced finely 1/2 tsp salt Method: Wash rice well and soak for five to six hours. Drain well, then steam rice for 20 to 25 minutes or until half-cooked. Stir in thin coconut milk and continue steaming for 15 minutes until rice is nearly cooked. Combine thick coconut milk, shallots, garlic, ginger, fenugreek and salt. Stir into the cooked rice then steam once more for 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is properly cooked. Serve rice with kari ikan tongkol. Note: Nasi dagang is a special type of reddish brown glutinous rice. If it is not available, substitute with Siamese rice and glutinous rice mixture as per recipe.

Cna Uoy Rdea Tihs?

I can read this!!! Can You?

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too.
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

POOR LITTLE LADY

Dedicated to the Little Lady Next to Me!

I just knew how you must have felt deep down... but dear, things came all in abundance and they went beyond our control and means. Just remain there my dear, hang on there sweetheart....pray patiently and constantly to Allah who has given you everything you have asked for.

(When I asked you to perform Solat Istikharah, you told me you saw a list of answers.... which means tough decisions ahead...)

It all begin with...

The first surprise came when you had informed me of the interview before the exam results were announced. We traveled to Malacca together. Next was the registration in INTEC soon after the interview. It gave you hope! I knew it all... you were ready to fly off to this coldest part of the world (as Bebee put it) to further your studies. Months passed, things started to get into place for you. You managed well with lectures, learning the language, going through and through them all. Friendship developed.

But suddenly things turned the reverse at the first "breaking news" about graduates who could not perform while under-going "houseman-ship" in our prestigious hospitals. You spoke with the person who experienced it himself.

What? I began to wonder what was going to happen to my Little Lady? Would you be able to break this tradition? What was the cause of this non-performance? Was it just the attitude problem? Another month passed. We let the matter dwell.

But events took their course. More news were heard. Things got more serious. Similar "notes" were shared... Do I want to see my Little Lady going through this course and get you be victimized by the situation? Am I gambling with your fate and chances to further your studies abroad? I better made the decision for you!

I am lost for words to express how I felt the moment all those offers to further your studies came one after another. They have all arrived, shoved into our mail box by the faithful postman and I was for a while, overwhelmed. I knew, if I were you, I would just get as confused. Matters got worse! You were "floating" with mixed feelings of uncertainty. I felt so deeply for you. Poor Little Lady! For a month (as you related to me), you went quiet in class and your friends noticed changes in you. Uncertainty had crept inside you.

Amongst the many offers, came one from our most prestigious university. The registration day started by Monday and you was still continuing over there. I was feeling... I guess I had more butterflies in my tummy than you... I am dealing with your future and you were faithfully listening to me! Oh MY! What am I doing to my Little Lady...

Your sms came more frequent "Mummy this is my last week here, right? Please confirm"... Ooooooo... what was I to say? You sent me at least four such sms in a week. I gave an "unsure" yet quite sure answer! "YES".

One interview to do Medic in Cairo was unsuccessful because you have no "Arabic" language. So, we appealed to the authority concerned. After a three-week-long waiting in agony, (is that right?), anxiety would surely have worked up then...

Apparently, your name was listed under the government -sponsored private university and when I phoned, the officer-in-charge told me an "informal" answer, you were unofficially "offered" KL Open University Royal Medical College. A fairly new medical college. No comment!

Finally, came the day when the toughest decision was to be made! I asked you to leave INTEC, last Thursday the 24th... and the next morning (Friday the 25th May) we went to register you into this local university... (believe me, that was the toughest decision I have ever made in my entire life).

You were still hoping to get into a private-government-sponsored university...but I told you grab what's already in your hand. This is your next chance. The earlier one was to do Metric in Negeri Sembilan.

AND the much awaited answer finally arrived!!!!!!!! Last Wednesday, when the phone rang, I lowered the volume on the TV with Harith's favorite program on... "Mickey Mouse Club"...

"Hello, may I speak with Nur Diyanah please", came a sweet and polite voice on the receiver's end.

"Oh she is not home. May I know who is this speaking?"

" I am calling from JPA. It's regarding her appeal. She is to register on .. (I have forgotten what day, honestly!) in INTEC for her Russian Medic Program."

"Oh, thank you miss. But she is already registered in University Malaya and you could consider my answer as a NO and thank you."

"But aren't you going to inform your daughter first?"

"It's okay miss, I ...err...err... (to tell or not to tell?).... actually she was doing the same program under a different sponsor ..." I just blurted out those words....

How was I to know if I was saying the right thing?????

I just don't understand why they still offered her this program? Obviously people in the authority are not online with each other. So, after she left INTEC, she was supposed to register in INTEC again? (With different sponsor this time). Oh dear!

So, what had happened to her name in the private university? By this time, obviously they have scrapped it out. It was actually her only chance to go abroad (later)...on a... "better ticket"... is it? I am not too sure myself.

Poor little lady... right until the time I am writing this post... deep down I felt a certain "unexplainable" feeling for you!

Today, 12th June, I made a call to someone in the authority.

He gave me very clear perspective and commented "You made the right decision to pull her out from that program"... and he could not understand it himself why they keep sending students over there when it was seriously discussed in the Cabinet.

Alhamdulillah, finally My Little Lady is settled. This morning she submitted her scholarship application form under the Ministry of Higher Learning... the same day another sponsor offered her a place to do Metrics in MARA College Kuala Klawang in Kedah...

She is now beside me, dozing off in peace while her mummy is typing away to share with my blogger friends... all her predicaments are solved.  Alhamdulillah syukur!

I knew and I noticed... my blog pals crept in and out without leaving comments but I still welcome you... had you left comments... I would be even happier than ever. Anyway, thank you for coming by to read my scribes.

I truely welcome comments...

BEWARE!

Malaysia's Halal Logo

Below are MALAYSIA'S Halal Logo in 3 Dimensions and various color

Be careful of this certification.

Only HDC's Halal certification is authentic!!!!!!!