My cookies looked like shit??

Yes it is a bit disheartening

i know, people are entitled to their own opinions, but to be judged by someone you first and foremost you do not know or even met in your life, kinda sucks
Yes i am a bit sensitive about this.

Currently i am dabbling in the cookie making business to earn some side income for the coming festive season. I see no harm in that. I know there are dozens and even hundreds of cookie supplier/maker/distributor in this country but what harm have i done? I am just a girl who likes baking, and some of my friends and families have tasted the cakes or cookies or treats that i baked and liked them.

Furthermore due to health reason i am currently unemployed, but do i go and sit around for money to fall onto my lap? No way, i have skills. I will use them to good use. Hey, i am ashamed when i watched that TV3 programme Bersamamu, i thought if they can endure hardship, what is stopping me from trying harder? I don't kill people or beat them up. Yet

So yes i posted some pictures of my so called amateur cookie making. To promote them to the mass. It's a form of marketing. I studied marketing for 4 years, time to use that skills. What harm have i done? Then my brother's girlfriend, being the sweetheart that she is decided to help me selling the cookies at her college. She tagged a few of her friends' name in facebook. Until one one them, by the name of Cherry Reen commented:

"It looks like shit"

Dear Ms Cherry Reen
Are you a Wilton graduate? I am not
Are you a Cordon Bleu alumni? I am not
Are you Nigella Lawson or Rachel Ray or Rachel Allen's student? I am not

What did i do next? I just deleted her comment, blocked her and yes i am airing my grouse here in my blog. I have never been so saddened in my life. Angry? Nah i am not that angry. Why should i be? I don't know her. It is just a bit disheartening that my efforts are being criticised by some teenage neanderthal without her actually knowing the real reason in me dabbling in cookie making.

I can take criticisms. I took one yesterday from my friend but no harm done. She was helping me. As i said, positive criticisms are more than welcome by me. I do admire one of my close friend who has a blog, www.diyanazman.com and she has been criticised by some people due to one of her post. Her patience in receiving all those negative comments and facing them heads on. Me? I just received one bad comment in my facebook page, and here i am already feeling like strangling that poor girl

. D, how do you do it?

Oh Madame Julia Child, how do i refrain myself from kicking that poor girl's ass?

But i do like to thank my friends who kept on sms-ing me and calling me telling me to hang in there. How can i repay you guys? From the bottom of my heart i thank thee and i promise to do better!

To that girl Cherry Reen, pray that I don't go to your college and confront you, because honestly I don't know what i will do to you, and thank you!

Cookies and confusions

Sometimes i am confused with everything that surrounds me. Lately i am busy making some cookies for the coming festive season and handling out samples with no additional costs to faraway land. A form of marketing. A form of investing. I do not want to sell something that i don't believe in. For what use?

It came to my attention that people really has a different opinions. What gives? Well if i gave out, for example the same piece of cookie to 2 different individuals, they may have different opinions. So whose opinion do i choose? Why is the other person's opinion much more important than the other half?

Confused? Don't be. I blame the tongue

So it is important here that i realised the initial intention of me slaving out in front of the oven, pouring all my blood, sweat and tears, and dragging my belly late at night from my other job as a tutor and then continue baking until the wee hours, praying that there is no ghost haunting me or knocking the glass window at the kitchen asking me

"Lahh..tak tido lagi ke kak? (my, aren't you sleeping yet my dear?)"

Aside from that having to turn deaf from my husband's constant criticism and his refusal to rub my aching Godzilla's feet from all that standing and running and baking and driving.

I do it because i love it and i do it so that i can have additional moolah for my babies so that they  can have a festive Hari Raya despite me temporarily become a housewife and i do have the strengths and will to do something that i finally like and love.

To all the critics out there who always sends out opinions without thinking of others...i would like to say this;

Thanks for your honest opinions, but ada aku pedulik?

I only take positive criticism. Like the ones my friend Nani sms-ed me just now. Her friend tasted the cookies and as her friend's mother have a bakery, it will be a valuable lesson.  So i sent in 4 samples, and she gave his 2 cents worth. I take them with glee and am determined to better the recipes. You can't expect me to be perfect at everything, correct? So those opinions do helped me. From now on there will be more chocolate chips and more love in cooking them cookies...hahaha

 Thanks so much Nanie and friend, i value them opinions! Love you babe!

Oh Madame Julia Child...how do you do it?

Atuk and granddaughters

My dad already has 2 granddaughters, my own daughter and a new niece called Wawa

He never complained even if my daughter starts to throw her terrible two tantrums, which seems aplenty these days. Even if I myself feel that my patience is running thin with every time she started to throw her movie star tantrum, he will just keep his cool.

There were so many times when both of his granddaughters will cry at the same time, he will just coolly pick them up and placed them in both of his arms and comfort them.

Here's to you dad and to more cucus to come!

i cant believe i am writing about Econsave!!!

Of all things..

I cant believe i let my husband talked me through on shopping at Econsave at Skudai Parade
The minute he said, we need to rethink of our budget as you are not working for these few months. That line really caught me hook, line and sinker!

I cant believe i stepped my feet there! It was argumentative. The minute i arrived there, me and hubby started to quarrel. Him, being the ever so positive person kept on asking me, hey where to park the car? How much is the parking fee? bla bla bla....I seriously wanted to pound him open and retort back;

"Bang, you are asking me questions like i have always been there for a thousand years! I never even stepped foot here let alone peed in the complex's loo, what makes you think i know all the answers to your questions?"

To my surprise,there was a ladies' parking block in the complex! And it was painted in pink! And plasted with murals of lipstick, handbags and ladies' accessories! I was dumbfounded. What's next? pink ladies collecting the parking fee? sheeshhhh!!

Anyway, lets go back to Econsave..

Somebody please tell me to shove a foot into my mouth. I was shocked! With exception of diapers, the price of groceries there were really cheap and not to mention, the fresh seafood! My husband almost fainted when he found out a fresh catch of sea bass only costs RM 15 per kg! Indeed it was fresh! We bought some clams, crabs and fish and i managed to buy the ingredients for my Hari Raya cookies for a fraction of a price!

Never mind the crowd. Yes there was a lot of children running all over the place which is always a common sight. The more space restricted a place is, the more the enjoyed running through. Stop being bitter Lisa, they are just children! But i forgive them due to cheap groceries! hahahaha

Never judge a book by its cover...that applies to me. Shut up Lisa...At times your husband may be right....Emphasizing on the word..MAY..

Happy shopping people!

A note of thanks for the ladiessss....

Being alone here...far away from my family really did bummed me out.

Llucky i have some lady friends accompanying me and supporting me through thick and thins.
But now it will be over soon, and to put an icing on top of the cake more oppurtunities are arising this way, Insya-Allah.
I am no quitter, but when push comes to shove i do have to make a choice for the sake of the ones i loved most.
Here's to Zaza, Ayu, Yann Mei, Azian, Nad, Boyey and all others who has helped me. May god bless all of you!

Sad, little old me...

I never knew that i would said this but
today the clown has fallen and in a sad, sad place..
in 3 more days i am going to leave the perfect job, well not that perfect but it kinda grew on me (the job actually) and i tend to like it
the only reason for leaving is, for my health. And future. Dan suamiku suruh. 

sad and pathetic little me, wallowing alone, making sacrifices that i never thought i will make when i was working with that shipping company, or when i was a single lady.

What will happen to me in the near future? i don't know

Damn, i lost my appetite! Although the siput sedut do look yummy...but i just lost it

Excuse me, i have to continue crying..

DAMN!

Freaking angry!

This is how i am feeling today

that anger inside of me, boiling and waiting to come out

i wanna rip somebody's head off, i wanna throw cars around (except mine), i wanna strangle the pakcik at the cafe who always overcharge

i wanna kill somebody today, especially that guy from that department, and also that guy and that guy who really messed out my application.

And on top of that, yesterday my aunt just passed away and i cant go to her funeral.

This is what we called life!

Toy Story 3

Yesterday i went and watched Toy Story 3, a Disney Pixar Production. It has been so long since i saw Woody and the gang. What i like most is Toy Story never failed to capture my attention with its far out animations and storyline. Plus, its witty too! Unlike Shrek which Shrek 3 was the most boring of all Shrek series, Toy Story has managed to held its own since its first release.

The difference of watching the movie is, watching Toy Story as a mother made me cry. Why? The thought of having a son moving out going to college kinda choked me. Of course i didn't cry in the cinema, as i went there with my pal Azian (for more on her click http://eyansss.blogspot.com/), who by the way thanks for dinner; but it kinda send a message to me not to nag so much about your kids, as they will leave you sooner than you thought; but they didn't say nothing about nagging TO your kids..hahahaha.

I recommend you to watch the movie. Its purely entertainment. The only minus point is be prepared. As kids will be in the cinema, laughing, gurgling and screaming, but hey that's what kids do. Be patient, let them have their fun. We were all kids once.

And another thing, Ken is the ultimatum in HIMBOISM!!

I seriously never thought a Nehru jacket can mean so much to him. Glad that Barbie kick his ass...you go girlfriend!!!! 

Special message to my babies: don't grow up so fast, Ibu wanna cherish every moment with you..

**sappy mother...**

Choc chip cookies

Chocolate chip cookies

Ala chipsmore...hahaha

For more details please visit http://crazycousinscreations.blogspot.com/

It is that time of the year!

Now it is the month of June
Next month it will be July
Then it is August

But as July approaches, i saw some changes in the office.
It is that time of the year where the fasting month is fast approaching

People are starting to sign up for bazars, tents are being booked and set up and all of the sudden, people are thinking on how to make more money. All in the name of Hari Raya

Splendid..another year of celebrating Hari Raya with my baby. Next year i may celebrate with with babies.
Hint! hint!

And today somebody at the office has ordered RM3000 worths' of tudung for Hari Raya from a retailer to sell to the market. I bought 3 tudungs in red, black and purple. Not for me, but for my mum. I really hope she likes them as she can be quite picky in her tudung selection. I myself do not know her taste, and she always criticise mine, hahaha. 

That brings me to another idea. Maybe this year i can sell chocolate chip cookies for Hari Raya, I make good chocolate chip cookies. Ops, I would like to retract that statement. i make darn good chocolate chip cookies. Ask any of my cousins. They definitely do agree on that.  

Cookies. Drool. I crave for a darn cookie ala Famous Amos' choc chip cookies. We know how much that will costs me. A lot. Guess the cravings stays.

Damn

Note to self:  I will not share my secret chocolate chip cookies recipes this year. Lokek mode is on.

Darn it, I cant wait to get home to JB tonight. I shall hug my oven and my kid and tomorrow we shall start baking. I can feel the melted chocolate chip in my mouth and that aroma, yes that aroma of freshly baked cookies. I promised my assistant that i would make her some fresh batch before she goes on maternity leave.
She is already 37 weeks in the pregnancy. Sempat ke?. kakakakakah

Orders can be made online at htpp://crazycousinscreations.blogspot.com beginning of next week (end of June 2010) once i upload the pictures.

Wait for me Ollie the oven, mummy's coming home!

Save our Seafood

Most of my relatives came from Terengganu, one of the beautiful state on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and most people from Terengganu, still consume turtle eggs.

You see, turtle is in fact an endangered species. Listed on WWF, yet people still consume them. Why? Personally i think its the people's mentality. It is something that has been taught since little. Like the saying you can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Well this post is dedicated to my cousins who i am proud to say, have changed the mindsets about turtle egg consumption. It was not an easy decision to do (to stop eating the things that you like) i agree, but i applaud those who would like to try.

And here is the lists of sustainable seafood species list that has been divided into three categories. Not being a hypocrite, i do consume some seafood listed on the second list like tiger prawn for example but i will try and avoid eating them in the future

to view the list, please click on the link below; http://www.saveourseafood.my/sustainableSeafood/sustainableSeafoodSpecies.html

if they can do it, why can't you?

What to do next??

Shucks, now after deciding to quit my so called job, i am clueless of what to do next. Yes i know people has been nagging to me to think first before i made any decisions. I did put lots of thoughts on that. You see i am at this stage where money is not a problem, yet (thank God). I have my scrimping the amounts that i have as my emergency savings. I have signed up for insurance coverages for me and my little tyke, hoping that my other half will not be burden with unnecessary money emergencies, and calculating that the amount of money that i have saved might last me for a year or two.

I can always find work. As they say. They here means my friends. They told me that i have killer survival skills. You can put me anywhere anytime and i will always survive. They saw me got over so many obstacles yet I always prevail. They saw something that I don't inside of me. One of them even told me that she was surprised that i have one skill that nobody thought i would have. A tomboy like me.

What is that skill?

Baking

My cousins will laugh at you  if you tell them that i can bake. Ask them this question 12 years ago and they will laugh like a hyena. You know why? Because 12 years ago i tried to make some Hari Raya cookies and they turned up, hard.

Hard? What do you mean hard?

Hard. As in when you throw the cookies to the window, the window will crack.

One of my cousin did threw the cookie. I told him to do so. It didn't cracked, thankfully; but it did lead out to a hard and  loud THUD!! sound. Thanks for nothing Jimmie. Damn.

Then last year i stumbled upon a recipe to make a chocolate fudge cake. I follow each and every step in making it carefully and anxiously wait for it to turn out. It turned out good. Okay i am still a sceptic. I decided to bake more and distribute it with my cousins. They loved it. I also baked them some chocolate cheesecake which i brought to a family gathering. It was finished off clean.

By these bunch of cousins who made fun of my baking skills. I am so bloated with pride. Hahaha

Now, if you noticed people has gone cupcake crazy. Everywhere i go there are people with cupcakes and how they sell. Imagine little teeny weeny little cupcakes being sold at RM 2.50 per piece. I wince at the price. Damn....for RM5.00++ you can get a slice of Secret Recipe cake. Maybe its the workmanship. I haven't tried any of these cupcakes, i never have the urge to do so. If i want cupcakes, i will bake them myself. I did baked for my friends and selling them at RM 1.50 apiece. Same size et all, but i am selling myself short because in my opinion, i don't have the qualifications of making the best cupcakes ever. Every cupcakes i made, i give myself 5 outta 10.

The cupcake deco itself, sucks. Because nobody ever tell or teach me on how to decorate my cupcakes. I learnt it online all by myself. I just don't have the patience of decorating something so teeny weeny while at the same time having my daughter tugging at my pants telling me that she poo poo-ed in her diapers.

No patience

Then came cake orders. I was surprised at first when people at work started to order from me their kids birthday cakes, followed by anniversary cakes. I was overwhelmed with the supports given, thanks guys! And then came an order of a wedding cake. Me? wedding cake? i decided to take the order, although that did meant that my husband and i were at each others' throat decorating it. I mean, who is this guy (husband) who has the cheek to command me what to do when he himself didn't had any clue? I almost sliced him up with the decorating knife. Now, that will be a bloody wedding cake if that ever happened.

I decided to set up a blog about this cake and treats making that i was dabbling. It was a hit. Orders kept on pouring but regretfully something came up that force me to put my activity at a hiatus.

My company decided to downsize its workforce and closed down my department at JB. A decision made by idiot, supported by an idiot.

I then received another job offer which caused me to be afar from my family and my beloved oven.

Demands dwindled as the cake maker is not available at JB. Damn. Damn. Damn.

I curse thee idiots at M****k!

Yet now, due to health reasons, i myself have to turn myself  from a career-woman-Ala-Lynette-Scavo to Domestic-Goddess-Bree-Van-Der-Kemp. I am going to struggle like what Miss-Devil-May-Care-Gabrielle Solis encountered when Carlos lost his sights, but i think i will prevail. Look at Bree, she put her skills learned to full use. I planned to do that. By hook or by crook. I have to. Or else who will support my babies? 

Aw shucks...bring on the challenges. I will encounter them one by one. With the last breath that i have.

Damn

** for my cakes and treats blog, log on to http://crazycousinscreations.blogspot.com 

Movie time - Karate Kid

I feel so restless lately, and when there's a hype of the new remake of Karate Kid, i just couldnt resist myself to go watch it.

I missed watching the movie twice as the cinemas were overbooked and when i finally managed to get a ticket (hint: a ticket, yes i did watch the movie alone), i was extremely ecstatic!

You see, i like martial arts. I am a fan of it since god knows when. I have a red belt in taekwon-do which i earned during my uni days and the red belt is now safely tucked in my drawers as a memory of the good old times i had with my taekwon-do buddies whom i still kept in touch with via facebook. After uni, i took another type of martial arts which was silat cekak  which i then quit as the instructor was the ultimate feminist, followed by kickboxing which then the gym where the class was held decided to close down due to insufficient amount of clientele...sheesh....! I then decided to enrol in aikido...

What happened? - I got married....hahahaha

I will continue my conquest of enrolling myself with some kind of martial arts by latest next year...(here's to wishing hard)..

Anyway back to the story, i watched the Karate Kid and i find it very, very entertaining. The feel good movie kind. The kind that makes you wanna go hug your kids and motivate them; and it helped me with my mandarin too. It's kinda cute when a kid tried to make his mother happy by tolerating with her every whims and whines, and it's kinda cute watching young puppy love...makes you go awww...

And how a kid motivates himself with a never go die attitude..priceless!

Also I find Jackie Chan is amusing without showcasing one of his comic-martial arts-stunt. How a man mourns at a loss of the ones who he loved. Reminded me that someone really have to up his emotional ante. Hint hint!

Plus, the view of China...especially the Great Wall was breathtaking!!

So mum and dad, get your kids to watch this movie. Drag them to the cinema...or get the DVD when it comes out.

For more info and trailer, go to http://www.karatekid-themovie.com/

Being afar from the one whom i loved

My current job needs me to be afar from the one whom i loved...someone dear to my heart
definitely not my husband - he is a bit heartless old bat..hahaha kidding...i do miss him but not as much as i missed my own flesh and blood
to be afar from her..missing her every developments and progress. Yes, i know it has only been 2 months but it feels like a lifetime over here...Like Dre Parker said to his mum;

I hate it here!

I hate not being able to watch her growing up
I hate having to leave her with my parents...My parents are good people, mind you but i still it is not fair that they have to raise another toddler at their retirement age
I hate missing her every progress
I hate the increasing phone bills as i 3G-ed her everyday
I hate the fact that when i 3G-ed her, the line got cut off
I hate living out in my cousin's house, i feel that i have overstayed their welcome..malu and segan
I hate that every second in my life, i missed her
I hate that when she's sick, i am not around to nurse her
I hate travelling to and fro every Friday and Sunday for 305km
I hate the increasing toll and petrol cost
I hate being alone when i am sick
I hate the fact that my monthly expenses exceeded how much i make every month
I hate the expensive cafe food and they are not that good

That is why i decided to quit my job..much to the annoyance of others

But alas....i have another secret on the reason behind me quitting....hahahaha