for the love of pavlova!

"Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. It is a meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside." - Wikipedia

Pavlova is, I am quite sure, a well-known dessert by now. The dessert for the hipsters, some would say. Lantak kau sana kau nak kata apa pun. To me it's a dessert, a food. Hipster ka, tak hipster ka, belakang cerita. Food, we eat. Good food, we share. Bad food, well, we share also la!

So, I've heard much ruckus about Serai's pavlova. From the blogosphere, from my sisters and around. So last Saturday, I decided to drag Hubster for a taste of Serai's much-talked pavlova. Takde baby dalam perut pun, kalau dah isteri nak, suaminya ikutkan aje. Sweet kan husband ittew? Sweet angattt! *muntah hijau*

At first, wanted to go to Serai in Empire Subang, but decided against it after much persuasion from Hubster. Dia cakap Empire Subang takde apa. Padahal, aku tau dia malas nak pusing ke sana. Hahaha! So we went to Serai Paradigm Mall instead. I like the ambiance of Serai Paradigm Mall, to be honest. Warm, cozy and rather intimate. We were given a rather secluded table, nun hujung dekat tingkap buat aku rasa gayat nak mampos. We perused through the menu, and I was thinking "Pehhh, boleh tahan harga makanan kat Serai ni!" To me, the price range is a bit too steep. Takpe, we just wanna try the dessert, after all.

Berry Pavlova - RM 15.00

The pavlova arrived, looking all regal and pretty with the berries on top. But. Yes, but. Looking at the pavlova, I know instantly that it will not be soft inside. In fact, when I poked the dessert with a fork, it didn't budge. The pavlova, ladies and gentlemen, was hard through and through. Kau tengokla warna dia, 'garing' semacam je, kan? It's more of a cookie texture, rather than marshmallow-y as it should be. Hubster kata macam kon aiskrim yang 20 sen tu. Hahaha! And I did detect a hint of eggy smell and taste. Hanyir telur ada sikit.

Result: A disappointment. Kau gagal, wahai pavlova Serai.

We ordered another dessert as well. The chocolate lava cake. Hubster punya favorite dessert. Nak try la tengok power ke tak power Serai punya chocolate lava cake.

Chocolate Lava Cake - RM 15.00

Okay, when the dessert first arrived, the first thing I said was "Eleh, keciknya kek!" Really, the cake was a tiny little thing. Macam sekali suap, terus habis. I mean, Chili's punya dalam RM 20, tapi kek dia can feed us both dengan puas. Then I noticed the ice cream. Aik, kuning? Aiskrim vanilla hape kaler kuning ni? Ke aiskrim jagung? Hubster took a bite and said "Fish & Co punya lagi sedap."

Result: Fail. Fail. Fail. Sad. Presentation je gah.

I'm not done yet, my friends. Just not yet. 

Behold, ladies and gentlemen, for the best pavlova ever!

Breezy Sue Pavlova - RM 80.00

Yes, oh yes, oh yes! Made to order pavlova from Cake Jalan Tiung! I fell in love. I just fell. Head. Heels. Everything. The pavlova was exactly what a pavlova should be. The crust was crispy just nicely so. And the inside was soft and chewy and delightful and oh-so-sedap that I'm actually salivating right now. The head baker, Shafinaz, WhatsApp-ed me beforehand, apologizing for overbaking the pavlova. Well, I don't know, Shaf. The pavlova was perfect for me. And for the rest of my family members.

The pavlova was not too sweet (pavlova tends to be on the sweeter side), the flavor was just nice. The amount of the whipped cream and the fresh berries were just enough to complement the meringue. My mother, a health freak, the jangan-makan-itu-ini kinda person, had extra. Yeah, she did. Not one single complain from her either. That could only mean Cake Jalan Tiung hit the mark once again after that Lemon Cake Spade I ordered for her birthday. I'll tell you guys about that cake some other time, alright?

Even Hubster loves the pavlova. Siap suruh order nak bawak balik Terengganu. My sisters and little brother, tak payah ceritalah. Sebiji pavlova tak cukup. Suruh order lagi. Next time la pulak!

Go ahead, give Cake Jalan Tiung a visit at their Facebook - CAKEjalantiung and their Instagram - @cakejalantiung. Their pavlova (and cakes, of course!) are to die for. Honest.

2 posts on food consecutively? Lantak!

wordless wednesday #16 - selamat hari raya!

a reason to celebrate

"And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between you;

Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect"

-Quran 30:21-

I would have never guessed that this cousin of mine will be getting hitched at such a young age. But there you go, his jodoh dah sampai. And be happy for him is what I'm gonna do. He's happy, that's what matters, no?

The engagement-tahlil-solemnization function was held at Bagan Serai, Perak on Saturday. The nears and dears were present, including yours truly. Along with hubster, of course and my mother- and sister-in-law. The official color for the function is blue.

Started off with the engagement ceremony. Siap berpantun bagai, kau! It was an intimate and laughter-filled ceremony.
Papa was the head of the rombongan.

 

The groom-to-be entered the house to be presented to the bride-to-be's family.

The blushing, and very pretty bride-to-be.

With the future sister-in-law, Alia.

Engagement ceremony done. The newly-engaged couple looks dashing, yes?

After the engagement ceremony, the soon-to-be husband and wife were ushered off to change into their solemnization attire. While we stuffed our faces with food. Then, the tahlil commenced outdoor while the females gossiped gathered inside.

And before we knew it, the solemnization ceremony began. Yet another intimate ceremony. A beautiful one, too, if I may add.

From her to him.

The wedding ring! Precioussssss.

Dua kali lafaz, and he is now a husband.

I had fun, honestly. Families and relatives gathered, with lots of laughter going around. What's not to like, eh? It's a reason to celebrate. Life itself is a celebration.

My heartiest congratulations goes out to my cousin, Azlan and his beautiful wife, Hamadah. You two make a sweet couple. May your marriage be blessed with lots and lots and lots of happiness. Congratulations again from Kak Long and husband!  

Selamat pengantin baru!

the-not-so-wordless wednesday - melaka trip

Yes, everyone was busy with their gadget(s). Zaman sekarang...

Hubster enjoying his dinner at Umbai.

Caption is unnecessary.

Handbag models. 1 set of those costs only RM20 (or RM30, eh?). Err... the models are not for sale, though.

Nak jugak tempek gambo berduaaaa!

supermums & superdads: a commitment of a lifetime

Last Satruday, I was given the chance to attend a gathering of parents with special kids. They are from a support group in Facebook which is called Supermum's & Superdad's Angel Group. Held for two days from 10th December until 11th December 2011 at Perangsang Templer Golf Club, it was the first gathering to be held for this group.

I was appointed as the emcee for the event. For two days, I was exposed to the lives of this special children, or angels. I have to say, it was indeed an eye-opener to get to know all the families. I have a new-found respect for the parents who are so committed, dedicated and determined to give and do the best for their angels.

Seminars were also held during the gathering, where credible and awesome speakers were invited. Fezia Tyebally, Chad Timmermans, Puan Nur Rafidah (UKM), Encik Mohamad Kholid Hamzah, and Dr. Hasnah Toran (UKM) were the speakers during the two-days gathering. Each is an expert in their own field. Honestly, I learned a lot of things from the seminars. Even though my experience with special kids are very limited, I think I can relate and understand what the speakers were talking about.

Chad preparing to start his session. Fezia doing the introduction to Watsu based hydrotherapy.

Puan Nur Rafidah, Encik Kholid and Dr. Hasnah giving their talks.

Apart from the seminars, activities like sports and ice-breaking session were also organized by the very competent committee. I believe each family had tonnes of fun during all the activities. Though it was the first time meeting each other, the families got along really well. I guess having one particular thing in common made them comfortable with each other even more than family with typical kids.

Supermums and superdads with their angels.

6-year old angel, Janna putting all the candies in her shirt. Smart girl.

Sukaneka!

Y'know, honestly, those two days were such memorable days. I get to know some new people, I get to know some of the angels, who are very adorable and yes, they're very special. A 17-year old angel, Nadia, especially is very affectionate with people. She would hug the people around her, without caring if they're strangers.

The normal kids with their own activities.

After two days being with the families, I have to admit, I admire them all for their strength and courage in raising their angels as best as they can. The little angels are mostly happy lot, smiling and laughing, responding well to their environment. I fell in love with them all. I really did.

Little angel Sofea with her superdad. She's a daddy's princess. I just wanna take her home with me.

The very bubbly Janna with Chad in the pool during Fezia's session.

Mustaqim and his supermum.

Aiman @ Iman. Handsome dude, eh? He loves the pool a lot. A LOT.

Little Damia' and her supermum. Isn't she cute? Awww...

The backbone of the event, Kak Ju and her little angel, Aiman with his sisters.

All in all, it was a successful first gathering, in my honest opinion. I am humbled and honored and floored to be able to participate in this event. It ain't easy to care for these angels but what these people have, they have guts, they have awesomely huge hearts. My hats off to the supermums and superdads.

The Supermums.

The Superdads.

My heartfelt thanks to my aunt, Mak Tam Azlina Abdul Aziz for giving me the chance to come along, to Kak Ju and her husband for all the assistance getting us back and fro between the clubhouse and the condo. Same goes to Kak Mazni and her husband. And thank you, thank you, thank you so much to all the families for making me feel like I am a part of your family as well.

I've said it once, and I will say it again. To the supermums and superdads, I salute all of you!

nobody said it was easy

I took one step a time. Gentle little steps. Gingerly. I tried to keep my face blank, trying to wipe off any trace of discomfort. I won't break, I told myself repeatedly. I can do this, not so far away anymore. I tried to console myself. I listened to the chatter of the people around me, just to keep myself distracted. Some wore the look of dejection, they sat by the road glumly, staring at the ground, into nothingness. Some chatted amiably, as if nothing happened, as if it was a daily occurrence. Some went on aimlessly, looking somewhat lost.

He walked in a slow pace, just a step in front me. Once in a while, he would look back and smile. I would smile back, despite the pain I felt. I refused to let him see. I refused to give up right in front of him. So I dragged my legs, heavy as they were. I tried hard to ignore the burning pain. I took a swig from the bottle of water I was carrying. I adjusted the white cardigan I was wearing as it slipped off my shoulder. It was a bit hot. A little breeze would certainly help. But with the number of people milling around, a little breeze would go away unnoticed.

As I walked, I accidentally kicked a plastic water container. Seemed like there were hundreds of those thing strewn all over the place. Plastic water bottles, food wrappers and containers, aluminium cans, straws, plastic bags, cigarette boxes. It was a pity, really, to witness this kind of almost careless neglect done by most people. I could only shake my head. The condition inside was even worse. I almost gagged earlier when we were inside. How could people be so irresponsible? I thought to myself.

He stopped suddenly. Only then I noticed I was lagging behind. The pain had become more pronounced. He waited for me patiently and as I got closer, he held out his hand. I took it and hand in hand, we walked. According to my pace, which was very slow. He asked me if I'm doing okay. I just nodded. He took my black handbag and slung it on his shoulder casually. I adjusted my cardigan again. I could feel the sweat seeping through my black blouse inside the white cardigan.

Halfway through, we stopped. He sat on the ground and looked up at me. He asked me to sit down. I shook my head.

"Pakai kasut abanglah, nak?"

"Habis abang nak pakai apa? Sandal ni?"

"Yelah."

I looked at him incredulously. He took off his simple white slip-on shoe.

"Dah, tukar."

And so we walked to Tesco's parking lot side by side, my hand in his, a little faster than before. Me wearing his shoe. And him in my brown heeled sandals. 

So Terengganu lose the Cup to Negeri Sembilan. So I got my feet blistered. I went to bed smiling anyway that night.

My Mr. F is such a sweetheart, no?

i got caught up

Hey there, people. So how was your Raya? Great, I hope. My Raya is splendid, as usual. Good food and great company goes a loooooooong way to make you forget your work, even for a while.

Anyhow, something big is happening to me. Big. Major. And just thinking about it makes my stomach twist and turn in every possible way. It's not a bad thing. A good thing (I hope). Let this week past first, then I'll consider whether I'm gonna let you in on the big thing or not. Wish me luck, anyway.

And here comes the pictures from the Aidilfitri celebration. Well, some of it anyway...

My three beautiful sisters, garbed in jubah. Yep, we went for jubah this time around.

My dear, dear Tok laughing with Pak Su. She's so cute, no?

Pak Tam with his antiques. Never fail to make us laugh.

Both my Toks. Mama's side and Abah's side.

Went to arwah Abah's hometown and his childhood home. Felt kinda wistful. And surely, I miss him a lot. Now that my life is about to change in a major way, I miss his presence even more than ever. I hope he's happy and at peace wherever he is. I miss you, Abah. Al -Fatihah...

we like to move it move it!

Ada satu kegilaan yang sedang berlaku di rumah aku sekarang. It's madness, yo! Kegilaan itu adalah bernama PlayStation Move. Apa itu PlayStation Move? Baca sini, please. Tapi kalau malas nak baca, secara ringkasnya, PlayStation Move ialah seperti extension untuk PlayStation. It's a motion-sensing controller. Means, korang kena bergerak untuk menggunakan benda ni. Dan ia adalah super duper cool, y'all!

Ini ialah rupa controller tersebut:

Cool, kan? Macam mikrofon yang funky, no?

And you know what's the coolest thing about PlayStation Move? Boleh main game sambil exercise. How freaking cool is that? The term for it is 'Exergame' to be exact. Nama pun PlayStation Move, jawabnya kenala move around, kan?

Antara game yang aku paling layan sekali ialah game Archery dalam siri Sports Champions.

Grafik sangat cantik, rasa macam real je bila main.

Ada enam games semuanya dalam siri Sports Champions. Satu lagi yang paling layan ialah Gladiator Duel Game lawan pedang. Yang ini rasanya lagi ekstrem dari game lain sebab kena gerakkan seluruh anggota badan. Sampai ada yang sakit pinggang main Gladiator ni! Gladiator boleh main 2 orang so kalau rasa-rasa macam nak lepas geram, sangatla sesuai.

Hot chicks? Cat fight? LOL.

Adik-adik aku main dengan penuh perasaan, ok, bila main Gladiator Duel. Kawasan depan TV tu kena bagi clear sebelum main. Kalau tak, akan terjadi kemalangan jiwa. Tak percaya? Tengok ni:

Gambar ialah blur sebab diorang tengah bergerak dengan pantas. Nampak benda yang macam lightsaber tu? Tu lah motion controller tu.

Bila first time main, semua orang jadi macam orang tua lepas tu. Ada yang sakit pinggang, sakit badan, sakit itu, sakit ini. Yang jadi tempang sekejap pun ada jugak. Itu penangan PlayStation Move. Tapi lama-lama dah biasa, okeyla.

Last sekali, aku tinggalkan korang dengan rakaman orang yang main GladiatorDuel dengan penuh aksi:

Do try this at home, ya? Hehehehe.

fallen into TRAP

It's Taman Rekreasi Air Panas (TRAP), not that trap. Hehehe. Last weekend, Pak Tam (bless him) took the whole bunch of us to Taman Rekreasi Air Panas (TRAP) Sungai Klah in Perak. We stayed at the 3-bedroom villa at the Felda Residence Hot Springs. The villa was amazing. It was big enough to fit all 14 of us and the best part was the natural hot spring jacuzzi tub! It is the perfect place for timeout with the family.

Each room in the villa have their own bathroom attached. The master bedroom is big and the bathroom comes with a bathtub. Really nice. All in all, the villa got two thumbs-up from all of us. We were deliriously happy with the accommodation. Go here for more information.

The first day there were spent lazing around the jacuzzi and the villa. The boys, only 4 of them , went to the mountain spring pool first. But then is started to rain and boys came back to the villa and jumped into the jacuzzi. When the rain started to pour heavily, they ran inside the villa, demanding food. And then they went to sleep in one of the air-conditioned bedrooms. Typical. Thankfully, the rain started to subside around 5 o'clock. And to the jacuzzi we went. The water was warm and inviting. Heaven!

The second day we went to explore the park, from the natural sauna to the egg-boiling spot. The adults went for the ayurveda treatment provided at the park. All within the walking distant from the villa. After all of that, we jumped in to the jacuzzi again, for the last time. We were very reluctant to leave, to tell the truth. We had a really great time there.

The residence is not completely ready yet but still, it's a nice place. It just opened on 30th May 2009 so everything is practically new. The villa is fully furnished as well. If you're looking for the perfect place to take your family for a holiday, this is it.