A superb sushi dinner!

Our ping-pong visits have not ended. Last night was our turn to visit mamasarah & family for dinner. The masterchef was preparing sushi. Sooooooo nice! Mamasarah was so stressed out - which plate to use, which bowl should I put this in, etc...etc... I really felt that the dinner was too much for her. She went through the trouble thinking (oh, this is undoubtedly very stressful, you know?) of what Japanese desert to serve us.


I am not going to attempt to name the things we were served. For a layman like me, it was this:




along with some satay-like yummies, tempura fried king prawns and veges (sorry no picts), and some fried rice.

Desert was this:





(hey, this picture was taken before the strawberry sauce was poured!)


and this:
and also some banana delicious cake little sarah baked!


Please forgive me for not capturing them on camera but I was more engrossed in talking and eating that the camera was neglected. Never mind, for better pictures, please go here.


Now, the interesting thing that happened last night was how my little boy bluntly asked the hosts for some tea! He must still remember the wonderful teh tarik served for him the other day. While I was still gobbling the delights, he patiently waited and watched mamasarah fix his tea! He had 3 cups last night!!!

Already, we're making plans to bake together... but I don't want to put more stress on mamasarah. We'll see how things work out, or not work!

a gift for me??

It wasn't my birthday. Neither was it our anniversary. I didn't win any awards and I wasn't in the hospital. Yet our guests for the night came with a box wrapped in beautiful pink wrapper and gold ribbon. Certainly a gift unexpected. A bag of oranges would be a norm, or a bowl of fried noodles like the other day (yum!Yum!) would be excellent. But a nicely wrapped gift?

Last Saturday night, we thought we'd invite two doctors and their families to our home. Initially, both said that they would have to confirm with us later. So, I told MrD that it was fine by me. The menu would be something I can fix within an hour or two.


Later, one confirmed the invitation, but the other never called. I started fiddling in the kitchen with the desert at 3.45pm - MrD's favourite: tiramisu (this picture is a picture I pinched from the net: not MY tiramisu. heheheh). Then, I steamed my 2 whole chickens. It was easier working in the cramped kitchen when the family was out. A neighbour had dropped by to invite the children over for their son's birthday party. MrD went with the kids while I wrestled in the kitchen. The second picture is MY tiramisu, photo taken by dear mamasarah.


2 hours later, I discovered that I needed an extra 10 minutes to clean up the pile in the sink and change my clothes. I sms-ed my guest to give me a little bit time. Ah, was that even necessary?? I still feel guilty for doing that. In the end, they gave us MORE time than needed (but much appreciated - just to tidy up a little bit more).

When they arrived, I was obviously taken aback with the gift. Yup, the guests were none other than mamasarah and her family! The men had not officially met so the invite had to naturally take place. I am usually the one who snaps the photos whenever there's an occasion but since I was a little occupied, I passed the camera to MrD to take charge. Nothing much was taken. The twins were finally in charge of the photos (the junior amateurs at work). I wasn't too worried as the guests were doing a better job at it. These photos are theirs.





Anyway, we had pilau rice with ayam golek, acar timun, sambal udang and some popadums. To fill the table, I also fixed some rojak. Drinks were Tesco's juices - so un-glamour (unlike mamasarah's syrup that was prepared to wash down the food!).


Oh, and the gift! A set of classes for me to serve guests! Sony Cyber-shot dummies like us can't compare with others'...


Thank you, mamasarah and family. Please come again - forget gifts and buahtangan. Just come to chat. Still think there's so much to talk about!

English afternoon tea

Of late, I am finding it rather difficult to come up with things to write about. Perhaps this is what they call the 'writer's block'. I know when studying, I am often overwhelmed with this disasterous excuse. It is yet to be discovered what truly unblocks it. Hmmm... I'll probably go on a mission to find the cure for such blockage!

Yesterday, I invited mamasarah over for some English afternoon tea. It was a visit long awaited. There was still so much to catch up and discover about this relatively new neighbour of mine. I had decided on the English afternoon tea theme so that I don't go overboard on preparation. A simple tea should send the message that having teas are pleasant hassle-free daily activities that should be enjoyed as often as possible. I hope it was pleasant enough for mamasarah, and I hope the simplicity of it didn't put her off. Earlier in the morning, I prepared some butter scones and chicken mushroom vol-au-vent. Of course I was so very tempted to fix the scones half an hour before mamasarah arrived so that it was still warm from the oven, but since I had to pick the kids from school that time, I had to be very practical! So, I only tackled the cheese and tomato on sliced sesame baguette before their arrival.




Our guests arrived on time with their 'buah tangan' - some fried noodles. You see, Malaysians are well known for their culture of returning others' food containers filled!! It is exciting though, getting into the wonderful courtesy of sending food to and fro ( I once played this game with a dear friend, and it became quite thrilling. By the way, I still have one of her containers to fill with something exciting next weekend!). My previous Pakistani neighbour-cum-landlord used to send us food, especially during the month of Ramadhan. They later gave up sending us food in 'proper' containers and used paper plates and bowls instead. We still wonder whether it was because they didn't enjoy our food or just didn't want us to bother preparing and sending them some!

Anyway, the children all enjoyed themselves yesterday. The mama was so worried that Little Amar was busy checking out Aunty D's house - House Inspector!! I had to repeatedly remind mamasarah that there wasn't anything valuable or expensive in the house to be broken as they are mostly bargains from the carboot.. Tsk! Tsk! What a thing to reveal to visitors: that we're such cheap skates! Anyway, I take it that the kids enjoyed themselves so much that when I sent them back home, little Sarah was pulling big Sara (my girl) into her house. I agreed to leave big Sara there to keep the little one company. When I came back for her later, little Sarah was so upset that she started wailing! I felt so guilty tearing such good company away... It's okay, little Sarah, Kakak will come again later!

Again, we almost forgot to exchange numbers. That's what happens when mothers meet because our sentences and thoughts are usually cut in by the children. Well, hope that we'll be able to invite the whole family over for dinner next time. Mamasarah, do come by more often for breakfast, lunch, tea or dinner! Hehehe... That's what I often say to the other Malaysian neighbours here, including the makciks who come over to look after their grandchildren while the parents go out to study - I'm home almost all the time as the home is my home, office, library and hide-out. Anyone is welcome to drop by any time. Hello, is that the doorbell?

It finally happened

Last night, we finally met as D and mamasarah . Although I had invited mamasarah over for tea earlier (with some puzzles and clues), she somehow managed to twist the invitation so that she could honour us first. Hmmm... very coniving!

Well, the hosts were very welcoming and warm. Sarah was asleep when we arrived but soon woke up and warmed up to play with big Sara (my princess). Amar was very cheerful and rather energetic too. Mamasarah fixed a delicious meal of nasi ayam (my princess had 3 servings!!), and of course, Babahsarah made excellent teh tarik (with condensed milk - approval from the doctor!).

Their place was very cozy and spacious. I fell in love with the kitchen. The oven was a built-in modern one - unlike the old white ones you'd usually find in houses rented to Malaysians. With mamasarah's magical touch, there was no doubt that the food would turn out splendid!

Now, you must not believe all that mamasarah has said about me. The trifle I brought as desert was a simple fix anyone could escape with because: 1) it didn't require ANY cooking, 2) they all came from a box, tin, tub or carton, that nothing could go wrong!, 3) you could throw in almost anything into a trifle

Well, glad that I have made friends with a neighbour-cum-blogger. I'll just wait for her to drop by for tea now.