Thursday, January 07, 2010
We were happy with the results, not to forget the amount of effort pumped in.
*Update 11.01.10*Celebrated mom's birthday on sunday, I always (used to) make mom a birthday card whenever her birthday is approaching. This year, i thought of doing something special for her. Buying a gift for her is not as practical as i thought yet since i havent earn my own pocket money, it would be equally the same using dad's money to buy mom a gift. I wanted to give her something with some effort placed in it. A card was definitely one of it. So i decided to bake her a cake! haha. This would be my first time baking a cake without supervision.
During the weekdays, i took out all of mom's recipe books....cake decor book...browsed through and decided to bake her walnut cake, since she loved all kinds of nuts...plus i recently bought back 2kg of almond & walnuts all the way frm aus..so it was a score! i thought cheesecake was abit of a challenge maybe next time. I planned to decorate the cake as well, Youtube was a help..watched several videos of how cake frosting is done, how to make 7-minute frosting which did not turn out exactly as i expected when i did it..probably because the boiling water in the pot was touching the pyrex bowl on top of the pot itself. Also learned how to make paper cone..those used to draw patterns or flowers when icing is added.
Dad took friday off (this was unexpected) ahaha, part of it was to sort out my unactivated bank acc...and also get some ingredients to bake mom's cake. I have to hide all the ingredients and not making mom suspicious. So it was Sat, got up super early...did the laundry and immedietly prepare all the baking ingredients, tools etc. Everything was going perfectly. I realised my cake batter is more like batter for biscuits. Doesnt really have a smooth creamy texture..like choc cake batter. I thought something was laking. I added the exact amount of ingredients as stated in the cookery book, except reduced 5g of caster sugar. Then as i flipped to the front pg of the book, it says..eggs come in different sizes..in this recipe we used 3 large eggs..additional of 1 egg is recommended if eggs are not large. Darn it. Should hv added 1 extra egg..since i reckon the egg i used is small or medium. I knew the cake was going to be bit dry and just as well it was not a large cake..perfect size. Next, i placed the cake into the oven...in a round tray of course..but supported by grease proof paper made into a round shape cuz the round tray is too big. Baked the walnut cake for an hour (cooking book says 1-1 1/2 hour). In between, i started preparing the frosting..did some washing up..since i need to hide all the evidence and make the place look as normal as it can be.
After an hour, i think the cake was pretty much cooked..but just to make sure it was fully cook..i added another 10mins of baking. Checked again, im starting to smell some burnt smell haha..the top of the cake was abit burn as shown in the pic..thankfully not the whole cake. Initially it was suppose to be a round cake, after removing the grease proof paper..my cake didnt look as round as i thought...looked so out of shape..but i realised the bottom part is bit pointy..and i could possibly make it into a heartshape. So i took the risk! hahha chopped a small part of it..while waiting for it to cool down before i decorating it.
This is the outcome after decorating..
Also not as planne as i what i hv in mind.. cuz the cake was not thick enough. Did the Happy birthday writtings using Lindnt dark choc- chili flavour as well which i brought back home last year and was not opened yet. Wrote using a paper cone..thanks to Youtube LOL.
Next plan was to hide it. Nearly ran out of idea to hide the cake. good thing it fitted in nicely into one of mom's round container used to put tip-bits for cny. Hid the cake in the fridge at the wet kitchen..since mom wouldnt dig into it unless she has to cook dinner. Cleaned up the kitchen after that. Phewww it was good timing and mom came back without noticing anything lol!!
Went out for buffet dinner at STAR hotel that night to celebrate mom's birthday. Had a good meal,, it was packed with mainly tourist. they were serving International cuisine that night, so for entree..there were fresh oysters,praws,crabs, larger praws, bread, a variety of cheeses and salads. The main meal was mostly chinese stir-fry, roast duck, a variety of indian food..comprised of Naan bread, lamb masalas..there was also kebabs, fried noodles, roast beef, skewers, omg long list to go..of course i couldnt manage to try all the dishes!! The dessert was mouth watering, cheesecake,...choc cake...creme brule........it was all yummy and sinful at the same time. I wanted to eat more ahahaha but my stomach was overloaded. That is the outcome of buffet. I reckon some of the food had lots of ajinomoto in it, cuz i was so thristy!! and blame of drinking too much water...that made me full quickly HAHA
Headed home and mom stomach wasnt feeling well. Some indigestion goin on, her stomach was producing some air and she just needed to let it out. It was so uncomfortable for her. Luckily the eucalyptus oil was abit of a help and burping out the air. Mom felt asleep on the chair and i was talking to dad till 12midnite. Then we decided to surprise mom!
Ahh i was so excited all over, my hands tend to shake if im nervous of over excited. Urgh hate it. So dad was the cameraman..he woke mom up and we sang happy birthday to her. Mom's facial expression was just blank...filled with blurness hhaaha. Then she said owww i was born pass 12midnight (for real, i didnt even know till that day). She kept asking..'you bought the cake or made it'..hahaha abit of disbelief...so i said 'ma is it possible to find such slightly distorted cake like that in the shop'?
Hahah it went well! mom was happy!!
Surprisingly on sunday, i went shopping with mom..dad dropped us at centrepoint and he went to sort out his things. Before that, Mom baked bread as well and the bread will finish baking in an two hours time..so dad voluntered to dropped us at the mall and he will come back and take the bread out of the breadmaker once he sort out his things.
By 3.30pm dad came and pick us up, went home and have a cup of tea..cut mom's bday cake at the same time and took some pic. Then dad told me there is a present in the drawer..so and so..i was like 'huh? present? since when'?
Surprisingly Dad bought mom a gift hahaa..a crucifix gold pendent. Lovely. This is so not my dad....but anyway mom was thrilled to bits!
So that was a good weekend. I have exactly 1more month in KK before i return to Aus. Geez time is flying!!!
11:04 PM
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Its that time of the year again when we say goodbye to another year. I can feel that time is passing by more quickly as the day goes by. 2009 has been another wonderful yet challenging year for me and I reckon that is only the beginning. Reflecting on the year 2009…
This year
1) Went to the Tip of Borneo with my family in conjunction of mum’s b’day as well. Surprised mum with a b’day cake. 
2) I get to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family as well as my relatives in Kuching. Also not to forget, indulging myself with all sorts of delicious local delicacies. 
3) Catching up with friends and exploring KK’s shopping centres at the same time.
4) Drove 4 times in KK (not productive enough)..reversing mum’s car at home and also getting my previous driving instructor to refresh my driving skills. Literally drove in a huge massive circle…from my hse..to the lintas highway..to airport road..to KK city..back to jalan teluk likas and then home again. The car only died once at the traffic light. Haha.
5) Uni life was just as hectic as it can be knowing that our mid-sem break and study break was taken away. Stress from assignments causes me to develop one large massive pimple. Potentially a stye as well. Thankfully this time the pimple was on my forehead hidden beneath my fringe.
6) Met up with Vicky & Ruth (two of my close friends from Adelaide) and toured round Melb city & Ballarat for 2days. Wouldn’t forget the countless..unlimited number of rides we went on in Luna Park at St Kilda. 
7) Travelled to Burwood campus (in melb) throughout the 1st semester once a week for Chinese language tutorial class (as my elective sub). 1 hr from geelong to melb..another hour to Burwood. Dreaded waking up early. Fall asleep on the train once on the way back to Geelong and missed my stop. I wonder why I was so determined to travel through and flow..only for the tuts..not lectures..Part of it was also to extend my network of friends. At the end of the day, I only got to know one friend..maybe 2..and pretty much got sick of sitting in the train for 2 hrs till my butt is sore.
8) Foggy day on a footy day. Watched live Aussie’s footy game for the first time..match between the famous Geelong Cats & the Western Bulldogs. It was a very close match and I was cheering the Cats team all the way through..with a blur mind of the team member’s name & how the game is played. Flood my coursemate Jess with lots of silly questions haha. On the very same day which I would never forget, some stranger came into the hse…around 2am. After that day, I was more paranoid and making sure I locked the door properly. Finally the owner secured the back & front door which was never locked before the incident.
9) Went to the snow again. Mt Hotham Trip. Stayed for 3days 2nites. 10 of us stuck in a small room with 1double bed..2sets of bunk beds plus a few sofas. Skied for the 1st time in my entire life. I love the snow..the coldness of 0 deg.. but the skiing part was horrible, unbearable and tiring. Haha. Never I would want to ski again unless im very fit and strong. I rather go tobogganing like a kid. Broke the trainers ski pole (legend)..my self-esteemed drastically dropped. Another lesson learnt I.e not to buy cheap, fake leather gloves..if u want to go to a 0deg environment. I thought my fingers were gonna be frozen and hav to be amputated (lol..too much negative thoughts goin through the head plus im exaggerating). So buy proper gloves. Overall the trip was fun.
10) Next trip was a day trip to Philip Island to see cute tiny penguins and eat fish & chips. Not to forget the beautiful scenery oh and watch Koalas sleeping and poo-ing at the same time.
11) Seems like I hv been doin lots of travelling this year. Went all the way to Mt Gambier , a small tiny city in SA to visit my brother. Went pass the bother of SA to Vic as well…my bro drove to various Ports; Portland, Port Philip, Dartmore..etc.
12) Celebrated a couple of 21st bdays with themes and other friend’s bdays. Preparing , organizing gifts & Surprises. Dressed up like an old lady and inhaled helium gas from balloons that produces a chipmunk like voice (darn funny) , make up like a punk (which made me go on YouTube several time, trying out various eye shadow make up styles). I had a wonderful 22nd bday as well with all my friends..although I wish I could have made the party more fun, breaking the ice (another lesson learnt).
14) OT group project was successful and only lost 4marks out of 30 for it..worth spending 3hrs in Jess’s toilet in order to get a perfect vid of a stroke patient & the OT doing a shower assessment. 
15) Sat for Victorian Driving Law Test. Scored 91% and was told that I don’t have to go through Ls & Ps with my msian license still valid. Next step would be hazard perception test & driving test. At the mean time, get some driving lessons in 2010 before sitting for the test. It will be challenging.
16) Joined Malaysian Society of Deakin.
17) Played netball and enjoy being a wing defender for the DOTS team.
18) Did rural placement at a Specialist school in Terang, met wonderful special kids..worked with a down syndrome kid whose behaviour is pretty challenging for a newbie like me. Stayed at my coursemate’s hse experiencing country side ..farm life. Very serene. Toured round various places..mainly the 12 Appostles..other secluded bays and ports. With no choice I have to be a loner staying in an apartment during the last week of placement. Scary but gotten used to it.
19) Other best enjoyable moments:
BBQ at coursemates hse..typical aussie summer treat.
Being able to meet up with Aiming & Vengli who came all the way from Brissy & Perth. Felt like a dream..thanks to the invention of airplanes to take u anywhere around the world. 
Bro drove all the way frm Mt Gambier to Geelong to catch up with me.
Shopping with shaz..i like!
20) Finally back in KK. Together with my parents. Being able to eat all the yummy food. I begin to appreciate all the things I can get at home and not in Aus since I left home. Enjoy every single moment even though it can be boring. Had a quiet Christmas celebration this year too. Right now the house is completely in a mess, just started painting the ceiling and walls..it will get its brand new look soon. Feels weird. 
I have new companies as well..
2009 has been an eventful year accompanied with all the big and small challenges, fun, stressful and disappointing days. These are the memories I treasure as I write this post on the last day of 2009. 2010 will be another challenging year, entering 3rd year of uni..and of course im aiming to independently drive in Aus (is that part of the resolution?). Hopefully it will be another eventful year, it will be different and its time to adapt to changes. Like it or not.
Happy New Year 2010 to everyone! Cheers!
2:00 PM