Lelaki 'Budiman'

Sampai rumah semalam sudah agak lewat. Hampir jam 8 malam dan hari pun sudah gelap. Bertambah gelap dan malap bila bekalan elektrik terputus waktu saya belum pun tiba di rumah. Haisyyy... kacau betul. Dah lah belum mandi dan belum berbuka puasa.

Maka berbuka puasalah saya ditemani hubby dan anak-anak dalam samar cahaya lilin. Mujurlah saya suka kumpul lilin. Dulu masa saya sibuk beli lilin berwarna warni ikea ada orang bising. Tapi terbukti lilin-lilin itu berguna kan?

Jadi dalam kesamaran kami 4 beranak menikmati makanan sambil berborak. Hubby dan Fahmi were talking about something bila tiba-tiba saya dengar hubby puji dia 'Lelaki Budiman'. Sudah dua kali hubby gelar Fahmi sebagai 'Lelaki Budiman'. Dan kedua-dua kalinya saya dengar cik Yaya menyampuk "... dengan impiana". Terdiam kejap saya.

Kali pertama dengar dulu saya buat tak hirau walaupun ada terbit rasa pelik. Masuk kali kedua ni saya tersenyum faham. Ada point untuk ketawa malam ni hihihi.

Saya cuit hubby "Dengar tak dia cakap apa?"
Hubby dah tersenyum.
Tiba-tiba cik Yaya tambah "... dengan senja sekali"
Saya jeling hubby, sama-sama faham. Terus kami ketawa tanpa suara.
Saya tanya Yaya, "Adik tau tak apa maksud Daddy cakap lelaki budiman tu?"
Dengan muka tak selambanya dia repeat lagi "impiana dan senja"
Hubby menambah "masuklah suria sekali", berderai ketawa kami. Jahat sungguh mama dan daddy ni ketawakan anak sendiri.
Mau nya kami tak ketawa. Gelihati dengan gelagat Yaya ni, dia salah faham sebenarnya.
When hubby says 'lelaki budiman' he was refering to Malay translation of 'a gentleman'. But cik Yaya yang mulut bertih goreng ni instead of bertanya kalau tak faham, main ikut sedap dia menyampuk.
Untuk pengetahuan semua rumah-rumah di perumahan kami ni ada 9 jenis rekabentuk yang dinamakan sebagai Anggun, Bayu (rumah kami), Raya, Embun, Tilia, Suria, Senja, Impiana dan.... Budiman.
Jadi, bila hubby dok sebut 'Lelaki Budiman'... cik Yaya ni dengan confident nya menyangka hubby was refering to jenis rekabentuk rumah kat sini. Tu yang dia menambah Impiana dan Senja sekali lah! kih kih kih

Sudahnya, tersenyum malu cik Yaya dalam gelap.

Red Rubbies - Tak Dapat Pakai, Makan Pun Jadilah...

Nak beli batu ruby bercupak-cupak ahkak tak mampu. Kita buat sendiri jelah ye?



Bukannya susah pun, beli sengkuang sebiji kat kedai Acheh tu, balik rumah potong dadu.



Pastu gaul dengan 2 sudu makan pewarna merah. Biar dia berendam kejap.



Kejap lagi salut sengkuang merah tu dengan tepung ubi kayu. Letak semua bahan dalam plastik lagi senang. Kita goncang-goncang je bagi dia bersalut tepung.



Didihkan air dalam periuk dan rebus sampai sengkuang tu agak lembut. Janganlah sampai overcooked. Agak-agak masih ada kerangupan dibahagian tengah tu bolehlah diangkat. Letak terus dalam bekas ber ais batu lagi bagus supaya dia tak melekat sesama sendiri. Sebab tepung ubi tu membuatkan tekstur sengkuang jadi melekit macam sagu mata ikan gitu.


Pastu apa lagi? Ikat dengan platinum ke emas ke, pakat-pakat gantung lah kat leher, jari, tangan dan kaki ye? Mengidam sangat nak pakai batu ruby kan? Hehehe


Lepas tu the red rubbies tu bolehlah dimasukkan dalam kuah santan yang sudah dididihkan sekejap atas api perlahan, tambah air gula, cebisan buah nangka (kalau ada dan suka letak). Sedap dimakan sejuk, jadi tambah ais ye puan-puan.



Inilah dia dessert orang Thai - Tub Tim Krob @ Red Rubbies in Coconut Milk.


Ahkak ni ada sedikit jakun. Dulu masa kecil mati-mati saya ingat red rubbies tu adalah sagu mata ikan. Dah besar baru tau rupanya sengkuang disalut tepung ubi. Pasal tu rupa dia berkilat, kenyal dan lekeit macam sagu. Kreatif sungguh orang Thai ye.

Cuaca panas sedap makan/minum dessert ni. Sejuk rasa kerongkong. Rasa tak boleh berhenti mengunyah red rubbies tu. Nak beli batu dia tak mampu kan? Tak dapat pakai dapat makan pun jadi lah.

Stir Fry Beef in Blackpepper Sauce with Steam Broccoli

Saya kalau dah takde idea (kekadang boleh dibaca sebagai 'malas') nak masak macam ini lah jadinya...




Combine kan je protein (daging) dan sayur dalam satu hidangan. Selalu masak protein satu hidangan dan sayur satu hidangan. Tapi bila dah combine haruslah kedua-duanya dalam portion yang sama besar - double major dah macam orang ambil pengkhususan kat uni je. Pasal itu the broccoli florets dipotong besar-besar dan penuh keliling pinggan. Hmm dah macam pokok renek pula merimbun brokoli tu.

Kat rumah ni sayur broccoli dah jadi pilihan tetap setiap minggu. Kalau ke pasar tak beli broccoli tak sah. Wahhh berlagak makan sayur mahal gitu kan? Broccoli ni famous kat rumah saya sebab dia versatile. Masak sayur style apa pun boleh. Kalau goreng sayur campur letak broccoli, masak sayur lodeh pun letak broccoli instead of bunga kobis, kalau buat hidangan western kita steam kan je broccoli letak sebelah. Lepas tu buat sup broccoli lemak berkrim pun sedap. Broccoli ni kaya dengan vitamin C dan ada banyak nutrien yang bersifat anti-kanser. Tapi mestilah dengan cara memasak yang betul supaya nutrient dia tak hilang.

"Boiling broccoli reduces the levels of suspected anti-carcinogenic compounds, such as sulforaphane, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 77% after thirty minutes.[12] However, other preparation methods such as steaming,[15] microwaving, and stir frying had no significant effect on the compounds.[12]" source: wikipedia


Apa yang buat saya tetarik dengan sayur ini adalah warna dia yang hijau gelap dan tekstur bunga yang kasar - bila dipotong ia tidak mudah lerai seperti cauliflower. Kalau nak tau broccoli ni ada banyak jenis. Yang paling menarik adalah romanesco broccoli yang rupanya seperti gumpalan kon-kon kecil.

Macam batu karang pun iye. Ni kalau buat hiasan atas meja pun cantik ;-). Romanesco broccoli. Credit to google.
Ada juga broccoli yang berwarna purple tau!



Masak asing-asing lepas tu susun je sekali. Jimat ruang atas meja makan takde orang nak bergaduh berlaga siku sebab sempit ke kan? Ceh! Alasan! Hehehe

Kari Kill 2 Birds With 1 Stone

Hari ini adalah hari malas bercakap (read: bercerita). Jadi tengok gambar jelah ye.

Menu makan tengahari Sabtu lepas. Kes kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Masak kari boleh makan dengan 2 jenis hidangan.

Mee Kari



Yang buat ia bertambah sedap ialah sambal cili tu. Bukan saya buat. Sambal tu kakak (maid) yang buat. Entah apa dia taruk or should I rephrase entah berapa banyak belacan dia letak sampai sedap begitu. Malas nak tanya banyak sebab silap-silap haribulan dia pun tak tau dah berapa sukatan dia bubuh. Dapat sambal sedap dari dia pun kira bersyukur sangat-sangat boleh makan dengan mee kari.

Kari tu saya masak ikut resipi kari ayam mak mentua cuma dicairkan sedikit.


Roti Jala dengan kari yang sama. Ini kegemaran Fahmi. Dia kalau tercium bau kari muka berseri-seri habis. Tapi kalau time hidang dia tengok takde roti jala terus malap muka. Pada dia kalau ada kari mesti ada roti jala, kalau takde mati selera.

Tapi kali ini lepas makan roti jala dia bedal mee kari pula siap bertambah despite his tonsil yang tengah merah, sakit dan bengkak. Makan sampai tersedak-sedak. Tapi berselera punya pasal dia bedal jugak.

Eh, dalam malas bercerita terlajak jugak ;-).

Heart Wrenching...

I read this on yahoo.com this morning. It is so heart wrenching I had tears welling in my eyes. As a mother myself I can feel what the mother is feeling. It is a story of a 3 years old Emily Thomas who had a strok when she was a baby dan kemudiannya continues to have difficulty in breathing. Akhirnya the mother, Amber Thomas had to allow the doctors tebuk lubang kat leher Emily to insert a tube into her trachea so that she can breath properly. But the surgery also means that Emily will not be able to speak for the rest of her life.

Tak tergamak rasanya melihat anak sengsara. Peritnya to choose between two things yang kedua-duanya sama penting. Terutama when your young child is helpless. Amber Thomas is a strong person. She recorded her daughter's last voice before she undergo the surgery. You can watch the video here . I hope the link is still available.


Please read.




Texas Toddler Gets Life-Saving Tracheotomy, Can No Longer Speak, Laugh, Cry
By ALYSSA NEWCOMB | Good Morning America – Thu, Jun 14, 2012 2:43 PM EDT

A doting mother pressed record on a camera, intent on capturing her daughter in one final, bittersweet moment.
The sounds of a sweet, infectious belly laugh filled the hospital room.
"She's happier than most people," said Amber Thomas of her daughter.
Three-year-old Emily Thomas, with her brown hair and rosy cheeks, looked like any other kid as she smiled and laughed.
"Her laugh is the most beautiful sound. She has a really funny sense of humor," Thomas said, recalling the week before her daughter's surgery. "I had to sit there and stare at her and know I wasn't going to hear her next week."
Emily was about to undergo a life-saving surgery, a permanent tracheotomy. The procedure would enable her to breathe but would put a hole in her neck and render her unable to communicate vocally for the rest of her life.
For Amber Thomas, it was the only choice. But it also meant silencing one of the only sounds her daughter could make.
Emily's communication has been limited ever since she had a stroke at 10 days old, but her mother said they always found a way to talk. It was through those precious laughs, or the noises she'd shout during Dora The Explorer, or the sounds she'd make roughhousing with her brothers, ages 4 and 2.
But two weeks ago, the vivacious 3-year-old from Tyler, Texas caught a common cold and nearly suffocated.
She was airlifted to the Children's Medical Center in Dallas where Thomas and doctors watched over the toddler, trying to help her regain her health before she underwent a permanent tracheotomy.
On Tuesday, Emily had her last laugh. Doctors created a hole in Emily's throat and inserted a tube leading directly to her trachea.
Although she has had a few setbacks in recovery, Emily began to breathe on her own Thursday and was taken off a ventilator.
Thomas said it's been gut wrenching to see her daughter cry now silent tears.
"You don't hear it and that really upsets me," she said. "I feel like I can't leave the room. Now you have to be staring at her to know."
Recovery will continue to be an uphill battle, as will adjusting to life without that sweet laugh, but Thomas knows her daughter will continue to bring joy to the family.
"Anyone who works with her tells me her disability stops with her body," she said. "She isn't afraid of anything. She's the most positive person I know and that helps all of us."

A Farewell

No, not mine. Other people's. :-)

We had a farewell today. A friend of us is retiring. He is a retiree from government service before he joined us 9 years ago. So he had his second retirement today. Well, his contract ended actually and since he is an old man don;t you think it would lend a nice ring to call it a retirement instead of resignation? Or even contract termination.

A beauty coincidence is that, this old man shares the same birth day and birth month as I am. And we both left and will be leaving in the same month. He is a very nice person, very down to earth, a wise person and can be a little bit nerdy sometimes saya suka mengusik dia. I would sure miss his stories about his kebun pisang, mangga harum manis and his healthy diet. No more homegrown bananas for me. Sad.

After that another colleague that I rarely see came to my room. With his right hand shoved in front. I quirked my eyebrow. He said "I heard you are leaving". I said "Not today" beacuse I thought he must have somehow gotten it wrong. It was somebody else's farewell.

"I know. I might not be around" he said. Ok.
And then both of us went silent. We rarely see each other, we rarely spoke. He is a man with little words, but I don't know why I always feel a little bit intimidated around him.

It was awkward. I don't know what to say. He clearly wants to say something but I guess the news of me leaving came as a shocked to him it render him speechless.
After a long pause, he said "Going somewhere?"
"Nope. I'll be around"
Another pause. His gaze was intent. I guess he still need time to digest the shocking (to him) news and my answer.
I know, most people say my reason doesn't match. That's why nowadays I refrained myself from answering such question.
He breaks the silence again, "A wise decision"
Serta merta I feel relieved. Finally, someone agrees with me without me saying so why. He is a wise man. And a very observant one. Now I know why I feel intimidated by him. He could tell and read between the lines.
I smiled. And he left.

But it was really awkward. He know things that I don't want to say out loud. Things that I kept to myself. Things that some people pressured me to spill. But I kept mum. But he, he doesn't need to ask further. He knows. He understands. And he respects.

Bukan Used Car Dealer...

I made a stop at Petronas Kesas hi-way nearby Proton this morning. From a far the pump attendant hailed me towards a vacant petrol pump. I alighted from the car and i just inserted my credit card into the credit card pay machine when the pump attendant said this

"Banyak kereta"
I look up and saw he was looking at me, not to the road in front of us.
My brain quickly processed what he really meant. Tersenyum saya.
"Owh... itu kereta rosak. Masuk worksyop" Saya maksudkan cik sienna red kalau itu yang dia juga maksudkan.
Dia mengangguk kepala, "Ooo rosak"
"Sekarang saya pakai ini"
"Ada lagi?" Dia tanya lagi.
Saya dah naik segan pulak. Tak sangka dia perasan entah berapa banyak kereta yang saya pernah bawa singgah di stesen minyak ini. Aduhhh... mesti dia ingat saya kaya benar bertukar-tukar kereta dari besar ke kecil, habis kecil pakai bagak pulak.
Gatal mulut mau je saya jawab, ye banyak lagi (kat ofis!!! bukan saya punyalah semua harta kompeni). Ha ha ha.
Cepat saya geleng kepala "Takde... takde" Aduh tersengih malu saya dibuatnya.

Huwaaaa mat bangla ni pun perasan. Apatah lagi jiran-jiran ku mesti depa ingat saya kaya gila. Kat situ rumah saya lah yang paling kerap bertukar-tukar kereta tapi pernah satu masa sebiji kereta pun takde depan rumah sebab cik sienna rosak dan encik ford juga rosak. Kadang kalau penat melayan orang tegur macam-macam kereta kau, kami suka jawab begini "Biasalah... used car (dealer)".

Sedih pulak teringat cik sienna red. Masih tersadai di worksyop. Semalam saya call mekanik, depa tengah pasang gearbox. Tanya bila siap, dia jawab tak tau. Tokey takde. Saya kira congak dah hampir sebulan. Hmmm... rindu. Macam takde harapan nak pegang stereng cik sienna semula sebelum my departure from this company. Dah bosan drive encik bagak. Sebab tak boleh merempit. Gila ko nak merempit pakai CRV. 2.0cc je lagipun lambat pickup bila nak memotong. Switching gear pun tak smooth. Astaghfirullahal'azim... ni statement tak bersyukur ni. Ada kereta pun kira Alhamdulillah. Bukan harta saya, harta kompeni. Pakai sementara cik sienna under repair.

Incik suami selalu geleng kepala kat saya. Dia kata "gila bini aku ni", kerja dia nak bawa laju je manjang. Eh... siapa ajar saya merempit dulu? Skill cilok mencilok saya belajar hasil menjadi co-pilot dia setiap hari dulu masa saya belum pandai bawa kereta. Agaknya incik suami ada rasa menyesal kot paksa saya ambil driving license dulu. He he he...

Bulan depan takde dah kereta kat laman rumah. Dah tak sakit mata orang tengok macam-macam pesen dan warna. Kot ada pun menyemak kereta budak-budak bujang menyewa depan rumah. Bersusun tepi pagar saya kereta diaorang. Dah macam tempat jual used car rumah saya ni. Kawan hubby datang pun terkejut sampai tak jadi berhenti sebab was-was "Rumah kau yang banyak kereta tu ke?" Hahahaha sampai tak nampak rumah dibuatnya!

Hidup ini memang umpama 'roda di atas bas'. Sekejap kita di atas, sekejap kita di bawah. I pray hard that I will never regret my decision... untuk melepaskan segala yang saya ada. Dunia ini pinjaman. Semuanya bukan milik kita. Amin.