Another Garage Sale

This time is better than the first. The preparation was better, we advertised, and the response and outcome is better.
It's a different crowd in Penampang, at another sis house where we held it. The ones who purchased most are maids from the housing area, shopping for christmas. And these maids' networking is very impressive. They're so quick.

Where we waited for hours at our previous sale for the first customer, this time around, we weren't finished putting up items they had shown up at the gate. These are pro at bargain hunting from the way they quickly pick out the best, mostly clothes ( in about 20 seconds), pleaded early bird markdowns and had them reserved before dashing back home (to finish up their chores I suppose) and returning after 3 hours with more friends and more purchases and more discounts. They keep coming 3-4 times, every chance they get. Amazing and amusing. We don't mind a bit.

We are happy the clothes are going.

And all the electrical goods. Rice cooker, Microwave oven, toaster,TV,coffee maker, juicer. Even gym equipments. Ab shaper and stationary bike. You wouldn't believe which one of us own these things. (hua..hua..hua..)

As I'm writing this we are still selling. My sis decides to open her garage for 3 more days. I guess she does have that much to clear off.

Well, merry christmas and happy holiday.

What Up

I'm a slacker I know. This is so long over due :

Mother in-law is recovering from an operation. A week before Aidil Adha she had a surgery to correct a spinal problem. She now has 2 screws secured on her lower back. She is recovering well and improving daily and is walking. We are so glad.

My son went for camping again (scout thing). Just around the corner here at the council padang but involving a massive number, 2000 participants including 2 groups from Indonesia and Brunei. It was a Pre-Jamboree International in conjunction with 100 years of Sabah Scout existence. Not so glad here. I wish he would drop this activity. My sole reason being he always end up not bathing for days. I hate that. 5 days in the tent and doing chores and doing rock climbing, abseiling and whatever stuffs scouts do, he only bath twice. yikes.  When my daughter and I went to register her at the secondary, she chose to discontinue her Pengakap and change to Pandu Puteri, seconded by me. She doesn't need to get burnt and stink.

Speaking of daughter, her UPSR result was out yesterday. She managed 4A 1B. Ok by me. She came a long way and we're proud of her.

Can you excuse my laziness, this post will be pictureless. I'm not up to loading any.
I hope you are enjoying your holiday. I'm thrilled for my friend Sri, who is away on a London and Paris trip. Already she's posting so many fun and beautiful pictures over there. I can't wait for her story.

See ya!

Sisters Garage Sale

Two weeks ago, while helping my sister move house, the idea was mooted, to hold a garage sale at her place. It makes sense. She's new in the neighbourhood. She wants to make friends and why not clear the junk at the same time. Perfect. Date set on her housewarming party day.
Only we didn't sit down and discuss and plan properly because it was a busy week for everyone. We were still doing the tagging on event day.
We made, or rather my 13 yo niece made flyers advertising the event, that's all the planning we got made.

Planning. But, execution is another thing. Flyers were distributed rather late. And there were no banners.

So after an hour waiting and no one came, we reprinted the flyers, sent out the nieces (with their dad!) to distribute further around the area. And then my sister pulled her creative hat and made a crude banner out of old bedsheet and some spray paint and hung it on the fence. Solved.

And then we waited.

And waited.

For any interested and curious neighbours and passerby. They've got to be curious seeing all this display don't they? And they could read the banner, couldn't they? And all of us here smiling and waving shyly.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

We are still waiting.


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Uhmm..

They probably gone to the church, it's  Sunday you know. If they aren't , they are at some tamu and should be home soon. Or they're not up yet, sleeping it in till brunchtime. Since we've been working hard unloading and laying out the junks, we'd take a break ourselves and get inside to rest. The maid can help us lookout.
And here's our brother with some noodle soup. Wah, ada soto. Let's all sit down, we got a whole day, no worries.
(in the meantime, we made sales between ourselves. my brooch  bought by my brother in-law's sister, my sister took the teapot, my niece bought my son's coinbox,......)

Oh look. Here comes a group. Whispers to sister:who are they? do u know them?... Yes! jiran belakang rumah tu! anak beranak...

So there start the sale. People come after all, albeit slowly. Some ask, 'berapa hari kamu sale ni?'..Oh. just today since tomorrow is work day.
In the end, we left the stuffs there and my sister continued selling for  2 more days. Friends of her friends come during lunch break and after office hours. Poor she, having to mess her new house with the clothes rail and boxes every night.

Home stuffs sells.  I got hairdryer, coffeemaker, toys,  deco, teapot,  frames, accessories all sold. Though I don't mind keeping them actually, I got space for them. It's clothes and shoes that are spilling out of my store room I need to rid of but they don't sell. I cleared 12 pieces or so out of maybe 50 piece clothings I brought.
My sister's baby things like stroller and walker were fast snapped up before I remember to take photos. But she was practically giving them away the price she was asking.
My other sister sold her carpets so cheap I winced. But there it is. The main objective was to clear the junk. On that account, I dare say we scored as most bulky items gotten out of the way before noon.

 

My sister got a LOT of books, going for RM5-10. Mags she sold RM10-15 per bundle. Next day down to RM5 . However reading is not much in our culture or habit. Books don't sell .

And shoes. Nope. Kids shoes sell, yes. Adults no. No matter in great condition. Size mainly the problem.

Banner kami yang hina. Although it did help mind you.

It was  fun. As always when we get together food is a given. We took more tea breaks than we did selling perhaps but its a good activity to keep up. Spring cleaning double up as family day.

Next time kami bikin banner yang bagus sikit la. Hahahahaha.


Nice day all!

I'm here

......right where you left me 3 weeks ago. has it been 3 weeks. oh dear.

the daughter has recovered from the pox. she thinks she did ok in the exam. the brother caught the measle and has since recovered too, only resuming school this week. i suppose i'll just wait for the third child to get his turn and get this all over and done with.

the weather probably caught it too, i mean, it's raining tons every day and such strong angry wind.

while holed up here i have done more bakings and here to show you 3 new tries.

butterfly cupcakes in vanilla and chocolate.

a simple usual cupcake, just fancy it up.

this is a jalur gemilang cake. did this for my childrens' open house, happening on malaysia day. was too tired to snap proper photos.  anyway it was messy and ugly. i just wanted to see if i get the design right. this involved some tedious work. baking one color in 5 pans for 1 recipe. then another color using half recipe. then stacking 3 layers, then cut and mix and stack the remaining 3 layers.

i'm into challenging cakes these days. kunun.

 

 

applying the same technique as the flag cake, this is a checkered chocolate and vanila cake. i took more time with this to get it properly stacked and clean lined. next time (if there is), i'll frost it with chocolate ganache. this one i just wanted to use up my leftover fresh cream.

 

so, until later, happy wet weather. take care.

 

 



Say It Ain't So

I don't believe it. Lagi 9 hari UPSR dan anak aku tiba-tiba dapat chicken pox. Seriously?

She can't go to school and kelas tambahan and tuition for 5 days. FIVE DAYS. Say it ain't so. Mountains of revision to do and she's a last-minute-person (like so many people I know..including self). Not good. Absolutely not ideal.

I got to clear my head and devise alternative revision sessions under quarantine conditions. And hope for the best. Tawakkal saja lah. We shall get through this and try our best.

Wish us luck.

Dua minggu lepas Raya dan Apam Ice Cream

Dua minggu lepas raya, I'm 2 kg heavier. I have no desire to go on diet nor to workout in the gym , but I have every desire to eat and eat and eat.


Balik dari kampung suami, sambung beraya dengan sisters dan anak2 buah.

Grand gathering dengan saudara mara sebelah ibu di Papar.

I'm enjoying baking these days. My daughter hari2 bawa kuih raya ke sekolah, jadi ada kuih yang habis terpaksa buat lagi. Isnin lepas ulang buat biskut mushroom dan tambah kuih siput. Kelmarin buat satu kuih apam yang lama sudah di intai sejak sebelum Raya lagi tapi tak sempat cuba. Bahan-bahannya senang saja dan nampak menarik sebab guna ice cream soda, mesti yummy  kan. Kebetulan , ada beberapa botol air lemonade (laminit) lebihan dari Labuan dalam fridge sekarang maka terhasil lah cubaan APAM ICE CREAM CORNETTO. Itu dia nama resipinya.

Kuih ini memang cantik dan sangat sedap. Tidak picaya tanya anak aku, dia sudah tempah untuk bawa ke sekolah Isnin nanti. Cuba tengok gambar.

Senang saja membuat adunan kuih ni, yang leceh sedikit proses mengkon dan mengukusnya.

Di sini saya ingin share resepinya yang di ambil daripada blog MasamManis.

Terima kasih kepada Azlita di Masam Manis kerana mempost resipi dan step-by-step kuih ini. Minta izin untuk share di sini kerana rugi kalau tak cuba. Kalau malas buat kon, boleh cuba resipi ini untuk kek bentuk biasa atau cupcake kerana, serious, memang sedap.

APAM  ICE CREAM CORNETTO

BAHAN-BAHAN

3 cawan tepung gandum ~ diayak

4 biji telur

1 sudu teh ovalette

2 cawan gula kastor

3/4 cawan air ice cream soda

1 sudu teh esen rose (saya letak perasa berlainan untuk setiap warna)

Pewarna

Kon kertas secukupnya

Coklat masakan secukupnya

Kekacang/ coklat rice / coklat cip atau manik bewarna

CARA-CARA

Sebelum apa-apa siapkan dulu kon ice cream. Boleh gunakan kertas balut burger atau kertas bungkus nasi lemak atau baking paper. Pastikan hujung kon di selotep untuk mengelak adunan menitis keluar.

Daripada cubaan saya, lebih baik gunakan kertas yang tebal sedikit seperti kertas bungkus nasi lemak kerana kon akan basah bila dikukus dan jadi lembik dan kon akan tumbang-tumbang dalam kukusan. Kalau tidak ada kertas tebal, gunakan kertas yang ada tapi double kan kon itu. Tindihkan 2 kon untuk satu apam.

Ok sekarang mula buat adunan. Pukul telur dan gula hingga kembang. Masukkan 1 sudu teh ovalette dan esen ros (saya tak letak) dan teruskan memukul  hingga adunan menjadi putih, gebu dan ringan ~ anggaran 10 minit.

Masukkan tepung dan kaup balik hingga rata.
Tambahkan air aiskrim soda dan gaul rata.
Bahagikan adunan kepada beberapa bahagian (contoh 3) dan letakkan pewarna yang berlainan.

Saya bahagi kepada 3 warna dan letakkan perasa yang berlainan untuk setiap warna.

Warna coklat – saya letak 1 sudu makan serbuk koko dan tanpa pewarna tambahan.

Warna pink – saya letak 1 sudu makan jem strawberry dan sedikit pewarna pink.

Warna kuning – saya letak ½ sudu teh esen vanilla dan sedikit pewarna kuning telur.

Masukkan setiap adunan ini kedalam piping bag.

Semasa membahagikan warna, boleh sedia panaskan kukusan. Kukusan yang digunakan ialah yang jenis 3 tingkat. Tingkat bawah untuk air dan 2 tingkat atas yang berlubang-lubang untuk mengukus. Gunakan semua bekas.

Caranya macam ni – bekas bawah kita isi air dan panaskan atas dapur. Bekas kedua biarkan kosong. Bekas ketiga gunakan untuk isi kon dan kukus.

Untuk memudahkan, biarkan bekas berisi air mendidih dahulu dan tutup dengan tudung kukusan yang dibalut dengan tuala bersih untuk mengelak wap menitis, seperti mana biasa.

Bawa bekas kedua dan ketiga ke luar untuk kerja mengisi adunan.

Susun 2 bekas berlubang itu secara bertingkat. Kemudian susun kon yang hendak diisi dalam lubang-lubang kukusan. Pastikan beberapa lubang kukusan dibiarkan kosong (jangan penuhkan semua dengan kon) untuk membolehkan wap mengalir keluar.

Sebelum mula mengisi kon dengan adunan, cuba tutup bekas kukusan itu dengan penutup kukusan, jika kon terlalu tinggi, perlu di potong sedikit atas kon supaya dapat ditutup.

Paipkan lah 3 adunan berwarna secara selang seli. Jangan terlalu penuh kerana apam akan mengembang dan kita perlu sedikit ruang untuk menyalutnya dengan coklat lagi .
Setelah siap mengisi kon, bawa ke dapur dan letak atas bekas yang sudah mendidih.
Kukus dengan api sederhana selama 15-20 minit atau sehingga apam masak.
Bila apam dah masak keluarkan dari kukusan dan biarkan ia sejuk.
Jangan buka kon dahulu sebab kita akan curahkan coklat atasnya dan kita perlu kon itu untuk mengekalkan bentuknya.

Coklat hiasan dimasak dengan kaedah double-boil. Dengan menggunakan sudu kecil, salutkan atas apam dengan coklat dan taburkan dengan kekacang, choc rice atau manik warna-warni mengikut suka. Susun apam ini dalam gelas tinggi dan letak sekejap dalam peti sejuk untuk mengeraskan coklat. Bila dah keras, boleh buka balutan kon dan jadilah apam ice cream cornetto siap untuk di makan.

Selamat mencuba.

biskut comel

Salam. Besok lusa sudah lebaran. Sudah siap semua persiapan, atau tengah kelam kabut ?

Tahun ni macam tiada mood. Kenapa? Entah lah.

Tidak payah layan mood down aku, jom kita share kuih raya.

Tajuk post Biskut Comel. Memang malas buat kuih tahun ni, tapi tiada hati juga mau beli. Jadi mau nda mau terpaksa buat sikit. Itu pun baru start minggu ni. Selepas buat 1 kuih - London Almond, terasa mau cari kuih-kuih lain yang tidak pernah dicuba dan kalau boleh tiada dijual dikedai. Waah..camana tu..misi kelainan sungguh.

Setelah beberapa lama blog walking, jumpa lah biskut raya yang sangat cute ini. Sumber carian dari blog MasamManis. Best blog ni, macam2 resipi kuih yang cantik2. Cuba la aku jumpa awal2.  Ini tinggal 4 hari lagi. Anyway, yang pertama aku try, Biskut Cendawan. Bukan berinti cendawan atau berperisa cendawan tapi shape cendawan dengan dot-dot colourful.  Walaupun lambat siap sebab adunannya lembut dan mesti berhati-hati, lepas tu icing mau dibahagi banyak color  tapi bila siap memang puas hati dengan kecomelannya. Mari tengok gambar.

Kan? comel ka tidak ? Rasa dia pun sedap. I wish I doubled the recipe. Sekarang ni malas la mau ulang buat balik. (Tapi macam nda cukup mau bagi 2, bawa ke kampung.) Hishh.

Dan seterusnya, biskut kedua - Biskut Donut.
Ini biskut shape donut, lepas bakar , glaze dengan melted chocolate dan hiaslah ikut suka . Excited nih tengok gambar. Aku mau buat macam AppleDonut punya rupa. Buat cantik-cantik. TETAPI. Kalau yang pertama tadi lembut, ini lagi lah RAPUH. Sangat-sangat susah untuk dicanai dan diterap. Dan aku pula sudah awal2 sukat double recipe. Aiyaaaa..mencabar jiwa dan kesabaran. Sebenarnya aku tidak ikut pun resipi asal. Resipi asalnya biskut butter biasa, tapi aku memandai-mandai pakai almond cornflakes cookie punya adunan sebab dulu anak-anak suka sangat crunchy. Nah, crunchy la sekarang. Pinggang aku yang crunchy ni. Baru, adunan tu bila kasi double, dia off. Tidak jadi, berderai saja, macam mana mau canai? Terpaksa adjust. Macam buat balik oh, tambah tepung, nda mau juga di shape , tambah lagi banyak2 tepung mungkin cornflakes terlebih, tambah butter, tambah la gula sikit sebab sudah banyak taruh tepung. Oh Tuhan. Sudah jadi triple. Dan entah apa rasa dia sudah terlampau banyak renovation. Nasib baik, jumlah untuk diterap tidaklah begitu banyak sebab pakai donut cutter jadi biskut ni besar sikit dari biskut-biskut biasa. Ok, mari lihat gambar.

Betul-betul macam donut kan? Dan rasa dia alhamdulillah, sedap. Rangup dan sedap.

Kalau mau cuba, pergi la mengintai blog tu dan salin resipi nya ok.

Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf zahir dan batin.

Double Loss

Every Ramadhan we tend to think of lost ones, walk down the memory lane and brace the sadness of missing them as we pepare to celebrate Eid. As I get older, one of the things I dread is losing more relatives around this time.
You'd think it'd get easier, that you'd get hardened and detach yourself emotionally because that's the fact of life. But sometimes the barrier wall comes down. As did yesterday.

Both my aunt and uncle passed away yesterday morning. The shock numbed us for a second. One is buried in Kota Belud and another is buried in Papar. The whole day was spent basically on the road trying to get from one to another opposite end to attend the burial. It became possible due to fact that uncle's body was arriving from Lahad Datu and only arrived Papar after maghrib. But add the bad traffic , especially Papar highway, we made it just in time. I have been having iftar at home since the start, yesterday was the first on the road. It's also the first time I attend night burial.

Al-fatihah to the souls of my last living maternal aunt and my last living paternal uncle. There isn't regret. Both had long productive lives. May they rest in peace. Amin.

colours

I'm playing with colors the past couple of days.

I saw my niece got crazy about the apam polka dot we had during the weekend's kenduri arwah, ordered from her mom's friend. I wanna try making it.

So when I got home, I set immediately looking for the recipe and made apam polka dot.  And then because I have all the colours, I went ahead and tried the famous rainbow cakes I've seen in pinterest and mommy bloggers. I can't say I'm too happy with the outcome, of both cakes. Today I make another batch of the polka dots cuppies because I knew I was technically wrong the first time but I still end up dissatisfied the second time around.

Oh well, anyway, here are the shots.

It's not light and fluffy enough to taste. I like the colors tho and I enjoy dotting the batter.


The next foray, Layered Rainbow Cake. I followed Martha Stewart's recipe.

Hugely disappointed with the stacking disaster, because everything else was going smooth up until then. The layers baked beautifully, the colors were gorgeous, BUT then the cakes won't come off the parchment paper. Stuck like glue. I double greased the pan for the rest of the batches so those were rescued but the first two were just horror.( Good thing I only have the 2 baking pans to alternate and had a chance to damage-control. If I had done this in all 6 pans?) I had to tear the paper off bit by bit to avoid breaking but the edges were gone.  totally didn't expect this. I worried about domed cakes (I hate levelling), I worried about the colors but I never had problems with baking paper not coming off before.  I patched up with lots of frosting and force the stacks. I should maybe just discard the destroyed ones and stack incomplete colors. I needed to see the rainbow even if its crooked.

Better week ahead to you.

Lately

1. My computer was ill the past month. Actually 'ill' doesn't quite describe it, more like in a comma. The only way to revive it was to clean up all the way, as in reformat all over, as in all things gone, all my folders, all the photos. GONE. 4 years worth of family photos. I don't even want to think.

2. The last weeks of June was spent repaying 'fast' while trying out some new recipes.

M&M chewie sugar cookies. Mine didn't turn out very pretty (i refuse to share the picture with u). If you like chewy cookie, this is a keeper. It has 2 ounce cream cheese in it so its yummy. This is where I found the recipe, you can see the picture along there.


Moussaka, from Yasmin's mengunyah. It's really very good, even though I messed up the white sauce.

3. On the bleachers last Thursday, cheering on my kids, who raced in their School Sports Day. My son took part in one event, 4x100 as the last runner and won gold. His sport house (rumah Hijau) came out overall champion as well. I'm still tickled by their cheering song, ' coca cola seven up, rumah hijau up, up, up !' ( andui bah..). His sister took part in track as well but lost and her house, Biru came out third. You can imagine how she hates discussing the day on the ride home.

4. I just only read the book - The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, already made a film years ago. Enjoys it so. Must go out and find the CD.

5. Attended a birthday party next door on Saturday, and just learned that our neighbour has 10 siblings, making 11 of them in the family including him, all except one, are boys. No wonder they end up as footballers, they make a complete team. I bet the sister can play well too.

That's life lately. See you again, if I see you.

Guests Gone

We bid farewell to our foster sons yesterday. They are nice lads, Haiqal and Jewis. Shy, polite and well mannered. They checked out from school but continuing on their own, staying in a hotel until the weekend. I heard they have plans for pulau trip.

Some little souveneirs I got them from Gaya Street.

They had Tuesday out of town, going up to the War Memorial Park in Kundasang and then later hiking a trail in the National Park. They rushed back 4pm because they needed to prepare for the night's show at school. Both of them performed in the dance. Haiqal got moves while Jewis was..how shall I say it..he was so shy and awkward if he could disappear into the wall he would. He didn't do more beyond shifting his foot and kept trying to hide himself behind his mates. He knew I was in the front seat taking pictures.;) They did 3 numbers and the school reciprocate with 3 dances, ending with 'magunatip' where the visiting students were obliged to participate. They were good sports and a bunch of them got on the floor, belatedly realising it looked easier than done. All in all, a good dinner, they had great fun, we had fun watching. I might add, the school need to get a new PA system, that's all I' m saying.

Guests

So it's been a month. I didn't go anywhere. Didn't feel like blogging much either. Besides my computer is acting up. Flickering on and off. Damn annoying.


Just updating on recent developments, we have 2 exchange students from Singapore staying with us now, under the school's twinning programme thingy.. So I got 2 extra sons, one Malay, the other chinese. The Malay is chirpy and friendly, the chinese quiet and awkward, in addition he doesn't speak Malay at all.Hmm. Today they join us out in the backyard for some family time. I think they had fun playing football with Helmi. :D They have a long day tomorrow. There's a field trip to Kundasang and in the evening a performance show at school.We'll catch up again then, ok.

May Babies

(edited)

I don't feel very well. Sore throat, dull headache, stuffy nose.  The heat got me. I think it's 50 celcius out there. Insane.

Yesterday was my birthday. Went out to do some errands, came back and holed up in room, with the air-con on. Yeah..that was pretty much how birthday was spent this year. However loved ones lift up my spirits. Thank you so much to dear sister-in law for the surprise cake and the lovely tudung. Appreciate it. You're an angel. Thank you my lovely children for the loving wishes and hugs and kisses though tired from school and almost fainting from the heat.
Thank you friends and family for the kind wishes. (S n V, I am finally showing your present here).
Thank you dear loving hubby for the nice dinner and the new camera. I didn't expect any more present after that jewellery from Korea. FYI folks, that's amethyst, semi-precious stone . That'll be my Raya jewellery then.

A week prior was my youngest' birthday. Helmi is 9 this year. Secret Recipe made a very nice , perfect soccer themed cake. Like it.

We had a small barbeque party. We got him a new soccer ball and let him spent the day playing futsal with his friends. He's enjoyed it but he has a little bit of complaint about his party, something I have straightened up with daddy.

Bless Their Heart

Happy Mommy's Day all! Enjoy your day.

Ice Cream Pudding

I wanna share a new recipe I tried yesterday. It's been sitting around in my favourite cookbook without me noticing just because puddings aren't in my wheelhouse right now. But the recipe name just caught me, Ice Cream Pudding. Ice cream? Eh, sedap kali ni kan. I gave it a try. It's easy, it's done in minutes (or maybe, it is always easy, I just never knew). And it's yummy. It's not out of this world yummy but it's good. You know I reckon, it's perfect for exchanging juadah sungkai in Ramadhan, you can prepare it way before hand. Naah..punya awal berfikir pasal juadah sungkai, bayar puasa pun belum,...

So, here's the recipe :

Ingredients :
10g agar-agar powder
500 ml water
300 ml evaporated milk
100g palm sugar
4 tablespoon custard powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 eggs
100 ml fruit syrup (from canned fruit)
200 ml vanilla ice cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
canned cocktail fruits for garnishing

Directions
Stir agar-agar powder, water and evaporated milk over medium heat till all agar-agar dissolves.
Add in palm sugar and mix till boiling.
In a bowl, combine custard powder, vanilla essence, eggs and fruit syrup.
Strain egg mixture into milk mixture. Stir till mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
Mix in the ice cream and salt. Combine well.
Wet a 1.2 litre pudding mould with water. Pour mixture into mould.
 (So you've got to have that pretty shaped mould to get the same presentation)
Allow mixture to set before refrigerating.
Turn out pudding onto a serving platter. Garnish with fruits.

The guide

We got 3 guides. One from KK, travelling with us , and another 2 in Korea.

The Korean guides. His name is Kim Jong Sin, alias Sam. He is a proud Korean. Very keen about promoting Korean history and singing praise of all its achievements. Top in technology, great in sports, made the final in World Cup, etc. He takes pride in his name too, Kim, which is the most prominent surname in Korea. Their premier is named Kim. He's a diligent guide and knows a great deal. Sometimes, kami nda minat dengar cerita dia yang very detail, tapi kami nda sampai hati. Jadi kami buat-buat kusyuk. Dalam bas, dia suka buat joke. Nda berapa funny. Tapi kami ketawa  ia-ia.

On the final day he saw us to the airport, up to the boarding gate, ensuring we were all safe leaving the country. (ok, he possibly couldn't wait to get rid of us). We were moved. He was a caring man.

He was aided by a young man. A fine looking university student doing part time with the tourism. His name, I can't recall his real name, but he is called Rain, for the resemblance with the actor, Rain. Does he ?

Apa lagi nieces kami, minta puji ni kalau ada si Rain, control.

He did the running around, counting heads in the bus, searching the late ones, helped the restaurant to serve us, buying entrance tickets, etc. He is a hardworker. They have excellent work ethics here.
Kesimpulannya - Top marks for guides.

Ok, guess that's all about our trip. Have a nice week.

K Food

Still on Korea. The food.

For breakfast, except the first day when we got udon mee, most days we got American breakfast at the hotel. We stayed at four different hotels.

First encounter with udon mee.

 Second day at Daemyung Resort Hotel.

 Third day at Windsor Hotel. Here you put away your own dirty dishes. There are 3 bins provided, one for fork&spoon, one for plastic cups and another for leftover food.

 Fourth day at Secret Hotel. Can you see the container infront of me? My sister's kuih makmur, all the way from KK. She brought makmur and tat nenas, apart from sambal udang.

Fifth day at Twobin Hotel. We stayed 2 nights here. Last hotel before leaving Korea.

Lunch and dinner, pretty much the same - seafood steamboat. Day after day.

 First day lunch at Naminara wharf. We were a bit excited to be sitting on the floor. The fish didn't look appetising but you'd be surprised, it was quite tasty. It's like oven-baked to perfection and no fishy smell. The small bowl of rice was actually a lot and we found out that the rice here is very filling, glutinousy like. No steamboat yet this time, we got vegetable soup instead.

They saved the steamboat for dinner.

First day dinner, a huge steamboat of seafood. The crab weren't that fresh. Tasted like it had been frozen for years.

 Our second day lunch. See the siut decorating the walls. This restaurant is totally seafood. Today's menu is pollack soup and grilled sardine fish. Pollack is a popular fish here. Always made into soup. But the soup contained very little fish meat , instead a lot of tauhu added. Ceh..complain..

Exterior of the restaurant. The hanged potraits are owners of the restaurant. The young man is the current owner, I'm guessing this is a family business.

Second day dinner at Sky Bar restaurant. Yeah, steamboat again. Today, there's a strange side dish. Among usual kimchi and blanched sprout, a spoonfull of potato salad. Motif, kombinasi?

Third day, we had lunch at the theme park. Fastfood. But for dinner, we went to a secret passageway.

 Behind this building, Korea Freedom Federation, there's an underground restaurant. Upstairs, there's shops selling souveneirs. Strange location.

 We brought our canned food every meal times now. Sambal ikan bilis, kari ayam, etc. to compensate the repeat menu.

 Fourth day lunch. I'm so ready for a different food. I'm getting sick of K-soup.

 So for dinner, the guide got us bibimbap. A claypot of rice mixed with vege on a hotplate. This is nice. A bit like fried rice. The unavoidable soup was served along too. My nieces can survive here in Korea. They could still enjoy the soup.

 Fifth day lunch, we're having buffet spread. Yeay!
The shabu-shabu (buffet) are just like elsewhere. There's rice, fried noodles, salad, sushi, cakes, icecream , coffee, juice, fruits. The little local cakes were yummy.

 Steamboat still there. We have become expert at heating our canned food at the stove without spilling.

 This was our last dinner, the fifth day. A muslim pakistani restaurant, Evergreen.
Quite a posh restaurant. We had ordered additonal meat dish, chicken masala and mutton curry. Nice.

Last lunch on the 6th day before heading to airport. Same old - steamboat and kimchi.
I couldn't stomach it anymore. I survived on biscuits and chips the whole day.