tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4626274526944255852024-03-06T09:16:38.040+08:00Enter My LairHarleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.comBlogger447125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-56887904418955879402020-04-28T21:54:00.000+08:002020-04-28T21:54:09.085+08:00Death.<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have always seen patients at the end of their lives at the hospital.</div>
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I have never seen the 'after'. Aftermath. How the grieving family deals with it. How the funeral is. What is after.</div>
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The end is final. Sometimes we can already guess. My daily job is to break bad news. Every day, there is always at least 1 bad news.</div>
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Your family member is dying.</div>
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He/she may most possibly not survive.</div>
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No matter how they beg me to help, I am helpless.</div>
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I am not God. I am not the answer to your hopes and prayers. I am trying as best as I can.</div>
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The is always a limit to what we, at the hospital, can do for your loved ones.</div>
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We are not heartless. The end is always final. It is always sad. No matter how hard we try to prolong it, no matter how we try to ease the end, it always comes.</div>
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Death is a promise. It is one thing that is one truth we have to understand and embrace. Young or old.</div>
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It is not that I do not want to see the aftermath. I just cannot. I have to move on. If you see the same thing I do, day in and day out, if we do not develop a mechanism to make it bearable, we will not survive. So we survive. Each in our own way.</div>
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If you see us discussing deaths so cavalierly, it is not that we do not have any empathy nor we disregard any life. No. We just have to make it as it is. For us to function.</div>
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But trust me, there are days some faces haunted us. Some stories. Some family members. Some words. Some little things like a smile, a hand who held yours, a touch, a word. We will live with that. We have to.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-13588699720126761042020-04-26T20:16:00.001+08:002020-04-26T20:16:29.990+08:00Flan/Caramel Pudding/Cream Caramel/Whatever-You-Want-To-Call-It Recipe<div style="text-align: justify;">
This recipe is adapted from myriad of online recipes I found. Reasons are, well, I don't like my dessert to sweet (it is still TOO sweet, as you will see from the amount of sugar) and I don't like eggs. Period. I adapt it to suit my needs and what I have but hey, it works.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iyoUUBdJN-4Dr3g7eicb0x9TQNT7c1Y189hQWw0Pq86pZwf136Ogt05Y3f0VfI_VWIQl2EYCaIwZmmZsLy_VpTOGc5Fo8BtFs0pkMhtoiYLKFIz1IIQz3D65RwGKMzKtC1hMecWPcs1m/s1600/1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3iyoUUBdJN-4Dr3g7eicb0x9TQNT7c1Y189hQWw0Pq86pZwf136Ogt05Y3f0VfI_VWIQl2EYCaIwZmmZsLy_VpTOGc5Fo8BtFs0pkMhtoiYLKFIz1IIQz3D65RwGKMzKtC1hMecWPcs1m/s320/1.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Photography is not my forte, so alas, enjoy the lopsidedness of this picture. Please do ignore the little bubbles, as I am impartial to imperfections. It still tastes divine, bubbles or not.</div>
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This recipe will amount to 3 normal sized mugs. I used mugs as I don't have the equipment for baking (I need to pans for the boiling hot water, which I do not have) and I don't have a steamer. I used my housemate's rice cooker (she has the family-sized one, I have the small one, so to fit 3 mugs, I used her).</div>
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<i>Serving:</i> 3 persons (very generous portion)</div>
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<i>Preparation:</i></div>
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1. 3 mugs (normal sized, as in ones you can generally get anywhere, even from RM 2 shops) </div>
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2. Boil your water in the rice cooker (generally we put about 1/4 height of our mugs of water)</div>
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<i>Ingredients:</i></div>
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<u>Caramel sugar syrup</u> </div>
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<li>3/4 cups of white sugar (120g) - equals to 1/4 cup (40g) of sugar per mug</li>
<li>3/8 cups of water (60mL) - equals to 1/8 cup (20mL) of water per mug</li>
<li>3/8 cups of boiling water (60mL) - equals to 1/8 cup (20mL) of boiling water per mug (this is used at the end, when your sugar caramel mixture turned golden brown)</li>
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<u>Pudding</u></div>
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<li>5 medium to large sized eggs (I used grade B eggs)</li>
<li>600mL milk - equals to 200mL per mug, if you like more, you can add more milk. 200mL is sufficient per mug</li>
<li>1/2 to 3/4 cups of sugar - I prefer 1/2 cup (I actually add another 1/8 cup to my 1/2 cup, as I am making this for my housemates too, not just for me), usual recipe calls for 3/4 (1/4 cup for each mug), follow your own preference </li>
<li>Splash of vanilla - to mask the eggy smell</li>
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<i>Instruction:</i></div>
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<li>Put 3/4 cups of white sugar and 3/8 cups of water together on a pan and boil it on low to medium heat, I used low heat to control the browning of my caramel sauce</li>
<li>At the same time, boil 3/8 cups of water</li>
<li>Once your sugar and water mixture turns golden brown, swish it around to even the colour to get the maple syrupy colour you want and turn off the heat</li>
<li>Pour the 3/8 cups of boiling water onto your hot caramel syrup mixture, close the lid of your pand and swish it around so that your syrup is less sticky - this is important as your syrup mixture will become stickier and hardened fast, this boiling water step is to prolong the period before your syrup becomes sticky and hard to pour</li>
<li>Pour the hot caramel sauce into 3 separate mugs in equal doses, well, as equally as possible, if you can</li>
<li>Then mix your pudding ingredient together until well combined, I whisk the eggs first to break the yolk before adding sugar and milk</li>
<li>Sift your pudding mixture to remove any lumps onto your 3 separate mugs</li>
<li>Cover each of the mug with foil (and I used rubber band to make the foil snug) and put the mugs into your boiling water in the rice cooker. You can substitute rice cooker with an oven or pan, as long as your pan is deep enough for boiling water to reach about 1/4th the height of your mugs. You need this water bath to cook your pudding evenly. If you use a pan (on your stove), put the heat into low to medium heat</li>
<li>I cook my caramel for 10-15 minutes, until the middle part is jiggly (not runny/watery, but jiggly as in almost solid), then turn of the heat and let the pudding steam for another 15 minutes</li>
<li>The cool the mug on room air for 1-2 hours and then put the mug in the fridge for at least 6 hours</li>
<li>Then, reveal time! Put a knife at the edge of the pudding and put the mug upside down onto a shallow dish and voila! Your flan is ready to be devoured, errrr, consumed!</li>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-65408167186362147432020-04-23T18:37:00.003+08:002020-04-23T18:38:06.249+08:00Times Of COVID<div style="text-align: justify;">
While this MCO is not really MCO for me (other than not being able to go home to KL to see my family, business is as usual for me, as in my days are the usual), I have been doing things I haven't done or before.</div>
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I have started to cook again (ah, reminds me of the good old student days in New Zealand). Just because food it hard to come by, and takeout does not interest me anymore after eating the same thing over and over again.</div>
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I have started to be interested in plants. Yes, plants. It started with not being able to get my hands on curry leaves. Then it became another whole new interest after seeing Mardhati and Kalai's garden of herbs, spices, vegetables and plants.</div>
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Then, lastly, I got addicted to buying groceries and random household items. From RM2 shop, DIY shop, supermarkets and Shopee. Yes, I am doomed. So doomed.</div>
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One thing that is surely not budging, is my career. Exam is postponed, thus I am stuck where I am in this rut until I can move forward and sit for my exam. For now, this has to be in the back burner.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-67904395541816662632019-11-09T15:40:00.001+08:002019-11-09T16:25:30.571+08:00SHOPBACK!!! My Most Favourite Cashback Site!<div style="text-align: justify;">
My most favourite (MOST IN CAPITAL LETTER) online site EVER!</div>
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://app.shopback.com/mys?raf=mvRZV1&slug=referred-signup-bonus" target="_blank">SHOPBACK!</a></span></b></div>
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I have earned RM250 so far just by clicking to favourite shopping sites like Shopee and Lazada via Shopback. It is seemless, easy and I earned cashback for SHOPPING! My favourite kind of hobby!</div>
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So, if you are interested, you can use my link below. That way, you can earn money, I can also earn money hehehehe. Mutual love y'all!</div>
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<a href="https://app.shopback.com/mys?raf=mvRZV1&slug=referred-signup-bonus" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Click here for referral link *wink wink*</span></a></div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-70992109598249840102019-05-16T23:28:00.001+08:002019-05-16T23:28:37.257+08:00The Hair Care I Love!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10161692855945015&set=pcb.10161692886290015&type=3&__tn__=HH-R&eid=ARDLNKGaA5aRcPIvpDpBVdiTDMUpKYjKWy8v3CLN7WPgJDlZ9YHeNvBG6MCZwVs8nrFt3MkmsM8lpjTY"><img src="https://scontent.fkul8-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/q90/p403x403/59813686_10161692855950015_4266041305441763328_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_eui2=AeFqQI_6-PAe2eLE80vgntbiDvomhKyxvzxR0XD8gCSG366ljuQmdpmrUnOeW3duS6KvDlR3AO3R-QiUGM-NPteKPtz-35zGx1AxjQl2-G2Tug&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul8-1.fna&oh=3865d2f333cf5f03eb78b408edaf8096&oe=5D5A2BFD" /></a></div>
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Today is a great day.<br /><br />I will be talking about my daily hair care.<br /><br />I actually am not a really high maintenance/fussy person in terms of my hair care/skincare. I use cheap drugstore products which I usually purchase when they are on sale.<br /><br />Lets start with the background story. I don't have luscious hair like those TV hair models. I have fairly black (like most Asians do) hair which is prone to hair fall. In fact, I have severe case of hair fall. I have yet to have any bald spots, but I can collect my hair in a week and probably make a wig out of it. It is not too dry nor not too oily. I do not have any scalp issues.<br /><br />So, moving on. I have been using these products for a few months now. I think I am nearing my hair products anniversary now. Other than the deep conditioner (the blue opened packet here), I have used this brand of hair care for a few months.<br /><br />I have used Good Virtues Co shampoo, conditioner and hair serum. While I use the shampoo and conditioner regularly, I have to admit to being lazy and use the serum probably 4-5 times a week instead of after each hair cleansing.<div>
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<img alt="Image may contain: drink" height="320" src="https://scontent.fkul8-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/59984082_10161692856050015_1352760964180606976_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_eui2=AeFB2RZuCs3RlbwZLHL9RyCCDH1rrY5uChoc3nHlleH1nToBZ4Ao1WBx72JKbNp0JH1j9FrXsp4Pearvh2M0ygL58UsZbVa6qYoDJU5FW-BxUw&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul8-1.fna&oh=2c82116be404764409ba13ff21c4f391&oe=5D597C8A" width="240" /></div>
<br />This brand is not something spectacular, my hair does not become beautifully luscious nor the hair fall reduces but 4 things I truly can recommend:<br />1. The packaging is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. It's colourful and beautiful. I am a sucker for beautiful things.<br />2. The price is great. On sale in Watson, I can easily get it for half the shelf price. <br />3. The smell is HEAVENLY. I love the smell. My hair smells so yummy after each wash.<br />4. The shampoo and conditioner have this cooling effect on my scalp that I love every time I use them. It is probably menthol or some sort, but I love it. My scalp feels tingly and as if air conditioner is blowing on it.<br /><br />Now, the star of the day. The deep conditioner.<br /><br />It is recommended by my housemate a few weeks ago. She loves it and in view of it being on sale (as usual, my motivation is heavily relied on discounts and sales), I bought a few sachets from Guardian. I think the price point is RM15+ per sachet, but I got it for RM8.<br /><br />Each sachet lasts for 3-4 wash, depending on your hair volume. The less hair you have (shorter and thinner hair), the longer this can last. This super awesome product is super easy to use, just slather it all over your hair after a wash with your regular shampoo and leave it for around 10 minutes. Then rinse. I use it once a week.<br /><br />What I get is super beautiful luscious hair that: lasts for a few days. It smells super beautiful too (notice I use 'beautiful' multiple times here).<br /><br />The downside of this product is:<br />1. It is expensive for 3-4 washings. Come on, it is RM15 per sachet, which is equal to ~RM4-5 per wash.<br />2. Its packaging. It is like our instant noodle sauce. It can easily spill or get contaminated or dry out in between use.<br /><br />I have yet to find a product that is good for hair fall. I know our diet is an important factor for hair fall control, but I need a range of hair product that is good for my hair. For now, these 4 is doing okay for my hair. I still love the deep conditioner. It is super nice.<div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-55215737144424605972019-02-21T21:15:00.004+08:002020-04-28T21:55:43.891+08:00Bargain Hunting 101: Buy When It Is Cheap<div style="text-align: justify;">
Those who know me, know I am a shark at heart. A shark at bargain hunting (har-har, not funny, I know, I am lame that way).</div>
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Anyway, I bought MOST of my stuff at bargain price, which means, they are usually sold at discounted price.</div>
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Yesterday, I went to a mall close to my home and bought 4 pairs of shoes, all at discounted price.</div>
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These are my new darlings:</div>
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Pretty gray velveteen sandals with gray bow and circular details on top</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgk9orRaCPPIZVO9l7q3t1jiyZ1oMHm3jhwhLlKdHDOuBRYTPgDGyfXMs05cfrp126kni3CJp5K2cD39Ptuj-aoyMzlEjGutRYbVjd8DBkfZsOUtThRjQlRF03dwDfB5ym43tvZJmujdZ7/s1600/20190221_202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgk9orRaCPPIZVO9l7q3t1jiyZ1oMHm3jhwhLlKdHDOuBRYTPgDGyfXMs05cfrp126kni3CJp5K2cD39Ptuj-aoyMzlEjGutRYbVjd8DBkfZsOUtThRjQlRF03dwDfB5ym43tvZJmujdZ7/s320/20190221_202022.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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RM 19</div>
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Similar to ones on top, except it is in baby-blue</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMR7VQ5fqOg1z-vGojMmymCI7wD0uH2ohaEvk22CAx45jSM3W4U-J_32pfoQl6-Lm4ws7NCnkNCVeTHqN3zlFjVzojONnU6uOnhC44L_a-mpguSL9ZK7op_80kxkATrlQvMinBrT_chUH/s1600/20190221_202006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwMR7VQ5fqOg1z-vGojMmymCI7wD0uH2ohaEvk22CAx45jSM3W4U-J_32pfoQl6-Lm4ws7NCnkNCVeTHqN3zlFjVzojONnU6uOnhC44L_a-mpguSL9ZK7op_80kxkATrlQvMinBrT_chUH/s320/20190221_202006.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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RM19</div>
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Baby pink velveteen sandals with pink bows</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGm2svo4WPLxfY_tyvBr-w01deOpRgjSmGEQvyMwJS_xRFdAGmVBShqXxMcYwc-dLTsG-uh3ZR857xjy_0T3mBYWatWF8R9yJ7J_MxqzLmZUI_qNBftF7SdVB0HbMvLwvBOIleDau3emI/s1600/20190221_201928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTGm2svo4WPLxfY_tyvBr-w01deOpRgjSmGEQvyMwJS_xRFdAGmVBShqXxMcYwc-dLTsG-uh3ZR857xjy_0T3mBYWatWF8R9yJ7J_MxqzLmZUI_qNBftF7SdVB0HbMvLwvBOIleDau3emI/s320/20190221_201928.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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RM9</div>
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<span style="color: #e06666;">Shiny dark blue-purple sandals</span></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwCd-eJU2x4GogWkOGotnq2tR1_73uK94fMhKLYEWGo1hPceHmVVgdWbd2Vfkv3Sxona4HPgLYPEdXUTBNnSdF5K0PnMh9i9YvCa8PQuqlkJzIPqTeu_2pGMufEVqP_stE6A-i5ZlBHCb/s1600/20190221_202040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEwCd-eJU2x4GogWkOGotnq2tR1_73uK94fMhKLYEWGo1hPceHmVVgdWbd2Vfkv3Sxona4HPgLYPEdXUTBNnSdF5K0PnMh9i9YvCa8PQuqlkJzIPqTeu_2pGMufEVqP_stE6A-i5ZlBHCb/s320/20190221_202040.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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RM19 </div>
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Original price for each pair of shoes is RM75. I am happy for these as I need shoes for work as my shoes are both spoiled (I've used both of them for 8 months, now it is time to say sayonara, thank you, next ones please ala Marie Kondo).</div>
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I would rather all my shoes to be RM9, alas, size is my limitation. My perfect fit for Vincci is size 8, but I compromised and got 2 in size 9.</div>
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For those who are new at bargain hunting and would like to dip their toes in it, Vincci is one of the perfect brand for bargain hunters. </div>
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Every now and then, they would put their old stock at the side and sell the shoes for RM9 or RM19, I usually buy my shoes at those prices, since I am not really into new latest fashion trends. Lookout for those racks. They are usually snapped up really fast. I make it a habit to check the side racks for cheap stuff if I am in the mood for new shoes. I actually need these new shoes for work. All of them are less than RM100, and Vincci is actually a good local brand which items are in great condition and good quality. They usually last me at least 1 year, some even stretch up to 2-3 years. Great value considering I usually buy them at discounted price of RM9-19 per pair.</div>
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So, go and check your local Vincci/Padini stores!</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-83761850968926425182019-02-06T21:03:00.001+08:002019-02-22T01:45:05.270+08:00My New Darling Find: Joyful Eye Shadow Palatte!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am truly excited for this new palatte!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5INt4fOcJaYZBTFQNa-wJmB0af6cCZmUndnpo557DT-zNKk4lp-u6OW94Z_q4FM011nX7HVoUqePB6ixrmeD_rl5K8OQRDpdb46tQ7EVUnA1WLBpjtQ_dZ2H1EuGfdj93AhSuwpn4tmt/s1600/Joyful+Palatte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg5INt4fOcJaYZBTFQNa-wJmB0af6cCZmUndnpo557DT-zNKk4lp-u6OW94Z_q4FM011nX7HVoUqePB6ixrmeD_rl5K8OQRDpdb46tQ7EVUnA1WLBpjtQ_dZ2H1EuGfdj93AhSuwpn4tmt/s320/Joyful+Palatte.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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As everyone who knows me, I am a total newbie when it comes to skincare and makeup. This Chinese New Year brought a LOT of discounts and sales and as usual, it becomes my particular favourite time of the year.</div>
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I went to Watsons and bought a lot of my daily care products.</div>
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Incidentally (not really, I was totally my fault for testing this), I went to test their makeup products on sale. I was not planning to get any eye shadow palatte since I have good one for smokey eyes (my go-to look) and I rarely use it anyway. But alas, there is time and place for everything. I went to test this no-name brand eye shadow palatte and fell in love. After a LONG deliberation, I just bought it. It was on sale and it was only RM25.35 anyway.<br />
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<i>Disclaimer:</i> I am not sure what is the brand. It may be a dupe for some brand I do not know of. But you can get this at Watsons and I believe it is a Watsons brand (no mention about it specifically).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4zqOyH8OQLhMfnmqVRWbH053CBa4n85vVx2LEmzdZ7V-geJVpnV_cHPlmDeVOIbwT4HPjeMWOGJnGTrdu-jzET2dXgppaSAeLu-3vtBaMHLmIUhrPBoT9X8ZgRG5ThH6YDVPokLHyw6Y/s1600/Joyful+Palatte+Inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY4zqOyH8OQLhMfnmqVRWbH053CBa4n85vVx2LEmzdZ7V-geJVpnV_cHPlmDeVOIbwT4HPjeMWOGJnGTrdu-jzET2dXgppaSAeLu-3vtBaMHLmIUhrPBoT9X8ZgRG5ThH6YDVPokLHyw6Y/s320/Joyful+Palatte+Inside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Let's get into the nitty-gritty of it!</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><u>Price</u></span></h3>
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Price point is GREAT! It is affordable for 12 colours, 8 in which are shimmery shades. RM25.35 after 30% discount, I believe. I would say this goes into the drugstore brand category. As opposed to high-end brand.</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><u>Packaging</u></span></h3>
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It is a simple black boxed package. Smallish but it looks beautiful nonetheless. The lettering on the external box is in gold and adds the beauty of the whole package. The small package is great for travelling.</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><u>Inside</u></b></span></h3>
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As per picture above. The eye shadow palatte are all mini-sized, but it is sufficient for me since I do not wear eye shadow often enough before they become stale and unusable. The eye shadow applicator is not my favourite but you can always use your fingers or your own brush. The colours are beautiful and cheerful. Gold, red, brown, plum and bronze in various shimmery shades.</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><u>Item</u></b></span></h3>
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Now the star of it all! The eye shadows themselves!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyDGc8T661SVwobM-WxN4uur33C9TyMk_G_zNEoNtRAiShMOQtsxT1V_Imcr9EKPK89GOt1Pdw7F9cFwJm3_GU7vdTZHYxMqTF8YXYxVcM005gG2Cn_J0wDyRZPZEG8GOFFCU_Jbbn8ty/s1600/Swatxh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyDGc8T661SVwobM-WxN4uur33C9TyMk_G_zNEoNtRAiShMOQtsxT1V_Imcr9EKPK89GOt1Pdw7F9cFwJm3_GU7vdTZHYxMqTF8YXYxVcM005gG2Cn_J0wDyRZPZEG8GOFFCU_Jbbn8ty/s320/Swatxh.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Okay, I just swatched the shimmery colours. There are 8 shimmery colours with the shade of red, pink, plum, bronze, gold and brown. The middle swatch are also suitable for highlights, I think, they are so light and shiny. One thing I have to confess, these are not super pigmented. I have to do multiple swatch for them to come out like this. But a few colours really stood out. The dark brown bronze shade at the end, that is THE QUEEN of the palette. One swatch and it is BEAUTIFUL. The red at the other end, it is THE KING (get it, KING and QUEEN). I love the plum colour too, next to the red shade, but it has one of the poorest pigmentation out of the bunch (as poor as the light gold one, third from the end of brown). The palette is not too powdery, so fallout is minimal (it still has some fallout though).</div>
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I'd recommend this for beginners like me, who are dabbling into makeup and not keen to dive into the high end stuff yet.<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><u>Ratings</u></b></span></h3>
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3/5 - Great for beginners like me. Something cheap but great looking. Not too bulky for travelling. Colourful enough for the cheerful look.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-72079531076197637452019-01-30T21:22:00.006+08:002019-01-30T21:22:32.158+08:00An Introduction To Bargain Hunting<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am a bargain hunter. I feel the most satisfaction from bargains and sales. I bought MOST of my stuff on discounted price. So, I rarely buy latest fashion/products. And since I am also a creature of habit, I buy most of my products over and over again.</div>
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For an example, I have used my body wash since ages ago. Since high school days. That is YEARS. It is the same with my facial wash.</div>
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So, I tend to buy my personal products during sales in bulk. I'd buy my shampoo, conditioner, body wash, facial wash, deodorant etc in bulk and at discounted price. Bulk as is usually more than 1. I would usually buy 2-3 the least at a time.</div>
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I get serious anxiety if I find my stock running to 1-2, so I tend to go into flurry of buying spree.</div>
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So, based on my annual accounting, I actually saved A LOT of money buying my essentials in bulk.</div>
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I'd advise the same for everyone. Buy your personal products during sales period in bulk, if you are a creature of habit like me, that is. I have saved more than hundreds of Ringgit this way. And on the plus side, I've never have the need to go into an emergency run for toothpaste or body wash whenever I ran out of them.</div>
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Maybe one day, I'd do a list of great bargain hunting places and webstores.</div>
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P/S: I don't know whether this advice is useful for those who use high end products eg SKII, Estee Lauder etc. Since I personally do not use these products *SHRUG*</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-6547845969846756432019-01-26T13:14:00.002+08:002019-01-26T13:22:36.252+08:00Dobukki AKA Spicy Rice Cakes<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today both my Mama and Aunty asked the recipe for this dish when I posted it on Facebook. </div>
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I have loved this snack ever since I tasted it. It is mildly spicy and a little bit sweet but delicious nonetheless. </div>
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Yesterday, I was suddenly inspired to make it (aka 'forced' to make it by my housemate Fatin). And it is super duper easy~</div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #e69138;">Dobukki</span></u></b></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdofTMf0oF-4TwB2qJNCBRD4mE9gaiGrAvt2d3FluXddrnQw1RtAwGMO_5iStAkxWGFMHcCUPTlXpvKYUtmMa3z1UWjhGn0X4tvqNma4H2Hxo4Icuoj0GJh5yhSa_3JlmyfPaqw1JUOgZ/s1600/50560847_10161302216870015_1392878707504316416_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdofTMf0oF-4TwB2qJNCBRD4mE9gaiGrAvt2d3FluXddrnQw1RtAwGMO_5iStAkxWGFMHcCUPTlXpvKYUtmMa3z1UWjhGn0X4tvqNma4H2Hxo4Icuoj0GJh5yhSa_3JlmyfPaqw1JUOgZ/s400/50560847_10161302216870015_1392878707504316416_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Serving: </i>2-3 persons</div>
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<i>Ingredients</i></div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Rice cakes</span> - A handful (you can put as much and as little as you want, I put about 2/3 of the frozen package or around 200g worth into mine today). I am too lazy to make it from scratch, I bought it frozen from a local specialty store in Batu Pahat. You can actually find this at a lot of supermarket these days, especially those with an isle dedicated especially for Korean food. If not, you can actually make it. It is quite easy, it is just a litttle bit time consuming if you want something fast. I bought mine for RM12 for 300g.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Gochujang (spicy hot pepper paste)</span> - 2/3 cup. Again this amount is quite versatile, if you want more sauce (like me), then put a bit more. To be honest, this sauce is not spicy. At all. It is mild in flavour. Again, this is widely available in our local supermarkets. I found mine at the same shop in Batu Pahat, but again, I also saw this in Aeon, Giant etc.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Chilli powder</span> - 2 tablespoons. This is mild to medium heat. I love spicy food, so usually I add more. Adjust according to your preference. More chilli power = spicier your dobukki will be,</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Anchovy stock</span> - Actually, it is a kelp/anchovy stock, but I forgot to get kelp, thus I just use anchovies to make my stock. This is super important coz if you just add gochujang into boiling water, well, it is less tasty as using a base stock. You can substitute with any stock such as chicken, beef or vegetable stock. Koreans love their fish-based stock in a lot of their dishes and I love it too.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Sugar</span> - 1/2 tablespoon. I tried to not put sugar in any of my dishes, especially savory dishes, but the gochujang make the sauce taste a bit bitter without sugar, so I add a bit of sugar. You can substitute sugar with corn syrup. Maple syrup or honey have distinctive taste, so if you add those, beware that it can alter the taste of this dish.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Spring onion</span> - 2-3 stalks. The base with whitish part, you can chop it and put into the sauce while the leafy green can be used as garnish. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Fish cakes</span> - I LOVE LOVE fish cakes. I put as many rice cakes as my fish cakes, that is how I love my fish cakes. For this part of the ingredient, you can substitute with basically anything, chicken/fish balls, sausages, any meat tbh. Fish cakes absorb the flavour of the sauce more, so I love to put fish cakes into mine.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Water</span> - 4 cups</li>
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<i>Anchovy/Kelp Stock</i></div>
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<li>Boil water with 10 anchovies and a small strip of dried kelp (around 5-10cm) for around 10 minutes, you can opt out the kelp if it is not available in hand (like how I did it today hahahaha)</li>
<li>Remove the anchovies and kelp from the stock</li>
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<i>Instruction</i></div>
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<li>Add rice cakes, gochujang, chilli powder, sugar into your boiling anchovy stock</li>
<li>Then add your spring onion and fish cakes once the sauce is boiling</li>
<li>Once the sauce thickens (it will coat the back of your spoon), you can switch off the gas and voila! It is all ready! </li>
<li>Garnish your dobukki with spring onion. Or seaweed. Your poison of choice tbh</li>
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<i>Bonus:</i> Since I love the sauce, I usually make more, so you can add instant noodles (or ramyeon) or rice and mix them all up once all other ingredients (the fish and rice cakes) are finished. If you want more, you can also add cheese. Any cheese, sliced sandwich cheese or gourmet cheese.</div>
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Serve hot! It is yummilicious hot and spicy!</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-82020634137287641062019-01-14T21:29:00.003+08:002019-01-14T21:29:59.837+08:00Best Friend<div style="text-align: justify;">
If there is one person I love on this earth other than my loved ones (my family, that goes without saying), it is Joyce.</div>
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She is my best friend. I may not grown up with her, I may not know her long enough (but I've known her for more than 10 years, about 1/3 of my life, all of it in adulthood) and has loved her as long.</div>
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I met her in Auckland from a peer-to-peer programme both of us volunteered for. It was, if possible, love at first sight. We just clicked. She is so grounded and practical. While I was more whimsical and emotional. But we fit. Sometimes, we don't need to be similar to just love each other.</div>
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She became my family away from my much-loved family. We were both each others' sidekick. We lunched, we brunched, we dined, we gossed, we karaoked out of our lungs and lives. We did weird things. We talked about random things. We watched weird stuff. We went to concerts (sorry I am SO not into movies, so we missed that). </div>
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Her home was where her beautiful cats and family welcomed me. </div>
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When she got married, I was her bridesmaid. I am truly honored to be beside her on her big day. I get to know Alex (well, that mysterious catfish is OUT THERE I AM SURE, or was it EELS?).</div>
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I met a lot more people from Joyce. She is that person who knows everyone and she is friends with everyone. </div>
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There are too many stories to tell. Good and bad, she went through a lot with me in my last 4 years in Auckland and we kept in touch since the wedding last year.</div>
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She is having a hard time now. That is her story to tell.</div>
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I miss her and I wish her the best and all of my prayers. There is always more love around.</div>
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Love you and miss you.</div>
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Stay healthy and happy, both you and Alex.</div>
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Thinking of you.</div>
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I am not there physically but my thoughts are always with you. </div>
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THERE WILL BE GOOD DAYS AHEAD. ALWAYS.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-13414617244235309582019-01-08T22:22:00.002+08:002019-01-08T22:24:40.057+08:00Food For Thought....<div style="text-align: justify;">
I don't get this.</div>
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Why the sudden hate towards Malaysian public schools? Why the sudden harsh criticisms and downgrading opinions towards our own education system?</div>
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Yes, there are a lot that we lack and can be improved upon. But, seriously, you look down on our own public education so much, do you forget that YOU are a product of public education?</div>
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You got your own education from, yes, surprise, surprise, our very own public primary to high school. </div>
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You look down on it so much, claiming private schools are MUCH better, but hey, you get where YOU are from public schools, no?</div>
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Let me tell you a story.</div>
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I, myself, and my youngest sister, our attendance for our high school probably amount to half of it. If we are being optimistic. Most of the time, both of us DO NOT go to school. Not to 'lepak lepak' or jadi 'bohsia', mind you, we just don't like to go to school. BUT. Both of us scored all perfect As in our SPM. We were usually placed in top 3 in our school. WE DO NOT GO FOR 109734902 TUITION or whatnot. Since we do not bother to go to school, why do we even WANT to go for tuition? This is not to boast. This is a perfect example that YOU can be whomever you want to be, as long as you are willing to learn, PUBLIC or PRIVATE schools notwithstanding. You can learn where ever you want to be IF you want to.</div>
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Now.</div>
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I do understand parents concern nowadays.</div>
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They want their children to mix with the 'right people' aka the rich and well, rich. To build relationships early on. Then to get that frou frou education from private institutions that they can boast of. Some aim for their children to study overseas, thus this is their way to fast-track their offsprings' education. That is totally FINE. It is your RIGHT. Your MONEY. Your CHILDREN.</div>
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What is not right is putting down our very own fine education system (which can be tweaked but that is another story for another day). Each private and public school has its own pluses and minuses. Just understand that while it is great your children now can enjoy great environment for their early education, our education is fine to educate almost 90% of our Malaysian population.</div>
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If our own education system produce YOU and YOUR PARENTS to be who we are right now, then it is not as bad, eh?</div>
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Unless you did not turn up into 'orang', bak kata orang Melayu.</div>
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TL;DR</div>
Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-55507850865593654962018-12-21T23:09:00.002+08:002018-12-21T23:12:50.574+08:00Make-Up<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<img height="640" src="https://scontent.fkul14-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/48420159_10161169195705015_6732163539135365120_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_eui2=AeHj3E9NkMuARkIgKMb8ARC3d98zCQJC-lyh6r6B88etTwWTKMLX-ywTercsZtYeAEmNrpzxnHfv_yl8IdXNxLnHr6q2hmOYEIdc645xMQJaCw&_nc_ht=scontent.fkul14-1.fna&oh=fa085905473594a1f15052131e0babd5&oe=5C9C8067" width="475" /></div>
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I started to use makeup when I was in university.<br />
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Light years ago.</div>
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That is when I met Dora and Yaya, who convinced me that makeup is for everyone.</div>
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To be honest, half of my life, I have this subconscious fear that makeup will make me look like a clown. Add into the mix an overwhelming anxiety and belief that makeup is only for the pretty and fair. I live in a society that has this unspoken belief that being fair and thin = beauty. </div>
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Every society has its standard of beauty. Mine is no exception and I am finally at peace with that.</div>
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I will never be fair, I am born with my skin and it is God's greatest gift and it is my parents inheritance for me. My skin is good enough for me to live with (well, other than its frequent breakouts lately, discolourations and minor imperfections, but hey, I am also fine with those).</div>
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I started to dab with use of makeup with encouragements from Dora and Yaya, shoutouts to my lovely friends! It started with cheap drugstore brands, and little things like eyeshadows. My makeup repertoire gradually expands and now I am using foundation, lipstick, eyeliner and mascara daily.</div>
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At this point in my life, I am fine with my makeup achievement. I may never look like a pictorial model with flawless skin and beautiful made up face, but I am happy whenever I go out and go to work. I may be too lazy to put on primer, face mist, bake my face, eyeshadow (yes, I have a great palette, but I kept that for special occasions, I don't use it daily) and tonnes of other steps of makeup care.</div>
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I already started on my skin care routine of facial wash (all thanks to my trusted Neutrogena Deep Clean cleanser that has been a loyal friend since I was 14 years old, and to a new friend, Banila Co Clean It Zero which cleanses and hydrates my face in 1 magical step), toner (I don't remember what brand, but it is a Korean drugstore brand), face serum, face cream and my newfound love of weekly facemask.</div>
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I am excited to share my skin care routine, it is not Korean 10-step skin care, but, for a person who is prior to this, not bothered to even put any cream on my face, it is a huge step of change for me.</div>
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Beauty is skin deep and it is on the eyes of the beholder.</div>
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I stand by this beliefs.</div>
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That said, there is nothing wrong with self-pampering. This is my version of self pampering. And I am enjoying every moment of this.</div>
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Watch out for future reviews. I may not ever be a beauty blogger, but I love to share my opinions on my newfound loves.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-63397821662538024902018-12-19T22:19:00.001+08:002018-12-19T22:25:12.115+08:006 Months<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yes. My 6th month anniversary in a new part of my job.</div>
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I have officially 'graduated' about 6 months ago. Not that I remember the exact time nor date.</div>
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But give and take a few days and hours, I am into my 6th months anniversary.</div>
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To say that I've become someone new, that is overreaching.</div>
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To say that I've become wiser, I highly doubt it.</div>
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To say that I've become more competent, that is a laugh.</div>
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But I know I have learned more. I have met more people, I am still bad-tempered and impatient. I am still too lazy to read and learn more.<br />
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But when I receive a text message from a fellow junior colleague that goes like this one fine evening out of sudden:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Good morning XXX (that is moi), yesterday was my last day in YYY (my department). Just wanted to thank you for everything in YYY, I've learned a lot from you especially in procedures.</blockquote>
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Really enjoyed my time working with you and assisting procedures 😁 Hope to see you again soon! Will miss doing referrals for you 😆</blockquote>
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And please get well soon and always take good care of yourself ya</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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And I don't even think I am that nice. But I remember her as someone I trusted implicitly. Someone who listens to what I want and delivers well. Someone whose summary is almost similar to mine back in the days when I was in the same position as her. I will miss her and wish her all the best. I am sure she will be great in her profession.<br />
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AND<br />
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I still keep on saying that I want to do locum and do nothing about it other than saying it. Out loud. Then promptly forgot.</div>
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When Mas told me yesterday that she got paid a hefty amount, almost as much as our basic pay, I almost fainted (of course, in my mind only), and went into a frenzy of 'wanting to do locum'.</div>
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Alas, here I am, 1 day later. Writing my thoughts that no one is interested to read.</div>
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Anyway, happy 6th month anniversary Harley! Stay fabulous as you are!</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-3335885098480125472018-09-27T22:16:00.003+08:002018-09-27T22:30:25.018+08:00My Story - PART I<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lately, in my circle, an explosion of she-say, he-say occurs. </div>
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Before I delve deeper into this issue and tell my part of the story, insignificant as it is, let me tell you the story of who I am, in the whole scheme of things.</div>
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I am no one. I am not famous, I did not make any significant huge contribution to any part of our society other than I am alive, working, functional and a consumer. I am whom you can say, partially vocal, partially reticent, like any other persons. I share my views for fun. I rarely divulge anything that is related to my privacy other than my hobbies and observations and some parts of my random travels and daily life. I am no celebrity, in the easiest terms.</div>
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I am a doctor.</div>
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My circle mainly consists of my small group of good friends, family and colleagues and friends from my life journey (from high school to various housemates from my years from living apart from my family to my friends I found at college, universities and work). So, my friends are mostly those who work in the health industry. </div>
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My job is not my whole story. It does not define me as a whole, it is something I do every day and as I have said in my previous stories, my job and I have a love-hate relationship. Some days I am glad I am doing what I am doing, some days are just meh, and some are so torturous that I always feel like quitting and walking away. Now, why do I stay? This is the part of My Story.</div>
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I am just an ordinary doctor. I do not create miracles, my knowledge is shallow, as shallow as a puddle as compared to the information available in the medical world and I am competent enough to do what I do to be really honest. Now, since I already admit this, I am pretty sure people, the general populous will claim, 'Ah another idiot who is not fit to be a doctor.' </div>
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If a doctor is not humble and thinks she/he is a God's gift, or God forbid, akin to God Himself, then I laugh at that idea. No one is perfect and everyone has their mistakes and weaknesses. I hope I myself realize my weakness and daily, while I work, I rely heavily on other people (my patients, especially my patients, my seniors Medical Officers at work, my specialists, my staff nurses and even my good housemen). I rely on them to remind me of what I am lacking, what I need to improve on and what I need to learn.</div>
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So my story starts like this.</div>
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Everyone is talking about housemen issues and our dirty medical world these days.</div>
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So many scandals, bullying and overall negative environment to work in. Generally, the whole population who is not directly involved in the medical circle has vague idea of our work and how stress is related to it.</div>
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But what they do not know it, this whole medical world is trapped in a vicious cycle.</div>
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All the stresses leads to mistakes leads to harm leads to more stress leads to bullying as an outlet to let go of your frustrations and exhaustion leads to more stress and the whole cycle goes round and round. What I always say is we are dealing with humans and human lives. Humans who are essentially different from each other and respond differently to treatments from each other. Humans who come from different backgrounds with different circumstances.</div>
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It is almost unique and unlike any other jobs in this whole wide world. Now, I am not saying our job is extra special, extra stressful than others and we are extra special snowflakes. No. What I am saying is no one else other than us truly understand how stressful our work is.</div>
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Try imagining this (I can only tell from my OWN experiences and perspective, I DO NOT represent the WHOLE WIDE WORLD'S MEDICAL SOCIETY):</div>
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<b><u>Housemen (as I know it):</u></b></div>
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<li>Wake up at 4-5am, starting work at 5am to 7am, depending on our shift/rotation/how many other housemen available (but hey if you have less than 10 for the whole department at that time, tough luck). Waking up when the sun do not shine, I always say.</li>
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<li>End work after the sun sets, usually earliest at 5pm, latest 12am to 1am (I have seen some went back at 2-3am, poor souls). If you are lucky and your department is cool enough to have a shorter shift (approved by the department depending on again, the number of people working), you will have an AM shift, the one that ends at 5pm if, God willing, you finished your job on time and can escape after that immediately.</li>
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<li>Now, some say, what is so bad about that. Mind you, we do not have the usual office work with usual office break. No. We work on our feet almost all the time, seeing patients, attending collapsing patients, taking patient's blood, doing procedures, doing paperwork like putting patient's information in our clerking/progress sheet, death certificates, discharge summaries, MC, labeling blood and samples, sending blood and samples, collecting blood result, writing memos and referrals to various departments, hospitals and other related field, consulting patient and explaining patient's current conditions to patients and families, conveying to families regarding patients death or impending death, attending calls, assisting in OTs, referring to various teams and hospitals, clinics to attend to, presentations, courses and CMEs (like training class if you will). I can list a lot more. All simultaneously.</li>
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<li>If you are lucky and you are easily adapting, you will work fast. If your team is excellent, everyone will pull their weight and chip in. If you are the other end of spectrum who learns slower, not easily adapting and have a shitty team, then your luck is out. Shitty team is a team of people who avoids work by going to TONNES of courses, who kiss ass to their superiors making you the coolie with no glory, leaders who make shitty schedules, putting you at worst rotations and wards, putting themselves and their close friends in best rotations and wards and giving themselves glorious short shifts and offs, and those who love to 'mengular' or 'snaking' (not to be confused with 'snacking' as in eating snacks) in which these are the persons who will disappear like magic right after the rounds are concluded.</li>
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There is no middle ground.</div>
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<li>If you are indeed lucky, you are 'Jonah'. I am not sure where this term originates from and if it is used widely all over the world, but it is special.</li>
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Jonah = So unlucky (depending on how you see it), that your admissions will be sky high, issues will pop out every 5 minutes and your patients need resuscitation every few seconds. And someone will always die on your watch.</div>
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<li>Then, depending on your rotation, you may need to work night shifts, or general population like to call it oncall, at least once a week. Now, it doesn't sound bad other than if you are unlucky enough, you are alone to man 1-4 wards. Did I say, alone? While you would have another 2-6 team mates but they have their own wards and work to do. Night shift is usually a double shift, in my case last time, usually starts officially (officially does not mean we can come at 8am, we have to come as early as 5-7am usually) at 8am, a break at 12pm to 7-8pm, then re-start work at 7-8pm until 12pm the next day with the day (work) continuing at 7-8pm again to the next day at 12pm. Now, again it sounds reasonable and fair, but usually it means no sleep and lots of work. And, not all shifts easily ends at 12pm, some dragged on due to unfinished issues and work which has to be finished before you go home.</li>
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That is just the nature of the job itself. </div>
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<li>Now we are adding the drama factors. We have malignant people in our jobs. Malignant means people who are so bad, they are actually bullies. They scream at you, hit you, throw stuff at you or around you, bully you in lots of ways from belittling you, calling you names and epithets, overall, they are there to make your life more miserable. Mind you, half or most of the time, all you can do is just take it and bear with it. We cannot even leave it. The explanation letters, the threats, the extension (which makes your life a living hell as you have to stay in that hellish rotation longer).</li>
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To be real honest, housemen are the lowest in the hospital totem pole.</div>
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<li>Then, the days of work you have to do. The usual is 6 out of 7 days with random off days in between. Some, are lucky with 1 and half a day off or 2 and half a day off. Maximum 8 days off per rotation (a rotation lasts minimum 4 months that can be extended, because of various reasons, to 1 year maximum), if you are, again lucky enough to have superiors who allow it and the number of people at work to take your shift once you are not around. Again, this job is not a job where the whole 'office' can take holidays. Everyone gets sick and someone has to work. Bad days is when there is not enough people, you are sick and you still have to work unless you are dying or bedbound. Everything else is not an acceptable reason enough to take leave. Or when there is, again, not enough people, you have to work 14 to 21 days STRAIGHT, with no off days AT ALL. We are not freelancers here, where we can work at our own convenience. We just have to work. As illegal as it sounds (I think it is illegal to work more than 6 days straight, but hey, I have worked 8-14 days straight with no offdays and that is just how it is).</li>
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<li>The exams. Ah, the exams. Viva and paper exams to offtag (the period when you are starting a new rotation when you have to learn enough to be deemed safe enough to work independently without tagging to a senior/MO and can be put into the night rotation), middle-of-rotation exam (some more than 1), on-the-spot pop quiz and questions, end-of-posting exams and viva. LOTS of examinations to pass a posting, to graduate, if you will, that indicates that you learned enough to survive and be safe enough to work in that rotation and to allow you to proceed to the next posting/rotation. </li>
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Now, this should give a glimpse of how things work in housemanship. Mind you, housemenship is our internship, if you will, a time to train to be a fully functioning-enough medical officer later. But we are still FULL FLEDGE DOCTORS. Full fledge as in we DID graduate as doctors, not just medical students. We work like others, just that we are also learning along the way. It is not as if we are attending a real-time course as an observer only. </div>
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I have seen some, I would call them rude and ignorant, people in social media calling out to housemen. As if we are the species you can look down because we are deemed not good enough to care for you, your family members and your loved ones. </div>
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Hello, reality is in this government setting, housemen = in-house, they are almost the first ones who see you and attend to you (other than our dedicated nurses and medical assistants, a shoutout y'all!). Thus, looking down, talking down and talking bad about us will get you nowhere because no medical officers and specialists have time to personally do your blood work and put in your IV line aka branulla. Medical officers and specialists have their own roles in the whole scheme of things that does not include personally coming at 3am in the morning to take your blood (unless indicated, which is another story by itself).</div>
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My story in this whole scheme of things is not yet told. </div>
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More coming up.</div>
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P/S: I am just post-call, and I have yet to sleep since more than 36 hours ago. I hope this post is coherent enough. The story will continue and I will edit this once I am a full human being later, not a zombie with a headache.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-53923379447493264682018-09-22T14:58:00.000+08:002018-09-22T14:58:30.885+08:00When Your Eyes Just Do Not See<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfYcSOT_Vl4AjtWM6p7nQLq6kwsgJm7H5CsgfJ_sTEa1juOt6E_FumOPauQ-2s3oeuyT-jqpXAmipV72N_Siqrv7jNWE2-BBhMa_Qne8X1z9fIMgwEs4ANMnUMcWC4ht3wh36IFdQSsKr/s1600/WhatsApp+Image+2018-09-21+at+3.44.36+PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfYcSOT_Vl4AjtWM6p7nQLq6kwsgJm7H5CsgfJ_sTEa1juOt6E_FumOPauQ-2s3oeuyT-jqpXAmipV72N_Siqrv7jNWE2-BBhMa_Qne8X1z9fIMgwEs4ANMnUMcWC4ht3wh36IFdQSsKr/s400/WhatsApp+Image+2018-09-21+at+3.44.36+PM.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Well, this happened yesterday. I just did not understand why I missed a HUGE hole of a ditch right there and drove right into it. </div>
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Thankfully, the staff of<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <u>Restoran BP Briani Power, Batu Pahat</u></span></b> was super nice and great. They helped me pull up my car. This is a special shoutout for these great people.</div>
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Thank you!</div>
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P/S: Super highly recommend people to go here!</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-29281441464074285952018-09-21T12:39:00.000+08:002018-09-21T23:21:49.014+08:00Life Can Be Great<div style="text-align: justify;">
There will be times in your life, well in my life at the very least, that things just careened out of control.</div>
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These past 2 months since my move is such a time.</div>
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I know about my move months earlier, so mentally I was prepared for the move. The new life, new job, new people, new environment are the part that I was not prepared about. I felt so out of place the first few weeks I was here. I just could not orientate well, I could not adapt to new things, people and environment. Not to mention how moving costs me a LOT. A LOT. I spent tonnes on petrol, tolls, house deposit, hotels. I found my house quite late and I found my housemates way later, thus equals to another flurry of spending.</div>
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Then, just to add insult to injury, a series of mishaps happened. Something big happened at work. I was down, depressed, demotivated, you name it. All the Ds in the world, the bad parts, are mine to embrace that particular day. That started the ball rolling, and yesterday, I was notified about the report I had to make and 'presentation', if you will, that will come my way soon. </div>
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To make matters worse, I received a letter from my student loan warning about late payment I've never knew about, which actually accumulated since 2014 (great, they waited 4 years to remind me, sorry, to warn me about this, just great). I made a mistake for not checking my re-payment, made wrong payment and voila, if I don't pay almost RM6000 in lump sum, I will be slapped with a lawsuit. I guess I just have to dig up my non-existent saving, or sell one of my kidneys to the black market for that amount.</div>
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At this point, you can see my life is just dandy and great.</div>
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Wait for it.</div>
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Then, out of the blue, a few of my friends sent me some texts yesterday. Asking me how I am. How things are. And I'm suddenly fine. I know things are not so good, but I know I can take things one step at a time.</div>
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So thank you. Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for making things brighter for me.</div>
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Thank you.</div>
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So, if you are a friend, sometimes, just texting a friend once in a blue moon, just asking how they are getting, can get them out of their blues. Simple to be real honest. But it really make a huge difference. It made me feel less alone. Less burdened by life. Less overwhelmed.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-58004014274584849362018-09-20T21:19:00.001+08:002018-09-21T01:10:45.800+08:002018<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hey!</div>
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2017 is long gone and 2018 is almost gone.</div>
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Here I am.</div>
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I saw my last post and I am amazed how far I have gone. I have to admit I did not reach where I am now the most traditional way, the normal route or path that others took. Mine is definitely longer and full of self-doubt. </div>
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I doubt back then I am doing the right thing.</div>
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I doubt that I am heading to where I should be heading.</div>
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I doubt this is the life I wanted for myself.</div>
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I doubt that I am doing this the right way.</div>
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As I said, a lot of doubts.</div>
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Being alone (not really, I have an amazing family, but I live apart from them, so I am essentially alone, another story for another time), I have too much time to think of bullshits in life. Almost like 1st world problem in other people's life, if you will.</div>
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I first thought, hmmm, I will go down surgical/paediatrics path, I would NEVER do internal medicine. But hey, almost 3 months in, I'm QUITE settled in medicine.</div>
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It is AS BAD AS PEOPLE SAID, but it is NOT THAT BAD. How should I phrase this.</div>
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It has its moment. Some of it bad, some of it good. Some of it is just bleh, it is okay. I'm not an excellent person in my job, mind you. I am not hardworking enough. I am not knowledgeable enough. I am not skillful enough. I am full of loopholes and doubts. And yes, misery along the way.</div>
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To be truthfully honest, once I finished my training (2 years in total, but it does not really prepare me mentally for what is more to come), I am petrified thinking of my future as a medical officer. I have people coming to me ON THE FIRST DAY OF MY JOB asking for my opinions and plans. In my head, I was screaming, 'I HAVE NO FREAKING IDEA, <span style="font-size: large;">I DO NOT KNOW WHY I AM HERE, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT</span>,<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><u> I JUST DO NOT KNOW</u></b>!'</span>.</span></div>
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Yes, in capital letters. I was in their position once. I was the one who pestered my seniors/nurses/MOs/specialists and whomever I could pester to get a plan. Now, I am on the other end and I was feeling like a fish out of water.</div>
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I am alone in a state where I have nobody to talk to. I am not even sure I am ready for this. But I was here and I have to be ready.</div>
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Thankfully they put me into an easier rotation the first few weeks. I did not even have to face the acute/subacute sections, let us just forget CCU nor ICU. Unluckily my luck ran out and I started to take over the acute/subacute section on my second/third week (was it my third week, but it was fairly fast). I have to do oncalls which is more terrifying than working normal shift (which is already scaring me to pieces).</div>
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Luckily, I have my seniors who were doing first calls to rely on. Every decision I make, I second guess myself. Every thing I do, I feel like I am on an uncharted land, blind and lost. Again, not so lucky on my part, I was 'promoted' to second call of which I am essentially alone on my second month of the job (read this, 4 weeks in, in other words, I am too stupid for my own good to be left with this kind of responsibility).</div>
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Second call. Ah. Another level of ball game here. It is not first call, but being third call has gave me a glimpse of hell that is called 'first call'. First call is the right name. I get calls until my ears feel like bleeding. 'Doctor, I am referring a case from red zone....', 'Doctor, a patient collapse in ward 4....', 'Doctor, a patient LO, please come and settle the death certificates...', 'Doctor, 6 patients arrived, first case is....', 'Doctor, a few medications need MO to counter-sign', 'Doctor, can I double check regarding this patient's medications....', 'Doctor, the family of so-and-so wants to see you to ask about....', 'Doctor, can I get an opinion regarding....', 'Doctor, I cannot cannulate a patient and he needs an inotrope...', 'Doctor, a patient is getting angry and he insisted on AOR....', 'Doctor....'.</div>
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You get what I mean. Calls and more calls, walking around the hospital from one end to another, top to bottom until I get blisters on my feet and I literally feel numb. Then, the next day I will be working as usual until 5pm, if I am lucky, if not, there are procedures to do before I can safely go home and find my bed. Or my floor. Whichever that is the closest.</div>
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Second call is special to me. It is scary in its own way that I have to do rounds alone and receive referrals from the other building. And ICU. That last part is the most terrifying. I used to follow my specialists and medical officers, typing down their opinions and plans. But now I am on the other side, writing or dictating a plan, which to be real honest here, most of the time I have none to offer. I am mostly stuck because the cases are usually complex that my brain just cannot synapse and make a good opinion and plan. Most of the time I have to call my specialists, yes, even at 2am in the morning. Thankfully all of them are nice enough to entertain my calls/texts and answer my questions. Making rounds post-call is another special brand of torture for me, considering I am almost burnt out from the day before, and my brain just cannot handle more difficult situations.</div>
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Boy oh boy I learned fast. I learn to put in chest tube, femoral lines, peritonal dialysis, IJC, intubate etc fast, knowing I am alone and these procedures can help people. And I have people depending on me to do it, and do it right. So far, I hope, I pray, I am doing this right. </div>
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Anyhow, this is not a post to discourage new fledgling house officers, medical students nor medical officers. This is just my reality, which may seem different from others. Other people may not find things as difficult. It is not difficult per se. It is just...Tiring? I am not sure how to put this in word. I am often left feeling exhausted and unable to think straight by the end of my calls. End of calls, in other word, the next working day before I can finally go home.</div>
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Currently, I am content of where I am. I have made mistakes, some are more serious than others (another story for another day). I have days when I feel like walking out and walking away for good. I have days that I feel like I have made some small difference. I have days like today when a student nurse told me I look like 'Farah Fauzana' whoever that is (but that made me feel good because she was smiling and I assumed it does not mean that I look like a troll), or a few weeks ago a patient's family said I look beautiful as I was always smiling every morning when I am conducting my rounds (I have my good days when I came with a smile), or when my ward nurse said 'you looked especially pretty today in that dress'. Mind you, it sounds so shallow, but I take all praises that come my way to brighten my days.</div>
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At this junction of my life, if I compare my life with most of my contemporary, I am way far behind. Depending on how you see my life, how I see my life and what I want from my life, I lack a lot of things.</div>
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I do not have a husband/child of my own.</div>
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I do not own a house.</div>
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I have my student loans and debts to settle.</div>
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I do not have enough savings.</div>
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I do not give enough to my family.</div>
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I do not travel enough to feed my soul.</div>
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I do not own my Masters degree (or any sort of MR--, be it MRCP, MRCS any MR--)</div>
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But I am thankful. I have my parents and siblings. I have a car to get me around. I have my job to pay my needs and loans. I am safe. And I have my life. And to be honest, I am happy for everything that makes me happy. Like a new perfume, a new drama, a new dress, a new lipstick, a new dish/place to try.</div>
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For that. I am still thankful.</div>
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This journey is still, hopefully, long for me. 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years and how many years down the way, I will go back and read this and find funny things that I have said way back then.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-86821878184483757212017-01-28T03:24:00.002+08:002017-01-28T03:41:51.834+08:00Dear Doctor<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dear myself-8-months ago,</div>
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Do I even realize how tough this job is? I have encountered many specialists who kept saying, 'Are you sure you want to be a doctor? It is not easy,' and I pooh-poohed their words, thinking that it was their way of discouraging young aspirants to become a future doctor.</div>
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Oh boy, how wrong I am.</div>
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8 months in, I am still as clueless as my 8-months prior self. I'm nowhere close to be a competent doctor, even after I graduated my 2 previous postings. Even if I passed my viva and examinations, reality is, there are still millions of things that I don't know.</div>
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Work in reality is nowhere near how medical textbooks teach you. Textbooks are pretty simple, if A has disease B, management is C. No one actually tells you that, A also has disease D in which disallows A to take medicine E from management C. No one tells you that procedure F is not available in the country as we do not have trained specialists or equipment thus, procedure F, which is the mainstay of treatment for disease D is null and void.</div>
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I have encountered many situations that question my knowledge. Do I even learned ANYTHING in medical school? While I never claimed to be the brightest, most learned nor diligent, I still believe that I know SOMETHING. WRONG. AGAIN. My something turns out to be <span style="font-size: x-small;">little</span> thing.</div>
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Yes, I know very little. Very little. I feel discouraged daily. Workload is crazy, working hours are endless, remuneration is pitiful, your superiors are definitely not on your side, all adding up to piles and piles of stress that makes waking up daily extremely difficult.</div>
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Daily, I would have stomachache in facing my day. Daily, I will have blazing headache by 4-5pm. As would seniors, MOs and specialist will often say, 'In my days, things are worse'. Well, it is already as bad as it is. I learned to vent and let go. I have learned that a lot of things are beyond anyone's control. I have learned that whatever it is, it will always be my fault.</div>
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So, my dear self 8-month ago,</div>
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Do you think that, if you have known this earlier, would you still take this course in life?</div>
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My answer, back then: YES</div>
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My answer, now: YES</div>
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I believe in myself. No matter how ignorant I am, I know I can take it. I know I will learn. I know, I can do this. While future is still uncertain and uncharted path, I will still soldier on. My parents believe in me. I have to believe in myself. </div>
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So dear doctors out there. Never get discouraged. No matter how many times you are called 'idiots' and 'waste of space', no matter how many times you get hit by case-notes and whatnot, no matter how many explanation letters you have to write day in and day out, stay strong. We all face the same thing. We all know that no one cares, not the system, not our superiors. However, we have our families, friends and fellow housemen. Learn well and be a safe doctor.</div>
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Save lives and save ourselves.</div>
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I have known many of my friends who are on the verge of suicide. Hospital is not our start and end. There are many things that we can all take pleasure in. Be happy that your patients are discharged well. Be happy that another day has passed. Be happy that you are alive. </div>
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Be happy.<br />
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P/S: I lost my stethoscope at MOT a few months back. Paging anyone who sees my moss green stethoscope, please do return it to me, many THANKS! It is missing the ring around the diaphragm.<br />
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-33772774597988310432016-07-25T10:11:00.001+08:002016-07-25T10:11:13.018+08:00Wealth Planning<div style="text-align: justify;">
As grand as the title is, it means what it meant. Wealth planning aka financial planning aka how to make sure you have enough by the next pay and have enough for rainy days.</div>
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These days, we take a lot of things for granted. I started working formally for 2 months, I can already feel that money DOES NOT come easy. We work hard and we got paid for it, but at the end of the day, where does the money go? For some of you out there, who come from a well-off family, who can afford luxurious lifestyle with expensive houses, cars and maids, this doesn't ring a bell. For the rest of us human beings who need to toil and save and survive, this is extremely important.</div>
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What we need to understand is, we only have so much, so we have to spend within our means. Remember this. Never, ever, ever, ever, think that, 'Oh, I will get paid next month, lets just get this-and-that'. Never. I learned from experience that unexpected expenses always crop up the next day.</div>
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Anyhow, let me give you and example of how to manage what you have. I use a nominal sum in general and this is generally useful for all singles out there. Family budgeting is a bit different as they have different expenses and combined earnings.</div>
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Your earning monthly = $5000</div>
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Your expenses monthly =</div>
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<li>Rent/housing loan = $500</li>
<li>Car = $500</li>
<li>Utilities = $100</li>
<li>Internet = $100</li>
<li>Phone = $100</li>
<li>Petrol/toll = $100</li>
<li>Car maintenance = $100</li>
<li>Parents = $1000</li>
<li>Food = $500</li>
<li>Miscellaneous = $500</li>
<li>Insurance = $500</li>
<li>Saving = $1000 </li>
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Earning - Expenses = 0</div>
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While saving is not an expense, it is a must. You may never know when you may need it. So save while you can. At the end of the day, 0 is left. No extras for anything. Well, miscellaneous is exactly that. </div>
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Anyhow, this is just a rough guide. Not everyone earns $5000 monthly and not everyone has the same expenses, bear that in mind. The easiest is to make a little book of financial planning for yourself, I use Excel sheet myself, and plan away. Follow it as you can and I can guarantee that you won't worry until your next pay. You will ALWAYS have enough before your next pay. </div>
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Good luck!</div>
Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-12315742725381024192016-07-05T21:46:00.001+08:002016-07-05T21:46:06.484+08:00One Month<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today marked the end of my first month working my REAL job. The one I was trained for 10+ years (yes, I am a super late bloomer). While I can't say definitely how I feel about it, all I can say is I survived. Let's toast to another month. I will hang on. Definitely.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-23340709915579675552015-12-26T17:06:00.002+08:002015-12-26T17:06:13.472+08:00Chicken Chop/Batter-Fried Chicken With Onion Gravy<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is one of Malaysian favourites. It has many names but essentially it is chicken battered and fried. I made this the Southern way (well, as close as Southern American as I can get based on what I've seen on cooking shows) as I marinade the chicken pieces in milk first. I learned that this ensure the chicken to remain tender and moist after cooking. And it works! As per general knowledge, chicken breast can be really dry, so marinading the chicken in milk resulted in really tender fried chicken!</div>
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Anyway, I made this for dinner and I have to say, again, my Baba took a second helping! That is a sign that he loves it! Or he was too hungry. </div>
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The condiments I made for this particular dish are fries and buttered boiled carrots. There are thousands of condiment alternatives such as mash potatoes (another recipe for another day!), smashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice, coleslaw, salad and dressing, corn and others. You just need to be creative or if you are like me, use whatever you have in your pantry. </div>
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I also have many recipes for many types of gravies but this is one of the easiest. And onions are my favourite ingredient. Before I share my recipe, pardon my lack of colour on the plate. I just couldn't find anything else in the kitchen so....Yeah. It's all orange and brown.</div>
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<i><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #cc0000;">Chicken Chop/Batter-Fried Chicken With Onion Gravy</span></b></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5M6Ssm50w7JxlsQ3e80gJTLUmWIpKcnu8wLvjqms6S76I9-hwZ1-SRqsdRy13jIqGLeyih8oJu6rfCjFQCBxEoIp2TThzMCAZDs-4nFcRGLbPRubE68TXsBJrowCI6ty6MzPgnS4E8Mab/s1600/IMG_6100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5M6Ssm50w7JxlsQ3e80gJTLUmWIpKcnu8wLvjqms6S76I9-hwZ1-SRqsdRy13jIqGLeyih8oJu6rfCjFQCBxEoIp2TThzMCAZDs-4nFcRGLbPRubE68TXsBJrowCI6ty6MzPgnS4E8Mab/s400/IMG_6100.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Actually, I made another batch today for my first sister and brother-in-law. And I added mushroom to the gravy and we ate it with salad. This particular batch is MUCH more attractive. Sadly, I'm too lazy to take a picture LOL. Bear with me on this one.</span></div>
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<u>Serving</u>: 2 persons</div>
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<u>Chicken Chop/Batter-Fried Chicken Ingredients</u></div>
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<li>1 medium sized chicken breast (another option is using chicken drumstick)</li>
<li>2 cups of milk (you can also use buttermilk or Greek/plain yogurt)</li>
<li>1 cup of plain flour</li>
<li>1 medium sized egg</li>
<li>Black pepper to season</li>
<li>Salt to taste</li>
<li>Oil to fry (you can use plenty of oil for deep frying or little oil for shallow frying)</li>
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<u>Chicken Broth</u> (for the gravy)</div>
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<ul>
<li>Leftover chicken bones </li>
<li>5 cups of water</li>
<li>1 medium sized carrot</li>
<li>3 garlic</li>
<li>1 medium sized yellow onion</li>
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<u>Onion Gravy Ingredients</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>4 tablespoons of leftover oil from frying the chicken</li>
<li>2 tablespoons of leftover flour from chicken chop </li>
<li>1 medium sized red onion (alternatively, this can be substituted with 1/4 of medium sized yellow onion. Both are delicious)</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups of chicken broth</li>
<li>Salt to taste</li>
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<u>Cooking Method</u></div>
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<ol>
<li>Debone the chicken breast and cut the meat into 2 equal sizes. Halve each portion so that the chicken meat will be thinner and slightly tenderize the chicken with the back of your knife. I cut my chicken until the end of one edge and spread the cut portion so that my chicken's surface area will be bigger. I think they call this the 'butterfly cut'. </li>
<li>Put the 2 portions of chicken breast into the milk and chill them in the refrigerator while you prepare your chicken broth. You can chill the chicken for a few hours but I chilled mine for 30 minutes while waiting for the broth to be ready as I am lazy that way.</li>
<li>At this point, you can either make your own chicken broth or buy it. I made mine as I have the leftover chicken bone after deboning it. To make chicken broth, boil the leftover chicken bone, with water, roughly diced carrot, peeled garlic and yellow onion. You don't need to chop the garlic and onion. Boil under low/medium heat until you get a pale yellow broth. The fragrance of the broth will be very yummilicious. Don't add salt at this point.</li>
<li>After the broth is ready, prepare your batter (not really a batter as you will dip the chicken breast into each section). Prepare an egg-wash by mixing the egg in one bowl. In another one, mix the plain flour with plenty of black pepper (I LOVE BLACK PEPPER) and salt to taste. So, you basically have 2 separate bowls of egg mixture and flour.</li>
<li>Heat up your oil for deep frying (or shallow frying). It should be medium heat.</li>
<li>After the oil has heated up, salt your chicken, dip it once on the egg-wash, then into the flour mix and then into the egg-wash again and finally into the flour mix before putting it into the heated oil. I double-batter because I happen to also love the batter.</li>
<li>Turn the chicken once the bottom turns golden yellow. Take it out and repeat with the second portion of the chicken.</li>
<li>After both chicken portions are fried, turn up the heat and put the chicken back again. Fry for 30 seconds (basically just to crisp up the batter, not to cook the chicken again) and take it out. This method is called double frying which will ensure your batter to be crispy and delicious!</li>
<li>So, chicken is now done, lets move on to the gravy. Using the leftover oil and flour mix, make a roux. Then add the broth little by little, continually stirring to prevent from lump formation. Add the sliced onion once the sauce is smooth and salt to taste. The sauce is heavenly and you can add more black pepper if you want to. You can also add mushroom as this is the same base as mushroom gravy.</li>
</ol>
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Your very own chicken chop/batter-fried chicken with onion gravy is now ready! It looks complicated but it is so very easy! Just try it and you will be super happy!</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-79820919243569667102015-12-25T15:15:00.000+08:002015-12-25T15:15:43.077+08:00Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie<div style="text-align: justify;">
I rarely make a review of places to eat. Main reason is I am usually too lazy to note the key points such as location, menu, prices and service and take pictures. I am also not an avid foodie (aka go-out-and-eat) as I am a VERY indecisive person when it comes to ordering my meal. It is just easier to eat home as my Mama decides the menu or I cook food that I want to eat myself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsme9lquOv6Q9m9x_79JdQ9-1hBB4RkGO0qOA506gbatzTsNjC4wd7FNZE0w5n0Q3L16ji2oijEcyL_4Fy0JsWC7tddFESAVnVmDaKST6GQGU1CFHpDXL8CleRHLcL6vHDmatPBDw61Bx/s1600/IMG_6074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsme9lquOv6Q9m9x_79JdQ9-1hBB4RkGO0qOA506gbatzTsNjC4wd7FNZE0w5n0Q3L16ji2oijEcyL_4Fy0JsWC7tddFESAVnVmDaKST6GQGU1CFHpDXL8CleRHLcL6vHDmatPBDw61Bx/s400/IMG_6074.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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View of the outside terrace from my seat inside. The view is just lovely and the curtains are just beautiful. I need to mention the curtain somehow.</div>
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That said, Levain has to be one of my most favourite eatery ever. I love the ambiance and I love the food. I love the fact that it serves free cold/hot plain water and I love that it is fairly fuss-free with affordable food. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26-38HxQ7IlNmjNa19XKZXU9azOGUX8fTDeyLhserfntK6ACIN6ofduoRmUpKxzYda6gJxXAH82-ZcLf_d6impIRGYBZCEPWBWXMnuSe4W9ozx5of9gkcgmJhhpXLbvWBbJ8ERax29qns/s1600/IMG_6075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26-38HxQ7IlNmjNa19XKZXU9azOGUX8fTDeyLhserfntK6ACIN6ofduoRmUpKxzYda6gJxXAH82-ZcLf_d6impIRGYBZCEPWBWXMnuSe4W9ozx5of9gkcgmJhhpXLbvWBbJ8ERax29qns/s400/IMG_6075.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The second floor looks so pretty! But I've never been able to get up there.</div>
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First of all, the introduction. Well, you can read the whole story of the place from the <a href="http://www.levain.com.my/index.html" target="_blank">website</a>. The sort of introduction I will give is my history with Levain and the landmark. I first found out about this place from Rini, a friend of mine. She brought me here about 5 years ago and it was an instant love. My first impression was that it is an expensive place as it looks fairly exclusive with valet parking, but to my surprise, the food is quite affordable. At least affordable for an ex-student like me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_8oujnw3Yw4OoNbfXgj8MwEwt7k4Llwu-I0QSufIFekqp6ybGScn0VEn4fd9Y5C_iNvLqBKgaIIXd2zvTaxTGs-b2PP5XpLeLT5DaJ1moei1w7ZOZaG2oMezaD8Se0INj1PrXM1VyWNT/s1600/IMG_6076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu_8oujnw3Yw4OoNbfXgj8MwEwt7k4Llwu-I0QSufIFekqp6ybGScn0VEn4fd9Y5C_iNvLqBKgaIIXd2zvTaxTGs-b2PP5XpLeLT5DaJ1moei1w7ZOZaG2oMezaD8Se0INj1PrXM1VyWNT/s400/IMG_6076.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The view of the restaurant from my front seat.</div>
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Anyhow, this is a few background information of Levain:</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVPr-rycivUENs-9qjVzrua5ix8kjBJd2s5LQB1r1zhF9vxX1gkqKW6yVlcw14AefDZWGr0EUaOunn68jjUR84MeBz-x62xM02SIrghf-PSgS8q6KCNtLa-QB3kkFbnOV-XqyUXck5Hv8Q/s1600/IMG_6079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>
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<ul>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;"><i>Valet parking:</i> </span>RM3.00 flat rate. If you come at non-peak hours like weekdays on non-lunch/dinner hour, you can park outside the restaurant without paying a cent (note this: outside as in the front of other buildings nearby). Careful of getting a ticket though or your car can potentially be towed.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Landmark:</span></i> It is located on the first street on your left if you are coming from the direction of Prince Court Medical Centre (from Jalan Tun Razak). It is a bungalow house nestled between 2 buildings. It is on Jalan Delima.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Opening hours:</span></i> It is opened daily from 7.30AM to 9.00PM.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Family-friendly:</span></i> Yes</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Take-away/pre-order/booking: </span></i>Yes</li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;"><i>Service:</i> </span>Top-notched. The staff is friendly and my order usually arrive relatively fast.</li>
<li><i><span style="color: #38761d;">Particular points to note:</span></i></li>
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<ol>
<li>The shop is divided into 4 sections. There is the bakery where the baked goods are, the counter where you order and pay for your food and the side-cake display as you can see from the picture above. I missed the side-cake display the first time I came here so I just bought the baked goods and order my dish from the counter. If you are coming at peak hours, going to order again at the counter for the cakes and pies from the side-cake-display at the counter is a bit of a hassle. So, remember to go to the side-cake display area first before you make your order at the counter. You may want that one a slice of cake or a macaroon to complete your delicious meal. The fourth section is obviously the seating areas (the inside seating area, the second floor seating area and the outside terrace seating area).</li>
<li>The shop stops baking after 11AM so be sure to come early if you want to taste the baked goods. I usually come quite late so I have limited choices when it comes to baked goodies.</li>
<li>You can order a cake earlier before pick-up time. The cake and pies are usually quite small but they are HEAVENLY. They have more options than most bakeries. </li>
<li>I usually order the chicken karaage curry rice and ask for extra-extra-extra spicy and it is DELICIOUS! The portion is relatively large so come with an empty stomach. The price of this is RM14.80 (including GST).</li>
<li>Free hot/cold plain water is provided at the outside terrace. Small paper cups are provided. Last time, they used to provide beautiful glasses, but I guess those are difficult to deal with (aka clean) so now we have disposable cups. Not so pretty but they will do.</li>
<li>Since it is a bungalow, it has a second floor but most of the time, the second floor is cordoned off. I guess they only open it when the restaurant is full downstairs. The interior is air-conditioned but they also have tables on the terrace. This area is not air-conditioned. However, ceiling fans are provided. </li>
<li>The place is family-friendly as I've seen a lot of families with small children coming.</li>
<li>The staff are mostly foreigners so I usually speak English. I'm not sure if they understand local Malay or any other languages (like Chinese or Tamil).</li>
<li>They have the partial self-serving concept whereby you choose your table (the tables are numbered) and go to the counter to order food and drinks (or you can choose your baked goods, pay and sit) and provide your table number. They will send your order to your table once it is ready.</li>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Czb1ntQLaWWbCWIJCCHy2m3T_SSXwk8Z4P57EmDR-MMmChm6VbIk1fP7crsnovyx-K9pxY_FYXfWoFnG2zJ9InDu-6fL_ioUI2MXQl_yPGkmbRs0W-uqq-yWeHW6Ni5G-2OgUOdEmUMB/s400/IMG_6079.JPG" /></div>
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The tables are numbered.</div>
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<b><u>Bonus:</u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJwtJ6OdndjY4f4hndrVqZ9mmarxXlegy6JH-UwfhSfS77zfoj8hZF-qo9ziGP9LorJw091HaQsvNvSLz2AdsMz02RqPxpD4td1mwoRuywmqkZtOL9WNyuODaOmhudu4iz47Ayaqwvndm/s1600/IMG_6067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJwtJ6OdndjY4f4hndrVqZ9mmarxXlegy6JH-UwfhSfS77zfoj8hZF-qo9ziGP9LorJw091HaQsvNvSLz2AdsMz02RqPxpD4td1mwoRuywmqkZtOL9WNyuODaOmhudu4iz47Ayaqwvndm/s320/IMG_6067.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Did you see the huge chunks of crispy batter-fried chicken swimming in thick delicious Japanese curry sauce? The pink stuff is pickled ginger/radish (not sure which one). THIS IS MY MOST FAVOURITE DISH (when I come here).</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-69649533840205711842015-12-24T00:42:00.000+08:002015-12-24T16:37:55.202+08:00Simplified Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Icing<div style="text-align: justify;">
This one has a long title. Before I share this recipe, I need to make a quick note:</div>
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<li>This is a VERY simplified carrot cake recipe. I didn't put ANY spices in it. My family HATES spices in dessert.</li>
<li>It is also fairly mild (aka not-so-sweet). Again, due to a dietary restriction, I made this as less sweet as I possibly can. If you are a sweet tooth and have a chronic addiction to everything sweet, add more sugar as you like.</li>
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Okay, my Mama LOVES carrot cake. I decided to make one without baking, so I steamed the batter instead. The top is not crusty but the cake is very moist and fluffy. I love it.</div>
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<b><i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #e06666;">Simplified Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Icing</span></i></b></div>
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<u>Serving</u>: 12-15 people (depending on the size of each slice, the smaller each slice, it obviously means the more people can have a share)</div>
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<u>Carrot Cake Ingredients</u></div>
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<li>3 large sized carrots (this will make up around 3-4 cups of shredded carrots)</li>
<li>100g of walnuts (roughly diced)</li>
<li>2 cups of flour (I used the plain type)</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of dark cocoa</li>
<li>2 teaspoons of baking soda</li>
<li>1 teaspoon of salt</li>
<li>1 1/4 cups of brown sugar</li>
<li>1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil</li>
<li>4 large eggs (beaten)</li>
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<i>Additional note:</i> You can use pecan or any other nuts in substitute of walnuts. If you like spices, you can add ground nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon (any or in combination). The usual will be around 1 teaspoon each but you can add or lessen the amount as you like. Other ingredients that can be added are raisins and sultanas and any dried fruit such as cherries.</div>
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<u>Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients</u></div>
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<li>250g cream cheese (room temperature)</li>
<li>100g unsalted butter (I'm too lazy to use unsalted one, I used a salted butter. I'm a rebel that way. This also needs to be in room temperature)</li>
<li>1/4 cups of icing/confectioner sugar</li>
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<u>Cooking Method</u></div>
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<li>Sift through the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, dark cocoa) and add brown sugar. Mix well.</li>
<li>In another bowl, add chopped walnuts, grated carrots, vegetable oil and beaten eggs and mix well. This is the wet ingredients.</li>
<li>Prepare the steamer. I steamed my cake on a large wok, so I waited until the water is boiling. Alternatively, you can bake the cake instead at 170 to 180 degrees Celcius for 45 minutes to 1 hour.</li>
<li>Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient's bowl and mix well. The batter should be quite thick and not runny. Put the batter into a 9-inch dish.</li>
<li>Put the cake dish onto the steamer and steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Ensure the boiling water is adequate. I added more boiling water at half time. Make sure to add boiling water and not cool tap water as this will drop the steamer's temperature. The stick/knife should come out clean with no sticky batter once the cake is fully steamed.</li>
<li>Put the cake on a cooling rack to cool before icing it. This will take around 1 to 2 hours.</li>
<li>While waiting for the cake to cool, prepare the icing by beating the cream cheese, butter and icing/confectioners sugar together. If you want the cream cheese icing to taste citrusy, you can add a few drops of lemon/lime/orange with a dash of their zest. You can also add 2 drops of vanilla essence.</li>
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As you can see from my cake slice, the cream cheese icing is melting. I couldn't wait so I immediately cut the cake and iced it. DO NOT DO THIS. The icing will melt. Pardon my impatience.</div>
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Anyway, this cake is pretty simple and it turns out soft and fluffy. I love the texture. My Mama, Baba and third sister seemed to enjoy the cake so I deemed this a success!<br />
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-65548202229383772942015-12-23T23:59:00.002+08:002015-12-24T00:45:10.707+08:00Thai Basil Chicken<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been bitten by the travel bug. Well, the vlog of travels, to be precise. I was watching the travels of this guy, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/migrationology" target="_blank">Mark Weins</a>, who is based in Thailand and I saw that he made this delicious looking (and sounding) dish. I knew this dish from my favourite celebrity (SHOUT OUT TO MY BABY <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichkhun" target="_blank">NICHKHUN OF 2PM</a>!) as this is his most favourite Thai dish.</div>
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Thus, I decided to cook this. It's fairly simple if you ignore the preparation part (the tedious part is to peel the garlic. It's a LOT of garlic to peel!). You basically just chuck everything one at a time and it's done!</div>
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In Thailand, apparently this dish is one of the most popular dishes ever. It is usually eaten with rice and fried egg. Since my family LOVES spicy food, I used a lot of chillies. You can adjust the number of chillies based on your preference. It goes without saying, the more you add the chillies, the spicier the dish will be.</div>
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<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #e06666;">Thai Basil Chicken</span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-kAH-veaplFfJGFM_0bpsMjhIp6Ly_RmKNXNeNjhpqvDT3gvNC0VkABcnST0Ma5wvNgKVyN0CywoUTb4SEiilKxkudMo1DyXMuPXZgpxB4PflfI4i35Y0mS856EG2aFGux_IY8-Nm8sz/s1600/IMG_6086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn-kAH-veaplFfJGFM_0bpsMjhIp6Ly_RmKNXNeNjhpqvDT3gvNC0VkABcnST0Ma5wvNgKVyN0CywoUTb4SEiilKxkudMo1DyXMuPXZgpxB4PflfI4i35Y0mS856EG2aFGux_IY8-Nm8sz/s400/IMG_6086.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>Serving</u>: 4-5 persons</div>
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<u>Ingredients</u></div>
<ul>
<li>3 pieces of chicken breast/keel (I deboned and minced the chicken, it's a great stress reliever)</li>
<li>Thai/holy basil (the taste of Thai/holy basil is different from the basil we use in Italian cooking. I found this at a local Aeon supermarket. In Malay, it is called 'daun selasih' if I'm not mistaken)</li>
<li>10 cloves of garlic</li>
<li>15 birds eye chillies (yes, we like it as spicy as we can take it)</li>
<li>1 1/2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce (light soy sauce can be a good alternative)</li>
<li>1 1/2 tablespoons of oyster sauce</li>
<li>1 1/2 tablespoons of fish sauce</li>
<li>1 medium sized carrot (I julienned the carrot, but you can slice it any way you prefer)</li>
<li>4 tablespoons of vegetable oil (for frying)</li>
</ul>
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<i>Additional note:</i> You can add more vegetables such as pepper. You can even add mushrooms. Another thing to note, I found the original recipe used sugar (around 1/2 tablespoon). However, my family despised (ABSOLUTELY HATE) sweet savory dishes, I decided to omit the sugar. If you like it, you can add it. Alternatively, you can use sweet soy sauce.</div>
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<u>Cooking Method</u></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="text-align: justify;">Mince or finely chop the garlic and birds eye chillies. I made it into a rough paste using my mortar and pastle.</span></li>
<li>Debone and mince the chicken.</li>
<li>Heat up the oil and saute the minced garlic and birds eye chillies until a nice fragrant appears (the oil will turn light reddish).</li>
<li>Add the minced chicken and fry until chicken is cooked through. Since the chicken is already minced, it will cook fast (around 5 to 10 minutes). Chicken breast is a white meat, so it's dry. We LOVE white meat. If you prefer the red meat of chicken, then you can use chicken thigh or drumstick. The meat will be juicier.</li>
<li>Add the sauces (dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce) and mix well.</li>
<li>Add the vegetables and stir until the vegetables are ready.</li>
<li>Add Thai/holy basil before you turn off the heat.</li>
<li>Finally, add salt if needed.</li>
</ol>
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Voila! It's all done! This is so delicious and it has my Baba-approval. My dad has very limited palate and he usually likes fried food or curry best. He has a second serving so I take it he likes it. </div>
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P/S: Do visit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/migrationology">Mark Weins Youtube channel</a>. It is awesome! I love his Langkawi series.</div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-462627452694425585.post-5355577353780440272015-12-15T20:53:00.000+08:002015-12-15T20:53:59.778+08:00What Is Happening Right Now?<div style="text-align: justify;">
Cleaning. I have tonnes to boxes (okay, exaggeration alert, I have only 4) that need to be sorted out. A HUGE part of moving that I hate so much (I've been moving since I was 12, literally) is packing, shifting and unpacking. The packing and shifting parts are long over since early November but the unpacking part is the itty-bitty part that is left now.</div>
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And I am procrastinating. Yup. The boxes are still there. They are neatly stacked next to my wardrobe and they are still hurting my eyes (and the view). I have unpacked at least 70% of my stuff and the 30% is the part that is left to linger.</div>
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Most of the boxes are full of my clothes. I admit, I have lots of clothes. Not as many as majority of people, but enough to give me headache to sort. I know I should've thrown or donated most of it away, but every time I sort them out, I always feel that I still need this or that piece of clothing. Have you ever felt that way?</div>
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So, for now, I NEED to sort my boxes. </div>
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Harleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14383106538824067010noreply@blogger.com0