Makan-Makan di Ampangan, Negeri Sembilan

Salam semua,

Semalam saya ke Kuala Pilah lagi untuk menghantar anak bongsu saya balik ke kolej tempat dia belajar. Walaupun agak risau takut tersangkut didalam banjir kat mana-mana terutamanya Ulu Bendul, alhamdulillah semua nya elok dengan adanya sikit matahari.

Sampai Seremban dah hampir pukul 1, jadi biasalah time-time ni perut dah bagi signal minta makan. Kami singgah di satu tempat makan ni yang pernah saya singgah sebelum ni. Yang peliknya, dua kali ke situ, dua kali juga saya tak dapat nama restoran ni, Kenapa agaknya ya?
Selepas Google dua tiga kali, baru dapat nama tempat ni, iaitu Medan Selera PSMA .

Inilah tempat yang kami makan, Medan Selera PSMA, Ampangan, Seremban.
Apa yang menarik tentang tempat ni?  Tengok list dibawah :

i ) Sangat luas dan senang park kereta

ii) Cara makanan disediakan sangat hygenic iaitu di balut dengan plastic wrap, cuma saya rasa orang kita selalunya lebih suka kepada konsep seakan akan buffet gitu.

iii) Banyak pilihan. Ada lauk pauk yang biasa dihidang untuk makan tengahari, ada nasi ayam, roti canai, bubur dan banyak jenis lagi.

iv) Air minuman di isi separuh cawan dan disimpan didalam peti sejuk. Kita hanya perlu pilih air apa yang kita idamkan, contohnya air laici. Ambil air laici ni, kemudian isi ais kiub sendiri.

v ) Layan diri dan makanan boleh di re-heat di micro wave yang disediakan di situ.

vi) Yang paling best? Ada kedai repair kasut kat sebelah medan selera ni.

Ini yang saya maksudkan dengan makanan yang di balut. Kita cuma perlu pilih apa yang kita nak. Harga dah siap terpampang di dinding steel makanan itu.
Untuk semua jenis makanan yang kami ambil termasuk nasi dan air, harganya ialah RM30.00 tepat.
Terpulang kepada kita untuk menilai samada mahal atau murah.
Apapun saya suka masak lemak daging salai tu. Tasty.

Macam mana nak ke sana? Hemm..ni ada sikit masalah sebab saya pun tak berapa familiar. Cuma apa yang saya boleh petuakan ialah, dari Seremban menghala ke Kuala Pilah, kita akan pass by Ampangan. Medan selera ni kat Ampangan.

 Landmarknya? Kat seberang jalan tak jauh dari situ ada Giant Supermarket.
Saya melalui jalan Datuk Muda Linggi, kalau tak silap, sebelum sampai ke sini sejurus selepas traffic light.

Saya tak sempat ambik gambar makanan sebab ramai orang masa tu lagipun banyak yang dah habis. Jadi saya cuma dapat upload gambar makanan yang kami nak makan saja.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
29th.Dec '14

Makan-makan Di Kuala Selangor

Assalamualaikum semua,

Dah agak lama saya tak muat naik entri masakan. Sebabnya? Kat rumah sekarang hanya tinggal kami bertiga saja iaitu Sophie, abahnya dan saya. Jadi kalau masak pun yang biasa-biasa saja.
Tapi untuk tidak mengosongkan blog saya terlalu lama, Sophie bagi cadangan kepada saya untuk menjadi seorang "food critic" yang tak bertauliah.

theyouthjob.com
(Sambil membaca blog ini, anda boleh mencuba link diatas untuk menambah side income anda, terutama pada yang tidak bekerja. Tidak perlu mengeluarkan wang untuk apa-apa pendaftaran. Anda hanya ikut pautan ini dan register sebagai ahli. Sekiranya anda berjaya memberi traffic yang dikehendaki oleh website ini, anda akan dibayar mengikut traffic yang diterima.)

Jadi untuk permulaan  buat hari ni, saya akan membawa anda semua ke Kuala Selangor.
Saya ke Kuala Selangor sebenarnya bukan  niat nak makan kat sana pun tapi sebab nak beli ikan kat Pasir Penambang. Since Sophie cuti hari tu and cik suami pun balik kerja awal (Hari Keputeraan Sultan Selangor) kami setuju nak cuba makanan laut di sini. Semenjak pindah ke Selangor ni, tak pernah lagi saya makan seafood kat mana2 restoran sebab takut tak fresh.

Maaf gambar kurang memuaskan. Kalut nak ambik gambar cepat sebab dah nak hujan

Tapi hari ni saya bagi "thumbs up" untuk restoran ni. Ikan siakap ni sangat segar. Kalau ikut gambar yang saya ambil diatas agak kurang memuaskan tapi taste-nya sangat authentic. Nama masakan ni Ikan Siakap Masak Patong. Ada rasa serai yang strong tapi well blended dengan cili , kunyit serta lain lain bahan didalamnya.

Ayam Pandan

Bagi ayam pandan pula, bagi saya sedap tapi biasa-biasa saja. Agak kering dan sedikit keras. Sos coleslaw terasa sedikit masam. Mungkin di guna pakai dari hari sebelumnya. Rempah-ratus di dalam ayam pandan ni agak "bland", tak ada yang outstanding.

Kangkong goreng ini sangat menepati citarasa saya. Tidak terlalu lembik dan rasa pedasnya balance dengan rasa kicap yang diguna pakai dalam masakan ini. Saya suka rasa bawang putih yang digoreng asing kemudian ditabur diatas kangkong ini.

Untuk dinner hari ni kami order seperti gambar diatas iaitu, Siakap Masak Patong, Kangkong Goreng, Ayam Pandan, Tomyam Seafood dan Sotong Goreng Tepung. Tapi pesanan sotong kami tidak keluar. Dia orang terlupa kot.

Tomyam seafood disini juga boleh di katakan antara yang terbaik yang pernah saya makan. Saya tidak memuat naik gambar tomyam sebab dah nampak buruk mangkok tomyam tu sebab dah tinggal separuh sebelum sempat saya ambik gambar.

Servis pun sangat cepat. Saya bergurau dengan pelayan tu, saya kata "adik saya nak makanan saya siap dalam masa 15 minit ya". Mana tau betul betul 15 minit kemudian saya dapat semua pesanan saya kecuali sotong goreng tepung. Nak cepat sangat kan?

Macam mana nak kesana? Kalau boleh look out for Latar Highway yang akan membawa anda ke Kuala Selangor. Bila dah sampai ke Kuala Selangor, look out pula untuk sign Pasir Penambang. Lepas saja jambatan sikit, boleh nampak nama restoran ni, Restoran D' Coral.

Bila turun ja dari jambatan, tengok traffic light kat depan, kalau disebelah kirinya nampak Giant Supermarket, ambik kiri. Mesti nampak pasaraya Giant. Kalau tak nampak silap tempat. Pass by pasaraya ni, lepas tu belok kiri. Jalan terus sampai ke belakang, kat tepi muara sungai.

Dari dalam gambar ni dah boleh nampak jambatan yang saya sebut tu kan? Ikut saja apa yang saya tulis dan dah boleh sampai ke tempat ni.

Berapa harga? Untuk 4 jenis hidangan yang kami pesan, 3 jenis air minuman dan 3 pinggan nasi, harganya RM75.60. Apa pendapat anda? Bagi saya, saya akan ke sana lagi sebab saya dah jumpa makanan laut yang segar macam tempat saya dulu di Langkawi.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
16th.Dec '14

My Grandma And Grandpa

Hey all,

Sitting alone playing Candy Crush ( I've reached level 443 by the way) yesterday, with the droplets of rain threatening to turn heavy any minute, I looked out the glass door forlornly. I missed my late grandma tremendously. I missed her so much that my eyes started to water.

I lived with my grandparents since I was a little baby. My parents were in Singapore at that time and my mom had to undergo an operation to remove her thyroid. Since there was no one to care for me, I was sent to be with my grandma for a while. A while became years. I lived with them until I turned twelve.

Those twelve years was the best years in my life. I cherished those years tremendously. I became their pet. Even though life was hard back then, I loved every single minute spent with them.

The house that we lived in, is a typical Malay wooden house. It looked something like below. Back then (in the late 1960s) there was not too many houses or neighbours that lived close to our home. It was very quiet and dark when the night falls as there was  no electricity just yet. I would usually cling close to grandma during these hours because I was afraid that some kind of ghosts or vampires would fly over our roof and saw me and snatch me away. Can't blame me for being that way. I was shoved with ghost stories frequently by grandma. She did that because I was like a boy and I was never home even after dark. She was tired having to look for me around the village that she started telling ghost stories just to keep me quiet at home. Well, she succeeded.

Gambar di ambil dari blog ruby.com

Compared to grandma, grandpa was a no nonsense person. All their children lived away from home. Every now and then, they would come home to visit their parents. What saddened me, their children (my aunts and uncles) never really sit down and have a conversation with him. My uncles usually would just nod their heads as some kind of acknowledgement towards grandpa. The only words they usually exchange was "Where's mom?" And he would reply, "She's inside."

That's it. That's their conversation. I don't totally blame them for being that way. My grandpa was not friendly towards his children. But around me, he's totally a different person. He would called out to me to follow him to his little farm where he grew tapioca, corn, and other vegetation. I would help him out to clear the shrubs and water his farm. He also taught me how to milk a cow. I was so good at it that he would let me do it on my own whenever he is not around.

Rambutan tree :Picture from wikimedia

                                   
You know what else he taught me? He taught me how to catch a snake. We didn't have a running tap water at home, so we had to depend on a self-dig well. A big rambutan tree stood next to the well. Since this tree grow lots of branches and twigs, one will not be surprised to see a snake curling up on the branches and once in a while these snakes would fall into the well. 

The first time I saw a snake swimming in our well, I screamed at the top of my voice. After that I became an expert on how to fish out the snake from the water. My grandpa would use a coconut skewer ( I don't know the right word) and  make a little knot from it. Together we would try to fish out the snake until I finally managed to pull out the snake. How cool can I be! That was then.

Grandma, she is one person I truly love to this day. I know she had her flaws but to me she was perfect. She was a great cook and I am not just saying it. All her grandchildren would request for her cooking whenever  they were there spending long school holidays.
She loved me so much that sometimes she would hide my favourite dessert from her own children, not until I eat it first. She was always upset with my antics but she will always back me up whenever any body says things about me. I was her life and hers mine. She loved all her other grandchildren as much as she did to me but since I am the only one who really lived with her all the time, I got more love than the rest, at least while they're not there.

After school, I would ride around the village on the big old bicycle to look for my buddies, mostly boys. I would play until well after seven p.m. by which it will be dark soon. She would go from one house to the other to look for me. The moment she found me.. well you know what happened next.

One day, she was so mad at me and said, "Ok, I've packed your bag with clothes inside and a little food for you to last for a few days. Go..go find your friends now and stay with them!" 

I looked at her in total disbelief. Who is this woman? Where is my grandma? How can this woman throwing me out from her house? You know what I did? I went to take my shower while my mind was racing furiously. What shall I do? Even then, my pride was high and I was not going to beg her to have mercy on me. After the shower, I went upstairs and pretended to take my little suitcase (I was nine or ten years old). I peeped from the staircase and saw her having dinner on her own (my grandpa was at the mosque). Okay, now's the time. I pulled out a thin mattress (my grandma used material from kapok tree to sew the mattress, something like cotton) from under the bed, rolled it open and lie inside it, then I rolled myself back inside the mattress. Now I only had to be quiet and stay still.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard her footstep coming upstairs. She looked for me inside grandpa's room, I was not there. She looked for the little suitcase, it was not there. I pushed the suitcase behind me under the bed. I can hear her panic movement. She went downstairs and opened the door. It went quiet again. Later on I heard my grandpa's voice asking questions. They were talking loudly and there's a little panic in their voice. I heard them saying that they're going to look at our nearest neighbour's house. I waited until they left before I came out from my hiding.
My tummy was growling. It needed to be filled up. I went down to have my dinner and suddenly they were home. She stared at me quietly while grandpa was harping at me for being a brat. I went to bed with swollen eyes. I pretended to sleep when grandma came to check on me. She curled up her body next to mine and caress my back softly. That memory stays with me to this day. So much for my pride!

Next to the house, grandpa built a little barn for grandma to cook. She didn't own a modern stove like we do now. She used firewood to cook. Whenever there was no more firewood, she would call out to me and suggested I follow her to the rubber estate. We used two bicycles so that we can carry home more fire wood than if using only one bicycle. Rubber trees produce good woods for cooking. It dries easily and cracked to the fire even better. While I looked for the firewood, she would hunt for mushroom. These wild mushroom breed beautifully under shaded trees and grows on dead rubber tree twigs. She looked pleased with herself for harvesting enough mushroom to last her a couple of days. So what's in it for me? You think I would follow her if there's nothing for me? Rubber trees got it's own fruits which will burst when it's ripe and scattered the little brown seed inside. This was my ulterior motive for willingly following her to the estate. The seeds are useful for us (me and my buddies) for our own tournament.

At other time, when she didn't have any schedule on that day, she suggested for us to go fishing. This one I like. I don't need to pretend to enjoy it because I truly enjoy fishing. We didn't have the fancy fishing rod. She went behind the house and cut down two long thin bamboo stems for us to use it as rod. We used worm as our bait. We headed to a little stream that took us about half an hour to get there. She was good with her catch and we managed to catch some decent fish for that evening. Since we don't own a fridge yet at that time, those extra fish were used to ferment it and after a few days we can eat it, by frying it first. I hated the smell of that fermented fish and I never ate it even now, but the memory of her doing just that still intact in my head.

I wish she was still around to watch me grow up and become ladylike (not much but acceptable) and I wish I could have done something for her and grandpa. They were precious to me, even the memories were precious to me.
May Allah bless you Grandma and Grandpa. Wherever you are, my prayers will always be with you.


Rose
15th.Dec '14 

Tako Ayam Kukus

Salam semua,

Apa khabar semua diluar sana? Saya baru sihat dari demam. Demam orang tua. Hari ni demam esok sihat, macam tu lah selalunya.
Bila sakit tu selera makan pun berkurang. Teringin nak makan makanan yang senang larut macam bubur nasi ka, ataupun sup daging macam tu.
Lepas sihat saya buat ayam kukus ni.
Jom kita tengok bahan bahan yang diperlukan.

Kita perlukan : 

Bahagian bawah :

4 ketul isi ayam ( di kisar kasar)
1 biji telur
3 biji cili merah/ 2 ulas bwg putih/sikit halia & lengkuas/ 1 batang serai/ 1 rumpun daun ketumbar
(semua bahan ni dikisar sekali)

2 sudu makan cawan sos ikan
secubit garam
sikit gula
2 sudu makan jus sunquick
2 sudu besar tepung beras

Bahagian Atas :
3/4 cawan santan
1 sudu besar tepung beras
sikit garam


Sekarang kita mula masak :

 Sediakan satu mangkuk besar.

Masukkan bahan kisar, santan, telur, sos ikan, gula dan tepung beras. Gaul biar sekata dulu.
Kemudian masukkan ayam yang dikisar dan  gaul menggunakan sudip.
Bila dah sebati, ketepikan dulu.

Sekarang ambil semua bahan utk bahagian atas dan masukkan kedalam periuk kecil. Masak diatas api perlahan. masak selama lebih kurang 2 minit atau sehingga santan menjadi agak berketul. Tutup api dan angkat.

Di masa yang sama, panaskan steamer.

Sekarang, ambil beberapa ayam dan  masukkan kedalam bekas ramekin atau apa-apa mangkuk tahan panas.
Masukkan kedalam setiap satu bekas sehingga habis isi ayam tadi.

Setelah diisi, masukkan kedalam periuk pengukus dan kukus selama 10 minit.
Buka tudung, sekarang lapiskan ayam kukus tadi dengan bancuhan kepala santan yg kita masak sekejap tadi.

Sekarang kukuskan lagi selama lebih kurang 10 minit. Tutup api dan biarkan sejuk.

Mudah dan berkhasiat!
Selamat mencuba.

Rose
14th.Dec '14

Blame It On The Menopause

Hey people,

Missing me? I know you do. I am missing my blog too. Too many things going around that took many of my precious spare time lately.

The last couple of weeks has not been very pleasant for me. But as we all know, that what makes us human.  Without problems, we are not human. It's how we take it and solve it.

A few years ago or not too long ago, I was a person that my kids labeled as supermom. No..no..I am not bragging about myself, just stating what the kids called me. We had a small company, a travel agency, and I together with my husband run the company on our own.
I cooked before going to the office, I did the clerical work in the office, I drove around our guests/tourists (driving a 10 seater van) when shortage of staff, I do the entertaining whenever required, I negotiate deals with our suppliers, I look after our sales and profit, I went home in the evening and do the cooking again, I went through the children's homework together with them, I am by their side listening to their daily routine, I nursed them during sick and I am the financial controller.

Then as you all may know it, we lost the company, we lost the house and I was diagnosed with cancer. Initially, it was a bad turn for us but we managed to emerge through it all.
If I were to die today, I would die penniless but one thing I am sure of, I'd die happy.
Even though I am about to be declared a bankrupt in a few months time, I still live like another human being. I don't feel much remorse because I didn't cheat people, instead I  was cheated by my partner.

Now that my three children are working while Sara, being the youngest is in a local college, I can heave a sigh of relief. My responsibility towards them was three quarter withdrawn away from my shoulders. We make do with what little we have. I am the ma'am of the house now. The children and my husband supported me now. All I need to do now is sit down and look pretty..haha..dream on!

I was used to having and making money on my own, it takes some getting used to receiving money from others. I feel invalid yet I can't work too much on my toes now as I have a severe back pain. Standing up more than two hours and my body would feel as if I am under flame.

I have become overly sensitive now. I cried easily, I get irritated easily and I feel hurt with a never-intended sharp remarks from the children easily.
I hate the thought that they are taking me for granted.
I can't take any more problems that arises every now and then like I did before.
I've been through too much of pain throughout my life that I wish I could  now live quietly till my last breath.

The other day, I was driving Sophie home and I said, I need you to give me some extra attention. "I know you are doing the best you can, what with your busy schedule and your work is taking up most of your time, I feel neglected." She hugged me tightly and promised she will never neglect me.
I know she won't. It's just me. Blame it on the menopause.

I cried in Sara's presence too. I said to her I don't know what is becoming of me. Lately I feel sad most of the time. Like Sophie, she too consoled me, "Ma, please be strong. I hate to see you like this. Please bring back my old mom who laughs at the silliest joke I made, who muttered offensive remarks towards other drivers and who is ever ready to face the world come rain or shine.

There is one day I was upset with my husband. I am sure he didn't even know what he did. I totally ignored him and refused talking to him. Lucky me he's not the type that went berserk with my mood swing.

What I am trying to say is, this is the time when I needed my family the most. I have done my duty bringing them up and caring for them throughout the years, this is the time when they should do the same for me. Not always. Not all the time, but every now and then. Menopause is hard especially for women my age. It takes some getting used to and some moral support from every body to help me go through this. It helped me out tremendously.

I loved it when going out with Sophie for grocery shopping she would use her debit card to pay for it.
Or checking into a hotel, she would do the checking in instead of me.
Or she would order us the food for an occasional outside dinner.
I had done all these when they were young and I am content to know that they are doing it for me. I felt loved.

On the other hand, I have Sara, who will stroke my hand and said how beautiful my hands are (even though the wrinkles are visible).
Who will sniff my neck and mumbled, "Can any of the perfume maker invent something that can preserve your scent?"
Or a simple "I love you and you alone in the whole wide world". Sophie used to get mad with this remarks saying, "What was that supposed to mean. That I, dad and the others don't exist?"

The family has been so supportive towards me all the while. It's just me. I am being selfish. I am feeling lousy. I am getting cranky. To sum it all, I am selfish, lousy and cranky. Oh God! That sounded horrible. I had to get a grip on myself or I'd end up alone on my own.

For those who is going through menopause like what I am going right now, try to overcome it. Get yourself busy, try not to be alone or on your own too long, mix around with other people even though your heart is not in it.
Every now and then, we were awoken in the middle of the night and for no reason at all, we started crying feeling sad and useless. Remember it's not you. It's the hormonal change in you. For the Muslims, we could get up and perform a sunah prayer or recite verses from the Quran.
For my non Muslim friends, maybe you could read some books or watch a movie that you missed earlier. Do not let the misery brings you down. Do not stay still and dwell on the sadness. Wake up, get up, do something.
If you don't, it could lead you to yet another problem, depression.

I've been through that phase ( a period of over four years ) and it's almost over.
So come on girls, if I can do it, so can you. Be strong for yourself and your loved ones.

Have a nice day and stay healthy everybody.

With much love from me,
Rose
3rd.Dec '14

Ayam Penyet

Selamat berjumpa kembali!

Sekarang ni banyak tempat yang menjual ayam penyet, baik di gerai gerai kecil maupun direstoran besar. Makanan orang Indonesia. Memandangkan si Sophie gemar sungguh dengan masakan ini, saya pun buatkan sikit hari tu untuk kami tiga beranak.

Saya ada ubah suaikan sikit cara penyediaannya seperti ayam yang sepatutnya direbus, saya kukuskan untuk menyimpan rasa perapan.

Sangat simple dan yummy!


Untuk Sambal

4 biji cili api
3 sudu makan cili kering yang dah di kisar
3 ulas bwg merah & 2 ulas bwg putih
1 biji tomato masak ranum (belah dua dan bakar sekejap)
7 ikan bilis
sikit belacan
sikit garam
sikit gula merah (ikutr selera kalau suka manis, lebihkan gula)
3/4 sudu makan limau kasturi
1 tangkai daun selasih (ambik daunnya saja)

Semua bahan di atas ditumbuk sehingga halus. Ketepikan.
* Saya tumis dan masak sekejap diatas api untuk mengelakkan rasa tidak selesa perut selepas makan.

Untuk ayam pula :

1/2 ekor ayam di potong empat (atau ikut cara hati anda)
sedikit lengkuas - ditumbuk kasar
sedikit halia       - ditumbuk kasar
1 batang serai    - ditumbuk kasar
2 helai daun limau purut - dibuang tulang dan di koyak kecil
sedikit serbuk ketumbar
sedikit kunyit dan garam
1/4 cawan santan pekat
(Lumurkan ayam dengan semua bahan  dan perapkan selama lebih kurang 30 min, kemudian kukuskan selama 20 min)

Panaskan api dengan minyak yang banyak dan deep fry kan ayam tadi.

Untuk kriuk (yang garing) , yang semua orang suka makan tu, kita buat macam ni:
Ambil air (anggaran 1 cawan) bekas kukusan ayam tadi.
3 sudu makan tepung beras
3 sudu makan tepung ubi
sikit garam dan sikit soda bikarbonat

Gaulkan sehingga adunannya menjadi seperti tepung pisang goreng.
Panaskan api dan dengan menggunakan jari, sebar-sebarkan di dalam minyak. Tunggu sehingga garing dan angkat.

Untuk garnishing :
1/4 sayur kubis di potong nipis
Timun di potong bulat
Tempe digoreng garing

Semua dah siap. Jangan lupa masak nasi dulu. Nanti disebabkan leka membaca cara-cara nak buat sambal dan perapan, lupa pulak nak masak nasi, hah.. baru angin satu badan!

Hari ni hari minggu, kalau masih tak tahu nak masak apa, boleh cuba buat Ayam Penyet ni. Kalau rajin tinggalkan komen atau feed back untuk saya ya.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
16th.Nov '14

Sakit Jiwa Dengan Kereta Baru Proton Persona

Salam semua,

Dah lebih seminggu saya tak buat apa apa dengan blog saya ni. Bukan sengaja tak mau tulis tapi PC buat hal. Tekan suis, screen kosong. Cuba repair kat rumah sebelum hantar, pun tak boleh jugak. Dah la agak kering sekarang ni. Akhirnya terpaksa juga hantar kedai. Ni baru okay..

Pada minggu yang sama, saya beli kereta baru, Proton Persona. Ikutkan hati, memang tak mau beli sebab bila ada kereta baru, bermakna perlukan duit setiap bulan, tapi nak buat macam mana. kereta lama ni selalu bagi masalah. Asal drive keluar ja, temperature naik, esok tu keluar pulak, bateri habis tempoh, drive lagi temperature naik lagi. Trauma saya!

Jadi untuk memudahkan matlamat hidup saya, kami dapatkan sebuah kereta baru, Proton Persona. Kakak saya, Mariam, telah menghubungi jurujual Proton bahagian Sentul, Puan Rani. Sebelum ni kakak saya telah pun membeli tiga buah Proton pelbagai jenis daripada Rani. Jadi bila dah kenal, senang sikit nak berurusan dengan dia.

Kami terima kereta tu pada petang Rabu 5hb.Nov '14. Rani memandu kereta tu terus kerumah kakak saya. Petang tu saya pandu pulang kereta baru. Bila En Suami sampai rumah saya bagitau dia, jom kita surprisekan Sophie. Kita ambik dia dari train station dan jangan bagi tau dia dulu berkenaan kereta baru tu.

Semasa memandu ke stesen keretapi Kuang, saya dah dapat rasa, bila saya perlahankan kereta, ia akan terasa sedikit "jerking". Tapi saya brush aside perkara tu, ingatkan ia perkara biasa.

Nightmare saya bermula keesokan harinya. Petang hari, sewaktu nak mengambil Sophie, di kawasan bengkang bengkok pulak tu, kereta tu menjadi senyap dan stereng tiba-tiba jem. Saya tak boleh nak pulas ke kiri atau kanan. Nasib baik suami ikut sekali. Saya tekan brek dan berhenti agak di tengah jalan sebab tak boleh bergerak. Saya biarkan sekejap, sebelum mencuba lagi. Bagus, dah elok. Tapi tak sampai tiga minit, kereta tak boleh bergerak laju walaupun saya tekan pedal minyak, ia tetap bergerak perlahan.
Saya teruskan juga walaupun merangkak-rangkak, sampai juga kami ke stesen keretapi. Perjalanan pulang ok. Tak ada masalah.

Saya call Rani bagitau masalah kereta, dia suruh saya hantar ke pusat servis di Rawang. Keesokkan harinya, saya ke pusat servis Rawang untuk memeriksa keadaan kenderaan baru saya tu. Rani juga bersama saya di situ. Selepas hampir 1jam setengah (anggaran masa), saya diberitahu kereta dah ok. Saya tanya kenapa, pegawai wanita kat situ bagitau saya, masalah tuning. Sekarang dah ok, kata dia.

Ok, good. Sekarang saya boleh meronda seluruh negara. Sambil bernyanyi-nyanyi kecil (sebab dah terlebih happy kereta dah elok), saya drive balik. The moment saya hampir nak sampai ke parking dikawasan perumahan saya, enjin mati. Uh oh..jadi lagi ka? Saya cuba start, dan ...ok boleh jalan. Alhamdulillah, sekurang-kurangnya saya selamat sampai ke rumah.
Petang tu, kakak saya yang lagi sorang, Norida,  nak datang berjumpa kami. Jadi kakak sulung saya, Mariam kata dia akan datang ambil saya dan kami akan ke Shah Alam bersama-sama untuk ambil kak Norida bersama-sama. Kiranya macam Charlie's Angels la ni.
Kereta Persona saya biarkan dirumah.

Saya dan kak Norida bermalam di rumah kak Mariam. Keesokkan paginya kak Mariam hantar kami balik kerumah saya pulak. Hari tu hari Sabtu, Sophie pun ada di rumah, cuti. Saya masak apa yang patut untuk makan tengahari. Lepas makan, saya ajak kak Norida keluar, saja ambil angin. Dia kata ok, janji jalan tak jem. Kali ni, Sophie yang tengah keciwi memandu, minta nak pandu kereta baru tu. Saya bagi dia bawa. Baru keluar dari kawasan perumahan saya, kereta tiba-tiba mati lagi sekali. Kali ni memang tak boleh start balik.
Saya call Rani bagitau apa yang terjadi. Dia bagi number V Care dan suruh saya call number tu. Saya call dan bagi tau lokasi dimana kami terdampar. Lebih kurang sejam kemudian, tow truck sampai dan kereta saya di tow ke Pusat Servis Kepong. Sekali lagi saya call kak Mariam minta tolong dia ambil kami.

Esok harinya, En Azlan dari Pusat Servis Kepong call dan beritau kereta dah siap. Saya tanya apa penyebab kerosakan, dia kata sensor. Dia orang dah tukar sensor dan sekarang should be okay.

Saya call lagi kak Mariam minta tolong hantar saya ke Kepong. Kami keluar lebih kurang jam 2.20petang dan sehingga hampir jam lima, kami masih tak dapat jumpa Pusat servis tu. Yang menambah sakit hati saya ialah, operator yang menjawab telefon tu, Salina nama dia, langsung tak ambil initiative untuk bertanya saya apa yang berlaku.
Saya call beberapa kali untuk bertanyakan tunjuk arah. Ada sekali tu dia kata dekat Jusco. Kami drive sampai ke Jusco. Dia cakap dah jauh. Pusing balik. Saya kemudiannya call lagi tanya arah jalan.  Dia bagi petua lagi, masih tak jumpa.
Kemudian kami sampai berhadapan dengan Tesco Kepong, saya call dia lagi, tanya boleh tak dia orang hantar kereta saya ke situ supaya kami tak buang masa berlegar-legar tak tentu hala. Saya tak tahu apa yang dijawabnya cuma yang saya ingat dia bagi petua lagi suruh pusing balik.

Bila dah hampir pukul lima, temper saya dah mula menipis. Mau-nya tidak! Dah la kita yang keep calling dia orang bertanyakan arah, dia orang pulak sampai tak ada initiative, nak tanya saya apa masalah puan, apa nombor kereta puan, apa nombor telefon puan, puan sekarang ada di mana? Semua tu sangat basic punya kerja.
Dengan nada serius saya bagi tau dia cara kerja dia sangat tak bertanggung jawab, langsung tak tahu macam mana nak handle masalah begini.
Saya letak fon dan akhirnya kami pulang tanpa kereta.

Hari Selasa, suami saya ada di rumah. Ariff, anak sulung saya pun baru datang dari Langkawi. Saya minta tolong depa berdua untuk pergi mengambil kereta tersebut. Dalam perjalanan balik, tiba-tiba lagi sekali kereta tu mati enjin di tengah jalan. Suami call dan cakap dia orang dah call tow truck untuk membawa kereta tu ke pusat servis, kali ni terus ke HQ, berhampiran Lebuhraya Kesas.

Saya call kak Mariam untuk memberitahu perkembangan terbaru. Kali ni, dia betul-betul naik angin. Dia call Rani dan dengan tegasnya minta refund atau ganti kereta baru. Rani cakap dia tak boleh buat apa-apa, itu hal technical. Bertambahlah marah kakak saya. Dia demand nak jumpa pegawai in-charge.

Akhirnya pada hari Rabu (12hb.Nov), kami ke Proton HQ untuk berjumpa dengan pegawai mereka. Sampai di sana, kami berjumpa dengan bos Rani, En Nazrul dan tiga orang lain di bilik mesyuarat. Kami menyuarakan ketidak puasan hati dengan kondisi kereta yang baru dibeli dan juga servis dari staf mereka.
Kami juga meminta samada diberi a brand new car atau refund semula duit yang telah dibayar bagi pembelian tersebut.
Pada masa artikel ini ditulis, kami belum mendapat apa-apa maklum balas sebab mesyuarat tersebut baru kami hadiri semalam.

Jadi buat masa sekarang kami hanya mampu menunggu. Walau bagaimanapun pujian harus saya berikan kepada En Nazrul yang sangat professional dari cara dia menangani masalah ini.
Sekiranya ada diantara pembaca saya dari Proton Edar COE Complex, Kesas Highway, diharap dapat lakukan sesuatu untuk mengelokkan pandangan orang awam terhadap premis itu. Kenapa saya cakap macam tu? Sebab semasa sampai ke sana, dalam pukul 1.40pm (appointment kami jam dua), kami disuruh tunggu di lobby yang telah disediakan kerusi empuk untuk pelanggan. Sesampai di situ, kami lihat, ada tiga orang pekerja yang mungkin sedang mengambil masa makan tengahari mereka untuk melelapkan mata sekejap. Memang tak salah, tapi kalau di tempat yang disediakan untuk pelanggan, tetapi para pekerja tidur terbongkang kat situ nampak sangat tidak sopan. Pekerja perempuan pulak tu. Seeloknya cari tempat yang discreet sikit untuk berehat bukan ditempat sebegitu. Saya pulak yang rasa malu tengok mereka bergelimpangan disitu.

Itulah serba sedikit luahan hati saya hari ini. Di harap hal-hal sebegini tak akan berulang lagi di masa akan datang.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
13th.Nov '14

Sakit Demam, Hospital Dan Komplain/ Sicknesses, Hospitals and Dissatisfactions

Hello all,

Today is Sunday the 26th. It's weekend but I refused to do anything outside home and I refused to drag my butt out from home, at least for yesterday and today.  I am beat and overly exhausted. It had been a chaotic weeks for me and the family.

Ismail, my husband had a fever a couple of weeks ago. At first we thought it was just one of those fever. He came home one evening and said his body ached all over. He took a serious turn the next day that I decided to take him see a doctor. Doctor later confirmed that he had a dengue fever. For my readers abroad, you may not know of this fever but in Malaysia it is considered one of those, at times, fatal fever. It could lead to death if not properly treated.
Since Sophie has started working, that leave me alone to run around back and forth from sending Sophie for work and frequenting hospital for my husband admission and treatment.

As if that's not enough, my car had to show her tantrum on that very day. The day I was driving my husband to the clinic to ascertain his type of fever. All of a sudden, the meter on the dashboard showed the car temperature had reached boiling point. What the ....? I really was trying to keep my cool but I don't know for how long. What make me sick to the stomach was that, just a week prior to this I had the same exact problem. Sophie and I was stranded at one of the busiest road in the city and we had to call my niece for her help to take us to the nearest garage. That guy charged us RM280.00 saying he had changed  my motor fan.
Less than a week, the same brand new motor fan stopped fanning and the car temperature rose to boiling point. He robbed me in a broad day light!

Both Sophie and I were running around like there was no tomorrow. Poor Sophie! She too had to juggle between working, taking care both me and my husband and preparing for her graduation day which fell on the 17th.October, whereby my husband was still being admitted at the general hospital.

It was supposed to be D-Day for her yet here we are praying for my husband speedy recovery and hoping for the best.
Not wanting to giving in to this unfortunate situation, I assured Sophie I will be there with her on her graduation day.So, there I was at her college, sitting in the auditorium amongst elated parents cheering for their kids. I promised myself, I will not cry, I will not cry, I am a big girl now. This is a happy day for us. Well, me being me, I cried all the same. Just listening to the M.C calling out her name, made me sobbed. Mothers!

While my husband was being treated in the hospital, I fell sick at the same time. I was down with fever too. We were all worried that I got the dengue fever too. Thank God it was just a fever. Still, my body was weak and I was dragging and forcing myself to run around home and hospital.

What I did was, after sending Sophie to work, I came home and fell asleep until noon. I woke up not feeling any better but still had to head to the hospital and check up on my husband. The hospital parking..urghhh.. what can I say, it's a war zone. And since my car was still under repair, again I borrowed the Prado jeep from my sister to run around. Imagine that type of vehicle making rounds around the narrow lane to find a parking spot. I was near to tears but I managed to find one parking bay outside the hospital compound.

My husband condition was quite worrying at that time. I called up all my three other children updating them on their dad's conditions. Soffian got a one week leave. So did Sara, she got a green light to leave the college for a few days. All except for Ariff was home. He had just started at a new place so he couldn't apply for leave.

Whatever it is, I was glad we all made it brilliantly. My husband has been discharged and he is recuperating well. Soffian has gone back to Langkawi and so did Sara, she's gone back to her college. The house is back to it's usual quietness.

I sat alone at home surrounded by this quietness and I thought to myself. What if one day, when I am old and the children have each their own family to attend to, I got sick suddenly. What would I do? Will I call them? Will I want them them to visit me or will I be driving myself to the hospital? This is because I am a very independent person. I'd do anything and everything on my own. I hated the thought people taking pity on me.
I felt ashamed if I needed to ask for an assistance from anybody even though they're my own children.
The last time when I had to undergo the mastectomy, I told my husband and children, "Do not see me after the surgery. I don't want any of you to see me in that condition."
You think they'd listen? Each and everyone of them were there waiting for me to gain consciousness. So much for privacy!

That is me. Too stubborn for my own good and overly independent. I hoped and I prayed that I will never again had to spend another day in a hospital. I mean, hospital these days had improved tremendously both in their services and facilities.
Even though the hospital has improved, I still wouldn't want to spend a night there. I've been in and out hospitals to last me a life time. (As usual, I am exaggerating but I mean it)
The doctors and nurses were superb too.

Many times we heard complaints being filed against the doctors and nurses. Looking through my perspective, I'd say most of it comes from us. If we ourselves were always unhappy with everything, rude towards others and finding fault with everything, how could we expect better thing from others?

I gave one example at the hospital where my husband was being admitted the other day. There was this old man, probably in his mid sixties. Two young doctors were attending to him and they were poking his arm to extract some blood for blood sampling. When they couldn't find the right vein, they poked at another place. He was unhappy with what they were doing and started raising his voice saying, That's too much, that's too much."
I mean why was he upset? You're a man, for God's sake. Just a little poking wouldn't kill you.
I thought to myself, what if he were to go through what I had been through during my chemotheraphy treatment back then. Doctors were poking my vein numerous times to find the right vein and at times blood gushed out unstoppable. Watching him that day, I'd say there's a possibility that the doctors could be kicked by him.

Two beds away from my husband, there was another old man. I don't know what his sickness were but this is a typical dirty old man. He was wearing a hospital green garb sarong. Every time any young nurse attended him, he would slid up the sarong to flash his thing. We got a flasher right in the hospital. But the young nurses were professionals. They'd told him off quietly. He didn't like it but had no other choice but to cover himself back.

From what I see, we the patients should know where we stand. Do not expect too much from the over-crowded government hospital. We only pay RM1.00 (equivalent to USD 0.30cent) each time we visit. In my husband case, he was there for two nights, being attended by numerous doctors and nurses day in day out and three time rides in an ambulance. Full three meals daily. Not mentioning the drips and medication given.
To sum it up, I'd say, we paid RM1.00 for a five star service from the hospital staff.

These people were doing the best they can. But we cannot expect them to always be perfect in our eyes, as they are only human. Just like us, they have their ups and downs.

Thank you to all doctors, nurses and all hospital staff (especially Ward 7) for being there for us. I don't know if I can do the same if I were to be in you guys shoes. I don't think I have what it takes to be in that position.

Good nite all and sweet dreams! May tomorrow be a better day than today.

Rose
26th.October '14



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Assalamualaikum semua,

Hari ni Sabtu 25hb.Oktober '14. Saya tak kemana hari ni. Badan dah teramat letih sangat sebab terlalu sibuk dengan bermacam-macam hal dalam masa dua minggu ni.

Mana taknya, suami saya yang pada mulanya kami sangkakan demam biasa rupanya kena demam denggi. Nak di jadikan hal, kereta saya pun meragam time ni jugak. Temperature naik sampai ke tahap boiling point, padahal baru tukar motor fan sebab masalah temperature tu. Yang lebih sakit hati tu, motor fan yang kononnya baru di tukar tu, tidak berfungsi. Rupanya saya ditipu hidup-hidup oleh kedai Cina kat Kota Damansara tu. Siap dalam resit dia tulis no warranty.
Saya dan Sophie menjadi sangat sibuk dengan semua yang berlaku ditambah pulak hari konvokesyen-nya jatuh pada hari Jumaat 17hb, dimana suami saya masih di rawat di Hospital Sungai Buloh.

Kesian Sophie, pada hari yang sepatutnya menjadi hari kebanggaan kami sekeluarga, kami di timpa musibah yang agak mencemaskan. Walaupun begitu, saya tetap menghadirkan diri memberi sokongan moral kepada Sophie pada hari konvokesyennya itu. Saya telah berjanji pada diri sendiri tidak akan menangis apabila namanya dipanggil nanti. Ehmm..namanya pun ibu, benda sedih kita menangis, benda susah kita menangis, benda yang baik pun kita menangis.. Saya menangis sebab bangga dengan dia. Saya sangat bangga mendapat anak-anak seperti mereka.

Semasa suami di rawat, saya pula jatuh demam pada masa yang sama. Badan rasa macam tak berdaya nak bergerak lagi dah. Mana dengan Sophie bekerja, dengan suami sakit, terakhir saya pun nak jatuh sakit pada masa yang sama.

Apa yang saya buat, selepas saya hantar Sophie pergi kerja, saya balik kerumah dan tidur sekejap. Lepas tengahari baru saya bangun dan pandu menuju ke hospital pulak. Ni lagi satu hal, nak cari parking kat Hospital Sungai Buloh macam nak pergi berperang.  Pulak tu, disebabkan kereta saya rosak, lagi sekali saya pinjam jeep kakak saya, jeep Prado tu. Paham sajalah bawa jeep besar gedabak macam tu. Rasa nak menangis pun ada, bukannya apa tapi disebabkan demam, badan saya sakit-sakit dan lemah, jadi semua perasaan bercampur aduk. Tau saya dapat parking kat mana? Tepi susur masuk ke highway Plus. Mau nya tak kebah demam saya!
Keadaan suami agak serius pada satu waktu tu. Saya telefon anak-anak update keadaan abah dia orang. Soffian cakap dia dapat ambil cuti selama seminggu. Alhamdulillah, right timing. Sara cakap dia dah minta dengan pihak kolej untuk balik dan dah dibenarkan. Yang tinggal cuma anak sulung saya, Ariff. Hanya dia yang tak dapat balik disebabkan baru mula bekerja ditempat baru.

Apapun, saya bersyukur kami dapat melalui semuanya dengan selamat. Dan sekarang suami dah pun dibenarkan pulang. Soffian pun dah balik ke Langkawi, juga Sara dah balik ke Kuala Pilah. Rumah kembali sunyi dengan hanya kami bertiga di rumah.

Bila dah sunyi begini, saya terfikir sendirian. Macam mana satu hari kelak, bila saya dah tua dan anak-anak semua punya keluarga sendiri, tiba-tiba saya jatuh sakit. Apakah saya akan menelefon dia orang untuk datang dan melawat saya atau saya sendiri yang akan memandu ke hospital? Sebabnya saya seorang yang terlalu independent. Semua kerja saya lakukan sendiri dan saya jenis yang tak suka orang kesiankan saya.  Saya rasa malu sekiranya saya memerlukan dan mengharapkan orang lain untuk membantu saya walaupun anak-anak sendiri. Anak-anak sangat arif dengan perangai saya yang satu ni.
Dulu pun semasa saya menghidap barah payudara, saya pesan dengan anak-anak dan suami, "semua boleh balik dulu. Jangan tunggu ma keluar dari bilik bedah, ma tak mau semua orang tengok ma dalam keadaan yang tak berdaya macam tu." Agak-agak dia orang dengar tak cakap saya? Tak adanya..semua tercatuk menunggu saya ditolak masuk ke wad. Nasib baik saya masih tidak sedarkan diri.
Tapi sebaik saja saya sedar, saya minta anak-anak lapkan badan dan sikatkan rambut saya supaya nampak lebih presentable, walaupun masih dalam keadaan yang amat lemah dan sakit.

Itulah saya. Sangat degil dan  terlebih independent. Saya harap dan berdoa yang saya tak akan pernah lagi dimasukkan ke hospital. Walaupun keadaan didalam hospital sekarang banyak berbeza daripada dahulu, saya masih tidak suka tinggal di hospital. Dah berpuluh kali saya keluar masuk hospital dan saya kerap memerhati tatakerja doktor-doktor yang bertugas disana. Sepanjang saya berumah di hospital-hospital ini, baik semasa di Langkawi, di Arau Perlis, di Pulau Pinag dan sekarang di Sungai Buloh, saya sangat terkesan dengan cara doktor-doktor ini bekerja.

Selalu kita dengar orang ramai membuat aduan yang doktor-doktor ni semua teruk. Pada pandangan saya, ini mungkin datang dari sikap kita sendiri. Kalau kita sendiri bersifat kurang manis, agak kurang ajar dan selalu marah-marah, macam mana kita nak harapkan orang lain bersifat baik dengan kita.
Saya ambil contoh di hospital Sungai Buloh baru-baru ni, katil yang berdepan dengan katil suami saya, ada satu lelaki tua ni, umur mungkin dalam pertengahan enam puluhan begitu. Dua orang doktor datang merawat dia dan mereka terpaksa mengambil sampel darah. Dah namanya pun sampel darah, dah tentu-tentu kena pakai jarum. Dan bila urat tak dapat dikesan, doktor-doktor ini harus mencuba dua tiga tempat sebelum dapat mengambil darah. Pak Cik ni dah naik angin, saya dengar dia jerit kat doktor tu, "Ahh..ni dah melampau ni, ni dah melampau ni..."
Kenapa dia nak marah dan jerit macam tu. Awak tu orang lelaki, tak kan sakit sikit macam tu dah tak tahan. Saya yang dengar pun rasa nak marah. Saya terfikir sendirian, kalau dia kena macam saya dulu semasa nak buat kemoterapi, terpaksa cucuk beberapa kali sampai memancut darah disebabkan silap urat, ada kemungkinan disepaknya doktor-doktor di depan dia.

Selang dua katil disebelah kiri suami saya, ada satu uncle tua ni, jenis miang tak ingat diri. Awak tu dah sakit, tua pulak tu, buat la cara sakit. Ini tak, kain sarung hijau kepunyaan hospital yang dipakainya tu, sengaja di selak biar nampak anu dia. Dia buat macam tu bila nurse-nurse muda datang untuk merawat. Mula nya suami dah bagi tau perangai dia tapi saya tak sempat tengok, kali yang kedua baru saya perasaan. Bila nurse tegur suruh tutupkan kain dia, dia melenting. Macam tu pulak!

Dari apa yang saya nampak, kita iaitu pesakit lah yang lebih mengada-ngada daripada doktor atau jururawat itu sendiri. Kita tak payah tengok jauh lah. Kita mulakan dengan rumah kita dulu. Anak kita empat orang, setiap sorang balik rumah dengan fi'il dan perangai masing-masing. Sorang marah sebab bajunya hilang, sorang lagi merajuk tak nak makan sebab lauk tak kena dengan selera dia, sorang lagi mood tak elok sebab datang bulan dan sorang lagi marah sebab kena denda di sekolah. Kita yang tak tahu menahu apa-apa yang jadi mangsa. Kadang-kadang kita pun ada tempoh naik turun juga kan? Sama juga lah seperti mana para doktor dan jururawat ini rasa. Kita tak bolehlah nak harap servis yang tip top sepanjang masa daripada mereka-mereka ni. Cukup kalau kita ikut apa yang mereka tetapkan semasa kita dibawah pengawasan mereka. Ataupun kalau kita nak tegur, tegur lah dengan cara yang lembut dan sopan.
Itu yang saya lakukan semasa saya dirawat di mana-mana hospital. Dan Alhamdullilah, hampir kesemua doktor dan jururawat sangat menyenangkan hati saya semasa dan selepas menerima rawatan.

Sebelum semua ni, saya dah ada appointment untuk mamogram dan ultrasound di hospital Sungai Buloh ni. Sekali lagi, dari kerani kaunter nombor, ke jururawat bertugas, sehingga ke doktor yang memeriksa saya, semua mereka bertugas dengan penuh dedikasi beserta senyuman yang ikhlas. Kalau saya ditempat mereka, belum tentu saya akan dapat melayan orang ramai yang datang yang memerlukan rawatan dengan wajah yang manis. Dengan hanya RM1, suami saya mendapat rawatan kelas pertama.

Terima kasih kepada semua doktor dan jururawat yang bertugas di Wad 7 Hospital Sungai Buloh, dan kepada semua doktor dan jururawat dimana saja anda berada. You people are the best!

Salam dari saya,
Rose
25th.October '14

Roti Pisang Ringkas

Hari tu saya ada menonton masterchef Australia. Tengok dia buat roti pisang ataupun kek pisang. Senang sangat. Dah dua kali saya buat dan dua kali juga jadi elok. Banyak cara penyediaannya  dan ini adalah salah satu caranya.
Nak cuba?

Jom tengok bahan-bahan yang di perlukan :

125gm butter ( suhu bilik)
3/4 cawan gula kastor
2 sudu besar susu pekat manis (ini saya tambah sendiri)
2 biji telur
5 biji pisang emas (masak ranum)-- kalau pisang agak besar boleh kurangkan ke 4 biji
1  3/4 cawan tepung
1 sudu teh soda b.
secubit garam

Pisang emas

Kalau tak ada pisang emas, boleh pakai pisang lain seperti pisang berangan.

Pukul mentega dan gula sehingga warna agak keputihan. (saya pakai hand whisk saja)
Tuangkan pula susu pekat manis dan pukul lagi.

Pecahkan telur dan masukkan satu persatu kedalam adunan tadi bersama dengan pisang yang di lenyek.
Bila semua dah sekata, masukkan pula tepung, soda b dan garam.

Gaul lagi sampai semuanya menjadi mesra.
Panaskan oven pada suhu 180 C dan bakar selama lebih kurang 40~ 50 minit.

Saya letakkan sikit grated butter diatas kepingan roti pisang untuk menyedapkan lagi

Cuba cucuk dengan garfu atau lidi, sekiranya tidak melekit, bermakna dah masak roti pisang kita tadi.

** Kalau anda menggunakan salted butter, then tak payah masukkan garam lagi dah.

Kek pisang kita di sini selalunya tak menggunakan butter, rasanya memang sedap, tapi saya sengaja nak cuba cara yang ada butter pulak. Sama juga, rasa tetap sedap. Jadi anda boleh pilih nak cuba cara mana.

Masa penyediaan : 30 minit
Masa memasak    : 40 ~ 50 min

Anggaran Kos     : Pisang              : RM 2.50
                             Butter separuh :  RM 4.40
                             Telur                : RM 0.80
                             Lain lain           : RM 1.50

Jumlah Kos                                   : RM 9.20 untuk 6 orang

Salam dari saya,

Rose
20th.Oct '14

Road Trip To Nowhere / Perjalanan Yang Tak Di Rancang

Kita baru saja menyambut hari Raya Haji lebih kurang seminggu yang lalu. (5hb.Oct '14) Kalau Raya Haji ni selalunya kita tak berlebih-lebih sangat,  ala kadar saja.

Seperti selalu, kedua-dua anak lelaki saya, Ariff dan Soffian kena bekerja pada hari Raya. Walau macammana pun terubat juga hati saya apabila anak bongsu saya, si Sara dapat balik bercuti selama empat hari. Saya pergi ke stesen keretapi Kuang untuk menjemput dia. Nampak saja dia turun dari tangga stesen keretapi tu, saya perasan dia agak kurus. Memang selama ni pun dia dah kurus, tapi nampak semakin kurus. Kesian anak mak ni! Bila dah berjauhan dengan famili, macam ni lah jadinya.

Raya Haji jatuh pada hari Ahad, Sara balik pada hari Jumaat petang. Pada mulanya kami ingat tak mahu kemana-mana hanya duduk dirumah saja.
Jadi pada pagi Sabtu selepas Subuh, saya mengadap desk top saya sambil menjawab email yang perlu di jawab, komen sikit sebanyak di face book, kerja-kerja offis yang harus dipantau dan check blog saya. Bila dah habis semua tu, saya jadi boring. Nak buat apa ni?

Lepas tu saya terfikir, jeep Prado ada dengan saya. Saya pinjam dari kakak saya, Mariam. (Kakak saya ni kerap membantu saya dalam apa-apa hal pun) Since jeep dah ada di tangan, kenapa tak pergi ke mana-mana kan?
Dengan semangat berkobar-kobar, saya kejutkan suami saya yang dah pun separuh bangun, kemudian saya kejutkan pulak Sophie dan terakhir Sara. Dengan cerianya saya cakap "Jom kita pi Pahang tengok gajah." Dia orang dengan mata separuh buka dan masih mamun setuju jugak la dengan mak depa ni.

Dalam pukul sepuluh macam tu, kami keluar rumah dan berenti kejap untuk sarapan. Dah siap makan, semua ready dan excited nak memulakan perjalanan, tiba-tiba jeep tak mau start. Hah punah. Try dua tiga kali tak boleh juga, tak ada bunyi apa pun. sah bateri weak. Saya call kakak saya cakap jeep tak boleh start. Dia suruh saya tunggu sat, dia minta anak dia, Musa tolong mai tengok and jump start jeep tu sat.  Semuanya siap lebih kurang pukul 12 tengahari.

Suami dan anak-anak saya nak pergi melawat tempat pemeliharaan gajah di Kuala Gandah, lanchang, Pahang. Tapi itu lah orang kata kan, kita hanya merancang, Tuhan yang menentukan. Perjalanan yang seharusnya mengambil dua ~ tiga jam sahaja menjadi empat setengah jam. Mau nya tidak, semua orang nak balik kampong, esok raya. Yang kami tak ada sebab-sebab konkrit pun sibuk nak pergi time tu jugak. Terhenjut-henjut Prado tu bergerak, gear satu gear dua, gear satu gear dua. Masuk gear tiga henjut makin teruk. Gerak perlahan, naik bukit pulak tu.. Kami sampai ke Kuala Gandah jam 4.30petang. Pak guard yang ada di situ dah tak benarkan kami masuk sebab time melawat dah nak habis. Tutup jam 5 petang. Ada sikit rasa kecewa tapi kami buat plan lain pulak.

Sebelum bertolak pagi tadi, kami terfikir nak camping kat Kuala Gandah ni atau mana-mana tempat yang provide camping site. Tapi kami lupa nak masukkan dalam plan kami kebarangkalian ada nya hujan. Ya, hujan sepanjang jalan. Lebat pulak tu. Saya memang sukakan hujan jadi saya tak berapa kisah sangat cuma plan kami harus di tukar. Jadi saya cakap dengan dia orang jom kita pusing-pusing menikmati keindahan negeri Pahang. Bunyi macam penyair la pulak!

Hampir jam 6.30petang, selepas kelaur dari Karak Highway, sedar tak sedar, kami dah sampai ke Temerloh. Kami nampak sebuah masjid, berenti sat nak buat 'Asar, takut terlepas pulak nanti. Kat depan masjid ada orang jual lemang dan rendang. Kami beli satu tiub saja, simpan, mana tau malam nanti kalau tak dapat cari makan, belah saja lemang tu dan makan untuk menyambut raya Haji.

Bila dah siap 'Asar dan lemang pun dah dibeli, kami tak ada hala tuju sebab dah semakin gelap sangat. Akhirnya kami semua setuju untuk ke Melaka sebab kalau nak cari camping site time tu pun dah lambat sangat. Saya tengok papan tanda ke Taman Negara pun agak jauh lagi, ditambah pulak dengan hujan.
Jadi, slowly, kami drive balik menuju ke Melaka. Waktu tu dah pukul lapan lebih. Saya pun dah letih. Kalau nak pandu terus ke Melaka ambik masa lagi dua jam. Saya perlukan rehat. Suami tak berapa sehat jadi dia memandu sekejap - sekejap saja.

Tau apa kami buat selepas tu? Kami singgah di R & R Genting Sempah dan bercadang untuk bermalam di situ. Apa susahnya. Bantal dan selimut kami dah bawa dan longgokkan dibelakang Prado. Nak pakai bilik air? Ada. Nak makan? Semua jenis makanan ada. Nak solat? Ada. Nak parking? Ada..free lagi. Nak sejuk? Genting Sempah suhunya memang agak nyaman ditambah pulak dengan hujan. Dah hampir beku saya.. (Saya melebih-lebih sikit...) Tapi memang betul..sejuk.

Suami saya tidur di seat penumpang depan. Kami turunkan penyandar kebawah, letak bantal, tarik selimut dan zzzz...zzzzz...
Sara dan Sophie tak habis lagi bergaduh sapa dapat tempat lebih besar. Suami saya tak ambik pot dengan kami, dia dah lali dengan perangai tiga-tiga perempuan ni.

Sebelum tertidur, saya memandang kelangit dan dalam cahaya oren dari lampu jalan, saya nampak  titisan hujan jatuh. Ada sikit perasaan sayu di hati. Tak tahu kenapa.. tapi saya sangat happy waktu tu. Umur dah setengah abad, dapat buat benda yang macam ni, rasa lain sikit.

Seperti yang saya kata tadi, suami saya ni agak pendiam, kat rumah pun kalau kami bersembang dia tukang dengar. Hanya sekali sekala dia mencelah. Ada satu ketika tu, kami semua membuka sikit tingkap untuk membiarkan udara segar masuk. Saya dengan selambanya kata, " Kalau tengah tidur nanti, ada air jatuh ke muka mama, dah tentu-tentu tu hujan."
Sophie tergelak dengan kuatnya, "Ma, memang la hujan. Orang yang tak pandai pun tau tu. Kami semua tergelak dengan lawak yang tak berapa nak lawak tu tapi suami saya cuma senyum sikit. Kesian kat kami..

Kami terfikir nak ke Melaka sebab Sophie kata nak try dia orang punya assam pedas. Sara dan suami saya tak berapa suka sangat tapi depa ikut saja. Mula-mula kami ingat nak buat macam food hunting, Lagi sekali, kami buat plan yang kurang cerdik. Kan esok nya nak Raya? Sapa yang nak bukak kedai makan untuk kami? Jadi lupakan sajalah hasrat nak food hunting, kita ronda-ronda pekan Melaka saja.

Pukul 6 pagi: Suami kejutkan saya dan cadangkan kami bergerak lebih awal supaya tak terganggu dengan jam nanti.Jadi kami bergerak meninggalkan Genting Sempah dalam keadaan cuaca yang sejuk dan gelap dengan jalan yang agak licin.
Kami sampai Melaka pada lebih kurang pukul 9 am. Kedua-dua Sophie dan Sara dah bangun. Saya bagi tau depa, saya nak pergi ke pantai, sebab saya sangat-sangat merindui Langkawi. Saya nak jalan berkaki ayam di atas pasir laut. Saya nampak papan tanda tunjuk arah ke Tanjung Bidara. Sebelum sampai kesana, kami saja drive around melalui, Masjid Tanah, Kem Terendak, Kem Sungai Udang, Alor gajah, Cheng, Ayer Keroh, Bukit Katil dan akhir sekali baru saya pusing pergi ke Pengkalan Balak. Mula-mula ingat nak ke Tg Bidara tapi sebab dah jumpa Pengkalan Balak dulu, tukar fikiran pi Pengkalan Balak saja.

Pantai Pengkalan Balak ni panjang, tapi maaf cakap, air laut kat sini agak keruh dan warna kelabu dibandingkan di Langkawi air laut nya hijau kebiru-biruan. Tapi saya tetap rasa puas sedap dapat sedut angin laut.

Dah habis ronda-ronda Melaka, akhirnya kami sampai ke bandar Melaka. Sophie nak ke Jonker Street. Katanya nak cari rantai-rantai hand-made. Tapi disebabkan ramainya manusia waktu tu, saya dah tak ada hati nak berjalan lama-lama. Terlalu ramai. Banyak kenderaan dari Singapura dan bas-bas pesiaran yang membawa pelancong dari Taiwan. Saya memang tak suka kalau terlalu ramai, rasa macam nak pitam.

Kami ada terfikir nak ke Umbai untuk mencuba makanan lautnya disana. Sophie cuba call satu restaurant tu tapi tak berjawab. Kami tak nak membuang masa pergi kesana, tengok-tengok kedai tutup. Rugi masa dan minyak saja. Dah la minyak pun dah naik harga.

Habis pusing-pusing Jonker Street , kami ambik kereta dan pandu ke Stadhuys. Tempat ni dah biasa datang dulu, tapi sebab dah habis satu Melaka kami jalan, kami pergi jugak lah ke sini. Kat sini pun, punya lah ramai manusia. Kami tengok barang-barang souvenir yang dijual tapi tak ada yang menarik hati saya. Oh ada satu, saya beli belacan bakar dari sana.

Dah masuk lunch time. Semua pun dah lapar. Kami panjat tangga naik keatas dan jumpa food court. Ada banyak juga kedai makan Melayu yang buka. Kami singgah ke satu gerai ni dan ambik asam pedas ikan pari, daging seketul (besar), siput sedut, ayam, sayur dan minuman, semua sekali RM 33.00. Sangat berbaloi. Sedap pulak tu.

Sebetulnya kami teringin sangat nak makan kat Umbai yang famos tu, tapi macam yang saya kata tadi, takut tempat tu tutup, buat penat je kami ke sana.

Jadi selepas makan tengahari, kami buat keputusan untuk balik saja. Perjalanan yang agak meletihkan tapi I had a great time. Sayang nya kedua-dua anak lelaki tak dapat ikut sekali, kalau tak tentu lebih ramai jadinya.
Kesemua perbelanjaan termasuk minyak, tol dan makan ialah RM 350.00. Kalau pakai kereta biasa tentu lebih jimat kos minyak.

Saya rasa trip ni lebih untuk diri saya daripada untuk anak-anak atau suami. Saya sukakan plan kami yang agak tak menjadi dan perkara yang kami lakukan secara rawak dan spontan. Dari dulu kita menjaga keluarga dengan selalunya perhatian diberikan kepada anak-anak dan suami. Apa salahnya sekali sekala kita hiburkan hati kita pulak. Saya tahu anak-anak dan suami suka tengok bila saya ketawa macam ni.

Salam dari saya dan di dalam masih ada suasana hari raya ni saya ingin memohon maaf sekiranya ada kata-kata dan tulisan yang menyakitkan hati sesiapa yang membaca.

Rose
11th.October '14

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Hey people!

We had celebrated another religious celebration about a week ago, Eid Al-Adha (5th,Oct '14). Unlike the Eidul Fitr, this one was celebrated in a smaller and moderate scale. Even I wasn't around to celebrate it.

As usual, my two boys were working on that holiday season but at least Sara can get away from her jam packed study schedules. I went to fetch her from the train station. The first thought that strike my mind was that she had lost a little weight. Poor baby!

The Eid Al-Adha fell on Sunday. Sara got home on Friday evening. At first we thought of doing nothing, just laze around the house.
On Saturday morning while everyone was still sleeping, I was already by my desk top running through my emails, office job, face book comments and checking the blog. I got restless after a while.

Then I thought since I got the jeep, (Prado jeep borrowed from my sweet sister,Mariam) why not make the full use out of it? I wake my husband up, then Sophie followed by Sara. I said cheerily to them, "hey all, wanna go for a trip to the East Coast. Both the girls are still groggy from their sleep but they agreed anyway.

We set out about 10:00am and stopped for breakfast at a local restaurant. All of us had roti canai (Malaysian favourite breakfast) and was ready to leave via the expressway when the jeep refused to start. I tried the second time and there was no sound whatsoever. I knew then it's the battery. Thank God it happened close to my sister's home. I called her up  and she sent her son, Musa to come and fix it for us. The jeep was ready by 12:00pm.

My husband and the girls wanted to visit the elephant conservation center in Pahang. The place called Kuala Gandah. Since we got nothing better to do, I agreed with them. But we can only planned. The road were jammed with vehicles going home for the festive season. The usual trip will only take 2 hours or three but we ended taking four and a half hour. We reached there at 4.30pm. The security wouldn't allow us to enter as they were about to close. Feeling slightly dejected, we had to come up with another plan.
Before we set out, we were talking about camping somewhere along the way. What we forgot to include in our plan was, the rain. Yeap, the rain. It was raining heavily throughout the way. What can we do now? Since I am behind the wheel, I said to them, lets just drive and drink in the beauty of this place.

By 6.30pm we stopped at a nearby mosque and did our 'Asar prayer. We bought a tube of lemang (special Malay delicacy during Eid) with beef rendang for us to enjoy it later.
The rain keep pouring with no sign of stopping. At last we all agreed to turn back and visit another state, Malacca, one of the smaller state in Malaysia. But then, it was already late. The clock on the dash board showed eight something. It will take another two hours or so to reach Malacca and I needed some rest. My husband was not feeling well so he only drove a short distance.

What we did next was fun, at least to me it was. We looked out for the nearest R & R (Rest & Relax) stop and decided to call it a night there. Guess what we did? We recline all the seats in the jeep starting with my husband who slept by the front passenger seat. The three of us slept at the back. Was it hot inside? It was near freezing (okay, okay I am exaggerating a bit), but honestly, it was cold. The thermometer showed 19 degrees. We didn't even need air condition from the vehicle as the rain had helped us throughout the night.
Before dozing off, while the two girls were fighting over who was getting the bigger space, I looked up the sky and watched forlornly at the rain dropping on the roof of the jeep. I thought to myself, I am feeling blissful and pleased with what I am doing at that moment. Who would have thought of spending the night  in a vehicle at the age of fifty one? Oh I almost forgot, we brought along our own pillows and blankets from home to keep us comfortable for that night.

My husband, always the quiet one, couldn't be bothered with our antics. We unwind the windows a little to let some fresh air in. It felt so good.With full seriousness and unrehearsed I said, "Tonight, while sleeping, if there's water dripping on my face, it's the rain for sure." Suddenly Sophie broke out laughing so hard and she said, "Ma, it doesn't  take a genius to figure that out. Of course it's the rain, it is raining as you speak." We talked and poked jokes for a while before finally all fell asleep.

Malacca came to mind since we're thinking of food. We thought of doing some food hunting. Again, we made stupid plan. It's the festive season..most of the hawkers food are closed. So, forget food hunting. Let's just drive around.
At six am, my husband woke me up and suggested we leave earlier to avoid crowd. And so without waking  the two girls, we made our way to Malacca, the historical state. We reached Malacca by 9am. The two girls were wide awake  now. I said to all of them, I want to go to a beach. I missed Langkawi so much and I need to walk on a sandy beach to make me feel better. They knew how I felt and went along with me quietly. I drove to a place called Pengkalan Balak. It was a long stretch of beach but it wasn't Langkawi beach. I am not being biased but I can't help comparing the blue/green water of Langkawi ocean to Pengkalan Balak's murky water and coarse sand. I breathed deeply to inhale the salted air and I felt rejuvenated. (exaggerating again)
After the beach, we drove at leisure passing by scenic Malay village. The four of us were talking animatedly about how beautiful the place is. (I snapped a few pictures, will post it later on)

Finally we made our way to Malacca city. Sophie wanted to visit a place called Jonker Walk. It is a place where tourists usually flocked in and on the day we were there, the placed were swamped with Singaporeans and Taiwanese. It was so seriously crowded that I thought I could faint. ( exaggerating again but not far from truth) Just a brief info, Jonker Street is a place where one can find hand crafted souvenirs, antiques, food and so on. Sophie wanted to find some hand made necklace but ended up not getting any. We lost interest after a while due to the overwhelming crowd. Honestly I got claustrophobic being around to too many people. We've lost for ideas as to where else should we be heading. We thought of going to Umbai, a place famous for it's seafood. Sophie placed a call to one of the restaurants there but there was no reply. I don't want to waste any of our time  going there and finding it close due to the holiday.
Sara and my husband went along with the two of us since we (both Sophie and I) were the ones that looked up for information for places to visit.

We left Jonker Walk/Street and drove to nearby Stadhuys building. Here too, the place was crowded but what do you expect? It's holiday. We browsed around some souvenir stalls but didn't buy anything. I was never a good tourist. A tour guide would terribly be unhappy with me. It's lunch time and we were all hungry.  We walked up the staircase and found a food court up there. Great! A few Malay stalls were open. Malacca is famous for it's Assam Pedas (it's a sort of a fish stew but cooked with chilli paste and lots of tamarind juice. ) This is one of my many favourite dishes.  We had our rice with a big chunk of beef, chicken, some clams, sting ray fish, vegetables plus soft drinks. All in we paid RM 33.00. It was a very good price and the food was good.

Prior to our lunch, we planned to have dinner at Umbai but as I said earlier, I don't want to take chances of going there and finding it close. So we agreed to leave for home. It was tiring and we didn't sleep in any warm or comforting hotel, but we had fun. Too bad the two boys can't be with us, else it would have been better. All in all, we spend about RM 350.00 (all include : toll, gas, meals) for four of us.

I supposed this trip was more  for me than for any one of them. I loved the stupid plan we made that didn't work out. I loved the thing that we did at random and at the spur of the moment. My husband and the girls didn't say much about it but I know they were pleased to see me having a great time. All the time, we looked after the children and do the best to accommodate and make them happy, it's time for us to flatter our hearts, and I did just that.

Stay safe and be good people!
Rose
11th.October '14

Kari Dhal Buah Remunggai

Alhamdulillah, dapat juga saya makan kari remunggai ni. Bukan apa, makanan yang agak lain dari kebiasaan, selalunya tak mendapat sambutan di rumah ni. Tapi dek kerana teringin sangat nak makan, saya buat jugak. Asik ikut selera dia orang ja, kita yang memasak ni, sekali sekala nak juga jamah makanan yang kita suka, ya dak?
Oh ya, di sebelah utara iaitu Kedah,Perlis dan Pulau Pinang, kita sebut buah remunggai, kalau disebelah selatan rasanya dia orang sebut buah kelo.

Jom tengok bahan apa yang diperlukan :

1/2 cawan kecil kacang dhal (rendamkan dulu selama lebih kurang 4jam)
4 batang buah remunggai (di potong anggaran 3inci )
1 biji telur
1 sudu makan udang kering di tumbuk halus
1 atau 2 biji ubi kentang di potong empat (boleh potong lebih kecil)
3 biji buah keras (ditumbuk halus)
1 inci halia di hiris halus
3~ 4  tangkai cili kering yg disangai tanpa minyak
1/4 cawan santan
2 sudu makan serbuk rempah daging dicampur dengan sikit air sebagai pes
1 keping asam keping/ gelugor

Kita mula memasak :

Ini rupa buah remunggai. Harus disiat kulitnya sebelum memasak ya!

1) Rebus kacang dhal sehingga empuk dan hancur.

2) Semasa kacang dhal separa empuk, masukkan ubi kentang, rempah daging dan halia.
    Tutup periuk. (Kita tak nak kentang terlalu lembik kalau dimasukkan terlalu awal)

3) Buah remunggai boleh dimasukkan semasa ubi kentang hampir empuk atau lebih awal lagi.
    Ikut kegemaran masing-masing.

    Tapi kalau ikut cara saya, saya masukkan buah remunggai semasa
    kentang hampir empuk dan saya biarkan mereneh selama lebih kurang 10 minit.
    Saat ini, bolehlah dipecah masuk telur, garam, sikit gula (pengganti Aji), buah keras dan udang kering.

4) Terakhir, tuang masuk santan dan asam keping, juga cili kering yg di sangai tadi. Biarkan mendidih dan dah boleh tutup api.

4 ulas bwg merah di mayang
2 ulas bwg putih di mayang
2 tangkai daun kari di lurut dari tangkainya
sedikit minyak utk menumis

Di kuali berasingan, panaskan sikit minyak dan tumis bwg merah, bwg putih dan daun kari.
Bila dah garing, tuang masuk kedalam kari dhal tadi. Ini di panggil tumis darat.

Dah siap Kari Dhal Buah Remunggai.


Selamat mencuba!

Rose
25th.Sept '14

Ketam Masak Tau Chu

Assalamualaikum semua,

Tengahari tadi saya masak ketam dengan cara yang paling ringkas dan cepat. Dah tinggal kami berdua je kat rumah, Sophie dan saya. Nak masak berbagai pun macam tak berbaloi la pulak.

Baki ketam yang saya beli itu hari ada lagi tiga ketul. cukup untuk kami berdua. Jadi jom tengok apa bahan yang diperlukan :

Ketam dibelah dua (quantiti ikut keperluan rumah)

Sepotong halia dan 4 ulas bwg putih (kedua2 bahan ni ditumbuk agak halus)

Tauchu ni saya lenyek2kan menggunakan sudu supaya lebih halus 

1 sudu makan tauchu (saya pakai 1 sudu tauchu untuk 3 ketul ketam, jadi kalau lebih ketam lebihkan tauchu)
1/2 gelas air
3~ 4 biji cili merah di kisar kasar
1  1/2 sudu makan kicap manis
1/2 sudu makan kulit oren yang di parut

Cara menyediakannya :

Mula-mula lumurkan ketam dengan sedikit garam dan kunyit. Kemudian goreng dalam minyak yg banyak selama lebih kurang 10 saat. Balik-balikkan  biar masak rata. Angkat dan ketepikan dulu.

1) Panaskan kuali dengan sedikit minyak dan tumiskan halia dan bwg putih yg ditumbuk tadi.

2) Bila dah agak kekuningan, masukkan cili yang dikisar pulak. Kacau rata.
3) Sekarang masukkan tauchu dan air, terus dimasukkan ketam sekali.
4) Balik-balikkan ketam didalam sos tauchu dan biarkan sehingga sos agak pekat.

5) Terakhir masukkan kicap manis dan kulit oren yang di parut tadi, kacau sebentar.
6) Bila sos dah betul-betul memekat, bolehlah diangkat dan dihidangkan.

Resipi ni sangat mudah terutama bagi ibu-ibu yang bekerja. 

Selamat berhari minggu dan selamat mencuba.

Rose
21st.Sept '14