Making Sushi At Home

A few weekends ago, we had YB's parents over for two days.

They usually bring along with them plenty of food to last us for at least 4 days. Parents are like that, you know? They share their love through food. =))

For one of the dinners, we said we'd make sushi and let everyone have a bit of fun preparing their own creation.

'Japanese' potato salad for side. 

Everyone liked it!

I think it must have been the Japanese mayo that made the difference. Mmmmm.

I used this recipe.

Shiny sushi rice which took some time to prepare. As Ken advised, the sushi vinegar is very important - don't skip that step!

You can follow this recipe.

Tamago was a bit of a failure. =P

Not sure which recipe I used but yeah, I just used Google for the recipes. I even checked out YouTube and showed YB how it was done!

Well, OK. This wasn't Japanese but we thought Taiwanese sausages would bring a hint of sweetness to our sushi.

FIL had a go, making his a fat one.

MIL had a go, and hers was neat and tidy.

I made this!

Everyone made more or less the same thing, since we had limited ingredients. But it was good fun!

I wanted to make sushi maki, with the sesame seeds and flakes on the outside of the roll but YB warned me not to be too adventurous.

Well, after 2 cups of sushi rice, we were pretty stuffed.

Next time, I'll make sure I have some shake sashimi. =)


p.s. About 2 years ago, we made fresh spring rolls with them too. I'm not sure if I'm just terrified of cooking for my PIL (for fear of my dishes being yucky) and let them make their own dinner instead.

The Birthday

Tuesday - May 2, 2012. 

Surprise delivery at work from the husband. ;D
Lurve the pink roses!!

A colleague bought me lunch - did he know it was my birthday? I don't think so ...

Potential flooding of the river at Dataran Merdeka that evening. Some of my colleagues were allowed to leave the office early once they removed their cars from the car park.

As for me, nooooooo, I had to bloody get back into the office and continue working! Phhhbbbbbt! The boss didn't allow me to leave an hour early. 

Grrr. I was mighty pissed off about that.

 Dinner at La Teh.

 

The usual suspects from Dutamas Runners. ;)

My birthday cake from Humble Beginnings.

I made a mess out of the cake.

Although I had a really bad day at work that day, I sucked it all in and look forward for the evening. OMG, I can't think of work because it just stresses me out. Ugh!

Idon'tlikemywork!

Oh but the cake was really rich and yummy!

(source/photo credit: YB Wong)

It was a fun evening but had to end early ... just because we're old farts who needed to get to work the next day! ;D

No matter how much effort I put in to my work, I don't think the bosses will appreciate you in months or years to come. I remind myself these days (at work) that friends and family appreciate me so much more than my bosses, so don't sweat the small stuff! 

Or what WC used to tell me, "Don't let the little people bring you down!"

After all, aren't employees replaceable?

ANYWAY, about my birthday! YB has NO idea what to get for me for my birthday so I'm still cracking my head about what he should get for me. Hmmm.

Any ideas?

Yes, a spa package would be ideal.

A pair of new running shoes, too.

Oh, and a nice long holiday, perhaps. ;D

Orang Asli Trail Run 2012

Saturday - April 28th, 2012.

The Orang Asli Trail Run was in its second year running. This time, it had about 180 participants crowding the small Orang Asli village in Kg Batu 16, Jalan Bentong Lama.

Registration fee was RM35 per person with no running vest and water station in the jungle. There were, of course, some food and drinks after the run. Tshirts were for sale. All proceeds go towards the village.

 Eeny, meeny, miny, mo!

 So, who do you think was the most overdressed for a trail run? ;D

The organisers briefed us on the trail we were about to run. Karen on the left, and Dzul on the right.

Karen is one momma I aspire to be, after having 2 kids! C'mon, no way I know I can be that skinny after pregnancy ... *cross fingers*

 At the beginning we ran on the road. Everyone was still warming up.

Running through an area which I think is being prepared for the Orang Asli's home stay project.

The first river crossing.

It was amusing to see some people take off their socks and shoes to cross the river barefoot, and then put them all on again on the other side of the river. =)

 Blue skies!

 That's my orang asli over there. ;D

Crossing the bamboo bridge. 

A colourful butterfly caught our eye. But that stop cost some people some blood - the leeches pounced! 

I absolutely LOVED the nice neat trail which was deliberately cleared for us. It was also nice and cooling that early morning, which made it a very lovely run indeed.

 I love the drawing of the iguana the most!

(photo credit: Dondang Ida)

(source/photo credit: Andrew C.H. Hsien)

Nearing the end of our run (we didn't know it at that time), we came across the final stream crossing where our route was blocked by the kiddies.

The kiddies were ready to ambush us with pails of water!

(See the lady's posture - it was so funny! She was asking to be excused from this 'punishment' but her request was not heeded.)

(source/photo credit: Andrew C.H. Hsien)

Even the boy refused to let go of YB! Hahaha!

(source/photo credit: Yap Eng Hui)

(source/photo credit: Yap Eng Hui)

This is really hilarious - the dog was not amused with our antics!

Tshirt sale was very good. By the time I queued up to purchase a few, they ran out of blue!

I nicked one because I was hungry. ;D

A quick "After" photo before YB and I rushed back home to get ready for our trip back to KK.

The event was a short one, and we clocked less than 7km, which puzzled us. We were expecting about 10 - 12km and didn't expect an under distance run. Karen said she altered the first part of the route, and perhaps we should have done 2 loops!

Well, since we were enjoying our run so much, I don't think YB and I would have made it out in time had we ran 2 loops. Traffic was a bit busy when coming out of Jalan Gombak and gawd, were we stressed out in the car.

Everyone enjoyed themselves and had no qualms about driving out of town and supporting the event (for charity).

I am pleased to report that I survived the run leech free! 

I prayed hard that it wouldn't rain on Friday so the trail wouldn't be damp on Saturday. Phew!!

 ~~

Other news:

The Star's article

Tri Stupe.com

Kampung Toys - some videos taken of the run that day!

Stress Level On A High

What can I say?
My eye bags are touching the floor.


Work has been ridiculously insane for me the past few weeks and of late, I have been nothing but exhausted and grumpy.

I told YB that perhaps I am as shitty as I feel, inefficient.

But when I think about it, only half of it is true. There are other factors affecting my work progress and I think I am not fully to be blamed.

*shrug*

I can't remember the last time I woke up at 3.40am and the first thing that pops into my head is work. Argh.

They say that one should prioritise the important stuff but it never goes that way all the time. In fact, there are so many other things that get in the way!

Every so often, I have had the urge to blow up and scream at the top of my lungs (in the office). I want to tell the bosses to get a grip on things that I am no superwoman with only one (small) brain and a pair of hands. There is just so much work I can attend to in a day!

I don't remember the last time I lost sleep on this but I do know that my health is at stake now. I'm at the office for 12 hours at a minimum. And with only 6-7 hours of sleep a day, hey, I'm heading for a burn out, man.

Hmmm. I need to tell my bosses that I need some help with my work as soon as possible and hopefully they can do something about it.

*mental scream*

You can't tell me to stop running at night and after work because that's the only time I get to release the stress.

Anyway, work is making me more and more unhappy these days and goodness knows what I'm going to do about it.

Or what the bosses can do about it.

Hopefully they'll care enough to listen to me.

I hate my work right now!

Random Pics

That Labour Day Weekend. 

Chubby cheeks of a niece reached out to grab my phone. Don't you just want to pinch them cheeks???

Brownie at KLIA's Secret Recipe. Bleurgh.

 Blossoming tree along the driveway at my parents' home.

Beef noodles at Taman Hilltop - Kedai Kopi Lee Sheng. Yum!

 The traffic we had to brave through in order to have beef noodles for breakfast.

Kiansom waterfalls at Inanam. Paid RM1.50 per adult but it was dirty and slippery and had nothing much to offer!

I still think KK has the BEST sunset ever.

 Out of the blue, I had cravings for Veda Blu ice-cream ... and was so darn excited to spot Ferrero Rocher flavour!! Oh my. The only time I ever had it was in Melbourne back in ... 2006? 2007? I can't exactly remember!

 Aaaaah ...

The trip back to KK was indeed a good short getaway from the hustle and bustle of work. I was hoping to catch up on my sleep but it never happened. We only ran once out of the 3 days we were there, but it was better than nothing.

There was no excessive eating so thank goodness I didn't return to KL 2kgs heavier. Phew!

The highlight of my trip was definitely carrying my niece around and trying to keep her entertained! =)

~~

p.s. Oh man, the pictures from my iPhone really sucks!

Dutamas Runners : Andrew Choa

Andrew Choa is perhaps one of the few people whom I know who worries a lot. ;D He joined Dutamas Runners about a year ago, perhaps thinking he'd get more training with us but instead, he found people who constantly talked about food all the time. ;)

Andrew's day job can be described as:

"I find it quite heard to explain to people my job title. I used to be in advertising for a few years before switching into the servicing line. “Kuli Olang” in a nutshell. Hehehe...."

1. How long have you been running and participating in events?

Running activities had been vaguely present in my workout routines the last few years; but nothing really serious. To begin with; I’m not much of a runner. However, the running bug really bita back in early 2010 for the Putrajaya Night Marathon. I still remember I signed up for the easiest one; 7.7km with friends. It was from here that I realised how slow I was! By the end of it, I felt incomplete and decided that I need to train and push more.

The rest is pretty much history. Plus, a friend challenged me that one day he will
want to see me in a Full Marathon (the thought still scares me!)

2. Were you an athlete in school during your teenage years?
Hmmmm....not really. Does being a hyper-active rascal counts? Hahahah...

My mom & uncle who are quite regular runners had tried to introduce me to running at a young age. It didn’t really catch on as I was very impatient (who isn’t when they’re teenagers?) and I dread pounding my feet on an endless loop at the park.

Though, I did use to vent out a lot during my active Taekwondo years.

3. You've signed up for your FIRST marathon this year! Are you geared up? How does your training plan look like?

OH YES! In fact there are 2! I gotta be frank; I’m scared sh*tless!

You can say I’m pretty much geared up but I do try not to think about it too much. I
remembered when I over-prepared myself too much for a major run in 2011. Got myself overly excited and was sleep deprived. At the end, I got injured close to the finish line and I felt rubbish.

In terms of training plan; I have an ambiguous one. Although I do keep track of my
training, I don’t necessarily plan a strict one. It’s pretty much of mixture of the regular road/ treadmill running but keeping it short distance. It’s all about quality than quantity, right? ;) I started trail running as well this year just to keep things interesting.

4. When you're not running, how do you destress? (Cook up a storm? ;D)

Hahaha...pretty much so. The cooking bug had me bit since at a young age. Although my cooking now is more towards a healthy cooking; like less meat and less oil. Besides that, I enjoy photography and am quite a bit of an avid window shopper.

5. We've seen you in compression gear before. Are you a firm believer (of the gear), and why?

I just really own a pair of compression calf guards and I only used them for competitive run events. During these events, I tend to push a little harder than usual and just a safety precaution to avoid injury. It really does help a little but my advice is not to rely too much on it and not to use them during regular training.

6. Is your mum your no #1 fan? Has she attended any of your running events before? 

I would say so! In fact she was very surprised that I picked up running again (albeit at a later age). But she does express a concern that I might be over doing it and turned a little fanatic; judging from the running shoes I have! Mom jokingly says “I’m worse than a woman!”

She hasn’t attended any running events I’ve been to but she always has a great time
looking through the photos.

7. What's your favourite brand for running gear?

Nothing in particular and I’m not very brand loyal. As long the gears are comfortable and fit to the purpose. I am a little picky about running shoes though. I do indeed do a very scrutinizing research and testing before any shoe purchases.

8. What is the one thing you think our Malaysian running events should have?

Proper organization. That said, I think the running events in Malaysia is getting better and better as the years go by. Sure there are mishaps here and there sometimes, but I do give organizers the benefit of the doubt. Unless of course, there is a major screw-up that is unforgivable. Cross fingers!

9. If you were stuck on a secluded island, what are the 3 things you'd miss the most?

It’s very hard to say. First and foremost, I try my best not to be stranded at all!

If I were; I would say, family & friends.

YT: Eh, the last line is a bit too cheesy la. I think the 3 things for you would probably be: kitchen, food and ... the laptop? ;P

 Anyway, we are definitely cheering you all the way on your maiden (and second) full marathons which are soon to come. Good luck in your preparations! Woohoo! At least you won't be a FMV* anymore, come this end of May. ;)


~~
*full marathon virgin