High Ambitions

I remember the first post I put up on this blog. Looking back, I can't help but wonder about my journey in life in the past two years. With each year's ups and downs, I plod through again and again, hoping to make sense of this overwhelming ,yet wonderful, journey.

I most definitely ponder about my dedication to this blog, as evident by the number of posts I have made each year. I made a whopping 89 posts in 2007, and it seems that 2009 would not be a big improvement on 2008, not unless I can muster up another bout of blogger's diarrhoea from now until the end of the year, which is, less than thirty days' away? I shall attempt my very best.

This is the very problem of having a full time job, I have very little time to do much else, which is a shame. I have many unfinished projects I really should make a full-hearted attempt to finish them.

Alright, I will. Once I get off the Internet, which, these days, I seem to spend a lot of time on. :P

High Ambitions

Life is a Fruit Cake

My mother has a very good recipe for fruit cake, perfect for festive seasons. She would make the fruit cake almost every time us children go home. For me, my mother's fruit cake is more than just good food; it conjures up one of the happiest and most memorable moments in my life.

For this year's Christmas, I would like to get the recipe off her to try to make. My first year of Christmas in Sydney after seven years. Even though I would not be at home to see my family, I would like to try to make a little magical moment here in Sydney.

When I get the recipe, I would post it up together with my experience of making the fruit cake on my own. Hopefully, I can garner help from C. :P

Life is a Fruit Cake

Pink Ribbon Day Cancer Council NSW 23/10/2009

I've been meaning to volunteer for the Cancer Council NSW since two years ago. At that time, I volunteered for Daffodil Day 2007. I didn't make it then because I had just started my job at Campsie.

The same thing happened this year. I volunteered for Pink Ribbon Day before I got offered the job at the new workplace. I was determined to make it this time around, though. It turned out that I also needed to tie up loose ends from my previous work. I took the day off work to achieve two different goals, one for satisfaction, the other out of responsibility.

I am glad that I did make it to Pink Ribbon Day. It was a most satisfying and rewarding experience. I cannot explain exactly why or how it was satisfying or rewarding.

Perhaps it's because I felt that I have made good use of my time. Perhaps it's reassuring to know that there are others who are willing to put in time and effort to volunteer charity events such as Pink Ribbon Day. Perhaps it's because I've fulfilled what I wanted to do two years ago.

Regardless of the reason. I was truly happy doing it. :)

Pink Ribbon Day Cancer Council NSW 23/10/2009

Deja Vu

Just when I thought I was getting better at my new job. Suddenly I was poked and prodded in all directions by faxes, faxes, and yet more faxes! I was almost going to throw in the proverbial towel, when the boss came upstairs and asked me if I was going well. Needless to say he had to help me fix up the faxes.

In that moment he was explaining to me about an issue with this nursing home that I had a deja vu flash. I remember vaguely dreaming about that exact moment. Does that mean that I'm destined to work there for a considerable amount of time?

Only time will let me in on this secret life journey.

Deja Vu

Preoccupation

The bulk of my work is to receive and attend to faxes from aged care facilities.

Almost every day I would receive a fax notifying the pharmacy of a deceased resident.

This recurring theme of death leaves me feeling morose and pensive.

It makes me realise all the more the transience of being.

Many a wise people have pondered about the meaning of life and death.

What is the purpose of life?

Does happiness transcend beyond living?

What happens to all of us when we die?

Questions left unanswered, swallowed by the darkness of the night...

Enter Sandman, take me to a dreamless sleep...

Preoccupation

Double Chocolate Chip Macadamia Cookies

This post is long overdue. I made these biscuits for KT to take back to Malaysia in August. I excuse myself for not posting this sooner as I have been busy (it's the same excuse every time). :P

KT loves nuts, and since macadamia is a product of Australia (something that almost all Malaysians would take back to Malaysia as a gift for family and friends), I wanted to make biscuits with macadamia nuts. As usual, Google is my reliable source of recipes, and I came up with a few recipes which used macadamia nuts. Most of them combined the nuts with white chocolate.

Personally, I am not a fan of white chocolate as I find it too sweet. Therefore, I used both white and dark chocolate in the recipe.

Baked goodness

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
170g unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon rum
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup macadamia nuts

Method:
1. Pre-heat to 150-160 degrees Celcius.
2. Beat melted butter and sugar for 5-10 minutes until pale and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla extract and rum into butter mixture. Mix to combine.
4. Gradually beat one egg yolk and one egg into the mixture until well-combined.
5. Sift together plain flour, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add dry ingredients gradually to wet mixture until well-combined.
7. Spoon one teaspoon of dough onto baking tray lined with non-stick baking
paper. Stick white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and macadamia onto
dough.
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes. Biscuits should only be lightly coloured and chewy in
the centre when cooked.

Tips:
1. When spooning dough onto the baking tray, make sure the dough is spooned as
high a pile as possible so that the biscuits maintain a dome shape when baked,
and to minimise spreading.
2. Make sure there is enough space for each biscuit to expand when baked.
3. Chocolate chips and nuts could also be mixed into the dough and spooned out
instead of sticking them onto the dough.

Double Chocolate Chip Macadamia Cookies

New Beginning

I got the job. They must really need someone in a hurry, because not long after I went for the second interview, the manager rang me and asked me to start the following day.

I've worked six gruelling days at the pharmacy. For the first few days, I was too anxious to feel physically tired after working all those hours, but I was mentally exhausted. It is a new environment for me, and I had much to learn. I still have much to learn, but at least I have grasped the basics. I feel a little more confident. Hopefully I can gain a bit more footing next week.

One night I bought a Donna Hay October edition to get some cash out. I discovered what I think has to be the simplest and yet most delicious and satisying cookie recipe - oat and coconut crisps. I had most of the ingredients on hand (I bought a big bag of coconut shreds to make kerisik for the beef rendang the other night, so all the more reason to put them to good use!), and it didn't require too much fiddling around!

Welcome Spring!

I tried the recipe out yesterday night. I adapted the recipe, of course, since I'm not one to follow a recipe to the letter. ;)

The outcome - very nice~

Oat and Coconut Crisps

Ingredients:
135g rolled oats
(KT had a bag of tropical muesli, so I used 135g of that instead, I picked out all the large bits of fruit)
40g shredded coconut
135g brown sugar (I used 130g, I didn't want it to be too sweet)
165g white sugar
(I substituted with 100g caster sugar, and 50g CSR coffee sugar crystals for added crunch and flavour)
35g plain flour, sifted
165g butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celcius (340 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Place the oats, coconut, sugar, and flour in a bowl. Mix to combine.
3. Add the butter, egg, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
4. Spoon one teaspoon of the mixture at a time onto a baking tray lined with
non-stick baking paper.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
6. As soon as they turn golden, take them out of the oven, leave on the tray for a
few minutes, then lift the baking paper from the tray and onto a wire rack to
cool completely.

Tips:
1. I set the oven at 160 degrees Celcius fan-forced.
2. I spooned only one teaspoon of the mixture at any one time, not one tablespoon
as per original recipe, as one tablespoon would spread too much. Make sure
that each teaspoon of mixture has enough room to spread whilst cooking.
3. Set timer at 10 minutes to start, the biscuits would take 10 minutes at most to
turn brown. If they are baked longer, the sugar would caramelise too much and turn quite bitter.


Voila! Simple and delicious!

New Beginning

Oh hello my old friends...

I woke up from an afternoon nap to a phone call about a job interview.

I have spent the evening planning and pondering. I believe that I have equipped myself for the inteview.

I am not sure what to expect. Perhaps the unexpected. The destined. A pre-determined outcome. I can only do my best, and hope for the best.

Into the night, I find that I cannot fall asleep. Insomnia and Trepidation are here to visit me. Yet again.

And here I am, typing in the dark, trying to compose my thoughts, willing myself to sleep.

...

...

...

I think it is working. I will lie down now.

Oh hello my old friends...

Fleeting moment

Looking for work is such an arduous, torturous process.

On top of not having steady income, the bills keep piling.

I'm enjoying the free time, though.

When I'm not worrying my socks off.

It can be difficult conveying one's inner thoughts to others, especially since everyone has worries of his / her own.

Oh well...

As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new.

This too shall pass.

Fleeting moment

Early Morning Awakening

I woke up at 3:47 in the morning. I fell asleep on the sofa. I was that tired.

I have been tired for a while now.

Sometimes I think too much or try to do too much at the same time.

I know I'm human. No matter how quickly I'm able to get things done, I can only truly take care of some things and neglect others.

I don't mean to.

I was browsing a primary schoolmate's Facebook account and found out that she is going through a rough patch in her life. Even though we have never been close, but I feel for her.

And I realised.

Life is made up of fleeting moments, not one moment is identical to the next. I have to live in the moment, because once it's gone, I can't relive it again.

And so I would live each moment, as best as I can.

Savour each moment, as best as I can.

And remember each moment, as best as I can.

Early Morning Awakening