So long Peanut.

You have always greeted us everyday and every morning for the past years.  You have made us smile and angry.  We have shared so many wonderful moments, with my children's.....lots of laughter and funny moments.  It's always heart warming seeing you wagging your tail each time we come home, and without fail you will greet us and then the first in line to get into the house.
You always sit and wait patiently for us to finish our meal, and never come jumping and asking....thank you!
You never complained or make life difficult for me when I gave you a bath eventhough I know you never like taking baths. Thank you.
Thank you for being such a good company to my family, you are a member of my family!
Thank you for accompanying my daughter all these years, and making my daughter's life much better. Thank you.
I watched the nurse carried you away that afternoon, thinking I will see you again in a couple of days.  That day never came.  My heart sank and was racing like a F1 car that night when I saw the vet's message......I keep telling myself that this is not happening!  This shouldn't and cannot happen!  You were sick but was very much alive when I hold you while the doctor examined you.  I can see you were scared and I hold you close to calm you and to let you know I am not abandoning you.  Maybe I should have hug you more before the nurse took you away..........
Now you are gone.......everyone misses you!  We miss seeing you sleeping in your basket, we miss seeing you tanning on the car porch.  We miss your lazy walk across the room and your eagerness to enter into the house.
I miss seeing you laying next to me at the dinner table....I miss seeing your excitement when I have bones for you!

So long Peanut.....you will always remain a special place in our heart! We will miss you dearly.  RIP Peanut....my dearest Peanut. 

Happy to be back!

Wow! It's been almost 2.5 years since my last post!! I guess right after the 2008 GE, ranting kinda died out too......I still cook but was too lazy to blog about it anymore.  Anyway, as for my new rekindle interest in photography, I am still taking photos and going outings.....I have since moved on from my Sony gears to Pentax now.  I hope I am a better photographer now(compare to back in 2010 when I first picked up a DSLR).  The world seems to be moving towards mirrorless camera now, coz it's smaller and lighter.  For your common outing on the street, landscapes and still life, it's perfect as you no longer need to lug all this big and heavy gears now.  The bigger DSLR now are mainly used for events or anything that requires speed shooting(at least for me is like that lah).  So, I have 2 bodies now, both are Pentax(as they can share the same lens mounting), one mirrorless and another DSLR.....so depending on the outing and what I am shooting, that depict which body I will take.
Well, as far as our political scene........it's really getting hopeless!! Pakatan has come on strong again on our last GE last year(May 2013) but not good enough to form the government.  It will be another 4 more years before the next GE takes place, so people....better buckle up and tighten those belts!!! We are going in for a really rough ride.  This is also the main reason why I kinda stop blogging as I really do not see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore! Before the 2008 GE, everyone(well majority of sane Malaysians at least) were hoping that Pakatan will succeed and pull Malaysia out of these dulldrums but unfortunately that didn't happened.  The thing is, not only that didn't happened, Malaysians in general kinda get the sense of things is not as rosy as one would expect even if Pakatan won.  There is another side that many Malaysians are beginning to see about BN and Pakatan as well.......hence sama sama saja.  It's still about positioning, cronies, hidden agendas.....you know what I mean.  So after all the "hoh hah", people still get the feelings that at the end of the day, we are all still fucked!!
Granted, the Pakatan States are performing way way much better than the BN States, and I can see some improvement on some of the Pakatan States, which is actually a big and much needed welcome sign for the people.  I guess the old saying really do applies......they are both hantu....you just need to pick the better hantu!!
My son is going into his 2nd year Uni at Help Institute, I really hope he will work hard and make the right choices.....and even with heavy heart, I really do hope he will finish his studies in the States and stay there.  The reason being, I do not see him having any future in Malaysia.......as the younger generation will not be able to cope with the excessive rising cost of living.
My daughter is in Form 1 now, going to the same SMJK like my son(which she actually prefers), plus it's very near our house so that is a plus for us.  I too hope she will work hard, and also to finish her studies abroad and make a new home there.......again with very heavy heart.  I cannot see my children having it good, as in comparing to the life they will possibly get if they stay abroad.  Malaysia has been regressing since the last 15 years.......to a state that I myself find hard to believe that we are living in the 21st century, in this modern day and age.
I will leave that part of the ranting for another day, for now....it's just nice to be able to just talk about the little things......
Oh, yes....kinda took a big change of life style about 6 months ago when I decided to join the gym.  I have since then lost about 12 to 13 kgs, and consider myself kinda gym junky now.  My wife and brother too is getting into this habit, which is good as we are all getting on with our age now and best to keep fit now while we still can before it's too late.  Actually this all started for me after my mom was hospitalized beginning of 2013, and she was going in and out of ICU till April 2013.  I am really happy and grateful that she made it thru that ordeal as we nearly lost her at one point!!!  Anyway, that got me thinking really hard about my health as it cost a bomb when my mom was in the hospital, and she survived mainly because we admitted her to a private hospital(which not many Malaysians can afford).  If it had been in a government hospital, I do not think the ending would have been the same as I witnessed the effectiveness of the private hospitals and government hospital first hand.  That's another rant subject for another day, about our Malaysian health care system, but to put it simply, not everyone can just walk into a government hospital and expect to see a doctor there and then!!  Unless you have a emergency, you can go to the emergency ward and that itself will totally put you off as they have a very subjective emergency evaluation system done by the nurses, they decide how severe your emergency is and your queue is base on that evaluation.  So if you are hoping to go see a  doctor for your flu, cold or what have you.....be prepared to be shun away!!  Well, another day for that rant. Back to my gym.....as I was saying after my mother's ordeal, it dawn to me that my parents group of friends(all the aunties and uncles to us) are all in terrible health.  A few of them have already moved on, and those that is still around are in bad shape........and it occurred to me what my current lifestyle(and my friends too) is exactly what my parents and their friends do when they were at my age group.  They meetup over dinner, rich and heavy dinners, they drink....blah blah blah.......and now they are all paying the price.  I can see the similarity going on now with myself and my friends, so if I don't correct these now I will end up like my parent(health wise).  I managed to talk my brother into going to gym and he is doing it seriously now as he can feel himself getting better every week.
We are in no hurry to built body or get into the best looking body, we just want to loose weight, have a good cardio and slowly rebuilding our health.  I am now able to fit into my old pants(waist 36) and the trainer at the gym kind did a test for me when I first joined and my ideal weight would be around 79 to 80 kg, so I am not to far from it now......maybe another 6 months time.

My a330

Well, it's been almost 4 months now since picking up the camera......again! I got myself a Sony DSLR a330 and to my surprise, it's a pretty good and decent camera! It's been almost 15 years since I stopped photography, back then I was on a Pentax SLR. Oh, yes! those SLR camera's that uses film and it was damn bloody expensive to shoot those days. Now, with digital technology, it became very affordable to shoot again! You get to see what you just snapped and if it did not turn out good, just "bin" them and shoot another!

Since then, I have also "accumulated" some new lens to go with the camera and is saving money for another body as my wife is also picking this hobby up, hence she will be using this one and I will need another of my own. I have a Sony 55-200mm tele-zoom lens, a 50mm F1.7(portrait lens) and a Minolta 28-80mm macro lens for general shooting. I am planning for a wide angle lens next, something like a 10-16mm or 11-18mm with a good F stop(eg.F2.8).

I have a lot of pictures now but they will need some trimming before I can load it up here as they are pretty big files! Anyway, I am hoping I will horn my skills better and maybe "shoot" a winning picture one day!

Hitting rock bottom

People always say that when you hit rock bottom and survived, better days are ahead because the logic is, you cannot go any lower, no more bottom. I sincerely hope that is true because I am very sure many Malaysian's are wondering if they have reached rock bottom yet? With the current situation of our economy, where business is very slow and opportunity is scarce, what can a 40+ year old guy do? It is tough for him to look for jobs because he will be competing with younger, probably single and willing to work for lower wages guys out there. Then there is the other option of venturing into his own business but looking around, what businesses can he go into. Everyday we can see all type of businesses and retailers struggling to make end meets, of course we are not talking about MNCs or companies that are established(10 years or more), I am referring to those entrepreneurs that just started their businesses within this 5 years period. The matter gets even more confusing when the government keep coming with figures that tells the people the country is healthy and strong, but go around the root levels and talk to people in coffee shops or business premises, they all will give you the same "shake heard" look. Why is that when the government is saying otherwise?
My conclusion is the figures are not representing the entire spectrum of businesses and industries. There are the odd industries that are performing ultra well, so well that it's performance figures basically represents 70% to 80% of the country's total GDP figure, which gives us the impression that overall, all is well and in the pink of health. By now, if there is anyone reading this must be wondering if the 40+ year old I was referring to earlier is actually me, well no need to burst the bubble lah!
Well on the up side, just read in the Star paper that the government plans to look into people who are blacklisted because they were guarantors for friends or family relatives who defaulted on payments. This blacklisted people can no longer apply for loans or working capital from banks because of being helpful. The government feels it's unfair to fully penalized these people as all financial institutions usually prefer to go after the guarantor and not the principal borrower. How very true! This way, if the government really do amend the law to protect these unfairly blacklisted people, they can still get on with their lives for securing house or cars or business loans. Again, no need to burst the bubble lah!

UMNO and booz

Just want to get this out of my chest. I just saw a short clip of KJ, MP of Rembau been questioned about him and other MP's on booz issue. Instead of answering the question, he went into defensive mode and from his body language, he is definitely hiding something and quickly walked away.
I for one have no issue with MP's drinking booz, even the Muslim MPs, but please don't threat us like we don't know anything! These MP's with their trips to overseas and all the non reported night life, come on, at least have the balls to admit it(like Datuk Zaid) and repent and ask for forgiveness. Don't go into "I dare you kinda attitude"! We might not dare to challenge you MPs coz we are common people with limited resources but that does not mean we tak tahu!
You know we still have the power to vote and when that time comes, you MPs will feel the power of the people!

Babbling.....

It's been a while since my last post coz too many things have been happening and so many things on my mind that blogging was the last thing on the list.....
Anyway, we just celebrated Chinese New Year, a very quiet, non dramatic one and somehow it did not feel like CNY at all. You know back in those days, you will go around friends place visiting and usually it will end up at the table....gambling! But these days, I hardly see this anymore, except for the last day when I found out one of my friend was somewhere gambling the whole day. Another thing missing from CNY these days is the fire crackers. I hardly hear them going off anymore these days......in fact I hear more of this during Hari Raya and Deepavali, so what is going on?
Anyway, I am just babbling away since I have not posted anything for so long, so if anyone is reading this and gets bored.....pls get a life!
Well, just to re-cap after my last post.........been really busy the latter part of 2009, due to the economic downturn and also the weak condition in Malaysia, I have to close off my company. Yes, you heard it right, I am one of the millions that is jobless now. That period was a real intense period for me......but I am okay now.....
Now that CNY is over, I have see what my options are and what I want to do...........
Then last month, one of my uncle passed away, which was also very sudden but I have not seen this uncle for a while now. The last time I saw him was many years back during CNY too, he was his usual self, chatty and happy go lucky type. Who would have thought that he had so many health issues and by the time he passed on, he is just a skeleton of himself.
I have been helping a friend on the side since I lost my job(company)and that is what I am doing to get by every month now. I have tried employments and submitting so many resumes that I lost count, but so far no respond from any of the ads. I think my age is my biggest obstacle now, even if I am experienced and professionally qualified. I am trying not to think too much until it bogs me down but to just go on living by the day now as I really do not know what will happen tomorrow.
Then as usual, CNY is always a busy time for me as well, mainly family matters, so that is good as it takes my mind off my job issue for a while.
My only consolation to myself is I take this as a test from above and all great men goes through this before succeeding.

Craving for Caramel custard

This is one of those days that for no apparent reason, you get this sudden urge for something, and today is one of those days. I have this sudden urge for caramel custard, don't know why, just wanted to sink my teeth into some soft, silky smooth, rich and sweet caramel custard! Luckily making custard is not too much of a work, it is rather simple actually. I like mine rich so I used full cream milk, rich thickening cream, 5 eggs, brown sugar(instead of white sugar) and some rosemary. You can use anything from vanilla, rosemary to all sort of spices that tickle your fancy.
First thing is to make the caramel by cooking the brown sugar till it's bubbling and when you get a whiff of the caramel scent, you are done. Now is where you have to have quick hands as you need to line the bottom of the bowl with the caramel before it turns hard. Then move on to heating up the milk(full cream) and thickening cream. I added some rosemary to get some fragrant to it. I don't actually boil the milk, cream and rosemary but just on low fire and heating it up. Once those are done, let it cool down a little before mixing it into the eggs, otherwise you will cook the eggs!
Anyway, as the milk are cooling off, whisk the eggs until they are all properly mixed(the yolk). I know some people like to use only yolks and maybe just one whole egg(yolk and egg white) but for me, no difference. I just use 5 whole eggs, whisk it till they are properly mixed and smooth, remember to avoid getting too much air into them. Once the milk is cool enough to mixed into the eggs, slowly pour the milk into the eggs, whisking all the time. The end result is you should get a smooth, thick and rich mixture, this is called the custard. Then fill the custard into the bowls that you had earlier lined the bottom with the caramel.
The last step is baking it in the oven at 150C for 30 minutes, I usually heat up the oven before hand and fill the pan with hot water(just enough but not overfilling until it overflows). Put the bowl of custard on the pan(that is fill with water), this way of baking will make sure that the custard will not be burnt or over cooked as the water helps smooth out the heat.
Once it's in the oven for about 30 minutes, you should see the top of the custard firmed up, otherwise leave it in the oven for a few more minutes. Let the custard cool down before serving, I like mine to go with some mint leaves, yummy. Enjoy everyone!