Secret Recipe

Dear Diary,

For those who are blessed with cooking and baking talents, you all should be very grateful. You can labor lovingly and produce delicious dishes effortlessly. I’m so full with envy reading blogs in which the blog owners are able to whip up beautiful creations and fulfill whatever their loved ones wish to eat. This gift is even more appreciated during special occasions e.g. birthdays, anniversaries, kenduri, parties etc.

Unlike myself who have tangan keras, no talent in baking. I’ve never baked a cake in my life! I mean performing all the methods from scratch and come out with an edible cake at the end. My cake experience is limited to making Kek Batik only.

So, lucky or unlucky me (whichever way you want to look at it), I’d be scurrying to the nearest bakery whenever cake is needed for a special event. That brings us back to my topic of discussion for this entry. For several years now, Secret Recipe has been our favorite choice for buying cakes. Not only the cakes are yummy, but they are also worth the price tag they come with.

Our all time favorite – Chocolate Banana

Among our top picks – Chocolate Indulgence, Marble Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, White Chocolate Macadamia, Chocolate Mud Cake

We have also tried – White Chocolate Caramel, Moist Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Cheesecake, Black Forest, Banana Baked Cheesecake, American Brownies. Actually, we’ve tried many more but these are the ones that I successfully captured before they went down our bellies.

Ps: Secret Recipe also has superb foods and beverages by the way. For more info, visit Secret Recipe’s website.

Rice with Banana / Nasi Pisang

Dear Diary,

This is a dish that I love as a kid. Nasi Pisang, as we call it, is just a simple dish. Now, years later, my two eldest children also like it.

The ingredients needed to prepare Nasi Pisang are obviously rice (nasi) and banana (pisang). Besides that, you’ll also need condensed milk, water (I prefer warm water) and a pinch of salt.

Just mix all the ingredients together and tadaa there you have it - Nasi Pisang.

He's Loving It

Dear Diary,

La la la, I am on cloud nine!!

My dear son, Imran, said this to me today,

“Mama, Abang suuuuka sangat puasa!”

At that exact moment, I felt:

Happy. Touched. Very Proud.

After iftar each day, he would count how many days he had been fasting. He’s only 7 years old and this is his first time fasting one full day.

My beloved son, hope you’ll feel this way till the day you die. Insya Allah.

Hanna

Dear Diary,

The remaining two discounted TGV movie tickets were utilized to watch Hanna at TGV Sunway Pyramid a few days before Ramadan. Our original plan was to watch Captain America but it was full house except for front row seats. The choices left were Hanna or the latest Senario movie (after eliminating 18-rated films that is). Sorry, obviously my choice would be Hanna. If it were any other Malay movie, I might consider but not Senario flick. Besides, the young man behind the ticket counter said it is suitable for children.

Young. Sweet. Innocent. Deadly. – Tagline for this movie aptly describes the main character, Hanna (played by Saoirse Ronan). Directed by Joe Wright, it is a movie about a teenage girl living a very isolated life and how she faces the brutal outside world. Totally sheltered from the rest of the world since small, she’s trained by her father, Erik (played by Eric Bana), to be independent, able to defend herself (ruthlessly at times!) and alert at all times as there are people after her who want her dead. The villain, Marissa, is played by Cate Blanchett.

The opening act really caught me by surprise. It shocked me because it showed a very young girl hunted and killed a deer heartlessly. I don’t know what went through Imran’s and Zarra’s minds as they watched it. Oh my, how in the world the young man said this film is suitable for children. It's rated PG13 by the way. Lots of explaining was done throughout the movie though! The fighting and killing scenes are merciless. As the story progresses, the audience knows about the twist of Hanna’s birth history and will finally grasp how she behaves and reacts the way she is apart from because her father trained and taught her so. In a way, I pity her because she’s all alone and has to fight for her life at such a tender age and never enjoys a normal childhood.

Phew, I was so relieved all the discounted TGV tickets I bought had been used up. Oops, wait a sec! I received an email from Nuffnang and guess what I got 4 free TGV movie passes. More movies eh huhu…

Ps: Once again, Irfan slept through the whole movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Dear Diary,

Two Sundays before Ramadhan, we went to Jusco Bukit Raja to redeem the TGV's vouchers that I bought through myDeal.com.my. Harry Potter was our unanimous choice.

At last, Harry Potter saga comes to an end with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The director who is responsible for portraying the final battle into life is David Yates. The actors line up starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) etc.

In the final movie chapter, Harry faces off with Lord Voldemort. It was a gratifying worth waiting for final battle; one that sacrifices many innocent lives. That’s the price they have to pay for standing by Harry’s side. Many issues are unraveled and many questions are answered in this movie.

I particularly love the ending scene in which all three of them (Harry, Hermione & Ron) are sending their children off to school of wizardry at the King Station. It’s like watching history repeats itself. What an experience watching these kids started off their careers as small children and now blossoming into matured young adults. With this film, Harry Potter lower its final curtain.

Irfan's First Cinema Experience

Dear Diary,

A few months back, I bought 6 TGV tickets at myDeal.com.my. The deal was 45% off for 1 pair of TGV movie tickets @ TGV cinemas for only RM15 instead of RM28. It’s a bargain for moviegoers, right!

Two tickets had been used watching Transformers so I’ve got another 4 discounted TGV tickets to finish off before Ramadan arrived; 2 tickets to watch at Jusco Bukit Raja and the remaining 2 at Sunway Pyramid. Hubby and I decided to take turn watching the movie. One of us will watch a movie with Imran and Zarra while the other one will look after Irfan.

However life sometimes doesn’t turn out as plan. As we were approaching the ticket counter, both of us got an idea to watch Harry Potter together. It’s Harry Potter we’re talking about here eh. We decided to bring everybody inside the theater since Irfan is dozing off. Lucky for us because we watched the movie around Irfan’s napping time. As soon as we entered the theater, Irfan’s eyes were huge looking at the screen fascinated with the images and sounds. Half an hour into the movie, he started to get restless and sleepy. I put him to sleep soon after and he slept all through the movie with occasional stirring. And I managed to enjoy Harry Potter. Even Zarra enjoyed the movie without any tantrum.

Am I selfish? Do I fail as a mother for bringing Irfan as young as 9 months old into a cinema? If that’s the case, then I’m guilty as charged!

He's Growing Up

Dear Diary,

A conversation between Imran and me one day after sahur:

“Mama, nape Mama tak bagi Abang turun pegi sekolah sendiri?”

“Mama nak teman Abang.”

“Tapi Abang dah tak takut pegi sorang.”

So starting Friday, I let him go down to wait for his school bus by himself. Don’t worry, it’s not far. The pick up point is near our apartment’s playground and swimming pool. A decision I reached with a very heavy heart. He’s growing up so fast and I’m having a hard time letting go. I cherish the few minutes I share with him every morning waiting for the bus because that’s the only time of the day that I can focus my attention solely on him. For me that's spending quality time with him.

On another note, Imran is fasting full day this year. Last year, I trained him fasting for half day (click for the entry here). Although there were a few “accidents”, he’s doing a great job performing the third Rukun Islam. I’ve been too harsh on him actually considering this is his first time fasting full day and he doesn’t yet understand the real concept of fasting.

Abang, Mama is so proud of you. Mama knows I’m very hard on you at times but believe me I just want the best for you. No matter what happened I love you very much.