Living Dangerously

I’ve had a looong day today, running around, researching for some stuff, applying emergency leave and leaving the office pretty late.

On top of that, I was rushing to get to my train station asap to buy desserts for a short trip (will blog more about this later, promise) and the train driver was just not helping.

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Identity protected for safety purposes. a.k.a we’re not crayzay 🙈🙈🙈

When I reached the first mall, their selections were meh and I had to rush through lots of people who had all the time in the world. Seriously guys, care to move it,  move it? What does a girl got to do to reach the next bakery chop chop?

I digress. Anyway, as I reached the bakery, the aunty refused to make me waffles because they were closing and they’ve cleaned their machines (I put my hands above the machine and it was still hot guys. Could make a crepe there). *cries inside*.

Not only that, they didn’t have the desserts that I like so I had no choice but to buy the ones that are on my ‘well I guess you’ll do’ virtual dessert shelves.

After all these series of heartbreak and rejection, *drama*, I came home to no cooked dinner.

WHAAAT? HOOWW? OK LET’S KEEP CALM.

So I took deep breaths, organised my thoughts and decided, “Okay! I’ve been diligent and good this week so lets not wait for Friday to start the weekend!”

“Tonight, it’s all about YOLO. I’m gonna live tonight dangerously. This is how we gonna rock the night away and bring the house down!”

*open*close*lights fire*open*close*

Grab a packet of awesomeness something and few other awesome stuff and voila!

Instant noodles with egg, frozen Mexican chicken and Coffee and Peanut cake roll.

So yeahhhh..Tonight, this is as dangerous as it gets. Living with MSGs is the the way to go!

What’s hypertension, clotted arteries, diabetes and other whatnots right?

The best part of this dangerous food biznez? I don’t digest noodles well. BAHAHAHA. JOKES ON ME!

So here I am, 2am, on the bed, snuggling under my comforting duvet with thick socks on (even my grandmother doesn’t sleep with socks *hides face*) having upset stomach.

But it’s okay. The heart got what it wanted (aside from clotted arteries haha) so now the stomach got what it deserves – heartburn baby!

But for you, food, I’ll go through this a million times. #glutton

me time, dumpling time

Finally! The first day where I don’t have to go to uni during the fasting month has come!

*clap*clap*clap*

Back at home, during the fasting month, my nanny would make a big batch of my favourite snack – epok-epok kentang – and I would help her. Read: create mess.

We’d sit cross-legged in the kitchen, with newspapers as base for big bowl of filling and dough. She’d roll the dough while I’ll put the fillings. She’d give me 10 pieces (or more) for me to crimp the sides. Whatever I crimp, is mine. She’d NEVER let what I crimp be served to guests, or even other family members. Why? Because I’m helplessly untalented with crimping (if such word exist, haha).

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That’s my nanny’s fine handwork of crimping. Don’t bother asking what mine looks like. I remember it looking very retarded and distorted. >.<

But it still tastes delicious though. *flips spatula* Because it isn’t me who made the filling.

But that was few years ago.

I was watching some cooking channel on Youtube when I stumbled upon prawn dumpling recipe. *clicks save*

Went to the Asian grocery store to buy the dumpling skin and voila!

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My little Ramadhan home activity reenacted with only me, myself and I.

The thought of crimping the dumplings made me a little nauseous but I man up and gave it a go!

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It ended up looking like

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this

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(Prawn tofu dumpling)

I guess over the years, my motor skill have refined, bahaha.

Not too bad eh.

Pan fried the flat one for iftar. Kept the pursed shape frozen for they shall be steamed when my bamboo steamer arrives!

Wheeee!

The fact that they taste good when I made this whilst fasting… *ehem*pats back*.

another first

If last year I spent my Ramadhan in 4 countries, this year I’m just spending it in 1.

Too tired to even book flight back home. Bahahaha.  Walking and running around with sleep debt is no joke!

Back in Egypt, we’d take turns to cook (or order food). Back in Singapore, we’ve got helper to prepare our meals unless I feel like cooking that day and in Indonesia we have Padang food. I don’t bother looking for anything else really.

Food will be ready usually 10 mins before and we’d sit around comfortably and have little conversations here and there.

But here, it’s just me and my kitchen running the digestive system.

I’ve got a bad habit of cooking as late as I can, in hopessss that by the time the food is juuuuuuust cooked, it’s time to eat.

That nevah happen. I end up breaking fast by drinking first while waiting for the food to cook.

Bahhhh. The rush I put upon myself.

But anyways!

Here’s what I had for first sehri/sahur


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Tom Yum chicken burger – *ehem* made by yours truly – only the patty btw. Everything else is store bought >.<

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and Banana blueberry juice with some other stuff.

Everytime I make any juice, the measurements are done by eyes. Ain’t nobody got time for measuring cups and all yo. And everytime I pour the juice in the glass, it fills nicely to the brim.

You have no idea how proud I am of myself! *flipsshawl*

I probably should run a juice bar or something teehee.

A little late but to all my fellow muslim readers, Ramadhan Mubarak. If I’ve offend you right under your nose or behind your back, please forgive me. It’s hard being a girl with mood swings and all.

Till next post, please don’t upload your food pictures on Instagram. Somewhere in this world, someone like me is fasting 19 hours and more.

*rubs tummy*

Fun’s Over

So during the No WiFi crisis, I wanted to get this tweed jacket at H&M. Had I got WiFi, I could probably still hold myself back. Distract myself with cat videos and whatnot.

Trust me. When you have no Wifi, you try to compensate your misery in thousand other ways.

You know how much I LOVEEEEE jackets right?

With 20% student discount, I was so ready to head to the mall or get it online only to realise I didn’t have my wallet with me.

Spring cleaned my entire house in search for that small purse and yep. No whiff of it. Not even a glimpse of the shadow of the wallet.

Naturally, I started panicking.

Aside from having cash that could last me a month, debit and credit cards, membership cards and whatnot, it had my Singapore IC (Identification Card).

After calling the last store I was at and confirming that they didn’t receive any wallet, I called the banks to cut all my cards.

I called so many people, okay, fine. About 5 calls. For someone who doesn’t like calling people, unless ordering food, that is a lot of people! This is exclusive my dad.

Note: Hey Pops! If by any chance you happen to stumble upon this blog and this post, I just wanna let you know that I didn’t mean to put you last. I just wanted to make sure that I’ve been thorough and do the necessary so I can minimise the things you need to do.

💔💔💔💔💔

Trust me. I understand whoever found my wallet and not returning it. It was so pretty. *flipsshawl*

The days leading to this loss, I’ve been reading ‘Reclaim your Heart’ book by Yasmin Mogahed.

One of the chapter was about loss and dealing with it and more.

Dealing with inner peace time after time made me realise that God tests us for two reason.

  • He loves us.
  • He wants to see how we react to the calamity that He puts in our way (with or without warning).

Funny how I thought that ‘one day, I’ll lose my wallet and I’ll have to go through all sorts of trouble to get certain things replace and restart with a new wallet,’ scene will happen when I’m back in Singapore. Being a career girl and all.

Then BAM! It happened right now. On an unfamiliar ground. As a student. Away from home. Away from family. Away from local banks. Most importantly, depending financially on my dad.

I imagined the situation with being working and all because then, no one will be afflicted or bothered at all. It’s my loss and my trouble alone.

But who am I to predict and avoid this situation?

Before you think I’m clumsy, I usually am when it comes to maths and academic matters but not when it comes to money.

The wallet was secured in a backpack.

Qadr’Allah.

It is also funny how I wasn’t as sad as I would have imagined I’d be.

Realised I lost my wallet in the morning.

By afternoon, I was eating

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this and laughing my belly off watching whatever I had on my hard disk.

There was hardly any frustration or anger or regrets that younger me would have.

It was a designer wallet. It had loads of cash. Double happiness for the one who found it. Literally.

But really, it was not about the “designer” wallet or the “lost cash” that I was most upset about.

The wallet has a sentimental value. For someone special. For that special someone whose no longer around.

But hey! I always believe that when ‘He puts you to it, He will put you through it’.

No way. No way will He leave you alone.

Afterall, it was an attachment that He probably wanted me to get rid off.

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I’d like to share this excerpt from the book ‘Reclaim your heart’ by Yasmin Mogahed:

And when such people feel trapped by life, by financial hardship, by pain, by loneliness, by fear, by heartbreak, or sadness, all they have to do is turn to Allah, and He always makes a way out for them. Know that this is not feel-good theory. It is a promise. A promise made by Allah Himself, who says in the Qur’an”

“…And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out, and He provides for Him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him…” (Qur’an, 65:2-3)

——-

That’s the amazing thing about the the floor of the ocean. No light reaches it.

However this dark place is not the end. Remember that the darkness of night precedes the dawn…. You can stay at the bottom, until you drown. Or you can gather pearls and rise back up – stronger from the swim and richer from the jewels.

If you seek Him, God can raise you up, and replace the darkness of the darkness of the ocean, with the light of His sun…. Know that transformation sometimes begin with a fall. So never curse the fall. The ground is where humility lives. Take it. Learn it. Live it. Breathe it in.

As Ibn ul Qayyim (ra) has said: “Satan rejoiced when Adam (peace be upon him) came out of Paradise, but he did not know that when a diver sinks into the sea, he collects pearls and then rises again.”

——-

You can find the second edition (latest hitherto) here.

——-

As I told my dad, (coming from a foodie family background, can you tell where this sentence is going? Hehe.) he panicked for my wellbeing going, “What about food? Do you have enough?”

Good thing is my fridge and dry pantry is stocked. To the brim.

MasyaaAllah, He even prepares me prior to losing monies and access to it.

All these reminders, boy am I glad to go through this.

Any hardship that you’re going through, may your affairs be eased.

Remember that when He puts you to it, He’ll put you through it.

☺️

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RIP wallet.

One more round!

As I was looking around for food to eat, I remembered having Udon for the ready made Laksa paste in the dry pantry.

Settle. Menu for the day: Laksa!

Eating Laksa brought me back to last Eid’s memory lane where I had my first proper bowl of Laksa.

I was kinda forced to eat it actually because the chicken rice wasn’t ready and having (actual) toddler whose height is less than 1 meter in the house running and crawling around, I can’t be a ‘baby’ guest. (read: A pain.)

It turns out good, obviously, which made me not shy away from this dish.

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Smelled so good. Digged in apron on!

The place where I had my very first of Laksa, is none other then Shafa’s place.

Remember this post? It was exactly the next day, or, a few winks of sleep later.

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Note: Post below drafted last Eid, August 2015 🙈!

Being away from home doesn’t stop Shafa from inviting her friends, to her SG abode for open house.

Having slept around 3am, I was thiiiiiis close, to pretend I missed the alarm and later go, ‘Oh sorry Shafa! I couldn’t wake up! I’ll just come again when you’re back or something,’ when she’ll check on us later in the day. Totally prepared to appease her with chocolates or something because woman! You live sooo far from my place!

But alas, I made it thanks to Fiqah who could make it. All that travelling, I could really use a good company. *phew*.

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Above: Cik (Aunty), that’s your daughter. Yeap. You can abandon her. We’ll be here to fill the void. 2 is definitely better than 1... Is what I should’ve said.

Bahahaha.

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Aunty with her new family. Shafa who? Egypt what?

Hehe.

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Good food and company despite the lack of sleep = Totally worth waking up early for.