March Empties

1 Garden of Eden Pigmentation serum lightens Pigmentation & Wrinkles - Rosehip Seed Oil - something I purchased to help with evening out the skin tone, but the smell was almost a fishy smell and I couldn't always stand smelling it and would wash it off after a few moments of letting it absorb. So glad its finished finally.

2  Dove Whitening Original Anti-Pespirant deodorant - smells like baby powder. cheap and effective, You can get this for $2 sometimes in Chemist Discount warehouse. I like roll ons as they are easy to travel with, and these ones I can reapply on long haul flights to refresh.

3 Cyber colors Gentle eye makeup remover - Made in Korea and even though it was the first Cyber Color product I've ever tried as it was given out for free, I must say it is pretty good at removing  the toughest of waterproof makeup and I could get another bottle when I run out of all makeup remover

4 Olay total effects 7 in One advanced daily moisturiser with cooling essence - Some people say I am too young to use Oil of Olay. I think it is an untapped treasure. The fact that it's such a good yet cheap moisturiser and given the number of people I know that have kept looking youthful with it, I am not about to pass on this great find and also will revert back as soon as I get through my other facial moisturisers.

5 Molton Brown heavenly gingerlily moisture bath & shower - intoxicating scent of gingerlily and oils of tamanu and macadamia. Sophisticated exoticness which is not overpowering at all. This doesn't lather very much and so it doesn't really dry out your skin in the process.

6 Loreal Paris Dermo-expertise Youth Code Rejuvenating Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream. A Nice find for a nifty 35% discount at a Priceline promotion. I am glad I gave it a go. This was a nice light cream with a really pleasant smell, would recommend it to anyone looking for a moisturiser that won't clog pores.

7 Bellamer Eye Balm sample - Vanilla peppermint scents with a vaseline like texture. It is actually a wonderful product in terms of its moisturising propensities. I didn't mind it for slapping on as a night balm and yes by the time the morning rolls around, wrinkles are definitely visibly less observable.

8 Spa Organics hydrating body balm infused with macadamia & olive oils. This was a Christmas present from a boy a couple of years back. I didn't like the smell or texture of this and was very glad when I had finished it and could move on,

Testing out Poh's Roti Canai Recipe

When we were out at the Taste of Sydney festival a couple of weeks ago, I got handed a booklet introducing the Malaysia Kitchen with a selection of Poh's Malaysian recipes inside. The one that got me going was the Roti Canai. Whilst Malaysian food is all the trend here, if  and when I move to London, I figured, I'd go cavewoman on the asian delicacies and would have to make these dishes on my own, so why not give it a go?

Here's the recipe with my own tips after having trialed it.

Ingredients

500g (2 cups) plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup water
2 Tbs condensed milk
2 Tbs butter, ghee or margarine, at room temperature
1/2 egg, lightly whisked
1/2 cup vegetable oil for greasing

Method

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. 

Make a well at the centre of the dry ingredients and into it, pour the condensed milk, butter/ghee/margarine and egg. 

Work in a circular motion with your hand, gradually gathering more and more of the flour into the wet ingredients. As you do this, slowly add water to the mixture, being very careful not to over-commit as this will make your dough very wet and difficult to work with. Keep working this in the bowl until you have a single mass.

Tip all the ingredients onto the bench and knead until smooth and elastic. At this point the dough should not be sticking to the bench top. If it is, add a little flour and knead until smooth. 

Roll into a cylinder and divide the dough into 10 pieces. Knead each piece a few times to achieve a smooth texture, then shape into a ball by tucking in the edges of the dough into the bottom so that the top is a smooth round surface. 

Gently cover each ball with butter/ghee/margarine and rest in a bowl. Cover in cling wrap and allow to rest overnight at room temperature (very important to have enough resting time otherwise the dough isn't as relaxed or elastic as it should be when it comes time to stretch the roti).

After the overnight resting you will find the dough soft and stretchy. Start by oiling a substantial area of the bench liberally. This next part you're best off watching Poh's motions in order to appreciate how it should work. It starts at the 3.20 minute mark of the video.

Place one of the balls of dough onto the table and press down with the palm of your hand while moving it in a circular motion. This is just to flatten and smooth out the surface of the dough as much as possible before you stretch it.Work around the edges of the circle of dough, gently stretching the edges outwards as far and as thinly as you can before holes start to appear. The end result should be as thin as tracing paper and about 60-70 cm in diameter.

Fold the stretched dough into an envelope of layers, each time drizzling a little oil between the layers. 

You'll  end up with a squarish shaped roti.

 Heat up your frypan on medium heat with a dash of vegetable oil and fry the roti until golden blisters appear on both sides (be careful not to have it too hot otherwise it'll burn the outer layers without cooking through the inside layers- As you can see from the black dots on the picture below, I learnt from experience). 

When cooked, immediately slide the roti onto a chopping board, wrap your palms around the edges and smash your hands together so the roti bunches up and flakes. Rotate the roti and do this several times while it is still hot.

Wedding at Mosman Art Gallery & Zest

Ten years fly past so very quickly. Five years too. You wouldn't have thought it with the amount of time we'd spent back then on road trips and hanging out in uni, but they were the foundations of who we were going to be next and yet, they mightn't have been. Anyhow, ten years ago I met the groom of this wedding at uni and five years ago he met his true love that he married yesterday.

A truly beautiful ceremony. I felt distant because I hadn't seen much of them together and they had built their relationship around a different group of friends over time. I am happy for them and do believe after the beautiful day we spent peering into the beginning of their lifetime together, that it is true love and that it is the kind that will last.

The MAG has gorgeous stained glass windows, making the perfect backdrop to a perfect union.

At the door of the reception

A touch of rustic

How beautiful is that view?

Elegant Table centerpieces

One that got us excited, a dumpling station!

Bridal table

Wedding cake with a volleyball because it is what brought them together

One of the most scrumptious wedding menu I had ever had

Confit Ocean Trout

Bombonnieres: Measuring spoons for the recipe for Love

Slow Roasted Pork Belly

Slow roasted Grain-fed Lamb rump

The wedding setup was very elegant, but it wasn't a serious ambiance for the groom and bride's family were some fun-loving bunch that knows how to throw a serious party. Great entertainment (including a faux volleyball game), great food, great wine and excellent dance-floor action made it a very good night out with some old friends that I never thought I'd ever go 'clubbing' with again. Little do we know, we were training for wedding dance floors all those years ago.

I supposed this might be the last of the weddings to hit us before we turned 30 years old, and none of us yet had the responsibility of children, so we were able to drink, dance and be merry the night away. Very happy for the wedded couple and very thankful for the ability for them to express their love for each other with the sanctity and celebration of Marriage.

Thought for the day

When will great people's spouses/ partners start writing books so that when geniuses are at the height of their vision or madness, their spouses have a point of reference?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Things I wish I knew at 16

On beauty:

• That you'll develop your first awareness of wrinkles when you hit 28, but don't worry, after a year of a constant moisturising regime, their appearance will minimise. But gosh you should really be kinder to your eyes and neck.


• Freckles are the bain of your life. You do not discover this until you get to Australia two years later and lazily do not use sun screen for the first year of your life. From that point onwards, the damage could never be reversed. NEVER. Not even when you fraxeled them off for your wedding. Which by the way was a perfect waste of a thousand dollars.

 

On friendship:

• That 'bestie' you had at 16, isn't your bestie anymore now. In fact, you should never have moved in with her in Sydney.


• The friend that you judged all the time because you didn't understand her understands you better than you do her, and is so much better a person than you could ever hope to be. But never fear, you grow up to understand her better and she becomes your one true friend that is almost like your sister. Go easy on her, she deserves for you to be a better friend.

On fashion:

• The bags you buy, Don't obsess on the fashion items. They don't last in popularity for very long and you grow out of them too. And no they don't turn out to be the 'investment' pieces you expect them to be. Off-loading them is really hard and you don't get much money for them!


• That Gold jacket you will see in four year's time for $50. Leave it there. Don't even look at it another time. Walk away from it.


• You overobsessed with pink when you are 18. It will haunt you for a long time. Trust me.


• The harder you try to be different from everyone else, you'll one day grow up to want to be exactly like everyone else. So don't be too proud and too quick to judge.

On family and relationships:

• Love your brother more and be more patient with him when he needs you. One day, you won't be around anymore to guide him and he will be so lost without you, but I understand, you were lost yourself, even though you act like you've got it so together.



• Stop being so mean to your mum. She and you will have very little time together in two years time because you will leave Malaysia and you will hardly come home anymore.


• You'll end up marrying a guy that didn't meet any of the five criterion you listed out with your bestie the other day, but it's alright, he's the perfect man for you

• Don't be so tough on S when you're dating. Hold yourself together and be a kinder girlfriend to him, because he does change after marriage (despite all the things Mum told you were myths about men) and he is the kindest, most loving and understanding husband that hates to disappoint you. Hang in there until then.