Hopeless Romantic!

When hubby decided to work from home the whole of last week, I felt he has violated my rights of having the idea that, come Monday, I get the house all to myself!! There is no way, a man working in my house, on a week day, is going to mess up with my already painted picture. A picture so perfectly drawn when a new day arrives. In my mind, at least...hehe! I know, I am weird. And it's getting weirder by the day.

The thing is, I don't get it myself sometimes. Okay...all the time...hehehe! How come when he is around, I am not a good home-maker? When he's around, I tend to slack on my chores. When he's around my schedules goes crazy. And then.... I. just. become.LAZY.
Imagine, me, Lili...not cooking. Can you just imagine that? Now, now...don't go too far, you guys . 
I straighten the house everyday, alright. I do the laundry every other day too. I do everything BUT...

 Breakfast alone...when he's sleeping in for another couple of hours.

The more reasons, he should be at the office...

 A lunch fit for rabbits...but who cares when the laziness 

are here to stay until you-know-who goes back to work!

 ..what better way to idle the lunch hours than

to have it whilst watching a movie...

 No table to set...but I'm watching you from where I eat...

you'd better be working.

 Take-outs for dinner...you asked for it...! 

This is my way of telling him... "Go to work in the morning and let me miss you all day..."

So, how's that for a hopeless romantic?:D

My Best Bet!

It rained a short while ago, and, when I'm sitting down to write this piece, the sun shines again...as bright as can be. I feel hungry suddenly, as I watch hubby digging in the food he should be taking at lunch. If he's eating at this hour, it can only mean we will be going to have dinner separately. I have already set in my head for a no-rice dinner. I bet hubby will not be having anything at all this evening. 

This is Us. I have lost count of the last time we sat together and had dinner or lunch quietly. I like my meals hot and eat them immediately after I'm done cleaning up the kitchen and freshen up myself. It depends sometimes. If my meals are the simplest ever, say, rice and a dish of omelette, stir-fry vege and sambal tumis...or anything that I could fix in a jiffy, and can still look chic (bueeekk!) in my you-know-what-favourite-attire-of-mine at home, or outside (begs for another round of 'bueeekk'!), then I'm good to settle for my lunch. And, as I said earlier, I tend to enjoy my meals a lot without him, that it may seem and sound weird when we sat together. I'm so used of not having him around that I am least offended when people start asking me why I am always attending kenduris without him...
His work is very demanding that having our meals or going places separately has become the norm in our lives. Sometimes the idea of meeting him half-way for an impromptu lunch outside, thrills me to no ends!  As much as like it to be, we try to spend time by having breakfast every weekend to anywhere I desire. Decision-wise, I think I have the say...haha! Now I see the truth in what marriage is all about. They say, marriage is like running an army camp. The husband is always the GENERAL while the wife, MAJOR. Thus, when it comes to making decisions, the husband makes the general decisions while the wife makes the major ones... hikhikhik! To that, I can never thank him more!

I don't know why I should be writing about this anyway. It started with his late lunch when I'm already sipping tea and nibbling reluctantly on a piece of Big A*ple doughnut at a stipulated hour called tea-time! 

It just dawned upon me that the space he's given me is vast, and when not filled accordingly, leaves a vacuum so depressingly within. Too vast that I know, it is my bad bet instead of the best. Still, I'm not complaining. As long as I have my way.... ;)
And as long as....er....never mind!

Note: This posting is delayed due to heavy rain again with thunder and lightning and all... you get me, heh? :D

Wordless Wednesday : One Late Saturday Afternoon...

Not So Wordless Wednesday: MISTY

Mist blanketed our morning as I see hubby at the door. So, what is best to do than 'torturing' myself driving in the morning rush just to capture some misty moments...and it is already half-past seven...

 One hand on the wheel and another, well....shaky one holding the camera!

 ...and when I get to my favourite spot...

the island IS GONE! 

Piano in The Dark...

It's not everyday I get to go out in the evening for drives or walks, let alone to watch the sun setting.

I did, one evening...

..the seven o'clock sky above Penang from where I view

The feeling is indescribable...

But something has to spoil my mood...when a song 

keeps following in my head...

Still asking myself: Is this normal? 

Of Breakfast, Lunch...and...Ducks?

Lama ye tak citer bab makan-makan. Bukan I tak masak...hari-hari @nowmememasak. 
Don't get it? Now Me memasak....ekekeke! Alaa...macam kat twitter tu...hiks!
Okay...tak nak citer panjang-panjang, nanti melalut pulak. 
So, let's check my breakfast this morning. Mode: tengah rajin ni...breakfast on a week day pun mememasak tau. ;)

 You all tau ke apa ni?

Inilah Nasi Lemuni...lagi sedap dari nasi lemak.

I dah memang teringin nak makan ni...daun lemuni dah lama petik from my friend's lemuni tree.

Tapi duk terperuk dalam fridge for some time now...

FYI, daun lemuni ni, kalau kita simpan berapa lama pun, ia tetap tahan.

So, meaning, lemuni ni has all the awet muda properties.

And, ehem, I have been eating this since I was ten!

 This time around, I makan nasi lemuni dengan sambal ikan kayu/aya.

Just masak nasi ni macam nasi lemak biasa..letak halba, lada hitam,

bawang merah/kecil dan halia yang dihiris.

Mmmm...as I'm writing this, masih terasa lagi pahit-pahit sedap nasi ni!

Semalam I masak lunch yang paling simple...sebab tu, hari ni masak nasi lemuni. Mana tahan weh, tak makan nasi sehari. At least one meal makan nasi. Tak gemuk weh, kalo makan nasi...bukannye kita makan sampai semangkuk nasi tambah tu. Makan ala kadar. je..hehehe!

My lunch yesterday:

Bihun sup...with minced meat and sweet radish toppings.

My soup base this time was the ordinary sup tulang.

The recipe calls for cili padi potong in soy sauce, 

but I'm so used to eating noodles soup with sambal kicap for condiments. :D

Bihun sup for dinner too! I don't mind noodles day in, day out!

And, look what I found at the back lane of my house yesterday afternoon....

 Itik gembo-gembo! Peking duck, anyone? erkkk ;p

Updated: 

For those who would wondering how lemuni leaves look like...hee hee hee hee...(the laughs of Michael Douglas in The War of the Roses...hehe...I'm watching while updating this!!) ;) 

 Pic: Google

 

Tuesday With Maria...

After some time of gloomy days, today promises us with such a beautiful sunny day over Penang. 
I took the opportunity this morning, to see for myself the natural pool that has formed behind my cousin's house...well, while it is still there! Who knows, if the sunshine steadies for the next few days, chances are, the inundated field will only be a muddy, if not a dusty plot again.

 Perhaps, this is nothing to anybody...but I find it pretty tranquil

with birds chirping in the trees enjoying a field day feasting

on the bountiful supply the sudden pool provides...like...

...tadpoles dominating the water edges.

And for someone who is afraid of frogs, I do not mind at all the swarming little things. 
In fact, they reminded me of my childhood days when I was a bit adventurous, roaming

the woods outside the perimeter of our huge neighbourhood with some friends who were equally small but brave!  
Imagine, Lili the little girl, none the sugar and spice and everything nice material...

She was more the carefree girl - couldn't care less the way she looked...haha...
because she loved her 'comot' ways! Ugly thing I was and am!

Standing here and listening to the cacophony produced by the birds, crickets and frogs...
seems to warm up my dampened spirit...

 

...wondering for a while...where I am

Another view from above...

and a view on a hot day some time ago:

Many thanks to my cousin, Puteri Maria... 

 ...for a great morning of 'sight-seeing' (hahaha!) and also a good cup of rooibos tea! ;)

I drive home afterwards feeling light and easy whilst humming this cute song quietly... 
Come, sing with me! :-)

Another Cherry Story....er...Quite! :-D

One Saturday night, some weeks ago after Raya....kot, hehe...

 ....makan mee goreng mamak ... somewhere in Bagan Luar. ~ngee!

A town once bustling with activities and thriving with many good eating places

has now become quite laid back...almost no life here...haiyaa why-lah

 ..but people come in droves just for the mee goreng and ais kacang.

MyC, couldn't resist her papa's choice! hahaha))

 

...while mummy couldn't resist on trying this mee rebus...walaupun dah full katanya!

I shared this plate with MyC when her papa went to the nearby mosque for Isyak...

Itulah, ikut rasa teringin...memang tak habis...hiks...psst...tak syedap tau mee rebus ni!

Nasib baik tak order pasembur...hahaha)))

Mee Mamak Pokok Ceri...

Takde pokok ceri pung...ceri lagi ler takde!

Hehehehe...lemme tell you the story... 

There was really a cherry tree here where the seller ran his business in the early days 

but was not saved when they paved way for this nasi kandaq shop. 

Sekarang ni, dengan kedai kedai nasi kandaq dah bungkuih!

So, mamak mee ni jugak yang tinggal...

Anyway, my vote for a good mee mamak would go to Mee PATA at the esplanade

food-court in Padang Kota Lama, on the island. Perghh....the best! 

Bye for now...

Lots of love,

Lili

One Weak

Salam everyone! 
I got the motivational poster below from a website on facebook and thought I'd share it here.
Allahuakhbar! Without Allah...we won't be here, let alone the days! But it's okay to ponder and think positive...this is the beauty of Islam. 

Have a nice weekend, y'all!

...and I have never forgotten this day, today.

Not So Wordless Late Wednesday: After The Rain...

We get plenty of rain here lately. One whole week of rain and more rain from late evenings throughout the nights then stops almost immediately at pre-dawns only to lash hard again at dawn, continuing until mid-mornings. Everyday now. Normally by 10 to 11 am, the sun will creep playfully behind the clouds and assuring us it'll stay that way till noon, giving us more than ample time to dry the laundry. Thus, leaving home for other matters must be done quickly because you can never trust the weather now, you know.

Once upon a time, the rain used to make me worry for nothing. Now that I see the rain in a different perspective I'm always game for some adventures...like the nature walk I take in the mornings just after the rain...

 Now, now...

 ..wordless for a minute there...hehehe!

 well, well, well...what have we got here? let's check below...

 Subhanallah...a busy bee upclosed

 When I took this picture, I burst into singing Dido's song "White Flag"! 

Hahaha..tak sesuwai langsung! ;)

'Swimming pool' at the backyard of my cousin, Puteri's house - a five-minute's drive from mine

Ooooo...I love this scenery, it makes me want to cry!

 

How's the weather in your place, guys? ;-) 

Move Over, Adele...

 ...here comes the BEST rendition of Rolling In the Deep ever. Love this! ;)



There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, and it's bringing me out the dark
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare
See how I'll leave with every piece of you
Don't underestimate the things that I will do

There's a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch
And it's bringing me out the dark
The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling

We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
And you played it to the beat

Baby, I have no story to be told
But I've heard one on you
And I'm gonna make your head burn
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Making a home down there
As mine sure won't be shared

The scars of your love remind me of us
They keep me thinking that we almost had it all
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can't help feeling

We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
But you played it to the beat
We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
But you played it with a beating

Throw your soul through every open door
Count your blessings to find what you're looking for
Turn my sorrow into treasured gold
You pay me back in kind and reap just what you sow

(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
(Tears are gonna fall, rolling in the deep)
Rolling in the deep
(You're gonna wish you never had met me)
We could have had it all
We could have had it all

Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand

But you played it
You played it
You played it
You played it to the beat

Phew! That was long. ;)
Updated 5th Oct 2011: Well, it was quite late last night when I came up with this post. I know, CS, this is not the cute side of all my postings...hahaha....but I have to come up with my personal take of  the cover versions of this song. One helluva haunting song, I must say!


1) David Cook did justice to this song by making it HIS. Yeah, the usual him with all the songs he covered in AI! I rated this a six out of ten. ;)

2) John Legend. Ooo...John Legend! The mere mentioned of him is nothing but falling in love with his songs and of course his voice! This song he covers, is an a capella and he can never go wrong with his vocals. But over all, my ears are all for Linkin Park and it's final, a perfect 10! John Legend can take that 7/10, okay. I know, I'm bias. Period. :D

3) Mike Posner. euwwww, bluekkk! What was he thinking when singing this song? Imagine singing this in a sexy tak kena tempat vocals...hahahaha when you're about to torch someone you thought you loved, someone you're going to bludgeon, huh, given the chance-lah, and you're going to bring him/her down and...OMG, giving this song another meaning - sadist! Geliiii weh! Hahahahhaa)) 
Rate: teluq ayam. =))

4) Haley Reinhart: Boleh laaaaa... The AI judges had said it all and the tribe had passed the verdict. And I'm being kind.... hikhikhik!

Last but not least, Adele takes home all the credits and she's a darling to this song and...has sold millions.... And a thought ran in my mind: Why haven't I write something like that! 

When I'm Not Blogging .....

I have been away from blogging lately, and when I'm bracing myself into my virtual world once more, all I encounter with, is silence. Here, there, everywhere. Silence. You all pernah tak rasa sunyi bila ber-blog-hopped lately? Sunyi kan. Sayu pun ada... banyak blog yang prolific dulu, yang selalu kita tertunggu..er..I mean, I ler, yang tertungu-tunggu dah tak update langsung. Agaknya musim kambus dalam pasir dah melanda. And it is kinda contagious too. It affected this simple blogger - me! I don't know about you guys, as for me, there is no difference whether I blog or not, my traffic is terribly low...hahaha..,but that is not the reason why I blog in the first place. Let's just put the unnecessary worries aside... let's look for sunny days ahead, instead. ;-)

* I googled for this picture...hehe!

The last few weeks memang rasa malas sangat nak berblog. So, I spent most time brooding reading, tilawah-ing and driving from coast to coast. Er, bab driving from coast to coast tu, baca aje ye, percaye jangan, ekekeke! Tapi memang selalu on the road aje sampai tak tau kemana arah tuju asal happy ikut gerak hati. Ada masa tu, bila jemu reading, bila otak tak daya nak ingat hafazan for the day... I just need to unwind. So, I lined up a new hobby - lepakings! It turned out, melepak ni best ek!

Hah, tak caye? Yes, one Tuesday morning, when the mood to lepaks datang, I melepak ler. Just stop and stare er, I mean just sit and pretending to mind your own business but actually, was busy watching the world passed by. But then, what was there to watch on a quiet working day when I hardly spotted the crowd at this remote shopping mall! To think I had travelled south to this side of town...huh...all that 40km to and fro... [Yo! ini perempuan manyak berani letak ini gambar, you... harusku limitkan time...hahahaha!]


And then there is another craze I've been indulging in. Oh me like like! I think, since the first day of Raya until Syawal came to an end, I have been tucking in on this fruit - cherries. I finished the last punnet of cherries some three days ago. Itu pun punya ler sparingly makan sebab the season has passed and, as I checked on the ones sold at the 'pasar petang Chai Leng Park', they were scarce and  the quality was quite bad. Anyway, I have had my share more than enough...hehe...   
I was right the other day when I told hubby I would stop buying when the season is out. And hubby joked about my smelling like cherries! Tapi kesian kat hubby, tak lawak pun joke dia... 
So, I had cherries for snacks while reading... 

 ...and the best place to do so was in bed in the afternoons... hiks!

The last punnet was treasured like gems!

And they were not as big as the ones I got earlier...but a month of eating only cherries was a

BLISS!

Tapikan tapi...I bukannya tak makan buah-buahan tempatan, you all... makan...tapi tak minat. Ada gak orang tanya, kenapa tak makan rambutan ke belimbing ke? Well, kalau I citer mesti you all heran sebab I lebih suka makan products derived from our local fruits. Contohnya, durian. I tak sker tak sker....hehe..tapi TEMPOYAK...hui, jangan sape mintak tau kalo I dah lenyek derian-derian yang elok-elok tu menjadi tempoyak! Belimbing besi I tak suka, tapi belimbing buluh sangat menjadi pojaan hati...hikhikhik... Ni sambil menaip ni, sambil terkecur dah ayaq liuq!

Adeh, tak terasa ye bila dah start menulis...terpanjang sudah! So, bye bye dulu...