October 07, 2007: A Blade of Grass

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Said a blade of grass to an autumn leaf,

"You make such a noise falling! You scatter all my winter dreams."

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Said the leaf indignant,

"Low-born and low-dwelling! Songless, peevish thing!

You live not in the upper air and you cannot tell the sound of singing."

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Then the autumn leaf lay down upon the earth and slept.

And when spring came she waked again -- and she was a blade of grass.

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And when it was autumn and her winter sleep was upon her,

and above her through all the air the leaves were falling,

she muttered to herself,

"O these autumn leaves! They make such a noise!

They scatter all my winter dreams."

~

(Kahlil Gibran)

October 06, 2007: Weekend Pleasure!

Hi everyone,

How's your weekend so far? I hope you're having wonderful weekend with your loved ones.

It's been a busy week especially for the Muslim - this is the last week of fasting - preparing for the Eid. Eid is an Arabic word - in Malay language it is called "Hari Raya Aidil Fitr" or "Hari Raya Puasa" or sometimes we simply say "Hari Raya" (literally translated it means 'Big Day'). Shopping malls or bazaar are busier than usual and lots of people doing last minute shopping (like me! ) for new clothes for Hari Raya or other new things for home decoration or even shopping for ready made cookies (or 'kueh raya')!

I went to Suria KLCC this morning - one of the biggest shopping complex in Kuala Lumpur. In the picture below you can see the concourse has been decorated to give ambiance 0f "Hari Raya". But I prefer last year's decoration with the ambiance of celebrating Hari Raya in the traditional Malay 'kampong'/village.

I was actually looking for new clothes but couldn't find any to my liking. Never mind. Let's buy other Hari Raya present for myself! Come, join me at Isetan KLCC! Oh yes, I should be looking for perfume!

And look what I found! A 50ml Pleasures Delight perfume! Oh, let me tell you - I LOVE THE FRAGRANT OF THIS NEW PERFUME! Simply sweet!

What else to buy? Aha, let's go to one of my favorite sections - home appliances! I saw beautiful cutlery set and grabbed it!

Last but not least, I ended my shopping with something to 'help' me gain my weight after 1 month fasting!

Here's the Famous Amos cookies and Beryl's Tiramisu chocolate! (errr, do you think I should keep some for Herbie? He loves anything sweet! )

October 06, 2007: Hmmmmm ...

Hi everyone,

I found this on Pooks page! Very cute!

Like Pooks said, don't forget to turn up your speaker'!

This also reminded me of the following video that I posted on my blog October last year! Enjoy!

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Note: Picture of robin in Herb's garden.

October 05, 2007: I Will Act NOW

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I will act now. I will act now. I will act now.

Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, everyday,

until the words become as much a habit as my breathing,

and the action which follows

becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids.

With these words

I can condition my mind

to perform every action necessary for my success.

I will act now.

I will repeat these words again and again and again.

I will walk where failures fear to walk.

I will work when failures seek rest.

I will act now for now is all I have.

Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy.

I am not lazy.

Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed.

I am not a failure.

I will act now.

Success will not wait.

If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever.

This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.

~ Og Mandino ~

October 03, 2007: What Do You See?

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October 03, 2007: Help me Find the Lizard!

Will you help me find my lizards in the fallen leaves? Have fun!

Or you would rather join me in my poppy garden?

October 02, 2007: Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolmades)

Never tried it before! Anyone?

Maybe I should try cooking it - I am a big fan of rice! Any good recipe?

How about this one from BBC Food :

" Whenever I am in Greece I can't stop eating these. There's loads of different varieties - meaty, herby, veggie and these, which have sultanas and pine nuts. Serving them with the delicious tzatziki is essential. " ... Simon Rimmer

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
125g/4½oz short-grain rice, rinsed and drained
50g/2oz sultanas
50g/2oz pine nuts, toasted
1 lemon, juice only
175ml/6fl oz water
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped
handful of finely chopped fresh mint leaves and parsley
20 preserved vine leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the tzatziki
1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and coarsely grated
200ml/7fl oz Greek yoghurt
4 garlic cloves, crushed
handful of freshly chopped mint leaves
½ lemon, juice only
extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the shallots and garlic until soft. Add the rice, sultanas, pine nuts and lemon juice and fry for one minute. Season, then add the water.
2. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to cool.
3. Once the mixture is cool, add the spring onions, mint and parsley.
4. Rinse the vine leaves in water, then place them shiny side down on a board. Put about two teaspoons of the cooled stuffing on each leaf and roll into a tight parcel. Chill until ready to eat.
5. For the tzatziki, mix the cucumber with the yoghurt, garlic, mint, lemon juice and seasoning. Tip into a serving bowl and top with a dash of olive oil.
6. You can serve the dolmades either cold or warm (just heat them in a steamer). Put them on a large plate with the tzatziki in the middle and get stuck in.