Ranting 1

The letter of appointment is not having the effect it was supposed to. Despite the salary jump (well, to be honest, it wasn't much - it isn't the time yet). Nothing great really, just a natural transition, I guess.

I have been anticipating, visualizing this move for the past year. My entire energy was focused on this very role - because I know I can do it better (I don't care if this sounds perasan - damnit, I know I can). What happenned to good intentions? Asking for something where one knows one can make a difference in?

The blundering oldie who sits in the very position I want fell asleep during the workshop. This just infuriates me all the more. Seriously, and he's doing a wonderful job "managing assurance"? (Quoted) Whatever in the deepest hole in hell that is. Or perhaps I'm just too working-level (aka bodoh) to understand.

And why, why on the face of the earth are we afraid of working on the ground, of getting our hands dirty? Since when did hard work and actually knowing what you're doing , and doing what you're saying become faux pas? Has my 2 years offshore really coarsened me that much??

I truly believe, from the bottom of my heart, that I can make a difference. Because I have been there. Done that. Recently. And really, it doesn't really take a genius to figure that - the guy was snoring at the meeting. Breathe. Breathe.

Wake up, people!!!! We're living in a competitive world, and yesterday's (or today's?) ways ain't gonna cut it anymore. Why aren't we encouraging our people to really know and understand what we're doing, instead of (inject tight, pointed sarcasm here) of "managing" (I really hate this word now)? Why go to the very ends of the earth and pay people 5 digit salaries for talking their way to the top? What happenned to putting your money where your mouth is? To actions speak louder than words? To walking the walk?

What happened to building one's foundation, to focusing on the core of the business, on what brings in the moolah? Now we're spending time and $$ on coming up with complicated processes and slideshows. Who's actually working?

Doesn't anyone do that anymore?

Oh, and did I mention that I am pissed off? It has taken my mood off the nice stay in KL here (Am at the Grand Milennium, so much better than Mariott, btw).

Some re-negotitation is in order, I guess. But am currently running away from confrontation (and reality) for the time being, jetting down for this meeting (and getting even more pissed off) and will be going home on Saturday for CNY. Hope this is not a sign of things to come.

And am trying so hard to repeat the mantra - Happiness is a Choice. Thus I am in control of my mood, and not vice versa. Happiness is a Choice. Happiness is a Choice.

Oh well, no one said it was easy.




Totally unrelated obligatory photo.

Our co. staff union dinner - Citrawarna Malaysia

When We SHOULDN'T Go With the Flow

Breaking convention. Doing things right for the first time.

Practicing what we preach. So many times we say "it should be done like this" but being the first one to do so is so so-called painful, or takes too much effort that we never get to it (and God forbid we work too hard - hey, work life balance!).

If one is not accountable, held responsible for one's screwups, then, one does not care so much when one makes them. Such is the fundamental flaw in this place - it's ok if you screw up! We have lots of money to fix it. You tabled it out so beautifully that we didn't realise you screwed it up, but we have no idea why our coffers are being drained so much faster than they should.

And the best part is, we really do believe that we are the best. And therein lies another fatal flaw - when one does not actively seek out improvement. Companies that command respect never say that they are the best. Most cannot afford to say that anyway. iWould it be acceptable, if, say, Toyota says that they don't need to get better? If Steve Jobs says that there is nothing he can do with the iPod anymore? I rest my case.

We are FAR from even having the right to call ourselves good. We just can't, not until drastic steps are taken and heads start rolling. Because we are not running a charity here. You can't get ahead on paternism/socialism anymore. Not when the rest of the world is best man wins - cutthroat and savage.

Well, that's my two cents' worth. All said and done, I'm grateful to be working with one or two people who are NOT long term employees of this place. And I am grateful that they:

1) Set the highest standards for not only themselves, but their work groups as well - regardless of the prevalent culture. They don't lower their standards, they just raise everyone else's.

2) Are not only afraid of change, they are not afraid of MAKING IT HAPPEN

2) Can take a step waaaaaaay back and say "we're not doing this right". They are the true leaders (and mind you, not the company-appointed ones, they just are by virtue of their influence and respect they gained)

3) Take the time and effort to explain their ways instead of shoving it down throats

4) Actually know exactly what they are pointing their fingers at, so it makes sense and instead of muttering "that *&%$" doesn't know what he's yelling at", we go "man, I wish I thought of that"

5) Give credit when credit's due - it's that simple

6) Ask the right questions, challenge the status quo - it's a cliche but oh! how wwe're missing that here!

7) Are not afraid of making other people feel uncomfortable - for the right reasons of course, unlike some jerks who do it for the sake of making themselves look better. These people then put them in their places.

8) Look beyond someone's image and focuses on what they do, not what they say and how nicely they say it (the fact is that credit is given to the person who outlines it in the nicest way irks all of the so-called lesser mortals, who actually DO the bloody job)

Anyways, these are lessons I have learn. To find better ways to do things and not just follow the program, because, way more often than not, this program plain sucks.

ADDED: Sadly a lot of our so-called leader have not read, or just can't be bothered to practice what's in this.

Live by my OWN standards, and never compromise with anything lower.

Digression:
I'm not unhappy, anyways. In fact, am totally excited! Might be assigned to a company joint-venture project next year, a huge one and a totally new operating and business environment to everyone, even the old timers. Must bust my butt this year so that the boss will see that it's worth giving it to me.

EDITED 28th January:
Disappointment - this assignment is no longer in the plan. Some miscommunication led the powers that be in my dept to think that they could assign it to me. Truth was it wasn't even theirs to give. Wish people would check out their facts before getting small fry like me all worked up over nothing. :(

And another one:
Lest you think this is turning into one of those bimbo blogs, I shall be documenting myself and my progress in regaining my university days weight. I seem to be plataeuing now to 3 kgs above my ideal. Truth is I don't work out like I used to, and thanks to my painful, wobbly loose kneecaps and watchamalit-this-doc-says-it's-spur-other-doc-says-it's not shoulder, exercise options are very limited. Ah well, blessings shall be counted (lost 2-3 kgs last year) and gratitude shown. Oh, and of course, am back to the office so dressing up is back in the game. Oh yes I feel damn perasan when taking my own photo, but am getting over it ;P

Borneo Rainforest Resort - A Farewell (late post)

We took this trip early last December, so this is a rather late post.

The F23 crew organized a stay at the Borneo Rainforest Resort in December, and we spent one night at the place. We (AK & me, the guys and their families, plus our 2 lady trainees) went on a tractor ride which took us on a tour of the place, past vast oil palm plantations stretching into the horizon, farms of chickens and goats, fruit trees (jackfruit, durians, breadfruit - no fruits yet though). We also hiked through some of the (remaining) virgin jungle. Nothing really spectacular I would say but still very nice - waterfalls, lakes for fishing, a slow boat ride.

We (well, not me) also had some fun at the huge activity centre. The kids had colouring books and model building, while the guys played volleyball, and AK rather shamelessly outshone them all. I really wanted to play, but my stupid frozen shoulder-or-extra-rib/spur was hurting too much to play any sport requiring shoulder muscle movement. Boo-hoo :(

We stayed in little timber houses on stilts that stood over some stagnant water holes. No smell, luckily. The rooms are all varnished wood, something I liked a lot. And, the nicest surprise, the amenities were hotel-like - air conditioning, bedroom slippers, hot showers replete with miniature toiletries. No worries about having to set up camp or waging mosquitoe wars. Luxury in the middle of it all!

Fishing hole.

We were guided to this cool waterfall after 20 minutes of trekking through the jungle (nothing heart-stopping, physically - most of the kids and older folks managed the hike, but then again these are Sarawakians we are talking about. Way fitter than us lousy Westerners, generally). In the stifling heat everyone was so tempted to just dive into the pool, jeans and all. But being the civilized offshore folk that we are, of course we didn't.

What a wonderful farewell. We always have so much fun, no matter what we do.

I miss everyone.

The Day we Ate Zen

Last Friday was spent at a friend's house - barbequed chicken wings, fried rice, fried mee, fried beehoon, chocholate fondue. It goes without saying that it was not the healthiest of meals.

So weekend fare was light, simple and zen. But still filling. I bought some Buna Shimeji (beech mushrooms) a few days back and they are the prettiest mushrooms I've seen.

We had 2 meals made with the following:-


I Bought:

1 chicken thigh (1/4 chicken)
4 chicken feet
1 pack buna shimeji mushrooms
1 bunch chives
1 pack snow peas
1 bunch long (snake) beans
1 carrot

In fridge:

Dried shitake mushrooms
Pork ribs
Lotus root


I made full use of the chicken thigh I bought. Removed the skin and fat, removed the flesh from the bones. Bones were used to make chicken stock - boiled with the feet (snip off claws - yes, claws, blanched in boiling water, drain and discard water then add to soup) and a few ginger coins. Boil for 1 hour over low heat, adding water when liquid level gets too low.


Mum's Maggie Chicken (without the deep frying)

With the chicken meat, marinate in a combination of Maggie seasoning (the one that comes in a squarish bottle), honey and brown sugar. No salt needed. Heat up a nonstick pan over medium high heat, add a bit of oil. Sear the chicken to brown the surface. Wrap in foil, slip into oven toaster and bake for 20-30 minutes.


Mushroom & Veg Rice

Reserve the stock made previously. Soak dried shitakes in hot water till reconstituted. Dice the caps, and tear the stalks into fine threads. Slice the snake beans into half-cm rounds, and peel the carrot, then cut into small cubes.

Rinse rice grains till the water runs clear and drain away the water. Place in rice cooker. Add carrots, beans and mushrooms. Add the same amount of stock as you would the water, as you would normally cook rice. Add a few dashes of oyster sauce, soy sauce, pepper and a few drops of sesame oil to taste. Cover with the rice cooker lid and cook as you would normal white rice.

When serving, sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve with cut chillies.

Pan roasted mushrooms

With the buna shimejis, I heated some oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat, threw in the trimmed mushrooms, covered the pan and let the mushrooms roast for 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, serve immediately.


Dinner

Leftover mushroom rice


Pork rib, Peanut and Lotus Root Soup


Wash pork ribs and clean them. Peel lotus root and slice into half-cm thick slices. In a soup pot, throw in the ribs, sliced lotus root, red dates (a handful), wolfberries (slightly less) or sweet dates ( 1 or 2, depending on how sweet you like your soup), whole white peppercorns and a handful of peanuts. Boil on low heat till ribs are soft and the lotus root is done to your liking. Season with salt and some soy sauce.



Easiest snow peas

Clean the snow peas, peeling off the tough membranes on the sides. Place in a microwavable bowl (with a lid). Add half a cup of reserved stock, some oyster sauce, some sugar and pepper to taste. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.

Baby's Bed

Baby has a new basket flown in from Ikea KL. We set it up for him with his own Garfield bedding. He made himself at home and seemed happy with his new sleeping place, until...

..................................zzz

purrr...............................................purrr...

purrrrrrrrrr.................................................................zzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............................................................................zzz

puuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.................................................................................

.........zzz...............(hint of a meow)....................................scramble scramble

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........................................................................................................zzzzzz

purrr......................................................................................................................................zzzzzz

purrrr..........................................zzzzz.................................................................................................

...................

...........................

..................

............

.........................I woke up the next morning and found him like this:

Strrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeetch.

Now, would you have the heart to make him go back to his basket? Just look at that little round face.

We're posting for Weekend Cat Blogging this week, cos' we want everyone else to see what an adorable sweetheart he is, how much we love this fat little fella!

Two in KL, One with the Guys

!!!!!!


Welcome Weekend!


Flew down to KL for work this week.

JW Mariott, the hotel I once dreamt of having my wedding at, is seriously overrated. Half an hour to check in, and despite being 40% more expensive than the usual (better) hotels we bunk at, breakfast it not included. When we did have breakfast (pay-lah), it was one of the most miserable buffets I'd ever seen. Yeesh, two thumbs down. Yeoh Tiong Lay, please spend a night or two at Nikko or Milennium, or even Mariott Miri, and learn something. Maybe this kind of service was acceptable, say ten years ago. This day, there's just no excuse. First Malaysian company to be listed in the Tokyo stock exchange? Well, it ain't showin' at the Mariott KL. Pooh!

Bought my first pair of jeans in 6 years, from Zara. Everything I want in a pair - dark, light-absorbing (read: slimming) denim, in a comfy stretch yet not too tight. :) Love the clothes there - great basics, really nice quality. And MNG is getting so commonplace these days. Phwah, damn aksyen.



Pavillion KL, all decked up for the Chinese New Year.

Thursday night - back to Miri. Fridat Night - F23 Dinner!

I belonged. I actually had fun at a dinner function. No surprises, it was with my offshore crew and their families.

I had this warm, cosy feeling that stayed in me the whole night, despite the lack of sleep the night before and the crazy driving to and from the hotel. The whole night was one fun cocktail of karaoke, teasing and egging each other to take up the microphone. Some needed a bit more motivation (e.g. a glass of wine or two) to take to the stage. These are not rough-and-tough offshore guys, they're husbands, fathers, friends, and crooners. Laughter, hearty eating (not one of those polite one-bite-then-put-down-fork dinners, this one), cracking jokes on the karaoke mike that got even the hotel servers smiling.

Oh, and One More Thing:-

AK read this to me out loud last night. Hilarious but so painfully true.

New Year Pizzas

2008 came quietly for us. Our family gathered at my Aunt's place way before midnight for conversation, coffee and snacks. My 25-ear old cousin brought her pet terrapins, Phil and Lil along. Mum and Brother Grump#2 actually fell asleep while awaiting the countdown, so that gives you a pretty good idea on how happenning our little party was :)

I did make some homemade pizzas using the same recipe I had used before, Giada's no-fail one.

And despite having the oven available at home in Penang, I found that it is still better made in the little oven toaster. For one, the heating element for the toaster is located below the pizza, enabling the crust to brown and crisp nicely on the bottom. So I really recommend this method now that I have tried it the second time, and compared it to using a convection oven.

I made 2 sauces - one of them the white cheese sauce I made before. The other was just as simple - saute some garlic in a little oil, add processed canned tomatoes+red pepper mixture. Season to taste (I added sugar to cut the aciditiy down).

Toppings - leftover turkey stuffing (sausage), leftover chicken loaf, fresh button mushrooms, bell pepper, caramelized onion, oregano. Plus lots of extra mozarella cheese, of course.

I love the crisped areas where the cheese blistered and browned, and the tasty crispy crust. So much more rewarding than delivery, I think, and a great appetizer to 2008.

Falling for a Trend - World Peace Cookies (Christmas Ultimate!)

There isn't much to be said that has not been said before. They're called World Peace Cookies, have earned the much-coveted, almost-never-bestowed "favourite cookie" tag of many an accomplished baker.

Created by the Picasso of Pastry.

I have yet to perfect them - I mean, in terms of taste and texture they're there but I just can't roll them into nice enough circular rolls. And since we prefer smaller portions, my attempts to make them smaller worked, but the aesthetics were sacrificed (which is not to say that they would have been better looking larger - oh dear).

I really wish I had nicer looking photos. But truly, what does it matter when the people in your life who are not that crazy over sweet stuff (AK, mum, dad) can't stop eating them??

I now understand what all the hype is about. And all of it totally deserved. And now I have fallen too...what is there not to love? Melt-in-the-mouth but not too buttery, the bittersweet (only oh so slightly bitter and just a touch sweet), dark chocolate taste heightened by the miniscule amount of sea salt.

I compromised a little in terms of ingredients, and made the cookies slightly less sweet than the original by lightly packing my brown sugar (the recipe calls for packed). I used Vochelle 100% Cocoa Butter regular sized chocolate chips, which I chopped up into smaller pieces. I bought French sea salt in large crystals and pulverized a pinch with mum's pestle and mortar. And I couldn't find unsalted butter, so I used normal salted butter and reduced amount of salt slightly.

I also made my cookies smaller. The original recipe calls for the dough to be divided into half and rolled into 2 logs, but I made 4 logs. I also prefer to freeze the logs rather than just chilling them - thanks to our humid Malaysian weather, the chilled dough just melted too fast during the cutting/laying process.

World Peace Cookies
(adapted from here)

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
155g unsalted butter, at room temperature - I used salted Golden Churn
2/3 cup (lightly packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp fleur de sel or ¼ tsp fine sea salt - I used slightly less than 1/4 tsp of finely ground sea salt crystals)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract - I only had vanilla essence
140g bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or a generous ¾ cup mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together.
Beat the butter until soft and creamy.
Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.
Pour in the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour disappears into the dough- for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly.
Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.
Turn the dough out onto t a work surface, gather it together and divide it in three to four portions.
Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 2 cm in diameter.Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and freeze them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
Preheat oven to 160˚C.Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.Using a sharp knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1 cm thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them- don’t be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.)
Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 3cm between them.
Bake the cookies on sheet at a time for 12-15 minutes- they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be.
Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

They taste a million times better than they look

The Meringues Marathon (Another Christmas Special)

I have always loved our National Microwave-Cum-Convection Oven and Grill. Thanks to its ability to morph from a microwave (defrost, reheat) to a very effective convection oven that has yet to let us down when it comes to baking. We usually baked cakes tray by tray. Its small size or single-tier limitations never bothered me. In fact, I thought it was a great space saver.

Until now.

Introducing - meringues! They promise to taste like snowy clouds of sweetness. And they would make good use of the leftover egg whites from the sugee cakes we made earlier. Mum usually throws them out This year I thought I'd make something out of them - and this seemed like the perfect recipe - all I needed was superfine sugar (easy-peasy - just process caster sugar till fine), cream of tartar, vanilla and I was set to go.

I decided to go with a recipe from the Joy of Baking. JoB recommends approximately 50g of sugar per egg white used. After making the meringues, I should have scaled down the amount of sugar I used by a quarter. After all, this is an American recipe. Maybe they have eggs the size of tennis balls. Maybe we have more sensitive tastebuds.

But the real challenge came when baking them. The original recipe calls for 3 egg whites, I was using seven. And it calls for slow baking in a low oven (1 1/2 to 2 hours).

With our faithful National, usually so wonderful with cakes, this was a real challenge. All in all I baked 7 or 8 trays, and it ended up, hands down, being the longest baking session I ever encountered. Since brilliant old me started prepping at 9 at night, I ended up going to bed at 5 in the morning, and that is after I turned the temperature up by 10 deg C. That resulted in a caramelly colous instead of the brilliant white.

I also tried my hand in piping out the mixture but they just ended up looking like turds. well, luckily I found it funny or else I would have been really demoralized. But they looked so comical that I was laughing too hard to feel so.

Behold - the results of my less-than-stellar piping skills

I ended up using 2 eating spoons to dollop the mixture onto my baking sheets - far from pretty but, erm, acceptable (I do so hope).

And after all that effort, they really were tooth-achingly, turn-off sweet. Pity, because we loved the light and airy texture. I really don't feel like re-trying this recipe because of the long baking time. Plus, thanks to our equatorial humidity, the meringues kinda got sticky after a bit of handling out of their airtight container. Maybe it was because I did not dry them out in the oven overnight (no space for all of 'em).

Verdict: unless I have a bigger oven in which many large trays can enter, I really won't be trying this again anytime soon. But hey, never say never, right? Chocolate meringues, perhaps, with some cocoa powder, sifted then folded in??

Meringue Cookies (from JoyofBaking.com)

3 large egg whites (3 ounces or 90 grams)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup (150 grams) superfine or caster sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar simply take granulated white sugar and process it for about 30 seconds in a food processor) - I'd reduce by 30 grams
I added 1 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence as well. I imagine real vanilla would be even better

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (105 degrees C) (I ended up turning it to 110 degC - they will end up slightly caramelized if you do so) and place the rack in the center of your oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can form the cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) plain tip, or just use two spoons.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks.

Note: The meringue is done when it holds stiff peaks and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers.

Before placing the cookies on the cookie sheet, place a little of the meringue on the underside of each corner of the parchment paper. This will prevent the paper from sliding. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) tip. Pipe 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) rounds of meringue in rows on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, spoon mounds of meringue, using two spoons, onto the prepared sheets. Sprinkle with a few shaved almonds, if desired.

Bake the meringues for approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, rotating the baking sheet from front to back (about half way through) to ensure even baking. The meringues are done when they are pale in color and fairly crisp. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying overnight.

Its' a Never Ending Process.....

So this week was the first week back to work onshore-based. First in 2 years. Some we've learnt:

1) I need more clothes! Despite quite a few heavy duty shopping sprees in KL, I still don't have enough officewear. Well, not the ones that don't require ironing, anyway (I truly hate doing laundry, with a vengeance). Next KL trip - more knits and polyesters (but not the cheapo pasar malam type of course, am a true earning working gal now), please. And no more shopping at FOS or Reject Shop either. I have learnt that when it comes to clothes, one does get what one pays for. And brands do count here. Snobby eh?

Debbs Wallet: Haven't I bled enough already (remember Christmas? Ex-Classmate's wedding? The Samsonite luggage? The gorgeous black trenchcoat that you just had to have???)

2) I do NOT have enough tact. :( This is sad. Just 1 week and I might have accidentally offended two persons - at least! Repeat to self: MUST THINK BEFORE OPENING MOUTH. MUST THINK BEFORE OPENING MOUTH!!

3) I can't find my way around the folks twisting and turning the issues. We at this corporate goliath are such experts at juggling analogies with jargon and sometimes, expletives. Bet everyone here got either A's or F's for essay writing in school - A for excellent use of adjectives and analogies! F for I can't f%$@! understand what you're saying. Ironically, the people who are "identified" prodigies are the ones who are best at this. Who's gonna understand a thing the future bosses are saying next time?? What happenned to good old fashioned DIRECT speech??? Give me a yell/scowl anytime. At least I'd understand it. Now you could be taking the crap out of me and I would probably think it's a compliment. Damn!

4) Have to remember that I'm dealing with peers, aka competitors in many, many ways. I'm pretty used to people being nice to me (hey, I was the only lady most of the time, and the boss no less - oh yes I'm flaunting it!). Today I am back to just a minnow in a sea of ruthless sharks, spineless squids and quite a couple of anemic snails - these are the folks manage to get away with doing very little and are always found in the cafeteria or nearby coffeeshops having tea. Usually the older folks who have done their years in the company. Well, I suppose they were working at one point in time...20 years ago, perhaps?

5) It is absolutely necessary to get enough sleep at night. Back offshore I could always take a walk around the plant if I felt sleepy. Here in the office or in meetings, there are really few or no options. And taking too many toilet breaks just looks plain dodgy.

Well, a congratulations is in order I guess for surviving the first week in the office. On the bright side, since losing a teeeeeeeeny bit of weight, I feel a lot better about myself and actually have some fun dressing up in the morning (shhh.....). And there are the technical discussions and verbal volleyball sessions that I really do enjoy (yes you read right - enjoy). Thanks to offshore, I actually know what I'm talking about!

On a completely different note, I am fighting a losing battle to keep our larger-than-necessary house clean and tidy. Laundry piles have been amassed in AK's room (on his spare bed) and the ants have returned 3 months after the last spray man's visit.

Oh and am back onshore. Had a nice time too...sleeping, (web) surfing and eating out.

Tomorrow we work another day, then comes the weekend!

Last of the Last (For now, at least)

Am offshore at yet another platform, where the guys are older (wiser? heck, let's not go there....) and rather more resistant to change. Requests for plasma TV's, staff onshore to do the work for them and the like. Yeesh, a bit tougher than the last one I went to..for sure.

Again, this makes me grateful for the my crew - or ex crew :( who embrace change much better than the folks here and are way more eager to learn and try new stuff.

Well, on the VERY bright side, I'm only here for a night, which is more than sufficient, thank you very much.

The air conditioning is causing my hands to numb and knees to hurt.

Looking forward to enjoying half a public holiday (will only get back onshore by noon) tomorrow with AK. Yay!

Monday Insecurities

Aargh. After 2 years of being the "go-to" person at work (i. e. offshore), I feel a bit like a fish out of water. I can't speak politically correctly enough, I feel as if my shirt is always too crumpled, my hair is in my face, my shoes don't feel right - they go clop-clop-clop and attract attention (or is it just my imagination). And get this - I get the chills going to see someone in my future team. Everyone has been on it for a year already and seem to be so cool and in control. Can I really belong?

Insecurities are popping up wherever I go.

It's times like these when I really miss offshore.

Sigh. Chin up, shoulders back. I guess I should be concentrating on doing the work, and doing it right. And keep on smiling. That's all there is to it, right???

After weeks of anticipating (sometimes with excitement and impatience, sometimes with dread and the glad feeling that it has not yet happenned) - it's time to face the real (working) world, I guess. Bring on the sharks, snakes and what-nots.

Heirloom Sugee Cake (Christmas Special)

This is not a cake for the faint of heart, or with fear of fat.

1 pound of butter.
+
.....10 egg yolks.
+
.........Brandy.
+
..............Almonds (OK, healthy fat but still fat, ok??)



Introducing the star of every Christmas preparation in our humble home - the Eurasian Sugee Cake. No Christmas is complete without baking a couple of trays of sugee cake, with Jim Reeves crooning classic carols in the background.

Distinctive in its texture - grainy and crumbly, thanks to the semolina (or sugee flour) used.






Brandy is added to help preserve the cake and give a nice aroma, I think. The old recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of brandy, but I normally add one or two more - giving the baked cake a really really strong (and pleasant, not drunken) fragrance.


I also like to soak the diced golden raisins in some brandy for a day or so before adding them to the cake - the raisins will absorb the alchohol and plump up, and remain plump and juicy even after being baked.


Almonds - we used to painstakingly hand-cut them into eighths, but this Christmas, out of exhaustion, Mum whizzed them in her processor (they weren't completely ground up) and we tipped them into the batter and baked, hoping for the best. Well, surprise, surprise. Some things can be better NOT done by hand. The cake ended up being lighter and with a much nicer flavour - I can't think of a better way to describe the flavour - almondy? But it sure was yummy :)


My grandparents used to bake this cake before us. Weeks beforehand, they'd put out their flour, sugee and almonds out in the sun to "dry". We'd help to hand-beat the eggs and sugar, and fold in the rest - all by hand and bake the cake in an ovenette, a dangerous contraption that looks like a giant round Tupperware. We couldn't control the temperature of the thing, and woe betide us if someone accidentally got water drops on the glass lid - it would crack immediately.




Thankfully today Mum has simplified the recipe (with help from a family friend) and now it's one of our favourite things to make - and goes like, well, hot cakes (pun fully intentional) in our house.



So here goes:


Mum's Simplified Sugee Cake
Mum's recipe in in imperial units, I have converted them to 3 decimal points in SI units :) - it's the engineer in me


10.5 oz sugee (298.935 grams)
10.5 oz castor sugar (see above)
3 oz self raising flour (85.41 grams)
1 lb (455.22 grams) butter - we use Golden Churn
3 whole eggs + 7 egg yolks (equals 10 yolks and 3 whites)
4 oz almonds (113.88 g) - we normally use more, whiz them in the processor for 1-2 seconds, pls don't strive for grains size uniformity here
2 tsp vanilla essence
2-3 tbsp brandy
2-3 tbsp golden raisins, dice into smaller pieces and soak them in 1-2 tbsp brandy for about a day before using them


Cream eggs and sugar until pale, creamy and light




The way I see it, it is important that the mixture is aerated and light - the cake already has so much butter and yolks (aka fat), the only rising agents it has are in the measly amount of self raising flour - it needs all the help it can get in the "lightening" department

Add the butter and cream again until incorporated.



Now's the time to ditch the electric mixer and roll up the sleeves.

Fold in the sugee, flour, vanilla+brandy, raising, almonds - in that order.


Fold till everything is incorporated and well distributed.
Tip the batter into your cake tin - we normally line ours with foil for easy cleanup later.
Bake in a preheated oven (160 degC) for about 50 mins - 1 hour or until your cake tester comes out clean.
If the top and edges are starting to brown a little too much but the insides are not yet fully cooked, cover the vulnerable areas with foil to avoid them overburning.


Trick shared by mum's friend - the batter is usually so thick that it's pretty tough evening out the lumps and bumps in the tin.


What Mum does - and it TOTALLY works - is drop the tray a couple of times onto a bunch of newspapers - voila, evenly distributed batter!

Gravity helps make a prettier cake

For reasons already mentioned, this cake is best consumed in small pieces.

Merry Christmas! (yeah I'm aware of the date but just typing this puts me in the mood and it's not yet the Twelfth Night, so there!)