yummy yummy....

Please be aware the "yummy yummy" refers to the food and not the person :D

- spokes model for NelC sushi -

Was carving for sushi for like a month, until I finally decided I can't take it no more (since I wasn't willing to spend when I can make my own but yet a few days later after this picture were taken, I ended up eating at at a sushi restaurant with my mates) and here's how NelC sushi turns out... who said never to play with food?? Where would nice food be without some creativity.

Some of the sushi, are of cause done by my one and only favourite student, a job well done. A++ for Ms. S.

How to make your own Sushi with home ingredients by NelC/Pass Down to her by her C-fu Ms.P style. Its easy and you don't need any fancy pansy stuff, the whole family gets to do them together. All you need is 2 hands and 10 fingers. No expensive bamboo mat is necessary though it would greatly benefit beginners.

Made for 6 pax.

Ingredients:
10 x sausages (some to put into the sushi some to eat while making the sushi - otherwise 6 would be enough)
1 x whole cucumber
4 x large eggs
10 x mini crab sticks
2 x cans of tuna
mayonnaise
raw fresh salmon
a packet of sheet seaweeds
cooked rice (not necessary Japanese Rice, normal rice would do just fine)
salt
sugar

Preparations:
1. Cook the rice like normal but make sure more water is used than normal. This is to keep the cooked rice moist which would make it look like those Japanese Rice used in real sushi. Plus it makes your life easier later on in the process.

2. Sausages are boiled or fried to your liking and cut accordingly. Preferably into 4 long strips per sausage.

3. Eggs are made into omelet and are also cut into long strips.

4. Cut the raw salmon into thin slices. If your planning to make 'nigiri' -> click to see. Otherwise you can skip this steps. You can also substitute for raw tuna instead.

5. As for the can of tunas, I normally mix them with mayo just cause I don't really fancy raw tuna. And if you like tuna+mayo with sweet corn, I guess you could give it a try with the sushi since its a nice combo on sandwiches.

6. Cucumber are again cut into long strips. Skin peeled of course and wash :P

7. Those crab sticks are preferred to be cut in half and again long strips.

8. Dilute the salt and sugar together in hot water. Mixed to your own taste. Note: you may taste the water to be sweet if on its own but it may not necessary be obvious if mixed with the rice. I would advice you to take a bit of rice 1st and mix and see how sweet you would like the rice to be (this is for beginners or people like me who does stuff without measurements). P.s if your using the Japanese Rice vinegar, its not necessary to add the salt.

Method:
- Once rice is cook, mix with diluted sugar and salt in a bowl.

To make Maki / Futo-Maki
- With all the prepared ingredients nearby, place the a seaweed sheet onto a chopping board. (If using a bamboo mat there is no need for a chopping board)
- With sheet layed properly, scoop a few table spoon of rice onto the seaweed sheet and even it out thinly. Starting from one side of the sheet moving till a bit passed half the length of the seaweed. Be creative and mix your ingredients. P.S: If your making Maki, use only half the seaweed sheet.
- Once thats done, starting from the corners of the rice, roll it up while rolling, make sure u pull back and roll. This is to compress the rice. The right amount of pressure would give a nice tight sushi either wise you might tear the seaweed or the rice will drop out and u wouldn't get a pretty sushi.
- Just when you are about to roll finish, dip your table spoon in a bit of water and stick/compress a few grains of rice onto the seaweed of the ending corner (in a row not just the corners). This would allow the sheet to stick with each other properly.
- In order to cut the sushi up, you first need a very sharp knife. Dip the knife blade into water before cutting through the sushi. This would prevent all the rice sticking on the blade and messing up your sushi. When cut preferred not to put too much pressure on holding it or you might just swash the whole sushi.

To make Nigiri
- take 2 heap table spoon of rice and put onto your palm and try to compress the rice with your hands. Make sure to make it into rectangular shape rather than cylindrical.
- last but not least place your favourite ingredient onto it.


What I have taught here are basics ways of making sushi at HOME. You can always use ingredients you get in real sushi, like Tomago, Inari, Unagi and etc etc.
You can always try to make other types of self created sushi like stuff nigiri? or roll a spherical ball of rice and make a dimple in the middle by pressing down with your tumb to stuff ingredients ?? Be creative and imaginative. Play with your food. Thats how great food are created.

HAPPY MAKING SUSHI

you have studied/lived in the UK long enough when....

Here is some inside British joke I came across in Facebook... you know you have actually lived long enough in the UK when.....

1. One out of 4 words you hear in the streets is "fuck" or "fucking"

2. You have tried the symbol of British food, a breaded piece of fish with fries and they call it "fish & chips".

3. You see semi-naked girls in the streets and boys wearing t-shirts with temperatures below zero. (yup you would even wonder to yourself why are they not cold and tries to follow them the next day only to bed ridden sick down with flu the following day)

4. You are shocked to see that the Uni is closed, city is collapsed and people stranded if streets are covered with more that 5 cm of snow.

5. You have travelled to London just for 1 pound with a fun fare, and you love it. (done that been there)

6. You wake up every morning knowing that it's quite unlikely that you're going to see the sun. (and decide with difficulty what are you going to wear when no one actually see what you wear underneath the jacket)

7. You drink pints every day and you love them (doesn't matter what time it is even for breakfast)

8. You see people having a pee while they get money from a cash machine.

9. You realize that dinner time is 6pm

10. You see people drunk in the streets at 8pm. (this is sooo truee especially during spring - its just so weird at first to see people out partying when the sun hasn't even set)

11. You see old people getting pissed in Potters Wheel

12. You are kicked out of a pub at 11.30 pm

13. You have learned the difference between pasty and pastry and you've tried a Cornish Pasty.

14. You see people wearing flipflops and shorts even though it's raining. (its freaking freezing when it rains doesn't matter if its summer)

15. You've said "cheers mate" more than twice (even said 'ta' to the lady behind the McD counter in the LCCT Terminal, Air Asia, but luckily she didn't notice if not I'm going to get a pretty "gila perempuan" stare from her)

16. You've tried to buy a traditional coffee maker and you've failed.

17. You realize the most important religion is not Christianity but Rugby.

18. You wonder how people wash their intimate parts without a "bidé"

19. You wonder why the concept of "proper curtains" hasn't arrived to this country yet.

20. You hear and say "sorry" at least 10 times a day. (this is sooooo true never in my life am I this polite until I came to study in the UK)

21. You've seen naked women on the second (and first, and third...) page of the daily newspapers. (LOL... yupp the Sun Paper not that I'm Lesbo and fancy seeing naked girls.. but my ex- kitchen manager always ask for 40p to get them)

22. After a failed conversation with someone in the street you wonder whether he/she was speaking in Scottish, Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Irish or English.

23. You see Tesco as an important social meeting point.

24. You have struggled trying to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius, from Miles to Kilometers and from Pounds to Euros, but you know a pint is 0.56 litres.

25. You have been driving on the wrong side of the road

26. You have seen old people smiling at you in the street (ohh bless them, they are so sweet)

27. You have been asked for "some spare change" by an unknown person. (reminds me of my friend, Mr.K, who was drunk + helpful. He sat next to a homeless guy in front of Subway to ask for spare change on behalf of the beggar but only to be told off by the beggar a few minutes later "you don't look like one so fuck off" - hilarious)

28. You see 3 kebab shops and 2 indian restaurants in every street. (and chinese takeaway as well all in a row)

29. You've had a Full English Breakfast with bacon, eggs, sausages, beans, etc and you think it's amazing (yup yup!!)

30. You've had a burger, chips and beans on the same plate.

31. You've thought more than ten times that the car you have just seen was driven by nobody

32. You have tried to destroy the fire alarm at least a couple of times.

33. You have wondered about the wildlife present in your carpet.

34. You see a group of people wearing fancy dresses every time you go out at night. (every night out is fancy dress / Halloween day - even guys which just a piece of cloth cover the you know where part even during winter)

35. You have been in a pub next to a really drunk lady, that you think could even be your grandma.

36. You think you're going to visit a palace, a castle or a chapel and you only see a few old stones.

37. You realize that taking a cab is almost free.

38. You're outside and don't even notice it's raining anymore, because it is just simply normal to you by now. (yup i even walk under the rain)

39. You realise that any kind of food can be eaten with anything else, no matter how weird the combination is.

40. You have six months of holidays in a year.

41. In case you need to get your hands clean, you realise that you only have two options: boil your hands in water near to 90º or see how they become two beauty ice-cubes. (Yes i hate it so much its so annoying especially when the tap comes separate)

42. You have a sink in your bedroom.

43. You can't buy shoes in any shop because they all smell like feet!!

44. You find machines in pubs in which you can buy condoms, vibrators, lubricant and even a Hair Straightener. (so so so true)

45. Your house and surroundings are full of rubbish bags because rubbish is collected just once per week.

46. You ask for a double whisky in a pub and the quantity you're given is just ridiculous!!

47. You see potatoes everywhere, in all different forms and shapes, i.e. boiled potatoes, jacked potatoes, smashed potatoes, chips, crisps, etc. (yes potatoes has replaced my rice)

48. You realize that burping in the library is something normal.

49. You realize that no matter how weird the clothes you're wearing are, people just won't care.

50. You have hoovered your room at least once.

51. You shake the hand of someone of the opposite sex you've just met.

52. You drink as much tea with milk as you drink beer (at least 5 times a day).

53. You realize that being served alcohol in an academic seminar is completely normal.

54. You learn that 4 cups of tea per day is good for you.

55. You have stopped questioning why there are carpets even in the bathrooms

56. You know there is a fair chance your house is filled with mould.

57. Your floors and roofs are in serious decay after years of leakages and no maintenance.

58. You have a fire exit in your house.

59. You find yourself breaking into an english accent when trying to order a cuppa tea.

60. You have mushrooms in your toilets. (so true, they even spray "something" at you when you come close. Happened at Spring Field Mount, shower room was infested with "alien forms" during X'mas holiday after weeks of not being used and I've got video to prove it)

61. You see daffodils growing EVERYwhere, all year round.

62. You find yourself discussing what make of baked beans is the best...and it doesn't scare you

63. You see all four seasons in one day. first sun (oh blessed sun!), then rain, then snow, then
hail. and sun, and rain, then...aaaah!

64. "hello/hey, how are you?" is replaced by "you alright?" (in british accent, "you alright mate?")

65. You find yourself going out partying wearing only a little top... and it's raining! And above all it's normal because everybody is dressed like that!! (Yes I admit I've tried that, hokkien way of saying "ai sui mai mia")

66. You realize that burping in the middle of a lecture is something normal.

67. It's only five and every single shop is closed! (sometimes I miss shopping at MidValley/KLCC from 10.30am till 11pm)

68. You've bought something at Argos!! (most of my home appliances are from Argos)

69. You think it's normal to sleep on a mattress which was considered old-fashioned crap in Europe 30 years ago.

70. You don't go out to go out but to get drunk.

71. You don't mind the food anymore...

72. Subway is the healthiest meal you can think of

73. You think that having a dildo is mandatory for every woman, and that ann summers rocks your sexual life!

74. You find normal that in clubs the ladies are full of screaming semi-naked drunk (British) girls trying to do their make up and hair again and again. (hence the straightener found in the toilet i
think it cost £2.50 for every 15mins?)

75. You feel like being a nun when you wear trousers or skirt longer than your knees and tops to go out

76. You go to the lectures just for sleeping..lying on the table, chair..it doesnt matter!!!

77. You discover that a simple ticket of the train can vary from a price of 8£ to 30£.. for the same train, time and journey

78. You realize that you have never seen an English Restaurant

79. You move into a house and realise that you can't open the windows!!

80. You're in the top back part of the bus, and a 9 years old chav asks you for a lighter

81. You realize that British people are queuing politely everywhere except at the bar counter (lol..... true true)

82. You discover there is a "potato" function on the microwave!!!

83. You phone a Hospital emergency service at night and you are speaking to a non-medical person on duty who will ask you a lot of questions and then decide if its an emergency. This person will even ask to speak to the almost unconscious patient and ask you to describe whether the person looks pale, the eyes are yellow, blue, red.Any bleeding...blah blah and then tell you that a doctor will only be available at 9.00 in the morning...(after an hour of questioning) and you are worried that the patient might die in the meantime but you have no other options :-(

84. Your umbrellas have got broken at least twice and you are still hoping not to break the new one even if it's May! (yup happens to me always thats why I always get the £1 umbrella doesn't make a different if you brought it from Mark&Spencer, they break anyway)

85. You see your housemate ordering chinese food or pizzas three times a week

86. You realize that you can get decent (dark, rye, healthy) bread in every European country except for the UK...and no, Toast is not considered a proper kind of bread.....

87. You are no longer suprised to see fans and radiators on at the same time (either in February or June!)

88. You are certainly annoyed by their stupid sockets (and sparks flying sometimes when you plug into the socket)

89. You realize that every product you buy "may contain trace of nuts"

90. Your sentences begin with.."to be honest".. (come to think of this is applies to me as well)

91. You are addressed as "treacle, sugarplumb, darling, sweetheart, love, ...." (and all other versions of nicknames in that genre you normally only call your wife/lover) by the staff in supermarkets, pubs and restaurants.

92. You are affected by CCTV paranoia.

93. You can see, on a Saturday night, Dancing on ice, strictly come dancing, pop idol, x factor, big brother, big brother celebrity, I'm a celebrity get me out of here (and so on) simultaneously!

94. You are not surprised to see an old lady, her daughter and her granddaughter dancing together in a club.

95. You talk about the weather all the time. (Proves writen in my first few blogs.. its about the weather isn't it?)

job hunting... sux

I can hear the birds chirping outside my window at this very moment. Its almost 5.30 am. And here I am like a zombie refusing to sleep. Sighh... just when I was getting my sleeping patern back. Apparently now I'm going back to old bad sleeping habit of sleeping at the wee morning and waking up when the sun sets (which means 8pm during summer). Looks like the effort of sleeping early and waking up before 12pm for the past few days was a waste. Anyway you must be wondering why am I still here typing away entries in my blog. Well I shall explain... I got really motivated with the message that Sabrina left on the cozzee corner and also because I wanted my 5 days off work to be productive, I finally gathered the courage to sign in my hotmail account (the one used for receiving job position from various online sites).


And there is was about 150 emails about available job position where each email may contain from 10 to 200 vacancies (so that would be 14250 jobs avg that I need to look through). Because it was dated back as long as March, not all positions was still open. Yes I deserve some spanking. Took me 5 freaking hours to look through all the jobs title. And I ended up with 24 possible position suitable for me or atleast possible for me to fill with my limited (i mean non existing) industrial experience. Took me another 4 hours to read through the jobs specs and at the same time prepare a short cover note for each position to be sent off together with my cv. So far I have sent off 13 job application another 11 to be continue after I have my beauty sleep. Fingers crossed I hope my short cover note was impressive enough for them to get back to me with good news. Never in my life have I brag/crap so much about myself, it was just too egoistic for me. Wonder how guys can stand??


Here one of the many different types of cover notes I wrote, had more impressive one then this tho. But I guess it depends on how much I want the position and whether I was only applying to try my luck. The longer and detailed it is the more I'm putting hopes into getting good news from the recruiter.


"....and I would like to be considered for this position. I believe I am a customer focus person with excellent interpersonal skills which is proven through out my work experience in retail sales as well as working as a waitress in various restaurants. Apart from technical knowledge that I have obtained from my degree, I have given both technical and non technical presentation. I work well in teams as well as able to lead my team members from concept to the finishing product of a project. And last but not least, I'm a fast learner and I could easily adapt when different situation arises.

Thank you for taking your time to go through my CV. And I hope to hear from you soon."


Now this is used when I'm just trying my luck and I have no idea what the hell whatsoever the industrial products they are using. Sighhh oh why does it have to be such a torture when it comes to finding jobs. Its like looking for Mr. Right. What happens if Mr. Right doesn't exist. Does it mean I will be jobless for the rest of my LIFE??


sigh sigh SIGH SIGH SIGH SIGH SIGH SIGH!!!

be aware...

Ohhh yesss finally summer is HERE!!! I love the SUN.. I will never complain ever again when I go back to Msia. Living through winter really makes you appreciate the sun. Though it may be only 20 degrees during noon but damn I sweat more then if I was back in Msia.. woohh pheww.

And guess what I got a new way to lose weight! No dieting is necessary. All you need is a magazine or newspaper rolled up next to you. So you must be wondering what the hell do u need a rolled up newpapers for and how the hell would it help you lose weight?! With this weather your bound to open up a little window in your room right. And whats the most annoying thing you get during spring where all the colourful flower full of nectar blooms?........yess the every so annoying WASPS, BEES, and FLIES. Yes irritating pests after mosquito.

This afternoon itself I got 2 little friends who came to visit me in a short intervals of 10 mins between each other and my window wasn't even open!!! Wasn't I tired? First was a HUGE fly, so annoying with his pop out netting eyes. Took me some workout like climbing up and down my bed and jumping trying to hit it at the corner of the ceiling goshh. So I manage to get rid of it by opening up a wider window and drew it out of my room with my rolled up Boots magazine. So that was settled.

Then Mr. Fly's cousin Mr. Wasp came to visit me.. Oh he sure was dangerous. Took out my Glamour magazine and rolled it up quickly! Mr. Wasp like it rough and hard if you know what I mean :) So ya after our private session he was flat out! and I threw him out of the window. Goodbye Mr. Wasp. I will send my condolence to your wife :x

I'm pretty sure, there is more to come. Bring it ON!!

Anyway talking about spring and summer, I would advice you ladies and metrosexual men out there, do not use any sweet smelling sun tanning lotion or perfume when your going out this summer. Unless of cause you think having small swollen bumps is the new must have trend. Oh ya not forgetting your bath soap. Remember no flower based smelling ones. With all the bees and wasps getting high, they might not know the difference between a flower and you.

"Got to say bye bye to my Summer Love.. Wooo.. cause my heart belongs to my Summer Love... Summer Love(2x) Wooo... I'm still dreaming of ....." - Skoop on People (Album: HappyPeople)

How ironic that when I was writing this blog this Song came up on my iTunes. ohh Summer Lovee

torn between two places...

gosh... time definitely running out. Woke up abruptly this morning or should I say this afternoon because the thought of me only having about 6 months left really kills my sleep. If it wasn't I would be asleep till 7pm at least. The last few days wasn't productive at all. Though I promised myself I would send in some job application but as usual till now I'm still here writing away entries into my blog when I should be filling up online application form. Sighhzz.

I'm really stressed out. I'm not even sure if I really fancy working in the UK. First of all, I'm lonely over here even though I have friends but its so different. Imagine ALL the friends I miss!! Huge sighhzz. And the people here are not willing to hire me especially when I need to be sponsored when my visa expires. Kinda stinks. The only reason I could think of actually working here is the M-O-N-E-Y, same digit as what I would be earning back in Msia but lower living expenses over here. Yes I will be earning in pounds and with a few months of saving up I could own a second hand Mini Cooper. That's the only thing that is holding me back from packing my bags and flying back to Msia this very moment.

Right so what if I go back to Msia? Definately earning would be harder unless of cause I can get a job in Kch and live with my parents. If I could get a job at KL, I would be barely living.
On the bright side, I wouldn't feel so lonely cause I believe Msia in general have a better night life compared to Leeds. And I miss looking at Malaysian Faces especially the good looking chinese lads *droolss*. Can't help blame it on the hormons! I know most girls would drool over the British lads like Hugh Grant and his sexy British accent (or maybe Mr.Bean lol) but hey once you see them everyday its nothing special anymore (okey I don't mean meeting up with celebrities everyday)

So what should I do?? Prepare to go home or refuse to leave UK even if it means being and illegal immigrant.