Updates

Wow..it's been too long since I've blogged.
I'm still busy running about here and there, and it's no exception for the husband too.
I had assumed I'll be 'free-er' after settling down with my hubby, but it doesn't seem to be heading into that specific direction.

I wish I was still on honeymoon at Perhentian! I miss the sun, sea and sand!
I can't wait for our next vacation, which I hope will take place in Oct - since my employment contract will be expiring then.
However I'm praying and hoping more for a job. Money isn't everything, but money at present is crucial for survival.
Even though hubby has assured me many times, I guess it's only human nature to worry.

My dear friends, if there is any job openings in PJ - please kindly inform me. I don't want to be left unemployed :(

It is torturous to makan gaji-buta

Work is such a bore.
I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I'm saying it anyway - I need more difficult and challenging tasks at work..argh..
I basically need more tasks to keep me occuppied till 5pm.

I know, I know...I should be grateful that I'm not being flooded with projects like I was in Nestle.
But having absolutely nothing to do for most of the time at work is humanly torturous. Honest!

Dan keeps telling me to complete my tasks as slowly as possible, but I still can't drag it till lunch hour. I'm always done with everything before it even strikes 11am.

I really can't do much or go elsewhere, since I'm tied-down to this company for another 5 months. Hence I just should be thankful that I'm eating gaji-buta, no?

The lows

I've been extremely busy running errands almost everyday.

Things at work hasn't been too good either, ppl can be unbelievably mean.

Well thankfully, I still have Dan and friends who have been unimaginely supportive and comforting.

I never knew the working world could be such an unkind place.

I'm too freaking innocent =_=

Random Stuffs

A bit of some stuff i did which i have been way to lazy to post up here.
Last yr a roadshow for Dunhill brought me to a couple of places including East M'sia.
Got to try out some really nice makans :



This is pork noodles in Kuantan ..or better known as "Chu Yoke Fun " ... Pork meat flour.


This is fish noodles in Sabah....Very scrumptious., They serve wet or dry, so i had the dry one with a bowl of fish soup ...the fish is very fresh .


























'Kun Lou' mee in Sabah.





This is vegetable and flour noodle in Sarawak. Also tried Sarawak laksa and Fuzhou kueh...very nice, but no pics.




Also, satay babi in Sarawak...the orange white color drink is called White Lady...and the ice kacang kinda bowl is ice kacang with lime. Nice.




This is kaya bread at Sbread, Midvalley. First few times like nice la...so Cass bought a jar of kaya there...but then somehow it didn't taste as good after awhile.




This is durian pancake from Sweet Chatz, Midvalley...nice. Cass' favourite.























This is something i took on the way to Penang for a gig....or was it on the way back..?



This is me and Cass' Play Doh snakes.


I post my gigs here www.myspace.com/danielfoongbassplayer these days.

Running out of enthusiasm

Work is becoming a drag.
My enthusiasm has always run short when it comes to everything (literally EVERYTHING, except for my darling Dan.
If only I could earn and make a living from just being around Dan daily - it would be the best and ultimate job for me :)
Well, if only...

An evening at Shanghai city.

When we arrived at the city, there was this non-functional fountain with lights and all...everyone seems to be hanging around it.

At a mall's foodcourt, there was this stall selling these really nice Mochi. They're kinda small but costs bout Rm4 each.
They're sticky on the outside but easy on the chewing...and the cream inside taste really good.
There's a variety of flavors to choose from, I chose the Caramel and Red Bean ones...really really delicious.


The sausages there are also really nice...I can't remember how much they were...but i remember they were crunchy on the outside and meaty on the inside.


We have Polo, they have Zolo.

Shanghai's version of the TimeOut magazine.


And they have a bunch of really nice architecture.




To be continued.....................

SHANGHAI DAY 1

At Pudong, Shanghai Airport. The guy in the shades is Mr Gambus, the one I'm playing for.















Part of the airport, from the outside.




















Petrol kiosk....




















....petrol kiosk with lots of chinese words















Big bridge















First meal at the hotel. I don't know what its called.















Corny meal..taste like from the corny can.















Veggie fried with lotus aka 'leh ngou'.















Gigantic bowl of fried rice!















Tomato soup with eggs. Cassie says it looks gross.















Fried beef. Yummy....!!!















Kicap chicken with 'tau pok'. It ain't pork.















Zhu Jia Ge hotel.















The band, not in the pic is Mr Gambus and the flutist.















Our first show. Can smell 'chow tau foo' everywhere!















Oriental KFC.

To be continued.........................

Day 4 Without Dan: Its going to be a LOnNnNnNG Weekend

Usually Saturday passes by in a blink, but without Dan around - time seems to remain stagnant 0_0
This weekend will definitely be a long one..

I felt extra lousy today - thanks to my parents.
The worst part of it all, I couldn't call Dan up to vent out my frustration. I did sms him, which made me feel a whole lot better - but it would have been even better, if I spoke to him.
Everything seems better with him around :)

Oh well, there are a couple of things to keep me busy today. Have to meet up with my uncle & aunt again. It becomes a drag, when you dine too often and frequently with people of not-of-the-same wavelength =_=
I'm not being sarcastic or rude. I respect them, but there isn't much common ground to have much conversation - if you get what I mean.

At least this time I've an excuse to not stay on after dinner. Someone ordered a Lemon Frosted Cake from me today, and they want it by tmr - so I'll be busy baking tonight.
Its a good start for me - my first customer. I guess I've something interesting to tell Dan when he comes back from China.

For those that are still clueless - I take cake orders, such as:
1. Lemon Frosted Cake
2. Banana Walnut Cake
3. Plain Banana Cake.
4. Apple Cinnamon Cake.
5. Butter Cake.
6. Nestum Cake.
7. Chocolate Cake.
8. Durian Cake (Seasonal).

Well those are the common cakes that are usually requested by families and friends.
Please leave a msg, if you've any inquiries. Thank you.

No title lah

I'm beginning to enjoy my work, which comes as a surprise to me.

I've been entrusted by my boss to carry out lots of research, which is something that I truly enjoy doing.

At times I feel like I'm back in Uni again, it reminds me of Uni assignments where lots of research is required -but minus the need to write pages after pages of lenghty paragraphs *hee.

I'm quite surprise and flattered that my boss constantly asked for my opinion on matters big & small. Well it does make working much more delightful, when you have a boss who is willing to hear you out and who is quite generous with compliments. Definitely a blessing from God :) Thank you!

In addition to that, I'm exceptionally fortunate to have a bf that is ever supportive, caring and kind. I don't know what I would do without him :) I miss you very much darling... I just love being in love with you :)

On another note, Daniel will be playing with Farid Ali tonight at No Black Tie, KL. Everyone is invited to come -to just chill, relax and have fun! They will be performing at the World Music Festival in Shanghai next month - so take this opportunity to catch them live in KL. Come yah :)

Work rants

I'm currently working as a nutritionist at a pharmacy. I just found out today from a colleague, that I'm not entitled to ALL the public holidays in Selangor. Only 12 SELECTED public holidays that have been chosen by the company, and that SUCKS =_=

I feel a tad cheated, because they did not specify that it was only 12 SELECTED DAYS during the interview =_=
Well I guess I can take comfort in the fact that I get to go home at 5pm sharp everyday, but the thought that I've to work half day every Saturday makes me all grouchy again - and I then realize that the thought of work or anything relating to work is not something that I can use to cheer myself up. It isn't horrible, but it ain't that great either - if you get what I mean.

All I truly need to feel all better right now is to receive a warm and nice cuddle from darling Dan, and maybe a serving of Belgian Waffles top with lots of chocolate sauce & strawberries *hee

Titleless

I've finally fallen ill again. It's been too long that I've been sick-free. I guess I should have seen it coming *hee
I've come up with two possible reasons for my current illness; too much durians or too many interview sessions :P
Each interview session is very much similar, I'm practically reiterating myself for each one. But at times I choose to go fancy la, so I'll add some spice here and there to make me sound more intriguing *hee
Extremely tired of being interviewed, but if no interviews - no chance of getting a job soon *sigh
I wish I could be a food critic; eat all day and comment all day :) I'll be very round then, and nicer to hug too - right Dan? :P

I'm jobless, therefore I bake

I've been baking A LOT for the past week. For the mean time, it's the only thing that is keeping me occupied - or my mind will start churning up negative and miserable thoughts. Sometimes I wonder whether I'd made the right decision by resigning from my previous job. But when I think of it again, I felt so much more down when I'd the job. Its just that the process of searching for another job, is making me a tad depressed - can't seemed to find one that suits me or is to my liking.
I'll be turning 23 soon, and at times I'm still not sure of my career pathway.

Dan has been doing a great job by cheering me on constantly - thanks Hub. I do wish he was physically more available, but he has been extremely busy with work. Am excitedly glad that he is doing well in his career :) At least there's something to celebrate and be happy about :) - hence all the more to bake and feast *hee

Well let's get back to food :) Apple bread pudding is simple to make. Just add slices of one whole apple to the bread pudding recipe.

The apple bread pudding was a tad more mushy compared to the normal bread pudding. But it still taste yummy. Goes well with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. You can also replace the apple with bananas - it'll taste equally good :)

I like to alter recipes according to my liking - hence for this bread pudding recipe, I added in brown sugar.

The outcome: the crust has a darker shade of brown - looks burnt, but in real fact it isn't. In terms of taste, it is much more finger-licking-good compared to the original recipe. If you were to compare the apple bread pudding with this one, you'll notice the crust is significantly lighter. For the apple bread pudding, I did not use brown sugar.

Bread Pudding Recipe (modified by Cass)
ING:
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/8 cup brown sugar
6 slices crust-on white bread
2 small boxes of Ligo golden seadless raisins
1 & 1/4 cups of milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
Some margarine
8 inch square tray

DIR:
1. Preheat oven at 175 deg. Celsius.
2. Add cinnamon and sugars together - mixed well. Put aside.
3. Grease tray with margarine.
4. Spread one side of bread with margarine.
5. Cut bread diagonally - half. Arrange the triangle-shaped bread in the tray, slightly overlapping with one another - butter side-up.
6. As bread is added, sprinkle the sugar mixed and raisins onto the first layer.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 for the next layer.
8. Mixed milk, eggs and vanilla essence in a bowl. Pour over bread.
9. Set aside for 15 minutes.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Up next is Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake. A favourite among my family and Dan. This is my second trial, and it turn out prettily well. If you remembered the post on my first trial, it came out ugly - like some sort of volcano cum mountain *hee

Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake
ING:
226g unsalted/salted butter
1 cup granulated white sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 large lemon/2 small lemons
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup (60ml) lemon juice
9 inch round tray

For icing:
115g icing sugar (sifted)
2 tbsp or more lemon juice (according to preference on thickness and lemon taste)

DIR:
1. Preheat oven at 180 deg. Celsius. Grease tray with butter/margarine.
2. Cream butter and sugar till light, fluffy and pale in colour.
3. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Followed by lemon zest and vanilla.
4. Stir in flour, baking powder, salt and lemon juice.
5. Bake about 40 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Allow cake to cool.
7. Mixed icing sugar and lemon juice together, and pour mixture over the cake.

Would you like a slice of Lemon Frosted Lemon Cake? :P~

P.S. To my other unemployed friends, have fun trying out the recipes :)

Life in point forms

1~I'm jobless. Wooo...
2~Just resigned from Nestle Manufacturing Shah Alam on Wed.
3~Received an offer from Nestle Head Office (HOU) yesterday, to be part of the sales team.
4~Told HOU that I just resigned from the other Nestle a couple of days ago.
5~HOU said they would get back to me, but I'm quite skeptical. Hmm..
6~I went nuts because of mum. She's been brutally hard on me since my resignation.
7~As a result, I drove Dan nuts too 0_0
8~I hope we won't make 'nutty' babies in the future.

Let the music heal your (foot) sole...

This week i'll be playing both fri and sat at Groove Junction.
On Fri : Giant Timeline & Elvira Arul (my band) will be doing the usual funk, R&B and soul repertoire.
Rated : WW
On Sat: I'll be sessioning for veteran jazz pianist, David Gomes. He's a frequent jazz-er in international jazz festivals world-wide and has obtained an acclaimed reputation as a very stylistic jazz pianist and singer as well.
Rated: MW

Both nights starts @ 10pm and the club's cover will be RM30
Groove Junction is at Desa Sri Hartamas.

Looking for better opportunities

I've just resigned from my job, and I'm truly glad that I did :)

Lets go jalan-jalan

I'm finally done with my internship in Nestle. Yay! Finally some free time to totally kick back and relax *hee
I'll be quite free for this coming week, hence would love to meet up with some of my ex-uni mates & friends that I haven't been in touch with lately - so do give me a buzz if anyone wants to meet up :)

However I'm not sure of the duration of my unemployment period, as I will be attending my second interview tmr at 5pm - hence if I do get accepted or choose to accept the offer, I'll most likely be starting by the second/mid week of July - I guess.
Thus please don't hesitate to call me *hee - and wish me well for my interview tmr :)

On the contrary, Dan has been and will be busy - but I'm grateful that he still makes time for me :)
Many more gigs coming his way, hope to be able to attend more in the near future ;)

Have a little faith in me

Being a musician is totally not fun all the time,
I speak for myself and myself first,
I suffer a lot from social handicap,
When it comes to meeting real ppl like Cass' friends.
I also have to face a lot of doubting,
In situations that I'd try to make her understand,
But it is me to first be placed in her shoes,
And in reality make sure I don't bend.
Sometimes I wish what I do is not what I do,
And places and ppl just pass me by,
That time and the universe doesn't notice me at all,
Make me nothing but dust unseen to all.
But then ppl will not notice me,
And gigs I might not have,
A living I might not make,
And neither is this something I choose to take.
Is there an easier way?
For doing things unseen in a feasible way,
Is there a method of proportion,
Perfect confrontation, rejection, acknowledgment and ambition.

Technology and publicness like Facebook can be so fatal and deadly. You'll never know if what happened was alright till your better half thinks it's alright. No i'm not talking bout justification for a cheating act, and i'm definitely not talking about the green-eyed monster of jealousy every woman becomes in certain situations. I'm talking about controversial issues such as having a picture taken with someone else from the opposite sex. Well, most of you may think its alright...u'r free to go scr*w yourself. I won't bore u with my theories. But to u guys who have gf's like that & know what i'm talking bout, well guess what? Telling your gf what happened and that it didn't mean a thing won't help! But fear not,...just follow the format below and perhaps it'll work out:

"I, Daniel Foong Koon Wah solemnly agrees that Cass is entitled to feed me with hallucinogen pills until I do something that would so cost my body parts if Rules below are not kept,

Rule#1 : No pics alone with anyone from opposite sex ever, unless permitted by Cass or is my family member, or, is a common friend that she trust fully will not sabotage my *ss.
Rule#2: Any pics taken with someone from the opposite sex in conjuction with Rule#1 will be taken at no closer that 20inches.
Rule#3: Body contact of whatsoever is strictly prohibited.

Cass, if this doesn't make you feel any better...i dunno what else would. God pls help me, Amen.

Gigs, gigs and more gigs!

I got a last minute call to stand in for a gig at The Social in Bangsar last Saturday. It's a place located at
No 57-59 Jalan Telawi 3 Bangsar Baru 59100 Bangsar Wilayah Persekutuan

I was playing with the Jordan Rivers Band; Jordan on guitars and vocals, his son Steve on drums and sax maestro Azmi. And I rate this gig WR (Watch for Relaxation).

Cool thing bout the Social is they have pool tables, tv with football/ or any sports and Kilkenny beer.
Prices of food and drinks are pretty reasonable.






And.....coming up this week. I'll be doin Gina Panizales' album launch at Bangkok Jazz, Chulan Square this Wed (30th April). This gig is rated MW. There's goin to be a number of press', media and musicians in the house. So come join in the fun. Admission is free and we start at 8.30pm. For reservations call 03-4260 2288. You can also reach me for directions etc at 017-3388316.









And last but not least, this Fri (2nd May), I'll be filling in at Alexis Bistro, Great Eastern Mall Ampang backing the divo of swing :
Mr. Sharizan.
I'm not sure if there's cover charge as listings on next month's gig is not out yet but I think it's free admissions. Either, cover charge should be no more than RM20.
This gig is rated WR. Come by for some good ol' fashion swing jazz and of course not forgetting the great food, deserts, cakes and wine.

Call 03-4260 2288 for reservations.

Giant Timeline is not an event company.

This week presenting :

GIANT TIMELINE 2 feature gigs in 1 week ...WOW!!!
Be there or be square

(Rated WW-Worth Watching )





23rd April (Wed) @ Bar Savanh 2 , Plaza Mont Kiara

Happy Hour:- 12noon till 9pm daily except Sunday
Bottle Promo:- 2 btls Chivas/Black Label @ RM600nett;
2 btls Skyy Vodka @ RM588nett

Manager On Duty:- Moohan Rao & Yong
Reservation call:- 603 62010002
Entrance:- Free

25rd April (Fri) @ Groove Junction , Hartamas
Set Dinner @ RM 26++ Enjoy a variety of Tapas & Western Cuisine
Happy hour - 6pm till 9.20pm
Fri & Sat cover charge after 9.30pm - RM30nett

Call for reservation: +603 6201 8990


For enquiries, also call 017-3388316 and ask for King Kong (Dan) .

Linguini is not an Italian artist ....

This is wat i had during my gig at La Bodega tonight. It's a Linguini with mushrooms and turkey ham.
It has "big button mushrooms" ( i'm sure they have a specific name for it like 'British-coat buttons' or Indian Wild button mushrooms) , turkey ham, and bacon.
So i think it should be called Linguini with bacon, mushrooms and turkey ham. It was pretty scrumptious; and with a little black pepper and chilli flakes....yummyyy.
I also had the melon-berry crush but they didn't use real berries.

The budget ran out really fast today..i wonder why..didn't have a chance to get a second drink or desert.

Cass tagged me...so i have to do this...

Instructions: Remove ONE question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag 8 people in your list, list them out at the end of this post. Notify them in their chat box that he/she has been tagged. Whoever does the tag will have blessings from all.

1. What's your favorite anime at the present time?
I'm removing this question cuz i can't think of anything smart to say.

2. Given the chance, what special ability/power would you like to have?
Poo RM1000 everyday .

3. What do you think of your brother(s)/sister(s)?
She's loud, spoiled and playful.

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
To Cassie... ( KingKong misses Godzilla very much)

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
To live alone with Cass on an uncharted island with all the technology n food we need.

6. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
Err, believe? Got means see la...

7. What are you afraid to lose the most now?
My hands...

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
Buy house so i can marry Cass... then start a business and bully all the poor ppl in the world.
(just jk...bout the poor ppl )

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
Actually, i'm doing it everyday now...and if i don't she'll definitely whack me in the head.

10. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.

1. Adorable
2. Selfless
3. A very nice person
4.Beautiful
5.Funny
6.Light-hearted
....ooh....3 only..hehe

11. (my question) When you poo, do you count your averages that float and sink?
No.

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?
The type that crosses me in a bad way.

13. What is your ambition?
To be a working world-class musician and have Cass as my secretary MUAHAHAHA.

14. If you have fault, would you rather the people around you point out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?
Keep quiet and point at me.

15. What do you think is the most important in your life?
Doing the right thing.

16. Are you a shopaholic or not?
No. And Cass is!!!!!!! Is Is Is !!!!

17. What is the thing that you really want now?
A Fodera...It's a US$6000 over bass.

18. Why does it hurt when you punch someone?
Because when u punch someone...if u use your fist rite....ur hands also got this thing called sensation and the nerve will trigger the feeling so when u punch the person the impact will trigger that sensation and send the information to your brain unless maybe u punch him somewhere soft like his/her belley, but it also depends, like if u miss and kena somewhere hard like the ribs then maybe it will hurt your hand also or if the person is too fat and his/her fats are solid like E Honda then maybe it will hurt also but if u use your legs with shoes on wnd kick the person maybe u won't feel so pain then you must learn the proper way to punch like Taekwondo or Wushu or Silat but i'm not sure if Silat got use punching maybe got but i dunno la blah blah blah blah blah....

19. Is there anything that you have done which you regret?
Yes and it bugs me everyday.

20. Where do you see yourself in years to come?
Happily married to Cass :)

I'm tagging:
Doraemon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Miles Davis and the Wright brothers.