Carrot Cake

I almost forgot!! To Cik Aida, here's the recipe. Very easy and I think you'll pass in no time ;)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups grated carrot, about 3-4 carrots
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (~175 degC). Grease and flour a 9 inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until creamy. Stir in the vegetable oil until well combined. Add the grated carrots, orange juice and walnuts and mix well. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg and stir until just combined. Pour into prepared baking pan and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool and then frost.

Normally carrot cake is glazed with cream cheese frosting. Just beat the cream cheese, with some sugar and lemon juice (ni main agak2, no specific measurement, to suit your taste bud), but I normally serve as is, malas nak sapu cream cheese, nak-nak kalo buat cuppies, banyak keje.. :)

Selamat mencuba ye puan-puan ;)

In a Snapshot

At last, my 'project' is done. It all started on 13th midnite, when they lit the furnace, and expected to go on for the next 20 hrs or so. However, we can only plan, few things happens during the process that makes the whole process took more than that. And I was in control room almost 95% of the time.

I started work on Friday the 12th, morning, 8am-ish, then stayed back waiting for preparation works and all, furnace lit in the midnite, so it touches 13th. Somehow along the process, pumps were not pumping, certain temperature got high, etc, etc....So ends up we only reaches the final steps yesterday morning, 14th Feb around 7 am-ish. Even then we could not stop, but the monitoring was not as intensed, so I decided to go back at 9 am. Call back the panel, they finally wrapped up around ~3pm.

When I calculated back the amount of hours, I was in CCB almost 42 hrs. And in between those time, I only went back like 2 hrs to shower and change(for 2 days) . I was literally living in CCB!! The shift is divided to 3 shift, (one shift works for 8 hrs). So imagine the shift guys comes in and out and the next day, the still sees me there. Here are some of the comments that I get:

• Tak balik lagi?
• Ko tak tidur ke? Nanti pengsan kang?
• Ko bawak tilam la tido kat sini...

I know they were concerned about my well being, and there are few that suggested I took a nap at the massage chair (yes, we have OSIM or was it OGAWA? massage chair) in the CCB. But no way am I going to sleep there, with some 10+ guys roaming the room..(malu sehh...)

So yesterday I went back, took a shower and fall deep into sleep on my couch...yup I didn't even make it to the bed..

I guess one of the reason I can stay awake for that amount of time is probably just because I have been trained before (well, all those sleepless nite in uni and in PALAPES, does train the body to expect the worse). I survived the whole duration with only one mug of coffee(it makes me have headache anyway) and lots and lots of water to keep myself hydrated. Also, I took like 15-20 mins nap (on chair) just when I feel like I could not open my eyes anymore.

Will I do it again?Hmmm....let me think about it ;p

'Makwe?'

Its 9 pm....bosan siutt.....waiting for the furnace to be lit up. Just now they confirmed that will be done in about 2 hours time. Gan was saying to Shafiq, 'makwe' ni dah tunggu lama dah....
Lawak jugak when he refers me as 'makwe', well the terms for me, only suit young chic (not more than 25's, preferably high school grad, or some interns. I am way past the 'makwe' stage...hahahaha......

Goodness, they will be lighting up the furnace, then another 6 hrs before the actual thing can start, why do I have to wait? to monitor of course. I will spend the night with some 20+ guys, doing what? looking and staring at the monitor....hahaha....jangan jealous (anybody wants to switch places? )

Prepare to burn my midnight oil tonight, gambate!!!

p(^^)q

Back to Real World....

After I was high on few days with Kris Allen, am back to the real world. Today, like any other day, I came to work this morning. Knowing pretty much what to expect.....NOT!! (well I kinda half heartedly expected this). Yes, I have been asked to stay back for this particular work that needs yours truly to monitor it on hourly basis.

Nothing great or fancy, just some stuffs and they need the extra eye to look into it. I am not doing the actual work pon...So here I am in the Control Room waiting for the work to start in another couple of hours. The whole thing will take 22 hrs, not sure if I have to stay throughout, but if I have to, I have to. The girls will be heading to Penang for our retreat and I will be stuck here.......

Lucky that my February is saved by Kris much earlier, seriously ;p

I Watched Kris Allen LIVE!!!!

Warning : This post is more 'keduniaan' than ever..hahaha...donia..donia....

One more reason I was happy on Sunday is that I got this text saying that I won the Kris Allen showcase (on Monday night) ticks. Although at that point of time, I was still unsure about whether or not the sms is fraud or not, I still could not help to feel super duper excited. Since I worked over the weekend, workload are little bit less on Monday. So I asked for half day leave.

I went to MV hoping to get in line for the autograph session and yes I did, no 131 out of 200 (well actually more than 200 as they keep on adding more people later. Waited in line for like 3 hours (I did sneak in and out in between). Obviously I am among the old ones, there is a few aunties, which stay in the line for their kids, and there were even school kids with school uniform waiting there....

The autograph session went very quick, we're not even allowed to take pictures, or chose which inlay for Kris to sign, all must be done on the front part. The bodyguards were strict though, we can only shake hands, but some girls walk away giving Kris a hug ;) not me though... (nak mampus? hahaha)

The end results, a signed copy of Live Like We're Dying

So I went to the Gardens to collect my showcase tickets at around 6.45 pm, though at that time still unsure whether I have been duped or not. At last, got my pass!!!

Went in at around 8pm, people were running in and the astrolife passes allows me to go right in front of the stage. Kris only came out at 9pm. The show was superb, although I wish that he sang more of the Idol songs, but what the heck, he was good irregardless what song he sings. Crowd was crazy, although not as energetic (if compared to a rock concert). I must say the band was reeaalllyyy good. Am at the very front, and the stage for Kris was made potruded from the main stage. So I can only get his backside most of the time. But since the guitarist was good looking as well, I didn't mind looking straight ahead ;p

This is the good looking guitarist, kinda look like Det. Flack a bit..hahaha....

Since I got two passes, and a friend could not join me last minute, I gave the other to this guy, Nate who happens to stand in line before me during the autograph session.

It was really tiring as I was either standing or walking from 3 pm till 11 pm. That is whole 8 hrs!!! I went back sore all over. I said am only going to do this again if and only if either Kris Allen or Linkin Park coming, maybe can squeeze in BSB (if at all they come). But probably will be looking for more like Micheal Buble kinda performance.

What's Up Doc?

When I'm bored....I bake, when I feel like I need to do something...I bake, when I feel like tasting something different....I bake and definitely when I'm happy, guess what? I bake too ;)

My catalyst loading went well yesterday, and I decided to bake something as a reward to myself. I actually had this oven quite some time already, made few stuffs on it already, namely my almost famous Eggless Pinwheel cookies and what else, my favorite, carrot cake.

(rupa ada sikit buruk..coz yours truly masih in beginner stage, but the taste is superb!!)

So went back after Maghrib, head to PD town to buy the ingredients. Nothing fancy just the normal flour, sugar, carrot and stuffs. I was making carrot cake, and the only exquisite ingredient is walnut. PD town only have 2 main supermarket (cowboy town, what do you expect?) So I went to The Store, and suprise, suprise...they don't have walnut, not even almond, what more pistachio. The only nuts that they have is kacang panggang cap tangan, stocks for CNY ;p

So I tried the other store, Billion, and they have it, just that 50 gm cost RM 4.50!! I would need 200gm, easily RM18. So the next best thing is salted cashew..hahahaha...belasah la, janji bukan kacang panggang cap tangan.

I went back, make the batter and started baking.

I used my 'tried and works' recipe and instead of baking it in a pan, I bake it in small cups. To ease the eating process later ;) So I bake two tiers, set for 20 mins. The lower one took more than 20 mins to get done. The top one only took like 15 mins and it starts to crack.

I took it out, sample one of it, tasted weird though.... The carrot is not cooked and even the bottom is not browned yet.

The lower tier was done in ~30 mins. So I have to re-bake the top layer to make it cooked nicely. At first I thought because it was much smaller compared to pan, it would take shorter time to cook, but boy was I wrong. So lesson learnt, carrot cake is carrot cake, it will need the time to properly cook the carrot, irregardless the size.

And this morning this is the results. The biggest is for Ops, blue container for Lab people and smallest for Shafiq & Jignesh.

Ain't Life Interesting?

Wanted to update this but ran out of ideas. Currently watching the AI Denver Audition and suddenly it hits me!!! My sis text me earlier and told me Kris Allen is coming to KL!!!! Day : 8th Feb (freaking working day) , and I am in the middle of unit shutdown now, and no chance of even going back this weekend. Also, to make matters worst, the performance tickets are not up for sale. It has to be won via some radio contest, lucky SMS through...I was never that lucky.

So to cut story short, I cannot see Kris Allen this time around ;( He will have paid performance in Singapore on the 10th, and on any day I will buy the tickets in a heartbeat, but not this time. I'll have to be here, in PD, working!!!

And that is not the best part, ready.....? I am working on the freaking Chinese New Year weekend, not kidding, plant start up being brought forward to capture the high margin. And in this volatile market condition, who am I to say no? I have to cancel my Penang trip with the girls, which is such a bummer...

So February this year is definitely not my fav month, ain't life interesting?