: : Babies! : :

Aren't they sweet? Baby mangoes growing on the tree.

Well, it's my neighbour's trees but the branches was just outside my bedroom window.

: : Kelabit Food Fix Part II : :

Parents came back from KL today and Sina' went for dinner. So, it was me, Dad and Adrienne.

Dad : Let's goto Fung Mung for a quick dinner.

Wena : (sad face in the PC room. Dad in the kitchen so can't see.)

Adrienne : Sure. But can we stop by the laundromat in town? I need to pick up my laundry.

Dad : Sure. Since we're in that part of town, let's eat at Sultana then.

Wena and Adrienne does a silent happy dance in the PC room.

At the laundromat where Adrienne was out getting her laundry.

Dad : So, where have you guys been eating?

Wena : Errr...for the past 2 days, we've been eating at Sultana.

Dad : Aik! Then we can eat at somewhere else.

Wena : NO NO NO NO NO NO! Sultana is fine with us. We were trying to think of how to persuade you to bring us there. Hee hee...

So, three days in a row, it's been dinner at Sultana. What can I say? The Nuba Laya @ Bario Rice is simply delicious. The good thing is that the Kikid @ Porridge and the veggie is rotated daily. So, it doesn't get boring at all.



Bamboo shoots with some ginger/garlic, coconut milk and cut chillies.



Kikid @ Porridge but this time cooked with Cangkuk Manis. Delicious and healthy for people with heart problems.



And.....minced fish again! Wasn't bad at all.

And, everyone went back happy!

: : Kelabit Food Fix : :

Yes! Finally a shop with Kelabit food. Sultana is a Cafe that provides Kelabit food and is located opposite Cherrie Berries in Miri. And I've been having dinner there for the past 2 days.



This is their signature meal set : the Nuba Laya Set. Served with authentic Bario Rice from Bario.



The minced fish. Delicious although, ok, so it's fried. I think.



This is the Labo Belato @ Stir-Fried Wild Tapioca Leaves. Sticky ain't it? That's normal. And, just about every Kelabit child loves eating this vegetable dish.



And this is Smoked Meat. Could be wild boar. I'm not sure. Didn't ask. Was too busy savouring the entire meal.



And yes, this is porridge, otherwise known as Kikid. Tasty and pleasant. This is the vegetarian version that we were served last night. Tonight, it was with mushroom and equally delicious.



And, the gem of the meal : the Nuba Laya @ Bario Rice wrapped in Leaves. Definitely no sharing. One packet per person.



How it looks like once it's open. Ok, it's not your typical rice presentation but it's definitely soft and slightly sweetish. This is how they eat it in Bario.

Yum yum...

(I can hear someone salivating from Rotterdam and London)

: : Scrumptious Sweetness : :

My little gran-nephew's birthday party as well as his two friends. This was yesterday.

And I only had a 2cm x 2cm piece of cake!

Then again, there was the buffet table as well... errmmm...

Ok, controlled eating on Monday! After Easter Sunday!

: : Comfort Zone : :

I've arrived in Miri and am already in my comfort zone.

Plus, Dad received all the games I ordered last month so finding time to go through them. We have a guest in the house and she's now with my PSP and Neopets Petpet Adventures. Cutish game but I get the feeling that it'll be a monster treadmill again.

As for me, let's just say that I got more than enough stuff to seriously keep me occupied for awhile. So online gaming would take the backbencher for awhile while I'm sorting out my games.

These days, I'm playing more on non-violent games. Easier to think and less planning / coordination works needed. I get more than enough of it at work that I don't need it during my leisure time.

Cheerio folks! Some pictures up tomorrow. I forgot how seafood is cooked differently than in Kuching. And that it's such a refreshing change.

: : Danger Alert! : :

WARNING WARNING!

Sensors have picked up high levels of addictive chocolate in the vincinity. Proceed with caution.



Deceptively small, these Hershey Kisses will make you crave for them more and more. Do not be deceived by their pretty wrappings. That little bit of paper sticking out will make you want to pull them open. Batten down the hatches to your mouth! Die your hands behind your back and high-tail it out of here!



Aik! In a sneak attack, a whole box of assorted Belgium chocolates blocks your path! They wave tempting chocholate bites in front of you. You see black and white chocolate swimming in front of your eyes. Your sensors detect hidden nuts and fillings inside some of the stealth chocs. In a desperate attempt, you take a running leap over the box and rush out to the exit!



SPLAT! You were tripped by another box of chocholates. Definitely the evil black and white chocolates are out to make you tempted to eat. However, you shall prevail! As you cover your eyes, relying on your sensors to help you find your way out of this sinister adventure, you race onwards. As you run away, sweet cute laughter are following you. The chocolates are diabolical and you get an awful feeling that they are planning to launch their secret weapon at you.



Suddenly, an exit appears in shining light. You race towards it, only to find a shadow. What is it now? Another chocolate? No, it's the sakura biscuit, come to guide you back to the mothership!



And there is the mothership. As you plonk yourself down amongsts friends, you can't help but wonder what else would the chocolates be up to. Falling gently asleep, you hear faint laughter in the distance. Is it all a dream or a beginning of a nightmare?

: : Throwing away inches : :

Ohhh....I love the measuring tape today.

I've shrunk down since the last week I measured myself :

Bust : zilch, nada, nothing. Urgh.
Waist : 1 inch!
Hips : 1.5 inches!
Thighs : 2 inches!
Updates! Weight loss : ~4 pounds!

Phew! For a moment there, I thought I wouldn't be shrinking. Have to get my supervisor to give me my measurements that she measured during the first week.

This is the 3rd week into Wena's 2006 Project of Losing Weight. It isn't going to end until Christmas, I think. That's how much I have to lose.

Have I cheated? Oh yes. Dinner at Bla Bla Bla on Thursday and 1/8 slice of a pizza yesterday.

: : The Cooking Monster! : :

Nothing from Sesame Street. It's another cooking blog where Jennifer Tai explores one of the joys of being at home with the kids : cooking.

And, there's a very nice and delicious-looking video on how to make steamed mushroom.

Gah, now I'm tempted again to binge.

Bad bad Wena.

: : Formal Lunch : :

About a few weeks ago, I went to attend a function at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Hall. Well, not in the hall itself but in the function room. From the picture, you can tell that it was a very grand room and very formal as well.



On each table, there was a food warmer. There are tea candles at the bottom heating up the water in the middle, causing steam to rise up and gently head the small plates on top that has food on them.



Now this is the cold starter dish. Looks tempting doesn't it? See if you can match the pickled chilli jellyfish, baby octopus, prawn and fruit salad and some fish cake rolls. The only problem was that because the food warmer was already in the middle, we had to squeeze in this cold dish plate to the side.



Also served as Double Boiled Kampung Chicken (Free Ranged Chicken) with Ginseng and Dry Scallops Soup. Yes, in the midst of all the bird flu situation, I went and took this. Why? Because it's properly cook and at that time, no cases in Sarawak. Even to this day, there's none. So, I thought, why not? And I'm still alive today. :p



Finally the main dishes. The middle was Yam Fried Rice in Lotus Leaf (glutinuous rice is used). The fish was Garoupa cooked in Assam Sauce. Another chicken dish known as Meisan Roasted Chicken. And the vegetable is one of the traditional Sarawakian dishes : Fried Midin with Garlic.

Who was the caterer? Holiday Inn Kuching. Surprise? Actually, their food is actually quite good IF IF IF you eat the Meisan Chinese Restaurant. The Coffee House is not so nice.

And I ate this before the start of my diet. What caused me to go on a diet was the picture afterwards. LOL! It scared me so much that I decided to go and lose some weight. So, that was that.

: : Kuching International Airport woes: :

Poor fish fish had her umbrella "misplaced" by an MAS staff at the Kuching Internation Airport recently. And after she was lending it to him. Hopefully, she didn't get wet from the rain.

I guess it doesn't help with this still hanging in the air. So, I need to be extra careful myself when I go through the airport next week when flying back to Miri.

BTW, that airport has a high theft rate so always good to be alert for snatch thieves. It happens fairly often at that airport. Even if it's no less different from any other airport, still the impression does last.

Next week, back in Miri for a month long break. And hopefully with more postings (very famous last words).

: : Making Dragon Whiskers : :

These are old videos from 2003 Mooncake Festival. I caught on video the guy making Dragon Whiskers :)

: : Weight Loss is not cheap : :

I bought this book for myself to do this year. And since Sina' was asking about it, was thinking of getting it again.

Eeep! Very expensive at MPH. I got mine for RM18.90 from Popular Bookstore during their Annual Book Fair at the Taman Kereta Carpark last month. It's the 2004 edition but I'm sure it's still doable. RM68++ is really expensive.

A great place to look for exercising books is at book fairs. Popular Bookstore may not have that many English books compared to TIMES but they sure are cheaper on hardcovers and other books that TIMES priced at very very high figures.

Anyway, have also started the liquid drink diet already. So, it's breakfast and lunch drinks with milk or soya bean milk with some salads. It's been over a week now and so far, things are okay. Clothes are a bit more lose although the weight loss is not so much. My colleagues at work tell me not to rush things and take it easy but I can't help it! LOL! I want to lose weight now!

Still, it's not too bad. Everyone is looking at me so now the pressure is on. And when I told my 13 year old cousin about my diet drinks, she said that is breakfast for birds. :) She definitely wasn't impressed.

Anyway, cheerio. I'll put another video up to cheer folks up.