Corgi

Bloggy buddy Betty @ http://viewsfrombenches.blogspot.my/ is a big fan of corgis. She lost her beloved corgi, Koda, to cancer nine months ago, Koda had been blind for some time before he passed on. Betty sees another corgi in the future and I pray that the perfect one will come into this sweet lady's heart soon.

Cookiefying my corgi love .....

Of Bats And Haunted Mansions

Bats are creepy! I haven't seen one in a long time but I can still recall being spooked by them when  I was little.
Way back in the 60s, when Mom was promoted to Head Nurse , she  was transferred to another state where she was accommodated in a supposedly haunted house. It was an old bungalow that was built during the colonial period. Dad would take us on a long road trip in his green Austin sedan to visit Mom during the weekends and school holidays. I remember looking forward to those visits as the mansion had an exciting vibe to it with its many rooms to explore, a huge compound with lots of trees and bathrooms that had bath tubs! In those days, bath tubs were a rarity as they could only be found mostly in the homes of British expatriates that were built during the colonial days and I suppose, rich people who had lived overseas before. Bath times were fun!

The mansion kinda looked  like this.

image credit - Alan Kong

At night, the mansion took on a different atmosphere. Dim lighting, creaky floorboards, cobwebs, the sound of crickets and flying bats made the place really spooky. Imagine sleeping with bats circling the ceiling right above you! It was really unnerving! Although there were many rooms, my sisters and I would huddle together in a huge four-poster bed in the room closest to where my parents were sleeping.
Once, when there was a power outage, the eerie flickering shadows in the candle light coupled with the presence of bats freaked us out big time!
It wasn't until many years later that Mom told us the place was supposedly haunted. One of the nurses who used to live there hung herself when she was jilted by her lover. According to Mom, other nurses who had also stayed in the bungalow before her claimed they had seen a floating white figure and heard weird noises like the sounds of footsteps and someone sobbing in the night!

Looking back, Mom was really brave to live in a place like that all by herself! She confessed to being scared at times but her firm Catholic faith and dedication to her vocation gave her the strength and courage to live in that bungalow until she was transferred back to our hometown several years later.

In Memory Of Grace

Grace, blogger pally Lin's beloved cat of 18 years, passed on Sunday. Although I've never met Lin @http://www.duckandwheelwithstring.com/ nor Grace, I feel like a part of me is gone too. Lin and I have been bloggy buddies since 2008 and I had enjoyed reading about Grace and learning about her through Lin's blog.

I am hopeless with words and I shall express my emotions in the only way I know how - through my cookies.

This one's for you, Grace!

Rest In Peace.

Of Lightning And Roasted Ducks.

image credit - Nick Chan

Josh often regales us with stories of the ducks and geese that live in his campus. Lately, one of the ducks has been missing and there are many theories surrounding its disappearance. Word has it that it has been struck by lightning.There's also a rumour going round that students from the School of Culinary may have something to do with its disappearance. Apparently, roast duck was on their menu the day the duck vanished!

image credit - Nick Chan

There used to be 4 ducks. Now there are only three!

image credit - Dila Ariff

image credit - Nick Chan

These very friendly birds are the stars of the campus and Josh is their biggest fan . They are everywhere!

Can you spot the duck?

We hope the MIA duck will turn up soon. On the bright side, one of the geese had laid eggs and hopefully there will be new  additions to the gaggle.

It's A Girl!

Most days, I dread reading the newspaper. Yet when I don't, I feel incomplete as if I have missed out on an indispensable part of my every day life. News that often hog the front page are always so depressing - plane crashes, terrorism, earthquakes, our sliding Ringgit and other horrible things.

And it's not everyday that you get to read about happy stuff like the births of pandas instead of my daily dose of dread. First it was giant panda Liang Liang and now Mei Xiang!

Liang Liang who is on loan from China to Malaysia's Zoo Negara, gave birth to a cub last Tuesday (18th August). Initially, there were concerns that Liang Liang and  her mate Xing Xing, were not hitting it off. Well, looks like they have overcome their intimacy issues.

It's a girl!

image credit -  The Star Malaysia

Let's toast to the first panda cub born on Malaysian soil! And to Mei Xiang too, for her twins who were born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C on Saturday night!

Panda Cookies

Wordish Wednesday

Oreo, our guinea pig is five years old this year. Old for a guinea pig but she sure doesn't look it!

Isn't she the cutest thing ever?
According to the Guiness Book of World Records, the oldest guinea pig known was 14 years and 10.5 months old and was named Snowball. The average life expectancy of guinea pigs is about 4 to 7 years. We pray and hope Oreo will outlive Snowball.

This week's cookies

Of Birth and Death

As I was decorating these baby shower cookies for hubby's co-worker, I was thinking of the irony of life. While we're celebrating the life of a newborn, somewhere out there, someone is mourning the death of a loved one.
Just yesterday, Josh came home from college, shaken and traumatized. A college student fell to his death just a little distance from him. Josh and his buddies were feeding the ducks at the campus lakeside when they heard a loud thud. At first, they thought the sound came from the construction site nearby but upon scanning the area, they saw a body sprawled on the ground several feet from where they were standing. Their first thoughts were the victim had collapsed from heat stroke which is a common occurrence in our very hot climate but as they approached the body, it was evident that the victim had fallen from a great height. The campus' auxiliary policeman was alerted and the victim was confirmed dead. Later, college officials revealed the case was suicide.

What drove him to such a desperate measure?  Did the pain of his existence become so unbearable, there was no way out but to end his young life? Wasn't there anyone who could have made a difference? I was told that suicide survivors instantly regret their decision the second they jump. Though Josh didn't know the student, he was deeply affected by his death and wished he could have done something to prevent the tragedy. I am still reeling from the incident.

My heart breaks for his family  and I grieve for his mother. No parent should ever have to deal with this. I can't begin to imagine the pain they are going through. I want to pray for his soul and for God to give the people he had left behind the strength to brave through their sorrow. I want to hold my sons a little closer every night and remind them no matter how hopeless the situation may seem, suicide is NEVER the answer.

Indian Wedding

The bride for whom I made these cookies was a flower girl at my wedding 23 years ago! Time does fly!

Did you know that a traditional Indian wedding lasts an average of three days!!!??  On the first night, a priest will perform the ganesh pooja, a ceremony that usually happens at home with only the couple, the bridal party, and close relatives in attendance.

The second day begins with a mehndi ceremony. For this, the bride and her female friends and family members will have intricate henna patterns drawn on their hands and feet. That evening, the sangeet takes place. Every wedding guest is usually invited, and it involves an introduction of the couple's families, mingling, a meal, and dances or other performances.

A mehndi party

On the third day, the main ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception take place. You may be invited to the last day of the events, or to any part of the three-day celebration. Your invitation should clearly state what you're being asked to attend.

Expect to see the groom arriving to the wedding ceremony on a decorated white horse! Over here where a white horse is nearly impossible to find, the groom makes his entrance in a fancy car instead. Guests dance around him to the beat of the dhol, an Indian drum. After that, the bride and her family greet the groom, and the couple exchanges floral garlands to wear around their necks to symbolize their acceptance of each other.

image credit - http://www.indianweddingsite.com/

During the ceremony, the priest, groom, bride, and bride's parents sit beneath a mandap, a canopy similar to a Jewish huppah. The ceremony starts off with the kanya daan, in which the bride's parents give away the bride. Then the couple joins hands and circles around a small, enclosed fire (the agni) in a ritual called the mangal phera.

The couple will next take the saptapadi, a seven-step ritual where each step corresponds to a vow the groom makes to the bride, and a vow the bride makes to the groom. Saptapadi is performed near a fire, which has religious significance. After each of the seven oaths to each other, the groom and bride  walk around the fire with part of each other’s clothing tied to each other.
Finally, the groom will apply a red powder to the center of the bride's forehead and tie a black beaded necklace around her neck, proclaiming that she's now a married woman.

image credit - https://www.chennaihalls.in

source - https://www.theknot.com/content/hindu-wedding-guest-qa

Ratzilla

Have you seen the following image of  the giant rat that went viral on social media a couple of months ago? The photograph was taken at a rat catching campaign that was organised in a suburb not too far from where we live. My first thoughts were......OMG! It must be the genetically modified foods our rats have been feeding on and they mutated! Either that or our city has beome so filthy, it has pretty much become rat heaven and our rodent friends have gotten big and fat from all that partying and feasting!

Turned out, Ratzilla was just a regular sized rat and the image was either photoshopped or captured by the photographer at an angle that made it look ginormous. Apparently, a Facebook user has uploaded  the image to make a point - that the standard of cleanliness in the precinct was sub par and a breeding ground for rodents and other pests. In defense, an image was later uploaded by a spokesperson of the municipality showing the actual size of the purported rodent at a different angle. Phew! However, residents are still claiming to have seen rats the size of cats in the area!

A huge rat, nonetheless!

A scene from the movie Ratatouille

I was going to make Remy (the would-be-chef from Ratatouille) cookies but I just couldn't get the image of Ratzilla out of my head. While I have no qualms about cute talking rats who wear chef hats and know how to prepare five course meals, Ratzilla isn't that  kind of rat I want  invading my lovely neck of the woods.  Thank God, I live in a condo and the only rodent you find in our home is our big fat guinea pig!

I don't mind these invading my neighbourhood though!

Blog Break

On a blogging break for the next while. Back soon.

Selamat Hari Raya AdifFitri

In a week's time, Muslims worldwide will be celebrating Eid al-Fitr. In Malaysia, we call it Hari Raya Adilfitri. Hari Raya in Malay literally translates as ‘celebration day’ and Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the day that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of dawn-to-sunset fasting.

Over here, the festival is a major public holiday and offices and schools officially close for 2 days.
On this day, Muslims don new clothes and go for prayers in mosques at dawn. Then it’s off to see the parents. Muslims traditionally ask for forgiveness from their elders for any wrongs committed during the year. More visits are made to see relatives and friends and a lavish spread of food awaits Some even have 'Open House' - a Malaysian concept  like no other anywhere else in the world! Open Houses are  held during religious and cultural festivals like Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year, Christmas and Deepavali. An Open House event connotes that anyone , regardless of religion or race, can visit the home of a friend or associate during a particular celebration. When we were kids, we used to hop from house to house and stuff ourselves full with all those yummy cakes and cookies!

It is customary for Muslims to wear traditional clothes on Hari Raya. The men generally wear Baju Melayu (a loose shirt with trousers) with kain samping (a short sarong) and a songkok (cap), while the Baju Kurung is often worn by the ladies. Families usually dress in the same colour to represent unity.

Those green thingies are ketupat, a type of dumpling made from rice packed inside a square pouch that is woven from coconut leaves. Ketupat to Hari Raya is what Easter eggs and bunnies are to Easter. Images of ketupat are often used as decoration to celebrate Hari Raya or Eid ul-Fitr.
From the 20th day of Ramadan, oil lamps are lit in homes and mosques and burned until the end of the festival

Ketupat - a Hari Raya staple

Red, White And Blue

Wishing my American bloggy buddies a very happy July 4th!