Boyd Schidt

Sounds of Havana or was it Senses of Havana?….ok I forgot but the name definitely had Havana in it.

I decided to try out this place tucked on a hill in Mont Kiara that Jel told me served really good salads. And so during lunch break today we headed there all excited to see what they had to offer-

Was a quaint shop..weird that I didn’t notice it on my runs up the hill for Nicoise salad in Coffee Bean (that one I like..just without the eggs and cheese) and also Chillis Cajun Salad..wait was it Cajun or Buffalo? arrgh-it’s the salad in Chillis.

So got to the place… pleased with the setting we sat ourselves down at the table…bearing some heat from our warm climate and placed the orders-yes I ordered the something Havana salad.

It arrived 10 mins later and I gave it an ok for a first impression..pineapples, capsicums, cubed chicken, and I think it was with Itallian dressing, not sure which type of cheese, and it had some other mixes as well.

Unfortunately Havana was Hava-blah…it tasted really bland. Bet neither Castro nor el Che can figure out what’s so Havana-ish about it..

Put off my whole drive for no-rice -meals for lunch (part of my mission for health and longevity..haha) was thinking of Maggi Curry already by the third spoon.

I ended up just eating the pineapples and caps…was on a guilt trip for wasting my food….if my mum was around I’m sure she’ll drop her famous makan tag “u have to bersyukur..so many people can’t enjoy decent meals”. Ok mine was decent but still, salads that aren’t great just makes me feel like a kambing yang tengah makan rumput…;p…

and the worst part- it invites the unhealthy-craving for sinfully fatty food..Mc’d!! Would have just walked across the street to Mc’d if we had had more time.

So my hope of finding and discovering salad dos that are a real treat for the taste buds and will score cookie points with my petite body failed-but the search continues…will be sure to blog it when i find it and contra my unfortunate encounter today with Hava-blah..

Today’s the last day of my Raya break (sigh) and trow i’d be driving my tush to work…dont get me wrong I love my job but hey what’s there not to love bout holidays and breaks;p Raya has been the same old drill for quite some time now..I find myself answering to "How’s Raya?" with "Oh well same ol’ same ol’" for the past few years.That’s an indicator that it’s high time I balik kampung (in laws perhaps..;p) and not be around for Raya at home so Mama and Abah could miss me Raya-style instead of rushing me to get ready every Raya morning..haha.. though I know when the time actually arrives when I can’t be home to light the pelita with Piggy after Iftar or hear the Takbir with my folks while drinking tea and looking back at Ramadhan..I would feel a loss and resent the fact that I can’t be at home..but hey it’s not like I wont balik at all- it’s just for now I need a change from this Raya routine…see that doesnt sound right..Raya shouldnt be a routine..the only difference the last few Raya is that I’m no longer a RayaMoney-recipient (except for Abah’s generous RayaMoney-am very thankful that I’m still on the list  ;p) I’m now a RayaMoney-giver..but I love giving RayaMoney..cos I know back in the day what the excitement felt like when I used to line up to receive my duit raya. Those were the days..

I wonder if next year I’ll be doing the same ol thing..hope not. It’s high time for a transition..guess I’ve had quite enough of this phase in life (imagine doing the same poses for Yoga when u know your body is now so getah like flexible to do more challenging strikes and poses- bad example..but hey it fits my point..I’m ready for something fresh and new….dont think I can fathom anymore "typical" Raya..I want to have the "Raya rotation" this year first day Raya at my kampung..next year yours..haha…anyhoos it’s my prayer that I’ll greet Ramadhan and Syawal next year in a different state..good one la ;p and then the year after next hopefully I’ll be a RayaMoney recipient again but not directly..just through the lil mini-Nadia’s God willing.

I have to say the Raya mood is on full swing here at the office-at least on my floor..everyone seem to have the "malas-nak kerja-nak raya" look on their faces while they go through those guidelines, acts, submissions…i know- talk about physical-emo contradiction..not in the state of mind to be productive yet still productive…ok..now let me share the "Cerita Kuih Raya" with you…

Pre Ramadhan-Arrival of the "kuih samples"

This happened a month before Ramadhan (it’s a waste to put up the samples during Ramadhan cos people can’t taste em). The female suraus..am not so sure bout the male surau though..was lined with an array of raya cookies ready to be munched crunched and tested! You name it- from the mat salleh named "London almonds" (seriously why cant we just stick to the traditional malay names)..kuih bangkit (see traditional-sounds wayy better to me ;p) biskut makmur..etc etc. It was quite a treat to pop each and everyone in my mouth and test them- hey am testing them out but not obligated to buy them, sounds perfect to me ;p wish they did that for shoes- 1 week tryout then decide if u wanna buy em..haha no really i’ve stashed some cash at the cashier for a few pairs of pumps that in the end gave me blisters the size of a 10 cents coin..ok I’m side tracking.

During Ramadhan-Tempatation leads to Purchase?

Everyone’s hungry and the sight of those cookies will just tempt the devil in u and before you know it you pen down ur name and place an order for " dua botol kuih tart" (so maybe its when people are on an empty stomach that they are most vulnerable to make a purchase huh ;p) cos I have to admit the cookies do look extra good when you’re fasting-yea i was weaken by temptation and ordered some during Ramadhan..haha

Delivery!

This is strategically done a week before Raya..time when you’ll see the lovely ladies carrrying jars of cookies and on almost every workstation you see some kuih waiting to be brought home for Syawal or even iftar that day. Sometimes people dont even remember that they placed an order and lo and behold they’re here..and of course you also hear the usual "ala menyesal tak order" "can i still order now?" from the "late folks"-sorry ladies..next year la!

Ah yes, it’s a lovely cycle..the raya mood wouldn’t be the same without these raya goodies making their rounds….bet its’ the same with other workplaces..

I could faintly hear the sound of Sudirman’s tear jerking raya song "Dari Jauh Ku Pohon Maaf" playing on a colleague’s PC..very sedih song…one of the best ones around I think…hmm I should sync some raya Tunes to my iPOD..to complement my non-festive collection ;p

So the raya cokies have arrived, the songs are playing..it’s a  matter of days till we hear the Takbir Raya and bid goodbye to Ramadhan..time really flies..and before you know it the kuih rayas are making their rounds again

The traffic on the highway on Fridays by some weird way is always less heavy as compared to the other 5 days of the week..and everytime with pure delight with the traffic condition I’ll be coming up with creative reasons behind this phenomenon.."orang clock in for work lambat kot on Fridays" " maybe ramai orang on MC" etc..bottom line is I’ve no complaints-hey makes it worth every penny I pay to PLUS (which is a lot btw)..to be able to cruise along without having to sigh and groan cos I’m stuck in the infamous jams on the Federal Highway..

My friday morning spunk got to a new level when Fly played "Sunday Morning" by No doubt…wooohooo..fun times!. Though it must’ve been a very unseemly sight for the other motorists to see a petite girl in hijab singing her lungs off…I’m telling you even if all the cars around me were to honk at me..I’d be totally deaf to it- that was how cruel I was to my eardrums this morning..poor eardrums had to work extra hard making sure I hear every tone in Sunday Morning right ;p The song rocks!

It’s FRIDAY!the day when everything just starts to wind down in prep for the we’ends..I’ve got so much going on for this one..doubt I’ll get to wind down..that reminds me I can’s skip my yoga sessions anymore…it’s the only time I get to relax..plus wipe away all the guilt of stuffing my face with junk..haha.

I’ve got another presentation in 2 hours..can’t wait to get it done and over with, though I must say it is kinda fun..reminds me of my days as a debater..the only difference is I’m down a few notches in aggressiveness and sarcasm ;p Mr speaker?

Oh yea like I promised- a pic o f the custard puffs…aren’t they poofy..everyone loves it at home..see the whole family gobble em down like Pac Man(y’know the game..you gotta know Pac Man) Anyhoos they are sinfully delicious..no wait poofylicious ;p

Welcome we’end!

I think I want to treat my blog as a proper blog and pen in daily (at least I’ll try to) Have a long term objective here- so that my kids-Zara and Ali yes yes I’ve picked out names for my unborn kids (that’s how ear-blastingly loud my biological clock is ticking) could see what their Mummy was up to –love you kiddos! (that’s a shout out for the future-haha)
So lets start with this beautiful month of Ramadhan…all is well though I must say unlike when I was younger..not that I’m an old hag, I don’t get excited with the Pasar Ramadhans anymore, though when Nasha comes back from campus we usually go together-she craves for every single thing- with her size I’m wondering where she stores all the junk she eats (love u piggy ;p)

Anyways I’m side tracking- yea I dont know why I dont get too excited-maybe its cos they sell the same old stuff..the infamous murtabak and ayam percik, they’re a must have at Pasar Ramadhans, not forgetting the abang burger’s roti john and the many roti "specials"..the only thing that’s different every year is the inflation adjusted prices ;p

But Ramadhan this year will be a bit different at least decor wise at home cos after so many years of planning to place pelitas around our garden which we never came around to do- this year my brothers and I decided to make it a point that we go to Giant and get some pelitas and plunge it into my parent’s well tended garden and light our lawns to reflect the beauty of Ramdhan. Touch touchy…