It Hailed in Melbourne!!!

Talk about throwing snowballs and having a snowball fight... check out what happened yesterday 6th March here in the CBD...

I guess it's true what people say about the weather here, you just can't tell what you will encounter each day - rain, wind, sun or hail...

Mind you it was 30 degrees or there abouts on the 5th.... imagine....

Where oh Where Have I Gone????

yes folks.... it's been ages and ions ago that this instant noodle has even thought to type anything in this pathetic un-updated blog of hers...

sometimes a person like me gets so caught up in the daily ramblings of life she forgets that she has a small obligation to other people around her. to be exact the past 4 months or so has been such a hurdle for me to jump i hadn't had the mood to write anything in here let alone put my mind into words.

i know you might think that i've been such a let down and that i should at least have the decency to let people know i'm still alive, breathing and kicking ... but then again who am i?

well folks, i have to apologize for not being faithfully updating this blog of mine with the latest happenings here in cold and wet melbourne since i've left hot and sunny home sweet home. i hope that there are some of those who still pop in to see what i've got here even though i haven't been constant.

i'll try my very best to keep everyone posted though...

Dear Diary...

Sometimes in life one tends to wonder about the people around and how they affect each other...

When I prayed hard for a miracle to happen and help me make my dreams come true, GOD answered it graciously with a good Samaritan. For that I was extremely grateful for HIM listening to this little child of HIS and looking out for me all this time.

But there are also times when I tend to wonder if asking a simple question to something that was not confirmed with a reply to be sarcastically shot down...bad???

Did I do something wrong?

Did I offend anyone?

Was I to assume that all will be done?

Was I to assume that my note was received?

Who is to blame? ME???

Does accepting assistance from someone mean that you owe them your entire life and the universal space and existence you breathe and live in??

It makes me wonder whether I should have accepted in the first place....

Deep down inside I don't really regret my decision for accepting for I would have never come this far but the small gnawing at the bottom of my gut says that sometimes some form of assistance doesn't come free without pain, suffering and sarcasm...

Teslaar's Tulip Festival

It's the last week before we all go back to school... how fast the days go by. It was like I just arrived in Melbourne and it's coming to almost half a year. Time waits for no man or woman....

My friends and I decided to check out the annual tulip festival that happens only from mid September to early October. Boy was I blown away with the wonderful vibrant rows of multi-colored tulips that were planted!! Here are some of the photos I've taken for all to see:

Exams are OVER!

Yep, this is our last week at school before a 2 week break!

We had 2 exams back to back today; cakes in the morning where I made 12 plain scones and decorated a chocolate mud cake whilst a chocolate souffle (came out like last week's pix... thank GOD) and a vanilla bavarios decorated and garnished with raspberry coulis.

Here are some photos of the stuff I made:

By the way, that person you partially see in the first photo is moi...

Have a great week guys and gals!!!

p/s - Daniel... please lar... your keyboard oledi over-flowing ler, go get bucket to contain all the excretion of liquids ler hahahaahahhaha....

Accidents Happen...

Here's the most interesting that ever happened to me since I've arrived in Melbourne...

Being the 'soft cushion' for a cyclist whose bike chain came off ...

(Note: If you consider getting lost most of the time every time I head off to some place normal.. well I guess that's your point of view and I don't consider it interesting... I look like a bloody tourist walking around with my Melbourne Mini Street Directory or the 2007 Melbourne and Surrounds Street Directory the size of a gigantic roach killer!!! Yes.. yes... I know I'm still new to the area so shaddup right??)

Well, here's the story....

The placement agency I currently am registered with had arranged for me to take the FWH exam (Food Workplace Hygiene) that is a must for those who want and are working in the Hospitality industry. So off I went to catch a train to Oakleigh where the exam was to take place.

After getting off, I headed out of the station to find Portman St as well as the school required. Came to a 'T' junction under the station and decided on the left first as the Melbourne Mini maps didn't have the street in their pages - limit of maps it said at the page. Walked for a good 5 minutes until I found the street sign that showed I was on the wrong street (of course - what else!!)

Turned around and headed back to the station... and walked to the other side. As I was walking there were these two aussie blokes (australian slang) on their bikes wanting to get either to the other side of the station or to catch the train to the city or another stop. The all natural thing to do was to stop and give way right? And that I did, stopping at the corner for them to pass before I can continue my search for the 'lost' school.

As the first one took the corner to pass me, he slowed down as it was a slight downhill pathway and HE FELL!!!!!!! YES HE FELL!!

I thought he had missed his balance and just wavered and fell but he couldn't move and get up. Moreover the other bloke was just dumbfounded I think as he just sat upright on his bike and didn't come down to help his friend. And boy did my right hand upper arm hurt (of course the pain hit later than earlier) as the helmet and bike handle hit me along with the guy's body weight.

Luckily another passer-by helped by picking up the fallen (note that the other friend is still on his bike watching the whole drama go by...), offered to provide some plasters if he had any cuts or scratches but he declined. Finally discovered it was the bike chain that had caused this whole incident...

The finale to this before we went our separate ways was - "Thank you very much for being my soft landing...."

Yummie... Yummie... Yummie

Welcome back folks to another edition of... 'What I Made in Class' day...

Yup Monday again and boy are my legs aching today... All I'm thinking about is stuffing my face with dinner and then snuggling up under the covers to catch a good night's rest before tomorrow comes around.

Anyway, enough about me and let's hear about today's menu:

Muffins
(apple-cinnamon, banana-walnut, chocolate chip, blueberry, raspberry, double chocolate, vanilla-almond and coffee)

Plain Scones

Gugelhoff
(chocolate-walnut, orange-almond, coffee-walnut, raisin-cinnamon, coconut-almond)

Bread & Butter Pudding

Macadamia Tartlets

All I can say about all the stuff we made today.... scrumptious!!!

For me the highlights of today was the gugelhoff, scones and the tartlets. A classmate of mine and I bought our gugelhoffs to take home. Made sure we wrote a short note to the Bakeshop telling them not to sell ours... think I did mention that our products get sent to our academy's Bakeshop that is open to the public and gets sold there.

When the scones were done, I was wishing that there was fresh clotted cream, strawberry jam, butter and a hot pot of tea around so I could have an English tea party!! We didn't make a variety of scones though and stuck to the plain normal one. You ought to try out making a batch adding apple-cinnamon-brown sugar mixture to it or just pack it full with grated cheddar cheese for a sweet and savoury type of scone respectively.... I tell you ... once 'kena' when they are fresh out of the oven.... wahlaueh... will be begging for MORE!!!

As for the bread and butter pudding, those were alright. Made 1 slab tin per bench and 3 smaller ones so that we could practise our garnishing techniques for the upcoming exams in 2 weeks. The tartlets were very sweet though. Normally one would find this made with pecans actually, therefore being known as Pecan Pie. All we did was substitute the pecans with macadamia nuts.

As soon as these two items hit the Bakeshop, they were grabbed up in a few minutes. So happened when I wheeled them into the shop, it was full of customers... drooling over the items made earlier in the day... whipped up all of these 'hot' ones too!

Let's just say the people here love their desserts; hot or cold, pastries, cakes or whatever... those who are planning visit here ought to take a ride to South Yarra and have a look at the pastry and bake shops there.... you can drool just by standing at the display window on the pathways. Once you get in I would think you might need a bucket! (let your imagination run wild....)

Have a good week y'all!!!

Monday Food Galore...

Hello everyone, it's Monday again!

This week begins the cake galore in class. Last week marked the end of pastries and our exams. We got to make the famous traditional fruitcake this week. Our lecturer had been soaking the sultanas and raisins in brandy for the past one week. When she opened the container.... ooooooo.. the whole classroom smelt like a liquor party...

We did the cakes the industrial way, with a massive gigantic mixing bowl and laser sensors in the front. The cake paddle was as big as my face! Only thing is that I didn't get to taste the end product. We actually made the cakes for another class to practise their icing techniques. The teacher set aside just 1 9inch cake for the class of 15 to taste. Let's just say the people in class have no understanding of the word taste as they decided to 'tahpau' back for their friends at home.

As for the second half of the day, we made vanilla bavarois and sticky date pudding. Heheehe... I liked the sticky date pudding.. easy and simple and tasty to make... yum yum. Ate mine like a cupcake without the topping though. Sweeeeeet...

Stay tuned for more next week....

Exam Jitters and a Lost Profiterol...

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Yes today was the day where I had to do my assessment for Prepare & Produce Pastries.... and boy was I jumpy. We had to do a theory exam of 20 questions in 1hour and 10 frangipane tartlets along with 6 eclairs and profiterols in 2.5hours.

Things got on to a good start... did my theory paper in about 30mins and got started on the 'hot' stuff. Got everything weighed and measured out, made everything quite well (if I do say so myself) and got them to bake.

First in the oven was the choux pastry for the eclairs and the profiterols. Luckily I still have a steady hand and managed to get all my 12 choux pastry items in a consistent shape and size; 6 nice straight eclairs about 5 inches in length and 6 profiterols in a well rounded shape.

After that was done, I headed off to weigh and measure for the frangipane tartlets. Had to make the pastry first so that it can be rested in the fridge for about 20mins before it can be rolled. In the mean time look into the choux pastry in the oven and make the filling for the tart.

Yippee ... was I glad that my choux pastry items came out of the oven nice and very deliciously golden in colour. Left that on the wire rack to cool and continued with the frangipane tartlet filling and rolling out of the pastry for that 10 to bake.

What I didn't notice is that someone had the nerve to pinch one of my profiterols from the wire rack!!! OOOOOOOOOOhhhhhhh.... I was so angry when I went to collect it from the rack and told my instructor. I asked her if she was going to pinalise me for that and she said no. It's not like I didn't make 6, the evidence of a profiterol being there in the first place can cleary be seen by the baking mark on the tray!

Oh well... after all was made and done for I brought the completed products up for judgement day. Nicole (my instructor) said I missed by 1 mark to get an A for my theory test and gave me a B... shucks. And for my products she gave me a C.

So I guess my overall should be a B?

This closes the chapter in pastries and next week sees me in cake production, my favourite! Stay tuned for more mishaps, calamities and yummie stories next week!

p/s - Second half of the day we made caramel cream and creme brulee.... yum yum yum....

Bombe's Awaaaay!!

Hello Hello... yes it's Monday!

My tales from the kitchen today incorporates the following:

Apple Strudel (with the dough made from scratch and NO we didn't use filo pastry)
Sausage Rolls
Mango & Raspberry Parfait
Raspberry Coulis
Brandy Snaps
Bombe Alaska

We had a wonderful time stretching our strudel dough over a flour-covered table cloth!

Yup we used a table cloth to make sure that the thin pastry didn't end up with multiple holes and be called 'Holy Apple Strudel'. I assumed that the pastry would end up like the roti canai dough and it was but slightly different as the ingredients were slightly varied.

What a heavenly feast my late Great Grand-Uncle would have had... enjoying every single bit of that lovely dessert served with fresh cream or ice cream.... ooooooohhhhhh.... bless his soul!

As for the sausage rolls, I thought biasalah... bakery pun ada what. Just make the dough and put a sausage inside and bake right? Nope... the dough was a type of puff pastry just not so complicated filled with a mixture of minced meat, chopped sausages, onions, garlic, eggs, spices, salt and pepper made into a paste and piped onto the pastry and egg-washed to bake. Nice...

When it came to the Bombe Alaska the even layers of the 3 ice cream flavours from last week were yummily done (had to abstain from licking the spoon everytime each flavour was done though...). Then John (a classmate from South India), Harolf Firth (our lecturer) and I had another go at the champagne sorbet! (and no we are not alcoholics..) Ohhhh.... I tell you that is one heavenly dessert! You guys who are reading this ought to get the recipe and make em! You will not ever regret it trust me...

Overall, it was another exhausting day for my poor feet standing from 8am right up to 5pm just now. Next week will be our practical exams for "Prepare and Produce Pastries". I have to prepare 6 profiterols and chocolate eclairs along with 10 frangipane tartlets.

Wish me luck!

How hard is it to get a JOB???!!!

Sigh... I'm so frustrated!!

I've been trying to get a job for the past 3 weeks and I'm still not having any luck!

I applied for alot of jobs online but to no avail has anyone called me. There was an agent however that did get a hold of me through one of the jobs I applied for. Went for the induction and filled up the required paperwork.

Finally I thought all things were going to be alright... all he said was go get the uniform requirements and sign up for the Food Hygiene Certificate and you'll have a job asap. So did everything and wanted to show him my stuff on Friday. Called the guy in the morning at 9:30am to get an appointment and he never called me back!

I just wonder how long this is going to take... I need to work to be able to save up for my fees...

The Yummies Keep Coming!

Hellooo.....

Yes it's me Maggie and I'm here to tell you what Week 3 at practical had instored for me. I'm afraid my camera will be out of service until spring comes along when it feels more warmer and 'geared up' to take shots of my tempting creations in the kitchen.

This week we had the pleasure of making:

Profiteroles
Chocolate Eclairs
Fruit Rings
Vanilla, Chocolate & Raspberry Ice Cream
Champagne Sorbet

Ahhhh.... the wonderful devilish creations one can get from choux (pronounced as shoe) pastry... as soon as our handiwork hit the Bakeshop (where the desserts made are sold to the general public), you should have seen the ogling eyes of the female patrons!

"Arrrrrggghhhhhhhh CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!", that was what I heard from a girl and her friend. Guess how many eclairs she bought off the rack?? She bought 3 chocolate covered heavy creamed gorgeously filled eclairs all for herself!! Should have heard her in the hallways after.... "Mmmmm...mmmmm these are like soooooooo goooooooooood". Mind you that her friend didn't get any of those 3 she bought....

As for the ice cream and the sorbet, well those were not for sale as we were preparing them for next week's class where we will make the famous dessert called Bombe Alaska. A pretty tricky thing making ice cream... have to be careful not to get a 'scrambled egg' mixture on the fire to get a lovely smooth and creamy ice cream.

Ze sorbet was as one would say... positively magnifique! The taste of the bubbly in the ice that melts in your mouth.... mmmm.... no words can express....

Oops... erm... sorry... please stop drooling over your keyboards. It kinda gets a little nasty trying to clean it later....

Stay tuned for the next kitchen adventure... brought to you every Mondays by moi!

Cold Camera = Zero Pictures

Hello folks... today is my second day in practical class. Yep.. this is where I get to stand from 8am in the morning and sit at 5pm in the evening... not that I'm complaining of course...

Last week we whipped up a few items in the kitchen:

Frangipane Tartlets
Poached Pears
White Wine Jelly
Chocolate Sauce

This week we managed to not burn our hair with:

Quiche Lorraine
Crepes
Banana Flambe
Creme Sabayon
Some melted sugar pieces (for decoration)

As you can see I have no pictures of my masterpieces from the kitchen coz my seeetooopid camera is frozen solid!!! And my wonderful brother laughs his heart out saying I shouldn't have bought a cheapo camera that doesn't work in cold conditions ... and he had the cheek to say it when it was his recommendation that I buy it!!! Of all the nerve!

Anyhow my friends, rest assured we managed to do all of today's items without causing any casualties especially when we did the flambe... I have all my eyebrows and eyelashes in tact the last time I looked in the mirror...

The end result = the quiche was excellent, the crepes with the banana flambe filling and creme sabayon sauce was gooooooooood!

For those that wanna know what these items look like, please go Google it and you'll know. My apologies to all that are drooling for I have no pictures to show you.. therefore you will just have to imagine what it's like...

Mmmmm.......

Freezing in Melbourne!!!

Dear Friends and Readers (if there are any left)...

Yep, this bowl of hot 'curry' flavoured instant noodle has finally arrived and settled down in the land of roos and koalas...

Though the curry flavour is suppose to be hot and spicy, the cold and wet winter weather here in Melbourne has killed that flame... Me fingers, toes and everything else is like ice everytime I walk out!!! Not to mention I couldn't take much photos with me digital camera... darn stooopid thing doesn't work with COLD batteries! AIYOHHHHHH......

Of course smart thinking me thought that with the abundance layers of celulite I had on my body was enough to sustain the cold... I thought wrong! Think I have like 3 layers under my coat not including the lingerie ok... but I will only have to endure this for another month or so thank God! Then comes summer to where I'm sure one of my posts would also complain regarding the heat which could reach until 40....

One can never be too satisfied isn't it....

Dear Diary....

Dear Diary...

The long and excruciating wait has finally paid off... DIMA approved my student visa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally I can move another step up the ladder and go ahead with the next course of action to achieve my dreams... I guess things are slowly falling into place.

My next stop, the Employees Provident Fund office in PJ...

With Deepest Condolences...

MR. GAN BOON PENG

6th April 1944 - 19th May 2008

Missed Dearly by Family Members & Friends

-----------------------

This column is dedicated to a dear and wonderful friend of mine, Uncle BP Gan (whom I so fondly addressed as so) who just recently passed away from a heart attack whilst in China enjoying what he loves the most - touring.

The news of his passing came as a shocker to me when I received an sms from another close friend Nancy last Sunday. His youngest daughter had to arrange for her dad's body to be flown back here to Malaysia for his final rites and farewells.

His wake was held for the past two days at Nirvana and was just cremated this morning at PJCC, with his friends and family accompanying him on his last leg of his journey...

I said my good-byes to him last night when I went to pay my last respects... It was just like only yesterday when a whole bus load of people went up to Haadyai; Uncle Gan and all. He was the life of the crowd entertaining us with his jokes and karaoke renditions of Elvis's Wooden Heart, Cliff Richard's Bachelor Boy and Bertie Higgins's Casablanca. He didn't have a care in the world to what people thought of his off key singing and his wise cracks. All he knew is that he was having fun and his audience was entertained.

"Kai Lui" (god-daughter) as I was called by him and introduced jokingly to his friends was the time where I had just gotten to know him in dance class as well as socially. He would wear loose slip on shoes and sometimes end up loosing then during dancing. All of us would break down and laugh till our sides and cheeks ached. There even was a time when he did a flick and his shoe flew! Nancy and I decided to have a round of soccer passing the shoe around as he put up a chase!!

There are so many wonderful memories I had with Uncle Gan I will never forget...From Cameron Highlands and strip poker to the weekly supply of bananas, papayas and other fruits one could think of. Uncle Gan always had a steady supply of food in his trusty shopping bag and jokes up his sleeve for his friends all the time.

The 573 pictures in his album that were shown via slides, was compiled by his youngest daughter flashed across the screen during his wake showed how well travelled Uncle Gan had been. From the Middle East to Asia to Europe, Uncle Gan had been to so many places with all his friends who had accompanied him on his tours. There wasn't a picture that didn't show him in a funny pose enjoying himself... even in the pictures of his youngest daughter's wedding.

I really wish that Uncle Gan would have been able to spend more time here with us.. as like what Nancy said, "Why did you have to leave so early? You could have stayed and had many more wonderful times together".

Rest assured Uncle Gan is now in a better place making other people happy with his wonderful and unique character. I will miss you loads for sure, but I know someday, sometime, somehow, somewhere we will definately meet up and I can be your "kai lui" again....

Dear Diary....

Dear Diary...

Time and tide waits for no man or woman...

Thinking about things and whether they would be smooth sailing is a real headache. You think that all would be well as you're finally getting what you've always wanted but then a major gliche in the flow happens...

When you want something done, at the right pace that is without having to rush at the last minute is always the best choice... unfortunately this doesn't always happen.

Usually it's things that you least expect to cause you difficulties that spring up from nowhere...

All I hope and pray is that all goes well...

Dear Diary....

Dear Diary...

Been away for the last 3 days... Dr made me do more tests to see if my eyes and kidneys have been somewhat damaged...

Yes my friends, confirmed a diabetic...

Had already known it would come but never expected it so soon... it runs in the family... dad's genes am afraid...

Dr says am all clear at the moment... will need to look into balancing my diet - medication - exercise regime starting now....

Meeting with another Dr friend on the coming Monday to get her advise on the matter...

Am happy to have a great group of friends who I know will be there to support me in my difficult times... you know who you are... love you guys...

Dear Diary

Dear Diary,

Our lovely Maggie will b on a blog break for the next few days bcos she's now not feeling very well rite now...

She'll b back 2 bring us all further joy n love when she comes back with "full battery charged" haha

Dear Diary....

Hugs

There's something in a simple hug

That always warms the heart;

It welcomes us back home

And makes it easier to part.

A hug is a way to share the joy

And sad times we go through,

Or just a way for friends to say

They like you 'cause you're you.

Hugs are meant for anyone

For whom we really care,

From your grandma to your neighbour,

Or a cuddly teddy bear.

A hug is an amazing thing -

It;s just the perfect way

To show the love we're feeling

But can't find the words to say.

It;s funny how a little hug

Makes everyone feel good;

In every place and language,

It's always understood.

And hugs don't need new equipment

Special batteries or parts -

Just open up your arms

And open up your hearts.

-Jill Wolf-