Sunday, August 28, 2011

Friday, August 26, 2011

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

It is the time of the year again to wish you all “SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI” DENGAN INGATAN TULUS IKLAS MAAF ZAHIR BATIN. In addition, we would like to wish you continued good health, joy and happiness. If you have to travel, do drive safely. If you have to eat, do eat safely and in moderation and, and please continue to be good ….like us.
On the matter of healthy eating, let us share with you a very special cake recipe…..which is sugarless, eggless, milkless, butterless, fatless, etc. You would think that the cake will taste weird without the usual ingredients …..but the cake is really exquisite in taste. No kidding you, just ask Hau Kiang and Merlyn. Both have tasted the cake several times and Hau Kiang has made it several times (he has also added brandy to make it more exquisite). Give it a try instead of the usual cake biasa….you will be surprised.

The recipe is extracted from a book called “Cooking the Whole Foods Way” by Christina Pirello, a leukemia patient and modified (by my boss).


Here is the recipe…..18 CARAT GOLD CARROT CAKE

Ingredients A
Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes:-

1 ¼ cups water

1 ¼ cups chopped dates, seeds removed

1 cup raisins

1 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon grated ginger

A pinch of powdered cloves (optional)

A pinch of powdered nutmeg (optional)

Ingredients B

½ cup grated carrots

Ingredients C

½ cup nuts (cashews or walnuts or almonds roughly chopped)

1/3 cup pureed frozen bananas

Ingredients D

Sift together, or whisk with an egg beater:-

2 cups wholemeal wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sodium bicarbonate

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Method

1. Add Ingredient B to Ingredient A. Let mixture cool down to room temperature.

2. Stir in Ingredient C

3. Add Ingredient D. Stir to mix the ingredients but not for too long. The mixture will be quite stiff, not of a dropping consistency like a normal cake mixture.

4. Bake in a 9” diameter cake pan in a medium hot oven for 45 mins to 1 hour.


Picture shows cakes in loaf pans - boleh juga!!




SALAM TO ALL,

SEK YEE AND PUAN KHADIJAH

Monday, August 15, 2011

August Month for Anniversaries!

As I was sifting through the photographs of Dato' Seri Selvamany for his biography project, I came across his very cute wedding photo dated 20th Aug 1953. So come this 20th Aug, DSS and his beloved Datin Poovayee will be celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary (wow, long way more for us ).

 I am sure the whole group of 1966/67 Arts would join us to extend to this loving couple all good wishes for good health,joy and happiness. To Dato' Seri Selvamany, you are "more than a teacher." We wish you many,many more happy anniversaries!

I also discovered that our Datuk Merlyn Kasimir and Assunta will be celebrating their wedding anniversary on Friday 19th August ( I forgot to ask Merlyn how many years already....must be 30++). To Merlyn and Assunta, may we wish you both continued good health, joy and happiness.


Coincidentally, Tan Sri Nuraizah, the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Selvamany Biography project (me,HK and MK are in the committee), will also be celebrating her wedding anniversary as well on Friday 19th August ( I dare not ask Tan Sri how many years already....must be 40++). Our best wishes to you too, Tan Sri and your towering supporter
Andersonian of 62/63
 Salam,
Sek Yee

(Note: Do look out for the Book Launch of "Selvamany........More Than A Teacher" and you will find the wedding photo of August 20, 1953 in it!)

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Remembering SHAFIQ…

Remembering SHAFIQ…

If you have been following our blogspot postings regularly, you would be aware that we had spent a lot of time, effort and money to help this boy after we came to know him in April 2010. You would probably have wondered what was so special about him that attracted us to shower so much attention on him.







Yes, Mohd Shafiq was special in many ways – he was the type of kid that everyone would like to have as a son. He was intelligent, jovial, cheeky and naughty at the same time, friendly, spontaneous, disciplined, and most of all, very caring. The more you got to know him, the more you liked him. I am sure Hau Kiang, Merlyn, Sarkawi and Hatiah would agree.


Let us share with you a few points about Shafiq that will certainly touch your heart:

a) Whenever he is given food, he would always make sure that his grandma gets served first. On Sunday, 31st July when we were busy dishing out spaghetti, he asked “Tok dah ada?”

b) About two months ago, he told Kat that he had dreamt about a black snake biting his right leg. Kat told him that the black snake was extracting toxins from his body. He was not convinced, of course, but he told Kat not to mention the dream to his mother. He said his mother is worried enough already.

c) In November 2010,Shafiq and family dropped by to Subang Jaya for a visit. He had just been discharged from HKL after a chemo session following amputation of his left leg. That was the first time we saw him without one leg. Kat asked him “Are you OK, Shafiq?“ He cheekily replied “Yes, I am OKU”. Kat promptly choked to stop herself from bursting into tears. She remembers thinking that she will always be reminded of Shafiq’s reply whenever she asks someone that question.

d) In the earlier days when he was still mobile, Kat asked him to describe the pain. He said he can “tahan” it most of the time but he would cry out when the pain came suddenly and took him by surprise. Even then he seldom cried. He said if he cried his mother would worry more.

e) The first time we visited him in Serendah was in February 2011. He was already using morphine patches to control the pain and he could no longer move around on his own. So he always had to call for help whenever he needed something. That day he was teasing his sister, Husna, calling her “Kerajaan”. He said “Pak Lah kata pihakkerajaanmestimembantu orang yang susah – saya orang susah, Kakakmesti bantu saya”. Then he glibly added that his kampong is in Kepala Batas, where PahLah comes from.

f) Later on when the pain level was too high, the doctors in HKL prescribed liquid morphine on top of the morphine patches. Apparently he was the one who determined how many patches to wear and how much morphine to consume and he always reminded his mother when the next dose was due. On Sunday (31st July) when we were gathered in his hospital room to celebrate his birthday, we heard him ask his mother to remind the nurses that it was almost time to replace his morphine patches.

g) On the day when he was taken to HKL (17thJuly 11) after a tumour on his right thigh had burst, he gave RM50 to his sister. “Iniduitbelanjasekolah. Kot2 Maklupanakbaginanti” he said. According to his mother he kept all the cash that he received from well-wishers – he stashed them away under the pillow, or mattress, for safe-keeping. He would then ration the money for whatever necessities that his mother had to buy.



These are some of the stories that will surely move your heart and it came from someone who was bed-ridden and had been fighting for his life for the past one year. Despite the pain and discomfort, Shafiq will always greet us or bid us farewell with a smile.

We have lost a very good boy. May Allah bless his soul.



Salam,

Sek Yee and Kat

Monday, August 1, 2011

Have A BIG Prayer for Shafiq & A Meaningful Ramadhan

On the eve of Ramadhan, our young Shafiq celebrated his 11th birthday with some 'Angels' including their lead singer and their many believers at the KK3 ward of the KL General Hospital! What a day to say the least! More from our boss on this happening later!

Also, have a meaningful Ramadhan and stay healthy as always! And for those who want to enjoy sugarless, eggless and yet 'tasteful' cakes, do watch this space for 'secret recipe' from our Boss!