Do It Yourself Lah

Recommended Dental Clinic in Shah Alam

2012-01-04T13:01:00.000+08:00

I have the biggest fear of going to the dental clinic since I was young. Not to mention that there was a time a dentist back at my hometown who drilled and filled the wrong tooth of mine! I guess he must be blind. Instead of filling the broken tooth, he drilled another tooth which was in perfect condition. What a crazy man.

The last time I filled my tooth was about 2 years back at Joon Dental Clinic which is located at Subang Jaya. The filling is still good and lasting. I did filling and scaling back then although I didn't request for scaling. Scaling was really painful just to let you know if you haven't done it before. The fees came to RM130 in total. Although it was not a bad experience considering that the filling was not painful and it was done really quick but I wish to look for a better clinic if I can.

Couple of months back one of the old filling from another tooth came out and few weeks back part of the tooth chipped. No matter how scared I am I know I must get my tooth fix before it's too late. Surprisingly all the good dental clinics that I found online were all fully booked until new year.

I was trying my luck by walking in to one of the clinic at my neighbourhood. The clinic is Ooi & Khor Dental Surgery at Kota Kemuning Shah Alam. I've read a few good reviews about this clinic and since it is just nearby why not give it a try.

The clinic is located at first floor, somewhere on top of Maybank. I knew the clinic was fully booked but what I didn't know is that there were four dentists on duty and one of them is for walk-in patients. How great is that. Just beside the reception, there is a list of dentists who are attached to the clinic. I think there are about 10 of them? No wonder the clinic opened until 10pm, even on public holidays.

I waited for an hour before my turn. It's a long wait but I wasn't complaining because they were so many other patients waiting. After lunch hour, more patients ushering in to the clinic. There is a big and comfortable waiting area with plenty of sofas and a tv so no worries. You can even take a nap if you want to.

The doctor who treated me is Dr. Chee, a very young looking dentist. First he checked on my tooth, then he explained to me what he is going to do to fix it. Since only a part of the filling came off and part of it still on the tooth, he will remove all the filling, clean the tooth and fill it. When I heard the word 'remove the old filling' my legs already starts to shake. I think he can sense my fear so he quickly explained that it's not painful but maybe I will feel slightly uncomfortable. So he will inject some anesthetic first so that I won't feel anything :P

After that he on some soft music and the nurse put a towel covering my lower body. Awww.... how nice is that. When he was about to inject me, he kept saying "Sorry ah, sorry ah.." I was like "Huh? Why is he apologizing to me?" lol. I think he scared that it might hurt a little but actually I didn't feel anything at all!! I was expecting a little bit of pain since he will inject to the gums but surprisingly not.

After the anesthetic starts to take effect, he started to remove the filling and after that I only heard the machine and utensils sounds, not sure what is going on. About 15-20 mins later he said he already filled the tooth. I thought it was finish but it's not! Follow up was many many times of chewing and adjusting the surface and shape of the filling so that I don't feel uncomfortable and awkward chewing with the tooth next time. He was so patient all the time. Once everything was done, I check my tooth in the mirror and cannot help to use my tongue to touch it. It felt nothing like a filling!! The side of the filling looks and feel almost like a my original tooth!! Dr. Chee said that I might feel not used to it for a few days but it will be okay. If I still feel uncomfortable with the filling, maybe it's too thick or something.. can always go back and see him. He will adjust it for me. Seriously, I've never seen such an excellent dentist like him before. The bill came to RM70 plus a free toothpaste for my sensitive teeth.

I highly recommend this clinic to everyone. Especially for working people because this clinic opens until 10pm everyday (except Sunday) and public holidays. Please call for appointment and check their working hours again ya.

Ooi & Khor Dental Surgery

7A, 1st Floor,

Jalan Anggerik Vanilla N31/N,

Kota Kemuning,

40460 Shah Alam.

Tel & Fax: 03-5122 4331

Cream Cheese Tartlets

2011-12-27T12:40:00.000+08:00

Quick and easy dessert. It goes really well with all types of fillings; cream cheese, custard, blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream and all sorts of fruits topping. The combinations are endless :)

Easy as a pie Mince Pies

2011-12-19T11:22:00.000+08:00

I am all into Christmas this week and really inspired by Jamie Oliver Mince Pies. After watching the video, I realized it is so easy to make and I decided not to follow the measurements from the website. Basically I just used whatever I have. Again, I only made four of these because I try to avoid any leftover. This mince pies recipe is very flexible, you can use any fruits and nuts that you preferred. Most importantly, it taste beautiful!

Adapted from Jamie Oliver Mince Pies.

Yield for 4 pieces

Ingredients:

2 tbsp good quality mincemeat
2 pieces of Puff pastry (I used Kawan frozen puff pastry)
1 piece of Filo pastry
Hazelnut, chopped
Almond slice
Dried cranberries
Melted butter

Methods:

Dust working area with flour, roll out puff pastry to slightly bigger square.
Put some mincemeat on top, leave some space at the sides.
Sprinkle dried cranberries and chopped hazelnut on top, if you have clementine or orange can add some zest as well.
Roll it like a swiss roll. Cut into half. Repeat the same for the other piece of puff pastry.
Take a piece of filo pastry, brush melted butter on top. Fold it into half, the side with butter face outside and put it on baking tray covering 4 holes. I used 24 holes baking tray. Gently push the filo pastry into the hole, do not tear it.
Fill the 4 holes with the rolled puff pastry. Brush the top with butter, sprinkle with almond slice and dust with icing sugar.
Bake in pre-heated oven at 170-180C for 20-25 minutes. Check the filo pastry from time to time because they burn faster.

Sweetened Chicken Wings

2011-12-19T10:39:00.000+08:00

This is the only chicken dish that I successfully made all these years. So delicious, extremely easy and quick! I called this a no-failed chicken dish. Everyone can make a decent chicken dish from now on!

Recipe adapted from Pork Tocino

Ingredients:

Chicken Wings
250ml pineapple juice
125ml cola drinks (Coke or Pepsi)
125ml ketchup
200g brown sugar
1 cup light soy sauce
1 tbsp grated garlic (2 cloves)
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

Methods:

Marinate chicken wings with all the ingredients at least 1 day.
Heat some oil, brown chicken wings then add 1 cup of marinate. Stir occasionally until the sauce thicken and coated the chicken.

Notes:

May substitute with any parts of chicken that you like or pork.

Cheese Pot Macaroni with Ramly Burger

2011-12-19T10:23:00.000+08:00

If you are one of those who likes to eat all the delicious but not-diet friendly food, this could be a good option. I purposely made this into very very small portion for two reasons. First, we are not a big eater and we always have leftover. Second, although I want to satisfy my cravings I still want to make sure I eat moderately. This is a very simple and quick dish, basically without any recipe. I couldn't find any minced beef so I opt for Ramly Burger. Thanks to hubby for this brilliant idea :)

Yield for 4 small ramekins.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup elbow macaroni
2 pieces of Ramly Burger (defrost) or you can substitute with minced beef
1 tbsp chopped onion
1/2 tomato, chopped into small cubes
5-6 pieces of can mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper
2 cups pasta sauce
Cream (optional)
Shredded mozzarella cheese

Methods:

Minced defrosted Ramly Burger. This is a good substitute for minced beef or chicken if you don't have any at home.
Cook elbow macaroni as per packaged instruction.
Stir fry minced Ramly Burger until almost cooked, add in chopped onion, tomatoes and mushroom, cook until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat up pasta sauce, may add in some tomatoes and cream to give a better taste.
Get ready four small ramekins. Fill each ramekin with macaroni, then pour in pasta sauce. Top with the the rest of the ingredients. Pour a bit more sauce on top. Cover the top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese if you want it to be more flavourful.
Bake at 170-180C until the cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Note:

Alternatively, you may mix the macaroni and the fillings together before fill them into the ramekins.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2011-12-17T23:25:00.000+08:00

Ingredients:

12oz cranberries
1/2 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup and find it too sweet. Start with 1/2cup and add more if it's not sweet enough)
1 cup orange juice

Method

Melt sugar in orange juice. Add in cranberries and cook until the cranberries start popping. Stir occasionally and taste the sauce.

How to store bird's eye chili (cili padi)

2011-12-17T11:40:00.000+08:00

I used to have problem storing my bird's eye chili (cili padi) and keeping it fresh. Before I could finish using it, they will be all rotten or shrunken. The tips which I've learned from my mom is to keep the cili paid in the freezer instead of refrigerating it. Put your cili paid in a tupperware, throw it into the freezer. It can last for a very very long time :)

Acne Rant

2011-12-17T10:05:00.003+08:00

Watching this video really brings back all the memories during my 'dark' period. Please watch this if you too are suffering from acne.

Perhaps I had blogged about my acne problems before, I don't know and didn't bother to check back my old entries as well. After watching the video above by Cassandran Bankson, I started to check out all her other videos about her acne updates. In one of her video, she talked about how frustrated she is about her acne and how her families and others always say that they understand her feelings, but actually they don't! I can totally relate to that and all of a sudden I feel like pouring my thoughts out.

My acne started when I was 11 years old. Initially I planned to talk about how great and perfect my life was before that but let's cut the story short. My classmate once told me, "It's okay your skin will heal one day and you will be all pretty again". Who would have thought that 'one day' actually took more than 15 years. And my skin is not even close to flawless now, but the good thing is the acne has stopped. Thank God.

I forgot how the acne started but as long as I remember, pimples started to pop up like crazy on my face. It wasn't even pimples, I think it is called cystic acne. Normal pimples are smaller in size and once it is matured, there is a whitish/ yellowish thing inside which some people will press it out or it will burst by itself. But cystic acne is like big bumps which you can't press or do anything! I used to get those huge ones with purplish/ blackish blood inside. I know it sounds gross but yeah that's what I used to have all over my face.

Being at the young age, I have no clue of how to treat my skin. Even my parents were as clueless as me. We lived in a small town with limited facilities and financially we couldn't afford to seek treatment. Internet was not even available at my home back then. So what my parents could do is ask me to wash my face regularly, follow whichever traditional methods which they 'think' might be helpful and control my diet.

As if having acne is not frustrating enough, parents and relatives just can't stop giving comments, complaining and sighing at my face. Not forgetting their friends too. Wherever I go, there will be someone commenting or giving me weird looks. Is it my fault that I have acne? Well they used to said that I got acne because I never take care of my skin that's why. How ridiculous is that? Until a point of time, I started to look down whenever I walk so that nobody will see my face and I try to avoid mirrors, face to face contacts etc. Basically I had turned into a pessimistic person with super super low self esteem and zero confidence.

That's how I spent my teenage years, dealing with peoples' comments and opinions and living in a world where nobody can understand.

I strongly agree with Cassandra that whoever claims that they understand how do we feel, they actually don't. How can they possibly understand it if they have never been through it before? I couldn't even describe how miserable it is.

Grandma used to ask me to follow her skincare routine which basically apply her trusty Hazeline Snow on the face to sorta cool down the face and stop the acne. Of course that's not what Hazeline Snow does lar but back then I just followed since I know nuts about skincare. And it doesn't work. Then mom asked me to follow her routine and use 'bedak sejuk' to dry up the acne. It is powder but made into little 'chocolate chips' shape. Mix some water with it and apply to the face. After few minutes it will dry up and you will look like ju-on :x The powder is very drying but at the same time it dries up the skin. So basically these are not the correct methods to treat acne. I started to use Neutrogena Cleanser since secondary and after a couple of years, I think my acne had stopped. I don't think is the cleanser though but I just got older and no longer 'ching chun' LOL. Please if you can afford, find a dermatologist and don't simply try things. Otherwise, do a lot of research before you try a product.

In the beginning of this year, I started to get many bumps again on my face; cheeks, chin, forehead. They just kept coming one after another. I couldn't figure out why so I went to a friend who is a beauty consultant to let her fix my skin. But let me tell you that beauty facials are only works for people who has no skin problems and wanted to keep their skin clean and healthy. If you have acne, first you have to treat it and make sure your skin is stable before you go to any beauty centre. What they generally do is clean and massage the face. If there is a pimple or acne, they will prick it and it hurts like hell. Then it will leave a big holes on your face.

Honestly I have no confidence with beauticians. Until a fine day I went to Sephora to get some mineral make ups for my face. Then there was this SA who recommended me Mario Badescu products to treat my acne. He also explained to me what could possibly caused the breakout. When he tried to remove my make up, he said that my foundation is very stubborn and super hard to remove. That could be the reason why I was breaking out like mad. Dirty face, clog pores, breakout.. it all make sense to me. Immediately I stopped using the foundation and I make sure my face is properly clean after I applied make up. Voila, my breakout stopped and my skin is kinda settled down.

Such a long rambling post so I will talk about my personal experience with Mario Badescu products in other post. If you are also having acne problems, please please do not simply listen to others and try on any products. Each products work differently for different people. So better understand your own skin and condition before putting something on the face. Good luck!

Apple Pie

2011-12-17T10:04:00.005+08:00

Nothing is better than a piece of hot piping apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on rainy days! It's probably one of the easiest dessert to make. I got this awesome pie crust recipe from my mother in law which she got it from one of the Jamie Oliver's show. I love how flaky and buttery the crust is unlike some recipes which used shortening instead of butter, the crust turns out pretty plain. I've tried comparing both side by side. The smells of the buttery dough win hands down. Another reason why I love making apple pie is I don't have to wait for the butter to soften. Quick and comfort dessert ;)

Apple Pie Crust

400gm all purpose flour

225gm cold butter

2 tbsp icing sugar

A pinch of salt

1-2 eggs

Cold water (optional which I've never used)

Cut cold butter into smaller cubes.
Combine flour, sugar and salt together. Rub in butter into flour mixture until the mixture become coarse and crumbly. If you have the curvy cutter you can always use it. Otherwise, like what I always do just use fingers to rub in. I like to feel the butter and flour texture, so soft :) Do it quick though you don't want the butter to melt.
Add in beaten egg(s) slowly until dough forms a ball. If dough still crumbly, add a little bit more eggs. If you don't like eggs, can always substitute with cold water.
Separate dough into two balls and wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Apple Pie Filling

6 cups Granny Smith apples (you can do less or more, depending on the pie size)

1 cup granulated sugar (reduce accordingly to amount of apples used)

1 cup brown sugar (reduce accordingly to amount of apples used)

1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp all purpose flour

Cut apples into thin slices. Add lemon juice and toss well.
Mix all other ingredients together.

Assemble

Additional butter

1 egg

Open cling wrap and put another piece of cling wrap on top of dough. Roll dough until desire thickness. The dough might be too soft to work with but as long as you use cling wrap, there shouldn't be any problem to roll it. I don't like to flour my working space and the dough so I use cling wrap. It's easier to move the dough to the pan as well.
Transfer dough to the pan and prick the bottom with fork. I use loose based pan so that it is easier to take out once it is baked.
Mix apples with the spices ingredients. Toss well. Reason why I didn't mix the apples with the spices earlier is because the mixture will turn watery.
Cut some butter and put on top of the apple pie filling.
Roll the other dough and cover the pie. Cut a few slits on top to release the steam while it is baking.
Brush with beaten egg.
Temperate for baking varies. I bake it at 180C for about 30 minutes and reduce to 150C for another 30 minutes. Cover the top of the pie with aluminium foil when the top starts to brown. You want to bake it really well to have that melting filling.

Since I have some additional dough left, I turned it into Apple Pie Cookie (inspired by Annie's Eats). I forgot to put water on the dough as what the original recipe called for. The purpose is to stick the bottom and top piece together so that the filling will not leak while baking. Surprisingly, my crust recipe didn't leak at all! I just gently press the ends together and it turns out pretty good. Well, it doesn't taste like cookie of course since I use pie crust but it's still good.

Mini Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting

2011-12-17T10:03:00.001+08:00

My granny is very particular in food, especially desserts in any kinds. That's because she herself is a very good cook, not so much of a baker but she makes amazing nyonya desserts. We all know that the only cake she likes is pandan layered cake so I used to go to an old bakery at SS2 to get her one. That's the only shop that sells really good layered cake and some other traditional sponge cakes. That's when I got addicted to simple vanilla sponge cake with white chocolate. Recently, the shop closed down and I can't seem to find any other traditional bakeries that sell the same kind of cakes anymore. In order to satisfy my cravings (again) I had to bake some my own. Of course this is nothing compared to the one I had before :(

Also, this is my little effort for hubby's belated birthday. He doesn't like sweet stuff so I omitted sugar for the frosting and also reduce the sugar for the cake.

Recipe for vanilla cupcakes is adapted from Cupcake Project. I didn't follow the recipe entirely because I didn't want to spend for vanilla beans without testing the recipe first. Probably it's because of that, the cupcake didn't taste that much of vanilla. The texture is good when it is freshly came out from the oven. Very soft and light. It looks pretty too. I left the cake on the table uncover for the night and the next morning, they are sweating! Obviously it is due to the humidity :( There's a reader suggested to double the butter and omit the oil, try to reduce the liquid, which could be an issue if the weather is humid. I will try to do that next time.

I must say that this recipe is a keeper if use vanilla beans and make some tweaking here and there to avoid sweating. It's very easy and fast to make. The preparation time is only about 20 minutes and baking time around 15-18 minutes.

Frosting is adapted from Diana's Dessert but again, I didn't follow the recipe completely. I omitted the sugar and added unknown amount of milk to get the desired consistency. And I didn't add that much of butter to the frosting. The end result is still pretty good but I will use better quality white chocolate next time to enhance the chocolaty taste.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

2010-01-25T10:11:00.002+08:00

Made this yummy chocolate cupcakes before heading back to hometown. Since it is my birthday (today), it would be great to share some chocolate indulgence with the family. I'm not a big fan of cakes from the bakeries, don't know why. Could be the size I guess. They are normally huge. Cakes are meant for dessert, or to cure the sweet tooth once in a while. Taken too much will definitely spoil the whole enjoyment. I prefer mini cupcakes from my kitchen teehee ;)

This is a very easy to make cupcakes. I've never bake any chocolate cake before since my last fail attempt in baking a choclate chips cake. Recipe originated from Baking Bites but I've substituted milk with evaporated milk. At first I thought of topping the cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Somehow it turned out to be buttercream, but it tastes as good hehe.

Check out the recipe below.

Chocolate Cupcake:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter, very soft
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup evaporated milk

Buttercream Frosting:

6 oz cream cheese
6 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp evaporated milk
1-2 cups icing sugar (depends on consistency)

Method:

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Cream sugar, brown sugar and butter. It will be very dry since not much butter is used.
Add in egg one at a time and continue beating. Add in vanilla essence.
Add half of the flour mixture into wet mixture and mix well.
Pour in evaporated milk and stir well.
Add the other half of flour mixture. Mix till well combined.
Prehead oven at 175 degree celcius.
Fill up cups with ¾ full and bake for 15-18 minutes. Best is to check with a toothpick. It should comes out clean without any batter sticking on it.
Let it cool before putting frosting.
Beat cream cheese and butter. Add in vanilla essence and evaporated milk.
Add in sifted icing sugar a little a time. Add more for a thicker consistency but careful on the sweetness.
Fill up piping bags and decorate cupcakes with the frosting.

Gingerwoman

2009-12-22T11:09:00.002+08:00

How can gingerman celebrate x'mas alone? No way! I've made gingerwoman to celebrate x'mas with him. A sexy gingerwoman indeed hahaha. Merry X'mas everyone!!!

Owl and Cupcake Brooch

2009-11-10T17:02:00.001+08:00

Make this two brooch designs during the weekend. It was my first time crafting with felts. The most difficult part is to stick the felts pieces together. It required fabric glue but I don't have one. Using glue gun is rather difficult in order to keep the work neat and tidy. Anyway I managed to complete it but I have to sacrifice my poor wallet because it was on the table while the glue gun was on. The glue sticked on it and cannot be removed :(

You can get cute brooches at http://www.clothes-on-line.blogspot.com/. Upcoming post will be my super delicious egg tarts and newly learn curry puff and onde-onde. Stay tuned.

DIY Acne Scar Reducing Mask

2009-10-09T10:54:00.002+08:00

This Acne Scar Reducing Mask is courtesy of Bubzbeauty.com. She has a very good step by step video on how to prepare the mask. Check out her youtube channel.

After watching bubby's video and all the good reviews by the viewers, I think of giving this mask a try. All the ingredients are usually available in the kitchen except apple cider vinegar. You can get it at any supermarket. I got mine from Carrefour and it is organic. Do not use other types of vinegar because the they are not the same. You might burn your face if you use the normal types of vinegar :s

Mask Ingredients

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp green tea

1 tsp honey

7 tsp sugar

Method

1. Add in apple cider vinegar, green tea and 5 tsp of sugar in a bowl. Mix well.

2. Add in honey, mix well.

3. Lastly add in the remaining 2 tsp sugar and stir well.

4. Put the mixture in a glass jar and keep it in the fridge.

Note: 1 part of apple cider vinegar, 2 parts of green tea.

The final product came out to be a very thick mixture. After keeping it in the fridge for half an hour, somehow the mixture separated into two layers. The bottom layer has a thicker consistency, while the top layer is more fluid. I am not too sure why is it like that. Probably I didn't add enough green tea and the mixture turned out to be very thick. Make sure the mask is fluid so that you can apply it on your face and massage it on. Otherwise like me, the mask contains too much sugar and ended up massaging sugar onto the face. You should apply the mask on the face, massage it with your fingers for 2-5 minutes and leave it for another 10 minutes. After that rinse it off with water. Before applying the mask make sure your face is clean. Your skin should feel smoother and brighter after the using the mask. Not sure about the brighter part, but it did make the skin smoother. Since this is all natural ingredients, it is safe for the skin.

Besides the mask, you can use the same ingredients to make the Acne Scar Reducing Toner.

Toner Ingredients
1 part apple cider vinegar
2 part green tea

Method
1. Prepare a clean glass jar. Add in 1/3 of apple cider vinegar.
2. Add in 2/3 of green tea. If you may add in a bit of lemon juice (optional).
3. Close the jar and shake well. Keep it in the fridge.

Thanks to Bubby for sharing this natural mask and toner.

Pancake

2009-09-29T12:11:00.003+08:00

Last two weeks we were having a long weekend due to Raya. Of course I wouldn't want to waste the holiday going to shopping malls again. So I tried out this Pancake recipe and made some pancakes for brunch. This is no ordinary pancake although it is plain :/ Complicated huh? The butter, milk and sugar proportions are just nice. Hence the taste is super delicious. I kinda feel it tastes like PHOP pancake but the texture needs some improvement though. Could be the plain flour. I substituted cake flour with normal flour because my cake flour was full of mold eww...

Ingredients:
2 eggs
50g sugar
70g plain flour (cake flour is optional)
1/2 tsp baking powder (put a bit more if you are using plain flour)
30g evaporated milk
30g butter (melted)

Methods:
1. Sift flour and baking powder.
2. Use mixer to whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Gently fold in flour, follow by evaporated milk.
4. Lastly fold in melted butter until well combined.
5. Cover and put in the fridge for 1/2 hours.
6. Heat up pan and cook.

Sewing Project: Transform Long Pants to Short Pants

2009-09-18T12:13:00.002+08:00

This light blue long pants is given by the boyfriend's mother. As you can see from the picture above, the pants has a narrow bottom which looks like skinny pants. The waist fits me fine but it doesn't look good on me with its length since it is tailor-made for a different size.

I cut the pants until above the knee and left about 2 inches length extra for seaming. Well obviously it is too much, but for a beginner it is always safer to have extra space for try and error.

Closer look of the cut pants with pins attached to one leg. I called it leg because that's how I call it haha.

Close up of the pins on the pants. I measured 1cm from the bottom and draw a line around the leg. Unless you have a steady hand otherwise it is very useful to have a line as guideline while sewing.

The illustration above shows how I sew the bottom. I'm not sure the proper way of sewing the bottom but I came out with two ways. Either sew from outside or inside. Outside means without folding the pants to the wrong side and sew below it. Inside means you have to fold the pants to the wrong side and sew. I tried both ways and it worked the same to me haha.

Even with a guideline, my sewing still 'bengkang bengkok' lol. Nevertheless, it looked much better than the first few times. In order to hide the imperfection, I decided to add some cute buttons.

These flower buttons are really cute. Definitely add a lot of cuteness to the pants.

And the final result.......

Tadaaa......

It will look much better after ironing. Check out the cute pockets lining got a bit of wave.

Happy sewing and Selamat Hari Raya!

Durian Cake

2009-09-18T10:29:00.003+08:00

This recipe is courtesy of a friend of mine. Her version of durian cake looks much more appetizing than mine. This recipe is super easy so don't worry if you are just a beginner. I actually finished baking this in one hour. You may skip the filling and topping just like I did. The cake itself taste delicious enough. I plan to use the same recipe but substitute with chocolate chips instead of durian. Just by imagining it already makes me salivating.

Cake (Ingredients)

170 g self raising flour (sift for a fluffier cake)

170 g butter
140 g sugar
115 g mashed durian
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites (beaten)

Cake (Directions)
1.Preheat oven to 180C or 350°F.
2.Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
3.Add in the egg yolks one at a time.
4.Beat well before adding the next yolk.
5.Add durian meat and beat well.
6.Next, add in the beaten egg whites.
7.Last but not least, add in the flour.
8.Put in a 8 x 8 greased pan and bake for an 1 hour. Baking time might be different depending on the oven. I only bake for 30 minutes.

Cake Filling and Topping (Ingredients)
350ml whipping cream
150g durian flesh, pureed
1/2 tsp gelatine, dissolved in 50ml hot water

Cake Filling and Topping (Directions)
1.Whisk whipping cream on medium speed until soft peak.
2.Stir in 150g durian flesh and gelatine, until welll mixed.

Sewing Machine: Where to buy?

2009-09-17T10:05:00.004+08:00

Update: Hey guys! Thanks for dropping by and leaving your sweet comments. This entry was posted quite long ago so I guess there will be some new updates. Will keep you guys posted!

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Are you looking for a sewing machine? If you are located in KL, Malaysia and looking for a sewing machine but has no clue where to get it, this post might be helpful. I was having the same problem finding an affordable sewing machine months ago. After days of searching through the internet, I still couldn't find any useful information. Most of the websites or forums which I came across are not up to date. Hence, the information provided is pretty doubtful.

There are a few common brands available in the market. The most well known of course is Singer, follow by others such as Brother, Toshiba and Global.

Finding a sewing machine which suits you is a big headache. As a beginner I believe everyone is clueless on what are they looking for. The only thing which I can differentiate between the models are the number of patterns. The more patterns or functions a machine has, the higher is the price. Well as for me, since I'm a greenhorn I opt for something simple and basic. Ease to use, basic functionalities, affordable price, not too bulky are my only requirements. I'm currently using Brother LS-2125, which cost me around RM529.

You may want to check out Singer outlets for their range of sewing machines. As far as I know, the cheapest is around RM750 with some basic functions. Good enough for beginners. The price obviously is more expensive compare to other brands since their sewing machines are very promising and could be better in quality. Check out their websites (http://www.singer.com.my/) for the list of outlets. However, do bare in mind that some of the outlets may not be available anymore. So it is always the best to call up. If you are around Subang or Sunway area, check out Singer at Carrefour Subang. They have plenty of models and they even sell second hand machines. If I'm not mistaken a second hand machine is priced at RM800. Singer do provide monthly installment scheme with 0% interest. According to the sales person, they do provide training once you've purchased the sewing machine. You may want to enquire that too.

The next brand is Brother (http://www.brother.com.my/). If you are on a tight budget like I did, you may consider Brother sewing machine. It is available at Carrefour, Midvalley (where I got mine). Based on their website it is available at Carrefour, Subang as well but I couldn't find any after so many visits. They have another outlet at Jaya 33, Petaling Jaya but I'm not too sure of the availability. The last time I called up they said that outlet is their service center. Do check out other Carrefour branches like Wangsa Maju or Ampang. There are two models displayed at Carrefour Midvalley, LS-2125 and BM-2600. The price is around RM500 and RM700 respectively with 1 year warranty from Brother itself. You are allow to extend the warranty to another 2 years by adding RM30 but the 2 years warranty will be under Carrefour. I was so glad to find out that Carrefour is giving out RM10 cash voucher for every RM100 purchase, if you make the payment using CIMB card. So in total I received RM50 cash voucher! At the end the machine only cost me RM500 :)

Besides Brother, Carrefour Midvalley also selling Global (http://www.globalsewing.com/) sewing machine. There is one model being displayed but I couldn't recall the model number. The price is around RM700. It is also available at Tesco. Check out both stores to compare the prices. Some forumers said that Courts Mammoth has Toshiba sewing machine. Another options for people who is looking for installment scheme.

Good luck in finding your sewing machine!