Cooking With Nadiah

These last few weeks I've been so busy running around that I hardly had time to blog. It didn't help that Nadiah has also been busy wanting to cook every time she goes down to the kitchen.

One day, while driving back from school, she wanted some bananas. So hubby and I stopped by this fruit stall and got some for her. When we got home, without taking off her shoes and uniform, she grabbed the small frying pan; the one we always use to cook eggs sunny side up, and started slicing bananas into the pan. Then she gave the pan to me and said "Cook!"

And I did. I scooped a little bit of butter and added to the pan and cooked, just like she wanted it. I don't know where she gets the idea, that she HAS to cook bananas as soon as she comes home from school. They probably did some experiment or something in school. I have to ask her teacher.

I managed to snapped some pictures...



She really loved those fried bananas!!!

Two days later, she wanted to make pizza. Earlier, she insisted that I buy a pizza pan while we were out shopping. Actually she had wanted that pan for a little while now. It's just that I've been ignoring her request. Well, we've got lots of cookie sheets that work just fine for baking pizza that I just don't see the point of getting a pizza pan just for that. But that day, Baba was pushing the trolley and I had stopped at another section and Nadiah managed to wheedle Baba into buying a pizza pan. Hahaa.... SUCKERRRR!!!!

Anyway, back at home Nadiah again conned Baba into making pizza dough. But the thing is, she doesn't have any patience. As soon as Baba mixed water with flour, she decided to take over. She started kneading and had the dough sticking to her hands and arm and face. Somehow she managed to roll the dough with her rolling pin but it was nowhere near a circle. Basically her pizza dough is just flour and water. Then she got her pizza sauce out and started spreading on the pizza base and sprinkled with slices of cheese (we ran out of grated ones, so sliced did just fine). And lastly, into the oven her misshapen pizza went!!

I have pictures of course...

See that brand new pizza pan? I insisted on the waxed paper so the cleaning part would not be horrendous.

A close up before going into the oven.....


Nadiah seems to love her pizza and ate it with gusto.... after I managed to scrape some pieces from the paper, that is.

So that's bananas and pizza. She's done a lot more. Next I'll post pictures of her baking muffins and making spaghetti... if I remember to snap some pictures though...

The Time Traveler's Wife

Nadiah is not feeling well today. I took her swimming yesterday morning and now she's down with runny nose and a slight fever. That means no school for tomorrow.

While she was taking a nap today, I decided to stop all work i.e. beading and scrapping, and just enjoy a movie. I have been so busy the last couple of weeks that I hardly had any time to sit down and enjoy the telly. I just got some DVDs recently and one of them was The Time Traveler's Wife. Saw the preview some months ago and thought that it would be a good one.

And IT WAS!!! Oh wow.. it's such a sweet story but also so sad. This guy, Henry (Eric Bana), has a genetic anomaly that makes him able to time travel in a blink of an eye since he was 6 years old. The thing is, he can't control when or where he travels. One day he meets a girl, Clare (Rachael McAdams), and she seems to know all about him and has been in love with him since she was a child. Apparently, when Henry is in his 40s, he time travels to the past and popped in the meadow at the back of Clare's family estate when she was just a little girl. Over the years, he keeps coming back to the same place and she would be waiting for him and as the years go by, fell in love with him. In the present time, Henry and Clare got married and it was a lot more difficult for Clare to handle being married to a guy who keeps disappearing all the time. And when she gets pregnant, she always end up with a miscarriage because the fetus would 'disappear'. It's so sad. I bawled like a baby when Henry finds out that he will die soon and when he meets his daughter.

After almost a day, the story is still playing in my mind and I can't help mentally sighing over the love Clare and Henry feels for each other through time...

If you haven't seen it, go out and get the DVD. You won't regret it!!

Autism Awareness

Last Wednesday, I took Nadiah to KFC near our house after fetching her from NASOM. She loves going out for a bite especially to places where we have to order at the counter and get the food ourselves i.e. KFC, McDonald's. Don't even think of Pizza Hut's salad bar coz she would just scoop up just about everything just for the fun of it.

Anyway, we had finished our meal and I was getting up and telling Nadiah to go wash her hands, when a guy sat at the table next to ours with his tray of burger, a drink and Cheesy Wedges. And while she passed the table, Nadiah just casually dipped her finger in the melted cheese and licked away. I was horrified and embarrassed and started apologizing to the guy. But he was cool about it and said that it was okay. Then he asked me if she was autistic. I was really surprised but told him yes, she was. The guy said that it's totally okay because he understands very well about autism. So I asked him if he's had experienced with autistic kids and apparently he did a research on autism and that's why he understood.

The thing is, I've never met anyone in the general public who's not a parent of an autie, or someone who works in a place that deals with auties, and understands kids like Nadiah. Especially in situations like this when she disregards common courtesy and just barged her way in. See, an autie has no telling features that you take one look and know that the kid is special. So when you tell people that she is autistic and a special child , they'll take one look and starts doubting you. And especially around here, autism awareness in sadly lacking in the general public. Not a lot of people know what autism is or has even heard of it.

Incidentally, NASOM Alor Setar will be having a charity event on the 8th of May where we'll be selling tickets of RM20 each and with the ticket, you can come to the even and eat all you want. There will be lots of food and we'll be taking the opportunity to spread public awareness about autism. If you're interested in buying tickets and making donations, do let me know. The event will be taking place at WNS Homestay, from 11.30am - 4.00pm.

Then on the 21-22 May, NASOM Alor Setar will be taking part in another charity event which will be hosted by the Yayasan Sultanah Bahiyah. We'll have an information booth where people can come and ask, read and listen about autism. At the same time, we are planning on selling handmade greeting cards to raise some money. The cards will be made by some of the students, including Nadiah (oh boy, she'll have so much fun making all that mess with sticky glue), and teachers and parents.. well the latter would be me. I've asked for some immediate help for some card making stash from my scrapper friends and am so grateful for their support. Some have already started sending the stickers, flowers and embellishments to be used by the kids and some are even making cards so we can sell them straight away. I'm so lucky in my friends!!

So if you would like to help out in whatever way, do let me know. I hope in the near future more people will be made aware of what autism is and how they can help in giving these children a better life.

How To Plant A Banana Tree

Well... my very brilliant daughter does it this way. First, get a banana fruit and peel it. Then, get a butter knife and using the blunt edge, cut it into chunks. Then get a paper towel, fold it nicely and shove it down a drinking glass. Then, just drop in a few of the banana chunks, and fill it in with water.

TA-DA!!!!

Hahaa... does that sound familiar? Remember that green bean planting experiment we used to do in science classes. I guess N thinks that banana trees work the same way too. We only had to wait a few days for a green shoot to emerge from the paper towel, but N's banana tree would take forever!!

Here's were N got her idea

Ok, on another note, I received a Beautiful Blog Award from my friend, Ica. Thanks, Ica. Didn't know that I was one of your inspirations to start blogging. Feeling so honoured here :D

Now I gotta write 7 random facts about myself. I've actually posted some 16 random facts about myself already some years ago. So now I've got to squeeze my brains out for 7 more that you don't know about. Thanks, Ica *as sarcasticly as possible*.

Ok here goes:

1 - Sometimes I would go to Nadiah's school really, really early and wait under some shade just so I'll have some peace and quiet to read a book.

2 - When I was 14 my family and I went to Italy and we got stuck at the airport for 8 hrs. But boredom soon turned to excitement when the band Duran Duran was also there and I got to meet Simon Le Bon.



3 - When I was doing my A-Levels in the UK, me and my friend, Iza, lied to the house mistress saying that we had to go down to London to see the students' representative on some scholarship business. But in actual fact, we went down to watch David Copperfield Live Magic show ;D

4 - I've gone to an all girl school all my life, except in kindergarten and university.

5 - The first time I found a grey hair on my head was on my wedding day and I completely freaked out.

6 - I hate cooking main dish but love making desserts. I love eating them desserts too!!

7 - I'm a simple girl at heart when it comes to ice-cream. Most times when we go to Baskin Robbins, I would ask to try all sorts of flavour, but in the end I always get myself plain old vanilla or strawberry.

Well.. there you go... I managed to come out with 7 after all. But I'm not tagging anyone. Sorry...