Last day of work for Ross

This morning I woke up, showered and headed out to Ikano for a waxing appointment. I had breakfast at Dome first and wandered around the shops for a bit before going to my appointment. Once that was done, I looked around a little bit more but then decided to head home.

Back at home I had a pretty boring day. I did a few bits and pieces on the computer and tried to start updating my CV but soon lost interest. I rented some movies off iTunes for the plane. I then laid on the bed and read my book until I had finished. It was a great series - all three books were good and I really enjoyed reading them. I had it when you finish a good series or book because you know the next thing you pick up will not live up to your expectations. I plan to read My Sister's Keeper next so then I can watch the movie.

By about 3.30, I was incredible bored so I text Ross to see what he was up to - no response. I sat on the couch and watched crap TV for a couple of hours until he came home. It was so nice to have some company again! We spent the night making portobello burgers, having a glass of red wine and watching Shawshank Redemption on DVD - a great show. It's so nice to have Ross back home.

Since I finished my book this afternoon, I started reading "Malaysia at Random"; a book that was recommended to us by the Millers. Maddie had gotten it as a going away present from one of her friends and it is filled with interesting and unusual facts about Malaysia such as the fine for killing a tiger is 15,000 ringgit and how to artificially inseminate an Asian elephant!

Mondayitis

This morning I made myself get up and go for a walk around KLCC. Ross headed off for Vietnam before I left and then I strapped on my iPod and got out of the apartment. I walked for 45 minutes and did 4 laps before walking home again.

I showered, had some breakfast and then text Sonja to see if she needed any help or company with the packers being there today. I went around and picked up the booze that they couldn't take with them and also scored a couple of bedside lamps and a toaster. Brian came home while I was there so I left them to it.

In the afternoon I didn't do much at all. I tried out some more beading, had a nap, did a couple of things on the list and then cooked myself a sausage and bean casserole using up the sausages in the freezer, a can of baked beans, some kidney beans and some refried beans. I chucked it all in together with some onion and smoked tabasco sauce and cooked it for 30 minutes. It turned out pretty well although it was super filling.

I watched crap TV until I went to bed. I had a stinking headache by the time I got to bed but I managed to fall asleep anyway.

Today's photo is of the rug that we swapped in Singapore for the one that I bought at the rug auction.

Working on "the list"

In preparation for the end of the year and also before we head back to Aus for Xmas, Ross and I have been making a list of all the things we need to do. This morning I did a few things on the list around the house before picking Ross up at 12 for lunch.

We drove over to Pavillion and went to a photo store so that Ross could have his picture taken for his work passes and things. The guy took us in the back room, pulled down a white backdrop and pulled out a dodgy old digital camera and took a photo of Ross, of which most was white background! I asked him if he could take one with a professional camera and with less background. He pulled out one of the display Nikon digital SLRs and snapped off a photo with awful lighting, shadows and still too much background. So we just left. I knew I could do that!

So after our misadventure, we went to Yo Sushi for lunch then bought Ross a hairbrush - also on the list - before I dropped him home.

I went home and did a couple of things before driving over to KLCC to pick up a present for Sonja and Brian. I ended up buying a pewter hand in a gesture signifying protection (hard to explain). But I figured it was Asian, from Malaysian and also pretty meaningful. I also picked up some Christmas cards - not easy to find - and a bit of food shopping before heading home.

At home I got busy organizing Xmas presents. I sorted out Dad's and Ann's as well as the Miller's going away present. I knocked up some gifts for the girls as we were having lunch tomorrow at Delicious and I wanted to give them some of my jewellery.

By this time Ross came home and we tried again to take a photo of him. I set up the tripod, pulled the curtains so it was dark and posed him in front of the white wall. We did quite a few shots (as you can see from the photo) but in the end we had a good one.

For dinner, I had made salmon patties which Ross cooked for us. They were pretty good and also used up more stuff from the pantry. In the evening I did some research into how to take good photos of jewellery. I realised that the best way was to have a light "tent" or box so I will have to get Dad onto this when he comes over in January.

Back in the swing of things

I met Sonja early this morning and we drove out to FRIM. It had been about 5 weeks since I had been out there. We decided not to do the canopy walk as we were both knackered simply from the steep path leading up to the canopy walk! It was still a nice walk and we felt like we had worked out and sweated when we finished.

We drove to the Blue Cow and had Eggs Benedict for breakfast. As you can see from the photo, the table was a little small for us :-)

We drove back home and Sonja came up to the apartment so I could give her some stuff. Daisy and Sheila were there cleaning the place. After Sonja left, I did a few things on the computer and had a shower before walking over to the dentist.

Today marks the finale of my root canal. I had the permanent crown put on the tooth so now I can eat properly again after more than 6 months! I also asked Dr. Su to give my teeth a good clean - they felt so much better. 2700 ringgit later, I walked out with a brand new feeling mouth.

On the walk back I called Ross to see what he was up to and he said he was just going down to get something to eat. I suggested that he walk home with me and we could have last night's left over pasta bake. So we walked back together. Half an hour later, I dropped Ross back at the office.

In the afternoon I did the washing and also did a bit of beading. I tried a new technique using heavy gauge wire and hammering it into coils. I made a bracelet with big turquoise beads and the coils. I think it turned out quite well.

By the time Ross came home, I was just starting dinner. In my quest to use up things in the pantry and the freezer, I decided to make prawn fajitas. They were really nice. After dinner, we did a few things around the house.

Rainy Friday

This morning was supposed to be netball but we didn't have enough players and by the time I woke up it was pouring rain so we wouldn't have played anyway. We did however make plans to meet for breakfast for one last final goodbye to Sam.

I drove out to Plaza Damas early and did a quick bit of grocery shopping before heading to the Blue Cow to meet up with the girls. There were about 8 of us who made it in total. It was a nice morning and Dino, the Kiwi guy who owns the Blue Cow, sent us over two bottles of champagne because he knew Sam was leaving - how nice! Needless to say, breakfast lingered on until lunchtime.

As you can see from the photo, Sam liked her caricature that we had organized. It really is a great gift for someone who is leaving!

After "brunch", we had a walk around the shops as Sam wanted to buy a Korean medicine chest from one of the stores so we all traipsed down to look at the furniture with her. From there we all went our own ways.

It took me about an hour to get home - traffic was nuts! Normally it would take 15 minutes but I forgot it was Friday prayers. Anyway, I finally got home and for some reason I was exhausted. I put my PJs on and got into bed to read my book. Obviously this led to me napping for a couple of hours. I finally woke up about 4.

Ross surprised me by coming home early - about quarter to 5 - and we made chilli con carne for dinner. During dinner we watched Ross' favourite show - Wipeout Australia - and then played a long game of Upwords (which I won) before heading to bed.

A lot of beading

This morning I busied myself with getting the house tidy. Over the past couple of weeks, bits and pieces have been piling up around the place. It took me a few hours to get everything straightened out again. I did some more washing and other bits and pieces before sitting down and having the leftovers of last night's salad for lunch.

After lunch I got busy beading. I finally made the other earring of the designs I had been trying out and I also started making some for gifts. It's so hard to decide what people might like! I ended up making 8 new pairs of earrings including some red and green Christmas stars and some flower earrings for kids.

I started photographing all my designs so that when I give them away for presents at least I will remember what I have done. I am thinking I will use the photos and start another blog - kind of like a catalogue of my designs.

After finishing the earrings, I got busy making a fritatta for dinner. My goal is to use up all the stuff in the freezers and cupboards before we head home. I used frozen spinach, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, the left over chicken from last night, eggs and cheese. I did have to borrow an egg from the Miller's though. I had never made a fritatta before but it was so easy - just like a big omellette. I cooked it first on stove top and then finished cooking it under the grill.

Tonight we didn't watch any TV and headed to bed early which was nice.

More tooth sagas

This morning we walked FRIM a little bit later than usual because Claire, a new lady, was joining us. Claire is Andy's wife and Andy is Ross' boss. We walked FRIM a bit slower than normal and then headed to the Blue Cow for breakfast. It was nice to meet someone new and hopefully she joins us again.

From there, I dashed home and did a hot turn to get out the door again and walk to the dentist. Dr. Su was fixing my root canal with a temporary crown. It was actually quite an awful experience. My nose had been blocked so it was hard to breathe when Dr. Su took the moulds of my teeth. It was also quite gross when Dr. Su filed down my tooth to fit the crown - it smelled awful! Anyway, I put up with it and walked out an hour later with a temporary crown and another appointment for a couple of weeks. And then hopefully that will be the end of it! I had the first root canal in July - wow!

I came home after the dentist and didn't feel crash hot so I chilled out on the bed for the afternoon. In the evening, I did a bit more research for my jewellery and found some more new designs and some other ideas for displaying jewellery.

About 8, I was too hungry so I forced myself to cook dinner. I had bought a couple of giant tiger prawns yesterday from Cold Storage so I looked up a recipe for a pasta dish using the prawns. It was amazing! I simply peeled and fried the prawns for a minute in butter and olive oil then squeezed some lime juice and salt and pepper over the top. After taking them out of the pan, I fried up some chilli and garlic, added some white wine and cherry tomatoes. As this cooked down, I cooked some pasta and then added basil and the prawns back to the sauce and once the pasta was cooked I added the two together. So simple but so good! I will definitely have to remember that one.

I had dinner, watched some TV and then went to bed.

Back to beading lessons

This morning I had to catch a taxi out to PJ to go to my beading lessons because Ross needed the car to get to Ipoh (3 hours away). He had a meeting with the Dean of the university out there. I got to my lesson ok and caught up on the couple of projects I missed while I was in Aus. I finished the Desert Rose broach and the Gypsy Necklace.

From beading, I walked back to the main road and caught a taxi to Ikano. I made an appointment at Strip and then went and had some lunch at the Apartment. I took a table outside but within a few minutes had to move inside as the heaven's opened and I was getting wet! I enjoyed my lunch and finished just in time to go to my waxing appointment.

After waxing, I walked over the road and had a Starbucks while waiting for the bus to take me to the train station so I could get home. I also picked up some more containers for my beads and a quick bit of shopping before it was time to catch the bus.

A half hour bus ride and a half hour train journey and I was back at KLCC. I rang Ross to see if he could pick me up as I was exhausted. After we got home, we relaxed for about half an hour before I started to make dinner. I thought I would use all the leftovers from yesterday and the roast we had on Sunday to make a quiche. I even made the pastry from scratch! It turned out really well with pumpkin, corn, caramalised onion, goats cheese and camembert.

We ate the quiche (which actually took ages to cook as I had to chill, roll out, chill then blind bake the pastry before even cooking the quiche) and then made the most of the left over scones and cake.

Prep for tomorrow - 300th Post!

This morning we walked FRIM as usual. Sonja and I did the canopy part while Julia walked the flat path and waited for us at the waterfall. After breakfast at Blue Cow, we did a bit of shopping in Plaza Damas (where my visa card was eaten by an ATM machine!) and then headed home.

I had a quick shower and walked over to KLCC in time for my dermatologists appointment at 12. My wart had come back so he froze it again and I also asked him about the scars on my leg from the folliculitis. He gave me some cream for them and asked me to come back in two weeks. I made nail appointments for Tara and I for Saturday, did a bit of shopping (I bought some jeans and a handbag) before walking home.

Back at home, I text Sonja and she came over to help me cook some things for tomorrow's morning tea. We made mini quiches (smoked salmon, dill, camembert and caramlised onion with rosemary and goats cheese), scones (both plain and fruit) and also a zucchini loaf. It was great having Sonja there as it definitely took less time!

We were supposed to have a golf lesson tonight but Ross wasn't feeling well and I was pretty tired from everything to day so we changed it to tomorrow and ordered a pizza from California Pizza Kitchen. We spent the rest of the night on the couch watching mindless TV.

Thai cooking day

This morning we lazed around until midday before finally getting up and moving. We spent a few hours reorganizing the pantry and moving the food to the outside pantry. Hopefully this will make it easier to see what we have. I felt like doing some cooking so we asked Brian and Sonja around for dinner. I planned to make a Thai curry and some fish cakes.

In the afternoon, Ross and I walked over to KLCC and had a quick bit of late lunch at Sakae Sushi before picking up a couple of things from the supermarket. Back at home, I busied myself setting the table and making dinner. I tried to make some fish cakes but I think I over-processed the mixture so in the end I turned them into fish toasts (like prawn toasts). I dug out some frozen baguette bread and spread the mixture onto slices before putting them in the fridge ready to deep-fry.

Ross helped me make the green chicken curry. We picked some Thai basil leaves from the herb garden and added some beans - yum! Sonja and Brian came over about 7 and we had a lychee and cranberry cocktail to start while I got busy frying the toasts. We enjoyed the meal with some of my favourite sauvignon blanc.

After dinner, we played cards and introduced Brian and Sonja to "shithead". We played for a few hours and it was really fun. I broke out the chocolate and port for the last couple of rounds. Miller's headed home about 11 and we fell into bed.

It was nice to spend time with good friends and good food.

Health and Fitness Check:

Weight: 69.6 kg

Exercise:

- Walking at FRIM: 60 minutes
- Walking at Titiwangsa: 60 minutes
- Walking at KLCC: 50 minutes
- Elliptical trainer: 35 minutes

A pretty lazy day

I didn't end up doing much today. After my last couple of days getting up early, today I didn't get up until just before 10. My head cold is still hanging in there - not impressed!

Anyway, by the time I eventually got up, showered, had breakfast and did a few things about the house it was already 12 and Ross came home for lunch. We had a leisurely lunch before I dropped him back at work and then headed out to Great Eastern again to do some more food shopping. I also went to the optometrist to pick up some more contacts and while I was there, I asked if they could have a look at my glasses - straighten them up and clean them for me. They did a good job. I always wear my glasses while reading in bed at night and end up laying on my side with them on so they were pretty bent out of shape!

Back home, I got a wave of inspiration and got busy making some beetroot hommus for the first time as well as looking up some recipes for dinner. Ross came home and headed to the gym and by the time he was back I had finished making the hommus. We sat and enjoyed our entree - the hommus was really good and a beautiful pink colour! The recipe made a ton, so I packed up the rest in containers to give to Sonja and Brian.

After our snack, Ross and I got busy cooking pork fillets with a red cabbage side dish. The red cabbage was cooked with bacon, onion, apple and balsamic vinegar and kind of stewed for over half an hour until all sticky - it was awesome! Another of Jamie Oliver's recipes - definitely one I would repeat.

Today's photo is off the construction site across the road. See the last photo from 2nd May for a comparison.

Just chillaxing!

We rose about 10am after last night's frivolities. After a bit of a slow start, (although Ross and I did manage to get to the gym) we drove to Great Eastern mall for breakfast at Alexis - awesome! We did a bit of shopping for a big Vietnamese cook-up tonight.

Back at home, Ross and I spent the afternoon trying to pack for our trip to Aus while trying to watch the AFL match between St Kilda and Geelong - great game! About 5, we started to get dinner prepared. Dee and I thought we would try to replicate some of the dishes from our trip to Vietnam. Dee worked on the stuffed snapper, Ross and I worked on the beetroot and goat's cheese salad as well as the grapes wrapped in goat's cheese and pistachios.

We waited while 'Kevin' the Snapper cooked on the BBQ (see photo). Dee, Ross and I enjoyed an great meal with a lovely bottle of wine while watching the towers. After dinner, we relaxed on the couch for a while before heading to bed. Dee's last day in KL...

Health and Fitness check:

Weight: 71.8kg - put on 1 kg in a week! - too much booze :-(

Exercise:

- Weight machines: 35 minutes
- Walking on treadmill: 20 minutes
- Elliptical trainer: 30 minutes
- Misc. walking in Hanoi: a lot but obviously not enough to compensate for the food and booze!