Retirement

 She leaves gracefully.

Yes. Madam Lim Ong Lan calls it a day. A devoted mother to her children, she opines that money is not everything in life. Taking care of the family is her first priority and so she curtsies and closes another chapter of her life. Not everyone will take such a plunge but the brave girl says " enough is enough " !

 She's all smiles today and shares that though she has made many blunders, no one really chastises her the way she deserves. For that she is grateful and even pronounces that she has never met a bunch of friends and colleagues like the ones here.

 Feeling really loved. Who would do that to her? So sweet of Datuk Haron to do that, don't you think so?

 From the right: Mr. Gan, Datuk Haron, Pn Loy Pn Tan. Pn Tey, Pn Chow, Pn Jega and Pn Teo. With the exception of Haron, all have been her colleagues since day 1. So the parting is sad ; though smiles are on the faces.

 That's lovely Joyce hugging her warmly with Sujatha in agreement.

 She treats me like the big sister; I hope. So I can only pray for the best to come to her.

 Encik Rahim, Periachee and Ms Darina are great pals to her too. 

 Here's Shanta, Tey, Goh PC, Chuah Lay Suan, Pn Tan, Pn Lau and Madam Chow having the last pose for memory.

 The warm and kind principal remembering her good deeds and contributions to school. She gives her the best ever compliments in her life which she will treasure and keep.Many a moment when she went through trying times, the principal had spent hours comforting and keeping her in a piece. She expresses her appreciation to the head. What better place to serve ?

 Some gifts in appreciation of her years of service in the school. Ms Lim is still young and energetic. The years are still ahead of her.

 More to be photographed; Looi CY, Sophia. Shahrizad, Tee, Maziha and Zunaidah. 

All have been friends through thick and thin.

 Yes, a friend to the left and right.

We can only agree with her calling and wish her the very best.

So we part today with this lovely tune; a presentation by the school choir last March in Heidelberg and so appropriate for the occasion.

...we are friends, we are friends forever... it goes on and on beyond what we can see...

Madam Lim, may the Good Lord's countenance be upon your life and enjoy your retirement days.

The Verdict

 Great Fun

It was a well spent weekend; while others may be travelling over the long break, Sara and I took the road less taken and decided to stay home for cookies. It has been a while since I had this therapeutic exercise when I forget myself and behave like  a typical female craving to bake.

So, the result is as follows.

 We had an assortment of choice and now the hammer is down; which do I like best? From the  above we notice 8 different types of cookies. I must say one man's meat is another man's poison and strange but true  that Sara's preferences differ from mine. I love the feel of buttery pastry whereas she goes for a more crunchy texture; that is why corn flour is a must in her baking.

 Yes, the peanut cookie is my first love. I love it because of the taste of roasted peanuts in a crumbling pastry that leaves a taste unforgettable. It uses cooking oil to replace butter. It's however very fattening and I remind myself of the calories every time I put a piece in my mouth.

 Next, the butter cookies. Both are rich and melt under your tongue. The one with the cherry topping has corn flour in the mixture whereas the one with the chocolate chip is pure butter without cornflour; the mixture being the remnant of the pineapple cookie pastry. Of course dad and Sara prefer version one while I like the other better.

  Of course the pineapple tarts are of top rating too; side by side with the butter cookies.

Again the ones on the left has corn flour but the one on the right is pure anchor butter.

I am sure you know now which one I prefer.

 The dark horse to me is the dark cookies. This coffee delight is a favourite of mine too; not dad's or Sara's.

The girl says too little sugar and too bitter. The mama loves the butter mixture and the sweetness is just perfect. It's not bitter at all; I have taken Chinese herbal drinks without having to sweeten it and still say it's very bearable. I will bake this again if need to. Here's the recipe:

•  1 tablespoon instant coffee powder mixed with some cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoon of warm water to dilute the powder
• 185 gm butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 225 gm self raising flour
• 3/4 cup ground almond, cashew nuts or any other combinations of nuts except peanuts

 Cream the butter and sugar. When fluffy, add diluted coffee/cocoa powder and egg yolk. If need to add some milk and a little vanilla essence. Add nuts last. As the mixture is rich it is difficult to shape them, so you can roll them and use a fork to press it for design. A chocolate chip will add colour. Bake for 15 minutes.

It's a simple recipe and achievable; even for first timers.

 Finally, the great chase for cashew nut cookies. Version on the left is Sara's finding online with corn flour of course whereas the right one is baked with an old recipe from a proven source and it has butter and vegetable shortening in the pastry. Sadly, they did not turn out as well as we had hoped for; and Sara's version is the better of the 2. I will not repeat either version though.

 So, our collection for the year; it's sufficient I believe?

But the greatest lesson I have learnt is that  it is not impossible to bake your best when you set your mind to do so.

 Have I whetted your appetite?

Now I am sure you are also going to bake and like the Air Asia cliche, I can safely say

"Now everyone can bake !"

Hooray.

An Adventurous Day

 In a land with plenty of food and cookies, really what's there to learn about them? Coupled with busy moments and a general lack of interest I never brought myself to want to learn to bake pineapple tarts.

Pineapple tarts.

Today, I allow the rut to leave me and I chose to pick up a skill.

I want to bake pineapple tarts.

I have a teacher at home to see me through the errors; so why not?

I am also of the opinion that we learn best through images. I read a lot about the tarts from online recipes. But nothing beats hands on experience and seeing is definitely believing.

 First, the right species of the fruit. Last night we went round the whole of Subang Jaya to look for the pineapple. Sara says nothing but the Morris pineapples. No compromise. So you also must follow instruction. Buy and use only unripe Morris pineapples to make the jam. Why? Unripe so that you can add enough sugar as a preservative and this species is fibrous which is essential for a good jam. Two reasons given to me and I pass them to you. Pineapples should be about 900 grams after peeling. By the way we bought 4 fruits.

 Next, the pineapple is cut into small pieces and blended till watery; you may add a little water if the process is sluggish.

 Then, pour them into a pan and stir over a small fire.

How long?

By the time the juice is reduced, it may take about an hour or so.

Meanwhile, after about 35 minutes or so, add sugar.

 We added 1 cup of brown sugar and another 3/4 cups of while sugar.

 You will notice the jam drying up slowly but surely.

 The jam is ready once you see the consistency like the image above. It's really difficult to explain in words and therefore a 'picture speaks a thousand words' indeed.

 Remove the jam from the stove and fridge it for a couple of hours before use.

The next challenge is to prepare the pastry for the cookie.

 The most important ingredient to me is the type of fat. Never compromise on it. The wrong fat will mean a tart half unaccomplished. I have learnt that to eat well and heartily is to use the right ingredients. I will probably pinch one or two; after which I will not touch them for fear of fattening myself. So, the tarts must be worth consuming.

 That's 250 gm fat; 300 gm self raising flour or plain flour with 2 teaspoon baking powder and a little milk plus an egg yolk. You pump the dough and roll the jam into the pastry.

So you collect cute little rolls. The pastry is very rich and soft and it's tricky rolling them. That takes plenty of effort. Now I know why people don't bake them; just buy. As for me, if it is home made; there should be no compromise in ingredients and taste. Otherwise, don't bother to bake.

 The pineapple tarts are yummy. Melts as you bite and after this, I don't want to eat those on the shelf.

"Mou Tak Teng" ( beyond comparison)

 However, dad has a different opinion. He doesn't really go for buttery stuff and likes the dough of a stiffer nature and not so rich. So, Sara knowing her dad, has another dough concoction for dad. She uses 2 cups +2 tablespoons of plain flour, 1 cup self raising flour, 2 tablespoon corn flour but no egg yolk for a different set of tarts.

 There as the dough is of a stiffer consistency, it allows a shape and we just applied the ball of jam on top of the flower shaped dough.

 They are just as pretty and taste good too.The jam is really of the right sweetness and stiffness.

 My mum passed a container of tarts to me through my brother this afternoon. I refused to try them. Not being arrogant but plain practicality. I do not want to add calories with no good reason. I got Garrett to try them and the look on the face tells it all. I was right. The tarts are not palatable after the ones we baked.

After a hard day's work, I sat at the patio and heartily tried the cookies of the last couple of days.

Tomorrow I will tell you which ones are my favorite.

I am glad I am beginning to learn again.

Never too old to learn.

Now I know how to make pineapple tarts.

You too ?

The Cookies

 Why the need to bake?

You just have to walk around malls, go to the market or even along lanes and there will be an array of them ready for sale. But hey, look at the prices they are calling ! Hefty indeed. When you have the cookies displayed for your guests; they will probably have a bite or two and soon much of them will have to be disposed. From past experiences, I found my cookie containers still intact even when the season is over and the challenge is to either consume, pass them around or dispose... and yet the greed is there to collect as many as my eyes can see !
So, this year I wish to be more selective and different. Hahaha; I will get the cook to bake ! Sara told me that she was not able to be with us for the last two years; her being away in the UK and to pacify the mother she conceded to the plan.
The question boggling me was; should I just get a few off the peg; just a few or...go through the mess and bake? Will I be spending more buying the ingredients;doing  massive washing up and withstanding long hours? On the other hand, what has become of creativity? And; and, and should we bake, we have to get the best recipes otherwise it will be a waste of time. It's not easy with no one to confirm the credibility of the recipes and basing only on online information.
Finally, the lawyer and the teacher took the plunge...come what may.

 See the results.

 Sara baked them while I sneaked into town for a while and I came home to see them on the tray. Butter cookies with pure butter and no margarine. They melt in the mouth and she passed the test. She told me that the cost is slightly high but still much cheaper if bought...RM12.00 for 2 containers of  unadulterated butter cookies. Worth the bite. So, it's recommended. Not a bad try.

 I was home in time to help with the cashew nut cookies. I mean all I did was to roll them and place that cashew piece on top and later to brush some egg yolk on top. It has been a long time since I have done this and it was refreshingly good. Maybe I will go into baking when I retire. I only need the fingers to move and rest my brain. How nice. Physical movement instead of moving the heart and brain. However, however, however...the recipe is not what I think it should be...so, this one did not pass the test. Cashew nut biscuits should taste otherwise; but we have not given up. We were able to get a proven recipe and try we will again today !

The tray of peanut biscuits! Before we took the leap I asked Sara the question: Will customers come for them? I put her in a fix and she must have felt again the pressure that I gave her in her school days; to be at her best. She rolled her eyes and would not dare try online formulate; Yes she has the answer ! She told me Auntie Bessie bakes the best peanut biscuits in town! Get the formula; girl. Remember; we do not want to waste time and resource ...

 They are the best in town. Yes, we can just bake them and sell. No adulterated ingredients; all pure. The amount of peanuts is equivalent to every bite of flour; so rich and the taste stays in your mouth for a long, long time. This is the perfect recipe. No venture, no gain. It was worth the effort and even as I grow more matured in age by the day I am relearning basic living skills again ! Goodbye KPIs ...

At the end of the day, what did we achieve? 6 containers of cookies; some are coveted ones and more to come...the baking bug is back.

Happy baking...

And oh about the recipes; do you really want them?

The Little Rules

The Singapore Way

Watching Media Corp's production each evening helps me understand and learn about living moments in the neighboring island. When you have 2 daughters working there it is of great interest to me in knowing the rules of the place.
The characters depicted in the show tell me that the local people are threatened by the presence of foreigners as they seem to be snatching away opportunities in the work place. If you belong to the lower rung of the professional ladder, you can lose work and find yourself in a dilemma. There was this Chinese immigrant who was granted a permanent residence status, worked hard to bring his wife, daughter and mother-in-law across and later found to be out of job.So how does he solve his problem? His wife gave private tuition and his mother-in-law sold tit-bits to earn some monies to make up for the lost income. The tuition part was not made into a huge issue but the pedaling business was a no-no thing; it being forbidden by the government. No foreigners without a valid work permit can attempt to do such a business. So, the poor son-in-law took over and was ready for reprimand in the pipeline. Rule says not to work without permit.
Then there is this teacher character who faced an uphill task of teaching Chinese in school. The drama tells me that local present generation finds it a chore to learn the language. The teacher goes through immense pressure that led him to manifest his frustration in stealing acts in shopping malls.So he was caught and kicked out of school; jobless. So how does he face his wife, son, father, mother and sister? The mental stress gave room for many to forgive him; it is good to see this value depicted. Whatever it is, everyone deserves a second chance. So he gives tuition to make up for the lost opportunity. Rule says tuition is a way of life  and a source of income on this island.
This drama portrays many facets of ordinary living. The typical abode of many of course is residing in HDB flats. On this island when land is scarce and expensive, affording a typical flat is already a bonus. So the neighborhood is a colorful one and you can name any type of character; all found here. The crux is to share a common corridor with everyone not getting into each other's back. With a narrow corridor meant for walking, it would also mean keeping the flower pots, bicycle, shoe racks and everything else in place so that there is no cause for squabblings and  misunderstanding. This reminds me of the tight corridor my girls have to put up with in their place. Each time I visit them, I brace myself for all 'tight' feelings including clothes, poles and hangers stringing everywhere. I must also learn to be pleasant; not to comment but to be smiley and friendly. After all I do not want the girls to bear the consequences of my not so nice attitude on the occasional visits. Rule tells me that space is a factor to bear.
I am glad my youthful daughters are trying their stints on the island. They like the pay, the opportunity and the way of life there. They tell me they can jog any time of the day and are not afraid of snatch theft. They like the efficient public transport system that rarely fails them.They must also like to be away from me; less fuss and naggings. Let's hope they will be able to build their dreams well.
I also hope to learn more about the people here; hopefully I will gain more insights as I watch more dramas in the evenings.

To be continued; when opportunities arise.

i-think

A Thinking School.

The NST dated 11 January stated that the MOE is into a more aggressive mode into making schools looking beyond their borders by embarking on a new approach; the I-think concept of the Kestrel Education group.

Our school at the initiative of the principal took a look at the programme last Saturday. 

It was a well-spent Saturday as the teachers relearn an old approach spoken with a new language.

 This is Puan Mazmin Bt Mohd of SMK Serendah who graciously took the challenge of imparting the knowledge to us. Her simple, friendly approach warmed our hearts as we teachers became her students for the day. She started off by recalling past approaches like the KBKK approach whereby teachers and students apply creativity in teaching and learning in the classroom and how the i-think approach works along the same sentiments except this time we have images ad guiding points.

 School has just begun hardly a couple of weeks ago but the teachers are already on full-gear to do that which is right; to learn more.

 The circle map seeks to find information in context with the subject presented and all possible factors realted tot eh subject are drawn and connected. For every map there is a framework encircling the map to denote the source of the information- books, environment, the media ...

 Teachers put their thoughts together to form maps that lead to learning and devise techniques to present in the classroom so that students think beyond the framework.

 The English department of the school as usual is the most bositerous; always 'thinking beyond the framework' and came out with cheeky thoughts. How can the school go on without them?

 Look at their circle map. Read carefully. Adult thoughts. But they got them right; to be imparted to students.

The circle map is to bring all possible factors together for a subject discussed.

Notice the framework and its sources of information.

 The Malay Language Department has a story to tell too.

 The bubble map requires only adjectives to be used for a subject. So if it is fried noodles what adjectives would you use? This is a perfect map when used to describe a character- teacher, mother, friend...

 Then there is this double bubble map. This is applied to comparing and contrasting situations. What are the similarities and contrasts of Agrarian and Maritime times? The history teachers had a great time forming the double bubble map. Yes; they are great tools for classroom learning.

 Next, we had the 'tree' map where classification and grouping of information is best shown.

 Their work is also compared and contrasted. Who has the best map? It was a tough fight.

She is drawing a brace map. The map is used to identify part-whole relationships on a subject. Her subject is on a woman who is made up of her face, hair, clothes and accessories. Next, her face is best described in relation with other features-teeth, lips, nose , eyes and so forth. You can talk about a car, a book and any other subjects with the aim of extracting all possible details in parts related to the whole.

 The flow map is for sequencing and ordering events. This flow map is popular for language learning when students are asked to describe processes in cake making, sewing and changing of tyres...

 The Geography department took a further step by including pictures and images to enhance learning; imaginative indeed.

 The multi-flow map is to analyse cause and effect of an action, decision or situation. Why is one obese? What happens with the condition? Why do wars occur? Perfect for History lessons.

The bridge map illustrates analogies. The Tigris is to Mesopotamia as the Nile is to Egypt as The Indus is to India as the Huang Ho is to China... the word 'as' is essential.

So, on a Saturday like this one, we learn about the i-think maps - 8 in all - to be used for classroom debates and to emerge as a thinking school.

We have a mission to accomplish.

It can be done.

So once again, we put on our thinking caps for the days to come.