LAST DAY OF 2009!

WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

A CULTURAL WEEKEND

It is the school holidays. There was a wedding reception to attend on Sunday in Kay-El. So the parents decided to bring the young ones to a special exhibition at the National Science Centre, Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Killing two birds with a stone, so to speak. Of course this not-so-young one followed too. It turned out to be a really cultured weekend for all.

"Da Vinci, The Genius" was the special exhibition at the Science Centre. The admission charge was RM70 for family (2 adults + 2 children), Adult only RM25, RM20 for a child and RM13 for senior citizen (55 +). However, free admission for senior citizen with pension card. At that moment I thanked my pension card cause I get to enter free!

The pamphlet reads "Direct from Italy, this world acclaimed exhibition from the II Genio de Leonardo da Vinci Museo brings to life Leonardo's genius as an inventor, artist, scientist, anatomist, engineer and architect. . . . . . . . . Also including the new and revealing Secrets of the Mona Lisa . . . . . " All said and done, I find the exhibition really inspiring. I had 'known' Leonardo through my studies of the Italian Renaissance period in my early years - the many Madonnas he did, his Last Supper, his peers Michaelangelo and Raphael, and of course the famed Mona Lisa. In fact I specially visited The Louvres in Paris just to see the lady. Now here in my own land, Da Vinci's genius, more than an artist, was exposed. His many drawings done in tiny booklets (so very small!), were translated to 3D life size and some even interactive. His genius could be seen in all the areas mentioned earlier. The many wooden structures were highly crafted and I would say can be called 'Sculptures' too. I've never seen them before. And what about the Mona Lisa? I had never seen such large exposures (and there were many of them) revealing the many layers of secrets exposed by one Pascal Cotte through his revolutionary photographic technology. Her famous smile, the eyebrows, her eyes, her hands, her veil, the landscape background were 'peeled' one after another. Wow! I left the show exhilarated. That was time well spent.

From there we visited the Islamic Arts Museum with its special exhibiton "En Route To Mecca : Pilgrims' Voices Throughout The Centuries". Since the family had seen the western exhibition of Da Vinci, I thought it proper to counter it with some eastern perspective. Here too we had to pay admission fees - RM12 for Adults and RM6 for children and Senior Citizens. It is not common for Malaysians to pay for admission to exhibitons. Thus I noticed the few attendance here. I was not impressed with the exhibition mainly because of the scarse exhibits. Huge panels of write-ups were framed on the walls - which could easily be read from books. But some facts I was ignorant of - like as early as the 1920's one English lady from the nobility did perform her Haj then. Also people from unknown lands in Africa doing the Haj way back in 1900. I did enjoy seeing the very old photos of camel caravans, old jalopies, various costumes worn by the early pilgrims. However, what the family enjoyed best of all was the Museum's well-laiden Bookshop and Sovenier shop nearby. Well . . . . more shopping.

New Passion

One Sunday afternoon, Moi Moi, a long-time friend from Kay-El, came visiting. Earlier she had said that she'd teach me how to make bread, since I already possessed the Break Maker machine. So Moi Moi came bringing along some gms. of dried yeast. BTW, this friend of mine is an expert in making all sorts of bread, having taken a course at the prestigous Taylor's College. We got the 'new' Bread Maker (it had been hiding in its box since I bought it about 3 years ago - never ever once been used!) But horrow of horrows! The most important part - the paddle - was not to be found! So how to use the machine to make bread? It was ok with Moi2, "We'll use our hands instead to knead the dough. Well, that was how it was done originally. Now the oven - Have you used this expensive microwave of yours for baking," Moi2 asked just like a teacher would.

"Er.... No. I use it only to heat food." I answered sheepishly.

"What?" Moi2 snorted, "All these ten years, you use it only for heating?" Hee, hee, hee. I didn't say anything. "Now, where's your Instruction book?" Luckily, the little book was still intact. "Look," Moi2 pointed out. "There's a recipe for Sweet Buns using the Convection method of your Microwave."

So with that Moi Moi began her first lesson in bread-making for this rather 'slow' student. She showed me how to use the Convection method of my microwave - then only I realised, I don't need an extra oven! That afternoon, my friend and I enjoyed hot sweet buns filled with sausages and hot cups of tea.

What has got to do with my new passion? Well, it so happened that a shop that sells all baking needs in town, was organising baking classes on Sunday afternoons. I enrolled excitedly. To cut the story short, I learnt how to make among other things - apple pie (my favourite), puff pastry, cup cakes, banana loaf, potato buns, cream puffs, wholemeal bread, sweet buns and even yam cake! And E-V-E-R-Y DAY during this school holidays, I've been trying out the recipes learnt AND using my Microwave oven. Poor oven - it had been resting for TEN years until Moi Moi 'woke' it up! My family made fun of me, saying that it is only a passing passion - just like sewing, craft-works and blog-writing. Never mind . . Iman, the teen-ager, simply loves my try-outs although the process is not helping her in her dieting during the school hols. Before ending, I must note it here that I sold 11 Banana loaves to my Taichi croonies - my first sale ever.

Well this sudden interest I hope will not end just yet because I have more than 200 recipes in my collection since 1971 to try out. And what about the rows of Cookery Books in the kitchen cabinet!