2015, ends here

Salam.

Hello humans! I've just got back from my short europe trip, finished unpacking and dusting the room, and had my dinner (shin ramyun FTW), catchup with all the gaya daejuns performances and 10 minutes in 1N2D. It's 9:50pm on new year's eve, and i'm sleepy like.. very sleepy.

I started 2015 in my room, in USJ, my lovely comfy room, and now I'm ending 2015 in my Salford room, which is cold where I'm sitting now, but my bed is superrrr warm and cosy (i am so tempted to jump into the bed and sleep now). things has been going on pretty well, my uncle in Luton said I looked way happier than I was when he last saw me in Malaysia (thats like in August), and I can say, I am happy where I am now. Living here, out of nowhere tercampak di bumi Salford, Manchester, alone with no family or friends nearby (everyone is nearby through whatsapp and skype, but still...). It's hard at first, but 3 months plus in, I am at a very comfortable place with this whole migration thing.

As some people might know, I do have plan to living here (as in working here and building my life here) after masters ended. I've been thinking a lot.. especially after I had a long talk with my aunt who's living in Luton (30 minutes out of London) about the pros and cons of settling down here. I might take this thing seriously, but my mom might kill me if I tell her. She's already been very reluctant when I keep on talking about not getting married and settling down in UK for good, and also bringing both of my parents here to live with me. I took two months to make her understand and approve my decision to pursue my masters here, i might need a year or more to convince her to come and live with me here.

Good news is, there's a lot of job opportunities here, for a QS especially, but that won't be using my masters degree, I probably would only have to show my undergraduate degree to apply for the jobs. but still there's a lot of choice, and I am not worried about job openings tho. What I worried the most is, whether or not this is the correct, or the right path of my life.

Coming here in 2015 was actually not in the plan, as my original plan is early 2016, but I guess, God is trying to tell me something when he 'moves' my heart to push for Sept 2015..

Anywaysss, thats 2015 for me. Had a job, quit the job, flew thousands miles away, adjusting to new environment, living the life, been to few europe countries, learn how to cook to feed myself.. what an accomplishment.

/I'll write up a quick post about our EU trip soon, just don't wait for it, I might not even do it, but I'll try/

See you in 2016.

InsyaAllah.

Hello from Salford, UK!

Salam.

Hi guys. Not really keen on writing anything, but I feel obliged to inform that I am currently in Salford, Manchester, United Kingdom for the next 10 months (since I already been here for 2 months, luls).

I am pursuing my Masters Degree, whilst aiming to finish visiting each EU countries by end of next year, just my wish, and the list on the right will become longer as the year progressed.

Ending 2015 with short (2 weeks) trip to London-Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam with my sister, and perhaps (cross all my fingers) another short trip to Korea probably when I decided to go back to Malaysia. Between that, I probably gonna plan to visit Scotland (just above Manchester) and other UK counties by summer 2016. Summer will be dedicated to writing my paper, so yeah need to be travelling before summer 2016!

Till next time,
byebye

Twenty-four

Salam.

The annual post is here back again. Yep, it's my birthday post, yet again. I rarely typed in here lately, because I dont feel comfortable talking about my problems or feelings like I used to. Woah, I'm getting older and I'm twenty-four!

Highlight of the year:
1) Graduated with Bachelor (Hons) in Quantity Surveyor

Convocation Day

Seri Iskandar, Perak

4/1/2015

2) Got a very good paying job.

3) Got accepted to University of Salford to pursue my Masters.

Yeay~!

4) Went on short getaway to Seoul-Osaka-Tokyo with my sisters.

 Seoul, Korea

25/4/2015-28/4/2015

Osaka & Tokyo, Japan

28/4/2015-3/5/2015

Nothing much on personal life, everything is still the same. Oh noticably this annual post is getting shorter and shorter each year. Okay, by next year, I will be posting this post from Salford, I hope. InsyaAllah.

Happy birthday to me.
May all your wishes come true.
God bless you.

BAKE!: Cinnamon Rolls

I do not remember where I adapted this recipe is from, because it must be from two years ago or something, I used her recipe for cinnamon rolls countless time and to that, variance of fillings, the bread is always smooth and fluffy and never went wrong.

Cinnamon Rolls

250g bread flour (a must, but replaceable by all-purpose flour)

50g all-purpose flour

30g brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6g instant yeast (or 1 tsp + a pinch)

125ml milk (boiled, and warmed)

1 egg

50g butter, room temperature, cut to small cubes

Filling

50g brown sugar (or 1/4 cup, packed)

1 tbsp cinnamon powder

1 tbsp flour

Add: choc chip, raisins, nuts, etc.

25g butter, melted

1-2 tsp of honey/golden syrup

*note: orignal recipe and me uses breadmaker to make this dough.

1. Combine all dry ingredients, except yeast because salt and yeast should not met so soon, put the pan into breadmaker, at "Dough" function, and let everything mix together, add yeast.

2. Whisk egg into warm milk (must be warm!), and slowly drizzle into the dry ingredients. The dough should be formed after few rounds of mixing, if you feel the dough would not formed, drizzled tiny bit of milk.

3. As soon as it resembles some kind of dough, slowly drop butter cubes one by one, and left to knead and rise.

4. After first proofing in the breadmaker, roll out onto lightly floured workspace, and knead for few minutes, Leave it to rise for another 20 minutes, while preparing its filling.

5. Roll out the dough, roughly a medium size rectangle. (if you are feeding a large crowd, roll it bigger)

6. Slather the dough with the melted butter + honey mixture, and evenly coated the surface with the fillings.

7. Roll tightly into a log, and cut accordingly. (1 cm wide, more or less as you cut bigger the portion get smaller, etc.)

8. Arrange in pans, large enough to accommodate final proofing stage, that is 20 minutes.

9. Bake in a preheated oven, 190C for 10 minutes, then lowered down to 180C for another 10 minutes.

10, Whilst still piping hot, slather another coat of melted butter + honey mixture.

Serve immediately or if left to cool, reheat 10 seconds in the oven.

Enjoy!

BAKE!: Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Japanese Cotton Cheesecake

Adapted from: Chinadoll-Bakingdiary

250g Philadelphia cream cheese, cut into small cubes

6 egg yolks

70g castor sugar

60g butter

100 ml full cream milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

60g cake flour

20g cornflour

1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp Vanilla extract

6 egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

70g castor sugar

1. Preheat oven to 200C, prepare an 8-inch round cake tin, grease and dust with flour. You can lined the bottom with paper, trust me on this. And, prepare a bigger pan for the waterbath.
2. Melt butter, cream cheese and sugar over waterbath, whisk until smooth, no lumps and the colour of pale yellow.

3. Remove from heat, and whisk egg yolks. (Tips: egg yolks tends to dry out if expose to air, cover them prior to mixing).

4. Whisk in milk, lemon juice, salt and vanilla.

5. Gently whisk in flour mixture. Set aside.

6. Whip egg whites until foamy. (Tips: you can add in cream of tartar and sugar from start, as these ingredients do not in any way disturb the end result).

7. Slowly drizzle in sugar + cream of tartar, and whip at high speed until just before stiff peaks. But, since I can't pinpoint the exact moment, my egg whites ends up to stiff peak stage, but it is fine.

8. Gently fold in the egg whites into the batter, Do not overmix, spots of whites is fine.

9. Pour into preprared pan and place into the bigger pan with hot water. 
(P/S: my tip: Place the cake tin into a larger pan, slide into oven then only pour the hot water. This is to avoid the need to carry hot water filled heavy pan into your oven.)

10. There is two steps to bake this baby:

a) at 200C for about 15 minutes until top is golden brown (this, of course depends on individual oven, I proceed to step 2 at around 20 minutes).

b) at 160C for the next 30 minutes, again based on ovens, check at 25 minutes mark, mine go way past 30 minutes, at around 45 minutes as I switch to bottom heat only for this step.

Left to cool in unopened oven, for approximately 20 minutes. Remove from waterbath and place back in the oven. Turn on ONLY the bottom heat at around 120C at 10 minutes, which according to Ms. Chinadoll-Bakingdiary, it is to dry the bottom, as it sits in a waterbath it is going to be a bit "wet".

Again, left cool in the oven, this time with the oven door slightly ajar, for 30 minutes. Unmould, and left to cool on cooling rack. Do let it cool completely before cutting, and advisable to chill it before cutting.

Enjoy!


Notes:
1. After first trial, following exactly to the T of original recipe, my cake cracks as its too soft, and the texture is totally of a cheesecake, no trace of chiffony cottony to it at all.
2. After second trial, I tweak the baking time a little bit, at the texture do improve tremendously as it comes out chiffony and cottony but not yet the exact texture of this cake. though my cake still burst in the oven which I suspect due to overwhipped egg whites, I believe the egg whites should be whipped only until medium stiff peak, at around 4 minutes of high speed. I will update this section after third trial.

Quick Update

Hello.

The first post of 2015 starts in February.

Just to inform, this blog will start to use new tag that is #naawtravels for upcoming posts, to keep track on all of my travel journey.

Take care.

Salam.