I write about Kasa Rosa on an annual basis…I say it’s my favourite restaurant but in reality I don’t actually go there very often at all. It’s because it’s not open on Sundays, and it’s usually on Sundays that we go in search of lunch. Shame really. Not to mention that I kinda fell out with them after they stopped making the world’s best tiramisu…preferring to stick to their horrible chocolate fudge cake instead. eew. Tastes like they bought the choc fudge cake from the supermarket or something. And oh, when I went on my birthday last year and ordered scallops, that was all I got….five scallops on a huge plate, and two silvers of grilled pepper. For £15.95, that was extremely poor – at least give me abit of a side dish, damnit! Even some side salad or chips won’t go amiss…but just five scallops on top of two silvers of grilled pepper…thats just plain blah.

Anyway, on bacon’s birthday we eventually made it there for lunch. I’ve noticed that they’ve revamped their menu online, and was intruiged to find that they have started offering lunchtime deals. Seeing that their pizzas & pastas are between £6.50 – £9.50, their lunchtime deal of £5.90 for any pizzas or pastas with 1/2 pint of beer is an absolute bargin. I love it when restaurants do lunch deals – there are not many people here who eats out for lunch anyway, and the chefs had to be there to prepare for dinner.

I had my regular Pasta Tarantino. Hmm. When I said regular, I mean that’s what I usually have, but it definately did not taste the same. Gone was the light, wine infused tomato concasse flavoured with fresh basil. It was replaced by a heavier tomato pasty like sauce, with only a very slight hint of wine. The spaghetti had also been replaced by linguine, I must say I don’t think that works very well. However, instead of pre-cooked mini shirmps, this pasta dish now contains humungous bits of seafood.

Just look at the prawn. Definately a step up from the former pathetic looking pre-cooked shrimps. Not too sure about the sauce – both version are nice, but the lighter wine-infused sauce of its earlier days was just too special to pass up. Now it just tastes like a good pasta dish, not special like it used to be. Also, there seems to be a tad more chillies than what I remembered – and that’s a good thing. Gives it the fiery kick and brings out the flavours better methinks.

Bacon went for the Pizza “Augustea” . This comprised of tomatatoes, mozzarella and Gorgonzola cheese, oven baked and garnished with Serrano ham and rocket lettuce. We’ve only ever tried their Pepperoni pizza, which is ghastly – overly salty and oily. This pizza was a very refreshing change – light in flavours and yummy in taste. The crisp base contrasts nicely with the fresh leaves and melted cheese…rounded off by the super thin slices of serrano ham.

At £5.95 per person, this meal even came with freshly baked bread and a 1/2 pint of beer. How fab is that? The only problem is that this had put me off from patronising them at night, where pastas go for £9 instead of £5.95 plus drink!

Kasa Rosa
2 Queens Place
Morley, Leeds
LS27 8HG

Need directions? It is opposite from the Bargin Mart in Morley, hidden behind some bushes.

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Meet my ‘BROTHER’. Judging from the avocado green body, I am guessing that the machine is older than me….the ‘in’ color during the 70′s flower-power age. Not too sure when did the previous owner bought it. There is no receipt, model number nor instructions. Beggars can’t be choosers. The best part about this machine is that it’s FREE. Yes FREE! Ain’t life great. The only thing I had to promise is to actually use it. Someone literally passed away and left me a sewing machine.

You know…it’s only today that I realised that all the sewing machines that I’ve ever seen were proper antiques. I was impressed with my mil’s machine, which was already 30 years old! The one we have at home belonged to bacon’s grandma and had a receipt dating to the 1930′s. The one my mom had was even older as it only had a handle to turn the wheel and not the foot stepper – and that belonged to my grandma. And now I have this green machine, which comparatively, is top-of-the-range. Bloody heavy as well, its about 20kg!

The dials. Top is basically adjusting the stitch length, middle is to adjust the location of the needle, and the bottom is to adjust the length of the zigzag stitch. Don’t know what it is..I’m sure there’s a more complicated name for it as well!

When I picked this up from the mil’s place, she proceeded to give me a quick lesson on sewing straight lines and the importance in pinning cloth together before sewing ect..So yeah, she had me sewing straight lines for an hour. I’m not very good at straight lines..heh. My eyes glazed over when she was telling me about this stitch and that stitch… and then told me go home and continue practising my straight lines…and she’ll teach me how to sew a zip when I get better. However, she did say that I am much better than her during her first go at a sewing machine. Kembang

However, sewing boxes or straight lines are so unsatisfying. I want to produce something, not go in one line and waste fabric. So when I came home, I proceeded to make this from scratch:

Two hours later. A light lime green floral makeup purse. OMG…I am sorry, but for someone who had never used a sewing machine before (my mom did my sewing class assignment at school), I am so talented.

Yes, zips and all! I’m going to give this to the mil..hehe…

Things actually FIT in it!!

Shit. Honestly..SHIT. I can bloody sew. The only thing I could do before this was mend buttons. And even then..it usually looks like someone stuck a whole bunch of thread to the buttons to keep it in place. This excercise has definately made me appreciate the intricacies of how a piece of garment is made..and let me tell you, even with only making this small purse…it’s bloody hard work!

Now, next steps…a matching bag. Stay tuned.

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After a slight scare of not having any blossoms at all last year on the cherry tree (although, we DID only plant it last year), this year it seems to be doing much better. Slightly dissapointed that it turned out to be white blooms instead of the bright pink ones that I have been seeing on other cherry trees, but hopefully the cherries will be sweet and ripe in July!

Somehow I think cherry blossoms here are slightly later than Japan’s sakura season – or is that plum blossoms??

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Rice, as we all know, is an Asian thing. Rice noodle, rice flour, fried rice, rice porridge, glutunious rice…the list goes on. The one thing that I could never get used to is sweeten rice – and in Malaysia this comes in the guise of pulut hitam.

Rice pudding is a traditional dessert here in the UK, something that I had always sworn off. Hey, I rather go for a trifle anytime if you ask me. Strangely enough, it can also be eaten warm or cold. Bacon made this once, and it consists of milk,rice, milk,cream and flavourings like vanilla pods or cinnamon. I think the one bacon made had vanilla essence (eh, we were poor then ok – I rather stick with vanilla pods any time). We had it hot, and it was like a strange sweeten rice porridge…bizzare.

I’ve never had it ever since, and it must be 2.5 years since bacon made it. Bacon still has it occasionally, as it is sold in the yoghurt shelves here…he eats it for breakfast instead of yoghurt. I was starving today as I was walking into the train station, where this woman was handing out rice pudding samples. Yes, one of the great things of working in town is getting free samples handed out to you all the time…I love it!

Yes they come prettily packaged as well. In case you’re wondering wtf is rhubarb, it looks like a red-stalked celery. Sour tasting, I never understand the English craze for rhubarb. Saying that, I have planted one in my garden so we shall see when it grows. Anyway, it is usually so sour, it is only made into a jam like consistency with tons and tons of sugar.

Decided to give rice pudding another try, seeing that I left my banana at home and was really starving. Strangely enough, I enjoyed this creamy confection. Tasting something between ice cream and nasi lemak (its the cream in it I swear!), the glob of rhubarb jam that comes with it made a whole lot of difference. Bacon has his with custard on top as well, but that’s really way too creamy. Dangerous food for breakfast as it is full of cream and carbs (200 calories per pot) but it did keep me full until noon.

Will definately go for it again – yum.

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I wonder what will the Boleh Government make of all this. After their grandoise plans of speaking to her mother and saving her soul, she basically just came out saying that prostitution had given her good sex.

This is just one of the few examples of what kiasu parents can turn their child into. I was never pushed that far, due to it being an accepted fact that I was not going to go very far anyway – until I startled eveyone by excelling in college .Of course, it was only the Malaysian kiasu education system that failed me, I did not fail me. People take the piss out of the American education system, but it taught me more in the 4 years what the Malaysian education system could not even achieve 1% of in the 5 years before.

Not everyone are born to be doctors,and parents need to accept that instead of pushing their children way above their limits. Children should be allowed to experience a real childhood of playing and learning and getting to know the world, not forced to stare at times tables all day long. I know parents world over would mumble its for the child’s own good, but I really do wonder if it was more for the parents to have bragging rights, another tumpang glamer incident to live their live through their child.

I vow not to push my child to that sort of limits

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Was thinking of heading home early,but I think I shall just stay till 5 to finish at least another bottle of champagne..

Ahhhh…I’m starting to love my job

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me: OMG WTF?? (no, I don’t speak in abbreviations in my sleep) Is that the wind shaking our house?

bacon: Huh?? Is it me?? Why is the room shaking?

*both of us remembering the day of the tsunami when we had to run down 28 floors*

both: GROANs

Yes, once again I got into an earthquake where it does not usually happens. It did not help that it had been an extremely windy day and I was under the impression, in my sleep-induced brain, that the wind was going to blow the house away. At ritcher scale 5.4 and with us only 3 stories up instead of 28, this was not as bad as the tsunami induced movements, but bad enough for bacon to spend the next 30mins waiting for internet reports of the quake to filter through.

What was odd about it all was that it had been an extremely windy day – it became very calm after the quake with not a puff of wind.

/———————————————————-

In other news, yes, I’m back safe and sound. Been terribly busy with sleep and also catching up with work – should wind down and I would probably be able to upload pix over the weekend. It just shows how long I have been away, streamyx upload speed was absolutely shocking with only 40 pictures getting through after 2 hours, so I did not upload any of my pix whilst in Malaysia. Lots of stuff happening as well here:

Bad news
I did not get paid for the 3 days I was off sick last month, which really pissed me off with a deduction in salary
Did not manage to pay ccard in time (due yesterday, payment to arrive today) AAARGH.First time I’ve missed a payment of anything!!!

Good news
I won a competition for £20 worth of vouchers. Yippie! I am on a winning streak, after winning a year’s subscription to Cosmo off borders.co.uk as well earlier this year.
We got £250 bequeathed to us in someone’s will.
Bonus news came through and I did not get £0.75 as I expected – far from that. So I’m happy. Investing the whole lot so I don’t blow it on another handbag! Now slightly sloshed on celebratory champers at 10.30am…

OK I really gotta run back to work – I’ve come back on a perfect week where I will be in office by 8am every day for a week – today I clocked in at 7.30am just to help prepare the champers. Hopefully will start blogging again by this weekend.

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Incesed that bus drivers have been either chasing them out of the buses or just not stopping for them, this lovely couple had taken to complain about the bus drivers’ attitute. One bus driver had insist that they were not allowed in his bus because the company have a “No dogs allowed” policy, with exceptions made on guide dogs only. Understandable no? Since Ms Maltby is only human she really should be allowed…

Quoting the 19 year old girl:

It is definitely discrimination, almost like a hate crime. I am a pet, I generally act animal like and I lead a really easy life. I don’t cook or clean and I don’t go anywhere without Dani. It might seem strange but it makes us both happy. It’s my culture and my choice. It isn’t hurting anyone.

But would YOU allow this anywhere near you?

For the complete article see the Daily Mail

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We went out last saturday night, and when I woke up on Sunday I felt the onslaught of the flu…which is extremely annoying as I had my flu shot just before New Year. Nevermind, I thought it might be something minor. So Monday I felt a little worse for wear but still went to work. Monday night I was feeling worse, but as we were discussing my workload for 2008 I had to turn up on Tuesday. Wednesday saw my snot building up so I skipped work…and Thursday saw me losing my voice completely. So I got bacon to ring the doctors, but they had no appointments till next week. Bastards. This is what happens to socialist countries that nationalise healthcare – there is no private doctors in clinics like the rest of the world. Unless you need a hospital, you do not have a choice of private medical care

So anyway, he called the NHS direct, which is the national call centre for health queries – apparently this minimises the need for people to turn up at doctors if they can get meds from pharmacist. Bacon rattled down the list of my symptoms, including me croaking instead of speaking. When the nurse on the other line insist on speaking to me, bacon told them that they might not understand me (obviously due to me croaking instead of speaking)…and that damned nurse asked if they need an intrepreter! Damnit..you would think her brains would tell her that if I can only croak she won’t understand me.

Lovely nurse still insisted to speaking to me irregardless of the croaking, so I did. She went down some checklist, and if I can still breathe and painfully swallow, I do not need the doctor. Instead, she asked me to go to the pharmacist. Bastards. I hate healthcare here,unless you are dying or dead, they would refuse to entertain you. She did not believe that I had laryngitist, and encouraged my Strepstil OD…even though I said that Strepstils and my cold/flu meds have not been working.

Honestly, I bloody pay for the national healthcare and I demand some sort of bloody service. So on Friday bacon rang the doctors again, and they had an open appointment, which I grabbed immediately. Even with me just saying hello, the doctor told me that he could tell from my croakings that I had laryngitist. And the stupid nurse actually recommended me to stick with my Strepstils??? She even mentioned that there is no point me going to the doctors because he would not prescribe me any antibiotics, only paracetemol. So I am now on a course of penicillin, AS PRESCRIBED BY THE DOCTOR.

Slightly better now, even managed to go out yesterday – admittedly I was drinking non-stop water instead of my usual whiskey. I just need to finish my course of penicillin and I should be ok. Just getting slightly hoarse at the moment, good for bacon as I can’t shout at him like usual. I may completely lose my voice if I listened to the damn nurse who asked me to stick with strepstils.

I sometimes think that the NHS (National Healthcare System) is trying to kill me. Bastards. Bastard Labour Government trying to create a communist country with equal healthcare crap.

my mountain of snot…

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When I see this at 4pm, I know that the dark nites are slowly but surely comming to an end.

I am adverse to early darkening of skies. Growing up in Malaysia, the sun sets around 7-7.30pm daily. With sunset comes dinner – my regular dinner time for as long as I can remember had been when the chinese serial starts at 7pm. During my first winter in CA, I had dinner at 5pm (watching Simpsons) in Nov & Dec – my body clock tricking my mind that its late. The problem with having dinner that early is that I am hungry again by 10pm!

The past two months or so in the UK had seen the daylight savings timing enforced, which means the sun have been setting just before 4 each day. It doesn’t really matter as most of the time its gloomy and grey here anyway. But I know from experience that when the skies starts to look blue at 4pm, longer days are on their way.

Incidentaly, it had actually been getting colder with typhoon-like winds lately…don’t let the skies fool you. So yours truly is sick now – I had a flu jab this year and was hoping I won’t be sick. I don’t think I’m sick with flu though, it looks like I’ve missed the main part of the flu and skipped straight to the sorethroat-cough part. Hmmm.

In other news, it is now 30 days to Chinese New Year…:D. I hope cookies are currently being prepared on anticipation of my return…I am partial to home made choc chips – failing which I am VERY partial to Famous Amos freshly baked cookies. Yummm. And KFC mashed potato. Or Ramly Burger Special with ketchup.

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