Lollipops!

Little girls are like lollipops, as sweet as sweet can be. Gumdrops, jellybeans , chewies, toffees, and colourful joyful candies.

With little girls, the sweetness lingers longer than it should. Sticky kisses follow suit. Sugar frenzy everywhere, around the mouth, all over the hair. Fruity flavours coat the fingers, imagine them with sugary ears. They patter and chatter with so much joy, lollipop in a hand, another of a toy.

I was once a little girl in love with this candy, always hiding it between my belly. In fear if someone might want to plunder, like a brother who never understood "no" for an answer.

But now I share my lollipop with great pleasure, with my son and the better other. This lollipop proves to be even sweeter, my friend, my fiend, my daughter.

Thank you so much Melor!

Thanks you so much Adilah!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

The Cake That Didn't

The are times when moments capture me with thoughts of uncertainty whether the sharing of my trips are regaling or revolting to the visitors of this space. I would like to be comforted that it is the former instead of the latter. I find the need to write, not just to be read or heard, but for the memoirs to be kept and to be viewed again just like we do of a photo album, wedding albums especially. I love to be reminded of favourite places and faces or be triggered by certain scents just to go back in time and seize the "once upon a time" moments. Blogging does that to me to a certain extent. Thoughts, experiences and trips are jotted down and insyaAllah saved for my kids to read, to be happy, sad or even to be embarrassed when time is opportune for them. This has become more than a cake blog or "cakey" stories, this is a life journey.

I forgot to put the single rose on top. Below is the complete cake.

I have not put any pictures of my cakes ever since I returned from the States. Here is one that didn't actually make it to the bride and groom. I wasn't the one who transported the two tier cake. A friend of the bride did. But for courtesy sake I returned 5/6 of the payment to the customer. One week's work disappeared, itulah namanya rezeki. Selagi tak sampai ke tangan kita, it is not ours to claim. It's not a question of faults, to me it's a question of intergrity eventhough it wasn't clear what happened along the way.

I would put a halt to my US entries for awhile to give way to my cakes. This is to ensure no casualties of diarrhoea or nauseousness involved.

Till then, have a beautiful week ahead folks with lots of love and hugs from the people who love you the most. I am sure you know who they are.

wiz

Fallin' For Chicago The Finale

I had in the pocket of my jeans a fortune cookie paper slip which says all that I needed to understand. I clenched it for awhile and moved on, bearing thoughts of guilt in the past. Sometimes amidst all the chaos in my life, I neglect to appreciate the view. Life is beautiful regardless of the falls, the bruises , the thorns and pebbles which often land into my shoes. But I guess, that's where the beauty lies, embrace it and be happy.

At the Willis Tower entrance...pose2 ala2 tak sedar diri ha ha ha

The soft patter of the rain soon soaked our spirit in rapture. We didn't run to take cover, we just walked and walked and basked in the cold air. The moment we reached The Willis Tower (formerly called The Sears Tower), the sun could hardly be seen or felt. All we could bear witness was this massive dark construction that stood tall before our eyes. It is said anyone could perform the impossible here, a magical place which allows one to be elevated and to float on air. Intrigued, we dashed in and saw what was too real to believe. True enough we were soon walking, crawling, meditating, jumping whilst cringing on air! It was one of the Woo Hoo! moments. Lisa and I were more of a natural but chef had to be coaxed and pushed and shoved to the transparent floor just for his picture to be taken. It is called the LEDGE, windows hanging or protruding from the Skydeck, 1353 feet and 103 floors over the windy city.

Lisa: "Wiz tengok I boleh float" whilst doing the yoga pose.

Chef : "Cepatla wiz I gayat ni...C EPAT!" sambil melakarkan senyuman manis untuk isteri tercinta.

Wiz: "Eh jom kita lompat2 bagi Chef takut, he he he." sambil berkata di dalam hati, kalau bungee jumping kat sini mesti ngeri .

The view from the Skydeck

When we decended the tower, night has blanketed the sky. It was still raining and by this time we were wet from head to toe. The Willis Tower was far from the rest of the attractions, so we decided to hop on the double-decker bus tour again and head to The Millennium Park to collect our free T-shirt. But when we got there all the shops were closed. The only thing to do was to walk around and to look for the "Cloudgate" or also known as "The Bean". If we were to stand in front of this mercury bean we would capture the skyline in it's reflection.

Lisa jumping in front of The Cloudgate, could you spot the skyline on "The Bean"?

All three of us squeezed onto the surface of the bean.

From there we dragged our feet across town, oh masa tu kaki sudah terasa denyutnya dan basahnya, to just enjoy the night scenery of Chicago. Places to take a peek were definitely Hard Rock Cafe, Macy, Crocs, and all the other branded stores, which names I have yet to include in my shopping vocabulary. The retail therapy was much needed just to meet with the many pesans from loved ones back home. Honestly, we didn't get much for ourselves, every penny was allocated for all the souvenirs, key chains, fridge magnets, postcards and inexpensive tokens from Chicago.

In the cold, in the rain, in the still of the night, and in love with Chicago.

As the night got darker and the neon lights got brighter, our steps apparently got heavier. It was sad to leave the windy city especially when were were just about to enjoy it. One day was too brief a time to inhale the sights and sounds, but we must bow out and make our exit. We have ticked almost everything in our checklist except for one. It was Lisa's compulsory place to go and we didn't know where to look for it. That one route, one final destination eluded us. At the last minute we decided to give it a miss as we feared of not being able to make it to the meeting with Pn Watie at the hotel. The air was freezing us out of our wet jackets and jeans, chastened, we continued our journey back when all of the sudden "...Wiz, tu dia, tu dia! I found it. We made it Wiz. Our journey is officially complete now". Well not in so many words folks but that was the gist of all her exclamations. It was indeed a grand finale, a sweet ending to our Chicago trip with us standing proudly on the most important road in America, the mother of all roads - The historical Route 66. History was indeed made!

Next: Fly with me to LA!

Fallin' For Chicago Part II

The weather was just resplendent that morning. The cold air was warmly welcomed by us, visitors from the land of the tropics. The freezing wind wasn't a good enough reason not to tread the walks at Navy Pier. Lisa and I moved in all kinds of actions around the Pier from galloping, to prancing, to pacing, to scampering, springing, trotting, and shuffling...giggling away like two little girls with a big brother, the chef, minding our funny and most of the time awkward antics.

There first, no here, no that way, no this way...undecided.

Man on the sofa: So you two bake cakes?
Lisa: I don't but wiz here does. I am here to just make sure that she COMES back! he he he.
Wiz: Yes sir, I might not want to go back, stay here and bake cakes for you, how would you like that?
Man on the Sofa: oooooooo I would like that very much indeed Miss Wiz! Do come and visit me again sometimes.
Lisa and Wiz: Alright sir, we've got to run along now and play with your kids over there, nice meeting you!

Besides the family theme Park, the Pier also boasts on its scenic landscape along the promenade. We enjoyed the melodious stroll throughout, listening to music serenaded by the other visitors present. There was a band somewhere not visible to our eyes which was playing some tunes as well as independent individuals with saxophones of such. There wasn't a need to be the audience of their performance to appreciate their music, but we thoroughly enjoyed the rythm in the air nevertheless, hence the variety in our movements, to suit the harmonious ambiance.

The last glance at Navy Pier before boarding the Lake Cruise.

A scene in "My best friend's Wedding" spurred our next itinerary. We just had to hop on the lake cruise to experience the romance of it all sans our life partners. So there we were cruising Lake Michigan with the wind in our faces and thoughts of our loved ones' warm embrace. Many a time, all of us were robbed of our chatty selves with eyes gleaming of happy tears thinking of how surreal the experience was, syukur syukur syukur sangat. To me, the Chicago downtown trip was the highlight of the entire journey and I remembered reminding myself to savour every single detail sighted that day. From the yellow birds perching on that particular tree to the ruffles of the autumn leaves passing us by to the whitewash bubbles trailing the water taxi. Everything was stored in a scrapbook like arrangements with emotions attached to every picture snapped in our minds. In my mind for sure at least.

Views from the Water Taxi.

The moment we stepped out from the boat acknowledging the end of the memorable cruise, tiny droplets or rain greeted us. Without raincoats or extra waterproof jackets we ushered the rain
welcoming it as hujan rahmat di bumi orang. How we wished it was snow instead but travelling beggars couldn't be choosers ;o).

To answer the question what did I steal that day?...lots! I stole the wondrous views of the magnificient lake, the air which indefinitely resides in the pores of my skin now, the cookie aroma that decorates my olfactory, just awaiting for another trigger, the smiles of other visitors that warmed my heart and most importantly a moment in time where I could happily regale the tales to my kids and the kids after them, if I lived long enough. But what I stole that day were stories bagged in the most fanciful way, kept long enough for me to pass them on to you, the readers of in a whiz. It was more for you than for anyone else...with a strong message "Dreams do come true" holding on to my mother's words and sharing them with you now..."Keep on wishing and praying."

Stay tune to "Chicago The Finale
'

One Moment In Time.

Fallin' For Chicago Part I

Perfect Skyline

I didn't know what to expect, what to look forward to in Chicago. I wasn't brewing up anything fancy in my mind prior to the visit. Chicago to me then, was just another city built of famous sky scrappers which adoringly queue the shores of Lake Michigan, stamped on picture perfect postcards. There was much more to it I knowingly acknowledged, but when you are not clutching your most favourite person in the world in this the journey, everything falls pale to your eyes. My sister had warned me about its magic, before I even said yes to this whole untimely adventure. She equipped me with her own experience during her undergraduate time, where to go, what to see and what to do. It was a must, she exasperatedly repeated herself to board on the lake cruise as to live the scenes from "My Best friend's wedding" movie. "Romantic sangat!" she drooled, but I couldn't understand the need of me to do so since the only person I wished to be romantic with would be thousand and thousand of miles away.

Like the movie, we dismounted the train at the Union Train Station, pacing the underground smoky atmosphere along with probably hundred others. Emerging from the underground tunnel, the strong wind wasn't the only thing which took us by surprise, we were completely blown away with the entire 360 degree view.
The Sears Tower stood tall right before our eyes apparently tickling the clouds away. You could also hear murmurs between the trees and the ground, whispers amongst the buildings, mutters of the pebbles we trampled on and the occasional teases of the wind. The city was seemingly breathing, the city was alive! And we embraced it the moment the first gush of wind chanced upon our faces. Yes, it was that evident.

Enjoying the 360 degree view on top of the Chicago Trolley and Double Decker bus.

With a map in our hands, the Sugarflour Team consisting of Pn. Watie and family, Lisa, Chef and I searched our way around with our heads tilted up. It was difficult to ignore the beautiful high rise buildings as well as the perfect blue sky. There were many moments when the tilting was just to give praise to Allah, thanking the Almighty for every step these legs were opportuned to stride on this part of the Earth. Our urban adventure then started off with the hop on the Chicago Double Decker bus which would give us glimpses of the entire city with ease. We had less than 10 hours to immerse ourselves in everything Chicago, hence the guided bus tour ride.

From this signature tour we breezed through everything, from the underground streets to international-acclaimed sky scrappers as like the Millenium Park, The Michigan Ave Bridge, The Art Institute, The Field Museum, The Navy Pier, just to name a few. But the first stop we took was at the Navy Pier known to be Chicago's number one attraction. The carnival like atmosphere transformed us into little children jumping at the first sight of candy floss! We were trapped in a lost time zone, a Forest Gump kinda world with chocolates, pop corn, cookies, candies and sweets. Bubba the Chef, Lisa and I ran our fingers onto everything we laid our eyes on, curiosity didn't kill us but only ripped our treasured dollars from our torn pockets. When I spotted the cookie shop as seen on your right screen, instantaneously I thought of my sister. No, I didn't buy any to satisfy my cravings since each piece was sold at USD 4.99! Yikes! The only thing to do was to steal the sweet tasting aroma which somehow has caramelised the entire shop. I bet even the furniture tasted like chocolate chip cookie!

What else did I steal? ... wait for the upcoming entry. Got cakes to bake now folks. Enjoy the pics.

Sights and sounds at Navy Pier. The best place to be, entertaining the kid in you.

I warned you there were jumpings he he he, me looking like a @#$#@@!.

Life After 5

First of all I would like to apologize for the long silence, a week blessed with whimsical birthday cakes and favours for me to do. But I am back and hopefully long enough to serenade your quite time with more of my chimerical syok sendiri stories.

****************************************************

Life in the US started only after 5pm for all of us especially for my roommate Lisa. After the gruelling 9 to 5 workshop we untied our aprons, wiggled the flour from our clothes, straightened our crooked face and headed on to the nearest shopping Malls. The shuttle bus service would only take us to places within a 5 minute drive from the hotel, hence the visit to the same mall almost every night. The Americans take pride in their big Malls, confident we have seen nothing as fancy as what they presented before our eyes. We pleaded to differ and they were quite surprised to learn we come from a country which malls are accepted as the second home, well for most of us.

Since money was not something we brought in abundance, window shopping was the only thing to do. The only shop that did damage to our pockets was the DOLLAR XTREME SHOP. Purchases after purchases of fridge magnets, key chains, souvenirs for relatives and friends were made everytime we walked by the shop. Most items were made in China and as much as we tried to buy American made stuff, it became a feat frivolous to attempt.

Some things did come cheaper like children's clothes and most of the branded items. However food wise it was dollar to ringgit there. For example, Mcdonald's burgers were around 5 dollars each, about the same as the ringgit price here. A vegetarian "kebab like" wrap costs a whopping 7 dollars which mind bogglingly is more expensive than a meaty one. Tapi apakan daya itu saja yang boleh dimakan, itulah yang kami pesan. Anyway, after our fourth consecutive order for a vegetarian wrap at the same shop, the Asian guy behind the counter looked at us in bewilderment.

" Why do you people order Kosher food? Why not try our chicken range or our steaks" Lisa who was in shivers due to the lack of protein in her diet squealed "...that's because we have to be vegetarian when we travel since the meat are not halal here" That Asian guy was forming more lines on his forehead when he couldn't understand our predicaments. He continued "...I am a muslim of course the meat here is halal!" We gulped and looked at each other before we screamed "...why didn't you tell us so? arghhhhhhhhh!"

Jet lagged, we roamed the hotel premise looking for something to do. When everyone else was sleeping the three of us would be chuckling away in the gym or at the pool table or in the game room. Lots of quaters were swallowed and lost in the event of entertaining a bunch of thirty year old kids. And I played pool for the first time too, well, more like arranging the balls into the arrangement which suited my fancy,to the horror of the experienced pool players Lisa and Chef. And I did it when they were looking wee hee hee.

On some days when the sun was lending its rays a little longer, we took the opportunity to try our luck at the miniature golf course. At a glance, the course looked terribly easy, a one cough terus masuk lubang kinda impression. Dengan penuh aksyen, kami pun memukul bola itu, sekali...dua kali...tiga kali....empat kali pun tak masuk2 ha ha ha. Kali ke enam baru la terhegeh2 bola tu tergolek masuk. Chef came a bit later and when he saw our struggle he shook his head and yanked the kayu golf lalu cuba menunjukkan how silly we were. Akan tetapi apa yang ditunjukkan hanyalah cara2 "Bagaimana Untuk Memalukan Diri Sendiri Dengan Pukulan Yang Jauh Lebih Banyak" mwahahahaha.

We worked hard and played hard and that granted us the reason to savour moments spent here at The Hilton Indian Lakes Resort Bloomingdale.

Our comfortable room with huge springy beds

That Thing We Do

"Why were you there exactly?" someone who was obviously tired of reading my endless sedih entries, questioned me impatiently. I almost laughed when I saw the exasperation on her face, uncertain if I was injecting suspense to the way I write or boredom instead. Truthfully, I am savouring every single detail of my trip, unwilling to let the memoir melt down on me like an ice cream on a hot Sunday afternoon. I am still in my dreams folks, unawakened by the reality, so do pinch me, every time I go astray ;o).

As all might have guessed, my travel to the States was to pursue knowledge on cake decorating with the Sugarflours Team. We, like the rest of the other international cake enthusiasts there, participated head to head, shoulder to shoulder kneading our way to complete the teachers' training course before we were conferred the PME Trainer's certificate. The modules had our sleeves rolled up from 9 to 5 with an hour lunch break in between. It was one week of hard labour for the Malaysian contingent, with us trying to acclimatize to the weather and different time zone. We were at most times walking deep in our slumber with our eyes wide opened building cakes and constructing royal icing bridges. The most difficult part was to stay awake during the round up sessions. I almost dozed and fell off my chair on one occasion.

All in all it was a wonderful opportunity to rub shoulders with established cake decorators whose work have constantly left me gawking and gaping online. But through an event such as this, I was privileged to meet and talk to them personally, exchanging ideas on a subject which is dearest to us. Therefore I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartiest gratitude and appreciation to participants from Argentina, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, India, United Kingdom, Canada, Spain and the United States for their support and friendship. I am humbled by the professionalism and the hospitality shown.

Below are glimpses on "That thing we do"

Watie looking delighted with the Sugarflours name tag. This was our formidable looking work station. It shouted "serious work only" Yikes!...Yawn...

My roses are not as dainty as Lisa's the instructor. Maybe because she is English, yes, that's why. But my hibiscus isn't any better either ha ha ha.

Glorious food, vegetarian food! Sayur -stir fried, blanched, boiled, souped, sandwiched, and mashed, presented in all forms imaginable. To compensate we bagged the cookies and crisps home.

We had to say "cheese" in all the participants' languages. Keju included. So the Malaysian contingent pouted their lips to mouth "kejuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" for the camera!

Stay tune to "That thing we do too" next folks!

Home Away From Home

As everyone adjourned to their respective kampungs and hometowns for Hari Raya, we too were transported to a kampung far far away. A place so alien to the eyes, a weather so foreign to the face, would be our temporary home for this leg of the journey. This is a kampung unlike any other, located about 45 minutes drive to Chicago, situated in a replica ambiance of Wisteria Lane, which saw us ooooing and aaahing at every erected structure. Looking at those lovely homes reminded us so much of our own...which might not be as pretty or as beautiful but it is where this heart cozily resides.

Our first impression of USA was met with our expectations of it being all spruced up just like the street of Desperate housewives. We bumped into a few Susans, Brees and Lynettes minding their chores or walking their dogs but never a sight of Mike fixing a household. sigh! ;o) I took a 360 degree turn to enjoy the welcoming view of the entire Kampung, appreciating the presence of a friend who like me felt the experience was too surreal. The landscape was preparing itself to usher Autumn, the temperature was decreasing, the leaves were falling and we were freezing.

It was drizzling on the first day at Kampung Bloomingdale. But that did not deter us from trampling on the fallen leaves leaving our footprints on the sidewalks. We dashed to the nearest grocery store, raced to the nearby lake and skipped all the way back. Everything was almost in a walking distance from our hotel but when the temperature dropped too drastically we would take the free shuttle service provided by the hotel. Selepas tahu mengenai perkhidmatan percuma itu, tidaklah kami dengan kurang bijaknya berjalan kesejukan lagi.

We took refuge in Kampung Bloomingdale folks... it was our home away from home.

Bloomingdale

Leaving On A Jetplane

I wished I could tell all, relate every thought on my mind, every emotion in my heart, every ache on my soles. I was trying very hard to remember every single detail, so hard sometimes I forgot to just immerse myself in the moment. This was the journey of my wildest dreams, too wild for a tamed, subdued person like me. Who would have thought a home baker, a self employed worker, a self proclaimed manager be given the opportunity to fly out to a country which was never in her "to do list" in the first place. United States of America was as good as any country in this world spun on the blue globe. It was just there for me to point out with my index finger but never to venture.

The journey commenced the moment we had to apply for the elusive American visa. It wasn't easy folks, even harder for my friend Lisa who had to spend days filling up the unnecessary forms which required details like the information on all our siblings. So just imagine our chef who had more than 10! Honestly, we never dared to harbour high hopes to actually make it to the land of the free. There were too many bumps along the way which were disheartening to the soul. Lisa's handbag was stolen together with our visa receipts, Chef and Watie's husband's visas were not approved till the very last minute, not to mention the reluctance of our spouses and children to allow us to make this trip. The days prior to the departure were just as eventful, but I was glad for the experience, good and bad were swallowed
with of a glass of self reflection.

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I thought I had a good plan, which was to make myself cry days before the trip in hope to cry less at the airport. It failed miserably. I had to leave my kids and husband on Raya eve, unthinkable for many, unforgivable for me. After rounds of kisses and tight embraces I had to break free to descend the escalator to board my flight. It was then it rained tears on me. I couldn't look back for fear of losing my composure. But I did anyway, right before their images disappear from my cloudy vision. I flanked my hands and blew kisses, so many, that it was difficult for my son to catch and keep them in his pockets. My daughter just cried uncontrollably, my husband...he wrote me the most beautiful sms ever as he was too tight a throat to say it himself. Oh sedihnya saya masa tu Tuhan saja yang tahu.


Since our visas were only approved at the 11th hour, we didn't get to reserve good tickets for our flight. Dah jadi macam naik bas loncat, the difference was the journey occupied almost 29 hours of our time. We arrived at Changi Airport via Japan Airline around 10pm and had to wait till 6am the next day to fly to Hong Kong with United Airlines pulak. The transit was very trying for us, kami seperti orang2 yang kepenatan dan kehilangan arah meandering all over the place. In the end we slept on the airport's carpeted floor beralaskan bag makanan, bag tangan dan siku. Berlinanglah air mata pada keesokan harinya when Syawal was received by just us dusting the dust and the dirt from our pants. After a quick rendang tok and nasi impit breakfast we boarded the next flight to Hong Kong before the final 16 hour one straight to Chicago O'hare Airport.

For those who have travelled with Malaysian Airlines before, flying with another foreign carrier felt as if you are chained onto your seat as a bandit ready to be transported to a god forsaken prison. The leg room was small, the seats weren't as comfy, the facilities were limited. No tv screen at each seat, the food was bland and the cabin crew wasn't as helpful and friendly. Being constrained in our seats with a typhoon somewhere in Japan to propel through and 16 hours to count down didn't ease our discomfort either. Masa nilah all of us appreciated our national carrier, "bestnya kalau naik MAS" was on our thoughts most of the time. I noticed we sometimes have the tendency of belittling anything Malaysian but surprisingly on this particular trip I became the opposite. I discovered being Malaysian is a privilege, a birthright you should cherish and take pride in. I have never been more proud to be a Malaysian, I was representing my country in my own little way.

...and so, after much turbulence, endless doa's, countless visits to the loo, coffee breaks, tea time, orange juice moments and vegetarian food consumptions, we finally made it to Chicago, United States of America! Alhamdulillah.

to be continued.

Lisa the jet setter and chef the lone walker

Surprise!

There I was standing, as hard as for me to believe it, on a foreign soil on the first day of Syawal. The resonance of takbir didn't permeate the air that day and it never left our hearts either. We have been reciting it, humming quietly in our little corner almost throughout the 29hour journey. It was the one and only reminder of Syawal since the rest of the world was not clad in baju melayu and baju kurung neither was the world splashed in Raya colours we were missing to see.

In between casual chats and jokes amongst the three of us, quiet moments seemed to fill what seemed to be the longest flight ever. During those times I could see eyes gleaming as well as glowing, a mixture of bitter and sweet, a combination of pride and sorrow. The three of us were huddled there for a reason, a reason we neglectfully ceased to remember, the one which suddenly changed the melancholic sound of our takbir to a... victorious one.

We managed to pull ourselves together folks...simply because we were there to win a wholesome of knowledge!

So come and join me in this journey of self betterment in hope you are also able feel and see the picturesque views from the angle of an amateur Rm399 camera owner. The pictures captured will never do justice to the true beauty of the places but they are still a spectacle to cherish nevertheless.

Another journey to write about with Lisa my trip organizer and chef my mental torturer he he he who will grace most of the pages here. All this made possible by the sweetest individual ever Watie, as sweet as the name she concocted for her little rendezvous in Bangi. My heartfelt thanks to all of them.

Our little raya spread prepared by chef's wife and Lisa's mum savoured with a bite of guilt and a gulp of rindu in the morn of Raya at Changi Airport.

Leaving...

In 10 hours time I would fly away... leaving sorrowful faces behind. Faces which have never escaped my watchful eyes would now be the last images I savour before my departure. The intense of it all could just break the already shattered heart into tinier pieces of longing to be home on Raya. I have never left them you see, not even to go for work or class. They have always been with me, by my side, at the soft call of my voice, at a glance of a distance, with me all the time. I just hope one day they will understand.

Parting isn't such sweet sorrow after all.

I could taste the bitterness already...

especially when things do not explain themselves even after an apologetic embrace.

Will write more the moment I am more settled.

Till next time.

Raya Of Many Selamats

I have yet to make ready preparations for Raya at my house. Cookie jars are still not visible on the dining table, perhaps there are not many cookies left to fill the decorative airtight containers. Nothing of raya could be seen or felt yet and I will tell you why in time to come. The only raya feeling that lingered was the fact that I prepared raya cookies and raya cakes for friends and customers everyday till the very end. I even had a last minute raya sale, as always, at the place I used to teach, enticing all staff and former students to come grab the many cakes I baked the night before. I needed an extra boost of cash flow to accompany me on a journey, hence the surge in making vigorous sale. Cakes and cookies disappeared in no time at all, how I wished I could have baked more to cater to those who didn't get to grab some. So here I would like to extend my gratitude to those who have made their purchases of my wares. Thank you thank you thank you so much.

Thanks Rachel for both orders!

I would like to leave you with my other Selamat wishes this raya, wishes to be safe and stay safe. Selamat memandu pulang, selamat bergembira, selamat berhari raya, selamat memanjangkan silaturrahim, selamat kembali bertugas. It is alarming to learn the rate of accidents on the road, and I hope everyone would be extra alert and cautious whilst driving. Have a safe journey home folks!


Salam Aidil Fitri buat semua pembaca,
Maaf Zahir dan Batin
daripada wiz sekeluarga.

Thanks Vivian for both orders!

See you guys soon!

I'm Running...

Thanks so much Noreen!

A. ...out of ideas
B. ...off with someone
C. ...away to somewhere
D. ...all of the above

I am running folks, if not for all of the above pun, I am running around like a headless chicken trying to finish everything all in due time.

Baru teringat, headless chicken boleh lari lagi ker? hmm.

So tepi sikit! cluck! cluck! cluck! cluck!.

Thanks so much Dee!

Hampered!

Butter smells nice only on cookies, I noticed, they noticed.

Anyway...

After baking continuously for the past one week, I have come to terms with this horrid smell I carry with me, the kids too have gotten used to it, the hubby ...still in his own incomparable male aroma unbeknownst of this new perfume encircling me right now. Everytime I asked him "...do I smell? He would blitely say "...I have grown to accept it." sheeeeesh!

Cake orders will only resume a week before raya folks, right now it's all cookie affair. I have shipped out 4 carton of boxes already tu jer yang these two hands terdaya raya buat and now I will try to complete the family's ration of give aways to ma in law, my parents, my brothers, sister and a few jars for the kids and guests.

And since I have sooooooooooo much time under those flabs of my tummy, I decided to burn it with Hamper making. I know it's a far cry from those professional ones you see in the market especially of Jules', and my cousin's Lin at least I know now not to meddle with talents you have the least.

So here goes folks wizhampers...all for sale.

Dainty

RM70
3 Units all SOLD!

Content
3 types of wizcookies
3 types of imported chocolates
all placed daintily in a jewelery box with flowers and laces.


Julesness

RM 100
1 unit

Content
The base can is filled with Makmur
The middle can is filled with chocolate chip cookies
The top can is filled with strawberry chocolates.

Ruby

RM90

1 Unit Sold!

Content

3 types of wizcookies
1 box of strawberry chocolates
1 bag of dodols.
1 large size keronsang.
1 red bakul

Earth

RM 130
1 Unit Sold!

Content

4 types of wizcookies
1 box of ferrero Rocher
1 large keronsang
1 brown bakul

Treasures

RM 185

1 Unit Sold!

Content

4 types of wizcookies
1 Sparkling soda
2 jars of spices
2 types of chocolates
2 types of dodols
1 wooden white tray

There you have it folks, some works of my kerastangan. If you are interested do email me at wizcakes@gmail.com bearing the "raya hampers" title alright.

Thanks yous, Zank yous!