being a kid again ^_____^

So, a few days ago, Alex bought back the Pretzel burger from Wendy's because it was advertised as 'the best burger' and only offered for a limited time only...

And he also got a kid's meal because that was cheap lol... and came with a drink, small fries, and this...

He told me to throw it away... but do you think I would do so???

Plus.. it clearly states..

.. YUP, definitely appropriate for me! hahahaha

So what did I do with it? #taitailife #toofreeandbored

Then I realised my work is too childish lo. So I decided to be more "poetic"....

...
*coughs*
...

It does feel good to be a kid once a while ;)

Cincaicook #3 - Oreo Truffles!

Last Saturday, our church organised a Lantern Festival celebration for the chinese community, and we were also encouraged to bring along some dishes for the potluck dinner... I told Alex that we should make some oreo truffles (that he once did for another church event before), and he entertained me, got me the recipe, and I went to get the ingredients from Countdown right after the English class in church. Well, there were some ugly fights in the kitchen when we were making it together but we definitely made up after that and had a rather nice evening together... SO, personal drama aside, here's the recipe for the truffles!

Before we start, make sure you would have at least 3 hours to do this before deciding that you wanna do this ... okay?

Let's look at the ingredients!

- 1 block of Philadelphia cream cheese.
- 2 blocks of dark chocolate of your choice
- 3 foils of oreos (roughly 450 gram of them)
- some chopped peanuts / almonds / any decorations you desire

Yup, sounds simple right.

Now let's go to the steps!

1. In batches, put your oreos into a ziplock bag, and use a roller to crush them into fine pieces and crumbs.

2. Put all the oreo crumbs in a large bowl or preferably your food processor, and mix them well with softened cream cheese. (The softer your cream cheese is, the easier it will be for you. Since we did not have a food processor, I had a challenging time using our hand blender, stopping every 20 seconds or so, dug out the sticky dough from the blender, mixed manually with my spoon, then used the blender again, and repeated the steps till I get a beautifully mixed dough.) This should be how it looks like..

 

3. Now, scoop the dough with a spoon and roll them into small balls. Make sure they are not too big because it will be too much of a bite after with the chocolate coating. With this recipe, you can comfortably make 40 - 50 balls.

4. Put the little balls into the freezer for 30 - 45 minutes.

5. Now comes the tricky part - melting the chocolate. Melting the chocolate is actually not as easy as it sounds (which I found out the hard way). Chocolate scorches easily.

There are 2 ways to melt chocolate.

If you want to use the microwave (which is faster), break the chocolate block into small pieces and put them in a microwaveable bowl. Now, set your microwave to the lowest heat for 30 - 45 seconds. Then take the chocolates out, give it a stir, and place it back into the microwave oven for 10 - 15 seconds, take them out, stir, and repeat the 10 - 15 seconds cycle till it's fully melted.

The second way is to place your chocolates (that are broken into smaller pieces) in a bowl, and place that bowl in a bigger pot that is filled with some water, and cook over the stove.Make sure that NO WATER gets into your chocolate or it will make your chocolate unusable. Watch over your chocolate, stirring it frequently, making sure the heat is not too high, till you are happy with the texture of it.

IF water did get into your chocolate (which happened to ours), it would not melt, but will clump... The way to save your chocolate is to add oil, stir it, add more oil, stir it, till it melts)

6. When your chocolate is fully melted, you have to act fast before it hardens. So use spoons, grab a ball, drop into the melted chocolate, coat it, and take it out, placing it on a non-stick foil or baking paper. Before the chocolate hardens, spread your decorations on it. Repeat this till you get all your balls coated.

7. Then, put them back into the freezer for an hour or so, and they are ready to be served :)

(since we were rushing, I actually did not have time to take a proper picture of the finished product and only remembered to do so after we presented the dish to the organising committee.. Being thick-skinned, I went back to snap a picture of it before rushing off lol. No time to do nice plating or take pictures of them in better angles hahahaha.)

Personally, I love how it tastes. Not too sweet at all because the dark chocolate balances out the sweetness of Oreo, and the cream cheese gives it a nice chewy texture. If you do try this, do show me the pictures of your creation ;)

Transparency

Why do I go into details about the challenges I face here in New Zealand and publish them for people to see?
Am I not afraid of busybodies, judgment, uninvited opinions, and exposing my weaknesses?
Or, is this an attempt to gain sympathy, attention?


For instance, when I shared about how I got rejected again and again from my job applications, I had people who showered me with encouragement (that I really valued), and also people sending me messages telling me that I have not done enough. In a way, I placed myself in a position for people to judge.

EVEN SO, I am someone, who values TRANSPARENCY.

When I share about my joys, despairs, unemployment statuses etc, I was not with any intention of creating a sob story. In fact, I simply want to be transparent.

I don't need people to make assumptions and play guessing games, wondering what am I up to or thinking that I am having a blast.

And you could say, "why worry about what others think?"

My answer is, "I am not concerned with what OTHERS think. But because I have always been transparent about my circumstances with my loved ones, especially my parents and my partner, I know it gives them reassurance and peace."

If not for transparency, my parents would not have given Alex and I their blessings throughout our long-distance relationship that was filled with all sorts of challenges.

If not for transparency, Alex and I would not have accepted each other whole-heartedly, and embark on this difficult yet fulfilling journey together.

If not for transparency, my parents would not have agreed to let me follow Alex to New Zealand, without any assurance of stable financial security.

If not for transparency, my family would not have partner with us in prayer, everyday, praying over our needs and circumstances.

If not for transparency, my family would not be able to answer on my behalf to many 'concerned' people.

Yes, so I put out my side of the story. I share the real picture, in hope that it will shed some light to those in similar situations or who naively think that all is good at this side of the world. And if people continue to make their own speculations about me, I am fine with it.

You read my story, you have your own interpretation, and that's your right. At least, to me, I was being honest with myself, my family, my friends. And even as I recount the obstacles, I find peace from God, and I just want to glorify His name.

At the looks of things, I most probably will have to go back to Malaysia to teach in March.

This is a real bittersweet decision for me.

Personally, I have a big heart for education in Malaysia - it is my home, my people. And I know that I will be going back to familiar faces, and good colleagues, despite all the lack of facilities and life's comfort in Gua Musang. But my heart has this sour grip, when I think of leaving my husband behind. Even though we had survived the past five years of LDR, it really does not make it any easier, not after you have tasted life together.

And my dad really knows how to choke me up.

Recalling a recent conversation we had (my parents have been calling me EVERYDAY via Viber lol):

Dad: Girl, people are going to label you as a failure when you come back to Malaysia. They are going to ask questions about why you can't find work there and make comments without knowing your situation. I just want you to know that we don't think of you as a failure. We love you. And we have been submitting everything to God so we just continue to live in obedience and faith. And, do you need me to assemble a team of 'kompang' to welcome you back?

:')

I am really blessed with great parents.

Regardless of what happens, I am grateful to God for the past 2 months of being here in Auckland with my husband.

Together, we overcame some huge financial hurdles.
Together, we learn how to live together lol. (still learning..)
Together, we attended church and got ourselves involved in different ministries.
Together, we pray, every single night.
Together, we fight, we make up, we learn, we compromise.
Together, we have really really fun times.
Together, we are just a great team.

With possibly 2-3 weeks left here, I am going to
- enjoy my 'tai tai life' (seriously I AM SO NOT HOUSEWIFE MATERIAL lol)
- leech onto my husband as much as I can
- continue to serve in the free English classes and make new friendships (I now have sooooooooo many new friends from China, who can be my grandparents lol. Then again, I do know how to charm the elders hahahaha)
- cook as much as I can.
- stock up on my favourite coffee and goodies to bring back home.
- be the best fan and supporter for my husband

And Malaysia,
I hope my coming back, will be welcomed.

And God,
Thank you for everything. I praise You when times are good. And I will continue to praise You when times are bad. Open up my eyes, to see the unseen, and my ears, to hear Your words. And grant us wisdom, in every step that we take.