The purpose of life

Asssalamualaikum and Hi,

Lately, I keep thinking, what are my purposes in this life?

Why I exists? What can I do the world? What I want to contribute? What will I achieve? And etc etc.

In the end, it leads me to the answer,

To live.

Living is hard, especially when you're on your own, having tons of responsibilities on your shoulder. Thus, to be able to live, despite all those stressful, tough events in your life, you're amazing enough. Nevertheless, living is interesting. There are a lot to discover and explore. While living, you can do a lot of things too. Be happy with your life. Appreciate your life. Love your life. Live the moments. If you give up on your life now, you'll miss exciting, amazing journey ahead.

Just live life. Just go through it, at your own pace, at your own time.

In the Quran, there is this verse saying;

"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me (51:56)"

Above all, everything in life should be about worshiping God. In whatever you do. When you work, when you clean yourself, when you eat, when you help your parents and when you do everything. 

If I think that way, I feel happier because I tend to be grateful for what I have. Yes we all have dreams and goals. We always want more. But stop overthinking about what we don't have.

And whenever we feel down (or happy) we will know who should we turn to, the one and only reason why we live, the Almighty God, Allah SWT.

How it all began

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

Cooking has been my hobby since I was 18. It is like a therapy for me. I love to cook and try new recipe. Sometimes I do some experiment with the ingredients to see the results. Before I was 18, I never think I will be able to cook someday. My family had a maid for 10 years and she never let me to enter the kitchen. When I was 15, I cried so bad because I'm afraid I can't cook and drive cars (I got my license but I'm still afraid to drive!). 

In 2013, my best friend shared his mom's famous cheesecake recipe with me. He told me to be brave and just give it a try. I was afraid to try at first but if I didn't do it now, I know I will never do it. So i just trust my guts and went on cooking. The cake turned out very good but slightly undercooked. The second time I made it, it has a huge crack. Nevertheless on the third time of trying, the cake turned out to be very good.

After the cake was a success for the first time, I felt more confidence with myself and started cooking. In Sunway, my friends and I cooked together sometimes and we tried weird methods of cooking like using rice cooker or using the microwave.

I felt glad because I tried. If I didn't, I wouldn't know how it had a huge impact on my life. What made it more special was because the cheesecake recipe was from someone very important in my life. I will definitely remember this recipe forever. So I want to put it here for anyone to refer;

Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:

For the crust: butter, digestive biscuits.

For the cake: 500 grams cream cheese (I use Philadelphia or Tatura's brand), 1/2 can condensed milk, 2 eggs, vanilla essence.

Methods:

1. Chop the biscuits finely and mix them with butter. Spread on the cake mould and let it cooled inside the fridge.
2. Mix cheese and condensed milk, whisk them until there were no lumps.
3. Add in eggs and vanilla essence. Mix them well.
4. Pour the mixture into the cake mould an bake for 20 minutes at 180 degree Celcius.
5. Put the toppings according to your creatity. Suggestion: fresh fruits, blueberry paste, chocolate, oreo.

The third time. Alhamdulillah it was so nice!

Kdrama : Scarlet Heart Ryeo

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

This drama was my favorite during my final semester! I watched this while working and doing assignments. When the last episode was aired, I watched it while I was studying for finals because I was so impatient and curious to know the ending. As a fan of historical and time travelling genre, for me this one was a very amazing.

 The plot

It was about a girl named Go Ha Jin who  was trying to save a drowning boy. Suddenly, a solar eclipse occurred and transported her to the beginning of Goryeo era (ruled by King Taejo at that time), When she arrived in Goryeo, she appeared in the princes' bath place. They looked at her feeling so weird wondering how she entered that place. One of the prince named Wang Wook immediately recognized her. Go Ha Jin was trapped in the body Hae Soo, his wife's cousin. 

The princes she saw was Wang Wook, Wang So, Wang Mu, Wang Yo, Wang Eun, Wang Jung, Wang Won and Baek Ah. At first, Hae Soo was so sad to find herself in someone's else body but then she accepted her fate when Wang Wook said to her everything will be okay. Hae Soo was very close to Chae-Ryung, her maid and friend. She lived in Wang Wook and Lady Hae's home. Initially she felt in love with the gentle and loving Wook. I think part was stupid because both Wook and Hae Soo didn't care about Lady Hae's feeling. Lady Hae was became sick and then died while Wook carried her on his back. After her death, bad times had began for Hae Soo.

Wook kept a distance from Hae Soo because he felt guilty for Lady Hae's death (when she was alive you cheated on her boo Wook!!). The drama continued when the king wanted to Hae Soo as her wife. All the princes tried to protect her but in the end Hae Soo volunteered to go to the palace because she didn't want the princes to be punished. In the palace, Wook and So tried to persuade the king to stop the marriage but he refused. Hae Soo then cut her wrist and said it will leave a big scar, so she won't be fit to be queen (What kind of rule laa duhh?). Hae Soo was punished to be a court lady. She became closed to Lady Oh the head of Damiwon Palace. Her relationship with Wook was still okay but they were not really close as before. Instead, Hae Soo started to be closer to So, who was very worried about her after the incident. Hae Soo also helped Wang So to cover his scar (which was the reason why people afraid of him and his mom hated him. I don't understand who created such a foolish rule) and since that day So was accepted by everyone. He felt grateful and thankful for Hae Soo's help.

A conspiracy to kill the Crown Prince was done to make Yo the King by Queen Dowager Yoo . She ordered one of the maid to put poison in Crown Prince's tea which was served by Hae Soo. So who knew the plan drank the tea but Hae Soo managed to save him. Princess Yeon Hwa also drank the tea to cover up the evil plan. This event caused Hae So was sentenced to death. However, Lady Oh saved her by saying the plan was hers, thus she was the one to be beheaded. The part about Lady Oh was the saddest part. She suffered so much in her life but still she stayed by the King, the love of her life. She said Hae Soo was just like a daughter to her, and she will save her daughter. She reminded her not to be closed to the prince but stupid Hae Soo was so stubborn she won't listen. When Hae Soo tried to beg the King to save Lady Oh, nobody stood  beside her including Wok, who turned away from her. So came to cover her with his coat when it rained. That was the beginning of their love story. Hae Soo was punished to become a water maid. Meanwhile, the princes had to go to war and busy growing up so they did not contact each other anymore.

Few years later, they met each other again. At this time the king was almost dead. Wook, Yoo, Won and Yeon Hwa planned  to make Yoo the king so they tried to delay the returning of Crown Prince to the palace. Actually Yoo was trapped by Wook to destroy his evil plan and Yoo was captured. At the same time, the Crown Prince returned and he was crowned as king. Hae soo was appointed as the head of Damiwon palace. She get back with So and they became so close to each other yeayy. However, good times don't last long, Yoo came back to rebel and with the help of Wook, he managed to kill the king and he finally get on the throne as King Jeongjong. Soo and So wanted to escape from the palace but the king didn't let them to. The king wanted to get rid of Wang Eun whom he thought might be a threaten to him. So had to be the king's dog and followed his orders because he wanted Soo to be safe. However, Wang Eun was finally killed because the king shot his arrow at him and then So stabbed him with his sword as the king ordered him to do so. This was very different from Soo's vision as she saw So was the one to killed Eun. At this point, So decided to be the king of Goryeo so he did not have to be anyone's dog. 

After a long time on the throne, King Jeongjong felt sick as he always heard the voices of the people he killed. While he was dying, he didn't leave his will of who will ascending the throne. Soo greeted Soo as the new King and everyone greeted him too. Wang So became King Gwangjong.

When he became the King, his relationship with So became closer, and he wanted make her the Queen. However, Soo has no family, so the officials rejected her and suggested him to marry Yeon-Hwa, the one and only princess of Goryeo (at this era, half-siblings can get married. Despite her sadness, Soo asked So to marry Yeon-Hwa as she can't guarantee him safety but only comfort and love. Although So already became the king, some people have doubt about the king's will. So get mad and killed anybody who questioned his position. He even framed Wook and wanted to punished after knowing he helped the previous king to kill the Crown Prince. Soo begged him to not to kill his brothers as he promised, So agreed but he punished Wook to live in his home forever and he could never stepped away from his home. 

Yeon-Hwa asked help from Wook to make So hated Soo. Wook confessed about his relationship with Soo and his intention to marry her. So was so mad and he cut off his relationship with Soo. Soo who was devastated already with the life in palace that have too much bloodshed decided to leave. She married Jung and then found out she was pregnant with So's baby. She gave birth to the baby and and died because her body was already weak. After knowing the news, So rushed to Jung's home. He didn't believe So would die without getting back with him. Soo did send letters to him under envelops with Jung's name but So was so mad at both of them so he decided not to read it. So cried so badly with a lot of regrets.  

When Hae Soo woke up as Go Ha Jin after a year in coma, she didn't remember anything she went through. While she continued her job as sale promoter for skin care products line in a Goryeo's exhibition, she started to remember her memories in Goryeo. Then, when she went to see Goryeo's panting on that exhibition, her memories in Goryeo came back. She cried so hard and felt guilty for leaving So alone in his throne. Meanwhile, So had become a good king but he killed many people who were against him. Although he reformed Goryeo, such as establishing Civil Service Exam and Slave Reform Act, he was known as bloody tyrant. He had children with Yeon-Hwa but he never trusted them as he believed they will go against him one day.  

The drama ended with a scene of happy moments So had with Soo. She said to him if they met in another life in a better world, they will be happier together. 

The princes and Hae Soo.

Don't kill each other. You're brothers.

The characters 

• Hae Soo/Go Ha Jin - she was a very cheerful and loving girl. She cared for all the princes and would do anything to keep them safe. She fell in love with Wook, yet their love didn't last. She saw a vision of So as Gwangjong, the bloody tyrant. She became close to him to make sure all the princes will be safe. Then, she accepted So's heart and stayed by his side to make him happy. In the end she left him to stop hating him and make sure she would always loved him.

“I want to live, if I can’t change how I look…” 

“I wish I’d never met you. Then I wouldn’t have to miss you this much.”

• Wang So - . The 4th prince. Son of King Taejo and Queen Yoo. A child who never felt the love from his mother. He get a scar from and accident and it made people kept distance from him. He started to cared for Soo when she always get into troubles but then he loved her when she covered his scars. He too, would do anything to protect Soo. He had to marry Yeon Hwa to protect his throne. He was known as bloody tyrant yet he was also the one who reformed the young kingdo

“He didn’t want to become the sun, but he shone brightly." 

“Brace yourself from here on out. I won’t ever lose you.”

• Wang Wook - The 8th prince. A brilliant and skillful prince. He was the husband of Lady Hae. When Soo came into his life, he felt for her and abandoned his wife until the end of her life. He always want to protect Soo yet he had so many hearts to care for. He felt his responsibilites were a burden to him. He had to let go Soo and for that he became the bad guy. He was the one to create tricky and detailed plan to kill King Hyeojong. So framed him when he knew Wook's helped Yo to kill King Hyeojong. Wook was punished to be at his home till the end of his life. His son later became the 6th king of Goryeo.

“Love and power, I hold both in my heart.” 

• Wang Jung - The 14th prince. He was full brother with So and Yo. He was very close with her overprotective mother who gave all the attention to him. He didn't care much about the throne. He just want to have and be happy. Secretly falling in love with Hae Soo but never told her his feelings. In the end he married Soo to take her out of the palace.

“Forever the youngest brother to his sisters.”

• Baek Ah - The 13th prince. He was the kindest guy ever. He was Soo and So's best friend. He loved to draw and played music. Never been into war. Despite all his kindness, he was a sad guy. His love story never succeed. He loved Lady Hae but she already in love with his brother, Wook. He always visit Lady Hae to play music for her and had conversation together. He was mad at both Soo and Wook when they fell in love, as they ignored Lady Hae's feeling. Years later, he met Woo Hee. They loved each other, but Woo Hee, the only surviving princess of Silla felt guilty for not being able to protect her people. She committed suicide in front of people of Silla and Baek Ah saw her death. He was too heartbroken, after realizing he was too selfish to have her but not understanding the pain she had. He left So, and went to travel to mend his broken heart.

“Full of grace and elegance.” 

• Wang Yo - The 3rd prince. So and Jung's brother. Greedy for the throne. Spoiled by his mother. Always humiliate So in front of others. Very evil. Killed King Hyeojong and Eun. He died because of sickness as he claimed he often heard the voice of people he killed.

“Dreams of being Goryeo’s owner.”

• Wang Mu - The crown prince. He was a very kind brother and cared for his brothers. He was always sick. He treated everyone kindly and fairly. He was killed very cruelly by Yo and Wook.

• Wang Eun - The 10th prince. The closest to Hae Soo. He was very innocent and cute. Very childsh. He loved Soo but she only treated him like a friend. He was forced into arranged marriage. He wasn't happy at first but eventually he developed mutual feelings with his wife, Soon Deok. Unfortunately, both of them were killed by Yo.

“Mischievous and high-spirited." Isn't he kind of adorable?

• Wang Won - The 9th prince. He was the closest to Yo and always helped him with his evil plans. Loved by Chae Ryung but he used the love to manipulate her.

“Possesses pride, greed, perception… and money.”

• Yeon Hwa - The only princess in the family. Full sister to Wook. She was very pretty and well mannered in front of the elders and powerful people. However, she was very rude to the people with lower status. She's a snake who will manipulate people. A very ambitious woman. She knew her goals and find ways to achieve them. Although she was always threaten by marriage with all the kings, she believed she will gain power either through her brother or she will get on the throne by herself. She secretly have crush on So, though he rejected her, she managed to marry him and became the Queen. Despite that, So never loved her until the end.

• Court Lady Oh - the Head of Damiwon. She acted very serious and cold to Soo. Sometimes, she was quite harsh on Soo. Soo never give up and eventually she started to love her like a daughter. She was a very sad lady. She was Taejo's lover, but didn't get to be together. She stayed by his side as a Court Lady. She was pregnant before, but evil Queen Yoo poisoned her tea and she had miscarriage. She sacrificed her life to save Soo when she was framed. 

• Chae-ryung - Soo's first friend in Goryeo. She was her maid too, but they were so close to each other. She betrayed Soo to help Won in killing king Hyeojong. When So found out about this, he ordered for her to be killed. Soo was extremely sad and mad for her to be killed like that. However, Soo was not mad at Chae-ryung. Instead she said her only mistake was she was born as a slave.

• Lady Hae - Soo's cousin and Wook's wife. She's a very loving and caring lady who wanted her loved ones to be happy. She cared for Soo and she was like a mother to her. She was always sick and very weak. She wasn't able to give Wook children. She wanted Soo and Wook to be together after her death. She died in the snow while Wook carried her on his back.

• Queen Yoo - the evil queen. Very influential and powerful. She was greed for power. So she planned for his son's future, so he can be a king. She was the one who assisted Yo the ideas on how to get on the throne. She was a biased mom. She hated So because of scar on his face (but she was the one who caused him to have the scar. Bad mother). In the end, she died on the arm of the child she hated the most.

• King Tae Jo - the founder of Goryeo. He was a good king. However, although he loved his children, he was not a good father because he neglected them too. As he was the king, he thought he should kept distance with his children so he can protect the throne and the country.

It was your fault: part 1.

It was your fault: part 2.

It was your fault: part 3.

After seeing the pictures above (from episode 19), I just realized it was true. Everything happened because of Hae Soo's actions.She knew So will be Gwangjong, but she interfered with the destiny with hope she couldn't changed it. As Ji Mong always said, even you knew what will happen, you must not take any action. Of course in real life this story was not true, it was just a plot twist.

There were many moral values from this story; parents shouldn't be biased or hated their child, siblings should love and protect each other and sometimes the best way to love was to let go so the love will always stay, not hate. 

The very talented casts of Scarlet Heart Ryeo.

This drama was so good. The plot was nicely arranged and it made the audience very nervous to see the ending. The characters were so full of emotions and make us can feel their feelings. I felt quite sad as So and Soo were not together in the end, but I felt so glad she didn't end up with Wook. Nevertheless, the winner of this battle was Yeon Hwa as she became the queen of her crush and had children with him. The only thing she lose was So's love, but I still hate her haha. So and Soo wished they will be together in the next world. I hope there will be part 2 soon. Hence, I rated this drama 9/10.

So and Soo on their night out and they prayed together.

Through thick and thin.

Hopefully they will be together in the next world.

My Sunway memories - The Beginning

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

Like MRSM Kubang Pasu, Sunway also have a special place in my heart as I lived there for 4 years, living my early-adult life. Therefore, it deserved to be in a special post.

It began when I applied to MARA SPC Program. There were so many universities on the list, and many offered programs to go abroad. Then I saw an offer of the course Bachelor of Science majoring in Medical Bioscience at Sunway College doing foundation for a year, continued with Bachelor's degree program in Monash University Malaysia for 2 years, followed by another 2 years in Monash University Australia. I don't know why when I saw this, I didn't think much and just pick it. My another choice was in local university which was University Nottingham in Semenyih, Negeri Sembilan that offered neuroscience course. Alhamdulillah I got the offer for my first choice. In that year, there was no interview done for this program so I was automatically chosen based on my results. Hence, after SPM I only have about a month left to prepare everything before I registered on January 7th, 2013.

I came to Selangor on 6th January and we stayed at my aunt's house. On the morning of 7th January, we drove from Sungai Buloh to Bandar Sunway. It was on Monday and it was so jammed. It took almost 2 hours for us to arrive there. Abah was already not in the mood because he hated being in jam. 

Upon the arrival, I quickly registered myself at the counter and went to a mini orientation. I get to met a few friends. After that, I went back to my parents and we met my godmother a.k.a. my parents' best friend. She brought us to a cafe located in Sunway Monash Residence (SMR), the place that will be my home for a year. We had a quick lunch together and then my family had to go back to Kedah. It was a very sad moment. We kissed and hugged each other while tears falling from our eyes. My Abah cried too as he was too worried to let me go.

After the drama session, I went back to Sunway College and took a few tests for evaluation. Then I went to the foyer and met other MARA scholars. There were 10 of us and all of us were from MRSM. We were taken to SMR on a van or Vellfire owned by Sunway College (I couldn't remember). After registration for SMR was done, my godmother came and brought me to Sunway Pyramid to buy some stuffs. It was the first time I went to the mall who happened to be my favourite mall until now. We had a quick dinner together and then she sent me back to SMR.

That night, I had an ice breaking session with my housemates. We ate together had chat session. After that, we all went back to our room and get some rest. It was my first night in Selangor, away from my family. When I woke up tomorrow, I will experience a new phase in my life. 'Dear Sunway city, please be kind to me. We will be friends for the next 4 years', my thoughts before I fell asleep.

Read more about my life in Sunway during foundation and degree here

Till then,

Adlina

My education journey

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

This post is written because I was inspired by my friend's post, Izz as well as Vivy's post too. So here we go;

Pusat Perkembangan Kanak-Kanak Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz (1999-2001)

This was my first school, located and operated UUM Sintok where I lived after my parents came back from the UK. I was from the early batches of the school, not sure the second or third. My routine here was;

• Breakfast - We ate together in hall. We read loudly the prayer before and after eating. I think we ate food like fried bihun, bread or biscuits.
• Learning - This place was where I learn to write and read ABCs & numbers. Thank you to the teachers who taught me here. My learning process in my life was easier because of them. Without knowing how to read numbers and ABCs, nobody can succeed! 
• Lunch - then we had lunch together again. I don't really remember what we ate but what I remembered most were singgang ikan and chicken soup. So yum!!
• Performing prayers - after our stomachs were full, we prayed together in the praying room. I learned to pray and recite the prayers with my friends. After praying, we will shake hands and kissed each others' cheeks.
• Sleep! - we were forced to sleep after the prayers. We will lay on the small duvet called toto and slept until evening.
• Playtime! - after Asar prayer, we finally can play in the playground.
• Go home! - at 5pm school session ended and we can go back yeayy. Usually I will be last one going home at 6 pm (ask Abah why! hee)

On graduation day. I didn't smile because I was sick.

This place have a very special place in my heart as it was the first place I started to learn, and I stayed here until 10 years old for After School session.

SK Bandar Baru Sintok (2002-2007)

My one and only primary school. I spent 6 years of my life here. Basically most of my friends here were from my kindergarten. We've been friends for almost 16 years now. We didn't meet very often but when we did, it's not awkward at all. I fell in love with my first crush here, and I liked him since I was 10 till 15 years old. I was the second batch of students caming to this school. I went to school with my dad and went back by bus. I joined nasyeed competition. I won 2nd place in writing competition for Bahasa Malaysia essay. My friends and I organized a drama play during Independence day. The best thing here was I got 5As in UPSR here and brought me to MRSM. 

MRSM Kubang Pasu (2008-2012)

• Form 1 - I registered in this school on 18th February 2008. I came with my parents. Felt scared because it's first time being away from them. I think my room was B-11. I met my 2nd crush. I liked him throughout high school. I got Dean's list on my 1st semester but not in my 2nd. I was kind like nerdy this year.
• Form 2 - Moved to block A. I don't remember which room but it was wing B and middle room. I think A-1-09. My roommates were kind like cheeky ones. I enjoyed making friends with them because we had so much fun. Tragedy of the year was we changed our class because the teachers wanted to reduce disciplinary cases.
• Form 3 - BEST TIME OF LOWER FORM!!! Struggled for PMR. Then focus with MIGHTY program. We did a lot of stuffs. After PMR I became a little bit wilder lol. Broke some rules. Had a scandal with this guy. I texted him while I was eating Maggi curry, my phone fell into it and it died huaa. No annual dinner. The flood this year was so bad. Some parents couldn't make it to the graduation day. Half of the hall was empty. Alhamdulillah my parents managed to come. I got straight As for PMR.
• Form 4 - Came in January for KIKS program. It was good but quite boring compared to MIGHTY. I was rejected by MRSM PKP (top MRSM). Quite sad but it's okay. Re-enrol again on 7th February 2011. Met new friends. My room was A-112. I became so nerdy. Took accounting and dropped it because I didn't understand anything. Met my best friend but I hated him. Got 3.95 which was beyond my expectation, then everyone put high hopes one me. Had 2 scandals this year ish ish. I became as secretary for Student Representative Council (SRC). We organized weekly night market and a few formal events. Joined Pandu Puteri camping in MRSM Jeli. Went to UTP with the SRC  members for a program, it's like a leadership and business like program. I was selected to go to English Camp in Lenggong, Perak. It was da bombb! I met my friend who went to Monash with me there. I even kept the shirt and wore it until now.
• Form 5 - BEST YEAR OF ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL! Same class with my best friends including the best friend i hated before. We became closer and declared ourselves as best friends. SRC organized monthly birthday celebrations, orientation program as well as other formal events. I was selected to join Space Seed competition and we won the first place at the National level. So we went to Negeri Sembilan to receive the award. Then I went to Maths carnival in MRSM Muar. Best thing ever too! I got 7As 2Bs for trial exam and I used that results to enter fast track program. I got into a undeclared relationship with the Maggi guy when I was 15. I became the source of motivation for him to succeed. We got an annual dinner this time. I was sad because he didn't come. This year, graduation ceremony went so well. During SPM, I accidently wrote weird answers for my Physics paper. It was like the opposite concept of what I have learnt. I thought I might fail the paper. I was so frustrated but my friends and family told me to move on. In the end, I got 8As 1B for SPM. It was finally the end of my school life.

Graduation day. Above: Form 5, Bottom: Form 3

Sunway College (2013)

I enrolled her on 7th January 2013. I spent a year in this college before moving on to university life. It was the point of my life where I learned to be independent. It was indeed a very amazing year. Oh I started to date the best friend I used to hate when I was in school. 2013 was the year I have fun and enjoyed life. I got quite excellent results and then managed to enter Monash University Malaysia.

Monash University Malaysia (2014-2016)

Can I say this is the toughest road in my life? Yes, it was. I never worked so hard like this before. I never spend so much time on studying and doing tons of assignments as much as when I'm here. I cried a lot during this journey. I managed to multitask too. I grew up with my housemates and friends. I did so many stuffs. Besides getting a degree, this stage of my life was practising to become an adult. Although it was so hard and I hoped I chose an easier route, I think it was the best gift in my life. An experience I will get nowhere in the world but here.

Read more about my life in Sunway during foundation and degree here

I did it!!!

The best day of my life.

Now, I'm moving on to the adult phase. I hope I can be someone who can contribute back to society after receiving so much blessings in my.life.

K-dramas I've watched

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

This is a very very long post and I hope you are ready to read this.

I don't know since when I developed interest for Korean drama, but I remember coming back from school watching Winter Sonata and Autumn In My Heart on the TV. I did re-watch Autumn In My Heart and cried bucket of tears. K-dramas are so creative and contain many moral values (which are lacking nowadays). I love dramas that will make you think about the message they are trying to tell. I'm amazed how creative they are creating the plot about history, medical, sci-fi, politics and etc. It is something I hope to see in Malaysian drama too. Like who remembers about history of Malaysia and our ancestors even before Malaysia is formed? If you watch historical K-drama, you will definitely Google the history of Joseon and Goryeo. If the drama is about medical, you will definitely educate people to understand about the disease and its treatment.I wish one day, our country will be on the same level too. Hopefully. Let's get back to our discussion. So, I decided to list down all the K-drama I've watch so far as anyone future reference as well as for me to remember. There will be many parts of this review, so click here to read all of them.

1. Winter Sonata

I watched this drama when I was 7 or 8 years old, and it gave me big impact like I want to name everything with winter. Even my first email started with winter something haha. It was about a girl named Yoo Jin falling in love with a new student in her class, Joon Sang. They spend together during winter (obviously, see the title haha), and fall deeply in love with each other. Then Joon Sang get involved in accident and lost his memories. His mom then bring him to the US to start a new life there but she told everyone in Korea that Joon Sang was dead. Poor Yoo Jin cannot forget her first love even after few years later. After ten years, fate bring them together again as they had to work together but now Joon Sang identity was as Min Hyeong. While working together, Yoo Jin wondered if this Min Hyeong was Joon Sang, the one she loved the most. Of course in the end after many circumstances, these two finally together. However, Joon Sang became blind because of surgery. They created this drama again in anime version few years ago, with added ending of Joon Sang and Yoo Jin getting married. 

I have no comment about this drama because I totally forgot about it. Overall it is a good drama and it was on the top list of year.

 Joon Sang and Yoo Jin were so deeply in love.

Young main characters.

Main characters after ten years.

Their wedding day.

2. Autumn In My Heart

This drama was about two beautiful siblings, Eun Suh and Jun Suh. They have a perfect family and lived very happy together with their parents until an accident happened where Eun Suh was hit by a truck and she needed blood transfusion. That was when her parents knew that Eun Suh was not their child because her blood group was totally different from them. Then they discovered Jun Suh had accidentally changed the name card of the two babies born on the day Eun Suh was born. Eun Suh was switched with Shin Ae, which was her rival in school. Shin Ae came from a broken and poor family, which was completely different from Eun Suh's family. The girls then returned to their own birth family. Although Jun Suh and Eun Suh were sad, they promised never forget each other. Jun Suh's family then moved to the US, leaving Eun Suh with her mom. Since she was so poor, she couldn't afford to go to college despite her brilliance. 

Ten years later, Eun Suh worked as telephone receptionist at the hotel owned by Tae-suk, who then fell in love with her. Jun Suh returned back to Korea with his family and fiancee, Yumi. When Jun Suh and Eun Suh finally found each other, they eventually developed feelings towards each other. Their parents were against the relationship, but they insisted to be together. Yumi tried to commit suicide so Jun Suh will never leave her. Eun Suh later found out she had leukemia, the same disease that killed her father. Nobody knew her condition except Tae-suk who wanted to pay for her treatment. Jun Suh ignored Eun Suh until she was in chronic condition. Then they spend all the time they had and get married. Eun Suh died while she was carried by Jun Suh on the beach they used to spend time together. Jun Suh was too sad until he was hit by the truck at the exact location of Eun Suh's accident before.

I have a lot to say about this drama. Firstly, why Jun Suh's parents didn't bring Eun Suh and her mom to the US? They could hire her mom as the maid and live there happily ever after. Secondly, I don't know why Eun Suh won't choose to be with Tae-suk who obviously love her and always be there for her. He even protected her when anything happened unlike the coward crying baby Jun Suh. Moreover, Tae-suk was rich and he could make her happy. Thirdly, why Jun Suh's parents won't let the couple be together??? It will be less drama okay. Lastly, I don't know why it is so easy for the babies to be switched. They could do check up after that right? The answer is love makes you do crazy stuffs lol. Nevertheless, I like this drama and I cried a lot while watching it, but yeah I wished for a happy ending actually. Jun Suh and Eun Suh managed to create so much emotions in their character. Tae-Suk's character made me melted and cried like when he tried everything to make Eun-Suh happy even when he was hurt. So maybe I will give 6 or 7 out of 10 for this drama. 

Little Eun Suh and Jun Suh.

Ten years later, they meet each other again.

The real hero who made me sobbed like a child. So full of emotions.

3. Witch Yoo Hee

This one was one of my personal favorite because of its unique story line. Yoo Hee was a cold-hearted woman who wore black attire every single time and feared by others. She always went to blind dates but often unsuccessful due to her personality and attitudes. Moo Ryong on the other hand was a cheerful guy who wanted to pursue his career as a chef but prohibited by his family as they wanted him to study medicine. However, fate brought these two together when Moo Ryong's friend asked his favor to replace him in the blind date with Yoo Hee which ended up unsuccessful. 

They both met again in accident that cause damaged to Yoo Hee's car. Moo Ryong who didn't have money agreed to become Yoo Hee's maid and personal adviser on relationship. He changed Yoo Hee's style to be more feminine. Moo Ryong's girlfriend, Seung-Mi disagreed on Moo Ryong did because she was feeling insecure. Seung-Mi worked at a restaurant where there was a top world chef named Johnny who happened to be Moo Ryong's idol and Yoo Hee's acquaintance, who secretly loved her . Yoo Hee's first love, Joon Ha came back from abroad but he already have a fiancee, which broke Yoo Hee's heart. 

However, after he broke up with his fiancee, he tried to get back with Yoo Hee, but he was never sincere to her. He only get back with her because of Yoo Hee's father, whom also the reason why he left before. Yoo Hee and Moo Ryong developed feelings towards each other, but many circumstances happened and they decided not to be together. Moo Ryong wanted to go abroad with Johnny to chase after his dreams. On the day when he supposed to fly, he secretly hoped Yoo Hee will come, and she did!!! In the end, they kissed each other and be together. 

For me, it was a really amazing drama. I really loved the part when Moo Ryong transformed Yoo Hee to a sweet lady. Nevertheless, I felt pity for Johnny and Seung-Mi who couldn't be together with their loved ones, especially Seung-Mi. She sacrificed a lot and very loyal to Moo Ryong but he was unfaithful to her. Besides, the plot seemed to show like Seung-Mi was the barrier between Yoo Hee and Moo Ryong, but what she was  just trying to save her relationship with Moo Ryong. Other than that this drama was definitely amazing! I think I re-watch this drama for 3 or 4 times.

The main characters of Witch Yoo Hee drama.

4. Rooftop Prince

A girl will be chosen to be the crown prince's wife. The Hong family had two daughters, Hwa-yong and Bu-yong. Although Bu-yong was younger than Hwa-Yong, their father decided to choose her to be the crown princess. Before the coronation day, an accident occurred causing Bu-yong to have permanent scar on her face. Thus Hwa-Yong was chosen to be the crown princess. Bu-yong and the prince were closed to each other as they share the same passion in riddles and poetry. One day, when the prince woke up in the morning, he found out his wife, the Crown Princess was dead. The cause of her death was unknown but everyone taught it was because of drowning. The prince suspected the death was not because of accident so he formed a group to investigate his wife death.  While the team, a group of assassins attacked the. When they were running away from the bad guys, suddenly they vanished and transported to Seoul, Korea 300 years later on the rooftop house owned by a girl named Park Ha.

Park Ha was a girl who live her life alone in the US since she went missing at 9 years old. She didn't remember how she was missing. During her time in the US, she worked at the bar and fruit stall where she was stalked by Tae-yong. He wanted to meet Park Ha but on the day they should meet, Tae-yong didn't show up. The scene showed Tae-yong and his cousin, Tae Moo were on a yacht. They have a fight and Tae Moo punched Tae-yong until he fell into the ocean. Tae Moo didn't rescue Tae-yong and he remained missing. Park Ha returned to Seoul after her family location had been found. She met her family, her stepmom, Man Ok and stepsister Hong Se-na. Se-na happened to be in secret relationship in Tae Moo, and she disliked Park Ha to be in her life which was the reason why she left her in the truck and let her went missing. 

The prince and his team lived with Park Ha, who taught them about adapting in this world. One day, when the prince helped Park Ha with her works, he met Tae-yong's grandmother. She was extremely astonished to see him, thinking he was Tae-yong. The prince met with Se-na too, who had similar appearance as the late princess. The crown prince thought he should marry Se-na so he would be closer to solving the mystery of his wife's death, which was the reason why he was sent to this world.

A series of events happened in Seoul helped to solve the mystery. I will simplify it here.

• Se-na and Park Ha were actually real sisters from the same parents like they were in Joseon. Both of them were the daughters of President Jang whom left Se-na with Man Ok since young and Park Ha was actually Injoo, the daughter she left to her husband when they separated.
• Tae Moo who happened to be the prince's half brother in Joseon, tried to kill him in both worlds. In Joseon, he manipulated the Hong family to kill the prince so he could be the king. In Seoul, he used Se-na to help him to get rid of Tae-yong so he can takeover the company. Unfortunately, his plan failed in the end as their grandmother left all her inheritance to Tae-yong.
• An accident happened when Se-na brought the prince who acted as Tae-yong to the lake so Tae Moo can hit him with the car. However, Park Ha came to save the day and she was hit by Tae Moo causing her to be thrown into the lake. She was floated on the surface of the lake similar to the princess' death.
• When the prince was back in Joseon, he solved the mystery. It turned out his half-brother and the men in Hong family had a conspiracy to kill him through the crown princess. Bu-yong discovered the plan and he quickly went to the prince's chamber before he was killed by eating the desserts containing poison sprinkled by the princess. Bu-yong solved the riddle her brother-in-law gave her few days before. She requested the desserts as a reward and ate them all. Then she went out and started to feel the pain. After the prince was asleep, the princess looked for her sister and found her was dying. She scolded her for ruining the plan which can cause the whole family to be punished. Bu-yong asked her why how could she did such terrible thing to the prince. I love the part when the princess just kept quiet hehe. Bu-yong provided a solution so nobody will be caught. Both of them exchanged their attires, and Bu-yong who wore the princess' outfit will drown herself so everyone will think the princess died because she was drowning after falling into the pond. 
• However, the plan failed when the prince revealed the truth to everyone. The men in Hong family and the prince's half brother was killed. The princess was dethroned and exiled with her mother because Bu-yong requested for them to be safe.
• The prince found a letter written by Bu-yong for him in her chamber. She confessed her love to him that she had kept all these while. The prince the write a letter to Park Ha which she read 300 years later. He hoped she was doing fine and he missed her so much.
• Park Ha worked at her fruit juice shop where she met Tae-yong and finally they end up together.

The crown prince and his body guard in Seoul.

The crown prince and his bodyguards in Joseon.

The crown prince and Bu-yong.

Tae-yong and Park Ha.

I really love drama about time travel, especially this one because the plot was nicely planned. It involves mystery solving which makes it more interesting. I love to see how the Joseon boys tried to adapt themselves in our world. This drama taught us to not become greedy for power and money because we might do everything including hurting or killing others to achieve our goals. It is also about the relationship between Park Ha and Se-na. Se-na dislikes her in their previous and current life but Park Ha always accept her as who she are. She is willing to sacrifice so her sister will be safe. She is loyal to the prince too, trying to protect him when everyone tried to kill him. Overall, it is a very nice drama.

See you in next review! 

Recipe : Nasi Goreng Cina

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

Last night there was K-drama Rooftop Prince showed on TV. The crown prince and his bodyguards ate omurice (fried rice covered with egg). The way they ate their meal made me became so hungry and craving for omurice.

In Malaysia we have almost similar dish called Nasi Goreng Pattaya. The fried rice usually made for this meal is Nasi Goreng Cina or Chinese Fried Rice. This morning, when I wake up there is rice leftover from last night so I decided to make Nasi Goreng Cina. 

It takes around 10 to 15 minutes for it two be ready. The fried rice turns out to be so good that my father thinks I used flavouring/seasoning to make it taste nice. Hee but he is wrong! This time my food is really good.

I read the recipe from AzieKitchen but I alter few things according to my preference. So here is the recipe;

Nasi Goreng Cina/Chinese Fried Rice

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

1 cup of sliced chicken breast

1 shallot

3 cloves of garlic

1 egg

Half tsp of salt

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cups of cooked rice

Methods:

1. Heat the pan and put butter.
2. Add sliced chicken breast. Cook until it is no longer pink.
3. Then put in the egg, scramble it.
4. After that, add salt, sesame salt and white pepper. 
5. Put in rice and mix them well till it turn yellowish colour.
6. Adjust the taste by adding salt, sesame salt and white pepper.

My Nasi Goreng Cina.

Recipe : A day with Nanny and Mahirah

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

Today was a very good day. I woke up quite early and didn't sleep after Subuh, becausee I found a new amazing K-drama to watch! I watched one episode and then my not-so-little brother, Mukhlis asked me to get out from the bed because he bought Nasi Lemak for me. While I was eating breakfast, my little sister Mahirah (who was just came back from camping yesterday and didn't go to school because she was tired) said she was hungry. She wanted to eat delicious food for lunch because for the past 3 days she was eating canned sardine. So my grandmother suggested to cook sweet sour fish and that little girl was extremely happy. She helped me to prepare the ingredients and I cooked the dish. When both of them ate lunch just now, they looked so happy (maybe because I put so much love inside it haha). I think it's quite nice but as usual I always didn't put enough salt. Since my grandmother was here and she's going back to Penang tonight, I made a cake called 'kek gula hangus' for her. The cake was also known as 'Kek Sarang semut' because in the inside there are holes like the ant's nest. I forgot the recipe actually haha so my grandma said to jot it down so I will never forget anymore. Then, I got the idea to write it here so I can refer to the recipe whenever I want to make the cake again. Besides, I decided to share the sweet sour fish recipe too.

Kek Gula Hangus/Caramelized sugar cake

Ingredients
A: 1 1/2 half cups of sugar, 3/4 cup of butter, 2 cups of water
B: 2 cups of flour, 2 tsp of bicarbonate soda, 2 tsp of baking soda, 3/4 can of condensed milk, 4 eggs

Methods:

1. Put sugar into the pan under medium heat.
2. When the sugar melts and turns brown, add the butter. Stir it constantly until it bubbles.
3. Pour in 2 cups of water. Stir it and take it from the heat. Wait for it to cool down.
4. Next mix all ingredients in B (I used blender).
5. After the caramelized sugar has cooled, mix it with B.
6. Leave it for few hours so the nest will be formed (I waited for around 30 minutes only but the nest is formed nicely).
7. Steam it for about 1 hour (I steamed the cake in Noxxa pressure cooker for 35 minutes).
8. Let the cake cool down before slicing it.

My cake! Perfect shape hee. It finished in less than 20 hours.

Closer look at the 'nest'. 

Sweet sour fish

Ingredients:
A: Fish, turmeric powder, salt
B: 1 onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 red chilies, 2 bird's eye chilies.
C: 1 cucumber, 1 carrot, half pineapples (I didn't put this), 1 tomato.
D: 4 tbsp chili sauce, 4 tbsp tomato sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce.

Methods:

1. Coat the fish with turmeric powder and salt. Leave it for a while.
2. Cut ingredients B and dice ingredients C.
3. Heat some oil in pan, fry B, followed by D. Add some water according to your preference. If you like the sauce to thick or watery.
4. Then, add ingredients C. Add some salt to taste. Let it simmer for few minutes.
5. In the meantime, fry the fish.
6. When both are done, pour the sauce onto the fish. Best eaten with rice.

Delicious sweet sour fish.
Source: AzieKitchen

Recipe : His new hobby

Assalamualaikum and Hi,

My second brother, Mukhlis has a very special character, distinctive to others (but people are so attracted to him. We always fight each other because...he plays too much games, and me being the strict sister who expects you to study 24/7 will yeah stop him from playing games. However, something weird happens after our last fight. My brother develops interest towards cooking, more into baking. I find it is strange but well it is a good thing, right? I guess he watches cooking tutorials while he is confined from playing games. So yeah, I'm a happy sister now. I think it is almost a month we haven't fight. 

Yesterday, he asked me to assist him to make soft pretzel. I'm not really good in the kitchen and I have never made a pretzel so I'm quite nervous actually. We struggled a bit, but in the end, the pretzels were good for a first timer. So here is the recipe;

Soft pretzel recipe

Ingredients: 

A: 1 packet yeast, 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp salt

B: 3 tbsp oil, 4 1/2 cups of flour

C: 2/3 cups of baking soda and water

D: egg yolk

Methods:

1. Mix A together and leave it for 5 minutes.
2. Mix B together, and add A to B after 5 minutes. 
3. Mix them well and knead into dough. Rest for 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour, shape the pretzels.
5. Boil C together. Dip in the pretzels for 30 secs.
6. Then place them on tray that has been buttered. 
7. Brush egg yolk on the surface of pretzels.
8. Baked at 230 Celsius for 10 - 15 minutes. Best eaten while still hot/

The shape of pretzel. We did the classic shape.
Source: Martha Stewart's blog