Monday Blues: Hello Kitty...errr....Nikki

Angelina's note: One of the reasons why Mama is usually late for work on Mondays. Nikki loves her cuddles. purrr....meow!

Wordless Wednesday: Flea Farmers for Sale

Ikea's Best Product

Endorsed by Nikki Lauda Kidman-Cruise.

Angelina's note: Ikea's management purrrlease take note. Y'all should make my niece Nikki your mascot. I'm her manager, talk to me. purrr....meow!

Dragon Fruits - The Experiment

Driving along the trunk roads in the East Coast of the Malay Peninsular is a pleasurable experience. Besides the view of the coastal line, there are also heaps of stuff to buy by the roadside. The variety is just mind boggling....from young coconut juice to sugarcane juice to palm toddy to dragon fruits to mangoes to watermelons to lemang (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo) to bananas to jackfruits to breadfruit fritters....I could go on and on and on....

So just stop and buy what you really fancy. Also, don't forget to bargain because that's the Malaysian way of buying stuffs. For example, when we stopped to buy dragon fruits from a 12-year old lass, Mama unashamedly bargained. Well, we did buy a lot so the young lady still made some profit. Then Dad has to ask, "Why did you buy so much?" Mama's answer: "Coz I like the fruit. Anyway, I'll think of something. Experiment in the kitchen."

We brought back heaps of these beauties from the East Coast. Gave some to Mak Long, some to Dad's relatives, still have heaps at home....

And thus, we experimented. Of course, since rediscovering her baking mojo, Mama decided to make dragon fruit cupcakes. "See if we can get a nice red colour like the famous red velvet cake, eh," she said.

Here's the recipe. It's basically a tweaked blended orange cake recipe.

Dragon fruit cake

1 dragon fruit (red skin + red flesh)

1 cup cooking oil

1 cup soft brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup full cream milk

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Cut dragon fruit, discard skin and chop coarsely. Blend with oil, sugar, eggs and milk until fine. Pour into bowl. Mix in sieved flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt bit by bit. Pour into muffin cases. Bake at 190oC for 20 minutes. Makes 12 muffin-sized cakes.

Prior to putting in the oven. We were excited over the pink-coloured concoction...natural colouring of the fruit.

Piping hot....fresh from the oven. Unsure of cake colour though....

Cooled and then put in a container. Cracks on top but can be covered with cream cheese icing, Mama said.

A closer look...can you see those black dots? Those are the dragon fruit seeds...looks like poppy seeds too.

Ready for eating.....

....tara! Where has the nice pink colour gone? Somehow, the colour disappeared. However, the cake tastes good, with nice texture...and moist. Maybe we'll put in some food colouring next time.

Nicole's 2-cent: Oh, we baked the cakes because it's a special occasion today. It's Michael and Nikki's birthday!!!!! They were born on 29 August 2004. That makes them...hmmmm...seven years old. My babies.... Rejoice with us.
For more information about the dragon fruits, click here. It's very cheap at the East Coast, at just RM5 - RM8 per kg for the red skin + red flesh variety, as opposed to about RM8 - RM14 per kg in Kuala Lumpur. purrrr *giggles*

Hiccups

No, I'm not having hiccups. It's the blogging activity.
You see, our container of stuffs from Sydney has finally arrived. There are 54 boxes of various sizes delivered to our door. So far, we have managed to open and cleared only 8 of them. So, there are 46 of them still unopened. Mama said she wants us all to help her unpack before August comes. I don't know what's so special about August but whatever Mama says, we'll have to abide or else.....
So, forgive us if our blogging activity is lagging, especially the blogwalking and commenting. We'll try to do as much as possible if and when possible. We'll throw a party once all the unpacking is done.

Brad wants a piece of the action too. Hmm...I think that box is wayyy too big for him.

Michael thinks we should open the box from the top.

Nikki was checking if the box can bear her weight. What do you all think?

Nikki checked out MY chair. This was from one of the opened boxes.

Friday Special: Only for Hardcore Nikki Fan Club Members

Angelina's note: Told you it's only for Nikki's hardcore fans. She was sneezing but Mama thought she was choking hence the massage of the neck that became a long scritching session. Have an awesome weekend kitties and people! purrr....meow!

Monday Blues: Budding Journalist????

Angelina's note: Nikki was caught sleeping on the job. Hmmm....too many graveyard hours perhaps. purrr....meow!

Reminiscence on Friday: Nikki's Baby Pix

Once upon a time, Nikki looked like that. This photo was taken a few hours after Nikki, Mike and Ralf were born.

Nikki (on the floor) as a kitten. A hyper active kitten, Mama said.

Angelina's note: Nikki has the privilege of being born in this house in 2004. We'll celebrate her birthday come Aug 29th. Hmm....how come my niece is much much older than me? purrr.....meow!

Where's Nikki Been?

In the bin!!!!

Exclusive: An Interview with the Runaway Kitty

Fancy that! She made the headlines!

Nikki: Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed, Angelina. I'm sure many readers out there are curious to know what really happened on May 17.
Angelina: The pleasure is mine, Nikki. I'll try to answer as truthfully as I can.

Nikki: Alright. First question, what made you do it, and why?
Angelina: Ooh...you mean why did I run away? Hmmm....let me tell you, honestly I was inspired by that classic, The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain. I imagined myself as the prince, wanting to sample life as a pauper. Yeah...that's why I did it.

Angelina was inspired by this book, she said. Look at that character on the cover trying to go over a balcony! (pic from Uncle Google)

Nikki: So that explains why you didn't invite any of us to go with you, eh? Not even a note to say where you went. Or a postcard at least.
Angelina: Yeah...I wanted to sample life as a peasant, I can't do it if any of you had tagged along. It would also reveal my true identity.

Nikki: Tell me, who did you meet and are the alley cats, the feral and the roaming felines friendly?
Angelina: Being cooped up indoors makes me realise how cut off I am from the crowd. Don’t you feel the same, Nikki? So, communicating with the strays and the ferals was not easy. OMG! Thank God I was spayed.

Nikki: Weren’t you scared?
Angelina: Not really coz this area of ours is brightly lit. The neon lights help.

Nikki: Didn’t you miss the comfort? The fluffy mattress, air conditioning, served food? The internet, blogging, google?
Angelina: Of course. That’s why I came back….errr….made myself found. After six nights of sleeping in the open, sheltering at corridors when it rained....I told myself I wasn't cut out to live like a pauper. I was also soooo hungry.

Nikki: Any bad habits you picked up?
Angelina: I don’t know if you want to call them bad habits. Hmmm….let me see…I have a liking to waste bins now….I had to forage when I was out there, you know…Mama doesn’t seem to like that at all.

Nikki: Of course she won’t like that. She serves our food in a platter every morning so why would you want to forage still?
Angelina: Old habits die hard, Nikki….err…newly acquired habits, in my case.

Nikki: What are your plans now that you’re back?
Angelina: I’m going to campaign that Mama and Dad allow us to be outdoors, supervised of course. Perhaps we can use a harness or something. It’s also to encourage Mama to exercise. What do you think?

Nikki: Sounds good and workable. Perhaps you can write a proposal and submit to the family for approval?
Angelina: Will do. There’s also another matter on my mind...but it's kinda delicate.

Nikki: What is it Angelina? You can tell me.
Angelina: Hmm....since you insist I'll tell you. I notice that there are so many tabbies in this area. Some of them were even mistaken for me. So, what if we hold a competition to look for Angelina's lookalike. All those tabbies can compete for a lifetime supply of Royale Fancy Feast.

Nikki: OMG! Your vanity defies gravity.
Angelina: I know….*smirks* I call that self confidence.

Nikki: Hmm….last question, OK. I heard that you lost weight. Really?
Angelina: Oh yes. I did. At least a kilogram, the weighing machine didn’t lie I hope. Mama says I'm lighter when she lifts and cuddles me, see here (pointing at butt area) it's obvious here. You can feel my butt bones.

MMS sent to Mama at 1am on May 26, 2011, a week after running away.

Nikki: I believe you but I'm not touching your butt.
Angelina: Come on...we're family...

Nikki: It’s OK. Thanks but no thanks. I think we should wrap up this session.
Angelina: Really? So soon? I have heaps more to tell you.

Nikki: It’s OK. Until next time, ciao! I have to run now.
Angelina: Alright. See yah….. My pleasure too, Nikki.

Nikki's note: Angelina's not an easy subject to interview. Next in line is Mama. I hope she'll be easier to talk to. Me so not ready to be pawpawrazzi. meowww....Nikki.

Wordless Wednesday: Sad Nikki

I'm spending a lot of time thinking about Angelina.....where could she be?

Mama and Dad are sick with worry and of course it affects the household. I miss playing with Angelina.

Let me contemplate in peace.

Position Matters

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, Kitties and Humans, Girls and Boys,

This is Professor Dr Angelina giving you another lecture before you go to sleep. Did I just say "sleep"? Yes, I did. Because that's what this lecture is all about. Sleep, more specifically sleeping positions, and how it reveals your personality.

A good friend of mine, Professor Chris Idzikowski, (we became friends through Uncle Google, of course) has come with an analysis linking the personality of humans with the sleeping position s/he's got. His analysis encompasses six common sleeping positions, connected to a particular personality type.

The six positions investigated by Idzikowski are:

1. The Foetus: Those individuals are apparently tough on the outside but have a "big heart". They may be shy (and thus appear arrogant) at the first meeting, but soon they get relaxed. This is the most frequent sleeping position, found in 41% of the 1,000 subjects involved in the investigation who took part in the survey. Twice more women than men adopt this position.

2. Log: found in 15% of the cases, it's characterized by lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These are easy going, social people who usually trust strangers, a fact that makes them gullible.

3. Yearner: 13%, people who sleep on their side with both arms out in front were found to posses an open nature, but can also have a suspicious, cynical character. They require time to take decisions, but once taken, they won't change their mind.

4. Soldier: in 8% of the cases - lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. These are generally quiet and reserved people, who avoid loud discussions, but set high standards for themselves and others around them.

5. Freefall: 7% of the cases - sleeping on your stomach with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Sociable and brash people, can be bad tempered, rejecting criticism, or avoid extreme situations.

6. Starfish: 5% of the subjects - sleeping on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These are trustworthy and good listeners; they dislike being the centre of attention.

Other subjects (5 %) said they had variable sleeping positions.

Idzikowski also investigated the effect of the sleeping positions on the general health. The freefall position was found beneficial for digestion, while the starfish and soldier positions made subjects more prone to snoring and a bad night's sleep.

What Idzikowski's talking about. (pix from Uncle Google)

A nicer illustration dubbed Zodiac Wheel. (pix from Uncle Google)

Now, let's see how my family members fare.

1. Angelina - innocence personified.

2. Michael - sexy male pose.

3. Brad - shy male????

4. Tom - King of the household.

5. Nicole - passive consort.

6. Nikki - cuteness glorified.

Angelina's note: You can't apply results from human research on felines, neither personality nor behaviour.  Felines are unique. purrr....meow!

Speechless on Saturday: Who's that Frowning Girl?

Y'all, this is Nikki. Tom's daughter, my niece, aka Koala.

Angelina's note: Look at those blue eyes....aren't they gorgeous? purrrr....meow!

Mama's Other Family

Introducing...Mama's other family. Lucky they live overseas so I don't have to deal with too many felines under one roof. Phew!
I was browsing through Mama's digital album and saw millions of their pictures. From what I can see, they seem to like to sleep...zzzz....I know that my Mama prefers to be called MamaTom as Tom is her first love. But, it doesn't matter. I know I'm the favourite. Though I'm somewhat uncomfortable with the fact that both Brad and I have some kind of resemblance to Tom. Hmmm....meow!


Tom Cruise - king of zzzzz....

Nicole Kidman - Tom's faithful partner

Michael Schumacher - Tom & Nicole's son

Nikka Lauda aka The Koala - Tom & Nicole's daughter