Mulut Masin...

I am said to have a 'mulut masin'... literally means salty mouth... we Malaysians use this phrase to describe someone who utters something and it then becomes a reality. Ironically, I take my food salty too. : )

Well, I received a call today... pretty disturbing but that's life... probably a result of my 'mulut masin'...

More of this when the time is right.

Burgers

I love burgers... if you didn't already know. Especially a good wholesome fresh and juicy burger. Yummy...

Sadly, there are only 2 places in the whole of Dungun where you can get such a burger... at Hola West or at Tanjong Jara Resort.  If there is another place, I have not heard of it yet. Hola West has not opened for quite a while. Apparently it is operated by one of the lecturers at UITM who uses students to operate the cafe. I think due to the new intake it will not be opened for a while... and Tanjong Jara Resort will not be opened till mid January.

So, if I want a decent burger I will have to make my own... and that's just what I did.

You start off with the beef... obviously. I bought some beef from Mesra Mall. Imported Australian beef costs RM25.99 a kilo. Local beef at the market costs RM26.00 a kilo.  I prefer Australian beef for burgers as the local beef has a stronger gamey flavour. Local beef is okay for curries, stews and braises.

There are many recipes for burgers. I like my burger simple. I just season with garlic salt, pepper, paprika and tabasco.  How much seasoning do you put? For me, I season the meat before I mince it. I season each piece of beef as though I was going to pan fry it. This way it is less likely to put too much seasoning. Pop it into the food processor and pulse it for a short while. It's also important not to mince the beef too fine or it will end up being dry. After mincing, I let it rest for about 15 minutes. 

The second important part to a good burger is obviously the condiments. Here I used caramelised onions and tomatoes. What I would have liked to add would be lettuce, gerkhins and some mustard. Next time lah... the onions and tomatoes will do as these are essential to me.

I cooked my burger for 2 minutes on each side on medium heat and it was medium. My wife's burger on the left without cheese and mine on the right with cheese. I finished mine in 2 minutes. Yummy...

I will have to find bigger buns as these were the standard Ramly burger buns which are a bit too small for my 200gm beef patty.

Definitely cheaper than a Big Mac or a Whopper and yummier too... more burgers on the way. :)

New Toy...

My new toy arrived on Friday... it's a smartphone 3-in-1 clip-on lens kit. I used to have a knock-off Olloclip but I gave it away when I sold my iPhone 4S. A new original Olloclip would set me back USD69.99 and I did not feel it would be a justified purchase. So, I opted for the made in China clip-on version. I think the clip on version is more practical as it fits any smartphone, even an iPad... regardless whether you have a case on or not. Smart... there are magnetic versions available too but I am not about to mess with magnets on my phone.

This is it... the lens kit. There are 3 lenses in total. The Fisheye lens is a standalone lens and is attached to the clip, in the picture. The Wide lens is attached on the Macro lens... this is the smaller lens on the bottom left. The Macro lens on the bottom and the Wide lens screwed on, on the top. To use the Wide lens, you screw the lens on (both) clockwise. To use the Macro lens, you 'unscrew' the Wide lens by turning it further clockwise... I hope you get what I mean. Kinda hard to explain.

This is a normal shot from the iPhone.

This was shot with the Wide lens on. The phone was never moved. As you can see... it makes a huge difference. Quality is pretty good with some slight vignetting... probably because I had the phone case on. Too lazy to experiment without the case as it is not a deal breaker for me, especially considering the price I paid for this.

This is the Fisheye lens. The wide gave you a much wider angle... this, even more, 180º view. Really cool... I love it.

This is the Macro lens at work. This was shot with the lens probably about 3cms away from the object and the DOF is really thin. 

A fun new toy... for RM39.90 including delivery... lots of fun, don't you think? Olloclip now has a new telephoto (2 x zoom) + a CPL (Circular Polaririzing Lens which should be really cool... but at USD99.99, I think I will just wait for China to make its version.

Oh, by the way... it comes with a cute little pouch for you to keep the lens in and bring along with you conveniently.

Processed food

Last week, while my wife and I were at Mesra Mall, I picked up some frozen ground beef. Unfortunately, that's all they had. There was no fresh ground beef. Just very limited fresh Australian beef. I didn't have a food processor so I had to go with the frozen option.

BIG mistake that was... it was just not edible. Chewy... full of fat, tendons and bones... yes, even bones. It went into the bin immediately. What a waste!

We then decided to get ourselves a food processor. We had been meaning to get one but had held off as there was no dire need up until now. Yes, need... it can help make my pasta and noodles dough too... it shreds, it chops, it purees, it crushes ice, it whips... need, not want.  I did some looking on the internet and had my mind set on a Philips food processor. Last Friday, we went into shop after shop looking for it but this being Dungun, they did not have the model I wanted. There was only one shop that had the Philips food processor but it was a different model that didn't come with the blender jug. I want the blender jug!

One of the sales guy at the shops then recommended that I take an Electrolux instead. It was slightly more expensive than the Philips that I had in mind. After much deliberation, we decided to go for it. Not that we had a choice right? Hahaha...

Here's the food processor that we bought. The Electrolux EFP5300. It comes with a 1.2L blender jug and has 700W of power which is 200Ws more than the Philips. It's pretty cool... the dial lights up when you use the blender. Hahaha... and my wife and I have already decided that when we next move, this is definitely coming along with us.

So, it was chicken patties on day 1. Yummy...

On day 2 it was beef patties. Yummy too but was very dry as the beef was a lean cut and I had ground the beef too fine. Next time round, will do a coarser ground and add sautéed onions instead of fresh onions.

Next up will be fish cakes... if I can find some Tenggiri... it's the monsoon now and fresh fish is scarce. But for today, I think it will be spaghetti with meatballs...

Who said processed food is bad? 

Need vs Want

I was browsing through Groupon's website looking at deals when I came across the following two deals... take note on how many BOUGHT.

This was the second time I came across such a deal. The first was sometime last month, also a card deal by AmBank and I think the free gift was an Android gadget. That deal had even more interests. Overwhelming in my humble opinion... which started 'My 2 Sen' thinking...

Was the interest actually in the card or the gadget? Based on the AmBank deal, as it was overwhelming, I thought it was the card. Now I see this current deal, I am of the opinion that it is actually both.

I have not had a credit card since 2010 when I was left stranded in Langkawi, out of funds and without a job. I came back to KL and started rebuilding my life from scratch. I had to piece bit by bit together and I started with the big chunks... now I am dealing with the small bits. It was in 2010 that I decided to cut the cards and I have been without them ever since. A tough decision but the best decision.

When I tell people that I do not have a credit card they will just look at me in disbelief. I don't... really... I'm not kiddin' you! I do have a debit card though... I guess they don't believe me coz of my position and age. Even my wife thought I BS-ed her... at first.

The first time I was out buying stuff with my wife, I handed the card to the cashier and said 'Credit Card'... my wife looked at me... her face read 'YOU LIAR'. Hahaha... so, I explained to her that it was a Debit Card but it works as a Credit Card too.

I have a Maybankard MasterCard Platinum Debit Card which has an EMV chip and is accepted at all outlets that accepts MasterCard. When I use my Debit Card at Shopping Centres I prefer to use it as a Credit Card. I always have trouble when using it as a Debit Card coz the Cashiers always assume that my card is linked to a Savings Account... it's not... mine is a Current Account. 

Life without a Credit Card is hard... at first... then when you start to master the discipline of planning, you find that it is bliss. The Debit Card is the way to go... seriously.  Once you adopt the Debit Card, you start to really understand the difference between NEED and WANT... 

The point of this post is because I have been reading a lot of reports about escalating household debts in our country and that the majority of the bankruptcy cases are from those in their early 30s. Then I saw these deals and how it was so popular which seems to support the reports even more.

Most people don't read. They love to read the stupid and silly stuff but not the boring financial parts which would give them knowledge to deal with life. They are unaware of what's happening around them or in the world. They just live in their little circle with no growth oblivious to what's happening around them and not being able to differentiate between NEED and WANT.

If we don't understand AND practice the concept of NEED and WANT then we're going to plateau in life.

Just My 2 Sen...

SALE!!!

Yup, SALE!!!

I am selling some of my gadgets. I am too lazy to take pictures of all the items but for those of you who know me well, you know how I care for my gadgets.

1. Canos EOS 450D Digital SLR (Shutter Count = 16601 as of today). Comes with:-
    EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens,
    EF-S 55-250mm IS telephoto lens,
    Phottix Battery Grip BP-500Di
    2 batteries, one original and one Phottix.

Canon EOS 450D with the Battery Grip.

2. iPhone 4S 32GB. Purchaser will get a free Bumper Case, Olloclip, and DiCAPac Underwater Case. SOLD!!!. (4th December 2013)

Free with the iPhone 4S. (Ideal for the clumsy person as the phone is recessed)

3. PlayStation 3 - 80GB. Comes with 2 controllers and HDMI cable. SOLD!!!. (3rd December 2013)


4. iPhone 4 16GB. SOLD!!!. (3rd December 2013)

FREE - iPhone 4/4S Battery Pack - SOLD!!!

E-mail me (kevineu@yes.my) your bid with the item as your subject. Please do your own research on current value and make your offer. Successful bid will be informed.

I will be in KL on 26th & 27th December where you can view the product and make payment.