little miss may

Missy Angelestrix tagged me again! It’s the one where she picks a letter from the alphabet, and I’ll have to come up with 10 words starting with that letter. I guess, looking at the trend, I’ll have to write something about those words that I somehow relate to, yes? Betul?

And so my letter is M…

May is my name and the month I’m born in. I love Mother of mine very, very much. I’ve had three… no, two marriage proposals in this blog but there’s still no sight of that diamond ring (where’s the bling-bling, fellas?). Music and movies are what keep me entertained for long hours, and so does mastu… merry-making. I can’t wait till the day the MacBook arrives in KL so I could finally get my hands one! I delight in receiving snail mails (so please send me some love notes) and I think all of you are absolutely marvellous!

 

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• m a c a d a m i a • m a c a r o o n • m a c b o o k • m a c h i n e • m a d a m o i s e l l e • m a g a z i n e • m a g i c • m a g n i f i c e n t • m a g p i e • m a i l • m a p • m a p l e • m a r c h • m a r i g o l d • m a r r y • m a r v e l l o u s • m a s h • m a s t e r • m a s t u r b a t e • m a y • m a y b e • m e • m e d a l • m e l a n c h o l y • m e l o n • m e r i n g u e • m e r r y • m e s s e n g e r • m e t a l • m i l k • m i r a c l e • m i r r o r • m i s e r y • m i s t a k e • m i s t e r • m i s t r e s s • m i s s u s • m i t t e n s • m o n k e y • m o n e y • m o n s i e u r • m o n s t e r • m o o n • m o r e • m o t h e r • m o t o r • m o u n t a i n • m o u s e • m o u s t a c h e • m o u t h • m o v i e • m u a k s • m u d • m u s i c • m u s t a r d • m y s e l f • m y s t e r y •

* * *

The next lesson would be brought to you by my two favourite Uncles Kor-Kors:
Wingz with the letter ‘H’ (because I think you’re so hamsap hensem)
Cocka-Doodle with the letter ‘C’ (because you make me cu… er… cheer me up!)

You boys could do the regular tag, yea… *wink*!

42 comments

All right.

So how on earth would I know that you’ve updated your blog without having to visit it ten times a day?

Simple.

Literally.

Use RSS!

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What is RSS?

These days you hear talk about RSS. It stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it’s family of web feed formats specified in XML (don’t worry what it means, seriously).

By using RSS, new updates from a site — in our cases, our blogs — are pulled to a Feed Reader, which translates the XML to a more presentable and digestable output that you and I are familiar with. Even news sites such as BBC, Reuters, CNN, Yahoo and Google use this method for users to pull information from sites rather than the traditional push to your mailbox in the form of an e-newsletter (which usually ends up as trash these days).

A typical RSS feed URL, like mine for example, would look like this: http://littlemissmay.com/index.php/?feed=rss2

You would be able to spot the RSS links on sites which advertise them with a little orange subscription buttons like these:

Ok? Not confused yet? Let’s move on…

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Err… a Feed Reader?

There are lots of Feed Feaders available for use. Some of the more popular ones are FeedReader, Sage (which is specially created for Firefox users), Google Reader, NewsGator, etc. Some are free applications which you could download and install onto your PC or laptop. For people like me who dislike having too many things running on my desktop, I use an online version, Bloglines.

Still with me? Right-o…

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What does a Feed Reader do?

A-ha. Now, here’s where it gets interesting.

Imagine not having to visit your favourite sites individually for updates several times a day (mine including, but don’t let that stop you from clicking on my URL, ok?). Much as I love to get the latest stuff on my fingertips via the Internet, I just don’t have the time to sit and check out 100 sites 24/7.
So.

Stay with me a little while longer now.

A Feed Reader allows you to pull information via RSS and display them on that one application or site, and at a defined interval, refreshes the feed automatically for you. It lines up all the latest updates — this is the beauty of it — in a single page, so you won’t have to visit tens of pages for individual news.

For example, The Star Online has Business, Nation News, Technology, World Updates and a whole lot of other sections within their website. You could store all of this in a folder of your Reader, and at the click of your mouse, display all the latest headlines and summaries. No need to pay homage to individual sections.

Neat, huh?

Ok.

Now for the fun stuff!

Step-by-step on how to add a feed. (Btw, this is not a free advertisement for Bloglines, it’s just easier for me to illustrate with something I’m already using.)

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Step 1. Download and install a Feed Reader from one of the sites mentioned, or subscribe to online Readers if you don’t want to put more junk into your computer.

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Step 2. Copy & Paste a feed URL (like mine), and add it to your Reader’s list.

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Step 3. Once added, the Reader should automatically pick up all the latest updates and display it as new items to be read.

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Step 4. Click on the feed and it’ll show you the summary of the feeds. If you’re interested in reading more, click to go to that particular page. If it looked like rubbish to you, then skip it. You’re not obligated to click on every single link.

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Simple, right?

Easy peasy!

So go on, get your own feed reader and add in all those blog RSS links into it. By the way, for those who are subscribed to Blogger, your default RSS URL is http://[yourblogname].blogspot.com/atom.xml.

Of course, there’s a slight catch to it… This doesn’t apply if you’re stalking a blog for the Gold H U G H U G C L U B medal. These things don’t refresh quite fast enough. Sometimes it’s all about luck in getting to a site just when it’s updated without relying on the feed. It could, however, better your chances of a Silver or Bronze… teehee!

Happy syndicating, my Padawans! You’ll be your own RSS Jedi in no time!

39 comments

What to bake, what to bake?

Mom made some banana nut bread a couple of nights ago, so I left the cakes and bread out this week. I guess it’s cookies again, from the Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies book.

I’d intended to make these Butterscotch Cookies for the bloggers’ meet last Thursday, but I didn’t have whipping cream with me at that time. Did some grocery shopping this morning to pick up a pack (and some Lays salt & vinegar chips… Ritter Sport chocolate… mascarpone cheese… ok ok, back to baking).

Ready?

Here we go!

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks or 220 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 375° F (190° C).
• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add the egg, whipping cream and vanilla and blend.
• In a separate bowl, mix both flours with the baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture.
• Using either an individual 1/4-cup measure or 2-ounce ice cream scoop, scoop level amounts of dough and drop 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake until cookies are golden and firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a rack and let cool.
• Makes about 16 cookies.

Note: I used a standard 1 tablespoon scoop to make the dough drops, as I wanted them smaller and easier to store. Makes about 30 cookies.

RESULTS:
Come get your cookies, boys and girls! Nice and crispy on the outside, soft and crumbly on the inside. Very butterscotch-rich taste, of course! I reduced the sugar to 1 1/4 cups instead, knowing my family members don’t like their stuff too sweet.

Hmmm… Dad just had his second cookie. I’d better store some away for later before he devours them all… *grin*!

A side post:
Popped by Ikea and picked up a frame for this poster given to me by the Bkworm family for my birthday (yes, I’m still receiving gifts!! Aren’t you jealous? *wink!*). Doesn’t that red dog look gorgeous on the red background? I called him Jack, since he looked like a Jack Russell Terrier. Oh, and Little Bkworm gave me a photo frame with a big ‘M’ on the side. Thank you, my dears! These are indeed lovely. *HUGS*

62 comments

Tarzan’s Jane tagged me with the meme for Ten Simple Pleasures. Simple? Ten? Shouldn’t be too hard…

(10 minutes later…)

Gosh, this is harder than I thought! There are so many things we take for granted that make us feel good. A cup of coffee in the morning, holidays where you don’t have to go to work, a good tune playing just the right words you want to hear, a good poo in the loo… Too many, really. I could name a hundred.

Well then.

I had to make this unique and (hopefully) non-repetitive of what the other meme-ers have done. I only have Jane’s as reference, so I shall not repeat her simple pleasures. Maybe slightly self-indulgent. After all, they are pleasures, yea?

Mine would be…

01. the knowledge that I am being thought of in a good way
02. unexpected messages on YM or SMS that make me smile
03. sitting in a park, cool wind blowing, with music in my ears
04. bedroom gymnastics (also applicable elsewhere)
05. breathing in the scent of vanilla
06. sleeping in on rainy day, cuddled up, preferably with a warm body
07. a triumphant waaaaa!! when something I’ve been tinkering on finally works
08. being and feeling loved by the One with whispers of sweet nothings
09. rubbing a dog’s belly and seeing the mutt stretch with pleasure
10. rubbing someone’s belly (and other regions) and seeing him stretch with pleasure

The 11th pleasure would be to tag another 10 bloggers, but seeing that it’s one too many, I’ll just place the pleasure tag on a few bloggerettes:

kat, chen, Bkworm, Yvy and Jane Sunshine.

It’ll definitely be my pleasure to read it!

77 comments

Say wot?

Yea, you heard right.

Super-duper snickerdoodles!!

I just love saying it. So catchy!

I was given a baking book for my birthday called Big, Soft, Chewy Cookies by Jill Van Cleave. (Thanks, MK! finally get to use it for the first time today!) Just my luck, since I love chewy cookies. Don’t quite fancy those crunchy ones, I don’t know why. Even chocolate chip cookies have gotta be chewy. I nearly devoured half this huge cookie which was my friend’s Christmas gift from her nephews (Jo, think your nephew could bake one more?). Yup, the chewier the better.

I flicked through the pages and a lot of them were fairly easy to cook up. This one caught my eye, not just because of the name, but how surprisingly easy it is to make. Since I wanted to bake something for Little Bkworm as a belated birthday present, I thought this just might be the solution to my itchy fingers.

Here’s an excerpt from the book on snickerdoodles:

The distinctive signature of snickerdoodles is that they are always rolled or dredged in cinnamon sugar before baking. Instead of baking powder, this recipe uses the old-fashioned combination of cream of tartar and baking soda, typical of older-style cake and cookie recipes. This is a rendition of a mid-western Amish recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup (60g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

• In a mixing bowl, cream butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and blend.
• In a separate bowl, mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until dough is firm enough to handle.
• Heat oven to 375° F (190° C).
• On a plate, mix 2 tablespoons of sugar with cinnamon. Scoop and roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat all sides. Arrange sugar-coated balls on un-greased cookie sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart.
• Bake until edges of cookies are firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. (Do not over-bake.) Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a rack and let cool.
• Makes about 14 cookies. Store cookies in an airtight plastic storage bag at room temperature for up to three days.

Note: if you roll the dough into smaller 1-inch balls, you’ll get about 28 cookies or so.

RESULTS:

Ta-daaaaaaa!!!

No, they are NOT Chinese mushrooms!
(Sorry, plink. Don’t get over-excited there. No magic ingredients in them here either.)

Believe me, I grinned like the Cheshire cat when I saw them in the oven baking away. They do resemble that yummy fungi, but nowhere close in taste. These are light and sweet with a good dose of cinnamon, though not too heavy. If you like cinnamon stuff, then these are for you. Soft texture, easy to sink your teeth into. Chewy? Oh, most definitely!

Now, how would you know these taste as good as I said they’d taste?

I’m gonna meet up with some guinea pigs lab rats victims bloggers later tonight for dinner. They’ll be the judge of it!

So my dearies, whaddya say? Were they good or were they good?

For the rest of the folks, apologies. You’ll have to settle with just yum-yum photos again. Ok, so maybe this time they’re not that enticing-looking. Still, tungku look-alikes ain’t half that bad either, yea?

Have a happy snickerdoodle day!

73 comments