Sommer ist hier!

I haven't written anything for a while. My brain was boiling with plenty of creative energy recently, but it wasn't anything to do with literary skills. I am loss for words. I couldn't keep up with the blogging and.. hmmm..replying comments pun tak habih lagi! hehe...Mintak maaf bebanyak for those few who still comes by once in awhile to see if there's anything new up my sleeves.. there are.. all of them on the right hand corner of this blog.

Next week I will be alone again, plenty of time to blog-hop-talk... what have you in the internet world. For another 6 days, Habibi is going off again, leaving me and Binti to chit chat with one another. I wonder how much do we actually understand of each other after 1 year (almost 14 month now). Nothing she says could make sense to me, but what she lacked in verbal skills, she made it up in a rapid physical energy of movements and high strung vocal chords. Oh, to tell the truth, we are having a great time together nowadays. She came in a perfect time, couldn't be any better. I can hardly remember the times when she wasn't here! There are no good times without Salma. Now that she's here, she brings the word 'joy' to another level we never would have knowned. It's easy to be touched with anything she does. When puts on the hejab, when she did sujud on her prayer mat but hit her forehead on the floor instead because she can't control her body weight, when she make dua' at my cue and then wipe her face with her palms sometimes even before the dua' ended. On one hand, she is very grown up in her up and about ways, yet she still comes to my lap, wriggling her body like the child I just gave birth to, for her regular nutritional refreshments, and then, she walk off to something else worthy of her attention, nothank-you-maam, no look-back-in appreciation. Nothing. And I thought we were bonding!!!

Summer is now here. A weather me and her father is used to back home, either in the hot sahara dessert or that island near the equator. It's a different summer, maybe even hotter, but definitely too much longer. BBQ pits, tents, hammocks are slowly creeping out from our basement and found its ways to our little patch behind the apartment. A new 100cm swimming pool and a similar size sandpit is the latest addition. This will be Salma's fresh memories of summer, a fake beach, but nevertheless, enjoyable enough to take her mind of eating papers for at least a few hours.

Na ja, such if life in a faraway land. A little money can buy you a fake beach, but what wouldn't we give up for some friendly lauk-exchanging neighbours, nosy-relatives with the latest kad jemputan and friendships. Recently, I told habibi in his ears that he is my best friend, he returned it with another whisper , 'You're my only friend..' hmm makes sense...

A SUMMER TREAT


Here is a little summer BBQ treat for my blogspot kawan2... hehe.. I forgot what its called in Italian, but..I call it 'Garden on Ciabatta'..bedal je lah kan..

First, Prepare 'Garden Mix' in advance and chill for about 1 hr.

Tomatoes (diced)
Basil (chopped)
Black Olives (whole or sliced)
2 cloves of garlic (whole)
Salt to taste &
Cracked Black pepper
Olive Oil (drizzle)

Throw everything in one tupperware and leave it in the fridge. Meanwhile, cut ciabatta bread into halves, rub a clove of garlic on the opened half, and grill on the Pit. Once crisp on both sides, remove, put on plate and pour over the 'garden mix' on top of the bread and serve HOT with any of your BBQ grilled stuffs.

Enjoy!