New Year, New Blessings...

Muslims celebrate our New Hijri Year 1433 today, 27 November 2011...Alhamdulillah :)

Circa this celebration and long weekend, many also rejoiced in nuptials, engagements, birthdays, school graduations, etc.... :)

For my dear Lileen who tied the knot with her sweetheart last Friday... May they be blessed with happiness, beautiful children and everlasting love, Insyaallah...
...For Lileen, it has to be sweetness of course...colourful Agar-agar Kering, in the wedding's Brown&Cream theme...

...And for the special guests, something Sweet&Savoury...Agar-agar Kering alongside Crispy Anchovy/Prawn Chilli...




Selamat Bertunang Azreena...





When Ayah & Baby love MU!




Amidst wedding favours and brownies, I was also busy preparing for Damascus's and Marrakesh's final year concert; skinny jeans, hoodies, hip hop pants, and loops of Justin Bieber, J.Lo and Gym Class Heroes! But the more emotional part was, Damascus was finally graduating, and next year he will be in Standard One! After 4 years of kindy, he's finally joining the "real" school. It was a wonderful concert and all the Krista Taman Nirwana kids put up a fabulous show yesterday; they dikir-ed, shuffled, and locked&popped, and they presented the cutest Jack & The Bean Stalk! Damascus has thrived well in Krista Nirwana, Alhamdulillah, and I'm sure he will miss all his friends and teachers...

A special gift for all his K2 friends, cookies, candies and a cute pencil, kids can never have too many pencils :)

...And to all his teachers and caregivers, lots of love...from potty training to "never say never"&"everyday I'm shufflin" and "Mommy, the latest planet in our solar system is Sedna!" You guys are the best! XOX... chocolates in a cute assortment of wrappers...


...and of course, Mommy's signature ribbons... :)



So now I'm left with only Marrakesh still in kindy, but that too will go by very swiftly. Well, it's a new year, and so I pray for new strength, wisdom, courage and peace, and of course, new blessings for all of us, InsyaAllah... :)

Esfahan's 10 Birthday

Esfahan had earlier asked, if for his 10th birthday, he could hangout and chill with a few of his close friends from school. Hangout and chill...hmmm... Oh no, it finally hit me, my eldest son is all grown up!

I then asked him how many friends he had in mind. He said, just a few, eat, chill, maybe hangout at the arcade or catch a movie. Sigh... My eldest son has indeed grown up, he doesn't ask for a birthday party anymore, he just wants to hangout with his friends. Oh, how time flies. Before I know it, he's gonna be going to college, work and then move out and move into his own pad, then get married and have children! Hmmm, am I going to be the fab grandparent like my mom is? Hmmm... Ek, oh no, I shall not think of all this yet. Let's just take it one day at a time, let's just settle this matter at hand first, which was his 10th birthday :)

Well, exams were over, and he'd been working very hard at all his VO jobs, so I figured, let's just give him what he wants. So, on his actual birthday, 16 November 2011, he went to school with 10 invites for 10 of his closest classmates to celebrate his birthday with him on 19 November 2011. Why 10 kids? Err, coz I figured 10 was the only number I could manage! Hehe... I mean, let's face it, I'm not Nanny McPhee, and neither am I Oprah Winfrey, so, 10 seems a manageable enough number, and including Esfahan himself plus his 2 younger goons, there'd be 13 children, 13 energetic, active and fun loving kids for mommy and ayah to entertain and chaperon. Good enough, right?

So, anyway, the food and arcade parts were easy, but the trick was in firming up on the movie time. I couldn't finalise the movie 2 or 3 weeks earlier coz the schedules weren't out yet. Only during the week of his birthday did the schedules come out, and he really wanted to watch Puss In Boots. So, in his invite we put in the itinerary as starting at 12+pm, to catch Puss In Boots at 12.20pm, then lunch, then arcade then home. But as it turned out, most of his friends on his invite were involved in their school's Prize Giving Ceremony that day, where they were receiving certificates and trophies of achievements, so as much as they wanted to join Esfahan, they couldn't. Err, might I say that Esfahan was not selected to receive any certificate or trophy, hehe, but his ayah and I and he himself were happy with his overall grades and results; considering that he scored all As amidst his hectic schedule of voice overs, fardhu ain, horse riding, music, etc., it was okay, Alhamdulillah :)

So, I told Esfahan that if he wanted his friends to be with him, he will have to make some changes in his plans, which meant settling for another movie, ie Happy Feet 2, and shuffling his itinerary around. He thought for a while and said, okay, I want my friends more, we can watch Puss In Boots another time. And he said that since we were starting at 2pm instead of 12, then we should have lunch first, then arcade, and then movie at 4pm, so by 6pm his friends' parents can come by to fetch them home. Waaa, my son can figure all this out own his own?! He has indeed grown up.

And what fun he and his friends had! They were so cute! Well, Esfahan has told me not to call him cute, a girl can say he's cute, mommy cannot. Believe that? But I don't care, I spent 10 months walking around like a house carrying him, so I'll say he's cute whenever and wherever I want to, hehe... Anyway, only 7 of his friends were finally able to make it, and they enjoyed lunch at Popeyes, digging into the birthday cake, and just hanging out and chillin' at the arcade and movie. And I can definitely confirm that handling 350 shareholders and the media at a company's AGM is far easier than handling 10 kids on a birthday outing! :) ...Might I also add that Marrakesh fell into the shallow pool outside Popeyes, hehehe, luckily we had change in the car!

He wanted Jules Brownie for his birthday cake, so I decorated it with all the things he loves : Monopoly, The 39 Clues Janus Branch, jelly beans and jelly dinosaurs...

...Party pack filled with his favourite goodies too, Oreos, Mars bar, Skittle, Hersheys, Marvel Comics candy and a party popper. He wanted to date it as 16 instead of 19 November, so his friends will know his actual birthday :)

Sweet, sweet, sweet...

So much sweetness was going around these past few weeks...

An all white 3 tier wedding cake for Wanie's all white reception...

...the top and bottom are dummy cakes with fondant, while the middle tier is actual double recipe brownie fondant...thank you Wiz for the tip! :)

...And a simple all white single recipe brownie fondant for her akad nikah...




On the birthday front, it was a lovely, lovely Pastelicious Party for little Miss Aireen...

...top and middle tiers are brownie fondant, and the base is plain butter cake...

...Thanks Liza for this photo, your whole setup was pasteliciously lovely!


A special batch of personalised brownie bites for Nur Syaida's birthday with her classmates...





Specially for her students sitting for the SPM this year, from a devoted teacher...



She had wanted Power Puff Girls, but Aunty Jules was not able to make it since it was a very last minute request, so it was a simple birthday brownie with her school friends...but her mom promised her PPG for the family celebration :)


For a special lady who LOVES cats!



Thank you all who continue to love everything Jules, your kind support and patronage mean so much to me. For all those requests that I wasn't able to meet, I am truly truly sorry, hopefully Jules can be of service next time... :)

Celebrating Goodness!

Birthdays, graduations, some of the many goodness in our lives.

Most times it's easy to decide how to celebrate : JulesFudgyliciousness Brownie of course! Hehehe... On the other hand, there are times you just seriously do not know what to present someone with, especially if that person is one who basically has everything already.

But if we really look deep inside our hearts and give it some sincere thought, the right gift will just simply materialise...

A special request from my dear friend Tessa; she decided to give a meaningful contribution to a group of much deserving people at Kafa Integrasi Al-Insaniah, in honour of TSH, as his birthday gift; as the sweetener, Crispy Anchovy Chilli that will go well with TSH's favourite ulam-ulaman. Since Kafa Integrasi Al-Insaniah is among the charitable efforts undertaken by some of my dear friends at TM Bakit Helwa, Mysunshine2u & Mysunshine cupcakes, Ummiku Sayang, I told Tessa that it is my honour to make the Hadiyaa Azul gift box complimentary from Jules, in the spirit of sharing and spreading goodness all around :)




And in the season of jubilant convocations, JulesFudgyliciousness Brownie Bites in Red&Black, for a fab new grad :)

Gedix Gedix! Bling Bling!

The darling Miss Gedix finally transformed herself to "Mrs" Gedix recently. Well, I'm sure she's still the happy, bubbly, ever so cute girl she used to be, only now she is officially someone's wife. And I'm also very sure that she is gedix-ing to a slightly different beat now, one that befits a more grounded, more settled yet no less exciting, no less adventurous and definitely no less vivacious life as a happily married woman.

Congrats A & K! :)
She wanted 4 tiers, pinkish and BLING with fireworks...
...the base is plain butter cake with vanilla cream frosting, then came JulesFudgyliciousness Brownies with vanilla cream frosting too, and the 2 top tiers were strawberry butter cake with strawberry cream frosting...

...the corsages...

...Their official wedding backdrop, brilliantly created by Tangerine...


As with any weddings that I have a little bit of hand in, I remind the bride and groom that what's most important is the marriage, coz the wedding is more for the parents, family and friends, to rejoice and make merry. So when they tell me they're nervous and they desperately hope the event will go well and smoothly, my 2 cents would be that they need not worry so much, they need to just feel happy and blessed that they're starting an exciting new life with their soulmate, that their guests are praying and wishing only the best for them, that it's okay if the dessert runs out towards the end of the wedding coz most often we Malaysians always proceed to Mamak or Starbucks for post khenduri teh tarik/coffee, and that if something really does go wrong it isn't really that bad after all if they still end up getting safely and officially married, and that they can always scream at the event managers afterwards!

If you really look at it, nothing actually really goes wrong on such happy and blessed occasions. Perhaps there are discrepancies between our expectations and what actually materialises, and perhaps the Divine power poses some pre-happily-ever-after tests/trivia when the darling little nephew accidentally spills Ribena all over the bride's dress! But most of the time these things always work out for the best, as true as our faith and intentions are in the marriage itself, insyaAllah...

On the brownie front, it had been a while since I made my FudgyTin with BrownieBites, so it was indeed a pleasure to create one for Diana, especially for Him...


I quote Tun M from his "A Doctor In The House" ~ "To be happy, one must learn to make compromises with grace".

We do not live alone in this world. I want my house to be neat and tidy all day and all year round, but my boys feel that it's no fun without mess; so I give them their own space to mess up upstairs, and I turn a blind eye when I pass that way. I ask darling husband WHY oh WHY can't he not dump his t-shirt everywhere around the house? Then he goes and does all the dishes in the kitchen and gives me Tun M's autograph for our anniversary. I used to go OCD when it came to punctuality, but my 4 B+ves (I'm O +ve) would look at me with the expression, "Why is mommy freaking out?" So now I tell people, "If we're late don't wait for us, just carry on first." When I scratch and knock my head trying to figure out how to ever live completely debt free, or why aren't we bestowed with great richness so we would never have to worry about money ever again? Then darling husband presents me with free admission to Il Volo's showcase with an up close and personal meet and greet, and my 3 goons hug and kiss me goodnight and tell me sweet dreams, I love you.

How? Not possible not to be happy, right? :)

It has been a jolly good Syawal!

Alhamdulillah, and I've been feeding myself very well, everyday Raya cookies, every open house a carbo load, and everyday at least another inch on my waist! Hehe, so as I look forward to finishing what's left of the Raya cookies (so sayang not to eat them, right? tak baik membazir, right?) and going back to a healthy balanced diet, here are some photos of what's been happening...


One of our latest photos from our official 2011 Family Album, all taken at El Campo Equestrian, by the talented Azha Bakar @Che Ad...



Our first Raya at home in KL...



Roses & Brownie for a beloved Ibu from her wonderful daughter...



Ramadhan favours for Mr Bob Dzuan...




Something chic for Cynthia's 3-in-1 Birthday Celebration ~ "Hey Julie, it was super seeing you again after all this time. Thank you so much for the beautiful cake, even the bites were so prettily packed. We loved them."... Thank you Cynthia, it was simply fab meeting you again after almost 20 years!




A little twist in the Raya tale...




"Kak Julie, Yasmine loves it and my staff too. Thumbs up to you. Will order again soon..Thx Kak" ~ Alhamdulillah, and thank you Zeti :)



And finally, something blue...the total sales proceed from this has been channeled to Rumah Titian Ashraful Rohaniah :)



The best part of my Raya this year is meeting up with family and relatives, from near and far. I still miss Raya in Kelantan though, it has indeed been so long since I've been back. So, I must plan to make a trip back there soon, insyaallah.

To all Jules family, friends and patrons, my most sincere gratitude for your undying support towards everything Jules; may you be blessed with lots of love, good health, good fortune and pure kindness, always :)

Spreading Jules further...

Phewh! It's been very hectic! Amidst teaching and encouraging my 2 younger boys, Damascus and Marrakesh, to fast this Ramadhan, and in between colds, coughs, fevers, sleeples nights, deadlines have been met thus far and everyone is happy, Alhamdulillah.

This year, for Hari Raya, though I haven't been promoting my JulesFudgylicliousness and JulesDelightfulness, they are still very much available of course, and I'm well underway producing them for my darling patrons. This year I've been more promoting my latest collaboration with Kerepek La, which is Hadiyaa. So far the response has been quite encouraging, so I'm feeling quite hopeful.

At the same time, I've created Hidangan Seperah, a venue that offers a wide array of local dishes. It all started when I had to create recipe cards as part of the contents of a very special gift pack. And who do I turn to for superb local recipes that have been vouched for and acknowledged for over 30 years? Mother-In-Law of course :)

She has been cooking for so long, says darling husband, for school canteens, for weddings, for khenduris, and these days she caters to the demanding palettes of some very colourful people at the Astro Cafe. Her catering service, Dapur Semanggol, also provides a wide array of local dishes to corporate functions and meetings. I for one love her Soto Ayam, and her most popular tea time offering is the famous Cucoq Kembong + Sambal Ikan Bilis, which is a northern favourite. But the one she's singularly loved for is her Rendang Masak Hitam.

There is also the famous Roti Jang by Signor Del Mundo and friends. I had their Roti Jang Luarbiasa for buka puasa yesterday, and it was simply amazing! The beef had tomato ketchup on it, while the chicken had chilli sauce; the combinations were just brilliant. What impressed me most about Roti Jang is the genuine passion that goes into making them. You should hear how Del Mundo, or Fahd, talks about his Roti Jang; of course he may have developed that passionate flair when he studied the Italian language in Perugia some years ago, but anyone can see that he has great faith in his Roti Jang. I surely do.

I'm still building my contents for Hidangan Seperah, and I believe that Dapur Semanggol and Roti Jang are a good start. I look for things that are purely local, be it Malay, Chinese, Indian or Dan Lain-Lain, and most importantly they have to be "Sedaaaaap!" :)

So, as I spread Jules' reach further with the creation of Hadiyaa and Hidangan Seperah, I also intensify my relationship with Kerepek La and The Tangerine Group, as I strive to produce better things and create greater impacts, InsyaAllah.

I sincerely thank all Jules family, friends and patrons for your undying support and for always believing in everything Jules.

When Things Don't Go According To Plan...

...I cannot ask for more hours in a day, or more limbs on my body, so I just do my best and keep the faith, InsyaAllah :)

I've been meaning to follow up on my Raya 2011 Offerings with photos and details, but so many things have come up in between and it's just not been possible. The kids have been having fever one after another, a close relative fell gravely ill in Penang, the cars broke down and most shockingly, my 2 younger goons got head lice! AAAAAAAAAAA!!! So, for the past week, mommy has been treating them with anti lice shampoo and keeping them away from the general circulation, and Alhamdulillah, they're now lice free! Phewh! Having to cut their hair "primary school length short" was actually the most heart wrenching for me.

Anyway, there is a Raya 2011 project by Jules, apart from Fudgyliciousness and all that's on Jules' list. My Kerepek La friends and I are continually working together to create new and exciting things. This year we have created "Hadiyaa", our new co-branding effort, which offers festive hampers and gifts. For this Raya, we are producing a gift box that contains a variety of sweet and savoury delights; the box is still running in the production line, but here's a quick look at the logo and motif...

Hadiyaa Logo


The box - The basis of the motif is the "Persian Rug", and I had chosen one that is typical of Esfahan, where the highlight is the traditional Persian flower. I will eventually introduce it as the "Esfahan Box" under my Jules listing :)




On the everyday Jules front, here are several projects... :)

This was for Faisal, the sweet young man who requested for that perfect "Black & White & Pink" brownie for his engagement last year... and for his wedding he wanted a Damask motif in "Brown & Blue"...

...wishing you two lovebirds all the best in your wedded bliss :)



This very special 3 tier birthday brownie+cake was for the one and only Princess Muna Mariel...

...The base is the basic butter cake, where I used my mom's "sacred" recipe, sacred because it's my boys' most favourite butter cake; the middle is the devilicious Red Velvet cake that my friend Puteri made, she intentionally didn't make it too deep red because she wanted to minimise the red colouring; and the top is JulesFudgyliciousness brownie...
The theme was "Polka Dot + Pastel + Flowers" for this feisty little girl, so I hope Aunty Jules got it right for you ya... :)


And last but least, the recent "Ride with PRIDE" project... I prepared everything "Pink" in my Jules offerings, just to get into the "pink" spirit...

Nope, no pink Ferraris, just superhot, supercool, superfab SuperCars!... Oh, be still my heart... The best part of this event was, I got to meet my darling old friend Azrene. There was also Azrene's baby sister, Pial, whom I remember as that chubby little girl who spread body lotion all over herself and finished a whole bottle! And she's like a foot taller and 10 sizes slimmer than me, not to mention she's also a fab mum now... :)


I would like to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to everyone for your undying support towards everything Jules, especially Hafiz and the Tangerine Team for meeting all those rush deadlines. We always have our "when things don't go according to plan" days, but I believe that we've all persevered, and I wish everyone the best of health, the best of success and the best of happiness, always... :)

Sneak Peek ~ Jules Raya 2011 Offerings

It's that time of year again, and everyone's getting busy with so may exciting things. This year has been quite hectic, with the kids especially, that I haven't really had the time I used to have to plan and create for Jules. It's been the same case for my friends at KerepekLa too. But as always, a quick touching base and chit chat with them over some fab cookies and coffee finally got us started on our usual things again - Raya Goodies!

I hope to post more pictures and info of Jules Raya 2011 Offerings by next week, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peek ~ my darling ribbons! :)

Till next week, InsyaAllah...

And I do hope that you'll also join me and the fab folks of Pride at the "Ride With PRIDE" event this Sunday, 17 July 2011, where I'll also be showcasing some samples of Raya 2011 Offerings.