So what does a PhD really mean?

It has been more than a year since I embark myself in this journey.

It is a lonely process. Challenging, most of the time.

So what does it mean really?... let me think first...

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Woke up today with a feverish feeling. May be I have a fever. After solat subuh, I marinate the chicken that I thaw since last night. L*** is coming. So, thought of cooking roast chicken and this time around, plan to make a gravy. So, I stuffed carrot and onion inside the chicken. Left it for few hours. I need to move myself and get myself sweat a bit. Clean a bit the living room. Boil the water to make myself a cuppa tea. Took a clarinase and off I went to take a nap.

I couldn't take a nap! So, I just lie down under the duvet. It is hot and I started to sweat a bit. It's good. I am feeling much better.

Started to cook around 113oam. The chicken has cooked but need to make sure the skin is crispy. So, I took it out from the oven and moved it into the grill.

It seems the carrot and onion have soften. I removed it from inside of the chicken. Took the juices out too. I blended everything until it became smooth. Using a sieve, I pour the gravy into a pan. Get it boil. Add black pepper, soya sauce (to get the dark color and the saltiness taste - kes malas nak guna garam). To thicken it, I used a corn flour that I mixed with water. I put a bit too black pepper sauce. Put a bit of butter. Sifu Jamie Olver uses wine but I don't use wine in my cooking. So, I don't substitute it with anything. Just a butter. To give extra creamy flavor.

So this is the gravy and the roast chicken.

Again, I got diverted from the main topic.
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So what does a Phd really mean?

It means balancing your study life and social life. Study life? Yeah, we need to stay focused, and sometimes need to be alone to think, write and read. Most of the time. Kena bertapa. How long? Subjective. Depends on the need.

Social life? We need to get out. Smell the roses! Have a life! (which is very hard to do especially there is always a guilty feeling bottling inside).

I am not an outdoor type. I am very domesticated. So, my social life = cooking, cleaning. I enjoy doing it. Just, of late, I miss Z*** and A*** who will bustling around and busying themselves in the kitchen too when I cook. I learn a lot from them and they learn a lot from me. We exchange few tips on cooking. Now, it is a solitary process.

Cooking is an art. Like painting, we don't learn to paint by listening to the painter what color to use, what brush to use for different stroke. We learn painting by looking at others doing it. Now I understand, why I am such a lousy painter! I never see anyone - who is really good - paints. Yed, I miss you! I want to learn painting from you.