Glorious Ipoh Food

My parents were in KL last week and today they left for Ipoh. We all look forward to their coming for various reasons - the good old Ipoh food that we so crave, my dad's cooking (my dad would cook us lunch and dinner almost everyday!), they would entertain the girls and my mum would help me with QA check of my stock. She even helps me perform tailoring jobs for slight defects in some of the clothes.

Our dining table filled with food to the edge, with all our favorite food : famous Ipoh salt-baked chicken, fish balls, egg tarts, Nyonya kuih, famous Ipoh chicken hor fun, yam cake, radish cake, tong sui, Teochew dumplings, yong tau foo....

and this time, I had a special request - Ipoh JJ Swissroll, cempedak flavor, YUMS!!

Check out the generous filling of cempedak paste! Drooling leh??

Fits of rage

Baby can be very aggressive at times. One time, in her fits of rage, she flung the toilet roll onto the floor and screamed...

and when I tried to snap a picture of her, she ran for her dear life.... and then buried her face onto the dining table chair.

But when she's good, she can be really angelic and her smile can melt even the coldest of hearts.

Our Easter Sunday

The girls had a fun-filled Easter Sunday in Sunday School today.

Kids seated and waiting for the kids hymns singing session...

Arts and Crafts session. Sherilyn and Baby's group had to draw an empty tomb, which showed that Jesus had resurrected and left the tomb on Easter day....

Next to Sherilyn is Ashley, who is also Sherilyn's classmate in pre-school.

The kids swarmed round the table and all eyes and hands were targeting the 2 awesome cakes...

And of course there are food, lots of snacks,junk food and goodie bags with Easter eggs too, which the kids all loved.

Nap Skipper

Baby does not take her afternoon nap on most days lately. She will spend most of her time fixing jig saw puzzles or on the laptop learning her ABCs, playing games and watching cartoons and songs. She can spend the entire afternoon doing these 2 activities and she's only just turned 3! Oh yea, her computer skill is getting better and better with each day and I cannot believe how adept a just turned 3YO is with her nimble fingers and her speed of learning. It's true that the experts say that a child learns very well from newborn - 6YO, after which the window of opportunity will slow down.

By 9pm, her batteries will run flat and many times while spoon-feeding her milk, she will struggle to keep her eyes opened. The second I leave her to get something, she will doze off and all hell will break loose if I try to jolt her up to finish her milk or brush her teeth.

Boobies Addict

Baby is weaned off my boobs about half a year ago but she still needs the boobies to help her fall asleep in the afternoon on some days. Here's the little boobies addict getting her fix to lull her to sleep!

Restoran Lap Meng Kuan @ Taman Desa KL

Restoran Lap Meng Kuan @ Taman Desa KL is one of our favorite Chinese restaurants now. The food and seafood are fresh and tasty, restaurant is clean and cozy and price pretty affordable.

Yesterday we threw my youngest brother a surprise birthday dinner celebration at this restaurant. My hubs had earlier bought a RM400+ wild river Patin fish and we brought half the fish to the restaurant to get it tastefully steamed.

Here are the dishes that we ordered.

Deep fried nam yue chicken and stir fried minced pork and dried shrimps with cabbage...

Steamed pork with watercress and fish paste, a dish that is very suitable for kids...

Koong poh deep fried pork with cashew nuts...

This is one of the signature tofu dishes of this restaurant - braised tofu on a huge bed of steamed pumpkin. Love the soft steamed pumpkin - sweet and creamy!

The highlight of our dinner - a prized wild river Patin fish which cost a bomb. Recently some food connoisseurs went to a 'tai chow' restaurant in a small town here and ordered some 'kampung' dishes, including Patin fish. The bill chalked up to a whopping RM13,000!! Now I know why Patin fish is terribly costly. This morsel is almost second to none in the fish family. There is not a hint of fishy odour in every part of the fish and the flesh is really sweet and smooth. We dug on the entire fish tail (which weighed close to 2kg) and licked every part of the bone clean!

The girls, their mummy and Roy kau foo the birthday boy...

with our favorite green tea-red bean cake from our favorite bakery, RT Pastry House.

Bubble Blower... With Toothpaste!

Here's my avid bubble blower and she's really good in it. She can create bubbles from toothpaste in her mouth. She can even create a huge bubble using both her arms and armpit, with the bubble forming between her arms and upper part of her body. She does this everyday, twice a day during bath time.

Say I'm clever, see, see, see mummy!!

Never Meant To Be Together

Many years ago, my friend broke off with her boyfriend of 7 years when her then boyfriend did not listen to her advice to resign from his offshore oil rig engineering job. My friend was worried that the man that she loved would be involved in an Offshore Accident, leaving her widowed. They were engaged and almost married and because of one disagreement, the marriage never materialized. Now, both my friend and the man who worked at the offshore oil rig are happily married respectively.

Internet-Enabled TV

I think it would be just awesome to be able to surf the internet on a TV that is internet-enabled. Imagine logging on to my Facebook page that is almost 4 times bigger than what I normally see on my desktop PC screen and laptop. My girls will be delighted to be able to read from the internet on a huge TV screen. I will be able to save up enough money to buy a HDTV that is internet-enabled with indoor hdtv antennas in another 6 months if my business continues to be good. Does anyone have a TV that is internet-enabled to comment on?

The Durian Season

As I am typing this post, there is a bowl of durians on my table top and I am spooning up the durians to eat while typing. I am having durians for my breakfast again and I can never get bored of them! After all, the durian season comes only a few times in a year and I better devour all the durians I can while they are still in season. During the durian season, I have to work out 5-10 minutes longer in the gym everyday to burn off the extra calories that I pile up from my durian binging. I am all for exercise to stay slim and don’t need fat burners like adapexin-p.

Jig Saw Puzzle Aficionado

My little cili padi is one very determined girl. When she sets her mind on something, she will complete it, no matter what it takes, even if it means forgoing her favorite things. She can even skip going out to complete her jig saw puzzle piece, skip her dinner and even going to bed, cracking her head to finish the last piece of the puzzle up to 11ish pm!

Good job baby girl. Mummy's very convinced you will be one very determined, disciplined and hopefully successful girl in future.

Solving a 100+ piece puzzle meant for 4yo and above. Here's she's skipping her lunch to finish off the last few pieces of the huge Fun Fare pic puzzle.

With help from her jie jie, she managed to complete the puzzle at last!

Darn Those Mozzies!

AAARRRRGGGGHHH SHARKS.... mosquitoes!! That's what Alycia will say whenever she sees mosquitoes flying in the house. And here's why we hate those buzzing pests...

Huge mozzie bite marks on Baby's hands, legs, nose, face and forehead.

Sherilyn's face was badly attacked by those vicious mozzies. Both her upper and lower eyelids were attacked and her eyes are now swollen. She now looks like an abused child with a swollen face... picture isn't taken as she had refused for her pic to be snapped by the blogger paparazzi haaha!

My girls have sensitive skin and once they get bitten by the mozzies, the bite marks will 'expand' and swell up. With intense scratching, the skin will break and scars will form.

Jig Saw Puzzle Aficiniado

My baby girl is a jig saw puzzle buff. Of my 3 girls, she has the most patience and the longest attention span, when it comes to fixing puzzles. She can spend over 2hours fixing jig saw puzzles continuously and even refusing to go out, eat her meals or go to bed! That's how much she loves puzzles and it goes to show that she's one very determined girl... to solve a problem, just like mummy hehe!

My multi-tasker... just like mummy who is always doing something when she eats... so that precious time is put to good use.

Kids Sleep The Darndest Ways

Do you have a child who can sleep just about anywhere and at anytime? I have 3 and the champion is rascal #2. She can even fall sleep while eating and drinking and it happens all the time!

All hell will break loose if I jolt her up from her sleep to get her to brush her teeth and shower... and I hate doing this. Well, that's part and parcel of motherhood. Whether you like it or not, you have to do it. Just pull the bull by the horns!

Durians Galore

The durian season is here again, which means it's also the season that I have to work out extra hard everyday to melt away the calories that I had packed after all the feasting on durians. Yup, I have been having durians for breakfast for the past 1 week. Not a single person in our household dislikes durians. We can eat nothing but durians for lunch or dinner! One of the best places to get durians is at SS2 in PJ. You can even get them online from www.DurianSS2.com, where you can email the owner for orders and enquiries! Talk about the IT age. Even durian sellers are moving from selling by the roadside to selling them online... albeit the fact that they still sell their durians by the roadside.

Our premium Musang King... if you are living abroad and have no access to the king of fruits, sorry ah if I made you drool...

Monkey see monkey do. This little monkey saw mummy eating durians for breakfast and she too wanted to have durians for breakfast!

Impossible Target

An owner of an online gift shop approached me recently. He was targeting to get 10,000 fans/likes for his Facebook page within a time frame of 1 year and he asked me to help him. He told me that he will pay me 5 sen for every person who ‘likes’ his FB page. But I had declined his offer. The amount was way too low to motivate me to crack my head for ideas, though I had helped him write an ad for a product earlier, which generated some sales for his product. I really think that a target of 10,000 fans within a 1-year period is unachievable and fool hardy. Even well known online stores like Linkedin Personal Creations has over 4k fans. Well, if he can offer me a better monetary reward, I can come up with some better ideas to help him reach a more achievable number.

A Gift For Him

I never expected to get a bouquet of flowers and a new Canon IXUS digital camera from my hubby for my birthday recently. Can you believe that I have not been getting flowers from him ever since we got married more than a decade ago? So the bouquet of flowers came as a big surprise for me. I, too should get him something that he likes for his birthday. Old married couples should be lovey-dovey too right? Perhaps I should get him a pair of cuff links or a pair of shoes for basketball. I have not been getting him a gift for aeons!

All I Need Is The Endorphins

At times when I am caught up with work from my online store, I find that my mind is very muddled. A cluttered mind equals the inability to think straight. In times like this, my online assignments will pile up and I don’t even have ideas on what to write on such simple reviews as small business phone system. Do you know what’s the best solution to un-clutter my muddled mind? It’s simple – all I need is a half-hour run round the neighborhood or a good workout in the gym. I will just let the Endorphins or feel good hormones do the job!

After Tuition Classes

When my 2 older girls are home after attending tuition class or ballet class, it is hard to get them to do their homework. They will insist on having a rest, a snack of some crackers, mrs fields cookies or some fruits, a drink and then watch TV. Sometimes, Alycia will take a nap. They think tuition classes are a chore and uses up too much of their brain cells! So they need a little time to unwind and rest before setting their minds back to homework mode!

Great Help

My sil from Singapore is here for a holiday and will be here for the next few weeks. I am glad that she’s here as my mil had just left for New Zealand and will only be back in a few months’ time. My sil has been of great help to me. She helps me coach the girls in their homework, walks #2 to school and helps me check my stock every day. I even have the time now to write a review on cheapestautoinsurance.net. Had she not been here to help me out, I can only find the time to complete my online assignments in the still of the night at ungodly hours when everyone else is asleep. That’s when the house is quiet and my mind can be at peace, which helps me to think straight.

Forget About Designer Furniture If You Have Toddlers

Our set of sofa is only a little over 2 years old but it looks really beat up. The same goes with our dining table chairs. The covers have pen mark scribbles and doodles and the leather skin is peeling off. We are considering replacing the furniture with new ones. But with 3 rambunctious kids at home, we should think twice and even trice before getting designer furniture lest our expensive furniture get graffiti marks on them again in no time! With kids, it’s best not to have any furniture in the living room! That’s what happened 4 years ago when our living room was devoid of a sofa set when our 2 older rascals were still toddlers!

Vacuum Cleaners

Our rechargeable cordless vacuum cleaner is hopeless! We had hoped that a cordless vacuum cleaner would be easy to maneuver and less messy without any cord. While it is mess free without the cord but the power of the suction is pathetic. I may want to get a more powerful vacuum cleaner, like those Miele vacuum cleaners or those vacuum cleaners that can even suck out dust mites from mattresses.

That Rattan School Bag I Will Never Forget

During my time when I was a primary school girl, my mum bought me a rectangular shaped open rattan school bag, which looked like a picnic bag. I hated that bag as I thought it looked so hideous while my friends had nicer covered school bags. But my mum did not buy me those school backpacks, which were very costly 3 decades ago. I had to carry that hideous rectangular shaped bag for a few years which gradually turned crocked and slanted to one side over the years. Some of the rattan strips even jutted out of its place, which made the bag look really beat up. Oh how I hated that rattan bag! I will never ever forget that rattan school bag LOL! Now, Alycia gets to change her school bag at least once or twice a year! Kids these days are so lucky, aren’t they?

Which Type Of Lighting?

While lightings with yellow lights make the home look cosy and warm, I dislike the fact that it is dim and not bright enough for reading. My hubby recently changed the pendant lighting in our living room to blue fluorescent lights and our living room area is so much brighter now. I can even see clearer in blue fluorescent lights as opposed to yellow lights. With yellow lights, I have to squint my eyes when I read or work on the computer. What type of lightings do you prefer?

Sherilyn's Achievement

She may not be as disciplined as her jie jie and I need loads and loads of threats, bribe and reminders to get her to memorize her weekly spelling, ejaan and ting xie. But at least, she has been scoring full marks for all her ting xie, ejaan and spelling every week and I am proud of her. Nonetheless, I am still very worried how my rascal will cope in Primary 1 in a Chinese school next year. Hopefully the tough environment and Chinese teachings will shape her into a better disciplined and obedient kid. And I am slowly but surely turning into Amy Chuah aka Tiger Mother, else this rascal will be a wayward child.

Our Friday

On Friday night, we had desserts at Food Foundry @ Happy Mansion PJ after a dinner with my parents, my brother and sil from Singapore and my mil. We had dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant. It was a very rare occasion that I could have a meal with them altogether and I think it was very much like a CNY reunion dinner.

Nothing makes her happier than eating what she likes to eat!

The hubs is really fond of the chocolate cakes and Vanilla Mille crepe cake at Food Foundry. Whenever we are out for dinner, he will surely jump on the opportunity to drive us to this unassuming cafe to satiate his craving for these 2 cakes.

A view of KLCC (right) and KL Towers (left) from the 5th floor of our unit taken at 8pm. I heart my new Canon IXUS!

Can Never Get Enough Of Shopping At Pharmacies

I love stepping into the pharmacy. Pharmacies are mushrooming at my housing estate and they are competing with one another by offering discounts on their products all year through. I think this is healthy competition and we the consumers get to grab the best deals from different pharmacies. Each time I step into a pharmacy, I spend several hundreds of Ringgit on toiletries, supplements and cosmetics. I had just returned from a pharmacy that was having a Crazy Sales promotion and spent over two hundred Ringgit. There was discount on almost every item on the shelves from shampoos to cosmetics, dental care products , moisturizer, supplements for kids, creatine supplements, diapers and the list goes. Had I not been in a hurry to leave, I could have spent even more at the pharmacy.

Durian Season

The durian season is at its peak now and we are taking full advantage of it, at the expense of our wallet and health. For the past 1 week, I have been having durians for my breakfast, chilled yummy creamy Musang King species that is! Sherilyn ate so much durians when my dad got some from Tapah that she is now having a very hoarse voice, a symptom that her body is very heaty. But I am well prepared to counter the heatiness with jars of cooling herbal tea and refreshing coconut water. Hopefully I don’t need to use therapores with all the cooling drinks to douse the heat within my body.

Bulky TV Hazard

We recently gave away our bulky pre-LCD era TV (the kind with a big jutting butt!) that we used to put in our bedroom after we read from the newspapers that a little boy was killed when a TV fell on him. Since Alycia sleeps on the floor next to the chest of drawers that we placed the TV on, it is scary to imagine what would have happened to her if the bulky fell on her while she’s asleep. We may get a light weight and sleek TV, like those samsung led tvs for our bedroom soon.

Computer Crashed!

My desktop computer is seriously injured and may need admission. Someone turned off the main switch connecting to my desktop computer last night, thinking that it was the switch for the TV. When I restarted my PC, it was 'hang'. Thank God I have a laptop as back up BUT the BIG problem is that the data of my 800 over customers are saved inside the hard disk of my desktop PC. Now I have a huge pile of new clothes lying in the living room and I cannot send them out without the details of my customers. I am SO SO upset. The computer technician came to fix my PC this morning and it took over 6 hours for the restoring scan to complete BUT bugger, the problem is still not resolved. The computer technician has to come over to my house again to reinstall the Windows software and if this fails, he needs to remove the hard disk to have all the data stored inside transfered into an external hard disk or a thumb drive. And a reformatting of the PC would have to be performed. Sigh.... this is a costly lesson for me and if you have not done a back-up of your data too, do it now before your PC crashes.
Sorry there will be no pix from me for the next few days until my baby is up and about again.