Best Of Friends

Most of the time, Alycia and Sherilyn enjoy each other's company very much. When Alycia goes to school, Sherilyn will feel lonely and quiet. She will keep asking me where Alycia is and what she's doing, though she knows very well that her sister has gone to school. When Alycia is back from school, she will rush to the door to greet Alycia and she will ask "what you do in school today?" It's really heart warming to see them enjoy each other's company. However, there are times when they fight, quarel and pull each other's hair and clothes. Nonetheless, they rarely go to bed being angry with each other. I hope they will be really good sisters to their newborn sister in future.

What's Wrong With Having 3 Daughters?

When we were at Mid Valley with 3 gals (Alycia, Sherilyn and hubby's cousin sister who is 5 yo) last week, I got stares from many passers-by. I even heard a woman telling her friend "wah, look 3 girls and pregnant" followed by some whispers. I think she must be telling her friend that I must be hoping for a son this time! Most of them who stared at me were women. First they stared at the 3 little gals, then they stared at my belly, then they whispered to their friend or hubby. I just wonder why Malaysians are such kaypoh chees (nosey parkers). Don't they have better things to do than to stare rudely and talk about how many children people have.

Blogging For Money

I started writing my very first paid post somewhere in June this year. Initially I only got offers from 1 advertising network. 2 months later, I got offers from more blog advertising networks and now, I am getting offers from more than 10 networks. Last month my total earnings from day one to November have finally surpassed the 5-figure mark. Though this may not be a huge figure for some bloggers for they earn 5-figure revenue EVERY month but to me it is considered an achievement for a SAHM who has to juggle her time with 2 high-needs under-4 toddlers, managing the household and 'struggling' with a pregnancy. Some months are good months but some months are low earning months. If only I could get back a PR4 for my blog, I could have earned even more but oh well, life has to go on even if my blog, as with most people's blogs have been smacked badly by Google. Through prayers, I believe God will always provide for me and my kids sufficiently.

Have You Heard Of HDMI Cables?

Hubby was watching DVD in our room late one night several days ago when the TV screen suddenly went blank. We smelled something burning and he immediately turned off the main switch. He then discovered that the DVD cable was burnt and it could be caused by a short circuit. Hubby’s electrician friend advised him to get some HDMI cables to replace the burnt cable. Just in case you are wondering what HDMI is, it simply means high definition multimedia interface and is the latest generation in audio/video connectivity and it can provide high-definition digital video and digital audio via a single cable. These HDMI cables can be purchased online from Firefold.com as they offer a lowest price guarantee, a 30-day money back guarantee and a lifetime warranty too, an offer that is really too good to be true!

Experience Zero Gravity Without Going To Space!

One of the things that I’d really love to do is to experience weightlessness. Going to space is totally out of the question for me as with most people and I don’t think I would ever have the opportunity to do that in my lifetime but I can now experience a one-of-a-kind option of taking zero gravity flights and live out my astronaut fantasies in Las Vegas, a city where just about anything goes. Since these zero gravity flights are not in Las Vegas on a permanent basis, anyone who is interested better make sure you check ahead of time for available seats and book yourself a Vegas hotel at i4vegas.com to stay for your experience of a lifetime trip in Las Vegas.

Any relief for itchy peeling skin?

My dry and peeling skin is becoming from bad to worse. The peeling skin is causing my skin to itch terribly too. It's so itchy till I can't sleep at night. The Palmer's cocoa oil and the Jojo E oil do not seem to bring much relief. I had to wake up last night to apply oil on my legs, arms and buttocks to relief the itching. I feel as if I have to keep feeding my skin with oil to stop it from itching and peeling. I normally apply the oil after my bath but within 2 hours, my skin will turn dry and peeling again. So can you imagine me having to apply oil to my skin every few hours to relief the itching? This morning at church, I was scratching my arms and legs away during the service. I felt terribly uncomfortable and I am sure people seated next to me realized that too and I wonder what they were thinking of.

I would appreciate it if someone could recommend a proven relief for dry and itching skin for pregnant women, eermm... something that smells pleasant hopefully!

What Should I Get Him?

I still have not decided what to buy hubby for his birthday which is in a few weeks’ time. I have a few items in mind now but just can’t decide whether to get him an electric shaver, a Hamilton watch, a tie, shirts or perfume. He did mention to me recently that the watch that he’s wearing now has been playing tricks on him and it has stopped working a few times. A Hamilton watch from Watch Zone would be a wee bit out of my budget but since his birthday is around the same time as Christmas, it can double up as a Christmas gift as well. Since a watch is a timeless gift, perhaps it is really something worth considering buying for my man.

Dream Vacation In Branson, Missouri

If you are planning to go on a family vacation to a place where there is something interesting for everyone in the family, you really got to visit Branson. Whether you are looking for thrilling outdoor activities or exciting theme parks with multiple loops roller coaster rides, water rides, go karts, exploring caves and caverns, shopping, golf or live music and theatres, Branson has it all. When you plan your trip to Branson Missouri, be sure to check out Branson Getaways. They are the expert vacation planners in Branson vacation and they can make your vacation in Branson a dream come true.

A Night Out At Mid Valley

Yesterday evening, hubby brought us to Mid Valley Megamall. As I had craving for Penang fried koay teow and laksa, hubby brought us to Little Penang Cafe for a dinner of Penang delicacies. After dinner, we went to Mothercare as there was a sale going on and I bought another plastic bib. We had bought 3 pink Mothercare plastic bibs earlier this week and yesterday I saw one in blue and quickly grabbed the last piece.

There was a musical and dance show performed by some dancers and it was very entertaining. It was a fairy and princess dance and the dancers were dressed in very, very colorful and pretty costumes. The crowd was really big and everyone enjoyed the musical. The Christmas decor at Mid Valley was also spectacular. The fairies show is on-going until 25 Dec 07 from 2pm - 8pm on weekends and at 8pm on weekdays. The fairies will also wander round the mall daily from 11:30am - 4pm.

Whilst my maid, Sherilyn and I went to Jaya Jusco for groceries shopping, hubby brought Alycia and his cousin sister who's only 9 months older than Alycia to Metro Jaya for shopping. We all reached home at around 10pm and had a late bath and slept at around midnight. I hope the gals can drag themselves up from bed to go to church later.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My father created this dish and it's one of my favorite chicken dishes since young. It's easy to cook - no garlic, shallots or oyster sauce are needed and it whets the appetite easily.

Ingredients :
1) Chicken
2) Lea & Perrin sauce
3) Lemon juice from half a lemon
4) Brown sugar
5) Tomato sauce
6) Japanese cucumber

Method :
1) Marinate the chicken with Lea and Perrin sauce, soya sauce and pepper for at least 2-3 hours.

2) Pan fry chicken for at least 20 minutes or until they turn golden brown and fragrant.

3) In a bowl, mix juice from half a lemon with some brown sugar (around 2 teaspoon), tomato sauce (around 2 tbsp) and some Lea and Perrin sauce. Stir the mixture until the brown sugar dissolves and pour mixture into the chicken.

4) Pan fry for another 5 minutes, turn off fire and dish out chicken.

5) Slice up some cucumber and put them round the plate (for garnishing and for cooling the body!). Sliced raw cucumber goes very well with this dish.

Steamed Eggs

Steamed eggs with organic soya sauce.

I got really fed-up having to wait for Sherilyn for almost 2 hours everyday 3 times a day for breakfast, lunch and dinner to chew her food and finish her meals. Each morning, I will give her a hard-boiled egg for breakfast, which is her favorite, but she would take forever to chew her food and swallow them. So yesterday I made the gals 'chawan mushi' or Japanese steamed egg in cup. Whilst Sherilyn loved it, since she does not have to chew them, Alycia would not even touch them! Funny coz Alycia has always loved the Japanese Chawan Mushi. Maybe I should buy those Japanese Chawan Mushi cups next time and steam the eggs inside those cups and add a few strands of crab sticks inside the egg. Must go buy them today when we shop for our groceries at Village Grocer.

We Need New Dining Table Chairs

I have been bugging hubby to replace our rickety 11-year old dining table chairs before either Alycia or Sherilyn falls off the chair again but hubby has always been so busy at work. The gals have had a couple of falls from the rickety dining table chairs when they tried climbing on it and the chair fell on them. The other day, we saw some nice dining table chairs that match our marble dining table but we did not buy them as they were expensive and were not on sale. We waited till today and still there is no sale on the chairs. If only there is a furniture store here that has discount furniture all year round like the Boyles Discount furniture stores, we don’t have to wait forever to get those dining chairs. I should really get hubby to buy those dining chairs now though there is no sale coz I don’t wish for another accident to happen to our gals.

We Need Another Digital Camera

Yesterday I had missed capturing so many beautiful moments of my 2 gals on the camera as hubby had taken my digital camera to snap pictures of his function. I told him that since the both of us need a digital camera in the course of our work, he should be getting another digital camera. There are so many shops offering year-end and holiday discounts on digital cameras now and a decent one with fairly good features only costs less than $200. I really hope he will get me one for Christmas!

Tomato A Natural Skin Moisturizer

Do you know that tomato juice can be used as a natural moisturizer and astringent for our skin? I was watching TV the other day and got this beauty tip from the Home and Health channel on Astro. All you have to do is to cut up a tomato, hold the outer part of the tomato, ie. the part with the skin with your hand and rub the inner part of the tomato onto your face and neck and leave the juice on for at least 15 minutes before washing it off with water. I tried it and true, my face felt so smooth and I don't even have to use expensive moisturizer on my face. Keep the remaining tomato in the fridge and use it on your face a few times a day.

Steamed Chicken With Salt, Ginger And Wine

Though this is a very simple dish, it is one of our all-time favorites. This chicken (preferably 'choy yuen kai' or farm bred chicken with no hormone jabs coz the meat is firmer and tastier) is steamed with salt, chinese cooking wine and slices of ginger and goes well with the minced ginger-garlic-spring onion sauce with olive oil and soya sauce.

Ingredients and method for steaming the chicken:

1) Mix the chicken well with 1 tbs of corn flour. The corn flour will make the chicken meat more tender and not rough. Some people don't like corn flour in the chicken but I prefer it as the meat is much more tender and easier for my 2 toddlers to chew and swallow.

2) Around 2 tbs of chinese cooking wine.

3) Rub chicken with salt.

4) Sliced ginger

5) Steam chicken for around 15-20 minutes.


Ingredients for sauce:

1) Garlic

2) Ginger

3) Spring onions

4) Olive oil

5) Soya sauce

You can blend the garlic, ginger and spring onions together or simply mince them.

What's For Lunch Today

My tummy is rumbling now. My maid is cooking fried vermicelli now and I have a pot of hot fried black beans and red beans soup with kampung chicken and red dates. Too bad I don't have a camera to snap a picture of the soup coz hubs took it today. This fried black bean and red bean soup is a very nutritious soup and I drank lots of them during my confinement. Black and red beans are a real good source of protein and iron. The black beans taste much better when pan fried in a wok without oil. My maid had fried the black beans yesterday and this morning, the house was filled with the aroma of the fried black bean soup. I shall make another pot of this soup next week and snap a picture of it and post it in my blog.

Thank You For Being My Friend

This mummy with 2 adorable kids from Canada gave me this award in appreciation of our new found friendship. Thank you Clumsy Mummy (sorry, I don't even know your name) for this little gift and I hope we will have a long and lasting friendship. I would love to pass this award to all the friends whom I have made ever since I started blogging in April this year. Some of you have always stood by me and have never failed to help me in times when I needed help the most. You know who you are and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Mandarin Enrichment Class

Last week Alycia’s Mandarin enrichment class teacher gave her a Mickey Mouse pencil. When she came home, she happily and excitedly showed me the pencil and asked me to sharpen the pencil for her. Then she quickly took out her Mandarin workbooks and started doing her homework without being told to. Little gift like this can really motivate a young child to work, amazing!

For Once

For once, hubby has just volunteered to babysit the gals without any complaints whilst I went downstairs to work on my computer. He will normally be watching TV and will complain when I ask him to put the gals to sleep. But just now, he was happily showing the gals the video that he shot at Alycia's 4th birthday party on Sunday. Now he is in the room sleeping with the gals. If only he could be this helpful and nice everyday.

Braised Arrowroot Chicken

This is one of my favorite dishes - braised arrowroot with chicken. The arrowroots taste much better with pork but because my maid can't eat pork, I made a little sacrifice and modified the dish with chicken.

Ingredients :
1) Chicken
2) 5 large size arrowroot or more (up to you how much you want to eat but please note that arrowroots are seasonal)
3) 3 cubes of 'Nam Yue' of fermented tofu which is red in color
4) Garlic and shallots
5) 5-spice powder
6) A dash of brown sugar
No need salt as the fermented tofu is already very salty


Method :
1) Marinate chicken with 5-spice powder and some pepper for at least 2-3 hours.
2) Stir-fry the garlic and shallots.
3) Add in the fermented red tofu.
4) Add in the chicken and pan-fry for at least 15-20 minutes until they turn brown and fragrant.
5) Add some water or chicken stock and cover for at least 15 minutes or until the arrowroots become soft.