My Kwai Lui

Spending over 10 hours on the computer each day is NOT fun. This causes aches on my neck and shoulders. While I do exercise almost every morning, the aches will emerge if I work a few hours straight without doing any stretching exercise to my neck and back. That's when I will rope in my 3 girls to give me a good anti-stress massage. Alycia can really do a good job. When I asked her how she can be so good in her masseuse skills, she told me that she practiced massaging on her best friend in class and asked her for her opinion on which method felt nice! I had a good laugh when she told me this.


My kwai lui giving me a massage on my temples, while I mark the worksheets that she has done.

Durian Season Is Back!

The durian season is back! While I get really excited and happy to see those durian stalls by the roadside, the durian season spells FAT for me, for I will surely be gorging on them several times in a week throughout the durian season. Though I am on a low-carb diet, durian is something which I am too weak to say NO to. I eat durian for breakfast, I eat them for desserts and I even dream of eating durian!

Even my 3 girls love them!



Alycia and Baby having durian for dessert after lunch!

Rare Sight of Big Bright Orange Moon

Last night at 9ish pm on 13 Oct 2011, my girls saw the moon but the moon looked pretty unusual. Not only was it big, round and very orangy, there was a butterfly-shaped halo surrounding the moon. They were screaming "WAH, look at the moon mummy, like a butterfly!" And I managed to zoom in and capture the picture with my Canon IXUS camera.



Sighting of the moon with a butterfly-shaped halo taken from the 5th floor of our unit.




Anyone saw this unusual halo on the moon last night?

Korea Campbell Grapes

The hubs bought a bunch of Korea Campbell grapes when he went shopping with the girls the other day. My hubs, he loves to try new food and things that are unique. This bunch of Korea Campbell grapes is no run-of-the-mill grapes. My girls and I call these grapes 'jelly grapes' for they taste just like grape-flavored jellies! The skin is hardly chewable and sour. To eat the flesh of the grapes, one has to suck the flesh out, as you would when you eat jelly from a small cup. Pretty unique and tasted pretty unique. But there will be no second time. The flesh is sourish and lots of tiny seeds are buried inside the flesh. Except for the strong 'grape-flavored jelly' taste, I could barely swallow any flesh. Nonetheless, RM12.90 was well spent trying out an out-of-the-world grapes :D

Finally She Did It!

This is something which I must pen down. It is Baby's achievement at 3.5 years old. Nope, it is nothing academic but it is something that we can be very proud of. It is a big achievement for her and for me for she can now poo poo in the great big white throne and no longer in her diaper! Super hooray for my baby girl! For years, she has been shunning the potty (both the small and big potty) and I was frigging worried how she will fare when she goes to pre-school next year. She would surely be the laughing stock of her classmates and teachers if she still poo pooed in her diaper. But thank God, my worries are unfounded. My baby girl has now conditioned and programed her body to poo poo at the same time everyday on the great big throne, just like an adult. She can now say good-bye to her chronic constipation problem too. My prayer to God to strengthen Baby's bladder continues...

My cutest model at Old And New Stuff For Sale.

Frozen Konnyaku Jellies

The other day, I made a batch of Konnyaku jellies with fresh fruits. I made them when Alycia and Sherilyn were having their Mandarin enrichment class and Baby was sleeping. I wanted them to have jellies when their lesson was over. So I put the jellies in the freezer so that they can coagulate and chill up quickly. But I had forgotten all about them, until the next afternoon! After thawing the frozen jellies for about half an hour, we ate them and yes, they tasted delish, like fruit sorbet with jelly. Hmmm, I think the next round I will freeze some jellies too. Frozen jellies are kinder to the waist line too and healthier than ice creams :D


Frozen Konnyaku fruit jellies... I'll bet no one has tried this before!

Ranting.... And A Wholesome Bento Lunch Set

This week has been another mega busy week for me. I keep telling myself that I have to slow down on my online store business but the workaholic in me just can't help it. Alycia and Sherilyn will be sitting for their final exam in 2 weeks and I have started to give them exercises, especially in Math and BM (for Alycia). Alycia is pretty good in most of her subjects as she pays attention when the teacher teaches her. While this girl will do what I ask her to do, she can be pretty lazy and needs lots of pushing to do the worksheets that I give her everyday.

As for Sherilyn, each Math session with her can drive me suicidal, I kid you not and I mean it. I always tell her that she has left her brain somewhere and she has to find it and put it back into her head... coz she never listens to what I say, always jumps the gun and never remembers what I tell her. People like her needs lots and I mean LOTS of Math practices everyday. It's not easy on me as I have to work and she needs me to be next to her to keep reminding her what and how to do her Math (step by step, all over again and again!!), though I had taught her the same thing over and over again for more than a year!

I think you can pretty imagine how stressed up I am. Imagine there is stock at every corner of my home waiting to be checked and sent out. Imagine Alycia and Sherilyn keep asking me how to do this and that. Imagine Baby climbing all over me. All these plus cooking, computer work and my daily morning exercise regimen. At the end of the day, I am drop dead tired, like a buffalo who had slogged all day under the hot sun in the paddy field.

Enough of ranting, this is what I whipped up for the girls today. Something that's easy to prepare, fast and wholesome.


A bento set of
1) Tuna and egg mayo open sandwich with nori sheets and sliced cool organic Japanese cucumbers

2) Purple carrot and cranberry juice

3) Homemade jellies with fresh cut fruits inside the jellies

4) Organic papaya

5) Steamed tapioca, which is Alycia's favorite.



Healthy mou?

2 Tough And Busy Days

Baby has been down with fever and a bad tummy. It looks like a stomach flu. Yesterday, hubs brought Alycia and Sherilyn to stay at Double Tree Hotel to utilize the complimentary 1 night's stay at the hotel. The offer expired yesterday. It was extended for 3 months and as usual, my busy hubs only utilized it at the eleventh hour. So last night was a pretty quiet night for me as I was home alone. Baby was very sick and slept the whole day. Though the other 2 older monkeys were not at home, I did not have a peaceful time at home nor did I get a peaceful night's sleep. A mother can never sleep in peace when her child has a burning hot body. I was sponging her body practically the whole night. At one point during the day while she was sleeping on the couch, Baby was hallucinating and kept whimpering "I don't like the sticker up there", while pointing to the ceiling! This happened to Alycia too when she had high fever when she was a toddler. She told me that she saw a snowman outside the window!

After 2 very tough and busy days for me, Baby is now showing signs of recovery. Her appetite is slowly coming back but I am reminding myself not to be too happy and not to over feed her, lest all comes pouring out again. Her tummy is still recovering and must not be made to overwork. Praying hard that she can eat pretty normally again tomorrow. My pile of stock that has been lying on the floor of my living room for the past 3 days is finally cleared today. It was such an eye sore to see those mountain-high stock scattered everywhere and I did not have the time to sort them out. Now, I wish to have a relaxing and good Sunday tomorrow. Happy Sunday everyone!



Just back from school and having her lunch. Alycia hugging her life bolster and she misses her life bolster very much, after a long day at school.

Book Worms

Check out my 2 book worms poring over their favorite books over breakfast on a Saturday. They used to have their butts glued to the couch in front of the TV during breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays but I told myself that this had to stop. Now, I can't even stop Alycia from reading at the dining table, a habit which she has picked up from me. I always read when I am at the dining table. I have always been reading when I have my meals, so that no precious time is wasted. Do you allow your kids to read at the dining table? I know some parents find this irritating though.

Kids Sleep The Darndest Ways

There was a birthday party held by one of the residents at the pool area on Saturday and a balloonist was hired to decorate the function room. Though we were not one of the guests, the balloonist could not resist Baby's request for a flower balloon. So the kind balloonist made her 3 flower balloons. And my Baby was so happy that she refused to let go of her balloons, even in her sleep.

Lorong Seratus Tahun, Scott's Gardens, Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur

Recently we found a place that serves authentic Penang food at Lorong Seratus Tahun @ Scott's Gardens, where the newly opened Tesco at Old Klang Road is. Well, not sure if it's really cooked by some chefs from Penang but the food did taste authentic and I loved it. Scott's Garden is a new shopping mall (with Tesco being the main anchor tenant) smacked in the middle of Old Klang Road KL. The kopitiam style restaurant was packed to the brim when we arrived, which was more often than not a sign that the food is good.

So here's what we had. For those of you who love Penang food, get ready a hanky to wipe off your drool...




This plate of char koay teow cost a whopping RM22.90 but it was quite justifiable with 7 medium-size prawns... only 6 prawns here as my starving hubs pecked one just as the plate was placed on the table...



Nasi lemak set with Penang lobak...




Fried rice for my fan thoong aka rice pot Alycia...



Fish balls noodles soup... this is however nothing to shout about.



Prawn paste chee cheong fun. Love this plate of carbs as I love prawn paste. The prawn paste was thick and the noodles smooth.



Breakfast set... kaya was sandwiched between the toasted bread. I liked the caramel kaya so much that I asked for another serving, at no extra cost.



Ice Kacang topped with a scoop of ice cream...


Food was great but I do think that the plate of char koay teow was over-priced. There will be a second visit to this kopitiam, when we next shop for our groceries at Tesco.

Cassandra Writes And Draws

For the past few weeks, Baby has been writing and drawing. She can now recognize almost all the letters of the alphabet and numbers as well as write them. Whenever she writes a letter or number, she will proudly show me what she had written. I think it is a big mile stone for her since I did not do much to teach her, apart from letting her play with my iPad2 and laptop to learn them on her own.

Here, she has drawn a cat or was it a dog? Whatever it is, all her drawings of living things now look the same - with a roundish face, 2 eyes, nose, ears, hair and a big smiley face :D




Cassandra at 3years 5 months

RM4.99 shop in Viva Home Mall

For those of you die-hard fans of Angry Birds or have kids who have been swept away by Angry Birds, do check out this RM4.99 shop in Viva Home mall @ Jalan Loke Yew. But sorry, I cannot remember the name of the shop. It was pretty late that night when we stepped into the mall. We had to hurriedly shop and pay as the workers were already pulling down the door shutters. So I did not really take notice of the name of the shop. It has the same concept like Daiso and 100 Yen Shop and sells almost the same stuff. There are even good quality and nice belts and hats. We spent quite a bit from this shop.


Angry Birds merchandise aplenty...





Was so tempted to grab an Angry Bird clock but I know that it will surely be kept in one of my drawers once it reaches our home.

Skype Chatting With Granny

My mum has finally installed Skype and a webcam to her desktop computer. Now, she calls us to chat with us regularly. She would also show the girls what she had bought for them or made for them. But each time she calls, I need ear plugs and some Panadols for my headache as the girls will fight and holler in order to get the best position to see and chat with granny!

She Ain't Heavy, She's My Baby Sister

Alycia often asks me why her baby sister is so 'weird'. When I asked her why she called her sister weird, she told me "because she does not talk like a baby. She talks like a 6 year old girl"! She told me that she wished Cassandra is still like a crawling baby and will always be cute LOL!!!

Just now while tucking them into bed, Alycia revealed her 'secret' to me... which touched the pit of my heart.

Alycia - mummy, do you know that every morning before going to school, I will lie down next to Cassandra? I will pinch her cheeks like "eeeeeeshhh" (and showed me how 'geram' she pinched her baby sister's cheeks) and kiss her cheeks.

And as she was telling me her 'secret', I was wondering if they were twins in their past lives. I am really touched and amazed with Alycia's love towards her baby sister. I know she misses her baby sister a lot while she is at school.

Alycia also revealed another secret to me... that she has been secretly carrying Cassandra whenever I am busy and not looking! I have always forbidden Alycia from carrying Cassandra, lest she drops the fragile little thing onto the floor. But how am I to be angry to see such strong love and bond between these 2 sisters?




She ain't heavy. She's my baby sister! I love pinching her cheeks and carrying her to bits!!

After-School Socializing

For the past 1 week, my 6.5 year old girl has been telling me to pick her up late from school. School dismisses at 12:15pm but she has been instructing me to pick her up at 1pm instead. Once her daddy picked her up at 12:15pm on the dot and she came home bawling and whining for a good 1 hour!


Sherilyn - mummy, tomorrow pick me up at 1pm ok? Don't come at 12:15pm ok?

Me - WHY??

Sherilyn - you always say that I give you lots of stress mah....so you come late and pick me up, less stress for you.

Me - and what else? Why do you want me to come late?

Sherilyn - so that I can help Ms P (her principal) stack up chairs and I can finish my homework there. I can also play with my day-care friends.

Me - so do you want me to send you to daycare? (Since last year, I have been contemplating sending this girl to daycare in the hope that this will help discipline her)

Sherilyn - NO NO! I don't want daycare. I just want you to pick me up at 1pm. Please don't come early OK?
(Today she reminded me countless number of times to pick her up at 1pm again tomorrow.)

And so this social-butterfly comes home a very happy girl everyday ever since I gave her 45 minutes of after-school play-time in pre-school, for her to mingle with her friends, complete her homework and to feel good helping her teachers :D


Top model at Old & New Stuff For Sale...

Our Saturday

We were invited by Shir Lin and Jeff to Joshua's 3rd birthday party @ Sierramas club house on Saturday. Shir Lin and Jeff are the girls former Sunday School teachers and they have now migrated to Singapore. The last time we went to Joshua's party at the same place was exactly 3 years ago for Joshua's full-moon party. How time flies and it really did seem like it was only recently that we attended his full-moon party.

While Sherilyn and Baby enjoyed themselves, my soon-to-be 8yo girl told me that it was boring. I guess my girl has outgrown birthday parties with clowns, balloons and toddlers. She has now graduated to the next level, to the tween stage or red alert stage ?? I hope not. My precious baby is really growing up too fast!

And now let the pix tell the rest of the story of our party. Thank you Shir Lin for inviting us and see you again at B's full-moon party perhaps?

Do You Have An Insurance Plan Yet?

My friend’s husband was brutally attacked in a robbery a few years ago. While she was Skype chatting with her husband one night, the connection was cut off all of a sudden. An intruder had entered the house of her husband, who was working and staying outstation. During the scuffle with the robber, her husband’s arm was almost severed. Somehow, he managed to rush himself to a nearby hospital and the arm was saved. He was however on prolonged medical leave and got a large sum of compensation from his insurers. Many of my friends do not have an insurance plan for themselves or their children. Do you have an insurance plan yet? If the answer is no, do check out www.wholesaleinsurance.net right now.

Fong Lye Taiwanese Restaurant @ Gardens Mid Valley, KL

One of our favorite Chinese restaurants whenever we shop at Gardens is Fong Lye Taiwanese restaurant. We were there again recently and this time, these are what we ordered:


Deep fried sweet potato balls. I find the balls a tad too chewy, which suggests that too much flour is used. I prefer the ones sold at our pasar malam, which are softer and has more sweet potatoes. Nonetheless, we noticed that almost every table has a plate of this deep fried 'bombs', which look really alluring and too hard to say NO to.


A meal at Fong Lye will never be complete if we do not the 'sam pei jie' chicken dish. This dish is cooked with basil leaves, Chinese cooking wine, ginger and garlic. On the right is 'mein seen' in red wine soup.




A set of fish slice cooked with tomato sauce and fried egg, a dish that most kids will heart...




Chicken cooked in rice wine set - my favorite dish. I almost never got tired of this dish during my 3 confinements. During my confinement, I could finish every single drop of the wine soup served to me, as no salt was used to cook the broth.




Jar Jiang Mien set. Tasty but I think I can cook a better one for the kiddos. I think this one is too black and too salty for my kiddos.



If you are planning to have lunch at Fong Lye @ Gardens Mid Valley, you better be there early, to beat the peak-hour periods. There is always a long bee line outside this restaurant on weekends and peak periods.

Sherilyn And Cassandra

Baby and Sherilyn make good play mates. While Alycia takes her nap on most afternoons, my 2 other energizer bunnies will be playing. Sometimes Baby will take her nap too. But for Sherilyn, she hardly ever naps in the afternoon. She will play and play till no end. But sometimes when she's an angel, she will obediently bring her homework out from her school bag to do without any coercion from me.

Here, Sherilyn and Baby are in a playful mood. While Sherilyn is practicing for her spelling, Baby climbs onto the same chair.... and Sherilyn gives her a hug and calls her 'my bolster'. If only they can be such loving sisters everyday and not fight and squabble.