Lunch On A Choking Hazy Day (Tuesday, 20 October 2015)

Today we had lunch indoors, at an air-conditioned place to avoid the choking haze. If not for the worsening haze, we would have sweated it out at our favorite al fresco coffee shop, slurping down our favorite bitter gourd pork noodles and char koay teow.

The haze color on KL's skyline today is yellowish orangy! The smell of smoke is also very strong today, even indoors.   Could there be even stronger hazardous chemicals and toxic fumes in the air with the presence of yellowish orangy smoke tainting the skies?  It's scary to think what we are breathing in everyday these days.    Did you read about the Typhoid epidemic crippling KL folks too? Fortunately we have our Izumio hydrogen and Super Lutein to help us stay healthy and to clear our lungs from toxins during this troubled times.







The hubby brought us to his favorite cafe,  Breadfruits for lunch today.

Cass had a scrambled eggs with cheddar mushrooms and arugula set.










Grilled rosemary chicken caesar salad was mine.





Alycia and Sherilyn shared this smoked salmon avocado sandwich.





Brunch pasta with 7-minute half-boiled egg for the girls.






The latest news which I've just received from my Whatsapp chat groups is that tomorrow (Wednesday, 21 October 2015)  will be another haze holiday, OH NO!!!!  I need a jail break!! And I need to get back to swimming really soon!

One-Tray Grill For Dinner

My lazy, easy peasy meal on a Friday night last week...

A one tray grill consisting of  grilled lemon + dill + dried herbs chicken thighs,  carrots, sweet potatoes and sweet corns.



For the sauce, I used soy sauce, minced garlic, maple syrup, ground black pepper, dried herbs and half a cup of orange + apple + coconut water smoothie which I made in the morning.  I drizzled the sauce mixture onto the chicken and grilled them in the oven at 180C for about 40 minutes.

I rubbed black pepper, pink sea salt, lemon juice, garlic and maple syrup under the skin of the chicken and marinated the thighs for 4 hours.









There were 3 extra thighs, just perfect for lunch for the 3 girls the  next day.





When I cook dinner, I always cook extra so that the girls' lunch for the next day will  just be a touch of the microwave button away and a pipping hot home-cooked meal is ready!

Home-cooked Dishes

I cooked these about 2 weeks ago and have totally forgotten to post pix of them!

Oil and salt blanched organic broccoli with onion braised pork.






Tomato + baby shrimps + Bombay onion + Tomata ketchup egg omelette ala Taiwanese.







Steamed Chinese sausage and liver sausage (in the rice cooker together with the rice). Love those  Chinese liver sausages with wine but they ain't the healthiest choice of food.  So we have them once in a purple moon! :)

Chu Yoke Fun (Pork Noodles)

Lunch today was a simplified version of chu yoke fun (pork noodles).




I made a big pot of anchovy soup last night and made fish ball noodles.  Since there was still some soup left, I bought some minced pork this morning, marinated the minced pork with soy sauce, pepper and sesame seed oil and made pork noodles.  The girls loved it and commented that it tasted yummier than the one from our favorite pork noodle stall :D



Health Freak Mommy's Anchovy Soup
1.  Saute washed and drained anchovies with minced garlic for about 10 minutes.  Sometimes I add in prawn heads and shells.  If prawn heads and shells are added, you can later add in some prawns, boiled eggs and pork slices to make prawn noodles.
2.  Add desired amount of water and bring to a boil.
3.  Add in carrots and tomatoes.  The carrots impart a natural sweetness to the broth while the tomatoes and prawns give the broth a very interesting orangy-red color.
4. Simmer the soup for about an hour in medium fire.
5.  Add salt, if desired.

With this versatile soup, one can dish up fish ball noodles, pork noodles, prawn noodles or use it as stock for other dishes and even porridge.

Choosing An Evening Dress

The other day one of my regular customers approached me and literally begged me to help her find a suitable evening gown. It has to be black (and preferably shimmering) and must be floor length. She approached me on a Tuesday and the wedding dinner of her friend was to be held on that coming Saturday. Gawd I panicked as she made me panic!  I halted everything that I was doing and went through my albums and my supplier's website to see if I had any evening gowns that met her criteria. After showing her a dozen pictures, she finally picked one.  But our worries were far from over as I was not sure if the dress could reach her by Friday.   I had to courier the dress to her. She stays in another town and if she was lucky, she would receive the parcel the next day.  If her parcel happened to land on the hands of an inefficient postman, it would take days or perhaps even weeks to reach her. And the worst case scenario would be the parcel being mishandled by the postman and never reach her! And this had happened to my customers in the past.  We prayed hard after the parcel was sent out and thankfully, it reached her the next day!

Since evening dresses are needed for special events, it is important that they arrive on time and fit properly. Thus, I would advise that you shop for your dress ahead of the event. I like to shop for my evening dresses a few months before the event. This way, I won't rush into buying something that does not fit me.  And if the evening dress needs to be altered, I still have ample time to do so.

When selecting an evening dress, the most important issue in fabric selection is whether it makes the wearer look and feel beautiful. Some synthetic laces can be stiff, so if a gown feels stiff or scratchy, it may not be the best choice.  Some chiffon can be really thin and cheesy looking.  I have always preferred ice cotton or some shimmering cotton that does not require ironing for my evening dress.  Most importantly, I will choose a dress that I feel comfortable and beautiful in and it must be inexpensive since you do not wear the same evening dress more than twice.

Many online dress shops based in China offer a wide selection of cheap evening dresses. Most of the evening dresses are ready-made while some offer custom-tailored dresses.  These are often surprisingly affordable compared to off-the-rod goods in high-end dress shops. One such online dress shop is ihomecoming.com, an online evening dress shop that offers a good choice of cheap elegant evening dresses.

If you are looking for a cheap evening dress, you can check out my online store or simply google 'cheap evening dresses'. You'll be surprised with how many such online dress stores there are on the world wide web.

Hubby's Chinese Translator

Some of you may be wondering why my girls are in a Chinese primary school though hubs and I are both pure yellow bananas.

What's a yellow banana?  We have yellow skin but are white inside, as in talk and even think like gwai lohs (the whites).  HA!

I have never really supported hubby's decision to send the girls to a Chinese primary school and definitely not to a private Chinese high school. Yup Alycia's going to attend a Chinese high school next year.   Totally NOT my idea OK.  It's purely his decision.  He's the boss.

And you see why....



He now has a Chinese translator here to help him check the bill, printed all in Chinese, at a Chinese restaurant, A-HA.

But I am still opposed to the idea of Alycia going to a Chinese high school next year. It's not her choice as well.   Learning Chinese for 6 years is torturous enough.   But again, he's the boss. And I just have to do extra work everyday checking her English essay so that she will not lose touch of writing well in English, which is my homework to her before she can touch her iGadgets!

Sunday Lunch at Unique Seafood Restaurant, PJ

Last Sunday was the eve of the girls' final exam but we were out the whole morning and afternoon!  I think Alycia's cool as cucumber demeanor has rubbed off on me, HA!

After church, we had lunch at Unique Seafood Restaurant.



We had dim sum and...






Sang har meen (braised yee  mein with egg sauce and big prawns)...




Hubs had a craving for seafood and he ordered a grilled red snapper fish with sambal belacan and onion sauce...





Juicy and fresh air-flown oysters from New Zealand... one for him and one for me :D






Park cheok har (steamed prawns with egg white).  The prawns were very fresh and naturally sweet on its own.






Dessert of red bean soup with black sesame glutinous rice balls and mango pudding.








After a scrumptious lunch, we did a teeny weeny bit of BM revision at home. I seem to have lost my mojo to sit with the girls to revise with them after the first 2 days of exam from last week were postponed to this week.  I think Sherilyn is old enough to revise on her own, though she totally lacks the discipline.  Dinner was Japanese food at our condo Japanese restaurant.

Today is the last day of exam for the girls for the year 2015.  And here's to 2.5 months of play for us, yipee!!!

Surprise From Stabilo

A few days ago, I received a surprise package.

It was from Stabilo!

Last month (September 2015), someone from Stabilo emailed me and asked if I'd like to receive an exam stationery set for Alycia who would be sitting for her UPSR exam. I of course accepted the offer since it's complimentary.  But the stationery set didn't arrive.  And I was too busy to email the person from Stabilo to ask her what happened to the stationery set.

Fast forward a month later, this person emailed to inform me that the parcel was returned to her by the postman due to some delivery errors.  She told me that the set would be re-sent to me.

A few days ago, I received the box as expected.  What surprised the girls and me was that inside the box was not only one  stationery set but three sets!  The girls were so so happy!

Stabilo rocks!!  Thank you for being so thoughtful!





There is even a sweet little message from the Stabilo Team, wishing my girls all the best in their exam.  Cass immediately placed the box of exam stationery set into her school bag and took out her pencil box. She told me that she wanted to use the new set for her exam this week. It's like a good luck charm for her in her exam.  Yesterday she told me that she got 90/100 for her Chinese test paper! :D












I'd like to say a big thank you to Stabilo for this lovely gift for Alycia, Sherilyn and Cass.   They love it very much!!

Affordable Bridesmaid Dresses

In exactly 2 months, we will be heading to Hong Kong for a family vacation.  It will be my third time visiting Hong Kong. It will also be Alycia and Sherilyn's third visit to Hong Kong but the first for Cass.   Air tickets have  already been paid for, as well as for hotel.

Six years ago, Alycia and Sherilyn went on their second visit to Hong Kong with grandma.  They visited Hong Kong Disneyland for the first time.  This coming visit to Hong Kong Disneyland will be Alycia and Sherilyn's second visit.  They are such lucky girls!  And I have never visited Disneyland myself!  Not even the hubby.  Six years ago during their second visit to Hong Kong, hubs, Cass and I could not join them as we had to bring Cass to Penang for her first consultation with the surgeon. After the surgeon's visit, Cass was operated on 1.5 months later.

Since it will be the girls' and my first winter holiday, I have already started shopping for winter wear since last month.  I have almost completed my winter wear shopping, both online and offline.  Now, I have to start shopping for bridesmaid dresses for my friend's wedding scheduled for next year.   It is never too early to make preparation for the wedding dinner.

Finding the right bridesmaid dress can be a tall order, especially if you do not have the time to hop from shop to shop physically to find the right dress.  That's when online shopping saves the situation. I love online shopping as I can shop as and when I have the time.  So much time can be saved from getting stuck in traffic jams, finding parking space and walking from shop to shop.

I found out about jecicadress.com from a friend, who bought a bridesmaid dress from this online store.  This online store carries a wide range of elegant and resplendent bridesmaid dresses and party dresses.


How do you like this Chiffon Empire V-neck Floor-length Beading Bridesmaid Dress?  I've always loved white dresses. White symbolizes purity of the soul, innocence and simplicity.  White is also neutral and almost anyone would look good in white.  I look good in white and I've just bought myself a white short dress  yesterday!





Just in case my friend finds the above white long dress too showy and thinks that I would steal her thunder, I'll go for something short, simple yet sweet, like this  Chiffon A-line Square Neckline Tea-length Appliques Lace Bridesmaid Dress.  Moreover pastel pink is my favorite color.





I like this  Lace Sheath/Column Strapless Short/Mini Bridesmaid Dress very much too.  White tube lace dresses are evergreen and one can never go wrong when choosing this design for  bridesmaid dresses.









There are so many gorgeous designs to choose from and I am going to have a hard time choosing one!

Food For The Soul - Porridge

My comfort food has always been porridge.

Why porridge?

Well, it must have been traced back to my childhood days.  Whenever I was unwell, my mum or maternal granny would dish out the most delicious porridge to soothe my tummy, mind and soul.   My mum's porridge would always have grated carrots, cabbage, minced pork or fish and a little garlic oil. It's cooked in the slow cooker for several hours until the rice becomes really smooth and soft.   It's the most delish porridge ever and my girls love it as well.

When I don't feel too good, the first comfort food that comes into mind is porridge.

Yesterday I was having quite a bit of heart palpitations. I think they are caused by lack of sleep, the girls stressing me out and having no help at home for several days.  I was super busy with online work too.  Cooking porridge in the rice cooker is the fastest and easiest meal to whip up. No other dish can ever be this easy.  I dumped in 3/4 cup of rice, a few chunks of soft pork, sweet potatoes, carrots, dried oysters and pressed 'porridge' on the rice cooker twice to whip up a bowl of delish porridge.





With some chopped scallions, a few shakes of pepper and a piece of my favorite 'foo yi', my mood was instantly buoyed after enjoying this bowl of yummy porridge in absolute peace at home when the girls were still in school :)

Your Body On Anxiety

For those who know me well, they will know that I am a hyper chronic super worrier. I worry about the most minute of things. If the school transporter is only 5 minutes late, I start to worry.  I worry of all the 'what if's, the future and the present. If only our brain is a CPU, I would have just cleared the cookies and cache throughout the day so that  the current worries are erased from my mind!

The result of being a chronic worrier?  It's bad. And I can feel it in my health.  I am sure you can feel the negative effects of worrying on your health if you are a chronic worrier too. Sometimes I feel like I have a disorder called Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) because of my chronic worrying!

Now that's a worrying matter!

Do you know that there is a hidden source of disease in a worrying mind?

Many say they lead healthy lives because they eat clean, drink loads of water, sleep well and exercise; but regardless of these, if your mind is not in the happiest state, free radical production happens. In fact, even when you breathe, free radical production is happening.  No wonder my heart palpitates whenever I worry!

I am  helping my body counteract  this free radical production as I cannot control my thoughts and worries by consuming Izumio and Super Lutein on a daily basis.  They are my stress buster as well.   Izumio and Super Lutein are able to clear the mind and improve depression because hydrogen has the ability to remove free radicals from the brain cells.

For more reading on Izumio and Super Lutein, please click on the following links:

Hydrogen (H2) as a potent antioxidant and exhibits anti-inflammatory and potentially anticancer-like activities (from US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health)

Izumio Hydrogen Water and Super Lutein

Izumio and Incontinence

 Super Lutein

Day 18 On Izumio For Incontinence

Symptoms of A Body Detox

Day 20 On Izumio Hydrogen Water For Incontinence

IZUMIO – Antioxidant Hydrogen Water

Hydrogen Water Facts

Super Lutein Goodness

 Dangers of Eczema Steroid Creams

Super Lutein and Izumio Hydrogen Water For Glaucoma

Effects of Hydrogen Rich Water On Metabolic Syndrome (Diabetes and Obesity) - from US National Library of Medicine

Izumio and Super Lutein - Testimonials From High Blood Pressure and Diabetes Patients

Izumio and Super Lutein - Testimonial On Diabetes And High Cholestrol

Super Lutein For Osteoarthritis - Testimonial


 If you are interested to get a box or two of Izumio or Super Lutein to try, you can buzz me at my email at shireenyong@gmail.com.

Dinner at Macaroni @ Faber Tower

Yesterday I was in no mood to cook.  I was super stressed over many things - mainly the girls' exams, online work, house chores and the part-time helper sent me a text message at the eleventh hour telling me that she's not well and couldn't come.

So off we went to the nearby cafe to have dinner at Macaroni Cafe.





Smoked salmon pasta for Sherilyn...





Hawaiian pizza ordered by the pizza crazed big girl...




Grilled chicken breast salad for moi...




Mushroom soup...





The hubby ordered a premium grilled unagi from the Japanese restaurant opposite Macaroni.  Both restaurants belong to the same owner.





And Udon as well, from the Japanese restaurant.



We bumped into hubby's friends - Alan and Isaac, who are both Malaysia's top models.  Alan, on the right calls himself an 'expired' model as he no longer catwalks on runways.  That's just Alan, always eating the humble pie and nice as ever.  He is now an entrepreneur and has been our old friend of almost 20 years.




Our part-time helper is still on sick leave today. She's got an infected lung caused by the nasty haze.  Hopefully she  will be well enough to work by tomorrow  coz I desperately need help at home!!!

Breadfruits @ Faber Tower, Taman Desa, KL

Another cafe made it into the hubby's list of favorite eateries recently.   Breadfruits @ Faber Tower, Taman Desa serves all his favorite things --  Big Breakfast, fresh juices, wholesome sandwiches, fish, pork, beef and salad.

Despite its vegetarian-bait name, Breadfruits has nurtured a meaty reputation for pork because of its bacon-filled brunches.  I had only tried their breakfast menu items once when they opened their cafe a few months back and their dinner menu was not ready yet.   Last Saturday, we had a sumptuous dinner at Breadfruits.














The first dish that arrived was Pork Belly Smokey Sechuan @ RM28.80.  This is a very lovely combo of grilled purple sweet potato, crisp rocket leaves, juicy cherry tomatoes, juicy pork belly and crispy bacon strips.  It's a fusion of Chinese and Western flavors and is such a ravishing dish to savour.  This got my thumbs up and I am definitely ordering this again.






Grilled chicken mushroom with baby asparagus @ RM27.80 is for the health conscious and those on a low-carb diet. The chicken breast meat is tender and juicy.  This dish would have been even more delightful had there been more mushrooms and sauce to go with the chicken breast.





Basil Cashew Pesto Pasta With Garden Rocket (Arugula) @ RM19.80 - simple yet full of flavors and texture.




Vegetable salad with mushrooms @ RM19.80.  Another to-order dish for health freaks.




Tangy Tomato Chorizo  Pasta @ RM22.80 - super love the tangy tomato sauce with strips of chorizo (sausage) complemented with crisp rocket leaves and grated cheese.





Pork Chop Thyme Sage With Papaya And Passion Fruit @ RM30.80 is another enjoyable dish prepared with heart. The strips of radish, beetroot and carrot salad with sweetened vinegar are tangy, juicy and fresh.  The papaya wedges are grilled and slightly warm when served. The pork chop is very juicy, flavor-intense and succulent.  I am definitely going to try dishing up this salad soon!

The arrival of this impressively ingredient-driven dish instantly buoyed my soul!
This is what makes this cafe beloved and we will definitely be ordering this dish again.





We snapped this baked red snapper fish @ RM52.80.  The fish is fresh, juicy and tangy and has echoes of  a Teochew style steamed fish twist in the cooking.




The hubby washed down his meal with a tall glass of detox juice.  Wish we had more stomach space to try their cakes.  All of Breadfruits' creations are unique in their own style and prepared with heart. There will definitely be another time at Breadfruits for us.  The hubby was already talking about trying out other pork chop and fish dishes that evening!



Address:
G13 G Podium Faber Tower 1
Jalan Desa Bahagia,
Taman Desa,
58100 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan
Malaysia
Phone:+60 3-7497 6915

Want Healthy Teeth? Use These Tips to Help

You want to have healthy teeth and you want to keep them for as long as you can, right? If you’re like most people you never want to have to think about dental implants or dentures in your later years.

While technology is getting a lot better in dental care, a lot of the responsibility still falls on you when it comes to taking care of your teeth. Use these tips to help you keep your teeth as healthy as possible without really changing your routine much at all.

Carry Dental Floss
Carrying dental floss around with you might seem a little crazy, but it’s something that can really be beneficial for adults. Some dentists will even tell you that if they were forced to pick between brushing and flossing they’d pick flossing. That’s how important it is!

To keep your teeth clean and healthy, keep a spool of dental floss in your desk at work, in your bag or in your car. You can floss almost anywhere, and even doing a quick floss at your desk is better than skipping the floss altogether. 

Once you get in the habit of flossing after each meal you’ll wonder how you ever did without it.

Chew Gum
Many dentists hesitate to recommend chewing gum as something that’s good for your teeth because it causes people to skip the floss and toothbrush and pop a piece of gum instead. While chewing gum can’t replace your dental floss or toothbrush, it can help you from getting cavities and damaging your teeth when you’re simply unable to brush or floss for a little while.

What you’re looking for is sugar free gum with the ingredient xylitol, which is found in many toothpastes and mouthwashes. It will help clean your teeth a little bit and prevent acids from damaging your enamel quite so much.

Go to the Dentist
Making an appointment with your dentist every six months probably isn’t something you look forward to. However, you probably do enjoy the feeling of having clean teeth and knowing that your mouth is healthy and in good shape, right?

By visiting a Brooklyn NY dentist every six months you’ll make sure that they can catch any problems that are starting before they cause you pain and a lot of money. You’ll also have better looking teeth through your life without expensive cosmetic procedures if you get regular cleanings. 

Cremation Process

The decision of how someone wants to be buried is often left to the person who passes away. The person will usually make arrangements with a funeral home and let the family know of that decision so that the family doesn't wonder about what to do when it comes to buying a casket or preparing for the funeral. Cremation is an option that many people decide on as it's less expensive, and it can offer the family away to keep the person in the home even after death. Some people don't understand the process of cremation. When cremation services in Virginia begin, they usually start shortly after the person passes away. The funeral home will send someone to get the body from the location of death. This could be a nursing home, residence or hospital. The family is notified that the person has been taken to the funeral home. The body is normally not embalmed since it will be cremated, leaving only a short period of time for the family to say any final goodbyes. Once the family has seen the body for the final time, it is sent to a facility that performs cremations.

The cremation process is rather simple. Any jewelry that the person is wearing is removed. Any items that are not removed will be destroyed during the process. Some states require a certain time frame for the body to be cremated after death. A casket can be used during the process, but parts of the casket that are combustible will be destroyed. Most facilities use a box when cremating. The box is placed inside a large furnace. This furnace is set at a high temperature. It is usually around 1,500 degrees. This ensures that all of the remains are cremated except for bone fragments and some of the dental components. The cremation process takes about an hour to complete depending on the size of the person. Once the process is over, the remains are placed in a small container and sent to the funeral home so that the family can keep them in the container or place them in an urn.

Homecooked Dinner of Mushroom And KFC Pasta and Choy Sum In Prawn Broth

On Monday, the MIL had to travel to Ipoh to attend a funeral. While she was away, I whipped up the kids' favorite for dinner...



Mushroom pasta with KFC and prawn broth.

It so happened that the MIL had prepared a pot of prawn broth a day earlier, so I used it to dish up a choy sum soup and used some of the soup for the mushroom pasta.

One of the kitchen chores that I hate the most is peeling garlic and onions. So I taichi-ed this task to Alycia and Cass!  They didn't like this chore too, especially the big grumpy girl and I told them that if they did not want to help, they can very well not eat the pasta as well. That very much got them to do the task :D









Cass donned on a pair of disposable plastic gloves and helped me to shred KFC chicken for the mushroom pasta.




Choy sum in prawn broth.  The prawn broth is made using prawn shells and prawn heads.




Mushroom pasta cooked with avocado oil, fresh button mushrooms, garlic and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

This dinner was the prelude to my many other cincai bocai dishes as the mil has just left for Hong Kong today. Whether the girls like it or not, they will have to bear with my minimalist and no frills dishes for the next three to four months! :D