Back To KL - 21 Oct 2017

We took the 9 a.m. ETS from Ipoh back to KL today.

Saying good-bye was the hardest for Cass. She misses her 'best buddy' (my mum) very much.  She was the last to get out of the departure area onto the platform.





Best FIL in the whole wide world : my dad left the house at 7 a.m. today to tapau the hubs' favorite Hakka noodles for him - a total of 4 packets of noodles with 30 pieces of fish balls and Hakka meat balls.




My loving mum got up at 4 a.m. today to bake another loaf of Ogura pandan cake so that we could snack on it in the train. Truly a labour of love, thanks so much mummy 💘😘😘





Arrival at KL Sentral: thank God I have 3 strong girls to help carry our heavy luggage bags. They even preferred to climb up the 2 long flight of stairs at the KL Sentral station vs using the escalator as they said it's good exercise for them.



Hubs came to KL Sentral to pick us up. We had lunch at Nutmeg @ Bangsar Village.  It's been a while since we last lunched at Nutmeg, one of our favorite Western food restaurants.

Yummy grub at Nutmeg:




















We enjoyed our trip back to Ipoh thoroughly and can't wait to be back in Ipoh again in the first week of December during the school holidays.  Ever since we got back in KL, Cass has been telling me that she misses everything about Ipoh 😀

Ipoh Trip (18 & 19 Oct 2017)

The day we arrived in Ipoh on 18 Oct 2017 was my parents' 47th wedding anniversary.  They were married on Deepavali day 47 years ago.

At night, we had a simple dinner at Kok Thai Restaurant to celebrate their 47th loving years together.

Dad is 74 and mum 71 years old this year. May God bless them with the best of health and happiness together for many more years 💘💘

Mum is wearing a blouse I gave her from my online store.






The next morning, we were up early to have breakfast at the Simee morning market.  We had authentic Hakka fishball noodles at this stall that we have been patronizing since I was a toddler.




One of the best Hong Kong style Chee Cheong Fun can be found in this stall at the Simee morning market.




After breakkie at the Simee market, we shopped for  groceries at Tesco for making minced chicken pie and chicken meat floss.


Cass with her 'best buddy'. That's what she calls her granny.

Drama Queen and mum made chicken pie for lunch.





Chef Sher's minced meat pie is still the tastiest pie ever that I have tasted.
















My mum showed me how to make crispy chicken meat floss so that when I return to KL, I can try making it on the Tesco bread maker that she had recently given me.




In the evening, I brought Cass for a walk round the neighborhood and to the nearby Siamese temple by the hills.





Cass and I love climbing up the steps leading to the pinnacle of the temple to enjoy the scenery.

Fire Retardant Set

At the recent Mid Autumn Festival carnival held at our neighborhood, there was a booth selling fire retardant products.  What an opportune timing for the booth to be there! Just the day before, someone almost burnt the house down when she did not turn off the fire on the stove and left the fire flickering at the stove overnight for 7 frigging hours.  The water in the wok had obviously evaporated and thank God, the wooden steaming rack inside the wok did not catch fire from the overheated wok.  God has always been protecting us.

Chris, thanks for giving me the idea of installing a battery-operated smoke detector. When I saw the smoke detector at the booth, I couldn't be happier. I had read your comment in my blog in the morning and that same evening, I saw the smoke detector for sale at the carnival.

I bought the 3-in-1 set which consists of a fire extinguisher, smoke detector and fire blanket.  The set is sold at a promotional price of RM170.

Now there is peace of mind at home.

Note to self: when I get back to KL, remember to place the battery into the smoke detector to activate it!

If you haven't already gotten a fire retardant set for your home, it's time you get a set now. 

Saturday - 14 October 2017

School is out for a week for Deepavali celebration and final exams are over for the girls. Now is the best time to rope them in to help around in the house. This is the best time of the year where exams are over and everyone is waiting for the 6 weeks school holidays to start. I can't wait to go back to Ipoh to visit my parents. We have not gone back to Ipoh since Chinese New Year and there are so many things about my hometown that I miss about.

Drama Queen and Cass helping to dust the shelves and piano today:





My breakfast this morning of bitter gourd+ minced pork + egg + lard in pork soup sans the noodles. Am trying to go Keto as much as I can.

Weekend - 7 & 8 October 2017

On the eve of the eve of Cass' final exam, we attended a Mid Autumn Carnival at our neighborhood.

Being a super anxious and 'kiasu' mum who places importance on doing well in exams, I have always had a complex about going out to have fun just days before an exam. Thus, I told Cass that we were not going to attend the carnival.  I wanted Cass to study for this exam hammer and tongs as she did not fare well in the previous exam. 

But Cass begged me to  bring her to the carnival. She promised me everything under the sky. She promised me that she will do everything that I asked her to do.  And she did.

And I kept my promise.  I brought her to the carnival that evening.  Alycia chose to stay home to study for her final exam.  The hubs was in Ipoh on business.

An ambulance and fire engine were  stationed at the carnival in case of emergencies as the carnival had an activity where free candles were given out to kids and adults to light up at a designated area.



Can you spot Drama Queen and Cass lighting up candles?



Cass on the fire engine. It was her first experience  on a fire engine.



There were games for the kids:



Dinner at one of the cafes:



We didn't stay on for the lucky draw though. One of my conditions set was we could only attend the event for 2 hours and then it's back to revision at home.


Sunday, 8 Oct 2017

After the morning revising, we had lunch nearby at PappaRich.

Hubs ordered all our favorite hawkers' deligh:



















And for dinner, I ordered Dominos pizza, the girls' favorite food for dinner on eve of exams.

Why home delivery pizza? Coz having dinner outside is a waste of time. Cooking at home is out of question as no one is free to wash the dishes on the eve of exams. So pizza it is - delivered right to our door step. Minimal washing and everyone is happy 😄

Kids Ask The Darndest Things

Just a moment ago, Cass was revising at the dining table for her Science test tomorrow.



Me - remember to take your fish oil ok? Fish oil is very good for your brain. You really need a lot of brain power now so that you can remember everything that you are studying for your exam. Fish oil is also good for your eyes, can prevent cancer, prevents dementia and good for your immune system.

Cass - mum, if fish oil is so good and can prevent so many diseases, why do fishes have such a short life span?

Me - because fishes are animals and animals can't live as long as humans.

Cass - yeah I know, but if  fish can help humans to prolong their life span, why can't it live as long as humans too?

😳

Another Near Miss!

Someone almost burnt the condo down early this week!

When her daddy came back at 9:30 p.m. for dinner, I was already almost going to bed after a long and tiring day.  The mil heated up the dishes in a wok. I told the little girl to bring the food out for her dad.  She's used to serving her dad dinner whenever he comes back late at night. She's the darling of the kitchen and our best kitchen helper.

The next morning when I woke up at 4:15 a.m., I was shocked when I saw that there was FIRE on the stove!!  With the wok on the stove. Oh. my. gawwwwwd!  Someone didn't turn off the fire when she removed the food from the wok the night before!!

I quickly lifted up the wok lid and thank God, nothing was burnt. I had expected to see a burnt wok but the wok was A-ok, except for some stains caused by the wooden steaming rack. And it was indeed a miracle that the wooden steaming rack did not catch fire.   Had this  happened, I wouldn't be here typing this post.  We would have created yet another Grenfell Tower, London blaze in the news.

Imagine a wood heated by fire in an empty wok for 6 hours and yet didn't catch fire! That's a miracle.  I thank God for watching us and saving us again.



Moral of the story: never trust a 12-year old to do any kitchen stuff related to cooking / heating food unattended to, no matter how capable he/she is.  And make sure that you check the stoves every night before turning off the kitchen lights and going to bed.  Also, never trust the man to do those checking and supervising. Do it yourself, mummies.

Wednesday, 4 October 201 - Mid Autumn Festival

Today is a school declared holiday for Drama Queen and Cass in conjunction with Mid Autumn Festival. Most Chinese schools give a day off for Mid Autumn Festival and Qing Ming.  However, today is a normal school day for Alycia, though she's in a Chinese private high school.

Breakkie was at our regular coffee shop, tucking into hawkers' delight.  After breakkie, the mil and Drama Queen took an Uber car to Mid Valley Megamall while Cass and I stayed home.  Cass' final exam is just days away but this dawdler is still in a chillaxing mood. In fact, she never panics before an exam and if not for me breathing down her spine to do more exercises and revision, I don't think she even knows that it's her exam until the eleventh hour when she reaches her class.  She is always in her own la la land.

After completing two test exercises, I gave Cass to do something that she loves most - cooking, as a form of de-stressing.  I taught her how to cook scrambled eggs.  She was elated.





Cass cracked the eggs, added salt, pepper and milk, whipped the eggs while I heated up the pan and put the oil. She did the rest with me standing next to her and supervising her.

The result: perfectly textured, smooth and eggy-licious scrambled eggs with home-grown basil.






We do not normally celebrate Mid Autumn Festival.  Tonight is no exception. We will be having dinner at home without the hubs joining us as he will be at a corporate client's Mid Autumn Festival event.

Hubs and I shopped for mooncakes, taro roots (mini  yam), pomelos and water caltrop ('ling kok') yesterday for his client's Mid Autumn Festival function today.  Big brand mooncakes were all selling at  crazy markdown prices of between 25% and 50% off the regular prices. But I am not a mooncake lover, nor the girls, thus didn't get any for own consumption. Moreover we still have a few uneaten mooncakes from Ming Yue Confectionary, Ipoh.





Nonetheless, we bought 2 Teochew fried mooncakes from Wonderful Cake House.




The taro paste Teochew mooncakes from Wonderful Cake House are wonderfully delish. After tasting the sample (which was still very hot) and got hooked on it, we took two mooncakes - one with yolk (RM17.50) and one without yolk (RM16.50).

The taro paste is not overly sweet and cloy and the flaky pastry is crispy and fresh, with no rancid oil taste. These mooncakes are fried daily.  When we tasted it right off the baking tray, we were sent right away to mooncake paradise, they were to die off 😋



 


Do you know why water caltrops or 'ling kok' are eaten during Mid Autumn Festival? 

In Malaysia, water caltrops are only available during the season of Mid Autumn Festival.





Water caltrops are one of the elements that usher in good luck and prosperity during the Mid Autumn Festival. The name sounds strange and it looks creepy too but the symbolism behind this element is something intriguing. Water caltrop is also known as the buffalo nut or the bat nut. A first look at the water caltrop gives you an impression that it looks like a bat or buffalo or more so like a ninja warrior’s weapon. But these nuts are just like water chestnuts born out of an aquatic plant similar to that of a water lily that has been cultivated and eaten in different countries for centuries.

 


The fact that water caltrops look like bats is considered lucky for the Chinese because the Chinese word bat has a ‘fu’ sound in it which is the word for luck, hence water caltrops are known to bring in loads of good luck when eaten during the Mid Autumn festival. Water caltrops are boiled until they turn soft and once they are cooked, the shells are broken with a nut cracker or hammer. The white flesh is eaten which tastes sweet and nutty (like a combination of roasted chestnut and cooked potato). It has a mild taste with a crumbly texture. For me, I don't like the taste of it. I think it smells awful (like mud). Seriously. And no offense to those who adore water caltrops, yeah. 😉

Human Nature Natural Personal Care Products

I spend a chunk of my moolah each month on toiletries and skin care products that are free from harsh chemicals. I am a sucker for all things organic, natural, environmental-friendly and most of all affordable. That is why I have to refrain myself from stepping into an organic shop. Some ladies go wild in a Hermes or Coach boutique. I get carried away when I am in an organic shop 😁

When I found out about Human Nature, I went berserk, literally. I was totally impressed with their range of natural products and their affordability.

Human Nature is the largest natural personal and home care brand in the Philippines. They now also have the most number of NPA-certified products in the world. That’s right – more products certified by the USA-based Natural Products Association, than any other brand in the whole world! Human Nature products are available in the USA, UAE, Singapore and of course, Malaysia. And they are still growing.


Last week, I received my babies from Human Nature consisting of natural body wash, massage oil from essential oils, cooling leg and body cream, lipstick and blusher.






The Natural Body Wash which has a very pleasant and natural berry scent gives me a very refreshing shower, yet does  not leave an overpowering scent that lingers on my body after my shower.  Cass loves the scent and says it smells like her favorite organic strawberry lollipop.

 


I love the Rejuvenating Massage Oil, which has nature’s premium calming trio of lavender, orange and lemongrass essential oils. I use it to moisturize my body after my shower. It's great on Cass' hair and mine too. It tames the frizziness on our hair.

 


The Cooling Leg And Body Cream is da bomb!  It invigorates my tired legs, arms and shoulders with a refreshing and cooling tinge of eucalyptus, peppermint and bergamot. This luscious cream gives me a restful mood and the cooling feeling I get after massaging the cream on my body gives me an instant lift. Love this body cream!




The ColorCreme lipstick in the shade of Coral Kiss, is 100% natural.  It is made in a luxurious fusion of cocoa butter, sunflower seed oil, passion fruit seed oil, and natural vitamin E that melts onto your lips for an exquisite, creamy glide.  Now I can apply lipstick on my lips without worry of ingesting toxic chemicals.


 




Human Nature's Perfect Glow Mineral blush in the shade of Pink Bloom looks amazingly natural on my fair skin. What I like most is that it stays on the whole day with just a few swipes.  It is made with a  blend of natural Vitamin E and pure mineral pigments that give cheeks the right glow to enhance your naturally blushing beauty. It also comes with a mirror and natural blush brush for an easy touch-up anytime, anywhere.




Internationally, Human Nature pride themselves on being a leading social enterprise with a palpable mission of promoting beauty with compassion. This means offering products that are not only good for our bodies and our planet, but also make a huge difference to impoverished farming communities. This is what I like about Human Nature. They use natural ingredients that grow, or can be grown, in Asia because that’s their way of helping alleviate poverty among farmers. They are among the poorest in the world and as long as they grow nothing but rice they will remain poor for generations to come. Teaching them how to grow high-value crops like lemongrass, mangoes and coconuts, offers them a truly sustainable way to get their families out of the vicious cycle of poverty. Human Nature operate under fair trade principles, meaning they pay market price or higher for their ingredients. Why Human Nature?

All of Human Nature’s products are natural and chemical-free (no SLS, no parabens, no artificial fragrance, no formaldehyde, no phthalates).

The products can be bought online and delivered to customers anywhere in Malaysia, to help busy mummies and other multi-tasking superwomen.

The products are priced reasonably so that even the average family can afford to go chemical-free.


Do hop over to Human Nature to check out their products and I am pretty sure that you’ll find something for everyone in the family. Christmas is not too far away.  You can start shopping for gifts now 😉

Works Better Under Stress

The littlest one is another eleventh hour girl when it comes to completing her homework and revising for exam, just like her 2 sisters.

Here she is yesterday morning, at the coffee shop:


While waiting for her bowl of fish paste noodles to arrive, she hurriedly completed her homework as her Mandarin tutor was due to arrive in another hour. She even did her homework in the car on the way to the coffee shop and on our way back home after breakfast.   I had threatened her that if she didn't finish her homework on time for the tutor to mark, the latest novel  that she's reading (which is the culprit to the 11th hour homework completion) would be confiscated and kept at the highest compartment of the cupboard in my room. And she managed to finish her homework just in the nick of time. She was pleased as punch that she could safe her novel from the clutch of the tiger mum.  Good going girl!

Most of the time, Cass works with aplomb when under stress.  All the adrenaline rush seems to propel her brain to work more efficiently. When there is all the time in the world at home, this little fella would dawdle away, burying her face into her thick novels.