Using A Cleaning Brush Correctly To Create A Healthy Life

A good cleaning brush should be used at the right place and you should use it with care so that it lasts and does not harbour harmful bacteria and germs that may cause us to fall ill.  We should also have a different cleaning brush for different utensils and food ware. For example: we should not use a brush for washing oily dishes to wash water tumblers.  

I am a sucker for cleaning brushes, in particular bottle brushes. I started collecting baby bottle brushes when our girls were still babies. Every weekend I would go mall shopping for baby items, toys and baby bottle brushes.  I have such a huge collection that I still have some unused baby bottle brushes now, though my youngest daughter is already 13 this year!  Then our girls started to use sippy cups and water tumblers - and my collection of cleaning brushes expanded to straw brushes and bottle brushes and I’m still collecting them to wash my daughters’ water tumblers and reusable straws 😁.

PA Sisal Sponge Washing Feeding Cleaning Baby Bottle Brush

Baby Bottle Nipple Cleaning Brush

Kitchen sponges can harbour dangerous bacteria, which is why it's important to replace them regularly. While the experts recommend you should replace them once a week, you can briefly soak them in hot water at the end of the day to make them last longer.  Cleaning brushes tend to last longer than sponges, but they still get worn over time. These will need to be replaced when you notice the bristles thinning. Always opt for eco-friendly brushes if you can. I change all my bottle brushes and dish brushes very regularly, i.e. once every two months or as and when I notice mold or stains on them or the bristles start to fray or thin. 

My favorite go-to stores for stocking up on cleaning brushes are Mr DIY and Daiso. But I find that the quality of these straws isn’t very good. The sponge disintegrates very quickly and the brush holder of some bottle brushes breaks or detaches from the cleaning sponge very easily.  For hard plastic bristle brushes, they get stains pretty quickly too. Thus I change my bottle brushes every month. Now you know why I collect cleaning brushes eh? I am an OCD when it comes to cleaning bottles and straws. I even wash our pet kitten’s bottle teats several times a day with a very fine straw brush 😅

Aoqun Bottle cleaning brush

Did you know that there are hundreds of types of cleaning brushes in the market? We all know that there are cleaning brushes for everyday kitchen equipment but you may not already know that there are even cleaning brushes for medical equipment such as liposuction tubes, endoscope tubes, tubing masks and more. Perhaps the only brushes that you know of are hair brushes and domestic brushes but if you are currently looking for customized brushes to clean a specific item or equipment, you can check out AOQUN Brush, a company with several honor certifications and product excellence certifications.

Sunday, 14 March 2021 (Still Under CMCO)

Sunday is the only day of the week that Cass has time off from her school's online classes. She has online classes from Mondays through Saturdays, from 7:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.  On Saturdays, she has online co-curricular class from 4 to 5 p.m.  Her piano class is now moved to Sunday evening and back at the music school. The only time that she is free to soak in some healing morning sun is on a Sunday morning.  On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we try to take evening walks after dinner. We usually walk to the nearby supermarkets to buy stuff or stationery items and this is her current favorite pastime. This helps her to clock in 2.5k - 3k steps. Only. But it's better than none and being glued to her laptop from morning till bed time.   Thus, on Sunday mornings, we will walk further around our neighborhood, clocking in over 5,000 steps.  Last Sunday, we walked to the park to watch a dog trainer teach dogs tricks and then to Family Mart, the pharmacy and 99 Speedmart.  By the time we got home, we're half roasted by the sizzling 11-ish a.m. sun and it feels good. We can literally feel the serotonin and dopamine released into our brains, making us feel happy and positive 😍.  My friends have been commenting that I look awfully sun burnt with reddish skin all over.

Our once in a blue moon junkie breakfast from Family Mart - Dalgona Coffee sofuto and curry Oden:

As Cass' schedule is really tight now, I have to stop her BM tuition which she started in January this year.  Several days ago, she asked me if she could have Math tuition and I immediately started her with Alycia's Add Math tutor from the high school that they go to.  Chinese Independent High School Math can be very hard to master and score - it's either you're good in it or struggle with it.  Alycia has been struggling with Math and Add Math for 5 years and it looks like Cass is struggling now.  Hopefully with early intervention, she will have a good handle on tackling both Math and Add Math.  I can't believe that my baby is already studying Biology, Chemistry and Physics at 13.  During my time, I only started learning these subjects in Form 4 (16 years old) when we were put in Science stream.

Our lunch  at a newly opened Sichuan restaurant at our neighborhood:

We had a dish called 'Saliva chicken', dumplings, spicy beef noodles, tomato eggs, stir fried cabbage with black vinegar, stir fried potatoes and a mixed vegetables dish.  For two consecutive Sundays, the 3 girls preferred to stay home to do their own things while we went out for lunch. I think it's a teenage thing.  

Do your teenagers prefer to stay home or follow the parents out?

Soy Cured Egg Yolks With Natto Rice Bowl

Sherilyn prepped Japanese soy cured umami egg yolks with natto rice bowl today.   It's an intensely flavorful bowl coming from the ingredients -- natto with the pungent nutty cheese-like taste, super impressive complex taste from the cured eggs and aromatic fresh taste from the green onions.  It's quite a healthy bowl but I have to avoid eating natto and all soy bean products because of the fibroid in my uterus.  Thus, my lunch was steamed purple and yellow sweet potatoes and a soy cured egg yolk 😁

And here's a little update on Haru. 

The vet that we brought her to on Monday wasn't 100% certain if Haru's a female or male! But by looking at her coat, she should be a female as tri-colored coat cats are predominantly female.  We first thought Haru's a male when Sherilyn googled how to check a cat's gender, but when we brought her to the vet when she was about 7 weeks old, we were informed that she's mostly likely a girl. And now the other vet has suspicion that Haru's a male. We hope she's not a pondan 😆

Haru still looks like a tiger cub with stripes on her hands and chest and sometimes she behaves like one too. She likes to playfully bite our ankles which hurts and this is her way of inviting us to play with her. She's a joy to have in the family.

Heart Attack Moment

Haru gave us a major heart attack yesterday.  She almost jumped to her death from the 5th floor of our unit.  

Sherilyn and Cass had let her out of the cage for her happy hour. But Cass had forgotten to close the mozzie net door from the dry kitchen to the wet kitchen when she went into the wet kitchen to get her half-boiled egg for breakfast.  Haru who always tails us stealthily from behind and as swiftly as an alley rat, dashed into the wet kitchen.  Sherilyn was cooking and I was washing dishes and didn't notice her. When Sherilyn turned back, Haru was already at the ledge and curiously looking down. Sherilyn screamed and pulled Haru's tail to retrieve her, which let Haru hissing at her like a deadly snake.  I ran over and saw our baby almost walking her way to death!!  Can you feel our heart in throat moment? 

🙀

Today Sherilyn and I went to Mr DIY to buy a couple of plastic living space grass wall panels to tie onto the balcony grills to prevent our toddler kitty from walking her way to heaven's door too soon.  I don't believe that cats have nine lives!

Hazardous path which must be sealed ASAP when there's a fur baby at home.

Alycia (who has Ailurophobia) retrieving Haru who climbed up the mozzie net like an iguana 😹

Wig Wearing To Conceal Hair Loss

There are many causes why people suffer from hair loss or medically known as Alopecia.   Most hair loss cases are not associated with systemic or internal disease, nor is poor diet a frequent factor. Hair may simply thin as a result of predetermined genetic factors and the overall aging process. Many men and women may notice mild thinning of hair the moment they hit their 30s and 40s. Life vicissitudes, including illness, emotional trauma, nutrients deprivation (during strict dieting), anemia and hormonal changes like those in pregnancy, puberty, and menopause may cause hair loss.  Fortunately with wigs and the best hair extensions available in the market, undesirable bald patches on the scalp caused by severe hair loss can be easily masked.

Some cancer and alopecia patients feel liberated when they wear a wig as no one would notice their baldness or patches. Wigs help those affected with hair loss regain their confidence and carry on with their lives. 

You'll be surprised to know that Keira Knightley has worn wigs for several years to cover damage from hair loss! She’s not the first celeb to come clean about Alopecia.  Not too long ago Ariana Grande opened up about her issues with hair damage and Christina Aguilera was rumored to wear them for years after extensions left her with bald patches! 

Ben Affleck looks like he’s got a full head of hair. But rumor has it that Ben Affleck is secretly bald and wearing a wig, which he denied. But the evidence is in the pictures that can be found all over the internet.  Kevin Costner, star of The Bodyguard has receding hairs since the start of his career about 30 years ago. He has supported all kinds of wigs and other hair systems throughout his acting career.

Wigs are a commitment-free way to try on a brand new hair style, color and cut and sometimes even take on a whole new style identity for a bit of fun.  That's why celebrities turn to wigs to jazz things up.  Celebrities change up their hairstyles on a regular basis, from colored wigs to bold pixies. But rather than chopping their precious locks on a whim (and regretting it later on) or damaging their strands with excessive coloring, several stars turn to a more temporary solution: wigs and hair extensions. Wigs these days can be bought online from wholesale hair vendors, saving you from the embarrassment of having to walk into a wig store.

There are many types of wigs available at Uniwigs from human hair wigs to daily-wear wigs, synthetic wigs, cosplay wigs, colored wigs, hair toppers and more.  With so many types of wigs, hair styles and hair colors that you can choose from, wearing a wig can be so exciting and liberating.  Wig wearing is very common in the show business and we are grateful that celebrities are so open and authentic about their wig use. This is a reminder for us that people with cancer and alopecia  are not alone in their struggle. Wigs are flexible and no hassle, and thanks to the new improvements made using high technology, wigs are extremely realistic looking!

Hissing Kitten

When Maria our part-time maid came back to work last week after a hiatus of 2 months during MCO 2.0, it was the first time that she met Haru, our new pet kitten.  Thankfully Maria loves cats and naturally, she rubbed Haru's belly but our little tiger cub lookalike hissed at Maria.  Haru has a tendency to hiss at strangers who try to get near her. She hissed and spat at us when she was just a few days old! Such a feisty and fierce kitty she is but she can be very charming and timid at the same time.  

Today Alycia's friend came to our house to wait for her dad after sitting for their SPM Moral paper.  When she carried Haru, to our surprise Haru didn't hiss but she whined quietly like a pup when Alycia's friend patted her 😂.  

We finally got Haru a cage with a little stairs up to her bed! I'll get her a little hammock for her cage next.  Will post pix of Haru in her new cage soon...

Meatless Bibimbap

We had a meatless Bibimbap for lunch on the last day of Chinese New Year, whipped up by our chef Sherilyn.  She prefers eating vegetables over meat and whips up wonderfully tasty meat-free meals.  Sherilyn truly makes being a vegetarian so much more exciting, although I am not a vegetarian now, but if she lives with me forever, I will convert into a vegetarian to enjoy all her meat-free dishes.  When the girls no longer need me to cook for them in future, I think I'm going to be a flexitarian.

Sherilyn's meat-free dishes are superb tasting - from grilled vegetables (pumpkin, sweet potato, potato, zucchini, onions, garlic, etc) to Bibimbap, Shakshuka, Baba ghanoush, Ajvar (Serbian Roasted Red Pepper Sauce) and many more. 

Everything you see in the pot is made from scratch, including the kimchi, pickled radish and Bibimbap sauce.

Here's Haru sleeping with her favorite towel, which has a plush bear sewn on it. 

Haru is getting more daring and mischievous by the day. She loves playing hide-and-seek and catching with us. She runs so fast that no one can catch her. And then hides under tables, chairs and cabinets. When we holler "where's Haru?", she will pounce on our leg from behind playfully, then gnaw on our foot.  

Don't you think she looks like a big fat rat? Or a racoon? And sometimes like a monkey when she claws her way up the mozzie net!

23 February 2021 Homecooked Chinese Dinner

 Since it's still CNY, Sherilyn whipped up a few Chinese dishes for dinner yesterday and today: 

1.  Mock crab meat soup with mushrooms, dried shredded scallops, black fungus and shredded chicken meat.

2. Koong Po chicken with cashews. She toasted the fresh chilies for over 10 hours to produce dried chilies for this dish.

3.  Yam basket (Fatt Put)

Lunch today was Mee Siam with chicken rendang and deep fried quails (burung puyuh goreng berempah) from hubby's shop, Catermate  😋

It's amazing that this girl can even whip up yam ring. The process is very tedious and a lot of oil is used to deep fry the yam ring and vermicelli. Discarding the used oil is also a hassle as I had to pour the oil into a container and then wrap the container with plastic bags before leaving it in the refuse chamber.  That's the reason why I never ever deep fry anything!  But this girl is a sucker for challenges and if the dish is too simple, she wouldn't cook it 😐

Burung puyuh goreng berempah (fried quail with spices) and Mee Siam with chicken rendang from Catermate.

Sherilyn's 16th Birthday ~ 16 February 2021

Sherilyn turned 16 today!

I asked her what she'd like me to order for lunch and dinner and of all the food, she requested for a foot long Subway sandwich and Subway choc chip cookies, albeit she could make way tastier and healthier sandwiches and cookies.  She also requested for Fire Tiger boba and jelly tea and salted egg fried sotong 😆. 

Her wish is almost always my command and we ordered all her favorite food and had a low-key birthday celebration at home. 

Lychee strawberry cake from RT Pastry.

Sweet and spicy crabs with extra sauce.

Fried chicken with fish paste.

Salted egg fried sotong/squids

Her best birthday gift - Haru. She's always been a cat lover.

Haru's new afternoon nap spot - iron grill on the window. Such a hot spot in the afternoons but perhaps she finds it warm and cozy.  Hubs commented that Haru looks like a sea lion with long whiskers 😹

Haru is a super duper light sleeper, so light that she would even know that we're next to her when we tip toe to take a brief peek at her when she naps. 

Second Day of CNY 2021 ~ 13 February 2021

Hubs had a last minute order for delivery today and since none of his staff are at work, he had to do all the work.  And he roped in Sherilyn and me to help as well. Thankfully hubs knows cooking (he studied hotel management and catering and later did a bakery course) and Sherilyn and I could help with some simple kitchen work. But it was a mad rush having to get the food ready to be sent out by 11:30 a.m.  to the customer. 

We were home on time for our Hoi Nin Fan (first meal of the Lunar New Year) with hubby's aunt who lives on our block joining us.  The mil did most of the cooking.

It's been a super hot day today, typical weather of CNY every year.

Chef Sherilyn insisted on donning her cloth face mask, cap and disposable gloves in her dad's stuffy kitchen.  I told her that since it's so stuffy she needn't have to wear a mask when chopping veggies but she insisted on wearing it throughout the 2 hours in the kitchen.

Sherilyn to me - do you know what hygiene is?? 

She even wore the mask when she was frying otak-otak but when she got home, she said she felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen 😁

Ready to be Grab-ed to the customer ~ rendang chicken drumsticks, mutton rendang, fried otak-otak, sauteed mixed vegetables and loh sang with jelly fish. 

In the evening, Sherilyn made Tiramisu which was a winner!  The Tiramisu was so delish that even the two super critical foodies in the house gave their stingy compliments.

I think the Tiramisu is good enough to be sold.

Roast duck from hubby's aunt.

Braised pork ribs

Braised stuffed oysters with fish paste and abalone.

I'd like to wish all my readers "Koong Hei Fatt Choy" and may the year of the Ox be a prosperous, happy and healthy year for everyone!

My heart melts whenever Haru gives me this pitiful look, begging to be let out of the box to roam freely and scratch her nails on my slippers (which is now her scratching pad).

9 February 2021 MCO Homecooked Dinner ~ North India Cuisine

When Sherilyn was younger, she used to tell me what she'd like to eat and her wish was my command.  Now it's the other way around. I tell her my request and she would execute it. All I have to do is to buy the ingredients and she would gladly dish them out 😍.  

Caveat: this is only possible during the MCO. When the MCO is lifted and she's back to school, she won't be able to cook for us anymore.

Our Tuesday dinner this week brought us down to memory lane, back to the year 2019 where we could travel anywhere to fix our cravings. In that particular year, we were hooked on North India food. We especially loved Tasty Chapathi @ Damansara and Khan's Indian Cuisine @ Bangsar South.  Now that we are not allowed to cross district or dine in, we have our in-house teenage chef to satiate our cravings.  Sherilyn prepped all these from scratch herself, assisted by the TMX6:

1.  Butter chicken

2.  Palak Paneer

3.  Naan

4.  Passion fruit and vanilla ice-cream

Sherilyn even made the cottage cheese herself, for the Palak Paneer. Everything is super yums!!

 

Homemade cottage cheese.  Her first attempt in it.

Homemade vanilla and passion fruit ice-cream. Also her first attempt, using the TMX6.

Here's Haru saying peekaboooooooo!  She loves playing catching and hide-and-seek with us.  She's looking more like a cat now at about 7 weeks old, though her face sometimes still resembles a tiger cub. We all love her to bits!