46th Birthday

My 46th birthday came and went in a modest and simple fashion. No chi-chi day-long celebration and no fancy gifts. Everyone was busy on my birthday - my hubs, my daughters, my mil and even myself.  But I'm happy as I had a sumptuous and intimate dinner with my family, at a fancy restaurant 😁

Dinner was at Stone Nine by Jiro Shabu @ Old Klang Road. Other than a crazy 45-minute wait for the food to come, we nonetheless enjoyed our personal hot pot Japanese shabu-shabu with premium assortment of meat and toothsome array of specialty dipping sauces to go with the meat.


My visiting SIL from Hong Kong surprised me with cakes from Just Heavenly Cafe @ Bangsar.

I think I have never shared any baby and toddler pictures of myself with everyone eh?  In commemoration of my 46th birthday, I'd like to share with all and sundry my birthday photos taken over 4 decades ago! 😍



Me on my 2nd birthday with Raymond, my elder brother, my sexy mum and my por por in our first house in Moonlight Park, Ipoh.  I can still remember the address by heart, though we moved from the house when I was 12 years old.  My birthday gift was an inflatable Bugs Bunny toy 😁.




Me on my 4th birthday. Mum was preggers with Roy, my younger brother. My birthday present that year was a doll that could blink her eyes and that doll slept next to me on my double bed together with a bunch of soft toys until I was 12 years old!




On my 5th birthday, Roy my younger brother was 11 months old. Next to my granny was Molly, our part-time helper cum nanny, who was only a teenager. She would come over to babysit us whenever there was no adult at home.

Hope you've enjoyed this brief walk with me down memory lane 💗

Ice Plant

We had our first taste of Ice Plant vegetable at Copper Mansion Restaurant during CNY this year. The Ice Plant was one of the ingredients in the 'loh sang' dish along with fried crispy salmon fish skin and other vegetables. It was the best 'loh sang' that I had ever tasted - super fresh and  delish.  I couldn't get enough of the Ice Plant and asked the waitress what vegetable it was and she told us 'suet choy' (ice vegetable). I thought that it was iceberg lettuce but it's not, though the texture is similar to lettuce.

A month later, I stumbled upon Ice Plant at my regular organic vegetable stall at the night market.  The seller was raving about it and gave me 100% reassurance that I would love the Ice Plant.  The leaves consist mainly of water/juice and are slightly salty. The texture is very smooth and crunchy  and chock-full of nutrition. But the price tag is very hefty - RM15 for a small punnet. I can chomp down the entire pack myself. They are so juicy and refreshing that I can eat them on their own without any salad dressing.




Ice Plant is named so because of its cool frosted look. The Ice Plant is a unique vegetable that originated in South Africa. Tiny crystalline beads of bladder cells filled with salt water cover its stems and leaves, which not only makes the ice plant a lovely decorative succulent (look how it glistens in the sun!) but renders it a fascinating culinary ingredient.


Nutritional Value
As it is mainly made of water, the ice plant is low in calories. What it is high in, though are vitamins A, B and C, mineral salts, and isoflavones – a class of phytochemicals that help protect the body against breast cancer, menopausal symptoms, heart disease, osteoporosis and a host of other disorders.   The juice of Ice Plant leaves have antiseptic properties that may be used topically for infections or taken orally for digestive problems. The Ice Plant makes a great addition to any diet, whether you are health conscious or not.

Cass' dinner of Korean rice, homemade kimchi, avocado, sauteed mushrooms with curry leaves, cauliflower, braised pork and Ice Plant.  Super healthy and yums!

Iron Studies Report

The Iron Studies report for Alycia came out yesterday. I was shocked to see how low the readings of her Iron and Ferritin are.  This explains why she looks so pale and sallow.

Surprisingly though, Alycia's energy level is still pretty high. She comes home at 5-6-ish p.m. on most days, takes a rest, then goes to the gym, tennis lesson or Kickboxing class. She does not complain much of feeling tired.

After the clinic staff Whatsapped the report to me, I immediately forwarded it to my friend (Dr. G) who is a hematologist and sought her advice.




Dr. G's advice is for Alycia to take iron capsule (Sangobion) twice a day for 8-12 weeks, after which a full blood count and Iron Studies test need to be repeated. She said that the readings are common and she's not too worried about it.  For now, I just have to ensure that Alycia takes her iron capsules and eats more red meat and green leafy vegetables.  If however the repeat tests show mild anemia with normal iron level, then another test is to be done to check for Thalassemia.

Meanwhile, I've enlisted the help of the mil to boil red dates tonic and red bean sweet soup for Alycia. She has no issue downing red bean sweet soup but with red dates tonic, the mil and I have to coerce her to drink it, just like how we used to feed her medicine when she was a toddler!🤯

Suspected Thalassemia Minor / Trait

Last Saturday, I took Alycia to the clinic to have a complete blood works  done (pee tested too). For the past one year or so, her skin has turned sallow (skin skews yellow). She used to have the perfect complexion - snow skin with rosy cheeks.  I was pretty sure that she was low on iron as she's not been eating nutritiously since a year ago up until now, as she has been staying back in school almost everyday. By the time she comes home in the evening, she eats very little of what the mil cooks. She tells us that she's already eaten in school and God knows what she eats in school. I know she's a carb lover and loves pastries, buns, pau and snacks.  Whenever there's  soup, she will come up with excuses to avoid drinking it.  She dislikes soups and fish (except for salmon and cod. Expensive taste bud this girl has!). She does not like Chinese style of cooking and the mil only knows how to whip up Chinese style dishes. She tells us that she eats 'chap fan' (mixed rice) in school almost everyday and has already grown sick of Chinese style dishes. Thus, she does not have balanced meals on most week days.

At the height of having a huge fibroid with super heavy menses two years ago, I was severely anemic and my skin was sallow too. So that gave me the cue that Alycia is also low on iron. Her menses can be pretty heavy at times.  She turns a deaf ear on me whenever I ask her to eat red dates, wolfberries, beet root, drink nutritious soups and eat nutritiously. She can be pretty stubborn.

Long story short, this is Alycia's blood works report, collected today:





My guess was spot on!  Alycia's moderately anemic.  Also, her blood seems a tad 'abnormal' and at the  look of this report, the doctor opined that Alycia could have Thalassemia Minor / Trait. His advice was for me to bring the report and consult a hematologist.

Cass has a classmate whose mother is a hematologist at UMMC. When I got back from the clinic, I quickly Whatsapped the report to her and sought her opinion.  Thank God for her kind heart, she replied me very quickly and advised that an Iron Study blood works be done to see if Alycia's low on iron. If she's low on iron, then she can be treated with iron supplement. If however her blood is not low in iron, then another blood works has to be carried out to determine if she indeed has Thalassemia Trait.  No fresh blood was needed for this test as the lab can still use the sample blood that's still at the lab.  I asked our GP to go ahead with the blood test.

This aside, everything else looks good and normal.  Cholesterol reading is normal - praise Lord Alycia does not have Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an inherited condition of high cholesterol.  Blood sugar is normal, pee is clear, liver and kidney functions are A-OK and cancer marker is low.

Happiness In My Balcony Garden

Pretty blooms found in my tiny balcony garden these few days!

Little things like the occasional flowers that sprout out from our plants often put me in a good mood 😊🌺🌻🌹

Three precious flower buds on the Prosperity flower.




This is the second time that this plant has bloomed.  We bought this plant for RM10 at a church charity sale over 3 years ago. When we bought the plant, it only had 3 green leaves on it and was on the verge of dying. After a year of TLC showered on it (with plenty of water, sunshine, egg shells and fruit peel), flowers bloomed!  Cass and I were delighted. Cass loves this plant and has put in a lot of effort taking care of her 'adopted baby'. She chose this plant from among many other types of plants.

White flower on Kaempferia galanga/ sand ginger/ cekar/ resurrection lily plant.



This is the second time that our sand ginger plant bloomed  a single white flower with a known lifespan of no more than one day. The flower only opens up during the day and usually withers after 1 day. But this flower broke the record and it lived for  about 3 days! I thought it withered after just a day but the next morning, the flower 'resurrected' and lived for another 2 days!

12345 Pork Belly

After my initial success with cooking 12345 Pork Ribs and not having enough ribs for myself, I was raring to cook this dish again the next day.  This time, I used pork belly and it was still yummo. Personally I prefer spare ribs as it's not so meaty and ribs are more tender.  The girls have mixed preference though.  To please everyone, the next time I cook this dish again, I will use a combination of both cuts ~ spare ribs and pork belly!   But I guess it will be another few months before I take over the kitchen as the mil is now back from Hong Kong and I am having my LONG leave as chef! 😀









This dish is so appetizing that Cass who does not fancy rice helped herself to a huge bowl of rice. But it's A-OK as I only buy low GI rice (parboiled and organic Basmati).

Always hiding her face behind her novels during meal times. If her dad was around, he would have forbidden this!

So to all the fans of black vinegar pork trotters, this dish is very close to it. And it's as easy as 12345 to dish it up 👍

Steamed Spare Ribs With Yam (Using Philips Pressure Cooker)

The time of the year is here again for my yearly pap smear and ultrasound scan of the breasts. It's something that I DO NOT look forward to.  I've got an appointment to see my gynae this Wednesday to get this dreaded thing done.

What's the worst thing about a pap smear to you? Mine is not so much about opening up for a torturous 30 seconds or so for the doctor to get things done but  waiting for the results.  If the results are normal, my life continues as usual BUT what if something suspicious is seen? Just thinking and typing about it give me a complex already! We just have to accept the ebb and flow of life being a woman.💃

For a moment, I couldn't decide if I wanted this title to be 'The Dreaded Pap Smear' Or 'Steamed Pork Ribs With Yam Using Pressure Cooker'; and if this post is solely only going to be about my fears about my impending pap smear or on both the pap smear and my new recipe.   I guess I'll incorporate both into one post 😁

So here you go, here's my Steamed Spare Ribs With Yam Using my Philips Pressure Cooker (PPC):





It's my first try cooking this dish and first try steaming a dish with my Philips pressure cooker. I had to turn to You Tube for a few tutorials before trying out this dish. As usual, I tweaked the recipe, by using only ingredients that I am comfortable with, like using organic miso to marinate the spare ribs instead of using oyster sauce or taucu (fermented soy beans).

















Ingredients (for 5 servings)
Spare Ribs
One small yam
Chopped garlic
Organic miso
Organic potato starch or corn starch
Organic brown sugar
Pepper
Chopped spring onions
Sesame seed oil
10 tablespoons water

Directions:
Wash spare ribs under running water for at least 5 minutes. You can also blanch it with hot water.
Marinate spare rib with potato starch or corn starch, miso, chopped garlic, brown sugar, pepper, sesame seed oil for a few hours.
Marinate yam with organic miso for a few hours.
Place pork ribs and yam in a heat proof dish. Add 10 tablespoons of water on the plate of dish so that your dish gets some sauce. You can put more water if you prefer more sauce to go with the ribs and yam.
Pour in 1 cup of boiling water into PPC.  Put steaming rack into the PPC and the plate of pork ribs and yam on top.
Switch PPC to Steam mode and cook on KPT 25 minutes, valve turn to SEAL.
Manual pressure release.

12345 Pork Ribs (Cooked With Philips Pressure Cooker)

You'll probably say that I'm a crazy workaholic if I told you that I sat in front of my desktop PC to rush off 5 posts to be submitted to my online 'boss' and took a freaking 3 hours to finish my box of takeout lunch.   When my online 'boss' gives me 5 or 7 jobs in a day and asks for them within 24 hours, I dutifully honour my promise so that I get paid the next day. In US Dollars 😇

Yesterday I started to eat my lunch at 11 a.m. and only finished it at 2 p.m.  I have this habit of leaving my food on the dining table while I work. I guess I started this habit when I was working as a PA to a super busy Datuk of a large conglomerate.  I had no fixed time to have my lunch and always tapau my lunch and ate while I worked in my room. Thank God I had a room to myself, where I could even take short 10 minutes power naps, especially during my two pregnancies.

I need my Izumio hydrogen water these days to help me pull through each challenging day that ends only at 10 p.m.  I am my own boss, a PA to my hubby and MIL (when she's around), the cook, the driver to 3 ordinary kids who act like they are princess and a slave to my home.

Who says SAHMs and WFHMs have a very relaxed and stress-free life? Whoever says it probably never has to do things that a SAHM and WFHM does.

With such a hectic life, I need efficient kitchen gadgets to make cooking easier and faster for me. Nope I am not talking about the German made TMX. My hubs won't buy me a TMX. Even if he bought one for me, I think it will turn into a white elephant. I prefer my good old stainless steel wok, LC pots, oven and now my Philips Pressure Cooker (PPC)!

With a PPC, I can cook meat dishes in a jiffy and what I like most about the PPC is that the meat comes out tender and juicy and hardly ever tough and dry. The sauce remains and does not evaporate much and it's a wonderful pot to cook red meat.

As yesterday was a busy day for me, I decided to cook something that's fuss-free and fast with my PPC.   It's a recipe that I've never tried before.  I was actually looking at You Tube for a steamed pork ribs with yam recipe and stumbled upon 12345 Pork Ribs recipe. As I have all the ingredients and the cooking instructions look so easy to whip up, I decided to give it a try!

And the result was A. MA. ZING.!  My 12345 Pork Ribs turned out super yummy. So yummy that I only got to taste 2 pieces of ribs as there was not enough to share with everyone, including the fussy king hubby.





This dish tastes like Black Vinegar Pork Trotters and BBQ pork ribs.  Cass commented that the ribs tasted like the RM500 BBQ pork ribs meal that we had for lunch on New Years Day this year at Burnin' Pit @ Mont Kiara 😁

And to think that this dish does not require garlic, onion or ginger and only requires a few ingredients, yet can be so tasty, it's a child's play that even a 10-year old child can whip up under mummy's supervision.

All ready in my PPC, cooked in Chicken Mode, Keep Pressure Time to 20 minutes, manual release valve:


Our yummy dinner of 12345 pork ribs and organic siew pak choy omelette with garlic.




Dinner all ready for Sherilyn when she gets back from Muay Thai class at 8:30 p.m. and the fussy king  hubby at 9:00 p.m. :


I was totally satisfied with the outcome of my 12345 Pork Ribs but dissatisfied that I only had 2 miserable pieces and went to bed with a growling tummy and yearning for more. So this morning,  I went to the supermarket and bought some pork to cook this dish again TODAY!  This time I am using pork shoulder loin and I hope that it will taste just as delish.

As to why this dish is named 12345 Pork Ribs, it's because the measurements for the sauce ingredients goes in the order of 12345 tablespoons.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

2 tablespoons oil for browning the pork ribs (I use Berkcious antibiotic and hormone-free pork)
Pork ribs enough for 4 pax

SEASONING / SAUCE

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
2 tablespoon black vinegar
3 tablespoon sugar (I used organic brown sugar)
2 tablespoon soy sauce (I used organic shoyu)
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce (2 soy sauce + 2 dark soy sauce = 4)
5 tablespoon filtered water

I only used 2 tablespoons of organic soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of organic dark soy sauce as I prefer my dish to be less salty and less black. It's kids-friendly.

Instructions:
Heat oil in PPC under Bake mode.
Brown ribs and sear until all sides turn golden brown
Add in the Seasoning/Sauce
Turn PPC to Chicken Mode, seal valve, KPT 20 minutes
Manual release vent and valve
Plate up the ribs and skim off any fatty oil from the pork with a fine mesh stainless steel oil sieve
Serve with rice or noodles

Why Walking Is A Good Exercise

Exercising is one of the best ways to shed off extra pounds and stay fit. This is because the body tends to use more energy and burn a lot of calories while you are exercising. If you are passionate about losing weight or maintaining a good shape, then you need to start working out. The first thing you should do is come up with a good training schedule. It can be a weekly programme that is made up of different types of exercise. Remember to include 2 to 3 days for relaxation in your program.

Rest is essential, in that it helps you to recover and also promotes growth. Different processes take place when your body is at rest. It is during this period that you can fuel your body with essential supplements. Healthy eating is vital for your program.


You should not just eat any food but a healthy diet. It should also be a balanced meal if you want to experience quality gains. Steroids can play a significant role in your overall gains. This is because they are made using ingredients that promote endurance and boost muscle growth. You should not be worried about any after effects because there are legal steroids considered safe for use. They are available at steroidsfax.org and other outlets. Hiring a trainer is also great for gym and home workouts.

Many people don't value some exercises because they consider them less effective. One of these is walking. However, walking is something that will help you get into shape fast. Here is why it is one of the best exercises.



Good for Your Joints 
Having flexible joints is essential for your overall movement. You will have an easier time walking around. Walking is one of the best exercises that can benefit your joints. Your limbs are involved more in this type of workout. You will have better joint flexibility when you participate in more walking exercise.

Good for Weight Loss 
Excess weight is very dangerous to your body. We are all aware of the risks that come with being overweight. Walking helps you burn a lot of calories and you can shed off extra pounds in the long run. You should set the distance you intend to cover each day and monitor the number of steps you make and calories burned using fitness devices.

It Is Easy 
If you are looking for one of the most natural workouts, then you should try walking. It's similar to running only you don't get worn out as fast because you will not use as much energy like you do when running. You can lower or increase your walking pace and burn more calories too.

Improves Mood 
Walking through various natural spots will help enhance your mood. It helps trigger the release of endorphins which help you feel better. Apart from burning calories and losing weight, you will also be in a good mental state all the time.

New Osim uJolly Portable Back Massager

I bought an OSIM uJolly portable back massager exactly two years ago in February 2017.  About 1.5 months ago, this baby of mine started to act up.  She would stop short of massaging me half way into a cycle, then gets 'hang' (freezes and does not respond) and I would have to wait for 15-20 minutes to restart a cycle again only to go through the same frustrating process again.  She just wouldn't perform the entire cycle like it used to. And the skin on the leather seat was starting to thin out and peel off. I was worried sick. I can't live without this baby! 

I have sat on this massage chair every single day for the past 2 years (for more than 10 hours each day)  while she gave me short massages throughout the day, relieving me of stiff neck, lumbar pain and shoulder pain.  Whenever I felt insomniac, this baby would never fail to lull me to sleep with her gentle massages and Shiatsu taps.  I told the hubs that I had to bring my baby to the Osim outlet at Mid Valley Megamall to get it repaired before it dies out on me completely.

My bad. I've grossly overworked my baby. I let it run at least 5 cycles continuously on most days at least twice or thrice a day to soothe my overworked shoulders and back without letting her rest and cool down before the next cycle. She should have had a longer life span had I read the manual when I first bought it.  When I read the manual today, it says to let the massager rest for at least 15 minutes after each cycle, which I never did.  I am SO sorry baby for overworking you 😪😭

At the Osim outlet yesterday, I was told that upholstery of the leather seat would cost RM267.  Fixing the electronic parts of the massager would cost another few hundred Ringgit.  A ballpark figure for fixing the massager and changing the leather would be in the region of RM500 - RM600!🤑

I was told that I could get a rebate of RM400 for trading-in my faulty massager. The selling price of a new OSIM uJolly is RM1,400.  This means I only need to fork out RM1k for a new massager if I trade-in my old one.  Not bad, considering I am a heavy user of the massager. I was instantly sold.  I paid for the new massager right away without batting an eyelid! And now I have a new baby to massage my back and  shoulders again!

This time, I'm going to take very good care of my new babe, taking mental note to let her rest for 15 minutes after each cycle before starting another cycle again.

Truly Organic Cabbage

Have you ever come across a single head of cabbage with at least 10 life worms hidden inside the leaves?

I had bought a head of organic cabbage from the supermarket and did not cook it until 3-4 days later. The moment I cut the cabbage into half, I got a pleasant surprise!  Three wriggly worms dropped out of the leaves and onto my hand! It delights me to see worms and worm holes in my organic veggies. I'd be worried if my vegetables are too green and perfect.

As I sliced the cabbage, more worms started to wriggle out of the tiny crevices between the tightly packed leaves. Each time I sliced the cabbage, a few worms wriggled out.  It was really a hair-raising moment as my sink was soon filled with wriggly worms!!  Cass begged me not to kill the worms and said that she'll keep those worms as pets 👽

Never in my life had I handled so many worms packed inside a head of cabbage or any vegetable for that matter😖




I always have doubts whether the organic vegetables that I buy are truly organic as I pay double and sometimes triple for them. But my doubts are quelled. This organic cabbage from Agape Organic Farm is truly 100% pesticide-free and proven.

This cabbage had been a comfy and snug home for the bunch of worms even on the chiller at the supermarket and back home in my refrigerator.  They are a bunch of healthy worms too, to have survived such cold temperatures and without air for so many days! The cabbage was cling wrapped.



Have I told you that Cass has an affinity with vegetables worms? She had on several occasions kept a vegetable worm in a plastic container for a few days and fed them with so much vegetables and leaves till the worms looked like they were about to explode and that's when she finally released the worms  😆

Homemade Oven Baked Chicken Satay & Easy Peanut Sauce

Satay is one of our family's favorite local delights. But we hardly buy them from roadside food stalls. We'd encountered a number of gross experiences eating satay bought from these stalls. Several times the chicken meat were not thoroughly cooked and we saw raw shiny bloody meat half way through eating our satay.  🤢 🤮  And that was from a well-known satay restaurant in Kajang. On several occasions, the meat was as burnt as charcoal and we discarded most of the satay.  If you don't already know, burnt food is carcinogenic (cancer causing potential) and I don't want to take any chances.  Have you ever observed that satay sold outside is totally unhygienic and may be contaminated? The meat is usually marinated early in the day and left in the open at the stall and not kept in a chiller. By the time the satay is grilled on a rust-and-grease coated grill many hours later, the meat may have already been contaminated by salmonella. I wonder if the black and greasy grill on top of the bed of charcoal is ever washed!

Fans of satay, sorry for being a party pooper.  That's just one of my pet peeves on hawkers food.

For this reason, I decided to make my own chicken satay. And it is SO EASY you won't ever want to buy satay from outside stalls again.

All you need is boneless chicken breast or thighs and a few other basic kitchen ingredients. Chicken thigh is preferred as it's more tender and juicier.

Marinate ingredients for the meat are turmeric powder, coriander powder, garlic powder, some curry powder, some soy sauce and chopped garlic.  In many recipes, the meat is marinated with freshly blended garlic, shallots, lemongrass (white part), turmeric and galangal. My method is for super busy parents where powdered spices are used.

Chicken Satay Recipe

Ingredients: 
4 chicken legs and thighs preferred or 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
Bamboo skewers soaked in cold water for 2 hours
2 cucumbers cut into small pieces
1 small onion quartered
Oil and honey / coconut flower nectar / palm sugar syrup for basting. I used organic coconut flower nectar as it is low in GI.  For oil, I used olive oil. You may use peanut oil for the aroma.


Marinade: 
3 tablespoons oil
2 stalks lemongrass white parts only
2 cloves garlic peeled 6 shallots peeled
2 teaspoons turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon chili powder (I used English curry powder as that's what I have in the kitchen)
A dash of soy sauce (optional)
1/2 tablespoon salt or to taste (optional)


Instructions 
Cut the chicken meat into small cubes.
Blend the marinade ingredients in a food processor
Add in a little water if needed.
Marinate the chicken pieces for 6 hours or best overnight.
Thread a few pieces of the chicken meat into the bamboo skewers and place in pre-heated oven at 180C.  Bake 10 minutes on each side or until nicely charred. I prefer mine not to be so charred.
Baste and brush with some olive oil / honey / syrup while grilling.
Serve hot with the fresh cucumber pieces and onions.

The first time I made chicken satay, I served it with creamy mushroom pasta for the girls.

My low-carb dinner of chicken satay, broccoli blanched with olive oil and water and creamy mushrooms, sans pasta.



I made chicken satay for dinner again today and this time made a very easy and yummy peanut sauce as dipping for the satay. This lazy satay sauce is so easy that you can prep it in less than 1 hour. It does not require toasting and grinding peanuts.








Easy Peanut Sauce

Ingredients 
1 Cup Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter
 ½ Cup + 2 Tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce
1 tsp Chili Powder
¼ tsp Galangal Powder
¼ tsp Cumin Powder
1 ¾ Cups Water
3 Tbsp chopped peanuts (optional)
Sea salt, to taste

Method 
Combine all the ingredients except chopped peanuts in a saucepan and mix well.
Bring it to a boil, lower the heat and simmer in low fire for about 30 minutes.
Make sure to stir often to prevent the sauce from sticking and burn on the bottom of the pan. (To prevent the sauce from splattering, closed the pan with a lid, and leave it slightly ajar)
Once the sauce has thickened, season with sea salt (optional), and mix in the chopped peanuts.
Serve the sauce warm or at room temperature with Satay.


Cass helped to thread the chicken meat into the skewers.









This easy peanut sauce goes well with gado-gado (Indonesian salad) as well. After giving some of the sauce (and satay) to Maria our part-time helper, I still have enough sauce for another batch of satay, which I will make again next week and this time, I will make double the recipe for the chicken satay 😊😋

Fashion Trends From Spring/Summer 2019 Fashion Weeks

If you’re looking to keep your wardrobe up-to-date with the latest fashion, the world’s top street style stars have the inspiration you need. Every season, these stylish ladies debut the latest and greatest fashion looks, and Spring/Summer 2019 was no exception. From Paris and Milan to London and New York, every fashion week from the month featured outstanding outfits and lust-worthy looks.

Here are the top trends from the season for you to get some ideas on what to add to your shopping list:


1. Bike Shorts With Blazers 
Athleisure is the latest offering and is as unexpected as it is stylish. The term “athleisure” has now been added to the dictionary and is defined as “casual clothing designed to be worn both for exercising and for general use.”

The bike shorts were worn with blazers by many style-savvy showgoers this fashion month. Offering a fresh blend of sportswear and tailoring, the look was both striking and chic. Of course, while it may not be appropriate for either the office or the gym, the outfit is perfect for strutting the streets or attending a weekend brunch with your best boos. So, don’t be afraid to try it for yourself. You can shop for sexy fashion jackets and blazers at affordable prices at luvyle.com.





2. Animal Skin Prints
This season, street style stars let their animal instincts take over with bold and wild prints. In particular, loud leopard print was a favourite amongst the fashionistas and appeared on a variety of garments, including pants, coats, dresses, suits, and more. To follow the lead of these chic ladies and unleash your own inner jungle cat, choose strong and striking designs with bold and bright colours. You can choose from a wide selection of leopard print cardigans, tops, pants and cozy maxi dresses from luvyle.com.

 





3. Colorful Patchwork
Patchwork  is no longer just a craft that your grandma and mother enjoy. It’s also one of fashion’s latest trends. Surprise! Spotted on the streets outside fashion shows from Paris to New York, patchwork appeared on dresses, jumpsuits, pants and more.To rock the look yourself, allow your patchwork piece to be the focus of your outfit by teaming it with simple, block-coloured garments and accessories.



Colorful and modish patchwork tops from luvly.com:


4. Boilersuits
Boilersuits gained tons of momentum via the street style scene this past fashion month. Although they might look intimidating, this is probably the easiest trend to wear and style. Add some accessories and you have yourself an outfit.



Modish boilersuits and jumpsuits from luvly.com:






Whatever the latest trend is this spring / summer, you are sure to find your favorite pick from luvyle.com!

No Longer Sparks Joy

Our 10-year old two-seater couch no longer sparks joy. According to Marie Kondo, throw out or donate stuff in your house that no longer sparks joy to you.  As this sofa is peeling badly on the seat and under, it makes the house floor dirty. That's no joy to me as I have to sweep the floor like 10 times in a day, I kid you not.  And it makes the house looks shabby.  In the past, I've also contemplated whether to engage a professional sofa cleaning service to make it look newer.    Besides, it's bad feng shui to keep a broken furniture at home. So out you go sofa and thank you for serving us the past 10 years.

I paid the cleaners at our condo to help me remove the couch. Now our living room looks really bare. Suddenly, the view of KL Tower and KLCC looks even clearer from the living room without the sofa. Our living room looks so much bigger without the two-seater couch. This means more space for our dancing queen to practice dancing and for Cass to do her floor exercises on her yoga mat.

Looking forward to shop for a new sofa now!