Caring Is Not Only Sharing...

My Three Kisses Goes To....

2012-01-28T20:57:00.000+08:00

What is a MUST during Chinese New Year? Besides the food, of course.... hahaha... Red packets are very "vital" during this festive season especially to those who are not married yet... they are the receivers whereas the married ones are the givers..

Just look at the receivers' faces... oh, I must also give with a cheerful heart.. hahaha.... the red packet.. it doesn't matter how much you put inside.. it is just a Blessing... not the money that counts, right? :)

Let's start with the AA....

His look reminded me of someone....

Someone is mischievous over here....

He has to cringe... hahaha...

the Baby of the family....

Using the camera timer...

10..9...8........3...2............1....

cheeezzz

Happy Weekend To All Of You!!

Chinese New Year And Firecrackers!

2012-01-27T19:10:00.000+08:00

Let the pictures tell the CNY happenings....

After the great dinner...

and the preparation of drinks...

by the two boys in yellow...

we adjourned to the garden...

and joined in the young adults' fun...

the Young Adults...

Over 21 years of age...

except for this one lady in yellow of course..

and also excluding a "Supervisor In Red"..

everyone joined in the "Hanging"of the Crackers..
and then ...

Our first picture with the Firecrackers...

The Hero of the Night...

and then it started...

'BANG..BANG!!!"

It was over even before I could pressed the "record button"

and now ... time to "destroy the evidence!"

hahahaaaa...

Third Day With Western And Double Black...

2012-01-26T23:17:00.001+08:00

The Chinese New Year Fiesta continues on... and on...

in my SIL's house....

We came and we conquered...

THESE....AND....

DRINKS WITH DOUBLE BLACK WHISKEY,

sparkling and fresh juice....

On our third night, the young adults requested for Western food instead of Chinese.. and my sister-in-law and her son "whipped" up their magic wands and came up with these....

Shepherds Pie...

Spaghetti with minced chicken meat sauce

Seafood Carbonara cream sauce...

All my girl's favourite!!!

roasted ham...

AA is just as happy as my girl...

in no time... all are walloped!!

then it is time for "story-telling" ....

after a few glasses of Double Black...

it is Confession Time...

Ask anything and it will be answered..

hahahahaa....

Tomyam Steamboat And Desserts!

2012-01-26T01:02:00.000+08:00

Steamboat in the evening.... thanks to my sister-in-law... she is really a passionate cook.. she cooks for the whole gang of us... and not only that, she even have a few types of desserts after our main meal...

Gosh..where to get a sister-in-law like that.. hahahaa.. so glad I am married to my husband and thus the blessing!! hahahaa...

Tomyam steamboat....

need two pots to accommodate us all...

after the main meal... we washed up..

and waited for the SECOND COURSE!!

DESSERTS TIME!

MY GIRL EYEING FOR THE CHEESECAKES!

WANNA TRY EACH OF EVERYTHING!!

HOW NOT TO GAIN WEIGHT LIKE THAT???

hahaha.... but I really do not mind the calories...

Love having them ALL!!!

Second Day Of CNY - Open Year!

2012-01-24T23:33:00.000+08:00

Today is "Hoi Leen" meaning "Open Year" .. also means the Chinese New Year has begin... hahahaa... sorry, I am sort of a "banana" .. never really knows the meaning of these Chinese symbolic and its significance...

Whatever it is, for me, it is a time for family members to get together .. family bonding through Food, of course!

During this festive season, I spent most of my meals at my in-laws' place... fun to be with them too!!

Co-operation during meal time!

Let the young adults do their stuff....

Mostly Males.. as the picture shows...

Durian Lovers at the kitchen doing their stuff....

at last... it is time for.......

Lou-Sang!!

This is Prosperity Food... hahaha...

Steamed Golden Fish...(Bawal Emas)

but all you see is the green toppings!

An old rose among the thorns.. hahaha...

See, I told you... mostly males, right?

Today has been fun...

The not-so-fun part is...

I weighed 1 kg heavier by this evening!! Serious!

hahahaha... I tell you why in tomorrow's post!

Wedding Plans

2012-01-24T11:57:00.000+08:00

My friend is getting married in one year's time and she told me that she has to start getting her wedding preparation now. There are so much to plan and to book in advance and one of the most important items is getting an appointment with the wedding photographer. In fact she has written down a few names and one of them is the raleigh wedding photographer whom she heard is a very professional. With recommendations from her friends about this photographer, I think she will now have one less worry in her wedding plans.

Allergic To Wood

2012-01-24T11:50:00.000+08:00

Something dreadful happened yesterday in my store room. I will relate that after the festive season, meanwhile I will have to be more careful with all the corners in the house especially those made of wood. I cannot imagine what would happen if I have not opened the store room in my house to get a hammer. After this "incident" I think I would prefer to stay in steel buildings than houses made of wood frames. Sorry if this sounds like a "suspense" post, as I said, I will tell more about it later this week.

His Pure Enjoyment!

2012-01-24T11:30:00.000+08:00

Sharing a few pictures which I captured ....
A few Red Ang Pow Packets for our dear Hush Puppy!!

Do you find THE HUSH PUPPY cute?

Is this PUG CUTER?

GGRRRRR.......GRRRR...

CHEER UP, PUG!!

IN GUNUNG RAPAT

Others enjoying themselves here at the Lion Dance...

But our Friend here is enjoying his BEST moment

EATING DURIANS!!

THIS IS HIS PURE ENJOYMENT!!

First Day Chinese New Year

2012-01-23T18:42:00.000+08:00

Here we are again... wishing everyone a Joyful Occasion with your love ones and may your days be Blessed with Good Health and Happiness!!

Our First Day Of Chinese New Year in Gunung Rapat!

Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner With Our Love Ones!

2012-01-22T22:31:00.000+08:00

Chinese New Year Eve.... was spent in my own mum's place this year... Three reasons why I went to my mum's place for reunion dinner...

One... my parent's-in-laws are not around anymore... Bless them..
Two... my brother and family couldn't make it back this year because of some unforeseen circumstances...
Thirdly... I have not taken CNY eve dinner with my own mum for many years now...

The kids' reunited with one common goal.... guess what?

Hands' down, please!

And how our dishes...

Simple..

Minced Prawn Fritters..

This is a Must.. taken with lettuce ... BEST!

Lotus soup with groundnuts...

ahhh... This one is cooked by Yours Truly here!!

Braised mushrooms with sea cucumber

And..

Abalone slices as toppings!

I know... it is not professional enough..

just look at the big slices of abalone..

My mum exclaimed.."Why cut into so big pieces?"

hahahaa...

Big or Small, all walloped in no time!

Here's wishing those who celebrate...

A Merry Chinese New Year with Your Love Ones!

Medical Equipment

2012-01-22T00:13:00.002+08:00

When my sister was warded for her broken ankle last month, I have been going in and out of the hospital visiting her at least twice daily. Thank goodness the hospital has been renovated, now with the bright lights and new floor tiles, it looks more like a hotel now than a hospital. More of a friendly type and though it is not a place where people like to go, at least now the patients do not have the kind of "fear" upon admission and for treatment. With the latest and modern technology now in most hospitals, it is not surprising that they are equipped with the many medical equipment that we have not seen nor heard of and that includes Muscle Stimulator on parts of our body
My sister was advised to rest and not put pressure on her leg after her operation. She went back for follow check-ups and after more than a month now, she is still fearful of exerting pressure on her leg nor walking for long distances. Going up the stairs is forbidden as of now but thank goodness her wounds are healing perfectly though she is on the diabetic side. From now on she has to be careful of her food intake and I hope she will have her full recovery soonest.

We Just Say Hi And Bye...

2012-01-21T20:59:00.000+08:00

My next door neighbour is occupied by a few Malay girls, they are trainee doctors or should I say, they are on a medical course here in Ipoh... Each morning we leave our houses almost same time and we come home also around the same time... so we always ended up saying "Hi...." or "Bye....."

They are very pleasant... a few of them even called out "Hi" to Labbie, my doggie..

Last evening two of them came by my gate and greeted me, "Happy Chinese New Year, Auntie, this is for you.... " I was like... "Wow... so-so nice of them!"

They gave me a card written, "Our nice neighbour" (A-H-E-M)

And not only the card,

they gave me a box of sweet tangerine oranges...

Inside the card.. 6 signatures..

Very small tangerine oranges but very-very sweeeeet... seedless too!

After peeling, just "pop" the whole orange into the mouth.... hhmmmm...

Super!!

THANK YOU, Norhazwani, Shikin, Aina, Raudhah and Fatin!!

All of you are very nice too!!

Once A Year Affair...

2012-01-20T21:41:00.000+08:00

Another two more days and Chinese New Year is here!

My last minute preparation includes painting my porch only on this very day! I have been procrastinating or should I say... "my colleague" is the one delaying? hahaha... Gosh, hope he is not reading this post... he promised to paint my porch two weeks ago and somehow... de....lay.... till today!

My porch is still half-painted... tomorrow he will continue... imagine that.. hahaha... painting at the very last minute! Anyway he is a very nice guy... still willing to help this old lady out... :)

Ok, another guy is helping me out with the frying of theesseee below!

step one.. heat up the oil....

then throw in the dry prawn crackers...

and allow them to "expand" themselves...

Careful of the oil, Dear!!

You are semi-naked.... ouch!!

Gently drain out the oil ....

We managed to get 4 "Jacob" tins of these prawn crackers

after standing more than an hour near the fire......

phewwww!! Hot Work!!

Thank you so much, Dear!!

Something New To Me...

2012-01-19T20:53:00.001+08:00

Bought two packets of foodstuff today...

one which I have never tried before..

and one is my all-time favourite...

I am eating one of each now... a snack after dinner...

I still prefer my all-time favourite..

On the left is "Sak Keh Mar" and

the other one is walnut & dates..

Guess which one taste nicer.. :)

Went to Public Bank to collect this Cornell..

They give this free if you open a current account...

I haven't looked inside the box yet.... Not sure how to use this.. something like microwave?
Anyone tried this before? Is it practical?

Her First Pay Check!

2012-01-18T21:45:00.000+08:00

My girl was very excited this evening when I picked her up from work. She was smiling away ... in fact she was very surprised when her boss called her in to give her the first Pay Check!

She just started work last Monday and her boss gave out the January pay today... so nice of him... hahahaa... No, she is not being sacked... hahaha...

Since Chinese New Year is just less than a week away, the staff were given their January pay... or perhaps bonus too? Well, my girl was given RM50 Ang Pow.. not bad for working less than two weeks! hahaha...

She gave me permission to post this up... something to remember....

I told her that she could buy something for herself now that she has money... and what was her response? "Mum, so little only, I don't want to spend it yet..... keep first... "

Though not much.. I told her that it was her "blood sweat" money..

Will I forget You Tomorrow?

2012-01-17T21:15:00.000+08:00

Ipoh town is having something in common with KL these days... Yes, the town is quite jammed up now... wonder where all the cars come from...

Now festive season, after picking up my girl from her office, the journey home took us around forty minutes to reach home...

But these two days, it took us more than one hour fifteen minutes to reach home! And it was all my fault...

For two consecutive days, we reached home only to realize that my precious iPhone was left in my office drawer!! For two daysssss.... Monday, Tuesday!! How could I forget for two whole days??

So what did I do? I have to drive back to the office again... went up the lift... retrieved my handphone from the drawer and drove home again... so all in all it took us ONE HOUR FIFTEEN MINUTES to reach home!

Sigh.... Will there be a THIRD time? Will I forget about it again tomorrow? Let's wait and see....

A Horrigible Meal For me

2012-01-16T21:43:00.000+08:00

She is a "Speghetti lover" and I am not... so I ended up ordering a grilled spring chicken with some "supposedly" grilled potatoes... and my whole meal was sort of "horrigible."

The plate was big but the portion inside was very small..

Just enough for my girl and

definitely not enough for any male eaters...

Anyway, she loves it.. fine!

When mine came out, it looked like this...

a mini-sized half spring chicken..

This cost RM32.00...

Ok, never mind, if it tasted good..

But when I cut it deeper...

I had a tough time doing that...

True enough, it was not cooked!!

Waiter took it back...

"microwaved" it perhaps?

Anyway, it was the most Lousy meal I have ever eaten..

Tasteless and had a funny smell...

Was it the mustard? Or had the meat turned bad?

The grilled potatoes were half cooked..

the corn was not fresh...

I thought of complaining... but thought better of it..

I told my girl... "No more next time...."

A very unsatisfying meal !

I went home to munch some biscuits.....

Malaysia Open Finals 2012 Victory Goes To Lee Chong Wei

2012-01-15T20:36:00.000+08:00

Oh dear... my spring cleaning on my house is put on hold again.. blame it on the Malaysia Open finals that started at 1pm this afternoon. I was glued to the TV till 4.30pm... even my clothes were caught in the rain cos I have forgotten all about them and the rain started to pour all of a sudden!!

Gosh... double work for me... house not cleaned.. clothes not dried... what else?? :p

Managed to capture some pictures... the men doubles from Taipei won against the Koreans...

Fang Chieh Min and Lee Sheng Mu...

I like to watch the fairer one...

he has a very pleasant look while

the other was always on the "dark side"

See what I meant?
One pleasant and one gloomy look...

$31,600.00USD mock cheque...

crowd cheering on the entrance of the men's singles..

cool look...

the underdog from Japan..

cute Tago Kenichi

the crowd celebrating the victory

after Lee Chong Wei won in straight sets...

presentation of prizes by the beauties...

Big Brother with Younger Chap...

A Big Smile... $30,000USD richer today!

Congratulations to Lee Chong Wei on the 8th title in Malaysia Open 2012!

Victory Pictures Of Lee Chong Wei Against Chen Long In Semi Finals

2012-01-14T22:22:00.000+08:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO LEE CHONG WEI AGAIN!!

Another "heartbeat fast" match in the last game of Lee Chong Wei and Chen Long from China. I thought the latter would win the match again, Chong Wei had lost three times playing with him last year!

After this victory tonight, Lee Chong Wei now stands a chance to win in the Olympics held on 27th July 2012! YES!!

Some shots taken with my iPhone3... very blurry shots.. I think my Nokia does it better, huh?

Lee Chong Wei...getting ready to retaliate...

VICTORY!!

ELATED!!

Thanking the crowd for their support!

Hugs from the coaches...

Badminton unites the Malaysians...

Cheering in one voice....

Jubilation for tonight....

The winning points...

Tomorrow is the Finals..

Lee Chong Wei against Kenichi Tago!

Online Education

2012-01-14T16:38:00.000+08:00

My girl's result will be coming out in March so she has another two months to decide what the next step she is going to take. At the moment, she is still undecisive on what course to pursue after her results are out. As a mother, I sure hope that she can get a government scholarship and then I will not worry about any financial expenses. But as we all know, these scholarships are normally given to those who are really smart and achieve all "A's" .. distinctions in every subject.. then the chances of getting a free education is higher.
Anyway, I am not that worried as yet, she is now working temporary as an assistant taxation clerk in an accounting firm. One thing I know for sure is that she will not take up accountancy course, she told me that it is a way too complicated for her.. hahahaa...
I told her to check out websites that offer more information and details on courses she might be interested in, maybe she should check out these Online Accredited Degree
courses. It is knowledgeable to gather more information from the websites, there are so many different type of courses she can browse through. Her favorite subject is Mathematics and I hope she can find a course that has something to do with calculations.

Semi Finals Malaysian Open 2012

2012-01-14T12:37:00.000+08:00

Today is another exciting day for badminton lovers... I, for one will try to stay glued in front of the TV while our Malaysian players will be playing in the semi-final this evening.

Those who made it to the semis today are our mixed doubles, Chan Peng Soon and Goh Hui Ling, their heartwrenching match made my heart thumped so fast last night. Thank God nothing happened! hahahaha....

Another Malaysian player will be none other than our Datuk Lee Chong Wei who will be playing against Chen Long from China. Another "heart-fast-beat" match... his match will be the last game for today....

So... what do you think? Will our Lee Chong Wei make it? Will he be able to triumph over Chen Long who had won three matches against Lee Chong Wei? Lin Dan had made an early exit during the round two... perhaps to make way for Chen Long to play against Lee?

Lets wait and see......

Coffee Lovers Will Love This

2012-01-14T06:32:00.000+08:00

This post will be just great for my coffee lover friend, Pam who is a blogger herself. While I am a "dessert maniac," I hope she won't mind me if I call her a "coffee maniac!" LOL... Her posts are filled with endearing coffee from many types of brand which most of them sound very new to me but I can imagine her "savoring" her coffee each morning with a BIG "Umph!" A good kick to start off her day, energizing her to the fullest. Pam, do you have one of these bunn coffee makers in your working place and home?

SPAM For Both...

2012-01-13T22:23:00.000+08:00

It has been ages since I last take out my "wok" to cook something... now that both me and my girl are working, by the time we reach home, the word is only "exhaustion."

Weekdays are practically eating out... or "donations" from my mum.... hahahaa.... but when it comes to weekend, when I have the mood... I could come out with a meal like this...

Remember my SPAM from Singapore?

This one is Bacon...

one SPAM gone.. another tin left...

I had some leftover sambal dried prawns..

mixed them with some long beans..

and it became a dish...

followed by a ABC soup...

everything also dump in...

carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, dried abalone strips,

grounded pepper, big bones...

a meal to last from lunch till dinner!

A New Laptop FAST!

2012-01-13T12:52:00.000+08:00

My laptop is finally "retired." Now I am turning to my desktop each evening and it is quite troublesome. I cannot do both things at the same time anymore... watching TV and blogging at the same time is no more a routine for me. I can only do one thing now, either blogging or watching TV... so I need a new laptop fast! I have asked my son to get one laptop for me but he told me something else about this cd duplication instead and telling me the usefulness of it. I don't understand much about computers stuff, all I am thinking now is to get a new laptop!

Cheated By The Two Fellas!

2012-01-12T21:08:00.000+08:00

After dinner while walking to our car, a man accosted me at the pavement, asking me whether I would like to see the durians in his van. He told me that the durians were of good brands.. (now I cannot remember what names already)...

Immediately I thought of my son who told me that he would like to eat some durians when he comes back next week. So when this man told me that his durians were of "special kind," I was tempted to go "look see" ... a bit more expensive, never mind, as long as GOOD!!

This man showed us where his van was, his accomplice was already there, he saw us approaching and asked me how many I wanted, "bitter, sweet or both?" I said I wanted bitter one... immediately he took one, weighed it AND before I could even asked the price, he has cut the durian open and put into the styrofoam box... I said "hey.. how much is that? Why never tell me price, expensive I don't want...." My girl was nudging me already... "don't buy, don't buy" but I didn't want to create trouble... so I asked the price again.. How Much?

He said, "cheap only... RM22.50" What!!! I looked at the durian in the box... it did not look good... I mean for that kind of price, it Really Didn't look good!

Then only I remember.... I read in the papers that there are these durian con men who lured you to their van and then later forced that lady to buy for a high price! More like gangsters type... forcing her to buy after opening the durians and threatened her when she said NO....

Thank goodness I insisted on one durian only, he was pestering me to buy two... Anyway, I quickly paid and went off....

True enough, the durian WAS NOT good... no sweetness, no taste... if I play nasty, I could go to them tomorrow and demand them to change it for me.. but knowing these type of men who are out to con us, I take it as a lesson learnt....

Buy from proper durian stalls... not from these men who had to walk around looking for durian customers!

New Stuff To Experience

2012-01-12T18:42:00.000+08:00

My girl has started working already.... each morning when I see her walking towards to her office, I realize that not only she has grown up, she is entering into another phase of life. It has been four days since she started work and during our dinner time together, she would tell me about the "happenings" and the work dedicated to her. All these are pretty new to her and she told me that she has so much to learn, from income tax, taxation, administration work and don't be surprised that I did not even know what a ach check processing is about. In no time, she is the one "tutoring" me instead. LOL...

Final Round On Birthday Bash

2012-01-11T20:53:00.001+08:00

Birthday parties or dinners never seems to end, right??? hahahaa.... Ok, ongoing celebration, one day before, exact day and now one day after... still "harping" over the 21st B-day with this 3rd post... final one before I move on tomorrow...

We had the dinner at Kok Thai Restaurant..... best choice in IPOH.. hahaha...

my Big sister.. we always hand over the "knife" to her..

for you, American yee-yee...

here comes the FOOD!!

stewed pork knuckle...

steamed yam with "flower meat"

curry assam mixed seafood..

beancurd with "singkwa"

steamed village chicken...

mixed vegetable with Macedonian nuts

and the bill came to RM200.00 nett

inclusive of rice and drinks...

Andy and Cute Cousin...

Andy used to be "this size" too when he was 13....

So never worry if one is overweight during puberty time..

The puppy fats will be gone when one goes to college!

Right?

Vast Pool For Relaxation

2012-01-11T13:03:00.000+08:00

When I was in Singapore staying in my cousin's apartment, I was truly amazed by its beautiful swimming pool. The vast bluish water was a welcoming sight, even my three kids regretted not bringing their trunks to have a dip in the pool. The tenants are truly blessed with this glorious swimming pool, from one end to another, my cousin told me that the water temperature was just fantastic! Wonder whether the management has this rheem heat pump to control the water temperature or not. Next time we must remember to bring along our swimming equipment when we visit her again.

Painting And Repairing

2012-01-11T01:57:00.000+08:00

My colleague agreed to paint the garden walls for me, he has been painting our office and I like the way he worked on them. Neat job! All I got to do now is to buy a big tin of paint for him and he will start on it this Friday. I am truly grateful to him because hiring a painter is quite costly these days. After the painting of walls, I might need to make some repairs in the house too especially the kitchen. If possible, I want to laminate floors on the upper floor.. and not only that, the rooms need repainting as well. Sigh..

He's 21...Freedom At Last

2012-01-10T20:24:00.001+08:00

Here's to wishing my Dearest Andy...

Good Health And Happiness....

God's Blessings Upon him Always!

Andy who is now officially obtaining his FREEDOM at last! Freedom... Legal age... he can get married without my approval!! Hope he will not do that!! LOL... He is now at a legal age to Vote too!! Hope he is going to do that!! LOL...

Wonder what he is wishing here....

Thanking God for the freedom at last?? :)

"Gor...... wish you were here with us!"

One more picture before cutting the cake..

puffff....puffffff.... hope no saliva dripping down..

Someone is very cheeky there...

"Gohhh... want to have a piece???"

Andy's smiling at you, Gor.....

Andy's all time favourite cake ....

There is still a piece left for you, Gor....

Rooms For Rent Not A Problem Anymore

2012-01-10T13:47:00.000+08:00

This is the third year that my son is staying in Penang. During his first year he stayed in the college hostel sharing with another friend and they paid RM520 for a room. After staying for a year, he and his friends decided to rent an apartment near to the college and they have been staying there since. The contract is going to expire soon this year and the landlord has been hinting that he will increase their rental once the contract expires. Due to the high pricing of property in Penang, most of the apartments are fetching higher rentals. The poor students, they are hoping that their landlord will not increase too much. They had a discussion among themselves and my son told me that they will not rent an apartment anymore but instead will go separate ways to look for individual rooms instead. That might be cheaper than renting a whole apartment but then my son said that he and his friends will have to go separate ways once they opt for rooms for rent.

As a mother, I am very concerned about where he stays, who he stays with and the environment he is in. I told him not to worry about the increase of rental, I believe that the landlord will not put a 100% increment on the present rent. If he does, we have no choice but to go for websites that offer rooms for rent, for instance this one below.

They have a wide selection of rooms, houses, apartments to choose from, which area you need, as long as they are in Malaysia, the choices are there for you to check out. I heard of this website from my friends who sent their kids to study or those who are working, they find this link so helpful in getting accommodation.

Anyway, I hope that my son and his friends will continue staying in this present place, it is clean, safe and convenient, less than 5 minutes drive to their college. If the new agreement is not agreeable to them, then I will advise them to look into this website for further choices. One word of advice for them, once they find the place suitable and the rental is agreeable, they must sign up a two year agreement with the landlord instead of one year. In this case, they do not have to worry about high rental after each year.

Hot Night

2012-01-10T07:40:00.000+08:00

These few days the weather in my hometown is so hot especially during the afternoons and evenings. By night fall, the air is warm around the house, mosquitoes were aplenty and I had to put on the repellent. Last night was not different, while we were preparing for bed, I went to click on the remote for the air conditioner. I pressed a few times on the ON mode, facing the air conditioner, nope, it did not function. Oh dear.. how to sleep without the cool air? How I wish then I have some rc batteries in the house. Sigh....

Happy 21st Birthday!

2012-01-09T20:57:00.002+08:00

How much is that doggie at the window?

Wooff... woofff!!

Would you like to take him home?

YES!! And now he is safely in our home...

or at least in Andy's college room! LOL...

Here is Andy's giving Hush Puppie a Big Loving Smoooocchhhh!!!

He has chosen HP as his 21st Birthday Present.. LOL..

And now HP is with him in college...

Accompanying Andy till he comes home again...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY DEAREST!

Now that you have reached your official age of 21,

It does not mean that you must act like one,

Do what your heart desires,

be what you wish to BE....

As long as you're Happy!!

He said he wanted to vote but unfortunately not this time though.. he has to wait for another 4 years! :)

Everlasting Furniture

2012-01-09T13:37:00.000+08:00

My sofa set in the living hall has definitely worn out, I only realized how bad the condition was when I took a picture sitting on it the other day. The leather has shown its "weariness" and it is time for me to change. I am still contemplating whether to get another set of leather sofa or to go for some rustic furniture instead. I want something more lasting and at the same time, giving a "country style" look, something like this image here. Everlasting style!

The Answer Is Uncle Bob!

2012-01-09T08:12:00.000+08:00

Hey, I am surprised that no one knows what franchise this is... except me!! hehehee.. just kidding! I, myself also didn't know this was until I ate it in Penang two or three years ago...

The very first time I bought this, it was very enormous, I remember sharing it with my kids and we love it very much! We bought this at a pasar malam (night market) that time...

And a couple of weeks ago, when I was in Taiping, I came across this again!!

This is Uncle Bob's Hot Dog!!!

Have you all ever tried it?

I am sure many of you have... cos Uncle Bob is a franchise chain....

Tasted not bad especially when it is still hot...

Not sure how it tastes like when it is cold...

Too bad Uncle Bob is not in IPOH yet...
Anyone interested in getting the franchise?
Oh, by the way, this is not a sponsored post...
Just sharing what I have tasted ...
and it tasted GOOD!

A Disney Vacation Trip

2012-01-09T06:07:00.000+08:00

When I came back from Singapore, many of my friends asked me whether I have gone into this Universal Studios... well, I did not, my kids and I did not go visit that place though we would like to, maybe we will during our next trip.
We were not so keen in going mainly because we have been to a few theme parks like this before, the Hongkong Disney, Japan Disney and the latest one was the Korea though it was not quite the same. But nevertheless, the one we are looking forward to going is the Disney vacation packages.. ah... that will be another story. I am planning to go to Sacramento to visit my sister and from there, maybe we can join their package!

Cold Nights

2012-01-08T22:34:00.003+08:00

If I compare the two countries Japan and Korea about their weather, I would say Korea is much colder than Japan. I never felt so chilled before.. the weather was really freezing cold during the December month. My kids and I were clothed from the top to the bottom, even our mouths have to wrapped up with our scarfs.. lol... During the nights, I wish that the hotels have these heated mattress pads, if they had that, I wouldn't have to wear thick clothing and socks to bed. Anyway, I wish I could go again, cold as it is, I love winter!

LEE CHONG WEI Won The Korean Open Badminton Finals!

2012-01-08T17:58:00.000+08:00

I really didn't expect Lee Chong Wei to win the Korean Open Finals this afternoon!! It was shown live before 3pm and the game lasted more than one hour... imagine how tiring the players were.... and imagine how happy I was when our Malaysian won for the first time against Lin Dan after so many losses!

Did Lin Dan purposely let Lee Chong Wei win this Korean Open finals?? But I think Lee Chong Wei played an aggressive game during the 2nd and the rubber match... or perhaps Lin Dan was too tired to keep up with Lee Chong Wei's pace?

Whatever it is, Lee Chong Wei is still the country's hero!! He has played a Good Game!! Congratulations to him!!!

The Victory At Last!!

Lee Chong Wei Won Over Lin Dan

Been waiting to see a victory like this for a long long time!

The Score!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO LEE CHONG WEI!!

Piano Music Lessons

2012-01-08T13:26:00.000+08:00

When my girl was four years old, I sent her for piano lessons and I remember accompanying her for two years in the music shop. Along the way, I purchased a second hand piano from them so that she could practise at home. After graduating from the children's music exam paper, she told me that she did not want to continue anymore. But I encouraged her to continue to the next level, it was such a waste to stop halfway through. After a year or so, I notice that my girl was not really into piano lessons and eventually I stopped her from continuing. Now the used piano is still lying in my house, more like an "white elephant" now. I couldn't sell it off because most of the shops accept branded pianos only and that includes Used Pianos Houston. Looking for an used piano is not an easy task, firstly, we must know what type of piano we want to invest in. Do not simply go for any brand of pianos, they might not give the perfect sound. Go for one brand that fit within your budget and at the same time, it values for money. When we want to resell, they will be given higher value. As for my own piano, I guess it will have to stay in the living hall as a form of "decoration." Perhaps one day, if and when I retire, I might end up taking piano lessons myself... not surprising, right?

Education Fair

2012-01-08T06:03:00.001+08:00

The education fair was held in an established hotel a couple of weeks ago in my hometown. I accompanied my girl to the fair to gather more information about pursuing degree in certain type of courses. When we reached the hotel, it was already quite packed and there were many trade show booths on display from many colleges and universities. We walked around to gather some information from here and there. Since she has not decide what course to take as yet, we took back a lot of brochures to read through. Perhaps from there, she can decide what she is interested in.

What Franchise Is This?

2012-01-07T20:45:00.001+08:00

Gosh... A very busy day for me and my kids today!! Will talk about that in days to come.. right now, I wanna share something nice with all of you!

Got to taste this special franchise last week.... can anyone guess what type of franchise this is??? Tell me what this is if you have tried it before...

Let me tell you... it tasted GOOD!!

lying down angle....

upright angle...

Hope Ipoh will have this franchise soon!!

Spring Cleaning For Chinese New Year Yet?

2012-01-06T22:58:00.001+08:00

What a busy day!!

Today is the last day for closing account in my office... all payments must be out otherwise ..... ok, forget about office work... I was really exhausted by the time I reached home...

Spent an hour from 6pm till 7pm trying to book the airline tickets online.. finally I got them done after some patience and lots of sweat! I really detest online flight tickets.. you know, it is like "make no mistakes, otherwise, money wasted" kind of thing ... very stressful for me especially after a day's hard work in the office...(breathe in and out)

Cell group started at 7.30pm... and I got home at 10pm.... and here I am.... pheww...

Tomorrow another busy day... have to take down curtains... will do some spring cleaning here and there... (cobwebs can be seen on the walls already!)

Chinese New Year is just two weeks away.... have you done your "Spring Cleaning" yet? Like my mum used to do... "Take new broom and sweep the dust off the walls??"

I Want To Use My Own Money...

2012-01-05T20:59:00.001+08:00

So much on my mind today... plans not finalized yet..... because..........

A close friend is offering a job for my girl at an accounting firm, 5 days week.. 8am till 5pm... Need to confirm fast, she said...

Called up my girl immediately and she sounded very excited about the offer...(too naive to know what working life is actually!) ... then I told her the "cons" of working life....

Asked her why she wanted to work.... I was surprised when she said, "I want to use my own money.." That's my girl... always on the calculating side.... (her favourite subject is Maths!)

On the other hand.... perhaps I didn't give her enough?

Hmmm... Actually I have a few plans lined up for February and March... going here and there... and I hope our plans will not be dampened cos she might not be able to take leave once she starts to work...

Ok, no point thinking so much... take each step at a time...I guess my travel plans have to put on hold first...

Thank You, Darling!

2012-01-04T20:10:00.000+08:00

I received a parcel yesterday... it is supposed to be my overdue birthday present.... hehehee...

grinning with joy....

So what's inside?

Steve Job's creation... APPLE!!

Yes, no more an uncommon sight...

but to me, this is a priceless gift...

from my Darling Boy!

MINE.......

This afternoon Andy went to Jaya Jusco to get the "protection cover" for my Apple iPhone and to get all the necessary apps downloaded for this mummy here....

"Andy, make sure you teach me everything that I need to know before you go back to college... by the way, thanks for being patient...." :)

Holding a new gadget is like holding a newborn baby again... hahahaa... It will take me some time to get used used to this ... so much to learn and remember...

But Most Of All...... Thank you, Aaron B for this wonderful present... Love it!!

Now I can viber with you FOC no matter near or far.....YES!!

Small Kucing's Dinner Treat In Different Taste, Bercham

2012-01-03T20:14:00.001+08:00

Dinner was taken in Rasa Lain, Bercham... Rasa Lain means Different Taste and indeed the taste last night was different. I feel the claypot glass noodles lack the wine aroma and instead it was filled with more garlic flavour instead, or was it more on ginger? Somehow the originality taste was not there...

we were served a big claypot of glass noodles

with giant crabs....

unfortunately, the soup was insufficient...

we had to "wallop" this fast...

ordered 10 pieces of "sar chui" fish...

we ordered "lai pak"

but these "siew pak choy" came instead...

wonder what was wrong last night...

(maybe chef's mind has wandered off... )

and these "sai toe" fish balls are not to be missed..

for these 4 dishes, the bill came to RM100 exactly..

wonder whether it was counted wrongly or not..

a bit pricey, I should think...

but Thank You, Mama Kucing..

Didn't expect your hands can "flip" out money

without holding any purse... (Magic!)

hahahaaa..

Small Kucing & Family Came To IPOH..

2012-01-02T21:04:00.000+08:00

I had a pleasant surprise today! At around 12 something, I received a SMS saying that the Kucing Family will be arriving in IPOH in around 2 hours time! Wow.. that was indeed splendid... after reading the Sibu blogger coming to KL to meet up with many others, I was wishing that I could join them as well but unfortunately I couldn't ...

And then to know that I would be receiving guests in two hours time.. I was kind of excited.. where and what to EAT! LOL...

Half an hour before they came, I quickly drove out to get some durians... my kids were excited as well cos it had been a long time since we last took durians...

Durians and Coconut flesh/water to neutralize...

Small Kucing's sign of "Good!"

He catches up very fast... "Peace" sign from me...

LOL...

then... off we went... for our Hi-Tea...

This is Hor Hee.. best in IPOH... RM3.50

Woolley Center...

sotong with kangkung... RM7.00

Mama Kucing couldn't resist ordering this fruit dessert..

RM2.90

One for the album before taking off

for our dinner in Bercham...

(tomorrow's post)

First Day Of 2012

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000+08:00

Had a blast counting down the seconds at HOME on FACEBOOK! Isn't that interesting?? LOL...

At exactly 12midnight, the fireworks near my house started to explode... BOOM, BOOM!! I could only see partial fireworks above the trees opposite my house... well, at least the atmosphere was there, huh?

Then back to FB, wishing my friends who were online ... HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Kissed my kids both on their cheeks..... viber talk with AA who is in Singapore and SKYPE for awhile with him before we called it night..... that was how we spent our Countdown.... hmmmm...

Woke up to a not-so-sunny morning at 9am.... life is back to normal... the contractor came knocking on my door... OK, OK... coming.... my auto gate needs repairing....

Apparently, I spent my first day of 2012 paying out RM280.00 for house repairs.....hahaa... isn't that a JOY.... on the brighter side, everything is fine now, no more pushing and pushing gate to open....

How about you? How was your 2012 Countdown?

2011 Roundup

2011-12-31T11:31:00.000+08:00

Today is the last day of 2011.... in a matter of hours, 2012 IS HERE TO STAY!

Thanks to this lady here, she indirectly gave me an idea on what to write about on this last day of 2011... A BIG ROUND-UP OF 2011.... of Reanaclaire's blog for 2011~~

The posts which has the most comments for each month are listed as below....

JANUARY - VIP CAME TO TOWN

FEBRUARY - HAPPY VALENTINE TO EVERYONE

MARCH - HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT

This post does not have pictures but it earns 41 comments! Thanks to all of you!

APRIL - GRUESOME FIND

MAY - MY TWO BOYS AND MY GIRL

JUNE - SEALED WITH A ...

JULY - MY FIRST VISIT TO ST MIKE

AUGUST - IPAD 2 VERUS LAPTOP

SEPTEMBER - HAPPY MID-AUTUMN 8TH

OCTOBER - HAPPY 25TH ANNIVERSARY TO US!

NOVEMBER - A FIFTIES BIRTHDAY BASH

DECEMBER - A MERRILY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

AND HERE'S WISHING ALL OF YOU....

A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!

Achieving Ambition

2011-12-30T23:58:00.000+08:00

My son's friend will be finishing his medical degree very soon. In another few months or so, he will be back to do his internship training in a government hospital and I am sure he will be able to do a good job. Being a doctor has been his dream ever since he was young and he is now on his way to achieving his ambition very soon. He will be able to know a lot of medical equipment as well besides dealing with all kinds of sicknesses, being a doctor is not easy, I guess they need to have knowledge on all types of equipment including these Howard Medical medicine carts as well.

Games Of Yesteryears

2011-12-30T23:23:00.000+08:00

During my younger days, when computers were never heard of, time were spent playing games using creativity. We drew and cut out cardboards for making paper dolls, coloured them up, making beautiful gowns for them and spending few hours in this Doll Game. Besides that, we played Seven Stones, Hop Scotch using chalks and chains, chasing one another with one legged and many others. Those were the days... one of the games I couldn't master is the yoyo, I only know the basics but these days, they even have dark magic yoyo, yoyo jamspeeder among many others and these came with youtube video as well. This is called today's technology!

A Glum Look At Orchard Parade Hotel

2011-12-30T18:31:00.000+08:00

After checking out from Orchard Hotel, the four of us pulled our luggage bags to the hotel opposite.. Orchard Parade Hotel! We really had a good laugh over the bookings of the hotels, thanks to me! hahahaaa... I didn't know they are just opposite one another...

By the time we checked in, it was almost one.. but we were told to wait till 2pm... told the receptionist that my son was not feeling well, couldn't she get me a room to check in first? NO, we had to wait.. she said.. ok, next time no more staying here..

so.... to pass the time, we walked here and there...

the lobby...

the two blues.....

another in-blue joined me...

see.... this is evidence...

he was really feeling not so well that day..

the receptionist ought to give us a room, right?

don't tell me ALL the superior rooms were fully booked??

Well... what can the guests do??

Give a Glum Look!

Better Designs Online

2011-12-30T13:57:00.003+08:00

While we were shopping in Singapore, my nephew called up and asked us to look out for a nice bag for him, something like these dakine backpacks. He wanted something not so expensive but with a branded name. For this task, I handed it over to my sons, they should know what design my nephew wanted, I might end up buying an old fashioned type of bag for him. But eventually we did not manage to get one, nothing beats the designs and the price in this website.

Labbie's Spaying Expenses

2011-12-30T09:29:00.000+08:00

The first thing that caught my girl's eye in IKEA Singapore, was the image of our pet, Labbie... She quickly grabbed her up and asked me to take a picture of her with "Labbie"

Even the colour is almost the same.... at that time when the picture was taken, Labbie was being "spayed" in a vet here in IPOH... and she has been recuperating during the time we were in Singapore.

By the time we came back, she is now all up and active again... even the cut was not noticeable... the vet had done a good job.... but my pocket once again is lightened by RM520.00!!!! *faint & revived*

Medical Supplies

2011-12-30T06:29:00.000+08:00

Remember my sister's fall that landed her in hospital with a broken ankle? Well, for the latest updates, the doctor has "freed" her from the ankle braces and now she is taking short steps with the help of the four-legged chair. She cannot exert her weight on the leg yet, according to the doctor, it takes three months to get it fully healed, especially the older we are, the slower the healing process takes place.
I remember those days in the 1970s, my brother also broke his leg while playing basketball in school. During that time, hospitals put thick casts on the legs for healing. I remember my brother would grimaced in pain when the healing process was going on, he complained of itchiness and couldn't scratch it at all because of the thick cast on the leg. But nowadays medical equipment is so updated, Orthopedic Supplies are aplenty, everything is so convenient and much easier nowadays. We can also order our stuff online with today's Internet connection.

NYDC In Wheelock Place

2011-12-29T21:05:00.000+08:00

After staying five days in Bedok apartment, we checked out and took a cab to Orchard Hotel to stay for two nights. We wanted to spend our last two nights in Orchard Road... to walk around and to... er.. eat..... but things turned out unexpected... Andy fell sick and had to refine to the hotel room once we checked in...

On the very first day in Orchard Road, Aaron took my girl and I to NYDC in Wheelock Place... just opposite the Big O in my previous post. Aaron wanted us to try the desserts there....but we ended up taking a whole meal course..

this, of course belongs to Fernie...

she simply loves Carbonara...

I opted for this roast chicken...

My appetite was not so good so we shared it out..

Don't ask me the price...

I didn't really remember...

Better not to know cos once you convert to ringgit,

You will not want to eat them like he does!!! lol...

Just eat .... don't think of the prices... hahaha...

Christmas Log slice...

chocolate cheese...

then the next day when Andy felt better...

we came here again for desserts.....

(after the BIG O meal)

Aaron said we must try the Carrot cake...

and their special Cheese cake...

Price? If I am not mistaken..

They are only $6.20sg or $7.20sg per piece..

Just like in Secret Recipe

but only the conversion is different.. hahahaa....

Labbie Is Spayed

2011-12-29T15:27:00.000+08:00

Before I left for my trip, I sent Labbie, my labrador to the vet to operate on her, I guess it is the right time to spay her. The next day after the operation, we went to visit her at the clinic. She was still drowsy and my girl sympathized with her. She told me that she cannot be in the Veterinary Services Jobs because she can't bear to see animals get hurt or cut up. Anyway, Labbie was with the vet for more than 10 days and by the time she came home, she was well and active already. But she has lost some weight, well, according to the vet, Labbie is advisable to lose weight because she is getting too fat! LOL..

Boots

2011-12-29T14:07:00.001+08:00

Yesterday I read in someone's blog that she rode a horse with her son sitting in front of her. She was actually feeling quite scared about it but because of her young son with her, she had to put up a brave front. As for me, I have not ridden a horse before, but if I have an opportunity to do so, I think I would have to wear a pair of equestrian boots for safety, comfort and classic! My girl has a pair of knee length boots as well but she bought them for her winter trip to Korea last year, something like the image here, only slightly different at the top.

Hospital Equipment

2011-12-29T13:03:00.000+08:00

Now that my girl has finished her finals, she kept complaining that it is boring to sit at home the whole day. She wanted to find some part time job to do and I am thinking of asking my friend who is working in a medical hospital as a purchasing manager. He might have some part time work for my girl to do as he is involved in purchasing hospital equipment that includes ekg machines as well. She might be able to know more about medical stuff before she enrolls in a college next year.

BIG O In Wheelock Place

2011-12-28T21:01:00.000+08:00

When I first stepped into BIG O in Wheelock Place, Singapore, the first thing that came to my mind was that the owner must be a dog lover.... Never expected a cafe restaurant to be pasted up with dogs' pictures all over the wall...

Just look at that....

looks more like a pet shop, right? :)

even their Menu book is special...

more like a story book... :)

so... from the story menu, Fernie ordered spaghetti..

$19.00sg!

I had their special chef's suggestion..

Fish n Chips with baked potato.. $16.00sg
Not bad cos it was crispy and fresh...

Aaron ordered this.. breaded chicken..
not sure how much it cost.. forgotten liow..
I prefer roasted or grilled...

We ordered only 3 plates because Andy was still

not feeling "normal" yet... (just look at his face)

his appetite was still "missing" unfortunately...

But mention DESSERTS,

his smile came back RIGHT ON!! lol...

Now Only I Remember...

2011-12-28T13:48:00.000+08:00

For the first time I bought an online voucher last week. I think I have mentioned about it in my previous posts but I have yet to redeem the products. In fact I have forgotten all about the coupon voucher until a moment ago when I stumbled upon this Macys coupons website. Then only I realize that my coupon voucher is still in my bag, hope it has not expired yet! I better go and redeem the products before this weekend.

Insurance Premiums

2011-12-28T13:22:00.000+08:00

When I went through my credit card statement this afternoon, I realize that my total payment for insurance is quite a hefty sum. Paying for a few insurance policy is no joke and to think that I have been paying for a number of years already, gosh... if not for monthly installments, it would be a big burden if I were to pay the premiums yearly at one go. Lately I came to know of this immediate annuities whereby we do not have to wait for a number of years to get back our returns, this is something to consider....

I Love SPAM Too!

2011-12-27T20:59:00.001+08:00

From his few blog posts, I got to know SPAM for the first time... I thought I won't be able to taste them since they are not sold here in IPOH...

So when I was shopping in Carrefour in Suntec City, Singapore, something on the shelf caught my eye. SPAM!! They are sold here in Singapore too! I quickly grabbed a few tins, to my son's astonishment... I told him that STP has been singing praises about SPAM so I must also try, must not "chap shu." (must not lose out!) hahahaaa....

The next morning I opened one tin of turkey ham.... fried them piece by piece and ate them with bread.... my sons loved them! Now I only have two more tins left.....must ask my son to buy back next time...

Oh by the way, one tin of SPAM cost $3.90sg ...

A MERRILY MERRY CHRISTMAS.... bURP!!

2011-12-26T21:02:00.000+08:00

STILL IN MERRY CHRISTMAS MOOD!!

er... still In Christmas Mood...

We didn't want the Christmas day to end so early last night...

At 11pm plus... we were still having our celebration....

Let's usher the Christmas night with YammmmmSinggggggggg!!!

Ready????

YUMMMM.... SINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!

HMMM... GREAT WINE!!

Just nice to go with the Carrot Cake and Bah Kwa (BBQ meat)

OOOPSSS!!!

tHE tWo Standing BehiND ARE unDerAged!

jUst HoLd tHe gLaSS... wiLL do...

bUrp!!! exCuSE ME!

Delightful Time In Taman Sutera Utama, Johor

2011-12-25T23:21:00.000+08:00

Merry Merry Christmas!!!

Today I had a good time in JB.. met up with an old friend, Mr Bean and his daughter. We are old buddies from yesteryears and it is great to see them once again.

Thank you, Mr Bean for taking us out for lunch, thanks for your "abundant gifts" as well... I promise to make it up to you when you come Ipoh next year!

Here are some pictures of my tea-time in Sutera area....

at last I can have some delightful chinese desserts!

They may look familiar but their fillings are different from those in IPOH.. nice, nice!!

red beans with sweet potatoes...

black sesame with peanut paste

sweet beancurd with gingko seeds.. delightful for me!

rojak... Johor style

a bit of this and that... all to my taste!

Sorry, I didn't catch the name of the shop..

along this road....

just opposite a children's playground...

Sorry for not being able to "blop-hop" to your blogs.... going for a ten days trip is really exhausting and time consuming. Really no time to attend to my blog until late at night...but once I am back in Ipoh, I will make back for the lost time... hopefully! :)

Happy Boxing Day in another 40 minutes from now!!

Christmas Eve In Johor

2011-12-24T22:10:00.000+08:00

IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE....

We are back in Johor... tired and missing something cos we cannot get to church on time... Andy is still coughing, Fernie is having a slight running nose and my throat is still itchy! But through it all, we had a great and tiring time in Singapore.. wet or cold, we managed to join in the crowd in window shopping and buying a bit of stuff here and there....

How are you celebrating your Christmas Eve? I am sure many of you are having a Great Blast somewhere....

Here's wishing everyone ....

A Merry Christmas

And

Have A Great Time, Everybody!!

Orchard Hotel And Orchard Road

2011-12-23T23:35:00.000+08:00

Checked out from Orchard Hotel at 1pm today and hopped over to another hotel just right opposite.... we had a good laugh over this "hopping"... when I booked the hotels online, I didn't know that these two hotels are just opposite each other... (call me ah lian!)

Comparing the two Orchard hotels, there are pro and cons.. the more expensive hotel room has smaller beds compared to the cheaper one... but it has a nice LCD TV whereas the cheaper hotel has the old fashioned type but the beds are definitely bigger...

OK, anyway, just one more night and we will be on our way back to JB tomorrow.... some photos here and there.. the Christmas atmosphere is definitely very Happening in Orchard Road but my camera is not doing them any justice...

in one of the shopping malls.. Isetan, I think...

Paragon mall

inside Orchard Hotel

let it snow...let it snow...let it snow...

live band singing christmas and christian songs along Orchard Road

along the way....

Orchard Hotel...

Stopped by at JW Marriot Hotel too...just to look at their decorations...very beautiful... but too expensive to stay there... LOL....

Paradise Inn Treat By Singapore Blogger

2011-12-22T22:34:00.000+08:00

My appetite improved a bit yesterday and I met up with this blogger in Bedok Point for dinner. We had dinner at the Paradise restaurant and I coerced him to treat us to a nice chinese dinner. I really do not have appetite for western or japanese food.. so nice of him to oblige me. LOL..

Thank you Chris for the nice wonderful chinese dinner ... too bad we cannot meet up tonight.. son not feeling well and something propped up too.. and sorry Sharon, I am also not able to contact you because I forgot to take down your number from my facebook.

Chris and I had our first dinner in Singapore

though we met many many times in IPOH.. hahahaa...

service with a sweet smile...

claypot water cress soup

fried rice with lots of ingredients... very nice...

spinach with dash of lard and century egg

teppanyaki bean curd

claypot honey taste chicken

as for dessert, it is jelly with fresh lime..

One for the album before we left...

The bill came to around $100sg..

Thanks again, Chris peow ti...

Next time come IPOH, my treat, OK!

Chinatown Food, Tampines And IKEA, Singapore

2011-12-21T18:18:00.001+08:00

Started off our day going to Tampines malls and then taking a free shuttle bus to IKEA for food... Talking about food, I didn't take much pictures actually, only these below from the Chinatown yesterday. I had no appetite then, today I am slightly better though not my "usual self" yet... meaning No Urge for food... surprising, huh? I am deeply shocked myself too..

Will be meeting up with a Singapore Blogger tonight at 7.30pm... will keep you all posted!

this actually looks very good... $5.90sg

but unfortunately, I couldn't even eat a quarter of this...

the rest went to my Leaning Pillar, Andy... lol...

Andy ordered the "fried koay khak" - fried radish $4.00sg

one of the stalls in Chinatown

fried rice with lots of ingredients, my son likes it...$5.00sg

in the free shuttle bus on the way to IKEA...

oops...but my girl took the ride with Barney!

LOL...

An Exhausting Day Out To Chinatown And Clark Quay, Singapore

2011-12-20T23:14:00.000+08:00

Woke up feeling kind of nausea, some kind of feeling like I was in my first early stage of pregnancy those days! Gosh...for the first time, I do not have any appetite for anything... anyway, that did not deter me from going to China town and Clark Quay this afternoon....

Here are some pictures of my whereabouts....oh, these pictures are jumbled up and I cant seem to get them smoothly arranged using this small netbook.. :)

In Chinatown...

crossing over to The People's Park

along the pedestrian footway...

Resting myself in Clark Quay mall...

with "My Leaning Pillar"

Tired look at Clark Quay

back at the apartment...

the "traffic light colours" yellow, green, red...

exhausting look I have... I think I lost a lot of calories... hahaha...

City Link Mall Performance....

China town street...

Santa and Us!

Suntec City, Here I Am...

2011-12-19T23:49:00.000+08:00

It seems like ages since I last logged in to the cyberworld!! So unfortunate that I did not have internet access here easily in Singapore.. my modem cannot be used here.. hahaha... thanks to my cousin, I am able to online tonight....

I cannot write much, I have so much to catch up with... emails.. blog connections.. work stuff.. etc etc.. let these pictures tell more about what and where I am ...

Here is where I am now....

we're staying here....

very nice and serene apartments..

my "porters" .. hahhaa...

Evening in Suntec City...

the "lollipop" deco

the theme is Yellow.. lol...

for dinner, Aaron took us to Soup restaurant

"What to order..??"

this is their signature dish... very nice...

our dinner for the first night...

This is all for today... :)

Saturday Night Fever In Johor

2011-12-17T17:15:00.000+08:00

I am now Down South..... not Down Under..

Woke up feeling a bit feverish with a slight stomach upset... don't know why... I have been careful with food these days so that the journey trip down south will be smooth...

Anyway, I am here in Johor now after driving for more then six hours.... a wet Johor welcomed us.. very nice weather today...cooling too...

We will be attending a church Christmas dinner shortly... and hope my stomach is up to filling up with Johor food... Gosh! What a time to get discomfort! Sigh...

This is really Saturday Night Fever!

Writer's Block And Blog

2011-12-16T21:28:00.000+08:00

I am having a er.... a writer's block?
Like.. the mind is blocked and yet I want to write something in my blog...
If I don't write, I feel something is not right?
I know I am no writer ... only a blogger...

My whole body is still aching... I really shouldn't have played badminton two days ago... my muscles must have been "shocked" and now I am facing the discomfort and the painful consequences... especially when I want to get up when I am sitting down...

Going up and coming down the stairs is torturous... now I begin to understand why older people don't like to go up and down the stairs.....

OK, I am going to take a good rest now... tomorrow is a very long day.. I mean journey... I got to drive.. and drive..........and driveeeeeeeeee...........

MY DREAM Is Not My Kind Of Dream

2011-12-15T21:20:00.001+08:00

Now that Andy is back, I can relax a bit... he is now the home maintenance manager.. hahaha... when the contractor came to fix up my roof, he was there to supervise, he polished my car till it is gleaming red now... he replaced few of my fused light bulbs... well, that is enough to make me happy... all these are men's work, right? :))

So... I think it is only fair that I treat him to something nice and good for his efforts.. and here we are... at MY DREAM...

When we entered to MY DREAM,

it looks like we booked the whole hall....

the menu looked like a photo album...

I wanted this......

and here it is.... the real Durian Crepe...

RM16.00 ... tasted not bad actually

but I think it is a bit too pricey?

Or am I backdated?

Andy took their set lunch ....

one carrot/apple drink plus 2 pieces garlic bread

and the main dish is above....

so which is cheaper..

the Durian Crepe RM16.00

or the set lunch RM18.00?

I Need Vitamins

2011-12-15T17:16:00.000+08:00

My bones started to ache this morning, this is the consequences after a few hours of exercise the previous night. The running and retrieving the shuttle during the badminton competition last night have taken its toll. My arms and my legs felt like bruised all over, well, I guess I got to accept it that age does indeed count. After this competition, I will hang my racket again and rest my weary bones. LOL…

My friends have advised me to take some multi vitamins, at present, I am only taking some Fish Oil, good for my heart since I have reached my fifties. I think I better go and get some multi-vitamins too, pump in more nutrients in my body for better antibodies. I just heard of this Herbal Tinchures whereby they have a wide selection of nutrients such as InVite Multi Vitamin, Green Tea Tx, Fish Oil 1000EC for better joint maintenance, providing essential nutritional support especially for the cardiovascular system and improving mental function and mood at the same. I will definitely continue to take this Fish Oil, that is just what I need most!

A Badminton Event That Left Me "Detached" Everywhere!

2011-12-15T00:37:00.000+08:00

It is 12.35am now.... and I am still in my "stinking" t-shirt! hahaha...

Ok, a summary of tonight's event... my office organized a Badminton Inter-department tournament and after some days of "hesitation"... my colleague and I had to team up as ladies doubles.. otherwise our department will lose one point if no ladies were participating....

I hesitated because I have hung up my racket few years ago... another reason is.. I wonder I can still play vigorously as before.. scared of old bones creaking and getting sprains here and there...

Cut story short.. the event started at 8pm and I came home at 12 midnight!! I am "cooling down" now before I clean up.. now "busuk-busuk!" (smelly... stay away!) hahaha....

With my "partner"... we are quite "hebat!" hahaha....

with my "reserve" partner.. just in case my bones "betray" me...

warming up before the game..

and now... how do I feel?

GOSH... I THINK I AM GOING TO TAKE

MEDICAL LEAVE TOMORROW!!

I feel my arms and legs are "detached"... hahahaa...

But overall, it was a wonderful event!

Tired but Happy!

My First Groupon Purchase

2011-12-13T19:01:00.001+08:00

Every morning when I logged in to my email, the word Groupon always appear in my inbox, without fail one. I thought of unsubscribing it because I notice that most offers are normally from KL, Penang, Johor but NONE for IPOH. I can only buy the vouchers for others and not for myself, I was thinking...

Most days, I just delete the Groupon email without even opening to see the offers.. but last Friday, i don't know why I opened it. Maybe too boring kua at that moment.... and... once opened, I lost RM39.90 to Groupon.... They caught me on this offer here below....

A Travel Kit offer ... but hey, not all the 5 items here for that price...

Only 3 products, cleanser, toner and a moisturiser...

You know, I bought the voucher on Friday... and just a moment ago, I only read through the contents of each product... and I am astonished to see that they only gave 15ml and 10ml for the toner and moisturiser respectively!! hahahaa.... No wonder so cheap.... I think can last me one week or so only.....

But I have not redeem the products yet... I hope I can redeem them at the CN outlet here in IPOH....

Anyone bought any vouchers from Groupon before??

BR1M Application Form

2011-12-12T15:03:00.001+08:00

My colleague gave me this BR1M (Borang Permohonan Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia) last week and I have forgotten all about it till now. This is a sort of "bonus" from our present government and when I read through the criteria behind the form, this is what I understand....

From what I understand.. those who are eligible for this "rainfall" are....
1) Malaysian citizens - (passed)
2) Male/female who is the bread winner of the house with take home monthly gross pay of RM3000 and below.
3) Golden citizen (60 years and above) single and with gross salary of RM3,000 and below.

I think gross salary means basic pay plus allowances, right? I must call up and ask...

For your information, this is the website whereby you can download the form and their details...

http://www.treasury.gov.my/
Talian Hotline : 1-800-222-500
Untuk Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) RM500
9.00am hingga 5.00pm (Hari Bekerja)
E-mel: belanjawan2012@treasury.gov.my

Don't play play with the details.. any wrong information can lead to 3 years jail and fine... ooppss..

I am worried about my country now... will there be enough funds to pay for all the "eligibles?"

Welcome Home, Samsung, Goodbye Panasonic!

2011-12-11T20:13:00.001+08:00

For one month I persevered ... watching my "out-of-order" LCD... I think I am getting quite used to watching humans without much facial expressions but my kids... hmmm... they rather not watch TV anymore, they told me that their eyes are getting spoilt watching images like these below....

my Panasonic LCD I bought around 4 or 5 years back

The price then was RM3,300 for 32 inches.

And now it only cost around RM900 or so...

Now that Andy is back and my girl has finished her finals...

It is time to get a new TV....

This time a Samsung LED 40 inches costing RM1750.00

At least now I can see human expressions once more...

I hope this one can last me more than 5 years...

Samsung, you hear that?

Don't let me down, please...

Home Cooked Meal, Please...

2011-12-10T23:17:00.000+08:00

Andy is home!! He came back yesterday after his finals... will be pursuing his degree in January.. so from today onwards, he will go for a "walloping food spree" in IPOH...

But he wanted home-cooked for dinner... so I think I need to compliment myself a bit for Cooking a proper meal after so many weeks of hanging up my WOK in the kitchen.... lol...

True enough, my WOK has much dust... I need to scrub and scrub before I can start using it... (kwa cheong!)

So what did I come up with?? To prepare a simple meal is not easy.. I really salute those who can cope up with cooking lots and lots of dishes during festive seasons.... Really "look up" on to them...

For 2 dishes and soup, it took me few hours to get them ready for dinner... cham moe!

Andy requested for "lobak tong" (radish soup)

Bought some big pork bones, dumped in some

abalone strips and crushed pepper...

for three hours slow fire, the soup was very sweet and nice...

his favourite dish, potato chicken!

but it seems the potatoes have "buried" the meat...

and a kilo of this vegetable.. forgot what it was called..

First time buying and cooking this...

and there were around 10 earthworms in them!!

(that shows no chemical spray, right??)

The dinner...

that took me hours to come up with...

Rusty cooking hands, done with slow motion...

Lets Sweat It Out Friday!

2011-12-09T22:45:00.001+08:00

All food and no exercise will make one put on extra flesh here and there... ahemmm....

Now that my girl has finished her SPM, she and I can go anywhere, no need to rush home and no more hearing remarks like, "Faster, faster go home, don't waste time, I haven't finished revising yet... etc etc.. " Very farn one...

Now... both of us are more relaxed.. we can go anywhere we like.. no more study stress... but only diet stress.. hahaha... we must sweat out... at least three times per week... but so far, this was our first time exercising since her exams were over 10 days ago....

guess who.... ahemmm...

serious walk one....

no play-play till.....

we finished 3 big rounds...

I think it was around 2km or more...

finally... I call it quits.... finishing line...phew.....

time to cool down and have peace... LOL...

Have a Nice Weekend, People!!

Graduation Gift

2011-12-09T16:20:00.003+08:00

My niece graduated from college just the other day. The entire family gathered together to celebrate this momentous occasion and it goes without saying that her parents were so immensely proud of her and all her achievements. Her father was thinking of giving her a wonderful graduation surprise so we spent months planning and looking forward to the day when we could unveil her surprise to her. You see, we managed to get a brand new car to start or kick off this exciting new phase of her life as she starts on another bout of her journey to success. Getting the car wasn’t an easy task because we needed everything to be perfect for her. We wanted to get her a car that was both sturdy and dependable so after surveying tons of different makes and car models, her father settled for the one he thought she would love.

The best thing about this arrangement was to secure a car title loan to help finance the car. Having just seen a kid through college, my brother-in-law was still tight financially, but he was positive that over time , he would manage to pay off the loan and get her the car. Having gone through so much trouble and effort, it certainly paid off to see my niece’s face light up at the sight of her brand new car and just seeing that look on her face made all the worries, effort and stress of the past few weeks melt away. Perhaps that’s the greatest and best reward of all.

SBPA Circular 2012 And Its Effects

2011-12-08T19:25:00.000+08:00

Latest hot topic these days is about the new salary scheme for all civil servants. I never read nor watch news but I have ears... I listen to these open discussions in the office and in public. While those involved are happy, at the same time, a lot of grouches could be heard....

Just now I googled about it and indeed it is true, from January 1st onwards, civil servants will be getting a pay rise between 7 to 13% increment in their salary. The circular is out, you can download the SBPA circular here.

Putting that aside... what do you think will happen next year.. While the civil servants are expecting their increment to be implemented in January, we must also prepare our hearts from being "shocked-ed" by the increase in our monthly expenses.

It is expected.... when there is increment in salary, there is also an increase in everything, especially FOOD!

So... Be prepared, be frugal, be cautious in spending unnecessarily.........*reminding myself*

Shopping Spree in Thow Lee

2011-12-07T20:23:00.000+08:00

There are certain things to buy in Tanjung Tualang.. my friends told me that the "ready-made sauces" in bottles are very nice... best for steaming fish and pork ribs.. for working people, for lazy mums like me, these type of sauce helps a lot..

see the bottles of sauce there?

my friends bought one of each... very busy moms...

as for me, I prefer the pickled papayas..

Back in IPOH, we proceeded to Thow Lee Pottery

My friend wanted to get some vases

and artificial flowers for Christmas and Chinese New Year!

their prices are very reasonable too..

only RM5 (1.30usd) for one ceramic flower pot..

lots of vases/pots for sale outside here..

I dare not take pictures inside.. might get "scolding" one..

After buying my stuff, (flowers and vases)

I waited outside here for my friends...

Paying time... hurry up.. hurry up..

The train was leaving at 6.15pm..

and we reached the railway station at 6.05pm..

Just in time...

My friend thanked us for a wonderful time she had in IPOH..

Well, all of us did.. hope we can get together once again!

hahahaaa....

Funny Mountain And Yee Fatt For Spicy Lovers

2011-12-06T19:29:00.003+08:00

Funny Mountain.... a small five foot way stall selling soya bean, sweet beancurd (tau foo far) since the 1960s.. more than 40 years ago... I was a little girl then.. and now more than 4 decades later, Funny Mountain is still situated at a corner where rows and rows of cars are lining up to have a taste of this much-talked-about Famous Soyabean... nowadays I don't drink from there anymore... it is too commercialized already...

but outstation people.. for instance my KL friend..

she wanted to have a bowl of tau foo far before she leaves...

I rather wait opposite than joining in the long row of cars...

After that...

we adjourned to a very famous curry noodles..

because my friend is a spicy lover...

just look at the gravy!

This shop is called Yee Fatt..

Just opposite MGS (Methodist Girls School)

along Chamberlain/Kampar Road...

Just look at her face....

A "Glee-Full" Look!

"Now I am satisfied!"

hahahhaaa...

Jalan-Jalan Cari Makan In Tanjung Tualang

2011-12-05T19:21:00.002+08:00

In less than two weeks, I stepped foot again to Tanjung Tualang! This time I didn't drive but I only led the way... As I said in my post last Saturday here, I would lead the way if you bring me along... hahahaha.... and I really did cos my three friends, they have not been there for a long-long time....

Reaching the town... it was easy to get a parking place..

Empat Sekawan.. as someone commented...

it was not so crowded as the previous week....

Walking towards the restaurant...

there were three in one row...

and we finally went into this one...

we ordered a kilo of prawns... dry-fried..

(Kon Cheen Har)

stir fried ginger and spring onions teen-kai (croak-croak!)

salted steamed crabs..(yim kook hai)

wrong choice.. should have ordered either steamed..

or fried salted eggs instead...

another round, perhaps... hahaha...

this is a MUST...

paku pakis with sambal belacan..

followed by sang mee (noodles)

and mihoon (rice noodles)

The bill came to RM130 for 5 persons...

I guess it is not so cheap...

But as long as we had fun as a group...

It is all that matters...

After all, it is a Jalan-Jalan Makan Trip..

(Walk and Eat Trip)

Different Taste In Bercham

2011-12-04T20:31:00.000+08:00

The name of the shop is "Different Taste." In cantonese, it is "Mei Putt Toong." In bahasa, it is called "Rasa Lain." Funny name, right? Been to this shop for many years now, the boss then was a young, slim, handsome, "hairless" man but now he looks so "overgrown" already, not slim, not so handsome already and still "hairless." That shows good signs of business and the boss has become Prosperous...

We went there around 8.30pm and the shop was very crowded... managed to get a table... and these were what we ordered...

This is their speciality...

Claypot glass noodles.. that comes with few choices..

Prawns, crabs or fish .....

next is the nicely arranged clams...

wonder how long to take them to arrange these...

and they were steamed with lots of garlic and ginger!

this is a Must Order too..

Deep fried Sar Chui fish...

(anyone knows what this is called in english?)

my friend ordered spicy intestines.. not bad...

and of course, some greens... "lai bak"

One for the album while waiting for the food...

and the bill came to RM99.00 exactly...

A bit overpriced I can say...

no wonder the Boss so "fatt" already!

Perfect For Prom

2011-12-04T08:27:00.004+08:00

My friend's daughter will be attending a prom night in another two weeks time. She is getting very excited about the coming event, this is the first time for her and she makes sure that everything will go on smoothly. Her mom told me that she has already bought a silky blue dress and a pair of high heel shoes to match for her daughter. What she is lacking now is some accessories to go along with her blue dress. And to go along with that, my friend is letting her girl wear her cultured diamond pendants and rings among many others. Wow.. I think she will look very spectacular on that night!

Saturday Day Out With My KL Friend

2011-12-03T23:11:00.001+08:00

This weekend a special gueset from KL came to my house for a short stay... partly she came to celebrate my "overdue" birthday...and secondly, she came to "conquer" IPOH food..

We started off our day with a nice and relaxing nice Body Massage... then we went to St Mike Bistro for our lunch...

After some western food, she told me that she wanted to try the special Chee Cheong Fun in Lahat Lane... Gladly I took her there ...we have good appetites!

I know this fella even before I got married..

that was around 30 years ago...

I was working nearby then..

Gosh..the wooden house is still standing strong here...

this is Chee Cheong Fun...

I love to welcome this KL friend of mine..
We have something in common..
Both of us love to "jalan-jalan, cari makan!"
(walk around to look for food!)

tomorrow.... guess where we are going???

"Holey Water" In My House

2011-12-02T20:35:00.000+08:00

These days whenever it rains, I have to rush to the kitchen.... nope, not to cook or to close the windows.. but to put pots and tubs near to the basin, near to the stove... Why?? To collect WATER! (sau sui...chip sui.. cham moe??)

just look at the water....

DRIP... DRIP................

dripping down from.....

from the ceiling...

to the

the container...

ooppss...wait...

got to put another pan here...

water seems to be coming in from everywhere in the kitchen...

sigh....

Water in cantonese means Sui..

Sui means Money...

So...

Is the money is coming in through the kitchen...

Money going out from my pocket because of repairs?

hmmmm.... the song...

Who shall I call... Ghostbusters?

No, Who shall I call? Tile-Busters!

chey......

You're The Apple Of My Eye

2011-12-01T21:27:00.002+08:00

She wanted to watch this romantic Taiwan movie "You're The Apple Of My Eye" very badly... and since yesterday was the last day of her finals, I allowed her to watch it with her friends... Her friend managed to get the tickets but it was for the 10.30pm schedule, that means I have to go and fetch her after midnight!

Gosh, it was the first time for me to drive to Jaya Jusco at midnight.... the complex was deserted.... I managed to get a parking place and boldly I walked to the cineplex alone....

alone and deserted...

I guess I was the only one who came and fetched kids..

normally this area was crowded and full of patrons...

and here I was, walking around and snapping pictures...

and finally saw these figures staring back at me...

thank goodness they were not showing "ghost" movie!

Walked by myself for nearly half hour

before the movie finally ended... phew...

It was really a very late night..

or should I say very early morning when we reached home...

SPM Is Over... So What's Next?

2011-11-30T19:03:00.000+08:00

SPM EXAM IS OVER!!! A BIG SIGH OF RELIEF!!!

Yeah, at least for my girl who has taken nine subjects only... today was the last day of SPM for her...

I can heave a BIG sigh of relief...... no more waking up early-early each morning, no more accompanying her to "burn midnight oil".... (she on her books, me on my blog) ... now we can go out in peace, no more rushing me to go home because she needs to study! She really made me worried, not because she never studies hard but "overstudied."

So.... what's next? She wants to take up driving, going for her "undang" test next week.... let her learn how to drive and I will have one duty less to do... chauffeuring.. but I think I rather take her where she wants to go rather than she drives herself... (parents, we never stop worrying for our kids, huh?)

In less than half a year, she will be leaving her "Nest." Gosh, I don't want to think of that now... meanwhile, just enjoy our time together... as much as we can...

Time, please don't fly so fast....

The Crucifix In The Leg

2011-11-29T19:58:00.000+08:00

After staying in the hospital for three nights, my sister was discharged this morning. The bill came to RM7,395.00 without any insurance claim. On the other hand, a patient in the same room with my sister, she broke her ankle too but her bill came to RM11,000 because she has personal accident insurance. :) But of course, the difference could be due to different surgeons.....

Anyway, all is well...... she can now move about with one leg.... using a four-legged chair for mobility. Thank God for my mum, she will tend to my sister's needs..

My sister can still joke about it... she told us that she has a "crucifix" in her leg now.... and she told me to put up her picture in my blog.... "Wanna ask for donation or not?" I asked her... and we LOL over that...

The "Crucifix" in her leg....

My sister who who cannot sit still...

is now confined to 3 Months NO Driving!

(kwai-kwai sit at home now)

To Tanjung Tualang Despite The Darn Cough

2011-11-28T14:46:00.001+08:00

I had a very busy weekend, apart from going to the hospital to visit my sister, I had a friend who came to Ipoh for a visit. Despite the busyness of schedule, we managed to make a trip down the coastal way to Tanjung Tualang. It has been some time since I last went there with my kids. Thank goodness I still remember how to go there... well, where food is, we will travel! :)

Tanjung Tualang is a very small town,

I can say it is like a "Square",

you won't get lost there...

we reached around 2pm... the restaurants were still crowded

but we managed to find a table in one of them...

in fact we do not know which serves the best...

we ordered a seaweed claypot soup...

It was good, I can say...

fried "or chien" oyters

crispy nice too!

the greens is a must...

steamed "Pak Sook Koong"

what word to describe except for Nice.. Good...Fresh!

but the Best and Famous are the Tiger Prawns

We ordered Medium Big and they were very Fresh!

Like eating Lobster Meat...

the rice wine sauce on the plate .. so so "KICK!"

all these 5 dishes came to RM100.00...

Is it pricey or reasonable... I also don't know what to say..

For me, as long as the food is great, a bit pricey is fine...

after the "makan", we walked around the town....

there were a number of restaurants in fact...

and of course, hawker stalls for us tourists to satisfy our shopping..

an old auntie kept asking me to buy the egg roll biscuits..

RM18 for a tin... they taste good..

I also bought some papaya pickles and some assorted biscuits...

well, I don't mind coming by to Tanjung Tualang again..

Not too far from Ipoh..less than an hour..

Good to go there again for the fresh seafood..

This time round, must try the CRABS!

Darn my cough... after the food..

It sure takes longer to HEAL!!

Achieving His Ambition

2011-11-28T13:45:00.000+08:00

Recently I met up with my ex-colleague and we had a good time catching up with one another. We had known each other since our kids were toddlers and now our kids are either working and in college. I remember one of her sons took up aircraft maintenance course and aviation course, it is high in demand in today's economy. Now I heard he is doing very good in a well established airline company, he is now promoted to maintenance supervisor. In fact he is quite experienced now in the servicing of aircraft and that includes purchasing of Aircraft Parts as well. My colleague told me that his son enjoys this scope of work very much, he did not have any regrets taking up this tough course. Initially he was having a tough time getting all his papers passed with credits, distinctions were hard to achieve. At one time he has thought of giving up half way but after some encouragement from his family and friends, he strive on. Today he has them to thank for, indeed his job is very challenging and interesting at the same time. I am glad that he is in the aircraft line, it suits him real fine.

Broken And Dislocated Ankle

2011-11-27T23:21:00.000+08:00

Supposedly to be a happy occasion, my sister and her family went to the bride's house to congratulate her before the wedding dinner. According to my sister, the kitchen was very wet and all of a split second, she just fell and she felt something not right immediately after that... she couldn't get up at all, the pain on her ankle was too excruciating!

Immediately my brother-in-law carried her to the car... and despite the pain, she called me... and I advised her to go to a private hospital straightaway.... Met her in the emergency room.... she was crying in pain... the ER doctor took her for X-Ray and when the report came out, I was told that her ankle bone had broken and dislocated...

A Very Swollen Ankle...

Unfortunately the bone specialist was in the operation theatre..

and my poor sister had to wait for another two hours for him...

Told the nurse to give my sister some cooling pad.. or painkiller...

as a temporary relief.......

And when the specialist finally came, he advised immediate operation

cos of the "swollen-ness"

After the three hours operation....

today she felt better...

she said at least the pain today cannot be compared as to yesterday...

Poor Sister.... the agony of slipping and falling and breaking her ankle

It was indeed an expensive wedding dinner present....

Thank God...she is alright now...

Riviera for skype

2011-11-27T19:15:00.002+08:00

We live in the mobile age, and as such we’re given truly excellent reach to the best that technology has to offer. The best thing about living surrounded by gadgets and technology is the barrier that distance used to be no longer exists. We have access to programs like Skype, MSN messenger and a whole host of other web messenging services.

Things are changed on a global level and now people, families and business personas alike go online to get in contact with people around the globe. This is where softwares like Riviera step in to ease better communication. Riviera is a Skype Call Recorder that’s tailored especially for Skype. Once installed, the program automatically records your skype conversations, converting them into MP3 files which you could store for future references. This comes in extremely handy because there is not a way to chat with someone who’s across the globe, AND have a great way to keep a live voice transcript of the conversation. There is no doubt that this technology will come in handy for people conducting interviews, video conferences, e-learning centers and even important business negotiations. The best thing about this is you can easily download the program right onto your computer in the comfort of your office, or home.

"Sinful" Birthday Treat

2011-11-26T13:27:00.000+08:00

Last night was my friend's birthday, she is only one day younger than me... we know each other since we were 13... and that makes us.. er... too many years to count. LOL...

We went out for a simple dinner at Weng Kee Restaurant, something very "sinful" to me... After my previous healthy dinner (steamboat porridge), these below were such a BIG contrast!

a plate of noodles for the birthday girl...

steamed Siakap fish in tomyam soup..

kapitan chicken...

salted fish kai lan...

steamed yam

all for my friend.. hahahaa...

the rest of us were "small eaters"

myself worst, in my condition..

I just "nibbled" .. like a Rabbit... hahaha...

Wait till I am better, I will eat like a HORSE!

A Fifties Birthday Bash!

2011-11-25T09:40:00.000+08:00

We had our "birthday bash" in Farmhouse... or is it Farmhome? hahaha... I am blurred now.... anyway, the three of us (yes, 3's a good company last night) had a good time, savouring the varieties in Hot Pot called Porridge steamboat...

Porridge steamboat is not very popular in Ipoh but I think it is most suitable for those who prefer something less oily.. something we chinese called "ching-ching".. for those recuperating from health reasons (ME), for the elderly people and for a nice warming ambience, this place is much recommended...

Ok, I let the pictures tell what we did....

Me Me in an almost empty Farmhouse....

when we left, it was almost full....

me and my "sister" who is one day younger than me...

"Let me serve both of you old aunties"....

"tonight we have special taste..... "

part of the food being served...

we ordered extra greens for the aunties like us...

there... something like this....

instead of soup, they have diluted porridge...

cannot see the rice grains..

and then.. after the food..

the best part is cutting up the Strawberry Cake

baked specially for me by ELIN!!

It was so so... FABULOUS!

Home made with lots of strawberries...

Gosh.. I took 2 WHOLE PIECES..

Isn't this Gorgeous???

I mean... the CAKE!

LOL....

My Birthday Gifts At Day

2011-11-24T21:52:00.000+08:00

Thank you for your birthday and get well wishes at the same time!! When I logged in to my FB this morning, I was so surprised to see so many joyous greetings, I felt so good eventhough I have been unwell for the past one week. I love blogging... I love Facebook too... these two social media have brought me great joy because knowing you all is really wonderful... great too!!

Today I felt much better... in fact I have to be better.... cos my dear colleague cum friend cum buddy wanted to give a lunch treat! So happy to see her after a week..... so much to catch up with each other...

We went to Kou Kei along the Mistress Street for our lunch..

she ordered clams... (lala) our favourite..

watercress vegetables (sai yong choy)

steamed fish (soon yue) it was really nice!

I was so hungry... like been ages since I last ate rice!

for the two of us, these dishes were more than enough...

THANK YOU SO MUCH, ELIN FOR THE SUMPTUOUS LUNCH!

Then around 2.30pm when I reached my house, I was accosted by a pretty young lady who asked me whether my name is Claire... She was holding a bouquet in her arms.... I thought they were flowers from my ahemmmm... "admirers" hahahaa... but when she handed them to me, to my astonishment, they were all CHOCOLATES!

my bouquet of Chocolates!!

Aren't they beautiful!!!

Another BIG THANK YOU

to this Family, WK, K & J.
and lastly and not least..
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WISHES!!

My Pre-Special Day In Bed

2011-11-23T20:28:00.000+08:00

Today is a special day for me... tomorrow more special... and I am glad I am given two days of medical leave by my favourite doctor. He advised me to take GOOD REST at HOME, not knowing that my hands tend to be very "itchy" when I see the keyboard... hahhahaaa....

So what did I do today? Leave or no leave, I still had to get up at 6.30 this morning, took Fernie to school for her Add. Maths paper. Then went back to zzzZZZzzz again till 9.30am.... By 10am, reached her school to pick Fernie and her friend for a dim sum breakfast. OK, I didn't eat much, just a bowl of porridge.... and after dropping them home to rest, I went to see my "What's up, Doc!"

Did some banking transactions and then home again to rest... rest but with my PC and TV to accompany me... 1pm, dropped the two ladies back to school for their 2nd Add Maths paper. Reaching home, I was really exhausted.... went to zzzzz but was awakened by someone coming by to deliver a Special Homemade Cake For ME!!

I am on antibiotics now... much as I wanted to avoid.... but Doc said I better take....I want to get well cos I am getting Free Treats on Lunch and Dinner tomorrow! .............................. Gosh.. wonder got appetite or not.. sigh....