The Good, The Bad But Not Ugly

MISSING AND NOW BACK IN ACTION... 

I checked back my last post and it was 8 March last month and today is 19 April, less than two months only.  So what has been happening in my life?  Lots and lots... good news, bad news, sad news... all concerning health and I guess this is our life cycle as we live day by day.  

My health is also not that "fantastic" during the past few months, but mine is a small rock compared to giant boulder which my best buddy is undergoing... I guess some of you know what is happening to her from her blog posts.  I was totally devastated when this happened to her, my tears couldn't help falling and my heart goes out to her.  I am ashamed to say that instead of me giving the comfort that she needs, I am the one that have been receiving her strength in times like this.  She might be crushed physically but she is not broken in her spiritual mind and soul.  One word... "Unbreakable!"  She is a shining example..... "What can death do to me when Jesus is living in me?"  This is what I see in her now... Living for Christ.

And now back to where I left off, this post will be about another good friend of mine, actually my childhood friend cum classmate, she flew to San Francisco for a month holiday with me.  My son picked her from the SF airport and together with me, three of us went to my sister's place in Sacramento which is two hours drive away.  

My sister and family joined us for lunch at Lollibowl, a Hongkong restaurant which is one of our favorite spots whenever we go to Sacramento.  Since it was a day trip for my son, we allowed him to choose what he wanted to eat.  And needless to say, for desserts, his best choice is Leatherby's.... after the great lunch and dessert-licious ice cream, he drove back to San Jose, with some food of course, for the family's dinner!

We had these for lunch....

Big enormous portions!

This is my favorite... Char Koay Teow...

And the humans indulging into these food....

Desserts in Leatherby's before my son drove home....

And so... our  fun holiday began... 

with me and my friend!

Costume Trick Or Treats

KIDS HAVE SO MUCH FUN when it comes to Halloween, they love the dressing up and the treats are the main attraction of the day!

We adults also did not want to feel left out on this day, my daughter-in-law and I wore the same  costumes on this very day.  Both of us became "cows" .. perhaps we really work like one... LOL.... and the man of the family became Mario minus the mustache.  hehehe...

During the day, we went to a park nearby our house, there was an event going on there, as usual, the parade of dressing up, adults and kids alike were here and there, freebies were being handed out for everyone.  

And in the evening, we walked from house to house in this area and by an hour or so, our little man's bucket was full of goodies already!  He started counting his goodies the next day... and his total is always 10 cos that is the max number he can go at that time!  LOL... 

My Moo Moo costume...

Two Moo-Moos, Scooby Doo and Mario....

And the treats our Scooby Doo collected!

 

Yearning For Ipoh Food In San Jose

FOOD MADE FROM SCRATCH...

No going out to hawker stalls or restaurants to get these type of food which I have cravings for.  Whatever we want to eat, we have to make from scratch and that is when I learn how to cook.  The two ladies in the house ended up making trial-n-error dishes.  With the baby taken care of by the male, the young lady and the senior one spent some time bonding in the cool kitchen.  Yes, one thing good about cooking here is that the weather is cool enough, unlike in my own kitchen in Ipoh, I would be sweating left and right.  LOL.... 

Here are some of the dishes for our own satisfaction and cravings.... 

*Lots to learn about presentation though.... we have to minimize washing-up, so we did not care too much about the decoration... Big wok on the table is a normal sight during meal times!*

Our cravings for Chicken Koay Teow.... 

This one is Hokkien prawn noodles... 

Forgot to put in some greens...

No Kangkung here but we use spinach....

Steamed a big fish which we had to cut into half....

We don't have a big steamer/wok/plate... 

Sweet and sour chicken taken straight from the stove... LOL...

Most of the time two dishes are sufficient plus leftovers...

Another two dishes with a leftover from previous day...

And a Western dish now and then.... 

Online Shopping Is Still The Best

When I was holidaying in Sacramento, I spent some afternoons surfing the websites for online shopping. Everything seems to be so cheap, not just the malls but from online websites especially branded shirts, wallets, shoes, household items and many more. I was thinking if I were to work in US and drawing salary from there, I would be spending a big portion of my pay doing online shopping! Malls close quite early over there, hence browsing and surfing online is a better option. In fact my brother-in-law does a lot of purchasing through the Internet. He does not like going to malls if he is given a choice, he said, he prefers to do his purchasing online, no hassle of queuing up to pay and driving around for a parking.

This year 2022 is a year whereby numerous weddings are preplanned and arranged, bookings have been done in hotels, restaurants and venues to hold the wedding vows and dinner.  Well, a lot of these special occasions have been on hold in many countries and it is at this time we need to plan again for these special functions.   Most of the shopping malls and stores are are now opened, however their sales discount are still varying. Getting cheap dresses is a bit difficult in the malls at this time.  But fret not, in the midst of all these, we can always opt for cheap online stores!  There are many websites offering the their best and stylish designs for us to choose from and one of these is called Wholesale21.

Wholesale clothing is the best place to look for cheap and yet nice, comfortable attires.  Wholesale21 is a one-stop website to look for, whether you are planning to sell or buy, they have everything you might need to get the business going!  In this website, we can access to a wide range of clothing for both women and men, ranging from pants, shorts, jumpsuits, skirts and casual sets for both young and adults which also includes plus sizes as well.  There are also swimwear, tops, dresses to choose from. Their selection and prices vary accordingly and I am sure you can find one which fits the right occasion.  Their wide collection are so much cheaper and prettier than the ones sewn or bought locally from the shops.  Addition to that, their beautiful accessories ranging from shoes, hats, handbags among others, come in a variety of colors and styles to suit your choice, ranging from sizes S to 6XL, you can surely be able to fit into their items.

 I like their 2 piece women outfits, I love wearing casual and their designs suit me perfectly.  There is a big discount up to 50% now, the spring outfit is on and not only that, they have lots of accessories to go with the designs as well.

You can sit on your couch in your comfy track pants and swipe choices. There is no need to move out of your house and hunt for the products you need. So, there is no need to skip office and run from one store to another in search of a particular brand or product.  Moreover with just a click, you can search, save and get alerts every now and then for discounts and more discounts!

Well, if you are buying your items from a reputed online store, you can be sure that you will not be cheated. This is because; people across the world are viewing those items, and if you think that there is a breach of trust, you can raise a complaint against it. Also, you can read reviews about a particular store, brand or product before buying it.

Well, gas is expensive and cars today need more of it to give you the required level of comfort. So, shop online and save gas that will be wasted on moving around looking for specific items. Instead, use it to go on a vacation with your family.  Some of the best products are not available locally. However, you can buy it online and get it delivered at your doorstep.  

 

Downtown San Jose For Trick Or Treats

FAST FORWARD...

My lovely in-law has finished her "babysitting job" and flew back to Malaysia, leaving me to tend to my grandson who kept me pretty much occupied during the day time.  This cheeky fella has grown up by then, only started walking around 16 months and since then, it was more about running and I chasing him here and there.  Anyway, he keeps me on my toes and my food digested faster than I was in Malaysia.  LOL... 

Halloween was in October, my daughter-in-law took us to downtown one evening.  She knows all about the activities happening and it was all about treat or trick for the kids.  Never knowing what to expect, I was full of anticipation especially with the young one donning a Scooby Doo outfit.  Wearing the Halloween outfit was a tedious job, after much struggling, we managed to get him into it but we failed to get him wear the Scooby Doo headgear.  We gave up.... 

Downtown, few roads were closed for pedestrians on that day...

Let's queue for the treats! 

See anything interesting here?

Scooby Doo scurrying along the pavement...

Joining in with the other kids...

This is how it is done....

He takes the treats and leave as fast as he can....

And he always choose lollipops!

Big crowd at the centre...

Yes, no masks....

Activities for young kids...

Freebies....

Yes, we stayed back for the Nutcracker performance in the evening...

And promotions for them as well...

And our last collection in this shop... 

By then, our little fella was already exhausted...

Let's go home!