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

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..

The Crucifix In The Leg

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

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!!

Broken And Dislocated Ankle

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...

"Sinful" Birthday Treat

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!

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

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

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....

My Public Speaking Dilemma

I was contemplating this morning whether to go to work or not... in fact, as early as 6am, I woke up to a confused mind, "Should I go to work or not?"  I have not been sleeping well the previous night due to constant coughing and getting up to spit and drink warm water to ease the throat itchiness. 

Eventually I decided to go to work and it was already 9am then.... I know I would not be able to rest peacefully at home knowing there was going to be a meeting and my work had not completed yet. I couldn't avoid the meeting, it was my "public speaking" turn .. somehow or rather, my turn will come and I just want it to be fast and over with....

I started off with the formalities and greetings and "memohon maaf kerana suara yang kurang merdu pagi ini."  (apologize for not having a sweet voice this morning)  That helped to break the ice a bit.... But as I didn't prepare my speech on paper, I have a lot of " er... er...  "  (trying frantically to translate some english words to malay at the spur of the moment) and ending up speaking in half malay, half english....

Well, it is over with.... the meeting and the urgent workload are completed today...  now I can really take a full complete rest at home tomorrow without any "stress" in my mind...

Remarriage... Me?

One of you asked whether I am considering remarriage... the answer is 100% a No, a NO.. and A NO..
One marriage is enough, two times will too much....... ooopsss...sorry, I am speaking for myself only... no offence to anyone...

On the serious note, once upon a time, I did think about it, when my kids were pretty and young, friends and relatives alike, they encouraged me to get into marriage again... but on the other hand, some jested about "now that you are free, why want to be tied down again?" 

I opted for the latter... after all, who would want to Buy One, Get Three Free?  hahahaa...

Ok, back to the topic, I prefer to be what I am today... just Me and my 3 Kids...
At least.....
When I travel, I do not have to ask permission, "Can I go?"
When I do shopping, I don't have to listen to "Don't spend unnecessarily!"
When I yearn for desserts, no one tells me this... "Don't eat so much PLEASE.... U R too plump already!"
And lastly and not least.....

When I want to blog, there won't be remarks like "Hey, U got none other better things to do ah?"

Sorry.. sorry.. all these are meant as jests... the above responses are just my Own Imagination....  :)

One Is Lonely, Two Is Company

I "think" I am getting better today, though my voice is not original yet, though my taste buds are still "sourish"... I can't wait to be well again...

I drove out to buy something to eat this evening, I bought a packet of chee cheong fun and two packets of barley water (they were in plastic bags) and just put them on the passenger seat.. Upon reaching home, to my frustration, the two packets of barley has spilled all over my front seat, soaking my car cushion. In my blurry mind, I forgot to hang up the plastic bags.   Sigh.... sien!

Now when I am writing this, to all ladies who want to remain single, do consider this... when you are sick and there is no one in the house to help you, even to fetch a glass of water, it is INDEED very saddening... So think over before you say NO to all males.. hahhaahaa..

OK, I shut up here... in my blur-blur mind, that is all I want to say for today... 

SPM History

I heard something like these...... (hearsay, ok!)

What is our national song?
How do you feel when the national anthem is being played?  Give reasons.
What do we need to do when this song is being played?

Those were part of the questions in the SPM History subject last week.....correct me if I'm wrong...
What can I say..... no comments..... (^ ^)
                                                                                                                                 

Self Torture!

I am not feeling very well, I cough every now and then, a slight fever hovering by and my voice almost gone... I don't feel like doing anything by lying down and sleep... that is why I didn't blog hop much these two days, sorry ya!

But above all these, I am still yearning for something hot and nice.... when I went through my folder just now, I drooled and drooled over food such as these below...

 

I don't mind having a hot bowl of noodles now... 

 

fish noodles in hot salted vege soup...

 

or a bowl of hot laksa!  

gosh... why am I torturing myself??

 

my mum made me this hot soup instead... 

for Dessert, I yearn for a bowl of yam...

 

with thick santan (sinful dessert!)

 

I don't mind having a hot bowl of potato soup now too!!

 

or a plate of red cherries... 

 

followed by a sardine pastry!!

GOSH!!  I wish I am well now!!!

This reminds me of a chinese saying...

Eat while you can...

Forget about dieting.. forget about getting fat....

Eating Well means Prosperity!

An Egostic Mom!

After a dose of the cough mixture last night, I couldn't get up at 6am this morning despite the alarm beeping loudly... I switched it off and drowsily, I hit the pillow and was in dreamland again. When I finally opened my eyes, it was 8am!! Gosh, my office starts at 8am and I was still in bed!

Ok, never mind lar... drowsy ma, what to do.. at least I went to work, right? Sick as I was, I still drove to office because of my conscience and my responsibility... ahem... ahemmmmm... cough... cough... ahemmmmmm... hate this phlegm!!

Tell me one thing.. sick as I was, why do I still have such a good appetite? I was yearning desperately for rice, rice...RICE!! Thinking of that motivated me to work fast-fast.... and upon reaching home, within an hour or so, these three dishes were laid on the table... (capable or not? ahemmmmmmmmm ...throat itchy la)

When my girl saw the dishes, she exclaimed, "Wa...!!! Looks good!"

But half way through the meal, she said...

"Mi, why the dishes moe mei geh?"

(Why all the dishes so tasteless?)

ooopss!!... I realized I forgot to put salt...

no wonder, I thought it was due to my taste buds gone tasteless..

And my reply......

"Don't eat so saltish, no good for body!"

Manuka Honey Versus Hospital Medication

I was told that Manuka honey is good for cough and I remember someone blogged about Manuka recently.... so this morning before going to hospital, I went to the pharmacy to get a bottle of this much-heard-about honey.

Gosh, it was not cheap though.. in fact very expensive... one small bottle of 250gm cost RM64 and the 500gm one cost RM94 ($31usd)...and after some mental calculation,  the Big Honey came home...

 

Written here..it has been established scientifically that Manuka Honey has an antibacterial activity.

Beneficial for aiding the natural healing process of wounds, burns, sore throats, digestion and winter ills. (wounds and burns too?)

Apart from the purchase, I went to General Hospital to get a medical chit... (really sick ma) and the doctor prescribed these to me...

so... what shall I take now?

this above or this below??

 

Well, goods are not meant to be wasted, right?

So I have taken the natural honey plus lemon

and dosed myself with the cough mixture as well..

Hope tonight I can have a good night zzzzzZZZZZ!