Foreign Object in Her Nose!

This was the first, and hopefully also the last time Sarah does this to herself…

Out of curiosity, she tries to pokes her nostril with a bendable toy ruler the other day; I stopped her immediately and I thought that was the end of the story.

The following day we noticed Sarah had some mucus and she kept sneezing too. “It’s the symptoms of flu”, so we laments.

In the evening just when Sarah was playing with toys at the supermarket she had a huge sneeze! OMG, I was shock to see some “colourful thing” stick out from her nostril; I quickly pulled it out and this is what I saw…



By then I can finally recalled the bendable ruler episode…



Kids do the darndest thing.

(040212)

Allergic

As far as I am concern I do not have allergy toward anything, so I thought…

Until recently, the one that befall me was really a serious one! I woke up from my nap (on the fifth day of Chinese New Year) and found the back of my neck, scalp and my back were extremely itchy; after thorough checked, I realized the itchiness was caused by rashes. Without further delay, I rushed to see my family doctor and was given some medication and cream to apply.

I really thought it was settled as the rashes subside almost entirely at night. Alas, but things got worst the next day, now my whole body was covered with the red spots.





Then we decided to see another doctor for further consultation (My family doctor was off on Saturday evening). I had a jab this time with new medication. The doctor did comment that even with jab thing might take few days to recover...which it does.

And my lower lip and mouth started to swollen the following days due to side-effect of the medication. It was not a pleasant feeling as I can’t speak well and unable to close my mouth tight.

Thank God, everything seems getting better on the fifth day as the rashes has ran it course.



Now, I’m back in the pink of health. If you were to ask me, I still have no idea what is the reason that trigger the outbreak, but my best guess is the change of hormone (during menstruation).

I just prayed hard that it would not “attack” me once again!

(270112 - 310112)

Critterland

The outing to Critterland supposed to be held during the December holiday; but unfortunately Sarah was down with cough and for that we forced to cancel the plan.



Not wanting to disappoint her, we made the trip once she recovered a week later. Sarah was super excited the moment we reached the place, and she loves most of the climbing structures basically.



Me and daddy also joined the fun. For us, the long and steep slides are the most challenging one! I really salute Sarah for her courage in playing it numerous times.



We spent two hours in the play land and I guess it’s enough to make all of us exhausted. Sarah kept comment that she wish to revisit the place again but I think we will pick a nearer one than Serdang the next time.

(080112)

Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam

I believe many locals were familiar with the place since it has been here for ages. I went there once when I was small and at the turn of the year, we revisited the place again, for my brother-in-law’s birthday celebration.



We had a barbecue there; Sarah was so excited and she enjoys her first barbecue very much, apart from the birthday song session.



The highlight of the trip was the one-night stay at the traditional Malay kampong house, and it’s an eye opener for Sarah (before that we told her we are going to stay at “hotel”). The kids seem enjoyed running and jumping on the wooden floor.

The house is spacious, we felt cozy and windy although the place was not air-conditioned; and the chirping sound of crickets in the morning was so soothing and restful.





The following day activities were fun. Thank God Sarah has no complaint walking up and down the uneven terrain. Oh ya, she likes the rabbit-feeding a lot.











I must admitted the place is a great spot for outdoor activities and for nature-lover. Overall, it was a pleasurable outing for everyone; and for Sarah, she will always remember it was a day she “live” in the “jungle”.

(301211 & 311211)

Baking Mood

I found myself in a baking mood recently. Yes, I’ve (gradually) overcome the fear in using oven to bake cake than steaming.

I am lucky and happy that I get to know this blogger, Maya, that willingly to share all her useful tips and guidelines to me; and the excellent recipes from her blog are the real motivation for me to keep the baking mood going.





The cupcakes are easy to make; it turned out good and delicious for my two attempts.

As for the Banana Cake , I just thought to give a try but never expected I was able to control the oven temperature satisfactorily. The cake is so moist and we all love it.

And lastly, I got another recipe from The Star. Now only I know the combination of cinnamon powder with apples can be so wonderful!

New Year, New Header

It’s been more than 21 months since we last change our blog’s header. On one fine day I made my husband sit in front of the computer and “donated” his 60 minutes to do me a new one.

It was a rush job, but at least now the new header updated with Sarah’s latest photo, which more aptly reflected her current stage…

Previous header


Note: This posting is only applicable for Blogspot as my Multiply blog’s header remain unchanged.

My Special Day 2011

It’s time of the year again, in December, not only Christmas but also my birthday (on 27th); and the annual eating-outing to celebrate that is the thing I wanted to do most every year with my family.





This year hubby has given me two birthday pressies, again. I never expected he had bought me a smart phone as my current one can still be used (but he said we cannot afford an iPhone, so I have to make do with this Android set).



The second gift is a sling bag; it will convenient for me to store my personal belonging when outing. Prior to this, I always “tumpang” hubby’s backpack.



But the real kicker is at the dinner in TGIF. While we were eating, I saw a lady holding a bouquet on her hands; I did not sense a thing until she walked towards our table and my husband nodded his head to signal that I am the one.

Oh dear, the flowers is for me! This is surreal and I was in total shocked. His very first bouquet to me… (He must have done something bad lately, uh?)



I am deeply touched by the effort that he has put in on all these. Yes, I know, I am lucky, and I always count my blessing.

(241211)

Spelling Development

I’ve never guide Sarah in spelling. According to teachers, she will only learn Spelling, “Ejaan” and “Ting Xie” when she’s in year-five class. Therefore, I believe Sarah have zero idea about all these until she starts her school next term.

Few days ago, she surprised us by spelled out and writes the S-A-R-A-H all by herself; although she only remembered these five alphabets but it’s already enough to make us proud.

Bruises

I would consider Sarah an active kid; she run, jump and of course fall down sometimes. Her legs always have bruises and if they are too small, we will just leave it as it is.

This time, I think the blue-black mark is little too many over both her legs therefore I’ve used some lotion to massage on them; according to old folks this will quicken the healing. See, its colour have changed so much after a day.



The funniest part is Sarah enjoy the rubbing a lot. She prefers “hard one” rather than just gentle massage.

Muachi, Sesame Sponge Cake & Salad

Muachi
I love this dessert but hardly find it here in my area; that’s why I am just too happy to come across this muachi recipe from Ohbin.

It only involves few steps in making the glutinous rice and to have a flavourful muachi, the peanuts have to be pan-roasted. It took me 25 minutes but it worth the effort.

The peanuts indeed bring aroma to muachi. After few attempts this latest outcome was to my greatest satisfaction.

And here is the recipe in English:

Ingredients A:
250g glutinous rice flour
375ml water (I adjusted to 370ml)
3 tablespoons sugar

Ingredients B (mixed):
Pan-roasted peanuts and sesame seeds
Sugar

Instructions:
1. Mix well of ingredients A. (I find the mixture smoother if mixed using fingers).
2. Grease the steaming pan with some oil and steam the mixture for 45 minutes.
3. After 45 minutes, when it becomes a dough, stir it in the same direction until it become opaque. (I suggest using wooden chopstick for the stirring).
4. Leave to cool.
5. Cut the dough and rolled it in Ingredients B.





Steamed Sesame Sponge Cake
It’s easy to make and it just need very few ingredients. I like the sesame flavor in the cake. Give it a try, ladies, and hope you will like it, the “oil-free” cake.





Salad with Peanuts
My very first try serving salad with peanuts, and it taste superb! The shredded cucumber and carrots are so crunchy and the pan-roasted peanuts definitely add a kick to it.

Barney Space Adventure Live Musical 2011

The last time Barney in Malaysia was 5-6 years ago; we were absolutely thrilled that he is back! Never mind Sarah’ interest towards Barney is on the wane we quickly grab the tickets nonetheless. We so want her to see the dinosaur “live” in front her very eyes before she completely outgrow them.



We were lucky; we have a very clear view from our seat. I could even hear the stomping sound from BJ’s feet, and Sarah was taken aback by our close proximity with the stage…



We can tell that she was enjoying the performance, and concentrated throughout the show. But there is only one problem – she forgotten to bring along her smile. Mommy was the one who sang out loud all the familiar songs instead.

Daddy double up as photographer, and here are ton of photos taken during the 90 minutes show.



















On the whole, the show was just awesome. The stage, the lighting, the cast, all the songs and dance…what a stu-u-u-u-pendous extravaganza! Come to think of it, these people are just amazing, they go all around the world and bring joy to children’s face.

And I leave you all with a classic of them all…”I love you”.

(261111)

A Year in School

Parents-Teachers Day
Twice-a-year Parents-Teachers Day went well just before the holiday started; Sarah was less tense this time around.

In fact, teachers are quite pleased with her behavior at class; teacher said that she is an obedient girl. She has showed improvement in colouring but needs to brush up her writing skill.



Sarah’s Mandarin teacher commented that she still lack confident in writing and communicating in Mandarin. Hopefully she will learnt better in Year-Five Class.

Looking back, we can really feel the changes in Sarah since she attended school. At times I wonder how she grows up so much right under my nose.

(131111)

Holiday Class
We were concerned about the school holiday, frankly; we do not wish Sarah spent the entire holiday with boredom at home.

We thought about those a la carte Holiday Programs but in the end we opt for the holiday class provided by her school. Familiarity is important for her at this stage.

Sarah went to school as usual but came home with a little moody face the first day. I guess she just disappointed that the baking activities (which told by the management when we sign up) was not conducted that day.

But at least I knew that she has better time with her friends at school than with me at home.

(211111 - 231211)

Must-Try Recipes

For me, these recipes are definitely a keeper! I adjusted the recipes a little bit and it still turned out rightly; I would truly recommend you all to try them out.

Steamed Chocolate Cake
Source: Baking Wonderland (from Facebook)

Ingredients A:
Butter - 180g
Sugar - 120g
Fresh Milk - 200ml
Vanilla Essence - Few drops

Ingredient B:
Egg 2 (whisk)

Ingredient C:
Self-Raising flour - 160g
Cocoa Powder - 30g
Baking Chocolate - 20g
Soda Bicarbonate - ½ teaspoon

Note: Substitution of self-raising flour: for 1 cup, use 1 cup all-purpose flour plus 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon of salt.

Instructions:
1) Double-boiled the ingredients A till it melted.
2) Remove from heat (and let it cool for few minutes) and mix it with ingredient B.
3) Add ingredient C. You may complete this step without using the electric mixer, but be sure the batter is well mixed until the smooth texture is formed.
4) Steamed at high heat for 30-45 minutes (for 6 x 6 inches square pan) or until the skewer came out cleanly.

Outcome:

The cake is so spongy to eat; I tried it on several occasions and it never failed me. It is such a moist chocolate cake, everyone agreed!



Dried Shrimps Eggplant
Source: CookingCrave.blogspot

Ingredients:
1 egg plant - medium size (cut into thin slices)
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 1/2 tbsp dried shrimps - rinse with water
3 cloves garlic - chopped
3-4 chili padi (sliced)
1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (or to taste)
2-3 tbsp water
pinch of sugar (optional)

Instructions:
1) Heat up the non-stick pan without oil.
2) Place the sliced egg plant in the heated pan, cover with lid and cook for 2-3 minutes in low heat until its bottom part turn brown. Be careful not to burn the egg plant.
3) Flip the egg plant slices, it should be slightly soften now and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
When both side of the egg plant turn brown, remove from the pan and set aside.

Note: Make sure the egg plants are soft before proceed to the next steps of the recipe.

4) Now the egg plants are ready to stir fried with other ingredients
5) Heat the pan with a tablespoon of cooking oil and brown the garlic in medium heat.
6) Add in dried shrimp and chili padi, stir and cook for 1 minute.
7) Add in fish sauce, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Immediately stir in the eggplant slices, cook for about 30-45 second.
8) Add in water and stir until water dries up.
9) Serve warm with rice.

Outcome:

The eggplant is cooked with less oil and is healthier. The aroma and its flavors will make you crave for more rice than you usually do.