Yummy Mummy Blogging the Blog

2009-11-09T13:10:00.006+08:00

.......................................................................................................

Hey guys just to let you know I'll be off to the airport this evening for a business trip to Shanghai. I won't be able to update my blog this week. I couldn't update it last week and the week before too, due to too many things at hand.

And I have yet to fill my luggage with things I need. There's like so much to do but so little time.

So, to give a rough preview on the future posts that might be coming, here are the snapshots and its description.

1) Firstly, Judith graduated from Q-Dees.

2) The kids got a new PS3 game called the 'Eye Pet'.

3) And.. it was Nancy's 17th (5/11) and Joe's 8th (8/11) birthday last week.

There you go.. a short preview of posts that are coming soon. I can feel the urge to upload more photos already plus cakes that my mom made recently.

Anyway, I'll be back for more. Be sure to tune in once I'm back and Cheerios!

Gym-Tastic

2009-10-31T14:27:00.014+08:00

Hubby got some new gadgets for his gym at work. Something big and something small but something definitely from abroad.

Presenting the wonderful and dependable TRX® Suspension Training® ...

and they are out of the box!

my message for hubby...

.. and here's what the other can do... seriously hubby can pull down the Takasima machine.. even I could tilt it.. so, I don't recommend anyone to buy this brand unless you are strengh-less.

You can attach to a machine of your choice, a pole, the ceiling or.. connect the TRX® Suspension Training® with the TRX Door Anchor then TADA you can have your gym anywhere.

And now... drum roll pur-leese... P90X Chin-Up Bar from Beachbody

this is freaking good.. just latch it onto the door frame and TADA!

and here's hub doing chin-ups while I did heads-up - HAHA

*the chair is there for a reason.. as I am too short to reach the bar, I had an assistant :p

my poor palms giving birth to baby blisters...

so.. therefore this ENDS the Gym-Tastic post.. exercise is really good.. some do it to release stress.. some do it to get lean and fit while I chose to do particularly for my migraines. I have very bad migraines few times a month and with exercise, the devil only visits me once in a month which is a +. My migraines are terrible... even pills on the shelves also can't make the pain go away. I would feel so sick as if my head's going to explode and it's hard to get along with daily life. I'll vomit and suffer a little bit then I'm all OKAY. Weird right? But it's what I go through every migraine day. I think the less migraines I have, the more life I'm living.

MIL’s Birthday @ Hilton’s CHYNNA

2009-10-27T21:05:00.005+08:00

Last Friday right after work, we picked the kids up and zoomed to Hilton, KL to celebrate my mother's in law's birthday. We were supposed to dined at the poolside but because it was pouring, we dined at Chynna, a Chinese restaurant instead.

We got booked into a private room with exquisite decors and detailed cutlery. We got there earlier than my inlaws so we took some shots first.

Beautiful room but not so comfy chairs

Super long Chinese tea-pouts

The famous Dim Sum bar.. u guys wan Dim Sum at night?
This is the place to be!!!

From day to night.. just add a waist clincher and heels and TADA!

Presenting the Birthday Girl... Ms Ritha Rumbajan @ Mrs Yong

The beloved bubbly Nancy

The ever so charming Cecilia sans her charMANing by her side

The menu picker which failed to pick dishes because there wasn't enough light in the room..
Diners.. bring your torchy lights when you come here.

Like grandfather like grandson

Our Tea Hero from China

Jake and Cecilia helped FIL to pick dishes out of the wholesome menu. The food was great. They were up to standard of The Hilton unlike Shang Palace of Shangri-La. Sorry yall' we were so into the food and yapping, that I forgot to snap pictures of the delicious and tasty food.

After the glorious food, it was cake cutting time!

~KISS KISS~

(so... what did MIL got for her birthday this year? shhhhh~)

Lilies, Ms Ritha's favourite

Finally a family picture.. this is R-A-R-E

Bloop Bloop Bloop

Mommy's Grrrrls

Daddy with the Double Trouble Gang

Check out 'The YONGz'

The YONGs', The Rumbajan and The Kwok

Couple 1

Couple 2

(always camming in the car)

Mini Deepavali @ Home

2009-10-25T10:39:00.009+08:00

We had a mini Deepavali at home on the 17th. Kumar, our loyal breakfast provider, gave us plentiful of food despite only owning a little stall. Well, we called Uncle Richard over to share the glorious food.

This is Uncle Richard with Judith

The mighty chutney

The wonderful dhal

OMG it's the awesome 'mutton curry'

Herbs and Spice Rice to accompany all of the above

And finally, some sweet and spicy mouth watering finger food for all!!!

Oh not to forget, Kumar also gave my mom a bottle of Port Wine as an acknowledgment for her helps and aids during the years.

Cc's 22nd Birthday

2009-10-12T22:07:00.020+08:00

It was funny when I first found out that my brother, Edmund and Jake's sister, Cecilia are born days apart. Plus we were in the same primary school and how Jake and I crossed paths. While Edmund's birth date is on the 3rd, Cc's birth date falls on the 6th and funny how many more birthdays are coming soon.

Say 'HELLO' to B-day Girl @ Cecilia @ Cc

We celebrated Cc's birthday at Kampachi, Equatorial Hotel. Her cousins joined us for dinner too therefore, we had a room booked. We combed the menu, ordered this and a bit of that, dined and savored, gossiped and fooled around and finally got to the cake cutting ceremony.

I swapped my tenderloin teppanyaki for Nancy's Beef Katsudon because her bowl of katsu was topped with egg strips... psst~ she's allergic to eggs

She's like WHAT-EVA! Haha kidding only.

You'll never guessed who fooled around the most!!!

"ITADAKIMASU"

B-day Girl Bento Set

Here comes the cake!!!

Stop being C-U-T-E

ERM........................... See? I don't know what's wrong with 22 year old people but they love knives.. check out my brother who was caught playing with a knife too in my previous post, 'Ed's Birthday'.

The Cc behind closed doors.. wahaha :p be-careful Datuk K

Cc is playing nice

Always a daddy's girl

We couldn't finish Cc's cake so she decided to share them with the employees of Kampachi; better than going to waste right?

After filling our stomachs with raw and cooked food, we were off to snap some corny pictures!

Cc with Ti-Ti Ee... wahaha

Mei-Mei and Nancy

The talling Ee siblings

The 'puffy' Yong siblings

Hubby and ME

Looks like I really caught his attention!

Ed's 22nd Birthday

2009-10-12T21:55:00.009+08:00

My brother turned 22 last week with a homemade cake by MOM. Ed's birthday was on the 3rd of October which was the same day as 'Lantern Festival'. As you can already see, YES it's the 'apple' icon on his cake. He's the 'apple' of our eyes and he has eyes only on 'apple' products. He's got the multi-functioning iPhone, iPod and a MacBook.

Now this is awkward... he's just trying out his luck on the knife

Presenting Edmund, my brother who loves his daily life in pajamas...

After the singing, the cake cutting, the cake eating.. we were magnetized by the loud sounds of fireworks working out the quiet evening.

Every year, my neighborhood lights up with lanterns during the 'Lantern Festival'. Since this year everyone was busy with their DOs', we brought the kids out for a walk around the neighborhood and end up at Auntie Theresa and Chai Ko's house.

They gave the kids each a lit and ladled paper 'tanglung'...

After saying thank you, we were off to walk the neighborhood again... it was a quiet 'Lantern Festival' this year but nevertheless it was a sugary sweet one!

One of a Kind Straw

2009-10-10T21:30:00.000+08:00

Oooo.. look what did I stumble upon! A one of a kind MILO straw. It's limited edition and I didn't know it until I took a sip.. at first I thought the straw was faulty.. but as I took sip after sip, I noticed that I enjoy sipping without wanting more. I, therefore ingest less drink per sip which is good for calories watcher. Gotta get these straws everywhere I go!

'Alamak janganlah Edisi Terhad.. I nak straw ni lagi!'

Imported Goodies 4 All

2009-09-26T22:55:00.000+08:00

Sis got back from Perth already! She touched down at 6 in the morning and miraculously appeared at her office desk at around 9am. She didn't even unpacked her luggage and zoomed to work. She must be in need of some cash after the miles of spending.

She went to the '2009 Smoke Free Perth Royal Show' and brought back some goodies for the kids courtesy of Kevin. She bought some stuff for the old folks, the young folks and the not so young folks plus some tidbits for her fellow colleagues.

Lets see what's for who and who has what!!!

Judith requested for a 'HighSchool Musical' show bag and she got it!!! Inside lies HSM notebooks, HSM photo album, HSM arm band and a HSM mini basketball.

Joe is happy with his 'Optimus Prime' show bag...

And Javier is head over Crocs with his 'Bumblebee' show bag!

Both of the boys' show bags each have a Transformers Book, a reversible beanie, notepads, stationery and a watch cum mini projector.

There were definitely sweets and chocolates for the kids courtesy of Aunty Angeline...

Mom and Dad both share a bag of Morish variety nuts... wahaha we told Dad that he looked like he came from the 'aboriginal' village to collect relief aids which he also agreed with laughing stocks!

Ed didn't get much this time as he normally feeds on our goodies.. here he's seen with a packet of limited edition RIBENA pack...

While Hub got a show bag full of dark chocolates from "Whittaker's"... see the other stuff there? It's ALL MINE!!! :p I've got a Roxy shawl, a black tote, a mini purse which I'm using now as my work lunchbag, a pair of white jeans which I can't fit and also "Benefit's Smokin' Eyes"... woo-hoo

My grams (grandpa+grandma) both got a triangle-shape shark-fin which is REAL and also a tin of abalone which they'll bring back to KT to savour.

Mom had extra goodies too just like ME.. here are a few baking needs that is hard to find here..

And on that very same day, I also found out that my sister not only have 2 LeSportsac bags with butterfly prints but actually 5 of which in different sizes... goodness gracious!!!

Top left: cosmetic bag
Top middle: medicine bag
Top right: iPod bag
Bottom left: sanitary bag
Bottom right: carry bag

Saddest thing is that, I don't even have one LeSportsac... arrghh!!!

Second SUBWAY Saturday

2009-09-26T22:37:00.006+08:00

We had Subway for breakfast 2 weeks in a row. The first week, we brought the kids to the one at Ikano. At first they were hesitated to try the sandwiches but after the first bite, they got a hang to it. They even ate sandwiches with lettuce in them. WOW-WEE!

For the second week, we decided to skip the mall and headed to the Subway situated opposite Stamford College, PJ along Jalan Barat. This time, we ordered 5 'Breakfast Subways'; each and every person and each every kid had one.

Jake and Joe had 'Turkey and Egg' each, Javier and I had 'Tuna and Egg' each; while Judith chewed on 'Western Egg'. Each 'Breakfast Subway' cost RM6.90 inclusive a choice of coffee, 'teh tarik' or Milo. So, breakfast cost about RM34.50 that is cheaper than the normal Old Town Kopitiam that we normally patronize on weekends.

We just love our healthy sandwiches!!!

Our aromatic White Coffee while the kids sipped on cups of Milo and 'teh tarik'

Our kids just love Subway's sandwiches

From HOME to OFFICE

2009-09-25T22:36:00.027+08:00

Sorry that I haven't been updating my blog upfront. I've started work you see. At first it was all a blur to me but now, I'm getting a hang of it.

I was even afraid to make calls and I guess I need communication therapy. but fret not, I'm all semi-pro now. I'm learning the trade as some says.
Right now I'm filling my sister's chair temporarily doing some export stuff till she gets back from her 'holiday'. And when she's back, I'm back at the other side of the room doing other stuff like picking calls, getting orders and perhaps 'gayut' a little as I see that's what the others do during semi-precious times.

At my proposed table, there's no surfing thingy. Although, I get to chat on MSN, it won't make me much happier. I won't be able to check my mail or find 'kids stuff' online like worksheets and coloring pages for my 3 little monkees which I did at my sis table (only when I'm certain that I am completely mobile, in the middle of lunch or maybe half an hour before I beep my card @6.30pm?). But.. there's always my laptop, right? Hmm....

Oh well, feels weird here when I'm doing nothing. At home, there's always something to do for eg. fold the mountain of clothes, feed the terrapins, fill in contest forms, soak the milk bottles, update the blog, munch on chocolates, jump from couch to couch, etc.

While at work on a fuss-free day, you look at the screen, walk to the loo, peep at others (eavesdrop to be more precise), write silly notes and just waiting to go home.

Since work has started, all my daily dos' and leisure stuff came to a halt.

~MY BOOKS~

These days, well the days before I started work, I bought my books online through 'LowYat.net'. There are brand new ones(as low as RM24) and secondhand books (as low as RM8) available and believe me they are readable. So, if you are looking for good reads and don't have the time to browse through the bookstores, do check out 'Jules Online Bookstore'. She's very prompt in reply and you can certainly save a bunch!

~MY CROSS-STITCHING~

I'm stuck at this now... finished work should look roughly like below.. colors maybe differ and as you can see, I've added more kids to it and the numbers on the shirts are of their birth-dates. A few people have asked me, 'Where are YOU?'. Well, I'm the one snapping the picture aren't I?

~My Kids~

I have already missed my kids.. whenever I'm hands-free, I think of them. I always wonder what are they doing at home.. do they behave well when I'm not around.. have they bathed? Going to miss verbal bargain moments and the sound of whining.

~My Weekly Fish Noodles~

The bowl of fresh fish noodles cost RM5 and sometimes may cost up to RM8 depending on what fish is cooking!!! This is one of the best fish noodles I've eaten as the broth is clear and clearly something fishy is going on. Haha! The longest that mom and I had waited for our precious bowls of noodles were about 45 minutes. But, it's good and healthy so patience plays second. Find 'fishy noodles' at Taman Megah @ Cheras or to be more precise of the location, drop me a message!!!

~My Food Buddies~

Mom, who I have breakfast every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Plus our Friday dates to the 'Tau Foo Fah' stall at Suntex, gonna miss those little dates.

Granny, who will chew on whatever bone that's left on my plate

Uncle Yan who treats us to breakfast every Wednesday.. and that's his favorite noodles, 'curry fish head noodles'

~Lily and Tornado~

I miss feeding Lily (the one having the spa treatment) and Tornado (the one that hides and goes to a spin every time we go near)

But everything in life you do, there's the negative and the positive sides.. what do I get from upgrading from a homemaker to a 'soon-to-be workaholic'? Hmm... I get to go to the:

... office GYM with Hubby after work.. no more room workouts for me with limited space!

I have greenery views (vegetable plantation) and a quite serene one that is when the phone stops ringing!!!

I have more 'kopitiam' moments with Hubby too

I get more money to spend on myself.. perhaps I get to buy that embroidery top that I've set my eyes on 2 months ago which I think would have gone to the 70% section or get more trendy glasses to match my days!

I'll have funny office moments like this below.....

And finally, I get to make more friends than having just sisters!!!

I'm sure there will be plenty of good moments coming soon.. just gotta get the job done and stay out of BOSS'S view. HAHA!

2009-09-24T22:45:00.009+08:00

Look! It's Judith and me.. we were over at YouthAsia, Kelana Square a week ago to collect my 'Ugly Truth' prizes. Do check out the original link: YouthSays Blog

Weekend Break

2009-09-17T22:19:00.014+08:00

Last week, we took a break from work, school, chores and everything. We as in FIL, MIL, Cecilia, Nancy, Jake, ME and the kids too.

We left on Friday morning to Awana Kijal, Kemaman for a 3 days 2 nights stay. It took us about 4 and a half hours to reach the hotel. We all took turns to sleep in the car except for Cc who seemed to have slept throughout the journey.

Jake, ME and the kids have been to Awana Kijal a couple times before. We love this hotel a lot as the staff are friendly and there's plenty of food here. The beach here is clean, the seawater is crystal and the rooms are squeaky clean. So, here were are again and I bet we'll be back here again soon.

You know what I mean now? Sleeping Super Big Baby!

For the few days we were there, we had an assistant, kinda like a tour guide. My uncle, whom I normally address as Uncle Keong or better known as Steven to the staff of Awana Kijal, is a swimming instructor in Awana Kijal. When he's done with his lessons, he brought us out to find yummy licking food.

Uncle Keong, which I enjoyed spending my childhood holidays with him and his family
(I used to babysit his kids - no wonder I'm a hands-on mom now)

Well, in Awana there are actually a lot of activities to be done.. it's only us that's being fussy. We came here to relax so explain the few variety pictures that I've taken.

We fooled around the lobby... pretending to be this and that..

We took bike rides around at RM10 an hour.. Jake was the chauffeur

We took car rides too with the top open... especially at night time.. the air is so clean you can practically swim in it..

These 2 ladies can't seem to get rid of their screaming motto, 'I AM FREE'!

We went for car rides during the day too mostly to have lunch and do some grocery shopping like water, biscuits, snacks, etc..

This is the famous 'stuffed crab' which you can find in Kemaman town. The restaurant we patronize was 'Tong Juan'

Then, there's the 'Crab in Salted Egg' which we broke our fingernails to get to the meaty part.. Find these crabby at 'Sri Mahkota' at Kuantan town right opposite Citiview Hotel.

One thing the kids never fail to miss is definitely the pool.. where we got tanned and burned. The kids love the pool here as it is child friendly and not as deep as other child pools. Even I'm not so concern of kids drowning. The only downfall is that, we have to walk like forever to get into and out of the pool area because the hotel authorities barricaded the area around to prevent outsiders from using the hotel facilities. So, add about 10-15 minutes to your schedule.

Nancy over-covered

Now, she's exposed doing the HULA.. How many times must I you that, 'WE ARE NOT IN HAWAII'!

Cecilia as usual advertising whatever it is that's on her hand..

MIL showing Javier her 'Power Palm Splash'

Who goes to a resort and never lay foot on its beach?

I, as usual can't snap a perfect picture of myself.. thought this would just do fine.. :)

Hub contemplating whether does the hotel gym have the latest equipment or not

Burn Baby Burn, Sunburn Intensify

Nancy just lurves the baby hermit crabs

Judith had enough for the day.. she's resting for now..

I stayed out of this.. I was only the spectator, I swear.. I did not took part in any of this.

Human Sand Art, DONE with 36C boobs as well.. creatively hand molded by Nancy :p

It seems like a scene from Titanic minus the 'Heart of The Ocean'

BEHOLD! The revenge of the Sand Man

Open bath.. anyone interested to join in?

The night before we left, we also went for a boat ride to watch fireflies. Uncle Keong also came along because FIL asked him to follow us out to dinner before venturing here. It was a dark and gloomy road.. Wooooo... Before we got on the boat, we had to put on safety jackets.. DUH~

After the boat was prepped, we went down into the boat one by one, from adult to kids, ladies first of course. So, Cc and ME went down first and sat there waiting for others. Ew.. SCARY! Crocodiles were floating in our minds plus unnecessary thoughts which the guide made us gagged not to talk absolutely about other stuff other than FIREFLIES.

So, fireflies be it. We asked so many questions and we received answers fruitfully. Questions after questions which was actually quite fun. HAHA. It made us forget about the other bad thoughts.

Cc kinda looked like she's got possessed.. Oh-My-Gawk

Javier is seeing flashing lights too which was from my camera.. aaahhh

ME and Cc stealing some shots for our blogs..

Well, that is that. I tried to find more pictures but couldn't. I must have had a real good time there. Enjoying every minute of it. Wish the holiday was longer complete with spa packages but this was still fun minus the pampering sessions.

But for more photos, you can check out the shots uploaded by Cecilia and Nancy in their Facebook Album titled "Family Holiday". I have a few awkward pictures there.. OMG, even shades couldn't hide my sneers.

THE UGLY TRUTH but in a BEAUTIFUL way

2009-09-14T08:33:00.011+08:00

I've WON some things... hehe! I joined YOUTHSAYS, 'The Ugly Truth' Contest awhile ago and must have forgotten about it. Then, I got a call from a girl whom I couldn't really hear what she was trying to say but I heard clearly the words, 'WON'-'UGLY TRUTH'-KELANA SQUARE'. Lol.. it was so soft like a whisper. I took down the address; I think part of the address only. But thank goodness, Joanne twitted me that I won something at YOUTHSAYS.

So.. what did I do to win this particular contest? I gave my opinion on an ugly truth about the opposite gender.

See my name? WAHAHA!!!

I wrote:

"The ugly truth about guys is that they can't really multitask while driving... try watching a guy drive and when his phone starts ringing, he scrambles for it or just passes his phone to the person next to him!!!"

True or not I'm not sure.. that's my opinion only :p

I didn't know what I won until I went and check it out...

YIPPIE! A pair of tees for HIM & HER! Ooo a 'boxer shorts' for a lazy day, a 'hug pillow' which I bet will go to Javier and 'a heart-shaped box of mints' probably goes to Joe minus the box. Judith will definitely want the box to keep her treasures.

Mummy's Almond Sugee Cakes

2009-09-10T18:10:00.006+08:00

SUGEE CAKE is a distinctly Eurasian dish in Malaysia and Singapore. It is also known as the 'typical Eurasian wedding cake'. Sugee/soogee/suji/sooji is in fact semolina which is made from durum wheat (psst~ what Italian pasta is made of).

Mom have been baking almond sugee cakes for past couple of weeks as she is mastering the art of baking a perfect one including rolling and decorating the cake top with fondant and gum paste. SUGAR!

Blue Cake with white piping... Mom made this for a friend from church. This was her first almond sugee cake attempt.

This was the latest one she made.. just yesterday for a 50 year old birthday boy, NATHAN. The shape is of a Top Hat.

All of mom's cakes were very delicious. Got most of the verdict from well-eaters. I, too couldn't take my fingers off her almond sugee cake. One slice is never enough.. CALORIES counting!!!

Stay tune for more colorful cakes to come!!!

Mari Berbuka Puasa

2009-09-09T11:25:00.000+08:00

Oooo.. Hub and I have been craving for 'buka puasa' food since the Ramadan started. Since Cecilia and Nancy haven't got the pleasure of going to one and trying the varieties of food, we asked them along. We even asked Jacklyn to follow us because she talks food too. We went to the one next to BTR Velodrome. Only a few stalls were open either because it was a Sunday or this place isn't happening anymore.. fret not because as we were leaving, we saw another 'medan buka puasa' which was situated at the side of Stadium Bola Sepak BTR. We saw smoke bellowing in fact smoky lane.. ah that should be like it.. we'll head there next!!!

Cecilia got her hands on everything she saw... a bit of these and a bit of those.. oh my like a scene of a girl in a candy store!

Nancy is lost in between tents..

These ladies were checking on the popular 'Ayam Dara'

We almost got choked by the aroma of all these bags while driving home..
Our goodies were : murtabak, roti john, ayam dara, pucuk ubi, kuih kodok, ikan pari, caramel pudding, ikan pari bakar, popiah goreng, kuih-muih, air tebu, pulut, etc..
(couldn't get 'putu piring' and 'ayam golek')t

What 'buka puasa' can do to a little kid

Cc and Nancy all sooo happy with their purchases.. Embak can't wait to eat either!!! She helped us unwrap the food and bin the bags...

Caramel pudding for dessert.. but it wasn't extremely yummy.. not smooth enough

See? This 'Ayam Dara' is one delicious piece of meat

Sugar Cane!!! Ultimate drink for 'buka puasa'. Quench me through.. I peed so often the next day that I'm afraid of sugar canes now.

Dig dig dig

Here we are...
'Happy Berbuka Puasa' you guys!

After a hearty meal, Hubby brought Russell Peters over for some pick-me-up. Not that we need any but it was a FINE day so why not?

Cc couldn't hide her love towards Russell as you can see here... tears of JOY!

InLaw's New House

2009-09-07T11:18:00.006+08:00

Yesterday we went to see my in-law's new house at Suria Residen, Cheras. FIL bought the Urbana 2½ Storey Semi-D Link Bungalow and finally it's going to get a renovation. Yippie for Cecilia and Nancy who were looking very eager towards moving into their new sanctuary. FIL brought the contractor/designer/planner for the house and there were some bickering on what goes here and there and who wears the pants but hands down, you know the decision went to whom. LOL! Both of my SILS' made sure their rooms can only inhabit them.. no one else or other creatures except ME of course.. hehe kidding only!

I particularly love the long porch...

The kids seem to enjoy the extra space too

MIL planned to reside Embak here (6x7).. and that's where the bickering started! It was certainly too small to fit a human in there.. I would go crazy like my neighbor's Belgian Shepherd!

This is the actual helper's room (10x9).. windows for light.. very very important

After viewing the house and the renovation plans.. we went and check out the facilities they have here.. I shall take more pictures in the future...

Kids were excited when they found this huge colorful moth 'half-dead'

I was very excited too when I found 2 pretty "Ah-Moi's"

We went and took a look at the show house and it was love at first sight when I entered this room...

It's PERFECT! My dream bedroom with the open bathroom.

Grandpa's 73rd Birthday

2009-09-03T21:14:00.016+08:00

Last Saturday, we celebrated my grandfather's 73rd birthday at Uncle Yan's house in Bangsar. It's so near BV.. OMG!!! If I reside there, BV will definitely be full of my shoe-prints. Mom made the birthday cake+cupcakes and she also cooked a few dishes, granny cooked, Josephine cooked and I made Konnyaku jellies.

Mom made the cupcakes days earlier and the fondant/gum paste the day before. I helped her out on bits and chunks. We were very satisfied with the cupcakes. They look too cute to munch on..

Uncle Yan is a professional photographer so most of the clearer pictures were taken by him with his big butt Canon and ultra bright lights. I stole his space and lights which made my pictures pretty clear too using my N95 (used to belong to Hub).

And here is Uncle Yan and Josephine's girl-girl, "PIPI"

Pipi is aging gorgeously.

Photogenic some more...

FOODZ by My Mommy

Marmite Meat.. I put it as Meat but it actually starts with "P"

Curry Chicken without Coconut Milk which you'll never get 'jelak' for more

Sambal Prawns with Pineapple

FOODZ by Granny

Lamb Chop

Mushroom with Vegetarian Chicken

Stir-fry Cabbage with carrots and dried bean curd strips

FOODZ by Josephine

Freshly fried Spring Roll.. this is the best spring roll I've eaten..

There's one more dish that Josephine created but I didn't snap a picture of it. The dish was the 'Delicious Sweet Spare Ribs'

GRANDPA'S BIRTHDAY CAKE

I know it's a little blur... below is the pro-snapped

and... the cake zoomed in...

The Proud Mama to the Birthday Cake

The assistant cum sweet tooth

Let's get to the Cake Blowing part.

Grandpa and Granny but I call them 'GRAMS' together for short

Whoa Granny can't wait to blow the candles!
"Po, your 'ngau-yat' is in December!"

Make a Wish but seems like Granny wants to 'main tepuk-tepuk tangan'!

and.. the BBK.. Big Birthday Kiss

People who Ate, Drank and be Merry!

So not ready for a shot yet

That's more like it hehe!

Dad craved for some loving as well

Edmund

Elaine with her butterflies again..

Javier

Judith

Joe

Javier hooked onto Ed's iPhone

Uncle Yan, the host, the photographer, the singer, belting out his hits
(I SO want his karaoke machine)

After the hearty meal and some persuasion to sing my famous 'The Moon Represents My Heart' (thanks to granny anyway), we left and bring the kids around. We thought of stopping by for drinks in Bangsar area or maybe get by a drive-thru but then changed our mind and went back to Cheras instead. We've always wanted to dine at the Old Town Kopitiam by the road along Taman Midah but it was always so effin' packed. To our delight, it was empty as in half-full... got DBKL-lah!

Kids got to order what they want for the night...

French Fries.. when was the last time we had these?

Joe ordered a Revive Float

Judith a Root-Beer Float

Javier got himself only a cup of Ice Lemon Tea because he doesn't know how to read the menu yet, hence the not-so-fancy drink

Whereas, Hub and ME dug into the Ice-Cream in Toast.. it's delicious and it's freaking good. Even the kids love them (RM4.50 for double isn't that bad).

Make sure you go try a plate today!!!

Dining at Shang Palace

2009-09-02T15:35:00.000+08:00

A few days ago on Merdeka night, we dined at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel, KL. We were very eager to try this place because it's said to be one of the best Chinese restaurants around.

When we enter, it was very palace like with the big red wooden doors...sorry for the blur picture.. we were kidding around.

Atmosphere was okay because it was still early, there weren't many patrons yet. We got a room to ourselves. Yippie?

Menu picker!

Calories counter!

This tea was awesome... so flavoury and I love the cute cup.

MIL's requesed for a Peking Duck came true!!!

What's left of the duck meat..

Pork Ribs - not very tasty.. very chewy.. no wonder they provided us with a knife each... aahh

Scallops on toufu... just OKAY

Veges minus the soy sauce... soy sauce at the side so you can soy-flood your veges how much you want!

There was also a fish dish but I didn't get to snap a picture because the waiter had already cut them in portions before serving us... and there were 4 bowls of soup too which were the best of everything in Shang Palace.

Food Lover Potraits

Nancy

Javier and Hubby

Cecilia
(after a tired day at the 'Say No to Plastic Bags' event)

MIL

Nancy and ME

This is the only one thing we have yet to try.. THE MAZE

__________________________

Verdict for Shang Palace :

Food hmm 5/10 (could do 'much' better)
Atmosphere 6/10 (chairs were comfy but doesn't go with the deco)
Service 5/10 (wonder why the grumpy face)

Overall - pretty disappointing
____________________________

psst~ I actually thought Shang Palace, Shangri-La, KL would look like this..Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore

PAO-TAI

2009-09-01T17:46:00.003+08:00

Hub's X-Trail got a flat tire this morning. The newspaper delivery man noticed the flat tire before anyone else did. Luckily Hubby can tag sis's car to work.

During noon time, the mechanic came and check on the car and changed the tire to the spare one so that he can drive it back to the shop to replace/remove the nail. It was drizzling the whole time but it was the heavy drizzle not the light kind so, I as a good Samaritan shelter him with an umbrella from the rain. Poor him all wet and dirty.

Flat tire.. super flat! Maybe I was too heavy!

The Mechanic was so shy.... aiks

It looks weird like that.. curvy tire

Gone is the spare tire... when was the last time we opened this, dear?

The mechanic left with Hub's car... I gave him my number so that he wouldn't have to call here and there to get to me. Maybe he got it the wrong way. He told me after he brought the car back, "If there's anything you can call my number. Even in the middle of the night also no problem!" Lol!

I just flexed my eyebrows giggling and said "OK!"

Our Very Own Merdeka Eve

2009-09-01T09:50:00.008+08:00

On Saturday, we had our very own Merdeka Eve Celebration. No, we didn't wait till the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 COUNTDOWN. We had dinner at home, quite a number of workers from FIL's workplace came over to makan-makan as well. We grouped ourselves automatically. There were the kids' group, the modernize young adults and the soulful Indonesians plus FIL who was wandering around aimlessly....

After dinner, we went off to different directions..

Kids' Group

Kids were busying themselves upstairs playing their very own imagination games complete with 2 bowls of junk food and several cups of carbonated drinks courtesy of YéYé.

Young Adults

We, the modernize ones were busy watching comedian superstar Russell Peters. We laughed our hearts out. The folks watched us laugh because they don't get the jokes like we did. We 4, hub, ME, Cc and Nancy were pretty much addicted. As you know and if you didn't know, Russell is one of best comedians I've seen and heard so far. Though he covers mostly on racism matters, nevertheless what he puts together are purely facts and is as true as me and you.

Below is a snippet of what we were watching... and beware it's not for the racist minds

The Soulful Indonesians

Why soulful? They were singing, strumming, drinking, smoking, etc.... they were blasting their music and we did too with our remotes and hysterical laughter. They were banned inside the house because, there is absolutely no smoking inside when the kids are around. PERIOD!

After we ran out of battery, the energy bar deteriorates so we chill till about 10pm then ME, hub, the kids, Cc, Nancy and FIL left the house to the mamak stall behind for food and drinks pampering.

Hub and ME

Judith with wooden antlers

Hub can't get enough of X-Men

Cc's growing love for junk food... perhaps not with that look of 'Guilty Pleasures'

The Poker Table.. FIL with his 2 faithful bodyguards waiting for their pay only IF he wins.

What a night! We got back at 11.45pm.. put the kids to bed after a shower which was already 12.15 by then.. we watched some shows and end up sleeping at about 1.30am. PHEW!!!

Let's Go to Pasar Malam

2009-08-31T00:48:00.006+08:00

We went to Taman Segar pasar malam last Friday with Cc and Nancy. The weather was fine and not threatening like the previous Friday which got us wet in shivers.

Hub wasn't with us because he went for dinner with his ex-schoolmates. Where are my schoolmates anyway? Why have you abandoned me over and over again? Is it a crime to make babies early? Whatever!

So, we wade through the stalls at the pasar malam because it was effin drizzling and then it stopped and then it started again. Lol! What are the odds 2 weeks in a row. I have an itch to try another time this Friday.

This someone grabbed my hp and snapped a picture of herself :p

We were waiting for our, 'Chai-Tau-Kueh' @ stirred radish cake.. but let me tell you nowadays, there are absolutely no radish in this dish

After we got all the high calories food we wanted, Cc and Nancy dined at 'Shifu Wan Tan Mee'. This was their first visit but my second. Last week, hub ate... wait ar let me start the drum rolling....

'The World's Second Spiciest Pan Mee'

It does look innocent right? Wait till you take a spoonful then you can call for MAMA!
And when you have finished the whole bowl, be prepare for extreme nature's call.

See how's she advertising the noodles? She hasn't been served yet!

HAHA! She's barely herself then

Anyone UP for 'The World's Spiciest Pan Mee'?

Nancy with her 'Char-Siew Rice' @ barbecue pork rice

Loving every moment of the non-spicy way

This is the 'Wan Tan Mee Special Thin Dry

Obviously this is 'Wan Tan Mee Special Thin Wet'

Poor Javier was half asleep at my shoulder while we waded the pasar malam... but thanks to Nyam Nyam for zapping him up!

So.. what we bought from pasar malam?

ROJAK

CHAI TAU KUEH @ Stirred White Radish Cake

TAU FOO FAH @ Soya Bean Custard

APAM BALIK fyi not murtabak

It broke & it was my fault

2009-08-25T16:49:00.007+08:00

I have never dream of breaking someone's home but it happened today.. in fact not one's home but their home. The home of our terrapins!!! Sob sob~

I just did my daily workout a.k.a. Shaun T's Insanity....

...so since I was already drenched in sweat, I went and change Lily and Torpedo's aquarium water. Little did I know was that my body was exhausted and lifting the aquarium filled with water wasn't easy with body aches. So... pang!

It didn't really broke.. it just cracked.. right at the bottom! Sigh I feel so bad for L and T.

Spot the huge crack?

So temporarily, I'm housing them in a plastic container which used to keep 'kuih bahulu'.

Torpedo is on the left with a sharp tail whereas Lily is a little bigger in size in olive green and erm the yellow shell isn't breathable - it's deco.

And FYI, this is 'kuih bahulu'

Traditional Cantonese Mooncakes

2009-08-19T12:13:00.009+08:00

Sorry for the delay. I know I'm supposed to post the traditional mooncakes earlier but because mom's mixer was down, she couldn't make any.

Yup.. mom fret... she was disappointed.. she was sad.. she indeed was down.. but when dad gave her the green light to get a new mixer, she was cheeky all the way. But, thanks to dad so we can have more mooncakes in da' house and also thanks to mom for taking the effort to weigh, mix, and mould them.

So.. here is mom's new toy (I told the kids that because it is!). The brand is SPAR which she got directly from the Bakery Supply Shop at Segar. I would definitely name it SPARTAN.. just look at the size.. and that body :p..

'My Momma's Spartan'

We couldn't find a place to put it yet because it was kick-butt huge.. so there it goes on the floor at the moment.. sitting comfy on a carpet for protection... protect which I don't know.. SPARTAN?

I actually thought this mixer would make thundering sounds (it's big) , so I closed my ears and watched it twirl which to my embarrassment, the noise it made was even more silent than my FIL's snores. Shhh...

While mom was kneading the lotus paste, Judith help by pouring melon seeds.. I as busy here on my laptop.

Look at this magnificent salted egg yolk.. I love its bright color and yolk never look so good but I never like yolks in mooncakes... blek

A fight between 'white lotus paste' and 'lotus paste'

Mom taught me how to mould them too... first you grab some flour and dust the mould so the paste won't stick around

Then.. u press very very gently to even out the paste making sure the edges are covered

Next is BAM BAM BAM.. BAM left, BAM right, up and down.. then be ready to catch it before it falls out. At first I suck at this because no matter how hard I BAM, mom said 'harder'!

Lookie here.. I mould them!

Put them in the oven for you and me for 12 minutes

Brush the top with egg to make it shine golden brown and re-fire them in the oven for another 12 minutes.

Out of the oven to let them cool down... they take a long time.

One ready 'Lotus Paste with Single Egg Yolk'

Yummy this is MINE without eggy

And there were leftovers, so mom made mini Ping Pei (Snow Skin) mooncakes.. they were adorable

Little Javier helping mom out with the boxes

MOONCAKES MAKING DONE... what's next? Jelly Mooncakes?

psst... if you're interested in ordering my mom's mooncakes, don't hesitate to beep me yah!!!

Barberlicious

2009-08-19T10:56:00.004+08:00

Javier went for a hair trim yesterday. We found this really child friendly barber which knows how to handle kids well. He's gentle and takes his time making sure Javier enjoy the barber session too.

There were definitely no tears even when using the shaver and blades... only giggles and shoulder lifts

Judith busy playing Loco Roco

Mom and I decided to give Javier a new style, so we asked the young barber to leave some hair at the front.. here comes the mousse which Javier thought was ice cream!!!

Blow blow blow dry....

TADA! Little Crew!

Mom's Mooncake

2009-08-12T15:21:00.008+08:00

Mom made Snow Skin (Ping Pei) Mooncakes today.. she's trying out something different other than western bakes. Something Asian..oooo. Ping Pei Mooncakes are easier to make though it takes quite a bit of time to mix, knead, wrap and mould them. Since they require no baking, they're best serve chilled.

This is the Ping Pei dough

Mom mixing kuaci (sunflower seeds) into the lotus paste

Mom have to weigh the lotus seed paste to get the exact amount for each mooncake

Kneading the dough

Adding lotus seed paste to the dough and mould it into shape

There's Dad being a buzzing bee whilst trying to annoy mom and making silly statements for eg.
*where's lunch? where's lunch? when it's only 12.30pm
*no need to make so nice after all it goes in and out
*can eat already?
*am i having mooncake for lunch?

A few done and powdered

One perfect Ping Pei Mooncake with gold fish design

Ready to be chilled.... or eat or....

....boxed!!!

psst** tomorrow mom is attempting to make the traditional crust mooncake.. so stay tuned!!!