Curl up like a baby

Kids love to play. Our baby Alan is no exception. He'll play with anything that he can get his hands on...pieces of clothings, papers, toys, CD/DVD covers etc.

Earlier this week, he was really enjoying himself playing with bits and pieces of all sorts including the ring sling. Next thing we notice, he was all curled up sleeping like a baby.

Taking pictures of him alone is quite challenging because Mia wants herself to be inside in the picture too.

Look at him.... so peaceful!

Durian oh Durian

One of the many skills I've acquired growing up as a typical kampung girl is the ability to open a durian. Thrilling tu!


Last weekend, my mum bought a big box full of durians for just RM50 in Sipitang. Of the boxful, I got 4 durians.

Here's how much I managed to get out of those 4 durians.

I'm Malaysian through and through. I love durians in cakes, puddings, ice kachang or just eaten fresh.

Our Mia on the other hand:

not so Malaysian! LOL!

Exhausting Day

Friday 6th January 2012

Mia had Assembly, Activities, Physical Education, 1 hour of Art & Craft, Science & Nature followed by B.M class. She has lunch with her classmates in school.

I picked her up and off we drove to Tuaran to pick up my niece from her school... its no wonder her battery ran out as we drove home.

Zzzzzzzzzzz Mia!

My Kitchen Smells like a Spa

My late dad planted lemongrass (in Kadazan 'sogumau') around our kampung home. He liked to cook his "signature" dishes with ... all things exotic eg wild boar (in Kadazan 'bakas') and flying fox/bats (in Kadazan 'gavi'). I don't usually eat exotic dishes but it never really bothered me when he asked me to get him a few stalks of lemongrass from the bush he planted. Pulling a stalk of lemongrass from its bush is no easy feat, its tough. And back then I was a skinny kid and it took me quite a while to get back to him with those few stalks. He never complained if I took longer than usual to do the job.

My dad's sogumau bush today... so bushy

On new year's eve, I asked my nephew to get some stalks of lemongrass from my father's lemongrass bush back in the kampung house. I wanted to use it for our new year's eve bbq but never got round to using them because I was late. That's another story.

Anyhow, last Thursday I saw the bunch of lemongrass and decided to use them to make dinner.

While preparing the marinade, the smell from the lemongrass filled our kitchen. For a while the kitchen really smelt like a good Balinese spa in there and I love it.

A relatively easy and quick recipe taken from the Internet resulted in tadaaaaa:

Lemongrass Honey Pork (recipe available here)

This dish is best served hot off the wok. By the time my husband came home for dinner though, the dish was cold already. My food critic of a husband commented:

1. Its OK
2. Taste is good
3. Dry

In my defense, the food was cold by the time he had them. But then again, I can try again next time.

Movie Time

I love watching movies with the kids. Its a very entertaining experience. Earlier this week we watched "The Smurfs" at home. Its one of the kids' favourite movie to play.

I think it must be because of the cute characters and their catchy tune that attracted the kids to this movie.

But no matter how many times we watch this movie together, Mia would still cover her eyes during the parts that scare her.

She's so scared of:

Gargamel. The baddie.

Even though she's scared of him, she still asks me to play this movie over and over again. Rather cute I think :)

Passport photos

Our kids both have their passports done some time ago. But I did have to get some new passport photos done of them recently to for membership updates, applications and other stuff.1st the boy, not so easy. He kept on looking all other directions except the camera. This was his best shot.

Then the girl. A nightmare. She wouldn't sit still. She kept on running, climbing, opening drawers etc. This was her best shot.

2nd Giveaway by SJB.

MY PHOTOPAGE.. (My Personal Blog).: 2nd Giveaway by SJB.
So here I am on a Wednesday evening doing nothing but letting my fingers do the walking on the WWW.

As I was looking through blogs I'm following, hey presto... there's some competitions going on and lovely prizes to be won.

Of course I want to try my luck and win... the G.L.A.M. bag. It would be puuuurfect for me. Its been a while since I got a bag for me (ie one not shared with my little munchkins)

Please... let it be me SJB!

KFC Double Zinger Burger

I don't cook much.

Dinner on weekends are big cheats. Usually take-outs, rarely eat-ins. Have you met our kids?

Yes, that's why.

I went to KFC just now to 'tapau' our dinner. Ordered a Dinner Plate and Snack Plate combo. Then I decided to try their "new" burger. It looked rather impressive on their posters.

Double layer of the zinger pieces on top of a really nice looking cheese. There's a slice of pineapple, salad, and oozing at the top - barbeque sauce and mayo. All these goodness sandwiched inside a perfect sesame seed bun. It's spicy, it's sweet, it's savoury. Looks yummy.

By the way, KK price is RM9.90 (before tax) for a la carte orders. That's 1Malaysia for you.

This is what it actually looks like:

Doesn't look so promising.

KFC's Double Zinger Burger. Not big. Not epic. Pathetic ain't it?!

I still think Marrybrown's Tower Burger is better, though their service is lousy.

Party Planning Mode to the Max

It's November and I've got about 3 weeks to prepare for Mia's 2nd birthday party. So much to do for such a little party.

We have decided on the theme and venue, but I'm still negotiating with the venue over the cost and what they're offering. Once this is done, then I can send out the invitations. Not that many, about 40 pax, half are kids/babies.

The theme this time is Mickey Mouse & Friends. Some of the older kids (older than Mia that is) might not be interested so much in Mickey, so I had to throw in Angry Birds as part of Mickey's "friends". Such unlikely combination, but hey, whatever it takes to have all the kids have fun together with the birthday girl.

The first thing I had to make for this party was a pinata. You know the game where the kids get to hit a a papier-mâché or other type of container that is decorated, filled with toys and or candy and then gets hit until smashed and the kids dive in to pick up the toys/candies?

Pinata can take a long time to make especially for someone like me who's never ever made one. That's why I started the pinata project last month. The result:Hmmmm, looks like Mickey went for a sun-tanning session with Tom Jones. I'm so torn now, should I repaint the face?! Honestly, Mickey really looks freaky.

Badu punya pasal (continued)

Nampak tu. Jadi instructor bah sia. So, the "badu" I got the other day was to be used to teach the ladies of our church how to make.... jeng, je, jeng, jeng.... 'HINAVA'.

It was my turn to host the monthly ladies meeting. Because our kitchen was small, and also because I still don't have the confidence to share any recipes that involve actual cooking, I decided to share a fail proof recipe. Even so, 3 days before the actual event, I asked my mum to teach me. 1 day before the event, I tried it on my own, baru konfiden sikit!

Bonus time. The night before the ladies meeting, our baby gaga did something which I thought was funny but at the same time cute. Mia had her bath, the maid helped her put her pyjamas on. We were watching tv for a bit and when we turned around, this is what we saw:

Alalalala... Mia turned her pyjamas top into a toga top. Fashionista! I think she's been spending way too much time watching the Kadarshians with me. Note Khloe Kadarshian.

Upon closer look, our fashionista had a slight wardrobe malfunction, exposed booby.

I tried to get her to put her sleeve back on, but no. She refused. So, I just let her go to bed with her toga top.