A fine day @ Haw Par Villa with Popo Gong Gong

The day started with breakfast nearby and no taxis willing to take us there. It was quite cloudy here. All taxis were either changing shifts or refused to take us there. I saw one particular taxi circling Woodlands Ring Road, stopping to ask where passengers were going, then moving on again. I should take a photo and STOMP him.

Popo had to use the toilet, so we went home, and I continued trying to book a cab using the My Taxi Booking app. Finally! A cab, at our doorstep!

We were down in 5 minutes. During the ride, parts of Clementi were raining cats and dogs. I was having second thoughts, but had backup plan. If it rained there, we'd hang around the Westway building until the rain subsided. Thankfully, it didn't rain there, instead it was pleasantly cool and cloudy.

We walked around the whole Villa, without snaking through the middle portions. The only 'indirect' path we took was to take pictures with the Fu Lu Shou deities. Like we did when we were much younger. Mummy walked a lot today, she took lots of rests in between, but she didn't complain 'as much'. Tonight, Baba took her blood sugar to prove that walking reduces her blood sugar, and he's right. Tonight's quite near to normal range of 4-6. It was 9.2 (her usual is 18 or 19).

Popo, you must 'jia you'!!! Gong Gong, depend on you to spur Popo to keep walking!!

The beginning hike up the entrance slope.

Somebody's unhappy because Gong Gong isn't sitting beside her.

The brother's whose legacy we are visiting today.

Madam White Snake and her human love.

Well deserved break after a steep climb up the slope at the entrance.

These are the only statues, other than the black swans, that she dared to take pictures with.

Popo Gong Gong last took pictures here more than 10 years ago.

The 10 courts of hell. Ning bugged me the whole day to bring her to the cave. She asked loads of questions, I read every placard there to her. When she reached the 7th court, she wanted out already. I asked her if she'd like to go out now, she said, maybe we do the last few courts quickly and walk out. So that we did.

Korean BBQ as reward for the active participation in this morning's sightseeing!

Ning is happy because there's a ball pool and play area for kids, and she's the only kid around!

Words ending with -at by Ning

She drew the pictures then labeled them on the side.

I drew the bat because she thought hers didn't look like one.

Kids learn so fast with proper teaching methods and guidance (at school).

The many beautiful faces of Ning's Popo

I was trying to take a picture of her post perm. Popo refuses to smile and makes funny faces.

I think she's beautiful.

Colourful meds

Ning and I have been down with cough, running nose and phlegm.

If I didn't know better I'd think those were water colours. Gosh. They were sweet and foul at the same time.

Am still clogged and coughing but much less than before. Ning too. Hope to recover fully by the weekend so we can enjoy weekend outing with Popo Gong Gong.

Bye bye Firefly Resort Chalet No. 10

The breakfast, free and only available on weekends, came around 8am.

We had ayam masak merah with nasi lemak, 1L orange minute maid, 3 green apples,  2 oranges, 4 instant coffee and tea, 6 muffins, a loaf of bread with jam and margarine on small sauce dishes.

While we're eating inside our chalet, 3 macaques approached our door. Before they entered, I closed the doors. Close shave with the native inhabitants.

Left Kuala Selangor at exactly 10am. Drove 2 hours back 52km. Ok, I am slow. Hey gotta make sure I give the GPS ample time to inform me of turns right?

We're home safe and sound by 12:15 noon. Went for lunch at River Fish King (河鱼王). 4 adults and a 4 - year old ate a 1.2kg  八丁鱼, spinach soup and 东坡肉.

Now chilling at Kota Kemuning.

Day 2 at Firefly Resort

We were pleasantly woken up by sun and singing birds. The kids woke first.

We went to Pasir Penambang to look for breakfast. Bought some snacks, fruits and drinks. Prayed at the 10 swords temple next to Giant. Hoped to picnic at Nature Park.

Paid RM 12 conservation fee to enter. Walked 200m over countless ant trails and swarms of mosquitoes. We chickened out when we saw whole patch of mosquitoes tucking in my calves. Gong Gong turned around the fastest and walked out. I carried a near hysterical Ning with Cerys walking beside me. So we were in and out of nature park in less than 30 minutes.

Sigh. We need a proper tour guide. BB, you and Teckwyn lead the way next time.

We decided hangout at Tesco and bought a bunch of hair accessories there. Then we had lunch at Secret Recipe. Popo had green apple celery juice, curry seafood laksa with 1 scoop of noodle, and caesar salad with it. She loved the spicy soup. She didn't have a hard time after this meal.

After that we went back to chill.

Had dinner at River View Seafood Restaurant with BB and Teckwyn, Cerys was so glad to be with her Mummy again. Thanks for dinner!

Tips for clearer meat-based soups

Yesterday I got a tip or 2 from my primary school classmate on how to remove scum from basic Chinese herbal soup. I tried it out this morning. And I think it worked.

The tip was boil the meats in water for 5 minutes before putting it in my soup pot.

I thought it might hold me back coz I really need to hurry in the morning but with a bit of planning, it didn't hold me back at all.

Just needed to put water to boil before my 10-minute bathroom routine.

The second tip was to freeze to remove the oils from top layer. This one I cannot use yet. If only some invents an ice blow torch that'd do the trick! Blow freeze the surface, scrape away the oils and fats and the soup below still stays hot. Any inventors interested?

Advance prep of vegetables

I am a speed demon when it comes to cooking. The less time I spend on it the more time I have for Ning, Lougong and myself.

I only have an hour in the morning before Ning wakes, or is willing to start the day, and will not give myself more than half an hour to cook in the evening. I am talking about weekdays of course.

Yet I don't really like to serve Ning cold soggy vegetables. Or overcooked vegetables (in thermal pot).

So one way is to wash and pre-cut in the morning, and store my vegetables in air tight boxes in the fridge. When I return, I juz heat oil and fry.

Some supermarkets sell pre-packed vegetables like that; and the average restaurant or food stall vendors do that, though I don't think they use air tight containers. 

Not the best way in retaining nutrients but at least I know it's not left overnight or that cockcroaches / flies may have feasted on them before; if we ate out.

Having said that, the airtight containers that comes with a pump to remove air did keep my leafy vegetables fresh for 1 whole week. If left in fridge in original package my spinach or baby bok choy will definitely turn yellow or wilt in 3 days. So these containers are worth trying out ;-)

Mug shapes & pistachio shells

Last night, I finished dinner in 10 minutes while Ning took way too long. I sat with her at the dinner table talking and ate some pistachios.

She was getting restless and wanted to get off her high chair. So I said we'd play talking game.

I asked her what shapes were on my mug.
"It's a cylinder."
I drank from it so the bottom faces her.
"There's also a circle."
Then I put my eye at table level, she followed.
"And rectangle."
Mummy: "What about the handle?"
Ning: "It's the shape like the ear." (Wow, I never saw it like that)
Mummy: "I think it looks like half a heart shape"
Ning: "Wow!" (And she looked really amazed, I really enjoyed the moment)

Now Mummy's in the mood for introducing multiplication and division or just the concept.

We did some simple additions and subtractions with the shells.

I asked her to count how many pistachios I ate. She counted 20. Then I said each pistachios had 1 pair of shells. So she's got to arrange in 2s and count how many pairs. She counted 10.

Hehe, then I said "10 pairs of shells is 20 shells I.e. 2x10=20"

Doesn't seem to sink in. Ok change tactic.

If I gave her 2 shells to share fairly with Mummy, how many should each of us have?
"One."
And we continued till we had 5 each.
How many do each of us have?"5".
How many in total? "10".
So 2 (x) 5s equals... "10".
Get it?

She looked disinterested.
Ok. Better change topic than kill her interest.
Til the next opportunity!

Basic Chinese herbal soups

This recipe I picked up from my father-in-law. He cooked daily for the kids as my mother-in-law worked 12 hour shifts at a restaurant.

It was hard but they brought up 4 boys and the youngest just started work today. Hope Ma and Pa take it easier from now on.

Here are the minimum herbs you need to make it. If you have more that's a bonus.

Ingredients:
2 honeyed dates
Wolfberries, small handful, soaked
6 dried big red dates, soaked
1 portion of pork for each person (up to 6)
1 big pork bone cut in 2
(Or 1 mid size portion of meat for each person)
1 and half teaspoon of salt
2L of water

And any 1 of the following:
2-3 sections of lotus root, sliced
1 medium sized old cucumber, remove seeds and cut in half then half inch slices
1 large 1-1.5 inch slice if wintermelon,  cut in large cubes (as used in mine today)

I will put everything into my 6L thermal insert bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Taste at 15 minutes.
Salty enough ok.
Cannot taste the main ingredient? Turn up flame, keep lid open a little.

Then put it in the thermal pot to continue slow cook style for another 4-6 hours and keep warm til dinner.

Am building up pantry supplies slowly.  Share with me what else do you put in yours?

Scrambled MCP eggs

MCP isn't Male Chauvinist Pig and I am not frying any males this morning.

It's just...
mince (cooked in advanced and stored in fridge),
cheese (grated parmesan) and
parsley (chopped).

Easy and fast. Just beat 3 eggs. Mix all in.
Then stir fry in oiled pan.
Turn off flame before last bits of eggs solidify to keep it fluffy.

If you like solid eggs pancake style just leave it on the stove and flip when satisfied with degree of burn.

Add some fruits and pour milk.

Breakfast done for 3 in under 10 minutes.

Soy sauce chicken

This is one of Ning's favourite dinner.

I'll cook it in the morning before I go to work. It's really simple to prepare and the thermal pot keeps it warm til dinner time at about 7pm.

Ingredients:
4 large portions of chicken
Few slices of dongkwai (当归)
1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil
2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
Few slices of ginger
A teaspoon of corn or arrowroot powder with 1 tablespoon of water, added just before turning off flame

I usually get those large whole legs halved as a portion for each person, but you can have smaller pieces for more to share.

Put all the ingredients in the cooking pot. Make sure chicken is well covered with sauces. Leave for 5-10 minutes, you can cut your vegetables or prepare breakfast. This is when I'll wash and put rice to cook.

Turn on the flame, medium high and add 2 cups (200ml rice cooker cups) of water of water and bring to boil.

Turn the chickens around to coat with the sauces and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the corn or arrowroot solution, mix around and put the whole pot in the thermal pot. It'll still be warm 12 hours later.

You can add mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots or potatoes to make it a one pot meal. Happy eating!

Last night's bedtime questions

Ning asked me these 2 questions just before snoozing...
"Mummy, why are there 7 days in a week?
Why do we only have 5 fingers on each hand?"

Those were very good questions.
Though I think it is also a bedtime delay tactic.

I said I'd Google them the next day.
On the way to Beary Fun Gym, I did.

The answers...

Why do we have 7 days in a week?
It takes 7 days from new moon to half moon,
7 days from half moon to full moon,
7 days from full moon to half moon, and
7 days from half moon to new moon.
It quite concisely split up the month, which is based on the moon cycle too.

The names were originated from Babylonians based on the 7 planets, at the time, which included the Sun and Moon. To-date, only Sunday, Monday and Saturday survived.

Why do we have 5 fingers on each hand?
This one's begging for more questions.

We belong to the following biological classification:
Domain: Eukaryota (mutliple cells)
Kingdom: Animilia (animal kingdom)
Phylum: Chordata (with back bones)
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: sapiens

At this stage I said we are mammals and mammals have 5 fingers, but humans have 4 fingers and 1 opposable thumb enabling it to 'kiss' the fingers facing each other. She had enough info to process but didn't pursue her original question. Truly, I don't know why we have 5 fingers. I only explained that we are grouped together but not why. Maybe next time she'd realize and ask me again, then I'll confess I don't know.