More Awards

I would like to thank "BUTTERY"FLY ( http://mybutteryfly.blogspot.com ) for giving me more awards. I am on top of the world now. This should be the best present I had ever received this year. I am really really grateful that you like those stuffs I wrote. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all those who commented about my blog in Linkreferral. Your comments act like a fuel for me to carry on blogging.

Actually I started this blog with the intention to earn some pocket money. Later did I realize, the money is crawling in slower than snail. Blogging had become one of my hobby now. When I was younger, I had a dream of becoming an author, either I write short stories for children or simple novel for adults.

My mom always says that what ever a person dream of doing, go ask 3 person's opinion first. Well the first person I told my dream to, says my English is not good enough. The second person told me that Malaysians don't like to read. Even when they do read, they only read the daily newspaper or magazines with colorful pictures or gossips.

Well when my nieces introduced me to blogging, I was quite interested but a bit computer illiterate. After getting some help from here and there. I got my own blog. So I decided not to ask a third person's opinion and start writing. Hmmm at least now I have a free space of my own to blabber about anything I like and carry on my dream of writing. At least if Malaysians don't read, I could still get readers from abroad.

Hopefully someday, some how I get to publish a book and get the whole world mesmerized by my stories. Oh dear, hope all these didn't bored you to death. Thanks for reading. I will forward the award to few others later in my next post. Happy New Year to all of you.

Wrong Number

One day, I found Sam, my four-year old son, with the telephone which he quickly hung up when he saw me.

"What were you doing with the phone?" I asked him.

"Calling Auntie Sarah," he said.

"How could you have called Auntie Sarah?" I asked. "You don't even know her number."

"Yes I do, and I did call her," little Sam replied.

I wasted a lot of breath trying to convince him that he didn't know her number, but he insisted that he had made the call.

"Okay," I said finally. "What did she say then, if you called her?"

"She told me I had the wrong number!" Sam answered.



Just for laughs! Have a great week ahead. Thanks for reading.

Cute Little Frog

Now how often can someone like me staying in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, staying very far from any jungle etc get a chance to meet up with a fellow like this. Isn't it lovely. So shinny and it is very tiny. I could hardly see it at first. I was watering my plant when it's skin sort of shine and it caught my eye. It was between the grass and only the size of an egg. It moves very slowly. Perhaps because I was around. I stand there watching it for a while. Then I told myself, I have to catch it (on film).

Maybe this is the law of attraction (from "The Secret") I love nature and always get visitors like these in my garden once in a while. Actually the animal I admire the most is the tiger. I did get a chance to have my whole family's photo taken with a white tiger. A real life breathing white tiger and I get to pat it too. Really dream came true. It was after a magic show perform with animals and at the end of the show audiences are allowed to take photos with the animals there and I choose the tiger. Wish one day I could feed and carry a cub tiger, that would be great.

Happy new year to all my readers and followers and thanks for reading.

Drunk Dad Are Dangerous

This is a true funny story that happened few years back. My eldest son was only 10 years old then. My neighbor who lives two doors away, invited us to a Chinese New Year party at her place. Besides food, liquor was also served. My husband's face and neck turns red every time he takes liquor, even just a little sip. That night he drank more then a glass full. Even his eyes turn really red even though he is not drunk.

We went home at about ten at night. My husband said he felt sleepy and went straight to bed. I and my 2 boys stayed up to watch t.v. About 10 minutes later, my eldest son came and sat beside me. He spoke in a soft and concern tone. He said, "Mom. I think you should sleep in the hall tonight." I was surprised and ask him why. His replied, "Dad looks drunk. It should be dangerous to sleep in the same bed. I don't want to end up having another brother or sister."

It always tickle me to think back at that conversation that night. This must be a case of watching too many Chinese drama on t.v. Every time you see a drunk guy in the show, a female is bound to get pregnant.

Well actually on that day, at that moment, I didn't burst into laughter. I was stunned for a while and not sure what to say to him. Wow this is a tough one. How should I react. I can't remember exactly what I told him but I did slept in my room and nothing happened.

Guess he should know by now not all drunk guys are dangerous. Ha ha ha. This is the wonders of having kids. Once in a while they will drop a bomb and surprise you with stuffs that you would never dream they would say or do.

See, I told you parenting is cool and fun (to some of my friends who are so afraid to get married and have kids) Happy parenting and thanks for reading

Roselle Drink

This is easy to make and taste lovely. All you need is about one kg. of Roselle flower (raw). Wash it and remove the seed. Put everything in a big pot, add sugar and water and bring it to a boil. I normally will make more. Let it cool down and I will bottled it and put it in the fridge. You can leave it in the fridge for few days and it will still taste nice.

My sons said it taste a bit like wine minus the alcohol, after a few days in the fridge.It does taste a little bit sour like grape wine. I did try to plant the seeds. The plants grew well and turn out quite big but the fruits drop before it gets a chance to grew big. Guess the weather in Kuala Lumpur is not cool enough for it to grow properly. The person I bought it from, grew it on a hill, cooling place in Malaysia. Look at the flower, so big and nice.

Hope this plant is available to you at your home. Try it. It is a very refreshing drink and easy to prepare. Hope you like it and thanks for reading.

Sigmoidoscopy

After an examination, the doctor told Lucy that she needed a sigmoidoscopy to check her lower intestine. He began the examination, telling her to let him know if she felt any pain. The doctor's efforts brought forth a tremendous amount of gas on her stomach that she expelled with a very loud fart.

"Lucy dear!" the doctor exclaimed. "A simple 'Yes' or 'No' will suffice!"



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Last Will and Testament


A lawyer reads the will of a rich man to the deceased's family. "To my loving wife, Maisy, who stood by me in rough times as well as good, I leave the house and two million dollors." The lawyer continued, "To my daughter, July, who looked after me in sickness and kept the business going, I leave the yacht, the business and one million dollar." The lawyer concluded, "And to my cousin, Mike, who hated me, argued with me, and thought that I would never mention him in my will - well you are wrong! Hi, Mike!"



Just for laughs, hope you like this. Thanks for reading.

New Year Resolution

Well, it is that time of the year again. Time to look back and see what I have achieved this year and what I should do next year to improve myself. Set new targets / goals, make new friends and make more money. (heh heh heh). So, what is your new year resolution? Do have any? Ever think about it? Wouldn't you want to set a target / goal before you cross over to the next year or would you just cross over like any other ordinary day?

As for me, small things like shaping a bonsai tree or learn something new is an achievement for me. I am thankful that most of my wishes came true this year. Those that didn't, I count as yet to come true, and not a failure. Well some dreams take time to materialize. I can wait. Sometime when things don't turn out the way it should be, guess it is time to start changing the way I do things.

Don't wait for the ghost of Christmas past, present and future to make you realize you need to change. It is good to change the way we do things every now and then, like take a different road to work, rearrange the furniture at home or at work etc.

Perhaps Aries are optimist and always find ways to self motivate. Guess it is faster and easier to motivate myself then to wait for someone to help me. I always believe that only I can truly make me happy. I choose to be happy always and I will. So every year I make sure I bring over sweet happy memories of this year to the next.

Start the New Year with a smile and leaves all my misery and worries behind. Hope you do the same too. Life is too short to always sulk, complain and be unhappy. We can never change another person to make us happy, we can only change us, ourselves, to make us happy. I wish all my readers and followers, in advance, a very Happy New Year ahead with lots and lots of goodies awaits you and thank you for reading.

Bougainvillea Bonsai

This happen by accident. As I was trimming my bougainvillea, I accidentally broke one of the matured branch. I don't have the heart to throw it away, so I just took a pot and plant it and see what happen. Weeks passed and the leaves are still green. I let it sit in the sun. Now it bloom too. I am so happy. My first bougainvillea bonsai. I tried planting more using this method but it didn't work, the rest did not last more than 2 weeks. I have a variety of bougainvillea, but the plants are bigger and in big pots. I prefer to keep my plants small, like bonsai. I only have a small garden and want a variety of plants, so it is best to keep everything small.

Guess the saying is true, things happen for a reason. If I didn't break that branch that day, I might not have a bonsai today. Looks like another one of my wishes came true. I am grateful that it happened. Hope your wishes come true too. Happy gardening and thanks for reading.

Durian Jam

Durian. King of all fruits. (I wonder why it was known as the" king" when so many people can't stand the smell) My husband and his brothers and sisters are crazy for durian. I and my eldest son likes durian but not so crazy. My youngest son never likes the fruit but loves to eat durian cake, durian tart, durian ice-cream, durian jam or any type of cooking with durian. He is a strange boy, hah hah hah. One of my niece don't like the fruit too. When ever my in-laws organize a "Durian Party" (at least once a year, during Durian season) these 2 fellow will be watching t.v or at computer games. They won't even look at it.

This a simple resipe that a friend thought me many years ago. Anyway Durian season is over now (in Malaysia). Those who would like to try this resipe would have to wait till next year.

Ingredients:
Durian, sugar and coconut milk. That's all.

Cooking:
Just put all the durians (together with the seeds), sugar and coconut milk in a pot and bring it to a boil. Make sure coconut milk covers all the durians. Sugar, up to you. I put rock sugar. You need more sugar because we are going to chill it before we serve and once it is cold it would taste less sweet.

Keep stirring untill you can see the flesh is remove from the seeds. By now the paste would look thick. Remove all the seeds. If at this point you still find it watery, add a bit of corn starch. Dilute the corn starch in water before pouring into the mixture.

Once it comes to a boil and is thick enough, remove from heat. You could eat it right away like porridge. I prefer to chill it and spread it on bread. My 2 sons eat it like ice-cream.

Happy trying for those durian lovers out there and thanks for reading.

Porn Show = Cook Show

Do you know the similarity between a porn show and a cook show?

Answer : You can only watch and drool.

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A Woman's Age

At a dinner party, several of the guests were arguing whether men or women were more trustworthy. "No woman," said one man scornfully, "can keep a secret."

"I don't know about that," said a woman guest. "I have kept my age a secret since I was twenty-one."

"You'll let it out some day," the man insisted.

"I hardly think so," responded the lady. "When a woman has kept a secret for twenty-nine years, she can keep it forever!"


Just for laughs. Hope you did laugh. Thanks for reading.

Guess Who Is In The Neighbourhood

I used to see stray cats and dogs in my backyard. My back door (kitchen) is near my sink. I spent most of my time washing plates etc. When I am washing I like to look out the window and door. Most of the time I see stray cats and dogs. Occasionally a bird or two and rats at night. Once a gigantic rodent, the size of an adult cat, ran by.

These days, I spotted a new stray. Guess who I spotted, snooping around my neighbor's house. It looks like it is searching for something. Food I guess. Seen it a few times. At last I manage to catch it - on video only. (I am not really a fan of creepy crawler) I had neighbors planning to trap it. It was last seen last week. I wonder where could it be hiding. Houses every where. There's no bushes thick enough to hide. Hmmmm. Hope it will migrate to a safer place. There are Chinese family here who don't mind having it for dinner. Oh my goodness, hope they are joking. Run for your life dear, and fast. Wouldn't be nice ending up in someone's dining table.




Just a busybody who wanted to show you what I saw. Thanks for reading.

Intimate Time

I have heard numerous stories about children sleeping in the same room, some even same bed, as their parents till their children are very old. Is it due to lack of space or parents just need to have them by their side all the time? When should we let go? Does this only happen in Malaysia, Asia or all over the world?

I trained my two boys since young. The day I took him home from the hospital, I would place him in a cot in a corner of my room. Wanted him to learn to sleep without an adult by his side. I do not switch on a night light. By 1 year old, I would persuade him to sleep on a bed in his own room. Of course he won't mind because he was upgraded from cot to bed. He don't mind sleeping in the dark either.

By the time my second son reach 1 year old I told him he could sleep with his brother. A room of their own. They love the idea. I allow them to decorate their room their way. I don't mind having big posters of transformer, pokemon etc in their room, give them some privacy, just like how daddy and mummy need some privacy too.

Every night I would tug them in, tell them stories in their room in the dark. Give them hugs and kisses and leave the room. The first few years they would sleep with their door open. Occasionally they do have nights that they say they could not sleep, or felt scared after a horror movie, I would tell them to close their eyes and think of something happy that had happen to them recently. It works all the time. Both my sons are in their teens now. No more tugging and story telling. Hmmm miss those days. Since birth till now they had never run into my room in the middle of the night or sleep in the same bed as us.

I had a ex-colleague who is in her mid twenties, told me that she and her sister sleeps with her mum every night since birth. Her dad sleeps in another room. Told me her dad is always so grumpy and gets agitated at almost every single thing. Hmmm perhaps I should have told her maybe her dad lack sex. She looks so naive I don't have the heart to tell her that. Ha ha ha.

Don't you think married couple should have more intimate time together? I believe if you want a long lasting happy marriage, you should tread your spouse like how you tread him / her when both of you started dating. Sweet and lovely and never think of other stuff except how to make each other happy.

So what's your bedtime story? Something that I think works for me and wanted to share with everyone. Thanks for reading.

Tomato omelette

This is easy to cook. Simple ingredients. Tomatoes, onion, eggs and of course salt and pepper to taste.

I normally remove the skin. Remove the the seed as well, if not the dish would be too watery. Chop the tomatoes. Sliced the onions. Beat eggs. Add salt and pepper to egg. Saute onions. Add tomatoes and eggs and fry. You can either come up with a big round omelette or scramble it. My two teenage sons prefer scramble. It would still turn out to be a bit watery. So I normally would not add cheese. Other omelette I occasionally would add cheese.

Happy trying. Hope you like it. Thanks for reading.

Lawyer Jokes

Question: How was your first marriage terminated?
Answer: By death.
Question: And by whose death was it terminated?


Question: Are you sexually active?
Answer: No, I just lie there.


Question: The myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
Answer: Yes.
Question: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
Answer: I forget.
Question: You forget. Can you give us an example of something you've forgotten?



Isn't these funny, I can't stop laughing every time I read it. Have to share with all of you. Happy laughing and thanks for reading.

Six Sense

Few months ago, out of the blues, my brother-in-law, who rarely text me on the phone, send me a text message. He said due to so many H1N1 cases in Kuala Lumpur, how do I prevent. He said cod liver oil should help strenghthen our immune system. Ask if I think that is enough. I reply, now a days we eat raw minced garlic. I added raw minced garlic in our rice at dinner time. Even my 12 year old don't mind eating it this way, for health sake. Once you mix it in your rice and eat it with your dishes, it won't taste so bad. We eat like this for about 3 days a week. Not everyday.

A couple of weeks later he send me another text. He said his teenage daughter contracted H1N1 and now under quarantine at home. Not really serious, she recovered in just a few days but still need to stay in her room for at least a week.

Strange. It is like he could feel it coming. Maybe everyone does have some sort of six sense, just maybe we didn't really take note. So do you have that extra sense?

Just wanted to share this strange tale with all of you. Thanks for reading.

D.I.Y Fish Pond

Click on the photo for clearer view.


My husband made this pond himself. He bought all those stuffs like cement, wood plank etc. At first it look like a rectangle container made of cement. Later he adds the sides on top and I added some potted plants and there it is, a lovely fish pond.

Took him about few days to come up with the pond and about a week to leave it to dry. After it was dried properly, we have to add water and check for leakage. It did leak at first, after some patches here and there, finally, perfect. After a week or so, filled it with water and added some small fishes to test it out to see if it is "fish safe".

We still have those small fishes in it. Maybe by end of this year, we might change to rearing "koi" fish. The pond is about a year (plus) old by now. We keep changing and adding plants and those lovely tiny "animals" around the pond.

Guess now it serves like our "doll house". We would decorate and redecorate and never satisfy. Another hobby to keep both of us busy and happy too. Something to show off and be proud of it. That's the different between D.I.Y and ready made stuffs. Especially when neighbors, family and friends drop by and praise the pond, we would proudly say that we did it ourselves.

Just something to show off. Thanks for reading. Hope you are inspired to make your own fish pond too. You can get all the information needed from the internet.

Minced meat with tofu

This is another simple dish. All you need is minced meat (normally I used pork) , tofu (bought those in box) , dry shrimps and some minced garlic or shallot.

1. Marinate minced meat with light soya sauce, a dash of dark soya sauce, pepper, 5 spice powder (optional), a bit of corn starch flour and sesame oil. This is normally how I marinate all meat. If you don't have soya sauce, replace it with salt.
2. Minced garlic or sliced shallot. I prefer shallot for this dish.
3. Steam tofu for about ten minutes. Remove water that sip out from tofu when steaming and put aside.
4. Fry dry shrimp till fragrant then add shallot. scoop it up.
5. Fry minced meat till cook than put back the fried dry shrimp and shallot.
6. Once everything is frangrant, scoop up and put on tofu and serve. It is a dry dish.

Happy trying. Thanks for reading and learning.

The Perfect Girl

Adam is in his early 40s, his friends have already got married while he just dates and dates. One day, a friend asks him, "What's the matter, are you looking for the perfect woman? Are you that particular? Can't you find some one who suits you?".

"No," he replies. "I meet many nice girls, but as soon as I bring them home to meet my parents, my mother doesn't like them. So I keep looking."

"Listen," his friend suggests, "Why don't you find a girl who just looks like your dear old mother?"

Many weeks go by again Adam and his friend get together.

"So Adam, did you find the perfect girl yet? One that's just like your mother?"

He shrugs his shoulder. "Yes, I found one just like my mother. My mother loved her. They quickly became friends."

"Are you and this girl engaged yet?"

"I'm afraid not. My father can't stand her!"



Just for laughs. Thanks for reading

My First Blog Award

Never thought this could happen to me. This award was passed on to me by "Buttery"fly. This really does act as a booster shot to continue blogging. I really appreciate it and thanks for reading my posts and thanks to your comments. It's good to know my post was read and appreciated by others.

Check out "Buttery"fly at http://mybutteryfly.blogspot.com/

SO HERE ARE THE BEST BLOG AWARD RULES:

1. To accept this award, copy and save the award then post it in your blog together with the name of the person who granted the award to you and of course with his/her blog link. Please do leave a comment.
2. Pass the award to other 15 bloggers of your choice. Remember to contact the blogger to notify them that they have been chosen for this award.

So here are my 15 top blog picks:

1.Lazy Mum - Yummy Bites
http://jean-easy2cook.blogspot.com/
2.Bitter Sweet Flavours
http://bittersweetflavours.blogspot.com/
3.Life
http://greatestgoal.blogspot.com/
4.Lil' Khoo
http://runningthemiles.blogspot.com/
5.make me laugh
http://want2laugh.blogspot.com/
6.Out oF MY Mind
http://tramic.blogspot.com/
7.Shades of Green
http://shadesofgreenneo.blogspot.com/
8.Side Street Style
http://www.sidestreetstyle.com/
9.stuff could always be worse
http://stuffcouldalwaysbeworse.blogspot.com/
10.The RAB Experience
http://therabexperience.blogspot.com/
11.The Stylish House
http://www.thestylishhouse.net/
12.Zesty Nachos
http://www.thestylishhouse.net/
13.Fine Art Paintings by Ruth ...
http://ruthhousley.blogspot.com/
14.A Walk To Remember
http://delusion-waves.blogspot.com/
15.A Parent's Life to Beho...
http://kimnfam.blogspot.com/

Birdie story

Isn't it cute. Actually it comes in pair. The other bird was on my other plant that moment. These 2 love birds would only visit me on hot days. During the dry season, when there's no rain for a couple of weeks, I will get to see them. They are so used to me that they would wait patiently for me to water my plants every morning. They would hang around the neighbours fence or car and sit there and wait for me. The very minute I switch off the tap, they would immediately fly straight to one of my plants and rub their body against the wet leaves. They don't even bother that I am still standing there. My big pot of bonsai is normally their favourite spot. Today I don't know why they choose the palm tree instead.

Hope you like this as much as I do. I adore nature. I can stand there for hours watching them. Isn't it fun to get to watch up close. Unlike the bird park, I have to pay an entrance fee and might not even get to see those birds so close. Thanks for viewing. Hope I manage to brighten up your day.

Learning is a challenge not a chore

Cultivate the habit of learning in your child from the very first day they were born. Make known to them that learning is something we need to do throughout our life and we can always do it the fun way.

Children ask a lot of questions when they were young. They are curious. They want to know more. This is the stage where their brains are like sponge. Anything you teach them they will learn and keep it in their brain. Don't kill their curiosity. Encourage them to ask more. Feed them with more information and they will eventually cultivate the habit to learn.

Your reaction towards their questions are very important. Your body language and your tone when you answer them. Don't ever show them you couldn't care less or agitated. If you don't know the answer don't get your child to ask another. Find out the answer together with your child. Let him / her know you are willing to learn too.

I read a lot about parenting when my 1st child was born. I do follow most of what I learned and guess what, with a little patience and practice, it does pay off. My 2 sons don't drag themselves to school. You see, when you increase their general knowledge at home, makes it easier to study in school. They felt like they know most of the stuffs already and won't find it so pressurize.

I remembered, one fine day, my youngest son came home from school and told me that he had a new teacher that day and she is just like me. He was only 8 years old then. Asked him what does he mean by that. He said " Mum, she knows everything, just like you". I was on top of the world that moment. I felt like I was just given the "Best Mum" award. Of course now he knows, I don't know "everything", but he knows I am always willing to learn.

"Do not be annoyed when your children ask impossible questions. Be proud that they think you know the answer" --------- got this from a joke book.

Trust me, all this does pay off. I will be posting more about how to train your young children to learn, to always want to know more on my next "mummy's tale". Thanks for reading.

Pattaya Fried Rice

1. Beat a couple of eggs. Sometimes you might need 4 to 5 eggs.
2. Fry them on a non-stick pan







3.Add in your fried rice (what ever flavour). Here I used the fried rice that I thought you in my earlier post.
4. Arrange it at the side. Not too much rice.
5. Fold the egg into 2, or you could make a gigantic omelette and wrap the fried rice into a parcel.




6. Here I only fold the eggs into 2 and slide it onto my plate and serve.
7. If you are trying to get your kids to eat vegetable. this is the best way. Fried the rice with vegetable and of course some meat to cover the taste of vegetables. Then cover the fried rice with omelette like this and draw a funny face with tomato sauce. I learned this from t.v. Kids would love this.


Happy trying and thanks for reading.

What is daddy for?

Five-year old Little Adam asked, "Mummy, where do babies come from?".
"The stork, dear, " replied his mum.
"Mummy, who keeps bad people from robbing our house?" asked Adam.
His mother answered, "The police, dear."
"Mummy, if our house was on fire, who would save us?"
"The firemen, dear."
"Mummy, where does food come from?"
"Farmers, dear."
"Mummy?"
"Yes, dear?"
"What do we need Daddy for?"



Hope this will brighten up your day. Just for laughs. Thanks for reading.

Robbery In Disguise

Last year during the recession, robberies were high. Every week someone from my neighborhood was either robbed, mugged on the street or their whole house rob and ransacked. There was this unique robbery that happens to one of my friend staying just few blocks away from my house.

They stayed in a single storey terrace house facing a community field (a children playground). They have the habit of eating out every weekend without fail. Guess the robbers and even all the neighbors would had noticed this.

One fine Saturday as they were getting ready to go out for dinner, my friend's husband noticed this particular car had parked next to the field directly opposite his house for some time now that day. He blurry sees a male and a female in the car. He knows that car does not belong to any of his neighbor. To him, perhaps these couple, or maybe love bird, just needed a quiet place to chat. Off he drove to the restaurant.

Within seconds, this male and female followed by another male broke into their house quietly from the front. The girl open the gate, going into the porch, wide and started spaying water at the dog. The dog ran to the field and stayed there. (Hope you understand how Malaysian houses look like). Within seconds, they were in the house. The 2 males quickly emptied all drawers into their bags and grab all valuables that they could find. In the meantime, the female (in her twenties) switch on all the lights and start wiping the furniture with a cloth, as if she was spring cleaning.

Some neighbors saw her doing that and didn't suspect a thing, even though she don't look familiar. Not until one of the neighbor noticed the 3 of them leaving the house with 3 big bags and knifes in hand. They look like they were in a hurry. He immediately phone my friend.

It all happen so fast that my friend had not even reach the restaurant. They reported the case to police. They were shock when neighbors told him what they saw. Even their young son's piggy bank was stolen too. We are now more aware and alert when we see aliens in the neighborhood.

Hope this never happen to anyone of us. Thanks for reading.

My Palm Tree

Click on the photos for clearer view.


This is my palm trees. You can find quite a number of palm tress in Kuala Lumpur along the road side or at most of the tourist spot. I took the seeds from the palm tree at a club house. I just threw a few in each pot and there it is, my lovely palm tree. Manage to grow only 2 trees. If not mistaken it should be around 3 to 4 years old by now.

Gardening is fun. It is like playing "Farm" on facebook but this is real. I like the fun and trill waiting for seeds to grow into plants / trees . Palm trees are quite easy to care for. Just leave it under the sun. If I am on vacation for few days, I don't have to worry about getting someone to water it for me.




Last few weeks was quite windy and found my palm tree tilted to one side. Went to investigate and to my surprise the root was so thin and fragile. I water my plant twice a day and never notice the roots. Now only did I realize the roots looks like 4 tiny fingers holding on to the ground supporting such a big tree. I have to hold it in place with a stick now.

Hang in there buddy, its going to be windy for another few weeks. It's rainny season now.

A relative of mine suggest that I should replant it or add more soil to cover the roots properly. Well one very important thing that I learned from my years of gardening is "Do Not Tamper With Nature". Since I planted it from seed, let it grow like how it should be if it is in the wilderness.

Hope you learn something today, like I always do. Thank you for reading and hope that for those who had never plant anything before should start now, today.

Fried Rice With Water Convolvulus (Kangkung)

Click on the photo for clearer view.


Ingredients:

Water Convolvulus (Kangkung)
Anchovy
Egg (optional)
Chilli (optional)
Garlic and onions
Steam rice

1. Steam rice few hours earlier and let it cool down before you fry rice with ingredients. Do this for any fried rice.
2. Wash water convolvulus and cut it to about an inch long.
3. Chop chilli, garlic and onions.
4. Heat pan. Fry anchovies till fragrant. Add garlic and onion. (If you add garlic and onion first then anchovies, the garlic and onion will burn)
5. Add water convolvulus. Fry till you could see that the vege change color. Add the steamed rice. Mix well.
6. Add chillies last.
7. As for the eggs. You have 2 options. You can either fry scramble eggs and set aside and add in last together with the chillies or once you had everything in the pan, pour those beaten eggs onto pan on top of the rice and everything. This way the rice will absorb the eggs and look yellowish and taste nice too.

This is one of the Malay style of fried rice. We called it "Kampung Fried Rice" which means village fried rice. Those who loves "belacan" you can add some too when you saute the onions and garlic.

Hope you like it. Happy trying and thanks for reading.

How Babies Were Born

Six year old Susan was distraught and came running in the house. "Mummy! John and Mike told me how babies were born. It can't be that way. It doesn't sound right."

"What did they say?' her mom asked.

The little girl replied, "They said you go to the hospital and order one. I thought you had to take what they gave you."

**************************************


*GOOD FOR NOTHING.*


As a mother was bribing her little boy with a fifty cent coin so he would behave, she said, "Why do I always have to pay you to be good; why can't you be good for nothing like your dad?"


Just for laughs! Thanks for reading.

My Extraordinary Pet Fish

My pet fish thinks that it is a shark or a dolphin. He loves to have it's tail and fin above water. My husband said maybe he enjoy the wind blowing it's tail and fin. Had pet fishes for many years and this is the first time I came across such act. This video was taken few years back. My pet fish is in heaven now. Guess extraordinary person gets extraordinary pets and stuffs happening around me.

Yeah! Yeah! I know. Self praise is a disgrace. Just for your viewing pleasure. Thank you.

Reward Or Bribe

Do you monetary reward your kids or bribe them? What is reward and what is bribe? Where should we draw the line?

Had a neighbor who pay her kids to finish up their dinner. Most kids are picky when it comes to food but pay them to eat? I overheard her telling her eight years old son that if he would take another spoonful of his dinner, she will pay him 50 cents. I wonder what else she paid him to do?

Another neighbor pay her daughter to do some spring cleaning around the house before the new year.So this is a bribe or a reward? I also have a friend who pay her daughter to prepare breakfast for the rest of the family on school days because she is always in a hurry to go to work. Is this another so call reward?

Don't we all learn about teamwork and family values in school? So it means that only schools are doing their part to teach children about the importance of family but parents themselves not really encouraging it?

To me, my family members are my team mate. We all belong to the same team but each have a different role to play. Everyone must play their part. Each of us are responsible for the well being of all its members. We should encourage our kids to help out around the house and not pay them to do so. If not they will end up like one of my friend.

This friend of mine was a divorcee with 2 kids and her mum stayed with her to take care of her kids for her while she works in the office. Whenever her mum ask her to help around the house, she says that anything that does not involve money, she won't do. Instead of being grateful, she thinks that since she is paying her mum to take care of the family, it should be entirely her responsibility. She forgot that person is her mum, her family member. I can imagine how hurt the mum must be.

No offense, but to those who pay their kids to help around the house, what type of signal are you sending? Are you trying to tell your kids, hey, look you are just someone around this house, I got a job for you, pay well, can you do it? If not I could pay your sister or brother to do it.

Aren't we family. Aren't family suppose to stick together? Just for your reading pleasure. Thank you.

Fried Pasta

Click on the picture for better view.

I love to fry pasta my style. This is easy and you can add almost any ingredients that you can think of like mushrooms, green vegetables etc.

Ingredients :

Pasta (any type)
Tomato (very ripe ones)
Garlic
Onion
Carrot (1 will do)
Minced meat (I prefer pork)

1) Cut tomato in cubes, carrot in sticks, slice onion and garlic. Garlic you could either slice or chop or even mince for those who don't like the sight of garlic.
2) Marinate mince meat with pepper, light and dark soya sauce, five spices powder and a dash of sesame oil. Add a dash of water too. (about a tablespoon full only). This is normally how I marinate minced meat. I rarely use salt.
3) Boil water. Wait till it boils then add a pinch of salt in water and add pasta. Leave it to boil till pasta soften.
4) In the meantime while waiting for the pasta, heat pan and add some oil. Fry minced meat till nicely cook. Add garlic and onion. You can also either saute garlic and onion till fragrant then add meat or saute garlic and onion till fragrant, scoop up, fry meat till nicely cook then put back the garlic and onion. Depending on your taste. Each method has its own flavor.
5) Add carrot and tomato to the above. Saute for a while, then add a cup of water.
6) Add some light soya sauce, dark soya sauce and tomato ketchup to taste.
7) Let everything simmer for a while.
8) Drain pasta and add into the above and mix well. Keep stirring and fry till all dries up. This is a dry dish. Then serve.

Hope you like this recipe. My own creation. Actually there's no fix rules to cooking stuffs like this, unlike baking. If you don't measure your ingredients properly, whatever you bake might not come out nicely. That is part of the reason I seldom bake. Happy trying and thanks for reading.

Yeah, right!

This is my favorite 2 words. I used it quite often. This 2 words reminds me of a joke I read sometime ago. It goes like this...

The local private Language Institute engaged the services of a foreign linguistic professor to improve the standard of English of its students.

"In English," he explained, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative. However, there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."

A voice from the back of the class was heard, "Yeah, right!"


I find it very funny indeed. Sometime ago, my brother-in-law was telling me his opinion on something (can't remember what) and he ask me if I agree with him and I said "Yeah, right!", he keep arguing why I should not agree and I said "Didn't I said yeah and right?". Of cause he knows what exactly I mean, and every one laugh. I meet up with my in-laws every weekend and we had never fail to amuse each other every time we meet. I take weekends as my regular dose of laughs. It is the best medication for any sickness and everyone should have a dose of it regularly besides exercising and a balance diet.

Just for laughs! Thanks for reading

Independence Day

Malaysia had just celebrated it's 52th Independence Day. What about you? Are you independent or still depending on someone to support you? I mean financially. This remind me of a true story I heard when I was little.

There was this young graduate who had just found herself her 1st job. Upon receiving her salary, she gave it all to her mum. Mum of cause was happy about it and normally will put it away into her bank. Mum had quite a sum in her saving too, from her late husband. She would go round town telling the whole world how good her daughter is.

Lets come back to reality. The daughter needs money daily for food and transport. She would ask mum for money every day just like her schooling days. Mum was so used to this that she don't feel anything wrong about it. On weekends, she would ask for more pocket money cause she needs to hang out with friends at cinema, restaurant, club, pub, shopping .............. and the list goes on and on. So in the end she asked for more than what she gave her mum. Well the mum still thinks that she is great. The best daughter that you could ever imagine.

Well, guess what you don't know, won't hurt. Hmmm I wonder if her daughter did it intentionally or other wise. I also wonder if the mum would ever realize what is actually happening. Anyway, I guess this is none of my business. Just for your reading pleasure. Thanks for reading.

My Bonsai Love Story

click on the photo for clearer view.


Now that I caught your attention, I would like to show off one of my creation. No point creating something and hide it from the rest of the world. My heart shape Bonsai. Well the best I can do is bend it to look like a "heart". I tried once (the top photo) but it didn't really look like a "heart". Then manage to bent a smaller pot of bonsai. Now it look more like a "heart". (the bottom photo).

I didn't use wire. I used thread and tie the end of the 2 longest shoot and pull it down like a cross and wait for it to turn woody. Then I cut off all excess branch and leave. Now I just wait for the leaves from the sides to appear. Now it appear bald. Perhaps few more weeks it will look much better.

I have gone through a number of web/blog about bonsai. All they mentioned was how to plant, prune, maintain, fertilizer to use and gardening tools. None teaches how to shape it. Hope I could find a website that shows how to shape it, like a cross stitch book, where they will show you from shape "A" to "Z", cartoons character, etc. All I have to do is just follow instruction.

Perhaps one fine day I would make some unique shape out of it, like maybe my name of my face. (In my dream, I guess). My neighbor's brother manage to shape it into a Chinese word. Well this is gardening. It teaches us to be patience, creative, learn to appreciate nature and do not tamper with nature. Thanks for reading.