How Time Flies

Oh my, April had come to an end. So much more that I pledged to do this year and is still on the "to do" list. Maybe I should look at it the other way. I had however made some changes, personal changes. I had become more spiritual, more patience and had line up more exciting stuffs for the whole family to do as a family. I used to think that family days are to be spend on vacations or eating out, trying new restaurants. Now I found out that I could turn charity into family day too.

To start off, we visited the SPCA recently and had donated a bag of cat food. Plan to do that more often. Now thinking of other charities that we could do as a family. Well, when I was young, my mum works seven days a week and hardly any time for us. Then when I was in school, I used to join school trips to orphanage and old folks homes. When I got married, I concentrated on building a career and a family. Juggling between those two really takes up all my time.

When my two sons started school, I spend most of my time teaching them, encouraging them to do well academically. Attend to them 24/7 and very little time for myself. Now My eldest is in college and my youngest will be in college in a couple of years, guess it is time to do more charity. I might join some volunteer program later too.

Spiritually, I had learn to meditate. Listen to more spiritual talks to improve myself. Health wise I had change my diet and plan to be a vegetarian on week days soon. At the moment only on first and fifteen of the month according to the Chinese calender. Those are the two auspicious day to not eat meat. I remember I told hubby and my sons that I might turn into a vegetarian soon and they all turn and look at me with eyes wide open and said "Why!". Hahahah maybe they are worried that they might have to turn vegetarian too because I am the only cook at home.

Well, all the above do sounds like I am in a mid life crisis. I am indeed in my mid forties and should live like there is no tomorrow and start doing things that is to please me instead of everyone else. Now I sound kinda selfish too, hhahaha. Wonder if this is actually known as mid live crisis at all.

Well, what ever the future may be, I cannot plan so far ahead, my plans are up to the end of this year. I will think of something else by end of the year to keep my life as exciting as ever. I am a very easy to please person. My bucket list does not comprise of jumping of a cliff or climb the highest peak. Just as long as I could make another person/being happy will make me happy like feeding stray cats or feeding the poor.

Thanks for reading and blogging is still part of my plan. Happy blogging to you and may you do lots of stuffs that makes you happy too. Gotta go now.

Time To Do Want I Always Wanted

I visited the SPCA last weekend with hubby and my youngest son. We donated a bag of cat food. What prompt me to visit? Well, recently over the radio the D.J mentioned that every public holiday, the malls, cinemas and restaurant would be pack with people. Why not do something different like pay a visit to the SPCA or an orphanage or do some voluntary work for the handicapped etc. Very true indeed. Embarrassed to mentioned that I have never visit the SPCA before.

My eldest is in college now and able to drive, so less one worry. My youngest is in secondary school and would be in college in a couple of years. Guess this is the best time to do the things that I love but no time, in the past. I long to have pets like cats and dogs and rabbits. Already have the experience of raising few batches of rabbits from birth in the past. Still have an old rabbit living with me. Now two lovely teenage cats always hang around my house and I am feeding them daily, kinda like my pets too but they do not enter my house. They do show affection and do allow me to pat them. So glad that they are not afraid of me anymore.

What else is missing? A dog of course. So tempted to bring that lovely cream colored puppy of mixed breed home from the SPCA the other day. Hubby said we should wait for the year end school term break so that my son is around to help. Kinda make me think twice too. A case of watching too many of Cesar Milan's Dog Whisperer on t.v showing so many "good dogs turn bad". I have to really prepare myself before I have a dog. Searching the net now a days to find out more about having a dog and how to potty train etc. Really makes me feel like the first time I got pregnant. That was the time when I start reading about babies and child care etc.

My sons can't wait to have a dog too. Occasionally I would create some excitement in our life. It would start to get dull if we are so routinely doing the same thing every day. Like my youngest son said, with a dog, we could all learn together how to take care of it and have something different to do daily.

Having a new pet is like having Discovery Channel, live, at home. Like the time when Rusty, the stray cat, that came into our life, brings so much joy. We learn so much from him too. We don't really know much about cats until we have him. Same goes to the rabbits. Now I hope we could get a dog by year end.

Guess only animal lovers would understand the joy of having a pet. Those who don't like pets, would find having them as a burden. I once mentioned that I would be getting a dog soon and my sister-in-law came up with a thousand reasons why I shouldn't. She really don't know what she is missing.

Thanks for reading. Happy blogging and blog hopping to you. Hope you have a great pet that loves you as much as you love it.

Wanton In Chicken And Maize Soup

I saw this on t.v and gave it a try. Wanton soup is a normal dish at home but never with a whole chicken and maize. The soup taste lovely and something different, to me anyway.

Ingredients are maize, whole chicken (I used half only here), wanton skin, minced meat, green leafy vegetables, coriander leafs.

Mix minced meat (I normally used pork) with a bit of salt, pepper, corn starch flour and some chopped coriander leafs. You can also add a bit of chopped water chestnut for some crunchy texture into the minced meat. Leave aside and let it marinate.

Prepare soup by putting water, whole chicken and maize into a big pot. Bring it to a boil for about half an hour or so depending on how large is the chicken. Remove the whole chicken from the soup and set aside for it to cool down.

Prepare wanton. Add about a teaspoon of marinated minced meat on wanton skin and wrap it. You can wrap it in several ways (available on most you-tube about wanton soup). Once all the wanton is wrapped, the chicken is cool enough to remove the flesh by hand. The thickness of each shred of chicken is up to you. Put back all the chicken flesh into the maize soup and bring to boil. Add salt, pepper, sesame oil and soy sauce to taste. Now is also the time to add your vegetables, any leafy vegetables together with some chopped coriander leafs.

In a separate pot, I bring a pot of water to boil. Once water is boiling, add in wanton, not so much at a time. When the wanton starts to float, it is cook. Scoop it into a bowl and add some of the maize and chicken soup. You can also add noodles or pasta too.

Hope you like wanton as much as we do. Thanks for reading and hope you would give this a try. Food like this is best taken on a cooling day. Yummmmmmmmmmy! Drooooooling already.

Local Or Abroad

Not sure why but most Malaysian that I know, and most Asians too, think that it is very important that their children studies abroad. Even when their financial status does not permit so, they would still borrow to send their kids oversea. Is it really that great? Or is it because Malaysians rarely read and didn't know that most of the billionaires and well known person in the world are drop-outs. Some did not even complete high school.

My eldest son is in college now doing foundation and plan to take up business studies, locally. He said there are quite a lot of foreigners in his college. If Malaysia does not have so many great colleges and universities than how come so many foreigners choose to study here? Or is it just for the sake of "studying abroad".

There was this local documentaries about parenthood on t.v some time ago. They would go into lives of some of the Malaysian and interview them about parenting. I remembered there was this elderly couple. The t.v crew would follow them around for few days. This two couple had retired but are doing voluntary works for some charity bodies.

They too believe that it is important to let their children study abroad, widen their scope and get to see / learn more. They did send all their few children oversea and now all of them stayed oversea, some got married, some working abroad and only skype them when they are free. So everyday they lived like there is only two of them. Their children only comes back once every few years, some, none at all.

After watching the show I realize how lucky my in-laws and my mum is. Almost every Saturday all my sister and brother in-laws would meet up at my mother-in-laws place. We would chat, poke fun, tease each other like small children. Occasionally I would go visit my mum, and my sister and her whole family would be there, we would chat, have fun, enjoy each other's company. We celebrate mother's day and father's day without fail and every time when we eat out we need at least two huge tables to fit us all.

Isn't this the reason for getting married? Well, for me it definitely is. To have a family and enjoy the company of extended family too. When anyone of us need help, others are more than willing to chip in and help. These type of bonding between us are priceless. We watch all our children grow up together, we grow old together and get close too like how relatives are suppose to.

I have nothing against sending children to study abroad. If you can afford it, why not. Not all children end up not coming back, but I still think that as parents, the most valuable lesson that no school or university could teach is, the importance of having relatives. Do you know in Japan they have this "rent a relative" during festivals and dinners so that their neighbors and friends won't know that they are actually living alone when in fact they do have relatives and children. Not sure if they are still doing it now a days.

Thanks for reading. You can call me old fashion but I prefer to have my children and relatives around me, not 24-7, but at least often enough to live like a big happy family. At least someone to laugh with me when I am happy and cry with me when I am down.