My Yummy Weekend!! (Part 3)

Desserts? Off to Nusa Dusun, near Linggi to get some nangkas and starfruits......

Another short drive to Masjid Tanah, to taste the wonderful, unforgettable Cendol.....

Very soon, it was dinner time again, back to Malacca.....to Pak Putra. Tandoori Chicken, Naan.........

Almost end of weekend.....sigh...

An old-fashioned breakfast at an old coffee shop........getting ready to face the Monday Blues.......

A few more cuppa (s) will do the trick!!
What a splendid weekend!!

My Yummy Weekend!! (Part 2)

Next, a short drive to Pengkalan Balak, a hide-out.....just by the seaside....under a tree...you find authentic Malay kampung food.....

Best eaten with your bare hands.......

The main dish......Assam Pedas!!

And to top it all.........enjoy the local coconut juice!!

My Yummy Weekend!! (Part 1)

Fried Calamari....and Chicken Wings....

Grilled Aubergines, nothing much to look at.....but wait till you sink your teeth in one of these!!!

And Devil's Curry or Debel's Curry or Kari Hantu....or whatever you call it.....you must try this Portuguese dish!!

Ikan Bakar....
Food!!! Food Excites Me..........All these made me drive up to Malacca one weekend........

Just look at this!! What more, with the beautiful scenery, just by the Straits.....awesome!!

And a glass of Mango Juice to complete this meal...................

All these at Sea Terrace, The Portuguese Settlement in Malacca!!

Chinese New Year 2010

For me, making Pineapple tarts is a 'must-do' a few days before Chinese New Year to make sure my guests savour them... nice and fresh.

Then the night before, preparing the angpows is another 'must-do'. Making sure we get the crispy new notes sometimes mean queueing up at the banks a week before the Big Day. Also, getting the the new angpow packets from every bank in town seems to be the craze a few weeks before!

Here, the 'Yee Sang' at Reunion Dinner.....is really looking good... it REALLY is good!! This dish is another 'must-eat'
........

But before you begin, you have to 'Loh-hei', meaning to toss the dish, while uttering some nice-sounding blessings. I haven't learn how to say them in authentic Cantonese, but I will learn to do so...next year.

Not only nice-sounding blessings...but also the dishes have nice-sounding names. This one, 'Hoi See Fatt Choy'...means ' Good Things and Prosperity Come Your Way' and.....

another one, 'Stuffed Sea Cucumber'.....i guess it means that 'The Year Will Be Filled With Rich Blessings'....

Mama is looking very happy here. She must be very pleased with the food....but most importantly, that everyone came back for the Reunion Dinner, all 30 of us.

Another thing.....red clothes! Next morning, the children get ready to receive lots and lots of Angpows!!

In our family, we begin the 'Angpow Ceremony' by having everyone, from the youngest to the eldest receiving angpows and in exchange, we offer blessings and best wishes to Mama.

Having fun time with cousins  on the hammock in the garden!!

Luckily for Skype, Vito and Jae-lynn were able to join in the merry-making. We were also able to'exchange greetings and mandarin oranges'.

Together with the fireworks around the neighbourhood and the Lion Dance, and having everyone back home, it really was a great Chinese New Year!!!

The Angels in my Life

Someone once told me, that God sends us angels when He knows we cannot cope, when we need help. Here are my angels who help me cope with my everyday chores.

Sixteen years ago, Zumi came into my life. She was only a 14-year girl then. First time away from home (a kampung in Kalimantan), she must have felt very afraid!!

Today, she is a very confident lady, very efficient in her work and speaks almost perfect English. She cannot write nor read, but she can do banking and help me run my business.
She also cooks and bakes very well.
Actually, she practically runs my whole household!!

This is Wiji. 5 years ago, she came from Indonesia to work. Frail-looking then, and speaking an unfamiliar language, we managed to get by together.

She is a marvellous person! She looks after my mother day and night and is able to manage everything around the house. And like I always tell everyone, she does the work of 3 persons. She can handle all my mother's need although my mother is wheelchair-bound.

What more!! She is always happy and smiling.

This angel is Emma. Emma lives next door to me. Every afternoon, she keeps my mother company -  telling stories, laughing while watching TV but most of all...... Mum loves it when Emma gives her an hour-long whole body massage!!

Masnor used to cycle pass my house every evening after work. After some time, he will call out and wave to me, and is always cheerful.

God must have sent him to me, seeing all the work around the house. Masnor sees to all the little jobs. Some days, he repairs the faulty lightbulbs. Other days, he repairs my broken furniture. Some Sundays when he is free, he will call out to me to ask if I have any work for him.

Last Sunday. he helped with the garden, he helped trimmed off some large branches and even
helped me with my vegetable patch!!


How truly Blessed I am!!

My Trip to Singapore on Boxing Day

Had a wonderful and interesting holiday in Singapore on the 26th December 2009. I had planned to visit two places which I have been wanting to go to. First was the MV Doulos, the remarkable floating bookshop. It was coincidental that 26th December will be their last day at their last port - Singapore. So I reckoned that I just have to make it.

MV Doulos is the world's oldest passenger ship. She has sailed the seven seas for over 90 years now, visited over 100 countries and had more than 20 million visitors on board. Their tag-line is - bringing knowledge, help and hope.

 Doulos has made literature (knowledge) available all over the world, especially in countries where it is difficult to access good literature. Doulos is also involved in providing help in areas of great need and tragedy. Its community is also a living example of hope. Different cultures of 350 volunteers from 50 countries give hope that it is possible for different people to work together, sharing their dreams, their future and purpose in life. What an amazing idea of spreading goodwill around the world!!

The biggest attraction to the ship is the bookfair. The books range from children's books, Christian literature and classic novels to science, business, arts and faith. I had a good time but wished I had more time to go through over 6000 tittles available on board. However, I managed to buy three books, some souvenirs, a poster of the ship, notebooks and some bookmarks.

Second was the red dot Museum in Tanjong Pagar. Since 1988, red dot has annually selected a design team which has made its mark in international markets. The Design Team of Tupperware won this award in 2009. Isn't that exciting?
For this, there was a display of Tupperware products that won the awards since 1993. Above this display, was another array of Tupperware products - really an amazing art-work!! Zumi, Yenn and I were mesmerized with this art-work!! We spent more than an hour just on this section alone.

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Above are some of the products displayed. The red dot award is the highest honourary disinction in the design world. I am proud to own 27 of the 39 products that have won this prestigious award!! I have been a keen collector of Tupperware since 2000, hence the interest to visit this museum!!

In the night, we had an opportunity to visit Orchard Road, well-known for Christmas lights and shopping!! There were crowds everywhere since there was a huge mark-down in prices. Boxing day Sale!!

I came across several Christmas trees and here are two interesting ones.....the one with a Nutcracker Theme and one.................an upside-down tree!! Wacky, isn't it.....somehow, i didn't quite like it, call me old-fashioned, if you like, but...............

Later, Jae-hann brought us to this cosy place for tea. What a treat!! Set in the backyard of the old Turf Club, this lovely Restaurant and Bar is really exclusive. Not only I loved the greenery and the horses that strutted by, the food was great!! And the decor in the bar, I just loved the contrast of colours.....See for yourself.......

What a lovely, lovely holiday it was!!. Now with the New Year just around the corner, I will resolve to work harder next year, and look forward to my NEXT HOLIDAY!!!!