Thanks for dropping by at this blog. Time is short, and the weather is real bad. So we do not do much visiting this year and so sad I did not manage to meet up with all friends as I planned to.
My mum’s home in Melaka was like an oven so we either stayed in our air con room or drives around to enjoy air con and sight seeing in our car. Kuantan, on the other hand, has very strong wind but still the air was very hot, really beh-tahan.
Although many people in KL complain the weather is hot, but for us, our home here facing the jungle is so cooling and air smells so fresh and nice.
QQ with her childhood friend
We went next door to QQ’s ex-nanny’s house to “Pai Nien” the moment we reaches here. It is really nice to be back here again, and now it is home for me here (QQ claimed that Mummy orang Melaka, Papa orang Kuantan, and she orang KL!)
Lion Dance at Sg.Long Buddhist Society
This year we came back just in time to join the Sg.Long Buddhist CNY gathering. Lots of great food there from the potluck and I must say that everyone done a great job and contribute a lot to the extension project of the centre.
Boys in their sis’s pre-school on CNY Open day
On Thursday, QQ’s preschool had the CNY Open House. It is funny to see the boys helping themselves with a seat each among the kids the moment food is served in their sister’s class.
Like last year, this year they engage Lion Dance performance too. I love to take the opportunity to expose the boys to the loud noise at lion dance to get them used to it.
We had fun going to places to catch the lion dance. Do you and your kids do the same too?
Will be posting more activities on our last weekend of CNY.
Half of our New Year cookies displayed on our table are gone by now. No, we do not have any visitors coming over to consume them. As usual, they all ended up in our stomach, hahaha… (I am even munching one pineapple tart while typing this now!)
Once we are done with the cookies, we will start to attack those can drinks sitting in our store room. When our fridge is cleared later, QQ will start to arrange the soft drink cans into my fridge and chill them. When the can is too cold to be held by her little hands, she will use her custom koozies to hold it. That’s how we enjoy our Chinese New Year at home each year!
I started blogging in March 2007. I then went into paid posting and to find out more about opportunities, I have been blog hopping a lot to read what my online friends are up to. At the same time, we get to know each other better through our parenting blogs.
Although most of us hardly do paid posting nowadays, I am still very hooked to blog hopping. But of course there must also be a system on how I read all favourite blogs, since there are too many to follow up.
1. Subscribe blogs through Google Reader
Yes, it is easy to open an account with Google Reader. Just subscribe your favourite URL into your reader and this way, you will be able to catch up with only “unread postings” from the blogs you subscribe to. This way, you can save lots of time by going into blogs that have updates and you know that you won’t miss out from your friend’s new postings.
2. Do grouping all the blogs you subscribe and read by groups
I categorise all my favourite blogs according to groups. For instant, I have
Local mummies (Group 1,2,3 4)
Oversea mummies
Mummies with Twins
Baking/Cooking Mums
I visit blogs with updates by groups. This way, I make sure that I visited all blogs without having to miss out anyone. Grouping also makes visiting easier so I can plan to clear the unread groups by days.
3. Lastly, I leave a comment.
Although I must admit that I can’t leave comments for each postings and updates from my friends. There are too many postings (for instant, I have > 500 unread posts now) and it will be too tedious to do so. Therefore, I’ll probably just choose one of the latest posting and leave a comment there. Just a small gesture to let my friends know that I visited them.
I have almost 200 subscribe blogs on my Google Reader now, and well, if you ask me if it is too tiring to visit the blogs, I can tell you that I still enjoy doing so, although no longer as frequent as previous. Maybe a reason to that is because I am too KPC to find out what is going on out there with my friends and their kids! From there I also get to know what’s happening in town. Many time, I find it very helpful to search for certain info just through my Google Reader when I remember reading something similar posted by some friend bloggers on their blog.
Hope the tips above helps anyone who wish to find ways to catch up with their favourite blogs the easier way.
The weather in Melaka is unbelievably HOT! Since we miss big family gathering, I rather stayed at home inside my air-con room with my sick boys instead of bringing them around to pai-nien.
My kids with my Goh cousins
We only bring the kids to my paternal grandparents place, then also to visit my maternal dotage grandma who almost could not recognise us anymore. Despite old age, she still looks really good. I wonder if my grandma knows how to apply the home acne remedies when she was younger. I hope all my grandparents still have many more years to come as they are still very healthy at such old age.
Kids at Beer Garden, The Jetty
We can never be bored with sight-seeing in Melaka. Melaka has changed so much ever since declared as World Heritage City by UNESCO and although it is hot to walk around, we drive into Jonker Street and the town each night to see the beautiful lantern decors.
At the Lobby of sea facing Holiday Inn, Melaka
Us on boat tour
We even went for a boat tour at the Melaka River on the last night before we came back to KL. Tickets are really cheap (Rm10/adult). If you are going to Melaka, you must also check out the very interesting land-and-sea experience Melaka Duck Tour (but it is Rm45/adult). We plan to check that out the next round we go back to Melaka!
Nothing feels like own home. We reached Melaka only on the 3rd day of CNY. Instead of cooking most dishes (wonder why my mum do not prepare steamboat as usual), my parents ordered some pre-cooked dishes.
Leisure dinning at home
Our common dishes are the Teochew Lor Ark (Braised Duck from LTP Restaurant), Spicy Tomato Chicken, Teochew Steam Promfet, Fish Maw Soup and a plate of Mix Vege.
Now the boys insist sitting with us on the table when we dine
On the following night, I even prepared Fish Maw Soup and Braised Sea Cucumber with Pork Knuckle using late MIL’s recipe for the very first time.
Verdict: Sorry, no picture to show, but hehe…I am really quite proud of my capability!
Sorry for my lousy Ah-Soh look. I will remember to use some make-up and the best eye cream in future!
On the 5th night, hubby suggested that we dine out and he wanted to go to one of the best restaurant in town, Bei Zhan. Nah…not that they serve good food, but at least this restaurant is more “presentable” when *ahem* you know-la, especially when the Son-In-Law want to treat his Parents-In-Law, hahaha!!!
I must admit that the ambience and the service at classy white Bei Zhan is really far more superb as compare to our old-time-favourite LTP Teochew Restaurant. Food wise, ok -lah..acceptable, if you are not fussy.
Check out where we visit also in Melaka after this!
I have been only trimming their hair with a little nail scissors, holding their hair up above my scissors-shape fingers all these while. Sometimes I even cut my own skin!
Hubby forbids them going to the barber as he thinks that it is too dangerous to let the hair dresser trims his sons’ delicateand very tenderalmost-botak-heads.
A week before the CNY arrives, I found out that my ex-nanny’s (who’s also my neighbour) has the electric hair shaver hence I decided to experiment with it. Never knew that electric hair shaver is so easy to use, even easier than plugging my DVD wiring into the KVM switch!
Result: Didi’s hair was accidentally shaved too short as I used a shorter shave-comb. Still, it is free and I can save a lot from sending them to the barber in future!
No one can ever understand how a Japanese MPV can be. We use a Honda stream. Kakak and one boy with car seat occupied the 3rd row while QQ, me and another car seat occupied the 2nd row. So when we travel, our storage space at the back is really so limited that even Kakak had to use a paper bag to store her clothes so it can be put at her leg rest area.
Usually I have to pack all my clothes, my toiletries, for instant, acne face wash into a small bag share with hubby. The 3 kids will share another bigger bag with additional bag to store their blankets, pillows and bolster. See how narrow is the space behind (orange area). If we bring out a twin stroller for shopping on weekends, all of us will have to squeeze only at the 2nd row like a tin of sardines!
Haha..if you like collecting ang pow like we do,beware, coz it is a sign of getting old!
Ever since we had children, hubby and I had fun collecting the ang pow packets every year. A week before CNY, he will visit banks to collect the red packets and we also make sure we spend just enough to collect nice ang pow from shopping malls. This year, OCBC ang pow was rated the best design with cute little cartoon riding bicycles. Nicer if our automobile company (you know which I refer to) prints ang pow with Ferrari parts on it!
A week before CNY, the boys were started with antibiotic for quicker healing and they heal completely just a day before CNY. We woke up very early on Friday morning to pack everything into the car and started our journey at 6.30am.
As usual we went back to hubby’s hometown first during CNY. The kids are happy because they have many cousins to play with. However it was really quiet in places like Kuantan and I miss the blasting of fire crackers in my hometown
The younger Tans from the 2nd generation
Can you spot us sitting on the left?
Hubby is no.7 and he has got 7 siblings, which total up to 8 kids including him. Although I thought I have better excuse of celebrating CNY eve at my hometown (since my grandparents, my parents are still around), I can understand that hubby still want to maintain the closeness with his siblings although their parents are no longer around.
A sumptuous treat from eldest BIL on 2nd night on CNY. So blessed with so much of good food until I gained tonnes of kg! Must check out some xyphedrine side effects since I have to resort to loose weight again.
We were supposed to travel back to Melaka that morning to catch my family reunion at
my maternal Grandmother in the afternoon and then
Paternal Grandpa’s siblings in the evening
It was somehow very important to me because:
our kids represents the 4th Generations at both gathering and it somehow does our family very proud
my grandparents are really old (almost 90) so each year is really celebrated with treasure
Too bad Korkor was down AGAIN with fever (just after a day finished his antibiotic) #@*%^$@*ARRGHHHH!!** so I had to postpone our long journey towards south that morning. What a big disappointment to me!
It is overly tiring this CNY as the boys are falling in and out of sick since last month. I sometimes really fed up living a life full of worry day and night. If only I still working and holding on to my job instead of taking care of them at home full time. At least I will switch focus elsewhere instead of focusing on my kids all the time. How nice if I am still single !
After the boys were asleep, three of us sat down to pack all Ang Pows. I still remember my siblings and I used to help my mother to pack them, and now, I have QQ to help me. See the cute pink OCBC ang pow? She picked hers and that’s for her. Kids are so simple. It does not matter how much we put inside as long as the envelope is cute and attractive.
Nyonya Pineapple Tarts
After much delay, finally the tarts are done today as the boys obediently sleep through the whole morning. Also, I’ll be closing Mama Patch in another hour after we send out our final orders before the holiday.
Seaweed crisp
QQ has been bugging me to buy some seaweed crisp for her. Instead of getting them, I bought some nori and fried them with the popiah skin instead. This snack is so easy to make that even QQ can prepare them (while Kakak fried them).
If I still have energy left by the boys nap later, I will make the crispy rolls coated with sugar since I still have many pieces popiah left in the freezer.
Since we are leaving in the wee morning tomorrow, we are going to pack early today so all lugage can go into the car by tonight.
To all my Chinese friends and readers, I wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. To all my friends and readers from other races, wishing you a very happy holiday too. Drive safely back home, k !
Specially posted for Michelle who wanted to see how the OCBC Ang Pow looks like.
From the top left: Aster Spring, Metrojaya, IOI Mall, Aeon,
From middle left: Public Bank, Ikea, Citibank
Below: OCBC
And yesterday night, we packed and used only these…
From left: Metrojaya, Caterpillar, Enfagrow
I love Metrojaya because their envelope opening which is shaped like a purse. Each year, hubby will use also Caterpillar from his work place because it is unique. This year I also choose Enfagrow/Sustagen because the quality is really thick and good.
Among all, the best award goes to OCBC but since we only got 2 packs (8 in each pack), they are used for my kids
My boys are getting smarter now so it is getting hard for me to sneak out and escape from them. At only 19 months, they can be pretty cunning too!
This morning while I was out sending my girl to school, Korkor found his Mummy missing from bed when he got up. Instead of only crying for Mummy, he actually crawled over to Didi and woke him up by telling him that Mummy is GONE!
When they were downstairs playing later, while Korkor is still crying for Mummy, my little cunning and tricky Didi pulak comfort his elder twin saying that “Ma..ma…atas….Emmmk…Emmmk…chou! chou!” (mummy upstairs in toilet, smelly…smelly)
“Gong Xi…Gong Xi” from the boys
Not only they are extremely friendly to strangers, the boys can even greet, communicate with others so well. They point and label almost everything they see. Although Didi is more cunning and working more twisting in his brain, Korkor is more vocal and can even sing some Simple chinese new year songs. He now speaks even in sentence such as:
We have been buying the same old packet drink every year during the Chinese New Year. But this year, we have got something new, and most importantly, something healthier too, thanks to Sasha!
Made from 100& Natural green tea, C2 Cool & Clean Green Tea is going to be a great choice for us during this hot and heaty festive season. C2 Cool & Clean Green Tea is brewed and packed immediately on the same day so you can be assured of its goodness. Instead of taking carbonated soft drink or those very sweet packet box drink which can be very unhealthy, green tea is a great choice again as it has the most powerful anti-oxidant among all types of tea. And if you do not like the bitter taste of your tea, you will surely love the C2 Cool & Clean Green Tea as it comes in 3 nice flavors (Apple, Lemon and Fruits)
That’s my boys when we got the tea. Both of them were so eager to open the bottles so I have to hide all my drinks away from them now, otherwise there will be none left when Chinese New Year arrives!
To get them, its available at Giant, Jusco and some major shopping outlets. If you wanna try, do come over to “pai nien” during the the festive season as I’ll be serving all my guests this year with C2 Cool & Clean Green Tea.
This is something relatively new to me and you should check out about WiBox if you frequently make calls from your home to handphones, outstations or to your love ones at overseas.
Previously, we have been buying calling card whenever we want to make oversea calls. Although there is some saving, I find that using the card is a little bit more troublesome as we need to call the given number and insert the code of the card. Unlike calling card, WiBox is something very convenient which you do not have to do anything at all. Cost only at Rm29.90 (with a Rm5 free talk time PLUS free delivery), all you have to do is just:
Simply plug-and-play this very small device into your home telephone (Steps shown below)
Register your serial number online (top up air-time if you need more)
Start calling to enjoy saving for long distance call
Chinese New Year is coming and if you have a family member who is living far away, it is just the right time to get a WiBox (you can check rate/minute to countries of your choice here). WiBox can be purchased online here.
*Pssst* Wanna know how I got this gadget for free?
