Life Ramblings

Wordless Wednesday - Love is in the air

2009-11-10T22:30:00.003+08:00

First Commenter - Rainfield

Today's Flowers - Splash of Yellow

2009-11-08T23:50:00.001+08:00

My mom's delightful garden is full of bright yellow hues and they contrast well with the glossy green leaves. It's amazing to see how the yellow beauties sway gently in the breeze and the long lasting blooms blended well with other plants in the garden. It shows the value of life being nurtured with well care and blooming in perfection.

Scrumptious Egg tarts

2009-11-06T23:24:00.000+08:00

It was a rainy, chilly afternoon and I had this sudden crave for portuguese egg tarts and if you've not tasted this irresistible dessert before, you're missing out on some sweet, mouth-watering, fragrant egg custard.

In my previous trip to Macau, I had the best, authentic Portuguese Egg Tarts and the entire tart was tasty enough to be gobbled up in seconds. The crust was flaky and richly creamy and the custard was smooth and sinfully delicious. Those were the best portuguese egg tarts I ever had in my lifetime.

So far, one of the better egg tarts I've tasted can be found in Carnarvon St, Penang. Never mind the price, the egg tarts here are very enticing to the taste buds, in terms of its delicate flaky pastry, freshness and wobbly filling. The eggs-cellent treats are selling like hot cakes the moment they arrived at the shop.

Personally, I prefer the Portuguese style egg tarts to the normal egg tarts. While the original version at times crumbly and less flaky, the Portuguese egg tart literally tasted much better and I could feel the fragrant custard oozing out on first bite. The sweetness is just perfect for me. Hmmm........incredibly yummy.

Hungry now? I am.

First Commenter - Monica

Wordless Wednesday - View from a cruise in Turkey

2009-11-04T07:20:00.002+08:00

First commenter - Autumn Belle

Today's Flowers - Ananas Nanus

2009-11-02T07:10:00.011+08:00

There are a few pots of miniature pineapples with long narrow yellow-green leaves armed with sharp little thorns growing here in my garden. Its scientic name is Ananas Nanus and it belongs to the bromeliad family.

The cone-shaped inflorescence produces purple flowers with yellow-pinkish bracts.

After a few months growth, it will sprout small pink fruit atop of the elongated stem.

The mini pineapple could remain on the plant for another couple of months from this stage.

The dragon fly was at the right place at the right time when I took this shot.

They are not edible but they attract butterflies, bees and mainly dragonflies. They are a cute little thing to add to my exotic plants collection.

First Commenter - Carver

PhotoHunt - Bags

2009-10-30T21:25:00.006+08:00

Every Monday is 'No Plastic Bags Day' in Penang. Over the course to reduce the consumption of plastic bags and encourage the use of eco grocery bags, a 20-sen charge per bag will be imposed on consumers by most major stores. Proceeds will be donated to the state’s Partners Against Poverty (PAP) campaign to help the hardcore poor. With the hysteria surrounding global warming, I think it’s a great move to help protect the planet.

Doing my contribution for the environment, I try to bring my own bags when grocery shopping avoiding plastic bags. But seriously, I think more and more people should practise this initiative more often, if not daily. I keep some reusable bags in the back of my car, but the only problem is that I need to cultivate the habit of remembering to grab them along whenever I go shopping. Imagine if people consistently use reusable bags, eventually there will no longer have tons of plastic bags accumulating at home which are hard to recycle and that people feel sorry about throwing away.

First Commenter - Mei Teng

Wordless Wednesday - I wish it would snow here

2009-10-28T00:02:00.003+08:00

Photos courtesy of a good friend of mine, Melissa. These shots were taken during her visit to New Zealand early this year.

First Commenter - Denesa

Today's Flowers - Cat's Whiskers Plant

2009-10-26T07:30:00.007+08:00

This is my first participation in Today's Flowers.

While walking on a trail near my house yesterday evening, one of the plants that literally caught my attention was the cat's whiskers with its elongated white flowers. As the name implies, the flower truly resembles the shape of a cat's whiskers and it is also known as Misai Kucing in malay. The scientific name is Orthosiphon aristatus and the plants are found mainly in South East Asia and tropical Australia.

This is a herbal remedy in the mint family which is often used for making Java tea. It is claimed to have anti-inflammatory and magical healing properties and is commonly used to cure ailments of the kidney, bladder stone, hypertension, urinary tract infection, liver and other related disorders. The herbs are also useful in the treatment of diabetes, rheumatism, gout and managing cholestrol levels.

Fresh or dried leaves can be used for making tea. Has anyone heard about it or tried this before? I'm a tea drinker and one of these days I'll need to experiment making tea out of the leaves.

This extraordinary plant is easily propagated by the cut stem. It attracts butterflies and it also provides plenty of nectar for bees and hummingbirds.

First Commenter - Jama

PhotoHunt - Tied

2009-10-23T23:10:00.006+08:00

It has been almost a year since my sister tied the knot with the man of her dreams and is enjoying being his wife more than she could ever imagined.

That not only means the marriage of two special people, but a knot tied with God's abundant blessings that will last a lifetime and more.

First Commenter - Carver

Wordless Wednesday - Baby Fever

2009-10-20T21:20:00.005+08:00

My precious baby has been feeling under the weather for the last couple of days. She was a bit of feverish and loss of appetite, followed by an abrupt onset of chills and fatigue over the weekend. Despite feeling under the weather, she was in pretty good mood considering she has a nasal congestion, cough and sneezing. I was able to get her into the doctor early afternoon on Saturday. She was prescribed some medication and but it seemed like she hated those medicines as they were way too sweet for her liking.

She hasn't felt too good all weekend, but she seems to be showing signs of recovery although a little cranky. Typically, when kids get sick, it can be a worrisome and stressful time for any parents.

I have a stuffy nose and mild fever too, but I think it's seasonal infections due to the weather change.

Hopefully my baby and I will feel better soon, so we can have fun later this week.

Until then, hope everyone is feeling fabulous and healthy!

First Commenter - Mei Teng

PhotoHunt - My choice

2009-10-16T20:19:00.003+08:00

One of my fondest memories of Cameron Highlands was visiting a corn farm in Tringkap. It was a rewarding experience taking the kids to see the vast expanse of corns because in the city they don't ever get to experience anything like that.

If you've never had sweet corn tasted directly from the farm, you're missing out on some sweet, juicy and mouth-watering corns. It’s worth coming to Cameron Highlands for that alone.

It was incredible seeing rows and rows of corn stalks as far as the eye can see.

More interestingly, the local farmers can harvest baby corn and mature sweet corn ears from the same plant, how cool.

As can be seen in this picture, this is a baby corn. It is sweet corn which can be harvested when still tiny and immature. The cob at harvest is roughly three inches in length, and the tiny kernels are edible and popular in Asian cooking. The baby corn ears are picked by hand immediately when the silks emerge from the ear tips, leaving only one full sized ear to go to mature for sweet corn. This will ensure each corn would attain the maximum juiciness and sweetness.

Upon maturity, the sweet corns are picked early in the morning when the ears are cool, before the heat of the day is oppressive. Normally, sweet corns are ready for harvest when ears are plump, silks are dry, and kernels are juicy and milky. They are grown primarily for local markets.

I was told that the height of their natural sweetness lasts within a day and then the sugar starts converting to starch causing it to lose some of its sweet flavour. That explains why the taste of freshly picked corn is tempting to nibble but don't eat too much of it though, because raw corns will give you a nut case of toilet runs. Don't say I didn't warn you!

First Commenter

Wordless Wednesday - Wanna go for a swim?

2009-10-14T07:15:00.004+08:00

First Commenter - Ayie

Ruby Tuesday - My New Nephew

2009-10-12T16:00:00.001+08:00

Introducing the newest member to our family. This cute little prince is Ivan, my little nephew. He's 1 month old and he’s absolutely soft and squishy. I love babies and nothing is as pure and innocent as a baby. I love the smell, the smooth silky skin, adorable baby noises, those little noses, the teeny tiny fingers and toes. Isn't he precious?

First Commenter

PhotoHunt - Sports

2009-10-09T22:42:00.008+08:00

My kids have always been a sports fan especially badminton. They have started playing badminton when they were old enough or strong enough to swing the rackets. Their passion for badminton came from my husband who trained them to play the sports from an early age. Not only does it promote fitness, it's an intriguing sports, full of strategies and excitement.

On top of that, seeing world class players on TV has been an inspiration to them to develop new techniques, improving their skills and what it is like to both win and lose. When they first started they weren't very good and they thought they would never be a good player but after much support and encouragement from friends and teachers, they got better.

First Commenters

Wordless Wednesday - Ruins of St Paul's Cathedral in Macau

2009-10-07T06:50:00.003+08:00

The remaining facade of St Paul's cathedral after the cathedral was detroyed by a disastrous fire during a typhoon in 1835. For centuries, it has been the icon of Macau and is the number one destination of Macau sightseeing. The façade is covered in intricate carvings and sculptures depicting the early days of the Catholic Church in Asia. It is officially enlisted as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

First Commenter

Ruby Tuesday - Lantern Festival

2009-10-05T13:14:00.003+08:00

It was a night filled with excitement and fun for the kids and parents who attended the school family gathering to mark the Lantern Festival recently. At the same time, I think it was a wonderful opportunity as all the kids get to experience a great taste of the traditional culture.

Among the activities lined up for the night were 24-season drums, lanterns procession, a lucky draw and not forgetting eating lots of glorious food.

The 24-season drums are used mainly in Chinese festivals, one of which is the Chinese New Year or Mid-Autumn Celebration.

The kids mesmerised the crowd with a superb performance of skills and coordination as they moved energetically to the rhythm of the drums, how cool is that!

My son and his friends gathered joyfully with their favourite lanterns parading around the school compound to mark this occasion. It was interesting to see those numerous lanterns in assorted sizes, shapes and even icons like Doeraemon, Ultraman, Spiderman and so on. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pictures during that night as I was too busy catching up with friends and savouring delicious food.

These days, sophisticated lanterns are equipped with battery operated which are perfect for toddlers but depending on the preferences of the kids, many older kids preferred candle lanterns.

Fun time : a group of kids posing for the camera with their favourite lanterns. Unfortunately, my son was camera shy and was always behind the camera. :(

The kids participated in lantern walk. They enjoyed the walk very much and many felt proud showing off their very own lantern on a walk around the school compound!

These cute lanterns provide a way for children to carry around candles safely

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Mooncake festival!

First Commenter - Donna

PhotoHunt - Words

2009-10-02T19:16:00.007+08:00

One of my fondest memories as a mother was reading to my children bedtime stories and I've always believed in reading to my kids would help foster a love of words and reading. My strategy so far, is to immerse my children in Chinese/English books at an early age. I would introduced them to simple words that apply to their daily life.

In addition to reading, educational DVDs are being introduced to my children at an early age. This set of DVD which comes in 10 volumes is by far the best I’ve come across with complete, straightforward explanations and interesting graphics. It is one of the fun ways to encourage kids to learn new reading words. My 2 year old is absorbing the sounds, tones and words based purely from all the repetition of words that she has heard. She can happily watch it countless times. It has been incredibly fun, very educational and a good exposure of new words and knowledge.

First Commenters

Wordful/ Wordless Wednesday - Statue of Fisher Girl

2009-09-30T06:18:00.003+08:00

This statue has been one of the interesting spots I had visited in Zhuhai last year. Zhuhai literally means Pearl of the Sea. The Statue of fisher girl has become the landmark in Zhuhai, located at the scenic Xianglu Bay. She holds a pearl high in the air with both hands in an elegant pose, admiring its bright luster that also symbolizes the brightness of Zhuhai.

According to legend, this statue depicts a beautiful fairy maiden who fell in love with a young fisherman. He believed some fabricated rumors and asked the girl for the bracelet she wore as proof of her love. Although she knew she would die if the bracelet were removed from her body, she still took it off and presented it to prove her deep love for him. The girl died eventually and the fisherman was bitterly remorseful, crying all day and night. An Immortal named Jiuzhou Elder was moved by their love and helped the young man resuscitate the girl. They offered this huge precious pearl to their benefactor during their marriage ceremony as a token of their appreciation for his kindness.

First Commenter

Mooncake Festival

2009-09-28T20:50:00.002+08:00

As the mooncake festival approaches, the mooncake frenzy is gaining momentum again. The delightful Mooncake Festival falls on every 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar and this year, it falls on Oct 3rd. Incase you're not aware, mooncake is a Chinese pastry traditionally eaten during the Mooncake Festival.

I happened to pass by one of the popular bakeries in the city while on my way to work this morning. With many fanciful mooncakes available, eventually I succumbed to temptations and couldn't resist buying myself a box. The mooncakes used to cost much less, but now they are incredibly expensive. My kids have been craving for these sweet treats for weeks and not wanting to dissapoint them, I purchased a box to satisfy their sweet cravings. After all, it's only once a year you get to savour this sweet delicacies.

Just looking at these sinfully delicious mooncakes is enough to add extra inches to my waistline. And with age catching up, I only consumed moderate amounts of these sweet delights as they're notoriously high in sugar and fat.

Lotus paste flavour

Each year big commercial mooncake makers would introduce a wide array of flavours, including dragon fruit, mango, green tea, durian, honeydew, water chestnut, soya bean, chocolate and some names that I've never even heard of. Despite the endless choices available, nothing beats the traditional lotus paste flavour which usually hits the best-selling list yearly. It happens to be one of my hubby's favourite of all time too.

Most traditional mooncakes have an inscription on top consisting of the Chinese characters to symbolize "longevity" or "harmony".

This is pandan lotus. The aroma of pandan is there but it was way too sweet for my liking.

Golden Jade Light with 1 yolk
Some mooncakes may contain one or more whole salted egg yolks in its center to symbolize the full moon. I prefer mooncakes with yolks which are undeniably tastier than the plain ones.

Pearly Jade Mooncake
My kids loved the pearly jade flavour. It looks pretty and it has a strong pandan flavour too. Unfortunately, the excessive sugar somewhat spoiled its flavour.

This is Moonlight shadow and it's a wonderful combination of chocolate and cheese filling. The result is delicious, delectable and surprisingly, not too sweet. It is so yummy that after having one piece, my kids find it hard to stop! I love this flavour too, so this was an excellent find. The mooncakes certainly go well with my favourite green tea of course.

Mooncakes usually come in tastefully designed boxes as these sweet treats make perfect gifts during the Mooncake festival season.

Have you savoured this year's mooncake and what's your favourite flavour?

First Commenter - Foong

PhotoHunt - Twisted

2009-09-26T00:05:00.003+08:00

This week's photohunt theme is twisted.

This twisted tree lives near my house. It creates a mess of the front yards, with all the dropped twisted twigs. But they are so interesting to look at and I'm a huge lover of twisted lines like this. Each branch is uniquely twisted. Since the leaves fell off, its lovely silhouette has amazed me everytime I passed by. The twisted treetops are just about to grow into a full circle of greenery again, so today I captured a picture before the green leaves start to appear.

This tree trunk is one of those in which it grows in a very intriguing twisted manner along the path walk in the nature park. The twisted lines will grow to the ground and then root there creating twisted roots to this huge tree.

This is another old and twisted looking tree trunk which has been growing for years near my home. I thought this was a very odd, yet interesting looking twisted trunk with twisting and curving branches. They seem to twist and curl as they mature.

First Commenter - Ayie

Delicious Nasi Lemak

2009-09-24T10:42:00.002+08:00

Nasi lemak is undoubtedly one of the favourite staple food among locals and tourists alike. It used to be a popular breakfast dish but these days, it is now available almost round-the-clock.

There are many versions available but I prefer the basic ones which involves rice cooked in coconut milk, served with crispy, deep fried anchovies, fried peanuts, a wedge of hard-boiled egg, cucumber slices and of course, the tasty sambal.

Perhaps one of the best that has come my way would be the outlet at Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth. It's a simple meal, but the chef’s skilful cooking methods truly enhanced the flavours to create a sinfully delicious dish. With the fragrant aromatic of screwpine leaves and the right blend of spices, every spoonful was a delight. Believe me, my kids could have platefuls of this tantalizing dish. Good nasi lemak is hard to come by these days and I believe it does not solely lie in the ingredients but in the cooking tips and tricks as well.

Hungry now? I am. Enjoy your breakfast this morning.

First Commenter - Reanaclaire

Wordless Wednesday - Hibiscus Rosa Sinesis

2009-09-22T22:10:00.003+08:00

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, also known as Chinese Hibiscus is the national flower of Malaysia. I've been growing a few varieties of hibiscus at the moment and they're actively growing and blooming in my garden.

First commenter - Wenn

PhotoHunt - Upside-Down

2009-09-18T16:01:00.006+08:00

This week's PhotoHunt theme involves upside-down.

The shots were taken from a moving coach on the way from Germany to Switzerland. As the coach was constantly moving, most of the pictures captured were apparently blurry and out of focus. However, these images are some of my best shots and I think this seems like an appropriate choice to share for this week's photohunt.

As can be seen in the pictures, the water is perfectly still and the upside- down visions look almost as the real thing. I could actually rotate this picture upside- down and no one would even noticed the difference. The smoothness of the crystal clear water really helped to accentuate the actual view!

The last two shots show the upside- down reflections of blue sky and snow-capped mountains. The upside -down subjects are clearly visible too and combined perfectly with the actual scenery.

First Commenter

Wordless Wednesday - A view from the peak

2009-09-16T07:46:00.008+08:00

Gunung Jerai, Kedah, Malaysia

First Commenter

Ramadan Bazaar @ Butterworth, Penang

2009-09-14T23:26:00.005+08:00

As the month of Ramadan enter its third week, many have started preparing for Hari Raya by shopping at the bazaars. I've always look forward to Ramadan as this is the only time when traditional Malay delicacies and sweet delights are sold in abundance.

Multiple stalls are operated nationwide at the side of the busy main road selling anything under one roof.

There are over 100 stalls here selling not only tasty delights but also traditional outfits such as songket, songkok, baju Melayu, shoes, scarfs and accessories

Many food stalls were set up as early as 4.00pm and the place is usually congested at 5p.m. after office hours. Just about anything is sold here, from fried and honey-barbequed chicken to chicken rice of various types, fried and soupy noodles, the provincial nasi dagang, satay, murtabak, otak-otak and various kuih as well as colourful drinks.

Everything looked so interesting and some temptations were just impossible to resist. With its pungent aroma, my knees got all wobbly and I couldn't resist buying some of my favourite delights at the bazaar.

The colourful spread of kuih looks enticing.

Many delightful arrays of homemade kuih were sold which are seldom seen on normal days. Kuih stalls are usually the first thing people make a beeline for and normally the first to finish.

For rice dish, the famous ones include Nasi Ayam Berempah, Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Minyak, Nasi Campur and Nasi Dagang.

a wide variety of scrumptious looking curries and sambal

These Murtabak, crepes stuffed with egg, chicken/beef/mutton and onions is another lip smacking affair in the bazaar.

The taste of the otak-otak is completely out of this world and I usually buy them in bulk. It is a fish based food made by mixing fish paste, usually mackerel with a mixture of hot spices including chillies, garlic, shallots, turmeric, lemon grass and coconut milk. The mixture is then wrapped in a banana leaf, grilled over a charcoal fire.

variety of exotic drinks to quench your thirst

I've been frantically eating lots of these yummy delicacies over the past few weeks. I wonder what my cholesterol level reads today.

First Commenter - Mariuca