Experiences

Happy Birthday!

2012-01-29T20:18:00.001+08:00

I decided yesterday that I wanted to have a birthday gathering for all of us, ie my staff and my part-time workers. So this morning, I decided to have a simple one..

kfc

fried rice

seafood tomyam

sunquick drink

bihun for the tomyam

happy staff

a birthday cake

Happy Birthday to all

Peace be with you

RM159

2012-01-29T00:07:00.001+08:00

I have been doing this for quite a number of years. I normally put in RM15.90 in an ang pow to be given to my kid who is still studying. In Cantonese, 159 sounds like 'yat mm kau' ie 'don't be playful in studies'.

But this year, I gave more ie RM159.

Put the cash inside a lovely ang pow for my kid to put it under her pillow

for Intelligence..

Thanks Voon

2012-01-27T23:55:00.002+08:00

I started work yesterday and I was not home today. Luckily my girl was home. Otherwise, I would have to collect the letter from the post office. I received a letter from Voon. There is a key chain inside it..

The key chain looks very special.

I haven't come across it when I was at Shenzhen last time.

It's a calendar for 50 years..Awesome!

Thank you so much, Voon!

My first new year resolution achieved

2012-01-25T23:20:00.005+08:00

My Indian friends and kids came to my place on the first day and I happened to be going out at that time. So I asked them to come again on the third day, ie today. I promised to cook them lunch and the appointed time was 1pm.

This morning, I practically dug out everything from my fridge. There were fish, prawns, chicken, pork and vegetables.

Firstly, I got ready the garlic, onions and ginger. Even cleaned the spring onions and lettuce.

I prepared the coleslaw by just using the carrots and cabbages.

I mixed them with mayonaise and chilled them in the fridge.

1. coleslaw

Fried egg omelette meant for garnishing.

2. fried omelette

For convenience, I already cooked the rice overnight.

I fried the rice with prawns and chinese sausages

and put them back into the rice cooker to keep them warm

3. fried rice

I had soaked the bihun earlier. They were ready to be fried.

I fried them plain with dark soya sauce, light soya sauce and seasoning.

4. fried bihun

Then I proceeded with frying three different types of fish.

5. fried fish

Already seasoned the chicken and coated them with the batter earlier.

So just continued to deep fry them.

I did it while frying those fish.

6. fried chicken

Already seasoned the prawns and dipped them into beaten eggs.

Fried them and they came out nice.

This was the only dish that was eaten cleaned.

7. fried prawns

While stewing these pork slices that were

earlier seasoned with dark soya sauce, light soya sauce,
honey and sesame oil,

I cooked the other dish.

8. stewed pork slices

I just blanched the broccoli and carrots before

I added the garlic oil and light soya sauce.

Then topped them with the abalone.

9. broccoli topped with abalone

My friend called if they could come before 1pm.

I hesitated and told to come at 1.30pm instead.

Luckily lunch was ready to be served on time when they came.

9 dishes

plus 1 = perfect 10

Finally, longan syrup with ice cubes was the last to be served.

This was the very first time I cooked for my friends during Chinese New Year.

Normally I would just offer them goodies and mandarin.

My very first resolution achieved!

Thanks to my kids for helping out..

Love them!

Tossing Yee Sang (2)

2012-01-25T01:06:00.001+08:00

Tossing Yue Sang (1) - It's all about tossing yue sang and there are 6 steps which are the norm to be followed..

On the first day of the new year, my sister called me that she had booked two tables for tossing yue sang. I agreed to that and she suggested that we tossed the yee sang according to the six steps. I answered, "Why not?"

So on the second day, we went to Flemington Hotel for our lunch. We were required to pour those ingredients on our own. So both my sister and I took charge..

Here's the yee sang..

First I arranged the salmon and pressed the lime onto it..

Then, I poured the pepper/5-spices powder onto it..

Finally, I poured the plum sauce onto it..

The yee sang was ready to be tossed..

Chanted 8 auspicious phrases..

Last but not least, everyone said, "Kong Hei Fatt Choy!"

Nicely tossed and we finished it in no time..

Yummy!

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2012

2012-01-23T23:33:00.001+08:00

Received this cake from a supplier. He would present us a cake every year. So nice of him.

It's butter cake with butter icing.

Since the new year is so warm, I made the above soya bean/longan agar-agar.

It's so cool to take them chilled..

Happy Chinese New Year!

Tomorrow is another day.

We will be visiting our relatives..

Gong Xi Gong Xi..

CNY reunion lunch

2012-01-22T19:15:00.001+08:00

I started preparing for our reunion lunch at 9am this morning.

I had my herbal soup ready since last night..

This morning I just added the chicken.

stewed pork with mushroom and dried oyster..for tonight

fried cauliflower with prawns and abalone

simple fried fish for my kids and

steamed fish for my husband

fried chicken with dark soya sauce

Can you guess what is this dish?

Satisfactory..all finished except the dark soya sauce chicken.

What's your reunion dinner menu?

Happy Chinese New Year!

Kong Hei Fatt Choy!

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2012

2012-01-20T23:11:00.006+08:00

Wishing all my readers...

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

恭喜发财！

龙年快乐！

Thanks SK

2012-01-19T23:28:00.001+08:00

I received this lovely unique card from SK..He's such a creative person. I love it..

Thank you so much, SK!

Chinese New Year hampers

2012-01-18T23:43:00.001+08:00

As usual, I will be very busy wrapping hampers until the very last day of the Rabbit year..

Hampers bought and given to friends, relatives or families to usher in the Dragon year..

This was the most expensive hamper that I had made a few days ago..a RM400 one.

Can you spot the most expensive item in this hamper?

Dragon Ball

2012-01-17T00:03:00.000+08:00

Dumex gave me these golden dragon ang pow. I made them into two golden dragon balls for our shop.

Prosperity and happiness comes in twos..

Wishing everyone prosperity and happiness throughout the new year!

F&N Ang Pow

2012-01-14T23:28:00.000+08:00

Love this set of ang pow from F&N..

Gold wordings on red any pow..very auspicious!!

This year we received quite a lot of ang pows from our suppliers.

Used them to decorate the shop and even gave away to customers.

I even used them on my hampers as greeting cards.

Ang Pow

2012-01-13T23:43:00.001+08:00

There are many types of 'ang pow' nowadays..I like those with auspicious phrases..

The 'ang pow' are given by Pureen..

Can you read those three phrases?

Taiping my hometown

2012-01-12T00:13:00.001+08:00

Taiping is my hometown. I left my hometown, worked in PJ and then studied in KL. Then I worked in Pasir Mas before I stay put in Ipoh until now..Yesterday morning, I drove all the way to Taiping. Normally my mum will take a bus back but this time, I had to drive her back. She had too much stuff to carry back home. So I took leave..

That's the entrance to Taiping..

then to Simpang..

before I turned in at this junction.

If I go all the way, I will reach Taiping town

Finally, I sent my mum back to her house safely..

Then, I took her to see our old home..

Saw our favorite sundry shop but it's already vacant..

Saw my old place from here.

The double-storey house has already taken over its place.

My neighbour's house..still the same. My old house was almost alike..

I don't get to see my old house anymore..

My first work place in PJ

2012-01-11T00:16:00.001+08:00

After my Form 5, I was working in Taiping until my brother recommended me to a company in PJ. It's 'Scott & English'. It's a big company and I worked as a clerk in an engineering department. There were a few saleperson, sales managers and sales executive too.

There was a department manager and a stenographer in my department. The stenographer was the one who told my brother about the vacancy. That was how I landed in a great company.

This company has a few departments, namely engineering, electrical etc. Since I worked in an engineering department, I learned quite a number of spare parts names. I remember 'Elgin Leach' and 'Bofors'. I had to keep track of the stocks and find the average cost of each item when new batches came in.

Most of the time, the salesperson would be on the phone and they would ask me about the balance of certain items. I had to be quick or else I would be bombarded. They could be very impatient.

I loved to work there but I was there for only 10 months. I had to leave immediately for my teacher's training in KL.

I haven't met any of my colleagues ever since I left the company. I hope to find them..

First Love

2012-01-09T23:23:00.001+08:00

Immediately after my Form 5, I went to work in a textile factory in Taiping. My husband was working in the engineering department. Every time, when I walked past his work place, I could feel that someone was watching me. There was also a supervisor in that department who was much elderly.

One day, this supervisor met me and gave me a tiny note. It was from my husband. He wanted to fetch me to the factory night which fell on Labour day. I said, "Ok!"

Later in the evening, the supervisor took my husband to my house. I met him for the first time. He was rather shy. So I agreed to let him fetch me on that evening for the factory night.

I tried to dress well and he came to my house on time. He used his father's car and when we reached the factory, he led me to the seats for the performances. We sat together and I remembered I offered him my apple. But he was too shy to take it.

From then on, he used to come to my house after work. And guess that's when courtship started. I began to fall in love for the very first time..

Tossing Yue Sang

2012-01-07T23:13:00.000+08:00

I found this article interesting so I would like to share it with you. Instead of me writing all over again, why not you read it on your own..

It's all about tossing yue sang and there are 6 steps which are the norm to be followed..

Step 1 : the slices of raw fish..
Step 2: the cut lime..

Step 3: black and white pepper powder and the sachet of 5 spice powder..
Step 4: bowl of oil and plum sauce..

Step 5: crushed peanuts, toasted sesame seeds and sliced lime skin..
Step 6: bag of crackers..

Feng Shui World Jan/Feb2012 pg 24

Feng Shui

2012-01-05T09:39:00.001+08:00

My sister got this magazine about feng shui specially for me.

and this booklet too..Thanks, Anie..

Let's have a peep into this little booklet..

This book is a keepsake full of inspiring wisdom and life lessons

that many will be able to relate to and learn from.

- Lillian Too

and this Feng Shui World magazine..

An auspicious tip of good fortune for every letter of the alphabet.

-Lillian Too

Comfort Zone

2012-01-04T09:50:00.001+08:00

We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't. ~Frank A. Clark

Over time, we all gather a set of constricting habits around us—ones that trap us in a zone of supposed comfort, well below what our potential would allow us to attain. Pretty soon, such habits slip below the level of our consciousness, but they still determine what we think that we can and cannot do—and what we cannot even bring ourselves to try. As long as you let these habits rule you, you’ll be stuck in a rut.

Nobody’s born with an instruction manual for life. Despite all the helpful advice from parents, teachers and elders, each of us must make our own way in the world, doing the best we can and quite often getting things wrong. Messing up a few times isn’t that big a deal. But if you get scared and try to avoid all mistakes by sticking with just a few “tried and true” behaviors, you’ll miss out on most opportunities as well. Lots of people who suffer from boredom at work are doing it to themselves. They’re bored and frustrated because that’s what their choices have caused them to be. They’re stuck in ruts they’ve dug for themselves while trying to avoid making mistakes and taking risks. People who never make mistakes never make anything else either.

It’s time to pin down the habits that have become unconscious and are running your life for you, and get rid of them. Here’s how to do it:

Understand the truth about your habits. They always represent past successes. You have formed habitual, automatic behaviors because you once dealt with something successfully, tried the same response next time, and found it worked again. That’s how habits grow and why they feel so useful. To get away from what’s causing your unhappiness and workplace blues, you must give up on many of your most fondly held (and formerly successful) habits. and try new ways of thinking and acting. There truly isn’t any alternative. Those habits are going to block you from finding new and creative ideas. No new ideas, no learning. No learning, no access to successful change.
Do something—almost anything—differently and see what happens. Even the most successful habits eventually lose their usefulness as events change the world and fresh responses are called for. Yet we cling on to them long after their benefit has gone. Past strategies are bound to fail sometime. Letting them become automatic habits that take the controls is a sure road to self-inflicted harm.
Take some time out and have a detailed look at yourself—with no holds barred. Discovering your unconscious habits can be tough. For a start, they’re unconscious, right? Then they fight back. Ask anyone who has ever given up smoking if habits are tough to break. You’ve got used to them—and they’re at least as addictive as nicotine or crack cocaine.
Be who you are. It’s easy to assume that you always have to fit in to get on in the world; that you must conform to be liked and respected by others or face exclusion. Because most people want to please, they try to become what they believe others expect, even if it means forcing themselves to be the kind of person they aren’t, deep down.
Slow down and let go. Most of us want to think of ourselves as good, kind, intelligent and caring people. Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it isn’t. Reality is complex. We can’t function at all without constant input and support from other people. Everything we have, everything we’ve learned, came to us through someone else’s hands. At our best, we pass on this borrowed existence to others, enhanced by our contribution. At our worst, we waste and squander it. So recognize that you’re a rich mixture of thoughts and feelings that come and go, some useful, some not. There’s no need to keep up a façade; no need to pretend; no need to fear of what you know to be true.

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/how-to-break-out-of-your-comfort-zone.html

Special First Day

2012-01-02T09:52:00.006+08:00

It was a good start. For the very first time of the new year, we had a holiday. Otherwise, we would be working. Also for the very first time, we had a special dinner for the year. We attended a wedding dinner..

The menu..

Dancing and singing at the stage..

Very entertaining..

Countdown at Strawberry Moment

2012-01-01T02:10:00.003+08:00

After I finished work at 10pm, I quickly got ready and off we went to the Strawberry Moment at De Garden, Ipoh for our countdown. This was our first time there. We were pleased that they offerred great variety of desserts.

We love strawberry!

It was indeed a pleasant moment for us!

Picked our choices..

and here came our orders..

the strawberry frosty was cool..

We finished our food on time for our countdown!

Welcome 2012!

Love 2011

2011-12-30T09:43:00.001+08:00

2011 has been an awesome year for me..

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

Einstein

..time with my family..

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.

Oprah Winfrey

..time with my friends in Taiping..

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

..time with my friends in Ipoh..

Take hold of the future or the future will take hold of you – be futurewise.

Patrick Dixon

..holidaying with my family..

New habits make new horizons.

Grenville Kleiser

..time for myself..

Make your whole year’s plans in the spring, and your day’s plans early in the morning

Chinese Proverbs

..time with my relatives..

The secret for success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.

Benjamin Disraeli

..time with my customers..

To all my friends,

Have a wonderful year ahead!

Happy New Year 2012!

Braces

2011-12-29T00:00:00.001+08:00

My girl has protruded front teeth and she was very conscious of the condition. So I had no choice but to bring her to see my dentist. On the first visit, the dentist checked her teeth. I was asked to take her for an x-ray. After that, the dentist analysed the x-ray and suggested that braces should be very suitable for her.

It has been 5 months already and this is how her teeth look like as now. Initially, she has difficulty in chewing and biting. After a week or so, she got used to it already.

The treatment is done every month whereby the dentist has to monitor her condition. She got to experience different colors of elastics which are being used on her braces.

It will take about 2 years or so to finish the treatment. But it's not cheap too..

Christmas Nasi Lemak

2011-12-26T23:15:00.001+08:00

Since we were working on Christmas Day, I decided that we had a Christmas lunch in the shop. My Indian part-time employee was kind enough to cook nasi lemak for us. We subsidized the eggs, anchovies, fries and the nuggets.

Scrumptious nasi lemak..

Altogether there were 13 of us.

We finished up the nasi lemak in no time..

Drinks were on the house.

Thanks to Saras!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:26:00.001+08:00

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;
It makes no noise at all,
But softly gives itself away;
While quite unselfish, it grows small.
- Eva K. Logue

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...
- Norman Wesley Brooks, "Let Every Day Be Christmas," 1976

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
- Longfellow

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine;
Love was born at Christmas;
Star and angels gave the sign.
- Christina Rossetti

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:

the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other.

Burton Hillis, Better Homes and Gardens

Merry Christmas!