Do you smell what the xxx is cooking??

As tradition has it (within my family that is), every second day of the Chinese New Year is our open house. Close relatives gather and have a feast (what's new during CNY)...My mum will wake up way early in the morning to cook and prepare all the dishes. I've been the little kitchen helper for many years. Mum still cannot trust me with the wok...So, what's cooking this year? Have a look...

Mushroom with chicken feet (this is a pic of the uncooked mushroom-end product, didnt manage to snap a pic!)

Guess what this is?

End product

Sui kow (which I made...:P)

Home made yee sang....

And few more dishes which I didnt manage to snap pics of...:(

It's very tiring by the end of the day but I do hope that this tradition will go on for many many more years to come. (And I hope my mum will let me handle the kitchen in the near future...hehehhe)..

Chap Goh Mei is just a few days away....Again, wishing everyone 'gong xi fa cai' and 'huatttt arrrr'.... 

Leehom - Wei Yi

I'm sure I've posted this before but I'm gonna post it again anyway just because it's the last day of the first month of the year. And just because I still love him with longer hair...LoL...This song brings back a lot of memories....

Discrimation?

I'm not sure how you feel when reading this but I definitely smells some discrimation here....

KOTA KINABALU: Some foreign women may be too pretty to work in a plantation at least that is what the Sabah Immigration Department thinks.
Its officers are taking a closer look at work pass applications from foreign women for jobs in the agricultural sector.
If the women are perceived to be too young or pretty to be working in plantations, their applications are given extra scrutiny and may even be turned down.
Department director Mohamed Mentek said the move was aimed at ensuring that foreign women allowed to work in plantations did not end up in any other job.
“We will request for a picture of the woman besides the photocopy of her passport. If this shows her to be too young or beautiful for menial work, then we will likely reject the application,” he said.
Mohamed said the department was keen to find out how some women who were allowed to work in the plantation sector ended up “doing something else in air-conditioned rooms instead”.
He said syndicates were likely to have been involved in arranging for foreign women to get work permits in the plantation sector, but end up at massage centres in towns.
Sourced from here.

Is this the government's way of resolving issues?

United Buddy Bears

Everytime we pass by Pavillion, I can't stop laughing. Dear would say they are 'tao hong' bears (aka "I'll put my hands up, don't shoot me, please!") because of their pose. Little did we know that they are the 143 life-sized United Buddy Bears, the first of its kind in South East Asia. They have a very important mission: "Promote living together in peace and harmony".

Drop by Pavillion and take a pose with your fave, they'll be here until 15th Feb only.

Food Review:Yuzu, Gardens (revisited)

I had the chance to organize a team outing recently. Was thinking of a place to eta in Gardens as dinner will be followed by bowling, thus it's more convenient to have eat in Gardens.
After much consideration, Yuzu was chosen again. I must say, their beef is still as good. Love the food there, but not the price. We got shocked when the bill came but it's paid by the boss, so it doesnt really matter.

Sunshine came for a while

Few days before New Year, our house has a visitor. This tame kitty just came from no where. He was very tame and likes to be cuddled. Everytime I open the back door, he will come running and leaped on my lap whenever I sit down. He was sunshine that brightens a gloomy day. Sadly, he's no more here. His owner came looking for him after a few days. The aunty said I am welcomed to visit her house to play with sunshine anytime.

I so wish that I can keep a pet again. A dog. A cat. But my parents and dear doesn't allow. I am too depressed if they pass away. I still remember vividly the time spent with Lucy. I miss her...:(

BBC's 50 Places to Visit Before You Die

Which Ones Have You Visited?

1 The Grand Canyon USA
2 Great Barrier Reef Australia
3 Florida USA
4 South Island New Zealand
5 Cape Town South Africa
6 Golden Temple India
7 Las Vegas USA
8 Sydney Australia
9 New York USA
10 Taj Mahal India
11 Canadian Rockies Canada
12 Uluru Australia
13 Chichen Itza Mexico
14 Machu Picchu Peru
15 Niagara Falls Canada / USA
16 Petra Jordan
17 The Pyramids Egypt
18 Venice Italy
19 Maldives Maldives
20 Great Wall China
21 Victoria Falls Zambia / Zimbabwe
22 Hong Kong Hong Kong
23 Yosemite National Park USA
24 Hawaii USA
25 Auckland New Zealand
26 Iguassu Falls Argentina / Brazil
27 Paris France
28 Alaska USA
29 Angkor Wat Cambodia
30 Himalayas Nepal / Tibet
31 Rio de Janeiro Brazil
32 Masai Mara Kenya
33 Galapagos Islands Ecuador
34 Luxor Egypt
35 Rome Italy
36 San Francisco USA
37 Barcelona Spain
38 Dubai Arab Emirates
39 Singapore Singapore
40 La Digue Seychelles
41 Sri Lanka Sri Lanka
42 Bangkok Thailand
43 Barbados Barbados
44 Iceland Iceland
45 Terracotta Army China
46 Zermatt Switzerland
47 Angel Falls Venezuela
48 Abu Simbel Egypt
49 Bali Indonesia
50 French Polynesia French Polynesia

Only 7 out of 50...:(

Happy Dragon New Year!!

Wishing all a Happy Dragon New Year. May the year ahead brings lots of joy, plenty of wealth and most important, abundance of health.

Give a little

It was my first time.
Donating blood that is....
I find it funny that they give you a cert after you donate. Why waste money printing it? Do you really need a cert to make you feel good in giving a little to the society?
I plan to do this every year. This is a way to give back.

I found some benefits of donating blood. Not sure how valid they are though:


1. No doubt the first and foremost advantage of donating blood is the exalted feeling of saving someone's life. If we donate the little excess blood in our body, it could save someone's life without creating any problem for us. Instead it would help to alleviate some major health problems like heart diseases. 


2. Blood donation is an excellent way to get rid of excess iron accumulated in our body due to its overconsumption. Excess iron in the body can stimulate the formation of free radicals, which are responsible for causing damage to body cells and tissues. Free radicals are also associated with many diseases like heart diseases and cancer. 

3. Iron overloading is also thought to increase the risk of heart diseases. Besides, iron oxidizes cholesterol, which is harmful for the arteries. Hemochromatosis is a genetic disease characterized by excess accumulation of iron in the tissues due to impropermetabolism. The disease can cause damage to many organs like pancreas, adrenal glands, etc. It may also cause diabetes, liver diseases and heart diseases. So, donating blood on a regular basis would help you to regulate the level of iron in your body. Studies have shown that donating blood regularly can be beneficial for the heart and circulatory system and can reduce the risk of heart diseases, especially among young people.

4. Besides, blood donation also burns the extra calories and reduces your cholesterol level. After donating blood, the count of blood cells decreases in our body, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce new red blood cells in order to replenish the loss. So, it stimulates the production of new blood cells and refreshes the system. 
(sourced from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-of-donating-blood.html)

Resolution failed!

One of my resolution is to post a blog entry daily but given the fact that I missed the last two days, so it's a failure! The hiatus is caused by the amount of work I am suppose to complete and also because I was down with flu the past two days. I'm almost 90% recovered and just went for a game of badminton. Feels nice to sweat it out. I wish I can say the same for my work. I hate doing reports!! Sigh, looks like I will have to work tonight to finish it off before I resume work next Thursday. :(

Official Video: Malaysia Airlines Missing You Flashmob at KLIA

Well, not bad at all...IMHO...but it's too well-rehearsed and not much participation from the crowd...

it'll be cool to have more flash mobs around town...:)

No more cutie

He's 3 and has gone to day care...

So no more cutie around the house. I used to rush back from work sometimes, just to play with him. :(

But honestly, if I am to look after him for a whole day, I think I will faint! :P Still not reach that stage of taking care a kid for a whole day. Play play a few hours can la...

F

Every year, my mum will make prawn crackers. This year is no exception. I didnt manage to help out as my mum made it on a weekday without waiting for me...-_-".
Anyway, my dad was helping to fill up the tins with fried prawn crackers. I am curious why all the tins have been labelled with an 'F'. There's no fish cracker this year, so it does not stand for 'fish'.
So I asked my dad, what is the 'F' for. He 'selamba-ly' replied 'F' for Fullhouse....-_-"". I find it so funny!!!! Every tin is full house ma...except one with half a tin of crackers as not enough to fill it up. Hahahahaha.....

五月天:一千個世紀

Was running this morning when this song played in my MP3. Even with my limited knowledge of Chinese, I know I want to use this song as one of my wedding's theme song. Particularly love the chorus....

啊啊 我要和你一起走過一千個世紀
每次誕生 我都要與你相遇
每次輪迴 都為你

I have a dream~~(or rather a nightmare!)

It was a beautiful day. I was at my dear's house, and his family invited some of the relatives and friends over for lunch. All was going well until the guests start arriving. To my horror, one of the family's friend is one of my ex-BF's family!! It was such an awkward scene. I somehow feels guilty. They've treated me very well in the past and when the relationship didn't work out, it was not a very pretty situation. Needless to say, I woke up in sweat! What a nightmare~~ or is it telling me something?

Lee Hom Concert Promo 2012

9th Jan @ Kenanga City.
Didn't attend this time round. Why? Working....nah, don't think that's a valid excuse! Anyway, sharing some photos from Homaniacs fanpage in FB.

 so cute! love the expression!

ok, this looks like he's scratching his backside and enjoying it! :P just joking!!!

And anyone going to his concert??

Food review:Sweet Chatz

So, on days when I am lazy to write much, I will just post pictures of food! :P
Sweet Chatz is actually owned by TCRS Restaurants Sdn Bhd., the same company who owns The Chicken Rice shops chain. There are mixed reviews on Sweet Chatz but I personally thinks that their signature Durian Pancake is not bad at all. This time round, I ordered:
1. Chilled Pulut Hitam Paste with Durian

2. Nasi Kunyit with Curry Chicken

Love both dishes as they are flavourful and the portion is just nice for an afternoon snack!

I just don't understand

I just don't understand....
What Justin Bieber has to do with nail polish??? One Less Lonely Girl collection? Very misleading!

Shop till I drop

Every girl loves shopping. I might be a little shallow to say that but I am very sure that most people will agree. Personally, I love to shop. I do so very often few years back. I will just take a day off and wander around shopping malls.
However, the past year or so, I managed to curb this interest of mine. Few reasons -
1) Save money - I don't know why my taste got more and more expensive nowadays...:(
2) I got more than I can wear in my closet - everytime I want to buy something, I will always think of the less fortunate who desperate need new clothes
3) I got lazy :P - couple of hours walking in the shopping mall is so TIRING.
And then there is this thing about online shopping. I totally agree with Su on her thoughts about online shopping. It's just so easy to click click click and buy. But being the size I am now, there is no guarantee that the items will fit me nicely. I've return a few pieces and the courier charges are not so cheap! Some quality are not up to expectations as well.
I'm refraining from buying online but the clothes/shoes/bags all look so pretty in the pictures!!
CY has this policy - only buy something to replace another which is spoilt. I like this theory and is trying to adopt it.
With CNY around the corner, we have this tradition of buying new clothes. But is it really necessary? Honestly, I do not mind not wearing new clothes. But sigh, contradicting that, I just bought few new clothes last weekend. But then, that's because I need to utilise some vouchers which are expiring soon. LoL!
I went through my mum's closet the other day and some of her clothes from her younger days, fits me well. And it's the trend now for vintage clothes. Hence, I got more 'new' clothes to wear. Yay!

I am supposed to T.R.Y to blog daily but I think I am going to give weekends a rest. I am just too tired! How come weekends are more tiring than weekdays? Aren't I suppose to rest and get more sleep? -_-"