I'm Happy Again

I listen to this when I have that "down" feeling. I feel down, I'm unhappy, but after listening to this song, I'm happy again. Ok, not 100% back to my normal self, but it kinda helps - for a while. Even just for a few minutes. It helps. I try to "prolong it", so I listen many times, yep, it helps. To stop me from thinking about stuffs for a while.

It's working now. It works today. It will (still) work tomorrow. After that? Will it still work? I don't know. That feeling will still come haunt me I know. 

Anyway, nope, I don't even know the song. I don't know Chinese. I got to know this song from Shazam, yep the apps (go search from your PlayStore). I was driving home one day as usual, then this song was playing in the radio, I liked it instantly! So I took out my Shazam, then ta-daa, I found the video. Yay!

Just a short post today, to share my thoughts and unhappiness or whatever that's bothering me.
Do you like this song too?

A Simple Birthday

G turned one two weeks ago and Kz just turned three. We had a simple birthday celebration at my parents' place. We ordered a birthday cake from Secret Recipe - Red Velvet. Everyone loved it and praised it was the best cake ever eaten *wink*

My mum cooked her special noodles, fried prawn fritters and made a cold potato-egg-bacon salad. We bought KFC fried chicken, some slaw and nuggets (for the kids) and a roast duck. There was too much food in the end, and everyone had to pack home.

The birthday boys didn't want to blow candles and cut the cake because they were glued to grandpa's laptop showing their favourite shows recorded from YouTube. 

So mummy only managed to snap a picture with G, boohoo!

Feeling Like S**thole

Warning: Ranting post ahead.

The moment I'm typing this, I'm feeling very down. It's about work, nothing personal or "radio deejay" stories like affairs or what-nots *Gotcha, I know what you are thinking you evil, you want to read about affairs*

Here was the scenario.

Somebody went on a maternity leave. So I got to do her s**thole work. I know zero about it, and Mr. N just threw it at my face, expecting me to know what to be done, like I'm a genius. So, I did what I needed to do, then something went wrong somewhere, Mr. N asked me to verify, I did. I asked the professionals who created the darn system what went wrong. Mr. N wasn't too happy I cc-ed all the bosses. You know what our friend did? He called my (lady) boss and complaint about me. He said "I'm not comfortable your girl flying emails around". A**hole! "Your girl"? Puh-leeese, you know my grade & position ahh? Lady boss called me, lectured me, sided Mr. N. Nie yang aku tak suka nie. Lady boss told me not to cc so many people and could have just "quietly" settle the issue with respective persons. S**thole. "Quietly"?

Guys, how do you feel if your own immediate superior doesn't stand on your side? This is not the first time. She always, always stand on others' side rather than my side.

I was not in the wrong. I don't think I'm wrong. I'm not wrong. 

Mr. N, if you are ever reading this, do you know everyone hates you? They call you "illegal immigrant". Go find out why. 

(If can), don't work for lady bosses. They are a drag.

End of rant.

Wait, no picture meh? My post cannot without pictures one wor.
*Sulking at my place with pouted lips

Sharing Is Caring

I first got to know from Claire from her post on eczema. Thanks Claire! Anyway, I got my Marine Elements and started using them immediately.

P/S, please ignore the dents on the intensive cream, it (the packaging) was crushed under the box when it reached me.  

You see, hubby has some red patches of eczema on his head, it's due to stress and it won't go away, the skin specialist says, but it can be controlled with medicine, cream and shampoo. Currently, he is using some green yucky slimy shampoo, I don't know what they contain, but the smell is very unpleasant. And hubby is using it for long term. I really don't know what will be the effects if used long term. But those has to do, to control the patches from spreading and getting redder. 

I, on the other hand, have mild eczema every now and then. There will be red patches on my face and neck and I'm currently using steroid cream bought from the pharmacy. 

Then Marine Elements came. It is a range of non-steroidal, paraben-free skin care products with active ingredient ZonaseX to help improve the appearance of dry, itchy, irritating and inflamed skin conditions, such as eczema and dermatitis. Marine Elements products are hypoallergenic and suitable for people of all ages, including babies, children and people with sensitive skins.

Let's jump straight to the results, shall we?

Some improvements you see there. Little by little everyday, fingers crossed.

You can get know more about Marine Elements or if you want, you can purchase it from here. Sharing is caring!

Peanut Butter Chewies

Gawd, these are so easy to make! It only uses 3 ingredients! My sister shared with me this site which only uses 3 ingredients and I have to say it's really cool. Look at these peanut butter chewies topped with white chocolate chips (optional). This ones's a keeper and am definitely making these again.  These are good for family gatherings or simple office makan-makan thingy.

The recipe only uses: peanut butter, (icing) sugar and egg. One cup peanut butter, one cup (icing) sugar and one (small) egg. You can reduce the sugar, your like. I made some patterns and topped them with white chocolate chips (and chocolate rice, confetti, anything), optional (coz then it will be > 3 ingredients already). Your like.

These would be slightly hard outside but a little crunchy and chewy inside, that's why I name them peanut butter chewies. They are NOT going to be hard in the center like any other cookies texture because it doesn't have flour in it. Wokay?

Here's my peanut butter chewy staring at me on my workstation. I'm gonna eat you soon Mr. Rocky-Face Chewy Crunch. Say bye! 

*Wait, I am giving them names now?

Lunch Box

Yes, I pack my dinner for lunch the next day. No, not because I'm stingy and wana "harn". Eh, you everyday eat out also will be sien, kan?

I pack my own lunch from home, say, 1-2 times a week. Sometimes more. Depends. Like for the past few weeks, due to the bad haze (and water ration issues), the guys in the office were reluctant to eat out for lunch, so we brought food from home often. If I decide to skip dinner that day, I would pack my dinner to work for lunch the next day. 

I'm only a glutton on weekends, but am absolutely a normal human being on weekdays. I only have a cup of beverage for breakfast, a bowl of noodles (or whatever the others are having) for lunch when I'm out with my colleagues, and skip dinner sometimes. Oohhh sometimes my mum and the mil give us food & soup to bring home too, usually on Sundays when we visit them. The food can last for two days, sometimes three - max.

Just to share what's in my lunch box if I pack food from home. Pssstt, if you see canggih dishes, means they are from either my mum or the mil. If you see "chin tan" or "chau choy" or baked beans, means they are from myself, tee hee.

Baby Porridge - My Style

Some colleagues ask what and how I cook porridge for G. They don't know my blog, but well, just to share. To name one ~ White-rice & millet with pumpkin, dried oysters, dried scallops and brocolli-chicken-potato-cheese-egg yolk puree.

Sounds complicated already? Actually, it's not complicated, it's kiasu-ism (is that a word?). I want my baby to have a little of everything. G stays with my mum from Mondays-Fridays, so I provide my mum with frozen baby cubes, whereas she provides meat chunks and fish.

Here's my way. 

1) I boil soup using ribs and vegetables (and store for 'future' consumption). I always find it useful to have some broth in the fridge (to cook noodles and what-nots), just add in some assorted balls and crack an egg, then Kenzie is a happy boy already. 

2) I steam, puree and freeze baby purees in cubes (spinach / brocoli / tomato / sweet potato / potato / pumpkin / cheese / chicken / beef). Use any few combos of your choice.

Broccoli+potato+chicken+cheese+egg yolk purees

Some of you may ask, why not cook fresh for G daily since he is living with grandma?
Answer: It's NOT possible to put in all the vegetables to boil together in the porridge as the quantity is very little, about one tablespoon of rice only. The way is to use purees. Grandma double-boils the porridge in a small ceramic bowl (for 1 person) only. Imagine. By the time she adds in the meat and fish, there's no more space to add in anything else.

Fast forward, so I used the soup (#1) to boil white-rice-millet porridge with 2 chunks meat or fish, 2 chunks of pumpkin with 2 dried oysters & 2 dried scallops (for calcium) using the electric lunch box. In the meantime thaw (#2).

Once the porridge is ready, add (#2) into the porridge, off the fire and serve (once cooled).

Nice? You think?

EL

EL stands for emergency leave. Actually it wasn't an emergency leave. But because I already took leave last week and another MC two weeks ago, so I just called to apply emergency leave that morning as I felt paiseh to submit my leave form to my immediate superior (again) if I'd applied a few days earlier.

I had to take leave because the hubs went to Singapore for work. Mum couldn't handle two rascals, so she took care of G (as usual) and I took care of Kz. Sent him to the kindy that day and I had all day to myself.

And so, I drove to Berjaya Time Square (BTS) for shopping. Call me cheapo or whatever you want but I like shopping there. Every corner I go or every shop I enter, I always can get some nice stuffs at very (and I mean, very) cheap price. 

Upon arrival, brunch first (11am), at Wendy's. I had a mushroom-melt cheese burger combo that came together with a (fizzy) drink and a cheesy fries. I ordered another chilli-cheese nachos too.

Ooops, wait, another picture after I've bitten into the burger *slurps*

Ok, tummy full already. Time for shopping.

I need cardigans. I wear a cardigan to work everyday. Yes, everyday. There will not be one day you see me without a cardigan. My style is always a dress (mostly with ribbons tied behind) with a long-sleeved cardigan. Everyday. Yep, Princess Ribbon style. 

Got it. Grabbed all the colours available. Same design, different colours only.

Next? Shoes? Yep, let's look for flats. I wear flats to work. I don't wear heels. There, you know another thing about Princess Ribbon already.

Here are my flats. Grabbed all the designs available. Again, same design, different colours only.

Wait, wait. I still have slippers. Two pairs. Same design, different colours (again) only.
P/S: My style, my cardigans, my flats, my slippers, my like, my sukak!

Went home. Had my afternoon nap, boy that felt so good. My me-time. Woke up, picked Kz up from his kindy, drove out (again) to buy dinner, but he only ate one fishball, *damn*

Finish story - end of my EL.

Pox

No, not me. I had mine when I was 6.

It's G. G got the pox from his elder brother who had it about 3 weeks ago. Then 3 weeks after, it's now G's turn. The pox virus incubated in him for about 3 weeks before they finally decided to pop out. So please don't be too happy (yet) to see the other sibling not encountered with the pox after the one with chicken pox recovers after 3 weeks. The other sibling might have the pox after everything seems to be fine.

Been there, tried that.

The chicken pox vaccination is given to babies usually on the 13th month. G is only 11 months, and he has already got his chicken pox, so there's no need for the vaccination already. Kenzie of course had his vaccination when he was 13 months, and the result were very significant. His pox size were bigger, but they came out and dried up very fast, like in a few days then kautim liao. G's poxes on the other hand dragged for a week already, and there are stil new ones til today.

G keeps scratching everyday. 

No porridge in the meantime as porridge will trigger fever. Oats or (blended) maceroni/pasta will have to do in the meantime. I feed him with oats/blended pasta with vegetable purees. Sometimes oats with Bovril.

No eggs too. Ohh this is Kz's half-boiled eggs, I make sure the yolks are somewhat cooked and not too runny or raw.

Latest photo of G before being sent back to my parents' last weekend. Get well soon baby. Mummy's life is in a mess. *smooch*

Figurines, Frog & Food

Look at the dinosaur figurines. Coincidentally, all the dinosaur comes in pairs. One is on four, the other on two. So I tried to arrange them in this position, and see, aren't they perfect? I know what are you thinking, you hamsap! Err, pot calling the kettle black, I'm like that too, gee.

Wait, out of topic. Kenzie boy sleeps like that now. Does your kid sleep like that too? He looks like a frog. Boo!

We had some time that day, so we took the kids out for jalan-jalan. I always take pictures (of the food) when we (could) eat out because I always feel it's a rare occasion, hehe. Believe me, ever since having Kenzie 3 years ago, we seldom go out, eat out, make up, dress up & show up! Ahem, nice phrase, eh?

Anyway, back to the topic, that afternoon, we settled at Ichiban Ramen, located inside Jusco Cheras Selatan - the hub's favorite. We ordered fried ebi for appetizer. Prawn tempura served with a simple salad.

Next, we also ordered gyoza for appetizer. I must have gyoza if I dine in a Japanese restaurant. I can't live without gyoza. I heart gyoza so very much. Talking about gyoza, whenever I dine at Esquire Kitchen, I must order their Shanghai dumplings (woh-teep), either the fried or the steamed ones, or both. 12 each. Means I can finish 24!

The hubs had beef ramen. It was so good. The soup was very flavourful.

I had the chicken karaage ramen. Don't ask what is karaage, because I also don't know, haha. I only remembered the menu written as karaage. I didn't bother asking the waiter what is karaage as there was a picture of this in the menu, so by looking at the picture, it looked safe and ok, so I just went ahead and ordered this.

Kid's meal at RM12.90 per set. Fried rice set with prawn tempura, sausages, assorted balls, jelly and a Vitagen.

Spot that cute adorable Hello Kitty plate? Wait, I have a Hello Kitty water bottle too. Let me put my picture here first. Say cheese!

Needless to say, Kenzie did not touch anything on his set except 1 piece of jelly and he finished the whole Vitagen. 

Lord, please help me. I am willing to do anything to see Kenzie eat normally. Please answer my prayers, Amen.