Alls well ends well

I woke up feeling just GREEAAAT! The exams have come to an end. I can look forward to the school holidays in two weeks time. It was a good feeling., a happy one indeed.

When I am in a good mood, I'd be in the kitchen, either cooking or baking. Well, I decided to bake this morning. I had my creamery butter and my flour all already bought since the Raya week.. But that was my most trying time, with Kakak on holiday. I've go my caster sugar also and all that vanilla and my cocoa powder is a must have. The only thing missing was my fresh eggs. After dropping the girls to school I drop by the grocers for my fresh eggs. And some colourful sprinkly. The girls will surely love these. So busy this morning baking away and of course occasionally checking on my chat messages.. hahaha

Foreground above: Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Butter Cream
Background & Below: Rainbow Chocolate Cake

Searching High and Low

My Favourite Recipes By Ellice Handy

Does anyone have this book? Do you know where can I get this book or still in stock in some old bookshop?

This one tat I have is a 1960 edition. I am sharing it with Mum in Penang, Sis in Selangor and myself here in Singapore.

It is really old and tatty and I really would like to get a new copy. It was published by MPH Publications, and printed in Singapore. But I cannot get it because the book stores dont have them! Sigh..

Not Totally Addicted

62%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Meet California Singles

Lea and Rae's second MTV

Lea and Rae did 2 moves this afternoon. Here is the second one. Lea is shaking her bums off whereas Rae is more of an acrobatic.. Enjoy!

Kids having fun

Dancing Queens, Lea (3) and Rae (7 soon). The music played were getai singers, Ah Nan-ge and Gang, recently sold during the hungry ghost month festival.

Grow your own chicken

Here is another funny podcast by the mrbrown show..
Enjoy..

the mrbrown show ---> Grow your own chicken



1

What UFO???

I am very fond of Singapore's the mrbrown show. They are very funny and covers alot about current issues in Singapore. This topic is among my favourites even though it has been around since June.

the mrbrown show ---> Ladies Night

It's meant to be lighthearted, so Ladies, please don't take it to heart ok. Their podcast are meant to be funny, not meant to target anyone, nor any age-group.


^^^

Hossan Leong singing about Singapura living

Buskers & Performances in Singapore

Singapore celebrates Art Festival usually from the middle of May till the middle of June. Of course some are spread out a little longer and may start somewhat earlier. Usually in conjunction with the Great Singapore Sale too.

It is quite an interesting month if you are up for art events / performances (theatres, music, dance, etc) and lots of good shopping. Art festivals are not concentrated in the city alone. Alot has been done to bring exhibitions and different sources of exposure from other countries to the local scene. Sometimes, there are even performances in our heartland malls and the heartland amphitheatres.

Although it is not an Art Festival month, I was surprised to find these Chinese Troupe performing some acrobatics and tricks when I was in Jurong having my breakfast. I didn't mind the occasional donation when they brought the moneybag since it was somewhat entertaining, and i am sure they did practised long and hard for it.



In Singapore, buskers like these can be seen commonly in Orchard and other towns.

Sometimes they'd be performing, sometimes they sing and in Orchard, you'd get the creative sculpture standing still, all painted in stone or gold but they are actually human. They'd be holding up so still for about 10 mins or so and suddenly give you a fright by stretching out his hand to you or winking. When i come across them, I'd certainly snap a pic and post it here. Meanwhile, here are the pics of the Chinese Troupe.

Chinese troupes in their balancing acts

If you want to know more about the Singapore Arts Festival, click on this link below.

http://www.singaporeartsfest.com/index.asp

Cute Little Toys

A Corn on Cob? A Giant Groundnut in Shell?

Nope.. There are birds in them!!!

These are battery operated. When it is opened, the birds inside will start chirping away, quite pleasantly. The mechanism is very simple. Those little orange mushroom-like thingy are the off button when the cover is closed down. The chirping will stop once it is pressed down, and disconnect the battery wires from underneath the cardboard base. These are little gifts Kakak got for my girls from Indonesia when she went home for Hari Raya the last 2 weeks. I did find it very amusing.

Only thing is, they dont last very long.. By now, the cardboard layer is torn, the mushroom top is broken and the Chirpy Cheep Cheep birds are getting to be such a nuisance liao..

*****

Homecoming for Kakak!

Yippeee!!
Finally! Sofiya is back home.. and I ain't that busy with the chores, kids, being taxi driver and chef as well as tutor... hahaha..

The view of Terminal 1

Gosh! What a long wait.. Its getting cold too. Let me put on my sweatshirt!

Waiting Waiting
We were at the airport half hour early.. The flight was supposed to touch down at 7.00pm that evening. The girls were really excited. They kept asking if she had cleared the immigration. By the time she collected her luggage it was an hour or more later.

Exam Stress..
I realised how difficult it is to juggle being a mom and still do the never ending tasks at home, never mind that - but smack right in the middle when my eldest is having her final semester school exams. Her exams give me stress, and I am the sort who can't go through a day without the usual household routines.

Messy Home?
Nope.. I can't leave the house in such a mess because it affects my mood totally. I'll be ever more grumpy. And having to rush Rae to her tuitions, piano and ballet as well as send her to and fr school is taking me away from cleaning and cooking. By the time I come back, I am back at welding my broom, mop and also the kitchen knife! Ha ha ha.. I try not to cook too much but I still have to boil the daily soup and also at least a dish or two.

So where does that leave me? More work (yes! i blame myself for trying too hard) and also in betweens, I am also shuttling my younger one for her 4 hourly nursery.. zoom zoom zoom.. I work against the time daily for the past two weeks.

Multi-tasking
Now that Sofiya is back...

I am back at blogging
I can help my girl with her revision in the afternoons.
I can take a shower without my girls knocking on my bathroom door every 30 seconds like there is an emergency.
I can sit down and eat a proper meal.
I can pick up a toy, a book from the floor without having to clip the broom/mop at my armpit and trying to sweep/mop at every step of the way.
I can take multiple trips to the fridge instead of using my dress to multi-task as my bag for carrots, apples to cut, fresh milk for Rae, cheese for Lea, organise or throw out old stale food and act as if I have 6 pairs of hands.
I can take a full length shower instead of arming myself with the scrubber on one feet and scrub the bathroom floor while shampooing my hair.
I will not trip over for trying to put on my Ts and shorts in a single move.. Gosh how silly can i get? lololol
My little one will not come home complaining to me that it has been a boring bunch of ponytail for 2 weeks.
Finally, my mountain of dry laundry is not getting any higher and certainly not staring at me in the face here!
Darn that ironing job too!

Look! Kids are waiting for their kakaks!

Kakak got me these!

Gifts
The girls were so happy to have her back home! They were really impatient at the airport, (gosh there were all the other kids waiting for their kakaks too). And most of all they really really couldn't wait for the gifts she had promised to bring home for them!

More Japanese Invasion - Japanese Food Outlets

These are food outlets - all Japan-owned, or Japan influenced.

Ajisen (Japanese Ramen Restaurant)

This is one of my favourite ramen place! The noodles are really nice and the stock is wonderful. It has this miso flavour stock that goes very well with savoury food. It is also very big in their portions so I dont eat much of the noodles but i love the soup! They used to have the Pork belly or soft tendon bones in the stock but I can't quite remember the japanese name of the dish liao.. The price for a ramen is about $8 to $12 per bowl, which is really reasonable! Of course the final part is, it is full of msg as well... so drink up plenty of water..

Donut Factory

Lately there seemed to be doughnuts everywhere! Not the usual ones you see at the bakery but speciality doughnuts kiosks! In the 80's there were Dunkin Donuts, American style but it has disappeared in the 90's. The latest craze are doughnuts from Japan. They use very fine high quality flour and they taste really light and fluffy. There are many variations to choose from. Half or a dozen doughnuts costs about $10. It is priced about $1.10 a pc so if you get a dozen, the price goes down about10cts or more each. There seemed to be queues everywhere..

Mos Burger

Certainly my all time favourite! I love the food from Mos Burger. Absolutely definitely yummy! I love the Fish burger, the boneless deep fried chicken, the thick cut potato wedges and their Creamy Corn Soup! They have rice burger too, not bad, not bad. These are rice patties shaped like buns with sliced beef or burger patty in between them. I will take some pics next time for postings.

Pepper Lunch

I enjoy patronising this restaurant. It is similar to hot stones or the sizzling hot plate concepts. The food comes raw, so you need to cook it briefly with your chopsticks to avoid burnt food.. It is also similar to teppanyaki but they have steaks, and burger patties in these sets. Comes with soup, rice and drink for sets. I love their burger patty ones.. It is really yummy! Their sauce is really good, kinda like those Bull Dog sauce, the fruity sort. A good pick for a hot meal! The only downside, this is not the place to bring your kids! The hot plates come fast and furious so watch out for your kids or they will get burnt!

Japanese Invasion

Japan has been very advanced in their technology all along. They are very creative and innovative in a lot of the things they do. See out how the Japanese commercial products have invaded our lives. These pics of products and food are available in Singapore. Check them out!

Umbrella vendor machine

This is very unique and handy.. I've never bought an umbrella from this cos I never really needed to.. hahaha. Certainly update you if i do! These brollies costs $6 each.

Popcorn vendor machine

My girls love to buy the popcorn from here. But they aren't the best tasting popcorn, really. I prefer the ones that are sold to movie goers, where the butter and sugar is really generous... This one is really light on the butter and sugar so it is good if you are eating healthy.. It costs $2 per pop.

Moshi Moshi

Japanese Inspired Jewellery Moshi Moshi has some nice modern watches. I remember I got them about late 90s. They were really nice so i got two different colours...

Japanese / Green Tea Ice Cream

There had also been an influx of Japanese Ice Cream lately, especially the Green Tea ones. I've tried these, but I can't really get used to the Green Tea flavoured ones. It is supposed to be real natural Green Tea flavouring but I find it slightly bitterish for my aftertaste. I like my ice cream chocolate bitter but not the green tea type..

Kids' Fruitee Machines

Absolutely anything kinda miniture toy and accesory vending machines.. I dunno what I should call these. Errr.. since I am a one-arm bandit fan, I reckon these are also similar to the adult ones! Well, pop in a dollar and you get a surprise toy depending on the range of rewards you are looking for. From coin pouches, jewellery, keychains, soft toys, sweets, to toy figurines! My girls bug me with these most of the time.. You can't walk past Singapore without seeing these everywhere! From malls, to even shops in the heartlands! Of course, there are many adults who are addicted to these for their own collection too. Mind you, I'd go for a coin fruitee machine ANYTIME!

*Earthquake!!!!

For the benefit of ice cream lovers
(YES, YOU - Ah Leng!)

Here is a picture for you to enjoy... Treat you to an advance birthday treat since I wasn't around on PGHK gathering, recently on the 13 Oct, at Ice Ice Baby, Autocity.. Now dont say I am being cruel.. cos HNKP also sent me a virtual Ghee Hiang Tau Sar Pneah on her blog..

Enjoy.. and Happy Birthday in Advance (ya ya i remember liao, it will be your birthday soon)

Also for those who are reading my blog and said i haven't been writing anything lately.. please bear with me for another week. Sharing this *Earthquake with you all too.. take a small spoonful each. Or lick your own monitor..hahaha

*Earthquake - this is a Swensens' original ice cream. Swensens is an Ice Cream Restaurant in Malaysia and Singapore, popular for its wide range of ice cream, pasta, western dishes and deli.

Singapore's Newton Food Centre

This is Singapore's popular food haunt. The Newton Food Centre. It has been around for ages and is widely popular with locals and tourists alike. It opens till late or till the early hours in the morning. This place has been revamped in the last couple of years. It used to be this dingy looking food court with lots of touting by the hawkers.

Touting is illegal in Singapore. Hawkers caught touting their goods will face punishment, fine and may have their stalls closed for a certain period of time. Now, u still get the occasional touting still but the place certainly deserve better credit now. You can sit under the parasol for alfresco dining or the normal fast food style seating located everywhere.

For those of you, who have never been here, would be useful for you to understand that the business here is so competitive that as soon as you are seated down, the drinks-seller and seafood hawker will put their menus down.. The speediest one usually gets the business though you have a choice to tell them, No, Thank You, and go on to order from your favourite stall.

In this food centre, you can find same kind of dish every few units of stalls away. Some of the customers prefer to just order from whoever that comes to them with the menu. These hawkers set their eagle hawk eye on new customers. You can feel them moving close to you as you search for your seats! They set their territory and they are pretty aggresive too. So if you intend to eat at a certain stall, try to sit as close as you can, to the stall you are ordering from to avoid unpleasant or ugly trouble..

Live at 10pm Penang Hokkien (click on this)

For the benefit of those who would like to listen to Live Podcast by Miku John, there is a live podcast on 6th October at 10pm. Catch him podcasting about Penang topics and more.

At the Club

The courtyard

The fish pond

These are pictures taken recently at the civil service club. This branch is located in Tessensohn. Once in a while if we do go to town then only we would drop by. Most of the time, we'd be in the one at Bukit Batok because it's nearer and this branch has been opened for about less than a year. When I drop by the Bukit Batok branch, I'll take the pics and post it here.

Usually we'd be there for a swim. They have pools that are like the mini wet and wild thing in eastside. There is a pool that u can relax and float following the flow, a wave pool that is similar to the Tsunami pool in Pasir Ris. And also a playground pool for little ones. For the serious swimmers, head on for the lap pool and for those who prefer to sit and watch, go for the jacuzzi pool. If you are not in the mood for water therapy, you can still try your hands at bowling, or tennis, go for exercise at the pool. Of course if these games do not excite you, there is still the fruitee machines.. hahaha

There are endless programmes in this club, from cookery, hobby, sports to self improvement. They cater for the young and old alike.

How about a Salad?

Yummy Salad! This is my favourite meal.

Diced Mangoes, Mandarin Oranges, Crisp Fuji Apple, Peas and topped with Medium Prawns.

You don't really need any dressing to go with it, at the most, garnish with lots of Coriander. Scrumptious!

My kinda place, Jurong

Look at the bags of biscuits on sale here!

I like to do my shopping in the Jurong area, somewhere in Street 42 all the way to Street 52. They have so many things to shop and you can get them at very reasonable prices. The housing is pretty cluttered but it's a real good place to go, really. If you go during the festive occasions, you can find lots of shopping. In the weekends, we go there for breakfast and to buy fruits as well.

This kind chempedak seller, sportingly posed for me when i
asked him to. Holding a chempedak in one hand and a fag on the other... lol

Some Hari Raya Goodies on display just outside a store.
Hmm.. just like Chinese New Year!

Little India on Sunday Afternoon

Everyone is doing their shopping in Little India

Last Sunday we were in town. Not exactly Orchard Road, but further down towards Serangoon Road. Serangoon is a place where all the indians congregate. It was a little town in its own right. We call it Little India. Sunday is the busiest time since most of them aren't working. You get to see the locals and the foreign indians and they are there for their shopping, entertainment and to meet with their friends. Lots of Chettiars, lots of indian shops selling anything under the Sun.

One of the most popular and successful place over there is Mustafa. Its a real hypermart. You can get herbs, spices of every kind, clothes, electrical, furniture and even buy a car there! It is open 24 hours so you will never be fall short of malls if you find that Orchard stores are closed by 10 or 11pm. Head on down to Mustafa, you can get your stuff there.

Here they don't care. The pedestrians are King of the Road

Lots of them like to 'picnic' on the grass fields
(and leave lots of litter afterwards)

They are very down to earth people, actually. Simple things mean alot. They can be spotted squatting by the roadside and chat or just stand alongside the road. Near midnight, you get to see them drunk and trying to cross the roads. Dangerous, tho.

Happy Children's Day

Before I forget, today is Children's Day.

To all those who are under 12 and

for those who are still Kids at heart.

HAPPY CHILDREN'S DAY !

Daiso is Tops!

I lurrrve to shop in Daiso.

Why? Because you can find physically anything there. No, its not a hypermarket. It's one of those $2 shop. We had a big player in Singapore in the 90s. But it has since stopped operation. Now, we have lots of shops like these in the heartlands and malls. But the best, is Daiso. Daiso is Japan owned. Most of it's stuff is japanese inspired or Japan made. Of course if its $2, don't expect too much okay?
Some of the things are really worth the buy but of course there would be the occasional stuff you can actually get lesser than $2. Still, on an average, its a good place to shop. You can get cute stuff if you like the 'kawaii' kinda things fr Japan. From kitchen ware, food to the odd stuff for your garden. And if you are into gifts, its a great place!

Daiso