Making of 红槽

This had been something I had wanted to learn since I tasted the 红槽鸡面线 cooked by my Mother-in-law!! It's really tasty & I guess the older I gets, the more I preferred traditional dishes! Haha...

As I will be doing my 3rd confinement from mid december this year, I thought of making some  红槽 so I can get my Confinement Lady to cook for me!  And I had heard from my Mother-in-law how tedious it was in the making but still I had the thought to give it a try from the instructions from her! :p

I must say, it's not really tough, just that it takes some time to cook the 2kg of glutinous rice! Haha... As I had a small rice cooker, so it took me 3 rounds to finish cooking the 2kg of glutinous rice!!  But it's all worth the effort!! :D

Here's the ingredients (Just in case I forgot how to make 红槽 again! :p):
- 2 kg of Glutinous Rice (should have soaked in water for 2 hours prior to cooking, this is according to my grandfather-in-law)
- 2 pcs of 酒饼 (should not use the sweet ones)
- 1 pack of 红曲
The last 2 items can be bought from medical halls, but I got all the ingredients from my Mother-in-law as my Grandfather-in-law had bought them and request my Mother-in-law to make 红槽 since the chinese ghost festival is over!  Actually there are many 'rules' in the making and should not be in the process of making if it's raining, if the lady is having her period, if the lady is pregnant (**am in 25 weeks pregnant when I was making this! hahaha.... let's see HOW true are these sayings... :p) & no making in the month of Hungry Ghost festival...

Anyway, here's some photos taken by WL while am busy getting ready to mix up the ingredients:

After mixing the ingredients and all ready to be transferred to the ceramic pot I had prepared! :p

 

And here's the final product before I sealed up the pot for my 红槽 to be ready in 100 days!!! Yippee!! :)

Adwin angry with mummy....

Wow... seems like a long time I blog my entry again! :p

Let me start off with something simple first...

Adwin was angry with me last night... Reason? Due to me meeting my old friend, Huimee for dinner... haha... Amazing?  Well... the moment I stepped home, Adwin was walking out of his room with an angry face and both hands at his waist... say, "hump, I am angry with you!"... And he came forward to give me a hug... & started mumbling... "You are naughty... did not come back early and wait for us... " And I can tell he was trying really hard to control his tears, and suddenly he cried and started hugging onto me...  This feeling is so amazing... He was angry with me for coming back home late and he had to wait for me till 10:25pm before he got to see me after I dropped him and Ashley off to the childcare in the morning!!  He only stopped when WL came out from his room and asked him, "Oh, what happened? Mummy bully you?" I can only see him shaking his head... WL asked again "Since mummy is naughty tonight, shall we ask her to stand outside for the night?"  He again shake his head and look at me!  So I asked him, "ehm, you had been crying the moment I reached home, so Daddy thought I bullied you, you want me to stand outside for the night since am naughty?  And if you do not stop crying, Daddy will send me out to stand..." He stopped crying immediately and say no!

I guess all mummies will feel the sweetness if you child showed such reaction...  And I must say, I feel really blessed to be loved by Adwin... and I have to say, his love towards me is much contributed to the bonding we had from breastfeeding... I will always have this memory with me and hope he still remembers when he grow up... As I know, as the kids grow older, I will lose all the hugging and kissing from them...

Adwin's hair cut

It's been a difficult task to bring adwin for a hair cut recently and now he had insisted his hair to be cut only at the salon near to his childcare!! And after 2 failed visit to a closed salon (have no idea is it's closed for good or closed for the 2 days we went!!) he was okay to give it a try at another salon!!! Whew... And I was really surprised at how cheap they charged!! Only $3.50, even at non-member price!!! Haha...

Okay, here's some pictures I took while he's on the chair...

 

Don't ask me why he gave such an expression, cos I had no idea!!! Haha...

But he was quite upset when we left the salon... Why? As the lady didn't often him any sweets!!! And I was joking with him saying... Oh, that Aunty was naughty huh? You gave her your cutted hair but she did not give you any sweet! And he gave me a blur and funny look and answer, Yes! Haha.... Thats my adwin!!!


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Homemade chicken essence

I had heard from my last confinement lady that it's good to make our own chicken essence from home but never figure out till now!! Which is about 4 years later!! Haha...

Due to this pregnancy that I got to know another batch of Dec 2011 mummy to be from the forum, and finally I got to know exactly how to make the chicken essence!!!

I was amazed at the amount of essence that 1 kampong chicken can produce!!! And the taste is really pure chicken!! Haha... You can only understand what am saying here after tasting it!!

Here's some pictures of the final product:

 
I was really amazed at how the essence was being contained in the flipped over bowl underneath the whole chicken and after taking out the chicken pieces, you still can't see the essence!!! Haha...

This is definitely a 'dish' I will make often for myself and the family!!! The next try shall have a slice of 泡参 to make it more flavorful!!!

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My first sushi attempt

Wow! Seems like a long time since I write in my blog!! Haha...

Okay, my first attempt of making sushi at home was long time back... Here's only some pictures of my sushi making process... The final product was not taken with my iPhone, so no photos to be posted!

My ingredients of making the tamago egg...

The making of the tamago egg...

Finished product!!! Ehm, may not look nice but taste good!! At least that's what my 2 kids enjoyed!! :p

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EDD

Time for some update on my #3 pregnancy!!! This time round, I only had an appointment with my usual gynae, doc KT Tan of KKH at my week 8! Haha.. Know what to expect so didn't want to go earlier than that! And the EDD given by her is 16 Dec, which I think may change during my next visit in June! Anyway, this time round is really different from the first two times, my taste bud is really terrible and it does took me some time to figure out I can only take savory food and no sweet stuff!! Anything taken wrongly will surely spoilt the day! And the best thing is just plain crackers!! Sound so pathetic!! Even plain water is no good! It leaves my mouth feeling very metal after drinking and I also can't take Milo or anything hot sweet drinks! And this is my 9th week, I hope my next 3 weeks will pass faster!! I do not have serious morning sickness but the nausea I am feeling throughout this period of time is as bad!! And I find myself feeling tired and sleepy always!! Sad...

Anyway, from the ultra scan, doc actually saw a white image next to the baby!! And she was asking if I had bleeding or spotting before, as it could be a blood clot if I did. But no, nothing of the sort till the day I go for the checkup. So the next possibility is, this pregnancy had started off with a twin!! But somehow the other did not make it and she did not detect a heartbeat too!! Upon hearing this, I was feeling rather sad, if it's a twin, then it would have been really wonderful!!

And upon checking online, found that this is term as "disappearing twin"! And amazing thing is, the one twin that did not make it does not require any operation to remove it, it will be absorb by the mummy or the other surviving twin and will just disappear from the womb!! This is really amazing and fascinating how human body works!!!


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Earl swensen @ Changi airport T3

Was browsing thru my iPhone camera roll and thought should make an entry to my blog before my iPhone goes crashing and all my photos will be gone again!!

We made a trip to T3 after WZ told us about this restaurant giving free salad bar buffet for ordering of a main course, so decided to give it a try. And thought to bring the kids there for some car rides since our last visit, but to our surprise, the car ride was gone!!! Not only the kids were disappointed, me too!!! :(

As for the food, I am not going to say it's fantastic, but just edible!! Haha... Sounds terrible to you?? It's really normal only and the price for a main course is already inclusive of the buffet salad, min for a main course is around $25.90!! So, my final verdict is not worth going another time!! I believe WL would prefer the Crystal shanghai restaurant rather then this!!

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Baby Ashley's weight progression...

Managed to get this 'history' data from a webpage I created before my blog is up... these data is so PRECIOUS... hahaha... cos if anyone ask me who heavy was my babies when there were @ xx months, sorry, I really can't recall... :p & now with a #3 coming, I guess my memory will really be failing super badly... :p

01/07/2005 (Hep B 1st dose) Weight: 3.54kg Height: 53cm
03/08/2005 (Hep B 2nd dose) Weight: 4.2kg Height: 58cm
05/10/2005 (3-in-1 1st dose) Weight: 6.85kg Height: 63cm
05/11/2005 (3-in-1 2nd dose) Weight: 7.5kg Height: 64cm
10/12/2005 (3-in-1 3rd dose) Weight: 7.95kg Height: 67cm
12/01/2006 (PD for eye lump) Weight: 8.7kg Height: 68cm
14/01/2006 (Hep B 3rd dose) Weight: 8.9kg Height: 68cm
12/03/2006 (Baby Show 2006 @ Kaki Bukit CC) Weight: 8.3kg Height: 72cm
01/04/2006 (9th month Assessment) Weight: 8.9kg Height: 72cm
18/06/2006 (Prelims for KKH Best breast fed babies) Weight: 9.8kg
16/07/2006 (Semi finals for KKH Best breast fed babies) Weight: 10.1kg
12/11/2006 (Nee Soon Central CC Baby Idol) Weight: 10.5kg
25/11/2006 (Tampines North CC Baby Show) Weight: 11kg
05/01/2007 (18th month assessment - MMR injection) Weight: 11kg Height: 84cm
09/06/2007 (Ashley's 1st trip by Plane to Hong Kong - weight her via the check in luggage conveyer belt! :D) Weight: 12kg Height: 88cm (approx.)

Confirmed...

Oh well, yes, I got a digital pregnancy test kit this afternoon while the kids were at class...

I thought to just get a normal test kit but since i do not know if I would still be using this again, thought to give it a try!! Haha...

The results show got an indication of the number of weeks of pregnancy from the day you conceived rather then from the LMS if we go to see a GP or gynae... Interesting invention!!!

I also downloaded an app on my iPhone, my EDD based on my LMS and my period cycle, should be on 22 Dec 2011! And am wishing BB can come out earlier so he/she can sure the same birthdate as brother Adwin!! Wishful thinking hor... Haha... Cos so far, my EDD fot my 2 children were super accurate!!! Haha...

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Unexpected...

I am still wondering if I should post this entry here... Cos if I post in FB, everyone will be asking me to confirm soonest... And I am actually 80% positive about the result tested... But still have not disclosed to anyone yet, not even WL! Haha... And he's just snoring next to me now!! Haha...

Ok, maybe you can do your own judgement here...

I remembered when I was doing the self test for Ashley, the result was the same as today, the 2nd line was very faint, that's why I also went to GP on the same day to confirm the result!! And the GP say, doesn't matter if the 2nd line is faint or not, so long theres 2 lines, it's positive!! But I prefer to buy another test kit tomorrow to reconfirm again!!!

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Gathering at The Pinnacle

WL & buddies had asked for a gathering before the CNY 2011 is over, so everyone can have a 'lou hei' together... and also I think its really been a long time since he met up with them... And this is fun cos we will be going up to JM's house @ The Pinnacle!!

Everyone took the chance to go up to the Sky Garden to have a view since residents have got a few visitor cards for entry, if not, Visitors will have to pay and get the security pass to go up to the Sky Garden on 50th Storey to have a glimpse of the view!!

And since this is a potluck gathering, I finally found the chance to make my Quiche again!!! Hahaha.... Was waiting eagerly for this day to come actually... :p

And also, the day happened to be SH's (also the sick man of the day!) birthday & his friends really made an effort to get him a surprise Birthday cake... but got the wrong flavour!! Cos he doesn't take DURIANS!!! Hahaha...  but the cake was really nice.... hee hee... And we does enjoy all the food... pizzas, sakae sushi, my quiche, cakes, chewy junior, satays...

It was a nice and homely gathering, especially when about half of the guys brought their family there, so there were like 6 children around, including Ashley & Adwin and not only the adults got a chance to chat about their lives, work, the kids also enjoyed each other's company, cos the age gap is not big... hope to have more of such gatherings!! :)

Ashley request for a hair cut!

This is really something new, as Ashley asked me to cut her hair on a Saturday morning!!  So, to grant her her wish as well to make me less hassle in the morning preparing to send her & Adwin to childcare, here's her new look!!

When I asked if she would like to maintain this short hair now, she say No, I would like to keep my hair long again! Hahaha....

Btw, I did ask if she wanna go to a Salon for a professional cut, but she had refused and only I can cut her hair!!  Pardon for the uneven cut if there is... :p  But so far, everyone commented that it was a good time especially for a novice like me! Haha... Anyone care for a cut??

BEFORE THE CUT...

NEW LOOK...

THE MESS...

Backlogs...

Okie... Am feeling pretty guilty for not updating my blog for a long time... Reason being? Busy @ work & also been actively checking updates on Facebook thru iphone...  Satisfying my kpo mentality knowing what my friends & relatives had been doing throught their status update & photo uploadings....

And I also felt that blogs have recently been changed for Business usage rather then personal usage... as I see many online shops set up via Blogs & now on Facebook as well!!  And some mummies whom I know to have a blog, had also stop updating... so sad... :(
Anyway, am back to my blog now.. And hope to be able to update as much as I can... :p

2011 大年初三

We decided to go back to River Ang Bao on the third day of CNY again... As Adwin had been bugging us that he did not take the 'fly up & down' ride there the last time we went with old grandpa!  And since we have no plan to go visiting, decided to pop by Marina Square for some shopping & then to River Ang Bao after dinner...

This time round, the kids get to enjoy the rides they missed since our CNY eve visit... And we also get to enjoy our favourite milk tea from the Myanmar Restaurant @ Marina Square! Haha... The tea is really nice, but a bit too expensive though...

MacRitchie Reservoir

WL had been asking to go MacRitchie for a walk since their upgrade and I had been pushing it aside till this year... And as one of my 2011 new year's resolution is to keep everyone healthy, so decided to make a trip down to the Reservoir for a walk...

Seriously, I had not been there before, we never had any cross country run before when I was in school, so was spare the trip! Haha... Anyway, here's some photos... I think the kids enjoyed themselves, though they had been  complaining about how tired they are...

 

2011 大年初二

We have a very different 初二 this year, as we had invited both our families over for dinner!! So, I had a busy day preparing for a feast for 12 adults plus our 2 children!!  It was very challenging, but I enjoyed it!! Haha... It really feels good to have so many people in the house for CNY and I hope everyone enjoyed it! As for pictures... sorry, cos I was really busy cooking and no time for me to have a snap or 2!!  Ashley & Adwin enjoyed very much, they were asking why so many people were at our house.  Cos the last time so many people were in the house was for Adwin's 3 year old birthday celebration!! I hope to continue this yearly!! Haha... it just feels so good!!...

2011 大年初一

The long awaited 大年初一 is here!!  We got up pretty early, but by the time we left the house, its time for lunch!!  Why?  As we were busy getting the kids to change into their new clothes and keep the toys before we leave the house!  It's supposed to be a tradition to not scold and beat the children on 大年初一, but they really left us with no choice, especially Adwin!  He is really getting so mischevious that with no cane, he will not do anything that is ask of him!  Even for changing into new clothes, he can take his own sweet time and after changing, he complain the long jean is painful and went on to change into a pair of old shorts!  And before we leave for parent-in-law's place for lunch, we thought to have some pictures taken and have a mini 拜年 at home so they know what to do later! Haha... But as usual, it's a tough job to get Adwin to do what we ask of him!!

Anyway, when we arrived at my parent-in-law's place, we proceed with our normal 拜年 to 老爷爷 and our parents.  红糟面线 is a main dish we have during festivals or birthdays and also my favourite! Haha... After this we proceed to my parent's place and have another round of eating and another round of 拜年.

My parents will head back to Malacca after we leave, as they find it boring here and also all our relatives are there and I do misses the time back there when we were still kids.  We play tons of fire crackers there, eat lots of food, visit lots of relatives and friends there and collect lots of ang baos!!  And we also get to have small mahjong and card games back then.  I had always hope to be able to go back for a visit during Lunar new year, but only managed to drive back once after marriage when Ashley was 2!  Hope we can have another drive back during Lunar new year again...

Year of Rabbit -- CNY Eve

This Lunar new year seems to arrive faster than anything, or is it cos I was sick at the beginning of the year and thus not much time for me to prepare, so everything seems to be in a rush!!  The same goes for my work, as I was not in office for about half a month, so my work had been piling since last Xmas till mid of Jan!!  This is really terrible!!

Lucky for me, not much spring cleaning, as we just shifted in in mid of Sept last year, so 80% of the things are in order.  With the weekly cleaning done by our part time helper, everything looks easier to manage!!

Oh yes, we were also doing some last minute shopping too!! Haha... And my Ashley's new year's dresses came by post only on Tuesday and I had to wash & put them in the dryer on the day I received them, so she can wear them during CNY! :p

And the kids have their CNY celebration on the eve as well... so they were dressed in their traditional clothings and we need to pick them up by 1pm...  And this year, the childcare is opening later then the past few years, so I had to stay home to look after them... :(

Woodlands Waterfront

Ashley went for her 1st colouring competition for 2011 on 23rd Jan at Woodlands waterfront... Can't recall is this for the Official Opening ceremony for the waterfront!  Of course the competition was mainly for fun, as it was organised by her Art class and we did not expect her to win as she got impatient half way through the process and towards the end, it was the mummy taking the part in the competition, if you get what I mean! Haha... And coincidentally, we ran into our old neighbour from Sembawang!

But the kids had lots of fun at the playground!! And parking was a pain, as there were already very limited parking lots and after reserving some lots for the VIPs, we had to park our car along the roadside just after the zebra crossing!! Haha...