Stocking Up!

At the rate we are eating kimchi, you might have thought we are Korean! LOL

Anyway, this particular brand that I used for cooking is getting more expensive these days so whenever we found an outlet that sell it at a cheaper price, we stock up on them. Got these tubs for just RM27.90. As a comparison, it is sold at Jusco, Cold Storage and Village Grocer for RM38.90! @.@

I think one day I might just have to make my own kimchi!

I Like Them Big

 

Dole banana, Cavendish banana and Mas banana (pisang mas). Which would be your pick? Pisang mas is too small for me. I'd need a lot of them to be satisfied. Cavendish banana is OK but my favourite is the Dole banana. They are much more expensive than other bananas such as Berangan, Montel or the Phillipine's premium banana but I buy them regardless.

Now, when I was talking about my bananas preferences to my colleagues, why are they snickering? Heh heh

Your Ideal Breakfast

What's your ideal breakfast?

A bowl of cereal and some juice?

Or something heavier but healthy?

 Or something totally sinful and calorie laden like these?

For me, I can't last long with eating just cereal for breakfast (and I can't take milk so early in the morning either). I need something more substantial but at the moment I just stick with a banana or two and a boiled egg for breakfast, washed down with a cup of Neslo and a cup of plain warm water.

One Week Left!

Just one week for the Ramadhan month to arrive! Ramadhan - a time to reflect and build spiritual strength. The time for us to renew our commitment and re-establish our devotion to Allah.

On a totally superficial point of view - the fasting month can also mean binging in on food whether at hotels' buffet or at the pasar ramadhan. No, I don't lose much weight during fasting month. You?

It's not that I make a point to eat more for buka puasa during the fasting month, how often do I get to eat a lot of local treats otherwise? Pasar ramadhan totally rocks! And come Ramadhan, I can just let my kitchen stove take a rest for a month if not for the fact that I have to cook for our sahur! ^^

Good luck to me on waking up before 5am! o.O

Saturday's Here!

So how is your weekend so far? ^^ Hope it's going great!

This is the last weekend (second last actually if puasa starts on Monday) before the Ramadhan month and will be the last time that I can jog in the morning. I sure can't jog in the morning during the fasting month because how would I keep myself hydrated when I'm fasting? But I won't stop, I just have to run at night instead of mornings for a month.

Remember that I bought a Nike+ Sportband earlier? Having it while doing my rounds, I noticed I am running more lately. Not that much, but I "forced" myself to do at least 5K on weekdays and this morning, 10K. Just a bit of grouch about the sportband though. It didn't register the distance I made while going up a steep hill and that's like 1km undetected. I tried to press my heel harder but I still cannot get a reading. Oh well...

My running distance for 4 runs I did this week. I should round up and make it to 40K total tomorrow, eh? ^^

Busy day today anyway. After all my huffing and puffing, it's time to make breakfast for the two famished boys in the house. Then, another round of sweating - doing house cleaning.

We always do a  thorough clean-up of the house every two months (I'm lazy, I know. Should've done it more often but well... we are not messy people) because it's pest control time. We like to make sure the house is really clean before it got sprayed with chemicals to keep away those nasty bugs. I sure am not holistic in my approach towards bugs! I just want them annihilated!

Pest control guy busy at work

And then, a bit of revision! It's going to be just 4 more months before our trip to Japan, so I need to brush up on my Japanese again. Mommy has to study too, just like Son these days. 

Now, if you excuse me. Gotta do some cooking. Korean again today. :)

I Didn't Intend To Spend So Much...

When I asked Zaini to drive me over to Alamanda the other weekend, I wanted to buy something at the Nike store there and I only had one thing in mind to buy.

I only intended to buy this Nike+ Sportband, after mulling over getting it for the last few months.

But then, I somehow managed to "accidentally" snag a few more items and caused serious damage to my pocket. ^^!

a pair of training capris. Regular fit this time instead of my usual liking for tight fitting pair. We'll see how I like them pretty soon. I actually like my workout clothes to be form fitting and stick to me rather than loose clothing, despite the unsightly bulge it might show. ^^!

 

and a set of weights so that I won't have to wait my turn to use them at the gym anymore. The ones I have at home are becoming a bit too light for me now and the ones at the gym are always hogged by "macho" men. :(

I would have bought some other nonsense too while at the sports shop, but luckily Zaini knocked some sense into me.

I wanted to buy a pair of running shorts too but Zaini said I'd look ugly in them, me and cottage cheese thigh do not make an appealing sight! (T~T)

Anyway, after using my Nike+ Sportband and after calibrating it for a more accurate reading; I realised that I've been running further than I thought I had! About 2-3km more! Imagine that.

I was pretty bummed entering the month of July actually, because I thought I failed to reach my target of running 10K by end of June, and by the look of it after running with the Sportsband, I did reach my 10K target! WOOT! WOOT!

Now, I'm changing my target and reduce the distance I run for the fasting month, so I'll just try to run 5K faster. I don't have much time to run next month and I sure as heck don't want to run so late in the night or so early in the morning! (think either running at 10pm or 4am - not an attractive option, right? @.@)

Also I find running around my neighbourhood is actually quite nice and I forgot about the distance unlike running in loops at the park or loops around my apartment complex. The problem about running at my housing area though is how to avoid being chased by a dog! I got chased by one last Saturday! o.O

Don't You Care About Their Safety?

It always shock me when I see parents allowing their children do what  must be fun for the kids but can actually be dangerous not only to them but to others too.

When I was little, I was always reminded to keep my hands and my head in the car (or whatever vehicle we are on) because if I didn't I was reminded that I might lose a limb or two. I was unhappy about it because it was fun to stick my head or hand out of the car and I can never see the danger of doing it but I never defy my parents. And of course now, I fully realise the danger.  What if a vehicle takes over the car and accidentally bump into your sticking hand? A child can accidentally fall over/out too!

 

Would you really allow your child to stick out his/her head like this? That girl stucked her head further out but I didn't manage to take her photo doing it. And her brother, was doing the same thing on the opposite window. Foolhardy!

Zaini didn't even dare to take over this car at this rather narrow stretch of road. We just trailed behind it until it went on a different route from us. Even the car behind us was trailing behind without any attempt of taking over. I guess we were all worried about the girl!

Parents, please be responsible about your child's safety.

Lazy Mommy's Dinner - Steamed Rice With... Stuff

Funny, with the two previous posts about me being lazy cooking dinner, I cooked or rather served, something Japanese -with furikake and ochazuke. I don't think what I put on the table for dinner those two times can actually qualify as cooking! LOL

So what did this lazy Mommy came up with, when being lazy this time?

My version of a Japanese "takenoko" (bamboo shoots) and "sake" (salmon) meshi. So, it's basically steamed rice with bamboo shoots and salmon fish (plus bits and pieces of other stuff thrown in like carrots and mushrooms for colour & flavour too). Cooking it is somewhat a no-brainer - just add the items I mentioned above along with some "shoyu" (soy sauce), sugar and salt for taste, mirin & sake (if you can take these) into the rice cooker together with rice.

It would be nicer if it's served with some thinly sliced fried eggs, but as you know - I'm lazy. So, I just served my fried eggs (ala telur dadar) on a separate plate for all to dig in. Of course, my meal wouldn't be complete without some kimchi for a bit of zing. ^^

Gosh, writing all these post about my lazy dinners - I sure need to buck up and start being less lazy in the kitchen! But in my own defense - I cook nice lunches! *^-^*

I don't know why, but I suddenly start to have a craving for gyudon (beef bowl). Should I make them today? It's another easy and fast thing to make. Delicious too. Oh wait! I've run out of shoyu! Not to mention no stock of beni shoga. I think I'll just settle for some tomyam soup instead. Or maybe just plain soup. ^^

Keeping A Boy Occupied

It can be hard to stop a child from being restless on a journey, right? It's not so bad if we are travelling in our car and he started being restless and whine and such because he would just disturb us and I can just scold him of being annoying. But if we are using a public transport, keeping him in check and making sure he didn't disturb other commuters is important. Sure don't want people to be annoyed with us.

How to you keep your child occupied on a long journey?

For us, because Raimie and Zaini are both gamers, whenever he gets bored of the scenery or the waiting, we'd allow him to play with his Nintendo DSi, provided he has a seat to sit on first! He is not allowed to play with his game while walking around! No, no, no.

And like whatever treat we give him, playing with games comes with a condition. He has to behave nicely to get the privilege to play it. No whining, no tantrums, no annoying behaviour. Do it and the game will not be at his disposal to play.

When he was smaller, whenever we are on a plane, he loves to check out the seats in front and at the back. To make him stay still, we used to bring magazines and books and even colouring books to keep him occupied. Now that he is bigger, he is just content playing and checking out the entertainment system on the plane.

He'll immediately put on his headphone and look for the remote once he was seated in his seat! However, no such luxury when we are flying to Japan with AirAsia this year-end. I'm so not gonna pay anything extra for entertainment. He'll just have to read a book!

That said, it's nice to see him using his imagination to keep himself occupied on long journeys at times. Shows that he doesn't need technology all the time to stimulate him. 

We pamper him, we do but  I think we are strict to him too. I just hope we are doing it right. ^^

Eating By The Roadside

We go the Mamak and instead of eating in the restaurant, we choose to go outside and pick a table by the roadside? Why? Is it all that comfy sitting outside, right beside the road (or in some places, on the road itself)? 

Because of the breeze? Or the fumes from the traffic that passes by? Or the running car or motorbike that park just beside our table while the owner went in to buy a pack of cigarettes?

There were people who got run-over by cars while eating at the roadside, yet we all still do it, myself included. 

We sit at the Mamak, lingered over our cuppa, maybe watch the big screen TV, inhaled second-hand smoke (or smoke ourselves) and had absolutely no problem with it.

What's the point of this post? I have absolutely no idea. LOL

You know I jog three times a week, I climb 10 storey worth of stairs in three-five sets once a week, I go walk up a hill twice a week, I do weights too and I occasionally swim. Why haven't I lose that much weight and why is my stomach's still hanging out despite that? I have cravings for the Mamak's curries and iced coffee, that's why! I guess in order not to gain any more KGs while eating unhealthy food, I just to to stick to my workout like a woman possessed.

Are You Hiding Something Under That?

I like to accessorise with scarves. I don't wear necklace much but I do like tying or draping scarves around my neck. My colleagues would always tease me when they see me wearing one, because it seems like I am trying to cover a hickey or something! LOL

Why do I like scarves? Because not many accessorize that way here (no one wears it  that way at my office anyway) and I do like being a bit different from others! xD

Does it make me look like a flight attendant? Maybe. Is this so 1980s? Who cares. I like them regardless! *^-^*

A Trophy For Me!

Look what just dropped at the office on Friday. A cool trophy made by the good Mister [SK/0617] for my efforts in spamming him religiously in each of his posts. 

 

Wish I was able to meet him so that we can have some sort of award ceremony and take photos! LOL

Thanks [SK] for the cool prize. He even put up an Ultraman photo in the note. So thoughtful of him. xD

Also, congrats to Foong for being the top commenter for 2Q.

Note to self - must try harder and conquer both top commenter & most frequent commenter spot for 3Q! Hahaha

Lazy Mommy's Dinner - Ochazuke

After the previous post of me being lazy about cooking dinner, here's another post to further show my laziness. ^^!

It's been some time since we last eat these, but this is what I used to resort to when neither myself nor the boys want to eat anything much but we want something hot & soupy. This is completely easy to make. I don't think I can even call it cooking! LOL

It's ochazuke - "ocha/cha" means tea and "zuke/tsuke" means submerge. Basically you have a dish of tea poured over rice.

You can use the furikake I mentioned in my previous post for the topping and then, you pour either hot tea/hot water or dashi (stock) over your bowl of rice. There are of course plenty of ready-made ochazuke  packets sold at the Japanese section in supermarkets available. Yes, you can find it in Jusco and Carrefour too! :-)

Ochazuke taking simply with rice can be rather bland for me and when I needed something spicy to accompany my ochazuke, I'd add kimchi! Yummy, I tell you.

Lazy Mommy's Dinner - Something Called Furikake

I don't really eat dinner during the weekends because we usually would already eaten a big breakfast and a huge lunch. Most of the times that I am in no mood to eat dinner, Zaini would cook something for himself and Raimie. Sweet guy, isn't he? ^^

Anyway, if I do cook, it is usually something simple and not that heavy. Last Sunday's dinner was - rice topped with furikake, miso soup and fried eggs. Simple. Just the thing  lazy Mommy like me loves! LOL

For those unsure what is furikake - well, it's a Japanese condiment sprinkled on top of rice. It 's a mixture of ground fish or eggs or plum, sesame seeds, seaweed and a whole lot of things to make your bowl of rice more flavourful.

I'd use furikake to season my onigiri (rice balls) too! Those don't look good, I know. I'm still learning to cook! ^^!

1Murid 1Sukan 1Malaysia

or translated as 1Student, 1Sports, 1Malaysia. While I laud the effort for a student to at least participate in one sports at school, I really, really hate to overusage of the "1" slogan and it being pinned to everything. Political propaganda in everything including my son's schooling? Enough with 1Malaysia already lah people! 

While I hate political propaganda, anything that made my son go out and be active, I will support the event and this initiative for all student participating in sports at school in a commendable effort especially nowadays that parents are more inclined to stress on academic excellence and neglecting the need for their kids to be active. 

Anyway, just like other parents and school-going children all over Malaysia; we woke up early on Saturday and headed off to Raimie's school. Part of the road had been closed off to make way for the children to run, and teachers were busy monitoring the situation.

We dropped Raimie off at his school and instead of waiting around, we decided to go to the Lake Garden (or should I say the newly renamed Taman Botani Perdana) for a jog.

The 1.5km run had already finished by the time we arrived back to Raimie's school and there was a "Sukaneka" event in full swing. 

There were futsal, netball, congkak, ting-ting (hopscotch) and even games for parents to participate in. Didn't know that the day was going to be so much fun with plenty of activities other than the run because if I did, I surely would have brought my camera along. As it is, I just made do snapping photos with Zaini's handphone.

Raimie playing netball. Yes, mixed team netball. ^^ The girl playing WA for the blue team was good, and the boys in red team (my son included) were no match for her! But I tell you, girls can play football but boys really can't play netball. LOL

I like the fact that the teachers at this school aren't so hung up about gender segregated issues in sports at fun events like this. There were mixed teams for futsal too.

Zaini got roped in for musical chair shortly after he was spotted by the teachers there. It sure was hilarious watching the male teachers and parents fight for chairs with the students. Guess who won? It was Raimie's Dad. But Raimie wasn't happy because he said Daddy played dirty. Haha

We won tickets to the Malacca Zoo for four which we already agreed we'll pass it to Zaini's colleague. ^^

For the girls & mothers & female teachers musical chair event, the teachers called me up to join but I ran away! LOL Even the headmaster coaxing for me to join in proved futile. I was still sweaty from my jog, my hair all over my face and sure as hell stinky. I don't really want to be near people and stink them up! ^^!

All in all, it was a fun day. Kudos to the teachers at school for organising  such a fun event. I wonder how was the event at other schools? I noticed a Chinese school nearby held their sports day the same day and the school next to Raimie's school did nothing much other than let students and parents mooch around the school waiting for the time to go back.

An Indonesian Fare At Bumbu Desa

On one of those rare occasion I do go out to lunch with the office people, eating somewhere nice is good. On Tuesday I went to Bumbu Desa at Mid Valley Mall for an Indonesian gastronomic experience.

Pretty interesting decor with the Indonesian dolls lined up.

This was my first visit to Bumbu Desa so I have no idea what taste good so instead of flipping through the menu or deciding by looking at the array of food displayed on the counter and choosing them myself,  I called up in advance and ask for recommendation and opted for a set for 5 pax, priced at RM180.40 (and they throw in a 10% discount afterwards). Take note though. Although the food are lined up buffet style, the price charged ala-carte, and per dish of your choosing.

I didn't take much photo once I started eating so quite a few of the dishes served weren't captured. I was concentrating hard on eating. ;p

The few that I got were:

Gado-gado, which is somewhat similar to our own "pecal". Steamed vegetables doused with peanut sauce and served with emping (a cracker) made from seeds.

Some of the food me and my group ate. 

In the photos : Gulai Ayam (chicken in yellow curry), Asam Pedas Patin (fresh patin fish cooked in sour and spicy gravy soup), Gulai Daun Sinkong (cassava leaves cooked in spicy yellow curry), Perkedel Jagung & Kentang (a blend of sweet corn/potato, egg and flour, deep fried to a golden crisp), Udang Tempura (prawns tempura), Tumis Jamur (whhite mushroom cooked with spices) and all washed down with either Ice Lemon Tea or a very, very sweet cincau bandung (the drinks in pink, for those who don't know what a bandung drink is).

Those in our set but not in the photo : Ayam Cabai Ijo (marinated chicken served in green chillies), Talapia Bakar (deep fried Talapia fish) and lastly for dessert we had Kolak Biji Salak (a mixture of tapioca and sweet potato flour, mixed with gula melaka and served with coconut milk).

There were mixed reviews about the food  from my group, but for me it is OK and I sure was full. So full I decided to skip dinner. With all those dishes served and paying on the average of RM32/pax, I think it's a good value.

Price is pretty reasonable and they have individual set menu too ranging from RM15.90++ to RM22.90++. Would you like to check them out? :)