8 The Winter Solstice Glutinous Rice Balls : How I Cheated

Old year out, new year in! Get-togethers and marvelous meals ~ It has me wondering whether I should take it as all good or good-bad. Good because I'm bonding with family and friends. Bad, because I'm getting chubbier. I guess I should look on the brighter side of things *wink*. I am getting "choo bee-er"! Choobee means cute in Hokkien, by the way. December and January are my busiest months. Many festivities fall within this period. It begins with the Winter Solstice Festival, is followed by Christmas, then New Year and finally, Chinese New Year. This, not counting Birthdays and .....Valentine's Day, weeks after! We celebrated the Winter Solstice...

8 Flenco ~ My New Best Friend

This just in and I can't believe I'm already sharing the news here today. Do I hear sniggers? Yes, I can be really irregular with my posts...often distracted, often out somewhere. But I rarely miss any of Shirley's posts. I like visiting Luxury Haven because I love variety ~ cooking, new products, home decor, contests, travel and hotels. It is the spice of life! This is like my daily newspaper. I joined Luxury Haven's Flenco Christmas giveaway the other day and was lucky enough to be blessed with a win. Before this, I had never heard of the brand.  Check out the packaging. I love it a lot. The product feels great too, a skin rejuvenating...

5 Delicious Christmassy Cake

Someone pointed out that it was Christmassy. In my excitement, I hadn't noticed. All I saw was something scrumptious to e-a-t, to ....to share. Good things are meant to be shared. I will not be piling the kilos on alone.   I collected this cake from PJ Hilton's Caffe Cino last week. It was worth the three times I had to circle the vicinity for a parking lot. Construction, congestion! The town is brimming with development. You can never go wrong with fresh strawberries on cake! ...how light the frosting, how moist the cake, how cream cheesy the layers...bliss.I was really thrilled to cut a piece out. It felt like opening a present....

2 The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale - It's the World's Biggest!

It was so BIG in discounts that I was caught in an intense struggle not to overspend. Only at the beginning, that is. Seven heavy books later .... and sore arms, my desire was quelled. The sale runs on a 24-hour schedule. I admire people who work the graveyard shift. I find it mentally challenging. Mr. Sandman always comes a-calling. Sometimes, he isn't very nice. He makes me snort and snore with all that sand stuck in my nose. This is the scene at Mines Exhibition Centre, 8am, Sunday.  The early bird catches the worm I woke up earlier than usual to beat the crowd and was blessed with a good two-hour of peaceful book hunting....

5 Christmas Tree .... s

I know it looks like I've really gotten carried away this year ... My Collection of Christmas Trees At the RM5 store. Man : Gonna get this for the office. (Picks up small undecorated tree and walks off). Wife picks out pretty purple tree for the guest room... thinks man should have purchased one with all the baubles on but did not interfere with man's tree quest. She thinks it would be hilarious to see him decorating the tree since he's always Mr. Reluctant at home. We walked out of the store happily. An hour later, Man came to his senses. Another small tree with gold baubles was purchased. And that's how I landed myself with an...

13 Sungai Buloh : The Nurseries and Growing Passion for Plants

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. ~ Hans Christian Andersen And he is right. It's food for the soul. The Sungai Buloh Nurseries is a great place to "stop and smell the flowers". I enjoy journeying into this floral wonderland, which I take as a form of meditation by the way. Meet Mr. Gnome. "Hi!", greets he. Welcome to Happy Land! See why this place is a haven for gardeners? The plants are enthusiastically green. The flowers look like they're singing in chorus. Lush! As a friend always puts it. Rows of green! If this be my garden, I'd be ecstatic! These purple flowers are called...

3 Genie Wong : Limited Edition EP

My story on talented singer-songwriter Genie Wong was published earlier in the year on I.M. - Jazzing Up Borneo Airwaves - IM Magazine Days ago, Genie released a limited edition EP in the form of a thumb drive. Cute isn't it? I ordered two for Christmas. I figured this would make a great gift for a couple of friends. It contains three of her original songs and two special editions, plus a music video. For RM25, I thought it was a steal. Photos provided by Genie Wong Have you heard any of Genie's songs? This is a recently released music video of Liar Liar, a cosy number that's easy to get addicted to. It's one of my favourite hums. I...

8 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2013 (KLIMS)

Other than the Kia Sportage which I saw some 'long-time' ago, no other car has tickled my fancy. That probably sums up my interest in cars. I am laid back about it. I don't go looking but I do love going to motor events. I made my way to the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show last weekend, paying RM20 for a ticket in. The place was packed like sardines because there was a power failure earlier in the day. I had a great time checking the scene out regardless. It was a less exciting affair for my car-enthusiast man because several top motor brands were not part of the show. These are some of the cars that were on display. I was particularly...

10 Barley-cious : Tom Yum Fried Barley

I've been experimenting barley with different flavours. Over the course of my cooking adventure, this is one of my yummy finds ~ Tom Yum Fried Barley. The best thing is it goes great with any meat including seafood.A close friend of mine balks at the idea of eating barley, the savoury way. Well, I never imagined that I would one day be having my barley this way too but there's no turning back now! Gorgeous? Yom Yum Fried Barley This didn't involve a lot of work nor it is the authentic way of cooking tom yum since I used bottled paste. A little garlic saute, a dollop of tom yum paste, meat, chili and barley, stir-fried together. Then, it...

6 The Kitchen Project : Wire Shelves

It had to happen sooner or later. My collection of spices and sauces had grown beyond the space my kitchen cabinets could offer. I was squeezing things here, there, everywhere, piling containers and canned foods as high as I 'safely' could! "Hah! You dropped two bottles and made a huge mess on the floor!"   < --- Enough said. I knew that I had to do something about it so I spent days surveying for shelves - the easy, convenient kind.......and hopefully, it wouldn't cost too much too. Just when I'd almost given up on finding something that tickled my fancy, I walked into Daiso and the matter was solved. Daiso is a popular low-priced...

8 Labuan : Layang-Layangan - Just the beach!

Layang-layangan beach, one of my favourite hangouts .... until I moved to the city. Clean, serene, with long stretches of sand ~ the perfect picnic spot? Yeap! I've not been here for almost a decade. My trips home have always been packed with meeting the relatives, plus an unimaginable amount of time on feasting. I am not kidding when I say that it begins with an early breakfast and goes on until dinner! So this is a very treasured 30-minute stop just to snap some shots and breathe in the beach air. Evening beach stroll A gloomy evening that brought the drizzle. Sea, sky ..oh, where are you, sun? Lots of these holes on the sand...

8 Breakfast And A New Pan

Breakfast is important. Everyone knows that but mornings and me? We shake hands and that's as much love as we have for each other. No hugs! Brunch is more my thing. The only food that  goes into me first thing in the morning is a hot cup of chocolate malt. Chocolate Malt Occasionally, I have eggs and baked beans... Eggs and Baked Beans But only because I have a fancy new pan to try out < --- "motivation" Nah, this post is nothing about breakfast. I really, reallyYy wanted to show off the latest addition to my kitchen. Do you like it? Haha. Don't be mean now. New Pan ~ RM9.90 from Tesco  ...