O' Christmas Tree

What can a Christmas tree cookie cutter do? Here're three things:

1) Christmas Tree decorations

Our Christmas tree was looking pathetically underdressed so I decided to hand-make some extra decorations using some green, red and white felt cloth. I bought a pack of kiddie craft glitters, beads and buttons and had some fun with KK and XX pasting the shiny beads onto the felt cut-outs.

This one's decorated by KK.

2) Christmas Card

Trace the shape on felt, sew on a few beads, glue on a glittering string and paste it on a card paper to make a special card!

3) Christmas Cookies

And of course, Christmas cookies! Drizzle some chocolate across the trees, sprinkle some hundreds and thousands and voila! A delicious and edible Christmas treat!

Merry Christmas everyone!

XX is 3!

XX turned 3 years old last week and we celebrated the occasion in a low key manner. No big party at indoor playgrounds like his brother and only a small cake cutting ceremony at home with a few close friends after dinner outside. It has been communicated to the boys that they will take turns having parties each year. So next year, it will be KK's turn to go low-key.

Nevertheless we did something special for the day. We bought our bikes out for the first time and went cycling at the You Yangs Regional Park together with our friend Ken. Well, it was more like "attempted to go cycling". The You Yangs was no East Coast Park and we had no idea about the challenges of mountain biking on natural (and unpaved) terrains.

We finally found the parking place after more than one hour's search, by which time it was time for lunch. After gobbling down some sandwiches, we set off, with flies buzzing annoyingly in our faces, on one of the easiest tracks, or so we thought. Within a kilometre, we met an upslope. It wasn't very steep but halfway up, KK showed signs of exhaustion. He had to stop frequently to rest and drink water. Finally he informed that he couldn't go on anymore. We decided to turn back to the starting point to see if there is another even easier track. At which point, I also got a stomachache and had to use the 'compost toilet' there. It was, as the name implies, a toilet that uses natural decomposition in its treatment of your matters. No water, no sanitation. Regardless, I was very much appreciative of its presence in the wilderness.

Ken and Hubby (with XX behind on his child seat) went a little way more exploring the tracks but KK and I stayed at the carpark. He, too tired to move, while I anticipate another visit to the compost toilet. Our energies have been so focused on the cycling that we forgot all about taking pictures along the way.

Not satisfied with our short-lived cycling efforts, we decided to head for Williamstown beach afterwards. This is like Singapore's East Coast Park, with paved tracks and the sea view. KK did much better here and we finally did some justice to our new wheels. XX of course had no problems either way as he was being ferried all the way on Papa's bike.

I returned home and quickly set about frosting XX's car cake which I had baked and assembled the night before. XX had requested for a "strawberry and car cake", strawberries and cars being two of his favourite things in the world. I did a strawberry cupcake recipe and decided to give him a pink car cake. It was trickier than I thought, getting the cream cheese frosting to turn pink! Despite adding strawberry jam followed by raspberry coulis which I made last minute by cooking raspberries and some sugar, the icing only turned as far as a salmon pink. If I had some red colouring, a drop would have saved all my trouble but unfortunately, I don't.

We had a good and literally big dinner at Lazy Moes restaurant. When we came home, our 2 little guests have arrived to help sing the birthday song. XX seemed to have a much better idea than last year about his special day. He looked happily at his car cake, bounced excitedly up and down when the birthday song was sang for him and coolly blowed the 3 candles one by one. It was his special moment.

We had fun talking with our friends over tea and eating XX's salmon pink car cake with chocolate wheels. And guess what? He ate only the chocolate wheels instead!

(ps- have trouble uploading the photos, will try again later)

Christmas time is here

Christmas is drawing near and my sister asked me in an email how's our Christmas like in Australia. I replied that it's as usual, visiting friends who had invited us to their house, giving presents and children receiving/opening presents. When I had a chance to give it deeper thoughts later, I realised that I hadn't painted her the whole picture.

Sure, it is universal that during Christmas season, the shopping centers (and even some houses) are gaily decorated - Christmas trees, glittering lights, artificial snow flake cutouts and inflatable Santa Clauses. The tradition of presents (or pressies as they call it here) giving helps the toy departments generate their highest sales of the year and keeps the cash register merrily ringing. One can't help but get rolled into the festive mood as year-end party invitations roll in. But as far as Australia's concerned, that's where all the similarity ends.

Despite our four seasons, we are on the wrong side of the equator. So banish any childhood illusions about a snow-filled white winter wonderland and forget any fantasies about singing christmas carols by a warm fireplace or making Frosty the snowman outside your house. I just realised that all our favourite christmas carols ("I'm dreaming of a white christmas...", "In the meadow we can build a snowman...") were created for the people in the Northern Hemisphere and not very suitable down south. Even Santa Claus. The big old man would be suffering heat stroke in his thick beard and fur-lined red suit here. His reindeer is better off replaced with a Toyota 4-wheel drive and a trailer instead of sleigh.


Instead of arriving our hosts' houses in winter boots and wrapped in scarves, people will most likely wear slippers and bring chilled beers. Roast turkey and Christmas ham still feature popularly in the menus but it is more likely that people will do an outdoor BBQ, with sizzling sausages and a cold salad. The Aussies slap on the SPF 30+ sunblocks and head to the beaches and parks during this time of the year for picnics, BBQs and sun tanning.


Since I come from tropical Singapore, I hadn't noticed much difference between my past Christmases and now. But I wonder for people who had come to live in Australia from the northern parts of the world, how would they feel about the absolute difference in Christmas temperature and scenary. Is their Christmas mood affected in any way?


Despite all these, the Aussies for a fact enjoy their Christmas anyway. There might be a total fire ban, it's stinkin hot and there're lots of flies. But who cares. It's the end of the year, school summer holidays has started and what better excuse to have a good time with family and friends. The Aussies have a great sense of humour and to end off, I'll like to share a Fair Dinkum Aussie Christmas song by Bucko & Champs. It's rewritten to the tune of the Australian anthem. For those who know the tune, try singing it.

Australians Let Us Barbecue

Australians let us barbeque for Christmas time is here

A time to stop and rest a bit, and psych up for New Year

On patterned plastic tablecloth we'll eat our pudding up

And drink a Christmas cordial in polystyrene cup

Australians let us barbeque for Christmas time is here

The time we sing that silly song 'Pa Ruppa Pum Pum Pum'

We'll fa la la and ho ho ho, and all that Christmas stuff

We'll crack a gag with Pop and Gran, and chuckle our heads off

Australians let us go for broke in backyards great and small

With Christmas gifts and outdoor chairs, with cricket bat and ball

We'll pass the salad dressing round, we'll eat potato chips

And compliment the hostess on a great French onion dip

With sausages and coleslaw too, then let us barbeque

To all my readers, have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!

Events & Milestones

It's been 2 weeks since my last post and there's plenty to update.

Reading Pleasure

Personally, I have been spending a lot of my time reading. I cannot remember a time since my teenage years when I can afford to sit down to really enjoy a book during working hours and even read late into the night. For many years, the only thing I could find time to read was The Straits Times and in recent years, it wasn't even the printed version. But the other day, I took my book outside, sat on our newly acquired foldable camping chairs and had a good 30 minutes of reading in the sunshine, while XX busied himself piling rocks in the backyard. It was a great feeling.

XX and his improvised garden gloves

All my readings have been books borrowed from the local library. It is interesting to note that we have never made as good a use of libraries as now. I must credit the city council here for stocking up their libraries well. Each library card entitles you up to 20 books and 5 DVDs. We will get the children 10 - 15 books each time we visit the library. Their children's books are mostly hard covered, very recent and in very good condition. The book that caught my eye and started me on my reading spree was "Dance of 17 lives: The incredible true story of Tibet's 17th Karmapa" by Mick Brown. From there, it got me interested in Tibet's history and culture, so my next book was "Seven Years in Tibet" by Heinrich Harrer. I seem to have changed my usual liking for fiction and am discovering that biographies and true stories of real live people can be very educational and intriguing as well. Currently I'm reading about "Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne" by Ben Hills.





Cycling Fun

Look mum! I can balance!

One fine day near the end of November, KK finally learnt to ride a bicycle. Yes, without the trainer wheels! It happened unexpectedly. Sunday, my friend lent us an old bicycle for KK to practice. Monday after school, Hubby coached him in the backyard. Then they went out to the pavement outside our house for more road and one hour later, he reported that KK had gotten it and had cycled to his friend's house nearby. I was surprised. Previously, about 1-2 years ago, we had tried to teach him how to ride but he was quite afraid and later refused to try again. I guess this time he's ready, that's why it didn't take him too long to learn it. The next day, my boy started cycling to school and back. Hubby still accompany him as he may not be too good when crossing the roads. Luckily, his school is within the estate so they are not major junctions.




Arising from KK's cycling ability, Hubby began to seriously consider this a wonderful family hobby and started actively looking around to equip us all with bicycles. Yesterday, we bought 3 new bicycles, for KK, myself and Hubby. He also bought a rack that can hold up to four bikes behind the car and is now in the midst of geting a tow bar fixed to our car. We have the intention of bringing our bicycles to the great outdoors during the weekends for cycling on trails and having picnics.





Berries Picking







Bicycle hunting aside, we have been occupying our weekends going berries picking. The next weekend after our Bacchus Marsh outing, we drove 1.5 hours to Dandenong Ranges. Our original plan was cherry picking, but we found the entrance fee of $7 per person into the orchard too ridiculous. Last minute, we drove to Chappies farm (21 Parker Rd, Silvan) and found they had raspberries and blackberries for picking. It was our first time picking raspberries. In fact, it was our first time seeing the raspberries growing on trees. Most of the time, we see raspberries in plastic boxes or frozen in boxes, but now they're as fresh as can be. To pluck them, you gently hold the fruit between your fingers and pull. If they're ripe, they'll come off easily, leaving the stem and the core on the tree. Raspberries are incredibly fragile and almost as soon as they leave the tree, they start to degenerate (if that's the right word). Thus most of the time, the raspberries you see in supermarkets looks smashed and not at all fresh. I froze all my raspberries separately as soon as I reached home and only defrost how many I need every time.

Clowning around in a gigantic fruit basket




The next day, we went again to Bacchus Marsh, this time with some friends, to get more strawberries and try our luck at cherry picking again. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't so good and after the strawberries picking, just as we were about to go into the cherries orchard, it started drizzling. We decided to adjourn for lunch but by the time we returned to the orchard again, they had no more cherries left. KK was extremely disappointed.

Surrounded by raspberries

This weekend, we set off again, for the third time, to the cherries orchard at Bacchus Marsh. The weather was good but the orchard didn't have much cherries as the earlier rain had destroyed much of the crop. Nevertheless, knowing how disappointed KK will be if we walked away unsuccessful again, I insisted on going in to try our luck. It was indeed true that much of the cherries on the trees were half rotten. We tried very hard and could only collect about 200-300 grams. A Singaporean lady I met there told me they got a harvest of 6 kilos the last time they came. Regardless, this little adventure of peeping our heads into the cherry trees and novelty of plucking your own cherries was enough to satisfy KK.




Baking

With so much to do, sewing, blogging and baking took a backseat. However, I still managed to make a few batches of cupcakes. Thanks to the book "Tempt" by Betty Saw, which my friend lent me, I followed 3 of her recipes to much success. The chocolate cupcakes were a hit with the boys in my family. They were moist ,soft and chocolatey. And unlike western cupcakes, you don't need to pile on a topping of supersweet icing sugar to make them yummy. The other good thing about her recipes is the portions are quite small, churning out about 8 - 10 large cupcakes each batch. Though cupcakes can be frozen, there isn't such a neccesity cos they don't last for more than 2 days.

Chocolate Cupcakes topped with chocolate ganache and fresh handpicked strawberries and raspberries

I also baked some mini apple pies yesterday. The recipe was a tried and tested one but the mini tart presentation was something new for me. It was lots of work actually, making the shortcrust biscuit base, pressing out each disc for the tart base and then cutting thin strips of puff pastry to make a netted cover. Not to mention coring and cutting the apples and cooking them partially. Still the results were worth it. They look quite presentable and taste good too.

School


The latest thing to update is, XX officially started going to playschool today at a nearby child care center. It's only once a week and for half a day initially. I don't actually need the child care facility, though a few hours of personal time once a week is nice, and I'm not expecting the child care to teach him anything I haven't already taught. I'm just hoping that XX will get used to the idea of going to school, of being around people other than his immediate family and to be independent. It's a growing up process that every kid goes through and with compulsory kindergarten when he turns 4, I think it's time for him to move on to this stage. I had talked to him about school recently, to prep him and get him psychologically ready. He seemed very eager and showed no signs of protest, even when I told him that mummy will not be around. So how did he fare?





This morning, a mini-tantrum errupted that threatened to assasinate our attempts to create a happy, positive mood before going to school. Luckily, I managed to get him distracted and the 'crisis' did not escalate. He happily carried his Snoopy backpack and walked into the center. He hung his bag on a hook provided for him and goes into the room. One of our friends worked there and she immediately got XX to play with some dinosaurs. I know he will be in good hands. We said goodbye and left. No reaction from him. Everything so far so good. Hubby and I went home for breakfast and then went to K-mart to shop for our bicycle helmets. As we were about to walk into another shop, Hubby's phone rang. One hour after we had left XX at the child care center, we had to go back and bring him back. He had been crying to go home. When we got to see him, he was being carried by our friend and still sobbing. Nonetheless, we praised him for that one hour and hopefully he'll do better next week.

Cherries & Strawberries

It's raining cats and dogs now. After a long week of hot, dry days, this refreshing downpour is very much welcomed by my household, not to mention our plants which are almost dying of thirst. Thursday had been one of the hottest day, with temperatures of 34 degrees but the weather forecast for this weekend has turned around drastically, it's almost unbelievable. Now I'm kind of worried if the rain would affect our picnic tomorrow.

Today, it was an overcast sky that greeted us in the morning. The weather was cool but there was no rain as we set off to the countryside of Bacchus Marsh, just 35km away. Bacchus Marsh is having the Cherries & Strawberries Weekend and we're hoping to do some cherry-picking. As it turned out, we were too early and too late. It is still early in the cherry season, so there were not that much cherries for picking as most cherries are still ripening. And we'd reached there too late so whatever ripe cherries there were had all been plucked. Thankfully, there will be plenty more opportunities in the coming 3 weeks. The farm had peaches and nectarines too but we were not too interested in those. The cherries looked so bright, fresh and cheery on the trees. Hubby and I has agreed that we should plant some cherry trees in our garden next time, in addition to lemon and apple trees. KK was rather disappointed that he couldn't pick anything there but the weather was nice so we took a stroll around the orchard nonetheless.

After a delicious lunch at the town center, we returned to the Avenue of Honour and stopped by the Naturipe farm. They also had cherries, peaches and nectarines but only the strawberries were ready for picking. It's the 3rd time we're doing this, so honestly, the novelty for me is no longer there. I can buy strawberries anytime at the market and the prices are very reasonable. No longer a tourist, I'm not willing to pay for strawberries that cost double its usual price. We found out that they charge $9/kg and there's no minimum quantity. You pick as much and as little as you like. I think the price is rather reasonable so in we went for some exercise.

Inside, the bright red strawberries looked so delicious and everyone of them seem to be telling me "pluck me, pluck me". I felt like picking everything home. In the midst of teaching him how to pick good strawberries, KK received a valuable, albeit premature, lesson on 'cherry picking' his future partner. He tends to pick the first red strawberry he sees, usually those most visible and hanging outside. But really, many of the good ones are actually hidden inside the bush, where most people would not bother to push the leaves apart to find. Also before picking, we should turn the strawberry around and examine it properly. Some appear perfect facing you but the other side is still yellow and not ripe. Some have blemishes and worms hidden from our view. Not every red strawberry is worth picking. Hopefully he'll understand the deeper meaning next time but at the moment he sure needs to make better selections, many of the strawberries he picks cannot pass the 'QC' of mummy.

We didn't have to walk very far down two rows of plants to find our 2 kg box almost full. Rationale must prevail! We cannot possibly finish 2 kg of strawberries in a short time. Besides we can always come back again to get more anytime. I had to stop my sons and myself from our 'plucking frenzy'. At the end, we brought home 1.4kg of beautiful strawberries and a satisfied KK, who finally got to pluck something!

Spongebrain

I've heard that the young child's brain, especially between 2 - 6 years old, is like a super absorbant sponge. They form the most connections and absorb new information at a rate that will not be duplicated again for the rest of their life. It's amazing.

XX is at this age and I can see it happening. The way he picks up language, music, psycho motor skills and behaviour from KK, movies, books and us. He's very curious and will ask me what is this and what is that. He'll also repeat everything that you teach him. Everything is so interesting to him that he refuses to take naps anymore, even when he's very tired.

When I was in Singapore, I bought him 2 little cardboard books. One of them teaches the alphabets and the other has some basic chinese characters. He was very interested in them and will ask me to read through the whole book to him everyday. Every time I'll point to the characters and say the word, he'll repeat after me. We do this even after we came back to Melbourne. With repeated exposure, XX has learnt to recognise the shapes of the different alphabets and chinese characters and associate them with its pronunciation. Within days, he started to recognise some of the most repeated characters. About 3 - 4 weeks later, he can identify almost all the alphabets and read all the chinese characters of 1 to 10, including many other chinese characters like 海, 火, 水, 石, 土 and 山 that even KK does not know.

Based on this method (thanks to the suggestion from Christina), I've purchased some chinese character cards and pasted some of the more common everyday words (starting with food) on the wall. I got KK to stick pictures next to the matching words. It works. After looking at them and repeating them for a few days, XX and KK has already learnt to recognise those words.

Having said that, XX is also at this age where he's a total blind follower. He's totally non-discriminating about the things he learns. So we really got to watch what he's exposed to. The most 'dangerous' person around him at the moment, yet also the most fun and inspiring, is elder brother KK, who often sprouts nonsense and influences his little brother to do funny things, like dipping fish fingers into the chocolate spread and playing "street fighter 4" totally naked. Many a times, I've got to do damage control (and lecture the instigator) but trying to squeeze out stuff absorbed into XX's spongebrain is not easy.

Hot Spring

I'm having a Hot Spring....And I don't mean the 'onsen' in Japan.

Temperatures this Spring has been warmer and drier than last year. I very clearly remembered on XX's birthday last December, it was pouring cats and dogs. It was one of the wettest day ever. That was my first Spring in Melbourne and I recalled thinking then, how come Spring feels like Winter? Is Melbourne ever gonna be warm? Of course, then came Summer and the heatwave.

It is still early days however, for Summer now but already temperatures go up to 35 degrees celsius in the day. For the past few days, I haven't seen a drop of rain. Thus I'm not sure what to expect when it becomes Summer Summer. The worst part is, our house is not built for hot weather. So staying indoors can be just as miserable as going outside. Thanks very much to global warming and the El Nino.

Since moving to Australia, we realised that we're now much more sensitive to the weather and its changes. Effects of climate changes can be felt more acutely and has a larger impact on our daily lives. Generally, the kind of activities people engage in changes as the weather changes. Previously (in S'pore), I don't care much about weather reports. It's either raining in the east or west and day temperatures always ranges between 30 - 32 degrees. But over here, I cannot ignore it at all. The weather determines how we dress KK for school, whether it's gonna be a picnic at the park or shopping in air-conditioned places this weekend, whether I can start keeping our fleece clothing and start taking out the shorts and singlets. Obviously this year, I am not at all prepared to be wearing Summer clothing now.

Just one month ago, when we first came back from our holiday in S'pore, everywhere was green and luscious, even our neglected backyard. It was what Spring should be. Flowers were blooming, weeds as well. Our lavenders were in top form, our tulips at their peak. All because there was sufficient rainfall. But the good times didn't last. Now, the green landscape is starting to turn yellowish green and if this hot and dry spell continues, it will be totally golden brown before long, like dried chrysanthemum flowers. Speaking of which, I have been making tons of the drink these few days, to cool and hydrate the heaty body, if nose bleeding is a symptom.

Because of what we have experienced here, my dear readers from Singapore, never complain again that you have to avoid puddles and carry an umbrella when it rains. Just think of us dehydrated and half-baked folks down here.

Surprise Menu

Ever had those days where your fridge is full of food but you just don't know what to cook?

Well, today was just that. Up till the time I was preparing dinner, my head was still swirling around several ideas about the menu. I had so many ideas, yet no concrete action plan. I had just returned from the supermarket and added to my fridge lamb cutlets, scotch fillet steaks, whole fresh chicken, chicken thigh fillets, italian pork sausages, bacon, salami, mushrooms and many other yummy ingredients. There're so many possibilities that I can't decide. Should I make an improvised bacon and salami pizza? Or chicken rice? Maybe a creamy pasta? What's more, waiting in my fridge were some pre-softened shitake mushrooms, a quarter cauliflower that's more than 2 weeks old and a slab of defrosted salmon fillet. Sometimes, too many choices is bad....heheh.

Common sense prevailed and I decided that I should use up the 'older' ingredients that cannot be kept first. But how? As I was preparing the ingredients, KK asked me what's for dinner. My answer? "Actually, I don't know. Surprise!" I wonder what he thinks of mummy then. Mysterious, creative or clueless?

At the last minute, I adapted a Shitake Teriyaki Tuna recipe, using salmon instead and adding cauliflowers to the teriyaki mushroom sauce. I also grilled some Italian Pork Sausages wrapped in bacon as a side and made a Spaghetti Alio Olio as the staple.

Ta-da! Dinner is served. Phew, I'd manage to pull it off!

The Fried Stuff

My journey in the kitchen continues with adventures in making local kuehs.

While the previous creations have been mainly steamed stuff (发糕, 水淉 and 小龙包), my recent Singapore local kuehs required deep frying. Now, I usually try to avoid frying stuff, firstly because of the huge amount of oil needed which leads to the second reason that they're not so healthy. But there's no denying the fried crispy texture makes them extra tasty and appetising.

So I made recent exceptions by frying Kueh Kodok (Deep Fried Banana Balls) and Sesame Balls (煎堆), comforting myself it will be less sinful since I use 100% cholestrol free canola oil. In fact, both these kuehs uses healthy vegetarian ingredients. Kueh Kodok uses bananas and the Sesame Balls uses sweet potatoes and red beans. So oily-ness aside, we are consuming a good amount of fibre as well.

Kueh Kodoks

I love Kueh Kodoks. I remembered at my old work place, the Malay stall at the canteen would make these every afternoon about 3pm for tea. I will go downstairs to grab 3 for $1. The ones I made tasted quite similar, except it would be even better if I had waited a few more days for the bananas to get more ripe and sweet.

煎堆

I also love Sesame Balls and would always buy one or two when I pass by those Yum Cha (Dim Sum) restaurants. They usually cost about A$1.50 each. I like the crispy and chewy texture of sesame seed coated skin. The Sesame Balls I made turned out not too bad. I used red bean paste for the filling and it was nice too. However, next time, I'll increase the amount of glutinous rice flour to make the skin more chewy. I find mine not chewy enough compared to those sold outside as there was more sweet potatoes than flour.

Red Bean paste filling

Unfortunately, KK does not seem to like both the Kueh Kodoks nor the Sesame Balls. It has never been easy to get KK interested in food in general, and even more difficult to get him to try NEW food. To his credit, he is getting better now but there are still many food that he turns his nose up to. As a food-lover, I cannot understand this inhibition and can only shake my head and say "You don't know what you are missing, boy ." Luckily, I still have XX , who is more 'normal' and loves to eat (like me), to appreciate and help finish my kuehs.

Mini-Me

Besides our outward appearance, we also inherit a great part of our personality from our parents. And just like looks and values, we hope that our children will only inherit the best from us. But of course, genes are something totally beyond our control.

Many people have commented that XX takes after me in terms of looks. He's certainly got my fair skin, small nose and rounded cheeks. What many don't know and can't tell is that XX is a mini-me in certain aspects of personality as well. He's easygoing and sweet-natured like a cute puppy most of the time but recently, he's shown that he can be difficult and stubborn as bulldog when he's pissed off. Again, I'm not sure if it's just the "Terrible Twos/Threes" phase or his genetic setup but he has been exploding into tantrums over the slightest things, at the average rate of twice every three days.

Just yesterday, we had another episode. We had a good lunch yesterday at a cafe in Flemington. Before we left, I asked him if he still wanted the balance 1/4 cup of strawberry milk shake and I gathered no from his expression. After we left the cafe, we found out on the way to the car that he'd changed his mind and now wanted that milk shake back. Of course, it was too late. He insisted on going back and when we said no, started crying and refusing to get into the car. Another milk shake somewhere else just will not do. When he was forced to get into his car seat and threatened to be left along the street by Daddy, he turned his temper to me, insisting I stay on the street. And he got even more upset when we ignored his demand.

When his 'bomb' gets set off, nothing, NOTHING you do or say can soothe him. He's beyond reasoning and he pushes everyone who tries to comfort him away. He will stubbornly refuse any alternative. It's his way or no way. He will rather be caned and beaten than submit. For a tot that's not even a metre tall, that's a lot of nerves and grit. He can be very rebellious too. The more you don't want him to do it, the more he'll do it. I know from my own psychology that the hard approach just makes him harder and I can understand why he behaves the way he does. But yet he needs to learn that not everything in the world goes his way everytime. If he doesn't learn how to deal with it and change his rebellious and stubborn nature, I'm worried it will bring him and us more misery as he grows older.

Isn't it amazing what we can learn from our children? I am of this belief that God gives us children not just to bless us but also to teach us a lesson or two about life. Because we have become parents, we can better empathise with our parents and as a result, we become better children. Because we see ourselves in our children and because we want the best for them, we learn to be better people. With age and maturity, I don't 'explode so often nowadays but everytime XX goes into one of these tantrums, I'm reminded of myself and greatly humbled. While genes are not within our control, I'm hoping we can teach our children skills to understand and deal with their natural inner setup.

Pumpkin Porridge

I have never cooked or even eaten pumpkin porridge before. But what prompted me to cook this today is 1 bowl of leftover rice, balance half pot of pork, corn and carrot soup stock, a quarter pumpkin in the fridge (thanks to XX who insisted I buy it at the veg market even though he has no idea what it is) and a curiousity about "南瓜粥" after watching one of the F4 character in the Korean drama "花样男子" eat them.

A quick search on the internet confirmed that "南瓜" is indeed pumpkin. In Korea, they call it "Hobahk Jook" or "Hobakjuk", and they actually use glutinous rice or even glutinous rice flour to cook it. They also blend it to make the texture more velvety and they add sugar! I think it should taste more like a dessert than a main meal cos it must be very sweet and gooey, like those chinese red bean soup dessert.

Anyway, I didn't follow their recipe, perhaps next time since I've still got some more pumpkin. I decided to do it my own style, using up the leftover stock and rice and adding some wolfberries. The result? I didn't know pumpkin can taste so nice. I should have made some pumpkin puree and porridge for my children when they were babies. The pumpkin literally melted into the porridge, making it naturally sweet. The pork and an added teaspoon of salt balances the flavour to make it more savoury. XX seemed to like it, he finished his portion. I quite like it too though sweet porridge is an acquired taste. Hubby, I can tell, he didn't really fancy it.

Local Delights

After 2 weeks of adjusting from jet lag and recovering from illness, I finally feel normal again. My kitchen is fully back in operation as I began to get into the hang of cooking and baking again.




I've been making some of our regular favourites, like pizzas and pastas, and also trying out quite a few new recipes, thanks in part to some new cookbooks, equipment and gadgets purchased from Singapore.





Sweet Buns

Got the recipe from Baking Mum's blog and tried it out for the first time. I made a variety of fillings, mainly strawberry jam (for XX) and chocolate (for KK). I also made some with pork floss, kaya and cheese, just to experiment a bit. It was quite fun trying out different shapes, and the children participated as well, kneading and shaping the dough. KK made a special one with the word "lego", turned out quite cute.










Chwee Kueh
I've been wanting to make these for a long time. Firstly, it's one of Hubby and my favourite hawker fare. We love the ones from Bedok. Secondly, chwee kuehs are not readily available in Melbourne. We found some at Chomp Chomps but they cost $4.50 for 3!! Though we crave for it, no way we will pay such ridiculous price for rice flour and salted tunips.

So this trip back, I made sure I stopped by Phoon Huat and got 12 chwee kueh moulds, in addition to eating my fill of Bedok's chwee kuehs. My first attempt, I didn't quite like the texture of the rice cakes. They were too dense and hard. I added 100ml more hot water and the next round turned out much softer. Still cannot beat those at Bedok's but it will satisfy the next round of cravings.










Muah Chees
I made these together with a friend, following the recipe from my latest cookbook of kuehs. Turns out really easy and just like those we eat at pasar malams! The tip is to place the sticky dough inside a plastic bag when kneading it, then it won't stick all over your fingers.








Pandan Waffles
My sister bought me a 3-in-1 sandwich maker with interchangeable grill and waffle plates. Pandan waffles is also something that I crave for from Singapore. Also waffles make a good breakfast with kaya/chocolate or dessert with ice-cream and fruits. I've been eyeing a sandwich grill and waffle maker for some time so this one really meets my needs.










Sweet Potato Fa-Gao
My friend made these and I found that they tasted good. So since I've bought a few sweet potatoes recently, I too followed the recipe and made a batch today. Yummy, though I was hoping they'll "fa" (rise) more....hee.

Heaven is the place you don't live in

I finally understand, that 'heaven' is the place you don't live in. (And along the same line, the 'best man' is the man you didn't marry!) It's just human nature, isn't it, to take for granted what you have, to compare, to envy and to believe the grass always looks greener on the other side.

What prompted me to be so philosophical was our latest trip to Singapore. In all my life living in Singapore, I have never 'enjoyed' my stay on the sunny island as much as those last 2 weeks of September. It's really funny but true. With the exception of a few odd ones, most of our friends living here in Australia look upon going back to S'pore for a holiday as a trip to 'heaven'. And it's no wonder. What itinerary can be better than the combination of good food, old friends and family reunions?

KK enjoyed his time back to S'pore so much that he sincerely tells people who asked him he prefers Singapore to Australia. He even asked me why the stay is so short. He would like us to stay there for one year. One year? I tell him OK, but that means you have to go to school there. Which also means, right about this time, you should be studying for your yearend exams. That brought it in perspective and he has not brought up the subject of staying in Singapore again ;-)

See what I mean? Holiday destinations always look more beautiful, the people are friendlier, the food taste better and even the water is sweeter than that back home. I used to think this of Australia when I come here for holidays but I know now, except for the scenery, the rest is not all true. It's the same for Singapore. I may have enjoyed my holiday there, but I have not been away that long to forget all the old gripes I had of our lives and the government when living there.

Anyway, now that I understand this human psychology, I constantly remind myself to appreciate the things and people around me and count the little blessings that I have. We can create our own heaven on earth, can't we? There's a little wise saying that goes "Contentment begins with grateful hearts".

10th Anniversary

4 days ago it was our 10th wedding anniversary and what was I doing?

We woke late that day, had a simple brunch, started another load of laundry, vacuumed the house and supervised KK with some Maths assessment. A very ordinary day. For dinner, we have decided to eat out, at a nearby Chinese Vietnamese restaurant. Unfortunately, just as we were about to leave for dinner, a wave of nausea and fatigue swept over me. I thought initially that I was just overtired from the housework but when I felt a little dizzy in the car, I knew something was not right with me. I didn't know it then, but that was the start of a viral attack that left me aching and restless, followed by bouts of diarrhea over the next 3 days. I sat listlessly through dinner, unable to enjoy the yummy roast duck and hot plate tofu in front of me. That about sums it up for the actual day we got married to each other a decade ago.

But don't feel bad for me that I've had such a lousy day. In fact, our celebrations for our 10th anniversary started weeks ago. It was in bits and pieces, all over the place literally, but still a complete celebration for me. I got the gift first, the most expensive gift I've ever received from him, in S'pore. Then I got the card in KL. Nothing very creative but sincere nonetheless. And we had a fusion Japanese dinner in KL where we dined on high quality food with exquisite flavours, all specially designed, artistically presented and made to order by the owner, who is our friend's friend. It was a treat for the eyes as well as the palate.

Appetizer - cold egg custard, pumpkin tempura with truffles butter, seaweed in vinegar, pan fried tuna with foie gras, , japanese tomato with carpaccio sauce, japanese season mackerel pike

Japanese style mini pizza

Kobe Beef with foie gras

Our main course - choice of Tomato Rissotto, Yellow noodles or Braised Wagyu Beef with baked mashed potato

I think more significant than the value of the gift, extravagance of the dinner or the creativity of the card, this wedding anniversary for me is a very meaningful one. 10 years is not a long time but it's not short either. The marriage has it's fair share of good and bad times, but I think we've weathered along pretty fine. Both of us have put in our fair share to make it work, though I believed there were at times a lot more patience and tolerance on his part....;-p! Although the anniversary celebration was scattered everywhere and anywhere, what I can feel consistently is the 100% appreciation of me and my contributions to the family my other half is trying to show. That is important for me.

Our friend of more than 10 years, Di with his wife to be, and an array of exotic flavours of ice-cream for dessert




The actual day has passed but celebrations are still not over. I have some other plans which are still work-in-progress, to commemorate the 10 wonderful years we have shared with each other together. Happy Anniversary, Lo Gong!

A Happy Return

We are finally back to Melbourne after 3-weeks away. My 2nd week in S'pore has been just as hectic as the first. After Hubby left for KL, I was alone with the kids but there was no lack of company nor activities. The boys spent most of their time in the company of their grandparents, auntie and uncle, who had specially taken leave from work to spend time with them, while I shuttered between running errands, meeting up with some friends and spending time with the family.

KK and XX were spoilt rotten on this trip. Not only were there no restrictions on their bedtimes and no homework (for KK), they were showered with treats and gifts by their grandparents, grand-aunts, aunties and uncles. They were also treated like some mini-celebrities, countless digital pictures were taken of them, with frequent requests for kisses as poses. There were always some candies and chewing gums on offer during the initial meeting. Later, there will be shopping trips to Toys R Us where they shamelessly charmed their way to LEGOs, Bakugans and Hot Wheels amongst others. I am terribly embarrassed at the expense but I know making the children happy makes these doting adults happy as well. I am sincerely thankful for the treats, gifts of toys and clothings and also feel abundantly blessed by the warm reception we received during this trip back.

I would also like to thank my family members for their support during this trip, in terms of providing childcare, lodging and transportation, without which we will incur lots more expenses and inconvenience. There were always willing babysitters available when I needed to go run some errands or meet up with friends. On shopping trips, they carried the kids, carried the strollers up and down flights of stairs etc. When we needed to move our luggages to and from the airport, we couldn't have done it alone without their help to carry the boxes and bags. Many of my friends have also been very kind to pick me up and send me back after our dinner dates.

It was very nice to see familiar faces again and see the kids enjoy the company of their 'Yiyi' and 'Kaufu' and friends. I'm very sure I will miss all of you! All in, it was a very fun and fruitful trip for us. I managed to fulfill most of my errands and enjoyed the food I missed. We came back with more things than we brought there, and most importantly, we brought back a whole load of fun memories.

Selamat Singapore

This is my first trip back to S'pore in more than a year and I feel totally at ease coming back, as if I've never left. Even the inconvenience of taking public transport and the much dreaded warmer weather didn't seem so bad. The buses and trains are air-conditioned, new and comfortable, even the bus drivers seemed friendlier. Except the initial sweating those first few hours after getting out of Changi Airport, I'm able to stay calm and cool most of the time but my active boys, their hair is often wet from perspiration.

You Tiao and Soya Milk Breakfast

Everything feels familiar, though initially, I do feel like I have developed 'new' eyes. I am noticing things that I've always taken for granted in the past. Like how people here dress and behave and the landscape of tall concrete buildings. Of course, after a few days, my eyes got accustomed but they're still very busy taking in all the changes in Singapore's shopping landscape and the ever so delicious looking, never ending selection of food, glorious food. Honestly, I am kidding myself if I think I can savour all those food that I like within the 2 weeks of my stay. But I'll still try.

My favourite - Sweet & Sour Pork

Another good one - Chilli Crab

Our social life this last week has been very active and hectic. We go out everyday and most days, we return home only after 10pm. The boys have been going to bed around mid-night, that would be 2am Melbourne time, unimaginable back home. Gosh, I refuse to think now how I'll adjust them back to 9pm bedtime when we go back.

Old Young Friends

And they're having so much fun. As we meet up with our old friends, they also get to catch up with the kiddies of our friends. The adults don't change much but children, after one year, they grow taller, leaner and behave differently. Like at yesterday's Hari Raya gathering with a group of old university friends, there were 8 other kids in addition to my 2 boys, age ranging 2 to 10, I spent a considerable amount of time staring at each child and noticing their developments. There was a time when they were all toddlers who had all their milk teeth, didn't wear spectacles and didn't know how to play together, but yesterday, some were missing one or 2 front teeth, many bespectacled but who cares. The boys especially, were soon huddled around playing "Bakugans" and watching "Star Wars", like old friends.

The Bakugan Club

Are We There Yet? (Images Added)

It has been more than a year since I travelled internationally. Although the 8-hour flight from MEL to SIN is only considered medium haul, alone with the 2 active kids in Economy Class, I'm mentally preparing myself for a long long time in the fuslage.

The children were really well-behaved at the airport and on the plane. It was a day flight and we had reached the airport at 1330hrs. I expected the kids to be active during the flight but surprisingly, XX fell asleep during take-off and only woke up 3 hours later. That left me with only 5 hours of nannying and a lot of personal time to browse the newspapers, watch a movie and enjoy my meal while he napped. KK took care of himself most of the time with the in-flight entertainment system. Although Hubby came down once or twice during the flight from Business Class to check on us, there was nothing much that he needed to help.

After XX woke up, I fed him his pasta and introduced him to the entertainment system to keep him occupied. The only challenge came when XX wanted to go to the toilet. The queue was very long at the lavertories as it was just after the meal service. Nobody volunteered to let me go first on account of the toddler I was carrying so I decided to go visit Hubby in Business Class and ask him to take XX to the Business Class toilets. Unfortunately, Hubby was sleeping like a child when I got there. Regardless, I asked the crew if I could use their toilet and of course, SIA's crew seldom say no.

Even though my children were extremely well-behaved and I was having a relatively comfortable flight compared to the mummy on the other aisle, I was still relieved for the flight to end. After 8 hours, I was running out of toys to keep XX occupied and am utilising my lifeline of candies. Even KK is getting bored. There's only so much you can watch do on the AVOD. I cannot imagine if I have to continue another leg of journey to Europe after this!

The Art of Persuasion

Both my sons have very different fruit preferences.

They both started their fruit diet with pureed steamed apples at aged 6 months. KK now don't mind cut apples but he prefers oranges more. He also takes watermelon and grapes.

XX on the other hand shuns both grapes, apples and oranges. He's only willing to drink a bit of orange juice at most. He used to take grapes and bananas when he was smaller but when he turned 2, he suddenly refused them all. Up till 6 months ago, he shuns all fruits except apple puree. I was pretty stressed up trying to get him to eat any fruits. Thankfully, he now enjoys watermelon, strawberries and bananas. He will even take canned peaches and pineapples (on pizza), thanks to the positive example of KK.

How did I get XX to start eating these fruits? I had tried the 'benefits' approach of persuasion but it obviously didn't work. Who cares about Vitamin Cs and healthy skin? Not a 2 year old. In the end, it was the 'consequence' approach that did it. "Eat this strawberry or no Xbox!"

Once he tasted the yummy taste for himself, there's no need to persuade further.

First Dental Check-up

It was XX's first visit to the dentist today. Hubby arranged to go for his dental check-up before him to show an example for him so he knows what to expect. XX was curious seeing his father on the dentist's chair and wearing sunglasses. He seems quite intrigued, so that was a good sign. My only worry was whether he will open his mouth when it's his turn.

When it was his turn, he eagerly sat down on the chair. He got sunglasses too and he laid down like he's sunbathing as the dentist moved the chair up and down to thrill him. Surprisingly, he had no problem at all opening his mouth to the dentist. He even closed it and bite his teeth when told! He doesn't even obey my instructions all the time to do that when I brush his teeth at night!

It was a relatively short and pleasant experience. The objective is to make the FIRST EXPERIENCE a positive one. No scaling and polishing, the dentist just did a check for him and the verdict is ALL'S CLEAR. Phew! No decay = Save Money!! Next check up is when he's four years old.

Grampians National Park Weekend

Last weekend, we were at the Grampians National Park, 235 km west of Melbourne and the 3rd largest National Park in Victoria. We drove up on Saturday morning and spent 2 nights at the Parkgate Resort, part of the Big 4 Holiday Parks group. Together with us were a Malaysian family. They have 3 kids, aged 2.5 to 7. Their eldest is KK's classmate in school.

It was early Spring and the weather was still rather wet, with misty showers on and off. We were really blessed that during our walks through the trails, the rain stayed away. Though it was cold, there was no wind.

Looking at ants

On Sunday morning, we set off on one of the trails to see the Venus Bath rock pools. It was a very mild track and only 2.3 km return. The real challenge was managing the dynamics of the 5 children. I had brought along toy binoculars for my children to have some fun during the walks but they turned out to be the source of contention amongst the older kids. There were 3 binos but 4 kids. So half the time, the parents had to intervene and sort out disputes about who holds the binos and which one. It was crazy and it doesn't help that one of the kids will wail at the top of her lungs when she couldn't get her way. I think all the wildlife, including insects must have been frightened off by the din that came with our group.

KK looking rather displeased at not getting the binoculars

Nevertheless, it was a good walk and I'm especially proud of XX who walked most of the way on his little 2 feet. We carried him only over muddy pools and tracks. I'm also proud of KK. He was adventurous yet not reckless. He also took quite good close-up photos of interesting plants along the way.

The little trekker

Some interesting 'eggs' on a leaf

After the walk, we had a picnic lunch at the base with another group of friends who had just driven up from Melbourne to join us. It was so cool to see so many people get together, chatting and eating chipolatas, bread, chips, fruits and biscuits.

All together now - in harmony

We wrapped up the day with another walk to MacKenzie Falls, one of Victoria's largest and most spectacular waterfalls. As XX had fallen asleep in the car, only KK and I took the steep walk down to the base of the waterfall with our friends. The walk down was easy enough and the view of the waterwall was stunning. But it was the return journey that really took my breath away! I had to rest now and then in between climbing up the steep steps to catch my breath. My 7 yr old son, on the other hand, did not need to stop and reached the top a good 10 mins before me. Now my calf muscles are starting to ache, a testament of how unfit they are.




The nights were pretty interesting too. We had dinner at our friend's cabin the first night (Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup 八宝汤) and we invited them over the next for Fish Bee Hoon 鱼片汤 steam boat style. It was a good arrangement cos there was not much choice about eating out, the nearest township being about 30 mins drive away. Of course, with 5 kids together, it was chaotic and there were frequent interruptions to discipline, reprimand and comfort. But the adults did manage to make some good conversations and we enjoyed the fellowship nonetheless.


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