Kimchi Mama

Do you like Korean food? I know a friend who doesn't..... For my family, Korean food is our favourite international cuisine, almost on par with Italian.

If I don't remember wrongly, my love affair with Korean food started during my flying days. I introduced it to Hubby, starting with Korean instant noodles. Now, hot & spicy Korean noodles are a must-have in our larder. Even KK, who doesn't take spicy stuff, will slurp up a bowl of Korean instant noodles. Hubby is such a fan that he's now taken to buying them in boxes from the wholesaler. We usually add some stuff into the noodles to make them more yummy and nutritious are: tofu, egg, sliced beef, shaved ham, kimchi, cabbage, enoki mushrooms.

Spicy Tofu Soup

My personal favourite is the Korean Spicy Tofu Soup. I bought the soup mix so I just have to add my own tofu, egg and some spring onion and I can eat that with plain rice. Tastes best on a cold winter day....slurp.

Homestyle Korean BBQ

It's Monday today and I was wondering what to cook for dinner. I decided to do Korean Bulgogi BBQ. The marinade is from City Mart, just opposite Queen Victoria market and the thinly sliced hot pot beef from KFL, the asian supermarket. Marinade them an hour in advance with the bulgogi sauce and that's it! We'll set up a portable stove on the table with a special bbq hot plate and enjoy it with lettuce and rice. Really simple and fanciful at the same time. The children love when I make Korean BBQ for dinner. They get involved in the cooking process like putting the beef on the plate and stirring them around, it's so fun for them.

Eat it the Korean way - wrap some rice and beef in a leaf of lettuce.

(Better still if you have the Korean chilli paste.)

My husband loves kimchi and we've found this really good kimchi from City Mart - Well Being Kimchi. It's made in Australia and we love the crunchiness of the vegetables and the seasoning's just right - not too spicy, not too sour, not too sweet. We eat kimchi with instant noodles or sometimes I'll do Kimchi Fried Rice. It's another easy dish with bacon, enoki mushrooms and of course, cabbage from the kimchi.

Kimchi Fried Rice

I also love Bimbimbap and it's really easy to make your own - a kind of mixed rice with salad veg like carrot, mushroom, bean sprouts, cucumber. In fact, you can put in whatever you like, so it's great for clearing leftovers in the fridge. The key ingredient is the bimbimbap chilli sauce, which you can get from any Korean mart.




See, there are so many Korean dishes we can make at home, we don't really need to go to a Korean restaurant. Yet we still do....What I cannot make are those little dishes of preserved vegetables served before the main course. Some of those I've seen in Singapore tasted so good, they're the highlight rather than the main course. I've yet to find something comparable here in Melbourne. Talking about that, I think it's time to check out a famous Korean restaurant here in the city. I think it's called Kimchi Grandma or something....

Toilet Training

Despite the irritation and discomfort caused by the flu, XX is progressing very well these few days in terms of his toilet training. Since 2 weeks ago, we have already stopped wearing diapers for him when we go out and he's done incredibly well. He made it through long car journeys and grocery shopping trips without wetting his pants. We nearly backed off when initially we struggled with getting him to pee properly at public toilets. He didn't wet his pants but we got parts of his jacket, shirt and even shoes wet when the sitting or standing position wasn't right. But I'm glad we didn't take the easy way out of putting his diapers back on. With some time and practice, we and him soon got the technicalities figured out.

At night and for naps, I'm still very cautious so I've been putting on a diaper for him. Occasionally, he'll wake up with dry diapers but for the last 3 nights, XX's been waking up suddenly in the night saying he wants to "shee shee". Inside my warm quilt and still somewhere in between dreamworld and reality, I'm very tempted to tell him just pee into his diapers. But I stopped myself. That would be regressive. So I struggled to stand up, got him to the toilet, took off his still dry diapers, and he did it like a big boy. In the morning, the diaper would be still dry and he'll ask to go to the toilet when he wakes up. Last night, after his mid-night pee, XX actually refuses to wear the diapers again. I took a big risk by allowing him and he didn't fail me.

I think my 2 yr 7 mth old is getting to be 100% toilet trained very soon. The only thing is, I've just bought a new bag of diapers, what am I gonna do with them?

Another Bug Collected

It's flu season, not just Swine Flu, but many many other types of flu as well. We don't seem to feel it so much last winter when we first moved here. Perhaps I have forgotten already, or maybe we didn't go out as much or perhaps the flu jab we took before coming really helped....

Anyway, amongst us, XX got it worst. He'd just recovered from a flu and completed a round of antibiotics last week but last night, another bug got him coughing and feverish at night. Poor little one, more teary eyes, runny nose and blocked breathing.

The husband is a great supporter of seeing doctors. That's always his first reaction when he knows the kids are unwell. I'll prefer to let them go through it themselves if it's not too serious. But this time, my main concern is if it's H1N1. The cough and fever came on quite fast so I want some diagnosis before it spreads to everyone of us.

We brought XX to the clinic today and the doctor was annoyingly nonchalant about it. "He's got another one, just like many children during this time, just like all of us." I think he's probably seen a thousand parents like us who bring their son to see the doctor when there's no cause for concern. "Children get colds all the time, it's normal. They need to get some (bugs), so they will be immune against them by the time they go to school." Ok, I never see it that way. I have this visual impression that bugs, like some school trophies or badges, are something we collect as part of the growing up process and the more we have in our collection shows the more experience we have. This philosophy needs some digesting but I sure hope his diagnosis is straight on. He does seem to know what he's talking. He did the usual checks on XX, heard his chesty cough and declared that he doesn't have anything that needs antibiotics.

XX is up from his nap and the fever's back. Time for some Panadols to help fight the bug he unfortunately collected.

Fun4Kids Festival

The advertisement boasted 2.5 acres bursting with school holiday fun, with 14 huge zones of over 100 activities and workshops. But I had no idea. I still conjure up some amusement park image in my mind, thinking of merry-go-rounds, roller coasters etc.

We arrived just in time to see Play School's Justine Clarke in concert. Not sure if you've heard of this lady in Singapore, but you can see her regularly as one of 2 hosts on ABC Kids' toddler programme Play School at 10am everyday. She seems to be getting very popular. And very pregnant. I kind of worry for her, prancing about on stage with that watermelon tummy but she seems to be managing well and enjoying it too! I also admire her energy. When I was THAT pregnant, all I want to do is sit down.

Anyway, after a while, we left the concert to explore the other areas and discovered, what to me was, a brand new universe of wholesome ways for kids to have fun. There were many many DIY projects. After climbing around at the indoor playground for a while, KK and XX tried making their own piggy banks and badges. We did not try Edible Art though as I saw many parents walking about holding the little biscuits with gummy bears sitting on wafer see-saws for their kids. It would be a struggle for me to resist putting them into my mouth.

KK and XX with their piggy banks and badge.

KK spent a considerable amount of time at Woodwork, where with the help of Papa, he made and painted a wooden chain saw. They actually set up dozens of wooden work benches and every child/parent is given a real hammer to work with. Then they go collect their pieces of wood based on the project they chose. After this it's into the 'banging' zone. It's a noise hazard there with all the hammering so I brought XX outside to the sandpit. There he got absorbed into the world of diggers, bulldozers, dump trucks and rollers on sand until KK joined him.








We tried to visit all the other areas but there were too many activities that we didn't have time to do. Already, XX didn't take his nap, being very occupied by all that's going on around him. We did not even sit down to have a proper lunch, that would have meant less time for the activities. Luckily, I came well prepared with cakes and sandwiches to snack along the way.





The good thing about this festival is they've got everything sheltered as it was raining on and off. Everything was also very organised, with clear signages and toilets easily accessible. There were even nursing areas for mums and a nap area for babies. There were lots of children and parents there but interestingly, I don't see any long queues for anything, except for rock climbing. There were sufficient materials, kits and space for everybody. There were also lots of hand sanitizers and sinks for people to keep their hands germs free. With the number of kids there, it would have been easy for viruses to pass around. We cleaned our hands whenever we can and I only hope others did the same too.



We left at about 4.30pm and had an early dinner at the Pebbles Cafe just across the road. They have an indoor play area for children and guess what? KK and XX dashed inside and had another round of playtime before the food arrives. When it comes to playing, they're never too tired.

Wombat Cottage

We are living the 'Australian Lifestyle' to the fullest.

After Hanging Rock last week, Hubby announced on Tuesday we will be heading to Warrnambool next for the 2009 Fun4Kids Festival. Warrnambool is about 260km south-west of Melbourne and is known as the Great South Coast capital. Fun4Kids Festival is an award winning festival for the last 3 years and is considered Australia's Best Children's Festival. Though I have no idea what it's about at first, it sure sounded very promising. (More of Fun4Kids in the next post.)

This time, we'll be staying 3 nights at Port Fairy, the historic seaside village about 30 mins from Warrnambool, as the distance is too far for a day trip. Yipee! KK and I couldn't wait for Friday to come.

The drive took almost the whole of Friday, with at least 3 stops for toilet and snacks. But I'm all too happy to sit back, relax and enjoy the journey. Driving on and on, with green pastures, blue skies and white clouds all around, I get that familiar 'holiday feeling' coming back to me. These are times when I forget about the bloopers and believe again in Australia. A big, beautiful country with lots of possibilities for a great lifestyle. It's good to be here. It's good to be alive.

The cosy living area

We arrived Wombat Cottage, our accomodation in Port Fairy for the next 3 nights, around 5pm. My first impression of the one bedroom weatherboard house was "old", in perfect theme with the history of the town. I can imagine an elderly couple living there, amongst the flower printed sofas and country kitchen. Yet, we spent 3 very cozy and comfortable evenings and nights there.

The hand quilted bedspread and the wombat mascot

The first thing I noticed was its hand-quilted bedspread and pillow cases. As a quilter myself, I appreciate the handmade uniqueness and character of these quilts compared to store bought ones. Plus the pillows and mattress were so cushy, we were thoroughly warmed and snuggled up in the night. The flower printed sofas and armchair, though old fashioned, were the kind that you sink into and don't want to get up. There were ample cushions and a throw to make curling up there, reading a book by the fireplace, with a cup of tea after dinner, something I look forward to doing eveynight. Also, we were proven wrong about weatherboard houses being of poorer quality than brick houses. Our little cottage was so well insulated and toasty, we hardly heard the rain outside and we could sleep under a thin sheet with no heater at night.

My time to relax

Besides "Cozy" and "Comfortable", there were 2 more essential Cs - "Clean" and "Complete". Wombat Cottage may look old but it is spotlessly kept. And because the owner stays there sometimes as well, the kitchen is well equipped with modern gadgets like microwave, toaster and washing machine, quality crockery, ample linens and even a milk shake maker! I only wished there was a dishwasher and dryer.

The kids playing, what else, Nintendo DS

The cottage also comes "complete" with books, games and toys. I really like staying at accomodations like these, versus motels and hotels, these days. Besides having a character of its own, there are always some books and games in the house, left there by the owners or previous tenants, to keep you and your kids entertained and occupied in the evenings. I like browsing through the bookshelves to see if there are any interesting things to read. The collection of things there can sometimes give you some insights about the owners. For Wombat Cottage, I gathered that the owner, Mike Jackson, is a musician who specialises in children's songs. There are several children's CDs and books published by him teaching kids how to play the ukele. I'm also guessing he's got a daughter cos there are more girl toys than boys'.

KK and the lemon tree in the backyard

Now it has become me and Hubby's dream to own a little retreat cottage like this, in a nice scenic area when we retire.....dream dream dream....