PS2

Hubby and I are such babies. We finally got our own Playstation 2!! So outdated! PS3 just got launched and we got ourselves the 'grandfather'!!

Hubby was really impulsive.We just talked about it last night and he went to buy it already this evening. I was shocked when i came home from Meghan's birthday party, hubby was in front of the tv holding the PS2! The idea of getting this was more than one year old already. We talked but never did anything. It was either between the Nintendo Wii or this. Now need to get more games. The reason why we didn't really want to get the PS2 was that it will definitely take alot of our 'family' time. Once hooked, very susah to get unhooked. Let's see how much time it will rob away OR ELSE it will be 'given' away ASAP!!

There is a list of things we need to get for the house...(been talking about it for so long but nothing has materialised):
- Portable phone (having only one phone downstairs can be really mah fun!)
- Wok (the wok i am using is since 2003 and is too small!!)
- Shoe rack (the shoes are just lined up on the floor outside)
- Rice cooker (the one we are using now is 8 years old or more)
- Electric oven (i want to start baking muffins and quiche)
- Blender (i want to make fruit shakes for Ryan)

I am sure there is more but can't think of more at the moment.

What is "Safe"?

Since the China tainted milk scare, I have totally no confidence in China products now. Not only the milk powder, but any food that is of China origin. If some irresponsible party can even think of making profits by adding poisonous chemicals into the milk, some irresponsible party can also put some other chemicals into other food products just to make it taste or look better. It can be ANYTHING!

China makes so many food products that the quantity can be really scary. Try looking at the back of your soya sauce or oyster sauce or even canned food. Even though it may be a product "made in Malaysia", the ingredients may be imported from China. So basically, how can we be sure what we are eating is safe?

I was doing grocery shopping a few days ago and wanted to buy a couple of things. I wanted to buy sesame oil ( was from China), wanted to buy canned button mushrooms ( origin China) and grapes now also from China. I suppose the prices of food from other countries will now increase. A lot of vegetables sold at the supermarkets are also from China. Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower to name a few. If the authorities were to do a check, who knows? The level of pesticides used on those vegetables may even be higher than the acceptable level. Rather go for local grown vegetables or organic now.

It is not that i want to be bias on all products from China. It is just that the confidence is gone. How can we trust China products now...? It is our health and our children's future at stake.

Visit to old house

I went back to my previous apartment to collect my mail today. Looked so run down and dirty. There were big holes in the tiles at the lift area and the walls were dirty.

In a way, i was really glad that i no longer stayed there although it did bring back some nostalgic feeling while i was looking around. Ryan grew up there. I remember taking the lift every morning and evening. Up and down from the 8th floor. Sometimes carrying Ryan plus a few bags of groceries!!! Ryan throwing tantrums on the corridor, in the lift and outside the lift!!! Ryan taking evening walks around the playground and the swimming pool area!!! Walking to the shops nearby the 'ta-pau' nasi lemak and roti canai!!! The morning fresh air after i opened the sliding door ( that is before all the traffic started!)!!!

My previous abode

I am very thankful that we are staying in a house with some extra space now. It really makes a huge difference. Especially for a growing child.

Feeling sore again...

My throat, I mean!

It just can;t go away. It has been like that since last Thursday. One day, the throat will feel sore. After taking some meds, it goes away the next day. Then came back and went away. NOW, it suddenly feels scratchy again.

Hubby has been having sore throat and cough since the weekend... so i guess the virus is still lurking around.

But it only felt like that after eating the chocolate cake an hour ago. HHhhmmm...

What's for dinner tonight?

Hubby is on MC today. So got to cook early today.

Planning to cook 'Tau Yew Bak' and Choy Sam with Garlic. Simple la. I fried Teriyaki Salmon today for lunch. Was really fishy. Three of us shared one piece.

Granny's 88th birthday

We celebrated my Ah Ngien's birthday on Sept 5th ie. Friday at my dad's house. It was just the family. We all brought something. Iris bought chicken wings, tau foo fah and popiah and I brought Pai Tee which was an ultimate failure. The pai tee shells were hard and hurt the gums when bitten. Poor Ah Ngien. She hurt her gums i think after eating the pai tee. Aster was working, so she didn't have time to bring anything. My father bought KFC and Evon cooked noodles.

It was nice to see the family. I always enjoy being with my dad and sisters and their kids. Just a sense of belonging. Ryan had a good time playing with his cousins. It is nice when they are at this age. They run and laugh and jump around. And the adults just sit around the hall being entertained by the children. It won't be so enjoyable already when they start to be teenagers!!

Ah Ngien slept way passed her bedtime. I guesss she was excited that there were so many people around.

There was cheesecake for the birthday cake. A bit stale. Bought from Kings Confectionary.
Ah Ngien had help blowing all the candles from her 5 great grandchildren. Luckily her dentures didn't fall off! haha!

Pai Tee Failure

Have to prepare Pai Tee for this friday. It is my grandmother's birthday.We are just having a small family gathering in the house. She is turning 88 this year. I think.

I volunteered to bring pai tee although I have never made it before. My other sisters also will bring something. So now i have this task to make about 30-40 pai tee shells to feed 12 people. Ok la.. i suppose 30 may be enough.

So i bought all the required flour ( wheat flour, rice flour and tapioca flour ) from Tesco yesterday. I am following my mother's recipe. She wrote it down for me many years ago and I have kept in on my fridge all this time. She was a pro in making pai tee and i did help her to make the shells. Only used to dip them. Hers usually turned out really good.

Experiment no.1 today... first attempt turned out horrible. The batter didn't stick to the pai tee holder. Reason being my oil was not hot enough. So cham. As I was trying one after the other, slowly the shells took shape. But still ugly. Took me one hour plus just standing at the hot oil frying about 15 shells. Why so slow? I also do not know why.

Will try attempt no.2 later today.

1st batch: Looks so cacat and shapeless

2nd batch: Looks slightly better






My last shell (Practice does make perfect-not so!)