Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 35)

Title: Merry Christmas

By: Aly

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 34)

Title: Sweets

By: Cass

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 33)

Title: Butterfly

By: Cass

Papaya Soup

Each time when I am completely have no idea of what soup to cook, I will ask my favourite vegetable seller. I buy vegetables from her stall regularly because her vegetables are very greenery and fresh. Some of the vegetables she sold were grown at her small vegetable farm. She likes to teach us ... the housewifes ... especially myself on different ways to cook vegetables and soup. The above is the papaya soup that she taught me how to cook. It is simple and easy. All you need are : 1 medium size papaya (make sure it is not the ripe one, choose the green one), white fungus, kei chee, red dates, lean meat). Boil for 1/2 an hour only. Add salt to your taste. The soup tastes good and refreshing.

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 32)

Title: House by the lake

By Cass

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 31)

Title: My Funny House

By Aly

Eating Spree in Malacca

It was great to be back to Malacca (my in-laws and parents' house) during the recent school holidays (August 18-24, 2008). It was really a holiday .. i mean i need not do anything ... i mean the "anything" are; going to the market, cooking, fetching the kids to school/tuition, cleaning the house, washing clothes/plates, ironing clothes, etc etc etc. It is good to take a break during the school holidays. It was a good "REST" in Malacca. Got the luxury to get up late in the morning and the breakfasts (bought by my father-in-law, my sis-in-law, my sister and my father from the hawker stalls - hee kiow mee, mee siam, yong tow foo mee, nasi lemak, pau, lo mai kai, siew mai, wan tan mee, pumpkin/yam cake with chee cheong fun) were always ready on the dining table. Lunchs were good too; delicious home-cooked dishes by my sis-in-law and my mom. Teabreaks were served too (popiah, coconut tarts, siew pow, mee goreng, tong sui, famous chicken rice). Dinners were as good as lunchs. Suppers were also good - fried oyster egg, chee chong fun, duck mee, putu piring, steamed cake. I have put on 2kg during so-called eating spree. Now back to KL, I have to start drinking apple cider vinegar and lemon honey for about 1 week to lose the 2kg fat. Hope it works. Cass and Aly also enjoyed their stay in Malacca. They like to visit their uncles/aunties' home. Got to play with their cousins. Cass was happy that her dad took her to the beach and managed to build her first sand castle (see picture below). Have taken some photos of my favourite food in Malacca. When come to makan-makan, Malacca is the makan-makan paradise which offers a variety of tasty, yummy, delicious, authentic, mouth-watering, satisfying food.

Yummy fried fishball

The famous "hee kiow" mee

Delicious assam mee siam

A good combination of pumpkin, yam and chee cheong fun

Cass's sand castle

Cass at the beach

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 30)

Title: My Colourful House

By Cass

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 29)

Title: The Red House

By Cass

Cass and Aly Have Visitors

(From left to right: Aly, May Yee, Cass, May Ling and Kwan Kwan)

(From left to right: Aly, May Yee, Cass)

(From left to right: Cass and May Yee)

(From left to right: Aly, May Yee, Cass)

We have guests from Houston, USA who paid a visit to our home. They were our close friends from Malaysia who have relocated to USA 4 years ago. Uncle Peter, Aunty Chen, May Ling and May Yee came back to homeland during their summer holidays. They came and stayed with us for about a week from August 6 to 11, 2008. Cass and Aly were very excited. They played almost the whole day during the weekend. After school, Cass and Aly would take every opportunity to play with them. They are like best buddies. Aly cried when they have to say bye-bye to us on their last stay with us before they fly back to USA.

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 28)

Title: The Red Sun

By: Alfred, Cass's friend

Title: My Home

By: May Yee, Cass's friend

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 27)

(From left to right: May Yee, Cass and Aly)

Cass and Aly together with their friend, May Yee were playing and doing drawing on the computer. The picture below was done by May Yee.

Title: Condo

By May Yee - Cass's friend

Cooking Book - Like to see but don't like to cook

Since last year, I began to like to collect cooking books. Once a while, I like browsing through the cooking books. Usually I will buy the cooking books where the frontcover attracts my attention (eg. colourful, tempting food). But most of the time, I do not follow the recipes in the books because I am so lazy. I usually want quick and easy cooking. I am not a good cook either. If I have the time and money, I wish to learn cooking and baking from a centre. Recently, I bought a cooking book entitled. "Breezing Into Motherhood" by well known chef, Patsie Cheong. In the book, it mentioned that Madam Patsie has a cooking centre in PJ called Gobests Food Cooking Centre. So far, she had trained more than 2,000 students from various parts of the country. My favourite cooking book is "Yum Yum - Easy Home Cooking". It costs RM10.00 a book and published 2-month once (in English and Mandarin). I like the book because the recipe is simple and easy to follow.

Vidaylin MiniBear

As mentioned in my previous post, Cass and Aly are picky eaters. They don't like to eat vegetables. I came across this product for children - Vidaylin MiniBear (gummies with garden vegetables). The delicious berry flavour gummy contains vegetables in dried form (spinach, tomato, carrot, beetroot, artichoke). Since Cass and Aly don't take much vegetables, I bought this supplement for them. They like it so much. True to the manufacturer's words, "Yummy Taste Guaranteed or Money Back".

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday

MONTH OF JUNE - Father in law's Birthday

We celebrated our father-in-law's birthday at New Good World Restaurant in Malacca on 28 June 2008. It was a small family gathering with all my father-in-law's children and grandchildren attended the dinner.

Father-in-law's Birthday Cake

MONTH OF JULY - Hubby's Birthday

On 14 July 2008, it was my hubby's birthday. We celebrated his birthday at The Gardens Hotel & Residence, Mid Valley. We stayed one day at the hotel, checked in on 13 July and out on 14 July 2008. The hotel management gave him a cake for his birthday. Cass and Aly enjoyed their stay at the hotel because the hotel is new and the room is spacious.

Hubby's Birthday Cake

MONTH OF AUGUST - Aly's Birthday

Aly's Birthday Cake (Ice-Cream Cake)

Aly turned 4 years old on 2 August 2008. We had a popiah party for her on her birthday. Her Aunty Jenny is the chief cook. She prepared all the popiah ingredients and cooked nasi himpit with petai sambal, fried chicken, nugget and tow kee with chicken and fish paste. While the mommy cooked pasta. Desserts were coconut tarts, green bean with durian and cheese tarts. Aunty PG sponsored the cheese tarts.

Aly is 4 years old

Home-made Popiah

Putting the ingredients on the popiah skin

Popiah Ingredients

Popiah Ingredients

Fried Chicken

Chicken Floss Mayonnaise Biskiut

Coconut Tarts

Cheese Tarts

Orange Squeezer

I bought this orange squeezer at the morning market for RM10.00. The squeezer can be used to squeeze orange, lemon and lime for juices. I find the squeezer is very easy to use and can easily squeeze out juices and easy to wash too. Here are tips to have flat tummy, lose weight, relieve sorethroat and reduce cholesterol (given by the salesman who sells this product).

Reduce cholesterol and lose weight (have flat tummy)

- squeeze 1 lemon for the juice

- add 1 tablespoon of honey

- add the above into 1 glass of water

- add ice cube

- drink for 2 weeks after dinner

Relieve sorethroat
- squeeze 5 lime (gatt chai) for the juice
- add a dash of salt
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- add the above into 1 glass of water
- drink twice a day

I tried the lemon juice with the honey for 2 days and noticed some encouraging results. Fats around my waist line reduced a little bit and tummy also a little flatten. The lemon juice is a little bit hard to drink because it tastes really very sour.

Soup of the Day

Broccoli, Carrot, Taufu, Fishball and Lean Meat Soup

Cass and Aly are very fussy when comes to food. A lot of food they don't eat especially vegetables. Each of them have different likings on certain food. So it is very difficult for me to cook. They can just eat rice with soup without eating any of the stuff in the soup. The only stuff in the soup that they eat is fishball. The soup that they like are ABC soup (potato, carrot, onion, tomato), Chinese Cabbage/Carrot soup with Fishball and Lotus Root with Ground Nut soup. Good nutrition is essential for good health and growth for children. As they lack nutrition food, therefore I don't mind to cook soup almost everday for them as replacement of nutrition food to their body. Soup is also a nutritious meal. I also give them other supplements such as Chewette C vitamin, Scott's Emulsion cod liver oil and Extra Excel Noco and ACT. Since they don't like vegetables, I give them apples as supplement also. An apple a day, keep the doctor away. I think it is easier to cook for adults than children especially when the children are picky eater. Don't you think so?

Chinese Cabbage, Carrot, Fishball and Lean Meat Soup

Traditional Chinese Herb Soup (with Kampong Chicken)


Winter Melon, Pumpkin, Szechuan Vege and Lean Meat Soup


Lotus Root, Ground Nut, Red Date, Kei Chi and Lean Meat Soup

Cass and Aly's Art Gallery (Pic 26)

Title: Zirafah

By Cass

Matta Fair '08

The Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival '08 has just begun. It will end on 1 September 2008. Then comes the Matta Fair '08 which is to be held from 5-7 September 2008 at Putra World Trade Centre, KL from 10.00 am to 9.00 pm. You can log to http://www.matta.org.my/ for more information. Saw the advertisement in the newspaper, "The Star" dated 3 July 2008 mentioned that Matta Fair '08 is back! It indicated that it is more than just a travel fair, more exhibitors, more low fares, more travel bargains. Wah everything is more more more ..... but do we still have more more more money to spend once the mega sale carnival is over. Phew ... wish we have more more more money.

Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 08

Today both our daily newspapers, "The Star" and "New Straits Times" have a special edition called StarSpecial and A New Straits Times Special respectively. Both special editions highlighted the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 08 which is back this time from today, 5 July till 1 September 2008. StarSpecial quoted on their front page as 'The Bargains Are Back!' while A New Straits Times Special quoted Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival 08 - It's Back! There are a lot of prizes to be won during the carnival ranging from cash, free AirAsia air tickets (Gold Coast) to car. For more information on the carnival, go to http://www.malaysiamegasale.com.my/. With the increase of fuel price which have resulted prices of other goods to go up also. I wonder weather this round mega sale carnival will have a good response since most people are now very prudent when come to spending. I think despite the increase, shoppers will still shop during the carnival as it will be an ideal time to enjoy the discounted prices instead of spending more during the non-sale period. Credit cards are expected to be used widely (Buy, buy, buy, sign, sign, sign, but when statement comes die die die lah). As for me, it has been a long long time I have not done any shopping at shopping malls. Being a homemaker now, I do most of mine household marketing (shall I call it shopping also) at the morning market and shophouses near home.

Football Fever Is On With Euro 2008

Aly's barbie dolls are ready for a football match. They look so cute in their football attire. I guess the football fever is on now with the Euro 2008 has started the matches . Euro 2008 is one of the most anticipated football event of the year. It will end soon as the final game is on 29 June 2008. I am not a football fan neither is my husband. It is a good thing that my husband is not an avid football fan so he needs not wake up in the wee hours in the morning to catch the game. We only watch the World Cup for the semi-final and final matches.

School Canteen Food Is Still Cheap

It was reported in the newspaper, The Star dated 14 June 2008 that schoolgirls in a primary school in Penang buying food at higher prices at their canteen. The canteen operator increased his prices by 20 sen. (Fried Koay Teow RM1.70, Bee Hoon Mee RM2.20, Hot Dessert RM0.60). Cass mentioned that her school canteen did not increase the food price. A plate of food still remains at RM1.00 per plate regardless whether it is fried rice, mee/meehoon soup, fried mee/meehoon or chee cheong fun. If the children do not want to eat the above, they can choose vitagen with bread which is also charged at RM1.00. The price of her canteen food is cheap. Eventhough the food is cheap, her school canteen did not raise the price. Her school canteen has been very reasonable. Most of the hawker stalls in KL have increased their food prices due to the recent price hike in fuel. Now, it is so expensive to eat out.

Robbers Come To Rob And Steal Food

This is a true story. I was told that 3 robbers entered a couple's house in the evening. The robbers tied the husband in the living room. The man's wife was in the kitchen cooking curry. The wife heard the commotion outside the living room so she quickly threw all her jewellery that she was wearing (ring, necklace, bracelet) into the pot of curry. The smell of the curry was so nice prompted the robbers to go to the kitchen. The robbers ate up all the curry and found the treasure in the pot, the jewellery. The robbers were angry with the man's wife for hiding the jewellery in the pot so she was beaten up. Nowadays, robbers are so ruthless. Times are bad as most of the essential items have gone up due to fuel price hike. Even when come to food, the robbers never spare us, not only they come to rob but to steal our food.

Sumatran Rhino

Title: Sumatran Rhino (using oil pastel)

By: Cass

Title: Sumatran Rhino (sand art)

By: Aly

Cass and Aly participated in the colouring activity organised by Honda Malaysia which was held at Ikano. The theme event was called "Save our Sumatran rhinos". Each children was given a picture of a Sumatran Rhino and they have to use oil pastel to colour it. The colour of the Sumatran Rhino coloured by Cass was quite nice but the background was dirty as Cass smudged the paper with her dirty hands while colouring/rubbing. Anyway, I told Cass, "Never mind. It was a good try and a good experience as it was her 1st time participating in the colouring activity in public. Whereas for Aly, it was also a good try doing the sand art.

I Want Jesus To Be My Best Friend

The above arts and crafts was done in Aly's Sunday School. After the church service, she rushed down to the hall and showed us her little boat. She happily told us that "I want Jesus to be my best friend." Then we told her that we also want Jesus to be our best friend. This picture reminded me of this verse (1 Peter 5:7 Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you). Whenever we need help, Jesus is always there for us.

A Bunch of Good Friends

Cass and Aly have a bunch of good friends to play with. Cass likes CJ7 while Aly likes the big dog. All these toys were gifts given by their aunties, cousins and friends.