Family Education~~~

Today I am going to talk about "family education" after reading tintin's blog.As a mum,I feel we should let our kids learn to help us in our household chores.

I trained my kids when they were still in kindergarden ,like asking them to bring their own bowls and cups and chopsticks to the sink.

Later when they can do that ,they are also trained to wipe the table and sweep the floor.

When they started primary school,I was a bit relieved as they started to help me out in various household chores.They even have a "rotation board" and "information notebook",made by themselves..hehe...

The above photo is the "rotation board"which my kids made.It stated that on what day, who and who is in charge of what chores,for example ..cleaning the bathroom..sweeping the floor..ect..

The photo below is the "information notebook".In this notebook,they will write out who will be in charge of what chores they have to do ...They can also exchange chores on certain days when they are not free ,with each other..

Now that my eldest son is not staying with us anymore,his chores is being divided between my daughter and my second son,but my eldest son still will do his part when he comes home during his off days..

I will also write down what I want them to do for me on certain days when I am not free ,or when I am going to be late for lunch or dinner.

So usually after work,I can still goes shopping and not worry about the laundries as one of my kids will sure bring them in and fold them up.

Even on school holidays,I am also very relaxed and continue working,as my kids will cleanup when they have finished their lunch.I just have to make lunch in the morning and they will warm them up.

I do no feel that I am torturing my kids or being lazy myself,as I feel ,they do need to be independent.I want them to know ,what is the meaning of family helping each other..That is my way of "family education"..which I feel is very important...

So nowadays..I am much relieved as my household chores are divided amoung my kids and me...

That gives me more time to surf the net and also to watch my beloved dramas...hahaha...

TREND HOPPING~~~

When I first started using internet..I surfed news sites and search google..
Then oneday,I happened to see a column in our malaysian newspaper,a story about penanghokkien podcast .I was so curious to know what is it all about,and later I was hooked on that podcast.
Then from penanghokkien,I learned that ,there is also a chatroom which was called"sembang chatroom".This is where ,my trend hopping starts...

I met many good friends from all over the world in the "sembang chatroom"and I can feeled my whole free time is spend on it chatting.
As we are all listeners of PGHK,we also sometimes join in the recording..with Miku John who is the host.
We even have several gathering in penang..and I managed to meet many dear and close friends.

Then the trend hopping moves on to "facebook".We all almost disappeared overnight from the "sembang chatroom".The "sembang chatroom" starts to cool down,as we were all busy uploading our photos and inviting our friends to join several groups(penanghokkien podcast group,hua hee tai group,ect..ect..)

Later a dear friend of mine"Ah Hoon" invited me to see her blog...I was automatically hooked in blogging.I later managed to find the whole bunch of my friends from PGHK there in blogspot.So the trend hopping moves from "facebook" to "blogging"...hahaha...
I later also had alot of blogger friends when they visted my blog and I too vice versa..

The next trend hopping after blogging is online dramas..which is the current trend..hehe..We managed to pass information on what dramas are good and the links to access them.We even have a codename for describing ourselves in this trend.
When we are watching these dramas or searching for them,we will says"we are doing our homework".We refered ourselves as "students"..hehe..
So you will know,when we commented on a student.."wah..you aso hard working ah..finished your homework so fast ah??"

I wonder what's the next trend going to be...hahahaha...

How men change~~~(humour)

The Love Word:
After 6 weeks: I looo-ve you, I love you, I love you!
After 6 months: Of course, I love you.
After 6 years: GOD, if I didn't love you, then why did I marry you?

Back from Work: After 6 weeks: Honey, I'm home!
After 6 months: I'm BACK!!
After 6 years: Have you cooked yet?

Phone Ringing: After 6 weeks: Baby, somebody wants you on the phone.
After 6 months: Here, it's for you.
After 6 years: ANSWER THE PHONE DAM*T!!

Cooking: After 6 weeks: I never knew food could taste so good!
After 6 months: What are we having for dinner tonight?
After 6 years: DUMPLING AGAIN??

New Dress: After 6 weeks: Wow, you look like an angel in that dress. After 6 months: You bought a new dress again?
After 6 years: How much did THAT cost me?

TV: After 6 weeks: Baby, what would you like us to watch tonight?
After 6 months: I like this movie.
After 6 years: I'm going to watch PIRATES play, if you're not in the mood, go to bed, I can stay up by myself!

Making Love: After 6 weeks: Baby, I want you tonight?
After 6 months: Lets make another baby, my mother just called!!!
After 6 years: Please MOVE over to your side, I'm suffocating here!!!!

Hard to be a human~~

This morning ,as I was browsing through Penanghokkien.com, I read one blog which was posted there.After reading that blog..I was so sad that this blogger by the name of Yuki Choe is being condemn by society,community and worst of all by her pastor and his wife.
Yuki Choe is a transsexual female ,just trying to live a life in her own way.
As she is trying hard to cope the pain of being dumped by her so called loving husband,she is also trying to earn a decent living by working ,like anyone of us.

Just read her blog and see how the society judge her.(http://yukishock.blogspot.com/ )
I was really angry with her pastor and his wife,for condemning her..and also bad mouthing her like that.But I really can salute to Yuki for being a good christain..she never lose her faith,and she just keep changing church.

I am not against gays,homosexual,lesbians or transvestites..
I feel we are all equal.all of us are god's creatures..may we be straight or homosexual or gay..
Who are we to judge others and condemn them? They are born like that,and they too have the right to live and find happiness,just like us.

How would you feel,if someone in your family is a gay,or a transsexual female or a lesbian? Are you going to condemn them too?Also, how would you feel if you are born to be like them? Having the feeling that you are trap in the wrong body?

I really respect Yuki Choe for having the courage to blog out all her heart pain and feeling out in her blog. I personally do not know how does a person,whom society named them as " unstraight"feels..since society call those man n woman realtionship"straight" feels.

So ,Yuki Choe..if you are reading this post of mine..I feels you are a nice person..too bad that some idiots doesn't see the depth of your heart...
I don't care how others thinks about you,but I do respect you as woman...
Please do continue to be a good christain..and keep your faith..and may god bless you always...

Gift Lovers~~~

Today,I am am going to talk about "gift lovers"...
I feel that Japanese top the list as gift lovers in the world..then maybe followed by Italian or French or so on..
Well,let me emphasize on why I says that Japanese top the list.
They are always giving gifts for every reasons..for example...

1: Giving gifts to their superiors,elder relatives,parents(whom they do not stay together with) twice a year.
The gifts are always in package boxes..either boxes of kitchen stuff such as soya sauce and cooking oil,ect..
Of course there are also more expensive range of other packages to chose from..maybe also a box of expensive sweet musk melons or other things to chose from(expensive big crabs,shells..ect.ect..)

2: Each time they received money,either in terms of angpow or "peh kim"(at a funeral).
They will return the giver, a more expensive gift if it is a wedding angpow(coz wedding angpow is expensive..hehe..)
But for funeral "pek kim",they will return the giver ,a packet of seaweed(nori),or a packet of green tea leaves or either a packet of cookies or sometimes a face towel.

3: When they move into a new surrounding,they will also pass gifts to the new neighbors..as a way to introduce themselves..This is usually a face towel or a wrapper cloth called "furoshiki"..which they use to cover their gift when they bring it out.
Then there is also gift given when they do the anniversary of their dead love ones..This time they will also give out gifts like blanket or bedsheet..aiyo..ect..so many..lazy to type...haha..
I am not saying that all Japanese are doing it,but almost 90% are..the young ones might not do it but still their families are still doing it.

You can just imagine..after a few years your whole store room will be covered with these items.I am not complaining,
but just imagine..if your hubby or you have many friends and always ,all these same items keeps accumulating in your storeroom..what would you do?

So that is when we have this charity bazaar time,we just push it out even the cash is not important as it will be given to charity.It is better than throwing them away..
I do have to confess,I did throw some away ,as some packages had passed the expired date..(some package of eatable things)..and some of those towels also change colours..and some of those washing　powders　also harden..
I feel they are all a waste ..wonder why can't these Japanese just give cash coupons instead of all these things..hmmm..maybe it is their culture..what to do???...

Charity Bazaar~~

Today is suppose to be sports day of my kids school ,as it was postponed yesterday due to the rain.Then this morning when I woke up,I was so surprise to see that it was still raining...

I was relieved,as I do not have to make lunch boxes for my kids..as sports day will be postpone to september 24.
So,I deceided to do the next best thing...that is taking my kids to a charity bazaar in my area..


The charity bazaar is sponsored by our city council..so anyone could participate in it.The rule is that you can sell recycle things or even new things which you do not want anymore.


It is more like a flea market..but the price is much cheaper than the flea market's price.All the cash of the day will be donated to charity.

The prices are all fixed,so no need to bargain..and they are so cheap that you too ,do not wish to bargain for them.A few of my neighbors were selling their things over there too,and when I went over to buy some of their things,they give me a special discount...hahaaha..

I bought myself several bags(handbag,toto bag,computer's bag),a jigsaw puzzal and a photo album.My kids bought several games set,some key chains and a music box.

WE did enjoy ourselves very much..what 's a better rainy day to spend..and not waste so much money...kekekeee...all together we spent less than ￥1000(RM30)...cheap right?????

Lunch on a saturday~~~

Since yesterday,I was not feeling well and I think it could be due to the change of climate ,as now is already autumn.I just don't have the appetite to eat much,and after eating ,I felt like vomitting.

So this morning(saturday),as I was preparing my kids breakfast and lunch boxes,I cooked "peanuts soup with porkrips",fried "kiam hu" and while my soup is boiling,I make stawberry bavarois(stawberry pudding).

The probelm is ,after I fried the "kiam hu",my whole kitchen is "kiam hu" smell..aiyo..
My kids and hubby complained..says they are going to vomit...hahaha..
So I have to use fragrance deodorant spray to deodorize my kitchen of the "kiam hu" smell...
So by making strawberry bavarois(stawberry pudding) is just something to shut my kids mouths ..haha...
Today's lunch will be simple..just rice with peanuts soup and "kiam hu"..then I will relax myself by watching online dramas.The kids have school today as sports day was cancel today due to wet ground.
So tomorrow will be sports day for them,and I will have to wake up early to make their lunch boxes again.
I really hope,I will be well soon..but luckily..I am off this weekend,so I can rest my tired body...hehehe...

Anklet~~

When I was in my teens..I use to envy ladies who wore anklet (kah lian) around their ankle.
Then one day,my grandmother told me,that she would bring me to buy that anklet after Chinese New Year if I can save enough ang pow...haha..


When Chinese New Year was over,I found to my disappointment that my any pow money was not enough to buy that anklet(kah lian).


My grandmother who do not want to disappoint me,says that ,there is a shop in Cambell Street which also sell those anklet,and it is cheaper as that shop is selling all gold plated jewelleries.
I was so happy as I couldn't care less..gold plated or pure gold also never mind..as long as I can get my anklet(kah lian).

To make the story short,my gold plated anklet lasted only three months and the gold colour fade off,then my granny says I have to bring it back to that shop to replate it again.

I have my real gold anklet(kah lian) when I started working and I can still remember that day..I bought my first gold anklet with my first salary..hahaha..

So ..until today, I still have this urge to wear this anklet(kah lian)..as it had wonderful memories for me....

Enclose are two photos of my anklet..ofcourse it isn't my first one,coz I keep changing to new ones from time to time..

I wonder if other ladies are still wearing these type of anklet anymore in malaysia.I use to have a small bell and a pendant attached to my anklet when I was young,but as I grows older,I switched to only two small pendants..coz the bell is noisy when I walk about...hahaha..

Mid Autumn Festival~~~

To all my friends..I would like to wish you all a very Happy Mid Autumn Festival...

As I am in Japan,I really miss our chinese mooncake..as I cannot find any mooncakes selling in my area.

Do you all also knows that the japanese also celebrate the mid autumn festivals like us?They called it "otsukimi"..

The word Tsukimi(月見)means tsuki"月"(moon) and mi"見"(view) .

On this day,the japanese appreciate the beauty of the full moon and celebrate with rice dumplings,called "tsukimi dangos"(月見だんご)which is our version of mooncakes..

Well let me show you some photos of how they pray or celebrate the mid autumn festival.

The first photo shows,they will use the autumn grass called"suzuki"(ススキ）and use all the autumn fruits and vegetables to worshipped the moon.
On photo 1 on the left hand side are the sweet potatoes,yam and chestnuts.On the right hand side ,is a bowl of rice and miso soup and toufu,follow by rice dumplings.
The second photo ,on the left hand side,are the fruits,followed by a piece of toufu(トウフ),yam(サトイモ),then red bean rice and miso soup.Next is also a plate of 15 rice dumplings(tsukimi dangos=月見団).Nothing is complete if the rice dumplings are not placed at the table as it is the same meaning as our mooncakes.
Well,let all enjoy our mid autumn festival tonite.....(^-^)...

Spectacles~~~

Today,I would like to show you all my new spectacles..

My old faithful spectacles which last me almost six years is finally put to rest..hehe...


At first ,I always thought my spectales lenses are dirty as my vison is always blur..and when the optician send me a reminder card..asking me to have my eyes check again as three years had lapsed.


So,last week when I was shopping near my optician's shop..I deceided to pay him a visit and let him check my eyes and also to retouch my old spectacles frame as it is always out of shape.
I have the fright of the day when my optician told me that my eyes power had increase almost double..and that is the reason..I am having blur vision and it is not that my spectacles lenses are dirty...hahaha..


My optician give me a choice,either I can change my lenses only and use back that old spectacle's frame..or I could change a new set of frame.
Well..I thought to myself how about changing my image of my "ham chee pian"face with a new design spectacle...hahaha...
Then I remember my sister "Sylia" wear a rather nice design frame when she is not using her contacts.So I ask her to sent the photos of her spectacles,so that I could get one similar like hers..
So ,from the two photos above is my new spectacles..almost 90% similar with my sister"Sylia" spectacle's frame.
Some of you might wonder why I didn't post my face wearing that new spectacle...Reason is ..sorry lah...too geli to show you all my "ham chee pian" face....hahahha...

Chinese celery (Uan Sui)~~~

I just love to eat Uan Sui (chinese celery) it is also know as corindor,I think...

It is very hard for me to find then in japan as I think the japanese do not like them so much .So ,when a friend of mine found the seeds sold in penang,she manage to sent some to me.

The first attempt was a failure as the seeds did not grow,so after I told my dear friend about it,she did the next best thing...that is by sending me another packet of the seeds again...hahaha..So sweet of her...kekeke...

Anyway,here are 3 photos which I would like to share with you all.

The first photo is the packet of Uan Sui seeds sold in penang .

The second and third photos is the seeds ..they are growing well...

I sincerely hope that they will grows big soon ,as summer will be finish soon.I really hope the day will come,when I could eat my Uan Sui with my hainan chicken rice...yummy..and my clear soup with many uan sui springkle on top...I just love the smell...