Ikebana~~~

Today I am going to talk about Ikebana(japanese flower arranging)..
Ikebana have a history of over 600 years.It is one of the Japanese major cultures and is very popular in japan.
School children are taught the art of ikebana in school and there are also ikebana classes held by professional ikebana teachers everywhere in japan.

Ikebana is not just to put flowers into a vase but to enable the arranger to imbue the arrangement with some meaning or personal expression.
My daughter did her ikebana at school recently and this is one of her creation.I put this ikebana of hers in my house main entrance.

As the japanese always believes that you can tell the feelings and charater of the person by viewing his or her ikebana,by the way of how ,he or she arranged her flowers..

A very good example is by looking at my ikebana of our chinese new year plants..pussy willow..
See how they turn out ..hahaha...my children says they looks like lonely skeleton sticks in a vase...hahahahhaa...

Well ,I better try to improve my ikebana in future..hehe..coz so pity my "happy buddha" sitting next to my so called" lonely skeleton sticks (pussy willow)in a vase."..hahahhaha...

GONG XI FA CAI~~~

Wishing all my friends and readers a very happy

GONG XI FA CAI

Lets hope this new year will bring us all many happiness & good health..

Hainanese Chicken Rice~~~

Today being Saturday and I am off,I just feel the urge to eat our famous hainanese chicken rice.So I deceided to cook it and pamper myself today.After I washed my face ,I started to cook breakfast for my family and also prepared my hainanese chinese rice.I even cooked a clear soup with the remaining chicken stock.I bought the garlic chillies from an international shop,and it taste just like our chinese rice garlic chilies..hehehe..

I even cooked "bor bor cha cha" for my dessert...hehe..see how I enjoy my meals..hahaha..

Here is a photo of my "bor bor cha cha"...

The photo below,is the hainanese chicken rice set,with my dessert.."bor bor cha cha"on the lefthand side..

I am going to enjoy my saturday offday with my lunch and dinner with hainanese chicken rice,coz my kids dun't take malaysian food..so I will eat until I put on weight again..hahahahaha..

Chai Boey~~~

When I was in Penang last year for CNY,my eldest sister teach me how to cook "chai boey".This dish is very popular whenever we have leftovers of roast pork(siau bak).I learned to love this dish very much as the taste get more and more better if we heat it up again the next day and continue to heat it up again until we finish eating the whole pot of this soup.

The probelm is I can't find roast pork(siau bak) in japan,so I tried to make it myself.I use two kinds of pork..soft bone spareribs and "sam chan bak".

I rubbed the pork with salt and pepper and I added a bit of "five spice powder(goh hiang hoon"(五香粉）.I then keep them overnight and the next morning I just grille them until they are cooked.I found out that they tasted just the same as our roast pork(siau bak).

Then I just boil the roast pork(siau bak) with vegtables(taur chai),garlic and add 3 pieces of dried chillies and biled until the vegetables and pork are soft.I then add in "assam poi"(assam slices) and boil it again for about 10 minutes,this time,I put in a bit of salt ,soya sauce and a bit of ajinomoto to get the correct taste.

Here is the photo of my "chai boey"...and believe me,it sure taste very good...hahaha..

Voice changers~~~

After so many years of staying in japan,I found something amusing about japanese women when they talk on the phone.
Almost 90% of them will talk in a high tone voice when they are speaking with the other party(phone call).This will occur usually when the other party is a stranger or someone not to well known to her.

In my family too,I listen to my mother in law and my two sisters in law ,speaks when they use or answer the phone..just so funny..their voice automatically change to be like a young girl's voice..so high tone...
But when the phone call is from someone they know too well ,like family members..they will speak with their normal voice..funny right?

At first I thought ,it is only the female members of my family speaking like that..
but I was wrong..in my working place too,almost 90% of the female staff speaks like that when they answer the phone call...

I find this so amusing..as some of these ladies have such low tone when they speak normally,but when they answer the phone..so automatic..the voice pitch is so high tone..unbelievable..hahaha...
I wonder if anyone of you too is speaking like that or not???? (^-^)

Mother and son's kinship~~~

Yesterday,being a special school day in my area,both my kids were in school and I have the whole house to myself..
Just as I was watching my drama online,my eldest son phone me to pick him up at the train station...

When I fetched him,he says he wanted to have his haircut in a well know Unisex Salon..I told him I wanted to try that Unisex salon too but the price they charged there is expensive..then he told me he will pay for me.So,we both have our haircut in that Unisex salon..hehe..

Later after our haircut,he says he is hungry and so we went to a nearby steamboat restaurant to have our lunch.The steamboat lunch was great as it is winter now in Japan,and it did warm us up..
During our steamboat lunch,I received a phonecall from my computer technician,who inform me that my laptop is ready to be collected anytime.
My son asked me what happenned to that laptop,as it was the laptop ,he give me after he bought a new sony viao laptop.I told him that the technician says the keyboard need to be change and it is quite expensive,so I told the technician I will collect it when I have time.
My son then asked me what happenned to the Japanese new year angpow which he gave me?I told him that I spend all of it during the japanese new year's time,so I am very "broke" now.
I was very surprised when after lunch,he told me to go and collect my laptop from the technician,and he says that he will pay that fee for me...he says since he is the one who gave me that laptop,he will take responsiblity to give it in a working condition..hahaha..
So we went to collect the laptop,and on the way there I was talking to him in the car..I told him that my Chinese New Year will be next week on january 26..I told him this year I am very sad ,as I would not be celebrating it, as my mum had just passed away,so I will not be going to kacang's house.
I told him even I can't celebrate CNY,but the feeling of CNY is still in my heart..but what to do..I am very "broke" right now....

In the evening after dinner,all my 3 kids were in the living room with me,and my eldest son says like this to me.."Okasan..here is some money(￥20,000=RM650) for you to use for your CNY..I know you says you can't celebrate it this year but you can use this money to buy something you like..then you won't feel so sad and lonely.."
My second son and my daughter saw what their elder brother did and they both also says.."Okasan..dun't worry too much..we too will give you anypow on CNY like oonisan(big brother) did just now.."

I was in seven heaven,as it is not the money that counts but the thoughts of the kids that knows, how to comes into my heart is so wonderful..
Well at present..I am a bit "rich" now..will go to the department store these few days and chose sometime nice for my myself..hehe..who knows..maybe I will go on january 26(CNY) to do my shopping and enjoy my own knd of CNY..hahahaha..

Preparing for a better 2009~~~

As 2009 had just started..I was wondering how I could improve my status for this year..
So I did everything that I could find to improve my fung shui and also try to change several things to divert their positions.
As I was reading Lilian Too's fung shui book for 2009,she writes that..one of the most exciting keys to unlocking great good fortune in 2009 is jade-all shades and colours ..
It is preferredto have the jade directly connecting with the flesh,so that the purity of its energy can directly connect with that of the human body's chi.

The lucky number for 2009 is 9-the symbol of future prosperity.So we can use numbers like 18,27,36,45,54,63,72,81 or 90..which all also add up to 9.
We can also hang the nine rod windchimes or keeps nine fishes in the aquarium or anything that is activating the number 9 as a powerful enhancer..

Finally to mention that the colour for 9 is purple..The Chinese says,when good luck comes,red become so red,it turns purple..
You can energize the South or South East for luck and wealth or for romance with the colour purple..

The North West is a good direction for those who are born in the year of the Dog or Boar. So try to put your good luck fung shui things in that direction.

Be aware of the North East direction from january 26(CNY) to next chinese new year(2010),as the "tai shui" god will be coming and staying in that direction.
The "tai shui" god is a very powerful god(lion face god)..So do not make loud noises or nail anything in that position..to offend him..as choas and misfortune will befall on the family..

Well..this year I hang up my 9 fishes portait in my Northwest direction (house)..and I also put my money toad facing my main door to welcome wealth..
I also put 2 laughing buddha in my bedroom and my living room..to welcome laugher...and I also put a fung shui "cock"(chicken) near my window facing the direction of my "enemy"hehehe..so that she will not "kacau" me..let the chicken peck her ichy mouth..hahaha..

Well,I wonder anyone of you are doing any fung shui..changes this year or not..
I did noticed changes after I did my fung shui setting...Hope I will get a better 2009....

Nana Kusa~~~

Japanese celebrate their new year on january 1st,and week after that,which is january 7th,they will eat a porridge cooked with seven different vegetables.
They called this day "nana kusa no hi"(七草の日）,meaning the day of the seven grass.

The way to cook this porridge is simple...just add in the chopped seven vegetables in after the porridge is done,and while adding in the vegetables and slowly stirring the porridge,I would have to say "pray for my whole family to be healthy the whole year long"...

The japanese believed that on this special day,if the whole family eat this special porridge,they will bless with good health for the whole year..

I can't really tell out the seven types of vegetables use,as some are herbs..but the vegetables which I know are the baby white radish,beets and celery..sorry about the remaining four herbs , I don't know how to call them in english..

Nowadays it is very easy to buy them in a pack form ,which are sorted out(all the 7 varieties).

They are sold in supermarket two days before the actual day.The taste of the porridge is a bit bitter but the japanese doesn't mind it,as for them it a sort of medical porridge or should I say a magical porridge..hahahaha..

My kids don't like them,but I force them to eat,as I hope the whole family will be healthy this year..Well ,you can consider it a japanese supersition..but for me it is both..supersition and also I am very bankrupt now...hahahahha..

Serve with a smile~~~

When I was back in penang last November,I went to renew my passport..
Actually,I wasn't prepared to renew on that particular day..it was just that ,I have nothing to do that morning,so I ask my sister (Sylia) to drop us(me and kacang),in Beach street,so that we could walk around.


We happened to pass the imigration office and I ask kacang wheather she would like to renew her passport in advance,and she says okay..
So,we walk in and ask the imigration officer who was in front at the reception.
He was very kind and teached us how to do it ..explaining in full details..


I found out that the service at the imigration have change alot in five years..
Five years ago,those imigration officers put on a very business like and stern face,but this year..I found them to be very friendly and served the public with a smiling face.
I was also very surprise,they try to speak with us in english as we can't speak good bahasa malaysia..hahaha..
The service was also quite fast as after we send in the forms,we were told to be back in one and a half hours to collect our passports.


On our way out,we noticed they were several "pinang trees" growing near by,so since I will be leaving penang soon,I took some photos of the pinang trees to remind me of my sweet home..PENANG.
I also took a photo of our penang clock tower,as by looking at it makes me think of penang...
We spend the time while waiting for our passport to be ready by walking around king street,queen street and the nearby streets.
Kacang bought several bollywood hindi DVD there,and me..enjoying the scenery..
I love to walk around king street and queen street as I can feel like I am in India..hahaha...
Later ,we have lunch in beach street and went into a bank(forgot what name)to cool off(free air con)hahaha...
I really enjoy that day very much and I hope to walk around again in my next trip..
Before I end this post,I would like to praise the imigration officers in penang for their good and friendly service..please keep up the good work..(^-^)