I've gone miso-mad! Last week I was browsing recipes online and read a few recipes using the japanese miso paste. So during the weekend, which is when we do our grocery shopping, I bought myself the ingredients needed to cook a few dishes with the miso paste.
I couldn't wait for Monday to come (because Sunday we had dinner plans with friends) to cook my miso dishes!
For lunch, I cooked this simple recipe which I read from petite fleur's blog - The Spicy Miso Ramen with Char Siew (Original recipe from Rasa Malaysia). I substituted Ramen with Udon because I am an udon person (I can eat udon everyday and not get bored with it!). There are a few ingredients that I didn't put in because I didnt have it in my fridge/cupboard - The char siew, the fish cake and chili oil (I used the chinese version of chilli oil instead, which is something that I am hooked on anyway!!).
The result was ok because I believe I did not put enough Miso paste into it (I basically copied down by writing instead of printing because hub's laptop is not connected to the PC and missed out on the measurements).
For dinner, I scoured around for a pork dish. I found one which I thought is interesting in YongFook's "Open Source Food" website. The recipe was prepared by this guy who doesn't look japanese! But, I still thought it looks pretty interesting (and simple!) - he called it Twice-cooked meat. Recipe here.
Another picture-less post brought to you by Tsu Lin.
Monday 29 September 2008
Saturday 27 September 2008
Laptop Research & Boiler frustrations
Apparently the laptop's Graphic Card's busted and it cannot be repaired - we are still trying to find out if it can be replaced. Failing that, we have been researching for a replacement laptop. Actually, it is more the hubs researching than me. I am out of the equation since now I am not contributing to it (the old one was split 2 ways). Knowing him, he is going for "looks" and "brag factor" while I kept rolling my eyes and tell him I need good specs (because I do alot of photo-editing, and he plays his games).
But I think finally we both came to an agreement on one from Sony (I try to stay away from Sony last time because I thought it was overpriced for their specs. Anyway, times may have changed).
We went to the shops and touched and felt all the models around (Toshiba, Acer, Dell, Sony) and he still feels that the Sony is the one he likes most. So I hope (crossing my fingers and toes) that we will be booking one soon!! I can't wait to punctuate all my blogposts with photos again :)
So, what laptops do you use? Are you someone who use it for the basic stuff like email and Microsoft Office apps, or you are a heavy user (gaming, photo editing, use for DB processes?)? What were your experiences using different brands and specs of laptop? Share, if you may?
On another note, our boiler has been OOO (Out of Order) last Sunday. They sent a techinican to check on it and he told us the relay needs to be replaced. But until today, the boiler part still has not arrived - it does cause a little inconvenience to us, having to boil water for our baths and not being able to just switch on the tap and out flow hot water! Oh how we have been pampered by all these modern inventions. One day I thought to save myself the trouble of boiling water, to just use the cold water to wash my hair - and boy, I nearly froze to death washing my hair, the freezing cold water on my scalp, neck and hands. Brrrr.... lesson learnt.
I really hope it will arrive early next week. Please, no more boiler woes!
But I think finally we both came to an agreement on one from Sony (I try to stay away from Sony last time because I thought it was overpriced for their specs. Anyway, times may have changed).
We went to the shops and touched and felt all the models around (Toshiba, Acer, Dell, Sony) and he still feels that the Sony is the one he likes most. So I hope (crossing my fingers and toes) that we will be booking one soon!! I can't wait to punctuate all my blogposts with photos again :)
So, what laptops do you use? Are you someone who use it for the basic stuff like email and Microsoft Office apps, or you are a heavy user (gaming, photo editing, use for DB processes?)? What were your experiences using different brands and specs of laptop? Share, if you may?
On another note, our boiler has been OOO (Out of Order) last Sunday. They sent a techinican to check on it and he told us the relay needs to be replaced. But until today, the boiler part still has not arrived - it does cause a little inconvenience to us, having to boil water for our baths and not being able to just switch on the tap and out flow hot water! Oh how we have been pampered by all these modern inventions. One day I thought to save myself the trouble of boiling water, to just use the cold water to wash my hair - and boy, I nearly froze to death washing my hair, the freezing cold water on my scalp, neck and hands. Brrrr.... lesson learnt.
I really hope it will arrive early next week. Please, no more boiler woes!
Saturday 20 September 2008
At 15 Months Old
Little Shean Wenn is not so "little" anymore, sometimes when I look at her, she seems like an independent little person doing something so "grown up" and my heart will fill with pride and a little smile appears on my lips.
Statistics
Height : 77cm
Weight : 9.5kg
Speech Development/ Vocab : Bird, Flower, Bread ("Beed"), Fish, Owl. "Mum mumm" to indicate that she wants to eat. She understands "bathing" & "drink water" (in cantonese & Hainanese). She babbles ALOT and it usually sounds like a tongue-twister.
Walking : This is one area that we are a little concerned. I have noticed since last month that she still walks with a little "bow-legged"-ly. Bear in mind she has been walking since 11.5 months old, so it has been 3 months since she has been walking. Bow leg is a condition where her legs seems a little "crooked"/"bent" when she is walking (kinda like Incredible Hulk way of walking). According to websites, my friend Michelle and the Health Visitor (HV), bowleggedness can be a genetically inherited trait but VERY rarely is caused by Vitamin D deficiency. They also said it will usually correct itself after they turn 2 or so. Anyway, I brought her to be consulted by the GP as well (yes, I like seeking 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions). The GP mentioned the same thing and said when she turns 18 months old, I can bring her in again to be consulted and see if we need to futher consult a Paed (as we need GP's referral to go to a private Paed).
Reading : Still loves reading. Sometimes when she is bored at home and I can't be bothered to entertain her, she will rummage through her toys and pull out one of her books and sit down with it to read (and if she sees a STAR, she will start "singing" Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with hand gestures. I say "singing" because it's still doesn't make sense as her lyrics consists of baabbaabaabbaaba baba). And after a few rounds of reading, she might bring her book to me and pat my thighs while pushing the book to me to ask me to read to her (usually she wants me to read to her her "In the Night Garden" (ITNG) storybook).
Television : OBSESSED WITH IT! OMG. Every morning after her morning milk (which her dad will make for her before he goes to work), she will run to me (I will be in my bed snoring away) and bug me to switch on the TV for her. I usually ignore her as much as I can, but she is a persistent little person! When I relent and come off the bed, she will lead me to the front of the TV while pointing to it as if asking me to SWITCH IT ON, now. When I switch it on and a song comes on, she will dance infront of the telly - her dance routine is swinging of hands, turning around a few times till dizzy, then clap hands! It's quite funny and I love to see her dance! She can almost memorize the ITNG song-routine, whether the Tittifers (birds) are singing - she will say "Bird" at this time, or if Makka Pakka is singing - she will be clapping her hands while turning round and round, or if it's the start of the show where she will use her index finger to circle the other palm (like how they do so in the show) when the song starts.
Potty-trained : Not yet. I am going to start..... hmmm... maybe next month. (I still haven't bought a potty).
Brushing teeth : Not yet. I am going to start... later.
Sleep : She is sleep-trained. BUT is quite a fussy sleeper. Can only sleep on her cot or our bed but cannot seem to fathom how to do so when she needs to (for example when she is very sleepy in the day, she should just sleep on the sofa? No, she can't. She needs to bug me to put her to bed in her cot).
Climbing stairs : She will do so at any chance when she sees a stairs or an opportunity to climb. She is a late starter in this climbing business (probably only started to climb at 12 MO, since we do not have stairs in the apartment) but she is diligent and very eager to practice when she sees one.
Food : She LOVES to eat BREAD! She will always sign for "mumm mumm" (putting her finger to her mouth) and then walk to the outside of the kitchen (because she has been trained not to go into the kitchen) and tells me "Beed, beed" (meaning bread). She also likes to eat whatever we give her when we go out to the restaurant. Although her appetite has waned a little since her fever last week, it is slowly gaining it back. She now kinda like to eat bland porridge.
Milk : 9oz twice a day and at night 4oz (sometimes skipping the night feed) depending on her mood. She will lie down on the sofa to drink while watching telly during the afternoon feed. I know, what a TV addict!
Hello/Goodbye : Will wave hello or goodbye and give a flying kiss when you ask her (and if she is in the mood to give you one). She will look very sad when her dad goes off to work in the mornings, sometimes only manage to give him a half-wave goodbye. And when daddy comes home (she hears the key on the door) and she will say (not shout) "Baba". If she is watching telly or eating, she will glance at the hubs and smile before turning back to concentrate on the telly or eating.
A neat-freak or an organised-mess? : Unfortunately, she did not take after daddy's tidiness but instead inherited my wonderful organisation of mess. Give her 1 minute and she will re-organise the toys from where it was to a pile of mess on the FLOOR. I have been telling her "Please put things back where they belong" (like how they sing it on Cbeebies), all falling on deaf-ears, I'm afraid. SIGH.
Social skills : Have improved alot, I must say, especially since meeting and being friends with Karmen. Karmen is now on a 3-week holiday with her family but when she was around, Karmen loves to give SW hugs when she sees SW. So whenever SW sees Karmen, they will both acknowledge each other, instead of K trying to give SW a hug and SW running away and screaming. I am very proud of this transition. Will surely bring her to meet more kids later. For example today when she was at the "Park & Farm", she saw another girl (a 4YO) she looked at her and tried to smile at her (the other girl didn't notice SW yet).
Statistics
Height : 77cm
Weight : 9.5kg
Speech Development/ Vocab : Bird, Flower, Bread ("Beed"), Fish, Owl. "Mum mumm" to indicate that she wants to eat. She understands "bathing" & "drink water" (in cantonese & Hainanese). She babbles ALOT and it usually sounds like a tongue-twister.
Walking : This is one area that we are a little concerned. I have noticed since last month that she still walks with a little "bow-legged"-ly. Bear in mind she has been walking since 11.5 months old, so it has been 3 months since she has been walking. Bow leg is a condition where her legs seems a little "crooked"/"bent" when she is walking (kinda like Incredible Hulk way of walking). According to websites, my friend Michelle and the Health Visitor (HV), bowleggedness can be a genetically inherited trait but VERY rarely is caused by Vitamin D deficiency. They also said it will usually correct itself after they turn 2 or so. Anyway, I brought her to be consulted by the GP as well (yes, I like seeking 2nd, 3rd, 4th opinions). The GP mentioned the same thing and said when she turns 18 months old, I can bring her in again to be consulted and see if we need to futher consult a Paed (as we need GP's referral to go to a private Paed).
Reading : Still loves reading. Sometimes when she is bored at home and I can't be bothered to entertain her, she will rummage through her toys and pull out one of her books and sit down with it to read (and if she sees a STAR, she will start "singing" Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with hand gestures. I say "singing" because it's still doesn't make sense as her lyrics consists of baabbaabaabbaaba baba). And after a few rounds of reading, she might bring her book to me and pat my thighs while pushing the book to me to ask me to read to her (usually she wants me to read to her her "In the Night Garden" (ITNG) storybook).
Television : OBSESSED WITH IT! OMG. Every morning after her morning milk (which her dad will make for her before he goes to work), she will run to me (I will be in my bed snoring away) and bug me to switch on the TV for her. I usually ignore her as much as I can, but she is a persistent little person! When I relent and come off the bed, she will lead me to the front of the TV while pointing to it as if asking me to SWITCH IT ON, now. When I switch it on and a song comes on, she will dance infront of the telly - her dance routine is swinging of hands, turning around a few times till dizzy, then clap hands! It's quite funny and I love to see her dance! She can almost memorize the ITNG song-routine, whether the Tittifers (birds) are singing - she will say "Bird" at this time, or if Makka Pakka is singing - she will be clapping her hands while turning round and round, or if it's the start of the show where she will use her index finger to circle the other palm (like how they do so in the show) when the song starts.
Potty-trained : Not yet. I am going to start..... hmmm... maybe next month. (I still haven't bought a potty).
Brushing teeth : Not yet. I am going to start... later.
Sleep : She is sleep-trained. BUT is quite a fussy sleeper. Can only sleep on her cot or our bed but cannot seem to fathom how to do so when she needs to (for example when she is very sleepy in the day, she should just sleep on the sofa? No, she can't. She needs to bug me to put her to bed in her cot).
Climbing stairs : She will do so at any chance when she sees a stairs or an opportunity to climb. She is a late starter in this climbing business (probably only started to climb at 12 MO, since we do not have stairs in the apartment) but she is diligent and very eager to practice when she sees one.
Food : She LOVES to eat BREAD! She will always sign for "mumm mumm" (putting her finger to her mouth) and then walk to the outside of the kitchen (because she has been trained not to go into the kitchen) and tells me "Beed, beed" (meaning bread). She also likes to eat whatever we give her when we go out to the restaurant. Although her appetite has waned a little since her fever last week, it is slowly gaining it back. She now kinda like to eat bland porridge.
Milk : 9oz twice a day and at night 4oz (sometimes skipping the night feed) depending on her mood. She will lie down on the sofa to drink while watching telly during the afternoon feed. I know, what a TV addict!
Hello/Goodbye : Will wave hello or goodbye and give a flying kiss when you ask her (and if she is in the mood to give you one). She will look very sad when her dad goes off to work in the mornings, sometimes only manage to give him a half-wave goodbye. And when daddy comes home (she hears the key on the door) and she will say (not shout) "Baba". If she is watching telly or eating, she will glance at the hubs and smile before turning back to concentrate on the telly or eating.
A neat-freak or an organised-mess? : Unfortunately, she did not take after daddy's tidiness but instead inherited my wonderful organisation of mess. Give her 1 minute and she will re-organise the toys from where it was to a pile of mess on the FLOOR. I have been telling her "Please put things back where they belong" (like how they sing it on Cbeebies), all falling on deaf-ears, I'm afraid. SIGH.
Social skills : Have improved alot, I must say, especially since meeting and being friends with Karmen. Karmen is now on a 3-week holiday with her family but when she was around, Karmen loves to give SW hugs when she sees SW. So whenever SW sees Karmen, they will both acknowledge each other, instead of K trying to give SW a hug and SW running away and screaming. I am very proud of this transition. Will surely bring her to meet more kids later. For example today when she was at the "Park & Farm", she saw another girl (a 4YO) she looked at her and tried to smile at her (the other girl didn't notice SW yet).
Sunday 14 September 2008
Fever & Lantern Festival
On Friday night, my baby developed high fever. It was 39.3c when I first took her temperature so I woke her up and gave her Paracetamol. The hubs was back from his biz trip so he & I took turns to monitor her condition. By 1.30am, her fever didn't subside. I was beginning to be really worried. We decided to bring her into the A&E (Accident & Emergency) at Royal London Hospital. They have a Children's A&E there so we went there straightaway. The attending Dr checked her and told us she didn't have any infections, just the common cold + fever. We were advised to give her Paracetamol to control the fever.
Next morning, her temp didn't subside, and went up to 39.9c. We brought her in again. This time, the attending Dr asked us some additional info (does she have any contacts with other kids, etc). She then checked her and found that she has ear infection and was prescribed anti-biotic.
A&E twice in 10 hours. :(
Her temperature subsided today (Sunday) but she has bad sorethroat, so everytime she drinks or eat, she'll cry out after swallowing. Her voice has gone a little hoarse. Poor girl! We were house-bound the whole weekend so that she can recover.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. SW got an electric lantern to play with (when she has the mood to play with it!).
Next morning, her temp didn't subside, and went up to 39.9c. We brought her in again. This time, the attending Dr asked us some additional info (does she have any contacts with other kids, etc). She then checked her and found that she has ear infection and was prescribed anti-biotic.
A&E twice in 10 hours. :(
Her temperature subsided today (Sunday) but she has bad sorethroat, so everytime she drinks or eat, she'll cry out after swallowing. Her voice has gone a little hoarse. Poor girl! We were house-bound the whole weekend so that she can recover.
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival. SW got an electric lantern to play with (when she has the mood to play with it!).
Wednesday 10 September 2008
Offline
My laptop died on Sunday evening. I am now living my offline life, 24/7. What have I been doing the past 3 days without the internet, without the laptop? I have been watching alot of TV, being a couch potato. The hubs part-rejoice in this news, as he thinks I'd spend more time cleaning the house, fat chance, I told him. I am now blogging from my neighbour's place (btw, I just met this new friend of mine, Michelle Lam 2 weeks ago and we hit it off and since then, I've been bringing SW out so much more together with Michelle's daughter, Karmen). Michelle & family are going for a 3-week holiday to the USA though. So, it's me & SW again after this week. :(
I would've loved to put a photo of the error message I get when I try to start-up my computer (so that my geeky friends can shed some light into my predicament here) but I didn't want to install stuff to transfer images from my mobile phone on her lappy so, it will not happen.
So, did you guys miss me??
Meanwhile, I will wait for the Finance Minister of the household to come back from his business trip to discuss lappy replacement/repair.
On another note, I noticed when one equipment fails, a few more usually follow. Triple sigh!
I would've loved to put a photo of the error message I get when I try to start-up my computer (so that my geeky friends can shed some light into my predicament here) but I didn't want to install stuff to transfer images from my mobile phone on her lappy so, it will not happen.
So, did you guys miss me??
Meanwhile, I will wait for the Finance Minister of the household to come back from his business trip to discuss lappy replacement/repair.
On another note, I noticed when one equipment fails, a few more usually follow. Triple sigh!
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