Her choice of books from the library - A lot of non-fiction, some light-hearted ones, a comic (Santa's pants) and Martin Luther King Jr? Her school is having an "African" theme this whole term and they have been teaching her about the dark, and courageous sides of Slavery, treatment of black people... and Ku Klux Klan. KKK scared her so much she woke up one night screaming. Not very impressed that they teach her about racial tension and violence at such a young age (6-7YO). It is not that I want to bubble wrap my child and shield her away from it, but for a 6 year old, they still cannot mentally understand some things. There is no reason to teach them about racial issues, which I feel will further make certain children feel more "aware" of how different they are, in terms of colour of hair, skin and facial features. I know that most kids are still "colour-blind" at this age, so let them have an innocent childhood - they can learn it at 10YO when they are mentally more mature!


Anyway, it is interesting to see what she chooses at the library and I am partly glad she doesn't just go for the Horrid Henry series (which she is very into since last term). LOL!

The wonders of Japanese animation

28 October 2012


It is the start of the half-term, and Shean Wenn came up to me early in the morning holding the origami book I bought for her some time back. She was trying and fiddling with an Origami shape (that book isn't that great!) and then we went on to explore other origami shapes. After that, I continued browsing online and happened to stop by a newly found blog as I was googling for "Fish Origami".

Zakkalife is really an interesting blog of a mom to half-Japanese kids! So while on her site,we viewed some videos and stumbled upon this other youtube video produced by some Japanese - they teach easy drawing for kids. In this video, they taught how to draw a tortoise, a rat, a fox, a pig, a bear, an alligator, a cute bunny, an even cuter elephant and a crab! If you have young children and can't think of how to teach them to draw animals, this video will be great for them (with an addictive background song in Japanese, although we both don't know Japanese, we still hummed to it.. everytime it comes on!).

(Shean Wenn's masterpieces)

Look what Shean Wenn produced! I was so smitten by her work (Aren't you?) . After drawing it, SW said that she will write the names of the animals below it (in English), however, I suggested to her to write the names of the animals in Chinese. She protested but agreed in the end.

(Shean Wenn the animal lover)

Cook-your-own : Pan Mee 板面 (Hakka Flat Noodle Soup)

I have been an avid follower of Rasa Malaysia for many years and have used her recipes countless times and they have never disappoint! So when she published this recipe, suddenly my love for this simple and wholesome dish came flooding back. I had to make it!!

Two weeks ago, an ex-colleague of mine were to visit us and therefore I decided to make this dish for dinner and Sago Gula Melaka for dessert afterwards.

For the soup, I made a superior stock using Ikan Bilis (dried anchovies) and Corn-fed chicken bones. The soup is sweet and full of flavour - Umami flavour oozing from both the chicken bones and Ikan Bilis. I also made the noodles from scratch because I didn't know where to buy ready-made noodles here in London.

 (The prepared dough which were "resting" for half an hour.) 

 (The cut noodles - in different sizes and shapes!) 

(Shean Wenn folded her sleeves and helped me cut more Pan Mee noodles)

After slaving for 2 hours in the kitchen, we were ready to eat! I made some by the "tearing" method (called "Mee Hoon Kuih") just to have a variety of tastes. I must say it was just perfect for the wet and cold evening in London! 

(Our bowls of slurpy Pan Mee) 

The Rasa Malaysia recipe is here.

If you fancy the dried version of Pan Mee aka Chilli Pan Mee (Kin Kin Pan Mee, the famous franchise of the dried version of Pan Mee), you can go to this website (lots of interesting foodie posts!!!) for more details. Nurah even have a downloadable 45-mins recipe - A Must-try if you are pressed for time and just want to satisfy your cravings for this healthy meal!

And the Sago Gula Melaka was the best way to end the night with : Rich, creamy coconut milk & sweet "gula melaka" drenched on cold sago - only one word to describe it - HEAVENLY! Shean Wenn was addicted to Sago Gula Melaka asking me for more the night after that, pronouncing it perfectly in Malay in her English-accent! Well done darling!