Family Trip to Krabi, 11-14/8/13

11.8.13 (Sun)

Finally, the trip that all of us were waiting for had arrived! 7 adults and 4 kids (Hubby's family)..ready to go Krabi for a 4D3N holidays!

 

My father-in-law booked a big van, to accommodate all of us and baggages..Flight was 1pm+ and we reached airport by 11am..After checking in our baggages, we had brunch at OldTown Cafe and lingered around the airport till boarding time..Flight was slightly delayed but luckily, Ian could sit down queitly and obediently in his seat (no longer sharing seat with me)..and he took a short nap too!

 

Krabi is one hour later than Msia time..We arrived there around 3pm+ and our tour driver was there, waiting for us (sister-in-law booked a local tour and was offered complimentary airport-hotel transfer service)..It was raining..We stayed in a 4-star hotel, Beyond Resort Krabi, at Klong Muong beach, about 45mins away from the airport..We chose the sea view room and the scenery was beautiful..After settling down, we took a rest in the room (since it was raining and we couldn't go for a walk at the beach or swim in the pool) while hubby and sisters, went to enquire about the spa and dinner package that were offered to us..

 

Around 7pm, we had dinner at the hotel's restaurant (THB4,500.00 value of food voucher)..When you are in Thailand, some of the must have dishes would be tomyam, green curry and other local Thai cuisines..We ordered some western food for the kids and I specially liked the seafood fettucine with carbonara sauce..cheesy and yummy..and the prawns were really big and juicy..Green curry chicken was delicious too! All of us had a sumptuous dinner..

 

 

 

12.8.13 (Mon)

Next morning, we went for the Phi-Phi island hopping tour..Thank God for good weather..The driver supposed to pick us from hotel at 9am but was 1hr late..then, when we reached the jetty, we waited for another 1hr++..Luckily, the kids were busy playing sand on the beach and Ian was sleeping..

 

 

Finally when all arrived, we sat on the speed boat and headed to Bamboo Island..Waves were really strong, hence, the boat shaked terribly..I hated this as it made me felt dizzy and sea sick! Hubby said I was not suitable for island hopping as I wouldn't enjoy it..Hubby and sisters had the opportunity to go snorkeling..We bought some souvenirs at one of the island too..

 

Around 4pm++, we headed back to the hotel and had time to go for swimming..The pool was clean and spacious..But, Abby and Ian, still afraid of the water..dare not let go my hands..sigh!

 

Tonight's dinner was at a local Thai cuisines restaurant, about 5mins drive from our hotel..The Terrace Restaurant (right in front of Sheraton Hotel), recommended by TripAdvisory..The restaurant had a very nice ambience and helpful waiters/waitresses..we ordered tomyam dishes, green curry chicken/beef, fried calamari, crab with glass noodle, seafood fried rice and some other local Thai cuisines (can't recall anymore)..and one coconut each (RM7/each)..Food was yummy yummy and total bill came to THB3,740.00..(Note: Somehow, the beef in Thai not so tender and nice)

13.8.13 (Tues)
Today, we went to the Ao Nang town for shopping spree..We booked a van (same van that picked us up from airport) for THB1,200.00..Ao Nang town was a tourist spot..especially at the beach..There were many shops, mostly selling souvenirs and clothing..targeting on women consumers! Due to language barrier, those local Thais sellers, were using calculator as the 'international' language, to comunicate with foreigners..especially during price bargaining..I managed to buy a dress for THB200 and a set of necklace with earrings for THB250..it was funny to see how my sister-in-law trying to  bargain a lower price with the seller..till the seller also shook his head and claimed that he would earn nothing with the price asked by her..haha..

We continued to walk down the row of shops and grabbed more souvenirs for friends and colleagues..Then, we went to this seafood restaurant near the beach for lunch..And again, we ordered seafood tomyam, green curry chicken, steamed fish, mussels, fried rice and coconut drink! Food was good and total bill came to THB2,000.00++..

 

Experiencing the Tuk-Tuk ride..quite enjoyable

We went back to the hotel around 3.30pm..Took a quick wash up and brought the kids to the beach to build sand castle..Abby & Ian really enjoyed playing at the beach, with the beach toys we bought..Hubby made a turtle instead of castle this round..

Hubby & I had our spa sessions (utilising the complimentary THB1,000.00 voucher) today (Kids were with their grandparents)..We need to top up another THB600.00 each for the type of massage we chose..Overall, the massages were relaxing and soothing.

Due to the heavy lunch we had today, we decided to eat cup noodle tonight for dinner..We bought some local cup noodles (THB15/each), tomyam and green curry flavor..surprisingly, it was tasty! And all of us ended up buying more to bring back to Klang!

After dinner, Hubby and his sisters went to the massage shop, opposite our hotel..(I didn't go coz gotta babysit the kids and it was kinda late for them to go too) They had foot massages and the ladies had manicure/pedicure..Hubby told me that a 'pondan' did the manicure for my sister-in-law and they had a great laugh over it till one of the customer requested them to keep quiet! Hilarious!

14.8.13 (Wed)
Today was our last day..Everyone had a good time in Krabi, enjoying great food and spending quality time with each other.
 

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake 黑芝麻戚风蛋糕

26.8.13 (Mon)

It has been some time since I last baked a chiffon cake..I browsed through Christine's website and found this recipe on black sesame chiffon cake and decided to try it out..It was an easy recipe and the cake tasted good.

 

Ingredients

5 egg whites

5 egg yolks

80g self raising flour

90g caster sugar (60g for egg yolks and 30g for egg whites)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cream of tartar

50g vegetable oil

80g milk

25g black sesame powder (I couldn't find black sesame powder, so I bought black sesame seed, blend it into powder)

Note: Remember to toast the black sesame seeds before blending them (which I had omitted)

 

Methods

1. Preheat oven to 170C.

 

2. Sift flour and baking powder.

 

3. In a mixing bowl, beat yolks and sugar till pale and yellow. Add in oil and milk, combined well. Add in flour mixtures and mixed well.

 

4. In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites till foamy. Add in sugar and cream of tartar and continue to whisk till soft peak.

 

5. Fold in egg white mixtures into the batter and mixed well with a spatula. Pour the batter into the cake pan and baked for 35-40mins, or till skewer comes out clean.

 

6. Remove the cake from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

 

 

各種癌症的可能前兆

１.食管癌：吞咽食物有遲緩、滯留或輕微梗噎感，可自行消退，但數日後又可出現，反復發作，並逐漸加重。或在吞口水或吃東西時，總感覺胸骨有定位疼痛。平時感覺食管內有異物且與進食無關，持續存在，喝水及咽食物均不能使之消失。

 　　
２. 胃癌：突然出現原因不明的消化不良症狀，而且比較頑固、進展快；突出的表現為食欲迅速下降、食後腹部飽脹感及不適感，同時，體重明顯降低。或者，過去沒出 有胃痛（“心窩痛”）的人，突然出現反復的胃痛；以前雖有胃痛，但近來疼痛的強度、性質、發作的時間突然改變，且原來治療有效的藥物變得無效或欠佳。

 　　
３. 大腸癌：凡３０歲以上的人出現腹部不適、隱痛、腹脹、大便習慣發生改變，出現便秘、腹瀉或者交替出現，有下墜感，且大使帶血，繼而出現貧血，疲乏無力，腹 部摸到腫塊，應考慮大腸癌的可能。其中沿結腸部位呈局限性、間歇性隱痛是結腸癌的第一個報警信號。下墜感明顯伴大便帶血，則是直腸癌的信號（大腸癌包括結 腸癌和直腸癌）。

 　　
４.肝癌：早期肝癌無特異性症狀，如有亦多是癌前疾病的一些複雜表現。但是如果慢性肝炎或肝硬化的病人，右上腹或肝區出現刺痛或疼痛加劇，身體不適，食欲減退，進行性消化不良，伴有頑固性腹瀉及體重明顯下降時，應高度警惕。

 　　
５.鼻咽癌：鼻咽癌的早期徵兆有一個共同特點，就是症狀（和體征）多發生于單側。單側涕血（指擤出）、單側鼻血、單側耳鳴、單側聽力下降、單側頭痛、單側頸淋巴結腫大。

 　　
６.腦腫瘤：主要表現為頭痛和嘔吐。頭痛很特別，往往是在清晨醒來時頭痛最重，起床後可逐漸減輕，以前額、後枕部及兩側明顯。頭痛多伴噴射狀嘔吐，與進食無關，尤其是疼痛劇烈時，而嘔吐後頭痛即減輕。

 　　
７. 肺癌：咳嗽是肺癌的早期症狀，其特點是以陣發性刺激性嗆咳為主，有咳不淨的感覺，一般無痰或只有少量白色泡沫痰，繼發感染可出現膿痰。如經抗炎治療２周後 無改善，應警惕肺癌的可能。或在原有慢性咳嗽基礎上出現咳嗽性質改變，甚至伴有“氣管鳴”、“氣短”應予注意。肺癌的另一警號是間斷性反復少量血痰，或痰 中帶血絲。此外，還出現胸背痛、胸悶、發熱等症狀。

 　　
８.乳腺癌：乳房發生異常性變化，如摸到拉厚或包塊、脹感、出現微凹（“酒窩征”）皮膚變粗發紅，乳頭變形、回縮或有鱗屑等，疼痛或壓痛，非哺乳期婦女突然出現單側乳頭流水（乳樣、血樣、水樣液體）。

 　　
９.宮頸癌：宮頸癌的早期症狀主要有以下幾方面。 不規則陰道出血，尤其是停經多年又突然陰道出血。 白帶增多，呈血性或洗肉水樣。 下腹部及腰部疼痛。出現上述其中一項以上者都要及時進一步檢查。重點是不規則陰道出血，接觸性出血和白帶過多。

 　　
１０. 白血病：發熱、出血、貧血是（急性）白血病的三大早期症狀。發熱為３７.５℃－３８.５℃常提示有感染，如皮膚、呼吸道、腸道、口腔、泌尿系統等部位炎 症。出血可發生在任何部位，但以皮下、口腔、鼻、牙齦等處常見。出血程度可由瘀點、瘀斑以至口、鼻腔大出血。貧血是因為紅系造血障礙和出血所致，且演進迅 速，病人面色蒼白。此外，可出現淋巴結腫大和骨關節疼痛，有特徵意義的是胸骨輕壓痛。

Restaurant Yen Batu Kawan 燕海鲜餐厅

4.8.13 (Sun)

My mum and sis came to visit us in Kulim..Usually when you have guests, there will certainly be makan-makan..hehe..

 

We went to pick them from Penang International Airport around 11am and headed to Penang town for brunch..thereafter, we went to the newly opened mall in town - Gurney Paragon..(initial plan was to tour around the Georgetown Heritage on the hop-on bus, but due to the hot hot weather, we decided to change plan and chose to go to the air-conditioned mall) Personally, I didn't quite like the mall..first of all, the car parking system was terrible as it was a two drive-way system, superb dangerous and it caused jammed as cars gotta wait for each other to park/drive pass etc. (hubby agreed too)..Secondly, most of the retail shops (mostly very high-class and expensive shops) were not those commonly found in the usual mall we went to (just my personal opinion)..We couldn't find a suitable F&B shop to sit down and have snacks! Anyway, at least we visited the mall once.

 

Around 4.30pm..we left the mall..and took us about 20mins to leave the car park due to the reasons mentioned above..ridiculous! Anyway, we planned to have seafood dinner at this restaurant in Batu Kawan..The last time when we were there was probably 4 yrs ago..So, Hubby drove there based on his memory and luckily, we found the restaurant - Yen Batu Kawan.

  

 

Apparently, the restaurant had relocated from the home-based restaurant to a bigger and spacious building..We reached there before 6am so it was not crowded yet..Food was delicious with reasonable price.

招牌炒面，RM8.00 （几乎所有的顾客都点这道菜）

马来风光，RM10.00

虾姑肉炒咸蛋，RM16.00

清蒸石班鱼，RM72.00

招牌豆腐，RM12.00, I don't quite liked it, too soft.

炸苏冬，RM16.00

濑尿虾，RM30.00
 

 Verdict out of Five (5*):
1. Quality of food: 4

2. Ambiances: 3

3. Audiences: 4 (I believed weekend will be crowded)

4. Price: 3

5. Services: 4 (friendly waitress)

6. Hygiene: 3.5

 

Restaurant Yen Batu Kawan 燕海鲜餐厅

701, Batu Kawan,

14110 Simpang Ampat,

Penang.

Tel: 604-587 2616/ 019-4133379 (Ah Yan) 

 

10 choices you will regret in 10 years

1. Wearing a mask to impress others.
If the face you always show the world is a mask, someday there will be nothing beneath it. Because when you spend too much time concentrating on everyone else’s perception of you, or who everyone else wants you to be, you eventually forget who you really are. So don’t fear the judgments of others; you know in your heart who you are and what’s true to you. You don’t have to be perfect to impress and inspire people. Let them be impressed and inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.

2. Letting someone else create your dreams for you.
The greatest challenge in life is discovering who you are; the second greatest is being happy with what you find. A big part of this is your decision to stay true to your own goals and dreams. Do you have people who disagree with you? Good. It means you’re standing your ground and walking your own path. Sometimes you’ll do things considered crazy by others, but when you catch yourself excitedly losing track of time, that’s when you’ll know you’re doing the right thing. Read The 4-Hour Workweek.

3. Keeping negative company.
Don’t let someone who has a bad attitude give it to you. Don’t let them get to you. They can’t pull the trigger if you don’t hand them the gun. When you remember that keeping the company of negative people is a choice, instead of an obligation, you free yourself to keep the company of compassion instead of anger, generosity instead of greed, and patience instead of anxiety.

4. Being selfish and egotistical.
A life filled with loving deeds and good character is the best tombstone. Those who you inspired and shared your love with will remember how you made them feel long after your time has expired. So carve your name on hearts, not stone. What you have done for yourself alone dies with you; what you have done for others and the world remains.

5. Avoiding change and growth.
If you want to know your past look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future look into your present actions. You must let go of the old to make way for the new; the old way is gone, never to come back. If you acknowledge this right now and take steps to address it, you will position yourself for lasting success. See the book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.

6. Giving up when the going gets tough.
There are no failures, just results. Even if things don’t unfold the way you had expected, don’t be disheartened or give up. Learn what you can and move on. The one who continues to advance one step at a time will win in the end. Because the battle is always won far away and long before the final victory. It’s a process that occurs with small steps, decisions, and actions that gradually build upon each other and eventually lead to that glorious moment of triumph.

7. Trying to micromanage every little thing.
Life should be touched, not strangled. Sometimes you’ve got to relax and let life happen without incessant worry and micromanagement. Learn to let go a little before you squeeze too tight. Take a deep breath. When the dust settles and you can once again see the forest for the trees, take the next step forward. You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going to be headed somewhere great. Everything in life is in perfect order whether you understand it yet or not. It just takes some time to connect all the dots.

8. Settling for less than you deserve.
Be strong enough to let go and wise enough to wait for what you deserve. Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand up taller than you ever were before. Sometimes your eyes need to be washed by your tears so you can see the possibilities in front of you with a clearer vision again. Don’t settle.

9. Endlessly waiting until tomorrow.
The trouble is, you always think you have more time than you do. But one day you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to work on the things you’ve always wanted to do. And at that point you either will have achieved the goals you set for yourself, or you will have a list of excuses for why you haven’t. Read Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture.

10. Being lazy and wishy-washy.
The world doesn’t owe you anything, you owe the world something. So stop daydreaming and start DOING. Develop a backbone, not a wishbone. Take full responsibility for your life – take control. You are important and you are needed. It’s too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is now; the somebody the world needs is YOU.

Rainbow Cake 彩虹蛋糕

1.8.13 (Thurs)

Hubby came back from work and saw me, decorating the rainbow cake.

 

Hubby: Oh wow, rainbow cake, whose order?

Me: Mr Lee. :)  (so that I can claim from him for the ingredients I bought..haha)

Hubby: Oh, you meant me..but I don't remember placing the order..it must be my wife then!

 

The last time we had rainbow cake was during Ian's 2nd birthday, in Apr this year. We ordered the rainbow cake from May Flower Pastry Centre and it was delicious..and the funny part was..everyone thought I baked the cake (since I baked frequently)..well..this round..yes, I baked my own rainbow cake and it was quite satisfying!

 

I think the hardest part would be preparing the 6 colors batter and due to the size of my oven, I gotta baked the cakes in 3 sessions..(2 at a time)..Next, was decorating the cake..I am still weak at this..as you can see from the picture, the coating wasn't done nicely..I am not sure why..maybe it's because of the whipped cream I used or there is a special technique..gotta research more on this..Anyhow, the cake was delicious, sweetness just good and cake texture was soft and fluffy..

 

For the rainbow cake, I used the sponge cake method..[2 x the ingredients (divide them into 6 batters), 1/4 tsp of each coloring] and baked at 170C preheated oven for 10mins..Then assemble the cake layer by layer, applying cream on each layer, and decorate with 1000s.

**I am using a 8" cake mould 

 

So beautiful! 

妻子的空位

他的妻子因为意外事故离开他身边已经四年了，他因为无法兼顾父母双亲的角色而感到挫折。

有一天晚上回到家，他只是很简短地和孩子打个招呼，就因为身体疲累，不想吃晚餐，脱掉 西装之后就直接往床上躺下。就在那个时候，砰的一声，红色的汤汁跟泡面瞬时弄脏了床单 和被单，原来有碗泡面在棉被里！这小子真是的，他拿起一个衣架，跑出去，往正玩着玩具 的儿子的屁股就打。

儿子边哭边告诉他：“饭锅里的饭早上已经吃完了，到了晚上，见爸爸还不回来，他就在橱柜的抽屉里找到了泡面，想泡面吃、可是想到爸爸说不能乱动煤气，所以他就打开洗澡的水龙头，用热水泡了泡面，一个自己吃，另一个 想留给爸爸吃。 怕泡面凉掉，他就把它放在 棉被里焐着，等爸爸回来。由于正在玩向朋友 借来的玩具，所以爸爸回来忘了讲。”

他不想让儿子看到自己流泪，所以冲到洗手间，将水龙头打开，大声地痛哭。过了好一阵，他打开儿子的房门一看，发现儿子已和 衣睡着了，脸上满是泪水，手里还拿着妈妈的 照片。

从此，他 更加用心地去照顾儿子，儿子进入小学读书后不久，他再一次打了孩子。那天老师来电话说，儿子没有去学校，他立刻请假回家，满世界找儿子，几个小时后在一家文具店的门口，看见儿子站在电动玩具前面，于是他生气地打了儿子，儿子并没有说出任何的解 释，只说了声对不起。

一年后，他接到小区邮局的电话，说儿子把一捆没有写地址的信，恶作剧地放进邮筒里。每 年到了年底，正是邮局最忙碌的时候，所以这对他们造成很大的困扰。他立刻跑到邮局，领 回了那一捆恶作剧的信，回家后把信丢到儿子 眼前说：“你为什么要这样恶作剧？”儿子哭着 回答说：“这些信是 我要寄给妈妈的。”他的眼眶红了，接着问儿子：“为什么一次寄这么多 信呢？”儿子回答说：“以前我要把信投进去的时候，因为个儿太矮，所以没办法投入。最近 我已经够得着了，所以我就把以前没有寄的，一次全部都投进去了。”他听了以后，心中一 片茫然，不知道该对孩子说什么话。过了一会，他说：“妈妈现在在天上，以后你写完信，把信烧了，就能送到天国去。”

孩子睡着之后，他打开了那些信，想了解一下孩子想跟妈妈说些什么，其中有一封信彻底搅 动了他的心。

亲爱的妈妈：

我很想念你！妈妈，今天在学校里有妈妈和孩子一起的才艺表演，但是因为我没有妈妈，所 以就没有去参加，我也没有告诉爸爸，怕爸爸会想念妈妈。结果爸爸到处去找我，但我为了 让爸爸看到我很开心的样子，所以故意坐在电动玩具面前。虽然爸爸骂我，但是我到最后也 没有告诉他原因。妈妈，我每天都看到爸爸对着你的照片发呆，我想爸爸也跟我一样，很想 念妈妈吧！

妈妈，我现在已经记不清楚你的声音了。 妈妈，请你让我在梦中，再一次能够看到你的脸，听到你的声音，好吗？听说把想念的人的照片放在怀里睡觉，就会梦到她，可是，妈妈，我天天晚上这样做，为什么你还没有出现在 我的梦里呢？

读完这封信以后，他嚎啕大哭。他不停地问： 自己要怎样才能填补妻子的空位呢？

当我们把孩子带到这个世界上，就意味着承担了极大的责任。已经当妈妈的女同胞，不要加 太多班，已经当爸爸的男同胞，不要喝太多酒，不要抽太多烟，请务必要照顾好自己的身体，才可以好好疼惜你的小宝贝，千万不要为了收入而预支健康，没了健康，名利又算什 么，不要总想着等我以后有钱时再如何如何，因为， 谁知道下一秒会发生什么事呢？ 谁知道有多少个以后呢？