The Jalan Tun Razak Roundabout

A couple of years ago, when my father's eyesight was a lot better, he could drive to town and back. He could even find his way to Kepong too. One incident around the changed multi - intersection at Jalan Tun Razak roundabout led him to Kajang and he had to make a big detour back to KL.

After that incident, poor father dare not venture to KL anymore. Can't blame him. Take a look at the very confusing Jalan Tun Razak roundabout. Not for the fainthearted driver !

 

Pengsan !!!

Selfmade Bib

She caught me by surprise one day with her "See Mummy, See" call.
  If you've been with Amber, you'd know my attention seeking child is always asking me to see, hear and look at her until it's almost impossible to get something done without her interruption. 

This 'See Mummy, See ! Look' call is worth noting.

She took a plastic bag, strapped it on her arms but did some twist. I forgot how she twist the plastic bag but it was firm and tight enough not to fall off. She made a bib and said it's good to wear when she's eating to catch her falling food..

or when she feels like vomitting she has a ready bag.. *faint*

Like this ?

Happy Weekend !

Hotel Puri

I'd like to add on to Barbara's post on Hotel Puri.  We stayed over at Hotel Puri last weekend and I must say, this hotel is not like what it looks from the outside. Don't let the old shophouse facade fool you.

Step inside and you'll be surprised at the many courtyards

 

..

 and living halls

 lots of greens and plenty of running space for kids. There's even a museum ( no kidding !!! )

Hotel Puri is also the filming site for parts of  Mediacorp's  Little Nyonya. Hubs remembered part of the series, namely the first and last episode where the swiflets were flying around the house and that, was filmed at Hotel Puri. The hotel was a birds nest house before it was refurbished as a hotel but some swiflets came back.

Amber was first to see the swiftlets flying around the house and resting at their nest.

Cool eh ? Don't worry about birds dropping. I didn't see a single pool of bird-poo on the floor.

We stayed in the deluxe room for RM185 per night. The room was above my expectation. Clean and crispy duvets, glaring white bathroom tiles and wares and laminated flooring.. I heart laminated floorboards. Actually I was hesitant on Hotel Puri when I browsed their site and saw the yucky boring carpets telling tales of dustmites by the generations. Basically, I just hate carpets unless they are soft and white and I can spot any dirt, dust or spills and not many hotels can maintain clean carpets.

Oh.. the room comes with breakfast too. Nothing fancy but acceptable with porridge, nasi lemak, toasts and egg counter. Anyways, no worries.. I was hoping the breakfast would be bad and we could go for cendol or nyonya breakfast down the road but ... we stayed on for breakfast. Good deal eh ?

Our friends room wasn't so acceptable coz it smelled funny and the hotel staff couldn't detect the source of the stench but they upgraded my friend to a Junior suite.. Whoot !!!

Four poster bed (for pole dancing.. lol !) and a sofa bed.. wuah..... nice...

 Hmmm..... was thinking if I should lodge a complain too ?

 This room has flat screen tv. Nice. Nicer than our room's.. LOL

 With a bathtub too ..

While my friend and her husband moved their luggage to the junior suite, we watched after the kids. 

Joanne.. the kids were testing the steadiness of your double bed.. while you were away.. tee..hee..hee...

All's good in the hotel except the junior suite was located next to a stairway and my friend could hear people talking loudly and dragging their travel bags up and down the stairs. NOISY!  So, if you want to book a junior suite, just make sure it's not next to a stairway. I'm sure the staff would accomodate if you put in a request early. My slight complain was the noise from my neighbouring room. I had to walk to my balcony and bang on their toilet windows and I dare myself coz they don't have a balcony and can't see me from their toilet windows.. hehehehe..  Anyways, Hotel Puri is a boutique hotel restored from an old Peranakan house. Don't expect 5 or 6 star hotel standards but for the price, it's a good deal and enjoy the unique-ness.

That's Hotel Puri for our short getaway and we'll definitely be back.

p/s - another major major plus point. it's next to Jonker Street. Park your car at reserved hotel lots and walk to Jonker Street. You need not worry about the mad jam of driving into Jonker Street and the impossible feat of getting a parking lot on Saturday night !

The Multi Lingo Kid

This is too funny.
We had visitors from Perth last weekend, my friend Joanne and her family. Joanne left for Langkawi on Monday morning.

I told Amber Aunty Joanne will be leaving the following day, very early in the morning at 7am.

We were in the car, on way to dinner and suddenly she asked :

Aunty Joanne, tomorrow 7 o'clock you chang ying ah ??

We paused for 5 seconds and digested what she said.. and had a good laugh She thought 'chang ying' ie the mandarin word for 'fly' as in insect was the same as fly as in boarding an aeroplane.

That clearly shows someone wasn't paying attention in Mandarin class. Anyways... we had a good laugh !

Enzymes & Recycling

I'm sure I'm one of the many whose left with dozens or gazillions of mandarin orange leftovers from CNY. When I was small I used to love mandarin oranges I'm always eyeing on the wooden carton of teochew mandarin orange that my parents buy for the New Year. One carton for prayers and giving away as buah tangan leaving not many for own consumption. I think they comes in sizes of 112,96,72 or 56 orange per carton. U see how crazy I was ? I can remember the # of orange per carton and boy.. the aroma of an opened carton, NICE !

30 years forward, I don't look forward to mandarins anymore. Buying a box for CNY was just for customary sake, to pai nien or as a polite gesture to return to visitors. The company gives us a carton each year. Damn kiamsiap co. all we get is a carton of mandarins and a box of mooncakes.

Anyways..... the first few days of CNY, mandarins exchanged always fresh and tangy. I'll have 1 or 2 or just a few more, the most. The rest are kept in the fridge till after new year and thrown away when they look old and shriveled..

I started making garbage enzymes last year and these mandarins comes in handy. Along with some mandarins that I've collected from my sis and my kaffir limes, I made a big box of garbage enzymes. Enough to share with my family and wash my 6 toilets.. !!!

 

Just follow the 1:3:10 rule (1kg brown sugar, 3kg fruit and 10 liters water) and leave to ferment for 4 months, you'll have bottles and bottles of enzymes and the residue makes excellent fertilizers !

See ? I do my part to recycle and pledge to live sustainably too :)

Goodies Galore !

My childhood friend from school was back to Malaysia. Her family migrated to Perth when she was in Form Two and it's remarkable that we still do keep in touch today, especially so in the recent years with the help of internet and emails, keeping in touch is only a click away. 

Sometimes I catch her online at night.. and we had a good laugh when realise both of us were whiling away leisurely on the internet coz we're waiting for our laundry to be done. Hilarious !

She brought back many goodies for me. Stuff I can't get here :

Cookie cutters :

  Shape of elephant, hippo and rhino

 

Biscuit cookie cutter with center designs.. great for jam filled cookies

Angel 3D cookie cutter 

Snowflakes

 

 Christmas themed cookie cutter

premium tomato and passiofruit preserves

and an allergy free baking book for Amber :)

Thank you very much Ka Yean. Lovely having you and yours here and soon, hopefully, me and mine will go visit Perth !

Mental Arithmetics

Her mental arithmetic class is divided to 3 sections now. 

First it's the calculations with abacus :

 

Then, mental calculations, without abacus :

I had to give many stars to keep her motivated.. and a BIG HUGE STAR when she completes the page

Then it's the mental arithmetic without abacus or books, just by listening to teacher :

 

I like the way she writes the date and the big dots between the day, month and year.

Many moms told me it's pointless to send her to mental arithmetic now as she'll learn it in school, at Std 1.  We have our own reasons though, mental arithmetic stimulates the right brain and we hope to develop her mental abilities and improve her concentration and hoping she'll be less boh-tiam ! 

She's doing well despite crying foul over the pages and pages of homework each week. Be warned if you want to send your kids to mental arithmetics. A page of homework has 48 equations and the homework can go up to 5 pages per week.

Sketches

Another sketch of hers. 

This is our house...

 

Our house has 3 windows ..

it's a sunny day...

but there's also some clouds and many birds flying..

our car is parked outside the house..

(very distorted looking car)

Wishing you a Happy Weekend and I hope to hear good nears from the disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant. It has been a very sad and depressing week for all.

Little Ms Launderer

Guess what Ms Busybody is up to ?

She helped me do the laundry and handwashed her own clothes. I have the habit of handwashing new clothes. They look too pretty and nice to be sent to a tumultuous and maniac spin in the washing machine. but after 2 or 3 washes.. hantam-lah. .masuk washing machine jor !

She was a pile of her own CNY clothes for handwash and got herself busy. I let her be. Happy mommy and happy kid.

 

LLB  - look like busy...

 

but she's actually having fun getting herself all wet !

Wonder if she'll still want to help me to the laundry when she grows up ?  

I'll be happy if she can do her own laundry. My mom made me wash my own clothes since I was in secondary school. She said all girls should know how to iron and wash clothes. She also thinks it'll make me a better wife. That's the exact thoughts of my very traditional but doting mom. 

Yut Kee Moving Out

Yut Kee, the old Hainanese coffeeshop at Jalan Dang Wangi is one of our lunch haunt. I've been frequenting Yut Kee coffeeshop since my days of working at the bank nearby 20 years ago. Now, 20 years forward, my office is also within walking distance from Yut Kee. 

Hubs and I like to pop by on mornings when we are exceptionally early. We'll share a dried beef noodle and teh-si. Hubs will order an extra egg and toast. I'll pack a whole kaya swiss roll but stopped since Amber was diagnosed with egg allergy. Amber loves the kaya rolls and I'll be very cruel to be chomping down pieces after  pieces with the little one staring at me ... salivating .. :(

I saw in the Metro headlines last week about Yut Kee relocating. I'm glad they are only relocating to a stone's throw away and not moving out or worst, close shop. Read more here 

Jack, the bubbly specky guy who inherited the business from his father will be running the show again at the new location, which is just behind current Yut Kee. It'll never be the same again,even with same menu, chef and pricing. I like the current old kopitiam look, the old chairs and the crowded but airy coffeeshop.

If you are running out of place to eat this weekend, pop by for their famous pork roast with potatoes and apple sauce. Available only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for brunch.

 

Tempted ? 

I think I shall have roast pork for lunch today :)