Why do kids like holidays?

I posed this question to Wyng. Here are his answers:

Number 1: Because I don't have to do homework
Number 2: So that I don't get whacked by teacher. Naturally, I questioned how often he get whacked. 'Not always la', was his reply.

Things to do during school holidays

Yeh! It's holiday time! What I would like to do during the holidays? And the holidays is only a week for me as I will still be pre-occupied with my home venture during the first week.

* Go for my long overdue medical check-up. 'The most vulnerable part of a female' is at high risk for me as I've put this off for more than two years, as far as I can remember.
* Go for my hair-cut
* Fix the problem of my car. Even new cars have problems and this is a manufacturing defect, I suppose.
* Clean up the house. Some areas are not so visible to guests in my house and need cleaning or else they will turn to stubborn stain, cleaning while they are still fresh is advisable.
* Baking. I promise Wyng I will bake some cup cakes. I hope H can help me to do the tedious and messy washing after that.

If only I put in more effort

For the first time since he started school, he scored 100% in BM. Generally, it's no big deal that a primary student manages to score full marks in their test. But, for my kids, it is worth 'shouting' about it. Despite compliments from people close to me that my kids are smart, this doesn't show very prominently in their academic results.

He got 76% in BM in the first term. And that was without my 'interference' in his studies. Despite devoting full-time in guiding other children, I neglected my own kid.

So, setting some time for him, I gave him some guidance after the first term. I also gave him a few exercises as well as flash cards. Not to say that I am not giving credit to his tuition teacher who gave students many past year worksheets to do, if only I can spend more time with him, he would definitely be an A-scorer, a strong one.

Do you think Vista sucks!

When it comes to IT stuff, I am quite 'hopeless' despite having depended on it for more than a decade in my previous jobs.  We have been using Vista for about four years at home.  It was not until last year that its performance has been deteriorating. 

Hoe has been complaining because he isn't able to play most games using my desktop.  A lot of programmes have been quite slow running on Vista.  In fact, most of the websites take too long to load.  It came to a point when the desktop is unbearably slow.

So, we have decided to change it to Windows 7.  Hoe will be very happy about it, that is provided he is allowed to touch my desktop. 

How to get rid of these pests?

What kind of home we are living in? We've got uninvited guests, every minute, every day. They are none other than Mr Mosquitoes. I got their attention when I am hanging out clothes to dry in the car porch. There was an occasion when I got stung even when I was cooking something in the kitchen.

To get rid of them, we got ourselves a device which gives out UV light to attract them. How they are killed eventually is not important as long as they are dead. Having this device is not the solution as this only covers a small area. I have to mobilise this from room to room, too tedious.

Next thing my husband fell in love in is this repeller which emits a sound, harmless to humans and pets but hazardous to insects including lizards and spiders. It claims to even clean the air. Able to cover an area as big as 4,500 square feet, this is more than enough to rid these pests from my house.

Bye,bye mosquitoes.

Who keeps talking and nobody listens?

When Wyng popped this question, the answer that I gave was a very natural one. "Wyng!" I quipped, to his amusement and annoyance. He's becoming so chatty nowadays, that I have to stop him from his endless queries and babbling of facts and more facts.

"It's the teacher!", he retaliated.

How true! Nobody listens to the teacher when they are supposed to, then what are teachers for?

He likes details

As soon as he gets permission from his daddy to draw on the discarded business cards, he wasted no time. He diligently drew on the back of the cards. And I thought he was scribbling on them. Little did I realise that he was tracing the path on the roadmap at the back of the cards.

According to Daddy, he was showing the roadmap to his 'shop'.

And he did that on the entire pack of cards in probably about three days. What intrigued him? Only he knows.

Happy Mother's Day

It is just less than 10cm. Even though I don't really like the way the card is done (the message was written in pencil and the card is not cut neatly), the message is so real. I do hope he means what he wrote about loving mummy.

Yummy chicken

Chicken is Wyng's favourite meat. Nowadays, he eats with his fingers and sucking deliciously off the bone. He used to stay away from even touching the meat with his fingers. He will surely like this dish provided I don't include chilli in it.

This is a dish downloaded from Asian Online Recipe website.

Cashew Chicken

Although it is not native to South-East Asia, the cashew tree is highly prized in Thailand and the classic partnership of these slightly sweet nuts with chicken is immensely popular in Thailand and abroad. The Thais not only value cashew nuts, but also the "fruit" under which each nut grows. Although they are known as cashew apples, these so-called fruits are actually bulbous portions of the stem. They may be pink, red or yellow in color and the crisp, sweet flesh can be eaten raw of made into a refreshing drink. They have even been used for making jam. Cashew apples - and undried nuts - are rarely seen outside their growing regions.

Whatever it is, this is one delicious recipe that you should get your hands on.

Ingredients: (Serves 4 - 6)

450 g/1 lb boneless chicken breast portions

1 red (bell) pepper (capsicum)

2 garlic cloves

4 dried red chilies

30 ml/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

30 ml/2 tablespoons oyster sauce

15 ml/1 tablespoon soy sauce

Pinch of granulated sugar

1 bunch spring onions (scallions), cut into 5 cm/2 in lengths

175 g/6 oz/1.5 cups cashews, roasted

Coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish

Method:

1. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken breasts and trim off any excess fat. With a sharp knife, cut the chicken into bitesize pieces and set aside.

2. Halve the red pepper, scrape out the seeds and membranes and discard, then cut the flesh into 2 cm/0.75 in dice. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and chop the dried red chilies.

3. Preheat a wok and then heat the oil. The best way to do this is to drizzle a "necklace" of oil around the inner rim of the wok. so that it drops down to coat the entire inner surface. Make sure the coating is even by swirling the wok.

4. Add the garlic and dried chilies to the wok and stir-fry over a medium heat until golden. Do not let the garlic burn, otherwise it will taste bitter.

5. Add the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until it is cooked through, then add the red pepper. If the mixture is very dry, add a little water.

6. Stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Add the spring onions and cashew nuts. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes more, until heated through. Spoon into a warm dish and serve immediately, garnished with the coriander leaves.

First carwash,polish and wax

Even a four-wheeled needs a facial treatment,I mean body treatment. I also pamper it with a good polish and wax.

It looks so glossy and light after that. And so was my pocket, lighter by RM150.

My faithful blood-sucker friends

They have been with me since I was in pre-school, as far as I can remember from a very old photo of a young innocent me. They left marks which are visible enough to be seen on photographs. Yes, that is how 'attached' they are to me.


We never part since then

Childhood, from primary to secondary even til adulthood

Their presence, never fails to be noticeable

By only the 'priviliged' few whom they adore,unfortunately

And when they sting, they cling

Til we feel the itching, darn annoying

Relentless, I swear they are

Ugly red bloody marks, in numbers, they often are

An identity I loathed to have

For I got interrogated in school for inviting these creatures

Who seemed to adore me so dearly

Ironically only a few feel their presence

As most are unscathed by them

Pleasing blood,it seems I have

To entice these blood-sucker friends