SG Part Time Maid

Received a small leaflet.

.>> Local Part time Maid ....Hardworking, Trustworthy local maid... etc do household chores.... on hourly/weekly/monthly basis. Reasonable rates. Interested please contact 84521924 ...

So I rang and an asian lady voice was on the phone. I asked for the price for 3 hours .. and she gave me the sum $260 for a month. Got me shocked for a while. And she elaborate its 3 hours weekly so a month is $260. <<<

Currently there are part time maids for the rate of $10/hour that usually comes on a Sunday.
Mostly philippines and indonesian.

2 years ago: 
Foreign Part time maid is $10 per hour. if four hours then it be $50 due to the stretch of work.

Now: 
Foreign part time maid mostly are $10 per hour, some with a minimum of 2 hours. Now I got the info that some foreign part time maid request a minimum of 3 hours now with the price of $45 (which average is $15 per hour).

Local part time maid is $260 for 3 hours per week. which makes it average $22 per hour.

Indeed.. maybe majority find it $22 per hour is "reasonable rate" but I think it is a bit overpriced.

SG Indoor PlayCenter / PlayGround

Due to TigerBaby never been to a playcenter throughout her life, I have made a resolution for her this year 2012 that I would bring her to try out.

With the migration back to Singapore and another month before her school starts in January 2013, I set the determination to bring her to at least 4 play centers in Singapore.

First Week of December 
Tickle Tickle @ Delta Sport Center
http://tickletickle.sg/

• Entrance fee (non member) $12 - Unlimited Play (weekdays and weekends)
• Locker: Open concept (aka No Key)  Free 
• Pretend Play (High level)
• Active Play (medium level) 
• Cafe: None - and the closest food available place is a good 10 mins walk 
• Re-entry: Not Allowed
• Changing Table: None - so you have to walk to the Ladies Changing room to change and the only thing in there is wooden bench. So prepared on this if you are a person who needs a changing table to change your kids diaper. 
• Car Park: Free parking or coupon cark parking 
• Bus Stop: Right in front of the playcenter, though you have to walk a little to the playcenter but not much fuss eventhough without a stroller. However, to return home, you need to cross a bridge to the other side of the bus stop

Verdict:
The way they structure the place is quite different from other playcenters. They made it into a little house. So there is one house for Kitchen, one house for Supermarket, one house for servicing Cars and one house for Cafe. The active play area has a slide which I as an adult find it quite "fast" though tigerbaby after 45 mins of warm up finally have the courage to try and enjoy it.

Overall:
I won't be going again unless there are other mummies wanting to go together. As there is not much people there so there won't be much interaction with other kids. Though if you want a peace and quiet play time for your kid, then thats the place to be. Cheaper entrance fee and you can have pretty much the whole place to yourself! And if you just want to go and play and straight head off somewhere else to EAT ..



Second Week of December
None as she went for vaccination - Hep A and a booster of Prenar

Third Week of December 

Hokey Pokey @ Suntec Tower 

https://www.facebook.com/sghokeypokey

• Entrance fee (non member) $25 - (members) $15 -Unlimited Play (weekdays only) 
• Locker: Free and comes with a Key :)
• Pretend Play (High level)
• Active Play (Low level) 
• Cafe: None - but due to you can reentry so it is much easy to go out and get something you like and go back in
• Re-entry: Allowed
• Changing Table: Yes
• Car Park: Suntec Carpark Rates. 
• Bus Stop: Have to walk a fair bit from bus stop. 
• MRT: Pomerande MRT - so take the MRT if you can than to take the bus. 
• Hygiene:  Staff would sanitise kids hands, check kids legs before letting them in. Which I quite like this part. And there is a bin for parents to put in toys that their kids put in their mouth so the staff can clean them up. 
• Customer Service: Good 
• Bonus: Bubbles blowing out for about 15 mins with hip hop song so kids just went GAGA over it. Though tigerbaby just stood and watched but was all excited when I carry her and she tried grabbing them ... *lazy girl*

Verdict: 

When You first enter you find it kinda messy but hey its a kids play area.  what you expect? And on my vist there was at least 10 kids there. Tigerbaby pretty much enjoy her pretend play kitchen sets *as usual* and her ball pit. Refuse to try on slides. As for pretend play, this place has it good varietes. Kitchen sets, Hairdressing set, BBQ Set are available. Little toys house are also available but not as pretty as <tickle tickle>. I guess they didn't much invest on toy house as it is good to see but hard to manage I guess. Neways, there are definitely much other toys to play with suitable for toodlers. A bit of regret not bringing tigerbaby in when she was below 1. There is a section where you can play mini pianos which I find it quite nice as to buy one would cost a bomb.  

Tigerbaby liked the "Twin Wagon" a lot. pretty much is a stroller in my perspective and you pull or push the kid around. but due to the space and other kids and mum sitting around its quite hard to move around but tigerbaby and her friend Rena got a good 15 min ride..~~ *biceps in the making for mummies* Staff would come in to put toys away on and off so I find it quite nice. 

Overall: I definitely don't mind coming back again. One top reason is there is food for us to eat after a play and we can go back in if we want to. For that price of $25 and can't re-entry I definitely would not go for it but with the re-entry policy it is consider FAIR for that price charge. Locker is Free compare to some place charge $1 for the locker for the same entrance fee which I think is not right.  How can a locker be easily spoilt?? though if pay $1 for deposit then its reasonable but am glad hokey pokey doesn't charge anything for a locket. Thumbs up on that ! *probraly place is small and the locker is right infront of the reception so staff can watch out easily haha*

If Tigerbaby ain't starting school next month, I would have join membership. As logically calculated SAHM, if weekdays she goes school, I hardly would go. If weekends i find it to be too crowded and I most likely have other "events" or errands to attend so I hardly would go. 

however the membership is $50 , you do get One Free Entry per sign up and One Free Entry During Birthday Month, so I guess it covers up the membership fee. So if I do go again in 2013 I would sign up for sure. though I don't think I would be going again due to tigerbaby 2013 scedules .. haha 

4th Week of December  - To Be Continued..

Amazonia @ Great World City

http://www.amazoniafun.com/

• Entrance fee (non member) $22 - (members) $17 
• Locker: ??
• Pretend Play (level)
• Active Play (level) 
• Cafe: Yes - heard that it is pretty good menu they have..
• Re-entry: ?? 
• Changing Table:??
• Car Park: Great World Carpark Rates. 
• Bus Stop: have to cross a road if you on Zion Road but need to cross a bridge if you on the other side. 
• MRT: None but there is shuttle bus from Orchard MRT . 
• Hygiene:  ??
• Customer Service: ?? 
• Bonus: ??

SG Lunch - Kenny Rogers (Great World)

Had Lunch one day at Kenny Rogers (Great World City Shopping Center). 

Ordered their Set Lunch which is 1/4 Chicken with a Side dish (Macoroni Cheese) Lunch Set $11 

Note: Its serves a complimentary Corn Muffin.

Simply one word - Not worth it !

Verdict: 

Maccroni cheese was super salty or you can say super "rich" in flavour. For adults with a strong taste bud, this is acceptable. For a toodler, I think it is was too salty and not nice at all. The "cheese" is pretty much kinda "fakey" taste. Smell like cheese but don't taste like real cheese. It gave me more of a creamy taste. GV Village Cinema nacho cheese actually taste a bit better than this. 

Chicken meat was dry. The herb they use to roast the chicken didn't give it much taste. It seems like just a few sprinkle of the herb and spices and a quick roast. I had to put a lot of tomato sauce to eat it. 

Corn Muffin is however acceptable. A bit dry though tigerbaby quite like it most likely it is SWeet and she was super hungry. However I do somehow feel they use one ingredient that helps to keep it longer into their muffin. Because it made my tongue felt a bit weird after I had it. 

Another visit to Kenny Rogers? No Way! 

yogurt: brand- milkana

produced in france. available in cold storage singapore supermarket. sell in a pack of four. price : $3.5

verdict: too sweet for toodler. its more like a desert puree served on your cheesecake.

SG lunch - Ichiban Boshi (great world)

Tigerbaby hasn't had fish for a while, so I decided to let her have some fish. With that, off to the closest and the fish seems to be in better quality restaurant.  Ichiban Boshi at Great World City Shopping Center.

Ordered this set - Tojusen Sakan Gozen Set $24.90; but after GST and Service Charge the total bill amount is $29.31

It has Cod Fish , Fish fillets, Tofu, Cawanmushi (Egg), Rice, Miso soup which I find should be substantial food for tigerbaby.

Nevertheless, this was my 2nd time ordering this set, and today was absolutely disappointed to the extend I provide feedback to the manager. THe fish was over soaked with sauces and extremely salty (though said , the first time i order this set last month, it was done well). The cod fish was meant to be lightly cooked with teriyaki sauce if I recall correctly but today if you manage to see the pic it is soaked with watery sauce. The first fillet was too drench with sauce till I find the skin a bit soft.  And worst of all TOO SALTY~~~

Manager herself quickly too realise it is badly cooked and realise the sauces were quite wrong. She did offer to make another one for me or give me extra rice to contra the saltiness. As it was getting late, so I just say just give me some extra rice as it was getting late.

Verdict: Its a good set combination for mother and child. Tigerbaby ate half a bowl of rice, all of the cod fish. one tofu and 1/4 of cawanmushi. They are obviously with taste and are soft food so i find toodlers would usually enjoy this. And with whatever leftover, the mom can have it and it still can make one feel full.  And the main thing is the fish is FRESH despite the saltiness.

Note: it too have soft shell crab in this set :)



Yes, it would be cheaper if you buy yourself from market and cook it... however one thing I learn from cooking fish for last 2 years. If you get your fish from wet market, you still need to clean it before cooking it aka remove the skin or bones. As for cooking fish you need to really time it well. Overcooked fish doesn't taste that well. As for serving the fish, it needs to be warm or else it usually tends to give a taste that some toodlers (for eg: tigerbaby) tend to be able to differentiate and gets fussy over it. So occasionally order fish when we dine out is indeed acceptable.

However cod fish is indeed a very nice fish that toodlers usually tend to like due to the texture. Though it isn't the sweetest meat of all fish I have to say. Salmon is good with the omega thingy but it is actually one of the harder fish to cook if you have a toodler like tigerbaby ... :))

SG Lunch - Jia Xiang Sarawak Kolo Mee (vivocity)

We had lunch on Saturday at Jia Xiang Sarawak Kolo Mee at Vivocity (Its near the exit of MRT station right opposite McDonalds) I ordered the Combo one (forgot the name) which has Char Siu (pork), Wonton and Prawn served. Pricing is about $6 plus if i recall. 

Verdict: The noodles are springy (QQ) but the serving is a bit small for that pricing. Prawns are normal as it tasted like frozen prawns. Wonton was small size. However Tigerbaby manage to finish 80% of my noodle and at least 3 wontons. 

MSG Level: Medium. Probraly I didn't "wash" the noodles much. After 2-3 spoon of noodles she ask for water; so the next serve I "wash" it a bit more and it seem to be fine. So it could be from the saltyness (soya sauce) or from the msg. However for the soup to my level of MSG tolerance, it is acceptable. 

Service: Excellent. Probraly our lucky day. There was this lady who was full with smile and  great service. She saw us.. quickly help us to be seated. Move chairs so that we got a spot for our stroller.  

However one thing I find "surprising" for such a restaurant, there is no tissue provided. If you want tissue / serviets, pay 30cents for a packet. As a typical mum, when i heard that, i quickly went back to my diaper bag and search for 2 tissue to wipe off tigerbaby mess. I am not kaisu .. it would be much faster to get from them than to scram through the diaper bag. And for a restaurant charging that price, I think they should provide seriously. 

Summary: If you have a kid with a stroller and the food court is pack, can consider to visit this place due ot the "spacious" and it doesn't seem to be as busy as other restaurant. Probraly because the price you pay is quite expensive for the amount of food and for a simple wonton noodle in many people perspective. However you get the space, no need to queue and "chop" seats and overall I find the noodles and msg level is still acceptable to feed a toodler. 

SG Lunch - Asian Kitchen @ VivoCity

Its 1.20pm a bit way over Tigerbaby usual lunch time. Besides this morning breakfast she only have half a class of milk, half a tube of PetitMiam Yogurt and half a slice of bread. Obviously she was hungry as she hand signal me that she wanted to eat.

Off we find a place to eat at food court. Bad timing to go.  Off we went to find a restaurant hoping we find a seat soon. Stopped at The Asian Kitchen. Was asked to wait for about 10 mins. Well the lady pretty much align me to the table and was just waiting for the customer to pay. So once I sat tigerbaby down I quickly order the PORK CHOP LA MIAN SG $10 as it was the first thing I saw from the menu while i was in the waiting line.

Verdict: Tigerbaby had 90% of the noodles and 3 piece of the pork chop.

My verdict: The noodles are soft and chewy. The broth is typical soup broth with MSG but yet not over powered msg as i was not craving for water after I had two mouth full. Yes, as some know by now my tongue is a MSG level detector. pretty much I am low tolerance to MSG compare to BlurDad. The Pork was marinated with a bit of spice, my guess is Lemon Grass so it does make it tasty. Pork Meat is not overcook so bascially it is chewable easily, even for a toodler.

Having said all this, its a 50% chance that Tigerbaby is hungry and 50% is the food is nicely cooked. For any mothers with fussy toodlers, give this a try when you visit but always remove the soup when you serve the toodlers as it is no matter what, still has MSG in it. :)

Note: Just to add on, so poor me had pretty much nothing much to eat left went for an Old Chang Kee Curry Puff to go ! :)

SAHM - Stay At Home Mom

Thats what the abbrievation means. SAHM. Stay At Home Mom.

I have been a SAHM since 2011 and I have to say the experience is super overwhelming. May how some people would envy me .. saying things like: How i wish to be a SAHM... i seriously can only reply to them: Really? Try it and I bet you won't say the same.

The benefits of SAHM - the time and moment you spend with your child. Able to capture their smiles and cheekiness.

The Dark side of SAHM - super long list.

Thats where you have to weight which is more important and ask yourself what type of personality you have. Are you able to handle the routines day and night, everyday, every week?

I could write 2-3 pages base on this topic but I think I would stop right now for the moment. And if you happen to browse through this blog, have a deep thought. Are you a SAHM type of person? or are you not?

Finally.. We are in Singapore!

I am finally moved into my Singapore place. Most furniture are in. Left with 8 boxes to unpack.

As I was unpacking, I went through a lot of things and it seems to be a quick flash back of the times I went through as a bachelorette, marriage and then being a mom. Sentimental human being indeed.

Tigerbaby is now 27 Months old. Do hope things finally can settle down for her and she can come out of her "shell" soon. :)

Steam Moist Chocolate cake

My next experiment..... stay tune... :)

Steam Moist Chocolate cake 
(A)
180g butter
160g castor sugar

200g evaporated milk/fresh milk

(B)
2 eggs
2 tbsp rum (optional)

(C)
100g Self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
50g coco powder

Step 1. Place (A) in mixing bowl and stir over double-boiler until thick. Remove it from double-boiler.

Step 2. Add (B) and mix until well combined.

Step 3. Sieve (C), add to the mixture above & mix until well blended.

Step 4. Steam for 45 min...

Items for Sales - Furniture/Electric

StudyTable $40

DiningTable with 6 woodChairs $80

 $400 Panasonic 42inch Plasma TV

$50 TV Cabinet (with glass door) 

Items for Sale - Kitchen/ Electric

Dustbin $5

Novita Hummifer $150

Vaporisor $5  - no plug 

Abode Columm Heater $30

Dell Keyboard $5

Fan Heater $20 

Kambrook Dual Processor and Blender $40

Kettle $1 - available Mid Sept

Small Stainless Steel Pot $2 - available mid sept

Arcosteel Pot with Colander and Steamer Basket $5 

Wok $5

$5 Electric hand mixer - available mid sept

Dustbin $2

Dustbin $2

Weight Measrement $2

Rice cooker $2

Toaster $5

Clothes Hanger $5

Clothers Hanger Wide $5

Dish Rack $2

Sheives 3 for $3 - available mid sept

Induction cooker $5

Hearing Test for Tigerbaby

Tigerbaby hasn't talk much. Not more than 10 words at the age of 2 years old and 3 days.. If to my memory these are the words she knows:

1. Ball
2. Crystal
3. There
4. More
5. Mum..  (depending on her mood)
6. PoPo (meaning: Granny in mandarin)
7. All Fall Down (it goes together...to her it is like One word)
8. No (very occasionally she uses it...)

We took her to a speech therapist. Dr Elaine Kelly at Moonee Ponds. Consultation is about $120 per session and she went twice. Her comprehension skills are fantastic as evaluated by the doctor but indeed she is slow for her language (she is only at 1.5 years old stage) *I thought they suppose to have more words that stage anyway. Neways are comprehension skills are far exceed her level (she hit 2yrs 8mth stage). 

Dr Elaine ask us to go for a hearing test , eventhough tigerbaby has one while birth but as expert say, as time goes by they may get ear infection that parents don't realise and which may effect their language or speech skills. As those who know me, I am quite a "kan cheong" a.k.a paranoid mother. With that, my alarm bells went off and tried to find an appointment for her. 

The medical system in Australia is very "different". Seriously, I wonder are these audiologist so busy? Are there that many people go for hearing test? Unbelievable. And the best, they need referral letters. With that it links back to the Dr which the Dr need to write up one letter and fax it to the respective <department> and then the respective <department> call you to make an appointment. How Bazaar from my prespective but then that was what had happen. Dr secretary fax in the referral last wed and when I called in this tuesday the lady say they didnt receive the fax. And I called back the Dr and got voicemail and when goose hunting for another number to contact the Dr. Finally got the Mobile and the secretary say he did fax and i say could you fax again.  The next day I rang or so, i received a call from the Eye and Ear hospital and saying they receive a note that stating I want to make an appointment and say i need to get the referral letter in but i say dr already fax it and say she didn't receive.. oh in summary a tennis game and I was like going around bushes.  On Wed, Dr secretary rang and say he found a spot for me at Melbourne Diagnostic Center on thurs. So I rang up hubby to check whether he can make it. No pick up. Called back Dr secretary say i would take it as he wanted me to call back him so he call back the center to confirm. And when i did, he say better i call direct. Fair enough, called center and guess what???  the lady say the slot was on Hold by Dr Secretary but it was given out already. It was less than 5 mins from dr call to me and for me to call back!! That is not call on HOLD missy!! Arggg.. but she manage to find one spot on friday so .... Finally we managed to get one appointment today friday at 9am!! 

Off we went to the Melbourne Diagnostic Center to do a hearing test for tigerbaby. We went into a "vacumm" room. Did the tests within 15 mins and out we go! The audiologist say she is fine and the bill is $100 and she would send a copy of the report to the Speech therapist and one to my mailing address. 

Recipe: Pandan Chiffon Cake

I did feel like baking tonight but then I am physically and mentally tired so I guess I just take it easy tonight but to fulfil my "baking urge" I wrote this post instead.. well it links to "baking" in some way right? :P

I made twice pandan chiffon cake and I have to say it is really indeed a very nice cake to have and you really can't stop at 1 piece. My first version was not so successfully but was well commented Nice still yet I felt there was missing the fragrance (as I didn't use coconut milk and fresh pandan leaves) and also that extra sponginess of a chiffon cake should have. With that, Pandan chiffon cake version2 was created.

Ingredients 

Group A
150g Self Raising Flour
60g Caster Sugar (original recipe state 80g but I kinda like to reduce sugar in my baking)
90ml Coconut Milk
1/4 teaspoon Pandan paste + 30ml water
60ml Vegetable Oil (or 40ml Coconut Milk + 20ml Vegetable oil - this is what I used as I wanted to finish the coconut milk)
5 Yolks

Group B
5 Egg Whites
80g Caster Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cream Tartar

Mould used: I think it is 21cm one - the smallest version. there is 23 cm mould out there so if you got the bigger mould then effect may be a bit different. Anyway I personally feel it is how well you beat the egg white is one big key for the success of this cake and not much of the size of the mould.

Method:

1) Preheat Oven at 160'c *DO NOT GREASE OR OIL THE MOULD/PAN*
2) Shift 150g Self Raising flour - set aside
3) Start with Group A : Prepare the 90ml Pandan juice - if you got access to Fresh Pandan leaves then please make it but as I don't have so pandan paste is use and to make it more sinful, I added coconut milk to the paste
4) Beat Egg Yolks with Caster Sugar till creamy (with a balloon whisk)
5) Add Pandan Juice , beat it for a while
6) Add Oil (vegetable / corn oil)
7) Add the Self Raisingflour into the mixture. Give it a good stir with the egg beater

8) Group B: Beat egg white till it becomes foamy
9) Add Cream Tartar to mixture, beat for 2 minutes
10) Add Sugar slowly to mixture (split into 3 batch) and beat it till stiff peaks (for my experience: this would take a good 4 min beating with a electric hand beater)

11) Slowly take the egg white mixture (Group B) and fold it into Egg Yolk mixture (Group A). Split the fold to 3 batches. Note: don't use electric mixer to do this "folding part" it would KILL the cake.

12) Pour into the mould (Yes, you need to have the mould that has a hole in the middle and non-stick). I like to make ribbons out of it so I pour around it so it is more balanced out.

13) Bake 160'c for 10 min, then change it to 180' for 30-35 mins as per original recipe. However due to I was using middle rack of my oven,  I change it to 160" for 25 mins and then 180'  for 20 mins.  Basically, you know your oven the best. Once you see it rise (take approx 10 mins) then monitor whether it gets BROWN too fast, if so, turn down temperature to about 150-160'.  it definitely would be done in 50 mins.

Cooling Part
14) Once remove from oven, invert the pan immediately (meaning Turn it upside down). have a little bottle or something to help sustain the weight of the pan so that it doesn't collapse or shrink.
15) Once cooled down, turn it back over. Use a knife and slide it as the side and at the ring hole. With that it would be removable from the pan. Cut and serve! :)

Verdict: Tigerbaby really love this and had 4 slices within 3 days. Well clueless mom too!

Speech Assessment for Tigerbaby

11/8 Today is the first consultation for tiger baby speech therapy with Dr Elaine Kelly. Where it is called a "psyhological assessement" which we know she is fine but then as it is in Australia, process! need to do this first before next .... so anyway. The asssesment was called "Bayley Scales of Infant and Toodler Development. It has 3 parts:

• Cognitive Composite score - 63rd percentile, 25 months - Average to High 
• Language score - Receptive Communication - 25 months ; Expressive Communication - 18months
• Motor score - Fine Motor - 31months; Gross Motor - 21months. 

For fine motor skills they would test on putting blocks together,  putting all sort of shape in the right place so it does work on brain coordination, observation,  concentration and listening to instructions.

For motor skills they test on asking you to kick a ball, walk on a blue line , jump across a line (which she failed as she dont jump much and definitely in this manner)

And was ask to do another hearing test as sickness may effect her hearing so it is better we do so eventhough I don't feel it is necessary but it is part of the process so off we need to send her for a hearing test and guess what, it require the doctor referral which means the dr would have to ring up the facility and make an appointment which I find it quite weird as how would she make an appointment to suit a slot with our time. Anyway.. that was what was told so we listened and head off and wait for her call,

Next assessment would be next week which would be on language. Gosh and I thought they do it today which was the main reason. Anyway, what needs to be done needs to be done, will have to make another trip :(

18/8 This is her 2nd consultation.  Its called the Preschool Langauge Sacle 4th ediction (PLS-4) which compose of 2 subscales. Auditory Comprehension and Expressive Communication.

AC - 88th percentile.Equivalent of 2yr 3 months So she passed
EC - 18th percentile. Equivalent of 1yr 5 months. so she failed.
with an overall of AC and EC, she is on the 55th percenile, equivalent of 1 yr 9 months.

Earing test is recommended.

And guess what the total bill came to for 2 consulation and a report AUD 440! Do hope private insurance do cover as it state on his broucher or else BlurDad would be very unhappy....

Recipe: Steamed Water Egg 蒸水蛋

Steamed Egg is nutritious for toddlers and easy to make. If your little one has a sore throat or not feeling well and you don't have time to make soup, steam egg is a good dish to go with Rice!  Besides adults can have it too so for busy working moms, definitely can give this a try!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg (3 eggs if you cooking for 2 adults too)
• approx 180 ml of  Cold/Warm/Boilng water *boiling preferred with that say, not boiling straight from the kettle type of boiling. Just from the hot water dispenser type would do. 

To Measure water, I always use this method: What level the eggs are on the bowl, thats the level of water (or soup) required. Its a 1:1 ratio - liquid level is very important for steaming eggs. If there is too much water it would take longer time to steam and the texture would be a bit different.

• 1 teaspoon of soya sauce (optional - if you cooking for adults then add it )
• 1 teaspoon of rice wine (optional - if you cooking for adults then add it)
• pinch of salt

Method:
1) Beat the egg till foamy
2 Add water to egg mixture ; give it a good stir (or gently beat it again)
3) Pour it in a shallow plate Note: Use a Strainer to sieve the mixture so that no lumps occur; meaning pour the egg mixture through the strainer, you find some egg whites residue left on the strainer at the end - discard them however if you beat it well earlier on you shouldn't have them. Alternatively, beat egg white first then add egg yolk and beat again then confirm don't have residue but more work.
4)  Cover it with aluminium foil or a lid
5) Have a pot/ wok of boiling water. Put in the rack and then the egg mixture to be steam. CHange it to Low fire.
6) Steaming time:

• For 3 eggs - Steam it for 12 mins on low fire ; checking every 4-5 mins *this would also help let the steam go off so that you get a smooth texture* 
• For 1 egg - Steam for 6-10 mins; checking every 3 mins <Depending on the size of your plate or equipment you use for steaming> I use a "tingkat" to steam and it takes 6 mins with Low Fire. 

7) Once done, drizzel some Sesame Oil and Chopped Spring Onion on it.  Let it sit in the steamer or wok for 2-3 mins. this is really my personal style. Usually ppl would put spring onion after they remove from the steamer.

Recipe: Swiss Roll

Ingridients:

• 3 eggs 
• 30g Icing Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
• 30g Caster Sugar
• 2 tbsp Milk
• 35g Self Raising Flour
• 20g Corn Flour
• 1 tbsp Corn oil (or vegetable oil or olive oil)

For Filling:

• Thickend Cream 125ml with 4 tsp of Caster Sugar. 

Method
1) separate egg white and egg yolk
2) Self Raising Flour + Corn Flour - mix together the flour and have it shifted
3) 3 egg yolks + 30g Caster Sugar + 2 tbsp Milk - mixed it until it is creamy but not too bubbly. *add in green tea powder or pandan essense at this stage if you want*
4) 3 egg white beaten 2-3 mins and when you see bubble, add in the Cream of Tartar. Beat for another 2-3 mins and then slowly add in the Icing Sugar and beat for another 2 mins until stiff peaks form.
5) Fold in egg whites to egg yolks.
6) Sift the flour to the mixture then quickly add in Corn Oil
7) Pour the bater in the lined baking tray and level it
8) Baked for 10-12mins at 180" (or 17mins at 170") until golden brown and you use a toothpick and it stand on its on
9) Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack and let it cool down
10) While it is still warm, turn it to another larger baking paper and peel of the baking paper. Spread the filling and then roll.

Baking in the oven

Out from the oven

Beaten Egg Whites

Final Product

Product replication: rock sugar

Gosh so much similarity that i didnt realise till i got back home, well the kambow brand is what i broughr today for $1.15 ,,, will see how ot taste compare to zheng feng brand with iso 9001 certification

Benefits: Gold Kiwi Fruit

Extract from this link http://www.natural-digestion.com/gold-kiwifruit-benefits

Its available in Woolworths supermarket now with $6.98 per kg though but the quality is not bad so do grab some. ;)

Both the green and the gold kiwi fruit contain good amounts of vitamin C, potassium and magnesium.

In a 1-cup serving:
vitamin C – green contains 166 mg – gold has 196 mg
potassium – green contains 562 mg – gold has 588 mg
magnesium – green contains 31 mg – gold has 26 mg

Nutritional Facts

The kiwifruit, both gold and green, are among the most nutrient-dense of all fruits. Not only is it a multi-vitamin and multi-mineral food but also has:

Soluble fiber, which helps maintain a healthy digestive tract.
Lots of enzymes which break down our food to make it usable by our bodies as energy.
Phenolic compounds are also in the kiwi and these help keep down bad bacteria while allowing the good kind to grow.

These nutrients are the big reason kiwifruit is widely known and used for making prebiotic supplements which are essential in supporting probiotics which can help keep our digestive health , including the immune system in tip top shape.

Kiwifruit Benefits

Cancer

According to the Rowett Research Institute in the United Kingdom, eating kiwifruit on a daily basis almost doubles the repair rate of your DNA. This is the kind of genetic damage that can be responsible for cancer.

Heart Health

The University of Oslo in Norway has reported that if you eat 2 or 3 kiwifruit a day, you will improve your heart health: thins your blood and reduces blood clotting. Also lowers the triglyceride (fat) levels in your blood by an average of %15.

Asthma

After a study in Italy it was discovered that children eating 5 to 7 servings of kiwifruit and other citrus fruits per week reported a significant decrease in coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

Skin

The high dosage of vitamin C contained in a kiwi has the ability to keep skin firm and supple by maintaining it’s collagen levels. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant giving it antibacterial qualities that help brighten and cleanse your skin. Vitamin E, also found in the kiwis is known for healing and reducing scars. It’s antioxidant qualities make it a fighter against pre-mature wrinkling which is caused from oxidization.

Prebiotic

Of the numerous companies making prebiotic supplements, many have chosen the kiwifruit as the food of choice. It has nutrients that make it a potent prebiotic; the foods that feed and support the probiotic microbes in your digestive system. These microbes, also known as bacteria, are devided into good and bad and both exist in your gut.

To maintain good health there must be many more of the good bacteria than bad. What prebiotics do is feed the good bacteria and make them grow, giving them the fighting advantage they need

Whether you get green or gold kiwifruit benefits, you can be sure you’ll be eating one of the most nutrient-perfect foods on earth.

from http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/kiwi-fruit.html

Health benefits of Kiwi fruit

• Kiwifruit is a very rich source of soluble dietary fiber (3.8 g per 100 g of fruit OR 10% of RDA), which makes it a good bulk laxative. The fiber content helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time to toxins as well as binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.
• The fruit is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin-C; provides about 154% of the DRI (daily-recommended intake). Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals.
• Kiwi fruit contains very good levels of vitamin-A, vitamin-E, vitamin-K and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, lutein and xanthin. Vitamin K has potential role in the increase of bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone. It also has established role in Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
• Research studies have shown that certain substances in kiwi-fruit functions as blood thinner similar to aspirin; helps to prevent clot formation inside the blood vessels and protects from stroke and heart attacks.
• Kiwi seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids. Research studies shows that consumption of foods rich in ω-3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and help prevent development of ADHD, autism, and other developmental differences in children.
• Fresh kiwi fruit is a very rich source of heart healthy electrolyte "potassium". Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure by countering effects of sodium.
• It also contains good amounts of minerals like manganese, iron and magnesium. Manganese is used in the body as a co-factor for the powerful antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Magnesium is an important bone-strengthening mineral like calcium.

Toodler Template Dinner Menu

I know most parents give whatever they have for dinner to their toodlers however I mostly dont as I find as adults our food are more salty however occasionally I do serve the same to tigerbaby. However if I am cooking the main dish which is more salty or spicy I tend to make another main dish for her which would usually go according to this template.


Monday 
1) ABC Soup (chicken drumstick, carrot, potato, onion etc)
2) Rice

Tuesday
1) Tofu
eg:

• Hot Plate Tofu
• Tofu with Miso soup

2) Rice
3) Vegetable

Wednesday
1) Steam Egg
2) Rice
3) Soup
eg:

• Watercress vege soup
• Beetroot Soup
• Sweetcorn soup

Thursday 
1) Fish
eg:

• Teriyaki Salmon
• Crumbled Fish Fillet
• Baked Cheese Salmon

2) Rice
3) Vege - brocoli, sweet corn and peas

Friday
1) Pork
eg:

• Mince pork with sauces and onions
• Spare Ribs with sauces braised / soup base

2) Rice
3) Vege

Saturday and Sunday
1) Beef
eg:

• Lasagna
• Bolognese

2) Vege

Toodler Throwing Tantrums

It seems at this stage 22- 24 months old toodlers have a growth leap - Throwing tantrums and whinning. Many websites writes on this topic and i wonder why. After a read through their articles and i realise it could be just another development curve for the kids.

Whattoexpect - is there a right way to displine your toodler? http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/theycallmemommy/toddler-discipline-mamas-bad-behavior

Babycenter - reasons your toodler might push you away
http://www.babycenter.com/404_why-does-my-toddler-sometimes-reject-my-affection_6826.bc?scid=momstodd_20120717:4&pe=MlV4bkdIZHwyMDEyMDcxNw..

Mytoodler 22month 4 week -
When your toddler whines for something, you may be tempted to cave in just to make him stop. But it's best to hold your ground – if you can show your toddler that whining won't get him anywhere, he's more likely to try other ways of communicating. When you hear your child whining, gently point it out to him and ask him to use his regular voice. Toddlers don't always know what whining is, and they may not be able to recognize it. 




To that, I conclude, as a parent, we are only humans. Occasionally we could not handle the excessive crying or whinning whatever u want to call it and we burst out screaming back at them "What to you want??? you driving me crazy.. Shut up!! " these are indeed the most frequent words we would use. I am not saying it is the right thing to do but I am saying is don't feel guilty if you do it once in a while. I know some moms would be guilty of doing it and even cry at night.  I can tell you one thing, when a toodler cries there is a momentum of shake in your heart. You feel your ear drums trembling and there is this electrifying current going through your brain and you feel like you want to burst like a volcano. That is what it is like. If you have learn the art to self calm yourself and talk nicely back to the kid then good for you. Time has train you well. But if you havent you do need to learn  how to self calm but occasionally out burst is also good for you. Why? So that you  still feel yourself a human being who still have emotions.

Many would disagree with what I say but then if you are a stay at home mom, i am quite sure you would go through some kind of  roller coaster ride with your toodler.  My suggestion you could occasionally throw back "acting tantrums" back to your kid , surprisingly sometimes it would work. They would stop screaming and look stunned back at you. Well isn't that a another nicer way to stop the scream than you scream back hurtful words? :)

Finally i got an andriod phone to blog!!

Recipe: Orange Poppyseed Loaf Cake

Using the main ingridients from Simple Butter Cake Recipe, I added a few things to make this Orange Poppyseed Loaf Cake. 


Ingredients

• 2 eggs 
• 125 g unsalted butter 
• 1/2  cup sugar 
• 1.5 cup self-raising flour 
• 1/2 cup (100-120ml) milk 
• pinch salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 whole orange 
• 1 tablespoon of poppyseed 

Method:

1) Cut the top and end part of the orange away. the rest cut into quarters and processed the whole thing (Skin and all). 

2) Cream butter and sugar *innovative me decided to use the Avent processor to do it, bad choice as it was much harder to remove it so stick to the old method use the electric mixer or skip this step and do the dry + wet method. 

3) Add egg in one by one and mix with wooden spoon

4) Add Flour and Milk (Flour a bit then Milk a bit then four then milk)

5)  Add essense and give a stir to blend
6) Bake at 180 c for 40-45 min *remember to preheat oven for at least 10 mins*

Recipe Index

I got some feedback that finding my recipes after a while could be difficult so i think it is time to create a index for it !  Compare to other food blog, I will keep mine simple into 4 categories.

Main course

Chicken Nuggets (Mayonnaise)
Teriyaki Chicken
Hot Plate Tofu (using HappyCall Pan)
Sherperd Pie (beef or pork)
Steamed Water Egg

Dessert

General Muffin Recipe
Gracey Moist Apple Cake
Tiramisu (Milo)
Tiramisu (Baileys)
Strawberry Jelly Cheesecake
Lemon Poppyseed Loaf Cake
Orange Poppyseed Loaf Cake
SImple Butter Cake
Moist Banana Cake
Apple Crumble Cake
No Butter Apple Muffin
Mini Non Baked Cheesecake
Pandan Chiffon Cake
Orange Lemon Chiffon Cake

Orange Chiffon Cake

Snack

Fluffy Pancakes updated 22 July 2012

Toodler food

Premium Baby Porridge
Scrambled Egg Salmon
Pumpkin Bolognese Pasta
Baked Salted Salmon
Steamed Water Egg