Selamat Datang Ke Pulau Pinang!

YAY! My first trip to Penang!

They got me a gigantic bouncy bed!

Oh no i think i left my daddy at home ...

Dear Lord, i pray that daddy will be well and not miss me too much!

OK, i know what baby will be in future ... air stewardess?! ... just because baby behaved surprisingly well through the flight! She fell asleep the moment we boarded and she just latched on when we took off. Wide awake when we descended and just kept playing with her toy until we touched down. I was so relieved the journey was so smooth for her and just continue to pray that she'll be alright on the way back!

In-laws were eagerly anticipating the arrival of the little precious and went to great efforts to prepare all the necessary stuff e.g. bathing tub, washing liquids, foods, beddings etc. I am so grateful to their hospitality as they really made us feel like we're home!

Baby took no time to totally get used to the new environment. She had so much fun because there were so many pple playing with her at all times! If she could talk she might probably tell me not to go back! (oops you could tell it is me with the secret desire .. woahaha ~~)

Many thanks to our gracious God and Heavenly Father whom protected baby Charis and enabled us to have this great family time together. All praise to Him our Jehovah Rohi!

Here i Come - Char Kuay Teow!

Hehehe ... i'm bringing baby back to Penang tmrw for a week. So looking forward to all the mouth watering Penang treats ... i'm giving myself a 5kg allowance to eat all i can in 5 days ... woahaha! ^_^

This is the first time baby is taking a flight. Pray that all will be well with her and that she doesn't scream and make us famous on that short one hour journey.

Called SQ to enquire what baby foods i can/cannot bring on board. Two or three bottles of expressed breastmilk is fine, but each bottle cannot exceed 100ml. If you're bringing formula, you are advised to bring only the powder and they will provide hot water for you inflight. Porridge is a no, and if you want they can provide jarred baby food if you call early enough to make a request in advance. So mummy frens who are travelling please take note of this restriction!

Will keep all of you posted on our pilgrimage! Stay tuned!

Consider This Gift

Clean sleek packaging

Comes with a handy bag that's sure to impress!

A couple friend from India came to visit and i was cracking my head what gift to send back with them. Usually i would get some signature food but as you know we can't bring Hainanese Chicken Rice across the customs.

Was wandering desperately in Takashimaya until i chance upon the Royce outlet at B1. Someone bought me Royce chocolates before and i was deeply awed by the packaging and found the chocs pretty yummy as well. At that time i was thinking my friend must have spent quite a bomb to get me this!

First of all, the name in itself is quite impressive right? Royce chocolates .. you might think the cocoa beans got pressed under golden Rolls Royce wheels to give you the heavenly taste. Secondly, its origin is Japan the country of meticulous packaging for even a rice grain. Thirdly, you can select from a range like milk chocolate (which is the sweetest) to dark chocolate (the bitter but most healthy) and also something in between. Finally, the price tag! A nicely packaged box of tantalizing chocolate thins for less than $20!

Do consider this gift option the next time you want something affordable and presentable. Afterall it's really not the cost but the sincerity that counts! :)

Doffins

Get cheery muffin cups to doll up your cakes! ~

Baking season is back again! After a long hiatus i've finally picked up the momentum to dabble my hands in flour and butter!

Got this special recipe from the domestic goddess - doffins or munut and since i like both muffins and donuts i absolutely had to give this a shot! Turned out pretty well so i can assure you this is definitely idiot proof ^_^

The texture is lighter than as a muffin and not so sweet (i put in less sugar) so you can actually eat the whole thing without feeling overdosed. The only mistake i made was to roll in the sugar topping right after i took the cakes out of the oven. Since they were still hot, the sugar melted quite immediately and the top layer of the cake became sweeter than the rest of the inside. The right way to do it is to roll in the topping after the cakes are cooled but warm. In that way, the sugar crystals would stay pretty on the top!

You gotta try this if you are also a DOFFIN fan! Have fun! :)

Transition to Solids

Wah i'm hungry! Feed me feed me! ~~

Ah, what's that?

YUK! I don't want to eat this funny looking thing!

The culprit? Mr BaNaNa ~~

Recently i've been really busy with baby charis. She's 6.5 months old now, but is quite on the small side, so the doctor told us we need to feed her cereal/baby food three times a day in addition to 4 or more feeds of milk.

This baby is quite special; she is not very excited when she sees food. Usually babies should be quite thrilled and sticking out their tongues and grabbing foods on the dining table. But this baby doesn't really like to eat. So it takes a lot of time, patience, love and energy just to ensure she finish her food at each meal.

My mummy sisters have given me very good tips to help baby transition better:
1. Try a variety of foods, such as sweet potato, potato, carrot, spinach, pumpkin, peas, banana, apple, pear. Steam or boil them until they can be mashed with breastmilk or formula and added to rice cereal to create a thick mixture. The foods will add taste to the cereal which will tantalize baby's taste buds.

2. When baby can handle cereal, you can try feeding porridge. Can throw in one small piece of lean pork/chicken to cook the porridge so it will have some sweetness. Then add in above foods to have a balanced diet. Can make the porridge into a finer texture by grinding it against a tightly meshed sieve.

It certainly is not easy to be on this track so hopefully baby takes well to solid foods soon! My main obsession in the coming months would be making baby eat and ensuring she puts on some weight!

Watch This Space!

Ah ok, i didn't fall over the cliff or flew to another planet ...

Was busy with the little one in the past weeks as we're transitioning her to solid foods. I also just changed my internet provider so had a couple of days' downtime.

The hot mama is back and ready to spin with news and updates. So WATCH THIS SPACE ^_^

I'll be back :)

Prive Cafe @ Keppel Bay

My primary school friends having fun teasing my princess!

Had a gathering with some sisters at this Prive Cafe @ Keppel Bay and i absolutely have to recommend this place to you.

Keppel Bay is next to Vivo City, beside the Carribean condos, and after an enjoyable scenic drive past beautiful clear waters atop a bridge you arrive at a yatch clubhouse. You order a nice pot of tea and a yummy cake and while sipping leisurely and enjoying your lazy afternoon you watch the reflection from the sun-kissed pearly white bodies of the luxury boats.

I ordered the cheapest drink on the menu to enjoy all the other benefits - what else would you expect from a HDB tai tai?? ^_^

The best thing about this place is that it is NOT CROWDED. I am pleasantly surprised that we can still find such a nice cafe that is not crowded on a saturday afternoon. (Maybe it'll become crowded when all of you start flocking there after reading this post :P)

If you drive, watch out and turn into this teeny little road Keppel Bay Drive just before the Carribean condos. It is super easy to miss as it is so obsure! Make this your destination for your next friends' meet!