The Wedding

Hub's brother got married over the weekend and I gamely signed up to do a dessert table for him and his wife :D After all, blog surfing is my thing and how hard could it be, right?

Errr ... no, it translated to a lot of planning and setting up in reality.

At first I was thinking of ordering pastel colours of macarons, pretty swirls of merringue, delicate looking cupcakes ... until I calculate the costs and came to my senses. Rethinking it through, I decided heck, since I'm such a proud Penang lang, why don't I do a dessert table with a Penang twist?

 

I present to you, tadaaaa - a blast from the past.

Remember all these snacks, people? These used to be sold in the school canteens during the 80s. I found them still stocked at a little wholesaler at Carnovan St and was literally grabbing cartons of them: iced gems (I call them atap chee), #8 choc candies - the more affordable version of Smarties and Hubs told me he used to tie rubber bands onto them to wear them as spectacles. Dindangs, Red Indian bubblegum, Haw flakes (my MIL said she ate them as a kid, how cool is that), Japanese bubblegum and those little tubes of bubbles that last an incredibly long time.

My crew comprised of Siew, her ever so helpful husband and baby Jaz, who entertained Bubs. Teehee, I even stole some props from Bub's toy set: his Mother Garden picnic basket and a mini blackboard.

The blushing bride - everyone laughed because when it was time for the bouquet toss, all her girlfriends eschewed it and it fell flat to the ground.

Bubs proudly holding his bubble. Can you believe that it was Hubs that blew it for him? I'm hopelessly uncoordinated.

My boo and me :)

Namoo @ Gurney Plaza

"Hey, I'm going to Namoo."
"Namo amithaba? (Buddhist chant)" was Chescada's response.

Har di har har :p

If you were wondering, Namoo is a Korean styled cafe and bistro that just opened a branch at Gurney Plaza, Penang. It has a very whimsical decor with shelves full of vintage-y items, like old books, cameras and other knick knacks.

We went straight for the desserts. Hub's choice was the carrot cake and errrr ... all three of us were a little doubtful when it was served with slivers of fresh carrot. Yes, I'm aware that carrot cake is made from fresh carrots but to have it garnished with a heap of carrots ... it wasn't exactly appetizing to us. I gave Bubs a mouthful and he promptly ate the cake, spitting out the fresh carrot. Hubs told him sternly to eat the carrots. You could see Bubs clenching his fist and and grimaced as he mouthed down the carrot, LOL. The cake was a little underwhelming, it was pleasant but not stellar.

This was my pick: a strawberry hottuk pancake (RM12.90). Be warned that it is relatively small, almost the size of a cinnamon roll and it's unlike any pancake I've ever had before. It's crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. For some reason, it was served without a knife so I assumed it would be easily sliced with a fork ... uh, no. You definitely need a knife to cut pieces of this apart - it is that chewy. Hubs did not like the texture at all but I liked it, it reminded me of glutinous rice balls.

Happy campers :)

Namoo Korean Cafe & Bistro
170-G-40, Gurney Plaza, Pesiaran Gurney, 10250, Penang
604- 226 4810

First Day of School

 

Omigoshhhhh ... my baby's first day of school *sob sob*

We weren't planning on sending Bubs until he was 4 but since there was a vacancy at a kindergarten, we decided to go for it. I couldn't tell who was more excited, Bubs or me :p Hubs and I talked to him about school and reassured him that we'd be back to pick him up.

 

We woke up early, packed a light snack for him: teddy bear pancakes and with feelings of trepidation, bundled him off to school. I half expected Bubs to bawl, to cling to our knees ... it is a momentous milestone after all and goodness knows, my parents told me I cried for an entire month when they first packed me off to kindergarten. Here's a tip for you: whenever the teacher tells you that your mummy is downstairs drinking water and will be back for you, she's LYING.

Hubs and I walked him to the door, waved and ... get this: he spotted the toys they had inside and literally ran in without a second glance at us or a word of bye.

Hmmmmph.

Our conversation later when we picked him up.

Me: Did you make any friends?
Bubs: No, I threw sand at another boy.
Me: What? Why?
Bubs: He scolded me.
Me: Why did he scold you?
Bubs: Because I snatched water from him.

*face palm*

New Beginnings

A change will do you goodddddd ... I've decidedly been stuck in a rut for quite some time so I decided to make changes in baby steps.

Once upon a time, I was a makeup-holic and though now I shudder at the amount of cash/stash I used to have, those were fun times. Fairy Godma can tell you guys about the time I literally skipped when Stila opened its first counter in Penang, ah those good ol' days ... I digress. I then went on a strict makeup ban and only replenished essentials.

My holy grails for the past couple of years have been Bobbi Brown's BB cream and concealer stick for everyday use plus a slick of Fresh Sugar Rose lip tint on weekends. Why bother changing? Because a change will do you gooddddd ... you can see where this is going ;)

I'm reserving the Christian Dior Nude Skin Glowing Makeup for weekend use only because it takes more effort to blend plus I need a base (using rosehip oil) for it. So far I'm happy with it as it does a good job of masking my freckles and blemishes but is still sheer with a dewy finish.

I can't live without concealer and over the years, I've tested quite a number. My favourites to date have been Becca and Bobbi Brown's stick concealer. I've heard so many raves about Cle de Peau and since there's a counter at Parkson Gurney, I went over to test shades. It's definitely a splurge but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that a little will go a long way with this one.

I've gone through 2 tubes of Fresh Sugar Rose lip tints. It's that good: easy to swipe on without a mirror and such a bright, cheery pop of red. So I figured I should be more adventurous and try a different shade this time. I went with Sugar Honey (don't all the names sound like they belong in a patisserie?) It's a more opaque caramel pink which looks closer to a proper lipstick instead of a tint and has a more polished finish.

Last week, there was a fire at one of the units here at night and though it wasn't severe, the thick, white clouds of smoke caused a scare and everyone evacuated the building. I was carrying Bubs (we didn't even had time to pop shoes on him) and Hubs was holding my elbow as we ran down the fire escape. It must have been some kind of mummy adrenaline because I managed to carry Bubs with one arm and the other firmly clasping a damp cloth over his nose to prevent him from breathing in any soot all the way down the fire escape without feeling tired. When we reached the ground floor, the first thing I did was to utter a prayer of thanks that we were safe as a family and the second was ... thank goodness my pajamas didn't have holes in them!

After that scare, I went out to get some new pajamas and chucked away the old, holey ones, LOL. Uniqlo was having a clearance on some lines so I managed to get a couple of Laudaree tees (hey, if I can't eat them, I might as well wear them) and some stripey bottoms. These are soooo comfy and soft plus look decent enough to be worn out of home.

Couldn't resist this soft nude embellished blouse from Topshop either. The fit is a bit awkward as it's very loose in width and short in length. Planning on wearing this with dark skinny jeans or a navy, fitted skirt with heels. Massive love.

I finally went for a shorter cut! Those that have known me since college are aware that I'm incapable of keeping my hair past my shoulders. I always get bored with how shaggy it looks and I don't know how to knot it into a bun. I kept it long when Bubs was a newborn mainly because it's easier to maintain but now that I've more time on my hands, I wanted to go back to a reverse bob. This time I'd an asymmetrical cut and it's really short at the back. Comments I've had ranged from "errrr ... did your hairdresser forget to trim the sides evenly" to "I like mummy's short hair" (Bub's opinion doesn't count, he gets annoyed with me leaving long strands around in the house)

 That's all, folks - what changes have you made recently?

The Weekend Edit

During uni, the X had a part time job on weekdays and he told me that that made him cherish the weekends even better.

Straight up.

Weekends are meant for ...

Saturday lunches with the family.My family had very fond memories of eating at Hainanese restaurants back in the old days and we were excited to find out that one of our favourites, Hollywood at Tg Bungah was back in business again.

You get a beautiful view of the ocean and sandy beach lined by swaying coconut trees. It's my dream to own a place by the sea so I can fall asleep listening to the hypnotic crashing of the waves. Bear in mind the restaurant is un-air conditioned but you get a nice sea breeze coming in through the many open windows.

My parents have gotten used to us snapping photos of food before we eat.

And of each other.

My family adores the chicken macaroni pie. Baked macaroni with chicken chunks in a creamy sauce topped with a meringue-like crust. It's really simple, comfort food.

Sundays are always spent with a sigh that the long week ahead is looming. I try to squeeze every last bit of the weekend left.

I always wonder what would happen if you're walking across Gurney Paragon and the fountain just starts spraying jets of water out?

We are huge fans of Miam Miam, it satisfies our sweet tooth and I swoon over the whimsical decor.

 

Hubs and I are divided over the matcha latte. He likes it hot whilst I prefer it cold with a dollop of green tea ice cream in it. We could drink cupfuls of these!

 

Followed by a souffle pancake to end the weekend with a sweet note.

Losing Your Marbles

Recently we're doing counting with marbles. It was hard finding marbles in Penang. They're not stocked at major toy shops (choking hazard?) so a friend got me two bagfuls from a small aquarium shop and mum-in-law added another bag from the market.

Bub's eyes went wild when he saw the bagfuls of marbles and got a stern warning on not putting any of them into his mouth. We previously did counting with stones but he found marbles so much more fun as they were sooo pretty. I gave him an old biscuit tin container to store the marbles in, a couple of smaller bowls, a muffin tin and a giant soup spoon which kept him occupied for a while.

I was hunting all over the place for a nice congkak board which was nearly impossible to find here. Off the topic: did you know that congkak is actually an ancient game played not just here in Malaysia but also known as mancala around the world?

A friend picked up this basic congkak board for me from Hatyai, it's wooden and the cool part is that it's fold-able so the board doesn't take up too much space in storage. The only complaint is that the pits are too shallow so the tend to spill out easily if there are too many standard sized marbles in them. Since Bubs is still a beginner, we're playing with 3 marbles in each pit instead of 7.

Bubs and I squabble so many times over congkak! The first time he played, he insisted it was a train and choo-choo-ed it away from me. At other times, he insisted that he needed more marbles inside his home (the big pit or whatever you call it) and would sneakily sneak some marbles from the tin to his side. Cheater!

What other old school games do you play?

Dear Bubs: 37 Months

Dear Bubs,

We've reached yet another milestone: you're now 3 years old! Why is it that the first few months (cue: late night diaper changes, colic, crying-just-because) crawled on at a snails pace but now, time seems to blaze past like a shooting star? It has been a magical 3 years learning and growing with you and I wish for many more happy years to come.

 

You've lost all your baby fat and have now become a lean boy. I've no idea if you're considered skinny at this point because you can still wear the same pair of pants that you did when you were 2 but gosh, you have a MASSIVE appetite when it comes to the food you love. You develop a little Buddha belly after a huge amount of food and we use that as a cue to stop your eating even though you insist you can eat more. Daddy calls you a goldfish that would happily eat until your tummy explodes if we don't stop you. You're terrible about sharing desserts with people and many a time when Daddy tries to beg a mouth of ice cream/cake from you, you tell him off "Daddy, go eat your dinner."

Speaking of food, this is what you told me:
Me: What happens if you run while you've food in your mouth?
Bubs: I'll fall down and choke and die like an old man.

During the day, including afternoon naps, you are potty trained and go about happily diaper free. We have yet to give night potty training a go because Daddy and I are too tired to wake up to ask you to go wee. One thing at a time.

When asked what do you want to be when you grow up, your favourite occupation would be a bus/taxi/ambulance (elm-boo-lance as you call it) driver. We trick you into eating your vegetables by telling you that it'll help make your legs grow long enough to reach the car pedals. One of our favourite conversions go like this:

Bubs: Taxiiiiiii ... taxiiiii!
Me: What are you doing?
Bubs: Trying to catch a taxi
Me: What for?
Bubs: So I can keep it and when I grow taller, my feet can reach the pedal and I can brrrrrroom it fast fast and hit daddy's car

The television in our home broke down and we've never gotten around to replacing so you've become starved for anything with a screen. Your favourite shows on YouTube are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Pocoyo and Gummi Bears and you figured out how to use a mouse AND a touchpad on our computers (or comp-pink-ter as you call it) just so you can sneakily continue watching YouTube without calling us to click a new show for you. Whenever you get a chance outside, you are glued to a screen.

Which comes in very handy at the dental clinic. You are so fascinated with the cartoons there that you are such an angel while on the dentist's chair and lie there without protest while getting your fillings done.

You love going to the playground to play with other children and you're getting a lot better at this sharing business. In fact, too good to the point where if other children shove you away, you quietly move without protest. Errrr ... my fault perhaps? Let's re-think this again.

One of your favourite toys at the moment are your Ikea trains. Half the fun is building the tracks out and as you like to say, here, here, there, there, every where where.

My birthday wish for you is to forever be yourself, be bold, be fearless and never lose your sense of wonder with the world. To take a flying leap of faith and soar high. And to know that I'll always be your safety net. I love you so much.

XOXO,
Mummy.