Fluffy's Black feet

It's a mistake to lay newspaper in Fluffy's enclosure. His light beige feet are now black due to the indian ink from the newspaper. Daddy held onto him while I tried to clean them using shampoo and baking soda. Nevertheless, the black stain refused to give way. Shall I trim his hair on the feet so that new clean fur can grow?

Holiday Destination

I'm working on organizing a Korea trip after B1's exam. UOB Travel has a ski package that I'm quite keen on but it's going to be tough for lo Gung. The itinerary requires us to fly out at night and tour starts in the morning once we land. Out of the 5 nights, we need to change hotel 3 times, something he doesn't like. I'm checking if I can DIY a package so that even though we have to change hotels, it is at a more comfortable pace for him. I'm planning to fly out in the Day, stay at Seoul or a town for one or 2 nights then go to a ski resort for 2 or 3 nights (I'm planning Yongpyong), then spend a day or 2 at Seoul before flying home.

Children Day

B3 is 9 yet he is still very excited about Children's Day. He has been receiving lots of treats for the special day from his tuition teachers and school teacher. B3 said that's his reward for spending time with the teachers. I saw this lovely cookie at Mrs Field Cookies and bought it for his Children Day's present. B1 & B2 each took a bite too. B3 looks so adorable chewing on the happy face.

Fluffy Rabbit is Bored

Fluffy is bored. Since Daddy travelled on Sunday evening, he hasn't been out of his "room". Monday was fogging, followed by rain. then it rained again on Tuesday. Since the garden was wet and the boys were busy, Fluffy had to stay indoor. He was so bored that he bit and tore the newspaper we laid on the floor for him. I am thinking of not laying newspaper in his enclosure as the indian ink stained his beautiful fur. But maid is against it, she thinks Fluffy will urinate on the marble flooring in his enclosure.

QMDJ - Phone call

Missed a call from tuition center L at 7.25 pm on Sep 25 2010. Tried calling back but no one picked up. Anxious to know the outcome on getting a place for B2 at the center, I decided to check using QMDJ. L is located south west of my home. For the time and date, chart is 270, 53367 (ie white tiger, chong star,"shang" door, ke ju not auspicious). Indication is he will not get a place. On Sunday, I went to make an enquiry at the center personally. The receptionist told me the missed call was to inform me that currently there is no vacancy, B2 is on wait list and chances are low as current students are unlikely to withdraw.

2 meals 2 different moods

In the afternoon, the whole family ate at United Square Grandma restuarant. We expected a good lunch. However, during ordering, B2 was angry with B3 for selecting a Chicken wing kids meal instead of fish n chip kids meal. B2 likes to taste the fish n chips but B3 doesn't like it. Then B3 sulk over the iphone, chin chow drink and having to share his french fries. I was stressed out and slept for 3 hours in the afternoon.

In the evening, we had Sakae Sushi at Changi Airport. We have to queue for 20 min and the waiter and waitresses were too busy to give good prompt service. However, the 3 Bs were on good mood. No antagonistic remarks from any Bs. Despite the slow service, I had a great meal.

Good Quotes & Thought of the Day

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ~Theodore Roosevelt

"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."

~Lou Holtz

My mind was busy thinking about B2 academic performance when I came across the above quote and thought. His motivation needs to be improved and his attitiude requires fine tunning. Well, Daddy and me will have to Do what we can, with what we have for him.

Fluffy Rabbit Escaped 2 times this evening

SF & family came over and stayed for dinner. We had a leisurely dinner till B1 found that Fluffy is no longer in the garden. It has escaped through the metal gate. All of us combed the whole estate. Finally we saw it peeping out from front yard next door. Maid went to seek help from the maid living door. We were relieved when she managed to catch Fluffy. Daddy fixed up a screen about 1 feet high at the metal gate to stop Fluffy from getting out again. However, an hour later, B2 found that Fluffy exited the gate and hopped into the next door garden again. Maid cut a small piece of carrot and put it near to our metal gate. Fluffy saw it and moved towards the carrot. B2 and maid managed to catch him. Our plan to give him freedom to roam in the garden didn't work out well.To avoid further escape, Fluffy's new home is the enclosed shower stall at level 1. He is not so tame after all!

Yet to hang up the pictures

B3 loves to draw and takes his drawing lessons at Esplanade. He is almost done with 72 lessons. We plan to stop his lessons for a while. During his last school holidays in June, he painted 2 canvas by himself. He did the planning, colour selection and painting all by himself. We spent a fortune on the tubes of canvas paints, different sizes of brushes, easel, canvas though. The 2 pieces of painting are still waiting to be hung up at our level 2.

Fluffy Rabbit visits the Vet

This afternoon, Fluffy had his first visit to a Vet. The whole family went with him. Vet found him to be in good health and mild temper. His brown feet are due to dirt and the Vet thinks that if we clean it well the fur at the feet should be white. We were also advised to give me lots of hay to eat. The visit costed us $21.40.

We got the hay immediately. The hay smells like green tea but our front yard now smells like a farm.

Rabbit

B2 found an abandon rabbit on his way to school. He called Daddy and asked for permission to keep it. Daddy went to the site and helped him to bring the rabbit home. It's white in colour except for his feet and bottom which are beige. It was left in our garden to roam. I didn't like the idea of putting animals in cage. The rabbit likes to hide under the chiku plant and chews on grass and little plants. In the afternoon, the 3 boys tried to give the rabbit a shower but it refused. In the end Daddy has to catch hold of it while I used the garden hose's mist function to shower it. It was then wrapped in an old towel. He looks so much better with cleaner fur.

Buffalo Wok

I was fascinated by the 2 Japanese food stalls at Ion. They are located next to each other. One uses a stainless flat table top stove to fry Japanese noodle while the other uses the cast iron for their Tako balls. Both cooking utensil performed well so long as there is oil. I showed Daddy the various wok available at Takashimaya including the Iwachu cast iron wok and the Buffalo stainless wok. The Iwachu cast iron is made with good workmanship. However, the wok is heavy even without food in it. The Buffalo wok is much lighter and the promoter is very positively sure that the wok will not stick provided oil is added before turning on the stove. I was still thinking about it and needed to do more research but Daddy said just go for it. So we bought the 35 cm rounded base wok.

Uniglo Jeans

It's so rare of our home's CEO to request for clothing. He is just happy being the profit center with ultra low expenses. I'm glad that he's attracted by the Uniglo advertisement on Jeans. They are $20 off from the regular price and alteration is free and done within an hour. He bought one pair finally.

Shopping

The Uniglo T shirt with bra padding is comfortable and I like to use it for my exercise at Amore. Finally, there is sale on this item and I managed to get 2 pieces for $14.95 each. SF showed me her newly acquired ring. It's has a dark pinkish red stone in the center surrounded by 17 small sparkling diamonds and set in white gold. The small diamonds (17 pieces weighing a total of .59 carats only) are stunning probably due to the colour and the cut. Very tempting.

Before I left Tangs, I stopped to view the U-like wok demo. It's a ceramic coated wok. Light weight, non stick and without teflon. Price is at $138 for a 36 inch wok. The interior of the wok is curved with a flat base on the exterior. It may not be suitable for induction cooker. Need to verify. It comes with the traditional 2 handles. The demo looks impressive. This brand is made in Japan. I owned a ceramic coated Scanpan 28 inch. It's non stick but a little oil is required. Scanpan is manufactured in Denmark and the company has a long history.

Weather Foreast 13 Sep 2010

Sunday, Sep 12, after dinner, B1 asked me "Is it going to rain tomorrow?". He was in his favorite red drip dry tee shirt with a white bermuda and he was standing at the staircase smiling cheekily. I said it will not rain. B3 rushed for the iphone and check the weather forecast immediately. He laughed and said I got the wrong answer as the weather forecast said raining day for tomorrow.

Sep 12 2010 morning was warm and sunny. By noon time, the sun retreated then I saw 1 drop of rain then a second drop, after which there's no more drops. Then it was sunny day all the way till Sep 14. Maid confirmed it didn't rain on Sep 13 in the end.

What's this year Destination?

Switzerland and Paris were our 2008 holiday destinations. Both countries were fabulous.

I'm still researching on the yr 2010 destination. B1 likes to visit Toronto and take a look at UOT. Daddy wants a leisurely holiday. B2 is fine with any destination. B3 likes Universal Studio. I think maybe Italy, ski holiday in Korea or Hokkaido. The airfare is a lot more expensive compared to prior year. B3 said we don't need passport for Universal Studio and best of all, it's in Singapore. This maybe the last year that the whole family can go on long vacation together because B1 is going to National Service and after that to university. The 3 kids will then have different school holidays

Wok Experience

I fried the promfet fish and mini pork belly using the Scanpan. It's a non stick pan without the PFOA. I didn't manage to achieve the crispy skin on the fish and the pork skin but both didn't stick to the pan. Easy to dislodge them from the pan. Reason is I used just enough oil to cover the base of the pan and I used medium heat. According to the Scanpan promoter, I need to used more oil but keep to the medium heat to achieve the crispy skin.

I also tried frying the Batang Fish fillet with skin using Silit pan. The fish skin stick to the pan. Next time I have to dry the fish further before frying it and wait for the oil to be hotter while still keeping to the low to medium heat.

The guideline is : Use low to medium heat for all types of pans and wok except for cast iron and carbon iron. The latter 2 can take high heat but need more oil.

Sapphire Rings and Penang laksa

Josephine treated me to a sumptuous penang laksa meal. There was plenty of flake fish in the soup. She used Mackerel and Kembong Fish. The curry paste omes from Penang. After the meal me and the other guests were busy selecting the sapphire rings we want to buy. The rings were the estate of SH's grandma. They are selling the cheaper jewellery pieces instead of shipping them back to her country. These pieces are made of real sapphire, rubies or emerald set with zirconia and silver. I love blue sapphire and bought 5 beautiful rings.

The Right Wok Size

After talking to the different wok sellers, I found that the best wok size for home use is between 28 cm to 36 cm (14 inch). Unless you have a big family, sizes 14 inches upward are usually for commercial use. 28 cm are usually available in pan but pans are a bit too shallow for stir fry. Silit has a 28 cm wok but it is out of stock now. 30 cm to 32 cm wok are good size to stir fry dishes for a family of 6 but they are a bit small to stir fry noodles or fried rice. I think, if I plan to get 2 woks, I shall get one 36 cm and one 30 cm (but for my choice brand I can settle for a 28 cm). Both wok would be Silit brand because I can fry and serve with the wok. The wok would look good in the kitchen and on the table. Since Silit woks are so pricey, I can only go for one wok. We like fried noodle, fried rice, chap chai, curry vegetable. So maybe I have to go for the 36 cm if I am buying one only. But smaller size is great for everyday use... smaller footprint..easier to wash and lighter. I am still thinking....