Category Archives: me

Celebrated My Birthday With A Road Trip With Friends

So I mentioned a road trip which my friends organized on the first Saturday of 2020 to celebrate my birthday.   The 5 of us headed to Sekinchan to explore the fishing town.  We chatted and laughed in the car.  As soon as we reached Sekinchan, we headed to Redang Beach for some photo-taking opportunities.

Then the next stop is some marketing at the local market.  That’s what you get when a bunch of aunties get-together.  After some shopping at the market, we went to do more shopping for prawn crackers and seafood along the main road leading to the jetty.  We were done by 11.30am and headed to Restoran Xiang Qing which we have pre-booked a table.

Food was good and reasonably priced.  Restoran Xiang Qing is air-conditioned and during long weekends or school holidays, this place is packed.  My friend ordered a keto brownie for me and it is so delicious.   However none of them fancy it *chuckle* .  I took the whole brownie home and I still have a quarter piece left.

This is how the car boot looked like when we are done all our shopping.  We left Sekinchan with the boot full and so were our hearts.   More road trips to come!

Farewell 2019

So yesterday was the last Sunday of this decade.  How did I spend it?  Well, I did something that I enjoy doing and it is DECLUTTERING.  Yes, I spent the whole day cleaning out the store, the dry kitchen and the wet kitchen.     Everyone at home started to get worried and stressed whenever I mention the word – decluttering because they are afraid that I would throw away their things.  I ended up with 3 black garbage bags of stuff to throw.

Actually I have started to declutter 2 weeks ago and I began with my room and missy’s room.  I have gathered 2 big bags of clothes and books and they were donated to the Salvation Army home.   Yesterday was the time to clear the downstairs area.

It definitely feels good to declutter.  There were so many empty boxes, cables, takeaway plastic containers, plastic bottles, jars, glass bottles, old baskets, drawers of odds and ends and etc in my house that I just cannot believe it.  How all these end up in the house?  Well, I have a mother who loves to keep things just in case we need them in the future.   Well, no more stocking up on things that we do not need.

My mom and I even #konmari the 2 shoe cabinets on the porch!

Decluttering is good for the soul.  As we declutter our home, we not only clean up and create more space.  We also clear our mind of all the stress that comes with it.  Decluttering has a way of generating fresh energy, creating mental and physical space for more clarity and also releases some of the negative vibes.   Do you enjoy decluttering?

It is good to welcome fresh energy in the home as the new year unfolds. Happy New Year Everyone!

Puku Cafe Cameron Highlands

If you are looking for an Instagram-worthy place in Cameron Highlands, then you must check out Puku Cafe which is located in Kea Farm, Brinchang.   You can spot this cafe right at the entrance to Kea Farm (on the left).  Puku Cafe is known for its homemade fruit ice-cream, especially strawberry (what else eh?) ice-cream.  Other flavours include tiramisu, vanilla, chocolate, green tea and passion fruit.  My family enjoyed the smooth milky ice-cream very much.

How quaint is this?

Check out the yummylicious authentic homemade ice-cream.

(Photo taken from Puku Cafe facebook page)

(Photo taken from Puku Cafe facebook page)

As I did not have any ice-cream, I got myself a cup of latte.   So so good coffee made from real coffee beans.  Definitely a must-stopover when you are doing your marketing at Kea Farm.

Less than 500 meters away is The Sheep Sanctuary.  You can click on the link to read more.  There is another Puku Cafe here, which overlooks the sheep sanctuary.  After you are done feeding the sheep, you can sit down and relax while enjoying some tea or coffee.  It is cooling and breezy here.

Hours:  9am to 6pm

Low Carb Tomato Egg Noodle

There is a shop near my office which sells desserts (red bean soup, gingko barley and etc) , economy noodles (fried mee hoon, fried mee), curry chee cheong fun, yam cakes and more.   The only food that I can eat there is the Tomato Egg Noodles.  They have 2 versions which are the dry type and the soup base type.  It is basically noodles with eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers and minced pork.

My version is of course low carb and without noodles.   This is what I had for lunch yesterday.  I was given so many cucumbers that my bowl of tomato egg noodles look like tomato egg zoodles.  It was delicious!

Actually this dish is rather easy to cook but I need to get a zoodle-maker.   On days that I am tired of eating the dishes from the chap fan stall (mixed rice), I would have this Tomato Egg Noodles.

Closet Transformation The Konmari Way

The very thought of a messy closet drives me nuts.  I get irritated when I see the mess. I really dislike clutter.  Hubs’ t-shirt and pants section were pilling with clothes and he does not wear most of them.  After nagging reminding him many times, he agreed to go through the closet on Saturday and remove the clothes that he does not want anymore.  I quickly offered my help by bringing out all the t-shirts and pants. Check out the before and after.

There were another pile behind this pile of pants and also another pile on the right side which is not visible in this photo.

So satisfying to see a more organized wardrobe.

Felt so good to fill up this big plastic bag with clothes to be given away.

Actually, over the years,  organizing, tidying and throwing out clothes and stacking things in the cupboards is something that never ends.  I tend to accumulate things after a few months.  I must stop the habit of buying clothes that I do not need.  Also, I must learn the KonMari folding technique to better organize my clothes.   Next on my konmari list is to tidy up my closet and the shoe cabinet.  You should see the number of socks we have!

Snacks From My Childhood

Recently when we were in 1U, I chanced upon a stall selling many snacks and items that I used to have when I was growing up in the 70’s / 80’s.  Yes, those were the dinosaur years.   It was fun checking out every item because they brought back memories.

The pacifier sweets.  It was fun trying to suck the sweet and pretended to be a baby.

One of my favourite lemon candies which I gobbled a lot.

Sarsi lollies which I didn’t quite like.  I did not drink any sodas when I was growing up because I did not like the fizzy and gas taste.  Well, did I tell you that I only started drinking coke when I was in my 20’s?  Still not drinking a lot, perhaps a sip here and there.

Ahh…the pastilles. I think these are for sore throat but I popped them into my mouth whenever my mom bought them for us.

The fruits candies or bonbons. I loved them very much, especially the white-coated powder on the candies.  It was fun having the assorted ones as I got to choose different flavours.

These are the sticky goey satay fish which I ate a lot, especially in school as they were sold at the canteen.   I don’t think I enjoy them now.

Do all these bring back memories of your childhood?  What were your favourite snacks growing up?

Shopping Loots from Seoul

Besides the beauty products and the Korean earrings, that I bought during my vacation in Seoul, I also bought some clothes for myself.  How can I not shop eh?  I must say that some of the clothes are pretty affordable like 10,000 Won for a dress which is about rm35.  I have seen similar ones selling at RM80 to RM100 here.

Missy too got herself a few items such as a BlackPink t-shirt which cost about RM150.  It is only a black tee featuring Black Pink’s logo.  Well, what can I say? It’s Black Pink.

She also bought (I chose) a short front-tie t-shirt with fold-up denim pants and a set of purple t-shirt and shorts which she wants to wear to her K-Pop dance class.

Gosh, how I miss shopping in Seoul!

Shopping definitely has a positive emotional effect on individuals which is why shopping is so popular.  It helps to release stress and anxiety.  Have you heard some people say that they wish retail therapy is covered by their health insurance?   Retail therapy may be able to help a person overcome anxiety or depression symptoms but it is only temporary.

Instead of trying to fill the hole of depression by going all out to shop, which only provides temporary relief, it is best to address your problem properly  Find a counselor at Betterhelp and face the problem instead of avoiding it through retail therapy.

Earrings From Korea

South Korea may be famous for its skincare and makeup products, but this country definitely has more to offer than just that.  Korean have a distinctive fashion style that includes a mix of feminine motifs and edgy fashion-forward influences.   As Korean earrings are very popular and trendy, you can imagine my delight when I saw so many Korean earrings everywhere.  I love earrings and I cannot live without them.   I bought a few pairs for friends and for myself.   These are mine.

I really love these 3 pairs of earrings because they are #seoulunique.  Why only 3 pairs? Well, the ones I like are not cheap.  Each one is about 8,000 to 10,000 Korean Won which is approx USD6 to USD10 a pair.   Earrings are one of the must-buy items when you are in Korea. So if you are an earrings addict like me, you are going to love shopping in Seoul.

Stranger Things Season 3 Is Over

I can’t believe it that I am hooked on Netflix’s Stranger Things series.  Thanks to missy who has been singing “Neverending Story“, for the past few weeks.  I was surprised why she was singing an 80s song which was from my era.  She told me it’s from the Stranger Things show and that the show is based on the 80s era.  I decided to check it out and the rest is history.  Stranger Things is full of nostalgic memories of my childhood.  I love the 80’s music and the cringeworthy fashion and hairstyle.

I have just finished Season 3 last night and I have to wait for another year for Season 4 to come out.  Yes, I am having withdrawal symptoms and are aimlessly searching to fill that nostalgic 80’s themed hole that is missing in my life right now.

Where To Buy Keto or Low Carb Bread and Dessert In Kuala Lumpur

I have just ordered my first low carb bread pudding and keto almond buns.  So excited to receive them today.  I purchased them from Puan Sharifah through the Low Carb and Keto Malaysia Marketplace.  Puan Sharifah bakes as a hobby and she is also following the keto way of eating.

Low carb bread pudding with dried blueberries.  I haven’t taken a bite yet and the bread pudding is now in my fridge.  It smells so good.

This is a photo of the bread puddings taken from her FB page.  You can opt for dried cranberries or no fruits at all.

My keto almond buns.

I had one for lunch today and slather it with butter.  It was so soft and delicious.

She uses stevia/erythritol in her desserts and 90 to 90% dark chocolates if the recipe calls for it.    So if you want to have some keto bread and desserts, do check out Puan Sharifah’s FB page here – https://www.facebook.com/sharifahfatimah.abubakar or the Low Carb and Keto Malaysia Marketplace.