Do things that make me happy

Looking back,I felt that I have been such a silly billy,getting so upset and angry over certain stuff,losing my precious sleep and patience with the people around me...Now that I have mellow down,I learnt to take things easily,not totally with a lacklustre attitude,but not so uptight and rigid as before...Try out new sport,activity or do stuff that I have always enjoy...As a result,I sign up for knitting class,which my design lecturers will most likely bend over with laughter or a look of dsbelief,for I had been a very impatient student last time...haha...Make it a point to surround myself with dear friends whenever we can,and purchase new recipes books,an habit which I sworn off previously...hahaa...Bought one cookbook on brewing soups,yum,nourishing and soothing,especially good for someone like me who do not drink much water...haha..

Hi,divorced mum,I guess I am indeed lucky,may you find happiness in your child and the things you do :)

Enn,I am still not comfortable with showing photos of myself as I feel that if my students were to stumble upon my blog,that will open a floodgate of controvesy and comments,which I deem unnecessary for this blog document my private life and some of my inner thoughts....Hope that answer your question....

Strange,strange,strange...

There is something weird going on,some of my food photos went missing,I wonder why..Now it makes me apprehensive of uploading more photos,can anyone enlighten me on how to get the photos back?Urgh,this is so frustrating...

Korean Ginseng,chestnut Chicken soup

As clover loves to meddle with our hp,my lao gong bought this new toy for her,hehe...Alas,her interest weaned too soon and she still much prefer our hp to her toy,haha..

It was known that to remove fats from soup,there are a few ways to do it,one to trim off all visible fats,or remove skin from poultry,to chill the soup and remove the layer of scum that hardened on the surface,in this instance,I felt that while thawing the chicken,it was easier to remove the skin,and using what ingredients I had on hand,it was a good tonic to have...hehe..Too bad clover cannot drink,for I am wary about the effects of herbs on her,still my lao gong and I happily lap it up..Give it a try..

Korean Ginseng chicken soup
1 korean ginseng(To prevent fatigue)
1 chicken,chopped and skin removed
6-8 raw chestnuts(the ones normally used for roasting)
5-6 ginko nuts(I do not have,hence omit it)
1 packet of fresh mushrooms(any preferred type)
handful of chinese wolfberry(rich of vit A,its good to prevent night blindness and for healthy skin)
3 black dates(to enhance sweetness and tonify the blood,from nutritional point of view,dried fruits contain iron)

1.Wash chicken,remove skin,roughly chopped.Add all ingredients to boil,or simmer in slow cooker for about 2 hours.
2.Season to taste and serve,for me,I do not add any seasoning,as apart from health reason,sufficient brewing will result in a rich,flavourful soup.

The story of banana choc chip cake

Being a parent means that you will never stop worrying about your child regardless of whether the child is 5 or 25 years old,and becoming a grandparent naturally mean one more little one to worry about,haha...When clover did not move her bowels for two days,my mum bought a bunch of bananas for her,too bad bananas are sold in bunches,for the family do not eat bananas on its own,and we cannot stuff clover with it,hence after giving clover half a banana,she looked at me and said"Can you do something with it?"...haha.And that was how this banana choc chip cake came about,as I had some leftover bananas too,hence,I baked two types of banana cake,using same recipe,one with choc chips,one without,for the simple reason that my mum cannot take chocolate...Passed my mum and friends some of the cake and they liked it,for its moist,not too sweet yet fluffy texture.
Here is the fail-proof recipe:

Chocolate Chip banana cake
125 g softened butter
3/4 sugar(I reduced it to 2/4 cup,as overripe bananas and choc chips is sweet)
1 1/4 cup self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/3 cup choc chips
1/2 cup mashed bananas
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk/plain yoghurt

1.Preheat oven to 180 degree celcius.Lined and greased baking tray.
2.Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy,add in egg one at a time,beat well.Fold in sieved flour with bicarbonate of soda,alternate it with milk/yoghurt,begining and ending with flour using a metal spoon.
3.Fold in choc chips and mashed bananas lightly.Bake for 45-50minutes until the skewer comes out clean.Serve with cream cheese icing ,if prefer.

Sports for life

I got lucky,forunate enough to marry a guy who do play sports and advocate a healthy lifestyle,haha...There are simply too many reasons or excuses provided for avoiding sports...I suppose it all boils down to how badly I want things to happen,somehow by hook or crook,I will try to make time or squeze an opportunity for it...My lao gong and I went ga-ga over the numerous swimming costumes for clover and the float,that we had a hard time deciding on a favourite one,once decision been made,we wasted no time whisking the little one to the pool...haha...Despite her fear of the cold water,clover merely whimper and after 10 minutes or so,was happily paddling seated in her float...Though it was only a 30 minutes exposure to the pool,we do not want her to develop the phobia,it take patience before she is confident enough to paddle in her float...that was enough for my lao gong and I to decide on this activity being a regular bonding time with the little one...hehe...found yours yet?

In the new school,I am now in charge of volleyball,yipee,never mind the fact that I had played it once in my entire life,it was the perfect opportunity for me to learn the sport,with the schoolkids being my "teacher"..haha...reverse of role,and I thoroughly enjoyed my session today,learning new techniques..Another bonus will be I get the chance to know my charges better....haha...Perhaps one fine day,when you spot an auntie playing beach volleyball at sentosa beach,you can guess who that is?haha....

My favourite clover leaf

It is a tough transitional phrase for me now,adapting to a new environment,new colleagues,new culture take some getting used to....For one,I was asked why I leave so early when it is 6pm on the 2nd day of school...gosh,the staff there certainly put in long hours,working from 6:30am-7,8pm everyday,well,I suppose if I am still a swinging single,I can put in those hours too,but for now,nothing matters more than a glimpse of seeing clover at the end of the day...Leaving her with the care-giver somehow make me guilty,geez...called me biased,but I still believe I am the best caregiver,haha...I want to be the first person to witness her milestone,the person who prepared her meals,knowing that she will grow up chubby,healthy and strong..For now,this has to put on hold,for I do not want to break the bond,its a matter of dignity and self-esteem,I guess,I want to prove to clover that when a decision been made,we have to shoulder on,and not give up easily,besides,time flies,doesnt it?Its a struggle for now,but I know I can cope better as time goes by,we women are such wonderful multi-taskers,arent we?Haha....