Summary 2015

Hi guys, it has been a while since I last updated my blog. One of the main reason I didn't blog is that I think that "there is nothing special that I would share!" But when I think twice, there are actually a lot of little things going on in my life. Maybe not all of them are super exciting, but I still like to jot down these memories by words and photos.

I sort out happening things this year:

1. Attend my close friend's wedding
This is my first red boom from a close friend. The jit sin kia gang was super excited on their big day, you can see from all the guys' laughter. And also the tears of joy from the bride. :')

2. See my university buddy once in a year
Just like the old days, we had wings and drinks. And also, steamboat with beer of course. Chit chat non-stop.....we talked about the past and also our brand new future, :)

3. Less shopping for clothes, more eating.... 
The restaurant that I visited the most often is Sushi Zento Seberang Perai. I don't eat sashimi or any raw dishes but I like Japanese udon noodles, ramen, sushi and this restaurant meets my expectation during every visit. I prefer to sit at the bar area to skip on the long waiting queue. My favorite dish is the ramen in the last photo which is not shown in the menu, but is super yummy and you got to try 2 different flavors in 1 bowl.

4. Topic during gathering: house, insurance, job!
So, here's the sneak preview of our future house...... Please don't ask me when am I getting married, I have no idea. LOL. But, I am grateful with everything I am having now. I got to say getting a house is not an easy task, we make plans, we discuss, we decide things together... I am proud of you dar and I believe everything will be good.

5. Lost in life
Sometimes I get lost in my career, I can't find my passion. I question myself, do I like clinical or community service? Lastly, I decided on community, to educate prevention rather than to treat patients. Then, am I supposed to continue my study or should I continue working to serve the country and complete my bond with JPA? The questions goes on and on, and I am still finding my way..... I believe if there is a will, there is a way, let it be...

On the mean time, the good news is I am promoted, slight increment for my salary, I am not sure is it good to accept the offer but better than nothing right? :) * Let me know if you are interested on Calcium supplement as below. Cheers~

Love,
Yvonne

Honey Lemon Chia Seeds Drink

In Penang, with the tropical weather throughout the year, there are no Tulips on the street, but we have Malaysia Sakura, beautifully grown pink Sakura flowers that lasted for only a week.... I strolled around the neighborhood and managed to take a shot of the blossom season... ;)

As part of my job, I need to brainstorm new recipes that are easy to made, healthy and most importantly taste good. After receiving feedbacks from the public at various campaigns and roadshows,this is the top favorite recipe: Honey Lemon Chia Seeds Drink. It's refreshing and can be one of the best replacement option towards your coffee. Give it a try! 

Ingredients needed are pretty simple: water, lemon, honey, chia seeds. Yes, you might heard about chia seeds. It's in the trend. But what exactly it is? Chia Seeds are tiny black seed from the plant name Salvia hispanica, originated from South America. You can get Chia Seeds from any organic store nearby or at organic department at Aeon Jusco. Start preparing your ingredients!

Ingredients: (Prep for 2 pax) 

1. 750ml of drinking water 

2. 1 1/2 tablespoon of chia seeds 

3. 1/2 lemon (squeezed into juice)
4. 2-3 tablespoon honey (to taste)

Get ready with the ingredients? Let's start making the drink that refresh you anytime throughout the day and provides a powerful nutrition punch. It hydrates your body and it's so much better compared to a cup of Coke/ Teh Tarik. The directions as below:

Directions
1. Add chia seeds, lemon juice, water and honey into a jar.
2. Stir very well to combine.
3. Let it sit for 1 hour to allow chia seeds to swell up.
4. Chill it in fridge and serve it!

Both honey and sugar has calories in it. But which is more nutrient dense? Honey. Sugar is commonly man made sweetener, whereas honey is a natural sweetener that contains minerals and also antioxidant, antibacterial properties. Hence, honey is known to help cough and sore throat. However, diabetes patients need to be aware both honey and sugar, as they raise up blood glucose level, moderation is the key. 

Instead of drinking a bottle of sugar- dense orange juice, why not just squeeze 1/2 a lemon in your drink. I admit that some of the days when I am busy, I will take Vit-C supplement. Yet, lemon is still the best of all, which provide high amount of Vitamin Cs that increase our immune system. 

Lastly, we need only 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoon of the nutritional booster chia seeds. Don't put too much of it, you don't want your esophagus being fill up with chia seeds capsules. Chia seeds are high in soluble- fibre, which help our gut health as chia seed smooth digestion; they are also high in Omega-3 (ALA form) which prevents heart disease. Besides these 2 nutrients, chia seeds are good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, highly recommend for vegetarian.

Dada, this is how it looks like. Stir before serve. Enjoy your drink!

Love, 

Yvonne 

Cameron Highlands Family Trip

Yeah! I had a short holiday during Labor's Day, my family and I decided to go on a short vacation at Cameron Highlands. It is a great place for a family trip, cause you do not need to rush here and there for tour. We enjoy most of our time at our apartment, spacious place, nice scenery and also cold weather. Yes, I really need to get away from the heat. Penang is too hot. So, today I would like to share with you the lovely apartment that we stayed over for 3 days 2 nights and also some food for steamboat that can save your cost. 

I booked the Nova Highlands Resort and Residence 2 bed rooms apartment trough booking.com which provides good information about it. First of all, I like the location because it's actually very close to Kea Farm (which is consider the highest area of Cameron Highlands). So, we get to enjoy really cool weather, even without switching on the fan. I am so in love with this cozy place. Let's take a look. 

There are all the utensils that you need (except knife) & also refrigerator, microwave, hot water jug in the kitchen. 

Spacious hallway, 2 bedrooms on the left.

There's a balcony at the living room with a beautiful hillside view. 

The living room turns to be our dinning area too. Spot the little red cooking pot! 

Talking about food. I have some tips to save cost which is to prepare our own dinner. Everyone knows Cameron produce a lot of fresh leafy vegetables, corns, potatoes. But we need some proteins too, So, before departing to Cameron, I bought a polystyrene box (the white color one) to keep all the fresh food items. Here goes the checklist for your family trip: 

1. Ice in polystyrene box

2. White toast, egg, cheese for breakfast 

3. Bacon (get it at Aeon Shopping Mall: quite impressed with the good quality) 

4. Minced meat, fish, meatball, fishball, seafood tofu

5. Fresh Mushroom (jin zhen gu, oyster mushroom). 

6. Instant noodles

7. Paste & seasoning : Miso, salt, soy sauce, sambal, garlic oil.

8. Electrical pot that can be used to stir-fry, bake & steamboat. (I known it as a magic pot)

Then, the first thing you need to do before arriving your apartment is to shop for fresh vegetables. 4 packets of different kind of vegetables for RM10. (after negotiating) Damn cheap! We bought cabbage, sweet corns, sweet potatoes & kai lan. Dada, see!

Steamboat feast!

Western breakfast

I believe Cameron is a favorite spot of Malaysian cause on the 1st of May, we were caught in the traffic jam for 3 hours. Yes. Very horrible jam! Luckily we went there the day before and visited couple of places early in the morning. Look at the sun rise from our balcony. It's beautiful. :)

Live in the sunshine and breathe the wild air- Wonderful Getaway. Maybe you can pay a visit there one day. 

* (Updates for my stay during 3-5 August 2018) I am actually quite sad that the room is not well maintain. The comforter and wall is stained, kettle and hair dryer not functioning, sink leaking. But, the staffs are helpful. Overall, the location is still great, walking distance to Kea Farm, short distance to Boh Sg Palah Plantation & Mossy Forest.

Love, 

Yvonne

Louvre Veggie Vegetarian Restaurant

Are you a vegetarian? Or sometimes, you feel like not eating meat? This is the place I would recommend, Louvre Veggie Restaurant 頤豐苑.  It's easy to find the location at Butterworth. I have been there for quite some time, and still there are lots of dishes on the menu waiting for me to explore. You will realize that vegetarian food can be much tastier than meats. Below are some of the dishes that I highly recommend. I personally do not like to have lots of fake vegan food in my dish, and Louvre Veggie Restaurant mainly serves fresh vegetables cuisine. 

If you are coming with your family members, I would recommend to have rice and dishes. I forget the name of dish on the left but it really tastes good. It looks appealing and tastes even better. And also do try on their tea sets, the tea sets are mostly flower tea. I love flower tea cause it won't make you feel awake at night but make you feel relax and sleep even well. My grandma loves it too. :) 

This is my recent favorite- Claypot Laksa. It is spicy hot, with green chilly paddy ( I love it!) and the clay-pot keeps warm of the food even after some time. The smell of peppermint and asam is incredibly good, it definitely increases your appetite. Not to forget the smooth laksa noodles together with chinese cabbage and pineapple. I personally think that this Claypot Laksa (without fish) is much better than the usual Penang laksa. I think that anyone that is allergic to prawn or fish can definitely try this out to fix your craving. 

Next up is this Mango Snowflake. As you know, Penang weather is super duper hot, we need a bowl of ice to chill us. There's lot of flavor to choose from, but I think Mango is the best match for snowflake. The smooth and soft icy texture of the snow flakes wins all, and also the "pop balls" (I don't know what to call it, LOL), but it gives a pop when you melt it in mouth . The brilliant yellow color matches perfectly well with the watermelon bowl too. 

One more dish  that I would suggest is 滑蛋河粉. The egg- gravy is delicious, and you won't feel thirsty after that, meaning to say not much of MSG added. There are a lot of mushrooms in this dish, the chewy texture of mushroom will lighten up this big plate of hua dan hor. Yummy ! 

The only cons of this restaurant is that it does not have a lot of seats, thus I always pay my visit during non- peak hours. It has 4 big round tables for family/ company dinner setting, and another 4 small tables for 2 -4 seating. The ambiance is good, with air-conditioned, soft music, and no extra serving tax.   

Please feel free to pay them a visit at No. 23, Villa Tanjung, Jalan Villa Tanjung, Jalan P.Patto, Jalan Raja Uda, Butterworth, Malaysia.  Call this no: 012-4403122 to make reservations.

Enjoy your meal. Eat right, eat healthy, eat vege! 

Love, 

Yvonne

Chinese New Year at Home

After 3 years, I am finally home for reunion lunch and celebrate Chinese New Year. Throughout this festive seasons, I get to EAT & EAT & EAT, SHOP & SHOP & SHOP! It has been a great horse year, which I have gone through transition periods of adapting the hot weather and also start working. I hope that Goat Year will be even better, full of gratitude, prosperity and happiness.  I would like to mark and share about the wonderful traditions and beautiful moments of my family celebrating Chinese New Year. 

Every CNY, my brothers and I will bake our own Cornflake cookies and this year we even made "REBEN Bia".Reben Bia is the first bottle on the left photo which has ribbon shape, "bia" basically means biscuit. The difficulty of making this biscuit is that you really need to control the heat very well when you deep- fried it. I like that everything during this festive season is red in color, even the calendars. 

Every "nian chu yi", first day of CNY, mummy will cook us a dessert  "hua kai fu gui" for breakfast, blessing us sweet days for the whole year.

We traveled back to Kelantan every CNY. Papa and mama will kneel down to gave "angpow" to my grandma. Look at the beautiful smiles of my parents and ahma. Papa mama will gain for forgiveness and wish ahma stay healthy and happy. I am touched by the actions of my parents. A simple action of kneeling down open up your heart and letting go your ego.

Every year, even though I am not at home, I will still get angpows from my parents and relatives. This year, I am grateful to get not only angpow from papa but also the blessings of my parents. Parents are always the one that worry you the most, I feel it. I eventually get older but I feel like I am always their baby girl.

How can we miss out this, the most popular item for CNY- Steamboat !! We dine out at Zi Wei Yuan Steamboat at Raja Uda, this was my first time here. We had fried fish steamboat, and added on with other ingredients. The soup was so good with milky and sour taste, but slightly a bit salty. The traditional way of using charcoal to heat up the big wok of steamboat is interesting. We have less time for each other, as everyone has their own study and work; but whenever we gather in a round table, there is so much joy and laughter. 

"Bai ti gong" is the most lively event throughout CNY. I took a nap before going to ahma house, cause I know we will be staying late till around 2am. You need to listen up to this, I seriously think that BM lang must had a prosperous horse year, cause there are around 10 fireworks and a lot of red crackers just around Sri Rambai area. We pray to the Heaven God and make offerings to ensure "fu gui ping an", prosperity and peace. 

Today is the last day of CNY also known "chap goh meh" , "yuan xiao jie". There are still fireworks going on, but I choose to take a rest and spend some time for myself. I visited temple early this morning, did prayer to improve my luck in this goat year and also be a vegetarian today. I took a afternoon nap, washed my clothes, and blogged in my little room. P.S , I like migu so much- the pink bun on the right. yummy ! 

Once again, gong xi fa cai! Happy Chinese New Year! I wish each and everyone of us stay healthy and happy throughout the year of meh meh. 

Love, 

Yvonne