PPP: online shopping anyone?

shopping has always been considered as a therapy to reduce stress.... especially to women, of course... these days, online shopping is getting more popular among us as we are able to browse thousands of online stores to get what we want to buy whenever we want to.... and yes... i found this keepcash.com which offers so many different online coupons and discounts for a variety of products....

i myself is a shoe lovers.. you can count the many pair of shoes that i have... if you have the same interest as me, you can check out this Shoes & Accessories Coupons which offers some online coupons to shop for shoes... there is just so many brands available online...

the site is really great as you can shop at anyday, and anytime as and when you are free..... no more hassle of getting stuck in traffic jam and search for parking spot at the malls just to buy a pair of shoes.... plus this online coupons offers great saving $$$.... and there will be free shipping when you purchase three pairs of shoes......

as for hubby, i will definitely recommend AceHardware.com Coupons to him(which guy dosen't like this type of store???), i would recommend him to check out the site because it also offers some online coupons too...

and maybe he can check out the Hallmark Coupons too... hmmm... perhaps a dozen roses for me, dear??? coz they are offering "buy a dozen roses, get a dozen free" * wink * wink *

and if you wanna find out more about online coupons and hot deals website, why not check out this site?... it's all about saving $$$ when online shopping....


** this post is brought to you by keepcash.com **

PPP: Pingo

how many of us these days use calling cards to call our loved ones at overseas? i guess there is a number of us who do so since the normal phone rate charge by our local operator rarely give discounts on this international calls..

when i was studing in uni, the only way for me to my contact my bf(now he's my dear hubby) is only by using the prepaid RING RING card.... you can imagine how many of those cards which I still kept in collection after using the prepaid...... sigh, it is really not cheap to maintain a long distance relationship huh......

check out Pingo, a global brand of virtual calling cards with amazing low rates and if you sign up now, you will receive $5 FREE calls.... you might not know this, but Pingo phone cards are a service of iBasis, a public company (NASDAQ: IBAS) and one of the largest carriers of international VoIP phone calls in the world.

what's more?

- Pingo has no hidden fee's and just by signing up, you will also receive 4 hours of International calls
- Pingo’s RateWatcher™ that saves you from the hassle of digging through piles of prepaid calling card offers to see if you're getting really low phone card rate
- Pingo also offers saving up to 90% on your International cell phone calls


** this post is brought to you by Pingo.com **

I signed up for PPP!

Have you heard of this “get paid for blogging”? well, I came across this blog marketing from one of the many blogs that I read daily on the internet. Actually, i found out there is more than one bloggers who blogs frequently and yes, they got paid! And when I said got paid, means they really receive a cheque for their hardwork. It’s worth it(according to them- lah)…

Well, I never believe that one day, I myself will be doing a post and get paid for it(though I yet to earn any income yet from blogging, I am still interested to give it a try)

Truthfully, I just signed for this payperpost over last weekend. Yup… after prolonging my thoughts for more than half a year, I finally took the big step to sign up for it......Hehehe… I sound so serious right?

Do I make any friends from payperpost? Hmm… not yet… but I definitely manage to stay in touch with close frens who read my blog frequently(thought they rarely give their precious comments)…. And I definitely look forward to meet new friends through payperpost…

With this, I hope to earn some side income(who doesn’t want to earn more, right) * wink * wink*…. Hehehe…. And of course, to continue my love for blogging!

07.07.07
this special date holds a lot of special meaning to a lot of ppl coz on this day, many people got married( including some of my frens, CONGRATS ya!)....... triple 7...... what an easy date to remember... and meaningful too coz it happens once in a thousand year???

the number 7 has alwiz been my favourite number...... and it's my lucky number too.....

before i got married, i stayed at my parents home with the address No. 17.... and now my new home is No. 7..... when i first make booking for my new home, i do not know the house address until we receive the keys to our new home.... what a coincidence as it turned out.........

working shift

i have alwiz wonder how it feels like working shift.... well, not that i am working shift now but it's my dear hubby..... dunno about what production line needs engineer suport when they work at nite/ midnite...... dunno-lah.... just don't understand coz all this while hubby are not required to work shift......

for the 1st week, he & a few of his colleagues have been working 7.00am to 7.00pm(of course he did not leave his workplace so punctual but actually reach home onli about 9.30pm)........

and for this 2nd week(which by the way, today is his last day for working shift), he works from 7.00pm to 7.00am(and when he works this shift, he leaves his workplace punctually becoz he is already half sleepy).....

i mean, can you work the graveyard(midnite) shift? i definitely cannot. definitely NO!

reason:
- i sleep quite early(10.30pm averagely on weekdays but I can sleep at 9.00pm if i want to... hehehe)

- i will not be able to live normally as in watching TV, surfing net coz if work midnite shift means whole afternoon will be spent sleeping, then wake up for early dinner, bath & go to work... see-lah.... where got time for all this luxury???

- i will miss my dear hubby a lot.... for the 1st week(morning shift), hubby leaves for work before i wake up..... and reach home late which is almost my sleeping time..... and for this 2nd week(nite shift), i rush home on Monday, Wednesday & Friday to catch my hubby before he leaves for work at 6.15pm... means i left my workplace on the dot at 5.20pm and reach home about 5.45pm to chat with him for a while and catch up a little bit on our daily life.... ya...... the precious half an hour or less.....

i really salute those who can rotate working shift either morning shift, afternoon shift and nite shift.... i guess it takes time to adjust to this lifestyle...

i hope this will be the last day that my dear hubby got to work shift...... sigh.....

seafood lunch

last sunday, hubby and i went for seafood lunch at kuala selangor(KS) with a group of our close frens... KS is just a 30 minutes drive from our home in Setia Alam...

this time we try out this new place... normally we eat at restoran sungai yu but this time, we headed to kedai makanan laut hai ung (just a few doors away from restoran sungai yu)...

* this place is much bigger than restoran sungai yu *

* the view we had... not bad *

* belacan kangkung, ordered by mr yeoh *

* seafood soup with generous serving of crab meat *
* looks and taste like sharksfin soup *
* "kam heong" lala *

* "har kou", prawn mantis coated with salted egg yolk *

* "oh chien", fried oyster with egg *

* buttered "sotong", which i find it too dry & no butter taste at all*

* fried fish in soya sauce *

in conclusion, i still prefer the food at restoran sungai yu but this place offer a better place for chit-chatting after a sumptious lunch as it is more spacious... and airy....

thai Tub-tim Grob(thai dessert- rubies in coconut milk )

almost one year ago, i mentioned about this thai dessert in my blog and i can't believe that i actually took the trouble to try out this recipe which i found on the net.......

http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Rubies_in_Coconut_Milk.htm

last saturday after my half day work, i dropped by at Giant to buy the "nangka" fruit and a few small packs of the coconut milk... much much earlier i have prepared the other ingredients... just waiting for the correct timing & "mood" to try out this recipe.....

and yes, this dessert is one of my favourite!!!

ingredients: One can of peeled water chestnut – can buy this from Giant
Tapioca flour
Red food coloring
Rose flavoring
Nangka
Coconut milk – chill it in the fridge first
Sugar
water

steps:(as according to my way, almost similar to the internet recipe)

- diced the water chestnut and placed the diced water chestnut into a big bowl
- put about five drops of the red coloring into the diced water chestnut followed by three drops of the rose flavoring. mix it well until the all the diced chestnut turn to red color
- pour in enough of the tapioca flour into the bowl of red color diced chestnuts until all of it are coated with the tapioca flour - sieve the coated chestnut so that it will be evenly coated

- for bigger "rubies", repeat with coating the chesnut with a few more layers of flour by sprinkling some water each time before re-coating it with the tapioca flour.....
- once done, boil a pot of water. when the water comes to boil, put in the chestnut and let it boil until all of it cooked(it will float when it's cooked)
- then transfer the cooked "rubies"(chestnut) into a big bowl of iced water (this will make the "rubies" look better by turning transparent, just like magic coz when the "rubies" are boiling in the pot, it looks much uglier). later pour away the iced water and leave it aside(or in the fridge)
- after that, to prepare some syrup, just mix some sugar with water and boil it(quantity of sugar + water depends on your taste, as for me i put in 5 tablespoons of sugar with 300ml water)

to serve this dessert,
pour some coconut milk into a bowl, add in some syrup, then add in the "rubies" plus the nangka. serve chilled(you can add in either some crushed iced or ice cubes)...

* close up of this homemade yummylicious dessert *

hubby gave his comment as OK but i give myself 8/10.... i can't wait to prepare this dessert again maybe this coming weekend... okie dear?

potluck

had a potluck session with some of the closest frens at my house last week saturday(23rd june '07- the day hubby & i were supposed to leave for a short holiday to singapore with a couple of frens but cancelled due to some "unforeseen circumstances")...

this time round, i decided to cook spaghetti with tomato prawn sauce..... luckily i got my mummy to guide me on how to prepare this dish...

besides that, i also prepared some longan konnyaku jelly..... well, the spaghetti that i cooked, turned out well..... most of them said it's yummy & delicious.... and of course, they love the konnyaku jelly too......

seriously, this is the first time that i cook nice spaghetti.........

ingredients1 packet of spagetthi
1 bottle of pasta sauce (i prefer Prego brand)
1 can of tomato puree

prawns (peel off the shell)
1 can of button mushroom (slice it thinly)
2 big onions (slice it)
garlic
2 fresh tomatoes (peel off the skin and cut into dices)

steps

i) preparing the sauce
- fry the onion with garlic
- add in the button mushroom, follow by the prawn
- when the prawn turn into red color (almost cooked), add in the diced fresh tomato
- after that, pour in the pasta sauce and the tomato puree
- let it simmer for about 10 minutes then turn off the flame

2) preparing the spaghetti
- put water into a big pot. when the water boils, add salt and some oil... then put in the spagetthi
- cook until the spaghetti is soft, then drain the waterbefore serving this dish, heat up the sauce as it will make the spaghetti taste nicer while it is piping hot....

interviews

recently, again i get to meet all kind of candidates who came to apply job as cust svc exec..... dunno why but seems like many many ppl who are working are actually planning for career advancement and better salary/ benefits..... maybe this is a sign for me to do the same???

of course there is also some of them who are currently not working and can start working almost immediately..... yup those are the one who got married right after studies and have kid(s)...

and this candidates are still young.... below 25 years old...... i can't imagine myself in their shoes... not that i look down on them but it just make me wonder if i can cope with what they have achieve so far(as in get married, hv kid, stay at home, no working experience)....

and sad to say, most of them do not meet our requirement as they could hardly speak English... i really pity them since nowadays, which employer do not required us to speak English at working place? maybe got-lah... e.g. cleaner (since they do not need to do any talking, but there is still a possibility that they need to converse in English when they are doing their work)....

so, what did i do with these candidates??? well, i can only tell them that we will contact them again if they are selected for 2nd interview(which of course is rare to happen)!

our SKY

updates on SKY... SKY... my family's pet... and also a member of our FOONG family....

chilly buddy

recently my parents found this nice eating place somewhere near the klang parade.. . don't have the address... but if you know where is the STATION ONE COFFEE restaurant in klang, then you'll be able to locate this place coz it's at the T-junction there.....

and the name of the shop is Chilly Buddy(reminds me of "cili padi")........ this place serve local asian food as in rice/porridge/ noodles.... also got tong sui like "bubur cha cha"(which my mum loves a lot), honey water chesnut etc.....

and last couple of weeks ago, my mummy treated my sis, hubby & i to dinner at this place..... our order for that day was this:

* this is the seafood tomyam(consist of squid, prawn, fish ball, lala)... must try this! not too sour & not too spicy... the taste is just superb even for my dear hubby who doesn't really fancy tomyam*

* seafood fried rice (also with suqid, prawn & lala) *

* this plain looking fried rice is actually lala fried rice... hmm... should be "mini" lala.. can you spot the tiny little lala??? anyway it still taste great *

* red wine chicken wing... crispy & yummy *

* sweet & sour chicken with rice *

happy news

nope... not my happy news........ but happy news of friends and colleagues who are either registering their marriage, getting married(as in having dinner to announce to alll other people), pregnant with their first child and also those who have gave birth recently..... seems like it's the season for good news which i hope will be continuos with no ending......

just seems like yesterday that we(me & my frens) studied in the same school/ uni...... preparing for exams.... getting sleepy in classes/ lectures/ tutorials...... skipped some boring uni lectures.... joining school/ uni activities....

and now most of us almost reaching the big 30 (which i consider an "old" age)..... hehehe.... each with their own responsibilities and family commitment......

to those who are still single, i am happy for them too coz most of them have a good career (at least they are working in reputable companies)....... and earning good income..... plus, they have all the freedom that they want to do all the things that they like e.g. travelling, shopping etc...

and here i am wishing all my family members/ frens/ colleagues and everyone i know, a HAPPY MORE GOOD NEWS TO COME for all of us...

why is it called unagi pie?

hubby brought this back from his workplace.... someone bought it from japan but none of his colleagues are interested to taste it.....

can u see that? it's called unagi pie but it had no unagi in it at all....... it is just a crispy snack with some sugar on it.... taste not bad......

by the way, i do not eat unagi (eel)... it taste so funny..... the other way round, dear hubby loves unagi a lot..... yucks!!!!

lazy to cook

yesterday parents-in-law went out for jalan2 , so, left me & hubby at home......feel so lazy to cook especially after half day shopping at midvalley.... plus dear hubby requested to have KFC for dinner... i don't really fancy KFC compare to McD..... so, instead, i "ta pau" this for my dinner from the Jusco japanese corner:* forgot the name of this meal * it is just rice with grilled squid, taufu & vege..simple but nice... RM 7.90 per bowl *

happy father's day

today is father's day.... hubby & i joined my parents, sis, bro & SIL for dinner somewhere in klang(near the menara Maybank, klang & around the berkeley roundabout).... a restaurant named Gold Leaf Village Restaurant.....

heard about this place from my dad's friend, XL..... he recommeded this place b4 but we never make a trip there until today... after having dinner here, only one word to describe: DELICIOUS

just see what we had for dinner today.......

* fried fish head kung-po style *

* restaurant's signature taufu *

* thai sauce cuttlefish with tempura vegetable *

* choy sum *

* another signature dish- the braised pork knuckles with sea cucumber*

* salted egg prawn mantis *

* sweet & sour pork which we had to "ta pau" coz we were so full *

GOLD LEAF VILLAGE RESTAURANT

No. 45, Jalan Satu, Kaw 16, Off Jalan Batu Tiga Lama, Berkely Town Centre, 41300 Klang, Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: 03-3342 2239/ 019-3614065

the manhattan fish market

yesterday after work, my sis Joyce & I went to midvalley... we met up with my SIL, kar lai and all three of us headed to the manhattan fish market for lunch.... it's been a long time since i dine in this restaurant coz my dear hubby is not really a fish lover.... so, taking the oppurtunity to dine for a nice FISH meal while hubby is at work, this is the food that 3 of us shared....

* soup of the day- mushroom soup..... will be nicer if it is more creamy *

* deep fried shrimps- yummy! coz it's so crispy *

* giant platter- calamari, fish, prawns, mushrooms (all deep fried)... served with garlic rice & chips *

The Secret to a Lasting Marriage: Embrace Imperfection

Got this forwarded email from mrs ha... it is one touching story..... and it's possible to happen in our daily lives... at least it happen to me & hubby.... yup... once a while i do "overcook" or "undercook" some food for him but he's not complaining at all! THANKS DEAR!

When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work.

On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage,and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day was at school.

I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do rememberwatching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: "Baby, I love burned toast."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him ifhe really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Debbie, your momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!"

In bed that night, I thought about that scene at dinner...and the kindness my daddy showed my mom. To this day, it's a cherished memory from my childhood that I'll never forget. And it's one that came to mind just recently when Jack and I sat down to eat dinner.

I had arrived home late...as usual...and decided we would have breakfast food for dinner. Some things never change, I suppose!

To my amazement, I found the ingredients I needed, and quickly beganto cook eggs, turkey sausage, and buttered toast. Thinking I had things under control, I glanced through the mail for the day. It was only a few minutes later that I remembered that I had forgotten to take the toast out of the oven!

Now, had it been any other day -- and had we had more than two pieces of bread in the entire house -- I would have started all over. But it had been one of those days and I had just used up the last two pieces of bread. So burnt toast it was!

As I set the plate down in front of Jack, I waited for a comment about the toast. But all I got was a "Thank you!" I watched as he ate bite by bite, all the time waiting for some comment about the toast. But instead, all Jack said was, "Babe, this is great. Thanks for cooking tonight. I know you had a hard day."

As I took a bite of my charred toast that night, I thought about mymom and dad...how burnt toast hadn't been a deal-breaker for them. And I quietly thanked God for giving me a marriage where burnt toast wasn't a deal-breaker either!

You know, life is full of imperfect things...and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook. And you might be surprised to find out that Jack isn't the perfect husband! He likes to play his musictoo loud, he will always find a way to avoid yard work, and he watches far too many sports. Believe it or not, watching "Golf Academy" is not my idea of a great night at home!

But somehow in the past 37 years Jack and I have learned to accept theimperfections in each other. Over time, we have stopped trying to make each other in our own mold and have learned to celebrate our differences. You might say that we've learned to love each other for who we really are!

For example, I like to take my time, I'm a perfectionist, and I'm even-tempered. I tend to work too much and sleep too little. Jack, on the other hand, is disciplined, studious, an early riser, and is amarketer's dream consumer. I count pennies and Jack could care less! Where he is strong, I am weak, and vice versa.

And while you might say that Jack and I are opposites, we're also very much alike. I can look at him and tell you what he's thinking. I can predict his actions before he finalizes his plans. On the other hand, he knows whether I'm troubled or not the moment I enter a room.

We share the same goals. We love the same things. And we are stillbest friends. We've traveled through many valleys and enjoyed many mountaintops. And yet, at the same time, Jack and I must work every minute of every day to make this thing called "marriage" work!

What I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing,and lasting marriage relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your married life and lay them at the feet of GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a marriage where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker!

dragon fruit
if recently u hv gone to the wet market/ hypermarket/ supermarket for grocery shopping, then you will notice that it is now the dragon fruit season..... i love eating this fruit... DO YOU???

i love using the dragon fruit with red flesh when i make konnyaku jelly as it will give a nice natural coloring (some sort of ribena color).....

and so here i am now, searching online for some info about this fruit.... one
of my fav fruit actually....

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The pitaya (also known as pitahaya, dragon fruit, huǒ lóng guǒ (火龍果/火龙果), strawberry pear, nanettikafruit, or thanh long) is the fruit of several cactus species, especially of the genus Hylocereus, but also see Stenocereus. Native to Mexico and Central and South America, these vine-like epiphytic cacti are also cultivated in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia. They are also found in Taiwan, Okinawa, Israel, and southern China. The pitaya only flowers at night; they are large white flowers that are often called Moonflower or Queen of the Night.

The species Stenocereus gummosus in the Sonoran desert has been an important food source for Native American peoples. The Seri people of northwestern Mexico still harvest the highly appreciated fruit of the pitaya agria (Spanish), which the Seris call ziix is ccapxl "thing whose fruit is sour".

The name of the fruit was later changed to dragon fruit to boost sales. It made a significant difference in the marketability of the fruit

Nutritional claims

The red flesh variety is believed to be rich in antioxidants.
The pitaya fruit is rich in vitamins.
The pitaya fruit helps the digestive process.
The pitaya fruit helps prevent colon cancer and diabetes.
The pitaya fruit helps to neutralize toxic substances such as heavy metal, reduce cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.
Consumed regularly the pitaya fruit can help against asthma and cough.

Dragonfruit is rich in fiber, Vitamin C and minerals. The typical nutritional value per 100g of dragonfruit is as follows:

Ashes 0.68g
Fat 0.61g
Fiber 0.9g
Phosphorus 36.1mg
Carotene 0.012g
Protein 0.229g
Water 83.0g
Calcium 8.8mg
Iron 0.65mg
Riboflavin 0.045mg
Niacin 0.430mg
Ascorbic Acid 9.0mg

Dragonfruit is also rich in phytoalbumins which are highly valued for their antioxidant properties. Antioxidants prevent the formation of cancer-causing free radicals. In Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a source of dietary fiber.