Pineapple Fried Rice - simple recipe

yes, simple recipe indeed ...why do I post a recipe that is so simple, one may asks ....well, I often look up a recipe, simple or otherwise, before I cook ...hehehe so, it is for the benefit of someone like me, who sometimes face huge "cooking block' (similar to writer's block) when it come to cooking ..we all have our limitations right?

 the end result

 i just use whatever i had in the fridge and kitchen cupboard for this simple dish:


(i)     Heat oil in a frying pan -add sliced beef till brown and set aside
(ii)    In the same pan, add a bit more oil, and add  chopped garlic, minced ginger and chopped onions. Till fragrant
(iii)   because i like it to be spicy, I add chillies at this stage (chopped fresh chillies or chillie paste - whatever you have), and continue to heat it up. Add vegetables - like carrots, Pak Choi and, of course, pineapples. I love to use fresh pineapples - but canned ones are also good. your choice ...
(iv)   and then add rice - preferably cold rice coz it means that the rice will be easily separated. Hot rice tend to stick together and becoming lumpy ...and stir through thoroughly to coat the rice
(v)    toss in the fried beef, season with salt and pepper ...and at the very last minute, add chopped cariander leaves ...

serve and ready to eat ....sometimes I had a side serving of fried egg to go with this ...or a side salad (lettuce, corn and tomato) ..like i said, it's your choice :-) and what's more important is that you can make this in a jiffy!

travelling by plane with infants - the essential items to bring

It is easy when you have to travel on your own ...just pack your bags and head to your destination ...if you forget to pack some essential items, you can always (i) buy new one, or (ii) go without it ..but travelling with kids can sometimes be a nightmare ...especially travelling with tiny tots

adik at 4 months

Adik was 4 months old when I had to bring him to KL with us ...for his baptism ..by then he was already 3 months staying with me and my parents ...we were afraid of a lot of things - what if he cries in the plane? what if he is inconsolable? and many more questions ...my friend Elena told me to do a checklist of the things that a baby needs ...she pass me a copy of her checklist (she travels abroad a lot and her kids often travel with her) ...

here's the main item that she said a must when travelling by plane:

#1: birth cert / My card (and baby's clinic car - just in case, especially if it is a long holiday)
#2: formula, bottles etc - airlines do provide hot water for the formula, so it would be easier if you have a few bottles handy. We are ask the stewardess to help heat the bottles
#3: pacifier and comfort blanket (bantal busuk etc)
#4: fav toys or books - anything that you can use to pacify the baby when he/she is cranky
#5: spare clothing/ diapers/ etc - and also a spare cloth for yourself in case the baby puke on you!
#6: wet wipes - one of the best things ever invented!
#7: stroller - dont worry, airlines staffs will store these for you one you are at the door of the plane

What we did was to feed adik with a bottle during take off and another bottle during landing. That helps to ease his ear pressure. Apparently the sucking motion lessen the impact of ear pressure, which is said to be greater during take off and landing. The use of pacifier is also encourage in this case. Our pead, Dr Tan, told us to bring pacifier for adik when she knew we were taking him flying then.

another tip that I often get is that keep the baby up i.e. dont let the baby sleep before the flight ..this will make them tired and, hence, will sleep soundly (fingers crossed) when they are on board ..so far, we have never encounter any problem with adik during our frequent flights KL in his early years ...he is a great baby, he might cried a bit but can be pacified using his toys, or books or by feeding him ...

and my dad is always stressing on the need to use a small bag - so that it can be stored underneath the seat! Reason, it means that you'll have easy access to the items in your bags ...convenient especially if you are travelling alone with the infant. His motto is travel light - only bring the baby's items - you can leave your cloths behind or have them checked in :-)

adik aged 2.5 years - on our trip to KK ..he was reading most of the time!

and now he is turning 4 this sept - but getting to be harder to please during the flight. The recent flight to KL saw him getting impatient when the flight was delayed ...my mum just had to give him his bottle before we even boarded the plane ...thankfully, he did not experience any discomfort to his ear during take off :-

waiting to board the plane at 8.00am @ KLIA

like a brother ...

The two best friends since childhood ..they are actually cousin, my dad's mom and my uncle's dad are sibling ...they grew up together and their relationship is actually more like brothers ..they are closer to each other than to their own brothers ...both have said the same thing over the years ...

I grew up being close to my Uncle K (as we called him) and his family ..we visited each other often ...have dinner together, family trips and what nots ...when they are living far away from us (on a few occasions that he was transferred to other parts of Sarawak), we always met up especially during holidays ...and that tradition continues till this very day ....we visited each other when we have the chance - and not just during festivals ...

taken last June, during our Gawai visit to Uncle K's house ...and their favourite drinks!

and both of them are happy that their kids (me and my siblings and our cousins) get along well with each other ...as my aunty always said, we dont ask for your money, we just want you guys to visit us ..after all, we are family :-)

christmas 2007 ...during one of our visits :-)

My cousin who stands next to me in the picture is actually the same age as me ..we went to school together ... my aunty always scolded us back then, coz we were often late when it comes to getting ready for school ..we were attending afternoon classes back then ...and to make matters worse is when it was my Uncle K's turn to send us to school ...the reason: he drive REALLY REALLY slow ...and if it is his turn we were always late!!! and that habit of his still persist to this day ...he still drive very slow ... it has become a private joke in the family :-)


Now that both my uncle and my dad are retired, they dont live in the same vicinity anymore...my uncle live in the village after his retirement, but often live a nomadic life - visiting his children in Sri Aman, Kapit and Miri ...whilst my dad lives with us in Kuching and going back to the villages frequently ...so now, their meeting place is the coffeeshop at the village! Can't wait to catch up with him and his family this coming Raya holidays ....

Umang's Baptism

Two weeks ago Umang was baptised at St Mary's Cathederal in KL ...it was exactly 2 weeks after we left KL, so none of us was there ..my uncle suggested that Umang be baptised as soon as possible, and together with his new born grandaughter (who was 4 days older than Umang). My uncle arranges for everything - the forms, the godparents' list etc etc and my parents agreed with him ...

during the service

Umang and mummy at home ..i love her tiny hat!

my parents are sad that they are not able to attend the service, but they felt that it should go ahead without them ...and they felt ok with it as they know my sister is not completely alone without any family member attending ...that's because my uncle (mom's step brother) and his family are all there to support my sister

my cousin Ana and her baby Gisele ...Gisele is 4 days older than Umang

and my other cousin, whom we called Girl, is Umang's God Mother ...and Jane and my borther are also Umang's God parents ...

looks like we wont be seeing Umang anytime soon - my sister found a babysitter who live in the same block of flats as hers and the person has agree to take care of Umang ....so, wait and see lah when we are going to see her next ....

awaiting decisions - and it is killing me!

I have been having these flashbacks the lats few weeks ...flashbacks to my university days ...i was triggered by my applications to do PhD ..well, the uncertainties surrounding the applications and its lengthy process and all that ...i am still not sure where I will be by Jan next year ...this is hard coz I cannot plan any holiday, plan my work schedule etc etc ...life is still hanging on the air ...awaiting decisions from above ...

the Monument - my fav meeting place with friends!

i am telling myself over and over again that I can do it ..i have survived before and am sure, Gods willing, will survive again ..it is a matter of will ..so, bring it on ...Penang or Wellington, both places have their own pros and cons ..and I am sure both will be great for me ...but nothing can take Newcastle from my heart  ..it is like a second home to me ...a place where i grew up so to speak ...spent all my 20s there and part of my 30s ....it has a very special place in my heart, always has and always will be ...

if I go to Wellington, it would be a whole new experience ...am so used to winder in dec but down south the winter is in June! and I have never been to that part of the  world - and spending 4 years there would be great ...on the other hand, Penang is a great place to live and study ....the food is awesome and the beach is aplenty ..and the deciding factor is that it is less than 2 hours flight to Kuching ...and direct flights are available daily ...so, come on .....give me a decision so that I can move on with this!!!!

Al's Monday Blues

Had a usual Monday delaying tactics from Al today ..he is always hard to get up on Monday ...always finding excuses not to get up ..and today is worst coz Jane is on morning shift, so it was me who is supposed to get him ready for school ...the routine is that Al gets up and come to my room to wake me up (hahahaha!) and then he has his early morning bath (latest by 7.30 am) whilst daddy will be ironing his school uniform and nenek preparing his breakfast ...see, everybody is involved!!!! except adik, who is still sleeping soundly :-)

today was especially hard to get him out of the bad ...daddy manages to get him up at 7.20 after a few rounds of gentle persuasion (which failed!) and a round of slightly not so gentle persuasion ....Al was not happy hahahaha ....but we still manages to get both Al and Daddy out of the house before 8am ....

anyway, was browsing through my picture folders to get photos for my report when I came across a few of Al's photos ...enjoy!

his fav routine ..watching youtube whilst waiting from breakfast ...he is allowed to lie down if is is a t-shirt day :-)

this is funny ...he wrote his name in two lines coz his handwriting is very bad! he really hates writing ...the teacher said that he will be very slow and moody when he has to do writing exercises, but was quick and cheerful when it comes to singing, play acting and arts day ..

and he got this habit of using only ONE colour at a time ...so everything will be coloured using that chosen colour of the day ....i have been telling him to use as many colours as suitable, and he said No, Mama ..I will do it ....not you ...huhuhu stubborn boy!

and a funny thing was that, we - the whole family- did not know that he has tests last semester ..we just sort of assumed that he is going to school to learn to read, write and make friends and all that ..hehahaha silly us! until one day he brought back his report card!

and we were shocked with the results ...OMG we have so little expectations! we just assumed there is no test coz he never mentions it ....His teacher said he did well in all subjects ....two papers with 96 and 98 marks whilst the other two papers were on the high 80s mark ..speechless for a while, before we burst out laughing ....but the only thing that is lacking is his attendance ....he is often missing classes hehehe ...

some of his works ...told him to use his ruler, but his stubborn attitude persists!

hope he'll excel in school ...mama is proud of you dear boy ....

that's what family are for ...

just got the news that my little neice, Umang, as she is fondly known,  will be staying with us for a while ....maybe till she is 6 months old. It was decided that, due to babysitting problem, that she will be taken care of by us in Kuching ...till she is bigger ..and until my sister find a new arrangement in KL ...

we are so looking forward to having her with us ...there was no hesitation whatsoever when my sister told us of her predicament, everyone just says send her over, we'll look after her ....my SIL went back to her mom's house this morning to get back all of adik's baby stuffs ....to get them ready before Umang arrives on Saturday ...the house will be full of baby noises again :-)

but one person who is so excited is none other than Al ...he is asking us to go to the airport to check if Umang's flight has landed! hehehehe