January 2021 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Litter Training Our Pet Kitten

Our cute little Haru – only Sherilyn, Cass and I care for her. I’m not a cat lover but Haru is changing me by the day. Her cuteness overload and her intelligence are shining through and she’s slowing finding a place in my heart.

Alycia is terrified of cats and all furry animals BUT Haru is slowly changing her too! Throughout the day Alycia will check on Haru and asks about her, though she still hasn’t gathered enough courage to touch a cat yet 🤣

The three of us have been litter training Haru since yesterday and it’s been pretty fruitful, provided we take her out of the box immediately and place her in her litter the moment she wakes up from her nap. Today all of us were too busy with our things and forgot to bring Haru out of the box to the litter; she peed inside the box and then let out a different meow, to signal to us that she’s peed.

Grandma doesn’t like Haru to be inside the house. And Haru seems to know it. She will stop at the border (between the shoe area and the living room) and sits there to observe us, knowing that she’s not allowed in. Poor baby. We let her roam freely at the shoe area during the day and then put her back into the box for her to nap. We haven’t really planned out where to place her when she grows bigger. Hopefully grandma will fall in love with Haru too and will allow her into the house soon 😁. I’ll pass the job of convincing the queen to change her mind to the hubs as he’s the one who initiated the cat fostering.

Looking like a penguin here 😆

During the day, we turn the box to its side so that Haru can get in and out easily. She went to the litter to pee on her own once today.

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Our Newly Fostered Stray Kitten

Apologies for the lack of update the past one week. Yeah, the title says it all. I’ve been busy being a mom to two new fur kids ☺️

Hubby decided to foster two out of six kittens that a stray cat gave birth to right outside his office door step. I told him that he must be crazy to bring not one but two kittens home! The mil is not happy at all with having cats at home!

I knew that I will not be able to cope with having two cats, in fact I’m not ready to care for a pet yet. To begin with, I’m not even a cat lover. I’m a 100% dog lover. But Cass and Sherilyn have always wanted to have a pet at home. Sherilyn loves cats while Cass is fine with any furry animal as her pet. She has been hounding me to get her a hamster, guinea pig or any type of small furry animal as a pet. But NO NO, there ain’t going to be a rodent in the house! When a cat gave birth to a litter of 6 kitties outside his shop, hubby immediately had the intention to bring a kitten home, though he’s also not a cat lover.

Luckily Alycia’s best friend who’s a 101% cat lover adopted Ginger. Today her friend came to bring Ginger to its forever loving home. She’s even planning on putting Ginger on her bed to sleep with her, just like her baby! So happy that Ginger found someone who could care and love it (it’s probably a male) forever.

Though I’m not a cat lover, I am beginning to fall in love with Haru a little more each day. Sherilyn had the privilege to choose a name for the kitten as she’s the one who’s going to take care of it most of the time, with Cass assisting her. Haru means spring in Japanese. I’d preferred such names as Hunter, Tiger or Thunder as it hissed at me the very first time I tried to touch it. Such a fierce infant kitty. She was the only kitty that spat and hissed at us. But as Haru got used to us humans, she stopped hissing at us on day 3 and now wants to get out of her box all the time to explore her new home.

There’s so much to talk about Haru and Ginger but I’ll leave the stories for another post. Enjoy the pix of our cute little Haru, the one with tri-colored stripes and polka dots on her pink belly.

Haru smiling at us at the vet today.

Haru and Ginger love holding their milk bottle during feeding time, just like a human baby. I love watching them drink milk from the bottle.

Haru weighs 330 gms today – 28 Jan 2021

Last pix of Haru and Ginger together today. Her new adoptive mom is downstairs waiting eagerly to meet her.

Sherilyn feeding Ginger for the last time.

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MCO Online Learning ~ Thursday, 21 January 2021

I have lost count on the MCO day number that we’re in! All I can remember is that day 1 of MCO is on 18 March 2020 and somewhere along the way, I lost count. It doesn’t matter anymore. It looks like we’re going to continue to be on some kind of MCO, whether Conditional MCO or Recovery MCO for the next half a year. The Government announced today that the MCO will be extended for another TWO WEEKS. Great. Hopefully we will see a significant drop in the number of Covid cases so that we can be placed in a Recovery MCO once again. And I hope that hubby’s catering business pulls through until the Recovery MCO when social gatherings are allowed again, when the clips on his wings can be removed again. Once and for all. And let’s all pray that no once screws up the Recovery MCO again this time, ever!

The new school term started yesterday and as our country is still placed in an MCO restriction, schools cannot be reopened yet. Thus, online learning has to continue. Alycia started her online SPM Trials yesterday and this will go on for another 9 days. This is going to be the scene at our living room until next Saturday:

The littlest one is hidden at another corner at the dining area. She’s in Form 1 this year at Sherilyn’s school. She doesn’t look too enthusiastic though. Thank goodness she has two classmates from primary school who are in the same class as her. And thank God she’s placed in one of the two DLP (Dual Language Program) classes, which are the best two classes. In a DLP class, Math and Science are taught in English and there are only 2 DLP classes in this school that Cass and Sherilyn are going to. However, I still find that online learning is not very effective for our girls, especially Cass who prefers to be in school to attend face-to-face learning and interact with friends. I feel terribly sad for Cass that her final year in primary school last year had to end in such a sorry manner – there was no graduation ceremony, no final pix with her friends, no year end party, no year-end school carnival (this is the highlight of schooling for her and she missed it), no school trip and no proper farewell, hugs and kisses to all her good friends. And now in her first year of high school, there is no orientation and no introduction to any of her classmates😢 and no one knows how long more students will have to continue learning from home 😔

No. of times viewed = 66

Fashion Trend For Working From Home

Last year seemed to be the year that all the must-have fashion pieces for 2020 did not fully materialize. Instead of wearing the latest styles on the streets, to a glam party or for the very important meeting with your big bosses, most of you resorted to sweatpants and comfy trendy cardigans at home while you attended Zoom meetings.

Rather than snagging that really glamorous jacket that you had your eyes on, you instead invested your money in comfy sweaters and loungewear for the seemingly never ending quarantine days of the Covid-19 pandemic. We really ditched much of fashion trends in 2020!

For me, I was in my comfy loose home batik dress from morning till evening, everyday in 2020 and it looks like this fashion trend will continue if there’s no end in sight to the pandemic.

Onward and upward! As Covid-19 vaccines have been rolling out in the USA and many parts of the world, we can look forward to a more promising 2021. Don’t you just long to don on the trendiest casual jackets for women along with your killer heels that’s now hidden somewhere inside your shoe room? I have half a dozen of shoes bought several months before Covid-19 rocked our country and the world. I’ve not worn them for a year and I really hope that they’re still in good condition and sole separation won’t happen when I get them out of the shoe box to try.

Despite 2020’s lack of fashion standouts, online fashion clothing store Holapick went out of their way to bring the latest in fashion to their 2020 – 2021 collections. So even if you’re only putting on a casual jacket for your Zoom meetings, or if you save your best look for a trip to the supermarket, you still won’t want to miss out on a fashion-forward moment.

Whenever they get a chance to go out, my two older girls dress up their best in denim or checked jacket, cap and jeans topped off with perfume even when they make a short trip to the dentist for a change of braces elastics 🤣. Their reasoning? What if I outgrow my clothes and my perfume expires when the MCO is lifted 2 years later? True that!

Here are the fashion trends that are going to take over in 2021, available at Holapick.

Embroidered Loose Cardigan Jacket @ $25.99.

Slim-fit Denim Jacket With Double-Breasted Buttons @ $26.99

Personalized Ruffled Camouflage Jacket @ $28.99

Classy Off-Shoulder Pure Colour Long Sleeve Casual Maxi Dress @ $9.99

Strapless neckline geometric irregular ruffle bag hip dress @$19.99.

Fashion trends are merely suggestions and not mandate. As trends come and go, it’s best to focus on your own personal style. If you’re going to spend money, spend it on something you’ll feel comfortable in and likely going to wear for years to come. Holapick has a good range of fashionable and affordable clothing for the fashion forward women. Check them out and pick some new pieces for a brand new 2021!

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Covid Scare

Three Sundays ago during the CMCO (Conditional Movement Control Order), our family went to Mid Valley Megamall and Gardens Mall. My main purpose of making a trip to the mall was to get some skin care products targeted at acne skin for the girls. We had brunch at Din Dai Fung @ Gardens Mall and then proceeded to Innisfree and Sephora to get the acne skin care products.

Fast forward three days later, hubs forwarded me a notice issued by Din Dai Fung @ Gardens Mall informing the public that one (or maybe a few) of their staff had just tested positive for Covid-19. There was another message that went viral regarding a staff at Innisfree @ Mid Valley Megamall who was also just tested positive. When I saw the messages, I felt my heart in my throat as we were at both the outlets at the mall. Unfounded worries kept hounding me for two weeks. It did not help that I’m a hypochondriac. When the mil heard the news, she was so worried that she had headache for 2 days.

For days, I kept having a nagging mild headache, felt like I was about to get a cold and had discomfort in my throat. I think I felt unwell as I wasn’t sleeping well and was sleep deprived. The feeling of feeling malaise was real. I wasn’t imagining. I wondered if I was infected too. I told Maria, our part-time helper not to come. We were expecting calls from the Health Department for contact tracing but no one called us. I guess we were not in contact with the staff of the two shops though we were there. I prayed fervently to God that our family will be protected from being infected by Covid-19. It’s now almost three weeks since the day we went to Mid Valley Megamall and I can safely say that we’re fine.

I don’t think I will be making a trip to the mall even when the MCO is lifted but the number of Covid19 cases are still in triple digits. After the agonizing two weeks of worrying ourselves sick, I think I will only dare venture out to the malls during the Recovery MCO when Covid cases are in a single or double digit.

Do you have any Covid19 scare stories to share?

No. of times viewed = 68

MCO Day 224 ~ Tuesday, 19 January 2021

Yesterday evening the MoE announced that the SPM Trials throughout the country will be cancelled. After being postponed several times, the government has finally decided to cancel the Trials as it it too risky for the students to go back to school in view of the wide spread Covid infection throughout the country.

However, Alycia’s high school (Chinese Independent High School / private) will proceed with the SPM Trials tomorrow, albeit it will now be held online. The past one year has been really tough on all the SPM students (batch 2020) and with so much uncertainties and changes taking place everyday in a pandemic that keeps spiraling out of control, I can see that Alycia has lost focus. If the number of Covid cases keeps going up, I really do think that there is a POSSIBILITY that the SPM may be cancelled or deferred again 😓

No. of times viewed = 40

Why Dental Implants Are the Best Tooth Replacement Option

If you’ve recently had a tooth removed, or you’ve had a gap for years, you might be looking for a solution to replace it. Luckily there are many choices, but none are as good as a dental implant. Dental implants are the closest to a natural tooth you can get, and there are a variety of reasons why they’re the best option.

Last a Lifetime
The most attractive feature of dental implants is that they last forever. An implant is permanently anchored to your jawline and will never wear down like a bridge or crown. Once an implant is secured to your jaw, the bone will grow around it, just like a natural tooth. This means you’ll experience no bone loss and no change to the structure of your face. Unlike dentures, which need to be adjusted every few years, Brooklyn dental implants will never move or shift.

All Foods Are Permitted
When you have dental implants, no food is off-limits. Since the implant is rooted firmly to your jawbone, your natural bite force is restored and you won’t have to avoid any specific food. You can enjoy chewy and crunchy snacks and foods that are restricted with dentures, such as nuts, seeds and corn on the cob.

Look and Feel Natural
The look of a dental implant is identical to that of a natural tooth and nobody will be able to tell the difference. Implants are rooted in the bone making them stable and secure, which gives them a natural feel. You’ll never have to worry about slippage or any difference in your speech. The most likely scenario is that you’ll forget they’re even there, which makes them far superior to dentures.

Easy To Maintain
Implants are a breeze to care for because they’re so much like natural teeth. Brush them at least twice a day, and remember to floss after every meal. The use of a dental rinse is encouraged, as well as continuing to see your dentist for cleanings and regular check-ups. Easy maintenance is another reason dental implants are such an attractive choice for tooth replacement.

A Permanent Solution
Whether you’re missing one tooth, or several, dental implants are the best way to go. They look and feel natural, allow you to eat whatever you want and are easy to care for. This permanent solution is also healthy for your bone structure and will give you a smile that lasts a lifetime.

No. of times viewed = 32

MCO Day 221 ~ Saturday, 16 January 2021

Alycia had a Zoom meeting with her teacher and classmates yesterday for the announcement on when the SPM Trials and actual SPM will be held.

SPM Trials will be held in school next Wednesday for 10 days, after which the SPM exam will be held 2-3 weeks later, towards the end of Chinese New Year.

Today’s Covid19 cases hit a high of 4029, the highest recorded in a day in our country ever since the pandemic struck early last year. Alycia is feeling jittery going back to school as we’re in a Red Zone with positive cases shooting up everyday. Her high school is very huge and there will be over 1,000 SPM candidates. This is excluding the teachers. Can you imagine what will be in the minds of all the SPM candidates? Jittery caused by both the exam and fear of being infected by the Virus by asymptomatic students and teachers. I’ve been sounding like a naggy mom, drumming into Alycia’s head not to get close with her friends and face mask must always be worn except when she’s eating. I hope she’ll remember the first SOP. I know she’s not the type who likes hugging or holding her friend’s hands but some of her friends can get very excited when they see her and will forget about the Covid SOPs 😯.

Anyway, we have to learn to live with Covid19 as it’s going to be around just like how German measles, SARS and other infectious diseases are still around and we have to take precautionary measures to prevent them from turning into a pandemic. We can’t be locked up forever. It’s damaging to a kid’s mental health to be devoid of social interaction. While some kids can manage isolation well during the lockdown, not all kids are the same. I can see the negative effects social isolation has on Cass during the MCO and how happy she is whenever her friends video call her. She was so happy during our small Christmas party last December and also when I brought her to the mall for shopping after her eye checkup at ISEC.

This is what Sherilyn cooked for lunch on Friday:

Oven grilled salmon (seasoned with black pepper, salt and lemon juice), sauteed buttered mushrooms with onions and Kongnamool (Korean Soybean Sprouts).

No. of times viewed = 64

The Power of Makeup

Eyes are the most important feature in determining your facial appearance. If you are not happy with your small, upward slanted eyes that make you appear fierce and unfriendly, you don’t need to resort to Lateral Canthoplasty and Epicanthoplasty as a way to enhance your appearance and boost your self confidence. There are techniques in your makeup to help visually enlarge your eyes or make them look less small. All you need is a set or two of Anastasia eyeshadow palette, mascara, eye lash curlers, fake eye lashes or eyelash extension, eyeliner and eyebrow pencil.

Eyeshadows can make a powerful transformation in a girl’s appearance. They make our eyes stand out and appear sexy and attractive. Eye shadow can also be applied under eyes or to brow bones to make the nose look sharper or make the eyes appear bigger.

You don’t necessarily have to invest heavily on expensive makeup brands. A well-known New York City-based dermatologist says the products her patients suspect might be causing irritation and other reactions run the gamut price-wise. Sometimes they’re really expensive, and sometimes they’re really cheap. The factors that go into making a product expensive often lie outside of its actual quality— think pretty packaging or a brand name affiliation. In fact, many of the luxury brands are made at the exact same factory as the over-the-counter brands to the point of having the exact formulation in a different package!

For me, I use mostly cheap makeup brands but for lipsticks, I tend to want to buy brands that use non-toxic ingredients as I’m putting it on my lips and may be ingesting it.

Makeup, especially the right kind of makeup, can transform a woman’s face and have them looking as flawless as a magazine cover model. From widening small eyes, to clearing acne, to enlarging sparse eyebrows to pumping up skinny lips, makeup can work wonders. It is even has the potential to alter peoples facial features, thanks to the invention of contouring palettes.

You don’t need to break the bank to spend on your wardrobe and makeup. You can scour the internet for affordable clothes and cheap wholesale makeup that won’t cause an arm and a leg and still look good. Makeup makes women feel more empowered and gives them a sense of fulfillment. It also boosts their confidence and makes them feel better about themselves. The truth is that makeup is all about self-love and it empowers a woman.

No. of times viewed = 32

Tactical Clothes For Rock Climbing

If you’re someone who likes your workouts mixed with adventure and adrenaline, then you may love rock climbing. Rock climbing is definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you’re game for it, rock climbing will work you from head to toe, challenging you both mentally and physically. Just be sure to don on some tactical shirts, a pair of comfy long pants and a good pair of climbing shoes and you’ll be zapping your way up comfortably like spiderman!

When I was 16 years old, I signed up for a 10-day Wilderness Adventure Camp (similar to Outward Bound School) at a training school in Lumut, Perak. That was the best 10 days of my life, even though there were a couple of outdoor activities that freaked me out. One of them is rock climbing. We hiked into a jungle next to the sea for this adventure of our life time. Climbing up to the top of the rock was one of the toughest activities of my life and I almost cried mid way through when I was stuck in the middle of the boulder and I didn’t know how to find my footing up. The footings were too high and the boulder was virtually 90 degrees erected. My besties down there were cheering me on while singing to some New Kids On The Block songs. With some skin on my hands and fingers ripped off and soldering on with all my might, I managed to climb up after what seemed like an eternity hanging in the air! Abseiling down the rock was some what fun, though I have acrophobia. Despite the pain, the trauma of being stuck mid way on the boulder and hanging in the air, I enjoyed myself throughout the 10 days at the wilderness adventure camp.

Rock climbing can help you reach your peak fitness level and can mix things up to prevent workout boredom. Despite the intensity, climbing avoids the joint-jarring effects of high-impact activities like jogging and plyometrics.

Tactical clothing are built to withstand the elements, and the abuse of wear and tear. These specially tailor clothing are a solid choice for the adrenaline junkies and adventurous travelers. If you’re into mountain climbing, rock climbing, jungle trekking or hiking, it would be a smart choice to get some tactical clothing to protect your body from scratches and the elements.

To shop for the best tactical clothing for your adventures in the jungle, mountains and off-roading, why not have a look at Wayrates.com? They have a good range of tactical clothing and footwear for you to select from.

No. of times viewed = 47

MCO Day 218 ~ Wednesday, 13 January 2021

On our 1st day of MCO 2.0 today, Sherilyn was in the mood to go Japanese. She’d thawed some salmon yesterday to make sushi but she didn’t get to do it coz we had some extra Nasi Kerabu from hubby’s shop.

Lunch menu today:
1. Sushi with oven grilled teriyaki salmon, homemade tamagoyaki and kyuri
2. Reverse sushi roll
3. Tamago nigiri
4. Okonomiyaki (cabbage, egg and shabu shabu pork) aka Japanese pancake

This girl has a magic wand in her hands. She can turn inexpensive ingredients into yummy grub that tastes like a thousand dollars 😁

Chef at work:

Sherilyn is now very adept at making sushi and Gimbap. She doesn’t even require a sushi bamboo mat to roll the sushi. A piece of plastic cling wrap would suffice for her to roll up the sushi. What she requires is a good and sharp chef’s knife to cut the sushi. And that’s the reason why she’s always shopping for knifes. Her friend even gave her a knife as a gift 🤭

Ingredients for the sushi:

Egg rolls can be quite tricky to make but for Sherilyn, it’s a no-brainer. She cooks it using a rectangular pan specially for making egg rolls that her grandma bought during one of her many trips to Japan.

No. of times viewed = 96

CMCO Day 215 ~ Sunday, 10 January 2021

Everyone is waiting with bated breath for our PM to announce tomorrow whether the country will go into MCO 2.0 to bring down the Covid19 infection rate. Many people have predicted that it will be another lockdown. For us, it does not matter anymore whether it’s MCO or CMCO or CMCO with tightened SOPs. Hubby’s business has been going up and down like a roller coaster from MCO to CMCO to RMCO to CMCO again and now a possibility of another MCO. I’m all geared up for MCO 2.0 though this time, I did not stock up on toilet papers or any grocery. We still have some canned food in our larder bought during the first MCO in March last year. We already know the drill very well. Just bring it on and lock us down for a few more weeks to flatten the curve.

News of close friends getting infected, news of condos in our neighborhood with positive tested residents are getting more frequent the past one week. Besides going out to get groceries, food and to hubby’s shop, I’ve not dared to venture out to anywhere else the past one week.

The other day I was sneezing and had nose block and I was dead worried. I kept checking my temperature and imagined feeling ill. Yes I’m hypochondriac! The fear of being infected is getting stronger each day as I hear of close friends getting infected but they were asymptomatic. Just today, hubs informed me that his friend’s kids got infected when the private tutor came to his house. All 5 kids got infected. I’ve just told Alycia to inform her tutor not to come to our condo anymore but to conduct the tuition via Zoom.

I know that another lockdown will kill more businesses (and possibility even ours if the lockdown is prolonged) but if there’s no lockdown, people will happily be crossing borders for holidays and having gatherings during CNY next month. A painful few weeks of lockdown may be the only way to stop the infection from spreading. I’m now more terrified than ever before of stepping out of the house to the supermarket or shop to get food, much more fearful than the first wave in March 2020 as this 3rd wave is made out of super spreader virus! The virus has reached our community and our neighborhood 😱 😨 😰

Yesterday our chef Sherilyn made Hainanese chicken rice and it was superb! It was so good that her super critical dad and grandma had to say that the dish passed with flying colors! 😁

Both the ginger and scallion dipping sauce and chili sauce were made from scratch and they tasted awesome – as good as those from expensive Chinese restaurants.

No. of times viewed = 53

Effects of Prolonged Home Quarantine on the Girls & Homecooked Meat-Free Dishes

While I can’t wait for the girls to return to school on 20 January, I’m also worried about their safety while they’re in school. My girls are pretty obedient when it comes to following the Covid19 SOPs. They’re always wearing their face masks the moment they step out of the house and they’re always sanitizing their hands. But not all the students and teachers obey the Covid19 SOPs dutifully and fearfully. I’ve seen teachers and students with face masks pulled down and without keeping a distance from each other.

Keeping the girls at home for prolonged months is damaging psychologically. I can see that they’re losing focus and interest in their studies. Even during online classes, their minds stray from their Zoom classes to other more interesting sites. Alycia who’s sitting for her SPM is super chillax and does not look like she’s about to sit for her SPM in two months! Even her school teachers can’t tell her when the SPM Trials will be in the light of the worsening Covid19 situation.

Cass has been affected the most by the prolonged home quarantine. She doesn’t look happy being cooped up at home all the time and not being able to see her friends. She keeps telling me that she can’t seem to fall asleep at her usual bed time and will only go to bed at 1-ish a.m; and this leads to her not being able to wake up by 9 a.m. the next day for online classes. What saddens her the most is that she couldn’t even have a proper farewell to all her classmates, many of whom she may never see again as they will all be going to different high schools this year. Coupled with many other issues, especially those related to her health, it pains me to see Cass feeling dispirited throughout the MCO and CMCO. Thus, I really hope that the girls will be able to go back to school soon. I want their minds to be kept busy with new knowledge, problem solving questions, quizzes, homework and extra curricular activities (but this will have to be on hold for another half a year I think) and not left idling. An idle mind is the devil’s playground!

Only Sherilyn finds something productive to do at home with her baking and cooking, albeit this is hurting our wallets. These are some of the new dishes that she tried over the past 1 week and they’re all superb and comparable with those from restaurants! With her creativity, passion in cooking and baking, competitive edge and a fearless front, this girl has the potential to be a Masterchef yo!

Eggplant agebitashi

Agedashi tofu

Meat-free green curry, using the leftover frozen green curry paste that she made from scratch about a month ago. This dish is so flavorful and delish that I won’t mind having it everyday! If Sherilyn could dish up such delicious meat-free dishes for me everyday, I could turn vegan any time and give up on meat!

No. of times viewed = 28

Winter Monsoon In Malaysia

The new year in our country started off with chilly weather with continuous rain for days. Though we can’t travel overseas, we KL folks are enjoying cool overseas weather caused by a winter monsoon. Temperatures across the Klang Valley dropped to as low as 23°C today, among the lowest in months. I didn’t even need to turn on the air conditioner or fan throughout the night. I am thoroughly enjoying the cool weather before the season changes and temperatures soar to near 40C towards CNY next month 🥵

We’ve not seen the sun for several days and I had to use the clothes dryer this morning to prevent our clothes from turning musty. We hardly use the dryer except during the winter monsoon or when the SIL from overseas comes to KL and stays with us. Thank goodness it’s still functioning when I used it this morning. It was probably more than half a year ago when I used it once.

Someone who’s not used to the cold weather wore two layers of clothes when we went to Mid Valley Megamall yesterday 😆

And she’s been wearing a jacket the entire day today, even when she cooked 🤨 How is she going to endure the bitter cold weather if I sent her to study overseas?!

Lunch today is shredded chicken porridge, cooked using our new TMX6.

No. of times viewed = 54

3 Question To Ask When Seeking Assisted Living During The Coronavirus

Asking senior loved ones to consider Florida assisted living is difficult at the best of times. The Covid-19 virus has made this more difficult due to the affinity the virus has for the elderly, the very young, and those with serious illnesses. We can, however, ask such facilities specific questions that will alleviate our worries.

1. What Is Your Facility Doing To Prevent The Spread Of The Virus?
While assisted living facilities are not bound by federal regulations, they are state-regulated and mirror nursing homes in many regulations. For example,

Everyone in the facility must wear masks
Visits are either virtual or “window” visits
Group dining and activities have been suspended
All residents and visitors are tested daily
Ask if the facility regularly disinfects doorknobs, elevator buttons, or staircase balustrades

2. How Are You Engaging Residents?
Depression and isolation plague many seniors, whether or not they’re at home or in assisted living facilities. Group dining, outings like shopping or entertainment, and group activities like crafts, dancing, or movie nights keep seniors feeling they’re not alone.

Ask the facility how they are engaging their residents. Is social distancing and masks enough protection for seniors to participate in group activities? In weather-specific states, is it possible to hold these activities outdoors? Can entertainment be brought to the residents, in the form of singers a la Christmas carolers? You want to see some creativity in ensuring their seniors are mentally and physically engaged.

3. How Are You Supporting Your Staff?
Any facility or business is only as good as its employees. Those employees enjoying help with grocery costs, doctor visits, child care, and a host of other concerns tend to stay with the job and give it the effort that is required. Your senior loved one in such an assisted living facility will experience a more stable lifestyle.

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CMCO Day 208 ~ Sunday, 3 January 2021

Alycia ordered some statement jewelry for herself from Taobao some time back and totally forgot about her order. When the parcel arrived yesterday, she had no frigging idea who the sender was until she opened the parcel.

I can’t believe her choice of costume jewelry – the necklace and bracelet are chunky and totally attention grabber! The chunky necklace looks a tad like Sporty’s (my late pet dog) chain collar 🤣 but with embellishments. These days, Alycia’s sense of fashion tends to gravitate towards the K-pop style. Today she wore a really oversized knitted cardigan paired with a pair of black Adidas sports shorts and Nike shoes, with her chunky statement jewelry when we went to Mid Valley Megamall. The cardigan along with some super cheap tees and eye-popping super cropped oversized shirts were bought from Taobao too. Now I know why my mum and maternal grandma rolled their eyes when they saw my choice of clothing when I was Alycia’s age. We older ladies will never understand a teenager’s choice of fashion.

What surprised me was what Alycia ordered for her two sisters. She ordered these The Little Prince necklaces for Cass – one for her 2020 birthday and the other for her 2021 birthday. She also ordered some statement jewelry for Sherilyn’s 2021 birthday. How very thoughtful of this tai kar che 🥰.

Cass loves the necklaces and wore one when we went to the mall today 💝

No. of times viewed = 27