By day 4, most of the classic symptoms of Covid crept out — sore throat and high fever. On day 5, the fever subsided but Alycia started to have cough and a bad throat.
Since Alycia had a zero-symptom Covid infection three months ago and is now infected again, I think she got infected by Omnicron BA.5, the new subvariant. BA.5 is now dominant in the US and has already landed in our shores. I hope none of us in the house will get infected as BA.5 is highly contagious and much more contagious than the previous versions.
Alycia’s well fed and hydrated all day. She gets honey lemon juice in the morning and in the evening. Mid morning after her breakfast she downs a mug of thick matcha powder tea. And in the afternoon she downs a mug of fresh coconut water. In between she drinks lots of plain water. She has 3 main meals and snacks in between. Her room is sanitized twice a day. My life since Monday revolves around prepping her meals, buying coconut water, sanitizing her room and the house, washing/sanitizing the toilet after Alycia uses it, and washing my hands like a hyper OCD lunatic 🤧 😷
Day 5 brekkie – egg and kale mayo with multigrain bun, sweet corn and orange and thick matcha tea.Day 5 lunch – MIL bought healthy pan mee from an organic shop. Day 5 dinner – Alycia requested for bread with strawberry jam as her throat hurt badly. MIL boiled a big pot of watercress + loh hon guo cooling drink for everyone.Day 6 brekkie – chives and minced pork dumplings, veggies, red bean tong sui, black grapes, banana and thick matcha tea.Day 6 dinner – air fried mini drummets, braised duck and veggies. Fruit – guavas and watercress + loh hon guo drink.Air fried mini drummets marinated with turmeric powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce and corn flour.Day 7 brekkie – Gippsland strawberry and cream twist yoghurt with walnut and watermelon seeds, Sanwa soda crackers, jackfruit and blush pear. Day 7 lunch and dinner – Wantan noodles with broccoli + alfalfa sprouts, tau foo far and soy bean milk from Dao.
6 July 2022 – The Covid self-test kit showed a faint line on the T window. Alycia is still feeling well and chirpy. The first symptom however crept out late in the evening with a scratchy throat. Alycia asked for lozenges and I gave her my honey and propolis lozenges that I kept in the fridge for emergency use.
7 July 2022 – The line on the T window is very clear this morning. Her temperature in the morning was 37.7C and shot up to 39C in the late evening. Alycia popped 2 Panadol today. I bought coconut water today and gave her a big mug. By late evening when her body was burning hot, she felt unwell and antsy. For once, she slept at 9-ish p.m.
Alycia’s four classmates/group assignment team mates who are also down with Covid are having fever as well, except for a dude who has no symptoms. Classes for them are via online mode until they are all well enough to return to campus.
Besides prepping her meals, my entire day revolves around sanitizing the house and bathroom (after each use), especially Alycia’s room.
As per her high school’s SOP on Covid prevention, Cass has to stay home for three days, as well as perform a Covid self-test twice. Her teachers arranged for life online classes for her.
Alycia’s room service meals:
Day 2 brekkie – Nama Shokupan bread with strawberry jam, mushroom omelette, banana and blush pear. Day 2 lunch – chap fan, green tea, cut papaya and longan.Day 2 dinner – air-fried boneless chicken chop.Day 3 brekkie – Yee Mee soup with lots of veggies, black fungus, poached egg and minced pork. Fruits – red dragon fruit and papaya. And a cup of thick matcha.Day 3 dinner – vermicelli with beef and beef balls, raw broccoli and alfalfa sprouts, dessert of matcha red bean swiss roll and orange.
It’s never anything good to receive a phone call from my daughters while they’re in school or campus.
Last week Sherilyn called me from school to inform me that her newly pierced ear was bleeding as she asked her friend to remove the earring from the ear but the earring almost got stuck in her ear and it bled. So I had to bring first-aid essentials to school for her. And two weeks ago, she suddenly felt like puking and I had to rush to school to bring her home.
When I got a call from Alycia at 10 a.m. today, I thought something bad had happened to her at the campus. Then I heard her mumbling first time negative, second and third time double lines.
One of Alycia’s group assignment team mates was tested positive for Covid this morning. Then the rest of the team mates tested themselves with a self-test kit and out of the five mates, three of them were tested positive, including Alycia.
They tested themselves three times because the first test kit showed negative for some while another friend’s kit showed positive.
For Alycia, her first test kit showed a single line. The second test kit showed a faint double line and the third test kit showed a clear double line.
Her 3rd test kit.
After her phone call to me, she got home from campus immediately. I was out with the mil. She quickly showered and then isolated herself in her room while waiting impatiently with a rumbling tummy for me to come home with food for her (her breakfast and lunch).
So yeah, Alycia’s Covid positive – her second infection in exactly three months. It’s when her immunity to the virus waned.
I can’t believe how easy it is for Alycia to get infected with Covid again. But I’m not shocked nor surprised that she got infected as her lifestyle lately has been pretty unhealthy. She stays up in college till at least 9-ish p.m. to complete group assignments almost every day, eats outside food everyday – 3 meals a day, sleeps late and has not been exercising. She’s cooped up in an air-conditioned room with her friends almost all day.
However, the symptoms have not kicked in yet. I’m praying that she’ll be symptom-free again just like the first time when she had zero symptom.
Lifestyle factors do impact our health!
Room service meal – Day 1 lunch. Chap Fan, cheese cake, gingko + barley + fuchok tong sui, thick matcha tea for all the antioxidants that she needs now to fight Covid.Room service meal – Day 1 dinner. Rice with stir-fried pork + ginger + black fungus and wine, yellow wine chicken and blanched spinach. Fruits – papaya and plum. Dessert – marble cake
I think Alycia secretly likes to be quarantined in her room coz she gets in-room dining and doesn’t need to do any of the house chores! I even clean and sanitize her room for her when she takes toilet breaks.
Haru has a twin brother that we fostered together in February 2021. It’s a ginger cat and we named him Ginger. Two weeks later we gave Ginger to Alycia’s best friend who renamed Ginger to Moon Moon.
We’ve always wanted to bring Haru to meet her twin brother before Alycia’s bff goes overseas for further studies. I’d brought Haru to meet her mother when she was several months old. But my hissy pussy hissed at her mother. How ungrateful! Many times I have this whim of adopting Haru’s mother too, to save her from the streets. It breaks my heart to see how forlorn she is. But I know that this is never going to come true. I can only cope with one pet at the moment.
The siblings meet-up was totally unplanned and turned out disastrous. At around 9pm on a weekday last week, Alycia’s bff called to inform that she was driving over to bring Alycia and Haru to her house. But Alycia didn’t tell me that they were going to her bff’s house. She filtered that part out and only told me that she was just bringing Haru to the lobby for a short while to meet her bff who’d brought Moon Moon over.
An hour plus later Alycia still hadn’t brought Haru back and I started to get worried. I called Sherilyn (who had followed Alycia to the lobby with Haru) and she told me that they were at Alycia’s bff’s house. It was already 11-ish pm. I was fuming. They had school and college the next day. As usual, if the girls are not home yet, I won’t be able to sleep well.
They were finally back slightly before midnight and had loads to tell me about Haru meeting her twin brother.
Check out the two kitties’ expressions 😹
As I had expected, Haru was traumatized that she was with a stranger at a stranger’s house with another cat at the house. She was hissing and growling throughout her time at Alycia’s friend’s house.
Moon Moon was extremely agitated and kept hissing and spitting at Haru. He wasn’t pleased that another cat came into his territory. They both first sniffed each other’s noses and seconds later hissed at each other, as if they were enemies.
Thank God they did not get into a fight.
And I wonder why cats have no recollection of their own mother and siblings?!
Haru and her twin brother were inseparable when we brought them home from the street. Moon Moon would suck on Haru’s ear to sleep each night till her ear bled. But Haru would allow her brother to nibble on her ear. She was always protective of her brother.
Alycia and Sherilyn came home with deep scratches on their hands from Haru’s claws. Whenever the pussy’s afraid, her sharp claws would appear like a razor and whoever tries to carry her would get deep cuts. I’ve had my fair share of deep cuts on my neck, chest, hands and legs.
Sunday, 5 June 2022 ~ Hubs brought us to try a ‘new’ Chinese ‘tai chow’ restaurant – it’s a first try for us but not for him.
As catering functions have picked up ever since Malaysia reopened its borders and economic sectors, hubby’s catering business has been making a rebound. He’s been busy almost everyday, including Saturdays and Sundays. His business was at an all-time low for almost 2 years during the pandemic with on-off lockdowns. Only God knows what we’d gone through during the difficult 2 years.
Anyway, onwards and upwards!
If there’s a Sunday that hubs doesn’t have to work, he will drag all of us to ‘jalan-jalan cari makan’ (loosely translated in English to – walk around and find food) with him.
Pudu is a place where one can find many good eateries, from street food to cafes, ‘tai chow’ stalls and decades-old -restaurants that withstood the test of time with their good food.
Yi Sheng Huat at Pudu is famous for their ‘tai chow’ dishes, especially steamed fish. We were there a little before 12 noon, which is the start of their operating hour and waited for almost half an hour, with growling tummies before the dishes arrived.
Steamed fish with loads of garlic. Stir-fried ‘sang cheong’ (pig’s intestines). Not my kind of dish but hubby’s favorite.Steamed lala clams with Chinese cooking wine and ginger.Stir-fried spinach with garlic.‘Phai kuat wong’ (pork ribs king)Deep fried squids, which is our favorite dish.
Food was great and we enjoyed our meal thoroughly. We’ll definitely be back again to try other dishes when hubs is free again on a Sunday. This time, I want the entire steamed fish all to myself! I’m a sucker for restaurant-style steamed fish.
Yi Sheng Huat Seafood Restaurant 357 & 345, Jalan Gajah, Pudu, 55100 Kuala Lumpur Opening Hours: 11.30AM – 2PM; 5.30PM – 11PM Contact: 012 – 2685 638
After more than a year of hiatus from our visits to HKL due to Covid-19 (HKL was a red zone), Cass and I are back at HKL on 20 June 2022. I started to make calls to the head of urologist’s nurse to get the appointment and after months of trying, she finally gave me an appointment.
The head of urologist wants a repeat MRU (using contrast material) on Cass as the previous two MRUs were not crystal clear. As Cass’ urinary tract and abdomen were operated twice, there’re plenty of adhesions, thus making the images of the MRU unclear. The radiologist reported that there’s a possibility of an ectopic ureter somewhere but the images are not clear, thus the need to have a repeat MRU 😞
Before the MRU, a creatinine test has to be done first to measure the kidney function. Thank God, it’s A-ok 🙏
I’m now on standby for the nurse to call to give me the date for Cass to do the repeat MRU.
I hope that the repeat MRU will be able to show really clear images this time. And I hope that Cass’ issue will be resolved soonest possible as the head or urologist may retire in two years and I am not keen on another urologist taking over Cass’ case as it’s an extremely complicated case.
I have been using the Cosmo Pro air purifier for more than three weeks now. Ever since we adopted a kitten in February 2021 at the height of the pandemic and during the MCO, I have been mopping the floor more often because of Haru’s fur. Mopping does not really help as Haru keeps shedding fur, especially after she gets the zoomies and sprints non-stop around the house. Even though the floor is mopped, I see fur on the floor again almost immediately and this can get really frustrating. Owners of indoor pets will know what I mean.
Thankfully a robot vacuum cleaner from my mum as a gift last Christmas has saved me from being the human-robot. However, I find that the air in our home is still not 100% clean as I have an ultra-sensitive nose. I have an allergy to dust and cat fur, thus my house has to be really clean, to the point of being almost dust-free, which is impossible.
Even though the Roborock has been really helpful in the mop and vacuum department, Haru’s fur is constantly circulating in the air as the ceiling fans and stand fans in our living room are turned on for almost 24 hours. My nose and eyes still itch and I still sneeze occasionally, especially after playing or cuddling Haru. So, the next household cleaning appliance came into our lives recently to help with my allergy and it’s the revolutionary Cosmo Pro® Air Purifier + 5-in-1 HEPA filter from Cosmo.
Cosmo Pro® Air Purifier + 5-in-1 HEPA filter with a retail price of RM1,500. It is designed in Germany by a team of experts.
At the height of the pandemic, I intended to purchase an air purifier with a HEPA filter to clean the air in our house to ease my allergy and sinus issues. The air purifier finally arrived a year later and I am very satisfied with it.
Cosmo Pro® Air Purifier + 5-in-1 HEPA filter is one of the most advanced and value-for-money air purifiers in the market, in terms of features and cost.
Not only does the Cosmo Pro filter harmful particles, but it also disinfects circulating air by killing bacteria and viruses with the UVC function.
Equipped with a revolutionary 5-in-1 HEPA Filter and an AI-powered PM2.5 Sensor, this is Cosmo’s highest-performing filtration system that is proven to filter air pollutants like pollen, dust, bacteria, tobacco smoke, dog fur, cat fur, skin flakes, mould (fungus), pet dander, textile fiber, dust mites, and even Covid-19. Their air filtration technology has pores 20 times finer than the average filters which can filter all kinds of air pollutants.
5-in-1 HEPA Filter Functions
1. Pre-Filter
The Pre-filter is designed to sieve out the largest particles first including hair, dust, lint, and fur. Designed using Cosmo’s patented unique filter fabric, it prevents wear and tear, hence it maintains pore size. This makes for a much stronger filtration efficiency for an extended period of time.
2. Cosmo Ant-Bac Shield Filter
The Cosmo Anti-Bac Shield filter specifically suppresses the growth of bacteria by using anti-bacterial technology to provide the most effective filtration. Thus, it reduces your risks of getting infections and allergic reactions.
3. H13+ Medical Grade HEPA Filter
Specifically engineered to remove micron particles and block bacteria, pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and finer particles. The HEPA filter is able to capture almost any size of air pollutant.
4. Activated Carbon
These air filters are made from small pieces of charcoal – generally in a granular or powdered block form – which is extremely porous. The pores in these carbon blocks can absorb a very large number of contaminants. Cosmo’s specially engineered activated carbon layer neutralizes odors in the air, and absorbs formaldehyde that’s commonly found in homes – in gas stoves, wood products, and even your walls & floor.
5. Photocatalyst Filter
Innovatively designed to use light energy to kick-start a process that turns all kinds of bad air pollutants into harmless substances. Germs, viruses, and bacteria are broken down by the electrostaticand oxidization effects of the electrons generated from the Photocatalyst Filter, keeping your home healthy and safe.
UVC Lamp That Kills Bacteria and Viruses
This is another feature that I am in awe of. The Cosmo Pro air purifier has a UVC Lamp that kills microbes, disinfects in just a few minutes and cleans circulating air continuously. UVC radiation damages the DNA of harmful matter including Covid-19. The lamp itself has a shield so that you are kept 100% safe.
Cosmo Pet Guardian – Great For Homes With Indoor Fur Babies
Cosmo’s carbon filter layer is fitted with an antimicrobial agent unique to us called Pet Guardian. This feature works in tandem with the activated charcoal to effectively neutralise odours, especially from pets. With this feature, we don’t have to put up with the smell of Haru’s poop first thing in the morning after she takes a dump.
Pet Guardian effectively neutralises organic matter that causes foul odours from cats, dogs, small pets like rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and birds.
Cosmo pro air purifier with an allergen-capturing air filter has a 360˚ filtration that effectively filters fur, dander (5-10 microns), and microbes from all around no matter where it is placed, up to 100m2 coverage or 1,000 square feet. Thus, it is adequate enough to cover the whole apartment or house where your pet roams around.
Circulating air on the panel shows 13, which means that the air is clean.The other day Cass forgot to turn on the exhaust fan in the kitchen when she was frying wallet eggs which caused quite a bit of smoke from the wet kitchen into the living room. When this happened, the air purifier suddenly worked very hard and it was obvious from the loud sounds coming from the fan. When I looked at the panel, the circulating air was 202 and turned to red, which means unclean air. After a few minutes, the number went down to double digits again.
Other Noteworthy Specifications
5-Year Warranty
Night Light Function
Soft as a whisper (20dB)
Coverage Area: Up to 100m²
Healthy Ion Release Function
Aerodynamic 360° design for air purification in all directions
AI-powered PM 2.5 Counter for 99.9% accurate readings
3 fan speed control with sleep mode and a noise level of 20 dB.
PM 2.5 counter
WIFI activation – allows you to control your air purifier via your mobile phone anywhere and at any time via the Smart Life app.
Night light function
UVC lamp that kills germs like bacteria and viruses
Filter replacement indicator
Light-based air quality indicator (red, green, blue)
Child lock
Smart timer
LED display panel
Dimensions
Height: 58 cm, Width: 29 cm
Pay By Instalments
You can choose Atome as your payment option and the cost of the air purifier will be divided into 3 hassle-free and interest-free instalments.
The first instalment will be deducted upon checkout. Reminder emails will be sent before the due date and instalments will be charged automatically from your credit card account. There are no processing fees, credit checks, or waiting time.
Conclusion
The Cosmo Pro® Air Purifier + 5-in-1 HEPA filter is a good investment if you have allergies, sinus, have indoor furry pets, and crave clean and disinfected air for better health. Before the next haze season comes around, it would be a good idea to get a good-quality air purifier for your home now.
The Cosmo Pro® Air Purifier + 5-in-1 HEPA air purifier is affordable and you can even opt to pay by interest-free credit card instalments.
Late last evening just as I was about to take my shower, Cass ran inside the house excitedly, exclaiming “mum, come and look at what I saw, come. The moon is so huge!”
With a headache from lack of sleep, I reluctantly went out to check out the moon. What greeted me was a super huge moon in the clear sky. What a spectacular view it was. I quickly ran back inside the house to grab my phone and the phone camera cooperated with me this time; I managed to snap quite a clear photo of the Strawberry Moon. I later found out from a member in our neighborhood Facebook group that the supermoon in June 2022 is named Strawberry Moon.
What is a Strawberry Moon?
The Strawberry Moon doesn’t look like a strawberry, neither is it pink in colour. This name has been given to the full moon by native American tribes. According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, “This name (Strawberry Moon) has been used by Algonquin, Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples, among others, to mark the ripening of ‘June-bearing’ strawberries that are ready to be gathered.
This will be the first of the three summer supermoons.
Did anyone sight the Strawberry Moon too last night?
Winter weather means paying close attention to your wardrobe choices, including your footwear for the cold and slippery grounds outside. Many boots lovers prefer Shelivo winter boots when there’s snow on the ground or the weather is a mix of snow and rain. Here are three reasons why winter boots are the perfect choice for the colder months.
1. Keep Your Feet Warm and Dry
This is the most obvious reason. A good pair of winter boots can keep your feet warm and dry. Choose boots that will not absorb moisture as you trudge through the snow. The shell must repel moisture and help keep your feet dry. Who likes wet socks and feet after an outing outside in the snow?
The other feature to look out for in a good pair of winter boots is the type and quality of the lining. Choose materials such as fleece, fur, sheepskin, or synthetic and natural fibers for the liners to trap heat inside. Some winter boots come with removable liners and replacement sets that you can use when the dirty liners need to be laundered.
2. Provide You With The Comfort You Want
For all the practical benefits that come with winter boots, there’s also the comfort factor. The comfy cushioning is best for your arches, and the boot materials allow your feet to breathe without allowing freezing air to seep in. This makes it really comfy to wear the boost for long hours if necessary and feel as if you just slipped into them.
3. Provide Your Feet With Support
Comfort is only one of the benefits of winter boots. You’ll also get the support for your feet and ankles. Find a pair of winter boots with good support so that you won’t have to experience swollen ankles or aching feet at the end of the day. Visiting the podiatrist is the last thing you look forward to in winter.
Don’t know where to find fashionable and comfy women’s winter boots? Take a look at Shelivo winter boots and see what you think. There will be at least one pair that’s just what you need and most importantly, they’re affordable.
The day that Cass and I returned to KL, the twinsies missed us, in particular Cass. So they asked Raelyne, their older sis to Whatsapp Cass to say that they will Whatsapp video call us at night.
And so at around 9-ish that night, we had a Whatsapp video chat. It’s so good to hear their innocent chitter-chatter and cackles again.
The twins are so adorable and cute with their words. The night before we returned to KL, Rayzen said this to Cass, “Cassandra che che, are you going back tomorrow? I am so sad”. And he’s only 4 years old. He’s such a darling. Rayzen stole my heart the first time I met him in Singapore when he was just an infant – he smiled at me the moment he saw me! The twins were preemies born at 32 weeks and spent weeks in the NICU. After some struggles with their health along with a couple of surgeries during the first few weeks of their lives, they’re now healthy, smart and thriving kids.
After 2 years 4 months I finally made a trip back to Ipoh with Cass. We took the 8.47 a.m. ETS train from KL Sentral to Ipoh. Traffic was super duper bad and we really thought that we would miss the train. Gawd, I was so so tensed throughout the journey from our house to KL Sentral. I was blaming the hubs coz he had to make a dump in the toilet and we left the house late.
Thank God after the initial stretch of the 24-hour-congested road on the KL-Seremban highway, traffic was quite smooth all the way to KL Sentral and we stepped into the train at 8.40 a.m. PHEW!!🥶
Cass has been looking forward to taking the ETS. The last time we boarded the ETS back to Ipoh was more than 3 years ago.Sweet reunion with my parents and older brother and his family from Singapore.
We had a great time bonding with my brother’s 3 kids. The twinnies really missed us and we miss them very much too. They’re really adorable.
How I wish I could join my brother’s family and my parents for their holiday in Penang and Camerons next week. Too bad the school holidays is only for a week.
The twinnies stuck to Cass the whole day. Time really flies. The twins are going to be 5 this year. They were only 2+ when we met over 2 years ago. Cass showing Rayzen my mom’s lady’s finger plant.Rayzen and Raeanne on our 50-year-old swing. My brothers and I used to sit on this swing when we were little.I’m always in awe with my parents’ edible garden. It’s replete with edible herbs, flowers, spices like turmeric, ginger, sand ginger and much more. Can you tell which is ginseng veggie, turmeric, kafir lime, sweet basil and mugwort?There’s a potted pineapple plant too. Awesome! My dad uses kitchen scraps as fertilizer and organic soil for the plants.After 2.5 days in Ipoh, it’s time to leave. It’s always so hard to say goodbye. My papa will be 79 this August.
Though it’s the school holidays, it doesn’t feel like a holiday for me as I still have school runs to do. I still wake up at 6.15 a.m. and have to be out of the house by 8.30 a.m.
Sherilyn has athletics training in school every morning throughout the holiday week, for the upcoming MSSKL inter-school sports meet. Thus, she won’t be able to follow me back to Ipoh tomorrow. So only Cass will be following me back to Ipoh by ETS tomorrow morning. And it’s going to be another super early day for me tomorrow. I will be up by 4.15 a.m. to complete some of the house chores before we leave the house for the train station at 7.30 a.m..
Later I will have to get Alycia and Sherilyn to take video of me teaching them how to use the washing machine. Can you believe they have never operated the washing machine before? Yeah, you can roll your eyes 360 degrees. Our girls are quite spoilt. I hope that when I come back on Friday, the house and the cat will still be around! I can’t count on the hubs as he’s at his shop more than 12 hours a day. For days, I have been like a broken record, reminding them what to do when I’m away.
Something that I cooked the other day – steamed herbal kampung chicken and blanched spinach.Nope I didn’t prep the chicken from scratch. I ordered this herbal chicken from a seller on Facebook and it’s super delish! But it’s pretty costly at RM45 for just half a chic and RM10 on delivery fee! As long as we all enjoy the meal and it can save me tons of time chopping and washing, I’m A-ok. Time and water are also $$, right? 😉
Alycia, our eldest daughter usually gets a Grab car to college. The Grab fare used to cost RM25 – RM30 for a one-way trip but the fare has increased by almost 50% since a month ago. When classes return to 100% in-person soon, we’re going to spend even more on her Grab fare. We estimate that we would have to fork out an average of RM1,400 per month just on Alycia’s Grab fare to university next year!
With this additional amount on our list of expenditures every month, we could buy another car and spend the money on car installments instead. With the global surge on fuel prices, it would cost us another RM300 – RM400 on petrol per month, just for Alycia’s car. Thus, If we were to buy another car, it would add a commitment of at least RM1,700 per month to our already super high monthly household and education expenses. I use online calculators such as Gas Budget Calculator to help me forecast how much petrol expenses I would be spending a month or a year.
I have always wanted to get a hybrid or an electric car to save on fuel and for a cleaner environment. But a hybrid car is out of our budget at the moment. A quick car loan calculation check at CarPaymentCalculator.net tells me how much we can afford to spend on car loan installments every month, the amount of loan we can comfortably pay per month as well as the cost of the car that we can afford to purchase.
Now that I know the budget for our next car purchase, we can start to window-shop for a car. But it won’t be in another year before we actually buy another car as Alycia still gives me the jitters whenever I sit next to her when she drives. Being a newbie driver, she still needs lots of practice on the road with me sitting next to her. I’d rather be playing Car Lightning Speed at a virtual game arcade than sit next to a fresh new driver who gives me heart palpitation, cold sweat, and panic attacks!
Another busy week whizzed past me in a blink of an eye. This week I’ve been extra busy as I’ve to cook and accompany the mil to the hospital for her post-cataract-surgery follow-up checkup, on top of school runs and my freelance work.
Meals at home this week have been mostly takeout and very simple dishes, from Shopee Food, ordered from Facebook, and from hubby’s shop. However, I will try to blanch some green veggies for lunch and dinner. There will also be steamed sweet corns or sweet potatoes and lots of fresh fruits everyday.
There’s a slight swelling on mil’s cornea, thus she’s unable to undergo surgery for the other eye yet. She has to continue with her 2-hourly eye drops until month end. Her next appointment is on 13 June and I guess I’ll be camping with her at the hospital again 🥱
After 27 months, I’ll finally be going back to Ipoh to meet my parents! And my brother and his family from Singapore too! Thanks to reopened borders with no quarantine and PCR tests, my brother and his family can finally travel back to Malaysia with ease . It will be our family’s first reunion since Chinese New Year in February 2020 – the last month before our lives (and the world) changed forever in March 2020. Our country plunged into the first lockdown on 18 March 2020.
*rejoicing to the song of ‘Reunited’ by Peaches & Herb* 💃
Our trip back to Ipoh will be without Alycia, hubs and mil. I’ll be taking the ETS with Cass and Sherilyn. Alycia has just started her third and last semester of the Foundation in Arts program and will begin her first year in university in September this year. She needs to continue scoring a CGPA of above 3.8 in order to get a partial scholarship for her first year degree program 🙏 .
Today is the last day of school before the 9-day term break for Sherilyn and Cass. The only thing that I look forward to is the 2 hours of extra sleep that I get in the morning. I’ll be missing my quiet time in the morning though when all the girls are in school.
These are some of the extra food from hubby’s kitchen that saved my day in the kitchen!
Chicken curry, satay sauce, and Durian Serawa (durian kaya) to go with Roti Jala, extras from a Hari Raya Open House event.Yummy for my tummy!Mee Siam and Thai fish cake from a Thai-themed event.Thai-style pandan fried chicken (bite-sized boneless chicken thigh). This is SO yummeh!
And this is a throwback photo:
Alycia made French toast for her grandma and me a few days after Mother’s Day as she had to work part-time on Sunday (Mother’s Day) and didn’t have the time to prep anything for us.Not bad for someone who’s like a fish out of water every time she’s in the kitchen and has no interest in cooking.
The past one week I’d been busy arranging for a cataract surgery for the mil at Pantai Hospital. So many things needed to be done from finding her a Chinese ophthalmologist for ease of conversing to arranging for her medical claim from the insurance company, going to the bank to increase her payment limit to making sure that everything is in order on the day of the surgery.
The surgery was held on Friday (yesterday). I told Alycia to accompany her grandma to the hospital as she doesn’t have any class on Fridays for this semester. They spent the entire day at the hospital. Alycia brought along her laptop and did her assignment at Starbucks and continued with the assignment when she got back at night. The assignment was due yesterday.
The surgery went smoothly and the mil is now recuperating at home. The surgery is only for one eye; she still needs another surgery for the other eye a few weeks later. The mil isn’t allowed to bend her neck with the head facing downwards, be exposed to the sunlight or do any cooking for two weeks. The girls take turns to wash grandma’s hair with grandma seated on a chair in the bathroom. When the girls are busy, I help with putting eye drops into mil’s eye (3 types of eye drops/ointment) every few hourly. I’ll also need to accompany the mil to the hospital for a follow-up checkup next week. All these will repeat after two weeks when she goes for the second surgery.
For my next one month, I’ll try to whip up really simple dishes that aren’t too messy and don’t require frying. Oil splatters freak me out! And I’ll arrange for food delivery on days that I’m too busy and tired. When the girls have to go to school, my day begins at 4.45 a.m. and waking up at this hour really zombifies me 😴🥴
Thankfully there’s excess food from hubby’s central kitchen for the past few days and I didn’t have to cook much.
Hubby’s kitchen crew whipped up a Thai-themed menu today for a client’s event and we too had these Thai food for lunch and dinner. The Thai-themed menu continues tomorrow and we’ll be having more Thai food tomorrow 😋
Pad ThaiThai papaya saladThai salad served in dainty cupsKuihOtak-Otak and Thai basil chicken.Chicken chop with mashed potato, broccoli and cauliflower for lunch on Wednesday.
The cat food that I ordered for Haru was delayed for almost a month and was only delivered to me yesterday. I sent umpteen emails to Lazada (with a few ultimatum emails to warn them of impending action from my end) when no one bothered to help me locate the parcel nor acceded to my request for a refund.
Here are tips to help you prepare for your kid’s first day at preschool. First, have all materials and activities organized in advance. Then, establish a regular schedule and routine.
Time of tremendous growth. The child’s shape changes significantly during preschool. Preparing for preschool norwalk ct is unlike newborns, they will have the angular appearance of a preschooler. The bones in the skull grow to create an angular face. Their upper and lower jaws widen to make room for permanent teeth. Shoulders begin to narrow, and the child’s body becomes more defined.
Physically, preschoolers are taller, leaner, and more agile than toddlers. In addition, their brains are more developed, and they’ll display more complex movements and skills. For example, they will be able to kick a ball with more speed and strength than their toddler counterparts. Their abilities in math and language will grow as well. Their IQ will increase as they learn more complex mathematics and children’s vocabulary.
Time for social awareness. As preschoolers begin their school careers, they will learn about people, places, and events. Preschoolers will explore themself, class, community, and other cultures. They may share what they know or are interested in with the preschool teacher. This will help them understand others and work together. Play can also help children learn about working with other people, compromising, and problem-solving. It also allows children to explore different materials and ideas.
Time to develop self-sufficiency and independence. Before your child starts school, it is important to encourage independence. Allow your child to explore while guiding as necessary. Do daily tasks without your help, such as getting dressed or eating. Practice this independence as much as you can. It will make your child more independent when school starts and more prepared for the transition.
Setting the table for meals is a great way to encourage preschooler independence. If your child can help set the table for the family, you can encourage them to clean up after themselves. This will build skills and establish a sense of family togetherness. Providing breakfast is a great way to teach independence. Preschoolers also need routines and consistency in their lives.
Time to develop social and emotional skills. Social and emotional skills are essential for developing healthy relationships, expressing feelings, and getting what they need from others. These skills develop at varying rates in preschool children, so it’s essential to monitor your child’s progress and discuss any concerns with a healthcare provider. You can also model healthy social and emotional behavior, such as respecting others and being kind.
Social and emotional development involves a child’s experiences and expressions of emotions. These skills are essential for their school experience and their overall growth. Children learn to express their feelings appropriately, take turns, and form meaningful relationships with others. By starting early, your child can already experience the benefits of social and emotional development through play, family, and other interactions. It’s also essential for them to develop self-esteem, which is necessary for their future academic and personal relationships.
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