Pandan Leaves

This is a common plant found in Malaysia. It is easily planted and very difficult to die, so to speak. Many people use pandan for two purposes- to get the green colouring and its fragrance.

Since that it is easily planted and the leaves of the plant produce nice fragrance, adding in a few pandan leaves when cooking rice will give fragrance to our plain white rice. Thus, we do not need to purchase the fragrance rice which is more expensive and high in sugar content. This is a wise way to save money and live healthier, without compromising the taste.

Besides, the smell of the leaves can also keep the cockroaches away. So why not tie a few leaves into a knot and put the leaves in our cars, cabinets, cupboards and etc. This is a natural way for pest control!

So folks, make use of the plant today!

Q & Q Time

I have heard from so many people, men and women, saying 'Though we can't spend much time with our kids because of our jobs, we spend QUALITY time with them!'

I have even read in the women's magazines that some couples claim that they can't spend much time with each other, so they spend QUALITY time with each other.

So, what is actually wrong?? Isn't spending quality time important?

Well, I am not saying that spending quality time is bad. My point is that, does your one month old child or even older children know what is quality time? Does he or she understand what is quality time? I can tell you. The answer is definately a NO! Children need our attention. They need our TIME, and in fact, so much of our time. To many children, if not all, what they actually know is QUANTITY time and not QUALITY time!

As a couple, as husband and wife, do you actually, seriously, truthfully think that quality time is all you need?? If that is the case, men and women can just happily get married, and leave for different paths the next day after the wedding for they have spent, as it were, the quality time together on the wedding day, and they do not need quantity time to be together any more.

If quality time is so much more important than quantity time, then all the teachers will be the first ones to shout hooray! For teachers will only go to school, teach for a solid few minutes and then go home. They have done their great job in the quality time! Do you agree to this if you're not a teacher?

Yes, yes, I know... My examples are too extreme. But are you clear with the concept I was talking about?

In short, spending quantity time with our love ones is so crucial that only through quantity time, comes quality time. You get it??

我的木瓜树 My Papaya Tree

Hee... nothing is so special about a papaya tree, especially in the country I am in. However, I was extremely delighted when I plucked my first 木瓜 papaya from the tree in the backyard!

Why?
I have planted papaya a few times but sometimes they died, and sometimes, they just didn't bear any fruits. So this time, when the 1st papaya fruit was ripen at the tree, I felt so honoured to pluck the fruit... and eat it! It tasted so much sweeter than the other papayas I have eaten in my whole life!

Now, I am even happier as more fruits are to come down from my beloved tree.

GGG

GGG... Go Green Globally!

In the effort to save the earth, many leaders in the world have urged the people to grow green wherever possible.

Here are two green plants that I have planted in my back yard. They are ordinary plants that work wonders in our lives.

Mint (daun pudina)
Daun Cengkur

Love the leaves!! Love the fragrance! Love them all in my fav nasi ulam!!

Hope in Everything

In everything, there is life and in every circumstances, there is hope.

The touch of nature is a gift from our almighty God. The blissful blossoms of the spring, the lively beaches in the summer, the golden leaves of fall and the white and peaceful winter bring new breath to the world each day.
This was a photo taken in 2003 at Mount Kinabalu. It's the sunrise of that day. It's so bright and gives us the sense of hope.

Dough

Teaching young children is always an enjoyable moment for me. I have heard from many of my profesional friends that it is hard to teach our own children. Well, first, we'll have to 'get a fix'! If we see that we are not able to teach our own children, then chances are that we won't be able to do that. Trust me, teaching our own children is not only easy but it is rewarding to the parents as well as the children.

One of the ways that I have attempted on my own children is using the clay, or play dough. Well, how do you use it? For example, we can teach them letters by asking them to form letters using the play dough. Here, we are actually doing a couple of things at the same time. We are teaching our tiny ones the letters, helping them to strengthen their muscles of the fingers, and spending quantity fun time with them!

Below is the recipe I have used to make my home-made play dough. It can make up to 400grams play dough. Not only that it is cheaper, it is also safer and cleaner. When you look at the ingredients used, you don't have to worry much if your child eats it by accident.

Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
Some food colouring

Method:

1. Put all ingredients, except the food colouring in a saucepan.
2. Use a spatula / spoon to stir until the flour and cream of tartar are dissolved.
3. Then, cook it on medium heat, stir until the mixture thickens and turn off the fire.
4. Put the dough in a big bowl and put in some colouring. Knead in the colour.
   
5. Store when cool.