Red Chinese lantern tree

My favourite red Chinese lantern tree is blooming profusely.such a delightful sight

Choice of home cooking or dining out

I seldom eat out nowdays as the cooking is unhealthy.Food is deep fried or swimming in oil and sometimes hygiene is lacking.the cases of mass food poisoning or gastroenteritis or salmonella is shocking so i choose to cook at home.the other day i ordered Hokkien mee ar a cafe and it looked like mee hoon cooked in watery kicap manis not have wok hei of famous Tiong fried hokkien mee which has smoky flavour,lots of crunchy latd ,shrimps and they put in bean sprouts like taugeh into it.yucks it was like char kway teow.good hokkien mee must be dry ,stir fried in intense fire not soggy.use green vege not put in bean sprouts.it really killed my apetite that i couldnt finish my meal.i miss the cooking of skilled chefs who take pride in their culinary dishes. Life is getting hard in cities as petty thefts have happened.My blind elder sister says that she doesnt order food online anymore as when the delivery boy hangs the plastic bag of food outside her gate,someone will steal her packed food.it happened a few times.I told her it could be poor migrants or the homeless passerbys.She Even had cat burglars climbing into her porch from the back lanes to steal her shoes on the porch.i told her to put shoe cabinet in the living room Some bloody petty thief stole the Weinbrenner hiking sandals i bought from Bata.i couldnt go hiking in hilly terrrain as the pair of Weinbrenner sandals has good grip and is waterproof to wade across streams.its a sign life is hard when people steal food and shoes to survive. i cooked bak kut teh the famous Meat bone soup to nourish my health.This tonic meat soup has chinese herbs like angelica root,dong quai,wai san and i put in red dates ,load of raw garlic bulbs and shitake mushrooms .it boosts my immune system.i use an old broiler chicken as the tough bird doesnt disintegrate boiling for hours.Soup was delicious eaten with tofu puffs and fine rice vermicelli but meat of old hen was a tough cookie.it was cheaper than pork ribs that cost Rm22.the old hen only cost rm 8. i also got a golden pomfret at rm 8 from Lotus and steam it with old ginger,shitake mushroom,red dates n soy sauce,cooked a egg tofu with fish ball n mixed vege n a herbal soup for dinner.for lunch i cook gtilled western chicken chop in lemon sour plum sauce,steamed sweet potato and brocolli.sometimes i cook shepherds pie with minced chicken or potato gnocchi with pesto in smoked duck and mushrooms.My newest food addiction is japanese pasta mentaiko but i use ebiko roe as its cheaper than cod roe.i thicken with greek yohurt instead of heavy cream.Shiso leaves are hard to find.

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Urban sketching

The park is so peaceful on weekdays.hardly a soul around.took chance to sketch n take photos.

Captain kitty

This morning decided to take kitty for a catwalk as hes a housecat with no exploratory skills of a streetcat.However as his world is confined to our house he became frightened by the strange sights of the big wide world .The scaredy cat clung on my shoulders and refuse to walk altho we tied an orange leash around him .He saw a mother cat playing and licking two small kittens n when he went near.mummy cat snarled and captain jumped up into my arms n refused to walk.i took him to explore the slides n swings in the childrens playground but he zoomed straight into the shady bushes and cat loafed there as he hated the hot blazing sun.He sat quietly on a chair and waited as Jun n I finished our breakfast in the cafe before i had to carry him home.this is a cat who hates outdoor exercise like Jun.like a couch potato he cat loaf and did

not exert himself.his leash is so tight as his fat belly has grown so i need to buy bigger leash.better put cat on a diet.

Decathlon

I like the user friendly designs of sports outfits by Decathlon.The sports T shirt i bought is lightweight and the cloth doesnt cling to my body when i sweat profusely. I like the swim wear Nabaiji as its aqua resist.the briefs dont become loose although its wet with chlorine from the swimming pool.way better than the H n M bikini briefs i bought.i paired the black briefs with my one shouldered tank top as it becomes a tankini.

Urban sketching

Ha ha Stan Lee the artist wouldnt be thrilled to see my sketch of him dancing barefooted like a bird in the park.took out my pastels to dr

aw the lotus blooming in muddy waters

Toy poodle I fell for

It was love at first sight when i saw this 2 month old sweet toy poodle.i read its high maintenance as i need to brush the curly hair n groom it every single day.such a sweet baby.but will the fat jealous pussy bully a small puppy.the last time at the vet he tried to swipe the nose of a toy poodle with his sharp claws.the owner of the poodle called him an evil cat. This puppy will be bullied by pussy.Look at Jack the corgi who shows no tantrum or jealousy at this small puppy as Jack has the sweetest temper and docile character unlike the aggresive angry cat of ours as said by the vet.he even disturbs the geriatic cat in the next cage at the hospital until they put cardboard partition between the cages. A toy poodle will be mauled by the very jealous Captain kitty .sigh.