New year hotpot lunch

having hot pot lunch at ex colleagues house.the 4 of us meet once a year We get together once a year ,chat and laughed and ate the osmanthus jelly i made and the pumpkin tarts i baked.then we went to see a chinese movie . its feasting and meeting until 7th day of New Year that is Everymans birthday .

Reunion dinner

I spent 6 hours cooking 8 dishes for reunion dinner.i had to soak,clean shrimp n abalone,boil soup 3 hours,braise mini abalone 3 hours,stir fry spinach,braise chicken feet with mushroom another 3 hours,steam fish paste of green and white snake with brinjal lantern 1 hour,steam salted egg yolk chicken paste mini puff. next year cook hot pot is easier.im wearing my black dragon t shirt to usher out dragon year and my red phoenix skirt as dragon is coupled with phoenix.i bought special grilled chunk of scallop flavoured tuna from Japan for kitty s special dinner

Thunderstorm

i got caught in a sudden thunderstorm while driving.Visibilty was bad and the road was flooded with waves of water.pouring down the road So there is no point in driving as the car engine may stall or be stuck in bad.standstill traffic with low petrol tank.saw a petrol station and cars turning in to take shelter and wait for rain to stop and flooding subside.chill out with a hot coffee,a bun and play handphone.and use the toilet.just wait for the storm to pass before you move on. As it is life is 10 percent of what happens and the other 90 per cent is how you react to it.So wait for the storm to pass rather than be swept away by floodwaters or the car stalls in the middle of the road.You cant forsee when the storm will come.just wait for it to be over and then move on.thats how to deal with shit that happens. This storms will happen,a sickness will strike,an accident may happen.so my heart feels empathy with those who have lost everything in the wildfires in California or the Tibetans who were struck by the earthquake.Things will work out somehow.just wait for the storm to pass and move on.

Captains new year lantern

Kitty lies at foot of my bed on his favourite red quilt playing with the mini red lantern i bought him.hes leng chai meow after yesterdays grooming session.The.pet industry is big business.the regular groomer was fully booked until after new year.the cat hotel was fully occupied too.Now the vet has more animal patients than human clinics that are open 24 hours.i had a hard time looking for a 24 hoour animal hospital when kitty fell sick at nite.The medicine was so awful that i had to mix tablets with wet food to make him swallow it.even the nite market sells cat toys and clothes for pets.now cats and dogs have replace child rearing with prams,toys ,food n clothing for pets even pets cafe are selling cakes for per birthdays,in China there are holidays with pets with hotel rooms with pet litter,pet food dispenser,climbing frames and tours on prams.In China now cafes have chinese new year menus for pets n their owners. pampered pets go for spa and massages.the Indian Himalaya herbal supplement even came out with animal herbal supplement to boost immune system,shampoo and lotion for glossy fur.what a smart strategy to broaden consumer to include non humans .The Chinese traditional medicine use acupunture to relieve pain in cats and dogs. wow its a good life

Review of Faber electric oven cum air fryer

im fully satisfied with the Faber oven i bought.Ive grilled chicken chop,air fried popcorn chicken without any oil,baked a butter cake ,baked almond cookies and tonite golden pumpkin tart. For a passionate home cook its a best buy.the pumpkin tarts uses brown sigar,heavy cream,pumpkin puree,eggs,all spice,cinammon n a tinge of nutmeg.it tasted like a rich kaya or coconut jam tart.its not so tame like an egg tart,just wilder,spicy n creamy.next year i will make it again. i bought a new crysanthemum called the golden crysanthemum with amazing colour,a purple pom pom and a white lotus cactus. looking forward to reunion dinner.kitty has been groomed and is so sweet smelling today.

Leadership

When US becomes increasingly isolationist,will its global influence be affected? Multilateralism has driven globalization and made the world a global village.When US withdraws from WHO and renounces Paris climate change goals,what will happen to its own people should a new pandemic arise or another devastating wildfire destroys its populous state.Should the world stand aside and be onlookers.With reluctance to reduce carbon emissions ,will isolating itself from the rest of the world protect the nation from future climate change disasters from severe flooding to wildfires. From avian flu to monkeypox to flesheating bacteria,will it be able to perpetuate its save our skin first policies. There are those who have leadership and those who remain politicians.Global leadership or statesmen take care of their own nation besides extending aid to other lesser nations than themselves.politicians bury their heads in the sand and are insular only pandering to their own voter base. China has had statesmen from ZhuRongJi,Wen Jia Bao to President Xi.They take care of the affairs of the people first before extending aid to the rest of the world. Should the US withdraw from global contribution to world organizations,The Middle East and Far East should increase their contribution and its soft power. the 21st century is moving at the speed of lightning and who knows how modern history will unfold.wait and see.its not the end of the world but the dawn of a new era.

Indigestion,gastric n heartburn

overeating new year snacks n testing cakes,cookies n new dishes i got gastric n heartburn after drinking spicy Mala soup n spicy korean sauce.had to buy antacid for relief n stock up for new year feasting. overindulgence in rich food causes discomfort.i challenge myself to cook a balanced New year menu without red meat.no pork,beef,lamb or roast duck.soup is snow fungus,cordycep flower red date chicken soup,steamed prawns in wine n gingergoji berry,steam fish and prawn balls topped with salted egg yolk,mini abalone,fish maw and braised with truffle sauce with lion mane mushroom,stir fried spinach with gingko nuts,and a sweet tang yuan or glutinous rice ball in pandan ginger syrup.dessert is persimmom.to prevent indigestion i buy hawthorn flakes to eat and dried persimmon. for my colleagues pot luck lunch i make osmanthus flower goji berry jelly in honey. For family lunch its raw fish yee sang with pomelo ,snow pear n shredded beet root n carrot n green daikon radish,a sweet n sour prawn,steam tiger garopa with mushroom n ginger n scallion,a prosperity bowl or poon choy a stir fried brocolli,shitake mushroom n dried oyster n sea moss and a sea coconut peach gum dessert. i really think overeating n indulgence is hard on digestive system so buy kombucha n kefir to stock up n ginger tea first day of new year is vegetarian buddhas delight,mapo tofu with mock soy meat,mock bbq pork. i went to the sunday nite market n roaring business as cookies fell to rm10 a jar.i saw some creative jelly agar of lotus .four flowers,roses and even white rabbits with cute pink ears.A thai food stall was selling deep fried crickets,centipedes and scorpions.the chilli crab meat mantou stall didnt open.i went home inspired.for reunion dinner tomorrow i will prepare a special food art inspired by china blogger Liziqi i call it the legend of Madam White Snake meets raise the red lantern in a forest. the green pandan fish meat snake and the white soya bean snake hide in a green forest while red lanterns are hung up.need to dye minced chicken with red beetroot juice to make the red lanterns with yellow bell pepper tassels.all covered in abalone sauce.how to sculpt the red tanglungs will need creativity.need to sleep on it. yipee a youtuber posted a lantern eggplant recipe .thanks a million youtuber cooks

Festive floral deco

i like using fresh flowers for indoor deco.This year,i wanted to buy pink lotus for floral arrangement but my florist

say no stock as farmers prefer to sell lotus root for new year cooking.My creative juice struck and i made a table centrepiece with pink bunga kantan or torch ginger blooms and red ginger florets for red fire crackers.its a just evokes a pink lotus and fireworks vibe with a batik tea coaster and the pink tudung saji becomes localised cultural symbol.my florist said i have crazy ideas but still complimented it.now some pandan leaves would be perfect.

Zumba

exercise in the park.saw my old kaki n chatted about festive meal prep which brings us to remember and miss our friend Mr Yong who died of lung cancer before he got his wish to see the new Snake year.ah

i give thanks for good health,good sleep and good friends.

Quick meal

i cook quick meals to save energy to bake cookies.tonite its oyako don or parent n child donburi a rice bowl created in 19th century with chicken fillet n eggs i added miso n teriyaki sauce n bell pepper but so delicious.the poetic name refers to the chicken n egg i buy cookies from nite market sold in tins and plastic bags n go home to repack it.it cuts cost by half not to use fancy jars n packaging.its traditional nyonya cookies like love letters,kuih bangkit,green pea cookies and melaka pineapple tarts i bake my own almond cookies and pumpkin tarts as pumpkin is auspicious as golden squash.maybe this weekend i will bake flourless peanut butter cookies as tuesday is eve of new year.this weekend must buy green perishable vegetables and disposable plates n bowls coz less washing up to do

New clothes for pet cat

i got a discount at the pet supply store where i buy cat food,litter,fish and fish food.i saw this cute crotchet red cat collar with a lion in the centerAt less than Rm15,it.just looks so good for my dear kitty for festive new year.he hates to dress up but i only let him wear scarf,bandanna and caps not clothes that are too hot for him or socks or sunglasses.critics say that cats cant lick n groom themselves when wearing clothes.i only put on accessories to take photos and remove them after photo shoot.but how handsome will he look in a red lion collar.i got a mini red lantern for him t too .Still kitty wanna play with incense sticks on the altar,upturn candle tea lights and rip leaves of potted plants.the cat repellant from Daiso has lost the stink. then he scratches the red cardbox box which i store the new year cookie jars.on the heavy rainy nite,he crouches on the foot of the sofa and watches the fish swimming silently with me. Kitty is a light sleeper and wakes up when i get up from the sofa to get a hot drink.the cold weather is chilly n i like hot drinks.so will this lunar year be affected by climate change.this used to be hotttest n driest months in the past but now its cold and wet which i like as no firecrackers will disturb our sleep

New Year cooking

I spend.on.good.food.for.New Year of Snake but less on handbags,accessories,hair or changing furniture n car. Bought some T shirts with snake n dragon. My extravagant purchase was the air fryer.cum electric oven by Faber which i got big discount as a member it was my birthday n the loyalty points i collected cost me less than rm.300 for the red oven. im gifting my sibling n relatives not oranges. but south african red plums n the Australian.peaches which cost less than 14 per packet.i also bought vegetarian grilled.meat.or bak kwa as its.healthier.made.of mushrooms.lucky i bought seafood 4 weeks ago to cook poom choy ot prosperity bowl. i bought a lovely peach long sleeved t shirt with pink roses for.my blind elder sis dai ga cha .i also bpught vitamin supplements to send.to my former.Filipino domestic.helper.in the Phillipines.Shes.70.years old now n i regard her as a family member.she had high blood pressure n was warded tecently.She.must chamge her diet n stop eating salty pork adobo and oily caldereta .The postage to send to her.hpmetown.cost half the price of the actual supplements. .the expensive price of.new year cakes n cookies are more than rm.30.per.canister.so i tested baking a.new year cake and white almond cookies studded with almond flakes n.strawberry jam.damn lot of work to roll the cookies.i p

ut flowering fertiliser for the plant so.they are blooming well even the ind

indoor plants are growing well.