Recipe: Cabbage Soup to warm the body and cleanse the heat

I have just discovered that cabbage has huge recovery properties in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) context.

The benefits include:

1. Moisten the intestines and prevent constipation
2. Improve circulation and alleviate joint pain
3. Clear toxins and good for skin

I decided to cook this for family dinner:

Ingredients

• 1 head of chinese cabbage (some also call nappa cabbage) - torn to bite size pieces
• 1 chicken bones
• 1 head of dried cuttlefish
• 1-2 thumb of ginger, smashed
• Red dates, stoned
• 1 grasp of wolfberries (goji berries)

1. I prefer to tear the vege instead of cutting as tearing will maintain higher moisture content of the vegetables
2. Cover the chicken bones and cuttlefish with water and put to boil
3. Put in the red dates, ginger and cabbage
4. Once the soup came to boil, lower the temperature to let it simmer until the water reduce by 1/3
5. Switch to fire to high, put in salt to taste and wolfberries (If you put wolberries too early, it will turn sour)

The kids finished 2 big bowls full of vegetables. 

Satisfied

My share of sustainable living

I am not much of a health freak, but I do believe in sustainable living. What is sustainable living? It is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's carbon footprint on the earth. Carbon footprint?? That means limiting use of resources and thus reducing waste.
Commercial farming leave behind much chemical substances that not only destroy the environment, but our own health. I think the best prevention of illness is maintenance of good health.
Therefore, I believe that such efforts like organic farming should be supported in order to support the idea of sustainable living. That brings us to Terra Farm vegetables.

I came across this delivery system through this blog =>> Terra Farm

I ordered mine through one of the drop-off point representative. Being my first time, the rep was kind enough to teach me how to keep the vegetables fresh in the fridge.

Do you know:

1. The vegetables should be kept separated in sealed bag or wrapped in newspapers

2. As these are organic vegetables, you will find ample of snails and caterpillars. Remove them before storing them in the fridge as the snails will remain active, even in the fridge (amazing)

My box came with 5 snails like the one above.

I bought the smallest box of 2 kg weigh of vegetables.

The first layer on top looks like this

The 2nd layer at the bottom looks like this

These vegetables are ready for storage after I have repackaged them

FRIED BOK CHOY WITH SEAFOOD

Ingredients:

4 heads of bok choy / siew pak choy

200gm / 1 packet of mixed seafood (sold in frozen food section)

1 thumb of ginger (shredded)

1 tsp of japanese soy sauce (why because it has mirin in it - good to counter the fishy smell)

Steps:

1. Heat oil and fry ginger till fragrant

2. Throw in the seafood, followed by bok choy

3. Stir till the vege soften 

4. Add in the japanese soy sauce at the side of wok so the fragrance is evaporated into the mixture.

DONE!

STIR FRIED TLS (TUBERS, LEAF & SQUASH)

Ingredients:

A thumb of ginger or 3 cloves of garlic (minced)

Either oyster sauce or fish sauce

Vegetables as you see below

Steps:

1. Heat oil and fry ginger/garlic till fragrant

2. Dump in carrots, aubergine and bok choy stem. Fry for 30 sec

3. Throw in the rest. stir stir stir...

4. Circle the sauce around the wok and stir some more.

DONE!

btw: If you like your aubergine soft instead of juicy-chewy, boil before you fry.

In remembrance of Peter Kassig, the compassionate one

You went in when others run out
Giving a hand to the weak and injured
Without a care to the siege
Only the welfare of others in your heart

May you find peace
As we find solace
From the hint of hope in humanity
From the foundation you have built

Sukhi Hotu

Why do we live?

It was 2 days short of PM's 6th birthday. We were travelling up north to hold a birthday bash for her with the whole extended families of uncles and aunties. She sat at the back of the car, quiet with her thoughts. Then she called out to me and ask me, "Why do we want to live in this life? We live, we get old, then sick then we go to rainbow (our version of death).. What's the point of living?".
I was caught by surprise. Did not expect this question so early in her life..
My meaning of life is to be happy. How? By being useful. When we contribute to the society and made other people's life meaningful, we will attain happiness. And that happiness made living worth it.
I hope she could share and understand my meaning. Or she may have to search her own. I hope it will turn out fine.

You are still pulling my heart

12 November 2014.. I found the song I lost in 1994
It took me 20 years.. 20 long years to find the song he dedicated to me before he left. How does it feel to be left for good? It feels unfinished.. Incomplete.. As if the person is not deserving of love. More so when it is the second time. Not their choice.. Life is short.. But it is not my choice that life has to go on..
我的心让你牵
He particularly love this song and wanted me to share it with him.. We never said a word.. Leaving our feelings within our hearts.. thinking time will tell us what to do.. not knowing time has other plan for us..
He spoke to me last before letting go of this stage... He was happy.. I was content.. Though shock as I was..
Life has to go on.. I kept it buried within my heart.. Never letting go of the memory and the song.. But I am not Chinese literate.. looking for this song was particularly difficult as no one seemed to pay much attention to this song.. I try buying every single album I encounter but never finding this song.. People doubted if I remember the song correctly.. I know what I heard.. It is etched in my heart..
And today I finally found it.. 20 years makes no difference.. It still hurts...

"How to print chinese writing exercise from web applications" ~ A banana-mom's preparation for banana-kid's Primary Chinese School in Kuala Lumpur

What a long title, which kind of match the long process (in my mind) I am preparing myself and my PM for primary 1 in a Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina (SJKC) or simply put chinese national school.

For a banana like me, I am not sure what to expect. I am not looking for a "Smart School" for PM. I am simply looking for a school that teaches chinese wihout all the stress. I do not think that is going to be easy. I will have to brace through this with PM.

By the way, PM was not expose to much chinese reading and writing until now (it is late, I know). PM will have to pick up speed now and learn as much as possible so that she can fit in comfortably when she reports to primary 1.

My bff offerred to tutor her (best thing happening for us, I could not ask for more).

She recommended this website http://www.yes-chinese.com/ with many forms of learning materials.

I use it mostly to print out writing exercises for PM to practice http://www.yes-chinese.com/zh-cn/wordcard/edit.html?cat=P3

For banana-moms, you can use google translate to translate the page and words.

This is how I do it:

1) Translate the intended words into simplified chinese

2) Copy and paste the simplified chinese words into the large-left box (highlighted in blue).
     Then click on the "Slide Show" icon-button on top (Preview)

3) You will get this page. If you are happy with what is shown, then click the red button for printing.

4) Tada.... Your kids have work to do!