Yen-Nee’s Bentos

Since my latest surgery, my personal coach cum bestie suggested me to start cooking my own lunch for a healthier lifestyle.

I work 6 days per week and each of the days I work 10 to 12 hours.  *Hey, your jaw dropped!*  Is that even legal? Yes I think.

Then I started taking baby steps in preparing different kind of lunchboxes for both my husband and I.

Here comes my lunchboxes!

Salmon fried rice (with lots of veggie) + Veggie + Tofu

Salmon steah + rice + crispy salted pork + vege

Grilled honey soysauce chicken + baked potato + grilled veggies

Pan friend salmon + rice + vege + shrooms

Japanese hambagu with onigiri and veggie

Fried rice with hambagu and oven roasted eggplant.

Oven-baked chicken katsu + onigiri

Japanese mapo tofu + rice + veggie

Black pepper chicken chop + rice + veggie

Fried rice + stir fried cabbage with carrot + blanched veggie + egg + nugget(for husband)

Crispy nestum chicken + onigiri + stir fried cabbage with carrot + pickled cucumber + egg

Crispy butter chicken + onigiri + blanched veggie + pickled cucumber + egg

Crispy curry chicken + onigiri + blanched veggie + oven roasted eggplant + egg 

And so, I shall keep making bentos!

Til I blog again!

Love,
Yen

Be Strong.

It has been an eventful period for me and it was a roller coaster ride.

Made some tiny and huge decisions, and made someone whom I used to call a teammate leave.

Be strong enough to hold on if it’s worth it. 🎈

And be strong enough to let go if it isn’t. 👋🏻

抓住該抓住的，放開該放開的。🎈

Hokkaido Trip: Day 2 [Hakodate & Onsen Experience]

Annyeong!

In continuation of my previous blog regarding my Day 1 in Hokkaido, here comes my day 2.  Day 2 was to explore Hakodate 函館市.  The Hakodate Fish Market and the Hakodate Market are famous for the huge variety of fresh goods.  And what left me in awe was the cleanliness of the entire market place.  No smell, no stinking puddles of dirty water.  I couldn’t believe that this is a place we called PASAR PAGI in Malaysia.  It smells better than the market section of our Tesco or even Jusco.

Touristy shot. Hehe..

Vending machines everywhere.  Red price labels are for HOT drinks. Blue for cold.  Why do I need to write HOT drinks because they are so hot that made me feel that they were BOILING HOT.  Hotter than our warmer hot packs.

I skipped taking nice photos of the gigantic sea creatures which were ready to be human’s food.  Because my hands were shivering because of the super cold weather and because I didn’t bring my gloves because I wanted to look cool like “it’s okay”. So many because.

Our bus parked at the famous Hakodate port. Le Husband. Hehe..

Just couldn’t hide the coldness in me anymore. I need FAIYAH!!!! (fire)

Wanted to do something like Titanic, Rose and Jack. Epic fail but fun.

Bought this cute yet comfy yet cheap bandages from the Pasar.  There’s a huge drug store.  Wow!

My favorite Miffy!  I failed to get more Miffy plasters everywhere else.  So sad.

Then, we went to the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse.  Bumped into this really cute and nice cheesecakes. Small portions so that we could eat more flavors!  This is amazingly nice.  The bear cake was Banana Milk cake dusted with Cocoa powder.  I don’t usually like banana milk. So you know I purchased and ate it because it’s such a cute BROWN bear.  I just love Brown bears.

Most of the Malaysian cafe’s latte wins over this latte. I’m so sorry to point this only flaw. Keke..

Then we strolled around again.  So beautiful. Beautiful autumn in such a sweet weather.

Autumn, autumn! Lovely!

My bucket list ticked.  I have been wishing to witness red maple leafs blooming.  Since autumn is the second spring where leafs bloom like flowers.

Behind the scene. Cold like want die right now!

Then we continued our journey to Motomachi Roman Catholic Church.  So bad lah I didn’t really appreciate the beauty of the building but instead I love this view after hiking up the stairs!  Beautiful scenery and so peaceful.  Like: aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh~~~  Can I live here forever?

Sometimes you really need to take a seat, and enjoy the lil moments in life.

It took me 29 years to be able to sit down on a red maple tree.  What a blessing.

Our japanese lunch. Yummeh!

Then we headed to Konbu Museum which I felt the only highlight was the Konbu (seaweed) soft serve.  Totally not my type.  So not going to upload pics. Hehehe..

Bought this from a drug store! So popular among Malaysian girls.  Gonna try it, soon.

Ultimate answer for my furry furry hair when I tie my messy bun!

Then we headed to Noboribetsu and spent a night at Sekisui Tei, an Onsen (hot spring) Hotel.

Okie okie, here comes the HOT SPRING EXPERIENCE!

For a person who never been to any Onsen before, it was a scary thing to try.  Again, another bucket list ticked.  It was so scary that it took me so long to finally change into Yukata and took a deep breath and entered the Onsen area.

1.  Change into Yukata, with or without warmers top and bottom. I wore because it was way too cold. Undies CTRL+X (removed).
2. Grab the small and big towel provided by the hotel or Onsen. Wear slippers provided.  Then go to the Onsen facility area.
3. Open the facility door, remove slippers and put it nicely on the designated area.
4. You may notice many many fully naked people walking around.  Do not look at people.  Focus on yourself ONLY.
5. Find a rack full of empty baskets and put your belongings including the towels and undress completely. COMPLETELY.
6. Bring the small towel with you.  Go to the public bathing area.
7. Take a seat and start bathing as usual.  USE THE DETERGENTS provided.
8. You can use the small towel to do whatever you want but when you dip yourself in an Onsen, never allow the small towel to drop or wash or float in the Onsen it is very unhygienic.
9. Enjoy the Onsen. No peeing or farting. Hehe.I spent about 15 mins IN THE ONSEN and I felt giddy so I got out from the hotspring.
10. As you leave, there will be a bucket or a pool of cold water for you to cool down.  Heard it’s not a must.  I tried. COLD LIKE CAN DIE RIGHT NOW.
11. Head to the place you put your belongings AFTER you squeeeze all the water from the small towel, wipe yourself so that you are not dripping all over.
12. Use the big towel to wipe yourself and wear whatever inside you want to wear and end with the Yukata.
13. Head to the blow hair area and use their toner, moisturizer and whatever.  So comfortable.
14. Drink at least 300mL of water before leaving.  You tend to get dehydrated internally after the Onsen session.  If you don’t, your body will remind you by feeling extremely thirsty.

Mom and I wearing Yukata.

Wow!  What a lengthy post I am writing!

LOL!

Wookie, hope you enjoyed this post and it may sparkle your interest in spending a vacay there in Hokkaido!

Annyeong, til I blog again!

Love,

Yen-Nee.

 

Ginger Molasses 姜母黑糖砖

Annyeong!

During my recent Taipei trip I bought some Ginger Molasses as gifts for my family and friends.  They look really cute in packaging and their benefits are well known especially in Chinese families.

These are Longan Molasses. :). Cute!

I really liked the gentle ginger taste but it doesn’t give the “kick” that I need especially during fever or menses days.  After studying with the best teacher: Google, then I decided to give it a try to make my own version of it.

Ingredients:

• Ginger approximately 200g (I used close to 300g for extra spiciness)
• Molasses 400g
• Baking sheet

First, wash the ginger thoroughly by cutting off the non-so-fresh edges, but not peeling the entire ginger as the ginger peel is beneficial.  I used a toothbrush especially for my food to brush it until clean.

The recipes told me to chop the ginger up into smaller pieces but I thought I could use my grater so I shredded it into fine ginger.  With the ginger juice, I transferred them into a low heating pan, and stir it until it dries up, or turns slightly brownish.

After trimming them. 🙂

Finely grated ginger. Turn on low heat.

Keep stirring! Never give up.

Then it became very dry, still with a biiiiit of moisture.

Then, put the Molasses into the pan and stir.

Right after pouring the molasses into the pan.

Keep stirring too!

Increase the heat and stir continuously.  When the mixture has become sticky, drop a droplet of the mixture into a bowl of room temperature water (cold but not ice cold).  If it does become sticky like a ball, and try the texture if it is like Play-Dough, then it is time to remove the mixture from heat.

note: this technique is called as Cold Water Test.  In this recipe the firmness of the cooled candy mixture is Firm-Ball-Stage.  No pics taken as it was the MOST CRUCIAL part of the entire process.  Was too busy and careful. Hehe..

Pour the mixture into a small baking pan lined with baking sheet.  When it is still hot, and a bit hardened, I used a pan to gently roll the top of it so that it became smoother. (Sort of ironing clothes theory? Hehe.) Cut the molasses while it is still hot, otherwise it becomes as hard as  a brick.  Cool completely, and store in an air tight container.

Pour into a baking sheet lined baking pan or container.

Tadah! Still super hot! At this point I covered the top of the mixture with the baking sheet and rolled a flat surfaced pan over it to smoothen out its surface. 🙂

After being cut! Warm. There is no rule in the sizes, you decide. 🙂

It hardened into small bricks of Ginger Molasses. Yay!

Store in an airtight container.

Do not store the ginger molasses in the fridge as it spoils the benefits of the dehydrated ginger.  They will stay well at least for 3 months but I doubt that they have that they have such “longevity” because I really love to drink them, so much. Kekeke..

Caution:  If the ginger doesn’t get sufficiently dehydrated, your bricks of Ginger Molasses may be a comfy bed for fungi and bacteria. 

Drop a cube or two into your thermos and drink whenever you want!

I don’t really like the fragments of ginger so I use a tea bag to filter all the ginger away. Kekeke..  It is entirely up to you!

I would like to say that the difficulty level for this recipe is Medium.  As it requires good control of the heat especially the candy process.  Overheating can lead to “honey-comb-like” candy or even hard candies.  Practice makes perfect!  Keep trying!

Wookie! Till I blog again!

Oh my goodness my Taipei blog is halfway done. keke..

Of Hometown: Ipoh

It had been so long since I last explored my hometown, Ipoh.  I do go home, but not visiting places, as time being at home is scarce and precious.

During the latest visit, I decided to hang out with my “bestest” friend on Earth.  After lots of mishaps (small ones) we ended up changing the location to Ipoh Old Town.

Well known as a tourist attraction, I parked my car somewhere far and became a tourist myself.  The scenery was so beautiful and I am so proud to be an Ipoh person (Ipoh Mali, Malaysian Slang).

The clock tower from afar.

Jazzan!

Very pretty and realistic mural.

Oopss! Where is my face?

Vintage theme.

Vintage theme.

Vintage theme.

Blooming wild flowers and my bestie.

My most precious friend.

Black and white: us.

And recently, Ipoh has been awarded as the top 10 cities in Asia to visit by Lonely Planet!

Dear readers, do come to Ipoh when you are free! 🙂

All photos were taken by iPhone Camera.

Because sharing is caring :)

Genuine friends are gems.  I am so glad that we met.

Ji Yeon, my korean best chingu.

Thank you for being you, and thank you for loving me for the me that I truly am.

We are teachers of each other and we are like sisters!

I am going to miss you so much dear chingu.

Saranghe! ❤

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

{“total_effects_actions”:0,”total_draw_time”:0,”layers_used”:0,”effects_tried”:0,”total_draw_actions”:0,”total_editor_actions”:{“border”:0,”frame”:0,”mask”:0,”lensflare”:0,”clipart”:0,”text”:0,”square_fit”:0,”shape_mask”:0,”callout”:0},”effects_applied”:0,”uid”:”402B2D67-3815-45E9-9EC4-1BFD8767A47A_1472174452656″,”width”:1440,”photos_added”:0,”total_effects_time”:0,”tools_used”:{“tilt_shift”:0,”resize”:0,”adjust”:0,”curves”:0,”motion”:0,”perspective”:0,”clone”:0,”crop”:0,”enhance”:0,”selection”:0,”free_crop”:0,”flip_rotate”:0,”shape_crop”:0,”stretch”:0},”source”:”editor”,”origin”:”gallery”,”height”:962,”subsource”:”done_button”,”total_editor_time”:33,”brushes_used”:0} Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

{“total_effects_actions”:0,”total_draw_time”:0,”layers_used”:0,”effects_tried”:0,”total_draw_actions”:0,”total_editor_actions”:{“border”:0,”frame”:0,”mask”:0,”lensflare”:0,”clipart”:0,”text”:0,”square_fit”:0,”shape_mask”:0,”callout”:0},”effects_applied”:0,”uid”:”402B2D67-3815-45E9-9EC4-1BFD8767A47A_1472174806751″,”width”:3264,”photos_added”:0,”total_effects_time”:0,”tools_used”:{“tilt_shift”:0,”resize”:0,”adjust”:0,”curves”:0,”motion”:0,”perspective”:0,”clone”:0,”crop”:0,”enhance”:0,”selection”:0,”free_crop”:0,”flip_rotate”:0,”shape_crop”:0,”stretch”:0},”source”:”editor”,”origin”:”gallery”,”height”:2448,”subsource”:”done_button”,”total_editor_time”:52,”brushes_used”:0}

Processed with VSCO with c1 preset

Of time.

I guess time is a powerful thing. Like a magic. It heals, it destroys. 

Made honey lemon today. Give it three days. Time will do the miraculous work. Can’t wait. 🍯🍯🍯🍋🍋🍋 

It tasted marvellous after 3 hours. Anticipating better taste 3 days later! 

Of Being a Pharmacist

A community pharmacist answers all questions raised and provides comfort and assurance when something upsetting happens. It is more than “give medicine only mah” or “enjoying aircond”. It breaks her heart when one argues that the store next door is selling rm0.10 cheaper. 
Most of the days I choose to wear pants because there are many moments I need to work like a labourer. When tons of stock arrive I am thankful for the heavy rain so less people may walk in. And kindly not ask me why I don’t ask my staff to do them cos we are a team. 
A friend says that I am a very “people” person. I truly agree to that. I find emotional rewards far worthy than monetary benefits. These days price wars and discounts bombing around people seem to forget our role. I did not study chemical structures of paracetamol just to offer best price of Panadol. 
To those who buy expensive medications, kindly not yell at me for serving another customer who needs a rm5 neurobion. Kindly not call these customers cheap. Kindly respect each other. We are all equal. 
Come, let’s shower each other with respect and love. Paint the world with kindness. After being fed with lots of discouraging behaviours I am still glad that I am a Pharmacist. And you gonna see me smiling greeting everyone annyeonghaseyo! 🤓
As posted on facebook.

Of Bestie.

“I hope my roommate is a friendly and kind person.  That is all I wish for.”

I wrote that on the form when I applied for a Hostel room before the 1st semester started.  And I met her on the first day we moved into the room.

We were both of the same batch, studying the same course.  From that fateful day onwards I knew God sent an Angel to me.

It was still the 1st semester I experienced severe homesick, and same goes to her.  We both cried a TOILET ROLL, if not more.  I got my FIRST and ONLY break up during exam period.  And she gave me tissue paper, water and hugs.  She removed items that would make me remember that person so that I wouldn’t feel sad.  I felt grateful, and loved.

4 years.  We spent 4 years together.  And I love her!  We did lots of crazy things together.  We both tested the wolf-prevention-alarm (俗称：防狼器） IN the hostel room.  We ordered Nando’s delivery.  We met some weird housemates. Etc etc etc.  Every sunny day she would tell me: ahhhhh, today is a good day to wash clothes leh!

And now, she married.

Smile! 🙂

I am so happy for her.  As I know our Heavenly Father blesses her with this man whom she calls as husband.  I cried so much. awwww awww…  Gonna miss her so much so much so much!

Thank you for always always being a genuine and loving friend of mine.  You made my entire university time a colourful and blessed one!  I may not be able to make it without you dear Evie, my Juliet!

Thank you for playing choki-choki spreading all over the face with me.  Thank you for eating dinners from tiffin carriers with me.  Thank you for organising all the family outings.  Thank you for everything.

Congratulations my dear and I will confirm go disturb you at Singapore!

Some pictures when we were having fun at the wedding dinner. Kekeke.. ^^

p/s: we wore green because it’s Evie’s FAVOURITE COLOUR!

With Ah Yin! 🙂

I wrote these on the card! Before writing the letter.

Wah, so sunny ah! Can wash clothes loooo…

Three of us selfie selfie. So pretty lorrrrr….

Selfie with Mr Lam. I am Mrs Lam. hehe..

Dear ah moi Evie, love you to the moon and back! *hugs*

 

Stronger.

At times I think, that I am much stronger than I think.  This June marks my 3rd year anniversary of total thyroidectomy (removal of thyroid glands).

Being the 6th major surgery in my life, I’m so blessed that everything went through smoothly and I recovered so well.  Since the very day, thyroid hormone pills became my lifelong partner.

Doctor kept assuring me that he would not hurt my vocal chord and he kept his promise well. *good skills required*

Recalling the surgery, I am so grateful that insurance company paid my entire medical bill, and my family members who prayed hard for me, and my husband who took care of me with his best effort.

Hence besides the removal of stitches, the whole process wasn’t of much pain. With the aid of Dermatix Ultra Scar Removal Gel, my scar has been deleted! *wow wow!*

Being a pharmacist, I often meet patients with health concerns.  Besides providing advise and guidance, the most important things that they need would be assurance and comfort. Patients may feel discouraged when they need to take lifelong medications.  But to me, I am thankful that there are medications to help!  Medicines are hope. 🙂

Dear you who are in fear and lost, do speak up and face the obstacles bravely.  We are all stronger that we think.

Jia you!💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻