My 2 Darlings

Lemon grass chicken wings (2nd attempt)

2012-02-04T01:42:00.002+08:00

I made this dish last year and liked its refreshing taste. I happened to see some galangal at a Chinese supermarket and thought that it'll be good to be able to compare the difference in taste since I omitted this ingredient previously.

When I started preparing the galangal, it was so tough to peel or cut. This is the first time I'm using this ingredient for any of my dishes. And because of that, there's no way I can get minced galangal for the marinade. So, I just cut whatever I could and mix them with the chicken wings; hopefully the taste/fragrance can infuse into the chicken meat. And instead of using fried chicken coating flour, I used corn flour. It came out just as yummy and crispy. The ingredients are a little different from the previous attempt because this time, I have lemon grass powder but no fresh lemon grass.

Ingredients

1 kg chicken wings
some cornflour
4 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp lemon grass powder
3 tsp salt
some sugar
3 slices of galangal
oil for deep frying

Method

Clean the wings by rubbing them with salt and then rinsing thoroughly. Using paper kitchen towels, pat dry the wings.

1. Marinade the wings with the turmeric powder, lemon grass powder, sugar, salt and sliced galangal. Keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2. Take the chicken wings out from the fridge and coat them with some cornflour, prior to frying.

3. Heat up the oil and deep-fry the wings over medium heat. Remove from heat when they turn golden brown/cooked. Serve warm.

'Sushi' bread roll

2012-02-03T09:24:00.004+08:00

Finally using more of the picks that I bought from Singapore and online stores. And been wanting to present the bread/sandwiches for the kids in different ways too. Doing a bread roll sushi style seems manageable. Took me at least 20 minutes to finish 3 rolls; so it'll have to be prepared the night before the next time I make this for their snackboxes.

I still need more practice to get the rolls to look pretty. I used 2 types of fillings for the rolls - fish floss and butter & sugar. And some salty 'fish' biscuits to complete their snacks.

Feedback from the kids
Both of them don't fancy the fish floss in their sandwiches, only want it with porridge. Didi requested that I use other picks instead of repeating. Meimei only wants strawberry jam for her sandwiches. Picky kids!

One pot dish

2012-02-03T09:03:00.001+08:00

This is another dish that I learnt from my mum - because it's one of my favourites. The steps might differ but I don't really care as long as the taste is close enough. There're fried meatballs and different types of vegetables in the sauce.

Ingredients

Fried meatballs (prepared these prior to cooking this dish. I added finely diced garlic and onions, soy sauce and pinch of pepper to the minced beef before deep frying.)

Different types of vegetables - lettuce, carrots, long beans, mixed vegetables(it's really a personal preference on the types of vegetables)

finely diced onions and garlic
vegetarian oyster sauce
sesame oil
dash of pepper
water
cornstarch (or potato starch, which is supposedly better)
oil

Method

1. Heat up a little bit of oil and stir fry the onions, then the garlic until fragrant. Add the vegetables which require a longer cooking time. Stir for a short while and then add water.

2. Add the vegetarian oyster sauce, sesame oil and pepper to taste. When the sauce starts to boil, lower the heat and slowly stir in the cornstarch.

3. Throw in the remaining vegetables (which cook fast, like lettuce) and fried meatballs. Serve immediately.

Potato patties (again) & using chopsticks

2012-01-30T21:45:00.005+08:00

I made the potato patties again; and this time with much lesser salt and added in mixed vegetables to make them more colourful. And also dipped the patties in egg (beaten) prior to frying.

The kids managed to pick up the patties with chopsticks. Didi took a piece and said it was for me. Awww...this boy is so sweet and thoughtful. He would (almost) always agree to let me have a bite of his food or pick up a piece and give it to me.

Mendoza - Andes Mountains

2012-01-30T10:39:00.010+08:00

On the 3rd day, we went to see part of the Andes Mountains range. Because we are visiting in summer, we got to travel up a particular mountain to see a statue called 'Christ the Redeemer of the Andes' which is at the peak. At the peak, we are almost 4000 metres above sea-level. Although it is summer, it is very windy and cold at the peak. We spent almost half a day travelling and when we finally got off the bus to see the statue, the kids wanted to return to the bus almost immediately because it was just too cold.

Background is a dam

Almost there

Can you see the 'horse'?

At the peak

Are we in Argentina or Chile?

Some shots of the Andes Mountains range

For more photos, click on this link.

Mendoza - Visit to the wineries and olive farm

2012-01-30T09:48:00.010+08:00

Mendoza is another province in Argentina. This is where we can see part of the Andes Mountains, the wineries and olive farms. It takes about 2 hour to fly from Buenos Aires.

Resting after walking around the area near the hotel on Day 1

The visit to the wineries were boring (we went to 2); and the kids were very direct and frank. Meimei told the guide at the first winery that the tour was very boring! We got to taste the wines produced by the wineries. And the only one I liked was a super sweet wine - think it's better to just drink soft drinks instead.

Entertaing ourselves while others had wine tasting, at the 2nd winery

Then we went to an olive farm. According to the guide, olive trees can bear fruits for up to 400 years and the trees at the farms are about 100 years old. And because olive trees thrive in arid places, they are only watered once a week.

The kids were disappointed that they didn't get the chance to pluck grapes and made wine for papa. So, papa asked the guide if it's possible to let the kids pluck one olive each. Nope, they didn't get to help to 'make' olive oil because everything is done by machines now except the plucking as they did not want to damage both the old trees and the olives.

CNY eve dinner

2012-01-25T00:20:00.003+08:00

This was the rice served to the kids for dinner on CNY eve. I bought these rice moulds a few years back and this is probably the third time I'm using them. The kids like them more now that they're older. Meimei was especially tickled to see a funny face on her rice.

The initial plan was to have our dinner at the Korean fusion restaurant. When we reached the restaurant, we were told that dinner will only be served from 8.30pm onwards and that would be an hour's wait for us. We decided not to have dinner there and not in any of the restaurants in Chinatown. It is because Chinatown was packed (to the brim) and there wasn't much walking space. And with such big crowds of people, there's bound to be lots of pickpockets and the kids would end up smelling other people's backsides; and a very high risk of stampede.

Meimei's second serving of the rice. We made a complete face - using the salmon fish floss as the hair and seaweed for the features. Meimei wanted to finish the fish floss and decided that they should be used to decorate around the face.

Happy Lunar New Year 2012

2012-01-23T03:55:00.002+08:00

Emperor Herbs Chicken

2012-01-19T08:36:00.002+08:00

The kids enjoyed this dish at my brother's place when we were back in Singapore last year. This is a 'healthy' dish considering it's steamed until fully cooked. I used 4 chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. The herbal taste and smell isn't overpowering and not too salty as well.

The plastic wrapper and aluminium foil come together with the seasoning in the pack. It does take a while to clean the chicken, plus I have the habit of removing as much of the visible fats as possible. And also to ensure there's sufficient water in the pot while the chicken cooks. Other than these, it's a simple dish to cook.

Pop-up cards

2012-01-17T01:47:00.003+08:00

We chanced upon an English bookshop during the weekend. It's great because it's located in a shopping centre and I'll probably check out this place more often when the kids are back in school.

The kids each chose a book (had to restrict, if not, they would want to buy almost everything). Meimei decided on a sticker activity book on ballerinas. There're different 'scenes' and stickers for each scene. She gets to decide on the decoration and costumes for each scene. Meimei finished everything in just 2 days! And she wants to go back and buy more.

Didi chose a book that has some stickers and crafts that we can make. His book is titled 'Roman things to make and do'. This morning, we did the pop-up cards. They were supposed to copy the pictures of the Roman gods in the books. Didi changed his mind because he couldn't draw as well and in the end, drew his own character instead.

Neptune - God of the sea. Drawn by Meimei

Pancakes

2012-01-17T01:21:00.003+08:00

Meimei requested for pancakes for breakfast before bedtime. And I've been trying to make pretty pancakes with the moulds that I bought, without much success. Decided to give it another try, and this time I coated the moulds with cooking spray. It was definitely much better because the batter doesn't stick to the mould and I could almost easily remove the pancakes. But I've poured too much batter and the pancakes turned out too thick. So, I must remember to only use the 1/4 cup to scoop the batter and pour into the mould.

And this is a good pancake recipe that I've found online. I made plain pancakes instead; and the kids liked it. I increased the sugar by 1/2 tbsp and added 1 tsp of vanilla essence (though I think it didn't make much of a difference, so I will skip it the next time).

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour
3 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled

Method

1. Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder. Make a well in the centre and add the egg. Whisk the egg to break it up.

2. Add the milk. Mix the dry ingredients slowly with the milk and egg, by 'taking' the dry ingredients from the 'walls'. Keep stirring until everything is well-mixed.

3. Pour in the melted butter and stir until well mixed. Let the batter rest for about 10-15 minutes before frying. (I made use of this time to prepare the frying pan, moulds and plates)

4. Heat the pan and add a little bit of butter to 'oil' the pan. When the pan is hot enough, place the mould on the pan and pour the batter. Remove the mould when the sides are firm enough and does not flow when the mould is removed.

Another new playground

2012-01-16T04:44:00.003+08:00

This is another arcade that the kids have on their list of places they like. It's under Cartoon Network and we can see some of the cartoon characters in the rides. They took this ride - Flintstones; cost about $7 peso per child (approx S$2.30). It just goes round and round the tracks, but they seem to enjoy it.

And we also played some typical arcade machine games and were 'rewarded' with tickets that the kids could exchange for gifts at the counter.

'I want to choose my t-shirt'

2012-01-16T04:39:00.003+08:00

This is what's happening at home whenever it's time to change up and get ready to go out. It used to be Meimei and now, Didi wants to decide on what he wants to wear. This is what he chose this morning to go for breakfast at a cafe just a minute walk from home. And he wanted to flip his collar up.

In the future...

2012-01-14T10:22:00.004+08:00

#1

Meimei said she wants to have 4 kids in the future and 4 dogs. She already has names for each of them.

Her kids would consist of 2 boys and 2 girls. Boys would be called 'Sam' and 'Jack'; girls would be 'Rose' and 'Rosie'.

Her 4 dogs would be named 'Beautiful', 'Rainbow', 'Bow' and 'Careful'.

Didi, on the other hand, said he only wants to have 2 kids and 2 dogs and perhaps a parrot. He couldn't 'decide' whether to have a boy and a girl or 2 girls. No names yet. Then Meimei reminded him that the number of children he would have depends on his wife because the wife decides how many kids she wants!

#2

Didi is scared of growing up to become an adult, and also scared of getting married. All because he will have to kiss his girlfriend or wife on the lips!

And then we have Meimei saying 'eeee....kiss on the lips. So gross!'

The perfect batter

2012-01-14T05:07:00.001+08:00

I remember eating the sweet-and-sour sausages my mother cooked for us when we were kids. Each piece of sausage was perfectly coated with a batter. Even the batter tasted great on its own.

And I tried this afternoon at snack-time for the kids. I should be quite close because the batter tasted good enough on its good although the taste can be further improved. The kids didn't like the sausages though; not so much because of the batter but the sausages itself.

This is definitely not the perfect batter because the sausages were not coated all around. Maybe it's because of the batter; maybe it's because of the insufficient oil. I shall try again next time.

Ingredients

plain flour
water
salt
pepper
baking powder
oil for frying

Potato patties

2012-01-12T09:59:00.000+08:00

Ingredients

200g potato, boiled
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp tumeric powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
dash of pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cornflour
oil for frying

Method

1. Mash the boiled potatoes. (no need to mash until very fine).
2. Add everything to the mashed potatoes and stir to mix well.
3. Scoop portions of the potato and shape into balls, then flatten them.
4. Fry in the heated oil until slightly browned. Remove and drain. Serve well.

**Note
I used 1 1/4 tsp of salt and the patties turned out too salty. And if I attempt this again, I must remember to dip the patties into a lightly beaten agg before frying. And perhaps add in some finely chopped carrots too.

Chicken soup with rice

2012-01-12T06:35:00.005+08:00

Meimei learnt a song from school last semester - Chicken soup with rice. Initially I wanted to steam the Emperor's Chicken (with the ready-made sauce) but I don't have the tray/plate. So, the chicken was used to make the chicken soup instead.

I was trying to get a colour and taste similar to soto ayam since I don't have quite a number of the ingredients. But the soup turned out quite good, and Meimei actually enjoyed it.

The kids' soup is clearer because I strained the chopped garlic and onion. It's still the same soup, just strained prior to serving.

Ingredients

1 litre chicken stock (I boiled 2 chicken thighs. Removed when they're cooked and removed the meat. Then put the bones back in to boil. Added 6 slices of ginger.)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp tumeric powder
lettuce

Method

1. Heat up the chicken stock. Season according to your preference.
2. Add the chicken meat and lettuce.
3. Serve warm.

Kids' drawings

2012-01-12T06:31:00.003+08:00

On a particular evening, the kids spent it drawing pictures on the blank jotter books that were given to them. These are just 1 each of their drawings.

The magician

I had to remind Didi that this doesn't happen in real life. What the magician does it to trick his eyes into believing.

Justin Bieber

Katsudon

2012-01-11T08:40:00.006+08:00

Following a recommendation from a friend, I followed a recipe from a blog and attempted to cook Katsudon for dinner. I didn't follow the recipe exactly; I omitted the cooking wine in the seasoning and chicken stock for the sauce, and the onions were left out for the sauce as well.

The picture doesn't look that good. It's quite a tasty dish; the sauce is not overly salty. Didi liked it but Meimei only liked the crispy pork cutlets dipped in the Thai sweet chilli sauce.

Ingredients

10 pieces of pork loin (I sliced mine into 2 slices from each piece because the pork loins were rather thick)
garlic & parsley flavoured breadcrumbs
oil for deep frying

Seasoning for the pork cutlets

1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp cornflour
dash of white pepper
1 egg

Sauce

100 ml water
2 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp castor sugar
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Hit the meat with the back of the knife to tenderise it. Season the meat with the sesame oil, light soy sauce, cornflour, pepper. Set aside in the fridge.

2. Remove the pork from the fridge and add the egg, prior to frying. Prepare the breadcrumbs.

3. Coat each piece with the breadcrumbs. Heat up the oil for deep frying.

4. Fry until golden brown. When the pieces are thinner, the cooking time is shortened quite a fair bit. Remove and drain. Cut into slices when the cutlets have cooled down. Set aside until ready to serve.

5. Prepare the sauce by mixing everything (for the sauce) except the eggs.

6. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place the sliced pork cutlets in the sauce. Slowly add in the eggs around the pork cutlets. Simmer until the eggs are fully cooked.

7. Remove from heat. Serve the pork cutlets with the sauce over freshly cooked jasmine rice. Serve immediately.

School bus & Kung-fu

2012-01-11T08:16:00.003+08:00

Korean buffet

2012-01-07T09:04:00.003+08:00

This time, we went to a Chinese and Korean (fusion) BBQ restaurant for dinner. It was buffet style and we were served about 20 dishes in all. The kids enjoyed the meat that was cooked over the hotplate. I think this is our first time, having to cook the meat over a hotplate, with the kids with us. Meimei kept her hands off the hotplate but Didi was much more curious and we had to keep reminding him.

We only had to pay for the adults and the kids got to dine 'free'. It cost about $85 peso (approximately S$28) for each adult. That's quite a good deal because the food was good.

The dishes

More lego creations

2012-01-07T08:57:00.003+08:00

Another 2 of Didi's creations.

Top 3 of a race

A special gun that 'shoots' candy

Lego creations

2012-01-05T23:37:00.002+08:00

Didi is back at creating new cars/weapons/objects. Just the other day, he made one that resembled the pulley-cranes at container terminals. Last night, he made this cute-looking dumb-bell.

Getting ready for CNY

2012-01-03T03:03:00.003+08:00

Got the kids to do some craft with the ang-bao that travelled with us from Sgp to Doha and now Argentina. We did some lanterns and firecrackers and the kids decided where to hang them on the plant. Think the lanterns are much prettier.

Udon in satay sauce

2011-12-29T05:20:00.001+08:00

So, we tried something new again today. The kids like satay sauce, especially Didi because this is one of the spicy dishes that he can stomach without drinking too much water. I added more water to the readymade paste to make it less spicy and more soupy for the udon noodles.

Ingredients

udon noodles, boiled prior to mixing with satay sauce
sliced pork
readymade satay sauce, mixed with water (amount depends on how spicy and soupy you like)

Method

1. Fry the pork slices until completely dry. Add the satay sauce (mixed with water) and let it boil. Turn off the heat.

2. Boil the udon noodles and drain once it's soft. Scoop into serving bowls.

3. Pour the sauce over the noodles and serve fresh.

Fried noodles

2011-12-28T02:31:00.002+08:00

This may seem like a simple dish to prepare. It's actually quite a challenge not to overcook the noodles and at the same time, achieve the right balance of saltiness and sweetness.

To avoid overcooking the noodles, I cooked the meat and eggs separately. Then I boiled the noodles for about 1 minute, basically to separate them. Then combine them again, after adding the seasoning for the noodles. It actually turned out quite yummy. Meimei liked the noodles and asked for a second helping; and I thought Didi would be the one who would prefer the noodles.

I guess the trick for this dish is to cook everything separately, then combining them. And also to prepare the seasoning separately.

Ingredients

chicken meat, cut into bite size
eggs, slightly beaten
2 3/4 pieces of egg noodles (diameter approximately 8.5cm, 100g each piece)

Seasoning for the noodles

3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 1/2 to 3 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
dash of white pepper
sesame oil

Method

1. Prepare the seasoning, stir and set aside.
2. Fry the meat and eggs separately. Set aside.
3. Boil water and cook the noodles until it's about half cooked. Drain.
4. Heat up the pan, add sesame oil before adding the noodles. Using a pair of chopsticks, mix the noodles with the sesame oil. Then add the seasoning and mix well, ensuring all the noodles are coated with the seasoning. Add the meat and eggs.
5. Once the noodles are fully cooked, remove from heat and serve fresh.

Pineapple tarts (cheat version)

2011-12-27T10:22:00.002+08:00

I was on the lookout for easy to prepare pineapple jam. Saw this recipe and followed it but I skipped the step of squeezing the juice from the 'blended' pineapple paste. The outcome is that my pineapple jam is still too wet even after a day in the fridge.

Didi doesn't like pineapple tarts and asked if I could just make plain ones for him. He though the golfball tarts were cupcakes. Meimei liked the first tart and when she took the second piece, she decided that she doesn't really like them. The jam was too juicy for her liking.

Overall, the tarts are not too bad. Not overly sweet and the pastry is crunchy (because I didn't want to do the rubbing-in method). I use the recipe from the class I attended a few years back; instead of using top flour I used plain flour. I made almost 70 tarts and there's still jam and dough left in the fridge.

The open-face tarts

Golfball tarts

Merry X'mas 2011

2011-12-25T07:51:00.005+08:00

I think this is the first time we're celebrating Christmas without the extended family. The kids chose their presents a week ago and Didi decided to unwrap his presents on X'mas eve and Meimei will unwrap hers on X'mas day.

We had lunch at MacDonald's after the kids played at the playground. The fries for the Happy Meal has been downsized! Not a good thing for consumers though it looks cute. Then we took a family photo with Santa and the kids did some colouring while waiting for the photo to be ready.

Dinner was a home-cooked meal - chicken, potato fritters, boiled broccoli. The potato fritters is a hit, especially when it's freshly fried. The chicken were cut up because we wanted to ensure they're thoroughly cooked before serving them to the kids. We also tried sparkling pineapple juice. Not that great, I feel that there's a slight bitter aftertaste.

Potato fritter

Ingredients

potato, cut into very thin slices
onions, chopped finely
plain flour
a dash of baking powder
salt
dash of white pepper, black pepper and sugar
water
oil

Method

1. Mix everything, except the potato, in a bowl. Stir well until a paste-like solution is formed.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the potato to the paste-like solution and mix well.

3. Scoop small portions of the solution and potato and 'pour' into the oil. Fry until both sides are golden brown. Drain and serve immediately, if possible.

Finger puppets

2011-12-24T10:19:00.004+08:00

Ninjas and the skeleton

Girl and the hare

The roosters

Mee Hoon Kuay (Handmade noodles)

2011-12-24T01:31:00.001+08:00

Made the kids knead the dough and hoping that they'll eat their own 'hard work' during dinner. The kids started with much enthusiasm and this wore off after less than 10 minutes into kneading the dough. I had to take over and finish kneading.

When it was time to eat their 'noodles', Didi ate more than Meimei. Meimei said she doesn't like it though she loves the ban mian in Singapore.

The recipe (from here) states to use 300g of all purpose flour, I ended up using much more. I had to add flour continuously because the dough was just too sticky to work with.

Ingredients

300g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
160ml water (2/3 cup)

At the start

They still find it amusing and fun to mix the flour with the egg, salt and water. And to see how mixing the ingredients can give them the sticky dough. They didn't like the feeling of the dough stuck on their fingers, kept trying to scrap it off.

After less than 10 minutes of kneading

They were getting tired with the kneading. Meimei asked why I'm getting them to 'make' the dough. I told her that from this, they can learn where some of their food come from, and also the work involved in preparing them. Which means she should eat her food and appreciate the work that goes behind each dish. (The actual idea was to keep them occupied and tired them out a little bit)

(Satay) beef

2011-12-21T07:03:00.001+08:00

We don't have a grill at home to prepare satay and I don't think it's safe to place satay sticks in the oven. So, this is our 'satay' without the sticks; served with ready-made satay sauce.

Ingredients
approx 350g minced beef
3 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
pinch of salt, dash of black pepper and sprinkle of salt

Method
1. Season the beef with all the seasoning. Shape into oblong (or any shape you prefer).

2. Place on baking tray. I can't find baking paper in the supermarkets here. Found this useful method for baking without the meat sticking to the tray after baking - Spread lemon juice over the whole tray. Place the meat and bake as per normal. The juice won't affect the taste of the meat and it's easier to wash the tray as well.

3. Bake at preheated oven 200 deg C, for 10 minutes. (I switched off the oven but left the meat in the oven for an additional 2 minutes to make sure that they're fully cooked.)

4. Heat the ready made satay sauce (I added a little bit of water) in the microwave oven and serve with the beef.

Crispy sweet chicken (cheat version)

2011-12-21T06:29:00.001+08:00

It takes too much effort to prepare the Crispy sweet/chilli beef. Since the kids like it, I must find a faster way to prepare. Instead of using beef today, I used chicken and here's presenting the cheat version!

As with most dishes that I whip up nowadays, it's more on estimation though I'll try my best to give a close estimate.

Ingredient

chicken, cut into bite size - seasoned with some light soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/3 lemon, juiced
cornflour
oil

Method

1. Coat the chicken pieces with cornflour. Heat up the oil. Fry until crispy. Drain and set aside. Pour the oil away.

2. Mix the soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice and chilli powder. Heat the solution in the pan. When it starts to bubble, add in the fried chicken pieces. Mix well and serve fresh.

Creative kids

2011-12-20T07:56:00.004+08:00

These are what the kids made when they were left alone after dinner.

Her girl

His - A daddy and his sister

I think he meant 'A daddy and his daughter' because he seemed confused when I asked him if it's the sister or the daughter. Both characters are with their pet dog(s).

Curry-spiced sausage buns

2011-12-20T06:47:00.000+08:00

This recipe is from Gina's blog. I attended her class on how to make pineapple tarts a few years ago. Her recipes are reliable and tasty. So, I followed her recipe according and got the kids to help out in the 'wrapping' and 'glazing' stages. After the buns were baked, I think it would have been better to use an egg to glaze the buns instead of using melted butter. Taste-wise, it's yummy as the bread itself is sweet and has a hint of curry in it.

Wrapping the sausages with the dough

Glazing with melted butter

Baked!

Ingredients

500g plain flour
270ml water
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
100g castor sugar
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp curry powder
30g melted butter (salted) for glazing --> I would use egg to glaze the next time

Method

1. Mix the curry powder, flour yeast, salt and castor sugar into the mixing bowl. Slowly add in water and using the mixer, mix at low speed for 30 min. Let the machine knead the dough. I didn't add the water slowly and had to knead by hand. I only kneaded the dough until it looked like it's done. Definitely not more than 10 minutes.

2. Add melted butter and knead until evenly mixed.

3. Remove dough and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a wet cloth and place in a warm place to let it proof. This takes about 1 hour. I left the dough in the mixing bowl instead.

4. Shape dough into 50g balls. Flatten each ball and add fillings. I just tell the kids to pinch off balls of dough and wrap the sausages with each small ball of dough.

5. Brush with melted butter and let the buns proof for another 10 minutes.

6. Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg C for 20 minutes. Mine took about 15 minutes since they're smaller.

7. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Crispy sweet beef

2011-12-19T10:03:00.005+08:00

This was supposed to be 'Crispy chilli beef' but it turned out to be so sweet instead. The kids loved this sweet version and Didi awarded me 100 points and Meimei gave me a trillion thousand hundred points, out of 10! hahahha....Didi went on to declare that 'Mummy is THE best chef'.

Somehow, the mix of ingredients ended up giving this dish a taste rather similar to the sweet and sour sauce. The beef was fried until it's crispy but it also made the kitchen very oily. I wouldn't mind cooking this again if I can somehow reduce the oiliness from the frying.

The recipe was adapted from the 'BBC goodfood website' that I've linked in my attempt at cooking the Creamy masala chicken.

Ingredients

Oil, for frying
300g beef, cut into thin strips and tossed with 3 tbsp cornflour
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5cm ginger, sliced into strips (I cut it thicker so that the kids can still see it and not end up eating them)
2 1/2 tsp chilli powder
4 tbsp soy sauce, mixed with 4 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/3 lemon, juiced

Method

1. Heat sufficient amount of oil for deep frying the beef strips, until very hot. Fry the beef in batches until they turn dark and crispy. Remove and leave them aside.

2. Pour off most of the oil. Stir fry the garlic, ginger, chilli powder for a short while (about 1 min).

3. Add the sweetened soy sauce and lemon juice, cook for about 2 min. Toss in the fried beef strips and serve fresh.

**For the spicy version, reduce the amount of sugar to probably about half the stated amount. At the same time, reduce the amount of chilli powder as well to probably about 1 1/2 tsp.

Door handle tags

2011-12-19T09:53:00.006+08:00

Meimei had this idea and described to me her idea. She wanted to make door handle tags and wanted me to help her cut the loop. We used plain drawing paper as the base. Didi thought that it was fun and made one too.

Hers

His

He was angry with papa and wrote a message that's supposed to read 'I do not want daddy to come in' or something along that line

Creamy Masala Chicken (served with basmatic rice)

2011-12-18T07:08:00.005+08:00

With no good Indian resturants here, I have to try and cook Indian dishes. Found a website that has quite a good selection of recipes of various cuisines. I'm probably be checking it often for updates.

The kids loved the chicken masala in Doha and I thought it'll be a surprise for them if I manage to cook the dish. I had to add quite a few other spices to make the dish tastier; it was too creamy for me. Didi liked the dish, especially dipping the bread in it. Meimei only liked the chicken pieces and not the sauce. I might cook this again, but probably not so soon.

Ingredient

approx. 250g chicken meat (inner fillet), cut into bite size
5 slices of ginger, cut into halves
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped finely
2 tsp cayenne powder (original recipe uses chilli powder and I don't have it at home)
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
dash of white pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
200cm3 double cream
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp lemon juice

the original recipe also uses juice of 1 lime, 1 red chilli and 2 tbsp fresh coriander which I've omitted

Method

1. Mix the chicken, ginger, garlic, cayenne powder (1 1/2 tsp) and 1 tbsp of oil on a bowl. Stir and mix well, then set aside.

2. Heat the pan and add the marinated chicken. Fry until the meat is dry, stirring occasionally. Remove from fire when done.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft and fragrant. Add the turmeric powder and stir for 1 minute. Lower the heat and pour in the cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the chicken and simmer to let the chicken absorb the flavours. Season with the curry powder, remaining cayenne powder, salt, sugar, pepper and lemon juice. (Add more of each spice according to your preference). Serve hot.

Dear Santa, I want a pet shop.

2011-12-18T07:00:00.003+08:00

Impressed

2011-12-17T09:26:00.002+08:00

He's usually laid back and nonchalant when it comes to homework. To see that he's doing more and also getting them correct, we're happy. Compared to the kind of school work he was doing in Doha, this is definitely of a higher standard.

Christmas mood

2011-12-16T08:40:00.004+08:00

The kids are really getting into the mood. Must be all the X'mas related goodies and crafts from school and their classes.

Didi did this all by himself before bedtime. He drew the pictures, cut them and pasted them. This is Santa's house, car, etc.. And according to him, Santa lives in Brazil.

Milanesa and black pepper sauce

2011-12-15T09:22:00.002+08:00

Milanesa is a common dish in Argentina. It's a thin slice of seasoned meat, coated with breadcrumbs and fried before serving. It's usually served with french fries or mashed potato. Some of the milanesa dishes are served with 2 eggs, cooked sunny side up. The kids love to eat this (only Didi likes the eggs) at the foodcourt near the hotel where we stayed.

I bought the seasoned breadcrumbs from the supermarket and I'm very sure that when I took it, I saw it as aji and something else. When I took the packet out this evening, I was surprised to see that it wasn't aji. Instead it was ajo. So instead of 'chili', I bought the 'garlic'-flavoured breadcrumbs. Thank goodness, it turned out yummy and the kids loved it. And I couldn't taste the garlic or parsely taste at all!

I also tried to make my own black pepper sauce because I didn't want to buy the almost expired bottle from a supermarket in Chinatown. The milanesa dish was a back up in case the black pepper sauce failed. Meimei refused to try the sauce; Didi was game but it was a little too peppery for him. Personally, I find it too sour because I added too much lemon. Grinding the black pepper is too much work, next time I shall just buy the grinded black pepper for cooking instead.

The seasoned breadcrumbs

The mini milanesa

I cut the original slice of beef into 3 portions. It costed only about $30 peso (approx S$10) for 500gm of beef.

Ingredients

thinly sliced beef
salt and white pepper
egg white
oil
seasoned breadcrumbs

Method

1. Seasoned the beef with some salt and pepper.
2. Coat the beef with the egg white, then the breadcrumbs. (Use one hand for each so that you don't end up with clumps in the breadcrumbs.)
3. Heat up the oil. Put the coated slices in and fry. The oil should be at the temperature such that the breadcrumbs won't burn and the beef will still become fully cooked.
4. Remove when the crumbs turn golden brown and the beef is thoroughly cooked. Serve warm.

Beef slices with homemade black pepper sauce

Ingredients

1/4 lemon, squeezed (I used 1/2 lemon and it was too too sour)
salt, black pepper and sugar
water
cornflour
beef slices (seasoned with some salt and white pepper)
garlic, finely chopped

Method

1. Mix the lemon juice, salt, black pepper (lots of it), sugar and water together.
2. Heat up a little bit of oil. Stir fry the garlic for a while. Add the beef slices. Fry until there's no more 'juice'.
3. Add the black pepper mixture. Once it boils, taste the sauce and add more pepper/salt/sugar until you're satisfied.
4. Add the cornflour (mixed with cold water) to thicken the sauce. Serve fresh.

Multiplication

2011-12-14T08:55:00.004+08:00

Didi wanted to do 'homework' while Meimei was doing hers. So, I gave him a few addition and subtraction sums to complete. While he was attempting a particular question (which was 6 + 3 = ___ ), he held up one hand and pondered. Then he said to me, 'Mummy, can you lend me your fingers? I don't have 6 fingers.'

And when he completed the sums I wrote, he went on to write more sums for himself. Then he wrote a multiplication sum. I wondered where he saw it because he wrote it correctly. But he needed some help to get the answer.

He went on to draw on the 'stairs' I used to help him get the answer to his multiplication sum. He drew me as 'Ranpunzel' with pink lips and Meimei as a dolphin (which she wasn't happy about). The person with only a few strands of hair is papa. I noticed that he's now drawing his stickmen with their feet pointed up, like they're happy.

Coconut rice

2011-12-14T08:52:00.003+08:00

It is really just coconut with rice; not the nasi lemak because I didn't use the other ingredients from the various recipes that I found on the web. Plus I haven't seen pandan leaves in the supermarkets here, so we'll just have to make do without them.

I fried some egg omelettes, chicken curry (kids' version) and the local luncheon meat (beef and it's not good at all) and sausages. To my surprise, the kids like the rice although I feel that it's not fragrant at all.

And the kids, especially Didi, like the watery (and watered-down) version of the chicken curry. He's still learning to take spicy food.

Sticky coconut rice

Ingredients

2 cups rice (I used the Jap type which made the end product a little sticky)
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
2 cups water
4 slices of ginger
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Put all the ingredients except the rice into the rice cooker and let it boil.
2. Add rice and cook until done. I did mine twice cos it didn't look fully cooked the first time round.

Chicken curry (kids' version)

Ingredients

chicken meat, cut into bite size
2 tsp curry powder (approx)
1 tsp salt (approx)
pepper
oil
water

Method

1. Season the chicken meat with some salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Mix the curry powder, salt with the water. Mix well.
3. Heat up a little bit of oil and fry the chicken meat until there's no more 'juice'.
4. Add the curry water mixture, stir and let it boil. Add more powder or salt to your preference. Remove from fire and serve warm.

The yucky luncheon meat, and the sausages

Omelettes

2011-12-12T02:57:00.002+08:00

Taking a walk further down from main street in Chinatown, we found a Carrefour at the ground flor. On the second floor, there is a cinema, MacDonald's and an arcade. The kids were so happy with this new 'discovery'.

And we finally got to try the bubble tea which I've been eyeing for a long long time.

2011-12-12T02:50:00.002+08:00

Noodles soup

The kids had their soup with egg noodles. They quite like their noodles soup cooked this way.

Ingredients
Eggs
thinly sliced pork
vegetables (I used frozen spinach)
water
noodles
seasoning - salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, pinch of sugar

Method

1. Heat some sesame oil. When it's heated, add the eggs and fry. Add water when the eggs are almost fully cooked.

2. Add the pork when the water boils. Add the frozen spinach when the water boils again (after the pork slices are added).

3. Rinse the noodles in hot water, before adding only the noodles to the soup.

4. Season the soup to your liking. Serve hot.

Fried bread

This is the first time the kids are eating fried bread. Personally I don't like because of the amount of oil that's absorbed by the bread during the frying. But I wanted to let the kids try and see if they'll like it. Meimei quite liked it, but she wanted to dip the fried bread in ketchup. It took Didi a slightly longer time to try the bread.

Ingredients
Minced meat (I used pork)
seasoning - sesame oil, soy sauce, pinch of sugar
Bread, cut into quarters
Oil, for frying

Method
1. Season the meat and set aside.
2. Heat up the oil for frying. (the original recipe states to deep fry but I didn't want to use so much oil. So, mine was semi-deep fried)
3. While waiting for the oil to heat up, quickly scoop small portions of the meat on the bread.
4. Place the pieces of bread (with meat) carefully into the heated oil. Turn them occasionally to ensure equal browning. I think mine was too friedRemove once the meat is fully cooked. Serve warm.

Recoleta

2011-12-10T09:26:00.010+08:00

We spent the whole afternoon at Recoleta - checking out the weekend market, visiting the cemetery and church. Recoleta is considered a more affluent neighbourhood and there're a number of touristy spots to visit. The cemetery and church are 2 of them.

There are many impressive and grand tombstones that house the family of the famous (and of course, dead) people in the history of Argentina. The kids were a little afraid when we told that we were in a cemetery and wanted to leave the place quickly.

See all the photos at this link
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150409678507499.353590.747367498&type=1&l=0003460e83

After this, we went to the church. Meimei was more interested and was trying to read the descriptions of the artefacts on display. Didi was just running around and falling down. And they were having fun balancing on the concrete spheres while we walked to the church.

More photos here
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150409694752499.353591.747367498&type=1&l=fd905124b1

Kway Chap

2011-12-08T21:34:00.002+08:00

I bought some kway-tiao and tau pok from Chinatown and wanted to try making a soup base using the seasoning for braised pork. Wanting to make the soup more peppery, I added white pepper seeds into the soup. BUT I didn't smash them prior to adding to the soup, so there's no peppery taste. Now I know I'll need to smash them to 'release' the taste.

The kway-tiao is thicker and more chewy. Meimei didn't like the texture of the kway tiao but Didi loved the dish and even asked for second serving. Personally, I prefer the thinner and smoother kway-tiao that we are used to in Singapore.

Dishes in a jiffy

2011-12-06T09:11:00.006+08:00

These are 2 dishes that I cooked for dinner. One specially for Meimei and the other for Didi. Meimei initially thought it was curry, but after tasting it and thinking for a few seconds, she was able to tell me that it was satay sauce. Didi was happy just to see the sausages.

Sausages & mixed vegetables in sweet and sour sauce

Method

1. Mix some ketchup, chilli sauce, pepper and water. Set aside. (This is the lazy version. If you want the 'real' sauce, you'll need to add other pastes.)
2. Stir fry the sliced sausages until a little brown. Scoop out and set aside.
3. Stir fry the mixed veg and then add the sauce. Once the sauce starts to bubble, add the sausages and mix. Remove and heat. Serve fresh.

Chicken pieces in satay sauce

Method
1. Cut the chicken into bite sizes. Season with a little soy sauce, pepper.
2. Heat up a little bit of oil. (It would be much tastier if you add diced garlic and onions) Stir fry the chicken pieces until totally dry.
3. Add the ready-made satay sauce and some water. If it's too watery, add some cornflour to thicken the sauce. Remove from heat once the sauce starts to bubble.

(Side note: This satay sauce is quite tasty. Can consider making satay beehoon with it since we definitely won't be able to find such a dish in any restaurants here.)

Songs and dance

2011-12-03T09:48:00.008+08:00

The kids had their concert in the one of the school's theatre. There were Aesop's fables where a few kids acted while the teacher narrated; followed by songs and dance by everyone in the level. Meimei and Didi had been singing the songs since they learnt them in school and the tunes are quite catchy.

At the concert

Managed to say 'hi' to them after the concert

With one of her classmates

The songs

It's taking forever to upload Meimei's concert items. So I'm just going to publish this post without her dance items.

Birthdays around the world

2011-12-01T08:53:00.008+08:00

Meimei celebrated her birthday in Athens, Didi and myself in Doha and papa's in Buenos Aires. The kids each drew a 'card' (when I reminded them that papa's birthday was round the corner. He doesn't do that so I dun get the cards until my birthday is over.)

The kids sang the birthday song in 4 languages - English, Chinese, Arabic and Spanish.

Leftover fillings

2011-12-01T08:12:00.003+08:00

It's such a waste to throw food away, so I made these using the the leftover fillings from the curry puffs. Didi said they look even more like the bombs from angry birds.

Method

1. Mould the fillings into little balls, by hand.
2. Dip into an egg (beaten).
3. Coat with breadcrumbs. I used the Japanese breadcrumbs.
4. Heat up the oil. Gently place/slide the balls into the oil and fry until golden brown. Scoop and serve warm.

Stickman and carrots

2011-11-29T04:37:00.004+08:00

Didi is still drawing stickmen. The giant carrots and the big-head guy are quite cute.

Curry puffs (again)

2011-11-29T04:34:00.004+08:00

This time round, we used the ready-made pastry from the supermarket and the filling was curry minced beef and diced potatoes.

The pastry was much easier for the kids to handle and they could make prettier curry puffs.

Jardin Japones

2011-11-27T02:43:00.013+08:00

And this is how to pronounce it in Spanish - 'Har din, Ha poh nes'.

It's getting hot with temperatures hitting 30 deg. But it doesn't feel so humid like in Singapore. With a cap/hat and sunglasses, and sunblock, we're good to go!

Posing together

By herself

What we did

They were eating the Melona ice-cream (Korean brand). Meimei has seen it sold in almost all the provision shops in Chinatown and finally had a chance to taste it. Didi doesn't like the taste of the strawberry ice-cream.

What we saw

Jelly

2011-11-27T02:33:00.002+08:00

We made curry bombs on day 1 of their long weekend and on day 2, we made jellies.

Curry puffs and curry bombs

2011-11-25T09:28:00.005+08:00

It's the long weekend for the kids. There are lots of holidays in Argentina; and because their school is considered a US school, they also get to enjoy some of the major holidays like the Thanksgiving break.

To keep them occupied, we did curry puffs together. Another reason is because Didi doesn't like the local puffs. It's like the cousin to the curry puff but baked. It's called 'empanada'. So, I suggested to him that we can make our own curry puffs and he reminded me that he doesn't want vegetables in them.

Making the curry puffs was like playing with playdoh for them. After making just 2 proper puffs each, they decided to be more adventurous and used the dough to make all kinds of weird shapes. But most didn't come out as well as the ball which we named 'curry bombs'.

Meimei - hard at work

Didi - hard at work initially, then decided to play a fool

I did the fillings in the laziest method possible. There is only potato and I used curry powder mixed with water to cook the potatoes. While letting it cool, I prepared the dough. And everything was by estimation.

Ingredients

Fillings
curry powder, mixed with water to get a watery base
salt
sugar
dash of black pepper
finely chopped garlic and onions
oil
potatoe, diced

Dough
plain flour
water
dash of salt and sugar

Method
1. Heat up the oil. Fry the onions until fragrant, then add the garlic. Stir fry for a while before adding the potatoes.
2. Add the watery curry mixture. Stir until the potato are cooked and the water has evaporated. Scoop onto a plate and let the fillings cool.
3. Mix the flour, dash of salt and sugar, with cool water. Knead until the dough becomes pliable.
4. Pinch out small balls of dough and work on a floured surface. Flatten and stretch the dough into a small circle, place small portions of the cooked fillings in the centre. 'Close' the dough and use a fork to create patterns on the edge of the puff.
5. Heat up oil and when it's hot enough, place the puffs in oil to fry. They should be cooked when the surface becomes golden brown.
6. Remove from oil and serve the puffs warm.

Quail egg wrapped in minced beef

2011-11-24T09:18:00.005+08:00

This is something my mother used to prepare for parties - quail eggs wrapped in minced meat. I couldn't find minced pork and since beef is cheaper here, I did my version with minced beef.

It's really simple to prepare; but you would have to be ready to wipe up the oil in the kitchen after frying.

Didi wanted to be the model, holding the meatball in his hand

Ingredients
Quail eggs, boiled and remove the eggshells
minced beef
seasonings - salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, black pepper, pinch of sugar, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onions
egg, depends on how much meat you're using. I used only egg white because I happened to have 1 egg white left in the fridge from making cookies for the kids
oil, for deep frying

* I'm sure the meatballs would have tasted much better if I had added breadcrumbs

Method

1. Season the minced beef, add the garlic, egg and leave aside in the fridge.

2. Heat oil. Wrap the eggs with the beef. Make sure it's completely wrapped up and not too thin/thick. If it's too thin, the meat will 'shrink' and the egg will be exposed. If it's too thick, it might take longer to cook the meat on the 'inside'.

3. When the oil is hot enough, place the meatballs and fry until fully cooked. Serve warm.

Weekend markets (2)

2011-11-24T09:04:00.003+08:00

These were taken last week at the weekend market near our place.

Origami

2011-11-20T09:23:00.005+08:00

I downloaded an application that shows a step-by-step visual and instructions on origami. Meimei is much better and she's more determined as well. It's only with the smaller folds that she asked for help. Didi, on the other hand, decided that it was difficult and that he couldn't follow the instructions the moment he couldn't fold properly. And when I helped him, he started to disturb Meimei and of course, it ended with me scolding the two of them.

These are their works (with a little help from me).

By Meimei

1. Bear

2. Penguin

3. Pigeon

4. Car

By Didi

1. Pigeon

2. Penguin

3. Car (he tried to draw the 'fire' like the Hot Wheels toys. Then he added Lighting McQueen's number)

Our neighbour

2011-11-20T09:15:00.004+08:00

The egg has hatched into a baby bird. We didn't realise that the baby had hatched from the egg and today, the mummy bird finally 'got off' her nest and we could see the baby.

Writing and reading

2011-11-20T09:05:00.003+08:00

In school, the teacher has been teaching Meimei about writing stories. They are currently focusing on real events that happened to them. I suppose this has somewhat interest Meimei to write her 'book'.

The hula dancer & the cry baby

2011-11-15T19:05:00.002+08:00

The geeky looks

2011-11-15T18:55:00.004+08:00

Whirligig

2011-11-15T18:37:00.007+08:00

For one of her science worksheet, Meimei was to observe the speed of her whirligig spinning. We tested it at different locations and asked her to share what she observed. Didi thought it looked fun and wanted one as well.

We took the whirligig to the streets and the kids were laughing and more interested in playing with it than observing its movement. Other kids who walked past stopped to take a second look at the kids' whirligigs spinning when the wind blew.

This is what I like about the Science lessons in the international schools. The kids are to observe and record the changes. In the process, they'll discover and learn more about the environment around us.

Here's a site if you wish to construct a whirligig for your kids. I used printing paper instead of a paper plate.

http://www.origami-resource-center.com/whirligig.html

Weekend markets

2011-11-13T01:31:00.004+08:00

During the weekends, the usually quiet parks will be filled with stalls selling (mostly) handmade products. It's a good way to spend a weekend morning - to stroll through and browse through the items on sale.

There's one such weekend market near our apartment. And today, we bought a ring (for myself) and a necklace for Meimei. The flowers are real and we bought both our items for a total of $50 pesos (= S$15). What a steal!

Cupcakes

2011-11-11T19:54:00.003+08:00

Didi saw the muffin baking tray in the kitchen and wanted me to bake cupcakes. He is my #1 fan in the household when it comes to cupcakes. And I thought I dress up their snacks for school a little with the picks and cutter I brought over.

Seems like they are not that interested in the cute-ness of the snacks. Or it could be that I need to put in more thought and make the snack box more appealing. Or it could just that they were not hungry since they have lunch in school.

I would like to think it's the last reason. :o

Spanish tradition 'celebration'

2011-11-11T19:26:00.003+08:00

Yet another 'party' in school, this time it's on Spanish tradition. The kids had to bring a food item that is from their country to share with their friends. And the teachers got them to try this tea called mate (pronounced as 'mah tey'). Meimei said she doesn't like it, whether the tea is served with milk or sugar or plain.

No photos of Didi cos these were taken by Meimei's teacher

This is home

2011-11-07T08:45:00.005+08:00

We have finally moved into our 'home' in Bs As. The building is old, compared to some newer ones nearby but the apartment itself is tastefully decorated. According to the agents, this unit was never rented out and it is now, because the owner has been posted to Mexico.

There are shops in the vicinity - fashion, laundry, restaurants and supermarkets. There is not just one supermarket but two relatively big ones. It is so much more convenient when there're supermarkets nearby. And Chinatown is within walking distance as well. It takes about 15-20 minutes. So, we'll be going to Chinatown very frequently.

The living room and dining room

The bedrooms and kids' playroom (or guest room if anyone visits us)

Bright and spacious kitchen, another dining area

Short story - Halloween theme

2011-11-02T21:32:00.001+08:00

Meimei did this short composition in school. She said that she tried to spell the words by herself, but she did approach the teacher when she felt that she really couldn't spell some words. Overall, quite impressed with her work. ;)

More of didi's drawings

2011-11-02T21:31:00.000+08:00

Just like his sister, Didi likes to draw. His favourite themes are the various modes of transportation (especially cars) and people (depending on the occasion). There are more details in his drawings now and he would 'layer' his drawings. In order to fully appreciate his drawings, you need to be next to him and listen to his stories as he draws. If not, you'll end up with just a piece of drawing that's been coloured over.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T22:41:00.007+08:00

The kids had a Halloween celebration in school. All the students in the Elementary school were dressed up! They had their mini parade within the hall, then they proceeded to the High School section to 'show-off' their costumes.

Didi's class had a party and the parents were invited to join in. I didn't receive any information from Meimei's teacher, so I suppose there wasn't any invitations extended to the parents.

Ben 10 with his teacher

The fairy at the playground

Waiting for their turns in the hall

Didi's class waiting outside the classroom; to cheer for the remaining classes going back to their classrooms

Check out the classroom deco!

Their contributions to the class party

Here birdie, birdie

2011-10-27T01:37:00.003+08:00

We spotted this nest, with 2 tiny eggs, just outside our hotel. Initially, I thought it was just some twigs with a mothball. But it doesn't help sense to have a mothball out there on the scaffolding. Didi was the one who saw the mummy bird resting on the eggs (she laid another after I spotted the first egg). Hopefully we will get to see the babies hatching from the eggs before we move out of the hotel.

Even mama bird needs a break from her eggs!

Little mermaid and the flying pirates

2011-10-25T23:29:00.001+08:00

By Didi

By Meimei

Day 2

2011-10-25T23:17:00.002+08:00

Today is the second day of school for the kids. We don't have a car yet, so they are on the school bus service. And right now, home is quite far from school which means they spend quite a while travelling to school. They are picked up at 6.50am to arrive in school before 8am and dropped off at home at 4.30pm, after dissimal at 3.30pm.

They enjoyed themselves at school for the first day. Meimei declared that she likes her new school. Didi, despite falling down at the playground, also said he likes his school. I sure hope this enthusiasm will last.

Seems like the standard is not very high. Thinking back now, the standard in the Doha school appears to be higher. And of course, Singapore is even higher. Then again, the focus shouldn't solely be on academic achievement. It should be cultivating their love for learning and creativity, while they strengthen their foundations in the core subjects. Interpersonal and intrapersonal skills are important aspects that somehow the Singapore schools have neglected while pursuing for academic excellence. With the opportunity to experience other educational systems, hopefully Meimei and Didi will develop a more holistic approach to learning.

The 'headless man'

2011-10-23T02:16:00.003+08:00

The kids were fascinated when they saw artists posing as various characters along the streets. Once they saw a lady pretending to be a statue, and she was coloured gold from head to toe.

Today, we saw the 'headless man'. Meimei was more daring and went with Papa to pose with the artist. Didi was quite scared and Papa had to grab him to get him to pose for the picture.

The singer

2011-10-23T02:11:00.002+08:00

Meimei really has the flair for drawing. She's able to capture the characteristics and present them in her drawing.

Pretend play - supermarket

2011-10-20T02:43:00.002+08:00

This is the receipt Meimei gave me for buying 6 jellies from her supermarket.

Sleep-over at K-boys' (photos)

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000+08:00

Yes, I finally got hold (before we left Sgp) and more importantly, remembered to upload the photos for the sleep-over at the K-boys' place.

Taking turns to crack the eggs and stir the mixture

The yummy cupcakes

Having breakfast together the next day

With Kieran gor-gor, on the way to meet the triplets

Happy Mother's Day

2011-10-18T00:53:00.002+08:00

hahaha...this is probably the only year that I got to celebrate Mother's Day 3 times. The first time was in March at Doha, second time was May at Singapore and now, October at Argentina.

Meimei said she would draw a card for me, after I turned down her offer of giving me flowers. Didi said he would give me a ring.

Sharing is caring

2011-10-18T00:51:00.003+08:00

This is how the kids attempt to 'tune-in' when the papa watches movie on his laptop. They press their ears next to his, hoping to hear the conversations/sounds in the movie.

Playground & imported goods

2011-10-16T03:21:00.004+08:00

The kids were ecstatic when they spotted a playground on the top level of a shopping centre. They finally had the opportunity to run around and work out a little bit of sweat. The weather was good too - bright and sunny day at 26 deg C.

After the kids had their fun at the playground, we went to the supermarket (Carrefour). The cost of imported goods are ridiculously high. A can of Nestle condensed milk costs about SGD4 and a can of Campbell soup costs about SGD7. Looks like we won't have much of a choice but to use cheaper locally-produced substitutes.

Didi saw this truck and wanted me to take a picture for him. Such a contrast because he liked to pose with the posh cars in Doha.

His cute dino

2011-10-16T03:19:00.002+08:00

Things they say

2011-10-14T20:38:00.002+08:00

#1 - Eating instant noodles

Didi was 'blowing' his noodles to cool them down.

Me: It's not hot anymore. You can eat the noodles now.

Meimei: Jie-jie is hotter.

#2 - Why do people come from?

Meimei's explanation:
There was this special dinosaur. It ate a special seed and slowly it started to stand up. And it slowly became a person. That's where people come from.

First home-cooked meal

2011-10-12T07:07:00.003+08:00

This is the first meal that I've cooked here, excluding instant noodles. It's a simple dish of porridge, with eggs, leftover roast chicken and spinach. Didi likes his porridge topped with lots of you-tiao.

Walking around

2011-10-11T04:48:00.002+08:00

The kids have an amazing memory and navigation skills. They remembered that we had lunch at a particular restaurant. I didn't even realise until I saw the church and then the restaurant. The kids didn't even see the church when they said that we had been to this location before.

Cheese cake

Hot chocolate

Desserts

2011-10-11T04:31:00.003+08:00

After a lunch at a foodcourt at one of the touristy shopping malls, we adjourned for some hot drinks and dessert.

Our cups of hot chocolate (first photo) and hot coffee, each comes with a small cube of milk chocolate and small glass of sparkling water.

A slice of chocolate cake which was way too sweet. Dulce le leche is very popular here; it's the light brown caramel-like sauce on/in the cake.

This is a cute little box where the napkins and sugar are kept.

And of course, the kids won't go without taking a ride on these kiddy rides machines when they see one. This is step 2 for Didi in working towards his ambition of being a race car driver. Step 1 is practising on the racing games on the iPhone. :p

Carbonara pizza

2011-10-11T04:27:00.003+08:00

We had this great-tasting pizza - Carbonara pizza. There were bacon and cheese on the pizza, topped with an egg in the middle of the pizza.

Chinatown

2011-10-09T01:28:00.005+08:00

We spent the morning checking out the Chinatown. It's a small area but it became crowded by lunchtime. We found you-tiao, butterfly (they call it ma-er, meaning horse ear), Yeo's drinks and Lee Kum Kee sauces. Looks like we'll be going there quite often in the future to stock up on Chinese condiments.

Didi liked the you-tiao and so we bought another one home for him to snack on. We also had lunch at one of the few Chinese restaurants and Meimei finally had her sweet and sour fish. We ordered pork instead and the sauce tasted rather different but the kids ate it nevertheless.

Our 'new' apartment

2011-10-07T03:19:00.005+08:00

While we continue to search for a more permanent place to call home in Buenos Aires, this is where we'll be staying.

Living room and kitchenette, dining area

Walkway to the bedrooms and the toilet, with the wash basin outside

The bed rooms

Views from the apartment

There's reno being done - try and look past the scaffoldings and nets. But the building next to us looks old yet beautiful.

Buenos Aires

2011-10-07T03:01:00.006+08:00

It was a super duper long flight. 3 flights with 2 transits (5 hrs in Doha and 1 hr in San Paulo). Thank goodness the kids were generally well-behaved and slept whenever they were tired during the flight. Although they were served the inflight kid's meals, both of them were still very picky. Meimei ate more than Didi - she went for the fries and hash-browns. Didi was more picky and ate less than Meimei. The cold air in the plane aggravated his cough and he was coughing a lot more than when he was in Singapore.

We've also moved from the first service apartment to the current apartment. I didn't take any pictures of the first apartment. We moved because it was too cramp for a family of 4. There was only 1 proper bedroom (queen size bed) and the other 2 beds were sofa beds in the living room. The lack of good sleep caused me to have a bad migrane - so bad that when I bend down to pick up items from the floor, I can feel the pressure concentrating on the top of my left eye. I had to pop 2 panadols and slept for 2 hours on the better bed before the headache went off.

Meimei was craving for Chinese food - sweet and sour fish. So, we went in search for a Chinese restaurant after we moved to the new apartment. We came aross this restaurant where one chooses whatever he wants (from the buffet), puts them in boxes and pay by weight. It's not like in Singapore where the prices differ between 2 vegetables, 1 meat etc.. You pay according to the weight. So, I took some fried rice, fried egg with veg (the kids didn't like this), chicken wings in sweet & sour sauce (I think) and chicken in dark sauce. It costed about S$6 plus which is considered cheap. The food is not too bad; that explains for the lunchtime crowd when we were there. We will most definitely return to the restaurant to try the other dishes.

Walking back after lunch

Space

2011-09-15T23:52:00.003+08:00

Meimei has been drawing a lot more recently. And because Didi was 'exploring' on the solar system, she drew the pictures somewhat close to that theme.

Ninja-ed

2011-09-15T23:45:00.003+08:00

This is how much he loves his lego ninjas and skeletons.

He drew the various combinations of the (different) ninjas with the skeletons.

And arrange all the lego characters with him now - as if this is the final battle between the good and evil.

More drawings from Didi

2011-09-12T16:39:00.004+08:00

The following drawing is supposed to be on his latest Lego craze - Ninjago.

Didi's drawings

2011-09-08T16:57:00.003+08:00

The princess

He drew this for me.

Guess which movie this picture is based on?

Meimei's drawings

2011-09-08T16:30:00.006+08:00

The paper was crumbled because she didn't want me to see what she drew or to let the papa know.

This was drawn over a few days. If you can see, there're words/initials above the 'persons'. The 'M' above the girl is me - bad because Meimei got scolded by me.

Angry bird-ed

2011-09-05T23:53:00.003+08:00

Bought these little pouches about a month ago. The red bird pouch was sold and luckily the kids were happy to settle for these 2 instead.

Back at J8 to do sand and paint art
It's expensive to do these art; and especially if one finishes it in record time as if there's a competition.

Daddy's boy

2011-08-31T16:55:00.003+08:00

Didi (to jiu-jiu): "I miss my papa. Can I borrow your hand?"

Then he held my brother's hand.

Another stayover

2011-08-31T16:28:00.009+08:00

This time round, all the cousins stayed over at Jon's place. The older boys went fishing and came back only in the wee hours of the morning. The younger kids stayed home and slept.

The next morning, we trooped to the MacDonald's for breakfast. We had to travel in 2 cars - the 'mini-bus' for those aged 6 & younger and the sedan for the 'big' boys.

After breakfast, we strolled to the Seng Kang Riverside Park to feed the fishes.

Third location is the Marina Country Club where the kids checked out the huge fishes in the tanks and playing in the arcade.

Art & Lunch

2011-08-29T09:46:00.004+08:00

At the insistent request of Meimei, we went to Junction 8 to do the art work. She was trying out what Didi did the last time - having different colours within the same space. And when it's completed, the colours would merge and create colours without clear boundaries.

Didi was initially very enthusiastic about his piece of work. He squeezed the paint onto the space, like he was using colour pencils. I had to keep reminding him to go easy on the paint. Soon, he was using the same colour to fill the spaces. When questioned, he replied that his hands were tired. And so, he decided to quickly complete his work without much thought.

Then it was lunchtime, Singapore is really way too crowded. Not wanting to wait and spending a bomb on lunch, we went to Yoshinoya. At least it's not just fried food and sugared drinks. The kids had their kiddo bentos (Teriyaki chicken, rice, coleslaw and a few pieces of fried smiley potatoes), served with iced Milo. Not too bad for S$5.50.

Dinners

2011-08-23T23:38:00.003+08:00

Dinners have been at Jon's place for many reasons:

(1) Too much effort to buy/cook for 1 adult, 2 kids;
(2) Kitchen is way too dirty.
(3) My mom's cooking is much better. Even though the dishes are mostly cooked by the helper, at least there's supervision.
(4) Since someone is already cooking dinner at Jon's place, it's more economical to just increase the portions.
(5) There's no need for me to wash up after cooking/eating.
(6) The kids get to eat more home-cooked dishes; with fish, chicken and pork at almost every meal.
(7) The kids get to play with their cousins and my parents get to see them too.

Didi posing with the triplets
Somehow Jo doesn't look pretty, think she was 'shocked' by the bright flash.