Summer crop

Prepare yourself for a slight shock...


Taken in the 'Doing the Karen Cheng' style

After over eight years searching, I found my man, Rahman. The hairdresser at Valentino's who first cut my hair in this style back in 2001. I went back a few months later to get a trim, but he was no longer there *sob*.

Then recently, (thanks to a tip from my dear aunt) I found him again. He has now set up his own hair studio in Bull Creek.

So anyway, after I psyched myself up a bit, I finally did it.

Just in time for summer!

Current favourite weekend brekkie

One my of my favourite Saturday morning treats, is to have a long leisurely home cooked breakfast. Which is a nice change from weekend breakfasts of cold cereal and milk or a couple slices of bread and nutella eaten hurriedly... or on the g if we are really running late (which happens most of the time).

Besides the classic eggs and toast, which I sometimes try to jazz up in the frying pan, or in the oven, or sandwich them in between muffins... lately I've been enjoying a big bowl of oats porridge, drizzled with honey and sprinkled with raisins on top.


I don't like to use the instant oats packets, but I like to use original rolled oats, as it ends up with more texture and bite.

Just boil about a three quarter cup of rolled oats in about one a half cups of milk or water, or a mixture of both. Keep stiring it while is bubbles and cooks so it doesn't stick t the bottom of the pan. Enjoy with honey or sme sugar, and you can add any toppings, like raisins, bananas, strawberries, nuts.

Definitely one of my favourite winter morning treats. But this is one treat I must enjoy alone as hubby doesn't like oats.

Lontong / sayur lodeh

I made lontong (sayur lodeh) for dinner last night. This was one of my favourite dishes from my mum's kitchen. Could never have it often enough.


I never made lontong on my own before. I only had a rough recipe my mum sent via email some time ago and my memory from observing my mum to guide me.

The ingredients require a little bit of preparation beforehand, but the cooking part is fairly straightforward.

Ingredients
2-3 pips garlic, chopped finely
2 pieces shallots (or quarter red onion), chopped finely
2 tspn tumeric/kunyit powder
1 inch belacan
1 quarter cabbage, shredded roughly
1 handful long beans, sliced diagonally
2-3 carrots, julienned
1 potato, julienned
2 ½ cups coconut milk
1-2 cups vegetable/chicken stock
2 pieces beancurd, sliced into small cubes
Foo chuk (beancurd sheets)
Tang hoon (glass noodles)
2-3 tbspn tamarind water or lime juice

Heat oil in pot, brown garlic and shallots/onions until fragrant. Add tumeric and belacan, and fry a minute or two. Add cabbage, long beans, carrots and potato and continue frying a few minutes until vegetables start to soften. Pour in 2 cups of coconut milk (reserve remaining half cup for later) and vegetable stock and simmer for a few minutes (adjust the amount of stock depending on how soupy you want the dish to be). Add beancurd, foo chuk, tang hoon, tamarind water and remaining coconut milk. Season to taste.

Serve with ketupat (rice cakes) and sambal.

I served the lontong with sambal ikan bilis. To make this, just slice up an onion and fry in some oil until soft. Then pour in about a cup sambal sauce and a cup of ikan bilis (you can fry the ikan bilis beforehand for a crunchier texture).

Soooo good... tastes like home.

My three current reads

I frequently juggle between several books. I find I need to switch between books sometimes depending on my mood.

At present I'm reading three books, which are for three different aspects of my life.

#1. The Undercover Economist. An interesting take on economics... my manager had been pushing this book on us to read, so I finally picked it up and am finding it very intriguing. Let's just say it will completely change the way you look at coffee and supermarkets.

#2. The Relationship Principles of Jesus. Our church is currently going through a 40 Days of Love programme. Each of us read a chapter a day and discuss it each week in our cell groups and we have a little mini assignment each week to practice on building relationships with people around us.

#3. Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Ever since I installed mobipocket ebook reader, I've been downloading all sorts of books. I haven't read the classic in ages and it's been so much fun reading it all over again.

Spring flowers

There's a park near our house which hubby and I pass by every morning on the way to work.


Now that spring is here, the place is just covered with these beautiful wild white flowers... they look exactly like the lilies we saw at Empire Retreat in Yallingup


This afternoon, we took a short walk around the area... I had tucked a pair of scissors in my jacket thinking of taking a few cuttings home.


There were so many of them, I'm sure just taking a few snippings would not be missed.


Here they are sitting prettily on the dining table...


Don't they look gorgeous!


So glad spring is here!

Master Bedroom and Ensuite

More photos of the inside of our house... this time it's the Master Bedroom and Ensuite