Sunday, 25 September 2011

Inflation

Breakfast on Sunday must be different from the Monday to Saturday boring food served on table, as my sons requested.

After Sunday worship, I dropped by Lido to get some breakfast.  To my surprise, the hawker auntie is asking for RM1 for a piece of very normal 7 layer kuih lapis!  Everything of that size is RM1!  The ingredients are only rice flour, sugar, santan and pandan!  The Malay kuih muih and Chinese kuih muih are made up of almost the same ingredients.  Why should they be asking so much?  Finally I bought 2 Cha Siu Pau and 2 pork pau, which i feel worth better.  I don't understand why other aunties customers can afford to buy the kuih muih without their faces changing colour!  Why are they willing to pay for the expensive kuih when they can make it cheaply?

In the coming weekend, I must try my hands on steaming my own 7 layer kuih lapis. 

I remember when I was young living in Kampung Air, most families would have many kids.  People couldn't afford to eat out like what we are now. My breakfast would be fried dried hock kian mee, fried mee hoon, bread with very thinly spread jam or kaya.  On Sunday, mother would give my brother RM2 to buy breakfast for the whole family in the market.  My brother would buy different types of breakfast like You Za Kui, Ham Jim Bian and fried noodles.  At that time, fried noodles were wrapped with a big leave.  Those were the days!

Monday, 12 September 2011

Bringing up two teenagers

Younger Son is having mock exam this week. First week of Oct is PMR followed by UEC Junior Exam on last week of Oct.  Exam, exam, exam.  After his long afternoon nap, he came downstair to tell me he was hungry.  Since hubby was out-stationed, I chose to cook the fast way.  Roasted two back quarter of fresh chicken and made lemon sauce to go with it.  Blanched Chinese broccoli and mixed in oyster sauce, sesame oil and sprinkled with fried garlic.

We enjoyed the dinner together while his brother was still sleeping.  To my surprise, he agreed that I can remove the modem so that he doesn't get distracted by getting online.

Finally he settled down sitting on the dining table to start his revision.  Everything went so well but before long, his brother came downstair, had his dinner and started playing piano.  That really annoyed him.  My son is so particular about the type of music he likes and dislikes.  I can only categorize music into two broad categories.  Soft music and noisy music.  Before the war began, I suggested that we should go to Burger King to study.  I was glad he accepted my suggestion.  He was really serious in his study last night.  I couldn't believe it as he refused to go to school on Monday because he felt that going to school had no meaning.

Anyway, I was glad we went to Burger King.  I bought him potato chips and a cup of hot milo.  He likes good food.

I spent most of my time caring for my two boys and husband.  If things go smoothly, elder son will go to Taiwan next year followed by younger son 3 years later.  Next year will be half empty nest and before I realize it, the nest will only leave me and my hubby.

Hope we still have the stamina to travel when the little birds have matured.