Serein Choo's Blog, page 14

Quote of the Day

“It’s a new year, a new beginning. It might be worse, it might be better. Who could tell? But don’t dwell on good or bad, just focus on making it the better than the last year.”

My Random Thought

The new year is a Monday, so we get a day off. Haha.

It’s already a great start for a new year.

See, it’s already better than last year.

#MondayMotivation

Zen Restaurant 靓茶室 Shamelin

Zen Restaurant @ Shamelin as at 28/12/2023

Breakfast, the most important meal to start the day. It’s the first thing we eat and gain energy to continue throughout the day. Today I am not working, so my dad bought me to this cozy little spot in Shamelin.

You can see the bustling morning scene as everyone prepares breakfast for early risers—workers, students, the elderly, and more. Options abound, from noodles (soup, dry, fried), rice (too if you want something heavier), to half-boiled eggs, and a choice of bread (steamed/toasted). Pair it with a cup of Teh C, as I did with my set, or opt for the bittersweet ‘kopi’ (coffee) or ‘cham,’ a delightful blend of teh and kopi. There’s even the Cantonese Chu Cheong Fun (rice noodle roll) which is quite rare in Malaysia.

There’s a variety to choose from—vegetable & egg, prawn, char siew (pork), and slices of Chinese sausages. We ordered the vegetable and egg, and it tasted delicious.

This selection represents the typical Chinese breakfast available at the restaurant. However, there are also equally delicious options like nasi lemak and roti canai sold by other races.

Address: 1, Lorong 6 A/91, Taman Shamelin Perkasa, 56100 Cheras, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Dramas

Just a little announcement that I will be adding a drama section in my blog (personal blog). I am avid watcher of dramas. There’s K-Dramas (Korea) and also C-Drama (Chinese) and of course English Dramas too, all of them which I really love. So, I will be updating my dramas reviews on my blog

Ho! Ho ! Ho !

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Ho ho ho! For Christmas, although I am a Chinese Buddhist, but we do celebrate the holiday for the fun of it. I received some wonderful books and spent a lovely time with family.

How was your Christmas? Tell me all about it. Did the excitement of the children rub off on you? Adults also relish the joy of giving and receiving presents too right?! I did hehe.

Happy Holidays ~ Love Serein. °❆⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from me (Serein) to you.

Thank you immensely for your support with ‘Empty Crown’ and your continuous encouragement for my blog. Wishing you a fantastic and joyful Christmas!

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Quote of the Day

“It’s that time of the year, where the lights are bright, and you’r dying inside like a vampire with all the parties, but you gotta smile and wear those cringy sweaters because it’s a celebration!.”

My Random Thought

Christmas can be tiring, so don’t forget to pace yourself so you won’t be overwhelmed

Happy Merry Christmas!

#MondayMotivation

Do you know?

Christmas, a perfect occasion for gifting books, magnifies the exceptional joy of storytelling. A book, given as a gift, extends beyond the material; it’s a gateway to countless adventures, new worlds, and endless knowledge.

You can read it together with your family and friends or enjoy it yourself.

So try gifting one today.

If you don’t have any ideas, why not try Empty Crown, a new exciting Chinese Fantasy Novel written in English. Make your day by helping out a poor indie author.

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Dong Zhi Festival

Photo by Cats Coming on Pexels.com

Today marks the end of the year for Chinese. It’s the day where family gathered around the round table, eat tang yuan (glutinous rice ball) and celebrated the winter solstice.

The Dongzhi Festival, also known as the Winter Solstice Festival, is an important celebration in Chinese culture, typically falling around year end/December (21st/22nd/23rd). Symbolizing the arrival of winter and the shortest day of the year.

(‘Dong’ as in Winter and ‘Zhi’ as in Arrival)

There’s a saying that, “Dongzhi is more important than Chinese New Year”. So, you know that Dongzhi is very important (my mom always reminded me of this). She would drag me along to buy ingredients for cooking and encourage those who were working to take leave and come home earlier.

Traditionally, Dongzhi represents a time for family reunions and the celebration of the year’s accomplishments while welcoming the forthcoming longer days that herald the return of light and warmth which we are still doing it till now (modern times).

We pai pai (pray) at the ancestor’s tablet at home, start cooking. We prepared the same dishes we usually eat during Chinese New year, chicken, duck, pork, fish, prawns, vegetables and steamed some preserved meats/sausage with arrowroot.

While cooking, waits for everyone to arrive. When everyone is gathered, we eat. And for dessert we have Tang Yuan, glutinous rice balls.

Every year we handmade them, it’s actually quite simple. We add some water to the glutinous rice flour and start kneading them (you can also add some coloring to it (pink/green)), enough until we can form balls with it. Traditionally, we wrapped some crushed palm sugar inside before boiling the glutinous rice ball in pandan and ginger soup. It’s really delicious too.

Some people opt for the more simpler solution, buying those pre-package ones, which comes in more flavors such as black sesame, peanut butter, red bean paste and others. There are other soups too we can use such as red bean instead of pandan and ginger soup (depending on the family’s preference).

Overall, it’s a day where the family take a day off work, gathered around and shared a good meal together, warming themselves up with some delicious Tang Yuan and shared stories (at least here in Malaysia, with me and my family).

It’s less hectic compared to the Chinese New Year, so it’s when the family actually has more time to lean back and enjoy a holiday.

Sources :

https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/mid-autumn-festival-story.htm

https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_804_2005-01-13.html

https://macaulifestyle.com/culture/heritage/lovers-revolutions-stories-mooncake/

Why you should read Empty Crown

Step into a world that keeps you on your toes, with ‘Empty Crown,’ a Chinese fantasy (written in English) that blurs the lines between good and evil.

Why should you delve into this captivating Chinese tale of fantasy?

Because within its pages, you’ll discover a realm like no other than you have read, where the boundaries between right and wrong are beautifully blurred. Join the adventure and explore a landscape filled with magic, mystery, and the unexpected (like really, can you guess who is the demon?).

Dare to journey through a story that defies conventional notions of heroism and villainy, offering a unique perspective, breaking down what you see (in this sense, what you read) is not what it always seem.

Embrace the magic within ‘Empty Crown’ and let your imagination soar, a sad, tragic yet heart warming tale awaits you.

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Empty Crown : Looking for Arc Readers

If you’re interested in reading ‘Empty Crown’ but can’t afford to purchase the eBook or paperback, you can become an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) reader. In exchange for the opportunity to read for free, all I ask is for a review on Goodreads or any social media platform you use.

Reviews play a crucial role in establishing the credibility of my book. If honesty is a concern, rest assured I value genuine feedback. Once you’ve finished reading, feel free to leave an honest review.

If this interests you, please leave a comment below. I’ll reach out to you shortly. Additionally, click the link on this page to learn more about the book. It will direct you to the blurb and additional information about my book before you decide to join in!

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