Cleffairy's Blog, page 159
July 29, 2013
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
My husband once commented that our autistic son enjoys expensive and luxurious things that only the rich could afford. I would love to refute that, cuz somehow, it sounded like a negative critism, but I couldn’t deny my husband’s statement, cuz in a way, the boy’s taste IS kinda expensive…be it food or entertainment wise. He enjoyed live performance and whatnot. I brought him to a ballet performance quite some time ago and he enjoyed it immensely, something that comes quite a surprise for me cuz usually he will have a meltdown in crowded and confined places.
And being autistic, the cost of raising him is also VERY high. Some friends even wondered how we could even afford the whole maintenance package, and in some ways, I kinda get wary at people commenting that I should cut the cost down a lil bit and whatnot, something I don’t think is quite possible to do. To me…it’s simple. If raising him is expensive, then I’ll just have to take a more high paying jobs and project. Not the other way around. I want exposure for my son, not restricting him in some stupid proverbial box. My method of parenting may not be conventional…but these few months, I could see some improvements after I implemented it. Some people may not notice it, but I do. And some friends commented that my son now has more eye-contact, more calm demeanor, more communication attempts, and more and more milestone being hit in a short period of time. So I guess…despite of criticism from obnoxious and ignorant people regarding my son’s milestone and behaviour, I must be doing something right with the changes in his routine and diet.
Anyway, enough ramblings. I won’t be writing much. Just wanna share a little something with all of you readers out there. My latest attempt in trying to get him to improve his concentration and focus along in breaking the routine though musical instrument. 
My son’s Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Nothing near perfect, but I’m happy enough cuz he managed to complete the whole song.
Cleffairy: Maybe…just maybe…his brain is just wired differently, so don’t expect him to ‘slow down’ just so that you can catch up!
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July 25, 2013
Mission Impossible 3: Judgement Night Out 2013
I was really nervous about the potluck gathering I told you guys about in my previous post and had forgotten to bring along my camera to the gathering. So pictures during the gathering are not mine. They are courtesy of my darling Haru who have so kindly snapped some photos and emailed them to me.
We had plenty of food that night. Most are typical gathering/potluck food like chicken wings, salads, etc. To refresh your memories, here’s my contributions:
Mixta Ensalada as appetizer
Mixta Paella as the main dish. And guess what? The paella was a big hit and as for the simple ensalada? Not a slice of cucumber was left.
A picture of our beloved friend, digging into the last bit of the drumstick from the paella with fervour.
Err…I don’t think that’a the right cutlery to dig into the paella with, but she’s beyond caring. LoL.
A tad too hot to handle for her it seems, but all is good, and I heard nothing but praises about the quickie mixed paella that night. Perhaps that’s because despite of the lack traditional paella ingredients, I used Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice. It’s well known to not only to be able to absorb flavourings well, but the light texture of the rice is positively addictive as well, making you feel like scooping one scoop after another without having the ‘too full’ feeling plaguing you too soon.
I’m glad that I chose Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice for my paella. It’s a lifesaver where cooking a paella with limited ingredients is concerned. The paella turned out very flavourful and rather addictive, and could even tempt even the fussiest eater like my son to eat rice, which is a very good thing as I mentioned before that my son is autistic and have sensory disorder where the mere taste of rice puts him off. I suppose I can consider making rice dishes out of Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice more often as to tempt my family members to eat more rice.
A pack of Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice (2kg) costs RM26.99 per pack. Quite pricey, but I assure you that it’s worth every penny. So if you wanna try out my recipe in the earlier post, be sure to use Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice.
The potluck gathering went well and apart from my paella, dessert was a hit too. This melted Orange Mushroom monster cake ( one of the low level monster from the Maplestory game) won the hearts of many. It tastes so sweet and divine despite of being disfigured badly and was definitely everyone’s favourite dessert that night.
One for the album. The members of Judgement guild and members of the alliance.
Happy faces and crazy, wacky poses after stuffing ourselves with the paella and whatnot from the potluck. It was indeed a night to remember.
Cleffairy: I’ll be doing a lucky draw for all my Mission Impossible posts and get my son to pick a winner. Everyone who commented on this post or any other Mission Impossible posts will be entitled for the lucky draw. 1 comment= 1 lucky draw entry. So the more you comment, the higher chance you will win. Lucky commenter will received a pack of Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice (2kg). Giveaway is open for those living in Malaysia only.
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July 24, 2013
Mission Impossible 2: Limited Edition Cooking
Remember my little dilemma where my online game friends are coming and I’ve completely forgotten that I’m supposed to cook something for our potluck gathering and my mad dash to the morning market only rewarded me with these?
Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chicken, fish filament, shrimps and Bombay onions.
And only these Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice (2kg pack) to spare in the kitchen.
I was completely at loss on what to cook for the gathering since my trip to the morning market did not yield much stuff for me to cook. And so I asked for some suggestion from my readers and Facebook friends. Famous dishes that’s suggested to me are a few separate dishes like; prawns cooked with sliced cucumber, tomato chicken, blanched veggies with soya sauce.
Some even suggested one pot meals like soup, curry and even Tomyam dishes. These suggestions would have been all right if it’s a sit down dinner meal at home and would have cooked as suggested in a heartbeat if that was the case, but since I’m going for a potluck, I need to make things not only plentiful, but convenient to pack up and will not spoil fast as well.
After putting my head together, I recalled reading a Harlequin romance line of book. The hero in that book was somewhat in a situation similar to mine. He was supposed to impress his lady love with his cooking with limited time and ingredients. I thought that if he can do it, so can I! The dashing Spanish hero cooked some mean paella and fixed some ensalada for his ladylove, and so I thought I’d borrow the idea and cook up my own to impress my friends.
Paella is an internationally-known rice dish from Spain. It originated in the fields of a region called Valencia on the eastern coast of Spain. Basically, paella is made from any kind of ingredient that goes well with rice. There are as many versions of paella as there are cooks. It may contain chicken,shellfish, fish, eel, squid, beans, peas, artichokes or peppers. Saffron, the spice that also turns the rice a wonderful golden color is an essential part of the dish, but I’ll omit that considering that I don’t have them in my kitchen.
The history of paella is quite an interesting one, I must say. It is said that Moorish kings’ servants created rice dishes by mixing the left-overs from royal banquets in large pots to take home. It is said by some that that word paella originates from the Arab word “baqiyah” meaning left-overs. However, linguists believe that the word paella comes from the name of the pan it is made in – the Latin term patella, a flat plate on which offerings were made to the Gods.
I thought that the Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice would be perfect for my version of paella.
The rice grains are extra long.
The Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice would be able absorb spices and flavourings well within short period of cooking time, definitely.
So here’s my version of the paella and the accompanying ensalada.
Quickie Mixed Meat Paella
Ingredients
Chicken drumsticks/chicken fillet
Fish filament
Shrimps,
Chopped Bombay onions or garlic
Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice
A mixture of paprika powder, chicken stock granule and salt to taste
Method:
Marinade the chicken with some paprika powder and salt for 15 minutes.
Sauté the shrimps with a bit of oil in the pan.
Add in the filament sticks and fry em up a lil bit before taking them out and putting them aside.
Fry up the chicken that has been thoroughly marinated with paprika powder and salt til it’s half cooked and put aside.
Mix the spices mixture with 4 1/2 water and add in 2 cups of Pusagold Jasmine rice that has been washed into the pan and simmer til cooked.
When the rice is halfway cooked, top it with the sauteed shrimps and filament stick along with the half cooked fried chicken and continue to cook over the pan with slow fire til everything is fully cooked. The Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice will be able to absorb the flavourings from the shrimps, filament sticks and chicken pieces well if you use slow fire to cook, so you must have patience while cooking the paella. Watch the fire and be careful not to burn the rice, ya?
Here’s my Mixta Paella, ready to be served.
Cooking paella can take quite some time, so while you’re waiting for the paella to be cooked, you can prepare some accompanying side dishes. Below is my quickie recipe for Mixta Ensalada to go with the paella during the potluck gathering.
Mixta Ensalada
Ingredients:
Sliced cucumber
Fresh tomatoes
Lime juice/extra virgin olive oil
Method
Slice up the cucumbers and tomatoes. Squeeze some lemon juice and drizzle with some olive oil. Add in some sliced boiled eggs if you wish, but that’s optional.
Final result of the paella.
Hmm…not too shabby for a ‘limited edition ingredients’, eh? Wonder what my guildmates thinks about my cooking. Hopefully it will be all right.
Will be posting about the gathering soon and let you folks know whether or not I’ve turned myself into an overnight Spanish cook sensation or a historical disaster.
Cleffairy: I’ll be doing a lucky draw for all my Mission Impossible posts and get my son to pick a winner. Everyone who commented on this post or any other Mission Impossible posts will be entitled for the lucky draw. 1 comment= 1 lucky draw entry. So the more you comment, the higher chance you will win. Lucky commenter will received a pack of Jasmine Pusa Gold 1121 Basmathi Import Rice (2kg). Giveaway is open for those living in Malaysia only.
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Sweet Buka Puasa Time With Xpax
It was quite a last minute thing, but when I received invitation from Xpax to join their intimate buka puasa event with other blogger friends, I decided to say yes. No point staying home when you can have marvelous food and great companion during buka puasa time, no? 
The event took place at Milk&Butter in Bangsar Baru.
During the event, we were informed that Xpax is running an awesome campaign where you get to win some timepiece. You’re entitled to be in the running to win timepieces up to Rm10k every day if you reload during the period of the campaign. Fabulous, isn’t it? So if you’re a Celcom Xpax user, you might want to take advantage of this campaign and get yourselves some pretty cool watches!
Upon arrivals, each guests were given a box of gift. I thought it was a watch, considering that they are running a campaign that involves timepieces.
But unfortunately for me, it was not. But my guess was close enough. We were given a small cake decorated beautifully with a watch on it. Pretty impressive in my humble opinion. As of writing my cake is still sitting in the fridge. Waiting for weekend to come to serve it during tea and share it with my family. Good things are definitely for sharing.
Some familar faces during the buka puasa event. My blogger friends. Bro Framestone and his wife Iera Kan, Melastik Bintang, Pen Merah was also present. But the ever so sweet Yana Yassin must be the most alert one of all. She never failed to smile to the camera each time a candid picture was taken!
Spotted some bloggers going on their full techie mode here.
Lining up for the buka puasa goodies. It was buffet style and I’m happy to report that despite of the fact that there are loads of misunderstandings out there where religion and races is concerned and has been terribly politicized, everyone respected those who fast that day and let them had a go at the offerings first.
We broke fast with these sweet dates
And assorted local dishes and Western dishes.
The food on my son’s plate.
Us bloggers were entertained by a local artist performance. Liyana from the band Estrella. Check it out. I’ve recorded it when I was enjoying her performance.
The songstress performing a song in English
Singing one of her song in Bahasa Malaysia. I liked this song more than the English one.
There was further excitements as the night draw closed. It’s time for games. The tables are cleared and we were given these. Groundnuts, a glass container and a paper-clip. The one who managed to collect the most groundnuts with the paper-clip inside the empty container in 60 seconds walks away with a brand new Toy Watch. I only managed to collect 28 groundnuts, so I lost. But I’m not a sore loser. I’m happy for the winners. I may have lost the game that night, but I was also lucky in the sense that I won something else in another contest. So I guess if something is yours, it will be yours, no matter what.
There was two winners that night. A tie, actually. Two person collected the same amount of groundnuts within 60 seconds. Emily’s boyfriend was one of the winner that night. He managed to collect 74 groundnuts within 60 seconds as opposed to Emily, who only managed 4 groundnuts. LOL! They made quite a pair, don’t you think?
One for the album. Happy faces.
Cleffairy: Games are for fun. Losing or winning does not matter. What mattered most is the sportsmanship. Don’t you agree on that with me?
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Sweet Buka Puasa Time With Celcom Xpax
It was quite a last minute thing, but when I received invitation from Celcom Xpax to join their intimate buka puasa event with other blogger friends, I decided to say yes. No point staying home when you can have marvelous food and great companion during buka puasa time, no?
The event takes place at Milk&Butter in Bangsar Baru.
During the event, we were informed that Celcom Xpax is running an awesome campaign where you get to win some timepiece. You’re entitled to be in the running to win timepieces up to Rm10k every day if you reload during the period of the campaign. Fabulous, isn’t it? So if you’re a Celcom Xpax user, you might want to take advantage of this campaign and get yourselves some pretty cool watches!
Upon arrivals, each guests were given a box of gift. I thought it was a watch, considering that they are running a campaign that involves timepieces.
But unfortunately for me, it was not.But my guess was close enough. We were given a small cake decorated beautifully with a watch on it. Pretty impressive in my humble opinion. As of writing my cake is still sitting in the fridge. Waiting for weekend to come to serve it during tea and share it with my family. Good things are definitely for sharing.
Some familar faces during the buka puasa event. My blogger friends. Bro Framestone and his wife Iera Kan, Pen Merah was also present. But the ever so sweet Yana Yassin must be the most alert one of all. She never failed to smile to the camera each time a candid picture was taken!
Spotted some bloggers going on their full techie mode here.
Lining up for the buka puasa goodies. It was buffet style and I’m happy to report that despite of the fact that there are loads of misunderstandings out there where religion and races is concerned and has been terribly politicized, everyone respected those who fast that day and let them had a go at the offerings first.
We broke fast with sweet dates
And assorted local dishesand Western dishes.
The food on my son’s plate.
Us bloggers were entertained by a local artist performance. Check it out. I’ve recorded it when I was enjoying her performance.
The songstress performing a song in English
Singing one of her song in Bahasa Malaysia. I liked this song more than the English one.
There was further excitements as the night draw closed. It’s time for games. The tables are cleared and we were given these. Groundnuts, a glass container and a paper-clip. The one who managed to collect the most groundnuts with the paper-clip inside the empty container in 60 seconds walks away with a brand new Toy Watch. I only managed to collect 28 groundnuts, so I lost. But I’m not a sore loser. I’m happy for the winners. I may have lost the game that night, but I was also lucky in the sense that I won something else in another contest. So I guess if something is yours, it will be yours, no matter what.
There was two winners that night. A tie, actually. Two person collected the same amount of groundnuts within 60 seconds. Emily’s boyfriend was one of the winner that night. He managed to collect 74 groundnuts within 60 seconds as opposed to Emily, who only managed 4 groundnuts. LOL! They made quite a pair, don’t you think?
One for the album. Happy faces.
Cleffairy: Games are for fun. Losing or winning does not matter. What mattered most is the sportsmanship. Don’t you agree on that with me?
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No Body Odour, No Stain!
Psssttt… come nearer. Nearer…let me tell you a secret. An embarrassing secret. I recently discovered that I have body odour. I don’t really used to have this problem when I was just staying home full time, but now I’ve taken up blogging up a notch and started to accept invitation to events and reviews, I found myself in quite a whirlwind of packed schedule. Sometimes, events are back to back and I discovered that staying fresh whole day long can be quite a challenge. It’s quite a nuisance, and since I tend to perspire alot when I’m rushing around, I feel like the body odour can get quite unpleasant. Getting a quick shower whenever I’m on the run is not very possible or convenient for that matter. So my only solution right at the moment to keep fresh all day through is just wiping my body with wet wipes as frequently as possible and using deodorant. But not all deodorant are useful. They don’t last all day through, sadly.
Luckily for me, though, Nivea has launched their new line of deodorants.
This new addition is designed specifically for the active modern women and provides 2X longer protection for radiant and smooth underarms. Like all products in NIVEA’s Invisible Black & White line of products, NIVEA Invisible Black & White Pure prevents white stains on dark clothes and yellow stains on light coloured clothing. While most anti-perspirants in the market fulfil the basic expectations which are prevention of perspiration and long-lasting effect, there is no solution for clothes staining. Through extensive research, NIVEA isolated the common causes of clothes staining. While sweat and heat are the catalysts that promote staining, the application of deodorants which leave residue on the skin is the main cause of clothes staining.
NIVEA Invisible Black & White Pure is available in spray and roll-on format exclusively in all Watsons stores. NIVEA Invisible Black & White Pure is selling at RM 14.90 (spray 150ml).
NIVEA Invisible Black & White Pure RM9.50 (roll-on 50ml).
The new NIVEA Invisible Black & White is targeted at modern women who live a hectic lifestyle but yet find the need to look their best at all times. This product is great for me, considering that it gives me the opportunity to maintain my current lifestyle and stay cool, comfortable and confident at the same time. So if you’re a modern busy woman who needs to to be constantly on the go and wants to keep fresh all day though, you might want to give these a try.
Cleffairy: I wonder if it will keep my husband fresh too? Wonder if they will come out with the same line of deodorant for men?
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July 21, 2013
Mission Impossible: Hunting in The Morning Market
To say that I’ve been really busy lately is an understatement, and in the midsts of juggling between household chore, managing my kid, work and leisurely writing and reading, I’ve completely forgotten that my online game friends are coming for a visit. I’m sure I’ve mention to all of you before that I’m positively a gamer and I somewhat made lotsa real friends by playing the game.
Neway…as I was saying, friends…or rather my guildmates from Maplestory are coming and is plannting for a potluck cum BBQ gathering, to celebrate friendship and of course, to have fun with each other in real life rather just than in game. I have completely forgotten about the potluck gathering, and much to my chagrin, I don’t have all time in the world to cook up a storm. I wish I could just buy KFC or something as a part of my contribution, but I can’t possibly do that. I’m the eldest in the guild alliance and I have the ‘big sister’ reputatation to protect. Everyone else is bringing their own cooked food, and by hook or by crook, I’m going to have to do the same.
So I grabbed my purse and my shopping bag and made a mad dash to the morning market.
There’s not much left to be bought. Only some fresh produce
And limited selection of veggies. I couldn’t even spot my favourite baby spinach on sale. 
Even the chicken are nearly sold out!
It is embarrassing to admit that I only managed to get these; some fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, chicken, fish filament, shrimps and Bombay onions. Trust the Sleeping Beauty in me to snore away until 10am, and by the time I hit the morning market, I only managed to get these. Now…what in heaven’s name I can cook up for the potluck gathering with these? Any ideas? I really could use some help here.
Cleffairy: Early bird catches the worm. So get up early if you’re a bird and wanna catch the worms before others does.
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Sunday Interrupted
To say that I was really displeased with what happened yesterday is an understatement. I bloody hate it when I can’t even have a proper rest on Sunday. I have no idea who is the uncivilized person who keep blasting my hubby’s phone yesterday morning. One call after another and not on just his business number, but personal numbers as well! Imagine a few phones ringing all at once and my son and I being startled awake because of it cuz my husband was sleeping his fatigue off. Sunday is the only time he could get proper rest, and I hate it when he’s interrupted that way.
I wonder if this person’s parents taught him or her any manners at all, considering that he or she made the insistent phone call one after another as if one must answer their calls at the first ring, regardless of what they are doing. My husband would most definitely give him more than a piece of his mind if I were to do the same thing. I learned that the hard way and these days, I don’t bother calling him anymore if he did not pick up my phone. It’s just not worth the fight or the quarrel and if I desperately need to call someone to talk to, I just talk to my godbrother or something. At least it will take the stress off my head.
I wonder why my husband did not give this person a piece of his mind the way he did me? Was she… or he… so important? Now, that’s pretty curious thought, isn’t it?
Some people really have no decency. It’s was bloody Sunday morning, for God’s sake. If one does not pick up the goddamn phone call, that means they are either sleeping or is not interested in taking phone calls , so take a hint and send a message or email. To me, there’s nothing short of your mother’s tragic death or your dad being castrated in public calls for such a drastic and desperate phone call…things can wait til a decent hour, can’t it, even if it’s work related? Say… at least after 10am on a Sunday seems decent enough.
Made me wonder if this person has bipolar or something, to be making a series of desperate phone calls like that on a Sunday morning. He or she ought to divert his or her bipolar disorder by playing Online pokies. That would have been more beneficial for him or her, in my opinion.
I hate it when my Sunday is interrupted with such indecency. Next time such a thing happened, I swear to God I’ll pick up the goddamn phone myself and give this person a piece of my mind for interrupting our rest, so help me God!
On another note, I feel like I’ve been wasting time a lot of time staying at home on weekends, especially with all the unwelcoming noises…phone calls…neighbour’s drilling the wall…occasional funeral worship songs in the vicinity of the apartment. I’m really sick and tired of complaining as I gets nothing out of it in the end. All my complains are in vain and usually fall on deaf ears, and since the husband also works on Saturday and Sun and I’m bored to tears without much adult companionship, I am now completely open for event invites on weekends and also on public holidays. Priorities will be given to paid event coverage or events where the venue is easily reached by public transport. So feel free to send your invites over and most probably I won’t say no like before.
Cleffairy: Some things are not worth my anger, as I could utilize my time doing something much more positive, but sometimes things are really just too much and I have to speak my mind before I go crazy!
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July 17, 2013
Wordless Wednesday: Unconditional Love
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July 10, 2013
Maplestory came alive!
Did you know? I’m really a big kid at heart. Nearly at the end of my 20s, I’m still hooked with anime, cute clothings and games. I love to play online games very much, and to be frank, I’m quite an addict, though not as bad as a few years back. The one game I have been really playing faithfully and religiously is Maplestory. Great game. Good way to de-stress and a wonderful way to make friends. Whenever I have time and budget for it, I would make a point to join my guild’s real life activities. Who would have known that people that I met online plays such an important role in my life? I certainly wouldn’t have guessed that a few years back.
Neway, the game I’m actively playing at the moment is celebrating it’s 8th years anniversary, and these pictures were taken in Singapore a few weeks back.
Maplers, hanging out with each other and mob’s prop.
The event is really a cool one. With just SGD19.90, you get an unlimited tour around Singapore for the whole day.
Awesome isn’t it?
I think it’s a great and fun way to get to know each other.
Hopefully next year the mobs will come to Malaysia and I’ll have my ‘weapons’ ready. 
Cleffairy: This is my kinda or party. Hahahaha…so….party quest anyone?
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