Dumpling (Glutinuous rice dumpling)

In the lunar calendar, the fifth day of the fifth month, is the dumpling festival (Chinese Duan Wu Festival) and also we called it the Dragon boat festival. Most of the Chinese will make this glutinuous rice dumpling to worship the ancestor or the gods (It is actually say that the chinese make this dumpling to throw into the river to feed the fishes so that its won't eat Qu Yuan's body (a scholar and the minister to the King). Also u will find dragon boat races in the month in everywhere there is Chinese around. It is our Chinese tradition customs.

I had learned from my mom the way to wrap the steamed rice into a dumpling since last year. But few years ago, I did try it when I was living in Suzhou. A bunch of expatriates from Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia gather in my house to make effort to wrap the dumpling. None of us ever do it before, and it was our first time. However the result came out to be good and we at least enjoy the festive even though away from home. Of course we can buy it anywhere in China, but it is just not our taste. I still remember, the dumpling make by duck egg york, chestnut (may be not, can't really recall), pork, mushroom, and dried scallop (this one may be not, can't really recall). We boiled and cooked the dumpling for around 4 hours, and still remember instead of staying at home to wait for the dumpling ready, we just leave it cooking and went for a massage at opposite my apartment. The dumplings were ready to eat after our massage! It taste yummy but the shape is a bit odd. :p

I just manage to pass the "test" of making dumpling last year, too bad that I lost the chance to "review" it this year. My mom was doing it in weekday and I was working. This year, my mom was making lesser, that's why she didn't need our help. Previous year, she usually make 100pcs of vegetarian dumpling for charity purpose, and around 50pcs for family members. Last year, my sister in law came back to help, she is very good and fast in wrapping the dumpling. This year, she just come back to enjoy the festival as mom didn't need out help at all.

Giant baby in the baby stroller??

This was what I encountered when I was living in Guangzhou, China. Of course there are many funny things, but this is the most "outstanding" beside those funny english restaurant menu or road signs found in China. It was 2 yrs plus ago, and I am not sure whether are they still practising it or not?

In Jul 2006......

" Ha! U all can't believe I ran into something very interesting. I couldn't stop laughing, and luckily I had a camera with me to snap it down to share with u all......
Location : Lotus Supermarket, Che Bei Lu, GZ, TK.
Lotus Supermarket is own by a Siamese.....I can't imagine what if the owner see it... "

Woman is multi-purpose

I have finally completely understand how tough my mother is. She has to take care of all of us, my baby, and also my grandma. Although she has a maid, but the maid is helping her to accompany my grandma, and also do the cleaning. Her day starts at 6am and end at sometimes midnite, but the earliest is around 11pm, everyday including weekend.

My mom has to wake up in 6am, taking care of my grandma's lunch and heat up the left over dishes for her lunch, and also getting prepare of the things that she has to carry to the office. After she done with the kitchen, she take her morning bath at around 7am+. She is also our alarm clock. She will morning call my brother at 7.30am, then my father at 7.45am, and me at 8am. Preparing my dad's breakfast, and serve my dad until he went to work. Then help me to either look after my baby so that I can get ready to go to work, or she will bath for my baby. We will go out together to have breakfast in the market. After she has done with the marketing, we go to my dad's office to work. After work at around 6pm (my dad doesn't allow us to go off sharp at 5.30pm), she has to rush home to cook dinner for all of us. She has to prepare the dinner that suit all of us! My grandma and my dad is very choosy, and both taste are different, therefore you have to imagine how mentally tough that my mom has to be? After the dinner, she finally can sit down to rest, my still I always letting her to take care of my little one so that I can get online with friends. My dad always watch the channels which is not her preference.

Today, I finally realized how tough my mother is! She went to the Tibet trip with my dad, and therefore I have to be responsible to this family. My turn to worry about what kind of dishes I have to prepare for my grandma's lunch and dinner. Due to she has just discharge from Hospital, and her body is still weak, hence there is certain foods are not suitable for her. But due to she is very extremely choosy, therefore I headache!

After work, I have to rush home for my grandma's dinner. She has to take dinner earlier than her ordinary dinner with us previously. We usually have dinner at 8pm, but according to her "I am a patient", she requested to have it no later than 7.30pm. I reached home at around 6.30pm, once my car reach the house door, I straight away go to kitchen (the situation is kind of like going to battllefield), the maid will come to me for loading my stuff and my baby. After done with the dinner, I have to give medi to my grandma (there is one she has to take it before meal), and then I go shower, then bath for my baby, and then take dinner with my grandma. Luckily the maid will help me to feed my little one. My grandma needs medi again after dinner. She will go to bed afterward, so I have to take care of her while she is walking to upstair until she on her bed. Then I have to wake up at 6.30am to bath for my grandma too. Then walk her downstair after this, and make a cup of coffee for her. After this, I have to buy her breakfast, prepare her lunch (I have to prepare her lunch before I go to work.) and also her tea break. Once my grandma go to bed, I have to return to my baby, and the maid has to go to room immediately as she sleep with my grandma so that she can look after her thorough the night. I felt very tired, physically and mentally tired, I really can not understand how does my mom cope? Beside this family, she also do a lot of charity works.......

I am missing my mom, wish that she is her with me. I think she is a super woman.

The Sign Language contest

The contest held in 9 May at 8pm. All of us had back to Jing Shi Tang (the hall, the venue) for the final rehearsal. During our ordinary practise, our attendance rate are terribly awful, sometimes you can even find 50% are missing. Most of the members have their jobs need to secure and also their family to take care. I was lucky to have my mom to take care of my little one. But there is few times I also brought my little one to my practise, I wanted her to involve since small.

I felt very glad that to see everyone came to the final rehearsal. The first time, I saw everybody present! This is team work! Surprisingly, all of them seem to be improved over the night! The previous practise before this final rehearsal, they were still not even up to 50% know the signs of the whole piece of sutra.

During the contest, not only myself surprised with our performance, our team's photographer and also one of our instructor were shocked and happy to see our excellent performance! We were so in order! Although we didn't win any prizes, but well, we had done our best! We learned a lot from the beginning of the practises till the end of the competition. This is what we won, don't ya?

Busy week

Wesak day is just around the corner, hence we are getting busy. Everyone has their own duty on each day. I will be participating the coming “Sign language” competition on Saturday (9 May) night and also on duty as a “journalist” on 10 May morning during the “Buddha bathing” session.
Practices and rehearsal for the sign language competition will be fall in this week. Besides, there are meetings and discussion about the duties in these two big days, 9th and 10th of May. I am still not that smooth on my sign language, so, a lot of self-practice at home, hopefully I will be ok by the day, as I will be standing at the place in front, kind of stress. By the way, in previous practices, I was kind of piss with one of the instructor or even refused to listen to her instruction, cause I found her sign language and instructions were wrong and confused. First, she doesn’t really good in sign-language. She sometimes teaches us wrongly, that confused us, after being corrected by other seniors. Secondly, she never follows up on every after-practice. I thought she has already noted down the person name with the position that has been allocated, but in the following practice, she forgot, and blame us for not having team work spirit, keep asking us to be cooperated. Because of her skill-less, we have asked another senior in for help in arranging our position. Again, she simply corrected our position to what she thinks is nice and without inform or discuss with that senior. After the senior found out where we are standing were so wrong….u see! This is what she confused us. Until that day, I have had enough and stand out to stop her, then only she noticed it. But still, she refused to admit her fault and again, against me by saying me not having team work spirit. Sigh…..

Forget about the unhappiness, end of the day, I still have to accept her and continue to practice together with her. Well, there is one thing I am very exciting about is being a journalist during the “Buddha Bathing” session. I supposed to attend the training before I am qualified to take up this task, but due to short of hands and also running out of time, my leader assigned me this task! Luckily there is a senior will guide me, and before that, I have already got the samples and a format from the previous reports that I can learn from. Not too bad after all! Will wait and see my result!