Google Pagerank Tips

Blogging seems to be my current obsession! I'm kinda into blogging & more blogging everyday. And I learnt that in order to derive some income out of your blog, its important to achieve a good Google Pagerank!

I got to know that only Google gives out pageranks to blogs. And the higher your pagerank, the more advertisers would like you to write PPPs for example.

And how to achieve or maintain a Pagerank? Well, I guess the higher the traffic to your blog and the more links to it would do it? Read this long boring guide from Google Webmaster Central and hopefully by the time you finish reading the guide, you still feel like blogging :-( And if you'd like to check your ranking, click here.

And I heard it takes months to get a pagerank? Is this true? Oh no! Why is it so hard to earn some extra income during these trying times?

Or can someone be such a kind soul to be the first to link to me so that I can at least get started? Everybody deserves a chance, so please, please. I am even willing to go on my knees if you really want me to (*sob*).

And I dont think I even know how to link in the first place .. sigh ...new blogger ... like that lah.

Happy Birthday!

The month of August each year holds a special place in my heart. Not only its my country's independence day on the 31st ... it is also my birthday on the very same day (*smile, no shy, smile*).

Happy Birthday Malaysia!

Since school days, everybody would go ... wah, you were born on Merdeka Day ah ... wah, so nice. After 30 odd donkey years, its still nice, I tell ya! For one, its always a holiday on my birthday! Hee! Hee!

I would also like to dedicate this post to some of my close family friends and ex-colleagues who's birthdays also fall in the month of August.

A special & warm birthday greetings to:-

Jack Zaal - KL (2 Aug)
Audrey Poi - Shanghai (3 Aug)
Aunty Shirly - US (7 Aug)
Mr Gan Chin Keh - KL (11 Aug)
Christian Gemoll - Sweden (12 Aug)
Uncle Henry - US (14 Aug)
Lloyd Wilson - Belgium (23 Aug)
Hakan Wetter - Sweden/France (24 Aug)
Serena Tai - KL (26 Aug)
Wendy Chan - KL (28 Aug)
Bessie Coutinho - Perth (29 Aug)
Leanne Yim - KL (31 Aug too!)

Hope you all had/will have fun on your special day. Stay cool & stay in touch always. Happy Holidays and enjoy your long weekend! Love ya!

Is your foot smart?

Does this question sound dumb to you? But you wont really know the answer until you do this test - hehehehe.

Without anyone watching (they might think you are nuts!) and while sitting, lift your right foot off the floor and draw circles clock-wise. Easy right?

Now, while still doing this, draw the number "6" using your right hand. Also very easy right?

And by now, did you realise that your right foot now draws circle in counter clock-wise direction?

See! Our right foot is not very smart after all eh? I'm sure you & I both know how stupid is this but before the day is done, you will be trying it again and again. (*smile ... very broad smile*).

Well at least, I admit, I did!

How to make toddler sleep better?

It was another one of those (many, frequent) nights last night.

My little one seems like a light sleeper. Any slight noise can wake him up anytime. Even sounds like book or newspaper flipping, me & hubby whispering (no, we cant talk when he is sleeping in the room), noise from outdoors, dog barks, motorbikes riding pass our house, etc. etc.

Not only that, he also cries & wakes up for nothing (at least I think it was nothing). Sometimes I thought maybe he was feeling too cold or warm, maybe there were mosquitoes buzzing around him, etc but when I check he seems ok.

The first part of his sleep is usually ok. When he falls asleep at around 10ish or 11, he will sleep till about 1 or 2pm, then wake up for his milk. If I leave him alone, he will just wake up kicking a fuss but if I quickly feed him his milk, he will suck with his eyes closed and then go back to sleep almost instantly.

However the 2nd part of his sleep is usually a problem. After his 2am milk, he will not sleep well. He will usually kick up a fuss for at least once every hour or two. I have to pick him up from his bed and pat him to sleep. Then put him back to his bed. And then repeat this 2 or 3 times over the night.

Now you see why I feel & look like a zombie?

I tried feeding him well right before sleep. I tried giving him a warm wipe before sleep. I tried making him real tired during the day running about hoping he will be dead tired & sleep well. I tried talking to him hoping he would understand. I even tried going to the temple to ask for "advice"! But nothing works so far.

All forms of help or advise appreciated from anyone, anywhere. Thanks much.

TGIF!

Hurray - its Friday!

Ever since I became a mom, I really look forward to the weekends. You know, each work day is so damn tiring for me & hubby.

Till today, 16 mths later, we are still keeping up with little one's 2 feeds/night routine! Gosh! Sometimes even 3! If its a one feed that night - its like kena lottery! But if I am starring at the ceiling an hour after I feed him, then its going to be a *@#&* day!

Sometimes I am also in a dilemma. On some days I prefer week days cos at least (for me!) my 10 hr work schedule seems easier than to supervise my "energizer-battery" for the same number of hours! On some other days, I just cant wait for a friday to approach so that the next day we can sleep in a little later (*smile*).

20.08.2008

Here's wishing all my friends and readers a Happy 20.08.2008! I guess this happens only once in a lifetime as today is 20 August 2008.

Getting married? Striked the lottery? Picked up some dollars by the street? Found some cash in between your books? Or perhaps just glad that you managed to avoid the careless motorcycle driver!

Have a great day today!

Merdeka Open House 2008

How could I have promised her! Silly me! Crazy! Siow meh! Gosh, I have no choice but to now cook something!


Dont get me wrong, I love cooking & baking - but the thing is I'm just starting out with simple cakes, muffins & brownies - nothing fancy. But Babe_KL has been such a kind blogger and I promised her I will participate in this fun virtual party!


I decided on my mother's version of Mee Siam. Err .. mee siam is malaysian or not - heee??? But nevermind, I dont recall eating mee siam outside of Malaysia, so here is my simple recipe:-


Mee Siam
1 pack of meehoon (abt 400gm) - soak & drain well - set aside.
some shallots, garlic, chillies & lemon grass - blended together to form a paste
dried prawns (blended separately)
Cooking oil for frying paste
Salt to taste
Some vegetables (shredded) - I used cabbage & carrots


Method

• Heat up wok with some cooking oil.
• Place blended paste & dried prawns into oil & stir fry till you almost faint from the fabulous aroma filling up the air in your kitchen!
• Add salt to taste.




• When ready, add in meehoon & stir fry to coat noodles strands with the paste.
• Add some filtered water to soften meehoon while stir-frying.
• Once nicely coated, add in vegetables & stir well together.
• If needed, a few drops of soy sauce at this juncture.
• Once noodles are cooked, remove & serve.

I like my vege slightly raw & crunchy, so I normally just do a quick stir about 3 mins and its done.

This is the most simple noodle dish we normally cook at home. The best part is it can be served for either breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea - anytime you wish to enjoy it!

For my entry, I served it on a banana leaf and enjoyed it with a pair of chopsticks in the spirit of Merdeka! I love mine with some local mutton curry as a side dish.


Pardon me for the bad pictures as I snapped them during late evening and the lighting was bad + I had zero knowledge on all this photography thing - but hey - at least I tried & kept to my promise huh?

Barney!

Oh Barney! How boring would the world be without you! Hee Hee.

I am sure most of us would recognise him without a doubt. I guess he is currently the world's most famous cartoon character to all the childrens of the world! Err .. maybe after Mickey Mouse ????

Bryan's first encounter with Barney was when his Yee Yee (his aunt, my younger sis) bought him a set of Barney pillow & bolster. Bryan was only a month young then. He was too young to enjoy them but now, he will never let you take & play with his Barney pillow & bolster! I love to playfully cuddle and pretend to "sayang" them and he would then come running to me, pulling it away from me, then hug them himself.

He also has a Barney soft toy which we bought from Toys R Us. This soft toy is kinda special. It can tell stories related to the specific page you flip to. But the specific one that we bought was extra special! He never stops telling the stories! Must be some malfunction somewhere! And no, we cant open to remove the batteries. So we normally stuff him up in my closet when Bryan doesn't play with him. Surprisingly he is still telling stories after so many months - battery very lasting man!

We decided on a 3D Barney cake for Bryan too when he turned 1. We all loved it! It was super-cute! Don't you agree?

Bryan started watching the Barney DVD series when he turned 1 as well. This seems to be his current favourite. He used to want to press the "eject" & "play" buttons on the DVD everytime his grandma plays it for him, but now, he would run to the sofa and quickly climb up and sit there waiting for it to start!

Kids - they really grow fast - although they can be a pain in the @*& at times (*wide smile*).

Penang - Final

It has been quite a tiring trip to Penang. And its a totally different experience travelling with a toddler as compared to the nice, comfy, romantic 2-person drives we use to experience.

The journey in the car was not as bad as I thot it would be. However, all the small-bytes and little books and new toys that I bought for him to keep him busy in the car were just enough to keep him occupied for a mere 2 minutes per new toy! Sigh ...

Not sure if I have mentioned this before but my toddler is one of those "energizer" kids - moving non-stop 24-7 (even when sleeping!). So we never really had a chance to sit down & enjoy any of the food. We had to take turns to bring him out to walk here & there while the others dined. Hubby dines first, then pass him to hubby so that I can eat, then my mom will take over from hubby so that hubby can continue ... something like that lah .... Well, even the best penang prawn mee or char kuay teow just tasted as bland as the KL ones ... sigh again.

If he is not running about, he is then sleeping over my shoulder. We have to then carry him to wherever we plan to go. Sigh the 3rd time.

Little rascal also developed some heat rashes or insect bites, dunno which, and he had big & little red spots all over his face! We took him to the doc to check him out and some medication to ease the redness & itch. It becomes worse if he is under the sun or sometimes in the (hot) car. I guess the heat makes it more unbearable for him. Is it me or is it me? I feel Penang is much much hotter than KL!!

We reached home late afternoon on Sunday. The moment we got home, we showered him and changed him to some real comfy clothes and he was so well behaved after that. We played some Barney & Baby Einstein dvds for him and he just sat on the cushion enjoying them silently, with occasional smiles & even laughters. I guess he misses home after all.

Will I soon plan for another holiday with him?

Well ... they grow up everyday and now at 16 months, I can see him picking up new skills more often. He is now able to interact with us as he is not a baby anymore. He can tell me if he wants something (through action) and shake his head from left to right if he does not want it. He can also say a few simple words. So I guess he is growing well ...

Sorry for not posting up more Penang food reviews. I initally really planned to but it was just too hot, tiring and a hassle for us as this was our maiden trip with little rascal. Maybe next trip okie?

Having had this first experience, I guess I will be better prepared for my future trips (at least mentally!). We know now what to really expect and so, I guess, in future, it will only get easier (*smile*).

Penang - Part 2

I had earlier made a dinner reservation at Jemputree.

Read about this new place from several food blogs and the thought of dining on the tree top pretty much attracted my attention.


This place serves malay, chinese and western cuisine and its specialty is all about dining on a tree-top ala "bersila" style. There is only one table for tree-top dining that can accommodate about 8 pax, which was just nice for our group.

Quality & taste of food was probably 5 out of 10. I guess the lesson to learn is to order malay food since this is a malay restaurant. Dont bother about the chinese or the western choices cos you'll be disappointed.

Toddler friendly food was almost nil. But he did enjoy the cucur ikan bilis!

Service rating was another 5 out of 10. Maybe they should have a bell for those dining on the tree top cos everytime we needed something, we had to shout out to the waiters on the ground floor or "climb" down ourselves!

Maybe I should just stick to my all-time favourite of pandan coconuts at Lorong Abu Siti!!! Never fails me!

Good Girl!

I was at KLCC yesterday to run some errands.

On my way around the mall, I could not help but to suddenly notice so many delicious food around me! Gosh! Why do they all looks so damn appetizing when you're on a diet!!!

During my previous visits there & when I was not on a diet, I had to scratch my head hard to decide what I really wanted to eat - cos everything then was, just so plain. But this trip, oh my god! Killing!

I was trying to find something that was less sinful so that I can have an excuse to indulge a little but my favourite stall - La Cucur - would have cost me 300 calories per tiny piece of "kueh" and I would have needed at least 3 pieces to keep my mouth shut!

I decided that I should stay committed to my plan and just walked out of the mall and head back to the office. Enroute, I instead, bought 2 pieces of fresh fruit at a nearby stall and had that. It was cheap & good.

While having it, I felt proud of myself for not throwing the day's effort down the drain.

Hibiscus Flower Tea

Have you heard of it? Apparently it consist of several health benefits if consumed daily.

It is said it boast a high level of vitamin C and antioxidants which can strengthen your immune system and help fight free radicals. It is also said to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. Sure sounds good to me as I've got some family history with high blood pressure!

I've been taking this tea for the past one month. I can feel some improvement in me especially my energy level. I'm not sure if its the tea or my water therapy that's helping, or both, but I do experience much less of aching feet after even more than 2 hrs! Previously 30 mins in the mall can send me packing home for a rub with some Counterpain ointment.

I think I will continue drinking this everyday. I would normally mix it with 1.5 litres of warm water and finish it before lunch time. Then another 1.5 litres of filtered alkaline water till I clock off from the office. And that will be my 3 litres of water/day health plan (*smile*)

Penang - Part 1

We left KL early in the morning and arrived Prai at about 1pm. Just in time for our lunch date with C, my long time buddy.

Lunch was at Chai Leng Park. We had a secret mission to meet a secret someone here ... ahem ... and lunch personally prepared & served by him (*smile, wink, smile*). We had seafood noodles and it was quite good.

Then it was time to "check in" into Nangka Resort! Haa! Haa! Never heard of this place leh ... well, even money cannot guarantee you a booking here okay ....its a special "resort" for priviledged friends like me. Hee .. Hee...

Little one was dead tired and needed a nap, so we took some rest, showered and in the evening headed off across the bridge for our next date (*wink eye*).

Packing for the trip

This is the first time we are travelling with little rascal.

And its a road trip, so I have to make a plan on what to bring & pack along, so that I wont miss out on any essentials while we're there.

Here's my to-pack list off my mind :-

• comfortable clothings (for the hot weather)
• comfy shoes
• lots of disposable diapers
• milk powder, milk bottle, hot water flask & drinking water
• wet tissues
• swim suit & arm float
• towel
• sun-block lotion
• finger food to keep him busy in the car
• small toys & little books to occupy his time while travelling
• small slow cooker - to prepare his porridge (not in the car lah!)

Really not sure if i should bring his stroller cos this rascal will NEVER get in there!

I really dont understand why my little one never liked getting into the car seat or the stroller since he was born! Even now, he even does not like getting into those supermarket trolleys which other kids just love!

Strange boy I have ... think he just hates the idea of being confined in one place I guess.

Did I forget any other essentials?

Maybe LCOM could be of some help since she's got the experience eh? Read all about her eventful trip back home to Malaysia during the recent summer.

Food Filled Week - Part 3

Ha! Ha! Ha! Never-ending makan sessions ... until they are on the plane!

My eldest BIL suggested we have another farewell treat for breakfast since their flight is not until evening that day. So we headed off to a dim sum place in Seri Petaling. The place is an open air concept and pretty hot if you go late in the morning.

Its specialty is its chinese buns (pau). One of it is chinese bun combined with loh mai kai (steamed glutinous rice chicken) and another of its specialty is chinese buns with custard. Hmm ... not too bad, something different from other dim sum outlets. The rest of the dimsum offered are pretty norm.



I did not get to enjoy dining cos my little one just fell asleep in the car while on the way here ... so I had to carry him sleeping off my shoulder the entire time.

On top of that, my office people had to call and ask me to go back to office to sort out some matters - hey no way man! It's a Saturday! Go buzz off!

Food Filled Week - Part 2

Time flies. BIL & SIL have since taken the flight home after more than a week in KL.

They were here to attend MIL's birthday and to also take the opportunity to visit some relatives and relax a bit. They were in Ipoh for 2 days enjoying the "ngah choy kai" (taugeh chicken) and some sight-seeing while visiting another SIL who lives there.

Before they left, its only proper we buy them a nice farewell dinner and thus, we headed to LaLa Chong at old airport road in Subang.

Some of the food we enjoy most when we are here are the "tau fu kang" which is what I call a "pirated" version of the shark's fin soup. There is no shark's fin in there cos its make of tofu & eggs but it taste superb!

Next is the chilly crab which is best enjoyed with fried "mantou" bread. Dip the bread into the gravy and its just heavenly ... !!!

We also ordered Miso Mackarel cos BIL does not consume fresh water fish .. sigh, what a waste. This miso styled fish was so so only.

One of my personal favourites is the mantis prawns prepared "kum heong" style ... very high in cholestrol but what the heck .. dont get to enjoy this everyday! Sorry the pics does not look too appetizing cos I wacked it first before taking pics lah - hahahahaa!

And last but not least, how can we come to LaLa Chong and not order its lala right? Hee hee .... dont miss their home version of the very fresh & large lala steamed with chinese wine ... divine :-)

And hey! Its dinner! So its ok for me to indulge in something sinful since I've been a really good girl at breakfast & lunch for 5 whole days (smile,wink, smile).

And guess who else thinks this place is good .... ??

Hurray! Hurray! Its a Holi Holiday!

Oh! Holidays! Oh! I almost forgot the real meaning of a holiday!

Before I got pregnant (which is 2 full yrs ago!), hubby & I frequently went on holidays both in & out of the country, be it a short break or a real vacation.

We enjoy all kinds of holidays. Beach. City. Shopping. Relaxing. Food. Tour guided ones or self exploring ones. Its just nice to just go somewhere (away from the office!) and spend time together exploring something you've never seen or tasted or somewhere you've never been to.

So, now, we have this little rascal with us this time, I really dont know where we shd be going or will it really end up being a holiday in the first place. But nevertheless, we decided to take a drive up north to Penang this coming Friday. Just to test the ground a bit (smile). Its a 4 hour drive each way ...so wish us luck!

Why Penang? Well .. several reasons.

One, SIL lives in Ipoh (which is only 2 hours drive from KL) and if needed, it will be our emergency holiday destination should the rascal end up being really difficult to attend to in the car.

Two, we will put up at my friend, C's place, in Penang and this will make us feel much more comfortable compared to a hotel room. At least he has got space to run about while we put up our feet to rest.

Three, we've been there plenty of times, so I think we should stick to a familiar place since this is the first trip with little rascal. If anything, we know where to go and what to do, etc. etc.

Really looking forward to this trip.