By the stream

Last Monday, we went to Matang Family Park for a water fun in its shallow and cooling stream.

Matang Family Park

It did not take us long to reach there. We used Batu Kawa-Matang road and in about 30 minutes, we were at the entrance of the park.

Our tickets cost RM12. Adult is RM4, children 6 to 12 yo is RM2 while children below 6 is free.<6 free.="" is="" p=""><6 free.="" is="" p="">

tickets

A pose at the entrance before we went in. The kids were so eager to go in as they could hear the water splashing in there.

Right before we went in

As usual, before we explore a place, we must have a look at the map. It is always good to know the surrounding and its facilities.

Map

I have been here once many years ago, when Jan was a little like Jamie.  Felt like this place was more or less the same. At least they still maintain the place well.

Deck

From the timber decking, we looked down to the stream. It was a holiday, so we expected crowds picnicking and relaxing at the family park. We reached there around 1030am and it was not so crowded that time but as time passed afternoon, more people flocking the stream.

Down we went to the stream using the wooden staircases and bridge.

Such a beautiful green lush. The weather was nice and warm, and great for a cool dip in the water. It rained the night before so the flow was steady and water was cold.

Nothing stopped us from going in. Till only the kids' lips went purplish and had wrinkled fingers after almost 2 hours, then did they willing to come out from the water. Lol.

Stones that we brought back as memory

What a lovely escape from the city chaos. Enjoying the nature bliss by the stream and having an incredibly relaxing and good time with family.

Weekend Menu #78: Simple grilled squid

Two Sundays ago, I cleaned, I sweat and I cooked at home. One of hubby's requests was this grilled squid. It reminded him of the time we enjoyed freshly grilled squids in Pattaya few years ago, he said and while we were grocery shopping a day before, he bought 2 big squids (about 400gm) in the hypermarket.

I for one, have never cleaned a squid in my whole life! Of course, I watched my mum and my mil did it but never get my hands down dirty, gooey and smelly with the squids.

So, while my squids were defrosting, I browsed through the internet for the cleaning direction. And I found this site very useful with step-by-step and photos on cleaning the squids.

I got the cleaning job done in the end. And to get rid of the smell from my hands after all those cleaning, a squeeze of lemon is in tow. 

I cut 1/2 ring on the body and then marinated the squids with dash of pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, few dashes of light soy sauce, juice from a lime and about a tbsp of olive oil. Let the squids marinate for about 15 minutes.

I used flip pan to cook it. About 5 minutes on each side. And voila!

They were done. Sweet, juicy and chewy.

As for the chili dipping, I used this brand. Super kick! Very very spicy!

Hubby bought this chilli sauce from KL on his last trip there. The chilli goes so well with the sweetness of the squid.

Now I got order from my sis who loves it so much. Wait for hubby or whoever fly to KL to buy them. By the way, it is a product of Singapore.

Early celebration

Last Sunday we went to Cafe Cafe for a lunch cum car wash service after church service. It was actually an early celebration of Mother's Day for me. And a treat for Jan for passing her piano practical exam last month with a merit (score of 135/150). And of course, a little indulgence for hubby as it was Labour's Day as well. Thank you, hubby for an utterly delightful lunch.

While waiting for our food to arrive, I took a snap of the surrounding. Love the full shelves and the blue doors. So many stuffs they kept in there; couldn't help peeping.

I gone for something healthy that afternoon as I had this healthy drink which is a blend of orange, apple, carrot and celery. Quite pricey for RM13.90 per glass though.

Healthy drink

The first to come was this spaghetti marinara (RM19.90) for Jay. He ate most of it. Sweet and creamy with that hint of sour cream, and it was good. No wonder Jay loves it.

Spaghetti marinara

Fish N Chip for my girl. Her favourite Western food. A big platter for RM23.90.

Fish N Chip

Next was the salad. Hubby ordered this refreshing and heap of green in Lamb salad with orange salsa (RM22.90). I don't really fancy the sweet lamb cutlets served in the salad. Tasted like char siew to me.

Lamb salad with orange salsa

And here was my plate of grilled lamb for sharing. Nice presentation; look appetizing too. But the lamb chop was over seasoned that day. Too salty for my liking. But I loved its chunky potato mash with tuna. Overall, a big portion for RM30.90.

Grilled lamb with mint vinaigrette

That is. My Mother's Day lunch treat. A week earlier though. *wink*

Wishing all mum bloggers and readers, Happy Mother's Day!

One of those days

Last Saturday night, we went to M2 Restaurant for dinner. It was raining so we decided to come here as it was nearer to our house. I actually blogged about this place many times in the past. Kind of our usual dinner place by now.

But what we discover here is some day, the dishes fit us well but other days, they could be a disappointment. Depends on the mood of the cooks, I reckon?

That evening, it was one of those days when we did not really enjoy our dinner there.

For our appetizer, we had this Kuching crispy oyster pancake aka oh-chien. It has been a while since we have this yummylicious and addictive pancake.

The pancake (RM32) was big and crispy but I would prefer my oysters to be fresh and succulent than been deep-fried.

And of course, we ordered this favourite dish of ours; a soft beancurd dish with mince and salted fish (RM13). We just got to have it. Simply too good to eat with white rice.

The captain recommended a new dish to us so we obliged to it. It was crispy duck (RM30).

Personally the duck was rather dry but those 2 dipping sauces saved the dish. Spicy cencaluk dipping and sweet sauce.

Our meal was completed with this green vegetable. Stir-fried midin(RM13) was crunchy and tasty.

The dinner costs over RM100 inclusive of drinks. Overall, a little disappointment as not all was to our liking. 

Pan Mee story

I found a place that sells good and tasty Hakka pan mee in Kuching!! Not as famous as Sarawak kolo mee or Sarawak laksa, one would discover that it is hard to find a nice Hakka pan mee in Kuching.

Ice Buddy Cafe, MJC

However when someone told me that this place serves good pan mee right in front of my nose (literally), I did not hesitate to give it a try. It is so near to my place and yet I did not know and tried it out before.

So one fine Saturday morning with my buddy and kids, we went to this Ice Buddy Café for breakfast. We both have kids of similar ages, so they get along well.

The Seremban pan mee

Now I noticed that they have the Pan Mee banner up there.  It claimed to be a Seremban hand-made pan mee. So I guess it could not get as authentic as this. Who would not want to try fresh hand-made pan mee??

Normal bowl at RM4.50

Check out this mouth-watering bowl of soupy pan mee. My verdict? I love it. The soup has that rich anchovies broth and not too overwhelming with MSG while the handmade noodle was of right consistency, elasticity and texture. I personally think this is the best pan mee I have ever tasted in Kuching!

A real hidden gem found!! 

Miscellaneous Picture #53: In the morning

I woke up before them; getting ready breakfast and snack boxes for them.

And drive them to school when the sun rises. Now the sun is early; the sky starts to brighten up around 615am.

One morning I woke up earlier than usual as my girl requested for fried noodle for her snack box.  So I cooked and sweated in the kitchen at early hour to fry the noodle.

My simple fried noodle that everyone loves; with dried prawns, eggs and bok choy.

When hubby is not around over the weekend, we usually wake up later and I cook simple brunch at home. Like the other day, I made us some egg mayo sandwich. Easy, hassle-free and nutritious.

In the morning, I would stay at home unless something comes up or I need to run an errand. Warm and bright most mornings so it is a good time to bring out the laundry to dry.

Lovely clear blue sky in the morning but watch out!  Rain could pour down like crazy in the late afternoon or evening without much warning!

The kids?  They have other stuff to keep them busy other than tv.  Toys!  The boys are growing their toys collection nowadays. Luckily they are trained to keep them otherwise I will blackmail them by throwing them away.  *wink wink* It works every time.

Stop and smell

Stop and smell the roses. But for my case, it would be stop and look at the roses.

Life is buzzing like a bee for me. Up early and on the go all day, catching the warm sun and brace the rain, and trying to fit everything in a few measly 24-hours. Doesn't everyeone complain that 24-hours is not enough for them??

Not only I feel like I am constantly on the go, but my schooling kids are also busy with their schoolworks, after school classes etc.  Pity them.  Life is hard on them.

I constantly get this question "How do you do it?"  "How do you juggling between home, kids, and still doing everything by yourself?"

Well, it is hard but not impossible. It is hard to keep the house at tip top condition and sparkling clean while chasing after an active toddler, getting involved in my school-going kids, and cooking and cleaning for them. There is actually no secret tip to doing it all.

I am a human, not a robot.  I could not possibly do it all but when there is a will, there is a way. Just that some day, I would just forget how messy my house is, or leave the laundry piling or how noisy my kids are and concentrate on the next important thing. Myself! Take a little break. Take times to think about life, present and what is important to me. So it is a timely reminder to truly pay attention to what's going on in my life, to really look at people and stop and smell the flowers of life.

By the way, I did stopped and took notice of my little lovelings in the garden lately. You could say that my garden is my little sanctuary. Not only I enjoy looking at my flowers, I am thrilled when they start to bloom. They do not bloom everyday so whenever they do, I would take out my camera and snap them.

Aren't they lovely?