Peanut Butter Honey Granola

Following Hillbilly Housewife always works

Yikes! I'm no aspiring baker!

Coffee Bean Man

Can you see anything?

Coffee Bean!

A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it, and wanted to give up. She was tired of all the fighting and struggling. It seemed as though in solving one problem, two more would arise.
Her father, ( a chef ) took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil.
In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans.
He let them sit and boil without saying a word. The daughter impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners.
He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and poured it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. "Darling, what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. She humbly asked. "What does it mean Father?"
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrots went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, they softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, the insides became hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you," he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

How about you? Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? Are you the egg, which starts off with a changeable heart? Were you a fluid spirit, but after difficult times, have you become hardened and stiff. Your shell looks the same, but are you tough with a stiff spirit and heart? Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain. When the water reaches it's peak temperature, it just tastes better.

If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and make things better around you. When people talk about you, do your praises to the Lord increase? When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, does your worship elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
" Please God, help me to be a coffee bean! Amen"

I joined the Deaf Frog Society!

Yes! There is such a thing!! This is cool.

Lessons from Frogs
Two Frogs Climbing a Tower

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a climbing competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began. No one in the crowd really believed the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.
Heard throughout the race were statements such as, “Oh, way too difficult,” “They will never make it to the top,” “Not a chance they will succeed,” and “The tower is too high.”

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one—except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult! No one will make it!”
More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But ONE continued to climb higher and higher. This one refused to give up!

At the end of the race, all had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

All of the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. They asked him how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal.
It turned out that the winning frog was DEAF!!!!

Lessons
1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.

2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say. Speak life to those who cross your path.The power of words... it is sometimes hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a long way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob another of the spirit to continue in difficult times.Special is the individual who will take the time to encourage another.[author unknown]

Always stay positive and focused. Be DEAF when people tell you that you cannot reach your goal or fulfill your dreams! Continually remind yourself, “I can do this.”

M'am, you need slimming?

Koala came home from Kiwi-Land and visited the Ethiopian Pixies. They took a walk here and checked out the spa.

Koala carried Little Pixie - and the concerned receptionist looked at Koala, Little Pixie and went

"M'am, you looking for a slimming package after childbirth?"

Poor Koala was traumatised!!!

"Ahem, that is my child".

Everyone had a good laugh. The salesgirls remained skeptical as we left - they still didn't believe that Koala wasn't the mother.

Against all odds...Dr William Tan

I was so inspired after watching this last night.

One thing he said about his parents (too poor and uneducated to give him a polio vaccine) was that 'They did their best'. And that is going to be on my epitaph too.

Another thing that struck me was - he got expelled for biting all his classmates who bullied him - the only way he could defend himself. .... life was unfair to him - it wasn't his fault - and he got expelled.

And the next school he went to - he endured all the bullying because he didn't want to let his parents down.

He didn't become a hard-boiled egg (which I did), or become a limp carrot (which I did too), but he became a coffee bean (which I will) and made a difference (and still does) with his life.

2007: I will BE a coffee bean

After 16 years....

I chanced upon a 'New Year Resolution' I did 16 years ago!!! And it had the same grouse that I have now - 16 years later!

After 16 years, I'm still attempting to do too many things at the same time, creating a treadmill that goes nowhere and from which I tell myself I can't alight.

When I was ....

A Student - I wanted to be good at everything. ECA, exercise, grades.
In College - I wanted to be good at everything. Biking, tuition, grades, exercise, church, friends.
Working - I want to be good at everything. Grades, family, friends, money, hobbies (cooking, volunteering, piano, blading, jogging, Pilates).

Now I am a mother - I still attempt to be good at everything. Wifehood, parenting, nutrition, trying to become the best cook, hobbies (all of the above plus being a walking health, food & nutrition encyclopedia), home business, 'meaning in life', 'fulfilment in motherhood', branching into TCM and macrobiotics.

This year, my resolution is to break this pattern.

I will have LESS resolutions - and SLOW DOWN.
SMELL THE ROSES.... and I will enjoy what I have been blessed with.

More horror pictures.....

Allergy Attack!!!

I am of the Patrick Holford camp - and skeptical about new-world vaccines. This is what happened on our 2nd visit to the @#$@#$ pediatrician! The last visit ended with a nightmare too (some blasted kid coughed in our faces)

New 'Improved' 'Muffies'

Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Muffies

OK, so these are still not quite muffins. But they are getting better after heeding the advice here.

Frozen Slug!

Guess what's this?
Hint: It's a good first food for babies.

"I'm not the Maid!"

It can be mortifying when you realise what social and moral impacts having domestic help can have on your loved ones.

With due respect to the families who really need domestic help for one reason or another, here's a true-life horror story.

7-year-old Gremlin didn't learn how to poop on his own in a public toilet till recently. (I saw him in the female washroom and that was the reason given). His ability to shower is in doubt (all his caregivers say so). He's rude to the maids too, ordering them about and threatening to send them back if they 'misbehave'.

At the slumber party in Pixieville - a list of his 'firsts' in his life
- Wash his own dish after eating a biscuit
- Order his own food at the hawker centre
- Ask for the price and pay up

On the sunny 10-minute walk to the market - he went 'Help! Can we not walk? The sun is too hot! I'm melting! I need an umbrella!'

G: Canton Pixie, why is your house so dirty?
CP: I'm tired, no time to clean everything
G: Get a maid then
CP: Shudder

His caregivers asked him to help fold laundry. "Why should I? I'm not the maid what!"

The Gahmen has every reason to be worried about the nation's future. (National Service? Too hot! We need umbrellas!)

Trick or Treat?

Rather belated post - but what beautiful pumpkins! She loves them.

Beautiful Hands..........

Why can't I ever get my muffins right?

I don't know if it's the Super Baby Foods recipes I follow, or those websites for health nuts - but my muffins always turn out bland, HARD and ... just plain unappetising!! AAAARRRRGH!!!!

One more try with the advice here and if it STILL doesn't work out, I'm swearing off muffins!!!

Reliving Lake District

Quaint little old-English breakfast place - complete with WWII-era aluminium tea and coffeepots. The Pixie Family had the Pixie Big Breakfast wonderfully reminiscient of their Lake District days...

We got the Rota virus!!!

Saturday - Little Pixie woke up in vomit at 10pm

Sunday - Perfectly fine and we had a great time.

Monday - Canton Pixie wakes at 5am with severe diarrhoea, and starts vomitting once charcoal pills are ingested. Tin Hang Zai becomes primary caregiver as the Canton Pixie is totally bedridden.

Tuesday - Tin Hang Zai continues to hold the fort. Canton Pixie has lost 3 kg.

Wednesday (today) - Canton Pixie is functioning, Little Pixie has become Ethiopian-sized, and Tin Hang Zai starts vomiting and diarrhoea.

The nightmare continues.....

My type of humour

Every company in this country that has the word 'public' in its mission or name seems to think that the citizens are mindless minions. Forum replies never fail to have these "we-think-you-are-really-morons" style of roundabout English, and convoluted logic in the hopes that the supposedly mindless minions don't catch the real reason behind those 'transparent' policies.

Nov 30, 2006
The poor will benefit most from transport fare cap

I refer to Jason Chiam Chiah Sern's letter "Much to learn from HK public transport system" (ST, Nov 28) and SMRT's reply "Fare cap will benefit only few passengers" (ST, Sep 30).
The latter states that "less than one per cent of passengers pays a fare of $1.90 or more. Therefore, having a fare cap would benefit only a small proportion of passengers, while transferring the cost to others."
SMRT's reason for not having a fare cap like in other countries is somewhat illogical because the fact that less than one per cent pays more than $ 1.90 means that a fare cap would have very little impact on the other 99-plus per cent who may have to share "transferring the cost to others".
It goes against the basic principle of public transport, which is the sharing of costs, so that a minority will not be penalised, since public transport is a necessity for those who cannot afford private transportation.
The main reason why there is normally a fare cap in other countries is to protect the small number of needy, who may be affected most if there is no fare cap.
If we ask the other 99-plus per cent of Singaporeans, I believe they would not mind sharing the cost for the benefit of the needy among the "less than one per cent". Why not conduct a poll of Singaporeans?
In the "Report of the Committee on the Fare Review Mechanism" last year, it noted that average fares in Singapore were lower than in New York, London, and Hong Kong.
However, all these cities have fare caps and monthly passes, which Singapore does not have. The monthly pass recently introduced by SBS Transit is only for travel on SBS buses, and the price is high relative to other cities of the developed countries. Monthly passes in other cities are typically multi-modal or multi-operator, if there is more than one operator.
The reports also cited the Household Expenditure Survey (HES) 2003 data that the lowest 20 per cent and second quintile group of household income had average monthly household income of $1,279 and $2,651 respectively. However, the Department of Statistics (DOS) puts the two statistics at $795 and $2,059.
Why does the report's statistics differ from the DOS's?
How has this discrepancy impacted on the computations on the affordability of transport fares ?
Leong Sze Hian

I like these Forum writers

The Canton Pixie is definitely one cynic who LOVES such posts. A result of having worked for the gahment for so long and meeting too many bozos with too much BS.

Read this!

And this! (emphasis mine)

Nov 30, 2006
Why Hong Kong does better than S'pore? Real market forces are at work
Of late, we have read many letters from readers praising and glamourising Hong Kong. They are correct but some of the comparisons may be exaggerated.
No doubt, Hong Kong's hospitality and retail service are better. Their streets (eg. compare their Nathan Road with our Orchard Road) are cleaner. Their public transport system is undeniably more user-friendly and efficient. They are naturally humane in treating their elderly and disabled.
This is a far cry from the days when the typical remark from a Hong Kong shopowner is, 'If you don't buy, don't touch'.
Why the rapid change? Did the Hong Kong government constantly exhort people to behave? Do they have more expensive campaigns? Is it because they impose heavier fines on wrong-doers?
None of the above, I think. The reason why this has happened is the Hong Kong people's strong desire to survive. And I am not talking about individuals but the big establishments that provide services, essential or otherwise. Competition and market forces weed out the uncertain, unceremonious and uncompromising.
The people are the ultimate judge, not some regulators or governing authorities. The people speak up openly and unreservedly when they think they are being taken advantage of.
Service providers have to fend for themselves and they must constantly be on their toes if they want to survive. It is wonderful to see real market forces at work.
Here in Singapore, almost everything is decided for us. Statements like, 'For your convenience, we have to remove this bus service' or 'In order to serve you better, we have to increase the fee' have become so common that we are already numbed as far as the reaction is concerned.
Can we blame the population at large for their apathetic and languid attitude towards other people, current affairs and life?
Daniel Chan Wai Piew