MCO Post #6

Food is one of the few pleasures we can indulge in during MCO.  I was looking for online delivery again last weekend.  Hubby was keen on getting crab.  But both kids had no interest when I showed them the menu in Lala Chong. I also think having lukewarm Chinese food won't be that satisfying either so not worth paying full prices plus delivery charges. 

So we changed to steamboat. Now this everyone was happy with!  Hubby gets piping-hot food and the kids liked this change from the usual.

Used another app called 'aliments' to order from Sukishi.  Order was fuss-free, and food arrived about an hour later.  All we had to do was add water to the soup base (we chose tomato) to boil, unpack the food from its various containers and a steamboat meal was ready to start.

Check out our dinner!

Ahmm nice

View of the food

I was very pleased with this - RM129.90 for lots of sliced meat, fresh prawns and a good variety of items.  There was enough for 2 full steamboat meals.  Keeping the extra soup and meat for one more simple lunch of noodles.

MCO Post #5

Something new I'm doing during MCO is using various apps to order food.  This app is 'beepit' which I used to get CCF/chee cheong fun, bakchang, pineapple tarts and kuih bahulu.  I'd never bothered much about delivery apps since not many outlets serve my area.  There are increasing choices now which I suspect will disappear again after MCO.  Delivery charges are on the high side which is why I added various items into the order.  Overall was pleased with it - ordered in the morning and received an hour later.

We have all kinds of food

We played with puff pastry last weekend.  This was the frozen Kawan pastry which was a cinch to use.  Tried out various shapes with sausage and jam as filling.  Overall fun and easy.

Cut sausage...

We are playing... no, we mean we are making puffs

After that we had the usual problem of finishing the food haha.  Apparently nobody is a huge fan of puff pastry.

MCO Post #4

Still staying at home under MCO.  Still no change in my working hours and working attitude (I hate my job!).  But taking a step back and looking at the overall situation, I should not focus on the negative.  I'm still earning a salary.  Hubby's business is bad as expected but he did manage to get a reduction on rental. 

Still MCO-ing

SE learnt how to harvest Indian borage/mint leaves to make the drink she likes. 

Just for a change and to celebrate having gone through another tough week (for me), we had McDonald's for lunch last weekend.  This was also helpful as a 'carrot' to make SE do her google online assignments haha.  I tried the drive-thru for the first time and was impressed at the efficiency of the service. 

McDonald's, YAY!

Not too long more for MCO.  Must enjoy the good parts while we can.

Melaka 2020

Backposting this one.  We were actually in Melaka right before MCO.  This was booked earlier for  the school holidays.  Covid was getting more serious though so the decision the day before the trip... Go or No go?  My opinion, Melaka had way less cases than KL so staying in KL was more dangerous than going to Melaka.  :)  Decision was a Go.

The day of the trip, our maid Jane was down with fever and sore throat.  Oh dear... should we still go?  Go without Jane?  Abandon the trip?  If Jane was down with Covid then we should leave her home to distance ourselves.  Hubby decided to go out and get face masks while thinking.  Took ages and past our planned departure time.

He finally returned.  And final decision was a Go.  For all.

So off we went.  Arrived late afternoon due to all the indecisiveness.  Went to Jonker street where I managed to take away my favourite nonya laksa from Jonker88 before they closed for the day.

Cendol! But mummy likes this more than WE do

Then we went walking.

Cute ice-creams for us

Sausages. Yummy.

It was a far cry from our last trip where we were stuck in traffic jams and human jams.  Not many were out on the roads.  We were anxious at first, thinking we'd quickly grab what we wanted and quickly leave.  But the situation seemed so normal until even Hubby the Jittery One got comfortable enough to suggest sitting down for pork satay and other street food.

Very cute unicorn pao

It was too late for Baba Charlie the first day.  No worries, we didn't have much to do and went there on the second.  Many say it's overrated and overpriced but I do like the ondeh-ondeh, curry puffs and various kuih.

We are just grabbing some snacks

Lunch was at this hip place called Daily Fix.  Reviews mentioned long queues, but this WAS low season and we managed to get a table outside (the air-conditioned area was full).  Not cheap but food was overall good.  We particularly enjoyed the signature pancakes.

Choc chip pancakes and big breakfast. For lunch

Closer look at the vintage enamel trays

Stayed again at the previous Airbnb place as the kids like the waterpark.  I had to work and totally didn't make it to the pool. Photo below is from Jane.  I'm glad hubby decided to take her along - actually my plan while booking had been for her to take the kids to the pool while I worked.  If we had left her behind then I really wouldn't have known how to juggle work and kids.  Left to hubby, he'd have stuck an iPad in their hands and not bothered to take them anywhere.

Water! Fun!

What else did we do... EAT of course.  Tried out Hock Chin for cockles, balitong, fishcake rojak, sotong kangkung.  It was very cheap - I liked it, hubby thought it was so-so and the kids don't like this kind of food.  Guess we won't be back.

Half eaten meal hehe

One last mention of food is of this garlic fried pork which hubby likes.  This was a random shop on the way.

Food not bad

On our last night in Melaka, the PM announced the MCO.  Spent the time on Whatsapp excitedly exchanging messages with our friends.  The next morning hubby and me hit Tesco to stock up while the kids went to the pool again.  Now that it has been a month since our Melaka trip and it's pretty confirmed we didn't catch Covid there, I'm very glad we made the trip.  Especially  now looking back at the pictures and comparing them with our current confined daily life within MCO.  Wonder when we will be back there.

MCO Post #3

Still within the MCO and two more weeks to go.  Strange how this is the "new normal" that nobody could have predicted.  For me this period will be coloured by how difficult my boss made it - working long hours and still not being able to meet deadline, and keep getting scolded to boot.  Each work day passes too slowly for me.  Can't believe I'm in this situation at my age.  Anyway my plan is to weather out the next 3 months until this project ends and then see how it goes.

On the home front, JE is happy not to be in school. SE wants to go already.

I am MCO-ing

This dish called "Pater" appeared from Jane's kitchen. Rice topped with chicken and steamed in banana leaf packet - quite nice.

Thumbs up for Pater

Our stock of doughnuts transformed to chocolate ones... 

Add on the sprinkles

And the marshmallows. Done!

Last Friday ordered Balinese food from The Uma for a change.  Something to celebrate having gotten through a tough work week too.  Not bad, overall enjoyed this.

Let me check this out... OK thumbs up!

What else... kiddos decided to play with lanterns haha.  What to do when you don't have much choice.

Pretty huh?

Learning from home

JE started having online assignments via Google Classroom a month back.  Then the teacher started online classes via Zoom as well.  I'm definitely impressed by how passionate her teachers are in doing their work.  That appears to be going well.

Zoom class

SE just started.

Hmm? Why do I have to have class?

Su Ern! Come and listen to this audio your teacher put up!

Don't want

Su Ern!

*Doing weird pose

Su Ern, sit properly and do the work!

Gnngnnggn

Not going so well for the smaller girl.  I'm making it a point to go through one or two assignments with her during lunchtime and at night.  I'm a banana and useless at the Chinese work though.  Luckily she doesn't have many assignments.

JE's birthday 2020

Life continues within the MCO.  JE turned 10!  A 'different' kind of birthday this year.   Well not THAT different from her 7th birthday when she caught chickenpox.

Only problem... our trusty bakery for birthday cakes was closed.  So were the two other bakeries I checked out.  Last resort would have been slices of Secret Recipe cake (this one looked open, but we couldn't possibly finish a whole cake from there).  Then I found a nearby bakery which operated from home and delivered.  So JE had a chocolate birthday cake.  Cake, check.

Happy 10th birthday to me

Present-wise, Shopee came to the rescue.  She got a claw machine which was delivered in time for her birthday.  Present, check.

Claw, claw a toy!

The final touch was supposed to be KFC for dinner.   However... they were out of fried chicken.  Managed to get nuggets and other items though.  So still a 'special' dinner (and we had KFC again  the next day for lunch, with fried chicken this time)

I'd say that overall, all requests of the birthday girl were met.

Happy birthday to JE!

MCO Post #2

Continuing on with posts during MCO.  For work days, I only go downstairs to grab meals and rest a while.  Other photos are sent by Jane.

We have been having a variety of food for lunch.  Jane actually made popiah from scratch (idea from my mum).  Interestingly, we had planned for a last family dinner of 'popiah' before Jane went home for her much-anticipated 1-month break.  Then the world changed... Manila was on lockdown which meant she could fly in but not get back to her home in the province.  Malaysia then followed suit with MCO.  So Jane is still with us.

Popiah

Which turns out is a very good thing!

Some Filipino/Spanish glutinous rice dish

She made churros with the kids... they had fun and the results turned out pretty good.

Chefs getting ready

Rolling, shaping

Churros in various shapes

Also doughnuts.  She didn't expect the dough to rise that much.  So we ended up with tons of them!  Luckily they were yummy and soft.

Lots of doughnuts!

Looks like the kids are rather enjoying the MCO!

MCO (Movement control order)

I've been working nose to the grind through MCO so far.  Sigh.  I'd tendered my resignation from this job earlier since for whatever reasons, it entailed me working long hours all the time.  Even my maid commented that I am not peaceful at my new job!  BUT... after serving a month of the 3 months' notice, I started looking for a job.  And found that the grass outside doesn't look greener at all.  So when my boss talked to me about staying, I decided to retract the resignation.

So on the bright side, I get a steady paycheque during this tough times.  On the other, I still work like a dog.  Work ends 10 or 11pm with barely any time for the kids.

What have JE and SE been up to....

Playing Monopoly

SE drew this in response to the topic given by the art teacher.  Not bad I think, at least the trolleys look like trolleys!

Supermarket Toilet Roll Crisis by Su Ern

I had time last weekend to make these strawberry cupcakes with JE.  SE was mostly a nuisance haha.  

Strawberry cupcakes!

Then the workweek started and I was stuck upstairs working the whole day, every day.  My maid Jane was sick for 2 weeks at the start of MCO, getting everyone worried.  Luckily she has finally pulled out of it and she's the one entertaining the kids.

We made popcorn!

Popcorn picnic outside

She's also thinking up and cooking a variety of food.

Wraps for lunch

MCO continues so more posts coming.