Amsterdam, Netherlands 2015

As a kid, my Dad often recounts his travels in Europe when he was studying in England. I remembered listening to his accounts with admiration, wanting to step foot in places he had been when he was a youth. This summer, after visiting Tim's family in France, we planned a short stopover at Amsterdam, Netherlands! Amsterdam is one of the cities my Dad often talked about. He loved the windmills, visited cheese factories and tried the infamous Dutch herring. My mom still keeps the postcard he sent her from decades ago.

Prior to the trip, I pour through travelogues, guidebooks and youtube videos on Amsterdam. Since we were only spending 3 days in that city, I wanted to visit as many places of interest as possible. Things didn't turn out quite like how I've planned after I tore my ligament in France, but it turned out to be one of the best trips we had!

Day 1

One-way taxi trips from Schiphol airport to Amsterdam city costs approximately €30-40. As budget travellers, we took the train instead (€5.10 /pax). It takes 20 minutes to reach the city! We stayed at Mövenpick Hotel for the 3 days. The hotel provides shuttle service from Amsterdam Centraal every 30 minutes. Should have been super convenient, but the week we arrive was the Amsterdam Sail event which takes place every 5 years! What's the odds of that?! It took us 10 minutes to walk to the hotel from the station with our luggage. Not a good start, but we were in awe when we looked out from our hotel window! The event was right in front of our hotel! We could see ships from all over the world! It was truly captivating. 

Amsterdam Sail 2015

Amsterdam Sail 2015

After staring out of our windows for a good half hour, we headed our to Albert Cuyp market. Travelling around Amsterdam city is a breeze. You could purchase a 24-hour OV card for €7.50, which entitles you to unlimited tram rides. 48/72 hours OV card is also available.  Albert Cuyp market is the biggest street market in Amsterdam. You could find fresh produce, tantalizing street food, spices, kitchen & home ware, souvenirs, etc. Tim bought a Ravioli cutter for himself. We loved the seafood from Vishandel - one of the seafood stores in the market. The trio seafood platter was our favorite! We went back on the third day for more. To my delight, a huge Albert Heijn (AH) supermarket is adjacent to Albert Cuyp. I have the habit of visiting supermarkets of the countries I visit. We bought fruits, snacks and daily supplies there. I particularly like the smoothies and mint infused water. The individually packaged AH stroopwafels were pretty good too.

Amsterdam Centraal

Dutch Herring

Colorful blooms

Fresh produce

Mint & lemon infused water

Mint & raspberry infused water

In the evening, we strolled around Nieuwendijk and bought fries from Manneken Pis - voted as Holland's no. 1 fries! The queue never stops here. In my opinion, they were pretty average, but the variety of condiments was good.

Famous fries

 Day 2

Windmills are often associated with Netherlands. I wanted to see one up close! We got up pretty early and travel to Zaanse Schans, a quaint town with traditional windmills! From Amsterdam Centraal station, take a train to Koog-Zandijk. The journey is approximately 30 minutes, round trip ticket costs €6.50. A €10 fee is payable at different windmills. I went to the spice mill which was free. You can read more about Zaanse Schans here. Some of the attractions open by 8AM. We went early to avoid crowds.

Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans

In the afternoon, we headed to Bloemenmarkt - flower market. You could find fresh flowers, tulip bulbs and numerous souvenir options here. I selected a bundle of wooden tulips for my mother. It was a nice reminiscent moment for me as I thought about my Dad, picking out souvenirs for her more than 30 years ago while they were still dating. Maybe my kids might pick out something for me next time - Keep the cycle going.

After lunch, we headed to Waterlooplein flea market for sightseeing and shopping. I got beautiful kitchenware and and summer baskets from one of the stores. In my opinion, it was an exciting experience shopping at Waterlooplein, simply because you never know what treasures you could find here. One man's junk is another man's treasure. I like vintage items and you could find a good collection here. We also visited HEMA (an Ikea-like departmental store). Tim fell in love with HEMA and got many things for himself - hand blender, carving board, stationeries and kitchen accessories.

In the evening, we walked along the canals to soak in the atmosphere and had dinner at Chinatown. Scrumptious Asian food is readily available! Nasi padang, Dim sum, roasted meat, you name it.

Day 3

On our last day in Amsterdam, we headed out early to Albert Cuyp market for brunch. I bought an additional suitcase to keep the things we bought in Amsterdam... This is the first time I needed extra baggage for a trip! In the evening we headed to Schiphol airport via the train and had dinner there. There is a HEMA and AH Supermarket at the airport. You could do last minute shopping before your flight. We took KLM home and there is a strict 23kg/baggage limit for check-in bags. Tim's luggage was overweight by 0.7kg and we had to remove some items from the bag before we could check-in the baggage. Despite the small hiccup, we had a good time and look forward to our return. Probably in 5 years time? During the next Amsterdam Sail event :) Amsterdam is so accessible and we absolutely loved the whole experience we had there.

Daiso - Crafts galore

I visited Daiso recently to purchase sewing thread. Needless to say, I walked out of the store with more than thread in my basket! The wide array of craft materials was a feast for my eyes but bad for my pocket. The aisle and aisle of items were mesmerizing! The pictures speak for themselves.

Colored thread

Pearl head pins

Googly eyes and buttons

Black thread

Purse handles

Bag straps

Elastic bands

Bag handles

Purse frames

Synthetic leather bag handles

Zippers

Furkids - Daily routine

My furkids have a pretty standard daily routine. They wake up at 6:30AM with me - Ronny would automatically go to the litter box while Truffle wait outside my bathroom while I wash up. She will meow incessantly till I get out to pet her. After dressing up, I'll pet the furkids (approx. 5 minutes) before rushing out. They spend most of the day sleeping on our bed or at their favorite hideouts. (We came to know this on occasions when we stayed at home) When dusk falls, the furkids will hang out near the main door to anticipate our return. Usually we will be home by 7:00PM if we do not have plans for the evening. Ronny and Truffle at the door to greet us and demand for pets. They have dinner at 7:30PM and spend the rest of the evening playing before retiring to bed by 9:00PM. The cycle continues the next day. There's something comforting about having pets at home. Everyday I look forward to rushing home to spend time with them. I'll automatically forget about the bad day at work or any other stresses. Maybe I've come to embrace my inner "Crazy-Cat-Lady".

Truffle & Ronny cuddling on our bed.

Truffle watching Korean drama while I fold laundry in the guest room.

Grass eating time.

Ronny climbing into my closet.

Ronny dozing off in my closet

Truffle sleeping on my pillow.

Truffle drinking from a fish bowl.

Leather anniversary

Tim and I will be celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary next month. I used to think that married life is not very different from dating, but boy was I wrong! We did not have squabbles over lift-the-toilet-seat or capping-the-toothpaste issues, but we had our fair share of fights over ridiculous or mundane things. For example, Tim dislikes me standing beside him when he cooks, he cannot tolerate tardiness and often chides me for buying too many things. On the other hand, I dislike him leaving dirty dishes in the sink overnight, I find it difficult to accept his overly thrifty habits and unhealthy food choices, and often admonish him for the dishevelled state of his hobby room. The 3 years of marriage did not cause me to miraculously accept his idiosyncrasies and bad habits (which I still dislike). It's not happening now, and unlikely in the future too. 

Instead, the 3 years of marriage taught me more about myself. Surely I can't be wrong for wanting a cleaner home environment, wanting him to be healthier, wanting gratification though retail therapy, wanting to dress up more nicely for him...Surely I have the best intentions! It is all because I love him! Right? Surely other wives could identify with my struggles for wanting the best for their spouse. Indignantly, this went on for some time. 

I don't know what prompted me to gradually discover how careless my words are towards Tim. Maybe it's divine intervention. Maybe it's my conscience. Although he never confronted me about my approach or speech, I came to realize that in wanting to meet certain intentions or expectations, I unwittingly choose the harshest words to bring across my point. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with harboring good intentions for our loved ones. I was shocked to realize how unabashed I was in being the opposite of gentle and patient. In preserving my pride, I often could find an excuse to justify my actions. Whatever happened to the virtuous of the wife from Proverbs 31 that I aspired to be? Or the promise (wedding vow) I made to be his best friend all the days of his life? 

The 3 years of marriage taught me that I am capable of being selfish and prideful in achieving what I want. The 3 years of marriage taught me that loving Tim and accepting him for who he is often involve me taking up my own cross. Daily. It involves constantly choosing to love the other person more than oneself. It entails personal sacrifice. Nobody told me it was going to be this hard. No one told me I would continuously stumble and fail. The 3 years of marriage taught me that I need Jesus more than ever. I need His strength and grace to take up my own cross. Daily. I'm not perfect, but I need Jesus to help me protect and love my spouse like wife from Proverbs 31. There is no way I can do it with my own strength.

In the West, there is a tradition of giving leather to partners in the 3rd anniversary to celebrate the durability of the relationship. You can read about the tradition here. Apart from it's natural durability, leather needs frequent care to maintain its permanence and quality. I suppose it like marriages too. The durability of a relationship is also dependent on the tender loving care that partners invest in the each others' lives. I pray we will learn and practice this all the days of our lives.

Effects of palm oil

I have been thinking and discussing the effects of palm oil with my husband for months. We noted that palm oil commonly found in contents of food that are readily available in the supermarket. Just to name a few: coffee mix, cereals, bread, baked goods, snacks, toiletries etc. We both read reports about the benefits and adverse effects of palm oil. Since palm oil is commonly found in groceries that we frequently use, it got us concerned how it impacts our health.

WWF reported that larged areas of tropical forests have been cleared for oil palm plantations. This results in destruction of natural habitats and eviction of forest-dwelling indigenous peoples. Other sources cited the call to avoid palm oil is a trade ploy to curb palm oil's competitive and major share in the food industry. Another source quoted that palm oil us useful for preventing vitamin A deficiency, cancer, brain disease, aging and even useful for the treatment of Malaria and Hypertension. The source also noted that, palm oil could possibly interact with medications that slow blood clotting. (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs) Or perhaps there are insufficient scientific studies or evidence to proof the detrimental effects or benefits of palm oil.

I'm undecided on this. Perhaps like the old saying goes "Moderation is key".

Sources about palm oil as at 17 April 2015:
WWF - Environmental & social impacts of palm oil production
Sustainable palm oil platform - Environmental and social effects
NCBI - Effects of palm oil on cardiovascular risk
WebMd - Uses, side effects of palm oil
Sciencebasedmedicine.org - The Dr Oz red palm oil (non) miracle

Hakka Abacus Seeds 客家算盘子

Abacus seeds (the Taro ones) are unique to Hakka cuisine. My ancestral family originated from Dabu county in Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, China. Coincidentally, my husband's maternal family also originate from the same region.

When I was a kid, my grandmother would prepare Hakka abacus seeds every Chinese New Year (CNY). Hakka abacus seeds resembles the actual abacus board. The latter was used like a calculator in the past.  Hakkas prepare this dish  to signify wealth and abundance. I love the rich flavour of this dish and every family has their own special recipe.

For nostalgia sake, I'm recording my attempt at recreating this family dish.

My family's Hakka abacus seed recipe
(Serves 6-8 pax)

Ingredients:
1kg Yam or Taro
200g Tapioca flour

4 cloves of  garlic, finely chopped
200g minced meat (I used pork, but it can be substituted with any protein of your choice)
100g dried squid, julienne
200g dried mushrooms (soaked in water for an hour), julienne
1.5 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon dried shrimps
1 tablespoon light soya sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
A dash of white pepper


Method
1. Peel the skin of the yam/taro and cut them into cubes.
2. Boil the yam/taro for 15-20 minutes in a pot, until soft. (Use a fork to prick the yam. If it pricks through easily, it is cooked)

Boil the yam/taro in hot water

NOTE: The following processes have to be done while the yam/taro is hot. Do wear a pair of gloves if you need.

3. While the cooked yam/taro is hot, mash them in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher.
4. Add in the tapioca flour to the mashed yam/taro immediately, and mix well into a dough

Yam/taro dough

5. Grab handfuls of dough and shape them into balls. Each ball should be the size of a small walnut.
6.  Press the centre to obtain an abacus-shaped dough.
7. Cook the abacus seed dough in hot boiling water. When they are cooked through, the dough will float to the surface of the pot.
8. Remove the abacus seeds from the pot with a sieve and transfer them into an ice water bath immediately. Soak for 5-10 minutes.
9. Drain and transfer the cooled abacus seeds to a clean bowl and mix with a table spoon of oil (to prevent them from sticking together).

Shape the dough into abacus seeds

Boil the seeds in hot boiling water until they float to the surface

 10. Add half a tablespoon of oil into a frying pan. Turn on the fire to medium heat.
11. Add chopped garlic, shrimps and dried squid to the frying pan after the oil is hot.
12. Stir-fry the mixture till fragrant. Add the minced meat and stir-fry till the meat is partially cooked.
13. Add the abacus seed to the mixture and stir fry for 5 minutes.
14. Add soya sauce, fish sauce, pepper and shaoxing wine to the mixture. Stir-fry till the minced meat is well cooked.
15. Viola! Transfer the abacus seeds to a nice serving plate/bowl. Serve while it is hot. (The abacus seeds could store up to 1 week in the refrigerator too)

Hakka Abacus seeds

Kin Soon Company - Minton Ribbons

One of my favorite craft shops in Singapore is Kin Soon Company, a.k.a Minton Ribbons. Tucked in at quiet end of Arab street, it is a gem to behold. Click here to visit their site. Minton has a good  humongous selection of ribbons and accompanying craft materials. All colors and patterns imaginable. I can never leave the shop empty handed. My latest trip to Kin Soon was to purchase ribbons for a friend's wedding decor. The theme of the wedding was Rainbow. I spent hours scoring through pictures on google and pinterest to get ideas. I wanted to create a colorful and elegant palette, that does not scream carnival or kiddish. At the shop, while standing at one of the ribbon aisle trying to find the best color combination, the owner of the shop came to my rescue. She asked me the theme of the wedding. Within minutes, she effortlessly picked 6 colors. With a wink, she said it will surely work. She proceeded to line the rows of ribbons in a line and let the ends fall lose. With confidence, she asked what I thought of the selection. Needless to say, I was bought over. She then shared her invaluable experience of color matching and the wedding trends she observed over the years. The whole shopping experience at Kin Soon was lovely and memorable. I can't wait to return and meet the wonderful lady and her team again.

Kin Soon Company aka Minton Ribbons

The colors for the wedding. Left to right - Red, lime green, cream, cyan, purple and pink

Gateway to the aisle

Reception table with a ribbon frame

The aisle

6th month with kitties

April marks the 6th month that we adopted our cats. They are have been an endless bundle of joy. It took us some time to understand their antics and habits. Soon a routine was established around our schedules.

5:00AM Kitties wake us up to demand for food. They usually jump on us till one of us wakes up. Timmy is the one who usually gets up to feed them.

6:30AM We get up to start the day - Set aside more food for the kitties, change their water bowl, clear the kitty litter and prepare for work.

7:15AM On days when we're lucky, we leave by 7:15 AM to avoid the morning traffic. Else we rush out by 7:30 (absolute latest!)

7:45AM Timmy drops me at the train station and we both head to our respective work stations

6:00PM Both of us end work around the same time. Usually we meet outside for dinner before heading home or one of us get ingredients from a supermarket and head home to prepare dinner

7:30PM Kittie's dinner time! They usually demand for cuddles or attention after dinner.

8:30PM Wash up, catch up on readings or housework

10:30PM We're ready for bed and would update each other about the plans for the next day or chat about any other random stuff before falling asleep by 11 or 12.

Having these 2 little ones make me realize how tough it must be for working moms to take care of their kids, sans helper! There are days when I'm exhausted and could only leave the housework or laundry to the weekends or days when I wish to stay out later for a date night but choose not to because of our cats. Kudos to moms who insist on taking care of their children and household by themselves. Although the demands of caring for pets and children are rather different, I believe the level of commitment is similar. Despite steering away from our carefree lifestyles, I wouldn't trade these "inconvenience" for anything. I love my cats.

For more information about adopting cats, you could check out these 2 amazing organizations:

Cat Welfare Society

SPCA

Gazing out of the window on a rainy day

Caught in action! Kitties jumping on us till we wake up

Ronny chilling out on the dining chair

Truffle with her teddy