Bush fire

It is the bush fire season again. But unlike previous years, this is not even Summer yet!

The air for the past few days had been choked by smoke from the BlueMountain bushfire. It had travelled ALL the way from the west to our home. Clouding the sky into red orange with roasting wood smell.

Many homes were destroyed and 1 person died trying to defend his home from the fires.

Where I am now, faces the national park. I do hope that no stupid person will be silly enough to set alight the trees anywhere in this national park. I need a bushfire plan. Apparently, no one in the house cares or worries, even thought their house were one of the few houses here in the suburb labelled to be in bushfire danger zone. *rolled eyes... is this a sign of complacency?*

So if that day really do comes one day: I will take all my essential things, packed it into my tomato, and drive out far far away.

I pray for the many people who had lost their homes and for those who are fighting hard to protect their home. I do hope that people are ready, when the time comes.

kcan

Frustrated!

Often, I always wondered why this family I married into had no brain/common sense at all.

There was this broccoli stems incidents just last week. 

MIL got freebies from her cheepo friend who is working in restaurant business. Broccoli stems.

Well, they only uses the heads in the cooking, not the stems. So what did she do? She leave them in those shopping bags and distribute to her friends when she had accumulated 'enough'. So this MIL of mine got a bag of these stems from her one day and happily 'hid' it from me by placing it in this sealed bag and placing it on the door of the fridge. She did not let me know about it till I found out one day while clearing the fridge for old veges. (I'm the one cooking now a days) 

And guess what, they had all gone BLACK! And the bag had gone wet from the moisture of the veges that some of them had wet rotten edges. 

So taking and showing her (and intend to throw it away immediately after that), 'what is this, it's bad, not good for eating. I'm going to throw it away. Next time u bring anything back, let me know.'

MIL: What, it's still ok to eat. Don't throw away. Just peel back the skin and it is still ok to eat.

Kcan: O_O but it is bad, it's gone black n rotten!

MIL: if you don't want to eat, I'll give to YiYi (aunty, her sister) 

Kcan: (wtf...)

In Chinese, there's this saying: 己所不欲，勿施于人. If you yourself does not want/desire it, do not give to others. I feel like slapping it onto her face that she should not have such evil heart to do that to others. Somewhat her little sister! (And remember the incident earlier in the year about the broken toaster?) 

In order not to get into trouble with her (trying to please her), I had to cook half of them n threw away the rest IN SECRET! 

Then yesterday, monthly called came and I was in lots of discomfort. Headache and backache. Yet I still have to cook for them while they snooze/laze away in the afternoon. I made dumplings, hoping that I can have left overs to last for a few weeks as emergency food. The SIL came to help wrap the dumplings while I made the skin from the dough. We sat there for hours, with my headache getting worst by the minute. After making each plate full of dumplings, I made sure they were pop into the fridge to freeze so I can keep them individually in bags for future use. But last night, I entrusted the task and told the steps to SIL as I am really unwell to move. (Plus my hands were all covered in dried dough) 

And after that, I was so exhausted to even clean up or check on the progress...

Behold... When I was ransacking through the freezer just then, I found this Big WHITE SOLID BLOCK.

OMG! It's the dumplings I made yesterday! That WOMAN had stuffed the unfrozen dumplings into a bag and squeezes it to a corner of the fridge. And there's two big solid bags of it! 

MAN AM I MAD!!!!!

Not only did my effort in making dumplings for the future had gone down the drain, now what the hell am I going to do with these bricks of dumplings. 

Then I had to suck it up and not show any of my anger and frustration to these people cause...'what's done already done, it is just going to make people less willing to help blah blah blah......' Eric always uses this to shut me up when trying to defend his family. WHY DO THEY NOT HAVE ANY BRAINS!!

Argh!

Then there's also the raw sea cucumber fragments that is STILL in the fridge. It had been 5 weeks since it had appeared in the fridge. For the first 3 weeks, it was left uncovered in a small bowl. Then I reminded MIL that it should be thrown away as it was uncovered n been left in the fridge for too long. 

What did she do?

She took it out from the fridge,

gave it a rinse, 

put it back in the same bowl, 

PLACE A TAKEAWAY CONTAINER ROUND LID ON TOP OF THE BOWL, 

and place it back at the same spot in the fridge. 

It's 5 weeks and ticking! I am so going to throw that away one day ...

I seriously hate living in this place.

Kcan

Long Weekend

This weekend is the labor day long weekend. It also coincides with the International Fleet review (Saturday), which marks the 100 years of Australian Navy. There are many international navy ships that sails into the Sydney harbour through last week to celebrate this event. Even the Prince Harry was here too!

The highlight of the Fleet review was the march sail pass, plane and helicopter display and fireworks!
The organisers were expecting extraordinary crowds. Therefore enforcing a 'leave your car at home' rule for anyone coming into the city.

We woke up early to set off at 9am, hoping to catch the helicopter display which Eric so wanted to see, starting at 10.45am. -_-" All along the way in the train, people were in festive mood, bringing picnics rugs, esky, outdoor chairs.... All ready to stay till late for the fireworks at 7.40pm!
We brought 3 picnic rugs, 4 vietnames bread rolls, a box of cherry tomatos, a box of Edimame beans, salted nuts and lots of water. We also brought 2 big table clothes, to act as 'scarve' against the hot afternoon sun.

We arrived to a crowded Circular Quey area, where people all lined up to enter the Opera house area. We choose an area where it faces the jetty and botanical gardens area. It was SOOO hot. The place is all concreted up and no shade at all. Under the hot midday sun, the sun rays are piercingly painful. We all hid under one umbrella. Standing behind the masses of people who were there early, we were so tiny in comparison. Cannot see anything!!! >_<
Anyhow, we later parked ourselves at an area where it is close to the toilets.

We read books, have lunch, eat snacks, make 'tent' from the table clothes... patiently waiting for things to happen.
The area we were in became an 'exclusion zone' at one point, where people who were not there from the morning could not enter. They had to stand behind a fence. While we who were there since the morning, we had the 'privilege' to remain there, as long as we don't go out of that area (apart from going to toilet). The exclusion zone was made so that all the important people can enter the opera house from the jetty. We were so excited as we thought we might even have the opportunity to meet the PRINCE!!! Unfortunately, instead of meeting the Prince, we met the delegates from all over the world that came to attend the fleet review, plus the Governor General of Australia. =( we were so sad when the trumpet blower left the jetty after the arrival of the GG.
Anyhow, the spot where we were is the perfect spot for the fireworks. Front row seat!!
Unlike normal fireworks where you see explosion after explosions of fireworks, the fireworks now is incorporate into the story of the formation of Australian Navy 100 yrs ago. There were story projected onto the sails of the Opera House and the fireworks were compliment to the scenes on it. Very educational.

The whole event ended at 8.10pm. The crowd leaving the city area was a scene one would relate to in China, where People mountain people sea will be spewing onto to the streets, towards the various bus stops and train stations. Instead of heading straight to the train station, we went to have dinner at Petaling Street restaurant. Glad that we arrived early, for the place was soon full with people arriving from watching the fireworks. We got back home at 11pm.

On Sunday, we join Eric's friend for BBQ at their place. John is the groom's man during our wedding. He invited all the coursemates from their uni days to have a gathering. Many of them are already married with little children running here n there. haha. It was a great time of catching up.

Today, sadly, Eric woke up in the early morning with tummy ache. My poor husband was in bed till almost mid day. I made chicken porridge for lunch for everyone, and he fell asleep right after that on the sofa. Just then when I went down to check on him, I found him to be a little warm.... ohmy... he's having a fever~~! 38.6degC!

So off he goes into the shower to cool him down, pop in 2 panadols, acupuncture, herbs and into the room to sleep. Hope he'll feel better soon!

A week in the hospital.

It's been a week in the hospital. The most I've ever stayed over in a hospital. Even for my mum's cancer removing operation, I also didn't stay for 24 hrs. @_@

Anyhow, Hong yan's mum had arrived, settled and is now fully adjusted to be a stay-at-hospital-cook for her daughter. The hospital provide great food, I must say. But to people from their culture, it is still quite foreign, bland, unhealthy..... So we brought her mum to various asian stores, groceries supermarket to stock up on items for her cooking spree. It's good that Hong yan has the appetite to 'order' food. We even had a takeaway beef noodles soup for her one night.

The accommodation organised by the hospital's social worker is really good. A basic room just 2 blocks down, where staff n patient's family can stay over. Costing only $30/day! It includes breakfast and have a small furnished communal kitchen where people like her mum can cook her rest of the meals. There are 3 big fridges to put her groceries in, with labels to identify the owner of  the food. Shared toilets n showers.

So her mum has settled down well in the hospital. She has even found a chinese speaking friend in the hospital! The cleaner who comes to tidy up the place speaks chinese. And she claimed that Hong yan's mum is the first Chinese to ever live there in the past 20 yrs. Wow! It's quite a blessing to have someone she can talk to there, as she speaks no english.

So this week, we will cut down the visits and focus on things which we had put off for the past week.

Need to get back to routine!
Hope your week is good too!

kcan

Hospital stay

I've been in the hospital for the last 2 days. No, I'm fine. I'm there to help accompany my friend Hong Yan. 

For her.... Well, things were up n down for her as she was quite anxious about the tumour n the cold n fever she is experiencing. The neighbour that sleeps beside her in the room have many big groups of people visiting each time (suppose max 2 person per visit, but they have like 6-7 ppl visiting each time. Thus affecting her sleep n mood. Took a while to calm her down. I stayed there from lunch to 8pm yesterday, and also from midday today.

She was pushed into doing the MRI scan shortly after I arrived. Our friend Meredith came to visit during her lunch break, but could not meet her as her MRI scan too over an hour to complete. (Hope nothing to serious)

She condition became worse after MRI scan with nauseous n dizziness. It took a while to settle with some medical help. By then it was almost 3 pm. 

We both had our lunch in her room, and she fell asleep soon after. Phew!

But things did a big turn after that, with the doctor coming in, telling us that the cough sputum collected yesterday contain the infectious virus H1N1. Oh my, can it get any more worse?!

So all hell break loose, as she started crying n screaming or me to get out of the room,for fear of infecting me. We all tried to calm her down but it was difficult. So eventually, I was 'kicked out' of the room. Lol.

So apparently, she had recently went back to china for visit and possibly contracted it there. This flu that she got is going to make the upcoming surgery very complicated because of its infectious nature. And the surgery will have to be postponed infinitely till the flu is fully recovered. Sigh....

Haha, what a change of event from being fearful of the tumour to the now unseen virus. 

But nonetheless, we still thank God for the complete control of the event. For if not of this flu, she will not have headache n other symptoms that will prompt her to go see doctor in the first place. And with that, the tumour is found!

Anyhow, she is in good hands in the hospital. The two friends that have been looking after her will be going to their nearest hospital for check up after work, while Eric and I will go down stairs to the A&E. It's weird. We all felt unwell after hearing about it. Haha. I have some tickle in my throat, while Eric felt headache. 

So please pray for our health for the next few days too. 

Her mum is arriving tomorrow, so I will just need to go airport pick her up n then drop her off to look after her daughter. Good timing indeed. 

Stay healthy everyone!

Kcan

Ice cream vs tennis ball

Eric and I had a frightening experience today.
No, not car accidents, near miss, or seen ghost. But accompanying our Canberra friend from old church to see the brain specialist. She, at age 25, is recently diagnosed with brain tumour.

So I picked up a desperate SMS on Saturday from Hongyan early in the morning. A call later, realised that she is coming to Sydney the next day, which was yesterday, for an appointment to see a brain specialist on Monday (aka today). She knew that I had worked with cancer patients in my pervious job, so she'd like me to be there to help her translate any medical information she may not be familiar with. And so we went, with Eric of course.

We picked her up early in the morning from her friends's place and brave the peak hour traffic to the hospital. During the journey, she had an episode of seizure.
Then during the consultation, she had an episode again, right in front of the specialist.
The doctor described her tumour as of the brain coverings, not of the brain itself. It is however though, growing into the brain, squashing the brain along the way as it grows. Like pushing a tennis ball into a tub of ice cream. The tumour is BIG. 5 cm in diameter. Imagine it's almost the size of the fist!

What is more frightening, was that the seizures were caused by the tumour squashing onto the brain. And today alone, it was as frequent as every hourly. Prior to that, was 2 weeks ago. So something was not really right. Initially after the specialist appointment, her friends were to drive her back to Canberra. So Eric n I drop her to meet up with her friends at a food court. We help her buy some lunch and said our good byes n all.....

However, 2 hrs later, her friend called, saying that they are still at the food court, waiting for the ambulance to come over. Hongyan's seizures were worst and her fever had peaked. They were unsure if she is fit for the long journey to Canberra.

So, the paramedics took her to the hospital to make sure her fever n seizures were well controlled. And instead of heading back to Canberra, she is to stay over in the hospital tonight, and maybe even possible of having the surgery to remove the tumour here in Sydney.

Please pray that she will continue to remain trusted in God and our Lord Jesus. Pray for peace n strength for her to go through these alone in a foreign place. Pray that her mum's visa to come here to visit n take care of her will be granted soon. Her family were far away (inner Mongolia) and very worried. Her mum had flew to Beijing awaiting the granting of visa.
Pray for the doctors, for the wisdom and knowledge, to do the best they can for Hongyan.
Pray that she will find calm in knowing that many people are praying for her, both in Sydney and Canberra. And lastly, pray that we as her only few friends here can help her as much as possible to make her feel comforted and loved.

I thank God for his perfect timing and plans for the various people/events/situations that happen. And we lift up all this into your hands for you are in control.

Kcan

Scenarios

A few weeks ago, I had put a scenario out to my friends on Facebook.

I had chatted to my friends, mum and a few of my church friends about it.

If it was  you, what would you do?

The drain was blocked, so had to use buckets for catching the water from washing machine. It was the final rinse and you realised your mum/friend/housemate/dad/husband/wife had wander off elsewhere and had forgotten to keep an eye on the water in the bucket. Water in the bucket is overflowing and flooding throughout the laundry.....what would you do? And why?

A: try stop the washing machine, let whoever know so as to get their attention. Maybe help clean up the mess?

B: try stop the washing machine, let whoever know so as to get their attention. Then go away, since they create the problem, they deal with the mess.

C: try stop the washing machine, not let them know, then walk away. They can deal with it when they realised their forgetfulness.

D: try stop the washing machine, not let them know, then walked away. If they came back n realised of the mess, tell them that you saw it flooding the laundry and had tried to stop the washing machine. Then walked away and let them clean up the mess.



This obviously happened when we found out that the pipes were leaking and we had to stop using the washing machine. The only way we can get by those weeks, were to fill the buckets and carry it down a level to the bottom level's toilet and pour it away. Very heavy and dangerous job, for the stairs are all carpeted and every time, we don't know when the water will be out next! =(

The worst thing was, the IN-LAWS were back. Not one, BUT TWO!!!!

Anyway, what will you do in the above scenario? A, B, C, D?

Personally, A will be my immediate answer, B if I think they can clean up the place adequately themselves.

And NEVER D.
Because if I do that, don't you reckon it is very 欠扁 (asking for trouble), or just plain selfish.

Well... will update on this episode on another day.

kcan

Downs...

Sorry for not updating for the last few weeks.

Had been having really down times. Surprisingly, it coincides with the arrival of my in-laws. hur hur...

Anyway... I think I need some serious help. I just cannot help myself from crying and crying and crying. It is really frustrating living here. Seeing people sneaking here n there like a rat, hiding and stuffing silly things like news paper or plastic bags in every small holes/gaps you can find in the shelves.

I don't know why I had to endure at this place for so long. I hate it when they criticized me for changing their way to suit my way, when I am the one asked to help them clean up their filthy home.
And they had not even lift up their little finger to help! 9 Bloody MONTHS!!

I so longed for home with my parents.

Late last week, I attended work seminar in the city. Ollie from uni days came with senior Jenny to attend too. It was a nice catch up with Ollie and Jenny. The only regret was not able to try out what I had learned with patients... Because I had none~! I seriously don't know why this 9 months had past yet the clinic had not started. Crap just kept pilling and pilling, and things that are not our business became out business, and then 9 months down the road, our goal was still no where in sight.

What crap and business you may ask? Well, these are some of the crap and business:
Crap includes the other house, where it had plumbing, trees, walls paper, and many headache things to consider. We thought we can move out to live there 2 months later, but there are many things which their greedy minds wanted to do. Like, rebuilt the place or extend the place, so it can fetch a higher selling price in the future. We drove all the way to displays homes and such during one fine day, and realised that it will take 18months to build one from scratch.
So now the place is left idle.

'Business' includes the kitchen, wall cracks and plumbing issue at THIS place. So that kitchen frame took a while for the pest control dude to declare good to replace. 3 Monthes! Then it took her another 2 months to get some carpenter or builder to come and fix it. But no! No Carpenter or builder came. She went to find the wood work guy to make her the window frame. He recommend his friend who is a licenced handy man to come and fix up the frame and kitchen, but no... No one came. By then, she went overseas, and Eric and I had to take it into our 'business', learning how to replace the plasterboard, fixing the frame and then later paint the whole dame kitchen, because the kitchen was a ugly PINK, where we could not find it's original colour.
Another 'business' was the cracking in the wall. The crack was always  there, but of course, people who stayed in the house don't give a blink, till people like us start questioning if it was actually safe? Because, the  tiles started lifting off the floor, showing a big gap of almost 8mm where by you can see down the concrete underneath, and the windows of the affected side cannot be close when you tried opening it. There's also the sinking walkway at the side of the house where it looks like a whole concrete pathway had detached itself off the top and side and is sinking down the ground underneath.
So that involves us having to call the engineers to come and access the damages and also to find out the root cause of the damage.
The first engineer came, gave some crappy solution which I do not buy. He wanted us to dig a hole at the side of the house to dig out 'stones/sand' that could have pushed the wall out from the rest of the house, that was causing the damage. It took me almost another few weeks to convince Eric to get another opinion. And the 2nd engineer came and found a gaping tunnel underground that showed signs of soil erosion which signifies a  burst pipe!
With that, we isolated the whole house to only 2 usable toilet and sinks. The top and bottom most level. That also meant that we cannot use the kitchen sinks, and laundry, for all the waters from that level goes through the leaking pipe.
We lived like that for almost 3 weeks and it was finally fixed this Monday.
With the plumbers, they also found a storm water pipe breakage and blockage. Storm water pipe channels all the water from the roof down the pipe onto the street. A major pipe that gets all the water from the roof from the pack of the house, and the back yard, was BROKEN!!! It took the plumbers a while to locate it's location as it was under a concrete pathway, but thankfully, we found that there was a way to get to it. It was always right infront of our eyes, but was blocked because his mum love to put the bins and empty pots n rubbish at it's entrance. So ALL the water from the rain pipe and backyard and the washings that she had illegally poured down the outdoor drain had all accumulated at the bottom of the house. GREAT.
The plumbers fixed the pipe back (yay!), but a water drainage test showed that the other end of the pipe was blocked! So they had to clear the pipe and found tree roots, mud, tennis ball!, ceremic pavers.......

So Eric started digging last week while I was at the seminar, to find the section of the pipe where it was blocked. Probably had to cut down some trees too. It was crazy.

BUT despite all of this, we STILL don't know what caused the cracks on the walls. *rolled eyes*

So yup....

kcan

Kitchen painting

Over the weekend, Eric n I had a big project to finally start painting the kitchen. 

However, it is not as simple as: slapping the paint on a brush and smearing it on the wall. 

This was what we did:

All the shelves, tables, racks... Everything which were removable and exposed, had to be removed. 

Because of the location, kitchen, we had to clean the walls, trims n doors AND ceiling with sugar soap. It was to clean off all grim, dust, dirt on walls and surfaces. 

The original trims around doors and walls were painted with glossy paint. Therefore we had to sand them down with sand paper. 

There were also many bumps and holes that needed filling-in on the walls. The compound for filling-in had to be sanded down to give a smooth surface, then painted over with a layer of undercoat. 

*Take a deep breath*

Then we can start thinking about painting. *exhausted*

The above process took us two days. And that's not with painting yet!

On Monday, we started painting the kitchen, starting from the ceiling. 

These were our equipment for the job.

I'm all geared up for the ceiling painting. Eric had not done painting before, so I had to take up the rolling brush, while he helped with the trims area which the rolling brush cannot reach. Took us a good 4-5 hrs to paint the ceiling. 

After that, we use the same ceiling paint to paint the ceiling cornice. 

As it was painted over by dark glossy paint, we had to go over the paint three times! 

We even had to take turns to eat our dinner as we did not want the paint to dry out. 

Finally at 10pm ish... It's done! 

Our brand new ceiling. Love the clean and white surfaces. 

We had to stop painting since then because of his parents arrival from overseas. Can't wait for them to leave tomorrow for their holiday, so we can continue with completing the job. 

Kcan

Kidney belt

Aching back is still bothering me for the last few days, despite cutting down on lifting n bending. God had always showed great surprises to aid our needs by having things on sale in ALDI. Aldi is a German supermarket that sells regular common groceries plus weekly special items, ranging from grdening tool, laundry needs, winter clothings, baby accessories, painting and hardware....
And these items will only be on sale for the limited time.

Back to my story...
God had always been graceous and through miraculous ways, to the point that things we needed would be out for sale in the coming week or so. Like the painting tools we bought for painting the house, electric tools which we got earlier in the year for the wood work, grouting tools for the tiles, drills n drills bits when we were fixing the kitchen window frame, silicon for the toilet.....
And now, the kidney belt for my aching back!

What is a kidney belt?

It's actually a padded cloth belt that is meant for motor bike riders while ridding. Suppose to give some support and warmth while ridding. But for me, I'm using it to help keep my lower back warm andsupported while I'm at home. I had found that my aching back would felt cold, especially during the last winter. I hope that with this it will help reduce the aching.

Spring is now well and truely on its way. The weather is a lot warmer with longer periods of sun. Yay! Can leave the washings out for longer period of time and it means less carring the clothes rack in n out of the house, cause the clothes will all dry in a day.

My little garden is also thriving with life with the new found warmth. The salads are now flowering to get ready for seeds, while my snow pea had just produced its first pea! *ecxiting*

Not sure why but when my lettuce decided to flower, they grew so tall!

Look forward to more growth from my snow pea plant! 

Down time

I just blew it yesterday. All the frustration and anger. All mixed in one.

Lets see what had happened prior....

It had been two weeks since I had gave this place a vacuum. And as usual, I had to do this all on my own. A good three story climb with the vacuum cleaner. Changing and discarding the clogged dust bin at least four times. And at the end of it, I'm battered and my back is wracked. And now, I'm still contemplating when I should pick up the vacuum cleaner again as my back is still hurting.

For the past many months since we had this stupid extended renovation in the kitchen, the kitchen had been and still in a mess. And for some unknown reason, these bastards had also became deaf while they were in their rooms. No matter how loud I shouted to call them down for dinner, or help set up for dinner, no one came. Super pissed, cause no one ever had the willingness to lend a hand or what. Just sit there n wait for food to drop from the sky. N I had learned from all these months that their slowness, means it will take another 20 mins before we can actually eat something, which by then food will be cold. All the while they just could not see how rushed I had to be so I can put food on the table on time. Do they want the slow cooking their mum does, whereby food will only be served at 9pm? Argh!

Then there's the washing up dishes. His sis kindly took up the role. Which is really helpful. But that was till she realised she can get away with washing up by eating her share quickly and dart upstairs n hibernate. Which means I had to clear up all the washings from dinner and cooking. Isn't this something a child will do? Why am I seeing it on a thirty something? Eric had a good talk with her, so tat had stopped for now. Then there is also the lack of willingness whereby if u don't have it in the sink, she will not wash them. So there is often the jobs where I had to clean up after she had clean up... (Like if i was watching tv or out at bible study, I will be greeted with jobs undone) Do you get what I mean? Sigh....

Then there is the toilet. Everyone uses it. But no one cleans it apart from me, or eric when i howled at him. I still remembered the line his sis told me on the first day we moved back. "Yay! Now there is someone to help me clean the bathroom!"

At that time, I replied "yeah, I can help clean it with you." But, see what I said, With You, not me only. Clearly her sentence means Me only, as she had since then, Never, I repeat,  NEVER cleans the bathroom. And it really pissed me off.

I had been living out of home since I'm 18. And I had lived in shared house since. Independence is like second nature to me. I learned to cook and clean and take care of myself. Plus I had to study full time n even work part time jobs. I even had time to do my St. John volunteering. Compare to here, this family is just Hopeless! What a lazy bum! 

Just as I had predicted, when I stop or refuse to cook, what do they eat? Takeaway pizza. Lazy to the point they do not even want to lift a finger and cook. 

Looking at the wall of wall papers yet to be removed. It is really daunting. I had not even manage to take off the papers from one room! Let alone the whole house. I had pleaded to eric for help. But none came. My back is now so sore tat I cannot stand up for too long. Even standing for cooking hurts. 

I'm glad tat mum n dad came to visit few months back. They had seen the place I am living. They understand the pain I am going through. I told them about the wall papers and things that needed to be done over at the other place. And you know what they say? 

"Do you need two extra hand to come and help? We can fly here for a week to help you." 

My help! 

Why can they so easily offer their help, while those lazy bums around me can't. Only once his sister had so call offered help with the other place. But when the time comes, she gave the excuse of " need to study", when obviously she was just plain lazy. Can you see how sick I am of this place? 

I really appreciate the help offered by my parents. But how can I ask two elderly to work for free on a place tat is not even theirs?! Some more now, my mum had finger joints problems and shoulder problem, plus dad had a poor back too. 

And I also donoe why I am putting myself into this bloody place, working till my back aches and head spin. It is not even mine! Can I claim my medical bills from his parents for hurting my back on their bloody houses? 

This is ridiculous.

Kcan

The frame is up!

This happen last weekend.

The long awaited kitchen frame is finally up!

No longer a gaping hole through the plasterboard and wooden beams. It's now closed!

Eric here pre-joining the three edge of the frame.

Pre-drilling holes on the frame n wall, applying adhesive glue (also called liquid nails), and sticking it up.

The last gap showing before the final piece of frame goes in.

Eric pre-drilling before applying liquid nail adhesive.

Using the glue gun like a pro! It is surprisingly difficult to apply. Needs lots of strength.

And tada! Yay! 

It took us the whole day to put it up. After this, we still have to fill up the gaps, sand, paint.....

That should be for another day.

I had also spent the whole of yesterday morning stripping off the grout on one of the bathroom shower wall. Will apply the grout tomorrow, God willing. 

I'm now officially the handy woman in the house. Feeling man-ly. Haha.

Kcan

Busy Bee

Now that Eric had gone back to the uni. I'm now left with stuff that were left half done and needs me to finish up. That's so not new, consider I had to keep an eye all the time and pick up the things lazy people just gracefully left behind. *Roll eyes*

There are 3 main things that are on my plate now.

1. Leaking grout in the downstairs bathroom. This was annoying as the person who lay the tiles (probably some doggy trades people), used Concrete instead of Grout. And this makes taking out the joining groove difficult. I had already blunt a grout removing blade from my electric multifunction tool. There is also the difficulty of having the new grout to join onto the old grout/concrete. *bleah!*
2. Wall paper in the other house. That whole place is literally all wrapped up from floor to ceiling with wall paper. It will be a messy job trying to take it down. Not to mention there are various other things wrong with the place. *sighs*
3. Painting the fence. Something I won't mind doing and will give this moldy place a good fresh paint of same look. (well, it's the same colour) 

Hope this will occupy  me for a while and get things moving. Hated it that the kitchen renovations are still half done, with the kitchen still in a mess and things overflowing to the other rooms/corridor due to the dust n dirt. Now that he is back in uni, I really wonder when it will be done. =S

On another note, I had a bit of catch up with my ex-colleague D yesterday. Initially wanted to ask her when my ex-boss is going to be back from his holiday (a friend wanted to see a doctor, so I recommend him, since there are no others I knew), but instead, I got the news that she had quit! Ha. 

She said things had gotten from bad to worse since I had left last year. She was over worked, under paid (I don't think he had given her a good pay to begin with) and this year, he did not deliver what he had promised on the pay rise. (Even dragging me down by saying that I was over paid *rolled eyes*)

She also mention that his Greed had not change a bit since I left, but seems to have grown a whole lot BIGGER! He now charges a whopping $247 for his initial consultation!! (Why? Cause there are a highly likely chance that the patients will not return due to the high fees, so he 'make up' on the loss by charging astronomical sum in the first visit. Through the years, I had observed new patient turn over rate for him was so high and retention rate so low... as low as only 1 in 10 will actually complete the treatment cycle. However, new patients will still continues to come, because of his self-declared Reputation as the 'guru' in the area, PLUS he had the $$$ to splash around to make his reputation big with media advertising and connections)

Talking about splashing $$, I was told he had bought 3 pieces of land in Bali to 'invest' and build houses. So his patients are his cash cows, feeding his extravagant lifestyle. Demand and supply you'd say. Well, Canberra had it's unique community of people. High earners, career minded women who wanted to give birth later n later, not to mention the IVF clinics that are making lots of money too. 

I am sad that people who genuinely needed his help, people who had to give up their income just to see him, were treated as 2nd-class patients.

Sigh...

On the other hand, I am happy that D is happy and enjoying her work as a Chinese medicine doctor in a busy clinic in Sydney. Her health is much better now and she is also doing part time Honours at her uni too!

*yay! great ending for her*

Oh yes, before I end off, I had FINALLY manage to call through to the HR personal of the clinic I had interest of working at weeks ago. This is ridiculous!

What made me more mad was that she actually gave me the SUPER LAME EXCUSE of:

'Oh, we are having trouble with our email system for a few weeks. I had replied to your email, but I think the system is having trouble to keeping track... blah  blah blah...' 

Seriously, people lying with their EYES wide open. For goodness sake, does a quick reply via text, phone call voice mail etc also cannot? I  had sent in like 2 emails and 2 voice mails and 4 calls to your clinic  (all in the span of the last 3 weeks) to try to reach you. And you give me this excuse?! Even tried to MIA with being sick.

Anyhow, I had no desire to be working there anymore, BUT I do appreciate that you can let me know SOONER, so I don't have to keep waiting FOR TIME IS PRECIOUS!

Inconsiderate.

kcan

Bush dance

YeeeeeHaaa!

It was the bush dance night for our church last night. It was a way people can come and gather and have fun together, plus inviting their friends to church events.

We did invite Eric's sis n aunt, but sadly they did not make it. Non the less, so many people turned up! 'About 200 people turned up!' , I heard from today's church service.
We had lots of food, live band music and of course many children n adults dressed up in their cowboy n dance girl attire.
Eric n I made a big pot of pumpkin soup n home-made Bready bread. (White n whole meal) With the multicultural mix of people at church, we had lots of food from fried rice-es ( few families cooked them), stews, chicken wings, pasta bake, salads, pies, steam buns, fried dumplings, sushi, soups (we are the only one making soup), curries, pizzas, chilli pot (!!), (take a deep breathe), and desserts such as cakes, ice cream puffs, wan-wan biscuits, more chocolate cakes, ice creams!
Haha, we had so much food left overs despite record number of people attending.

Just in case you are wondering why I can list out the food there yesterday.... Well, I was standing at the food table the whole night, organizing and arranging the various yummy food when people arrive to the event. It's a bring-a-dish event. Some Chinese brought their home cook chicken,  which consist of chicken wings with lots (and I mean LOTS!) of dried chili n Sichuan pepper. Oh my gosh, I was SO afraid that the kiddies there may mistaken them as red capsicum and put it in their plates. And by the end of the day when I get to queue up for my food, there were hardly any chicken wings left but a whole pot of dried chillies. Haha. I must say, the flavor was very yummy. But maybe not for a family event like yesterday where there were so many children around.

I hope the church will sent us the photos taken that day in the coming week. Will update you all with photos when I get them.

Eric is going back to uni tomorrow. Here comes another semester.

Kcan

Old house

Eric and I had been busy with the renovations at home for the last two weeks. It seems to be going no where as time is just not enough! When we fixed a tap, the other decides to leaks. Then the other one, and another one. Grrrr!

Anyhow, to add to our frustration, we now are in possess of another old house that is in need of renovation. Yes, an old house. It was their first home in Australia, and it is in great need of a love n facelift.  Hopefully, in due time, when we are finish with the renovations here in this big hell house, we can start moving to the other place and start living and doing the renovation there at the same time. 

Yay! Can't wait to be able to live away from the in-laws. 

So today's the day where I set foot into the place. They always talked about it but I had not been here before. It is not too far from where we are now. Basically they did not move out of the suburb. The house looks old from the outside. Large fenced off yard in the front and a small garden in the back. Entering from the front door, you can sense the age of the house, through the yellowed walls papers, faded carpets, hanging lights, old rugged door with old style handles....

Oh my, the whole house is filled with wall papered walls! Imagine the work needed to get rid of them and paint the walls. >_<

And the kitchen is in a great need of a change of face. 

And the old dirty curtains. I wonder how can you live with dirty curtains with dust n all on it? I even saw spiderweb on one of them, guess they did not move the curtains at all.

There are lots of things to be done. But glad that at least this will be a much better place to stay than a house with junk n endless work to do. (Aka: doing things for people who are incapable due to laziness)

Thank you for the blessings that comes so unexpectedly. 

Kcan

Waiting game

It had been almost 3 weeks since I had first sent in my expression of interest for a job ad on the TCM newsletter. I had gone twice to meet up with the clinic to check out the space and see how I can work there... Possibly.

Well you see, while Eric n I are still stuck in this space, trying to clean up the junk n all. It would be a good idea to take a break n work outside this space. Even if it is just few days a week. So Eric encourage me to sent in my expression of interest to the ad. But working at a clinic can be tricky, as they would not like you to live n work too close to them, so as to snatch business from them. Therefore from the start, I let them know that I am working at my own clinic and am seeing patients. The clinic I was interested in is at the infamous Kingscross, well far away from where I am staying. So that is ok. 

Last week Wednesday, Eric n I took a train ride into the city so that i can meet up with the HR person of the clinic. The meet up went quite well and the person showed me the clinic space ( which is tiny!) and what sort of things are included in the 60-40 split. Well, basically I had to provide everything that I use in treatment, from needles, heat lamp, herbs, machines.... They only gave you the room n help you with the admin n advertising side.

They need someone urgently, as there are no one doing the Wednesday shift while the other days are just half filled. 

So I told the person I may need a day or two to decide and if yes, I should be able to work in two weeks.... Which is next Monday!

So... What happened now. 

I am just annoyed and pissed that the person had not replied my email which I sent last Friday. Tried calling the number she gave me on the name card she gave me, no one picked up. I left a voice mail. Then still no reply on Wednesday ( yesterday). So I called again. This time, the phone call just go straight into voice mail. (Meaning that the mobile  is switched off or they just reject my call)

So I called up the clinic and to my surprise, the HR person had been away for the whole week. So the person on the phone wanted me to email the HR instead with regards to all matters. 

And so I did, another email and still no reply.

Seriously, I am done waiting. She is the worst person to be doing HR job, considering the people I had correspondence with before they recommended me to contact her, had have speedy responses. If you really need someone to work there, at least response! 

Don't expect me to start work on Monday. 

Bleah.

Kcan

DIY renovations

Dad n mum came for a short surprised visit last week. They only bought the tickets 1 day prior! But sadly, the weather had been storming non-stop while they were here. Even our trip to the Blue mountains, only allows us to see a fog filled views. 

We manage to catch a glimps of scenery, but we had to be quick, as the heavy fog draws like a curtain, closing in quickly.

Anyhow, the rain finally stopped the day they flew back to Perth. Oh how I love the sunshine! For the whole of this week, I had been doing lots of laundry washing and making full use of the beautiful sunshine. 

And as our visitors had gone, Eric n I started on our DIY projects around the house. 

1: There is the kitchen window frame that had been chewed up by the termites. Thus we need to replace the beams and frame. A huge project, that is still undergoing. Currently day 4!

This was how the kitchen window had been looking like since I've moved in early in the year. Pest control done, killed all the ants. Now just need to patch it up.

Eric started by measuring the plaster board to patch up the gaps. 

Doing all the measuring up. Created lots of dust. I got quite pissed off on the first day as he did not cover the things around the kitchen and dust flies all over. Guys... *roll eyes*

The first plaster board is up! Yay!

At the end of day 1, all the 3 plaster board are up. And finally, the kitchen wall is sealed.

Day 2:

We added the joint compound to join the plaster board together. Kinda like a cement. Had to apply many layers. Lots of waiting time. Realised that the beams behind the walls are not straight! So some places are budging out more than others. So had to put more compound to level it.

Eric's artwork is on the right, while I did the left side. Hehe. Who's one is nicer?

We had to leave it overnight to dry.

Day 3:

Me applying another layer to seal it. Looking good.

Today, we redo the sillicon grout at the wall. Nice n white. It was black with mold before.

We had to stop here as we will be having guest staying over the weekend. Next step for us will be to add a final coating layer, sand it down, then out the frame up, and finally paint it!

Will update more as we go.

Kcan

Invisible

Today while out at Westfield shopping, I witness a very saddening event. So much so that I felt disgusted at the lack of humane compassion in our society.

Eric n I were bursting to find a toilet before starting our shopping at Aldi. As I enter the female toilet, I saw a young Indian lady sitting right next to the hand washing basin, On The FLOOR. Yes, you are right, on the dirty toilet floor. And in her arms, is a small baby, nursing on her breast. 

As I was bursting to get to the toilet, I took a quick glance at her direction and quickly rush into a cubicle. While reliving myself ( sorry for the imagery), I wondered in my mind, what she was doing? How long has she been sitting on the floor for? Does she needs help? Does she knows that there are parenting rooms to safely breast feed in a hygienic environment? 

As I came out of my cubicle, I saw many women, glancing/ staring at her direction, before exiting the toilet. Why did no one approach her? 

I approached her. And with very simple English, I asked if she knows there are a very comfortable parenting room just around the corner. ( yes, I did washed my hands)

Waving her over and showing her the parenting room sign on the wall ( basically a baby sign), I ushered her into the parenting room, that is just 2 doors down the hallway. To tell the truth, I had never been into one before and I had always wanted to find out what is in there. There in the parenting room, welcoming us is a big comfortable sofa. Along the walls are two microwaves (for heating up baby milk/food) and nappy change tables. Gesturing her to take a sit here on the sofa instead, I said "comfortable". 

"Ok, yes, ok" was her replied. Confirming my suspicion that she could be a new migrant and not know much English. The baby gave me a big smile that melts my heart. I left them to continue the baby's meal time. However, I feel sorry that women in our society had failed to care for her. How could a women (many already with or past the age of having children) just turn a blind eye to a fellow woman, sitting in the middle of the toilet floor, breast feeding her baby! This is so degrading.

While waiting for Eric to come out of the toilet, I saw the woman carrying her son out to meet with her husband. She pointed to him the parenting room sign on the wall. I hope they will not have such experience again.

Kcan

Last paper!

Today will mark the last exam for Eric's first semester!
How quick time flies.
Hope he does well and have a good celebrations with his coursemate tonight.

For me, I shall enjoy my evening with my home make french baguette and heading out to easy english bible study.
This shall be my first time joining them. Looking into doing ministry work there, teaching people about the bible. Please pray for me as I look into this ministry at church and the opportunity to serve.

Hope you have a good evening too!

kcan

Sweet Potato Hee Pan

Thank you Hakka Chan for the recipe!
If you'd like to visit her blog with this recipe, here is the link to Hakka Chan.

The recipe for  Hee Pan. As usual, I did a little alteration to the recipe as I go. Mainly because the dough seems quite dry with the amount of water given. I half the recipe given by Hakka Chan. =)
In the end, I made 25 little golden Hee Pan.

200 g Steamed sweet potatoes
250 g Glutinous flour
350 g Plain flour
100 g Rice flour
100 g sugar
325 ml Lukewarm water (I mixed the water from my steamed sweet potatos with plain water)
2 tbsp cooking oil for the dough
1 tbsp yeast (I dissolved it with some lukewarm water from above)
2 tbsp cooking oil for moulding.

Use a good big wide pot as the amount of flours added to be quite a big dough. A good pot with flat base will be ideal.

1. Sieve the flours and mix it all together with sweet potatoes, sugar and oil.
2. Make a well in the center of the mix and add the lukewarm water slowly, using your finger to slowly mix the flour to the water to form a sticky soft dough. 
3. When well mix, add in the dissolved yeast into the dough. Gently kneading and mixing it. (If by this time, the dough is still quite dry and not sticking together, add more lukewarm water by sprinkling it onto the dough with your fingers. This helps to prevent adding too much water by accident.)
4. Knead the soft dough for 20 mins, till it forms a nice dough that does not sticks to your finger or the pot.
5. (I will be putting a video up on how to knead a dough)
6. When the dough is smooth and soft, let it rest for 1 hr in a warm place. (In my case, it is the oven which I had warmed up slightly) The size of  the dough will be around double in size. If not, let it sit for a little longer.
7. During the waiting time, wash and cut up banana leaves into squares, or baking paper if you don't have. Banana leaves helps gives a nice fragrance when steamed. Let the banana leaves dry.
8. When the 1 hr is up, give the dough a few strong knead to push out all the air trapped inside the dough.
9. Moisten the palm with some oil and pinch some dough. Mold it into even ball size and place it on the banana leaf. Flatten the top slightly. Let it rise again for about 30 mins.
10. Heat up the water and when the water is boiling, put the dough+leaf onto the steam rack and steam for around 15-20mins.
11. When the time is up, be careful lifting up the steaming lid. Avoid dropping the water onto the buns, or it will turn 'ugly'. 
12. Cool it on a rack or on top of old newspaper to absorb/evaporate the steam. When it is cooled, keep it in an air tight container. 

I love my Hee Pan cooled than hot from the oven. =) How about you?

My verdict: Taste wise, yummy! Size wise,  I wonder if the weather is too cold for the yeast to work. Haha. I may add a little more water next time so that the dough is softer and 'sticky-er' so that the real shape of Hee Pan can be made. =p

But non-the-less, this recipe shall be in my book for  years to come! ^_^

(if you don't have sweet potatos, can just omit them. May need to add more water. If you like yours pink, add a drop of pink food dye at step 4.)

The dough after rising.

Making into small balls. Letting it rise again.

Stacking them up in Steamy! Can't wait!

Tada! Just hot out of the steamer. =)

Yummmmm~!

Hope you enjoy it too!

kcan

Exciting time awaits!

I grew up in a Hakka village in Malaysia, with both my mum n grandma's family being Hakka.

We had a neighbor just across from my grandparents's place, whom make and sold traditional Hakka kuehs from his family home. I remembered following my mum to their place in the afternoons to buy those fresh out of the steamer kuehs. And their sweet aromas just sticks in my memory. Even the burning wood they used to fuel their steamers. Every now and then when I smell the burning fire place, my memory will take me back to my grandparents's place and the aroma from the neighbour's kueh factory. 

Among the many traditional kuehs, my favorite is the the Pink kueh and the vege kueh. Longing to taste the sweet chewy buns, I looked up on the Internet for someone special to post the recipe. And here it is! Hee Pan 喜板. 

Thank you Hakka Chan for the recipe!

At the time of posting, I am now waiting patiently for the kueh to proof in the warm oven. But I can already smell the sweet familiar fragrance. A smell that is so different to making bread. It must be the different rice flours that is commonly used in Asian kuehs. 

Some picture for you to see.

Kneading the dough.

The final product, let to proof in a warm oven or a sunny place. The weather is so cold here. So I had to put it in a warm oven.

Now, I wait.

Will update you again. 

Kcan

Pickled green chilies

Went to the veges shop after bible study on Wednesday to get some eggs. Saw them selling a pack of green chilies at $1/pack!

I don't take much chilies in my meals. But I do love a good pickle green chilies to go with my fried noodles! =D

Firstly, gave mum a called to ask for recipe.

Washed the green chilies and dried them overnight.

Sterilized a glass jar by cooking the bottle n lid in a hot boiling pit of water. Boil for 10 mins.

Leave it to dry. Careful not to touch the insides if the jar n lid.

Using a scissors, cut the chillies straight into the jar.

Add about 4 tablespoon of sugar (I use raw sugar) and pour in white rice vinegar till it covers the top of the chillies. If you have excess amount of lemons or limes at home, you can substitute it for vinegar, giving it a more fruity taste. According to mum, sugars give the chillies a good crunch n colour, instead of turning them soft n yellow. 

I seal it with a glad wrap and cover it with the lid. I placed it in the fridge, and it shall be ready to eat in few days time! =)

Definitely going to buy some noodles for stir fry!

Kcan

After dinner dessert- chocolate pudding

We loves to have some sweet treats after dinner in some weeks. Especially after a long hectic day at work, or in Eric's case, at uni.

I only like desserts that are simple n easy to make. Of course, yummy to eat too! 

We came across this a few weeks ago at our local Coles supermarket. Half price! =D

My first time trying out the Greens Chocolate pudding. 

It was for 4-6 servings. So I made 4 as there's only 3 of us at home now. 

The instructions were simple n straight forward. 

Here's the chocolate puddings, straight out of the oven!

Nice looking cracks in the middle. Looks like a volcano going to erupt. Haha.

Digging into the hot pudding. 

Oh my, the insides were still in liquid form! Just like a chocolate lava cake. *yumm!*

Look at the melting chocolate at the bottom!

Nice and warm for the cold winter nights.

We all finished our share of chocolate pudding and could have no more. 

The puddings were very sweet. So much so that we got sick of eating it after a few bites. So that's why it could have 6 servings.

We kept the remainding pudding in the fridge and had it cold the next day. It tasted like cold custards!

Yumm!

Will try the other Greens products next time they are on half price sale. =D

Kcan

Black sesame bread loaf

The bread basket  rack was empty again. Thinking what kind of bread should I bake this time, I decided to make use of the well expired black sesame powder belonging to my MIL, sitting in the fridge.

I've been trying out with making white loaf from Happy Home Baking. And this recipe has turned out quite well each time. So I decided to modify it with adding in Sesame powder. (more nutritious than just pure white bread)

This is the white bread recipe, as adapted from Happy Home Baking. I had added and do some changes to the ingredients and methods to modify it to a Sesame bread for baking in my bread maker.

Black Sesame Bread loaf

Ingredients
(makes one 600g loaf)

550g bread flour
50g Black Sesame powder
2 teaspoon instant yeast
2 tablespoon caster sugar
1.5 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons milk powder
420ml water 
20g butter, soften at room temperature
Method: (I used a bread maker to mix the ingredients and make into a dough) If you don't have a bread machine, READ THE 2ND PART OF THE STEPS)

1. Add all the ingredients, except the butter, into the bread machine mixing bowl, as according to the steps of adding wet/dry ingredients. Separate the yeast, away from the sugar and salt.
2. Mix the ingredients in the bread maker dough function for about 5-10 mins till all the ingredients all combined to form a non-sticking dough.
3. Add in the butter, and continue to use the dough function to knead it for about 30-40 mins. This will incorporate the butter into the dough. 
4. At the end of the kneading cycle, the dough will no longer sticks to the side of the bowl, and becomes smooth and elastic. To know if the dough is well kneaded through, do a window pane test.
5. Window Pane test: Pinch a small piece of the dough, pull and stretch it. It should be elastic, and can be pulled away into a thin membrane without tearing/breaking apart. If it is, well done! The dough is now ready for proofing.
6. Take the dough out of the bread machine mixing bowl and placed into a lightly greased (with vegetable oil) mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about one hour, or until double in bulk. (In the cold winter now, I lightly warm the oven to around 40 degC and let it proof in there)
7. Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. (this will stop having big gas holes in the bread when baked) Smooth into round, cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let it rest for another 15-20mins.
8. Roll the dough into a rectangle on a flat surface. Roll it up Swiss-roll style into a log. Remove the kneading blade in the bread maker mixing bowl. Place the log of dough, seam side down, into the bread maker mixing bowl. 
9. Now cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave the dough to proof for the second time for about 40 ~ 50mins, or until double in size, or when the dough has almost reached the rim of the tin.
10. Pop the whole bread maker mixing bowl into the bread maker. Set the bread maker into baking mode. Bake for 50 mins.  Remove from bread maker, unmold immediately and let cool completely before slicing.

Kneading by hand.

1. Mix milk and water.
2. Stir bread flour, caster sugar, salt, and instant yeast in a mixing bowl.
3. Add in milk mixture. Mix the ingredients with hand and slowly form into a dough.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead until the dough no longer sticks to your hand, becomes smooth and elastic. This should take about 20 mins. Do the window pane test: pinch a small piece of the dough, pull and stretch it. It should be elastic, and can be pulled away into a thin membrane without tearing/breaking apart. Wrap the butter in the dough and continue to knead until the butter fully incorporates into the dough.
5. Place dough in a lightly greased (with vegetable oil) mixing bowl, cover with cling wrap and let proof in room temperature (around 28 to 30 degC) for about one hour, or until double in bulk. (In the cold winter now, I lightly warm the oven to around 40 degC and let it proof in there)
6. Remove the dough from the bowl and give a few light kneading to press out the gas in the dough. (this will stop having big gas holes in the bread when baked) Smooth into round, cover with a damp cloth or cling wrap and let it rest for another 15-20mins.
7. Roll the dough into a rectangle on a flat surface. Roll it up Swiss-roll style into a log. Place the log of dough, seam side down, into a well greased pullman tin (or a bread loaf tin).
8. Now cover with damp cloth or cling wrap and leave the dough to proof for the second time for about 40 ~ 50mins, or until double in size, or when the dough has almost reached the rim of the tin.
9. Baked in pre-heated oven at 180 degC for 30-35 mins or until golden brown.  Remove from owen, unmold immediately and let cool completely before slicing.

When the bread had cooled down, I like to wrap it in a tea towel to keep it fresh. But If you are in a humid area, I think it will be best to keep it in an air tight container. Home make bread can last for 3 days, though it is best eaten on the day of making. They tend to gets dryer as time goes by too.

Serve with butter and a good cup of coffee. Yum!

Eric and I had lunch that afternoon with toast with Egg n Onion Omelette. Delicious~!

Happy baking!

kcan