A Tale of 2 Nieces

I brought 2 of my nieces, 17mo A and 22mo C to shop for groceries on Monday. My in-laws are away and so I cared for A while her parents worked. C's sister, B has her regular swimming lessons in the morning and my MIL is not around to care for C. I reckon they both will love it if I bring them out on my regular Monday morning shopping, instead of just staying at home with them. This is the first time for them that they come out with me (have never brought C without B coming along, and it is my first with A) and the first time that both of them are out together (without B). 

I told A and C they have to be good and obedient so that we all can enjoy this 街街 'kai kai' (cantonese slang which refers to "shopping") session. The girls were so happy and excited in the car, as I think that was the first time they were both in the same car together. A was especially thrilled to have C sitting beside her in the car, since she has been the only child passenger in any (her parents') car. She would giggle every now and then and grins when C hums and sings along to Colin Buchanan's songs played in the car.

On arrival at the shopping centre, I was very surprised and pleased to see a duo shopping trolley available. I could have both and infant and a toddler sit together, side by side with each other. I sat the younger A on the baby compartment (a little unsafe because I could not strap her in with her sitting up most of the time. I have to keep a constant eye on her) and the older C in the normal seat compartment. 

Our first stop: the newly opened Aldi at the shopping centre. I told the girls that I would not let either of them down because I only intend to spend a short time there. They were quite good, just looking around curiously and I would engage them to help me choose fruits and veggies to buy. 

At Woolies, they were allowed to take turns to come down the trolley. A was first given the chance to help push the shopping trolley - something which her mum said she love to do and would tire her out. 

Within 5 mins, A is tired and she comes to me and signals for me to carry her (that was cute! - because A used to not want me to carry her :)) When it was C's turn to push the trolley, she gave all her energy into it! She alone could push the trolley without me! And when she hits an obstacle, she is able to turn the trolley by herself and continue to push. Often, I have to say "妹妹, stop pushing. Wait, I need to pick up something." She has energy like a bull for her age! (cute :))

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They were very cooperative, helpful, obedient and well behaved. I'd enlist their help to put my purchases in the trolley. I think they really love this new experience of shopping with their 舅妈 :)

'Reward' of morning tea at the end of shopping

I had about 3 to 4 Aussie ladies asked me if A and C were twins. The truth is that they are 5 months apart :)

Would I bring them out again? I think so. Don't you think they are super cute? ;)

Smart (?) Shopping

For 2 consecutive weeks in July, I was overcharged for my groceries from Woolies. This is not the first time I was overcharged by a supermarket. I am glad I noticed it when I checked my receipt after I paid. Generally, if the product you buy was scanned at the wrong price (usually more than what is supposed to be), the store will refund you the amount of the product, which means you get the product for free.

Today, I bought some mountain bread. It was on sale, buy one get one free for A$3.79 each. After I paid for it, I checked the receipt and realise that I was overcharged for the bread. After the supermarket staff checked the price, I was refunded the amount of both the mountain bread charged A$7.58 (A$7.60 in cash). 

It pays to know the price of the products you buy. After you pay, have a look at your receipt to ensure that you are correctly billed. I do notice that the wrong billing usually occurs on the first day of sale. Woolies' sale begins on Monday and Coles' on Thursday. I guess that is when they might not have time to correctly program the sale price into their system. 

Well, I guess I have saved quite a bit of money from their mistakes :)

10 Cheap Foods that Are Good For You

Read the original article here. I expected some foods to make the list but there are a couple of surprises!

 

The 10 foods are:

1. Broccoli
2. Milk
3. Lentil soup
4. Carrot
5. White potato
6. Tomato juice
7. Banana
8. Beans
9. Yoghurt
10. Orange

Now, it is time to shop and eat wisely!

Free shopping (Well, Almost)

Cut out a $10 voucher for Howard Storage World from their promotional booklet. It came in the Christmas issue of Better Home and Gardens. I usually do not buy much from HSW as their prices are fairly expensive. With this voucher, I thought I will go to HSW to see what I can spend $10 on.

Spending $1.80 (on top of the $10 voucher), I got a plastic basket $3.95 (where I am able to store things in the fridge and get them out easily), 2 bottle stoppers $1.95 each and a pack of laundry hangers $3.95 that has a peg at the end of it. These are useful household things that I am able to use. Most of the other things in HSW, I do not want to spend extra money to pay for them. Anyway I got hold another booklet with the voucher at the store and I shall try again to see what I can get cheaply or for free at another store nearer to me :)

Amazing Gift & Lessons on Jehovah Jireh

Found a slip in my letterbox to have me collect a registered letter for myself. Could not quite figure out what registered mail I am about to receive. The moment I received it, I opened it and could not believe my eyes - I have won a gift $x00 from Woolies! It was a lucky draw where if you spent $50 on a single receipt, you are eligible to enter the lucky draw (only on their website) and stand a chance to win free groceries for 1 year. I recall only having 1 entry as I do not often spend more than $50 on 1 single receipt. Some would say I am so lucky, but I say this is God's provision.

I was estatic when I learnt about this provision and just filled with joy and a heart of thanksgiving. God seems to be tellling me, "Remember I have asked you to trust me? Now you know that I will, isn't it?" Recently, we wanted to make a decision which go against the original timing/plan of something important so that we could save a bit of money. We have been advised by the professional that it is not ideal but feasible. Only yesterday did we came to the conclusion that we shall stick to the original timing even though we would spend more money. We shall continue to trust God to provide and not 'tamper' with His timing. And today I received this good news :) God has given us more than what we think we would have saved. I am amazed that God chose to bless us in this way and it is a way to show us that we should trust him and not doubt His timing. Be patient and wait for His providence. He knows exactly what we need and what is best for us and the timing to give those things to us. Our responsibility is to simply trust Him.

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Gift of Blessing

On my recent birthday, my BIL A gave me a gift... he made a generous donation to Gospel for Asia's Women Ministry on my behalf. It is such a meaningful gift to be able to bless the ministry of reaching the neglected, socially rejected women and bringing the gospel to them so that they may know and have hope to live their lives.

When we got married some 2 years ago, we put in our gift registry to have people give us gifts by making donations to TEAR Australia or adopt a child through Compassion. I remembered we received a 'toilet' gift where the money is used to improve sanitation by building a toilet for a home or school. We received at least another 2 gifts under the same catalogue.

Christmas is coming. Why don't you consider giving your friends and family gifts that will bless the less fortunate as well? Here are a few to consider:

TEAR gift catalogue - range from A$5 to A$5,000

CMS gift catalogue - range from A$5 to A$500

GFA gift catalogue - range from A$1 to $21,000

World Vision gift catalogue - range from A$5 to A$20

Salvation Army gift catalogue - range from A$10 to A$600

May the resources that God bless you with be put to good use to bless others!

Free Cookbook

Got this cookbook free when I purchased "Supper Food Ideas" yesterday. All you have to do is to buy a copy of Notebook, Vogue, Good Taste, Food Ideas, delicious or Donna Hay magazine and be able to get that free. Remember to ask at the check-out counter when you purchase it. The guys will not give you unless you ask for it.

This Taste cookbook has really good ideas for Christmas cooking and ideals for gifts. I am really inspired! :)

Provides busy individuals and families with easy recipes and meal solutions, using readily available ingredients and simple techniques

I bought the cheapest magazine - A$2.95. This is one of those cheap, unplanned purchase but later you realise that you have gotten a really good buy! In it, are easy to follow recipes and ideas for everyday easy and quick cooking. This magazine is not only good for me, but also for hubby (who rarely cooks). This shall kick start hubby's attempt to cook Thursday dinners, so that I can be freed up to do some exercise after work :p For starters, there are about 7-8 pasta recipes that he could cook for the next 7-8 weeks and perhaps repeat them after that? ;)

Sara Lee Shopping Again

2 factory outlets at Daisy Hill

View of both factory outlet shops. Food freeze has heaps of freezer food for sale too!

My purchases: each of the above costs A$2 each, except for the apple berry crumble pie ($2.50), which is a fraction of the RRP

The products are still good to eat :)

The 'defect' in the coffee pound cake is that bulge. Who cares anyway as long as it is good to eat? ;)

Morning Shopping

On days that I don't work, I love to do some shopping and run errands. Today is the alternate Friday that I don't babysit at Mother's Group. I decided to drive to Springwood after dropping hubby off at work.

I recalled I have a coupon for a free cappuccino at Pages Cafe in Koorong bookstore, compliments from my SIL. On my way to Ikea, I thought I will stop by Koorong for a cuppa and browse some books at the same time. I love the idea of chilling out at a cafe in a Christian bookstore. The Koorong at West Ryde in Sydney has a cafe too. This Springwood branch has only opened for less than a year. The other branch nearer to the city (I think) doesn't have a cafe. It was my little dream to open a bookstore/cafe where people can find food for the body and for the soul ;), and the cafe will sell cakes and pastries that I bake :)

My morning tea: free cuppa and I bought an apple slice to go with it

I was happy to find veggie tales dvds on sale, going for A$9.95 each. I thought they were a good buy as they usually go for about double the price here in Aust and in SG. There were quite a few titles to choose from, but I decided to get these 2 which I hope to watch with my niece Belle to teach her to be thankful and to share her toys with her friends. I reckon this could also be used when we have opportunities to babysit other kids... In any case, I am gonna collect these (and maybe other titles in future) :)

I love looking at furniture and furnishings at Ikea. Walking around browsing, makes me appreciate my small townhouse a lot more when I saw how they furnish a 55sqm home. It has a living area, a kitchen, a bathroom and 2 bedrooms and it was really cosy and still fairly enough space to have people over.

I was delighted when I saw some crockery on sale for less than 50% of their original price! I think they are trying to clear stock. 2 years ago, we bought a 12-piece set of stone crockery of plates and bowls. I have been eyeing a huge platter that is part of the same series. I reckon that 32cm (in diameter) plate is big enough to serve food like a whole chicken. I was glad I held out and happen to be browsing at Ikea today when I saw that same plate going for A$2.99 (UP A$7.99)! There you go, a saving of $5 :)

Later on, I proceeded next door to Good Price Warehouse Pharmacy to buy some vitamins and to Spotlight to buy some fabric to sew more aprons as gifts. The only normal price item I bought was a QV cream for my dry skin.

Speaking of goodies, I was really thrilled by being able to buy 2 cooked bbq chickens for A$10 at Coles last Wed and yesterday a near 2kg free range raw chicken for A$7! The chicken is best used by today, but with freezing, I am able to keep it for a while longer. The best deal of the month has to be a 5-star (least fat content compared with 4 or 3 star) minced beef I chanced upon last Friday. I was planning to cook pasta with mince that day and I had earlier defrosted some in the fridge. I bought about 580g worth of beef mince for A$2 that has another day before its "use by" date. I paid only a third of its orignal price!

I am really thankful to be able to find good deals, especially at the point of need. Again, little occasions like these reminds me of Jehovah Jireh, my Provider :) Lord, thank you for this morning's time of chilling out and providing according to my needs.

Cash Coverters

We have quite a bit of junk at home - things that we were given but we never found a use for, things that we have used and now no longer needed, things that we possibly bought and don't use... all these things are gathering dust at home. We sort things out every now and then and would put them up for sale or giveaway on Scoodi or hubby's office's classified ads.

Since some of the items have been lying around for some time, we thought we are better off if we just get rid of some of them via Cash Converters. CC buys things that you no longer need and sell them off at their 2nd hand retail store. You could also pawn (I think the aussies don't use the word 'pawn' here) your belongings for temporary cash and redeem them at a later time within a certain time frame, otherwise the items would be sold.

Yesterday I sold 6 items to them but only got $16 for them all. But I guess it was better than them gathering dust at home!

Attending a Wedding Without 'Wedding Clothes'

Last Friday, hubby and I drove 5-6 hours, more than 400 km down south to Coffs Harbour (about mid-way to Sydney) in NSW. We travelled all the way there to attend the wedding of my secondary school friend of 20 years, L. I drove about half the trip for 2.5 hrs and hubby drove the rest of it to our destination.

After hubby drove for about 30 mins, I looked behind to back seats, wondering where our clothes were hanged. These clothes were the ones that we wanted to wear for L's wedding the next day. To our horror, we then realised that we left those clothes behind in Brisbane (about 300km away)! Hubby packed those clothes and then thought about other things to bring whilst packing and totally forgot to bring them from our bedroom upstairs to our lounge room downstairs to be loaded into the car. I was a bit shocked but did not blame hubby nor was I the least bit angry with him. Hubby blamed himself for a while and then picked himself up. I reckon that it would be better that we laugh about this boo-boo instead of being angry :p I quickly sms L that we may turn up in our jeans and t-shirt if we cannot find appropriate clothes at Coffs. I thought L and M probably wouldn't mind since the dress code was "smart casual" :)

Praise God that we live close by to a huge shopping centre which has many big brandshops. We decided to shop at Target since they generally have nicer, slightly more formal clothes than Kmart and Big W and most importantly, they have both men and women clothes, which means we could shop together. We parked at the part of the shopping centre that is closest to Target. As we walked in, we saw the games shop that we wanted to go buy Big Taboo from this weekend. We were quite happy that we need not go walk around to search for the shop and we could just quickly buy it off the shelves with the 1 hour and a bit that we have to have breeky, shop for wedding clothes and Big Taboo.

It was quite a huge pressure for me to shop for something specifically suitable for a wedding with as little money as possibly, within 30 mins and it has to go well with the red mary janes shoes that I was wearing. I walked around the female clothes department with many winter casual clothes surrounding me. The only few dresses that I found, were dull black office wear. Finally I found a grey dress with black prints with nice pleats that I like. The dress is quite flattering on me (I think). I really did pray that I will find something suitable and God answered my prayer! The dress costs us $60, which was average priced for a dress. Hubby found a few potential shirts to go with his jeans. A brown long-sleeved with black prints shirt stood out for me and I chose that for him. In total, we spent less than $100, the price for our mistake. As soon as we paid for it, we got changed in the toilet at the shopping centre and quickly drove off for the wedding!

What we left behind

What we eventually wore

Big Taboo

Heard of this new taboo game from ST. As an ardent fan of the classic taboo, news of this Big Taboo excites me. I went searching google where and how much does the game cost. I was glad to find out that it is sold in a game shop locally in Australia. (otherwise it is only available in US and shipping is not cheap).

The only shop that I could find, has a shop front at a shopping centre in Coffs Harbour (5-6 hours drive south of Brisbane, about half way to Sydney). I could have bought it via their website. But since we knew that we will be going there for a friend's wedding last weekend, we waited to get it from the shop ourselves.

We invested A$50 (it was tagged as $59.95 at the shop but we saw it for $49.95 on their website. They sold it to us at the cheaper price ;p) in our new board game or more correctly known to us as a "ministry game". We do not have any board games under our names. The only games that we have is a interactive dvd game about the earth (Christmas present from N&P) and majong (only 4 players). Big taboo is our first board game. We reckon that this is a good tool to help guests to chilll and fellowship. At gatherings sometimes, we borrow games (cranium, pictionary, rapidough) from friends whom we know owns them... Big taboo is one game that non of our closer friends have and hence we can share it around!

Can't wait to play this!

Home for Ministry

One of the most exciting thing in life is to be able to live in your own home which you can do anything you want in it. My dream was to have a cosy home and welcoming to guests. I am not great on interior design and even though I like to see homes that are tastefully done up, I know that it will never be my home... I think because I am generally a practical person.

Anyway, now that hubby and I have our own place (we started out marriage with this current place), we hope to and have been putting on our hospitality hats to use our place, not just for ourselves and our family, but also a place to minister to people. We have had quite some people over for meals, hang out, catch up and we aimed to do this at least once a month (sometimes we 'entertain' 3-4 times a month!). We are most glad to see how such gatherings foster relationships and gives opportunity for people to be part of our lives by knowing us at our own home. Other than cooking for people, we also recently had our bible study group meet at our place for those who live in the south of Brisbane. An average of 6 of us would gather together to pray and study the Bible weekly.

Other than 'opening' our place for fellowship and people, there are also other areas which we need to think about when we have people over. One recent and good example was our dining table. We were blessed by a whole lot of second-hand furniture and kitchenware that we bought for a really cheap price. One of the items was a round glass top dining table which sits 6-8 people (we once tried to squeeze 9). From the time we opened our place for bible study, it seems that table is too small for our dinner fellowship and definitely it is too small for us to just host our close family of 9 adults and 1 toddler to sit on the one table. Hence we decided to see if we could sell our round glass top dining table and buy a cheap/second-hand rectangular expandable table, so that we can expand seating capacity when required...

Round glass dining table

After about 4 months of posting up for sale, we finally sold our round glass top dining table for $100 :) We had to sell that table before we bought a new table as our place has no space for 2 tables at one time. Thankfully we had the use of a really small round 4-seater dining table to use (which was used and given to us and we have been putting it in our patio). In the meantime, searching for a good-priced, long lasting, expandable table was not easy. I went to Ikea for about 3-4 weeks consecutively to look for a certain Bjursta table if they went on sale at the discount corner. Most times, those tables on sale are in a fairly good condition with just a couple of scratches. My trips were in vain... not until last Friday, there was a Bjursta selling for $167 (U.P. $279) and also found another good contender, the Leksvik of which all of them (not just 1 or 2) were on sale for $199 (U.P. $399)! After some deliberation on the phone with hubby, we decided that the Leksvik would be a wiser choice (even though we have been kinda eyeing the Bjursta for some time) as it comes in a flat pack, brand new and best of all, it is made of solid wood throughout. The only little problem I had was resolved when the friendly Ikea staff helped me to load the 42kg box onto my car. We were really excited and thankful for this good bargain that we managed to find (after my frequent weekly visits to Ikea), and we only missed a proper dining table for one week exactly. God answered our prayers on this as we prayed for us to be able to get a suitable table in time before our next family gathering for 12 people in about 2 weeks' time.

Bjursta table at its smallest. This seats up to about 10-12 people when expandable (2 extensions are kept below the table.

The Leksvik that we bought! Both sides open up to be able to fit 10 and squeeze 12 persons. This is a much easier mechanism to expand and close up the table.

My thoughtful hubby also thought of buying a portable airconditioner (we cannot afford the proper reverse type) for ourselves to use in summer (last summer was really hot!). We managed to get one off ebay for $200+... and some time later, hubby won another bid on ebay for a similar portable airconditioner for just $100+. So now, we have one portable airconditioner downstairs for guests and we can put in the other one to cool our living room and dining room for larger gatherings.

Today, I saw someone who have been selling her used but cleaned toddler toys on scoodi. 1-2 of them caught my attention and I thought it would be nice if we could have some kids toys made available at home so that when my nieces or friends' kids come over, there is something to keep them entertained. Currently I have only got my toy-like mini cooper car to keep up to 2 kids happy. Thankfully the owner offered me $10 for the 10 items (instead of $12 initially posted).

We deliberately bought a 3 bedroom place so that we could have a guestroom to have people (overseas or not) to stay over. Hopefully even when we have children later, that room can still be kept for guests (and our books :p) only. Many months ago, we managed to get a student desk for free (only a few scratches) so that the guestroom has a decent desk for guests to use.

Hmm, any more ministry suggestions that won't cost a bomb? We are hoping and seeing if we could get hold of a cheaper or 2nd-hand Wii set and also hoping to buy the new Big Taboo so that we can have people over for games and fellowship... *hint hint*

Praise God for providing us a home that we can share with others. It is such a blessing! :)

More Food Storage

Big W is having quite a good homeware sale this week. Hubby and I have been eyeing to get a 2nd freezer for some time... our freezer is always full and sometimes I have to control my baking and buying and cooking in bulk and in sales because my freezer cannot fit. We have been looking out for a 2nd hand freezer or a cheap brand new freezer... and Big W was having a sale of Mistral upright 80L freezers. When Big W opened on Thursday (sale starts on Thursdays), I went in to buy the freezer, just in case it is a hot item.

Freezer placed in my small laundry area

Am happy that we now have a 2nd small freezer which allows me to bake in bulk, and stock up when food is cheaper. I know this will also come in handy if my mum visits from SG and she can cook up yummy dishes for us to freeze and eat in future. What I am also glad is that we managed to buy a Mistral freezer (rather than brand names we have not heard before with similar freezers with similar prices). Mistral is not a big deal brand but at least it also rates 4.5 stars out of 5 for its energy efficiency. The only setback is that the freezer is not frost free. Anyway we cannot afford to pay 2x the amount for a frost free freezer. This will do us just fine...

With additional freezer space, I decided to be more organised with what I put in each freezer. I came up with a table printed and laminated and have them stuck in front of each freezer and clearly label the contents of each drawer/shelf in the freezers. I will use whiteboard marker pens to update the quantities and item description. This helps me to know my stock level in my freezers without opening them and to know where things are and I can immediately grab it instead of spending time searching for something with my freezer door opened. Hubby or any visitors will also be able to clearly see where each item is and the estimated quantity without opening the freezers.

Pink stock list of 2nd freezer stuck on the wall next to it at eye level so that it is easier to see/write. Date of defrost is also noted at the bottom of the list. Blue stock list of main freezer stuck on the door of freezer for easy access.

At the same time, Big W also had a 50% sale off all Decor tellfresh food storage containers. I bought 7 containers of various sizes to mainly organise my pantry. Now I have a silghtly neater pantry and it is easier for me to locate food. Because of such good sales, the stock were snapped up pretty quickly!

Today at Woolies, their weekly sale just started and the Sistema food storage range were going for 50% sale! I had to hold myself back.... I am sure the stock will be snapped up in no time too!

Being "Kia Su" Pays?

The "kia su" syndrome is prevalent in Singapore where I spent most of my life in. Being kia su means being afraid (kia) to lose (su) out. It is common for people to be KS (kia su for short). People would queue outside MacDonald's in the wee hours of the morning for them to open the next morning to buy their Hello Kitty soft toys, parents would queue outside their preferred prestigious school the day before the Primary One registration begins...

When I moved to Brissy, the KS-ness in me has been challenged. I have to stop being KS and not be KS because the pace of life is slower and people don't need to be KS. Hence you don't rush to get up the bus first. People here queue in a straight line and go up the bus slowly. Except for Boxing Day sales where you see many people at Myer stores going after the good sales.

Last Thursday after work, I head to Big W to buy Brita jug filters as the 6-pack filter was going on special ($2 discount) and the sale only started that morning. To my amazement, the shelves were clean and empty! That evening, we drove to another Big W outlet nearby our home and they were clean too. The next day, I went to a third outlet near my place and they were also out of the stock. I have to agree that it was a good price but I didn't think that they will be snapped up in such a short time. I was a bit disappointed and kinda regreted a bit for not being KS enough to buy them in the morning before work. (There were a couple of times hubby and I would get to Aldi on Thursday morning 8.30am to get their really special deals)

But I guess God provided in His own ways :) On Tuesday, I saw the coming Target sales catalogue that starts today and they were having 30% off all Brita products. I decided to be KS this time and I went to Target before work to buy the Brita filters. I am happy to announce that I paid a cheaper price per unit than the sale at Big W last week :) This seemed like a small thing, I know, and it sounds really 'aunty' of me to even have to blog about bargains and discounts. But I am still glad and thankful that God provided more savings for me eventually :) And yes, I shall display my KS-ness at some appropriate times in future :p

Hidden Surprises

I finally got around to going through 3 half-filled boxes of 2nd-hand stuff given by my SIL when we moved into our new place almost a year ago. I have taken out what I wanted from the pile and my other SIL also took some when she moved into her new place 2 months ago. I was going to take photos of the remaining items and put them up for giveaway on scoodi.

As I open up the boxes, I found the following which I was delighted to keep:

navy blue tea cup and saucer set made in England

I have been considering to buy 4x tea cups and saucer for the past month or 2. Thought of having some decent, nice ones when guests come over for meals or afternoon tea. I am most attracted to those with sweet floral designs but they usually are priced at a minimum of $10 for a set of tea cup and saucer. But I hesitate to buy them, not only because it is not cheap but also because this is not a 'need' item and hence I wonder if I should spend money on them.

Recently Robin's Kitchen and David Jones were having some sale and the Maxwell & Williams Allegro Azure range were going on 50% discount. Their tea cup and saucer set was going for only $5. I was so tempted to buy 4 sets which I could use my David Jones gift card (wedding gift) to pay for it... but I couldn't really justify my purchase, thinking if it was a good use of the limited resources that we have/are given. I was still considering it... always taking a look at them whenever I walk pass Robin's Kitchen....

But today, I found these 6 sets of tea cup and saucer. This set is about the same size as the Maxwell & Williams ones. And even though I still prefer the bright and cheery blue ones, I figure this navy blue will do just as well. After all, these are non-essentials... just something nice for guests to use. I am very thankful that instead of the 4 sets that I wanted, I now get 6 sets without spending any money! :)

Maxwell & Williams Allegro Azure tea cup and saucer going for 50% discount for A$5

Set of plastic measuring spoons

I have the same set of measuring spoons but instead of white, they come in a variety of colours. I somehow lost the "1 tbsp" spoon, which I often use it in my cooking/baking. I have been looking but nowhere do they sell only the 1-tbsp spoon and I am not willing to buy a set just so that I can get one of the spoon. This surprising find is definitely welcomed :)

I am thankful for these surprise finds. Immediately I thank God and I remember our prayer every morning, when we thank Him for His providence and that we will continue to trust in His providence even when we find it difficult :)

Features of a Portable Convention Oven (a.k.a. Turbo Broiler)

(This entry is specially for JQ and any others who might be interested to find out the great use of this cooking gadget)

11 months ago, I bought a turbo broiler. My mum in Singapore has been using one like this to cook and roast and grill meats. Her specialty is roast pork (a.k.a. siow bak or 烧肉), the chinese way. Ask any one of my family and rellies, they will vouch for it and drool at the mention of it.

Roast pork or siow bak or 烧肉: Photo was taken during CNY 2007

When I moved to Brisbane in August last year, I was contemplating buying a broiler from Singapore to bring over because I heard that it is not readily available for sale. Once while visiting a friend in Brisbane, I saw that they own a unit and they bought it from Big W for about A$78. A similar unit in Singapore (different brand) retails for about S$99. I was delighted when hubby saw it on sale on catch of the day. With shipping cost included (delivery to doorsteps), it cost just under A$65 and it is exactly the model as that sold in Big W. There are much pricer versions at David Jones and Myers (at least A$200... and I wonder who buys them!)

Since then, I have seen it in a couple more Asian homes. Essentially the broiler is a convention oven but it has a few advantages over an oven: its portability, self-cleaning option, see-through glass container base, application of hot air directly onto the food. My mum claims that using this to roast pork produces a better result than the normal oven.

(Read another person's view on this gadget)

Brand - "Cooking Essentials". Timer dial and temperature dial. There is a 'temperature' for thaw or wash on the right. I have never used it for thawing. To wash, simply add water into the glass bowl, add a bit of dishwashing soap and 'cook' it for 10 mins. Pour the water away and wipe dry.

Underside of the lid. This is where the hot air is blown out and onto the food. I should have been more conscientious with cleaning the oil stains away after I used it each time. Now it seems those brown oil stains cannot be removed :(

Standard inclusion in the turbo broiler - a tall rack, a shorter rack, a pair of holder tongs and a recipe book (not in photo)

My mum uses the short rack on a metal plate and place it in the broiler. This makes it easier to clean up. Mum brought the plate from SG as I could not find suitable ones from Brissy. Add a piece of baking paper (my mum used aluminium foil) in between as above, and you may just throw it away (with all the oil and grease). If you cannot find a metal plate, you may put the baking paper at the bottom of the cooker and then place the rack on top of it.

The cooker will start when you put the handle down. If it is up (in right picture), the cooker will stop

Definitely a good buy - perfect for all meats and fish to grill and roast instead of deep frying. It is big enough to fit in a large size chicken. But I am not sure if it will fit a turkey... perhaps a small one. I have tried baking a cake with it a long time ago but it created a crater in my cake. That's because the hot air is blowing from the top of the cooker. I may attempt this again but by using a lower temperature setting.

New Turbo Broiler

My mum in Singapore has been using a turbo broiler to grill meats and fishes. I thought that it is a great equipment to have in the kitchen. Had wanted mum to bring over one from Singapore as I heard that its not really that available in Brisbane. But guess what? I saw one at Big W that cost $79. After conversion, it cost about the same in Singapore.

One time, over CatchofTheDay, we saw an offer for exactly the same one for $49.95 and with shipping to my doorstep, only cost $65 in total! Bought it immediately and we were pleased that our grilled ribs turned out really well :)

Its easy: Just marinate the ribs overnight, put it in the broiler and cook!

It uses hot air that comes from the top to cook the meat.

The end product served with greens and pasta :) Yum!

Shopping Sites that I Like and Frequent

I am happy to browse around and compare prices. I don't necessarily make any purchase. Sometimes when I need to buy, I most happy when I am able to buy what I need at a price lower than the normal retail prices =)

Not in any order of preference:

1. Target

2. Big W

3. KMart

4. Spotlight

5. The Warehouse

6. Good Price Warehouse Pharmacy

7. Coles

8. Peter's of Kensington

9. Kitchenware

10. Catch of the Day

11. Union Shopper

12. Officeworks

13. Crazy Clarks

14. oo.com.au

Who says I can't survive without Orchard Road? ;)

What I Like/Don't Like About Living in Brisbane

It has been 2 weeks since I got here. Just a list of what I like and dislike about living here thus far...

Likes:

1. Shopping catalogues
2. Huge shopping malls
   
3. Fascinating variety of groceries at supermarket
4. Eating places to chill out
5. Christian radio station
6. Culture of using shopping bags (as supposed to plastic/paper bags)
7. Beautiful parks
   

Dislikes:

1. The safety of some places
   
2. People around me not speaking Singlish :p
3. Shops closed early!
   

Shopping catalogues get dumped into our mail boxes everyday. It makes me happy just to browse through them and see what's on sale and what's available :)

When I walk into the supermarkets, I am just happy to walk around and browse the products and items. And it excites me to see a huge variety and choice of food (including Asian food products) on the shelves. But I cannot say the same for boutiques and most other shops :p

I am also happy to see people using shopping bags instead of plastic/paper bags. I like to see people recycle stuff :)

My face also lights up when I see a row of big shopping brands which are located in a warehouse-like building. Just in case you think I'm on a shopping spree, I'm not :p Browsing makes me happy too :)


In the car and at home, the radio plays FM 96.5 "96Five" station. This station is mainly focused on Christian family living and there are also the usual features like news, weather reports, traffic reports and some competitions. They will play Christian songs, play sermons at certain time slots, read a Bible verse, discuss/talk about Christian life/living. Its amazing to have a radio station like this, freely played and able to reach people at large.


Over the last 2 days, I went out and had meals at places where it was really relaxing and chance to chill out (or was it that every other place here is like that? :p) Visited the huge Ikea store (as big, if not bigger than the Singapore Tampines store) 15 mins' drive away from where I stay. It was Ekka public holiday on Wednesday but the store was not crowded. This is so unlike Singapore, where many Singaporeans would crowd the Ikea stores during public holidays. Sitting outside the alfresco dining place at Ikea having my meat balls in the cool evening... its such an enjoyment :) Yesterday I had lunch with Y at Paddington. Paddington has many small cute shops and a few unique cafes. Y and I went to the Paddington Flower & Cafe where the shop front is a flower shop with beautiful fresh flowers and the back of the shop is a cafe. The cafe also features canvas paintings of flowers and they are for sale. The cafe served breakfast all day long (amidst other food) at very reasonable portions and prices.

Dining at Ikea (Logan)

Lastly I like to visit Koorong Book Store. I think I prefer the West Ryde branch at Sydney where there is a cafe in it and I can sit down for a cuppa and read some books there. Anyhow, I finally went to the branch just outside the Brisbane city and spent a good 2 hours there myself to read. Unlike the Christian bookstores in Singapore, there are comfortable sitting areas for people to sit down and even a small indoor playground for children to be kept occupied with. Isn't it family-friendly?

So what is it that I dislike? There are apparently some places where it is not safe to drive and park there at night. This means that some parks are maybe not that safe to go to at night. And if I were to go to places at night, I won't feel safe to be walking in the dark streets by myself. Even alone at home at night makes me a bit paranoid. I think I am used and really appreciate the general safety in Singapore...

Shops close early here. Most of them close 4-5pm. Every Thursday is late night shopping, and it means some shops extend their hours to 6pm? 8pm? Good thing is that supermarkets close at 9pm. They only close slightly earlier like 7pm on Sundays. So this means that if I need something at night, I won't be able to get them that easily...

And yah lor, I need to get used to people here who don't speak Singlish!! Good thing I can some daily dosage of it with W :p