The Ad: Is it a Mountain or a Molehill?

Posted on August 5, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

I’m sure most of us would have already viewed the supposedly controversial commercial aired on 8TV, presumably to encourage good behaviour and tolerance during the Muslim Holy month of Ramadhan.  Although much has been said about the commercial being a blatant act at provoking and humiliating the “Chinese”, I have mixed feelings about this.

Here’s what I saw in that commercial:

In the ad, I saw a Malaysian girl, walking in the Pasar Ramadhan and acting in a childish manner; being obnoxious, rude, loud and greedy.  Then we were shown that this is NOT the right way to act, instead we should all be polite and considerate to our friends and others around us.  The following scene then depicted that same girl acting the way we are all encouraged to act.

Now what’s wrong with that?  Isn’t that how we were brought up to behave?  After all, the ad did show a comparison between what is good and what is bad.

Come on guys, you’re saying the advert is poking fun at a CHINESE?  Isn’t that already a RACIST remark to begin with?  Not once in the ad did the girl in mention announce, “Look, I’m a Chinese!  I am rude and ignorant of the feelings of others!”  How then can we conclude that she is a Chinese?  Or Malaysian Chinese for that matter?  She could very well be of mixed parentage, if we want to take it to that.

We are all Malaysians here, and yes, the commercial chose someone “with fair skin”  to play the part, but that does not necessarily mean there is anything wrong with that.  To me, the commercial is laughable, but well, just take it all with a pinch of salt.  It is akin to a commercial in the cinema where a cinemagoer acts rudely by speaking loudly on the phone and everyone else asks him/her to be quiet and be considerate to others.  Nobody said anything about such an ad, now, did they?  What is difference then?

However, as for the segment where we are forewarned NOT to wear tight and revealing clothes, I feel that THAT is a rather sexist portrayal.  Yes, we should all dress decently at all times and appropriately for the occasion, but there is no reason to explicitly indicate that WOMEN are to NOT dress sexily.  Heck, even clothes that aren’t tight can be revealing too, if you know what I mean.  Yes, indeed a simple message to “Dress in an appropriate manner” would be a much better option.  After all, when we go to the beach, we can’t possibly be all covered up now, can we?  A better alternative to the version in the said commercial would be perhaps to have that girl walk with a guy friend who is dressed in singlet and shorts and THEN advise viewers that that is inappropriate dress code.

In conclusion, my take on this ad is that it is a silly one at most.  It’s trying to get a simple message across but because of misrepresentation and misunderstanding, it has offended some people who have misconstrued it as a racist slur. It’s a shame really, and I am not backing the TV station up, but all I am saying is if Malaysians still think of this commercial as a form of racial polarization, then these people aren’t ready to be Malaysians yet.

By the way, the video clip of the said commercial has been removed from YouTube following 8TV’s apology.

Posted in Thoughts & Scribblings | 3 Comments

I Love You … but I Hate You

Posted on August 2, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

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My dear Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock… when you came into my life, you were like a breath of fresh air.  I had read rave reviews of how you’ve successfully protected zillions of people everywhere with your ultra sheer formula and awesome protection with Helioplex and broad spectrum UVA and UVB, so I was excited when I finally got hold of you.  When I took you home, I eagerly held you in my hands as I turned your cover open.  There was a silver seal to protect you, which showed that you value hygiene, just like me.  I loved the way you fit into my palms – it was almost as if we were meant to be.

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As you caressed my skin with your formulation that was just the right thickness, I felt my skin cool down immediately.  You were scent-free, which was just the way I liked it, and you didn’t leave a white cast on my skin, nor a sticky icky feeling.  All I got was a a perfect sunblock that made me confident to walk around in the hot tropical sun, feeling protected as long as you were close by my side.

Alas, after a few days, the skin on my neck and arms started to itch.  It was a terrible itch, I tell you, and one that eventually developed into a rash.  I didn’t think it could be you, because love makes some people ignore the obvious.  So I continued slathering you on my skin every day, religiously, blaming my itchy rash on the weather, insufficient water intake…everything but my sunblock.

And the rash worsened.

Continue reading →

Posted in The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

My PlayDoh Problem is Solved

Posted on July 31, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

My kids LOVE PlayDoh.  I don’t.

I find that it is too sticky and if you push it into the crevices of some of the PlayDoh moulding tools, you can’t get it all out.  Cleaning up after a PlayDoh session is a nightmare.  Bits of PlayDoh stuck to the floor which you cannot vacuum off, and you’ll find pieces of it days after the play session has ended.  Furthermore, it sticks to your hands and fingers and under the nails too!  Yeah, I detest PlayDoh to the core, despite that fact that I know it’s a very good toy to keep the kids busy and at the same time, let their creativity run wild!

Plus just last week, I took out some of the PlayDoh I had stored away after a play session with the kids and discovered it had white stubs of MOULD growing on it!!!!

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Uggh.  Anything with MOULD growing on it is definitely a turn-off.

So I decided to MAKE my own PlayDoh.  Can’t call it PlayDoh now, can I?  So I’ll call it “Play Dough” 🙂

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Besides being completely edible (perfect for toddlers who are in the early stages of putting everything in their mouths), this homemade Play Dough is very mouldable, does not stick to tools and fingers AND easy to make!  I don’t recommend eating it, of course, but I’m just sayin’.

For Homemade Play Dough, you’ll need:

  • 2 cups wheat flour
  • ½ cup salt
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • Water for moulding
  • Food coloring (optional)

The guideline is to use about ¼cup salt for every cup of flour used.  Salt is used as a form of preservative to prevent the PlayDough from getting mouldy.  The cooking oil makes it stickier and gives a sort of sheen to the Play Dough.

Mix all ingredients together (except the food coloring), adding the water a little at a time.  As you start to mix and knead the Play Dough, you will know what consistency you want to attain as you mix the water in.  I did not use food coloring this time round, but if you want, just add food coloring in as required.

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My kids LOVE my homemade PlayDough and ask for it all the time!   I’m just glad to have found the perfect balance to make everyone happy.  Besides being surprisingly easy to work with, and being NON toxic, it’s easy to clean up this homemade Play Dough too!  If any of it is stuck in the tools just soak it in water for an hour or so and wash with water.

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And after playtime, just store the Play Dough in a an airtight container for future use.  No fuss, no mess!

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Best of all, it’s easy to make and costs so much less!! 🙂

Updated on April 27 2012: I found a BETTER Playdough recipe: guaranteed squishiness!! 🙂

Posted in Close to Heart & Home, Parenting & Motherhood | Tagged , | 4 Comments

A Baking Project on a Rainy Morning

Posted on July 29, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

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It was raining out two days ago, and the kids were bored.  They looked bored anyway.  I decided to have a small baking project with the kids.  It was also an excuse for me to use up all the 5 Granny Smith apples I had in the fridge.  Plus, my kids love to help out in the kitchen.

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To make the baking project run smoother, I try to keep the following in mind:

  • Things that need to be cut or sliced will be prepared by me first.  I don’t want the kids to wait around while I am busy slicing.
  • Try to measure out the ingredients all ready, so it saves time.
  • If anything needs to be thawed, take them out first.
  • If you need to set up any mixers or blenders, set it up all ready.
  • Kids have very short attention spans (mine do!), so it’s good to try not to keep them waiting too long.

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Above all else, bear in mind that when baking or cooking with kids, placing priority on the the process rather than the product should be of utmost importance.  In our case that day, the kids had loads of fun helping me stir and toss the apples in cinnamon and sugar, and then spooning the slices of apple in the pan.  We took turns doing that, and then I explained to them the process of stirring, mixing and baking and it was great fun watching them getting all excited when they periodically checked on the progress of the cake in the oven.

For some reason, the sides and top of the cake turned out burnt.  It could be due to the cinnamon mixture overflowing to the sides of the cake, or it could be insufficient batter (if so, I am not sure why).  Anyway, the inner part of the cake was super moist and Hannah especially enjoyed it very much.  I had to cut away the burnt portions though (you can see it in the background).

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I intend to try this cake again at a later date to see if I can obtain an unburnt version and hopefully then, I’ll share the recipe.  For now, the cake’s almost finished, and my kids had a lot of fun participating in the project.

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By the way, if you are reading this and you are a parent of kids aged 5-12, could you please help a dear friend of mine by filling out this survey?  It will only take less than 5 minutes, and my friend has pledged to donate RM2 for every completed survey to Rumah KIDS, an orphanage based in Klang, Selangor.  There’s also a survey to be completed by the kids (if possible) too!

Survey for parents of kids aged 5-12: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D8HSSXR

Survey for kids: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D7RDMSJ

DEADLINE for completion: 15 August 2011

Please feel free to forward this on to as many friends as you like.  Thank you all!

Posted in Drooling & Cooking, Ethan, Hannah, Parenting & Motherhood | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

I Found Happiness in My Spaghetti Marinara

Posted on July 26, 2011 by The Giddy Tigress

I’ll be frank.  I’ve never tried making Spaghetti Marinara on my own before, because I figured it would be too difficult to make (yeah, I was too lazy to even bother googling it..haha).  At home, I’d always made Bolognese sauce, so my kids have their marinara fix at restarants.

But then a dear friend of mine shared her really easy-to-make homemade marinara sauce.  With such a easy recipe, how could I resist?  I just had to try it out.

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And the results?  Absolute Perfezione! 🙂

I got a fantastic marinara sauce that tasted oh-so-good with spaghetti, and best of all, the kids loved it! 🙂  It’s 100% vegetarian (just in case anyone wanted a vegetarian meal) and I could easily convert it into a shrimp marinara (by adding shrimps) or chicken marinara (by adding cubed chicken breast).  It’s a yummy, slurpy homemade meal that does not burn a hole in your purse! 🙂

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Here’s my recipe for Spaghetti Marinara (yields about 4 servings, depending on how big an eater you are):

Ingredients

  • 6 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped coarsely
  • 1 ½ tsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp fresh Basil, chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Dash of black pepper (according to taste)
  • Your favorite pasta (Spaghetti, linguini, etc)

Method

  1. Heat olive oil under medium heat in a saucepan, then add minced garlic.
  2. Cook till fragrant (without burning).
  3. Add chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper.
  4. Once it boils, simmer uncovered under low heat for about 20 minutes.
  5. Stir in basil and parsley, cook for 1 minute.
  6. Serve over cooked pasta.
Posted in Drooling & Cooking | Tagged , | 2 Comments