Out with red & in with red

Posted on November 8, 2009 by The Giddy Tigress

…nope, nothing to do with Liverpool there 😛

Last week, we received the new vacuum cleaner we had redeemed with our Citibank Rewards points.  Not really because we liked how it looked, but because our old trusted vacuum cleaner of 10 over years was emitting a weird smell.  Funnily enough, the smell is no longer there, but still, it still feels safer to get a new vacuum cleaner.

This is our old friend: the Electrolux Bolero.  We’d been through thick and thin together, and it has kept our floors clean for years.  You will surely be missed.

 

It was totally unplanned that the new vacuum cleaner was also a red-colored one: the Panasonic Turbo Twist.  It’s way way louder than the Bolero, but slightly lighter in weight.

This would have to do now, while I sit on my wish to have an iRobot Roomba® and Scooba® 🙂

Saw the Roomba® in action yesterday and I am definitely impressed!

Posted in Close to Heart & Home | Leave a comment

You must remember this…

Posted on November 4, 2009 by The Giddy Tigress

 
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Things people should always remember NEVER to do/say to babies and toddlers:

  1. Touch or stroke their cheeks, hair, arms, …basically DO NOT touch them at all!  Who knows where the stranger’s hand has been prior to touching the baby or toddler?
  2. Offer their thumb, index finger, middle finger, turtle or whatever for the baby to hold on to.  Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT entertaining at all to see baby hold on to a stranger’s finger or any other item (see no. 1).
  3. Keep on touching a toddler’s hair or cheek when the toddler loudly protests and says “No!” Which part of “No” don’t you understand anyway?!
  4. Ask “Boy or Girl ah?” when clearly the baby is dressed in pink wih flowers.  Who would dress a boy in flowers anyway?  I tried dressing her up in a dress and also got the same response.  Please.  Observe and think before you speak.

*stepping off soapbox now*

Posted in Parenting & Motherhood, Thoughts & Scribblings | 1 Comment

Knit knit here, purl purl there

Posted on November 2, 2009 by The Giddy Tigress

After two quick lessons with my knitting teacher (the first was an introductory one, after which I destroyed the whole project and had to redo, and the 2nd lesson, I was given homework to practice first lest I destroy the nice yarn I brought back from US), days and hours of knitting and purling whenever I found some free time on my hands, sometimes having to unravel hours of hard work, putting up with the knitting needles poking me here and there, and viewing knitting videos online over and over again, I think I have the confidence to start on my maiden knitting project.

Here’s the practice homework I have been working on:

 

Well…I have run out of practice yarn now, and I just viewed and tried the casting off method on the internet last night and now I am ready to start on my new project 🙂

Posted in Close to Heart & Home, Thoughts & Scribblings | 2 Comments

Little cups of choc heaven

Posted on October 30, 2009 by The Giddy Tigress

I decided to make cupcakes today.  Chocolate cupcakes, to be exact.  Just thought it’d be nice to have something sweet around, and also because it would be a good project for my tot and I to embark on together. 

 

Oh, and the timing would be just perfect too, because chocolate cupcakes would be absolutely LOVELY to celebrate a fifth wedding anniversary 🙂

I saw this delightfully delicious chocolate cupcake recipe from Love and Olive Oil, and I knew I immediately must try it.  I was intrigued by the idea that the recipe calls for coconut milk and almond meal, and also that it did not contain any eggs!

The result is a sinfully moist, too-good-to-be-true yummy, and once-you-pop-you-can’t-stop kind of chocolate cupcakes that is (dare I say myself) hard to resist!  I made 24 mini cupcakes and 9 regular-sized cupcakes, but honestly, I prefer the mini ones.   They are just too convenient to eat! (but NOT very good for the waistline, I’m afraid!)

Love the vanilla-based frosting too.  I don’t know where to find vanilla beans here in Malaysia, so I substituted it with vanilla essence.  This is my maiden attempt at making frosting, and I am pleased to say that I am VERY happy with the results.  Might wanna jazz it up a bit with some colors in future…

At the end of it, I have a strong feeling this will ALSO be my go-to chocolate cake recipe.   Love it, love it, LURVE it!

Oh, and before I forget…Happy Anniversary, my Love!!! 🙂

Posted in Close to Heart & Home, Drooling & Cooking, Relax & Celebrate | 4 Comments

The inevitable goodbye?

Posted on October 26, 2009 by The Giddy Tigress

 

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So all credit card holders will be charged a service tax of RM50 per card and RM25 per supplementary card, effective next year.

Definitely sad, sad news for someone like me, who is a very good paymaster.  I only use the credit card as a means of convenience instead of lugging cash around.  I always always pay my monthly bill in full and never make use of the transfer-here-transfer-there promotions.  I have also never paid any interest to the bank for my credit card balances.

But how do I get rewarded?

Because of people who hold tens of credit cards and owe monies left and right, people like me now have to pay service tax too.  Life simply isn’t fair.  If only the service tax would be waived for people like me, based on our credit card historical records.

But until then, we might need to rethink which credit cards to cut and which to keep.

Posted in Thoughts & Scribblings | 6 Comments