It's a Red Passion Fruit!

Written by Mrs. Money

This is my dairy of growing passion fruit trees:

On Sept 2008 - My aunt Alice gave me an imported red passion fruit, she told me this Japan passion fruit species smelt so good like Sankist. I cut it into half and gave the other half to my dad for sowing in his garden.

On Nov 2008 - However, my seeds never germinated after two months, so I flew two of my dad's successful germinated seedlings all the way from oil city to Money tai tai's garden

On Dec 2008 - Upon my returning trip from Singapore, I brought along some more red passion fruits, this time it's Taiwanese.

On beginning of 2009 - Due to lots of rains, sowed passion fruits seedlings germinated at all patches.

Oct 25th, 2009: First passion fruit blossom emerged

First baby passion fruit

Dec 1st, 2009: First passion fruits grew into a very big passion fruit, but so far at this point, I didn't see any trace of new passion fruit blossom

40 days later: First passion fruit dropped prematurely caused either drought or disturbed by one of my little "monkeys". I was quite dissapointed and speculated that the skin of my passion fruit trees have mutated to green skin species

Dec 2009: Everywhere got passion fruits blossom.

Jan 2010: Everywhere got passion fruits.

Jan 19th, 2010: From a green passion fruit turned to palish yellow, and then finally red pigmentations revealed! All my doubts and suspicions gone .... Wow, it's a red passion fruit!

After three months absence from his oil town garden, my dad told me he also saw a dropping dried-up premature passion fruit on the ground upon his returning home, I told him most probably it's due to drought but the good news is now, his passion fruit trees are also bearing fruits.

Feb 4th, 2010. This is the oval species

Feb 14th, Chinese New Year. Truly juicy, very sweet and smelt like Sankist, my aunt's description. I would advice everyone to plant it! Buy a very big pot, filled up with compose, then you come pop in my house for some cuttings!

Quite a big oval passion fruit on Feb 14th, 2010

Palm size round passion fruit on Feb 14th, 2010

Love gift to my Singapore sister

First harvest of oval and round purple red passion fruits

A Bully with Two Versions of Triads’ Gangsters
He bullied ones with no background and finally he earned his turn!

Written by Mrs. Money

His last name is Tiong, I should say, if he is a dog dwelling in a city, I would be a kind of cat species crouching in a jungle, we were not associates and neither were friends but he was from my hometown and worst still he was my younger sister’s primary school classmate.

Two years ago I saw him proudly drove a Brunei plate Mercedes convertible near a beach restaurant in an oil town and I chose to suppress my anger and ignore of seeing him. If rabbits got pursued by nasty wolves but eventually wolves would get pursued by fierce tigers; I always believe one of these days those calculating evil bullies would get their turns of punishments from their malicious deeds, nasty plots or wrongful bad mouthing to innocent victims.

He started the whole bad mouthing incident to my eldest quiet sister and he condemned that I was an unethical business lady according to what he had heard from a triad gangster (Such gangster and his relatives had bullied and accused me wrongly of something I never did and said, in a business conflict indirectly plotted by them, I was demanded either to close my business and get out of the city within 24 hours or to give a feast of 10 tables cum advertised on front page, for half a page and broad red letters of apologising for "wrong doings that I did to them." When I could produced evident that I never did or said something to jeopardise such gangster’s bleached new business operation, but they insisted by kept twisting further more stories, I finally knew what they wanted, so I let them insulted, humiliated and wrongfully accused for two straight hours and after two hours they left my ex-landlady white hair tai tai’s office happily as winners, I thought I still can see their sticking tongues and wiggling tails now!) and my sister’s old classmate would rather trust a triad gangster’s words due to he had made a successful business deal with them, as I didn’t buy from him a certain electrical appliances when I first opened my business three years back before the incident, so may be this prompted him to revenge by attacking me unreasonably.

He chose not to trust a girl from his hometown with a pure nice background that I wouldn’t practice something immoral, corrupted and unethical in my business deals and by the way I got my education, exposure, cultivation, capital, abilities and talents in hands to run my business efficiently, the main reason they both bullied me with plots obviously they also thought I was just a single girl unable like the rest of the girls in their world, they thought they were somebody behind me to help me, e.g. may be my eldest sister’s husband or a “Mister” to act as my patron, for them a female simply wouldn’t be able to operate a business without a man behind. God knew that I already ran my business for 4 years successfully before they emerged as trouble makers.

Then I eventually left oil town for good, as too many bad memories lingered as black as sticky black crude oil in my subconscious realm, since I left the town I never feel like returning there anymore without a good reason. Recently, Mr. Money got his oil town relative visiting and staying in my house due to her mother was hospitalized in cat city. She told me her story which was happened less 365 days from now:

One day her Indonesian-maids’ agent came to visit and talk to one of her maids, soon she heard few slapping sounds, so she quickly emerged to figure out what was happening. She saw her maid was crying loudly and obvious slapping marks on her maid’s face. She got so mad and she asked the agent, “Why you slap my maid?”
He replied because the Indo maid did something not right. She told him off, “She behaves in my place, now she is working under my wings, and she is not working for you, why you have the right to slap her without my permission?”

After her questioning, he was not happy that she challenged him, soon the agent began to target on her by saying something very nasty to bully her. Luckily, her brother-in-law emerged on time. Immediately he could sense that something nasty was on, so he asked his sister-in-law, “What’s the matter?”
His sister-in-law immediately pointed to the Indo-maid agent and replied, “He slapped my Indo maid just now.”

He turned sternly to talk to the Indo agent, “You dared to slap her? … You have to check who the dog’s master is before you want to bully a dog! Don’t you know this simple rule?” However, after the lecture the Indo-maid agent still gave him a challenge glance, so he went to his car trunk took out a big parang, he grabbed one of the arms of this Indo-maid agent, pretending wanted to chop off his arm.

Then only the Indo maid agent begged, “Very sorry I slapped the wrong person, I won’t do that next time…….” The rest of the story you can imagine how it ended with, so of course the Indo maid agent scared his shit out and left the scene immediately.

There are two kinds of triads’ gangsters: What I came across previous one was everyday he would chase after innocent or set up victims with his planned traps and plots, or gave wrongful accusation to victims before threatening them for something he wanted, (an example of set up gambling to lure gamblers borrowed more money from him, later he would collect his loaned money by violent and threats to those lost victims). Once after doing his dirty money laundering in casinos in Philippines or else where, his money thus became cleaned and even got people from the Church and political circle respected and admired him and his immediate family members.

The other kind of triad gangster is obeying Chinese’s style Robin Hood ethical standard by protecting the weak but giving lessons to bullies, so Mr. Money’s relative brother-in-law is the kind. She immediately clarified to me, “My brother-in-law though is a triad member but he is not rich at all! But people and his subordinates really respected him and when I asked him why he was not hiding when our government was looking for triads’ gangsters, he said he didn’t steal, didn’t rob and didn’t cheat, and he said by way he is a skilled mechanic, why he has to hide?”

Eventually I asked her, “I am surprise who is that nasty Indo maid agent who slapped your Indo maid?”
She gave me his sir name and what was his business, she finally revealed, “He is from your hometown!”
“Who’s that?” She gave me his Christian name and further description of her Indo-maids’ agent.
“I got it! I know who he is now! He was my sister’s ex classmate!”

“Errr…. May I ask your brother-in-law to act another act to that bully? This time we will use a hot iron instead? …. How about we pretend wanted to burn his foul mouth!?” So I told her my past bad experience bullied by bullies and a bad triad gangster.

Really gilaka! I don’t know a little tiny hometown like mine can produce such a silly bully over the north and he behaved worst than a good kind hearted Robin Hood’s triad gangster! When this bully ran an electrical appliance shop he could only drive a pick-up, but now he could afford a Mercedes convertible by working as an Indo-maid agent, and my friends always asked me, “You know when a Foo Chow man gets richer he also has many … many what? You guess LAH!”

Little Losers and Their Lose-face Moms
Are they really losers or just temporary losers?

Written by Mrs. Money

During the year end I brought my kids to visit my sister in Singapore, I told her my son’s academic result was rated as number twelve but in retrograde order. She comforted me, “Ee… never mind…. who became the greatest historical figures or richest men in the world because of always getting no. 1 in school?”

I replied her promptly, “Your Singapore old premier Lee Kwang Yaw did!”

Of course she shrugged her shoulder and became wordless. But I think that’s the only great figure I could name of who almost always scored no. 1 academically. So subconsciously I tried to give excuses myself, I would think that my son will be alright after three years once he can command better in his Mandarin, imagine he couldn’t even converse in Chinese the time he entered the Chinese primary school as Mr. Money insisted to send him instead to Lodge, which is even nearer to our house.

But realistically I never felt more frustrated than seeing quarter of my son’s best result classmates moved to the best class despite my son’s teachers told me there is no such classification of the best and the worst. Then on the first day of school after I overheard some student moms’ conversations I had the rude shock. “What? My son now is in the last class amongst the four!” Even I was never an aggressive mom who was often leaving his son in relapse in his homework but to mind my own new career ("inheritated" typically from my busy mom easy going altitude of never taught me to study and I only "learned" to study when I went to the university), I never knew when was his school exams, monthly exams and for an example he would never returned home telling me the next day would be a special school holiday and worst still on the last day of 2009 first school semester, the morning when I sent him to school I saw all students were wearing sport wears but he was the only one who reached school with regular school uniform.

Parents (but may be some parents who were closer to the school authority knew it ahead) were never informed that there would be such superior and inferior classification in a new coming year, despite in students’ report cards without grading any average mark but in an actual fact the form teachers all knew who were number 1 to numbers last. In another sense, I felt cheated by the school authority of such segregation which made me felt like to retaliate. So I told my son, "Oh ya! There is no such segregation?! Unless No. 1 in your No. last class scored his or her average as equal or higher than the No. 1 in No.1 class!"

So for past two weeks I chose to drop off my son but ran away as fast as possible to avoid having any pleasantry with other parents, I’m gonna make no friend out of them, I am escaping reality now. So every morning on my way to school I would give lecture to my son, “Son! My dear poor son! Modern life is too tough, in mommy’s kampong days, science 1 and science 2 but made no different! If I knew your days would be different I would never get married to bear offspring to make you suffer! So young yet have to learn what is called survival of fitness! So young you all start to compete! Hey, your maturity which is at least 3 years younger than your smart classmates, you still want to play alphabet blocks while others already know how to play all kinds of politics!”

Most parents have such mentality of sending kids to school in hope that one of the future days their kids would become somebody. I realise now that “become somebody” culture already begin to practice since their young days of school, actually it is introduced by us adults who wanted “face”, who implemented such competitions to children and kids are losing their childhood by hopping from one tuition to another, by right they should happily chase butterflies and grasshoppers in the field. If kids didn’t score well in school, in certain extend that I knew of some parents with smarter kids would mock and look down on both the little losers and their moms.

Now I got a little loser at home, finally I understand why my sister who could never hold her head high as she got three immature mediocre loser kids when they were young, things immediately changed when her kids reached their maturity, that’s the time they only began to know what is called studying. With GPA 4 points from upper six results, followed by her daughter won the scholarship for medical studies, and her little boy actually smartest of all now only begin to heat up his oil. I could see her head holding up a bit these days after her little loser kids’ metamorphosis, I thought these days I could hear those snobbish aggressive moms teeth were grinding. I remember she told me she consulted many friends of hers regarding medical studies information for her kids, they would “kindly advice her” to send her daughter to study nursing and some would tell her subtly that doctor is not a good profession yet themselves are doctors and they would send all their children to study medicine! From what she told me, I could tell that in her friends’ eyes, they all thought my sisters’ kids were stupid and typical losers. The problem was if my sister got three “loser-look” kids and she herself was behaving and acting as a loser too, that’s why her friends could be so rude or sarcastic from the ways they talked to her!

Winner-kids who always scored very well in their studies are usually grew much mature than those loser-kids. The precedent already acted and talked like adults that shocked me in awe, yet the little losers that I knew of immersed half of their consciousness still in subconscious realm. In order to chase up academic works the children’s maturity got to be push to an extreme to become “Just a little kid yet a big devil mind” and worst still they would carry that kind of “I am the best” superior arrogant altitude into adulthood and further on into their professional practise, they would never give face to their subordinates and would treat inferior beings as their slaves instead.

I would advice and caution those natural beauties, smart cookies and talents, never to laugh and mock at others’ inferiorities (in short, you shouldn’t make nasty inhumane remark as you never know inferiors’ difficulties and situations. Beware of revenge reaches your doorsteps in your descendent to let you learn that you can’t control life even you are a genius, believe or not it’s up to you!) remind you that such very famous world famous political premier who was always scored number one yet he couldn’t change the fate that he got defected grandsons!

Someone told me that when the school reunion happened, as they were losers once so what they did by then were showing who got most money to press those top students in their class down to the drain so that they would feel better, these rich men told me because they didn’t like the arrogant behaviours of those smart students, “we were poor we had to tap rubber and plucked peppers, those smart ones only studies and went tuitions. We didn’t have money, by staying in kampong, it spent us an hour to ride to school in the morning and another hour to ride home, what was waiting for us on the table was only rice, bamboo shoot or salted fish. After eating we had to run to the garden to weed or to plant vegetables, so when we got that kind of “American time” to study? We were actually not stupid but we didn’t have choice to born into better and richer families, so to proof that we are actually not stupid, that’s why now we can earn more money than those top students!”

Immature kids are the natural little losers in school when they were young. What I would give words to those lose-face moms is: Don’t lose your fighting spirit, as a teacher for over 20 years before, I witnessed so many little losers became somebody now. I always told my students, you don’t need to be the best students when you were young, but you have to be the best students with Summa Cum Laude when you graduated from the university. Good results in your university level studies path your professional life, be a real number 1 without politics, from there then you got all the confidents in your specialised field, so you don’t need to waste your energy to attack and say something nasty to your rivals or seeking for assurance in your professional fields by showing off.

There is a piano teacher in an oil town now whenever there was a new student approaching her; she would ask her student, “Do you know who I am?” The problem was some of her newly accpeted students never knew who she was, so after several times of such questions, those students eventually thought she was nobody when they didn’t improve much in their pianos. Similarly there was another retired piano teacher whose student was selected by examiners to study in Royal School of Music with offered scholarship, when the news got released, people approached her, “I never know that you are a graduate from overseas and surely you can teach piano! Very sorry to tell you that I heard some piano teachers said that you can’t play piano so they told me how can you teach piano?”

Also there was another real case of an always No.1, she went on to an Australian university studying account, after graduated she worked in PW, then another “loser” friend in No.1’s eyes also proceeded on to study account but in NZ, such loser however added on IT as another major, when the loser graduated, she immediately landed a job in C. Then No. 1 still wanted to proof that she is No.1, so she told her friends that that her company PW was a lot better than “loser’s” C company, but after a year later ended PWC merged! A real joke right? With two majors, in a realistic world now the loser somehow won a better prospect and is now a manager in PWC.

In a real world, living in any modern city, having humble outlook, people would tend to ignore and looking down at you, if ones wanted to act arrogant make sure they could produce the great achievements to suit such prima donna altitudes to assure continuous fames and winning opportunities.

Also in modern cities, there are a lot of con men and con women camouflaged with great professional outlook, driving Mercedes and carrying LV bags, with their business set up portrayed supposedly professionals’ establishments but actually they didn’t even graduate form 5 or even earn any diploma in any of their studies, in certain cases I witnessed ones claimed to have PhDs yet they don’t even have any bachelor degree. In some extend they would use weasel claims to fool their potential customers and attract their clients to promote themselves in Churches or associations (as Church goers easily believe the ones who went up on stage to witness won’t tell lies), they would say they are registered therapists from certain countries yet in an actual fact they never even graduated with any degree yet they would dare to witness to thousand of congregations of how difficult they were through first year of the university, 50% got eliminated and then the second year only 30% students remained, but they would never mention the third and the fourth year. They are so many blunt listeners due to their limited exposures, cultivations and education in our country.

In short, what is the use if you were the top students but you are not critical listeners and sharp enough to be creative and innovative in your professional practice so ones have to use their mouths to accentuate their profiles? I got an ex-classmate who is now the highest income amongst old peers, he is a much demanded drilling consultant engineer and his childhood had to spend on weeding and gardening while others of his peers could be top students, acting arrogant and never touched their fingers on a straw before. He told me he actually didn’t learn much from the university level of what his work demands now. That means his work requires on his inert abilities, instinct, talents and field experience, he did his own research and studies to figure out things himself, how to beat the nature (acquired probably when he was young when beating the bushes and weeds), how and where to drill a big hole underground, his designs, budget, authority and words could cost a havoc if his subordinates missed a single beat but in reverse, there would be black gold gushing up from underground.

I feel better now after deep thoughts and put my scope into future instead, so I think being a little loser kid’s mom is just a temporary matter! When a kitty just learning how to catch a rat, don’t count how many or how big the rats it caught. As you never know its potential when it grows into a big cat!

Acute Common Sense Developed

To prevent conned by con-Men or con-Women

Written by Mrs Money

Case Study 1

My friend received a SMS from an associate Ms. Sly who now rented the shop lot that once my friend used to rent from a landlord.

My friend was informed "kindly" by this associate Ms. Sly that the landlord's clerk has informed her that my friend still owe my landlord RM700 legal fee to a legal firm.

So my friend called her lawyer asking for details if a decade old expired agreement has to be cancelled through a lawyer or once an old agreement is expired, any continuing rental with mutual understanding will terminate automatically but in such case my friend already kindly slotted in a new tenant (Ms. Sly) immediately to rent the ex-landlord's shop lot without even a single day break.

In this case, my friend didn't ask the ex-landlord for a month's commission fee for introducing a new tenant but how could the landlord asked for any tenancy termination legal fees if such thing really existed?


So my friend sent few messages to question the associate Ms. Sly.

"First, I signed tenancy agreement more than 10 years ago and I already paid the legal firm 10 years ago too. Now what kind of legal fees that I still owe to the ex-landlord?"

"Second, how can my ex-landlord's clerk ask for the money after almost 6 months after I terminated the rental (with proper advanced notice and notify the landlord of a comfirmed new tenant too), but why not asking from me directly as they all got my PH but instead of telling you that I owe them money?"

"Thirdly, anyway how could my ex-landlord if signing agreement or any termination agreement when they engaged in a lawyer if on my behalf but how could they never contact me or ask for my consent and agreement?"

"Fourthly, if I never consulted or engaged in any lawyer asking for any service or sign on any pertinent document why I have to pay fee to a legal firm?"
At the end, you know what my friend have found out?

Ms. Sly made up a story bluffing and informing to my friend that the landlord's clerk had informed her!

Actually Ms. Sly undervalued my friend, she expected my friend would be absently minded, trusted her and stupid enough without probing details. I suspected it was a dirty trick deliberately plotted by Ms. Sly to my friend, so my friend would settle the legal fees for Ms. Sly's New Tenancy Agreement without any question!

"Dabaos" (Doggie bags) After the Christmas Party

Written by Mrs. Money

I only organized a dinner-party once a year mainly for my own blood-tied family members, the reason was I missed those old aunties, cousins and also hardly met little nieces and nephews. If I didn't initiate a dinner-party, only way I meet my kindred will be during next family member's wedding or funeral, and this kind of occasion is actually becoming rare or nil within next 10 years due to only four most elderly kindred alive and those nephews and nieces are still too young to get married!

During last decade when those elderly uncles and aunties passed away only once I could attend for my youngest aunt's funeral and I was the only one who represented 20 over cousins. Right after my dad's youngest brother passed away, I remember my youngest sister called me said she had a dream of our uncle then next day she received sad new even she was somewhere remote in China, it was the time she was sent by Siemen to train those Chinese engineer and she shed tears silently with the rest of sisters in every corners of the world and we also lamented an era has past. Now most cousins have reached their 40s and most probably remained only half of our life able to catch up each others but how often we will be able to get together?

6 years ago, when my dad's youngest brother passsed away, my dad lost his drive to live on; then I came to scene told him sensibly, "Look, you still have a youngest daughter to lead up the aisle and a retarted younger sister to take care of, God makes you stay because you still have duties in this parallel world!" My dad is a dad with great wisdom, unfaded alertness and intelligent despite of physical aging, immediately he changed his unusual pessimistic altitude.

It came to my head that we cousins mostly have reached an age got to watch out for cholesterol and sugar intake, healthy foods were carefully prepared for the feast. I thought of rarely prepared meats and exclusive sweet things were used to pamper those little those nieces and nephews yet something amazingly common they were more keen to share, though they actually hardly or even never met each others yet unexpected they all retreated quietly nesting in a bedroom reading their comics, I realized that these days foods have actually becoming well-pampered youngsters' secondary interest.

My grandma used to make us memorized a Wong family old poem in foochow with treats when we were young, I think this poem has greatly influenced our Wong's family care and love spirits amongst each and everyone through generations.

Six Leaves Poem

Six leaves germinated all at once and grew together;

Never due to separation caused misunderstanding;

Every reunion everyone would again get older;

Hardly remained chances for brotherhood.

Though cousins got the blood-tied but not their counterparts, somehow for the "male cousin and cousins-in-law" they grew fond of each others through beers and wines but for the "female cousins and cousin-in-law" we all grew fond of each others through after party "dabao" of vegetables, herbs or fruits from the garden; luckily I prepared only the exclusive crusines, so those "dabaos" actually would never turn into real doggie bags!

Specially appreciate my cousin Yellow Ant, new "cousin-in-law " Winston and aunty Alice's assistance to make this family gathering a meaningful one.

Now I am looking forward for Christmas dinner cum family gathering of 2010!




My cousin back from eastern Europe surprised to find out Dill Officinalis thrive well in my garden

This chili padi to replace Christmas flowers "poinsettia"

Cilandro seedlings grew on time for the Christmas feast Persian salad, brinning and garnishing, so hard to find cilandro in Kuching. I bought the Holland peak soil (a bag of RM40+) finally I saw the seeds germinated.

Passion fruits never made it for Christmas but will be for tiger Chinese New Year. I am still waiting for a fully ripen passion fruits, I think it will take two months from flowers to mature fruits.

Well camauflaged fruits are protected from pests.

Drinks for the family gathering

Fruits from Money Tai Tai dad's old home garden

Everyone especially loved these mangis inside a super big paper box from Money Tai Tai dad's old home garden

Niece and Nephew's favorite EE Yellow Ant with uncle Winston with Money Tai Tai's Christmas tree

Nieces with Christmas tree

All nieces and nephews nesting to read comics in a toys infested bedroom

Good Communication System for a City
That's why a city grows slowly when its communication system is bad?

Written by Mrs. Money

I always wondered how a small city with less than half a million people could cost such a jam in certain intersection areas within certain hours of a day.

Should the white elephant paramount buildings not build? Instead those kind of money should be used wisely for upgrading the roads?

Oops... I forgotten there is such a group of people in the city who didn't realise there is such a thing called "traffic jam", because there would be sirens on to warn us commoners to bug off by stopping next to the road side in order to let those cars with + or C signs to pass first.

I thought I saw many + or C signs? But after I rubbed my eyes twice, I saw the RR signs, so I gave them the longest finger after those RRs because I was angry in my old small car (instantly my car became a junk compared to those RR cars) and I was delayed in the jammed to send off one of my kids for tuition.

An hour later, I saw those RR cars were stopping somewhere near a vast green patch.

"Mom, what are you looking at?" My little kid asked, "aren't you bringing me to learn T-off today?"

"No! I just realize that we are not classy enough to learn T-off anymore. You are not born with a diamond spoon in your mouth and you not gonna ended up a "commoner" right? Prestige kids were born with golden bucket full of diamonds, they don't need to study hard but just by playing and travelling all over the world yet they could never finish spending those inheritants, but you were born with an empty plastic bucket, even you have talents in making money and skills to climb up social status, yet you have to work harder than anyone else besides some lucks have to drop down from the sky. You can't play and travel to have money still rolling in your piggy bank but you have to work like a donkey still to exchange for those kinds of prestige and it will not be paralleled still because you are not born with a blue blood! Got it?! Let's go home to study, as the chance you will become a somebody 20 years later will be higher than you buy lotto." I hissed.

My little four year old girl stared at me quietly with half understanding of lecture variations between rich and poor.

"Hey, this is called life in semi-monarchy country, understand?"

I hardly saw new, nice and luxury cars around town during rush hours. This reminded me of Mexico!

Really commoners are becoming so poor, aimless and desperate?

I couldn't believe my eyes as there were so many motorcycles during rush hours too!

Like China after revolution?


Whether a rainny or sunny day but both got jammed and jam!

Variations of Salad

Written by Mrs. Money

Cucumber Dills Salad

Cucumber cut into cubes, a handful of chopped dills, add yogurt and salt

Persian Salad

This Persian salad will be the best salad for BBQ.

Cut cucumber and tomatoes into cubes, add in salt, chopped onions, handfull of chopped cilandro and lemon juice (optional: olive)

To Verify Basil Seedlings and Its Plants

Written by Mrs. Money

When you sowed the basil seeds, some other weeds would germinate along with your basil seeds. When I first grew basils I was always confused weeds that would look almost the same like basil seedlings.

In between there were physalis minima seedlings and basil seedings, can you tell the different?

After weeding, this corner of the patch here left only two basil seedlings

This is not a basil plant, this is a weed which looks very similar to basil and worst still these weeds love to thrive amongst basils too! If you are not good in identifying between weeds and basils, what you do is to smell their leaves, basils got nice smell but weeds got only green smell!

The weed looks very similar to a basil plant but got no smell

This is a weed not a basil plant, can you believe "evolution happened" or "mutation happened" for theseweeds that thrived next to basils?!

This is the basil plant that got nice smell when you walk near it

<>

Brinning and Roasting a Duck

Created and Written by Mrs. Money

My aunt Alice helped me to buy a big male duck and offered to roast it for me as I don't have a big induction wok.

Since I learned Americans brinned their turkey before baking, as I was brinning my turkey, so I thought might be as well experimented a duck at the same time to be brinned before roasting.

The brinning really helped, the roasted duck tasted yummy.

Special appreciation to my aunt Alice to make this dish successfully roasted.

Remember to cut off the ball or the whole tail if it is a male duck, or else your roasted duck might end up an unwanted bad smell.

Blend ginger, garlic, blue-ginger, salt, sesame oil, red rice wine, soy sauce, spring onion and five spice powder

Add the blended sauce to brine the duck

Let the duck stay over a day in the refrigerator

Prepare sauce to roast the duck: cooked sugar until liquid, fried red onion, ginger, blue ginger, garlic and 5 spice powder with sesame oil. Add soy sauce, bean paste, red wine and water, roasting under high fire for 15 minutes, then turn medium for 30 minutes and then another hour in low fire.

Here it comes.... roasted duck

Brinning and Baking a Turkey for Christmas 2009

Created and Written by Mrs. Money

My aunt Alice gave me a big turkey for my 2009 Christmas, I don't have an oven yet, so she asked me to brine the turkey for a day before bringing it to her house for baking.

So a special appreciation to my cousin Yellow Ant's assisting in baking and garnishing this turkey dish beautifully with asorted vegetables.

The fresh herbs from the garden: dills, parsley, garlic, onion, ginger, chives, cilandro and basils

Then add in beer, salt and black pepper powder, blending eveything together

Pouring to the turkey (in addition add dried bay leaves and oregano powder)

Storing in refrigerator for a day

After baking, garnished it with assorted vegetables