Chicken Rice For Lunch At GP Food Court, Ipoh.

The weather has been very hot since the beginning of this year and many are suffering sore throat and bad cough. My friend "B" was down with a very bad sore throat and she almost lost her voice. No wonder, she had been keeping very quiet during the festive season. 

We were supposed to join a new year lunch but it didn't materialize.

 Than "B" messaged me that she would like to have lunch with me. She came to pick me from my house and we went to GP Food Court at Persiaran Sungai Pari 1, Ipoh. We sat for a while, not able to decide what to eat. When "B" saw the people at the next table eating chicken rice, she knew what she wanted to eat.

 Deep fried chicken - one whole chicken leg.

BBQ pork.

 Minced pork with sweetened preserved veggie (mui choy). 

Soup - self service. 

As I was not really hungry, I took only a quarter portion of rice (yau fun = oil rice in Cantonese). It was good to meet up after the festive holidays and enjoy a time of chit chatting over our lunch.

 "....it is a time to celebrate with a hearty meal

and to send presents to those in need,

for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

You must not be dejected and sad!"

So the people went away to eat a festive meal

and to send presents; it was a time of great and

joyful celebration because they could hear

and understand God's words.

(Nehemiah 8:10, 11, TLB)

Growing Wandering Jew Or Inch Plant In My Garden.

When I brought back some stem cuttings of this plant, I stuck them into polystyrene cups filled with garden soil. I pinched off the lower leaves and made sure that the lowest node where the leaves joined the stem was buried in the soil for the roots to grow.

This plant is called Wandering Jew or Inch Plant. It is also known as Tradescantia.

 The leaves have green, silver and purple stripes and the underside of the leaves is purple.

From the polystyrene cup, I transferred the plant into a hanging pot.

 It grows well in soil with good water drainage.  I watered it once a day in the morning

I feed the plant with fertilizer about once in every 2 weeks. Wandering Jew or Inch plant is easy to grow.

 I do not have shaded place to hang this plant, so I had to hang it where it is exposed to a few hours of morning sun till midday. 

 Initially, the leaves started to dry up due to the sudden exposure to the sun. 

When the branches grow too long, I trim them back for new and more branches to grow.

Take care to live in me, and let me live in you.

For a branch can't produce fruit when severed from the vine.

Nor can you be fruitful apart from me. "Yes, I am the Vine;

you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him

shall produce a large crop of fruit.

For apart from me you can't do a thing.

(John 15:4-5, The Living Bible-TLB)

Sunday Dinner At Restoran Peng Yew, Lawan Kuda.

This time round, it was our turn to invite our friends for out a dinner. We agreed on a Sunday dinner in Lawan Kuda, Gopeng. Again we went in our friends' car. We started around 6 pm, on the way picked up a friend and reached Lawan Kuda around 7 pm. We went to a place which our friends have not been to - Restoran Peng Yew. As it was Chap Goh Meh eve, the place was crowded. Hubby had called up earlier so that was a table for us.

Restaurants in Lawan Kuda is famous for their Snakehead fish dishes.

Usually it is 1 fish 2 dishes. Fleshy part 1 dish and the rest cooked in soup.

We ordered the Herbal Wine soup.

Boneless fish slices cooked with ginger slices and spring onions.

Stir fried baby french beans with garlic.

Clay pot tofu, with Chinese cabbage, prawns, sweet peas, carrot, etc.

Another clay pot dish - "hum yue fah lam" meaning Salted Fish Pork Belly.

That night we waited for almost 45 minutes for our dinner.

After all the festive celebration dinners, we have to be disciplined in our walking exercise. And that morning, these doggies were also there joining the walk.

Returning home from our walk, we were greeted by this pigeon on my neighbour's room.

I thought it will fly away when I aimed to take a snapshot but it didn't.

 Beautiful greetings from my garden blooms - Lovely Pink Petunias.

 Delicate and succulent - Dainty Pink Begonia blooms. 

 A pot of Slipper Plant or Candelilla. Scientific name: Euphorbia Bracteata.

This is not from my garden. I took this photo at a car tire shop.

The plant is heavy with drooping flowers.

Linking with Saturday's Critters and Today's Flowers.

Anxious hearts are very heavy,

but a word of encouragement does wonders!

(Proverbs 12:25, TLB)

A Yummy-licious Dinner At Restaurant Kim Wah, Falim, Ipoh.

On the 13th day of the Chinese New Year 2016, hubby and I were invited by our friends to a dinner. After calling up a few restaurants to find them fully booked, our friends managed to book a table at Restaurant Kim Wah, Falim, Ipoh for 5 people.

We were to meet at our friends' house and to go together in their car.

 Some lovely sunset shots to share with you......

 Getting ready to join our friends for dinner......

What a coincidence! We were given the same table as our previous dinner.

Crunchy mixed vegetables with macadamia nuts.
I love macadamia nuts.

A very yummy-licious, appetizing clay pot pork trotter.

Steamed Fresh Water Prawns with egg whites. 

Not easy to eat with chopsticks, so ended up using our hands.

Tasty Deep Fried Salted Egg Chicken.

And Steamed Fish. I don't know the name of the fish.

Restoran Kim Wah,

Jalan Mas, Falim, 30100 Ipoh, Perak. Tel: 05-2828882/2822228.

This was a yummy-licious dinner gathering with a friend from England who is back on holidays. He will be flying back to England next week. We will be meeting again when he comes again next year with his wife.

Linking with Skywatch Friday.

I know this is hard to understand, but it is an illustration

of the way we are parts of the body of Christ.

So again I say, a man must love his wife as a part of himself;

and the wife must see to it that she deeply respects her husband

- obeying, praising and honoring him.

(Ephesians 5:32-22, The Living Bible-TLB)

Chap Goh Meh (15th night) Dinner Gathering.

The previous time we gathered at this friend's house was to usher in the new year 2016. And here we were again, this time to celebrate Chap Goh Meh i.e. the 15th day of the Chinese New Year 2016. It was a good opportunity to celebrate with food and good company.

A friend bought this "Prosperity Toss" from a restaurant.

We all love this "Prosperity Toss" salad.

We topped it up with lots of crunchies, crushed toasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, special sweet sour sauce, salmon slices, etc. Then its time to toss and mix the salad.

This curry chicken with potatoes was cooked by the lady host.

She also cooked the following food.

Stir fried vegetarian rice vermicelli with cabbage.

Pan fried "nian gao" or sticky sweet glutinous new year cake with egg batter.

Sweet drink dessert - lotus seeds and dried longan with cane sugar. A very tasty dessert.

A "we-fie" for sweet memory.

The string of fire-crackers 8 feet was tied to the palm tree before we started our dinner. Now it is time to light the fire-crackers to end the new year celebration.

 Today its "Good Fences" day.

 This is the back view of Ipoh Railway Station with the creepers slowing covering the fencing.

Linking to Good Fences.

Another time he asked,

"Who ever heard of someone lighting a lamp and

then covering it up to keep it from shining?

No, lamps are mounted in the open where they can be seen.

This illustrates the fact that someday everything in men's hearts

shall be brought to light and made plain to all.

(Luke 8:16-17, TLB)

Growing Papaya Trees In My Garden.

Papaya is a very common fruit here and we love to eat papayas. It is sweet and juicy. I have tried growing papaya tree in my garden for a few times and only successful at the 4th time.

A close up look at the papaya leaves.
On my 1st try, when the papaya tree was about 3 feet plus, the whole plant began to rot. It could have been that I had over-watered it or it was due to the wet season.

On my 2nd and 3rd try, the papaya trees I planted turned out to be male plants. They have lots of flowers but no fruits. I too dug out the 2 plants. I decided to go for 1 last try and finally on the 4th try, it turned out to be a success. 

 This is my papaya tree planted just outside the concrete fencing.

Daily as I watered my plants, I will check on the papaya tree.

Finally, one day I saw signs of flower buds.

The papaya tree started flowering at about 3 feet tall.

The flowers were blooming and more buds were forming.

A close up view of a papaya flower.

Praise the Lord, finally a tiny fruit was formed.

I was happy to see the tiny fruit.

These are unripe fruits.

Papaya fruits are rich in antioxidant nutrients, Vitamin C, B, other minerals and fiber, etc.

 It is very fruitful for a tree that is about 5 feet tall.

Papaya trees bear fruits throughout the year.

Some of the fruits showing sign of ripening.

 Due to my over-excitement, I plucked this fruit before it has ripen enough. The traces of green can still be seen here. After peeling off the skin and cutting the fruit, the outer layer of the fruit was a bit hard. Learning from experience - the fruit of this papaya tree cannot be plucked too early.

As you can see, the colour was lighter, It should be of deeper orange.

The flesh is juicy but not very sweet.

 I found a baby papaya tree in my garden while I was weeding one day. I dug it out and planted it in a big pot. I wanted to see if it will grow and fruit when planted in a pot.

So far, it is growing well but looks a bit thin, may need some fertilizer. Anyway, I will have to wait and see how it will turns out.

For the next harvest, I waited for the fruits to be well ripen.

The fruits were very sweet and juicy!

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;

then peace-loving, considerate, submissive,

full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

(James 3:17-18, NIV)