Life during Covid-19 Pandemic

I usually only post information about cooking or baking on a blog I have created for my children as I am trying to generate their interest to learn to cook.  I posted it here by mistake and decided to leave it as there is lesson from what I went through during this Covid-19 pandemic.  Most of the time, there is a solution for the problems we face when we highlight the issues.  Sooner or later it will reach the right person who can resolve it.  When we face an issue, it is more interesting to find ways to resolve it then to waste time and energy being angry or being sad about it.  Nothing is permanent. We just need to adjust the way we live our life to make it bearable if not enjoyable.

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When I stopped cooking after we started the bike shop in 2012, we used to go out as a family for breakfast and dinner.  It was a great time to bond and the children enjoyed eating out.  I started cooking again when the Covid-19 Pandemic was reported in 2020.

To avoid the crowd I started buying my groceries online from Tesco.  I continue to shop there after it was taken over by Lotus. My family members like thier coffee buns (Roti Kopi) and Cheese Onion Buns. So I buy them on a weekly basis for breakfast.  They are available in packs of 4. 

Since last November I have not been able to buy their Cheese Onion Buns online. I found out from Hafiz, a very friendly Store Manager at its Kajang branch where I collect my orders, that not all outlets sell this bun.  That is why it is no longer listed online. Most of the time, the Cheese Onion Buns will have been sold out when I get there to collect my order.

So, that started my quest to look for Cheese Onion Bun recipe to bake in my breadmaker.  I bought it from Cosway during the pandemic, when they had a promotion running.

My favourite bread to make is the Milky Loaf.  

This is the recipe for it. 

As you can see, I can choose the "dough setting" on my breadmaker to make the dinner rolls with the same ingredients.  If I make dinner rolls, I can top them with onion and cheese to bake in the oven.  But I prefer the lazy way.  Once my loaf is baked, I cut it in half horizontally.  I then slice the top half of it 3/4 way through so that I can slip in my fried sliced onion and cheese to airfry.  If you watch this video, you will get an idea of what I did.  You will also discover from it other ingredients you can shove into the cuts to flavour your bread or buns.

Did that but I still prefer the ones from Lotus as it did not turn out cheesy enough.  

Then I found this Cheese Bread recipe. 

It requires 1 cup of sredded cheese which is 120g.  I used a 200g pack of Emborg Shredded Mozzarella Cheese to bake it.   But I am still not happy at how it turned out and decided to modify the recipe. I used the ingredients for the Milky Loaf and added 125g pack of shredded Parmesan cheese, as it was on offer at Lotus. I like it better baked this way as it tasted cheesier.  

However, eating it with peanut butter, which I like eating, will kill the cheese flavour.

After all my trouble, I found out recently from Hafiz that if I call Lotus with the number he gave me, the staff at their "Self Collect" counter will keep the Cheese Onion Buns for my next collection.

The other bakery that I will buy from Lotus is their Croissant which is also available in packs of 4 pieces.

I usually serve it with sardine which I have cooked and stored in the fridge.  This is the recipe for cooking it:

I am usually wary about buying house brand food item but I am happy with the canned Sardine with Tomato supplied by Lotus.  

Other than the airfryer, bread and sardine kept in the fridge can also be heated up with a sandwich toaster.

I have a reason for cutting my loaf in half horizontally. The containers I have, large enough to store my bread are shallow. After I cut it up horizontally, I will slice it to store in the fridge. This is the top half section of my Milky Cheese Loaf with 2 peices of Milky Loaf leftover from an earlier bake.

This is the bottom half section of my Milky Cheese Loaf.  Though I chose "light" colour setting, it turned out darker than my Milky Loaf baked at "medium" colour setting.

Completed the Round Bag

Yes, I have completed the round bag for my neice and this is how it turned out.

I am glad she likes it enough to use it.  These are the photos she took of it.

 

A word of encouragement

My daughter wants to pick up crochet. It's one of the handicrafts that I enjoyed working on in the past. I started finding on Pinterest, crochet patterns that will be easy for her to learn.  I suggested that she starts with granny squares. 

I know what it is like to learn to crochet.  You need lots of patience and you may spend more time unraveling your crochet efforts because it does not look quite like what you see in the photo. I came across a quote from James Clear and decided that this is what I have to highlight to my daughter.

Her interest to learn has revived my interest to start again. I was inspired to create just by looking at this bag on Pinterest.

Here is my version, created with some of the balls of wool I have on hand. 
 

The orange and yellow strips inserted through the holes on the bag are cut out from plastic bags. The idea is so that you will never be bored with your bag as you can change how it looks by changing the colour or material of the strips. You can hide the ends of the strips inside the bag if you do not want them to look obvious. 

I checked out all the crochet work I have created in the past and managed to find some granny squares I used to make lanterns for my children.  

These granny squares were made with cut strips from plastic bags.  It was a green project I was working on.  This is the crossbody cum waist pouch that I managed to create with the granny squares.

I then made this for my sister so that she does not have to bring out her handbag when she is out for lunch break.

I got inspired to create it when I looked at crochet patterns for the top of a bikini on Pinterest.

I am now working on a round bag for my niece. It is a nice way to spend my time while watching TV series or movies.

Where to visit next?

Here is a game for someone who can't decide where to go to for a holiday.

Atlas Obscura has listed 24,336 places with extraordinary sights to visit at their site. Close your eyes and just roll your mouse all over the map and right click it.  If you can't afford the trip to the destination you have just discovered, I am sure you can find some videos on YouTube about the place so that you can visit it from the comfort of your couch.

By doing that I discovered inforamtion about Soyuz 11 Memorial. Not a place I will consider visiting for a holiday though but the story behind it is interesting but sad.

What feeling homesick looks like

When I was younger, I could not stop tearing up when I go back to my hometown and meet family members whom I have not seen in a while. This video reminds me of those encounters.  

Carry it well

We don't get to choose our parents, and parents don't get to choose their children. They can be a bundle of joy but they can also become the reason for our hardship. 

Be it from home or from work, I hope you are carrying your load well; come what may.

This is the kind of information that I like to share on my Facebook page too.

What should you maintain?

What is the most important thing that you should maintain in your life? I hope that you are already aware that it is not letting others lose their faith in you.

It is not easy to regain the trust others put in you once you have lost it. Maintain it or there will always be doubts lingering in the minds of those you have disappointed.

This is the kind of information that I like to share on my Facebook page too.

What inspires you?

Are you hoarding useful information that you have read about? When you look at images does it inspire you to do something? James Clear is the author of Atomic Habits and I am a subscriber of his newsletters.  Lately, I have been inspired by quotes he shared. So, I have decided to share them by adding them to photos I found on Pexels. 

I lost a good customer once because I was upset by another earlier in the day. So, don't let the anger you habour resonate in your heart and affect the way you react to those around you.

This is the kind of information that I like to share on my Facebook page too.

Have you heard this fable about a stolen axe?

I love reading fables that have moral lessons behind them. This is about the stolen axe.

Useful Survival Guide

You can find many useful information and links to PDF files, Printable Guides, Manuals and Ebooks about survival prepping and skills on Pinterest.

That is a lot to download but if you don’t print them out, how are you going to find them useful if there is a power outage and you cannot use your computer?

Check out this, “More Show Me How” book. It is like a picture dictionary book on life skills that even your kids will find easy to understand. I bought 5 copies of it at a book fair as I thought they would make great gift for my children to giveaway to their friends. They did and their friends love the book.

You can read its first publication at the following link:

Show Me How 500 Things You Should Know - Instructions for Life from the Everyday to the Exotic.pdf (PDFy mirror) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

I think it would be a good idea to find books like this to learn from as and when you need to. However, if you believe that you should prepare yourself for a disaster, you should keep a list of things you should have around during such time, I find this article useful.

18 Things Everyone Should Start Hoarding | Urban Survival Site

At the Urban Survival Site, you will also find these links useful:

Survival Skills Archives
First Aid Archives
Beginners Archives
Frugality Archives

Don’t wait till a disaster strike before you learn these 100 Skills that Everyone Should Know.

Prevent Long Electric Cord From Entangling

An extra long cord that could stretch from one end of the shop to the other is very useful. The problem with a long cord is that if you not do know how to roll it up properly, it entangles each time you use it So, I experimented and discovered that this is the best way to roll it up. I hope you find this tip useful too.

Spectacles and Sunglasses in Car

Don’t hang your spectacles or sunglasses on your car rearview mirror.  

The lenses act like magnifying glasses will burn a hole in your seat under the hot sun.

Thought Grabbing Ad

If you own a business how would you advertise it on a lighter?

From My InBox:

Getting the best out of your environment

I read this article, Motivation is Overvalued. Environment Often Matters More, by James Clear and I find it interesting.  It is true that we tend to think that if we are successful it has all to do with our competence.  But do you know that the environment we place ourselves in plays a part too?

James Clear was motivated to write this article after reading "The Power of Fifty Bits" by behavioural scientist, Bob Nease.




If you do not have time to read the book or read the article, maybe this table I was motivated by Jame Clear to create will help you some.



Create your own table to note areas you would like to improve under the column, "Your Decision".  I hope you will be able to design a better environment so that you can always make the right choice towards the goals you would like to attain.

The show of concern

From My InBox:

A sweet grandmother Telephoned St. Joseph's Hospital. She timidly asked, 

"Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?" 

The operator said, "I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number of the patient?"

“Norma Findlay, Room 302."

The operator replied, "Let me put you on hold while I check with the nurse's station for that room."

After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said,

"I have good news. Her nurse just told me that Norma is doing well. Her blood work just came back normal and her

physician has scheduled her to be discharged tomorrow."

"Thank you. That's wonderful. I was so worried. God bless you for the good news." 

The operator replied, "You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?" 

The grandmother said, "No, I'm Norma Findlay in Room 302. No one tells me shit."

If you like this kind of joke, there is more complied by Hugh Morrison,

Who said Cemeteries aren't funny?

From My InBox:

Harry Edsel Smith of Albany , New York :

Born 1903--Died 1942.

Looked up the elevator shaft to see if the

car was on the way down. It was.

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In a Thurmont, Maryland , cemetery:

Here lies an Atheist, all dressed up

and no place to go.

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On the grave of Ezekial Aikle in

East Dalhousie Cemetery, Nova Scotia:

Here lies Ezekial Aikle, Age 102.

Only the  good die young.

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In a London , England cemetery:

Here lies Ann Mann, who lived an old maid

but died an old Mann. Dec. 8, 1767

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In a Ribbesford, England , cemetery:

Anna Wallace

The children of Israel wanted bread,

And the Lord sent them manna.

Clark Wallace wanted a wife,

And the Devil sent him Anna.

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In a Ruidoso, New Mexico , cemetery:

Here lies Johnny Yeast.

Pardon him for not rising.

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In a Uniontown, Pennsylvania , cemetery:

Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake,

Stepped on the gas instead of the brake.

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In a Silver City , Nevada , cemetery:

Here lays The Kid,

We planted him raw.

He was quick on the trigger,

But slow on the draw.

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A lawyer's epitaph in England :

Sir John Strange.

Here lies an honest lawyer,

and that is Strange.

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John Penny's epitaph in the Wimborne,

England , cemetery:

Reader, if cash thou art in want of any,

Dig 6 feet deep and thou wilt find a Penny.

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In a cemetery in Hartscombe , England :

On the 22nd of June, Jonathan Fiddle went out of tune.

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Anna Hopewell's grave in Enosburg Falls ,

Vermont :

Here lies the body of our Anna,

Done to death by a banana.

It wasn't the fruit that laid her low,

But the skin of the thing that made her go.

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On a grave from the 1880s in Nantucket ,

Massachusetts :

Under the sod and under the trees,

Lies the body of Jonathan Pease.

He is not here, there's only the pod,

Pease shelled out and went to God.

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In a cemetery in England :

Remember man, as you walk by,

As you are now, so once was I.

As I am now, so shall you be,

Remember this and follow me.

To which someone replied by writing on the tombstone:

To follow you I'll not consent,
Until I know which way you went.

Want to read more of such epitaph?  You don't have to go to an eerie graveyard near you.  Find more to read at Amazon.

   

Something to think about...

Something to think about and wonder if it should be funny.

From My InBox:


99% of women say they don't like men who wear leather pants. Which works out perfectly, since 100% of men who wear leather pants don't like women.

My girlfriends dad asked me what I do. Apparently, "your daughter" wasn't the right answer

The biggest difference between men and women is what comes to mind when the word 'Facial' is used.

I work to buy a car to go to work - strange!

A recent study has found that women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it.

Never laugh at your girlfriends choices... your one of them.

If you're not supposed to eat at night, why is there a light bulb in the refrigerator?

Telling a girl to calm down works about as well as trying to baptize a cat.

and finally (In memory of the two Ronnies) to all married fella's...............

Outvoted 1-1 by my wife again.

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If revenge is what you have in mind get this book from Amazon.

How to avoid death by PowerPoint

I love watching presentations that are educational because they include images about the subject which make it less boring to follow through.

So, does that mean that each slide should have more images to be interesting?  David JP Phillips has that answered with more useful tips on "How to avoid death by PowerPoint" in this video.

 

If you like that, you can get his book at

Over the top abundance from the abandoned

Talk about creating abundance out of the abandoned.  This may be one eco-friendly idea that I am not going to adopt soon.

From My InBox:

 toilet

Why involve the whole village?

Family secrets are best kept within.  Why involve the whole village?

From My InBox: