Timun kontot & Bendi tajam

Are those little budding cucumbers I see? I think so!!! I actually started them from seen on 1st February. 6 weeks, and I see them already...wooo hooo! The grand day will come when I can pick them. I can't resist from taking a picture. It's actually raining outside. I just got to put this in my blog.


This is a short cucumber, hybrid type I bought from Green World. Do you think I can get them to full size in 2 weeks? Hmmm, I wonder what will be my first dish from my very own cucumber.

I also picked 5 bendi/okra today. One already being used. And one which is quite crooked, but still edible I think.

I'm having so much fun playing in my own garden. I'm browsing through the internet about kitchen garden and edible garden. I already stumbled to a Malaysian w
ebsite a month ago, and trying to trace it. Now that I've found it, I'm adding it to my blogroll. It's about ASDAF's kitchen garden (Asrama Darul Falah), doing their own, very successful, kitchen garden. I'm so proud of them!

Sometimes I just don't have time to tend the garden. I also miss morning watering also because I have to rush to work. Once I'm back at home, it's already almost 6 pm, and playing with Arishah is my priority. I do bring her outside, and she sometimes do her famous car cat chase. Here's a preview:
Arishah buat muka hampa...

But she's not old enough as yet. Sometimes I still caught her putting things inside her mouth. Argh!!! But she does try to help. Like watering the plants...or the grass...or her own pants...

By the time she's two, I'm going to make sure to get her hands dirty in the sand and soil :) She can have her own flower beds if she wants. Or her very own cangkul! I used to have one when I was two, and I followed Arwah Abah (my late father) to work on the yard...more like disturbing him. I don't remember much, but as temperamental as Abah was, he doesn't mind me following him though :) Or maybe because I'm just his favourite wahahaha...

Talking about beds...I thought of making a raised bed at the top of the back yard. The space is very limited. The soil at the back is not really a soil, but rocky-hard-mixed-with-cement soil. Tilling is pointless. The only thing that's lusciously growing is the banana tree, serai, and my bendi/okra. Maybe I'll bring this up to Baba Rusydan if I'm really out of space :)

Until next time...

Kitchen Garden - the follow up

I'm on call tonight, But I can't sleep. Just recieved a call from ED (emergency department) and admitting a case for heart failure 2ndary to fluid overload, with underlying AF, hypertension and CCF.

I brought my laptop along. The free time I used to sort out the pictures and folders I have. Most of them are pictures of Arishah, off course. She makes me laugh! Her pictures are so cute, and her laugh is like a fresh air, so genuine and pure. Geram!!! Nak gigit rasanye! Bite bite bite Arishah!

Thought of compiling some more picture of her 1 year album, which I have yet to do. If I decide on that, then it's back to print, cut, paste, and decorate for me. I don't know how long that's gonna take. I also thought of doing a standing double sided photo frame for each month. But if I do that, I don't know where to put it because the room is lacking space already. Hanging it on the wall will require some more money with frames and all. Well, I'm still in thinking mode, not a doing mode yet.

I'm busy with my garden (and so does Arishah), that's why. I should have updated a long time ago, and it's already more than 2 months ago. Well, I've added new plants. Some are good news, some are bad news. I'll tell the bad news first.

1. My Cherry Tomato! I started with 3 plants, but now ended with just one. The other two are dead, and I think it's been infected with what they call fusarium wilt. The last and only one, also infected, but I don't know, it seems to be fighting the disease. The only tree has become spindly tall, but only has small leaves, brownish spots seen, and wilting. There are yellow flowers, but the harsh rain is not making it any better. So far, I can only see 3 fruits, and as shown above, only one fully grown. I ate it!!! hahaha, it taste so sweet...unlike the store brought ones!

Well, I'm trying to plant some more from the seeds. I'm learning. There are three that's still in small pots, and when I get home tomorrow, I'll transplant it to a polybag. I know tomato grow well on colder climate, the recommended are 60-75 deg. Farrenheit. It also suppose to be semi shielded from harsh wind and rain, which I didn't do. It's just the cherry tomato are so cute...and now that I know how delicious it is...I really hope I can grow some!

2. Salads! I planted varieties of them, head lettuce, red lettuce and green leaf lettuce. They germinate well, but by the time they get 2 inches tall, it either gets spindling, or eaten by the SNAILS (my worse enemy so far!). Again, salads are cold grow well on cold weather, but under the sun. That's a problem, because we get hot humid and sunny weather. That's the reason my plants are having thin and spindly stalk. I've thus removed it under the son, and put it under partial shade, that's beside the house rather than behind the house. I also need to thin out the plants so that they can grow bigger individually. I'm going to do that tomorrow evening.


3. My beloved Okra. There are four plant in my big pot, and so far has given lots of fruits. I think I've already harvested 10. That's not counting my surviving okra that I planted on the hillside. For that one tree, we managed to harvest >5 okra already. I initially planted 5 seeds on the hillside. All of them germinated, but only 1 survive because the others are eaten by snails. There are a lot of snails up there every morning and after the rain, but I just let them be. Tomorrow evening...killing time...muahahahaha!

I've also planted 7, yes, 7 more in the polybag, and thribing well. Because of the humid weather, which okra really loves, the seed germinated within 3 days, which is really super fast. I'm saving these to give out to kak chal and k man. 3 for k chal, 4 for kek man. I'll ask Mama if she wants it too.

Mak used the okra for her curry. She loves it. It just simply taste sweeter, and softer than the store brought ones. It's not as gooey, and not strandy at all. Must be because it's fresh.

4. I've also planted cucumbers. Just like the okra, it grows super fast. It's only been a month, and I can see the yellow flowers blooming already. I guess, it'll be a couple of weeks when i see some small cucumbers sprouting from the flowers. I planted about 6 in the big pot, and then thin it down to 3. i but 3 poles for support. But my cucumbers are getting naughty, its vines are tugging their nearest neighbours, the okra and the tomato tree.

I'm planting more in a tray, and once it's big enough, I'm going to transplant it elsewhere. I haven't figured out where yet, but most probably in the polybag, then I'll set it up on the hillside with trellis of some sort.


5. Kangkung and Bayam is living and kept on going. I didn't take out the root this time. So I only harvest the leaves when I intend to cook it. Bayam is usually for Arishah. I wish I had the rounded leaves type for Bayam, or maybe I am growing that one but since my Bayam tree is so big, the leaves are bigger too. As for Kangkung, I've grown it in 2 planters. I cooked twice already for Kangkung masak belacan/kangkung goreng biasa. I think it tasted a bit bitter than the market ones. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the soil. Oh, that reminds me, I need to put fertiliser tomorrow.

My baby pok choy also growing in one of the planter, but slow growing. At least this time it's growing! Last time it just dissappear, eaten by snails. I hope when I get home tomorrow, it still exists!

6. I'm trying on eggplant and loofah (petola) next. I planted eggplant seeds and loofah seeds in styrafoam containers. I also planted red chilli, since Mak always said she didn't have any, and hers kept on dying.

The red chilli, I managed to get 3 small, 1 inch tall ones. I still don't know where to transplant it to.

Eggplants and loofah seeds were just planted 2 days ago, so that one will take time. I saw in the internet a white eggplant, so pretty!!

I'm hoping my new french bean seeds will grow. I planted some in the tray. We'll see it it goes.



Well that goes for all my plants, with pictures provided. Update on Arishah? Oh, just too much. Maybe some other time :). I'm going to review the patient from ED, I think he has arrived to CHDW already. G'nite.

Arishah's 2 month birthday

She's 2 months old now, and yesterday was my first day back at work. Tsk tsk tsk, I kept looking at her photo in my handphone A LOT! Called Mak at home in the afternoon just to check how she was doing.

She was a good girl yesterday...very good girl. Slept most of the time, letting her Tok Wan (my mother in law) to do quick chores. She sleeps well when she's well fed...like her mum hehe.

I learned that she really liked to be stroked at the back...a'hah...like me! She's enjoying her 2 times a day bath, especially when I massage her pre and post bath. Definitely going to have fun playing with her cousin, Amin and Ammar. I wonder what they'll be like. Farith, my nephew once asked my sister in law about his girl-cousin..."Kenapa Yaya punye takde lagi? Belum tumbuh yeh?" Hehe. He's only 4 years old and already knows how to tease my elder sister. "Aunty Eman tak de neno yeh? Dia terjatuh ke? Kenapa Aunty Eman tak jaga betul-betul?" ekekekek. Cute! Just wonder how their mind works sometimes.

She's communicating very well, making new noises. Can't wait to hear her say Mama and Baba. But poor her we didn't do much for her birthday. The house is still a mess. I'm doubting this house will be really over and done with by the end of the month. Some part of the ceiling is still leaking, and noticeable since it's been raining everyday now. Dah lap lantai dah, but now it's dusty again. Rasa malas nak lap lagi, mopping is useless since the debris won't really go away. But this family is staying here, so got to wipe this bedroom so Arishah won't get sick.

The old room turned into library already. Cabinets all done. Just books need to be placed. My books are mostly in Mama's house, don't know when to bring them here. Maybe I'll let them occupy the space with their stuff first, and see if there's anymore left. Useless to bring things back and forth if in the end there're still not enough space.

Cloths!!! Oh my God, I can't fit anymore into my Kebaya and goodbye to my trousers! haha. I'm giving the good ones to my nieces. They're still good to wear. Baju bertandang dah tak boleh pakai, sedihnye. But at least I can buy new ones...just don't have the time to go out. I want to bring Arishah with me if possible, see the WORLD!

Besok on-call. Arghhhh!!! Have to leave her home for 2 days and 1 night. Macam tido kat hotel pulak. Can't take half day off anymore post-call. A colleague of mine got into an accident and broke his tibia...ouch!

Anyway, too bad I can't post pic right now, entah mana pegi wire digital camera tu. Akikah pulak on hold. Initially nak buat sabtu/ahad ni, but I just postpone it since the house looks like this. Maybe when Arishah is 3-4 months old. I can save some extra money pun. And Baba is saving up baby videos...the one I like is Signing time. She really likes to watch it, but her attention span only last about 10-15 minutes. I'm learning how to sign milk, water, play, today, cat, dog and bird. Can't believe learning a new language can be so much fun.

My Dream House

I've been up since 6 am, and since then, I've been working and perfecting my dream house. It's been my dream since I was a child to live in my dream house. And there are a few criteria that I always follow in drawing up sketches...

(House Plan from above. Entrance to the RIGHT.)

1) It shall be a single story house...provided that the land is big enough. I'm just too tired with multilevel house. I had one since I was a child, and a big house at that (7 bedrooms, for 7 kids), it's very tiring. For those who dream of big house, well, good luck to ya, coz it's not just about affording the house, but also affording the time and effort to maintain the house. Even worse, I just don't understand a house that's more than 2 story high...maybe it's the view they are after.
2) The back yard shall be BIG! So I can have all my family activities there, with enough privacy. Love barbecue, or just simple family gathering.
3) The front yard is enough to occupy a porch for my car, a patio with few steps, and a small greenery. No bushes! Less maintaining issues.
4) I shall have coconut trees (or at least one). I miss having to pick coconut fresh from the trees and drink its juices like I used to in my previous house.
5) My kitchen shall be big enough, for it is where the heart of the home is (even though I'm not a good cook)...hehehe.
6) At least 4 bedrooms - 1 Master bedroom, 1 for my boy(s), 1 for my girl(s), and another for guestroom/study
7) Still have space for another extension for a bedroom. I like a big family :)

(View into my living room, facing the front door. I'd like to have extra seating by the window)

So I've been using my hubby's Microsoft Visio, but he needs his laptop at work. So I drew roughly on my graph paper. Some of the idea are integrated with K. Ida's & Nuar's plan (my brother & sis-in-law), bless them for being so great! Then I open up my SIMS 2, which I left without playing for more than 5 months now. I used to be a SIMS addict.

Here's some pics I'd like to share...hehehe (smiling gleefully). Hope this dream will come true soon!(View into my dining room, through a short 'hallway' where I can put my displays. And off course, my hubby's aquarium in the dining room. The door separates family area and the dining area, for privacy if its needed. It is easily open up like a sliding door for space. The living room and dining area is the same level, because in case I need to do kenduri - and my mother always reminds me - there'll be a lot of spaces without interruption)

(My herb garden, with a small deck/patio for breakfast or tea. If you look closely, it's just outside facing the dining are. To the left is a small door connecting to my dry kitchen. This is an extra area in case the dining area is not enough. I can open the sliding door into the open air. If you can remember from the previous picture, there's a big sliding door that separates the dining area and the family room. So the small door connecting the kitchen from outside would help tremendously in terms of 'privacy')

So far, that's the major stuff. Other's are just a matter of interior design. My kitchen has dry and wet area. Malaysian cook must have this, because it's humid weather + oily food will just destroy the furniture as well as (expensive) plates & saucers (that's what my mother told me).

Some may say I'm wasting my time by redoing this again and again. But if I don't, it'll stuck in my mind, and I can't concentrate on other things. It's better for me to put it down, and now I can see it visually. It's great for focusing on what I want in my life. Even if you don't believe me, I'll just convince myself...hehe.

Sigh...two more years to go and save up money! Now, let me plan how to get there :)