Dream Stories: The Girl In The Mercedes Benz

It started with me on a bicycle, being brushed at the side whilst about to stop at the traffic lights. The driver was a young girl, probably in her teens. With a few more in side the car. It was a Mercedes Benz, no idea the make. She then opened her windows and proceeded to show me her fist. There was a policeman nearby and i waved at him to come over to mediate things between myself and the car driver. Things obviously didnt go very well. We then had to part when the lights turned green. 

Next scene was at a building. I was rushing through doors trying to locate the driver. I finally found her and a fight ensued. Her parents appeared, along with her siblings of different ages and genders. The scene got pretty chaotic. We parted ways later. 

A car arrived at my doorstep and a woman appeared. She's the mother of the driver, here to apologize and handed me some cash for all the trouble her daughter had caused. I refused to accept and wanted an apology from her daughter instead. She invite me out for a meal and i agreed. The dream ended this way.

Pulled a nerve on my left shoulder blade

I  was mentally and physically prepared to work at my laptop today. Abuthen, towards noon, i felt an  excruciating pain, similar to that the time i pulled a nerve on my right shoulder blade a couple of years ago. I have no freaking idea what triggered it, but it's on my left shoulder blade now. I cant even lay my whole left hand straight down, damn. Tilting my head backwards also yield a sharp pain around that area. Have asked my kid to apply some analgesic to that location. Looks like i gotta pop a muscle relaxant if this persists.

Cintan Instant Dried Noodles

Price of Cintan Instant Dried Noodles has gone up. How much? By about Rm1, depending where i buy it from. That's a hefty 25% hike. I stock this for the time being as my noodlemaker is still inside its box since we moved over here. 

Moreover, the plug that came with the machine from China is different from ours. And the adapter i use to operate it is currently in use by other household gadgets. It looks like this.

I've ordered 2 additional adapters for it. Will have to start making my own noodles again as food is becoming more and more expensive by the day. Are you all feeling the pinch? Whatever it is, i am very frugal with my spending. A dollar saved is a dollar earned, right....

Mission Impossible

Everything looks like mission impossible until you start giving it a go. If you dont start, nothing happens. Everything remains unchanged, including personal growth. Who doesnt want personal growth? Who doesnt want to change things for the better? What's there to lose by trying? I keep reminding myself that, for as long as i try, our life will get better each day. It's tough enough now. 

For the past few days, I've seen my network of friends grow. That is because i'm currently in the midst of expanding it. Adding new friends, speaking to them, getting to know them better. It takes effort. But this kind of effort does not require money, nor energy. Only time, and a genuine interest in getting to know them better are needed. For sure, friendship isnt built overnight.

Thermomix Steamed Chocolate Cake Recipe With Steps

Been a while since i last made a cake. Be it baked, or steamed. In fact, I've swapped my 55ltr oven's location with the smaller air fryer. It's eating far too much space for something i only use to place food inside; a makeshift larder at best 😅😅😅

Anyways, my big kid has been bugging me for cake cake cake maybe say, 3 months. Yeah, i didn't entertain him since like forever. Abuthen, i was digging my fridge and found cocoa powder plus half a box of self-raising flour inside. 

So, armed with all the basics needed for a decent cake, assuring myself i am decluttering the fridge at the same time, i went about conjuring a cake up for Gordon.  Here's what i did with a folded up recipe dug from the drawer. Then converted it for the Thermomix, my old Tm31.

180g butter ( i have salted Anchor)

150g sugar (i have an opened pack)

200g milk (used milk powder)

These, i melted for 5min in 50c at sp2. Didnt use butterfly.

2 eggs (i dunno what size mine were)

Next, added eggs in via the hole. 10sec at sp3

100g self-raising flour (mine's Bluekey) 

50g cocoa powder (mine's Van Houten) sieve both together

Quickly scoop all in thru the hole for 20sec at sp4.

Mix and scrape bottom and sides of the bowl well. Pour into a lined dish or wateva container. Cover with aluminium foil if using the varoma to avoid the damned drips. Bamboo steamer can do without as there will be no drips.

Steam with 1000g water for 50mins at sp2 in the varoma. Or use your wok, bamboo steamer. I used my cute little Bear ccf maker 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Remember to poke the cake's center to check for doneness. If batter still sticks to the skewer, continue steaming in 10mins repeats till done.

Cool, and dig in. Not bad. Will make another one using the bamboo steamer next. It'll rise better compared to the tiny thingy i used :p

Aik Cheong Teh Tarik

Aik Cheong is one of my favorite brands as far as milk teas are concerned. Almost a staple in my house. I love having it with Hup Seng cream crackers as a late afternoon snack. Sometimes, tuna sandwich. 

It has a smooth texture and not too sweet. I make it with slightly more water than whats recommended on its packaging. It's a personal preference. My kid loves it too. I feel he is too young to have an entire cup to himself and i usually shares it with him.

I get my Aik Cheong Teh Tarik from 99 Speedmart as it is near my house. Price wise, it is reasonable. I'd be better if we can get say, a mug bundled with a purchase of 2 packets. I'd be sure to stock up as there are never enough mugs in my house 😅😅😅

Weekend Cooking - Curry

Curry is good to clear the fridge of veggies remnants on weekends. Half the time, i end up with a little of something. Today, i found cauliflower, cabbage, baby carrots, and one eggplant that was lurking behind a container. It's from my garden. I remember bringing it in but totally forgotten about it.

There's still 5 pieces of chicken. Together with a stick of curry leaves, Baba's meat curry powder, and some santan, i dished up a pot of wholesome curry for tonight's dinner. The boys want to eat rice. Easier for me as i dont have to whip up a batch of noodles with my noodlemaker.

Here's a short video i took of my curry dish after cooking for say 30 minutes. Everything is cooked to perfection and the house is filled with the smell aromatic curry. We have bread too and i think i'll have toast with it later. Curry is truly a versatile dish. Goes with almost anything.

Oh My Leaky Kitchen Tap

The kitchen tap leaks. Not the flowy kinda leak. More like it takes effort to turn it to a point where the drip is reduced to like 10 drops a minute. I place a basin inside the sink to catch the drips. It usually takes a good few hours to fill it up. I wont be calling the plumber in now with covid still around. 

What i've been doing of late is a hell lot of cleaning and wiping. It doesnt make sense to discard the clean water once the basin is full. Nor do i want to lug it to the toilet just to pour it into the pail there. Since i've moved my work downstairs, it makes sense to keep the place clean, free of dust, as much as i can.

I've cleaned the staircase and good lord, so much cat hair on each step, especially at the L corners. Cleared the landing area of carton boxes accumulated from online shopping. Wiped all the window panes. Gee, i even went down on all fours to wipe the floor squeaky clean. I actually feel much better knowing the place now is now presentable to anyone who happens to pop their head inside, lol.

Naaahhh.... not expecting anyone. I still havent wiped the ceiling fan blades. Nor have i done the toilet and bathroom. Still a lot to do but like i said, for as long as the tap is still dripping, there will be continuous rounds of daily cleaning. I wipe all surfaces all day long. Just so i can feel good all day long :)

Typical Malaysia Teatime Snack

I had a late lunch. Though I've cooked dinner for the boys, i don't feel like eating rice now. My neighbor gave us some yauzharguai (fried breadsticks), and makeok. Makes a quick filler meal together with a cup of Aik Cheong brand milk tea.

Managing The Emotions Of An Upset YouTuber With Autism

G had another meltdown around 4am. Ruckus downstairs. Came up to my room, in tears, angry, yelling. M also woke up blur af. Why? Discord-Youtube issue. So, he put up a vid about it, tagged me in it asking for help, but im still trying to figure out the trigger. No heads no tails. He cant express himself properly. My head started to pound. I can feel my heartbeat racing. Breathe, Samm. Breathe.... 

I drag my half-asleep ass down and sat next to him. To calm him down. To help him manage his anger, his emotions, towards whatever is triggering everything. Handle the Discord crazy chats, his channel comments. Before things spiral out of hand. He remembered what he did earlier and mumbled he will not do it again. I assured him it's ok. Over already. And to keep the lesson in his heart, together with Papa, so he wont forget. Gave him a bun. Made him a beverage with cereal. 

Being a YouTuber is not easy. Being a YouTuber with autism is hard. Being a mom to a YouTuber with autism is 5946373857x harder. You want to help. You dunno how to help. You dunno what's wrong. There is no fix except to be there. Sleepy, pain, tired, sad, upset, head not correct, sorry... I gotta turn all those switches in my head off. G needs me now. 2.5hr in.....

Working Together With My Kid

Each day, i work across our 6ft dining table from my son. He is turning 19 this year, and a YouTuber. Spends a lot of his time working on new videos and interacting on Discord with his friends. I am here to provide some sort of support to him so that he knows that he is not working alone. He was diagnosed with autism at around 2 years old when i was still pregnant with my second child.

He doesnt really need me to be sitting here. In fact, he sometimes asks me to just go back to my room upstairs. Especially when he knows he will be creating a ruckus when he goes on Discord to chat with his friends. It can be really noisy as hell. I keep reminding myself even though he doesnt want me to be around, i just need to work quietly in the shadow.

He is growing up so fast before me. The road to independence is still a long journey for him. In a way, i am extremely proud of his dedication and passion towards building his YouTube channel. The videos he publishes may not be for average people like me and you, but hey, he has his subscribers base and viewers that keep coming back for more. I'll just keep my distance and watch him type away :)

Trembling Hands After Having Coffee And Panadol

I had a little health scare a short while ago. I was knitting the hem to a project and suddenly, my hands started to tremble. Like, they are both shaking on their own. I dont think it's due to hunger. Nor due to the coffee i had as i've been drinking coffee like forever they actually do nothing much for me. Not even to keep me from falling asleep. 

The only thing that cane to mind was the panadol i took to manage the pain in neck and left shoulder blade. I have reasons to believe the combination of black coffee and panadol was what caused the hands to tremble just now. Ran to the kitchen to cook myself a ramen. Gulped it down and felt much much better. So glad it's really nothing much. Now, back to my knitting machine cardigan project.

Pain On My Left Shoulder Blade

People usually say you must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed whenever one sports a bad mood. Or that everything about the day just isnt right at all. For me, i must have slept on the wrong side of my body as i woke up with a sharp pain at my back; my left shoulder blade to be exact. It is still bad although i've been up for hours already.

Friends suggested i take one ibuprofen and apply a heat pack to it. i dont have ibuprofen on hand but i managed to dig my heat pack out from its hiding place. I did as instructed and then asked the kid to massage that spot with some cinnamon oil. It leaves a little bit of heat on the skin but honestly, i dont much of a difference. In fact, the pain has intensified. Gaaaahhh... cant even turn my head to the left properly now!

Started A New Circular Knitting Machines Blog

I managed to increase my channel's subscribers by 10 yesterday. It is decent with a few new videos. Well, this is considering the pace my channel is growing, lol. More tutorial videos are needed as these are the ones that really bring in the subscribers that will return for more at a later date. 

I've started a new blog for Circular Knitting Machines. I've been using these for quite a while already and would like to share my experience with new owners. These are not difficult machines to learn. For as long as one can cast the yarn onto it correctly and crank slower, everything will be good and a tube will be knitted in no time.

The blog is empty now as i am mapping its content and layout. This will make navigating it easier especially for users looking for content in an organized manner. My Youtube channel already has content related to Circular Knitting Machines with a popular one on how to make a pet jumper using a circular knitting machine. I made one for my cat and after posting it to my favorite groups, there are many users wanting to make one for their pets too. Gotta get back to work now :)

Grabfood Order Of The Day

It's Grabfood order day today. The kid's been asking for chicken rice since last week. I refused to give in to him. It's costly to keep ordering food on demand. More like a vicious cycle that once started, never ends.

Anyways, to satisfy that rice monster, we are all going to have rice from our favorite chicken rice shop, Pak Kong Chicken Rice. We do eat there once in a while pre-Covid times, provided we get a parking space at the maximum of two rounds driving and hunting for one.

I've subscribed to that whatchucallit unlimited grab promo. Some bullshit 50% discount capped at a certain amount, with free delivery with a min order of rm25. I'll scrap it upon the next renewal date.

Anyways, back to today's order. Roasted chicken rice (no, it wasnt roasted when i opened it), charsiu rice, and roasted pork rice. All in for around Rm18. Not exactly cheap but averages out to Rm6 a packet. I mixed all the chicken-charsiu-roasted pork so each of us gets a little of everything. Ok, i dont have to sweat the driving and parking. All is good then.

Stress Sensor On The Maimo Watch

I rearranged the sofa-bed just now. Required a bit of arm muscle and sweat to pull the covers and switch the cushions around. Took me say 10mins or so to complete the task.

After i sat down at the table, back to working at my posts, the Maimo Watch buzzed. This cropped up. I've been trying to get a pic of this and today's the day! So there, the Maimo watch do sense that you're stressed and tells you to chillax a bit.

Someone please hand me a vodka. On the rocks please....

Rebuilding My YouTube Channel

I've resigned to the fact that i'll never be able to type on this laptop properly wearing the Maimo Watch. On one hand, i need to track my steps. On the other hand, i want to get back to the rhythm of typing and publishing something whenever an idea comes to mind. What to do... move the watch up my lower arm, lol. This is the only way i can get the job done without it getting in the way.

I'm in the midst of rebuilding my Youtube channel. It was set up like over a decade ago during the paid posts era. It has served its purpose and now that there are new terms and changes to Youtube, nothing that i've uploaded to it previously is relevant anymore. Even the monetization part of it has been revoked. 

Youtube now requires a minimum of 1000 subscribers and 4000 public watch hours to qualify for monetization. I am halfway a the subscribers mark. If i remember correctly, it was at around 250 when i got back to it. Watch hours was just around 400hrs or so. I have managed to double the stats in a few months. Nothing to shout about, but i'm working on it. Need to make more videos and upload to it consistently to get Youtube to recognize that this channel is still alive!

This was taken yesterday 16 March 2022. 524 subscribers : 995 public watch hours

Can be done. Can be done. Lots of effort needed. Have to remind myself that every single thing that i do can be turned into a vlog of some sort. I've been watching some channels and i like how some of the videos are being edited. Gotta embrace new styles, new programs to get things done and so forth. Out with the old, in with the new, haha. So much learning to do. 

Using The Tv As A Monitor

I don't own a standing desk for a fancy desk setup. All i have is an old Dell laptop. It's already 10 years old. It still functions albeit slow to start up and shut down. Takes patience to wait for programs to run on it. May shut down on its own every now and then also. Therefore, it serves more as a server for me to access all my old files stored on it.

I've hooked the old Dell up to the old 32in led tv. It's not a digital smart tv. Nothing plays on it anymore; not even our local tv stations. They've gone digital a few years back. It needs some kind of tv signal converter in order to watch the stations. Found one at Shopee but not going to buy it yet. It is still good for watching YouTube and Netflix tho.

I found that the tv is too low to use as a monitor should i need to sit there and do some computing work. Remembered my kids' old story books and took out a few to lift it higher for a better viewing height. Works like a charm, and even provided space below it for the keyboard and mouse. It is perfect now!