Go Tell It On the Mountain

... or with your personalised car plates

Random car stopped at a red light.

(Love it! )

Excess Weight

When we booked a flight to the home country last December 2011,

we were on such a tight budget that our baggage weight allowance

was only the 10 kilos of hand carry per person.

I tend to bring more than that home from the grocery and butcher

when I do weekend shopping.

This was actually 'lighter' than normal

(the scale reads about 14 kilos)

because I focused on the stuff 

I really needed for the week

and stayed away from the nice-to-haves.

(The picture is fuzzy because 

I couldn't get any of my kids to take the photo for me

so I held the scale on one hand

and my phone on the other.)

Doctor Quack Quack!

I have to admit, I think of Slash-M whenever anyone mentions Doctor Quack Quack.   

No, Slash-M is not a doctor nor is he a duck; but we did play Doctor Quack Quack! as kids quite often.   It's a game where the chosen "It" has to untangle the remaining players from their convoluted state of disarray as a result of having gone over or under each other's linked hands.  The "It" wins if he is able to 'fix' the other players' position back to their original position, without anyone letting go,which forms a circle with linked hands.

Maybe it was one of those games I enjoyed playing with him because Slash-M was on an even playing field as the girls.   He was a strong swimmer, a fast runner, a good ball player.  He could do tricks on the bike and ride a skateboard.  He was killer in cards and ruthless at board games.  And with the exception of " London Eye is a SQUIRREL!", I remember Slash-M as someone who was a good hider and a good seeker.  

It was fun to play games with him.  Even if he was the only boy among so many girls at the time, he still played with us.

Anyway, I chanced upon the pictured car this morning which led me down memory lane.  

I said to myself,

 "Yes, this guy owns an Audi so he must have a good practice 

but would I trust this doctor if I found out he chose this as his license plate?"

Omelette du Frumage

Life skills lesson for the day : How to Cook an Omelette

No, not just a cheese omelette...

...but a mexican beef (with cheese) omelette!

(We had pre-cooked ground beef with mexican seasoning in the ref.)

Here is RD's masterpiece. 

(His was extra cheesy!)

Bon Appetit!

Bring to a Boil

Saturday get together was cancelled and moved to Sunday due to someone's birthday celebration.  Since we'd already eaten most of the slow cooked chicken (that the two boys worked on) for dinner yesterday, I have to whip up something new for tonight.

I can think about what to make for dinner later considering the shops are still closed and I have nothing in stock that will enable me to prepare a double recipe for dinner tonight.

So I  decided to make Almond Jelly to bring as an added dessert, mainly because I wanted to finish off the canister of gelatin that had been sitting in the pantry for a while.  

The instructions seemed easy enough ... bring water and gelatin to a boil then add milk, sugar and almond extract until sugar dissolves.  

Of course this was my notated (see what it looks like below) and modified version of the recipe.  From where? I have no idea.  I believe the original recipe had called for a stick of white gulaman and it required me to wash and shred the gulaman.  So I am 100% sure that this recipe is NOT from someone else's cookbook.  

Bring to a boil.  How difficult could those instructions be?

Not too difficult, I thought,  as I measured out the gelatin and sprinkled it over the pre-heated water in the pan.   I finished off the contents of the old canister and got the needed amount from new one.    I flipped on the induction cooker to get the boil rolling (get it?) then moved to measure the milk and the sugar.  

Next thing I knew, something was stinking and there was a circle of burning gelatin in the bottom of the pan!

Yikes!   How was I to know that would happen?

I tossed that mixture down the drain fast and scrubbed the saucepan to destroy the evidence pronto.

I started a new batch in a different saucepan over the regular oven top.  This time, I dissolved all the gelatin in the measuring cup before I put it over the heat.  As I was stirring the water and gelatin mixture, waiting for it boil, I wondered WHY that had happened.  It had never happened before.  

We just got the induction cooker recently.  Maybe the induction cooker was too hot, I thought.   Other thoughts crossed my mind.  Does gelatin have an expiry date?  Apparently, it does.

But of course, in hind sight,  I think what I did wrong was that I didn't dissolve the gelatin before bringing the mixture to a boil. 

In my defense, the recipe didn't tell me to do that.  

Yeah, I know, I wrote the recipe.  SIGH!

ALMOND JELLY  

2 c water                     (water and gelatin)

2T + 2t gelatin               Bring to a boil

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c milk                    (sugar, milk and almond extract)

1t almond extract          Add till sugar dissolves

Chicken Little

As part of the children's life skills lessons, I decided to teach them how to cut a whole chicken into serving pieces.  

Last week, MyGirl had the crash course with no hands-on assistance from me because I had just finished ironing the clothes.  She was thrilled about the whole experience.  Her reaction?  "It's fun!"

This week was the boys' turn.  

I bought a twin-pack.   I figured we could slow cook the chicken to bring for our usual Saturday night gathering at the relatives' place.  That way, I could hit two birds with one stone -- let the boys go through cutting up the chicken and prepare for dinner at the same time.  

Neither of the boys were excited at the prospect of having to work with uncooked poultry.  Even if the boys had the advantage of having my extra set of hands to show them exactly what to do, they seemed to have struggled with the chicken a little more than MyGirl did last week. 

RD complained that the chicken was cold and cut our session short by declaring that people could have  big pieces of chicken breast (instead of dividing the breast pieces into smaller pieces like I had asked him) as he tossed the pieces into the crock pot.

When RD was done, I called GI over.   

It took us a while to get started because GI had a difficult time with step #1 (washing the chicken).  After I managed to get GI to HOLD the chicken, it was more or less smooth sailing to get the chicken cut.   Mind you, there was a lot of drama involved.   "This is harder than what I do at work.  I miss cheese! onions!  deli meat!  (which are easier to cut)."

Well, both boys passed with flying colours.  

I don't think they are going to cut chicken for me anytime soon but at least they have a fair idea of how to do it when the need arises.

100 Keyboard Shortcuts

Yes, I copied and pasted this from a FB message ...  the message said that I should SHARE it.  I'm looking for some commands which I hope to find in this ocean of keystrokes.  

Keyboard Shorcuts (Microsoft Windows)

1. CTRL+C (Copy)
2. CTRL+X (Cut)
3. CTRL+V (Paste)
4. CTRL+Z (Undo)
5. DELETE (Delete)
6. SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
7. CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
8. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
9. F2 key (Rename the selected item)
10. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
11. CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
12. CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
13. CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
14. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
15. CTRL+A (Select all)
16. F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
17. ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
18. ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
19. ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
20. ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
21. CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents opensimultaneou sly)
22. ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
23. ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
24. F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
25. F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
26. SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
27. ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
28. CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
29. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu) Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
30. F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
31. RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
32. LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
33. F5 key (Update the active window)
34. BACKSPACE (View the folder onelevel up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
35. ESC (Cancel the current task)
36. SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROMinto the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)

Dialog Box - Keyboard Shortcuts
1. CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
2. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
3. TAB (Move forward through the options)
4. SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
5. ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
6. ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
7. SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
8. Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
9. F1 key (Display Help)
10. F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
11. BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)


Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts
1. Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
2. Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
3. Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
4. Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
5. Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restorethe minimized windows)
6. Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
7. Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
8. CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
9. Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
10. Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
11. Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
12. Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)
13. Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts
14. Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
15. Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
16. Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
17. SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
18. NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
19. Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)
20. Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
21. END (Display the bottom of the active window)
22. HOME (Display the top of the active window)
23. NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
24. NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
25. NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)
26. LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)
27. RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)


Shortcut Keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:
1. RIGHT ARROW (Move to the rightor to the beginning of the next line)
2. LEFT ARROW (Move to the left orto the end of the previous line)
3. UP ARROW (Move up one row)
4. DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)
5. PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)
6. PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)
7. HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)
8. END (Move to the end of the line)
9. CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)
10. CTRL+END (Move to the last character)
11. SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)

Microsoft Management Console (MMC)
Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts
1. CTRL+O (Open a saved console)
2. CTRL+N (Open a new console)
3. CTRL+S (Save the open console)
4. CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)
5. CTRL+W (Open a new window)
6. F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
7. ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)
8. ALT+F4 (Close the console)
9. ALT+A (Display the Action menu)
10. ALT+V (Display the View menu)
11. ALT+F (Display the File menu)
12. ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)


MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts
1. CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)
2. ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)
3. SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
4. F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
5. F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
6. CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
7. CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
8. ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for theselected item)
9. F2 key (Rename the selected item)
10. CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)


Remote Desktop Connection Navigation
1. CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
2. ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
3. ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
4. ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
5. ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
6. CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
7. ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
8. CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
9. CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place asnapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboardand provide the same functionality aspressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

Microsoft Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
1. CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
2. CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
3. CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
4. CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
5. CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
6. CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
7. CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
8. CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box,the same as CTRL+L)
9. CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
10. CTRL+R (Update the current Web )

SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS.. :)

Jesus, I Trust In You

It's the First Sunday after Easter.

It is Divine Mercy Sunday.

http://www.divinemercysunday.com/

 “On the day of My feast, the Feast of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the spring of My mercy.  I shall heal and strengthen them”. 

Guide us in our journey, O Lord.

Kitchen Hands

This little lady helped wash the salad greens for lunch and 

prepare the breaded chicken for dinner.

This big boy set the table, heated the food 

and sliced the boiled eggs to go with the salad.

This young man helped prepare the mozzarella

and other ingredients for the pizza, etc.

... at someone else's kitchen.

Yes, he was out for most of the day.

GI's first day of work.

Some Like It Hot!

GI has developed a love for Tabasco.

We thought we were getting a bargain

when getting the 60 ml bottle for AUD 2.00.

(Regular price ranges from AUD3.00 to 4.00.)

That was before we discovered that a 100 ml bottle existed.

We asked someone to get a bottle for GI from Costco.

AUD 6.30 for that HUGE bottle.

Can you believe it?

Now, the small bottle is GI's travel-sized Tabasco.

Leggo My Lego

The boys in our family had some Lego, but the real LEGO SET owner (note the all caps) was Mindy. She had a a big Lego Castle set.  It had predominantly yellow pieces, with special pieces that could make the castle towers and castle walls, accessories to dress up the Lego men so they can turn into knights (complete with helmet, armor and lance), not to mention pieces that made horses for the knights to ride (in black and white, of course).   It was a gift from her godfather, who was a good friend of Father.

When GI was big enough for Lego, I got him a small set which had the basic pieces in a variety of primary colours.  He got various sets for his birthday or Christmas until he "graduated" into Bionicles.  

We did spend a lot of time playing with Lego when they were young because a lot can be done even with a few pieces.

We brought the Lego set with us when we migrated, but it remained in storage (as it didn't stand a chance against Call of Duty and League of Legends).  I decided to pass on the set to my nephew so that the Lego story would not end.

And this is how it began ...

Big Tea Time

On Easter Monday, when there were only two of us working
in the whole floor, I walked to the other side of the room
to take some shots of something that had caught my eye
a couple of days earlier.

I've heard about getting a large drink,

but this is a bit extreme!

Look at the size of those pearls.

I wonder who owns this extra, extra large Chatime glass.

Whoever it was, must have been mighty thirsty!