The Philips Vacuum That Works For Me

Having a clean floor is very necessary in my home. I am a stickler for floor hygiene in my home!  It became even more important for me to keep the floor doubly clean after welcoming a dog into the family. Thus, when I acquired Philip's PowerPro bagless vacuum cleaner recently, I couldn't be happier!

 With it's powerful 2100W motor, it does make vacuuming the floor much more effortless as compared to the older model vacuum cleaner that I have. It's AeroSeal nozzle works like a charm and captures more dust (and needless to say, the countless human and dog hair) which is very visible on my beech white laminated floor.

Picture on the right shows 3 interchangeable parts to for different the needs when vacuuming.

I think of all the features of this vacuum cleaner, apart from the powerful suction, I am most pleased with the convenience of it's super long 11m radius that helps me reach a wider area in my home at one go. From one power point, I could reach about 80% of my floor area! This was certainly not something I could do with my previous vacuum cleaner which made vacuuming a chore. So this definitely helps me accomplish more in a shorter period of time.

 

I find that it is quite easy to handle and didn't feel it is as cumbersome as those I've experienced using before.

My daughter, Megan, also wanted to get into the action! She found it a breeze to handle this vacuum cleaner and had no problem helping me clean up the rest of the home which is a bonus! And just to show you the height of the handle bar, it is as tall as she. Megan is almost 1.4m in height. So you can clearly see where the advantage of this product is giving me.

Overall, I think my experience with using it so far has been a positive one and if you're considering replacing your old vacuum cleaner, this would clearly be the choice!

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GREAT NEWS!

Philips is currently having a Great Singapore Sale promotion on some of their products.

This Philips PowerPro bagless vacuum cleaner, model FC8764/01 which I have reviewed, is currently having a promotional price of S$299 (U.P. S$369)

You can also stand a chance to win shopping vouchers when you purchase Philips products during the GSS period with a minimum spending of S$200!

Do follow Philips Twitter page at https://twitter.com/PhilipsSG and participate in the Twitter games to win up to $100 shopping vouchers!

You can find out more over here - http://www.philips.com.sg/e/promo/promotions/general/gss-promotion.html

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  Till the next post, have a blessed week!

Disclaimer : The Accidental Mom Blogger received the product from Philips.com for review purpose only. I am in no way affiliated to this company and the opinions about this product are purely my own.

On The Hip Arab Street

  It was a quaint Mexican restaurant we chanced upon, occupying a shop house at Beach Road, at the sleepier end of the hip Arab Street enclave.   The weather was great to have an alfresco lunch while absorbing the colorful sights along the street.   We had our satisfying dose of fajitas and quesadilla.   Do you enjoy a good Mexican fare?
Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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My First Acrylic Painting - Van Gogh Sunflowers

It was one of my must-do in my life - try my hands on proper painting. No, not like the ones we used to do in school with poster colors. Real painting means me sitting on a high stool, facing a canvas on an easel. And so I did!

The walk of fame, showcasing the art works of their students along the corridor.

I was already impressed with the studio the minute I stepped in. Splashes of colors and neatness greeted me and I immediately felt happy vibes!

There were 13 of us who attended the class that morning but we were split into 2 studios because of the classroom size. Bubbly art teacher Gaz, who has years of teaching this medium to children and adults alike, introduced himself and shared insights about the sunflower painting done by Van Gogh. He put on soothing background music to get us in the mood to paint. And in the mood we were!

 

    Gaz continued to explain that in any art painting, it is imperative to draw the outline of the picture before details are added in. After drawing the outline, we could tackle the background colors of the painting. It was really up to us in our choice of colors for our painting. A sigh of relief for me because it would have been even tougher to follow the exact shades of the original painting!     He further reminded us that the strokes used in Van Gogh's painting were short ones and that we should take that into consideration when we paint to achieve a similar result. And the trick to completing this art was not to be "perfect" with the blending of colors. 

Two and a half hours later, this was my version of Van Gogh's artwork. What do you think? Can I be a 'Van Ade'?

There is always a time to pose for photos whenever the SMBs gather.

Am sure Gaz is as pleased as he looks in this photo. There on the left photo, he is seen glossing over my painting to seal in the colors.

 But well, it doesn't matter because I am happy with what I achieved since it's my very first art painting. This took me about 2 hours to achieve and with no art painting background whatsoever, I think I should give myself a pat on the back!

The mom bloggers from SMB that attended class together - all high on art! (top left-right) Evelyn, Lyndis, Justina, Irene, Dominique, myself and Regina.  (bottom left-right) Donna, Pamela, Alicia and Rachel. Missing in photo : Estella and Summer

Heart Studio also offer other art medias to to keep the little hands and minds focused, just like they did with us mommies! Two thumbs up for great teachers with an excellent environment for learning! Highly recommended!   For more information of their upcoming holiday classes for children, please visit :   Heart Studio 101 Soo Chow Walk Singapore 575385 (on Upper Thomson road)

  ***************************************************************************** This painting class was organized exclusively for Singapore Mom Bloggers as part of our 1st birthday celebration and kindly sponsored by Heart Studio.       Till the next post, have a blessed week!

Fearless

  I stood in awe as I watched this 13 year old boy, climbing up a 10m pole with no hesitation. A few minutes went by and this little frame from afar stood out in the backdrop of the rising sun.  Fearless was he. He got ready to leap onto a trapeze, 1 meter away from the pole. He missed the grip but everyone watching cheered! It was because of his determination that he became a hero.   This is what our future generation are made of.    Courageous. Competent.  Ambitious.     Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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Fear of Height... CONQUERED!

It was a youth outdoor challenge event organized by our church to Shines Outdoor Playground - how apt to have their theme event named :  Dare to Soar!  And daring the secondary one youths were!   It was another proud moment for me because Brandon would never go for any tree-top walks or cable car rides - just nothing to do with heights. And at this event, he was determined to complete his course and was completely fearless in my eyes.     It is yet another milestone for him. Where this boy of mine has clearly become a man and proved that when he is faced with adversity, he can overcome it as long as he stays focused.     Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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Grateful for Crafty Fingers

It has been an extremely busy period at my blog shop for the past 4 and a 1/2 months. I've not come across a period in my crafting journey with this number of customization and it truly amazes me how each referral by word-of-mouth and the subtle likes on my Facebook photos, made such a difference in what I do.

I'm very thankful for this creative gift from up above, my family and friends who have supported my little business, in one way or another.

  There's still so much work to do as I pen this post. From discussing the colors a customer likes, to choice of beads and the look she wants to achieve. It takes time to come up with a final design. What matters to me most is that my customers are happy with my work and my thinking that it adds a little oomph in what they wear is success to me.
Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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The Little Boy Who Obliged A Photo

 

 
I heard it was a rare treat, to be obliged a photo. What's more, with me carrying him!
Who's this little boy? It is none other than Regina's offspring that I read so much about in her blog. I could almost always sense his every growing up moment since a year ago.
And you know what I love about him? He calls me "che che". :p   Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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The Guardian Angel?

I've never given this much thought until recently, when I was reminiscing about my journey in jewelry making and how this one "person" helped me change my perspective on achieving designs that I can truly call unique.

I happened to be at a cross road junction a year into my craft - was getting tired from creating items that were quite clearly available in stores. Who was I kidding. I am not a trained "jewelry designer" nor have I attended any jewelry course. My creations were very "one tracked" and I badly wanted to do something different with my creations but I just didn't know how.

Then there was this one customer, her name was Janice.  At that point of time, she purchased a few items from me at one go with no qualms and it happened to be a super dry period for my sales. She was really friendly and super supportive. We'd even started texting each other on the phone and I was happy to make a new friend. She would even ask me out for drinks which I had to decline because of family commitments.

Janice's orders were very consistent. She would buy a few new pieces every other week for the next few months. Then one day, out of the blue, she asked me to consider not making my creations symmetrical all the time.  I considered and decided that perhaps this is the time to come out of my comfort zone. I had even signed myself up to attend a polymer clay introduction workshop just so that I can be different from the others. And boy, am I glad I took her advise! However, just as I was enjoying my success on this embarkation, she mysteriously disappeared.

Her email account became invalid. I never got replies after texting her on the phone many times. I tried calling but her number was non-existent. I had even snail mailed a card to her home but all effort to get in touch with her were in vain.

Truly, I owe it to this "person" whom I've never met. Without her single cue to me I probably will not be where I am today.

My guardian angel watching over me? Perhaps. And wherever you are, I hope you know that I am thankful to have "met" you.

Do you believe in guardian angels?

  Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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The Tangy-licious Baked Fish

Photo captured with iphone.

I was lost at Sheng Siong supermarket again one morning. Didn't know what to cook for dinner. Got tired with the chicken stews and stir-fried brocollis. Then I saw this fresh piece of white snapper fish tail and decided to get it for about S$10, which my mom says its worth it. 

"I shall bake this fish!" I declared victoriously... in my mind. Ok drama there, no relevance to this post.

The fish turned out very successful in taste and not at all dry as I thought it would. I was extremely surprised that it tasted like tom yum without the spiciness which my son had nothing but praises for this dish. Although the hubs only complaint was not enough sauce to have it with his rice - which is actually rather flavorful.

Here's how I cooked the fish :

Preparation

- pre-heat your oven to about 160 degrees celsius

- marinate the fish with the basic salt and pepper

- mince some ginger and chilli, quantity to your preference

- half a lemon

- 1/2 tbsp butter for pan frying fish

- 1 cup water (or more if necessary)

- 3/4 packet of instant noodle seasoning powder as stock base. (you can use your own chicken or ikan bilis stock cubes as substitute. 1/2 the cube would suffice or use it at your discretion. I have some extra packets of noodle seasoning so I decided to use them instead.)

How it's cooked

- Heat up your pan on medium heat and melt 1/2 tbsp of butter

- pan fry fish as my aim was just to get the skin a little charred. This takes about 3 mins on each side.

- squeeze half the lemon on the fish, the seasoning and throw in the ginger and chilli. Add water.
  (I don't know why but at this point, I felt like I was doing a Jamie Oliver!)

-  turn off fire and place the pan into the oven (my pan is able to be used on the stove and oven)

- Bake for about 12-15 minutes or as long as you can poke through the fish meat with ease, it's indication
   that it's cooked.

- In between, if the stock seems to be drying up, add some water into the pan to keep it moist. But not too
   much lest it loses flavor.

Definitely an easy dish to cook. With preparation time, it didn't even take 30 minutes! Try it!

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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Sure! I'd Love A Mother's Day Gift!

Mother's Day - overrated or understated?

Whichever it is, I think, Mother's Day should be declared an official off day for all mothers around the world. Where the men are sent on a "daddies day" event at the zoo with the kids for just a day whereas the mamas come out to play! You'll see the mamas throng the malls with no screaming kids nor bored husbands hanging out at the coffee joint. All the restaurants will be packed with the ladies who can have a proper uninterrupted meal, drowned with squeals and laughter! Ohhhhh.... the retail shops would so love us.

In reality for me, Mother's Day has always been about gathering for meals - one for my mom and another for my mother-in-law. It's nothing fanciful but it's more of acknowledging our moms that we love and honor them. I'm pretty sure that they are both just happy to see their children and grand-children gathered together for a meal on such an occasion.

Just in case the hubs is reading this and thinking of getting me a gift, here's some ideas for you darlinnnnng...

No thanks to flowers.

I think, just like Valentine's Day, flowers are ridiculously priced. But I welcome flowers any other day.

No to a pedicure or manicure treat.

Because I don't like strangers to touch my toes and having a manicure is wasteful because I know my nails will get chipped the next minute.

No to any kitchenware.

Replacing my worn out kitchenware doesn't make me feel very loved.

Yes to practical things.

Bags, shoes, shopping vouchers are all practical things to me.

Yes to a day out with my girlfriends!

See, it's not only the tangible things that would make me happy.

How about you? What kinds of gifts would make you tick?

Wishing all the moms in the world to be bestowed with the super powers you so rightly deserve!

*************************************************************************** Separately, a friend of mine has collaborated with my blog shop, Adeline's Loft, for one lucky mom to win a beautiful pair of earrings worth S$30! (applicable to residents in Singapore only)  

  Hop over to her blog, Beanie N Us right now for details on this giveaway!     Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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What's In Your Bag?

Some men don't understand why some women carry big bags. We lug our large totes around like as though good enough for a day trip! Some women carry A LOT of stuff inside while others seem to carry a big bag to make a fashion statement with very little content in the bag. I am guilty of carrying more than one bag sometimes and keep a shopping bag within a bag. *And the men don't exactly get it.

 

 So what's in my bag, you ask? These are what I have!

Brown makeup pouch
which looks a tad old-lady looking. Ok need to upgrade my pouch. Only thing I like about it is its waterproof.

Dome voucher envelope
with the discount card still inside and 1 expired voucher. Almost 10 months old.

A box of Ricola sweets
Make that melted sweets. ewww.

Foldable starry shopping bag
Love it to bits.

Wet Wipes by Watsons
This one is a must have. Cos I can be OCD like that to my kids. :p

A shawl
in case I get too cold in a mall or if the hubs decide to catch a movie. It can keep 2 persons warm.

A bagful of beads
my friend's 8 year old daughter passed to me to help her repair her bracelet! Yikes! I totally forgot.

ONE cute panda leftover ang pow from CNY 2013 
with moolah inside! Wow, I'm $18 richer!

My green card wallet 
where every other discount cards are placed.

My brown wallet from Esprit
I'm still loving it!

A runaway 10 cent coin 
I found it deep in the corner of my bag. It finally saw the light of day.

My phone.
Not something I can leave home without!

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How about you? What's it like in your bag? Are you the walking provision shop, the fashionista or a minimalist? Do you have things that should not be in your bag? Do you organize your items in your bag well? What are the must haves to bring out? Po chai pills? Sng buay? or *cough* hong yiu?

Take this opportunity to clean your bag up, discard them trash and take part in my linky party! Uncensored version is very much welcome.

  Please copy and paste the html in your post to link back if  you are taking part!

<div align="center"> <a href="http://accidental-mom-blogger.blogspot.com/2013/05/whats-in-your-bag.html" title="The Accidental Mom Blogger"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-vi-mTBIWwOo/UYJdJ7XW2mI/AAAAAAAASNw/pnj5cJVoykc/s316/handbag2.png" alt="The Accidental Mom Blogger" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

    Till the next post, have a blessed week!

The Hungry Ang Mo Contributes A Recipe!

I met Luke, the 'Hungry Ang Mo' last year when my family and I went to explore Sungei Buloh. It is pretty embarrassing that this 'ang mo', which he declares as his race, is a volunteer nature guide at our wetland park! (seriously, do we have our own local guides?)

Anyway, we found out that Luke is always on the prowl for good vegetarian eateries and helms Singapore's first vegetarian food blog. Which is no doubt, serves as your best guide to local vegetarian food! Oh yes... did I mention he is vegan?

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1) Tell us what you do and maybe some interesting bits about yourself.

I am currently working as Motivational Trainer for Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group, which involves visiting many Primary and Secondary schools in Singapore, and giving workshops on how to become motivated to study, and also practical study skills that can help for PSLE and O-Levels.  In my free time, I love to run with my dog (we aim to run at least 40km per week); I am also a Nature Guide at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (where I met Adeline!).   But the bulk of my free time is spent on my vegetarian food blog –hungryangmo.com.  This blog has been running for over three years, and has built up a steady following.  I do my best to post twice a week on this blog.

2) When and how did you decide to go vegetarian?

I became a vegetarian when I was 11 years old.  Both my parents were meat-eaters, and were extremely against the idea of me becoming a vegetarian.  Back then, my primary reason for being a vegetarian was because I did not want to contribute to animal suffering/cruelty.  As I have grown older, I discovered many extra reasons – Such as the health benefits of a diet that doesn’t include meat.  As well as the environment damage that the meat industry causes.  In 2012, I became a vegan, which means I now no longer take any animal products (milk, eggs, cheese etc.).  This was purely for health reasons, after discovering how harmful and unnatural these products are – Think about it, why are humans drinking a cow’s milk!?

3) How is life in Singapore compared to England, where you were originally from? What do you miss about your homeland?

I miss very little from England, as I did not enjoy living there.  I was always more intrigued by Asia, and feel more much comfortable and ‘at home’ in Singapore, compared with the dangerous and dirty streets of Manchester.

4) What's your favourite local dish?

If you ask a true food reviewer this question, then they should never be able to answer.  I like too many, so it is very difficult to narrow it down to one.  Having said that, some of my favourites are vegetarian zhu jiao chu, fried hor fun (with strong wok hei) and vegetarian ayam masak merah.

5) If you ever opened a vegetarian restaurant, what would you name it?
Hungry Ang Mo’s Vegan Delights – A pure 100% vegan North Indian eatery.

Sharing An Indian Dish Recipe – Vegan Palak Paneer

Since my transformation from vegetarian to vegan.  I have been painstakingly cooking my favourite Indian dishes at home, and converting them into completely 100% vegan dishes.  This can sometimes be incredibly challenging, as Indian food depends a lot of animal products.  Nevertheless, it is not impossible.

‘Palak’ means ‘Spinach’ and ‘Paneer’ means ‘Indian cheese’ – But for this, I will be replicating/replacing the cheese with tofu.  There is another dish called Methi Chaman, which follows the same general cooking principles, only difference is the addition of fresh kasoori methi (fenugreek) mixed together with the spinach.

Ingredients

·         Mustard Oil – 3 TBS

·         Palak (Indian spinach) – Bunch

·         Fresh methi/fenugreek leaves (optional - If you are making methi chaman) – Bunch

·         Fresh coriander – Handful

·         Onion – 1 large

·         Tomato – 3 medium

·         Cashew nuts and Watermelon seeds (finely blended until ‘cream’ texture is    
          achieved) – ½ cup cashew & ¼ cup watermelon seeds

·         Ginger garlic paste – 1 TBS

·         Turmeric – 1 TSP

·         Cumin seeds – 1 TBS

·         Coriander powder – 3 TBS

·         Cumin powder - 2 ½  TBS

·         Garam masala powder – 2 TBS

·         Hing – Pinch

·         Pepper powder – 1 TBS

·         Firm tofu – 2 blocks

·         Nutritional yeast – 4 TBS

·         Salt – To taste

·         Sugar – 1 TBS

*All these spice powders can be bought from Mustafa or any Indian grocer.*

Instructions

1.      Slice the firm tofu into cubes and drain as much excess water from the blocks as you can.  After which, place in a bowl and add nutritional yeast (this gives the cheese flavour) and salt together and let it sit for about one hour.

2.      Soak cashew nuts and watermelon seeds for around one hour in warm water.  After, blend them together until cream-like consistency is achieved.  Set aside.

3.      Roughly chop the spinach and then blanch for one minute in hot water, then place into the blender. 

4.      Blend the spinach roughly and set aside.

5.      In a pan, add mustard oil.  Once heated, add cumin seeds and cook until aroma comes out of the seeds.

6.     Add finely chopped onion, and cook until onions become golden.

7.     Add ginger garlic paste, and cook until raw flavour goes away.  Then add turmeric and hing – Very little hing.

8.     Add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are very soft.

9.     Add the spinach mixture into the pan and cook for at least 15 minutes, constantly stirring during that time.  After adding the mixture, sprinkle a little sugar (this helps retain the bright green colour).

10.  Once this mixture is cooked, add cumin powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, pepper powder and more salt.

11.  Once mixture becomes slightly dried out, add the cashew nut and watermelon seeds mixture into the curry (do not add it all) and mix.  This nut/seed paste replicates cream.

12.  Cook for another 5 minutes, and then serve.

13.  Sprinkle fresh coriander on top, and add more cashew nut and watermelon seed paste on top.

14.  Done!

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  Thanks Luke! For sharing this recipe!   Read more about Luke here. Site :  hungryangmo.com Facebook :  Hungry Ang Mo     Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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