Behind The Scene of My TV Debut - On The Red Dot

I was recently contacted via email by one of Channel NewsAsia's producer, Sian Choo, who was doing research on a story about "Sharenting" for a local programme called "On The Red Dot". She requested for a phone interview with me, hoping that I could help fill her in with information about why I blog. I obliged. 

Perhaps why I started blogging intrigued her because the reason was clearly the peer influence. Yes! The mums in Singapore Mom Bloggers are surely an influential lot! From someone who has lost touch with writing in a diary for more than 20 years, the thought of journalling my moments for all to see seemed daunting. However, I'm very happy where my blogging adventure has taken me for the past 19 months. 

A few days after the phone interview, Sian Choo called me up again. This time, it became clearer. She wanted me to be interviewed on TV!  I declined to do the TV interview a couple of times, asking her if she can somehow incorporate my story into the program without me appearing on TV. But, her sincerity won me over. I thought, since it was not something I would do as a norm and for the experience sake, why not?

Sian Choo and the filming crew, fussing over me as they were setting up the lighting and sound.

The particular story Sian Choo was covering focused on parents who blog, tweet and post pictures of their lives. Particularly with children. She wanted to know why we blog and what was it that we want to share with the world. 

So, being the kind of person who likes to plan and not really liking any surprises (ok lah, kiasi), I asked her for a list of questions she would be asking me about. So I diligently typed out my answers and printed it on paper for my reference, just in case I had to because I didn't want to be stumped. Here were her questions and my answers.

How did your blog first started, and  why?  

Actually I started a photoblog in March last year and was searching for a like-minded group in Facebook to share with when I chanced upon this newly set up facebook group for Singapore Mom Bloggers. I was very surprised to discover many mom bloggers journaling their children’s milestones, sharing their challenges and snippets of their lives.  A month down the road, I got influenced, in a good way.  So I decided to start a blog, thus my blog name - The Accidental Mom Blogger.

What do you usually like to blog about, and why?

I usually blog about matters close to my heart. The challenges I face as a stay-at-home-mom, the building of relationships with my children and sharing memories of my own growing up years. Sometimes I also have a say on trending issues in Singapore like education or on social graces. Other times, I share my simple home cooked recipes or journal about my jewelry crafting. Blogging has become an outlet for me to express my feelings and at the end of the day, it’s all about sharing my experience. Perhaps another mom who is reading a particular post can relate with me, pick up a tip or two and know they are not alone in their challenges.

  

Do your children know about your blog?

Oh yes they do. If it’s a post that concerns them, I would make them read it to see my point of view. Hopefully they will understand why I do what I do. If not now, then in the future when they are facing with parenting challenges. My blog would serve as a reference for them.

Hmmm, this is probably one of the rare times when my dining table is cleared of my work barang barang!

How are their response & reactions so far?

Initially, it was not something they were comfortable about but they kind of warmed up (or I would like to think they do) to my blogging adventure so we’re all quite okay now. There is definitely a trust that's been built on what I will share and what I will not.

And KayCee the dog becomes an overnight star, with tricks she earnestly performed for the camera!

 What are some of the things you will definitely not post?

I will certainly not post sensitive issues that would hurt my family, extended families and friends. 

How do you draw the line between what’s private & public?  

I am mindful not to divulge any intimate and embarrassing details of myself or anyone in the family – unless it’s meant to be tongue-in-cheek. So topics like revealing specific exam scores or about my children reaching puberty are a no-no for me. If I have to write a post similar to these topics, I would generalize the content.

Are you aware of digital footprints? Do you think your children will be affected by your blog sharing?

As long as I maintain a positive attitude when I blog about the challenges with my children, I believe it will not affect their lives. I am aware that what I share online is searchable, but what I share is also real to me. It is a part and parcel of growing up in Singapore and I believe many Singaporean parents can relate. What I write about my children now is not reflective of how they will contribute to society in the future. So I do not think it poses a problem. 

There. Sounded simple? It wasn't. And you know what? It didn't really matter what I typed out in the list of questions given to me. I was stumped anyway! I think typing out my thoughts are much easier than when I speak it out.

 Although I was the least bit nervous (very unlike me though I fidgeted over my unrefined looking hair and wondered all the time if Rosli, the cameraman, was filming a flattering side of my face or focusing on my tummy), it was the repeated necessary interruption (the N.G.s to be precise) due to background noise from trucks on the road, made the thinking process difficult.  For each time I had to repeat what I had said before the N.G., my answers came out very differently! 

Alas, after watching the programme, none of the essential questions were aired anyway... ah well...

In case you missed the programme, here is the link to the show. I am very happy to be sharing this segment together with my fellow mom blogger friend, Jiahui from www.mumseword.com, who was also interviewed for this segment. And thanks to her for putting up this direct video link on the 'sharenting' portion for my readers to enjoy!

 

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If you are also a parent blogger like me, I invite you to share your thoughts on sharenting and link me up!

Why do you blog? What is it you want to share with the public? And what is it you wish to achieve?

(You may use the above questions posed to me as a guide for your post.)

Copy and paste this badge at the end of your post!

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  Till the next post, have a blessed week!

Goodbye Oil. Hello Air!

I'm not a big fan of deep fried food. In fact, I don't deep fry at home and usually settle for pan fry at most. But I'll have to admit, there are cravings for the oh-so-sinful food like fried chicken every once in a while. So, we will get our fix for those when we are eating out. (Actually it's more like I don't want to be cleaning up my kitchen after the oily affair!)

When Philips invited me to do a review of their latest Avance XL Airfryer, I was more than excited to try this revolutionary product that made waves when it was launched in 2011. With it's appeal in eating healthier "oil-less fried food",  who can resist it?

At the Philips Airfryer launch event held recently.  From top clockwise : the range of Airfryers from the Viva and Avance collection. A group of us from the Singapore Mom Bloggers community who got together for the event. Host Bryan Wong and Dable from Hong Kong, a culinary enthusiast renowned for her fast growing "I Love Philips Airfryer" facebook group page which she initiated, with tons of Airfryer recipes to try! With their tagline "Air is the New Oil", it's really not hard to believe that it actually works that way after tasting a few recipes at the launch!

So, one of the first few recipes I wanted to try with the Airfryer was roasted black pepper pork ribs. Yep! By now, if you didn't know, it is no ordinary cooking machine that just air fries your food. It can also grill, gratinate and bake!

ROASTED BLACK PEPPER PORK RIBS

Preparation time : 5 minutes. Ready to serve from the airfryer : 35 minutes. Serves 2.

Ingredients :
- 1 rack of ribs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp of any herb or spice mixture
- 2 tbsp ready made black pepper sauce (if black pepper is not your thing, you can also replace the sauce to teriyaki or tangy barbeque sauce)

Rub the olive oil on the meat first, followed by the herb/spice mixture and the black pepper sauce. Place the marinated ribs in a resealable bag or wrapped in a cling wrap in your refrigerator. The ribs would taste best if marinated overnight, or marinade them in the morning for your dinner fix!

Cooking steps :

- pre heat the airfryer at 120 degrees celcius

- place the ribs in the Airfryer basket

- set timer for 30 minutes 

- after 30 minutes, increase temperature to 200 degrees celcius and set for another 5 minutes.

- remove the meat and leave it to rest, covered in aluminium foil for 10 minutes.

- just before serving, baste the meat with more black pepper sauce.

Succulent ribs in a jiffy!

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And because I couldn't get enough of the Airfryer (uh-huh a bit too enthusiastic about it!), I challenged it to prepare one of my family's all time favorite dish - sweet and sour pork, since the pork usually needs to be deep fried before coated in sauce. So this would be the ultimate 'it' test for me.

SWEET & SOUR PORK RECIPE

Preparation time : 15 minutes. Ready from the Airfryer : 20 minutes. Preparation of sauce : 10 minutes. Serves 4.
 
Ingredients:
- 300grams pork (preferably a little fatty or shoulder butt portion or those already labelled for cooking sweet & sour pork. If you live around a wet market, just tell the wet market butcher what you are cooking and he will probably give you the perfect cut for this dish!)

Cut the pork into bite size cubes and marinade pepper, 2 dashes of maggi seasoning, 1 tsp of light soya sauce, a dash of sesame oil and leave it in the fridge for a few hours for the flavors to immense the meat.

- 1 serving slice of fresh pineapple, cut in cubes (This is optional. You can also use canned ones)
- 1 medium size onion, sliced
- 1 medium size tomato, cut in cubes
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp of tomato sauce
- 1 tbsp of worchestire sauce
- sugar to taste
- plain flour
- 1 egg

Method :

-  heat up the Philip Avance Airfryer at 120 degrees for 5 mins
- When ready, dip pork in egg and then coat with plain flour.
-  Dust off any excess flour on the pork before placing into the frying basket.
- Set timer to 20 minutes.
- When it's done, set the meat aside to prepare the sauce. 

Preparation of sauce :
- with about a tsp of oil, fry garlic and onions till fragrant before adding tomatoes, pineapple
- add the oyster sauce, tomato sauce, worchestire sauce and stir

- add the cornflour and water to the sauce to thicken
- add the cooked pork cubes into the pan and coat it well with the sauce
- add sugar to taste, ensuring there's enough of the 'sweet' to the sourness of the sauce

  We were not disappointed! I had 3 other happy bellies in the house and that made me a very happy mum and wife! Simply because I need not clean up my kitchen after all the "frying"! woot!!   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So some of you may wonder, how does the Philips Airfryer work to give us these awesome cooked food without oil? It is an open secret that I wish to share!

Philips Airfryer is powered with 2,100 watts and with a patented Rapid Air technology, it combines fast-circulating hot air with grill element to help fry our food instead of using oil. This can, undoubtedly, allow us to enjoy fried food with up to 80% less fat, which enable mothers like me, to bring healthy home cooking to the next level. Indulgence minus the fat is certainly very VERY appealing!

With the latest Philips XL Avance Airfryer, you can expect a 50% larger capacity, 30% faster cooking time which produces perfect browning,  crisp and tasty food without the additional oil. The Airfryer also comes with digital touch screen settings for precise temperature (up to 200 degrees celcius) and timer control. Simply put, cooking food is made easy with the perfect temperature and best tasting results!

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Our Zombie Date Night @ Senoko Fishery Port

Weird. No. It was not Halloween. The only sleep deprived zombie was probably just me and with no make up on, one can visualize how horrifying I would have looked.

It was the first late night couple date we ever had since we had kids (let me count... ya 13 years) and we headed to Senoko fishery port!

Well, it was supposed to be a double date with another couple friend. However, their tiredness got the better of them way before the stipulated time to pick them up. (I don't blame them - one of them had just returned from a business trip and they have 4 kids to mind!) It was also tough for me to stay awake as I am so not a night person. But the hubs said, since we were both already up from our 2 hour nap, we might as well go ahead with the plan.  With much resistance (from me), we left home at 1.30am.

*Pardon my photo quality as most of the indoor shots were taken while I was just walking along. And authentically speaking, it was also how my vision was at that time of the night.*

First impression of the fishery, FISHY. The moment the hubs wound down his window to exchange for a visitor pass, the "aroma" filled our car. So be prepared to be smelling the same when you get home.

 It is basically like a wet market, just that all the stalls sell seafood. And they mostly sell the smaller seafood by a 10kg basket.

Uh-uh... it is NOTHING like the fishery in Japan where they auction their tunas! The fishes are mostly strewn on the ground like that.

 One of the fewer stalls that bother to arrange their catches neatly. This is as neat as it gets!

The highlight of our trip - prawns. 

We bought 3kg worth of 2 different kind of sized prawns. Some stalls were willing to sell at a minimum of 1kg while others at 2kg. It was not actually that cheap too. For an average of $16 per kg for medium sized prawns, we can buy it for about $18-$19 at the wet market. I think the prices are pretty fair at our regular wet market supplier. (As Adora from The Gingerbread Mum would say, "oh my! we're indulging in "auntie" talk again!")

 

 A lot of friends wondered why we didn't buy fish. It is because they are wholesalers and do not have fish cleaning services like those in our neighborhood wet market. Buying, handling and cleaning the fish, especially the bigger ones, would be a very daunting task for me as I am used to handling fish fillets. I was also certainly not prepared to have my kitchen reeking of fish perfume or decorated with scales.

So anyway, we learned some to-dos and not-to-dos while at the fishery. Perhaps you would want to take them into consideration if you plan to head out there one of these nights when you are bored at 2am or something.

• wear easy wash footwear. You wouldn't want your shoes stinking of fish.
• bring along bottles of water so that you can rinse your hands and footwear before you get into the car. You wouldn't want your car mat to be tainted with fishy smell too.
• bring along newspapers to line your car boot if you decide to buy seafood. Another idea would be to place your buys into a plastic container or pail.
• transactions are in cash only. So... you know what to do.
• Don't bother bargaining. They don't entertain.
• Don't expect much social manners coming from the workers. They are there to work so expect a little pushing around if you are in their way. Watch out for the trolleys!

The next time we go on a late night date again, it will probably to check out Jurong Fishery Port.

Oh the things I do for my husband.

Location :

Senoko Fishery Port
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority
31 Attap Valley Road, #02-29,
Singapore 759908

Opening hours : 1am - 6am (closed on Mondays)

Till the next post, have a blessed week!

Looking Back At My Jewelry Making Journey This Year + 2 Giveaways!

It has been an eventful year so far for my little online jewelry shop - having to experience my hobby taking to new heights. It is something I have never experienced throughout my 8 years' journey with jewelry making. I had prayed to see an increase in jewelry orders, in the beginning of the year - not too much that I can't handle but good enough for me to pay some bills on my own. And He has blessed me with a steady flow of orders which I've never experienced before!

But of course, I have my friends and customers to be thankful for. You have been supportive of what I do, despite being possibly aware of many other crafters around. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving me the opportunity to do something for you and your loved ones. Whether it was a bulk order or just a simple pair of earrings, to be able to create something you like is my ultimate satisfaction.

A collage showcasing some of the many memorable creations I've done this year. Do you spot any that you own?

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It is with my most humble gratitude that I am hosting a giveaway!
2 very lucky readers will each win either one of these exclusive bracelets and I hope this happens to be in your Christmas wish list... somehow!

 I've made these 2 white gold plated chain bracelets, adorned with antiqued silver beads in the likes of pandora style. One comes in white enamel heart and the other in black. Each bracelet is worth S$28.

This giveaway has ended.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  This giveaway is open only to residents in Singapore.
>>>>>>>  Email address must be provided when you leave a comment so that I can contact you. Otherwise, your entry will be considered void. <<<<<<<
And here is the result!   Congratulations! You will be contacted via email.  

  *The Accidental Mom Blogger reserves the right to decide which one of the bracelets the winners will receive.*     Till the next post, have a blessed week!

[Recipe] Pasta With Anchovy Sauce

When I saw Nigella Lawson preparing this mouth-watering dish on TV,  I was bent on trying it. I've never tried anchovies before and this would probably be the best opportunity to try in this pasta dish.

I was kinda apprehensive about how my family would take to this flavoring. My initial plan was to guinea pig myself one of the days when it is just me at home for lunch. But you know, I decided that it would be a "eat it or starve" circumstance. And till date, they all do not know that the awesome flavors came from the anchovies!

For many, I guess anchovies is an acquired taste. Let me describe my first taste : it has a rich savory flavor, salty (for sure) and a little pungent. Kind of reminds me of a western version of belachan, if I may say so.

So here's my simple adaptation to this pasta dish.

It seems so plain looking but believe me, the wonderful flavors coat every single strand of pasta!

Recipe serves 4.     Preparation + Cooking time : 20 mins

Ingredients :

- 3/4 packet of cooked spaghetti

- 1 cup corn

- 2 medium sized tomatoes, diced into chunks

- 3 to 4 stalks of chinese parsley

- 2 tbsp of minced garlic

- 1 tin of anchovies in olive oil (I used John West's brand in 45g)

- 2 tbsp of Olive oil

(There wasn't any other need for flavoring because the anchovies are salty. But do a taste test at your discretion and add salt if necessary.)

     

Cooking method :

- I used the olive oil soaked from the tin of anchovies to cook this dish. But you can use your own olive oil. Just remember to drain the anchovies from the tin.

- fry the garlic till fragrant and add the anchovies.

- you will notice that the anchovies will simply melt away. So that's your sauce!

- Then add in the tomatoes and corn with the pasta and toss it up.

- When its almost done, sprinkle the parsley and give it another good toss.

-  Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the pasta before serving. (optional)

   Bon appetit!     Till the next post, have a blessed week!

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