It is that wonderful time of year again (no not Christmas) where I wish my blog a Happy Anniversary. Seven years ago around this time, I started my blog. I remember feeling timid and scared. What would bloggers think about my writing? What can I even write about? What if the blog is a failure? What if I make an embarrassment of myself? Even though these thoughts were flying in my head, I still knew I had to give it a go. If it didn’t work out for me, then so be it. And so, I wrote my very first blog post. It was about the London 2012 Paralympics and how it gave me inspiration and hope for my son. Once it was posted, I didn’t know what to expect. How would I know bloggers were going to read it? Or how would I know if it was a failure? Few minutes later, I had my answer. Bloggers began to like my post. It wasn’t a huge traffic, but still, it meant something to me. People were actually reading my blog. And from then onwards, it did not stop. There have been a few bloggers who have become my genuine online blogger/author friends since the beginning till this day. So as a little celebration, I would like to share with you some memorable posts.
Chinese Rice Balls
Yes, the famous Chinese Rice Balls post. I’d even posted a few posts on it, including one on how to make them. I have a friend in Malaysia who always made them in glorious colours which inspired me to have mines coloured, although not as glorious looking as hers.
How to make Chinese Rice Balls – 1 April 2013
Chinese Rice Balls – 20 September 2012
Happy New Year 2013 – 1 January 2013
Blogger of the Year 2013
I received Blogger of the Year 2013 not long after launching my blog. It was such an honour. As a writer, author, blogger, I always want to remain humble about what I write. I didn’t want to make this blog a ‘business’ or ‘work’ place. I wanted bloggers to see the real me. The blog is where I make mistakes and not have to worry about sounding commercial. It is a place for me to be ME. I especially love it when bloggers reach out to me with their thoughts about anything and everything. So feel free to reach out.
A Chinese Christmas Carol
A Chinese Christmas Carol was my very first published book. Back then long before I launched my publishing house, I did quite a few posts on the book. There were many topics I could write about regarding the book, like its background story and characters, which allowed me to draw away from the book itself. The plot of the story is a sad one, and it was inspired by a true story. There were times when I found some ‘things’ hard to write, but I still wanted to let it out. And best of all, I had the support of the bloggers. So thank you. Little did I know that I would later on decide to bring out a new edition to the book and turn it into a series.
Sales Gone Up – 20 November 2012
Amy Tan
I studied art and design at university, and one of the projects I had to do was to come up with a creative gift to give to a favourite person. Back then, Amy came to mind when I was given the project. At first, it took me a while to come up with a creative gift, and the chocolate idea was last minute when I saw an empty chocolate container laying on my bedroom floor. The chocolates were made into shapes/items that symbolizes the connection in life I had with Amy. In the end, it only took me one night to make my ‘chocolates’ out of play dough and have it painted with brown acrylic. When I had to present it to the entire class, most were impressed by my idea. Some even told me that they had wanted to ‘steal’ and eat the ‘chocolates’.
Meeting Amy Tan – 11 January 2016
Who We Were
Who We Were is my first book that was launched at the same time as the publishing house. It was supposed to be a stand alone book to begin with. Then shortly after it was published, I had friends, family and some fans asking if there was going to be a sequel. After much thought, I decided to make it a trilogy before later making it into a five-book series. When I sent the book for review, I didn’t expect much as I didn’t want to be disappointed. Two weeks later, I received the five-star review. No words could describe how I felt.
Review Who We Were – 18 January 2018
Blogging101 – My Sexy People
Blogging101 was an online blogging university to help bloggers blog and engage better with one another by completing one blogging task a day for a short period of time. I found the tasks enjoyable and always looked forward to the next. On my third task (day 3), I had to engage with other bloggers by selecting a few and describing their blogs. I then had to follow back a few other bloggers and explain the reason why I chose them. It was a very engaging task which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I had even made a few blogger friends along the way. Sadly, Blogging101 had to shut down.
Blogging101 Day 3 – January 8 2016
So I have presented some of my memorable and favourite posts, although all my posts are my favourite. I look forward to the next anniversary with more memorable posts to share.
(Photo credit – Rigor Mortis)
The Penang flag.
Penang’s iconic tall building.
Char Kuey Teow, a noodle dish cooked in light and dark soy sauce, with egg and seafood.
Noodle dish with meat or seafood dumplings. Most Malaysians like to have their dishes with iced/hot tea or coffee with milk.
Noodle dish in soup. This is an extremely rare dish to find in any western countries. The closest I’ll ever get to tasting the real deal is a pot noodle version from London Chinatown 😦
A typical noodle cafe. 
A noodle stand.
Not just is this dish rare to find in western countries, but so is the fish. I call this fish the white fish.
When I saw this photo while looking through a friend’s Facebook album, I almost cried. This is my all time favourite Malaysian dessert. It is made out of rice flour and thick coconut milk. It is layered, and I have a way of eating it. I don’t like eating it as it is, or taking a bite off it. There has only been ONE way I would eat it, and that is by layers. I would gently peel off each layer and eat it. I don’t know why. It’s the only way I will eat it. There’s no other way. Every time I see this dessert, I would immediately think of my childhood. 
Another all time favourite. Biscuit with dried coloured icing on top.
A typical Malaysian breakfast. It is a very simple dish. Bread with butter and sugar spread on top. Bread can be toasted or not, up to you. I prefer it toasted.
Roti Canai, flat bread with spicy sauce.
Traditional prawn curry in deliciously thick sauce. My goodness.
A typical stall selling traditional desserts.
Durians, also known as the smelly fruit to some. Like marmite, either you like it or you don’t. 
Inside the durian. It does leave a strong odor on your hands afterwards. They are very expensive here in London Chinatown. Crazy expensive.
Chinese buns. It is usually used for celebrations or prayers.
