This was a herbal dessert pack that I bought when I was back in Kuching visiting my in-laws. I love anything that is convenient and this herbal dessert pack was perfect. It turned out that it was a dried pear dessert that cools the body down which is quite needed for the humid weather in Penang most of the time.  Chinese New Year weather is always hot. Or is it the ozone layers disappearing?  Anyway, Chinese dessert packs like these are great. Just pour contents out, rinse them and put them in a pot with enough water and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes on low heat. Drink warm.  ..read more

You know how sometimes your body tells you you're working too hard? Mine does and when I do fall sick, it's always the same. It starts with fever/chills and then works its way to a runny nose and sore throat and cough. I can tolerate the fever/chills, running nose/stuffed nose and sore throat but it's the cough that agonizes me the most.  While I do use healing on myself, I sometimes crave for extra boost. I was having this annoying hacking cough that seemed to be worse at night when I lay down. There's a good reason for this. Our Lung Qi is not flowing smoothly hence the coughing gets wo ..read more

I recently bought a small container of wild astralagus slices when I was back home in Banting to visit my dad. There's really nothing much to do in Banting except spend time with my dad or take him out for breakfast of bak kut teh or nasi lemak.  The nearest and most interesting place is Tanjung Sepat which is a seaside village that has become rather prosperous due to the influx of local tourists from other parts of Selangor or even other states.  Many come to Tanjung Sepat for its fresh seafood and fish and the seafood restaurants are a big attraction. There's also a scenic spot cal ..read more

Two days ago, I started having this annoying pain in my right ear. It was a sharp pain that didn't seem to get any better with massaging around the area. It was inside my ear and behind my ear. And I didn't know what it was. Did I have an ear infection? I haven't been going to the public swimming pool since the pandemic some 2.5 years ago.  Then the right side of my body, right behind my armpit, had this weird sensation. It was not painful but it felt like I pulled a nerve. This morning, I woke up with my tongue in pain. The right side of my tongue!  In short, I felt really uncomfort ..read more

Before your eyes grow wide with surprise, no it's not me. I'm far from it. I couldn't be one because I may not have the patience to deal with people's problems. It's my husband, Nic.  In the past 3 years, his ability to help people spiritually has improved so much from the time he learnt PVH in 2016. In fact, he has learnt much on his own with his own research and reflection and solving health and metaphysical problems. This has brought me to believe that in his past life, he was a healer or herbalist or doctor. This is just a continuation of his past self.  When I say spiritual heal ..read more

When I've been working too hard and sitting through too many Zoom meetings and having too many online webinars, my brain gets tired and my body feels heated up! I find that screen radiation affects me a lot so I try to limit my screen time and most times, to no avail! (It doesn't help that I am in the digital space and that I need to work on stuff on my Mac all the time - from my podcast to my live streams and to my main business).  I felt really exhausted this week as I was also rushing to complete some important content for a client. She was in the running for a major award and needed ..read more

Wood ear fungus and cucumber salad Sometimes I have cravings and of late I have craved mushrooms of all types! Hence my post on making snow fungus dessert and now this wood ear fungus salad.  This is a super easy salad that can be made in 5 minutes and goes well with rice or even as an appetiser.  Wood Ear Fungus Salad  A handful of dried wood ear fungus, soaked until soft - drain well  Half a cucumber washed and roughly chopped into chunks A tablespoon of sesame seeds, toasted  1 tablespoon of rice vinegar  1 tablespoon of soya sauce 1 teaspoon of ..read more

Just last week I made this dessert because I was rummaging in my kitchen and found some snow fungus. This is a classic dessert that any Cantonese would know. I was just surprised at myself that I haven't made this dessert in a long time. Maybe because I didn't have the key ingredient - snow fungus - at hand! What is Snow Fungus?  It is technically a fungus that grows on dead bark or tree stumps just like wood ear fungus.  Snow fungus or silver ear, snow ear or white wood ear is known as Tremella fuciformis and yes, it is an edible fungus. The pleasanter term is mushroom if that ma ..read more

  I made American ginseng soup with pork ribs over the weekend since I had recently bought some herbs from my favourite herbalist in town, Veng Tatt Soon.  Over the past few months, we have been making watercress soup with pork ribs and I was getting rather tired of that soup! However watercress soup is great for the lungs (especially if you are coughing, or a smoker or feeling heaty) and now what with the pandemic, it is simply one of the better ways to boost one's immunity. And unlike lotus root soup, you can freeze watercress soup without any change to the watercress texture.&nb ..read more

I've been growing my own mulberry trees and after a few times of pruning the branches and learning a secret gardener's tip, the tree or bush has been proliferating well.  In fact, the regular rain (it is quite rainy these days in Penang) and the humid, hot sun have helped the tree flourish well. I also use a lot of compost (from my own compost pots) on the tree, placing scoops of compost around the root and the base of the tree from time to time (or when I am feeling like a hardworking gardener).  As I write this, we're in our third lockdown phase in Malaysia (until 7 June or is it 1 ..read more