Sep 12
Recipe : Inche Kabin or Enche Kabin Hainanese/nyonya fried chicken
I think my Hainanese ancestors will be utterly proud of me today. While I was having dinner with my family, I boasted about how great Hainanese cooks are. I made Inche Kabin fried chicken today. My eldest son probably have never heard or eaten this before. I too had not seen this dish [...] Related posts:Cooking Chicken Rice the Hainanese way It is the school holidays and I have a bunch… Recipe : Hainanese Chicken Rice (only rice, ok?) After my misdadventure of trying to get the best-est… Please visit http://www.malaysiabest.net for the full contents.
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Preparing for college life
My second son is going to get his examination results on Thursday. He is very cool about it because whether he gets good results or not, he is heading to college to study.
He has more or less make up his mind on his career choice. He wants to be a chef just like my eldest son. I wanted him to take up mass communication as he has very good command of English and can write well. However, he hates the idea of that line of jobs. He wants to explore foods and wine.
As a parent, I think we can only guide and leave the decision making to our children.
Talking about education, if you are looking for online gmat prep,do check out this link. They have live, online video classes with masters. And the other point is their money back guarantee.
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When was the last time you ride a roller coaster?
I think the last time I rode on one of those rides was about 10 years ago! It has been a long time.
At that time, my third son was just a small boy. The ride was horrifying because I was so worried about his safety.
However, now that he is 14 years old, I am actually enjoying roller coaster rides with him. He is very tall and brave now so it was really fun company to go screaming with your kids.
Do try it with your older children.
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Langkawi Kilim Geoforest park – Hole in the wall Malay seafoods
The other day when I was in Langkawi, we decided to charter a boat to take my whole family for a 3 hours ride. I think it is RM300 for the ride. They took us to several places like eagles feeding, bat caves, fish farm and etc. One of the attraction is [...] Related posts:Langkawi – Little Lylia’s chillout cafe, Pantai Cenang Little Lylia's Chillout cafe has its own distinct identity and… Seafoods from Sabah I observed something. Seafoods are cheap. But normally, the… Please visit http://www.malaysiabest.net for the full contents.
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Define toys
Toys means different things at different age. When my boy was a baby, toys to him was just rattlers and soft toys. Now that he is seven, toys to him are those scientific experiments and puzzles.
Meanwhile, toys are always an attraction to boys. My older sons still like to visit those shops selling action figurines and collect those rare and very expensive limited versions of their favourite action figurines.
They insisted that these will become very good investment in future and they can sell those action figures off for very high price. I doubt so but if they use their own money to buy, why not? 
Modern homes
Between the traditional home and the modern home, I would opt for the traditional. By traditional, I mean homes made of more natural woods and such. However, we hardly can get natural teak wood furniture because they are so expensive as the woods are getting rare.
So, most modern homes are furnished with modern furniture which is pleasant to the eye and comfy. Yet, it doesn't exude the calming effects of natural woods which I love so much. 
Taking a short break for the casino
I am writing from my brother's place. We are waiting for hubby to finish his work and then, we hope to head up to the hills for some casino and theme park.
My little boy has forgotten his last visit to the theme park and he is so excited to visit the park and go for the rides. Meanwhile, another older son is so looking forward to the roller coaster ride.
As for me, I think I will stick to something tamer, i.e. the casino. I think I haven't been to the casino for many years already. Feeling like lady luck is with me. So, I won't be going for any heart stopping roller coaster rides. Otherwise, I need to increase my insurance for fear of a heart attack. Need to get a term life insurance quote so that at least I know I would die rich. 
Thank God for insurance
Sometimes, we don’t know how important it is to be properly covered with life insurance until tragedy happened. There was this young man with two young children who recently died of cancer. I am still keeping in touch with his widow and I feel so relieved that he has buy a large life insurance for his family when he was well.
He never expects this to happen and yet, he has the foresight to do so. All his house loan has been paid through the insurance and the widow and children has a sum of money in their bank now.
So, if you are still skeptical, don’t. Go get some term life insurance rates and start planning. We do not know what will happen tomorrow.
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Shopping weekend
This is going to be a shopping weekend for me because we just traveled 300 miles to another state where there is nothing to do except shopping.
Miles and miles of shopping miles with plenty of sales going on. Although I have nothing in particular to buy, I suppose I will not go home empty-handed because it is always good to have some shopping therapy once in a while.
I will make the retailers happy as well as the manufacturer of the epson receipt printer happy too, isn’t it? If I don’t spend money, how are we going to get the economy going and boost the country.
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Pizza for lunch
My sister-in-law doesn’t drive. We have no car. Anyway, I won’t dare to drive in a new place like this.
So, here we are, five of us with no lunch because there is nothing to eat around here. It is too hot to walk quite a distance away for lunch. So, sis-in-law ordered pizza for the kids. She ordered two large pizzas because it is cheaper.
Now, if I wolf down all that, I will need to get those commercial fitness equipment to burn off the extra cheese, extra seafoods pizza.
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Hot weather enough to bake
The weather has been exceptional hot this time of the year. I wonder if I can get baked if I stay in one of those metal buildings under this heat?
The metal buildings are actually quite a workable idea but I guess in this weather, we need to really instal a full blast aircond to counter the heat. Otherwise, we will faint in the hot can, isn’t it?
Over here, they use those metal containers as a temporary office and even the police uses them too. The metal containers are rather flimsy and not like the metal buildings shown in the website.
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Do you know it is a good time to buy gold?
People are asking when it is a good time to invest in gold. There are lots of people searching for the answer on the internet.
They want to know if it is a good time now to buy gold coins. You can actually read and learn more about investing in gold coins from the link provided. There are lots of statistic to show you why it is good to invest in gold.
Remember that property prices fluctuate and there are many factors affecting it. But gold is the classic, everlasting good investment that will secure a better future for our children in future. The prices has remained stable all the years and we can only expect profits and even more profits.
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Ginger flower and butterfly
I love this photo. The red flower is the ginger flower. It is actually edible and we commonly use it in curries. It is the flower of a kind of ginger call gallangal. The flavour is quite ’sweetish’ instead of hot like the regular ginger.
Took this photo when I went to the butterfly farm. Butterflies love getting nectar from the flowers I think. Lots of these beautiful creatures landed on the flower when I was there.
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Investing in gold bullion for our children?
If you do not have children going to college and university, it probably doesn’t seem so important to you that we must save a lot of money for them.
But if you have kids like mine who need money in tens of thousands, then, you will know what responsibility as a parent is. Thank God we have saved somewhat and are able to put them through college.
Investing in properties, saving money and even investment in gold is good. Now is the time to buy gold bullion. Prices of gold has been stable and it is good to have them as a security for our children.
If I know how stable gold price is, I would have saved and buy more gold bullions decades ago. Now, I won’t have to worry so much for the other kids’ education.
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Gold is good
A friend is suggesting that I invest in gold because I was grumbling about the high property prices and the low interest rates. The price of condominiums are getting ridiculous because a decent one costs a million. Meanwhile, it is lousy to save money because the interest rate is so low.
So, she said it is a very good time to time to buy gold bullion as the price of gold has been stable and very secure through decades.
She told me about the trend and how one should follow the advice of the financial guru to buy gold and invest in gold. Yet, I am not so sure it is affordable anymore because the price of gold has shot up so high. 
Pussy willow for the whole season
My pussy willows stalks will remain with me for the whole year. Usually, I buy it during the Chinese lunar new year as Chinese pussy willows are only available during that time.
However, the dried stalks look good and so I leave them in the corner for the whole year or until they get too dusty. They are so pretty isn't it? I love the white fluffy chinese pussy willow buds.
Everyone is saying buy gold bullion
Everyone is talking about the best time go buy gold bullion. They said it is now or never. If we wait further, the price of gold will continue to increase and hence, we may not able to afford it anymore.
Looking at the price of gold, it is indeed a good time to invest. Gold that I bought twenty years ago are not worth a lot of money. Unfortunately, I did not invest in gold bullion but instead, buy gold jewelry.
Nowadays, people do not like the 99.9 percent gold jewelry as they said it is rather old looking. So, I also dare not wear them anymore. Moreover it is like target to get mug.
Do check out the trend of gold and read more from the link because it is indeed a very wise investment. 
Bread with grains
I just adore breads like these because of the grains. These whole grains like oats, wheat, sesame, poppy and etc are good fibre source. Meantime, the soft fluffy buns inside are so delicious.
I usually get my favourite bread with grains from a bakery downtown. They bake it fresh everyday and if I am lucky, I get those buns which are just hot out of the oven.
Time to buy gold?
The financial experts are advocating buying going as investment. But I am not so sure anymore because the time to buy gold bullion seems like a little too late.
Gold prices have shot so high now, I doubt I even have the money to buy a simple gold jewellery. Back in those good old times, I could afford to buy 99.9 percent gold chain which feels heavy on the neck.
Now, I dare not even wear gold jewelry because it is so expensive and a sitting duck for snatch thieves and muggers. I have a few pieces which cost a lot now.
If only I have the vision to buy gold many decades ago, I would be very rich now, eh?
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If only I have the perseverance…
My friend is taking a course online through an online university. I don’t know how she manage because she has kids younger than mine. I certainly do not have the same kind of perseverance like her because one needs a highly discipline routine to do so.
However, she told me it is not that difficult to pursue an online mba as she can do it during her free time. For example, Western Governors Online University offers people the chance of getting a degree at their own pace.
They have several courses which are suitable for working adults and from what I read, many have successfully done it online.
Still, I am not convinced that I can do so because I am get distracted often and I know I can’t sit through the whole thing.
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Baby girl announcements
My niece is looking for pretty and impressive baby girl announcements for a friend. I am quite puzzled initially because back in my time, there wasn't such thing around.
But now, people are into internet announcements and beautiful printed cards as well. So, these businesses are making big bucks because we have cameras to take beautiful pictures and turn them into breath taking beauties.
Which heart won't melt with those pinkish lace and candy floss designs, huh? If I can have a baby girl, I too would splurge on such stuffs because they are so adorable. 
It has been a long time
Lately life is not so fun anymore. I have routine to do. Unlike a few years ago, when my boy wasn’t in school yet, I get to do what I fancy each day.
There wasn’t any routine nor boring stuffs like driving around. I could escape to the park or gardens and take pictures of flowers and ferns. I love visiting the park and be mesmerized with orchids like these.
Now, the only thing I watch is the clock.
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The hardest part is the ending
I have been rushing some jobs for several days already. It is not something I like doing but I have deadlines to meet so whether I like it or not, I have to do it.
Now is already midnight and yet, I still haven’t finished them. There are just a few things to wrap up but it seems so hard to complete the task. I think as with everything, we humans tend to procrastinate and when the clock went tick tock, we panic. Then, the brain freeze and it is even harder to do the chore.
How I wish I have a different kind of job, like doing something physical such as building a house or something instead of dealing with boring writings that I am doing now. Hmmm…maybe it will be cool to wear protective clothing instead of sitting here at the PC trying to eek out a few more pieces of work.
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Mid-life crisis, is there one?
I attended a class on psychology and the lecturer told us there is indeed such a thing as midlife crisis. He said one gets hooked to some things when they hit midlife or around late fourties to fifties.
So, that explains why men suddenly developed interest in expensive toys and bikes. Some are into jeeps and they will spend a lot of the jeep accessories. Have you notice how men tend to drive around in big flashy bikes or jeeps when they are much older?
I guess they have more money to throw around and it gives them their second childhood.
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Parenting is big business
A few baby shops have just opened in the neighbourhood. I guess parenting business is big business because parents love to get stuffs for the kids. Moreover, they can splurge endlessly on their precious ones.
Take for example, these uppababy vista. Their site have such lovely baby strollers, I bet many parents will love to have it on their regular stroll or jog. It seems like a nice idea to go out with baby for a healthy jog while their baby is tucked nicely and comfortably in the stroller.
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They steal everything including the faucets!
My boy's school recently get upgraded. The money comes from the parents who contributed because the authority doesn't care about such thing.
You see, thieves went into the school during the school holidays and they stole all the faucets, metal grills and even the fans. Come on, those are just regular faucets and not those expensive looking, classy Kohler faucets.
Yet, people are so desperate nowadays. Luckily, the school now has grills and during off school hours, they will locked up the canteen and toilets too. 
I love rabbits
My current place is probably ok for rearing rabbits. However, the thoughts of them multiplying seem scary so I dare not venture into keeping rabbits as pets.
Last time, we used to have them at home. It started with just a pair we bought for my son’s birthday. In no time, our backyard became a rabbit farm because they just keep popping out little bunnies like mushrooms after a rainy night.
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AH1N1 kills another
I just read the news that another woman just died because of the swine flu. Actually, it is call AH1N1 and not the swine flu. But our local media still referring to it as such.
It seems that there is going to be a new wave of the deadly flu. So, be aware and teach your child to be hygienic. However, not to the extend where the child turns paranoid.
I have seen one of my boy’s classmates who mother has got the kid to be so afraid of germs. The poor kid is almost having a phobia of germs. I think this is a very unhealthy way of dealing with it.
Although it is good to use thosepromotional hand sanitizers, don’t be overboard with the act as well. Otherwise, your child may even be too afraid of going out of the house as well.
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Never too old to get a degree
You know what they say? That we women will get less brilliant as we have more kids because there is a myth that our brain cells decreased with each pregnancy? Well, recently, I read that it is not true at all. We don’t get any dumber with the number of kids we have.
So, ladies, good news, isn’t it? Now we can get an online degree without the fear that we may not be smart enough to graduate.
If you are keen, Western Governors Online University offers various programs which you can pursue to get an online mba for a subject you are passionate with.
What’s holding you back from getting that piece of paper that says you are a smart mommy? Go on, check it out and tell me if you have the brains to do so.
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Week Two of Lent 2010
Last Saturday, I had to cancel my lector’s duty because I had a bad flu that affects not only my voice, even my hearing wasn’t working well too. So, I attended the Sunday morning mass… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] [Link]
Bamboo
I took this photo at a Chinese temple the other day. I love the bamboo windows railings against the real bamboo plants.
It is a beautiful temple. My only regret is I didn't bring a long my DSLR camera. I am left with this cheap camera so it didn't really capture the nice green colour of the bamboo railing.
Who needs a ski vacation?
I know I do. I am so sick of this heat I wish I live in some snow alps. Of course, I can't ski as I have very bad balance. So, a ski vacation may not be very ideal for me.
But give me the white, fluffy snow, the hot fondue and lots of alcohol to keep warm. It will be a perfect holiday then.
I wonder if I will ever see snow in this lifetime because I don't see any plans to travel far enough where it is snowing. Still it is good to dream, isn't it? 
A new month, a new promise
Every month, when it is a new month, I will gladly tear away the calendar for the previous month. There is something nice about doing it because it is like throwing away all the bad things of the past month.
Now, it is March. A new month. A new promise. I hope I will have more time in March than February which was filled with so many things including the lunar new year preparation, getting my kids accustomed to school, feeling sick and such.
So, march on. I am going to concentrate on spa filter and all the technical stuffs. 
Is there a place where it is not hot?
It is like living in an oven everyday. It is hot, hot, hot. To make it worse, it is also very humid.
So, each day, I cannot live without the aircond. Whenever I prepare dinner, I will end up sweating so much my t-shirt is wet. I am such an ugly mess in this hot weather and I absolutely hate it.
How nice if I can afford one of those Outer Banks vacation homes and enjoy spring right now. But no luck, I am too poor so I can only hide in my aircond room all day and go out when I am forced to. 
Celebration over, time for colon cleansing
So the Chinese lunar new year is finally over. Fifteen long days of overeating, over bingeing and pigging out on rich foods.
Now is time to do some colon cleansing to get rid of the alcohol, rich seafoods, heaty snacks, sweet cakes and all those things that we don’t normally eat in our daily diet.
Otherwise, our system is going to get clogged and we will be feeling tired, restless and lethargic. Normally, I will try to go on a fruit diet to get the system flushed. But I need a few days break to do so. Right now, I don’t have the luxury of time because I am in such a rush.
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Iguana
I found this iguana at the butterfly park the other day. Initially I didn’t notice how similar the green tone of the iguana’s body and the background.
When I got home and downloaded the photo, then, only I notice how green this photo is. I wonder if I can buy and iguana and keep as pet? Those claws look rather menacing but it shud be fun to have one that turns colour. Oh wait, chameleon is the one that changes colour, not the iguana?
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I should stop reading political news or I will need wrinkle cream
Politicians are so full of craps. Especially those from my state. They do nothing but picking on each other mistakes so that they can call the press and make a monkey out of themselves.
It is so sickening having to see the kind of antics they are up to each day. Those time and energy could be better spent helping the poor and doing something positive. But no…all they want is to pick on others’ mistakes, harp about it and claim they themselves are the best.
I better stop reading political news or I shall need wrinkle face cream because they pissed me off so much.
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Hooked on Glee
I don’t know how I get myself addicted to Glee. But I am sooo addicted now.
It is really very much like Desperate Housewives with all the wacky characters, the extreme behaviour and usual oddities.
One woman who can’t have a child wanted to give a college girl who is pregnant some best prenatal vitamin so that the girl can give birth and give the baby to her.
Meantime, she is faking her pregnancy and fooling her husband. As for the college girl, she had sworn to be celibate or something and hence, cannot let the world knows she is pregnant.
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Doh…the lyrics of some the songs
If you are a parent to teens like me, you probably notice the kind of songs our teens listen to nowadays. Some of the songs have such shocking lyrics, I don’t know how they get on air.
The only consolation I have is not having daughters because it will be one helluva difficult times to guide them. Some of these songs treat girls like an object. Some of them use references to them like a piece of meat.
So, it is not at all surprising that people now need more rapid opiate detox and stuffs like that because everything seems a-ok nowadays.
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Thai fried snakes (no not snacks)
The other day when I was in Thailand, I saw some of the weirdest snacks. They have different sizes bananas which are air-dried. They look like tiny worms!
And then, there are those fried seafoods and the tiny crabs with their shells and claws were fried. There are also a variety of tiny fishes which look like they are some discards. Yet, these snacks taste good. So good, I ended up with sorethroat.
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Lent thoughts
I always try to observe something that I have to physically do during Lent to remind me of the run-up to Good Friday and then, Easter. For a Catholic convert like me, each Easter is an anniversary… [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] [Link]
Thailand’s foods are always so colourful
Chinese New Year is almost over. And this food blog didn’t feature a single Chinese New Year dish! How horrific! Yet this CNY is one of the busiest for me. There was this one day where I have a few hours notice to cook lunch for 30 pax. And that falls on the [...] Related posts:Happy New Year 2009 – Party foods and finger foods On a New Year’s Eve, the last thing you want… Vegetarian – Fried noodles with colourful vegetables I bought some placemats from Reject… Please visit http://www.malaysiabest.net for the full contents.
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My skin feels like a parched land
The weather has been so dry, so hot and my face skin is feeling so rough just like sandpaper.
When I apply face moisturizer, I could almost feel the moisturizer was being quickly absorb. It is almost like a parch land with rain water falling on it. The water disappear immediately.
So, I have to make it a habit to put a large jug of water at the bedside to drink often. Despite that, I still fell sick. 
Festive season almost over
One more week and the lunar new year festival will be over. After all the feasting and pigging out on such fattening foods, it is to for a quick trim fast cleanse.
Everyone will be regretting that they had eaten too much and now suffer for the overeating.
But can a quick trim works? I doubt so. One needs plenty of exercise and also cut down on calories intake in order to see results. 
Does the picture on the cigarette box turns you off?
The other day, I went to this shop selling cigar. I love the smell of tobacco. Some of them smell so calming and sweet.
However, I am not a smoker so I can’t tell if the cigar tastes as good. I have no intention of trying them out either.
Cigar is a much friendlier thing compared to the cigarette boxes where they put those premature babies photos. They are such a turn off. I hope many people are deterred from smoking because of it.
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Do you buy insurance for your kid?
I am not talking about medical insurance which is actually a necessity. But I am referring to the life insurance policy that schools ask our children to buy.
Yearly, they have these insurance forms which were distributed to the school children. I usually told my kids that I do not want to hear about it. I explained to them that I only get the money if they lost their limbs, become blind or worst still need a life insurance.
So, I will ask them to bring back the empty form to their teachers because I don’t need an insurance quote or wants to buy any insurance policy for my children.
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Homemade chocolate chips cookies
Life is such a beautiful thing nowadays because my older children are now old enough to bake their own chocolate chip cookies.
Even my 13 years old can bake as well. He merely load the page of my recipe on his PC which is next to our dining table. Then, he followed the instructions and started weighing the ingredients.
Next, he followed the step by step method of baking and tadaa..he got a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
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My boy is still waiting for his PS3
During Christmas, we got a PSP for my little boy. Although we have a PS2 at home, there is nothing like a small, portable gaming machine to keep him occupied when we are out. He would spend the spare waiting time quietly on the game.
Now, he has gotten tired of PSP games and is asking when he can get the ps3. We are not sure if we are giong to spend that much on a gaming machine. But those adorable puppy eyes will surely melt our hearts and eventually we will give in.
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New TV
After like umpteen years, hubby finally relented and bought a new TV recently. And this is because the world cup is going live in a few months and he wants to watch his football in high definition.
However, buying a new TV is not an easy task. There are so many choices and so many specifications to choose. Then, there are those accessories to add on like what are offered by entertainment centers.
Once upon a time, buying a new tv means finding the brand we want. Now, each brands have so many different types of spec, it is so hard to choose from.
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Ugly heels
Recently, I moved to this new place where the kitchen floor is made of really old, traditional mosaic tiles which are quite rough.
The kitchen is rather hot as it faces the sunset and hence, get the hottest sunshine each day. So, it is not a place where one wants to wear fluffy bathroom slippers.
I went without any slippers but am suffering the effect of it now. I discovered the skin around my heels are cracking. OMG, that’s so ugly! Now, I have to take a look at those sites selling garage flooring and see if I can find any good flooring which is not permanent to place over my kitchen floor.
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