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Thursday, March 31, 2016

Eve of April's Fool 2016

Drama Queen, a rogue since she was a toddler has a few pranks up her sleeves for April's Fool Day tomorrow!

Since this morning, she has been wishing everyone at home "Happy Eve Of April's Fool Day!" in a real devilish tone.  She practiced pranking everyone at home to the point that it got on everyone's nerves!

After dinner, I saw Drama Queen sculpting something. She asked me to make a guess on what she's making.  OMG, it looked like a piece of shit.  She's going to prank her friends with that piece of shit!!

Just a moment ago, after she had gone to bed, I ransacked her school bag and found a cute Hello Kitty gift box that I have never seen before. It was complete with a cushion inside. Once the cushion was removed, I was startled.  I had expected to see a piece of shit but she changed her mind and transformed it into some kind of shit bug! And it looks so real too.

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I showed this to the hubby and he was very nonchalant about it. I teased him that Drama Queen has inherited all his holy terror DNA!

I  sympathize with the friend who is going to get pranked tomorrow by this rapscallion!  I warned her not to overdo her pranks, lest I spend my entire morning in school at the disciplinarian's office!



Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Easter Sunday - 27 March 2016

Our Easter Day was a fun-filled and eggciting one for the girls, especially Cass.

After a day's outing, she continued her eggciting Easter Day with Easter egg painting at home. She had been bugging me for exactly 1 year to do this activity at home but as usual, busyness, procrastination and LAME excuses have always been my "like real excuses" to poor Cass.  Truth is I hate to clean up on a maid-free day and Sundays are the only days that we are free to do activities at home. Yup, I am spoilt like that. I hate doing house work yet I love my house to be super clean without a speck of dirt.   Such a horrible mom I am!  You can call me a clean freak as well.

So here she is, happily painting her Easter eggs with Sharpie. You see, I even made her use Sharpie vs water color and poster paint colors coz the latter is messier! Ouch, bad mom!!

Nonetheless, she enjoyed her egg-painting very much and I felt like a  good mom :)

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The weather was sizzling hot on Sunday. The girls were all set to play with their visiting uncles from the UK (aged 8 and 9 years old) and dragged me along to the pool area. After watching them under the gazebo for one hour, I was sweating profusely. Hubby took over and I went back and took another shower.  If you know me well, I am a 'puteri lilin' and I will surely melt in the outdoors in the afternoon, though under shades! :D



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Friday, March 25, 2016

Eating Clean

Do you realize that as we age, we become more mindful about what we put into our mouths? I am not sure about you but it sure is the case for me as I age.

When I was a young girl, I couldn't be bothered with what went into my body. I was addicted to chocolates, candies, white flour products, chips, packet snacks, ham, sausages, bacon, burgers, fast food, deep fried food and fizzy drinks.   I hated to drink plain water and being a kid, I didn't know the dangers of stuffing my body with junk. In those days in the 1970s through 1990s, no one was really bothered. Cancer was hardly heard of. People just had fewer diseases. My brothers and I played outdoors a lot, every single day.

When I was a young working adult, I was still not concerned about eating clean. Well, I was not aware yet of the importance of eating clean. I had an endless stash of junk food in my office drawer. I was the junk food 'supplier' to my beloved colleagues.  I had candies, sweets, biscuits, chips and a whole load of rubbish in the drawer, perpetually. Gawd, why did I even do that?  It would take years to get rid of  the remnants of these junk and gunk from my body. I am glad that I have found Izumio to help  zap away all the toxins and free radicals from my system.

It was only when I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) in late 2000 which caused me unexplainable weight gain, acne and the most significant of all, infertility, that my whole life made an about turn, for the better. It was only then that I did a lot of research on PCOS. What I gathered from the internet propelled me to make a 360 degree change in my lifestyle. I incorporated exercise in my daily life and went on a low-carb diet. Junk food was almost totally eliminated from my life.

Now that I am in my 40s and have genetic high cholesterol, I made a decision to be a flexitarian, i.e. my diet is mostly vegetarian and I eat very little meat. I try to eat clean on most days but there will be cheat days where I allow myself to indulge in my favorite sinful food, moderately.

Thankfully I have a very health conscious MIL who stays with us. She whips up only healthy food, consisting mainly of vegetables.

Below is one of our regular dinners at home, with vegetables-centered dishes.


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Braised organic Japanese pumpkin with chicken slices, blanched lady fingers, French bean omelette and steamed fish with ginger, soy sauce and fried garlic.

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All these are simple dishes yet I thoroughly enjoy them. We hardly have deep fried food and keep processed food to the minimal in our larder :)



Monday, March 21, 2016

Dreaming Of A Pet Dog

A new pet shop has just opened its doors at our neighborhood, right next to the music center that Cass goes to.  I didn't even notice the pet shop until Cass shouted out excitedly to me that she saw our favorite dog, a Siberian Husky puppy in the pet shop!

We were so excited! After piano lesson on Saturday, we checked out the puppies at the pet shop. Each and every puppy costs a whopping RM6,800!!!

Our favorites were the Husky and a Hush Puppy. IF ONLY we have a plot of land next to our house and IF ONLY we had the moolah, I am so going to get us a puppy!  A Golden Retriever, Labrador, Husky or a Beagle. We once had a Beagle named Happy but had to give it up for adoption when we could not find the time to shower it with the love and care it needed.  Alycia and Sherilyn were both under 2 years old then.

One day, just one day, we'll own a dog. Cass has always promised me that when she grows up and gets a job, she'll buy me a bungalow and get us a dog! LOL!  Let's see if her wish will materialize.

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Thursday, March 17, 2016

Sunday Lazy Meals - 13 March 2016

When I was recovering from Influenza last weekend, I had  zilch appetite.  I was actually getting better last Saturday but after tucking into some rich, heaty and oily Italian food at a Lego launch where bloggers were invited, I got home feeling a hundred times worse.   I felt like the cactus in my throat had grown a million times thornier after the event. I felt really sick. I did not feel like talking that evening coz I yakked a lot at the event and I partially lost my voice after the event.

After downing many packets of Izumio and popping over 6 Super Lutein on Saturday, I felt much better on Sunday. The headache, eye ball ache and body ache were gone.  But I still did not feel like eating anything. I still did not feel like myself yet.  And the sweltering El Nino heat made things worse.

I only felt like eating cold semi-sold food. So I kept whacking my favorite skinny sugar-free yoghurt and Haagen Dazs ice-cream!

Drama Queen made some toasties with Food For Friends cheddar cheese and avocado and I had half a slice.
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Lunch was at our favorite friendly neighborhood restaurant. I told the lady boss what I wanted and she whipped up my favorite fish slice vermicelli with spinach with reduced salt and oil.  That bowl of noodles was such a comfort!

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After lunch, the foodie hubs dragged us to LDG Cafe.  While he enjoyed his cuppa latte, we enjoyed some desserts -- Creme Brulee...


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and some French chocolate dessert.

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After clocking in 9 hours of sleep per night for 5 nights straight, I am finally myself again.  Sleep is one of the most important ingredients for our body to recover, without which, it will take a long time to heal.  Of course, you need good nutrition and a good supplement for your body to function optimally.  I am glad that I have my Izumio and Super Lutein to give me the peace of mind in good and bad times :)








Monday, March 14, 2016

Heavy Rain Finally!!

We got a much much needed respite from the scorching El-Nino heat today, thank you God!!

It finally poured heavily today, for a good 2 hours.

After dinner today, I brought the girls down for some much-needed exercise.  We jogged at the jogging tracks, Cass played on her scooter and later I played badminton with Alycia.


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From 37 degrees C to 27 degrees C, the vast temperature drop has been a real blessing to us KL folks.  
Here's praying to more daily thunderstorms to fill up the dams and to avert another water rationing!

Friday, March 11, 2016

Easy Home-Cooked Dishes

These are all easy home-cooked dishes, yet awesomely yummy!  The mil whipped them up. With her around, I can sit back and relax in the evenings :D

Below:
Pan-fried crispy fish.
Stir-fried young lotus root with sliced lean pork

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Below: minced garlic with red cut chilly and lime juice to go with the fried fish.

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Below: Braised chicken with  sea cucumber, mushroom, garlic and fish maw.

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Below:
Braised pork ribs with foo choke (bean curd sheet).
Stir-fried organic long beans with roast pork.

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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Hot Hot Day!

Today has been another super super hot and humid day.

After checking on Cass in school, I went to the coffee shop to get some lunch. Though the walk from my car to the coffee shop was a mere 1 minute, by the time I reached home, I was already sweating profusely.

So off I went to the bathroom for a quick 1-minute shower.  I already had a full shower from head to toe at 8am after swimming today.  My next 1-minute shower was in the afternoon, after being air-fried by the hot air while waiting for Cass and Sherilyn at the lobby for 15 minutes.

Yesterday, I had 5 showers - 2 full showers from head to toe and 3 quickies lasting only a minute each time - just a splash of cold water to wash away the sweat and to cool myself up.

The picture below was taken along my way to the lobby to wait for Cass and Sherilyn at 2ish pm.  Today's temp. is a burning 38 degrees Celsius! No wonder I felt feverish.

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For those of you who are under layers of thick clothing in temps below 0 degrees Celsius, don't you just wish you were here melting away?  I sure wish I could swap places with you and be freezing under layers of clothing. I don't like being roasted.



Monday, March 7, 2016

UPSR Cash Reward For The Big Girl

I didn't know that the girls' school (primary) has a cash reward scheme in place for UPSR candidates who score 5As, 6As and 7As in the exam.  That's the problem with the big girl, who is an introvert. She does not share much  happenings with me.  Often times, I need to bribe her with goodies to make her spill.   Most of the time, I get the news from Sherilyn and Cass who yak  non-stop, ever so generous with their information with me.  Sometimes they blather too much and this can be quite annoying, on days when my mind is stressed out with problems and work.

I only found out from Alycia early last week that she needed to make a trip to her primary school on Saturday for a cash reward and certificate giving ceremony.

And her reward for scoring 5As is RM80 cash and a certificate :)  Not bad at all eh?

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Saturday, March 5, 2016

Shopping Cart - 29 February & 3 March 2016

Here's more peeking into the shopping habits of a health freak mommy :D

Below - shopping cart on 29 February 2016

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Contents: 1 bottle organic apple cider vinegar, 1 jar Korean kimchi, bread, 3 packets Australian carrots, tomatoes, 1 punnet organic French beans, 1 packet four angle beans, 1 packet coriander, 1 packet spring onions, 2 punnets organic cherry tomatoes and 1 crate antibiotic-free chicken eggs.
Damage = about RM70


Below - cart on 3 March 2016


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1 packet organic unbleached flour, 1 box organic soy beans, 1 packet organic psyllium husk, 1 box organic peppermint green tea, 1 bottle Japanese Sumiyaki instant coffee and 1 bunch banana.
Damage = RM85

All these could have been way cheaper had I bought regular non-organic ones. But pesticides and GMO keep preying my mind and I am just one paranoid mommy! For this, I am paying through my nose each time just to stay sane and hopefully healthier :)



Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Throwback Home-Cooked Dinner

Throwback home-cooked dinner pix...

Braised chicken wings in special sauce, blanched lady fingers and sauteed purple long beans and bitter gourd with roast pork.  The purple long beans and bitter gourd were homegrown, from a relative's garden.




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Double-boiled kombu seaweed soup with lean pork. This soup is mild in taste, yet bursting with nutrients.
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Kombu is a nutritional powerhouse from the sea.  It is a kind of sea cabbage.  Even the texture is similar to cabbage.

Kombu is known for reducing blood cholesterol and hypertension. It is high in iodine, which is essential for thyroid functioning; iron, which helps carry oxygen to the cells; calcium, which builds bones and teeth; as well as vitamins A and C, which support eyes and immunity, respectively.

Kombu is  one of the Japan’s best kept secrets. Generations of Japanese have added kombu to their foods for improved flavor and nutrition. Adding kombu to your broth can help to improve your health and decrease your chances of cancer, diabetes, thyroid problems, anemia, and mineral deficiencies.

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