Our Lovely Little Afternoon Hangout

Today I took a half day off work to bring mom for her mammogram. It's been about 3 years since she last had the test. Her being the used to be breast cancer patient once, it's very important to have it checked up once in awhile.

As usual, she resisted all the suggestions from us asking her to get herself a regular health checkup until couple of days ago I told her my allocated budget for the current year by my employer was going to be a waste if she didn't go for the checkup. It was a good time since the year is ending in a week's time. And she finally agrees to go for it. "Mammogram" was the top in her list for checkup. That's what she chose and by the way I couldn't get her to do any other checkup. I'm going to have to choose some other excuses another time to get her to do the full body screening.

Anyway, I was happy that she finally agreed to this. I came home from work for lunch and we walked to the nearby hospital together. Weather was in our favour, although there was a bit of drizzles when I came home, the sky was clear when we walked out of the house for hospital.

Its her first time at this hospital. She was thoroughly impressed by the greenness and cleanliness of this new hospital. After the test, we walked back to the nearby mall, I managed to persuade her to get a new pair of spectacles as she is using the old frame that I no longer used. And oh.. that frame, she picked it up from the junk and she fixed her lens in it to recycle that frame. Could you think about someone who doesn't wanna add burden to her children and not want them to spend a single cent for her if possible? Such is her.

Yet again, I used the excuse of getting the allocated budget wasted for the year, she chose herself a new pair of black framed specs with lots of mumbling of course on how expensive it has cost. On the way home from the optical shop, I insisted buying KFC (one of her favourite fastfood in Singapore and I knew for sure it was almost her time for dinner) home and we had ended our lovely little afternoon hang out.

It was a nice cool day and my heart is full having to spend some quality time with her and get things done for her in this short period of time. It was a good time away from work and an afternoon worth spending my leave for mom.

Love her!

For you daddy..

Today marks the 6th year he's left this world but never once has he left our hearts. My dad has been the biggest part of our lives, my mom's, my brother's and mine. He's the man with the kindest heart and sweetest smiles. The kind of love that he had for his family and the less privileged people of the town of his, I think nothing in the world could match it.

He's always gentle and he knows just the right way to teach and discipline his children. When we were young, we used to love him and scare of him all at the same time. Just as he's not hesitant with the rewards when we do well at school, he's not taken aback when he had to cane us for our misbehaviour. I don't remember falling sick when he's around, he's a good doctor and he cures with his heart. Like many other people in the town whom he's touched with his heart, we respect him and always feel grateful. He's never once hesitant in waking up in the middle of the night to save some one's life. I couldn't imagine how one could give so much to others and take little for himself.

I'm grateful for what he's done in life for us. Although he seldom shows it, I know he loves us. His life revolves around our family. Whatever that he's done was for us. I miss him so very much.

This is a song sang by a daddy to his little girl, spending a quality time with his daughter while it lasts. Savouring on the kind of memory that would stay in the deepest part of his heart forever. This shows the biggest love that a daddy has for his girl and it touches my heart. It is also the kind of song that could make me cry missing him so much. So, here, this song is for you daddy... hope you are peaceful in wherever you are now.. love ya..

Artist: Adkins Trace
Song: Just Fishin'

I’m lost in her there holdin’ that pink rod and reel
She’s doin’ almost everything but sittin’ still
Talkin’ ‘bout her ballet shoes and training wheels
And her kittens
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

I say, “Daddy loves you, baby” one more time
She says, “I know. I think I got a bite.”
And all this laughin’, cryin, smilin’ dyin’ here inside’s
What I call, livin’

And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside
Throwin’ back what we could fry
Drownin’ worms and killin’ time
Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She’s already pretty, like her mama is
Gonna drive the boys all crazy
Give her daddy fits
And I better do this every chance I get
‘Cause time is tickin’
(Yeah it is)

And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside
Throwin’ back what we could fry
Drownin’ worms and killin’ time
Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’
Yeah, aww, she thinks we’re just fishin’
We ain’t only fishin’
(This ain’t about fishin’)

A wake up call..

Last week, I witnessed an old lady fell with a tray full of dirty plates and bowls while she's working at a food center. It broke my heart watching her picking up the broken pieces of ceramic plates off the floor despite the fact that she was injured from the fall. I was having my lunch at about 2 tables away from the spot she slipped and lost her balance. The moment I heard a loud bang, I turned around to see what's happened. She was on her belly right before where I was seated. She slipped from about 2 meters away and I'm sure the fall has caused her shock and trauma. She was shaky, her elbows and fingers bleeding from the cuts. A few ladies around my table including myself stood up to help her. She seems to be still in shock and probably did not realise that she's hurt. Still trembling, she picked herself up leaning a little against her trolley beside her and started picking up the dishes and cleaning the mess. The concerned passersby are telling her in Mandarin to clean up her wounds, but she kept saying in mandarin that she's okay.

Clearly, she didn't want to lose her job. In fact, she didn't want anyone to notice that something had happened. All she wanted was to clean up the mess that she's caused. She did not say a single word about the pain, the shock and the blood. No moaning, no fuss, just work.

I was inwardly hurt witnessing the incident. A train of thoughts came to my mind. First, for the old lady. How could anyone related to her make her work at this age? Does she has any off springs and how could they make her work at the food centre to make her living? Will the management cut her pay for the damages caused? Will she receive some kind of compensation for the injury? With many of these thoughts crossed my head, the very one thing I wanted to do was to search through my purse and give her all the cash I have in there. One thing about donating cash is that, it can be perceived as an insult. I wanted to do something for her, something that could make the moment better. But on the other hand, I do not want any misunderstanding. Before I could get out of this dilemma, she was soon accompanied by a security personnel to a place where she should be. I felt so sad for her, like the kind of sadness you could not describe with words.

And then I thought to myself, the old folks of this age deserve to stay home and be taken good care of by their children. They have done enough in life to raise their child, it should be the children's turn to take care of them now. If they needed something to do just to occupy their times, you arrange something for them to do at home. Not letting them work as a cleaner, parking attendance, gas station attendant, janitor or worse sending them to the nursing homes. For those who doesn't have any children, this should be the time government takes care of them since they too have contributed the country in some way in life. I might sound too childish to say this, but I do not want to see any old folks suffering and being treated like worthless people. Just as I do not want this to happen to my parents or grandparents, I do not want this for anyone.

I couldn't imagine something like this happen to my mom. Well practically she doesn't have to work because there's myself and my brother who are taking care of her. However, I couldn't help but wonder how she's putting up back in hometown while she's away from us. The fall like this could happen to anyone, especially for older people who could easily lose their balance. Shes in her 60s and couldn't say she's all fit and healthy. Shes getting more fragile with the age. My mom is a selfless woman, who would do anything within her means and capabilities for the ones she loves - especially us, her children. The incident above slapped me hard in the face, a wake up call to myself. Now I have a series of questions for myself. What have I done to make it up to my mom for what she's done in life? Have I done enough? How would I fair on a scale of being a good daughter? Have I been showing enough love and care to her? Has she been feeling lonely or sad by herself? What if she's been keeping things to herself because she doesn't want us to get hurt or be troubled by her. What if she's been feeling unwell and keeping it to herself. What if she falls down while she's alone at home? What if..

After a lot of what-ifs, I've decided to do my best at treating my mom nicer, showing her love, care and gratitude. After all, she's the only one that's left in our life and she's a gem, a role model with the kindest heart. She's been taking care of us since we were born to this age. No matter how old we are, we will always be her babies. Till now, she would cook for us, does our laundries, nurses us while we are sick, watches us like she'd watch a baby. I could never find a single trace of laziness in her. When she's around, she would be doing something, keeping the house clean, hand washing the clothes, tidying up the tables, changing the sheets, preparing for dinner right after lunch, or anything that you could think of for the household and for the family. She wouldn't stop even if we asked her to. I want her to be Happy and healthy. She means the world to me and I love her wholeheartedly. I know that I haven't been a great daughter, but I will definitely be better from now on.

I love you mom..

Married Life as I see it..

So I've gotten married with a man I was in love with for a good 10 years. We've been through thick and thin. From the days we had to sparingly use a few dollars that was left for the month to a life with a stable and professional career, we've been together, not leaving each other's side no matter what happened. Good to each other, care for each other, true to each other, faithful to each other, stand up for each other, encouraging each other, falling down low and flying high together, share good and bad moments together, I call this thing - Love.

Now that we've decided to start a life long journey together, vowing to each other that we will always be true to each other for the rest of our lives, we are officially a married couple.

Just think about things in general - not just marriage. When something out of ordinary happens in one's life, people ask and they talk about it with or without your knowledge. For the happy event, they ask to share the joy with you. For an event that make them feel jealous, they ask to find traces of your failure yet acting like they care for your success. For a sorrowful event, they ask to show their empathy. For the others, they simply are just trying to have a casual conversation with you. So, people ask.

Very frequently asked, very simple yet utterly difficult to answer, question that I've received over a few months after our ROM - 'How's married life?'.

To those who were just trying to strike a casual conversation with me, I'd give answers like 'Great!', 'Getting used to it!', 'Busy, busy, busy!' or 'Enjoying it'. For those whom I know they actually care, I'd say, 'It's been great, but this can't be answered in one line, let's catch up sometimes to talk about it. It's been awhile since we caught up with each other!'... Really.. I simply can't squeeze my married life into a line to answer that question. It obviously is insufficient and incomplete. So, I've decided to write about it.

I do often have the itch to write but the writing and formations of sentences only happened and disappeared in my head. It didn't get down on the paper or on the blog. I love micro blogging sites like twitter but likewise, 160 characters weren't enough for me to express what I'm going through in my head.

So, there we go, married life as I see it..

Marriage is a wonderful thing for those who are in love, and that's exactly us. We do not have to tell each other how happy we are to be this close together - day and night. You see the same person, from the moment you open your eyes in the morning to the time you drift into sleep at night and not get tired of this routine, that's me.

Married life has been treating us pretty well. We do things that we've always wanted together, from waking up to shower to prepare for work to dinner, planning for a trip together and such. From the practical aspects, marriage is cost-effective, we pay less of the rental compared to what we used to before. Our wallets got happier because we have a combined income of 2 working adults. We don't have to buy separate household stuffs that are needed for bathroom, bedroom, kitchen and living room.

Being a hopeless romantic and someone with high observational sense, I notice and feel happy about every little things that have been changed since he moved into my room, my house and my life. I'm happy just seeing our toothbrushes standing in the same cup, having our laptops side by side on the table, having our perfumes sitting on the vanity top side by side and many others. My single bed has been expanded to a queen - plenty of space to twist and turn, super comfortable and just looking at our pillows side by side makes me feel loved. We have our own sets of pillow, blanket and bolster. We love what we used to sleep on. So, unlike others, we don't synchronise to the full couple set for our bed. But having our own sets of belonging together in the same bed is pretty something. We are opposite when it comes to our likings, we see things differently, most of the time we do come to an agreement, but in some other times, we let each other do what we want differently just as long as it isn't a big deal. Opposites attract anyways.

Unlike last time, my bathroom now holds toiletries that are for men. My shower handle and bathroom mirror have been adjusted to be higher since he moved in - if you know us, you'd know how different we are in terms of our heights. The wall and ceiling of my room now has florescent tiny stars that absorbs light during the day and shine when the light is off at night. He says it feels as if he's looking at the planet and loves sharing that moment with me. The stuffs in my room has been relocated to better fit the new bed and additional drawer cupboard we've purchased to better organise our stuffs, the clothes hanger and the computer table. My air condition produces cooler air now - before that I don't make use of it often and never once called for servicing. He loves the room cool and I am contented with the natural air in the room with the window opened - there goes the difference again. Our room is now filled with the pictures of us together and some just me alone in them, they are all over the places, on the wall, on the table, on the drawer top and almost everywhere. You might be thinking that was me (a girl) who would do these things, but nope, he was the one who put up all of that on the very next day he moved in. Witnessing it makes me happy.

Marriage teaches us how to spare a thought for each other, that all the things need not be spoken but understood. With a little unselfish love, we are able to go through our days with no problems and arguments. Things that are not a must but still have to be mindful for, like planning your schedules in advance and letting each other know so that both are involved in the process and not feel left out. Although we don't have an agreement to tell each other in advance on which day one will not be in for dinner and etc., we still do this for each other. This is part of having respect for each other. We've learnt to have a little of 'I'/'Me' and more of 'We'/'Us'.

Many things have changed. Our lifestyles have changed. I'm not as available as I used to before, for my friends. But never once they have left my thoughts and they still do dearly stay as close to my heart as before. I used to be carefree and up for any impromptu meet up/sudden movie arrangement and late nite hangout past midnights with my girls. I could no longer do these very often because now I have someone at home waiting for me to come home. Although, he's born in the this century, I must say my dear husband is the conservative one, he doesn't like me wearing revealing/skimpy clothes and haging out too late at night for a girl. Even as a guy, he doesn't do that himself. He's cut down on his usual outing with his drinking buddies, although it's to do with his busy work schedule, I know it's to do with the marriage as well. I know marriage shouldn't come in the way to your friendship with your true friends. And I definitely do believe in that. Marriage is a phase of life and in a matter of time, one would get into it some day. What most important is that you stay in contact with your friends and care for them as they are the ones who love you and always there for you when you needed someone in some bad moments of your life. You talk to them about your relationship - boyfriend / husband / family issue / disappointments at work, anything at all. I have awesome friends and I love them all very dearly. I want to be there for them when they need me and if they allow me to, I'd remain to be part of their lives forever.

Obviously, marriage is not a bed of roses and many unpleasant things will happen, family conflicts, disagreements, financial issues and at some phases we might not even want to look at each other in the face. And at some point, life is going to test us for our love, endurance and capability. All we need to do is to brace it by not giving up hope and go through this together. Easier said than done but I hope we will make it through.

For me personally the best part of marriage is building a dream and working toward achieving it hand in hand as a team. We love talking about how we see ourselves in x years time. We shared our dream of owning a house/a car, creating a loving happy family and holiday spots that we would like to go together one day. And I'm happiest when he expresses how much I mean to him and how hard he would work to bring me to a life with no stress and worries but just happiness. I know him for 10 years and I know it's not just all talks but came from the bottom of his heart. Now, it's just the beginning but I do sincerely look forward to many more enjoyable years to come.

Movie Review: Rango

I'm glad we watched this after the World Invasion. A little fun movie after the chaotic one. We laughed out way through the movie. But it gets a little boring in the middle but still a good one for the lighthearted weekends.

Jonny Depp is at his usual self - a little over the top but still a good voice over.

I will not reveal any kinda story in here because I think you should go watch it yourself and enjoy. =)

Movie Review: World Invasion - Battle Los Angeles

I went into the cinema with zero expectation because I seriously didn't know what to expect besides lots and lots of chaos.

The movie started with the day of the impact of Alien Invasion, just the snippets. Then it went into the 24 hours before the attack, having the peaceful usual days for all the citizens of US as well as the Military armforce. And yes, followed by the sudden Alien attack.

For the first few minutes of movies, my husband and I were both worried that it might be another cam-corded movie like Cloverfield which we gave up after 10 minutes into the show. The first few minutes of the movie was draggy and gave us (especially me) the giddy spells because the camera kept shaking and moving from one person to another without editing of the movements which is definitely very bad. It caused my eyes to be terribly tired and I felt my eyelids drooped eventually. Yes! I fell asleep 15 mins into the show, I shouldn't even be writing this review in the first place. But I woke up again with the nudge from my hubby telling me it's about time I catch it again cause the movie is at the tempo where the the group of soldiers went into the bomb area and that was their first physical contact with the aliens.

I must say that the movie was done with a lot of props being damaged, bombed and casualties. But as the minutes passed by, the movie has gotten more interesting with not just the fighting but the emotional stuffs that went on while saving the civilians and how the lieutenant sacrifices himself for the good of his marines and how they stick to each other to save as many lives as possible even in the impossible situations. These are the few heart-warming moments and I thought they have done a pretty good job.

I'd give this movie a 2 and half star because it was shot badly in a camcorder like style and it's not advisable to watch that kinda shots for 2 hours.

Saturday Affair

This is a rare Saturday, one of those Saturdays that my hubby didn't have to to to work. Although he dread to go to work on Saturday while I'm still having my usual Saturday morning sleeping-in in bed, he was surprisingly awake at 9am. He looked at the sky and told me it might start pouring real soon and thought that he'd better go for zz's servicing before he drags to another week. One thing about my dear hubby is that, he gets things done pretty fast and does not procrastinate when it comes to zz's business. Just in case you are wondering, we call his Yamaha Fazer 1 Motorbike - zz.

So, I too get up to make breakfast for him and we both left the house together. He dropped me at the neighbourhood POSB bank to do some banking stuffs and left for the mechanics. After I was done with the bank, I walked over to Rupini to do my brows threading followed by the grocery shopping at the Shop n Save next door. Just when I stepped out of the market, it started raining very heavily and when I checked the screen of my iPhone, my batt was only left with less than 20%. I didn't have a choice but sat there at the benches along with some old folks while waiting for the rain to settle down a little and have my thoughts drifted over to the far away land.

There are a few pet shops around there that does the grooming, spa and some special services I've noticed like Dog Taxi, Dog Hotel, Dog cremation services. Thinking about cremation, that comes to my mind that these house pets are too short-lived to be emotionally attached to. I do not think I'll have the courage to keep one with me. I cried incredibly hard the last time my pet hamster died while I was away at the office. Not knowing if he's falling sick, old or just died of boredom, it's pretty damn lousy feelings to have lost someone/something that you've attached to throughout the days/weeks or far worse, years. Keeping them in the confine of a box, a room or even a flat is also a mean of torture. Animals are like humans too, they need nature to survive. So, I would not recommend anyone to keep a pet if you do not have time to let them out of the box - no matter how big the box is.

When the rain finally settled down to just heavy drizzles, I've picked up my grocery bags and headed towards the bus interchange which was linked with shelter from where I was seating. Thinking that just reaching Northpoint would be a good attempt even if the rain didn't stop totally. It's like a lot closer to my house and all I needed was to cross one small lane and a 2 way road, which I've already planned to dash across. But lucky enough, once I stepped out of Northpoint shopping mall, the rain stopped and only left with traces of random drizzles. I quickly walked back home and started preparing for lunch and dinner.

My darling B arrived home soon after I reached. We had our lunch together and he suggests we watch a movie. So, we booked the tickets online and headed out to the cinema. The movie was World Invasion, I'll post the review later. After the show, we walked out cinema getting giddy spells but loving the relaxing Saturday. He wanted a cup of Coffee to perk himself up, so, the next stop from cinema, we went to Yakun Kaya Toast where he had his Kopi-C along with 2 half boiled eggs and I had my Kopi-O-Kosong (Black coffee without sugar). This sure comforts our nauseus tummies. That's when he suggested we watch another movie - Rango. The beauty of marriage come into picture, now we do not have to worry about the time of getting home at night and having our parent worried about us being out. I'm happily married and I'm loving every second of it. After the movie Rango, we stopped by at the Play! DVD rental machines to rent 3 old movies - Piranha, Unstoppable and She's Out of My League. If I have a chance, I'll post the review of those movies.

We had our dinner when we got home, I hanged the clothes from the washing machine which I'd arranged for a spin before leaving the house for cinema. And after hanging the wet clothes, I've scheduled washed another batch of clothes and we both gathered at the living room to watch our DVDs - first Piranha followed by Unstoppable.

Before we know it, it was already 3am on the Sunday morning and we haven't slept for a bit. Even so, we were both pretty satisfied with our DVD selection and had a great time hanging on Saturday. One of those days, I'd feel in the deepest part of my heart that life is really great and that's why we should live it.

Healthy Lifestyle - Week 2

Here's the collection of food and drink I've manage to prepare during the 2nd week and have enough time to take picture of them. You may notice as you scroll down, my creativity has gone downhill. heh. I don't have the luxury of time to come up with the fanciful dishes. So, here they are.

The stir fried beef strips and the vege.

The omelet with veg.
The Chicken Spinach soup along with cut chilli and lime.

The Spinach Sunny Side up. My fav breakfast dish.


The mini chicken burger patties. I've made these to take out on the weekends so it's easier to carry along in my small clutch.

The same thing in beef for dinner. A little over cooked because I was distracted chopping veg for the next dish.


Cooked beef in a different way, stewed beef in tomato sauce.

Another stir-fried chicken with veg on the side to bring to work for lunch.

My kimchi inspired dinner made of tofu and Chinese white cabbage.

My better than expected seafood stir-fried with veg. Love the small squids.

Another Omelet with chopped veg.

That's about all for Week 2, I didn't upload some of the repeats. looking forward to the week 3!!

Healthy Lifestyle - Week 1

Okay, that pretty much summed up what I've had for the 1st week of the Healthy Living mission. I haven't been able to find enough time to post each and everyday's meal. I'm gonna post them in the collection of weeks. Look out for the Week 2 pictures!

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 6

Another morning madness at home. We usually stayed up till rather late at night and only turn in around 1-2am in the morning and because of this, we found is really difficult to wake up at the first alarm. After snoozing for the 2nd time, I will finally get up reluctantly, washed up and went straight into kitchen to prepare for food.

And on Day 6 morning, I noticed the tips of the cauliflowers were turning a little brownish and decided that its time I finish it. So I've remove those brown portions and chopped the rest of the cauliflower, stir fried them in the pan with a little bit of olive oil and beat one egg in there. So I have a cauliflower scramble egg.

The lunch was a repeat but this time with more asparagus - my fav veg.

There was a pack of spring onion that went bad even more I get to cook them. So, I'm not gonna waste another pack. All blame it on the small fridge that I have at home. It's too full now and it look almost impossible to take up more food. My dinner was spring onion prawns.

Lots of water today again and I had my kiwi today. It was yummy!!!

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 7

Today I received a call from a good friend and she told me she needed my help to accompany her to the doctor's and have an x-ray checkup. It was a little early in the morning and I took a very short nap again after speaking to her. When I finally woke up, I was already running out to time to prepare for breakfast and I had to make sure that I've packed my lunch for the day. So, I didn't make anything for breakfast, except for the half-boil egg which was prepared using the pre-made half-boil egg maker.

However, this was lunch! I wanted this for dinner and the soup for lunch but after receiving that call from a friend, I thought of how long i wanna carry this bowl of soup in the bag wile I'm with my friend. So, I had this soup heated up when I reached home at night and finished it in front of TV. It was super spicy, sour and just my taste



After I was done with following my friend to the doc, I went to office and I reached around 12:30, so it was about time I should heat up my lunch and savour it.

The fish at its best when eaten with a squeeze of lime!

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 5

It's the 5th day and I'm already feeling the pinch of burden in preparing all the food at home especially when I had a long day at work. But I'm telling myself that I can do this and I should not back out from something that I've already determined to do. Even for this small thing if I can't do it, how am I going to handle bigger challenges that life has yet to give.

So, I'm gonna keep up with this..

Okay, on the 5th day in the morning, there's no more egg left in the fridge. So, I've decided to go for another source of proteins - Cheese! I'm not really a fan of cheese but I'm gonna try having it. So, I've came up with a very simple cheesy mushroom dish. I've made a wrong move in adding salt into mushrooms while I was boiling them. I totally forgot that cheese is salty. See how I wasn't lying when I said I'm not a fan of Cheese. hah!

All it take was to boil the mushrooms in the water before placing them on the plate. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and heat it up in the microwave for about 1.5 mins. The cheese should melt nicely and evenly.

I can either eat it just like this or with the Crackers. When I scoop out the mushrooms, the cheese give the same effect it gave for the pizza pull. Yummayyyy!! But it turned out a little too salty I couldn't finish this dish. Like I said, I forgot cheese were salty.

Lunch was a repeat since my remaining cauliflowers in the fridge are going to go bad in a couple of days. So I had a pan fried fish with the stirred veg on the side. To add flavor to it, I've sprinkled basil leave and my takeout lunch looks like this! Squeeze that small slice of lime onto the fish right before eating it. That makes it taste a whole lot better.



I went a little too adventurous over dinner. I've tried something I've never tried before. Fish Curry!! I'm using just the plain curry powder w/o coconut milk and 1 teaspoon of low fat mayonnaise. So, unlike any other curry dishes you could find in this country, this dish is actually a healthy one. I'm one of those few people who loves fish head - I took this over from my mom. When I was buying the sea bass, I've asked the staff at the counter to help with the scaling and chopping the fish into smaller piece and cut the head into two. So, for 1 fish, I could actually make 2 dishes out of the fish head. LoL.. Ok, now I sound like the most evil person in the world. Here's how my Curry fish head looks like.


The curry powder didn't only smell good, it tasted good too.. The fish were cooked before mixing them into the powder. So, they are nicely cooked. Satisfied my tummy for sure. =)

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 4

This morning it struck in my mind that I've became the chef in command for my own meals, facing challenges as to what to cook and how to cook them in a portion that is rather limited. I've starting to love the challenge and I found myself thinking of what to prepare for the next meal whenever I'm free.

The dish that came into my mind starts with the half-boiled egg, I just need to leave the egg in the hot water for approx 3 mins and I get the softly done that is not so watery. Since I need a little greens for my veg intake, I've boiled the Sio Pai Cye and pour the chucky garlic lightly fried in a bit of olive oil with added water, salt and turmeric powder on them. It gave a bit of colour in the dish. I've taken 2 crackers with this breakfast cuz I know and I believe I should eat more and better dish in the morning as compared to the other 2 meals.



The lunch was prepared the night before as usual. I've decided to go for the Tuna because I'd like to give it a shot since I've bought these 2 tins of Tuna Lights in water. The tuna was prepared with chopped mushrooms, cauliflowers, onion and spring onions to taste. I've also added a tad bit of Parsley leaves on the whole dish to add fragrance to it. To enhance the look of it, I've placed the whole stir-fried tuna with mixed vege onto the bed of cabbage accompanying the 2 slices of tomatoes.


I came home from work rather late today, So I didn't have much time to prepare a nice dinner but I've been craving for something spicy. And this was what I've prepared for dinner - the simple cabbage soup on the side but didn't make it into the picture.



After mixing it well, I get this!



This is the Burmese traditional salad with a bit of modification to omit the bean powder and crushed peanuts - which would have made the dish taste a whole lot better! However, I was contented with what I've done!

The fruit for the day were Green Kiwi and Apple. I'm beginning to get used to drinking waster almost all the time and finished my 2 litre of waster before the day ends. That definitely is a good start.

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 3

It's Lazy Sunday and I dragged myself out of bed around 10am to prepare for breakfast. I know it's not a good habit to not eat in the early morning. As soon as my eyes opened, I thought of having egg for breakfast. I had a bit of migraine on the night before, it was because my body is still getting used to this limited amount of food intake. And the numerous cups of water I've been drinking is helping with the detox. So, the 2nd day was rather hard. On the 3rd day, I told myself I'll do something good for myself. Since I'm allowed 5 crispbreads per day, I have decided to make use of them on the Bruschetta breakfast with the sunny side up on the side. It not only looks pretty, it tasted better than I've expected. There's diced green capsicum, chopped coriander, chopped onions and diced tomatoes stir fried in olive oil. I've divided equally onto each crispbreads. The egg was fried using limited amount of olive oil as well. There's my lovely breakfast, Tada!!!!


The stirfried mixed veg tasted very nice on the crispy crackers. I'm so gonna eat this again.
Later that day, I had a sudden craving of salad in burmese style, esp. something sour and spicy. I've decided to boil the chicken breast till they were soft and tender and mix it in shredded cabbage, thinly sliced onion, garlic and tomatoes, chopped chillis and small diced garlic fried in a bit of olive oil with added chilli powder and finally squeezing a slice of lemon juice into it. Mixed well and that was all needed to be done. My lunch looked so good, my hubby wanted one serving for himself too. Easy and healthy dish.

So as not to waste the soup water that was used for boiling chicken and to retain all the taste and proteins that went into the water, I've made a bowl of soup out of it using a little bit of shredded cabbage I've already prepared for the salad, and for the great flavoring, added a bit of chinese coriander and a dash of black pepper powder. It was oh-soooo-delicious!!



It was one fulfilling lunch and satisfied all of my tastebuds. So, I know I didn't have to prepare something heavy for dinner and I know my dinner will only happen late at night, I've went for panfried crispy tofu and stir fried Chinese white cabbage on the side. It was normal, but I need something in my stomach and I can't skip my meals. So I've finished this.



Had my Mandarin orage today and ended the day with 2 crackers alongside a cup of Coke Zero. The weekend was almost perfect!

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 2

My 2nd day was a little more adventurous because it falls right on weekend - which means I have all the time I need to try out new stuffs and not be afraid of whether or not, I'd feel too hungry or faintish or headache. So, in the morning, although I'd say around brunch time, I've prepared myself a bowl of yogurt with diced apples, bits of Mandarin orange and crushed crispbreads. It turned out pretty lovely, although the yogurt was plain with no added sugar with zero fats, the sweetness from the fruits compensate for the sourness of the yogurt. And because of the breadcrumbs it became a little thicker and tastier. You should try this some time.


With that, I foreseen myself getting hungry an hour or two later. I know I have to make something fulfilling for lunch. And because I'd want something lighter at night for dinner, I've made myself a bowl full of chicken, Chinese white cabbage, bean sprouts and onions. Usually soups are my comfort food, would always have them when I need some comfort. The colour of the picture doesn't do the justice for the taste of the soup, by the way. We have to always remember, it's a healthy program, the food may not look as nice nor greasy nor appetising as the real sinful food but it has got all the natural ingredients that you need for your body. =)



For the dinner though, I've made a real appetising pan fried prawns and sea bass, sided by shredded green capsicum, Chinese white cabbage, tomatoes and (if you notice) my all time favourite, chilli. I must say the prawns tasted the best when it comes to pan fried. I love them. The colour is good and the taste was fantastic. It also was real easy to prepare and it can be cooked in 10 mins tops. Best choice of dinner after a long day at work and you definitely don't wanna be stuck in the kitchen for hours preparing food.


I've moved on to 1 apple and 1 mandarin orange as fruit intake and likewise for day 1, finished 5 piece of crispbreads - annnnnd lots of water!

This was it for Day 2!

Healthy Lifestyle - Day 1

et, I've decided to blog about all the food that I've prepared for myself during this journey to a healthier lifestyle. Hope you could get a good idea or two for yourself while you wonder which is good or bad for your body. These food are recommended good for the healthier body by highly acclaimed doctor in USA. Find out more from me if you are interested. Will be happy to share the knowledge.

To have a healthier body, I need the following balance intake:
1. Meat / Poultry / Seafood / Tofu / Cheese / Egg as Proteins sources
2. Vegetables
3. Fruits
4. Lots of water
5. Crackers / Cripsbreads
6. Vitamins / Supplements

Following the rules, I've prepared a simple classic omelet topped with diced tomatoes and onions, adding salt and garlic powder to taste.


Had a little troubles with lunch because I need to prepare the food at home the night before to bring it to my office. But I manage to make this on the 1st day. It's Stir fried chicken with Asparagus and mushrooms - both are my favourite veg. So, I'm rather excited about this dish. =)


And for dinner, usually I'd come home from work and prepare for dinner at the spot. So, most of the time it's going to be seafood - which I think is a wise choice since seafood should be less fattening than the meat. For the 1st time dinner, I've prepared the stir fried prawns, sea bass fish and the cauliflowers as the side veg.


That's for the 3 main meals for the day, I've taken 2 apples and 5 wholemeal crackers during the day in between meals as and when I feel hungry. Not forgetting lots of water. As the starter, I've gone to the loo for about 8 times on the first day because my body isn't used to taking in a lot of water on a day. I'm sure my body will adjust to it in time to come.

Pathway to the Healthy Lifestyle

So.. It's been awhile since I last blogged. Kinda miss blogging. Yet, couldn't find a time to do so.

Catching up with what's happening in 2011 so far, I've gotten married in Jan, I've grew a year older in Feb and now I'm transforming my eat-whatever-that-looks-good lifestyle to a healtier one. I've tried many times to eat healthily and cut down on my carbo intake, but always go too easy on myself and eventually go back to the normal eat-all-I-want routine. So, going into a healtier lifestyle and I mean business this time! =)