Had my stitches removed today.
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Was kinda excited and hoping the doc will give me the green light to go back to the gym. Boy, was I wrong. 
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Sure the stitches were removed but the wound is not 100% recovered. So, still not the end of my adrenaline deprivation. At least till next Monday worrr, according to my doc. *sigh*
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Oh, the lab results are out. The excised lesion turned out to be non-malignant. Phewwww. Mom will be relieved to hear that. She’s been more worried than I have been since my Op last week. Oh well, moms will always be moms. And I love mine to bits. Hope she has a ball with me dad in Medan over the next 5 days. Keke…
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Since I’ve gotten a clean bill of health from my doc, celebrations are in order tonight, eh? In fact, any reason is good enough to celebrate Friday and the weekend. 
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P/S - I now understand why he’s doing what he’s doing. Such a pity she is too stubborn (perhaps even narrow-minded?) to understand his real intentions. It’s funny how he seems to need it as an exorcism from his 9-year-old demons rather than making amends. Oh well, it’s her right - AND her loss too. Sad.
Archive for May, 2008
Finally, perhaps?
Tomorrow, my parents are heading out to Medan for a 5-day vacation. *jealous*
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Talking to them about their vacation kinda reminded me of the post I was supposed to share here that got delayed. My Tsukiji story. Sorry folks, for taking so long to blog about it. *sheepish grin*
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So, here goes. Bear in mind that it’s gonna be fairly long, ok? 
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The original plan was to wake up early (as in 5am early), have my breakfast at the hotel, then head out to the world’s largest wholesale fish & seafood market. I was told that it’s sacrilege to leave Tokyo without a visit to this place.
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As like alot of things in Life, actual event did not happen as planned. I woke up at 7am and by the time I was done with breakfast and on the train to Tsukiji, it was about 8-ish already.
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A little bit of background info. Read here for its origin. And here for some important tips when visiting Tsukiji.
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Since I got there late, I missed the auction.
However, what I did see upon reaching Tsukiji left one of the deepest imprints in my mind and automatically got categorised as one of my never-to-be-forgotten travel experiences.
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First, it was the motorcycle porters that had me transfixed.
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I was totally fascinated watching them zoom all around the huge marketplace. In fact, they were zooming by so fast that it was hard to take pictures of them.
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Then, I saw the seafood. The super-duper fresh seafood. It was my wildest sashimi dream come true!
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My favourite sushi ingredient - Salmon. *droooool*
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Huge-ass scallops. Yummieee~~
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And giant prawns.
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…and ‘Sand Crabs’.
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Sweetheart will wrinkle his nose at the below picture. Something he won’t touch with a long, long pole. Not the bottom box, but the ones with the tentacles. Yup, my man is anti-sotong (literally, not figuratively :p).
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And the key player at the entire marketplace - tuna. The freshest tuna I’ve ever set eyes on.
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Needless to say, the tools used to cut the fishes were industrial-sized machines that had me gawking at them. They must be used to silly facial expressions from tourists considering it’s marked as one of the most popular tourist spot in Tokyo.
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This friendly old man actually posed for a shot with his oroshi hocho. And yes, that is a tuna head.
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Go here to see some more great pictures of Tsukiji.
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I kept a lookout but I could not find any Fugu Fishes. Just lots and lots of tuna everywhere. Darn. I was kinda looking forward to having my first Fugu experience, more like scary anticipation. :\
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Other than the fresh seafood, there are also other sorts of things to check out in that fascinating place.
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I got excited when I saw my all-time favourite Jap food - UNAGI!
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And I was told that the ULTIMATEST sushi experience would be to eat at one of the tiny sushi bars just in front of the marketplace.
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I wanted to try it reeeeallly bad. Then, I saw this.
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And it was moving half an inch every 10 minutes. Honest! I peeked into one of those sushi bars and to my disbelief, counted 6 to 8 seats per sushi bar! No wonder the lines were moving super slowly. Yet, folks were patiently waiting in line for their turn at the freshest sushi in the whole friggin’ world!
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I decided that it’ll be one experience I’m willing to forgo.
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I must say I felt mighty glad with my decision when I found out much, much later that folks are expected to stand in line for at least one full hour before they get seats at those sushi bars. I love my sushi but no, I am not willing to stand for an entire hour just to watch others stuff their faces with my fav food while clutching my growling tummy. :\
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So, I walked around and found some noodle shops.
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Then, I saw this.
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It’s gotta be the yummiest looking Japanese curry I’ve ever seen!
*sluuuuurrrrrrrrppppppppppppp*
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Since I am more a noodle rather than a rice person, I opted for a bowl of tasty-looking noodles. It was more delicious than it looked.
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And I had to stand up the whole time eating the noodles. No tables and chairs. Just bar-like counters to put the bowls and devour the delish noodles. Best I’ve had ever!
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My Tsukiji adventure ended shortly after coz I had a date at Shibuya.
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There you go. My super delayed sharing on the best fishmarketing experience I’ve ever had in my entire life. And I am mighty glad I dragged my ass out of bed early that beautiful Saturday morning.
Crap
If ever there is one night I am NOT in the mood for work, tonight is it.
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Feeling totally demotivated to work tonight. Maybe it’s the bitching session from Sweetheart earlier. Maybe it’s the fact that I am still adrenaline deprived. Or maybe it’s because the blardy Japs are acting up again and making my life miserable with their weird demands.
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Whatever it is, I am not diving into work as I usually do every night. Taking one night off is not too much to ask, I guess.
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Sorry, you guys in US and UK, you’ll have to make do without me tonight. Am gonna take tonight off and will be back with you guys again tomorrow night, k?
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Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day and night.
Torture, Pure Torture!
Take away my food. Take away my drinks. Take away my BR ice cream. Take away anything else. I can still survive for an entire week without them.
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Take away my adrenaline shots at the gym and I am in TORTURE chambers!
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It’s only Day 2 of the week and I am already getting withdrawal symptoms. Short attention span, easily irritable, mildly depressed, and all the works. Grrrrrrr….
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In desperation, I called my doc this afternoon.
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Me : Hey doc, you mentioned the other day that I can do light exercises, right?
Doc : Yup. Don’t want you ripping your stitches with intense workout.
Me : Care to share with me your definition of light exercises? Does it mean that I can go run on the treadmill or ride the bike instead of going for Pump or Combat classes?
Doc : No No No NO! No running on treadmills or riding the bike! They are all not considered light exercises.
Me : Then? What is considered light exercises?
Doc : Walking in your neighbourhood park/playground.
Me : Huh??? Walking the park???? (tots in head - ^%$#$&%*^#@!!)
Doc : Well, that is all your wound can afford to take for now. Unless you want me to stitch you up a second time lah.
Me : Sigh. Ok lah. I will be good and stay away from the gym till I see you on Friday to remove the stitches..
Doc : That’s my gal.
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*Big, big sigh*
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So folks, if I bite any of your heads off or blow my lid for no apparent reason this week, please understand that I am in alot of pain now. Pain from adrenaline deprivation.
水雞
For the ‘banana folks‘ like myself (M, stop snickering! :P), the above reads ‘Chooi-Kay’. That’s Hokkien for frogs.
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However, the literal Hokkien-to-English translation of ‘Chooi Kay’ is actually ‘water fowl’. Not sure how that came about though. Maybe it’s refering to the fact that it tastes like chicken. Keke…
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Remember that I had a hankering for the dish last weekend? I did get to enjoy it on Sunday night. Yummilicious! All my friends who tried it for the first time on Sunday night loved it too. Actually, that is not the only good dish at the place.
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Our dinner was :
- Spicy Claypot Chooi-Kay (their trademark dish)
- Onion Omelet (an all-time fav with us and our friends)
- Fried Okra with sambal (I’ve almost forgotten how I love this dish)
- Fried Black Pomfret (the fish was super fresh)
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No pictures ‘cos we were all super hungry and attacked the food as soon as they were placed on our table. *phai seh*
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After dinner, Tiff needed to use their toilet … so I accompanied her to the back of the kopitiam. While she answered Nature’s call, my attention was on a huge tub filled with these fellas and I couldn’t resist taking a picture of them.
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That’s dinner for those who ordered their trademark dish.
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Abit freaky but I decided not to dwell too much into it ‘cos I still wanna enjoy the dish in the future. :p
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Those of you who have never tried Claypot Chooi-Kay before, this is definitely the place to de-virginize you. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.
Aftermath
Today, after the effects of LA and alcohol were gone, I began to feel the pain and discomfort of the stitches from the lesion removal.
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Pop the pills. That’s what I had to do. The painkillers lah! What were you thinking? 
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The worst part of it all - My doc has strictly forbade me from working out at the gym for the entire of next week! "So that you don’t tear your stitches, my dear" - he said. I will be miserable for the entire week, deprived of my adrenaline shots. :(((
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The best part of it all - Sweetheart is treating me like a queen.
He just surprised me with a quart of my fav comfort food - BR ice cream! *happy, silly grin*
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‘Good things must be shared’ - a wise person said today. So, true to my selfless personality, I shared my fav ice cream with some good friends tonight.
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To the folks who got to share my fav comfort food tonight, do you realise how lucky you are? Not everyone gets to have fun with my Sweetheart the way you did, okay?
Post-Op
We were quite a sight last night, or rather early this morning. In fact, it was super comical.
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One oooh-la-la (read : high on love potion) guy and one sober but highly energised gal tip-toeing their way across the GMC lobby to go up to her designated room. 3 hours before the scheduled Op. As we made our way to my room, as discreetly as possible … the night nurse on duty took a look at us and said "Guess you’re really coming in early, huh? Like super early" followed by a smile and a wink. Did I say that the nurses and docs at GMC are super cool?
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By the time I climbed into my hospital bed and received my good night kiss from Sweetheart, the clock on the wall was showing 5am. The last thing I remember seeing before I KO-ed was Sweetheart tip-toeing out of my room. The next thing I know, the nurse was gently shaking me awake to prep me for the Op.
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Since I was not given any GA, I was awake the whole time. Even had a little conversation with my doc while he operated on me. Didn’t feel a thing after he gave me the LA but damn, the administration hurt like hell! "Just like an ant bite", konon-nye. It was more like a giant fire-ant sinking its fangs into me! Ouchhhh!
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After that, numbness. Which is good. ‘Coz the doc showed me the bit he took out and I was shocked at its size. I knew it’s not small but I didn’t realise it’s that big either. Urgh. Keeping my fingers crossed on the test results later. Will know in a week. *pray*
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It was all over in 15 mins.
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I was sent back to my room and my doc came to my room shortly after to check on me. One look at me and he said "U are a strong gal. U seem to be doing well post-op. So, I will discharge you this afternoon. U ok with that? Or u wanna stay another night?" No need any lucky guesses to know my answer to that!
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Then, the text msgs and calls started coming in. Told them all not to bother coming over cos I was really OK. Just sleepy cos I only had about 2 hours of rest the night before. Also, I would be discharged by the afternoon. Yayyy….
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I think I dozed off ‘cos the next thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Sweetheart sitting on my bed giving me a wake-up kiss. We cuddled for abit and then, it was time to sign the papers and go home. Finally. Hospital beds are not really cuddle-friendly. :\
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Called mom on my way home in the car to tell her that her beloved daughter has survived the knife (as promised) and is on her way back home to rest. Sweet mom offered to cook me some food but I declined since I’ve stuffed myself with the yummy fish porridge at GMC earlier.
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Since doc said there’s no post-Op special diet nor fasting required, me gonna have some good food for dinner tonight. Yum Yum! Have a sudden craving for Claypot Frog. *slurp*
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Drinks. I was damn kwai last night. Total abstinence since I wasn’t sure how the alcohol will go with the drugs they will be pumping into me for the Op. So tonight, payback time! *GRIN*
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Thus ends the update of my little weekend adventure at GMC.
Pre-Op
I learnt something new today.
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DO NOT get any manicure or pedicure prior to getting an Op. Your money will be wasted coz it’s mandatory for all fingernails and toenails to be free from color and design. Why? For observation purposes, it seems. Discoloration of the nails will warn the surgeons of anything that could possibly go wrong during or after the Op.
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As I signed the registration papers at GMC this afternoon, I tried to ignore the kids running all over the lobby and sickly-looking folks lounging around. Can’t say that hospitals are my favourite places in the world.
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Thank God my doc is good. He made his PA call the registration clerks to bug them to expedite my admission procedures. So, I didn’t have to wait long. Me likey my doc already.
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By the time I was shown to my room, my doc was already waiting for me and I quickly asked him the question that Sweetheart has been bugging me to find out. "Can I leave the hospital after the paperwork’s cleared and only return very early tomorrow morning? As in 5am or 6am?".
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His answer - "What I don’t see, I don’t know. What I don’t know, I don’t care" followed by a wink.
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Did I mention that I reeeeally like my doc?
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So, I get to stick to our original Friday evening plan. Which is some time at the gym, followed by a quick dinner with some friends. Then go for our date with Indy before heading to the clubs to meet more friends to boogie the night away. Except that my night will end with Sweetheart dropping me at the hospital to prep for the Op which is scheduled for 8am tomorrow.
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And … if this week is anything like last week, we’ll be having too much fun to worry about anything else anyways. :)))
Carpe Diem!
The last time I went under the knife was in late-2005 for tonsillectomy and 3 years down the road, I am getting the same butterflies in my stomach.
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This time, it’s for 2 reasons.
- I have been told by the doc that I have a pigmented lesion that must be removed to test for malignant cells. *gulp*
- Only family and close friends know reason # 2.
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Let me elaborate on reason # 1.
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Simply put, I have a mole-like growth that has been irritating me of late. Today, I finally decided to see a specialist about it. He took a look at it and immediately ordered an Op. "We need to have it removed and then tested for any malignant cells" - those were his exact words. Needless to say, my heart skipped a few beats but I will NOT worry myself to death about it until the test results are out.
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*Reminder to self - Check insurance policies to make sure my beneficiaries are updated*
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Reason # 2, no need to elaborate. It’s just something that has been bothering me for years and I’ve finally summed up enough courage to deal with it once and for all. 
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So, come early Saturday morning, I will be put on Local Anaesthetic (LA) for my minor Op. Yes, the doc assured me that it’s gonna be a minor Op. I told my mom the same thing when she kinda panicked upon hearing that her only daughter is going under the knife this Saturday. :\
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I asked for General Anaesthetic (GA) so that I could sleep through the entire Op but the doc went "No need lah! It’s gonna be over in just 10 minutes and you won’t feel a thing at all. Besides, there are side effects to GA, y’know." The memory of being slapped awake after my tonsillectomy suddenly came back to me. So not fun. Ok, I will stick to LA this time.
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Sweetheart’s gonna try to smuggle me out of the hospital during the nights so that I wouldn’t be bored to tears in there. Heh…I am suddenly reminded of the naughty things we did in the hospital room back when I had my tonsillectomy Op in ‘05. Wonder if we will get to have as much fun as we did then. *cheeky grin*
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Hey, the glass is always half full to me. Life is too darn short to worry about things that are not within our control anyways.
Gaydar
Some call it Gaydar, some call it Gaytenna.
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Whichever term is used, it is definitely a ’skill’ that is good to have. Why? So that the guys can know when not to lead others on and the women can know who are the ’safe’ ones.
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Many moons ago, before my own gaydar was sharpened, I made the embarrassing mistake of trying to matchmake a good guy friend (who happens to be a PLU!) with a good gal friend. Result : Disasterous! I learnt very quickly after that how to tune my gaydar to the correct frequency.
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Of coz it helps that I started getting lotsa invitations to PLU parties. There had been parties where I was the only straight person in the entire room. They tell me that’s cos they feel comfortable to be themselves with me. Maybe it’s coz I don’t judge. To me, it doesn’t matter what one’s sexual preferance is. He/she is still a human being with needs and rights to how they wanna fulfill those needs, right?
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To quote my Sweetheart - "They leave you alone if you leave them alone. They don’t judge us. Why should we judge them?"
Yes, I love it that my man gets along super well with my PLU darlings!
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Sadly, a vast majority of our society is still intolerant of them. Some folks claim to be ‘open-minded’, yet their immediate reaction to the company of PLUs betray their close-mindedness. How pathetic.
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Then there are the folks whose mannerisms reflect those of a PLU, yet he/she is as straight as an arrow. They confuse folks whose gaydar has not been tuned well, resulting in embarrrassing situations. But still, all’s good. As long as we keep an open mind about all things new/unfamiliar, things are still interesting and exciting, eh?
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How does one tune up his/her gaydar? Open up your minds and leave your judgements at the door when you chill with your PLU friends. You’ll be surprised at how much fun they can be!
Pussy Whipped
For those who don’t know what the above means, read it up here.
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Most men I know cringe at the mention of it while most women just either smile knowingly or just plain snicker.
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The cold truth is, most women don’t find whipped guys appealing. No matter how many hoops he’s willing to jump through, the women will never really be impressed. Depending on the type of woman who’s holding the whip handle, the guy will either get the cold shoulder or worse, get strung along just for kicks or for the financial benefits. Yes it’s true. Some women can be real bitches.
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The thing is, these whipped guys are fully aware of what they are doing and despite that little nagging voice that tells them what fools they are to be whipped like that, they will always rationalise it as "She’s worth it". Trust me guys. Any woman who takes pleasure in having your balls removed is totally not worth it. She should only want and love you for who you are, not who she wants you to be.
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To all my guy friends who are willingly whipped, I hope for your sake that the woman is truly worth it.
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Otherwise, all you need to remember is this : There are many other fishes in the sea.
Beeeautiful Life
For some, it’s a place where dreams come true - the hard (and sometimes painful) way.
For others, it’s a place to cuci mata good lookin’ peeps.
For me, it has always been the place I take my frustrations and leave them behind when I head home.
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Yes, I am talking about the gym.
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However, of late, it’s getting kinda social. We’ve had folks occasionally walking up to us saying "You both are so loving lah. You workout together, lookout for each other, laughing with each other and sharing personal jokes every now and then. We love to watch you guys here every week".
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And the calls. The calls for lunch, dinner and even movie dates. No, I am not complaining. Am enjoying it actually. Sweetheart’s definitely enjoying the new attention too.
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Then, the clubbing. Wow, the clubbing! Initially, it was weird to see those folks outside of their flashy workout outfits. Or the super tight-fitting clothes the trainers wear. But man, they sure can move! They give a whole new meaning to ’shake that ass’.
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It’s amazing though. How things have been beautifully shaping up for us lately. The love. The intimacy. The satisfaction. The happiness. The bliss.
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I am truly blessed.
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Great Philosophy
Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
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Something someone put together after some life-pondering moments.
So true.
New Love
Sweetheart brought it into my life about 2 weeks ago.
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The thing I love most about it is that it’s caffeine free. Coffee doesn’t do it for me. So, when I get an invite from friends for a Starbucks date, I no longer need to dread the shot that makes me feel uncomfy for hours afterwards.
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Actually, there’s another thing about it that makes me love it so. It lifts me up. Yup, it gives me a high better than any alcoholic beverage. Why better? Because there is no hangover.
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Here’s my latest love - the Tazo® Brambleberry™.
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Ingredients :
An infusion of (Water,Hibiscus, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Rosehips, Orange Peel & Natural Lemon Essence), Cane Sugar, Concentrated Apple and Marion Blackberry Juices, Natural flavors & Citric Acid.
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Somehow, the combination of them all lifts me up and makes me happeee. Can’t explain why and how though. It just does. *grin*
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Downed 2 bottles of it yesterday. One in the afternoon while chillin’ with the scrapbook guru (me the apprentice! Teehee…) and another one in the evening while Sweetheart was enjoying his after-dinner snack.
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Made me high waaayyy before we hit the clubs. Even without any drinking at G-Spot, I still stayed high all the way till clubbing time.
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You try it. And tell me what it does for ya.
It’s available at any Starbucks outlet.
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P/S - M, you should check out the jazz bar at the G Hotel the next time you come up to Penang. You’ll love the live band and their sultry lead singer. Definitely up your alley.
Painfully Good
Caught up with an old friend for lunch today.
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Food was yummy. Best claypot frog porridge I’ve ever had in Penang. Company was even yummier! Haven’t seen her for a long, long time and as usual, catching up was awesome.
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She’s heading to DC end of this month for work. Then taking extra days off to play tourist. *jealous* Don’t forget what you promised me, k? Like I said, I don’t mind sharing! Oh, make sure you don’t forget to pay ‘Eiffel Tower’ a visit, ya? Hehe … private joke between 2 hot babes. *silly grin*
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After lunch, went for a 2nd lunch with Sweetheart! Before my galfriends freak out and point accusing fingers at me shouting "Pig! Pig!", I didn’t eat the 2nd time lah. Just ordered water and accompanied my Sweetheart as he had his late lunch at past 3pm today. Poor baby. He’s been having tough days at work lately. But then again, who isn’t?
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(Un)Lucky me had a con call marathon tonight. Started at 7pm and by the time I was done with the last one, the clock was showing close to midnight. So tired - more mentally than physically.
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One more day before the weekend. Can’t wait!
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P/S - 30 mins of non-stop ABT can make a grown man cry. I witnessed it at the gym earlier this afternoon. *lol*
No Pain, No Gain
With the above saying in mind, Sweetheart and I have been pushing ourselves hard at the gym. Not only in the classes but also at the machines.
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And the results are showing.
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He is getting nicely sculpted and I have been told by lotsa folks (both at work and also at the gym) that I look leaner now. "What’s your secret?" the girls at work asked. My answer - "Don’t cut corners at the gym and eat right."
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The best part is : We both feel stronger and healthier.
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And oh, it helps in other areas that matter too!
I am reminded of the old Energizer advert - "…dan lagi, dan lagi, dan lagi!…"
Mother’s Day
"Her mouth says one thing but her heart means something else!"
- that’s what my brother said to me last week about getting flowers for our mom for Mother’s Day.
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Luckily, I didn’t heed my brother’s words and relied instead on my own instincts with our mom.
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Conversation between my mom and I last night :
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Me : Mie, what do you think of flowers?
Mom : I think they are a waste of money lah. They die fast and have no value-add.
*Me grinned inwardly and gave myself a mental pat for not listening to my bro*
Me : Ok. You free next week? We go shoe shopping.
*Mom’s eyes lit up*
Mom : Shoe shopping??? Anytime you are free! I need a new pair of walking shoes for my Medan trip end of this month anyway. What perfect timing!
*Bingo! I gave myself another mental pat*
Me : What about dinner? Where do you wanna go makan tonight?
Mom : Hmmm…how about you cook dinner for your dad and I? Most eateries will be packed with folks out celebrating Mother’s Day Sunday and the food will be hurriedly prepared to cater to the crowd which means they will not taste good. I prefer to eat some home-cooked food. Can?
Me : Of coz can lah!!!
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So, I ended up cooking dinner for my folks for Mother’s Day dinner. Although my mom couldn’t resist being mom and ended up helping with the cooking. :\
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No pictures coz we were too busy enjoying quality family time. Something we don’t get to do often these days.
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Belated 2008 resolution : Put aside more time for my parents.
Masarap Na Pagka-in?
That’s Tagalog for "Great Food, Anyone?"
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After 3 postponements, I finally got my 1st Filipino cooking lesson on Saturday night.
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The 2 dishes selected for the night were :
Kare-Kare (Beef Stew) & Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelet)
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Ingredients for Kare-Kare :
- Beef tripe
- Beef ribs / oxtail
- Banana blossom
- String beans
- Eggplant aka Aubergine or Brinjal
- Bok Choy
- Minced garlic
- Unsweetend peanut butter
- Bagoong (Shrimp Pasta)
- Atsuete aka Annato (for coloring)
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Go here to view a demonstration on how to cook this dish.
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My plan was to tenderise the beef in a pressure cooker but unfortunately, I took it out of the pressure cooker too early and as a result, the beef was abit too chewy.
*Mental note to self* Must cook beef longer in the pressure cooker.
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Ingredients for Tortang Talong (Eggplant Omelet) :
- Eggs
- Eggplant aka Aubergine or Brinjal
- Minced garlic
- Minced onion
- Minced pork
- Ground pepper
- Salt
- Soy sauce
- Celery (optional)
- Kismis (optional)
- Carrots (optional)
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Click here to see how the dish is prepared. Super easy and absolutely delish! This is definitely a keeper. I immediately bookmarked it in my favourite-dishes-to-cook list.
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And here are the guinea pigs for my 1st Filipino cooking lesson on Saturday night. :)))
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After dinner, it was ‘chor tai tee’ time. The loser of each round gets a date with Gandalf (as shown in above picture) and his limitless tequila supply.
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When midnight came around, we decided to take the party downtown to our favourite club. By the time we got back home, it was past 4am. By the time Sweetheart and I KO-ed for the night, I think it was past 6am.
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What a Saturday night!
The Great Escape
Together with my partners-in-crime, we hatched a brilliant plan to get my unsuspecting non-Filipino friends to try the infamous Filipino delicacy. The grand plan was to introduce balut to them on Saturday night.
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However, the eggs that were purchased for our dinner on Saturday decided to fight their fate and hatch instead!
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So, instead of looking like this…
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…our appetiser turned out looking like this.
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How to eat??? So adorable some more, those baby ducklings!
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Of coz it turned me off having balut for Saturday night’s appetiser. What a let down.
I was hoping to share the experience with my friends after having tried it myself two months ago.
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Oh well, at least my Filipino friends have a new pet now. In fact, THREE new pets! Coz of the 10 balut eggs they bought, 3 of them fought fate and hatched.
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Was it a good turn of event? Or a bad one? I still can’t decide…
Spring Cleaning
Mention detox and alot of folks will gush over its greatness. I heard of real-life stories from friends and read about other folks who did it. Even our nation’s popular blogger, Kenny Sia, did it too.
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However, alot of them did it for the wrong reasons. Lots of folks do it to lose weight, which is not the main objective of detoxification. Losing weight may turn out to be a fringe benefit but it is risky for one to start on a detox program with losing weight as the main objective. Disappointment is a bad, bad feeling. It breeds contempt which in turn leads to disillusionment. Nooooo we don’t wanna go there.
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Back to my detox program.
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Couple of weeks ago, my gym started displaying banners and vouchers for this detox program from New Zealand. I decided to read it up. The more I read, the more interested I got. The main thing that attracts me about this program is that it states clearly that it is a complete cleansing and rejuvenation program, not a weight loss program. No BS like ’strictly liquid and vegetable diet only’, or ‘must only take organic food’, or ‘rice is big NO-NO!’. Those are the reasons I’ve never taken detox seriously. I just do not believe in deprieving myself of food. I love my food too damn much.
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So, last week, I decided to start the 7-day process of cleansing my body.
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My diary for the 7 days :
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- Day 1 - Got to remember to drink lots of water. At least 2 - 3 litres of water daily.
- Day 2 - Geez, I feel so lethargic.
- Day 3 - Peeing alot, and still feeling like needing to sleep all the time.
- Day 4 - Hey, I could get used to drinking this much water daily. I feel so much fresher. Tiredness begining to seep out of my body.
- Day 5 - I feel good. Could even survive an entire hour of Combat without feeling like fainting.
- Day 6 - Give it to me, baby…uh-huh, uh-huh! 2 solid hours at the gym! Feeling like I could conquer the world.
- Day 7 - Call me Energiser Bunny! Look out, world! Hey, looks like I got the fringe benefit too. I lost 2 kg in 7 days! For those of you who’ve tried losing weight, you’ll appreciate that it’s quite a feat, considering that I wasn’t even trying to lose weight! *huge, huge grin*
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I guess the reason I sailed through the past 7 days was because I love drinking plain H2O. Most folks don’t. Some even told me that they’ll puke if they down too much plain water. My friends get their hydration from flavored drinks. ‘What abt alcohol??’ - I can already hear my mabuk friends thinking out loud. I actually drank a little over the weekend but because I was feeling so tired in the first 3 days, I just wasn’t in the mood to booze the weekend away. Just wanted to drink lots of water and sleep.
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For food, I still ate my usual food (even had some rice at the Bukit Genting Thai restaurant on my Day 4) but for some strange reason, my tastebuds changed during the course of my detox program. I got totally turned off by greasy food (looking at a plate of char koey teow made me feel nauseous!) and would prefer soupy food.
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For cravings during the day, I made myself my favourite food : Pasta Salad. I added different ingredients on different days and turned snacking into a super fun and guilt-free activity!
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I used mostly fusilli. Ranging from DeCecco’s to Agnesi’s. As for the ingredients, I used the below items.
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- Tuna in brine
- Fresh yellow onions
- Green apples
- Capsicums
- Kismis
- Sweet basil (my fav herb!)
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Fresh lemon juice
- LOTS of extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Fine salt
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Not all at once lah! Some days, I threw in 4 of them. Other days, I threw in 6 or more of them. It all depends on my mood for that day. Hehe…
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With this yummilicious food, how could I ever get hungry??? On certain days, I had my delicious pasta salad for lunch and for dinner too. Couldn’t get enough of it! Other days, I had ‘regular’ food. Like I said, I did not torture myself with total abstinence. I eat what I feel like eating for that day. The good thing is, with all the H2O I downed, I just didn’t feel like pigging out. Just light snacking.
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Today, I was practically skipping into the office. Felt totally on top of the world and totally toxin-free.
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General rule of thumb is to do it once every 6 months. I’m definitely looking forward to my body’s next spring cleaning! :)))
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P/S - Retail price for the Juvanex program is RM160 but I got it for RM138 from Watson’s. Good deal, eh?
Adeus, Aze!
Most gyms have icons. Either hot chicks or males who draw in the crowd like famous pop stars.
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Penang’s Celebrity Fitness (CF) currently has 2 icons : Rafael & Azevedo. By the end of this week, the icon list will be reduced to one. Aze has decided to end his stint at CF Penang and return to his homeland in Brazil. Undoubtedly, his many fans will go into mourning mode. Ever the chirpy and energetic one, Aze is an all-time favourite with the ladies.
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Last night, we had the priviledge of snapping a final shot with him. After 2 solid hours of pushing our bodies to the max, it was a task just to smile for the camera!
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Will I miss him? Well, I don’t idolise him like most of the other ladies at the gym. So, I will be lying if I say yes. I will miss his jokes though. He makes us forget about the intense burning of our abs with his jokes as we oooff-ed and ahhhh-ed away shamelessly.
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And his favourite phrase as he pushes us to work harder - "No Pain, No Gain!" - I will definitely miss the comical way he says it in his heavily-accented English.
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All the best to you, Aze. Hope you have collected many wonderful memories from your years in Asia and keep them close to your heart. Maybe, if you are lucky enough, you may meet other folks as fun as us here. ;)))
Ouch!
I love donating blood. Don’t ask me why. I just do.
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Thanks to Dell’s pledge to contribute to the local society, Penang GH’s Blood Bank gets fresh stock every 6 months from Dellians. Lucky me get to contribute to this bi-annual affair.
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Here’s the deal.
- The queue is usually reeeally long.
- The portable beds are super uncomfortable.
- The MO on duty usually asks stupid questions (worse if the doc is a flirty male. Docs don’t turn me on. So, sue me).
- The cloth-type plaster used to cover the blood-drainage spot is super sticky and leaves itchy marks on my arm.
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Although annoying, the above issues do not change my view on donating blood. I still love it despite them all.
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… but …
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There is O.N.E. thing that I absolutely hate about donating blood. The blardy prick on my middle finger for the prelim test before I get the green light to let my blood flow.
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I suffer for the entire day after that. Every time I type with my middle finger (which is *very* often), I go OUCH!. Every time I reach for something, I go OUCH! So not fun.
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But then again, what’s some OUCH-es vs saving lives, eh?
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Ok, I will shuddup now. 
High Sunday afternoon
I am embarrassed to say that for the longest time, I have never gotten round to checking out the famous Bukit Genting Thai restaurant in Penang.
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Last Sunday, I found out that it’s not just a restaurant on top of a hill with a view but it’s also a ‘Leisure Park’. Its full name is actually Bukit Genting Hill Leisure Park & Restaurant. I’ve to say I was mighty impressed with the entrepreneurial skills of the owner.
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My man has been there before with a bunch of colleagues. So I drove while he navigated. Plan was to meet a bunch of friends at the top of the hill.
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I am proud to say that my Woody practically flew up the hill in minutes. Sweetheart was initially skeptical about taking Woody (or his own car for that matter since we drive the same type of car) up the hill but all his concerns flew off with the dust we left behind as we zoomed our way up the hill.
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Here is the breathtaking view at the top.
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As I stood there with my man standing next to me, I forgot that we were still in Penang. My mind flew off to some faraway land where only 2 of us existed. Heaven!
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Of coz we had to get back to reality.
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I was fascinated with the fruit trees, the mini vegetable farm, the little knick-knacks strategically placed all over the place to amuse the kids (it is a leisure park after all). As we stood there under a shady tree enjoying the majestic southeast view of Penang, I looked up to see this.
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Unripe jackfruit. Nice!
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More folks arrived and we realised that we only knew a couple of them. Lots of unfamiliar faces. Of coz that didn’t stop us from making new friends. We soon learnt that our new buddies came from different parts of the globe. There are the Iranian guys (who promised to cook us some authentic Iranian food some time in the near future! *can’t wait*), a hot Burmese gal (seen her once at Soho’s), a good looking Irish-Japanese couple with gorgeous kids, and some Aussie guys who hate Kiwis.
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Food was admittedly not WOW but it was definitely above average. I shamelessly ate more than I should but I was giddy from the cheery combination of an awesome view, crazily-fun company and MANY bottles of chilled white wine. *hic*
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Here’s a picture of me and the Paintball King. Both happily high (figuratively and literally) on a breezy Sunday afternoon.
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It was the longest lunch we’ve had in awhile. By the time we descended, it was past 5pm! Talk about an extended lunch. Hehe…
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As we drove back to the more developed part of Penang island, the thought at the back of my mind was - "I will be back".
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Oh yeah … I will definitely be back.
400
After an entire week of deep soul searching, I have finally found some inner peace.
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I went from happy to depressed to barely-hanging-on to almost-losing-it to wtf-am-i-doing to stop-n-listen-to-my-heart to i-think-i-will-make-it to yes-i-am-gonna-be-happy-again-DAMNIT!
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Slowly. Ever so slowly. I will need to learn to grab the ropes again. For my family, for my friends, for my Sweetheart and most importantly, for myself.
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Happy 400th post, Eleen. I am dedicating this one to ME.
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