Week 34, and Chocolate Pudding for Me

Week 34, people!

I know, I've been lucky compared to most women. I didn't experience morning sickness, I've been pretty much fit and healthy thoughout. I travelled, I worked out as much as I could find the time to (though not as much as I wanted to) - generally life was normal.

So can I whine a little here then?

I just got over a massive case of the flu - and over my 2-week leave period, much to my dismay.

Seriously, why??? I had so many plans, a list of things I wanted to do over the week after Christmas - take advantage of the end of the year sales, check out all the eating places that are 1) extremely popular and usually too crowded on weekends, and 2) those that I really wanted to try out but obligations didn’t allow. We also were supposed to shop for the rest of the baby stuff. I wanted to spring-clean and re-organize my wardrobe. Instead we spent much of the week in bed, alternating between dozing, wheezing and feeling sorry for ourselves.

Quality sleep has been a little hard coming these days. My belly tends to jut out straight and long vs. sideways (people standing behind me can't tell I'm pregnant, even at almost 8 months), and sleeping on my back is a no-no, so my stomach muscles are having a really hard time supporting my tummy when I sleep on my side. I've been waking up several times a night with really bad abdominal pain.

And let's not get me started on really weird and traumatizing dreams. I dreamt I hurt Boo (badly), of really horrible things happening to AK, of me not being able to handle the delivery..geez, what else does my subconscious have in store for me???

Add the blocked nose/super painful sore throat and periodic hot flashes throughout the night, and well, let’s just say it hasn’t been an easy few weeks.

Work has not let up either - there was this big review on the project I'm working on, and if I wasn't stressing about lack of sleep and being sick it was this.

 

Well, today's the last day of that review, and after all that travelling in November and December, working late and through my leave (yes, even while sick), it's almost done. I actually slept through most of the night yesterday – so am thinking that the weird combination of stress and my hormones produced the bout of nightmares. Well, let’s hope that’s the end of it.

So. I can finally really enjoy my weekends and - for goodness' sake - get back to the day to day stuff. Oh – and very importantly, prep my team for my upcoming absence.

I just wish I could take a few more days off, you know? - With the sickness and the knowledge of having to return to work, to the review, it wasn't exactly the break I envisioned. Sigh.

But the fact is that with handovers a-waiting and trying to get stuff closed (or cleaned up) before I leave for 3 months, taking another long period of absence before my maternity leave is kinda unthinkable right now. On the bright side, I will be working fewer hours and at my own pace.

So, welcome 2015. We didn’t start off on the right foot, but am sure things are looking up from herewith.

Oh, and what’s New Year’s without a list of things I want to be/achieve/do/start?

Below, not resolutions at all. I mean, sure, I want my team to perform better than what we did last year, I want to spend more time developing some people and showcasing others, I want to live in the moment, lose all the baby weight (and more), continue doing yoga - you get the picture. 

But there’s also this list – a bunch of really frivolous stuff I want to just because I’ll be happy doing them:

1) Make calcium-fortified chocolate pudding for snacking. I want to eat chocolate all the time. Might as well get some (more) nutrition in. This recipe is so easy, so quick, fulfills my calcium needs and my chocolate cravings. It's not the most luxurious or sophisticated of puddings, I'll admit - but it does fill the need.

 2) Finally get down to reading CJ Sansom's new book, Heartstone. I've written about Dissolution and Dark Fire before. CJ Sansom is one of my all time favourite authors and I am so thrilled that he wrote another 2 books after Revelation. I can’t think of any activity more pleasurable than spending quiet weekend afternoons immersed in Tudor mystery.

3) Take morning/evening walks. When I wasn’t sick I was saving my energy for work. I really need to move more before baby E arrives.

4) Make bakua at home, inspired by this and this. AK loves the stuff, but I don't let him buy as much as he would like to for fear of preservatives, colouring and fat. With Chinese New Year a peep away, what better time to attempt this?

Recipe: Super-easy Low-Fat High-Calcium Chocolate Pudding

1 litre skim or low/non-fat calcium-fortified milk
2/3 cup plus 3 tbsp sugar (I used natural brown sugar)
3/4 cup Dutch-Processed cocoa
5 tbsp cornstarch
2 oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces

Separate one cup of milk in a jug/bowl. Prepare a heatproof container for storing the pudding, and a piece of microwaveable wrap/parchment paper big enough to cover the contents of the container.

Meanwhile, sift the cocoa into a thick-bottomed saucepan large enough to hold all the milk. Add the sugar. Pour the remaining milk into the saucepan and slowly bring to the boil, whisking all the time to combine everything.

When the mixture starts bubbling slightly, add the cornstarch to the reserved jug of milk, whisking vigorously to remove lumps and pour the mixture into the milk-cocoa mixture. Toss in the dark chocolate chunks.

Continue whisking the mixture over medium heat until the mixture thickens into a custard-like texture. Off the heat, immediately transfer the mix into the container. Press the piece of wrap/parchment onto the mixture onto the top of the pudding mix - this prevents the forming of a skin. Let it cool, then transfer to the fridge.

Serve cold, with sliced bananas, or whipped cream, chopped/sliced almonds - whatever takes your fancy.

 

 



Super-easy low-fat high-calcium chocolate pudding in the making

Check-in

I write this from my hotel room in JB. Tomorrow I have a full day workshop in the fabrication yard. Last week I was stuck in a ridiculous training session for the whole week. Classes started at 7.30 am and ended around 6 - 7 pm.

To cap off the relaxing week, we had an exam the last day. The week was capped with an exam, AND I came down with food poisoning.

Valentine's Day was spent eating banana leaf rice (really excellent, by the way). We spent a lovely Saturday eating, shopping and resting. Then I spent my entire Sunday catching up on the week's work and ended up working until 1 am. The week before I spent 2 days in another mind-numbing workshop AND we had friends over for housewarming/CNY twice.

I am EXHAUSTED.

Yesterday was the first time I worked out in about 2 months. It felt wonderful moving again, but I am sore.

What I am into these days:

1) IntotheGloss - More like obsessed. I stumbled upon this super cool site via one of my favourite blogs, then got really really hooked on reading about people's beauty routines. I love how they talk about their backgrounds, their philosophy when it comes to maintaining their skin (diet or product or both). Some of my favourite Top Shelf posts are this haute hippie cold-pressed juice bar owner's, this simple routine by a model-turned social entrepreneur.

I'm also lovin' this BEST OF list. And this fabulous post is really making me rue not opting for a bathtub in our home.

2) Oils - I'm really into them, - Cleansing oil, oil in my hair, on my skin.

I first purchased Neutrogena's cleansing oil, which was a mistake. My skin got red and splotchy, and I absolutely despise the synthethic scent. I switched to Shu Uemura's instead, looking up online on how exactly to use it (Massage it into dry skin, use water to lather and then rinse) and - and what a difference! Red patches GONE. My skin feels soft and lost its tight feeling. Neutrogena relegated to cleansing my feet and elbows now.

I also use coconut oil in my hair. I massage a good amount in my scalp and hair, potter about for a few hours, then rinse out with shampoo. My hair is all thick and glossy, for the first time in like, ten years maybe?

 I still use my all-time favourite H20+ sea salt-almond oil scrub. The price (for a body scrub) is a little off-putting (a large jar costs RM150 but it does last at least a couple of months), but I do want to experiment with making my own salt-or-sugar scrub when it's finished.

Oh, and another product ITG got me hooked on - Fresh Sugar Face Polish. Use this after cleansing, and the brown sugar, strawberry seeds, plum and grape seed oils really do wonders. Glow I believe is the word we're looking for.

What I started:
1) Yoga. Started, with ONE class. But to be continued - with all the crazy work stuff ongoing I want to learn to unwind and breathe.

2) I also started listening to this before bedtime (ITG again, I know). Anything to get more out my short(er) hours of sleep!

3) I made it a priority to do less social networking and more reading in bed. One of my greatest pleasures is reading in bed. I have finished 2 books so far this January - so excellent progress made there.

4) Oh, and on that same note, I have also been devouring magazines (January'14 issues of Fortune 2014, FastCompany, Vanity Fair, and Vogue India). I treated myself to a 1-year subscription of Monocle Magazine.

On the house, the gym and more reads

As I write this, my head is throbbing, and I am half drunk on Redoxon. This is the freakin' fourth time I've contracted some form of the flu since moving to KL. That's about the same number of times in 2 years in Miri, at most. Lucky girl that I am, though, I am being well looked after. AK has been ensuring that I get my constant supply of water in the bedroom, cooking gao zhi, reheating soup, buying taufu fah (as you can tell I did not lose my appetite) and making sure I take my meds.  It is nice to be loved :)

This business of falling sick at the drop of a hat was what I expected upon moving back. Well, in all honesty I did not expect a lot of things when I moved back. I did not expect us to hit this tremendous snag when we decided on the house we wanted. You'd think that being able to afford the place we wanted was the biggest issue. Well, this wasn't the case. Thanks to that snag we have been "squatting" in AK's parents' place since my company-allocated one month stay in Mont Kiara expired. His folks are easygoing, generous and caring, make no mistake. And I will forever be grateful to them for putting up with Boo and me in their lovely house. But 90%  of my things are in storage, and after 7 years of living on my own, I do miss my (lovely) things. I miss my cookbooks, my Home & Decor magazines, our splurge of a matress, my oven and all my cooking thingamajigs. I miss my Astro PVR, even my perfume. It depresses me even writing about all this. It has caused countless sleepness nights that more than likely contributed to this most recent bout of sickness (why my immune system is so vulnerable is another question).

I refrained from writing about this because, well, I was in kind of a denial about it. But it has been 4 months since we signed the SPA and nothing much has changed. So we now are looking at other options. Litigation is one of them. As you can tell, nothing pleasant. Sometimes I wonder if it's God trying to tell me not to buy that place, that we should settle for something else, use our money to travel, to live it up while we're still young and so-called restless. A clearer sign would be nice.

Big sigh.

I have been up to a few things nonetheless. The gym is one of them. I have tried almost all the classes offered by Fitness First Empire. I have flailed around like an idiot trying to follow the Aunties at Zumba, and I've bitten off more than I can chew attempting BodyPump with far too heavy weights (I was way too chicken to quit thought, not with a supercute instructor up front. I spent about a week recovering from that episode). My favourites are BodyJam and BodyCombat. I have noticed that I am the only person who attends both, as they are quite different. But they both provide endorphin highs in different ways. I especially love BodyJam and my instructor telling us to "just let go, don't look at what's happenning around you or what others are doing, do what feels good to you." And I did. I always end the class with a big smile on my face. BodyCombat has the ability to make me all sentimental sometimes, as I started learning this class in Miri, where it is taught by a very good friend of mine.


Reading is another. I just completed the sequel to the magnificient book that is the Fall of Giants, Winter of the World. I have been waiting and waiting for this and when I spotted the hardcover at Borders in The Curve, out came the credit card. I have to say, though, Fall of Giants seems more well thought out. WoW, while still good, at times feels a bit rushed, and wasn't so much of a suspense-laden, heartwrenching thriller that was FoG. Maybe it's because I didn't watch Atonement this time. :)

Still, I learnt a lot. I didn't realize how close England came to flirting with Facism, and how the people of London stood with their fellow Jews in the Battle of Cable Street. The book draws comparisons between the German and English anti-fascist movements, and how inaction on the side of Germans, and action in the form of protests (or more like protesting the protest). The story of the Battle of Cable Street, of how Englishmen (mostly the working class, socialists, the Irishmen, communists, sailors) fought their own people for what they believed in. And in doing so, they sent a message loud and clear: Fascism is not welcome in England. And so the movement faded. Germany, of course, is another story altogether.

Red commemorative plaque at Cable Street today. Source

The Haul

Fresh mangoes from India, bought from the trusty old fruit shop in Subang (SS15), whole-wheat Gardenia "Breakthrough" bread and black pepper sausage rolls from the airport (succumbing to peer pressure, everyone was buying bread at the airport like there was no tomorrow for their flights back to East Malaysia). What else? Chocolate fudge Pop-tarts (treating oneself, spotted these at Jaya Grocer's in Empire Subang - love the place. Oh, and kaya puffs from a SS19 coffeeshop, Hershey's from Candylicious, and a jar of supremely addictive sambal courtesy of AK's parents. Not to mentione a big bottle of my homemade cookies still waiting to be savoured. Just what I need to get over another quick weekend back West.

What gets me through

Work has been bordering on the insane lately. It is shaping up to be a bad year for my department in particular, and we seem to spend every day firefighting as they call it, unable to plan or to improve - only to react. It has gotten to a point where sleep has become somewhat difficult to fall into. I have taken the opportunity to imbibe a little, just enough to help me fall asleep, and so far my little nightcaps have been quite effective. More on that later (am not turning alchoholic anytime soon :)). Other than that, here are a couple of things that have been brightening my dreary work days:

1) Cheerful new loafers that I have been searching for, like, forever. I finally found a pair I liked, that fit me well, at Pedro's.

2) Gunmetal grey nails, just to shake things up a little and make me feel ever so slightly rebellious.

3) My trusty toy in its rugged, no-nonsense cover. No Kate Spade or Kath Kidston for me, please.

4) These crystal bracelets. Every Christmas, My 80 year old grand-aunt gifts me one shiny strand. I wear these and I remember her, and subsequently my extended family. My grand-aunt sometimes has difficulty figuring out whose house she's sitting in, but somehow never fails to remember gifting me with these. Suffice to say, they are precious.

Bits of today

Besides breakfast, a few other things I enjoyed:-

Taylor Swift's wholly enthusiastic, super fun and totally awesome farmhouse ragamuffin-style tongue in cheek (in her own sweet style of course) Grammy performance. Also, a nod to REAL music this year I feel - wins by Adele for Record of the Year and Bon Iver (whose Holocene I was, and still am, enamoured with) for Best New Artist as opposed to Rihanna and Lady Gaga. Bravo. I did feel that Nicki Minaj's performance really spoilt this year's show. Crass, extremely disrespectful and just a very very transparent cry for attention. Shame on the producers for allowing this. I mean, I'm all for a little controversy and shock factors here and there and I seldom get offended by Hollywood's religious references but I was by this one, deeply offended. Had to say it.

I re-watched this three times though. To all the so-called critics who say that Taylor can't sing, OUCH! Love love love.

212212213725 by YardieGoals

My new foldable Joseph Joseph chopping board. No more spilling of diced onions when transferring from board to pan.

Re-reading of one of my favourite books of all time. Anyone who has even the most fleeting desire for volunteerism or the slightest interest in world issues should read this.

The sight of this baby of mine enjoying home after a few nights of boarding at the vet's. Curves are beautiful!

Of Now and After

My dears, AK has finally moved back to the West. Me, I am still here. Still waiting for my turn.

Which means, on the food front, many weeks - no, days (I have to stay hopeful) of instant noodles, peanut butter sandwiches, takeaway roast chicken and the like. Man I hope that metallic taste on my tongue (from too much MSG) ain't permanent.

I have said this before, I lose the mood to cook and the appetite to eat when AK is not around - why bother when it's only me, you know?

The good news is that we're househunting and I am already dreaming of all the things I want for our new place. And househunting, be it tiring (driving around, walking up and down checking out streets and every single room of every house we see), frustrating (irresponsible/unethical real estate agents) and terrifying (oh crap should we what if the economy tanks just after we buy it what if we can't take the traffic what if the other residents don't pay maintenance what if we can't sell it or rent it out later). But it is fun and I love driving around imagining what life could would be like if we, say, bought a place in Bangsar vs. Mont Kiara vs. Subang Jaya.

But now I just got back to Miri and expect to while away the days reading other people's blogs until my next trip back. I have started to imagine all the things I intend to do here on my own, and better still, when I finally get to settle down in KL. Some are less ambitious than others, some are necessary for sustenance, some downright frivolous. Sources of inspiration included.

Here in Miri:-

1) Make my own peanut butter.
2) Make granola
3) Roast my own chicken (albeit on a smaller scale, probably a breast or two)

And in the very near future, I promise to:

1) Date my fiance, the way she does
2) Have people over for big meals like Nigella Lawson does, roast something all-a-gleaming on the table. Something like Martha Stewart Living's creation here.
3) Attempt a bake sale.

Home sweet home

The past few days have been glorious. I'm starting to notice a few factors that almost guarantee holiday and home bliss:

1) Meals with the family, with great funny conversation and great Penang food. Also, and very importantly so, making sure I visit my grandmother who raised me for many years. Sadly, she is in a home for the aged now.

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2) Putting aside the grimness for next year, and instead, reading my gifted Calvin and Hobbes collection (my all time favourite comic strip) in bed.

3) Morning walks around the lovely hilly area my parents live in. They're lucky that their condo sits right beside a water catchment area = verdant jungle = cool and quiet. There's even a waterfall that can be seen from their balcony. My walks are my time with nature and myself. How I wish I lived with these surroundings every single day!

4) Great end of the year sale finds :) These comfy flats with unexpected tie details were 70% off at Vincci+, a more upmarket sister to the cheapo brand that's been around forever

December Nowness

Currently reading:

1) More Terrible Than Death: Violence, Drugs, and America's War in Columbia.
I have taken a great interest in current affairs lately, and have finished From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey, a powerful story about the triumph of human spirit, about spiritual and political awakening, in Burma. The story of a young tribesman who survived through an uprising and deadly crackdown, fighting in malaria-infested jungles to study English Lit in Cambridge, juxtaposed against the hauntingly beautiful descriptions of the Burmese landscape, tribal traditions and spirituality, and unimaginable horrors of human shields, landmines and just pure, plain fear and despair. I was left awed, disgusted, depressed, respectful. Next read is this one on Columbia. I have thus far found this book sometimes downright disturbing to read, especially with no happy ending in sight, but I push on anyway. I want to get my hands on Anna Politkovskaya's works next.

2) Christmas-themed reads: Donna Hay magazine, Nigella Christmas. Both 'zine and book boast truly exquisite styling and photography.

On the iPad:

1) Martha Stewart Living, December and January issues (I just could not resist January's kitchen designs cover story) - everyone needs a dose of frivolity every now and then. Ideas for home decor and care, entertaining, quick suppers and gorgeously taken photos.
2) George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm
3) Conrad Thomas's Heart of Darkness

Rewarding Resolutions

A couple months ago I made a few mid-year resolutions. I am excellent at making resolutions, not so good at the rest :) Anyway, this time I actually have some updates, specifically on my resolution to exercise more:-

1) I have NOT gone for more than one body combat class other than the one I forced myself to before cousin's wedding (it was an emergency). But I have been exercising diligently on my trusty elliptical. Thanks to Astro PVR and Desperate Housewives S7, this has been relatively painless. I just have to do the following - switch on aircon and wait for room to cool. Meanwhile, ready the water bottle. Move sofa to back of living room so I can workout directly under the fan. Drag elliptical from store area (luckily it comes with wheels specifically for moving around) to place where sofa stood. Flip on DH on Astro. Pedal. Not exactly no sweat :)

2) Weight training is another matter. I bought a pair of 6-pound weights (aren't they cute?) and have been doing bicep curls, backward-tricep lifts (I just invented that) and lunges with them. PLUS crunches and butt lifts on the exercise ball. Finally using the ball regularly after buying it in 2004. I lost the hand pump that came with the ball, and stupidly went knocking in fitness shops looking for a replacement, where I promptly got laughed off and sent to my neighbourhood bicycle shop. Sheesh. Now my body aches in places I didn't know existed for days after my workouts, and I don't know if I started too heavy (I mean - six pounds - am I that lousy???)

3) I have discovered another outlet for keeping myself on the move - house cleaning. No joke. The sudden in absentia of our regular maid service has forced me to suck it up and clean the house myself. Two hours of sweeping, wiping, vacuumming and mopping IS a bloody workout. You squat reaching for those spots underneath the TV shelf, you stretch, you walk to the bathroom/sink and back, you move that heavy bucket of soap water around, you squeeze the damned mop, and then put some strength into that mopping! Use those upper arms!

I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but I somehow managed to create an entire self-restriction/reward system for myself out of all these attempts to stay fit.

- No cooking or baking unless the house is clean
- Ditto for watching Top Chef
- No hot chocolate before bedtime either
- Desperate Housewives and 24 must only be watched either from atop the elliptical or the exercise ball or mat

Rewards
Other than getting it on in the kitchen:-

- The aforementioned hot chocolate (warm up milk in microwave, add cocoa and sugar, sip slowly on bed, legs tucked cosily under the comforter - air conditioner on of course)
- Giving myself a mani/pedi (too lazy to drive myself to town for one, easier at home)
- My new favourite way to pamper myself - after a workout, a bath with H20+ Sea Salt scrub. A two-in-one salt scrub and skin oil (almond to be exact). Smells like the ocean, leaves my skin like silk, and makes my bathroom smell like a spa. Since it's so expensive this neck of the woods, I only allow myself to use this after exercising. Am seriously tempted to get the body butter of the same series, but will enjoy my Boots loot first. Oops. Digressed.

So far, the system seems to be working like a charm, although I have to say that our upcoming European trip is another great motivator to exercise.

Now, if only I could think of something that will get me to wake up early enough to do sun salutations in the morning.

Loot from Boots

Bangkok love. And I do believe that we were fated to meet - they were having a 2 for 1 sale (!) that, if not for the fact that I was carrying too much stuff already and my arms felt like they were falling off me, I could have taken a much bigger advantage of. Especially love their Soap and Glory series - baby-like scents, lotions and butters that sink into the skin, the tongue-in-cheek usage instructions.

Everyday Essentials and More

Just some stuff I use every day:

1) Aquamoist whitening cream. I'm a huge believer in NOT spending an arm and a leg on beauty products, and am not the kind of girl that fusses about with creams and masks and such. I do the basic essentials - cleanse (Cetaphil), moisturise, protect (see below). No toner, no masks, no serums. This cool hyarulonic acid-based gel fits nicely into this routine. I really love this product to bits - goes on like a dream, locks in the moisture, and the price - what's not to like? I've become really kiasu with this - since I have yet to find it in Miri, I lugged back three jars of this back from KL last month. And since it's considerably cheaper, I sometimes use it on my arms, elbows, legs - whenever I feel a bit dry. I have, much to the delight of my wallet and my skin, given up on my Origins night cream (messed up my skin, I ended up using it as a body cream - the day one is fine though) and L'occitane shea butter. Nothing wrong with the L'occitane product really - it was a lifesaver during those European vacations and really is so good for travel - i.e. dry cabin air, hotel airconditioning). But since I cut back on the travel, it was getting too rich for normal everyday use in this tropical clime.

2) Lancome mascara - my cousin gifted me a tube for Christmas in 2008, and I've been buying my own ever since. I use it to darken my brows as well since I can't master the art of using an eyebrow pencil - this just thickens and darkens my brows. Along with foundation from The Body Shop and a super eyeliner from Estee Lauder that my parents gifted me for Christmas (yes my family is obviously trying to hint at something), it has become a part of my daily routine.

3) SunPlay SPF47 "Powdery White" sunblock. I'm a total Japanese cosmetic convert. They are cheaper and suit me much better than the Origins and Neutrogenas. Case in point - Sunplay sunblock which have accompanied me from my offshore days (SPF 130 - beat that!) and all my travels. For the face, this slim tube goes on like a dream and mattifies my skin in one go - all for less than 50 bucks a pop.

4) Assortment of earrings from my travels that I love and try to wear as often as I can - silver "feather" ones from Bali, black drop earrings enamelled in green and gold.

5) Gifted Estee Lauder eyeliner - from my parents, to encourage me to wear more face gunk. I put this one on days when I have had a real good night's rest (cos that means I won't be rubbing my eyes much, or when I feel like

6) Compact powder from the Body Shop.

7) One of the prettiest things I own and actually use - gold lace-like headband from Diva Australia.

Reading:

1) The Success Principles by Jack Canfield, author . My daily bedtime read since this weekend past. Call me guillibe, but Mr. Canfield's simple words have already helped a little in lifting me out of the funk I felt I was in. I now feel more in charge of my own fate, more positive mentally, after just a couple hours' worth of reading

2) EndGame - The End of the Debt Supercycle and How It Changes Everything by John Mauldin. Am currently on a diet of books on economics and finance – for one, because I feel like I missed this element of investing in the last 2-3 years, of having a macro view on things, our world is so interconnected, bla bla bla. The other reason is, well, I kind love the subject. I’ve already finished How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes by the Schiff brothers (a nice, cutely illustrated introduction to the subject - they managed to mix in some pretty nice jabs at Ben Bernanke and the US administration too), The Ultimate Money Guide for Bubbles, Busts, Recession and Depression by Martin D. Weiss (on hyper-inflation, the inefficiencies of the current government in tackling them and best of all, how to safeguard oneself) and Game Over - How You Can Prosper in A Shattered Economy by Stephen Leeb. So far I like Leeb's book the best - it was published well over two years ago in 2009 and his prediction, on gold especially, has been spot on. Wish I had read it earlier.

3) My Father's Daughter , Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook debut – well technically I haven’t started on this yet. The truth is, I want to hate her – she’s everything I want to be and does everything I want to do – except the actress part, although who hasn’t dreamt of singing at the Grammy’s eh? – according to her supercool blog This is GOOP (love the title), she cooks with her kids, she bakes pizza in her own wood-fired oven, explores hidden nooks and crannies in familiar and new cities, AND damnit, I really do love her personal style. Yes, when I grow up I want to be Gwyneth Paltrow.

Note: Yes it's confirmed - I do love it! Love the rustic but elegant table settings. the photos of her and her parents, her and her kids, the clothes she has on, the wonderful looking produce. And the fact that breakfast is a whole chapter!

Blogs I am currently frequenting:

1) littlepaperplanes, a travel+lifestyle+personal blog. Oh to throw such extravagant parties! The fantastical table settings! The house that looks like a page off Vogue Home or Elle Decoration! The garden surrounded by the house(and no I did not get the order wrong)! Maldives, Goa, Napa, New York via The Escapist! I live vicariously through this one. Oh, and I think I'm slowly heading towards being a pack rat too, albeit one with less expensive taste.

2) Cupcakes and Cashmere – love the way Emily mixes and match Zara with higher-end stuff, re-styles vintage/flea market furnishings - especially love how she spray-painted her flea-market find candlesticks black here (so chic), and all that cooking!

Listening to:
1) The Band Perry's If I Die Young, over and over again. The lyrics are happy and haunting at the same time
2) The Cary Brothers' Belong. Gray's Anatomy has the BEST music, and what often happens is I find myself scrambling for a pen and my little notebook to copy down the lyrics of the mysterious songs and Googling the song later. So many of great finds – the Avett Brothers, the Carey Brothers, I have GA to thank for that
3) Mumford and Sons – love their folksy music. The Cave, especially performed live at tge Grammys, absolutely rocks.

Pit Stop

I just don't get Bieber Fever. Sign of ageing, perhaps? Maturing *snort* I'll take it. Love Taylor Swift though. Oh, and totally Anti-Miley.

My current obsession: football. Cesc Fabregas is genius.

Current sitcom that BOTH AK and I love - How I Met Your Mother. Current reality show I'm into - not Amazing Race, not Wipeout, NOT Jerseyshore or the Kardashians - Top Chef. And Criminal Minds has the most beautiful music.

Current read: Ghosts of Spain - Travels Through Its Silent Past by Giles Bennet. I don't have a very good record of reading non-fiction, factual books. I slogged through the last one (Bury Me Standing). But this one has me flipping and flipping in bed till my eyes water. The more I read about Spain (on Wikipedia mostly), the more I am fascinated by this "Nation of Nations", where different regions still cannot stand each other (Catalans and Basques call themselves Anti-Madrilistas), where football is the new "war" of the autonomies, but thanksfully this does not apply to team compositions, where Castillians and Asturians are as celebrated as the Catalans in Barcelona FC, the pride of Catalonia and a Basque plays for Real Madrid. Of course, this is how it should be but it fascinates me (football in general) how the sport crosses old borders and brings sworn enemies together. Spain is the only Western European country that not only retained is traditional folk dance/music - flamenco, and not only is it retained, it has flourished in both traditional and morphed versions.

Current trend I am sporting - Indian-style tunic tops, cosy cardigans (with ruffles - in black, open cardigans - in heather gray). Large rings I wear on my index finger.

Gifts to Myself

1) An order with Amazon.com:-

i) Bury Me Standing, by Isabel Fonseca, a book on European gypsies in the modern day.

I've been reading articles on this subject (gypsy culture, habits, discrimination) on Amnesty International, Wikipedia and the like. And I'd like to know a bit more.

ii) The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, Day by Elie Wiesel

Well, one thing inevitably leads to another. Inspired by the Say No to Racism banners unfurling during the World Cup, and again, reading about it on the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) website, which lead me to read more on Wikipedia on racism in football, and then racism in Europe, and so on.

This book is about a family that survived the Holocaust, and finding hope and peace after.

2) A subscription to TIME magazine.

I've been living out of it for a bit too long. Just because I don't mix with enough people to talk about current affairs (out of my own anti-socialness and nothing else, mind you) that does not make not bothering an excuse. This was the reason I was not psyched by the World Cup. Being tucked away in Miri means having to put in more effort to understand (and get fascinated by) the world around me.

3) Tickets back to KL during the upcoming (short) Merdeka holiday. Always worth the money, no matter how much I end up spending, it seems.

Spoils from Thailand

Lotus-shaped celadon platter. I plan to place a big scented candle on this.

Pashminas galore. The prettiest paisley one in the background is a bit coarse (can't ask for much for a mere 150 baht), so I am using it as a sofa blanket. This wonderful stall owner lady told me that she "no talk much, other people ask for 350 baht, but I no talk. 150 baht!", so I bought three - the paisley one and the purple ones (one plain with flowers embroidered at the edges, and one with silver thread patterns). The plain grey one I bought at one of the shops for 100 baht.

Adorable elephant coin purses and keychains.

Handstiched coin purses. 10-30 baht.

A whimsical three-elephant painting. A 100% silk Jim Thompson kerchief I intend to frame and display. The lanna-patterned piece at the back is actually the Jim Thompson packaging - I love it so much that I framed it already.

3 miniature elephants. I spent the entire trip scouring for colourful, happy-looking ones and ended up with these three. AK wouldn't let me get more.

Another JT masterpiece, this time in blue. And a pair of adorable postcards I also want to frame up, preferably in my future daughter's room. :)

Tranquil Buddha plaque carved from blackwood. We bargained this down from 450 to 200 baht!

Here it is in our humble little rented living room.

Here is the aformentioned JT envelope that I framed up.

A funky baby tee with textured Thai God pattern. And the piece de resistance (by far the most expensive of the lot) - a 100% silk, super duper soft and luxurious JT shawl for mum.


Here is a closeup of the pattern. AK spotted the stall selling this and dragged me over, where we proceeded to purchase 4 pieces - one for each of us and one for each of my brothers.


Here's some more shots of the JT shawl. Most tempted to keep this for myself, but a slob like me will likely ruin something so beautiful.




Oh, and MY favourite purchase, the Jim Thompson stuffed elephant. Beside it is a framed applique of a famous Thai effigy.

The 3-headed elephant Erawan or Airavata, which is the mythical "elephant of the clouds"; a white elephant that carried the God Indra. I learnt this from Wikipedia, actually. At the time of purchase all I knew was that this was the most gorgeous figurine of the lot. And if you haven't noticed by now, I do love elephants.



Look at the craftsmanship of this stuffed elephant from Jim Thompson - the little stitched hooves, the mouth and of course the adorable plaque on his bowtie.

I actually have more stuff (more clothes, Jim Thompson t-shirts for both AK and I, normal stuff we collect like key chains and fridge magnets). Next post!!

Here's what I did this weekend:

1) Took a long Sunday evening nap. Pure pleasure.

2) Went down to the lawyer's office to apply for the home loan on our latest property purchase

3) Had the maid over, our house is sparkling clean now

4) Made pork chops with homemade garlic and onion gravy. Aah the joys of supermarket
packaging - where they pre-cut and pack everything up so nicely for you, sparing you the agony of cleaning and trimming hunks of flesh on your own! Besides the chops, I also purchased (everything trimmed and ready) - a hunk of baby back ribs which I marinated in a Maggie seasoning, red wine vinegar, brown sugar and cayenne and 4 chicken drumsticks which I also have soaking in a combo of orange juice, sugar, soy and pepper. Food for the rest of the week. I also baked up a batch of brownies to satisfy my sweet cravings, which had me wolfing down 2 bars of chocolate over last week.

5) Had my own little 30 Rock marathon. Tina Fey absolutely rocks.

Now, back to work.

Self Indulgence

I probably should mention that I turned 28 not too long ago. Damn that number THREE-OH is looming.

AK took me for a sumptuous buffet at the super popular Lemon Garden Cafe at the Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur. I loved the smoked duck breast, Tandoori Prawns, salmon sashimi and sticky chocolate cake the most.

In addition, I also bought a lemon meringue pie from a little cafe in Mid Valley (which turned out to be so good), a slice of key lime pie from (again, I can't recall the name) from a cafe in Bangsar Village, and lots and lots of bakua and kaya puffs to cart home.

We visited Ikea, where I went a little crazy picking up a mass of stuff for the kitchen in the new place (stainless steel wall shelf and railings, hooks and a cutlery container).

For myself, I indulged in the following:

1) A 20 cm JW Schillings chef's knife (on sale - RM150), that I cut myself with pretty deeply the first day I used it - I am terrified of that knife now)
2) A slew of cookbooks - Sherry Yard's The Secret of Baking, MFK Fisher's The Gastronomical Me and Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
3) Lancome Vibrating Mascara - supposedly it lengthens the lashes with prolonged use. Hey, no harm hoping, right? It is a bit thick and clumpy for my taste, but with a lash comb this can be easily rectified.

All in all, a pretty indulgent one.

Self Care

I've been a lot more conscious of taking better care of myself. It's all about balance.

I was too insecure, too self doubting to actually take better care of myself. Stupidly, I used to believe that people would not take me seriously if I indulged in a little self pampering - that face masks and massages are for dizzy, rich ladies with nothing better to do.

But now, older, wiser, I realize that I can have my cake and eat it too.

So here's my list of things I do, that I regard as self-care, that I have not been doing since I started working, actually:-

1) Curl up on the couch/bed with a Jodi Picoult novel and a cup of steaming green tea
2) Applying my L'occitane Shea Butter Lotion all over my legs and arms before bed
3) Yoga - I've restarted my daily sun salutations that was my daily staple at university. And it is 6 years overdue - really, what took me so long?
4) Eating high quality chocolates
5) Eating a good breakfast - oats, with milk and sugar and cinnamon.
6) Getting AK to help me clean the house

More additions to the list, I promise.

Day 3 And I'm Getting It

So it's Day 3 of crutches and am already feeling like it's forever.

Housemate is in Singapore/Europe now so I can drive her Auto car to work. Lucky (?) for me this time it's the left foot so as long as I don't have to step on a clutch I'm good to go.

I've done the following since yesterday:

- packed my stuff, including making myself a bread-and-kaya breakfast
- laptop, oversized handbag and all, get myself from house to car, parking lot to office cubicle - think I got this down to a science now. Leaves me exhausted and sweating by the time I reach my cubicle but at least I'm doing it by myself
- refilled my water and made my coffee
- made Maggie Mee with prawn and chicken balls for my dinner
- fed the cat
- hand-washed and hung up my clothes
- threw the rubbish into the MPM bin outside the house

Wondering how I can cook? See, the biggest problem with using crutches is the fact that both one's hands are occupied with them thus making it real difficult to hold anything. When I made my dinner I pushed the bowl around in a chair.

So - a trolley will definitely make it work...hmm....

Another big issue is that I won't be getting much exercise as long as I'm having to hobble around like this. Adding to this, erm, issue is the fact that I'm so bored at home that the only thing that comforts be sometimes is just to eat anything I can get my hands on. Am gonna need a lot willpower to overcome this. The other temptation, is, of course, online shopping but our wonderful Malaysian exchange rates just don't allow it.

C'mon foot, heal, heal, heal...

Workin' It

I told myself that this will not affect me.

That everything should be as normal.

I made my own breakfast at home.

Then I drove myself to work this morning, then, laptop on my back, oversized Zara handbag over my right shoulder, I hobbled on my crutches from the parking lot to the office.

Then at the office, two arms holding crutches, clinging to a wildly wobbling mug, made my hot coffee-with-extra-Nescafe Gold and refilled my drinking water.

The whole exercise has left me exhausted, and my shoulder and arms are tingling crazily now.