Monthly Archives: October 2012

Yummy Homecooked Dishes

The MIL made some buckwheat noodles from scratch the other day.  She used half the portion of the buckwheat noodles to prepare seafood noodles with anchovies soup for us.  The other half – she stir fried them with sliced beef, cabbage, black pepper and eggs the next day.

The next day, she made some kau chi (Chinese dumplings) wrapped with minced meat, minced prawn meat, chopped carrots and watercress veggie. Alycia is a huge fan of her ma ma’s  kau chi and she does not mind eating them everyday, 2x a day LOL!

Chinese dumplings served with julienned young ginger and black vinegar.

Oh yes, the MIL knows I eat no white flour products, so she saved some of the minced meat mixture and steamed them for me 😀

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Tonsils

I have an extremely sensitive throat which will get inflamed if I eat deep fried food, food that’s still hot and just out from a pot of oil and spicy food. Some of my friends with a throat like mine have removed their tonsils but I am against the idea of going for a surgery. I am perfectly fine with refraining myself from eating deep fried food and spicy food.  I can have a will power as strong as steel when it comes to food.  My motto is “eat less, live healthier” Occasionally, I do indulge in those forbidden food but I am always armed with ‘cooling’ agents like coconut water, American ginseng, green tea and cucumbers.  I believe in yin and yang or a balance in one’s inner body. And my daily gargling of sea salt water is doing wonders protecting my throat!

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Robot Vacuum Cleaner

The girls’ art teacher recently bought a robotic vacuum cleaner. Being a full-time teacher and tutor without the help of a maid, she has invested on many household gadgets to help her in the household chores. The robotic vacuum cleaner is programmed to vacuum the floor twice a day and a technician from the company will go to her house to service the robot every month. I am tempted to get the robot too! When we check out the robot next week, I will also check out a sound choice karaoke system which I am also very tempted to buy so that my girls and I can karaoke every night during the school holidays! 🙂

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Renew Intensive Skin Therapy Lotion

I recently joined Melaleuca as a member.  The main reason why I joined Melaleuca is because I wanted to try Renew Intensive Skin Therapy lotion to rescue my extremely dry skin and horrendously bad cracked heel and feet.   Melaleuca is a company that manufactures and sells products that are safe and natural, free from parabens, SLS (sodium laureth sulfate), and other harmful chemicals that have been proven to cause cancer. Since I now have to do all the household cleaning myself, it is only a wise decision to invest in some household cleaning products that have no harsh chemicals that will harm my health and that of my kids.

Here’s my first batch of Melaleuca products.

After a month of using Renew, I can see vast improvement in my skin, especially on my rough and dry hands and sole of my feet, as well as my heels.  Renew is by far the best skin lotion I have ever tried and it is even safe for children. The proprietary ingredient in Renew is tea tree oil. It is said that tea tree oil is more calming and effective than aloe vera. They claim tea tree oil is nature’s miracle solution to whatever ails you. The consistency of Renew Lotion is not very thick, yet powerful!  It goes on nice and smooth after you’ve rubbed it on your skin. You skin does feel softer and moisturized after you put it on.

I am pretty confident that my cracked heel and sole of feet will be treated if I continue to apply Renew and provided my itchy hands stay off my heels and stop peeling the dry skin LOL!

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My Camping and Hiking Days

During my teenage years, I was a very active girl who loved to do everything outdoor, from cycling to camping, hiking, swimming, running, tree-climbing, mountain climbing, snorkeling and traveling. At 16 years old, we joined a 10-day jungle and sea adventure program at Wilderness Adventure Camp in Lumut and that was one of the best days of my life with my besties. I had a pair of good Vasque Boots which I brought along with me during all my camping trips. Those days, I was still very much dirt-resistance. I did not mind bathing in the stream, drinking stream water, peeing and pooing in the jungle and sleeping in dirty tents. I am a totally changed person now.

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Hip Dysplasia (Clicky Hips)

My blissful world came crushing down during a routine well-baby check up when Alycia was about 6 months old.  She was suspected of having Hip Dysplasia or clicky hips.  If not treated, this could lead to serious problem with one’s gait and position of the legs on the hip socket.  For months, I google searched for an answer and prayed fervently that Alycia’s hips would be healed without having to go through any invasive medical treatment.  The only treatment was that she had to wear double diapers 24/7 to ‘push’ the legs nicely back into the socket.  3 months later, after an ultrasound scan, the consultant orthopaedic confirmed that Alycia’s hips were aligned and we need not have to see him anymore.  God is indeed great!

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Energy Zappers

The only time I can do my writing is when the kids are at school and at night when all three of them are in bed. With 4 hours of me time everyday in the morning and at night, I normally update my blogs, write my online assignments, churn out invoices and work on things that need thinking. The moment the three rascals are back, I hardly have time to do those things. A simple write-up on foam mattress which takes me 10 minutes to whip up without the kids around would take me hours or even half a day to dish out when the kids are around. The rascals can really zap off all my energy and leave me feeling terribly jaded by 8ish pm!

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Nuts Over Coconut Water

Many people will raise their eyebrow if I tell them that I drink coconut water at least 3-4x in a week.  They would remark that coconut water is too cooling for one’s body, will cause ‘wind’ in the tummy, will cause stomachache  and will induce cough.  But I feel healthier ever since I started to have ‘coconut water therapy’ 3-4x a week for more than a year.   Drinking fresh coconut water is very therapeutic for my very heaty body. My kids drink along with me.  Coconut water cleanses the urinary tract and kidneys, so it’s perfect for Cass.  If you google search on coconut water, you will be amazed to read the long list of amazing health benefits of drinking coconut water.  I am sure you have also read that pure virgin coconut oil is a superfood with amazing health benefits too, have you?

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Wedding Ring

My dad and mum still wear their wedding rings on their fingers. And it’s been 42 long years they are married to each other. My dad wears two rings on his fingers – a wedding ring on this left ring finger and a green ring that looks like a military ring on his other ring finger. My hubs and I do not wear our wedding rings. Though I love wearing rings, it is just not practical for me to wear them 24/7 as I wet my hands all the time. The same goes for hubs who works in the food catering industry.

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Do You Do Monthly Self Breast Examination?

I don’t and I know I must. It could save my boops and my life. My excuse? Too busy. Yea, lame excuse. Healthy should come first. After talking to a friend who told me that a friend of hers was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, I started to do self breast examination again. Her friend was actually accompanying her mother to the hospital for consultation and while waiting for her mother’s turn, she decided to do a mammogram and then the cruel news was broken to her. She of course lost her breast and possibly her life. Effective next year when I turn 40, I should also go for a mammogram.

Do you do monthly self breast examination on your own? Or only when you go for your yearly pap smear test?

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