September 2019 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Creepy Day

Our evening today ended with everyone shaken by a grisly incident at our apartment gym. Alycia who was at the library with her friend and Math tutor witnessed a death scene at the gym. The library is located opposite the gym. A man who was lifting weights at the gym suddenly collapsed onto the floor and died instantly.

A serene evening at our apartment was suddenly overtaken by pandemonium, people screaming and wailing and moments later, we heard sirens wailing. From the 5th floor, I heard a woman screaming and the guards shouting. I looked down from my room but didn’t see anything unusual. Then we heard the sirens but didn’t think much about it; it’s not uncommon to hear sirens here as there’s a fire station and hospital near our apartment.

A couple of hours later, Alycia came home after tuition at the library and narrated to us about what she has just witnessed. She had previously seen the man several times at the gym and it disturbs her that someone who is familiar to her just died in front of her.

When the man slumped onto the floor, a couple of residents administered CPU and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on him for almost half an hour until the ambulance arrived but sadly, he didn’t make it. Then Alycia saw a white cloth draped over the man. A woman who must be the man’s wife ran to the gym wailing and sobbing. The lobby looked like a fatal crime scene with policemen, medical and forensic workers and curious residents.

Alycia was traumatized over what she has just witnessed and had a hard time trying to concentrate during tuition. Now that she’s back home her mind keeps drifting back to the death scene. She can’t seem to get herself into a revision mode for her exam tomorrow. The deceased’s face, the white cloth over his body, the woman’s cries, the policemen and ambulatory staff; and the fact that the man died in the gym, a place that she goes to everyday just troubles her. Going to the gym will never be the same again for Alycia and me. She will now visualize the deceased lying on the spot where she normally steps onto the moment she steps into the gym. Even I find it creepy to exercise outside the gym at 6:30 every morning when the gym is not opened yet.

And would you believe it if I told you that this morning, on the morning that this incident happened, as I was doing my strength training just outside the gym, from the reflection of the gym’s glass door, I saw a figure in white walked behind me? There was no sound of foot steps, which creeped me out. Seconds later, I walked behind to check if there was anyone but saw no one. I figured that the white figure was just one of the guards in white uniform but I guess it wasn’t. I felt awkwardly strange and eerie but tried not to think too much about it until tonight💀 👻

No. of times viewed = 45

How CBD Oil Works For Treating Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety disorders and depression affect many people. Numerous studies have shown that the best CBD oil for anxiety can treat various forms of anxiety disorders. While some can manage to combat these conditions using antidepressants, these pharmaceutical drugs cannot be relied on as they come with harmful side effects.

Severe anxiety and depression can affect relationships, jobs, and your ability to socialize especially if your family and friends don’t know how tch vape pen works and the health benefits of the oil. That is why these disorders should be treated to avoid becoming maladaptive. CBD contains powerful anti-anxiety properties, is non-toxic and safe to treat disorders such as:

Social phobia
Mild and moderate depression
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Panic disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder

Depression & Anxiety
Anxiety presents symptoms, including extreme self-consciousness, excessive worry, panic attacks, and chest pain. Depression makes you feel sad and disinterested in things you once loved.

One of the safest and natural ways to treat depression and anxiety is using CBD oil. CBD is becoming popular, and more studies are still underway to determine its effectiveness.

It is essential to learn more about CBD oil before using it for your anxiety and depression. Talking to your doctor will help you to get the right product and dosage for your condition.

How Does CBD Work When Treating Depression and Anxiety
CBD boosts the signaling through the serotonin receptors. Studies have revealed that CBD can affect serotonin much faster than antidepressants. It signals the serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin receptors help to control your happiness and calmness levels. CBD will help you relax without causing any side effects.

The best CBD oil to help relieve depression and anxiety should contain organic ingredients and be high in potency. Avoid products with artificial sweeteners. CBD oil comes in various strengths, and you should get one with the best strength when treating your anxiety.

For depression, CBD oil works by increasing the serotonin amount in your brain. This causes a positive effect on your motor skills and emotions.

CBD oil also affects the hippocampus – an organ that helps to regulate emotions. The hippocampus does not function well when you have depression. When consumed, CBD will help to promote neurogenesis in the hippocampus.

CBD and Neurochemistry
The body has a built-in system that helps to process cannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system plays a vital role in homeostasis. Therefore, CBD can regulate mood, appetite, sleep, and level of anxiety.

CBD impacts brain receptors that respond to anxiety. By normalizing the levels of serotonin, CBD oil reduces all the anxiety-related symptoms.

What is the CBD Oil Dosage for Anxiety?
CBD oil is yet to be approved by the FDA for its medical capabilities. But it has been approved as a treatment for anxiety. The right dosage for CBD oil has not been determined. Find the correct CBD dose depends on your age, weight, and how intense your symptoms are.

Since cannabidiol is non-psychoactive and safe, it is not dangerous to take. Only when you experience mild side effects like nausea and dizziness will you need to lower the dose. However, a medical expert or the CBD oil manufacturer can also help you determine the right dose for your condition.

How to Use CBD Oil for Depression and Anxiety
CBD is available in different forms, from sprays to candies, to oils. Even so, no one type can be considered the best. It depends on your condition and your preferences. That is why it is vital to choose the right method of administration for you and your situation.

Here are the four formulations you can choose for your CBD consumption:

Through Edibles
Edibles include foods and drinks such as CBD infused gummies and other candies. You can also use CBD in your beverages and meals.

Oral CBD Consumption
Oral consumptions include capsules, sprays, tinctures, and oils. They can be taken as they are or be used in coffee or smoothies.

CBD as Topicals
Topicals include CBD infused beauty products that can be applied directly to the skin. These are lotions and creams. They are ideal for alleviating pain.

CBD Vaping
CBD oil vaping uses a special pen known as a vape. The pens come with heating chambers that help to heat CBD concentrates to produce vapor for inhaling. Vaping is one of the quickest methods of inhaling CBD.

Conclusion
CBD oil has been studied and found to be effective in treating mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Studies have also found that CBD has powerful therapeutic effects. However, CBD may or may not interact well with other medication. It is important to get a doctor’s advice before trying out your CBD oil for anxiety, depression and other conditions.

CBD is now becoming a popular remedy for several health issues. There is no denying that it can help to control anxiety and depression. Since it is not approved by the FDA, you have to be keen on the product ingredients when purchasing.

No. of times viewed = 38

Sunday, 29 Sept 2019

Today the mil returned from New Zealand after a 2-month long holiday. She came home early in the morning while the girls were still in bed. Today is also the eve of Cass and Alycia’s final exams for 2019!

Despite today being a Sunday, the girls got up at 7:30 a.m. to welcome grandma home and to see what goodies she’s brought back from the land of honey, kiwi and avocado. As usual, there were loads of Whittaker’s Almond Gold and hazelnut chocolate slabs (everyone’s favorite!), jumbo size avocados, apples, panoply of gourmet cheeses, honey, healthy bread, beef jerky and a replete supply of snacks for the next 1-2 months 😊 😋

My favorite healthy nut bar from Pure Delish:

The hubs dragged everyone to Bangsar South (again!) for lunch. Alycia and Cass were not really keen to go as they wanted to stay home to revise for their exams. But hubs said Sunday is a family day, the only day that he can have lunch with all his girls; so yeah, everyone has to go. So they brought their books along to the restaurant 🤭

Dessert was ice-cream at Sunbather Coffee:

And had roast vegetables takeaway from Parklife for dinner:

Sherilyn baked a loaf of keto chocolate brownie for breakfast and it was yums! Ingredients are composed of organic oats powder (instant oats blitzed in our Blendtec blender), organic extra virgin coconut oil, 6 eggs, organic cacao powder, sugar-free dark milk chocolate, pinch of salt and vanilla extract.

No. of times viewed = 16

Thursday, 26 Sept 2019

Today I woke up with a burst of energy, raring for it to be unleashed on the tracks. After 20 minutes of strength training, I ran a few rounds at the tracks but had to truncate my running session 15 minutes earlier to bring Sherilyn to school at 7 :15 a.m. She’s got another dance performance in school in the morning today and tomorrow.

Love the colors of sunrise this morning after the skies turned grey for two weeks.

After dropping Sherilyn at school, I went to tapau Yong Tau Fu for my brunch, though I don’t eat tofu and soy products anymore now. Don’t get me started on the health dangers of soy!

My favorite Yong Tau Fu items are stuffed lady’s fingers, bell pepper, bitter gourd, brinjal, mushroom, long beans and lobak.

Still feeling energized, I did a quick cleaning of the house. Then, scanned the freezer to see if we have any uneaten frozen foods as the mil will be back this Sunday and she wouldn’t be pleased to see stuff that was there before she left still sitting in the freezer several months later😏

I found mum’s homemade Gula Melaka ‘lin ko’ (kuih bakul) in the freezer. She made it before CNY this year using her Philips pressure cooker. I quickly made a trip to the supermarket and bought a packet of grated coconut, came back sliced the ‘lin ko’, popped it into the wok, steamed it for 10-15 minutes and voila, I had steamed Gula Melaka ‘lin ko’ with grated coconut that tastes like a million dollars. My ultimate kryptonite and the girls’ too.

Today I discovered a hack in prepping steamed ‘lin ko’ which is mess-free and sweat-free!

1) First, slice the frozen ‘lin ko’ when it is half thawed. Slicing is effortless when the ‘lin ko’ is half thawed and still firm and manageable.

2) Then line a steaming plate/tray with baking paper before placing the sliced ‘lin ko’ on it. With the baking paper, the ‘lin ko’ does not stick on the plate like UHU glue.

3) For half thawed ‘lin ko’, steaming only takes 10-15 minutes to produce soft ‘lin ko’ that’s not too mushy and ‘melted’.

4) Turn off fire and remove plate from the wok/steamer immediately and sprinkle with copious amounts of freshly grated young coconut.

I like to enjoy my steamed ‘lin ko’ with some hot organic Osmantus tea afterwards to melt away the fat 🤤

Dinner on Thursdays are always quick and simple as I have endless trips to make to the school and tuition center. Today I cooked roast pork ribs porridge with red dates and carrots and sauteed cabbage with curry powder. My part-time helper gave me another eleventh hour notice that she’s not coming today😡

No. of times viewed = 16

Tuesday, 24 Sept 2019

The haze situation finally eased a little in KL. Today we no longer smell acrid smog. I finally saw a few speckles of faint white clouds and a few splashes of pale blue and peach colors emerging from behind the grey hazy skies when I did my exercise at 6:30 this morning! Things like white clouds and blue skies, something that we’ve always taken for granted are now a sight to behold and put a smile on my face this morning 😊

But it’s still sizzling hot and humid here. These days I need at least 4 – 5 rounds of shower a day and 3 fans blowing at me when I’m working at my desk and I’m not exaggerating. I’m just a hottie. I mean I get hot and sweat really easily 😅

Dinner today is chicken stew with a glorious kaleidoscope of colours and textures. I started to cook at 2:45 p.m. so that dinner will be ready by the time my 2 hungry piranhas come back from school at 4 p.m.

I love putting loads of colorful vegetables into my stew. The kids can devour on drumsticks and I’ll be happy with just half a drumstick and lots of my favorite vegetables and tubers.

Ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks and 2 ribs
2 purple sweet potatoes
2 potatoes
1/2 yellow zucchini
1/2 green zucchini
2 carrots
4 tomatoes
1 packet Enoki mushroom
A wedge of Japanese pumpkin
3 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Handful of bay leaves
1 cinnamon bark
Most of the ingredients are organic, including the chicken.

Seasoning:
Organic soy sauce
Salt
Black pepper
1 tablespoon Lakanto sugar
1 teaspoon organic dark soy sauce
Italian herbs or any herbs of your preference

The hungry piranha attacked the stew the moment she came back from school at 4pm.

And sprinkled mozzarella on her rice + stew. What kind of combo is that?!

I kept these for Sherilyn and the fussy king who will only be back for dinner at 7-ish p.m. and 9-ish p.m. respectively.

After her early dinner, Cass started ‘work’. I paid her RM10 to help me fix a rack that I ordered online from Shopee. I should have only given her RM5 as I’d already fixed it half way and didn’t have the time to complete it.

By the way, you can get coupons for deals and discounts when you shop at Shopee and other online shopping platforms. Click here to find out more!

By the way, I am so proud of myself that I managed to fix an Ikea garment rack all by myself this afternoon! For someone who sucks at fixing DIY stuff, with zero training in RBT or Kemahiran Hidup (Living Skills) in school as I was in the Science Stream, I aced it so well this time. The rack ain’t wobbly this time and I managed to install it in under an hour, albeit drenched in sweat and needed another shower after the job was done! 😬

No. of times viewed = 13

Back To Her Old Self

I’m so relieved that Cass is back to her usual self now. She’s no longer giving me the cold shoulder. Last month on the first day of school after the third term school break, she woke up and morphed into a girl I barely recognized ~ stroppy, surly and extremely moody. And this went on for about 3 hellish weeks!! Thank God the black cloud that hung over her head had drifted away. But now we have another type of black cloud hanging above us ~ hot and humid weather and choking polluted air. 🌪 This morning, I had to wear a suffocating face mask when I went outdoor for my morning exercise. 😷 I dared not exert myself too much, lest I breathe in toxic air and embed it in my lungs. Thus, I had to skip the strength training and did the lower abdomen exercises at home.

With a cheery and loquacious 11-year old who keeps regaling me with the happenings in her school, I couldn’t be happier. I miss this chatter box who waffles non stop. She even started to write out coupons for me again! Each time I cook something nice for her, she’ll give me a coupon and after I’ve collected 10 coupons, I can redeem a free 30-minute massage and a keto pancake, which she says she’ll cook for me after her final exam 😍

Yeah, final exam is here again!! We can’t wait for it to be over.

Last week, the brat lost another baby tooth. The ‘tooth fairy’ wrote her a note and inserted it into an ang pow packet with a Ringgit note and tucked it under her pillow 😊

No. of times viewed = 22

Guide to Choosing Your Perfect Bridesmaid Dress Color

Choosing your wedding colors and bridesmaid dresses color can be one of the hardest decisions you’ll have to make for you wedding if you’re an indecisive bride! As if the venue, seating arrangement, guest list, flowers, music and the cake weren’t enough to stress you out (and the list goes on and on!), choosing the perfect bridesmaid dress color that will make everyone happy is probably the most difficult wedding planning feat of all.

There are so many gorgeous colors out there and unless you already have a dream color for your wedding and your bridesmaids since you were a little girl, how’s a girl going to choose?

Here are 5 things to consider before choosing your bridesmaid dress color(s):

1. Consider the color of your bridal gown
Whatever color or style you choose, keep that color in mind so that your bridesmaids won’t clash while they stand next to you. If you’re going to wear a white bridal dress, you could consider champagne bridesmaid dresses, mauve, soft pink or soft blue for your bridesmaids. These are some of the favorite bridesmaid dress colors in 2019.

2. Location is key
Your venue will literally set the stage for your wedding day so choose colors that complement the space.

3. Consider your own personal style
If you’re one who loves bright happy colors, having a white or silver wedding would be a tad out of your element.

4. Discuss with your fiancé
Your fiancé may have a strong preference of what he does or absolutely does not want. Be considerate.

5. Consider multiple bridesmaid dress colors
Mix-and-match is hugely in trend now, so it’s not uncommon to see a variety of colors in the bridal party.

Color palettes are important for having consistency on your big day – between the dresses, décor, flowers, etc. It’s easy to get carried away with too many colors, so it’s advisable to choose at least three main colors for your palette.

Once you’ve settled on the color of your bridal dress and that of your bridesmaids, then it’s time to decide on where to get the dresses. You can opt to shop for it online or offline. BmBridal is a lovely online store for all your bridal apparel needs. They have a great site with stylists who are available online to help you find the dress that you have in mind. You can ask them anything from styling and sizing advice and tips on the perfect accessories for your dress, or just a second opinion. They carry some absolutely stunning elegant gowns for the bride and bridesmaid that you’ll sure to love. Oh, they have bridesmaid dresses at half price and a time-limited Buy-2-Get-1-Free promotion too!

No. of times viewed = 22

Day 2 Haze Holiday (19 Sept 2019)

The haze is still chokingly bad today. It looks and smells worse than the day before. Our windows and sliding door are shut all day and it’s terribly hot and stuffy inside, though all three fans are turned on in the living room. The girls pretty much stayed home all day but I made 5 trips out ~ first to get them lunch, then as Grab driver and brought Alycia to downtown KL for tuition at 3 p.m., at 6 p.m. Grab my way back to downtown KL to fetch Alycia home with bumper-to-bumper traffic on both trips, 7:30 p.m. dropped Alycia at the tuition center and 9:30 p.m. to fetch her home.

Thursdays are always a big mad rush for me in the evening. I start to cook at 4:45 p.m. and only have a max of 1 hour for cooking as I have to leave the house at 5:45 p.m. to fetch Alycia back from school/tuition. Thus, Thursday dinner is fixed with either burgers / sandwiches / porridge. This time I prepped Sanbanto premium black pig pork burger.

I pan-fried the pork burger and made caramelized onion rings using my Philips pressure cooker (Bake mode, chicken).

Burger fillings:
Sanbanto premium pork patties, organic Japanese cucumber, caramelized onion rings, blanched French beans, egg mayo. Also fried an egg in the PPC.

Someone finished the last drop of mayo and left the empty bottle in the fridge again!!! I was seething as this is happening too frequently. And I know who the culprit is! So I had make do with Japanese sesame dressing, which still tasted alright on the eggs, though not as good 😡

So happy I could find Ted Boy burger buns from D Market supermarket:

By the time I finished cooking and mopping the kitchen floor, it was already 6 p.m. and I was late! With the horrendous after-work traffic, it would take me at least half an hour to reach downtown KL. With very little time, I cincai assembled the burger, quickly snapped a few pix and left Cass to help me keep all the food and wipe the dining table as the tutor would arrive any time. Cussing and sweating away, I took a quick shower and zoomed off.

There was no time to butter the buns, slice the tomatoes and find the cheese and Cass happily gobbled down the ‘display’ piece.

This is the life of a work-from-home mum. So you think working in the office is stressful? At times I wish I was still in my corporate suits, earning a comfy pay check, get bonus, have annual leave and medical leave and outings with my colleagues.

That’s why I dislike Thursdays. But soon the mil will be back and I can’t wait to hand over the spatula and apron back to her 😬

No. of times viewed = 21

Rasa Viet By Xin Chao Viet Nam @ The Sphere, Bangsar South

The Sphere is now the foodie hubby’s favorite place to hangout on weekends and public holidays. He likes this place as finding a place to park is a breeze and traffic is not crazy unlike at Mid Valley Megamall or in the heart of KL. Each time we visit, a new restaurant pops out. When we visited on Sunday, 15 Sept 2019, we noticed a quaint and colorful Vietnamese restaurant and hubs was raring to try it.

Rasa Viet by Xin Chao Viet Nam was opened just two days earlier on 13 Sept 2019. Service was excellent and if you’re new to eating Viet food, the staff will explain to you how to savor the dishes. Food was scrumptious and served the authentic Viet way.

First dish that arrived was chicken cabbage salad, which came complimentary on a time-limited basis ~ condition was we have to Like the restaurant’s page on Facebook and order a minimum of 2 dishes. We received two plates of salad on the house as we ordered more than 4 dishes. The salad is to be put on top of the prawn cracker before you savor it. This dish is extremely appetizing and will surely explode your taste buds to life before you devour on other exciting dishes!

Chicken on skewers made from fragrant lemongrass stalks.

Chicken and prawn summer roll, served with a special peanut sauce dipping.

Sizzling pancake, eaten with rice paper. The chef/owner came over to our table and personally rolled the pancake with the rice paper before serving it to us while another staff explained to us how to prepare the rice paper by dipping it briefly into water to soften it and the correct way of savoring this dish.

The basil and mint leaves rolled together with the crispy pancake, crisp juicy lettuce and rice paper and dipped with a house-made special spicy sauce give this roll a flavorful minty aroma in what proves to be an addictively good compilation of intense flavors.

Classic beef pho, Special beef pho, tendon beef pho and beef meatballs. The beef was cooked to a tee in a very flavorful broth. Each mouthful offers so much euphoria that I had to stop the foodie hubs from saying ‘hhhhhmmmm, so yummy!” 😁

Chicken liver pate, tuna and fried egg Bánh mì on super crispy baguette.

Ice-blended Viet coffee

Viet caramel pudding ~ this pudding is to die for! If you’re a fan of santan-ish desserts, the taste and texture of this pudding will surely stimulate the papillae in your mouth and make you crave for more. It’s complimentary from the chef too. The pudding has a hint of aromatic coconut cream (santan) and gula Melaka and super creamy. Alycia liked it so much that she asked her dad to takeaway four puddings for enjoyment at home later in the evening!

Fried cempedak with coconut ice-cream and fried sweet potato with coconut ice-cream are another to die-for desserts. They are filled with all manner of yumminess and a stellar combination of strong flavors and texture (love the crunch of the batter on the fried stuff). If you’ve not tried cempedak and sweet potato and coconut together before, you’re in for a real treat! Sinful but totally worth it. You can work out later 😉

This meal definitely put everyone in a good good mood! I’m very sure the foodie hubs will visit this place again soon. They have another branch at Solaris Dutamas.

Rasa Viet by Xin Chao Vietnam
Unit no. 3-GA, Level Ground
The Sphere, Bangsar South City
No. 8 Jalan Kerinchi, KL
Tel: 03-2242 1880

No. of times viewed = 804

When You’ve Decided On A Beach Wedding

Congratulations that he proposed to you! Now that wedding bells are starting to ring, there’s really quite a bit to do to plan a wedding of your dreams. Apart from the wedding date, one of the first planning decisions you’ll have to make is choosing a wedding venue . It’s not always the easiest decision, but a good way to start is to decide if you’d prefer a more formal or more casual wedding. If a laid-back, casual wedding is your goal (and you’d like to get married in a warmer month) a beach wedding venue can be an ideal setting. A beach wedding is best for couples who prefer a little adventure and prefer something a little different.

If you’ve already settled on a beach wedding, the next thing to do is to look for your dream beach wedding dresses.

A beach wedding would also probably mean that your dream dress is more understated and elegant than flouncy and embellished, and you really don’t mind ditching high heels for sandals or even go bare-footed!

When you plan a beach wedding, it is likely that fewer people will be there; but for many couples, that’s a plus! It gives you an excuse to spend more time with a tighter group of people that you actually want to spend time with. At a ‘traditional’ wedding you only get a couple of hours. No second cousins or random friends of your parents here! 😉

When it comes to choosing your wedding dress, you can opt to shop for it online or offline. MillyBridal is a must-shop stop when you are searching the web for the dress of your dreams. They have a great site with stylists who are available online to help you find the dress of your dreams. You can ask them anything from styling and sizing advice and tips on the perfect accessories for your dress, or just a second opinion. They carry some absolutely stunning elegant gowns that you’ll sure to love.

At MillyBridal, most of the dresses are made-to-order. You can choose a standard size or custom measurements and their tailors will craft each dress to order. Tailoring time takes between 8 – 10 days and it takes 3-6 days for your dress to arrive.

With a reasonable return policy, good customer service, and exclusive dress styles, MillyBridal is one of the best options for buying a wedding dress online.

Whether you are looking for plus size wedding dresses, petite wedding dresses, sexy, ball, mermaid, vintage or even maternity wedding dresses, you’ll sure to find them at MillyBridal.

Couples often wonder if they should have the wedding inside or out, mountain side or in the jungle and so on; but stop for a minute and just think about how amazing it would be to celebrate your wedding at the beach. Imagine soft, white sands, gentle waves hitting the shore, the scent of salt on a Caribbean breeze, and the russet hues of a sunset adding beautiful splashes of colors to your wedding photography. A beach wedding is the perfect setting for the best day of your life where you’ll have no regrets.

No. of times viewed = 21

Random Updates

The littlest one is back to her usual self finally and we’ve started to have our nightly before bedtime light-hearted chats on the bed once again. But as with most cuddly toddlers who turn into tweens and teenagers, she still greets any public display of warmth with revulsion and sullenness. Grown children do not want to be the object of all our affection or the main repository for all our dreams. I totally understand it and I’d gone through this phase once when I was a teenager. How I miss those days when my baby girl still loved her Telly Tubbies, High 5 and My Little Pony; those super UHU glue days when we would even hold hands when we were in the car 😥

Anyway, onwards and upwards! On the bright side, my baby girl is growing up. Today she told me that her teacher has chosen her and a few other classmates to take part in an inter-school drawing and painting competition. Cass is pretty good with her hands. She’s good in drawing, constructing things, putting together gadgets, self-assemble furniture, jigsaw puzzles and LEGO when I would freak out. She’s just like her dad. She’s so happy that she gets to take part in this art competition and can’t wait to start on it.

Here are the photos of our late dinner or rather supper last Sunday on 8 September 2019. The next day was a public holiday.

I can’t even think of the vaguest connection between these food pix and how Cass has morphed and remorphed, so I’m not even going to try. So jumping right into it – after rounding the roads of KL and PJ and don’t have any idea on what to eat, hubs drove to Green View Restaurant, PJ to dig into crabs and jumbo prawns. As it was already 9 p.m., I told him to go easy on the dishes. I don’t normally eat after 8 p.m. So we only had 4 main dishes, juices and dessert.

Ice Plant served with sesame dressing.

Fresh prawn noodles

Sweet and sour crabs with fried mantou

Longan herbal jelly

There was also an individual bowl of crab meat sharks fins broth that hubs ordered for himself which I didn’t snap the photo.

Food was superb and by the time we finished our dinner, it was already close to 10:30 p.m.

No. of times viewed = 17

Sensenique Natural “Betaine, Sulfate & Silicone Free” Hair & Body Wash

I wash my hair twice a day and sometimes even thrice a day as I exercise, cook and walk under the sun (thus sweat buckets!) almost every day. Thus, I have to use a mild shampoo that will not dry or irritate my scalp. I also have mild folliculitis on a few hair follicles on my scalp that will get inflamed if they are aggravated. If you have this condition, you’ll know how annoying this condition is and one of the nasty side effects is hair loss. So, using a shampoo that’s mild and contains as few harsh chemicals as possible is key to treating the condition.

Recently I tried Sensenique’s range of natural shampoo and body wash infused with essential oils, Argan oil, Olive oil, Jojoba seed oil, Macadamia seed oil and a host of other natural plant extracts and have fallen in love with them!

I have the complete range of hair shampoo and body shampoo from Sensenique and love each one of them!

Product variant (priced at RM39 for each variant):
Ginger Orange – Shampoo, Conditioner & Body Wash
Peppermint Lime – Shampoo, Conditioner & Body Wash

Every bottle of hair care product comes with a little note on what users can expect when they switch to betaine, sulfate and silicone free shampoo.

How Do I Feel After Using Betaine, Sulfate & Silicone Free Hair & Body Wash?

1. Hair and scalp
Hair feel a little dry after shampooing ( that’s because it does not contain silicone) but after applying Sensenique’s silicone-free conditioner, it feels smooth. Previous synthetic conditioners I’ve used always give my hair that slippery and creamy feel and makes my hair super smooth and ‘conditioned’. Even the bathroom floor has a slippery coat that is hard to wash off (major turn-off for me!) Turns out this is the work of silicones – which aren’t found in organic hair care as they cannot be classified as organic. Silicones coat the hair, giving it an artificial, slippery feel that can cause build up on the hair and scalp. Sensenique’s conditioner does not give me that ‘stubborn’ waxy feel on my hair and bathroom floor 😆

With Sensenique’s natural sulfate free shampoo, you won’t get a rich lather, like with most mainstream shampoos. This is because your bog-standard shampoo will contain sulfates like sodium laurel sulfate. Sulfates are used in shampoos as a foaming agent. Not only are sulfates irritants, but over time they can dehydrate the hair and scalp. Traditional sulfate-based shampoos can leave you with a more a “squeaky clean feel” and so you may experience less bubbles and a more “creamy” lather.

Natural and sulfate-free shampoos like Sensenique’s hair care range that are made with natural plant oils and herb extracts have the ability to promote new hair growth by naturally stimulating the hair follicles, maintaining the moisture and improving the overall condition of your hair and scalp,

2. Skin (body and face)
The natural scent of peppermint, lime, ginger and orange is really invigorating and wakes up my senses early in the morning and at the end of a long and tiring day. I apply the body wash on my face and body. What I like about Sensenique’s body wash is that I do not get the dry and tight feeling that I usually get from most brands of body wash and face wash yet the gentle formula is efficient enough to wash off all my make-up with just one pump. The body wash comes off easily with rinsing and does not have the slimy feel you get from some brands of body wash. Super love it!

Ingredients
Sensenique Natural products are made with the following soothing, calming and conditioning herbal extracts for skin, hair and scalp (include anti-hair loss, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammation properties):

Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract*
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract*
Aesculus Hippocastanum (Horse Chestnut) Seed Extract
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract
Equisetum Arvense Extract (Horsetail)
Tussilago Farfara (Coltsfoot) Leaf Extract
Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract
Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract (Lemon Balm)
Centella Asiatica Extract* (Centella)
Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract* (Japanese Knotweed)
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract* (Baikal Skullcap)
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract* (Tea)
Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract*
Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf juice *

*ECOCERT natural plant extracts

Why I Choose Sensenique’s Shampoo and Bodywash?
As a health freak mom, I get a peace of mind when my girls use Sensenique’s premium blend of safe, toxin-free, gentle yet effective glucose, amino acid & fatty acid based surfactants that make them perfect for everyday use. They are scented with pure essential oils and consistent usage leaves us with healthier skin, hair and scalp.

Their formula does not contain any sulfate or betaine surfactants such as Cocamidopropyl Betaine , Coco Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate(SLES), Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(SLS) and Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS). Thus, the formula is suitable for all hair types including color treated hair and all skin types, especially sensitive, dry and problematic skin like eczema.

Lastly, the products are priced reasonably at RM39 a bottle. No doubt it is costlier than bog-standard brands of shampoo and body wash. However, if I were to compare Sensenique with other premium brands of shampoo and body wash with similar premium formula, Sensenique is priced at a fraction of the price of its competitors.

Where Can You Find Sensenique Natural range of products?

SENSENIQUE NATURAL is available at:-

Home & Bath Department at
> ROBINSONS -GARDENS -2nd floor
> ROBINSONS – FOUR SEASONS KL – 3flr
> SOGO KL – 5th flr
> SOGO CENTRAL ICITY – 3rd flr

Healthlane Pharmacy @ the following shopping malls:- KLCC, NU SENTRAL, THE GARDENS, BANGSAR SHOPPING COMPLEX, HOCK CHOON(AMPANG)

Healthlane Pharmacy @ ARDENCE LABS ,ARDENCE SETIA ALAM, SETIA ALAM TOWN CENTER, KEPUNG MALURI, ARA DAMANSARA, MUTIARA TROPICANA, SETAPAK CENTRAL MALL, PUCHONG TAMAN KINRARA, RAHMAN PUTRA, TAMAN DESA JAYA, SRI DAMANSARA

Organic Shop – Matahari Organic at Taman SEA

If you prefer to shop online, hop over to www.senseniquenatural.com
and register to enjoy membership benefits of
– Immediate 15% discount on all your purchases
– Free Delivery for nett purchases above RM100

No. of times viewed = 92

Pressure Cooker Pan-Fried Steak And Purple Sweet Potato Mash

Pan frying steaks, fish or chops is something that I will avoid like a plague as I hate cleaning up oil splatters. Thus, I leave this task to the mil and we only have fried fish and steaks whenever she’s around. But ever since mum gave me a Philips Pressure Cooker (PPC), I’ve become more daring in my kitchen pursuit 👩🏻‍🍳

Yesterday I took the courage to pan fry striploin steak in my PPC. The steaks have been sitting in the freezer even before the mil left for New Zealand 2.5 months ago. I’d better cook them before she returns in two weeks’ time or she’ll be shocked to see the steaks still there after 3 months and I know what questions she’ll shoot towards me 🤐

Ok, back to the steaks! I am so pleased that the striploin beef steaks turned out pretty well. They were so good that my 3 persnickety piranha polished them off, though I had to snatch back the medium rare ones from the littlest one to pan-fry them again to make them thoroughly cooked and safer for consumption.

These look medium rare and perfect for my carnivorous hubs who would devour on bloody juicy steaks but he had to work late last night, so the 3 piranhas whacked them after I re-fried them for a couple of minutes more. After Alycia was down with food poisoning last week after eating Korean BBQ meat straight out from the fridge, I am now very wary of undercooked meats.

This is now almost well done, though I still see a tad pink in the middle.

The steaks were cooked on Bake mode (select ‘chops’) on the PPC.

While the steaks were slowly sizzling in the PPC, I had enough time to cut up a whole pomelo! With a PPC, I don’t have to stand at the stove to watch the fire. I can wash the dishes, wash the veggies and stir-fry them on the gas stove, etc while the meat is in the PPC. The meat hardly gets burnt as the Bake mode will end after 15-20 minutes. So even if you forget about it (but I doubt anyone will be that forgetful 😆) while you’re busy doing something else, you’re pretty safe as the Bake mode will end after the cycle.

The striplion steaks were marinated with salt, black pepper and Lea & Perrin sauce.

I also made a mash composed of organic purple sweet potatoes, organic orange sweet potatoes, US potatoes and organic cauliflower.

And blanched some organic broccoli and cauliflower in the same pot of water that I used to boil the potatoes.

I was worried that the 3 picky girls wouldn’t accept something so healthy with cauliflower and purple sweet potato in their mash but surprise surprise, they loved it!

Ingredients for healthy mash (just nice for 3 very hungry teens and 1 small eater adult):
3 purple sweet potato
2 orange sweet potato
3 US potato
2 handfuls of cauliflower
2 tablespoon of organic butter, melted in the microwave
1 tablespoon of salt
1 or 2 tablespoon of black pepper
2-3 tablespoon of fresh milk

Directions:
1. Cut the different types of potatoes into chunks
2. Dump the potatoes, sweet potatoes and cauliflower into a pot of boiling water with salt and boil till soft. Remove from water.
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the boiled potatoes and cauliflower.
3. Separate the potatoes and cauliflower into two batches and blitz for about half a minute in the blender. Add in milk and melted butter and blitz together.
4. You can eat warm or chilled in the fridge.

How I LOVE the color of Barney in my mash💜. Have I mentioned that when Alycia was a toddler, she was besotted with Barney? Till today, more than a decade later, hubs and I still remember the lyrics of Barney’s “I love you, you love me” rhyme❤️

I thought that there will be leftover of mash as it was a very big portion and I was unsure if the fussy girls would accept mash in purplish hue but it’s a hit. I’ll definitely make this again!

No. of times viewed = 21

What Is a Compounding Pharmacy?

Prescriptions offer a variety of healing benefits for patients. They are used to target specific issues, alleviate pain or fight off viruses and bacteria. Not only can the right prescription medication make you feel better, but they can help you overcome diseases, common illnesses and mental health issues. Doctors may prescribe either a common medication or use compounding.

Pharmacy Compounding
A licensed pharmacist can create a drug or pharmaceutical preparation. Commercially available drugs often have side effects or contraindications preventing a patient from taking the medication. Compounding is an option for receiving the healing benefits the patient needs when other options are unavailable. Pharmacies such as Tailor Made Compounding founded by Ryan Smith Lexington KY create their pharmaceutical preparations with formulations and peptide synthesis.

Ryan Smith Lexington KY in conference room

Ryan-Smiths-Taylor-Made-Compounding-Dispensary

Medication Customization
Compounding allows patients to customize their medications. Patients with allergies such as gluten or latex can use a compounding medication that does not use those ingredients in the preparation. Children and pets can enjoy a better flavor of medication, like bubblegum, that makes the medicine more palatable and easier to get them to take. For those patients who experience symptoms such as stomach upset, the pharmacist can use compounding to change the medication’s form. The patient still gets the strength and dosage they need without the side effects of oral medication. Dosage or strength is another thing patients can customize with compounding that is unavailable in commercially available prescriptions.

Ryan-Smith-Lexington-KY-analyzing-data

Compounding Limitations
The Federal Drug Administration prohibits pharmacists from duplicating those drugs already on the market. However, the pharmacist can create a topical gel or suppository of a commercially available oral medication. By changing the form, the pharmacy does not violate the law. Patients must have a prescription from a physician for a compounding medication prior to receiving medication from the pharmacy. These compounding medications are patient-specific and not produced on a mass scale like commercially available drugs. Only a doctor can determine if compounding is right for their patient.

No. of times viewed = 28

The Best Shepherd’s Pie In Singapore

Shepherd’s pie is a meat pie with a crust or topping of mashed potato. The recipe has many variations, but the defining ingredients are minced red meat, cooked in a gravy or sauce with onions and sometimes other vegetables, such as peas, celery or carrots, and topped with a layer of mashed potato before it is baked. The pie is sometimes also topped with grated cheese to create a layer of melted cheese on top.

In my family, everyone loves pies. Shepherd’s pie is one of our favorites, as with any savory pies with filling of meat. My very own baking queen loves baking pies and she can make really yummo pies from scratch, from the pie crust to the ingredients. But the aftermath of her pie baking sessions stresses me out. Though I’d love to eat her homemade pies, the thought of cleaning the mess she makes in both the wet and dry kitchen turns me off.

Wouldn’t it be nice if delish and freshly baked pies can be ordered at just a few clicks of the mouse? That will be bliss for pie lovers! And yes you can certainly do that at shepherdspie.sg and have the tastiest and freshest pies delivered to your doorstep in a jiffy without breaking a sweat! All you have to do is go to www.shepherdspie.sg, the purveyor of the best shepherd’s pie in Singapore, who has been around since 2011. Their pies which are available in beef 🐄 and chicken🐔, are baked with love and delivered hot right to your doorstep. Shepherd’s Pie Delivery offers 3 different sizes of pies – Medium, Massive and Mini.

The pies from shepherdspie.sg are baked fresh and their ingredients prepared fresh, so they have to be ordered one day in advance. Check out their pies below:

Are you drooling already looking at the pie photos? Shepherd’s Pie Singapore have been receiving positive reviews from satisfied customers for their pies which are made up of a hearty filling of meat, a creamy and smooth layer of mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.

My stomach is growling now!😋

How To Order
Ordering the pies is simple. Simply select the pie you want, and click on the cart icon in the top right of their website.

Cut-off timing for next day delivery is at 5pm and you have several time slots for delivery, as follows:

Delivery Time Slots:
Time Slot 1: 11-1pm
Time Slot 2: 1-3pm
Time Slot 3: 6-8pm

Delivery Costs
Standard Delivery Cost: $7
Free Delivery For Orders Above $80

Are you craving for mini beef shepherd’s pie for lunch tomorrow? Or planning to serve mini chicken shepherd’s pie for junior’s dinner tonight just because you don’t feel like cooking? You could also order a few massive beef or chicken shepherd’s pies for a pot luck party at home or office. Head over to Shepherd’s Pie and give them a try and don’t forget to let me know if you like their pies 😉

No. of times viewed = 105

Nursing The Girl Back To Health

Alycia has been down with a stomach flu and absent from school for 3 days. Besides napping and doing a wee bit of revision, her eyes have been glued to her phone, watching K-dramas and K-pop videos. She’s supposed to eat clear porridge but this girl would 😭 at the sight of porridge. She wanted to eat Chinese dumplings (jiaozi) from this restaurant run by Chinese nationals in our neighborhood but I said NO as jiaozi fillings are made from ground pig fats, which will exacerbate her nausea and diarrhea! She opted for fish balls and noodles as alternative and I said OK, I’ll get the homemade fish paste but she has to roll the fish paste into balls herself. She agreed.

And just like a ‘silai’ aka Chinese housewife, she sat at the dining table rolling fish balls with her hands and eyes fixated on her phone watching k-pop videos 🙄

She was incensed when she realized that she was being photographed. We had a deal and I promised her that I would blur her face in my blog 😬

The fish paste is made with 100% fish meat with no salt, sugar and additive.

I blanched some udon that the mil bought from Japan and seasoned it with only a dash of sesame seed oil, organic soy sauce and fried onions. Though the doctor advised her not to eat anything, this girl said she had fainting spells. I allowed her to eat and she wolfed down this bowl of noodles, fish balls and vegetables 🤫 🤭. I told Alycia not to eat any of the medicine that the doctor prescribed and just let nature takes its course. She had very small meals 3 times a day and I gave her peppermint essential oil to alleviate the nauseousness. I think nursing a child back to health is all about common sense and guts feelings. Of course there’ll be times when medicine and antibiotics have to be used to treat a condition.

She’s back to school today ☺️ and she’s going to spend the long weekend on a homework marathon to complete her backlog of homework for 3 days.

No. of times viewed = 64