October 2019 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Sinful Sweet Monday

After a sumptuous dinner at Ming Room @ Bangsar Shopping Complex to celebrate mom and dad’s 49th wedding anniversary last night, hubs went shopping for desserts, though we’d just scarfed down so much delish food with dessert of half the anniversary cake, longevity pau and white fungus longan dessert just a moment ago!

Our first stop was at Ladurée, a patisserie specializing in macarons. Ladurée has been in existence in Paris for over 150 years. The macarons from Ladurée @ BSC are fully imported from Paris, thus the jaw-dropping price tag. Hubs paid RM48 for 4 macarons. The gold colored ones come with a RM20+ price tag!

None of us are fans of macarons as we find them too sweet and cloy for our liking. Besides the sugar, the bright food coloring is OMG! I was trying my best to stop the hubs from buying something that no one likes and has no nutritional value. But he was intent in getting the best French macarons for us to try and good thing he did as everyone liked them!

The outer shells of the airy meringue sandwiches were smooth and crisp, and the inner fillings were a variety of fluffy creams, jams, and ganaches with ground almond in every bite. The texture of the macarons was wonderful, and like nothing we have ever tasted before.

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After a wonderful treat of French macarons, the next stop was at Godiva for some much raved premium soft serve ice-cream!

You can take your pick of Dark Chocolate, Vanilla White Chocolate or Twist Chocolate soft serve ice cream, served in crispy waffle cones with rims dipped in chocolate and crunchy praline almonds. Hubs bought two Twist Chocolate.

The ice cream is so luxurious. Its rich and creamy texture just melted in our mouths and we love that the ice cream isn’t too sweet or cloy.

Luxury ice cream comes with an equally posh price tag of RM23 for one cone of this soft-serve treat. This is something that chocolate and ice-cream fans should try at least once to experience the ultimate luxuriousness of the best of both worlds in one.

After such sinful indulgence, I woke up this morning with a bad nightmare. I dreamed that my blood test showed that my blood sugar level shot up to a reading of 10.8 and I was officially confirmed a diabetic patient and needed meds!!! And Cass’ blood sugar level was also high and before the doctor could tell me her blood sugar reading, I woke up from this terrible dream! 😱🥶😅

And so today, I tried with my might not to indulge in anything sweet, though we had another round of eating and merriment with my parents and SIL from Hawaii. I never take my dreams lightly. Maybe it’s a warning from my big Boss up there that I should watch what I eat! 😊

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If You’re An Asian Mom, Watch This Video

This video really made my day and had me in stitches this morning🤣 If you’re an Asian mom, like myself, this video so relates to our everyday lives dealing with our school-going Gen Z digital dopamine frazzled zombie kids; and how we tiger Asian moms put so much emphasis on good academic results!

What you see in this video is a typical daily scene at our home. Almost every word that came out from the mi’s mouth in this video is what I say most of the time to my girls. Now you get an idea of what kind of mum I am — definitely not the poster mum who can boast of producing exemplary kids.🤫

Have a good laugh and happy looooooong weekend. Happy Deepavali to all my Indian readers!

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Tuesday, 22 October 2019

SIL from Hawaii arrived at 3:45 am today. For the next 2 weeks, we’re set to accompany her to gormandize all the yummy local fare that there is to offer in KL 😊 😋

After they had breakfast of fishballs noodles and Nyonya kuih in Paramount PJ (which I didn’t follow), we went to Alexis @ Gardens Mall to have lunch of Nyonya Mee Siam, Nasi Kerabu, roast chicken sandwich and Tiramisu. Good thing Alycia has 2 weeks off from school to accompany her Sarah koo koo.

SIL, friends and MIL will be having dinner outside and I’ve bought takeaway fried rice from Din Tai Fung, Gardens Mall for the girls for dinner. Since I don’t have to cook, I’m now enjoying a relaxing massage on my Osim portable massage chair while typing this post ☺️

Goodies from Hawaii, courtesy from SIL. Thanks Sarah 😘

Lots of Royce chocolates that she bought from Kansai Airport during her stopover this morning:

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What’s Your Body Mass Index (BMI)?

As written in my earlier posts, my weight dropped from 46.7kg to about 44kg (at times, 43.9kg) early this year. I did not intentionally lose weight. I kept getting the flu and sore throat continuously late last year for several months. I also intensified my daily morning workout by adding strength training and lower abdomen exercises. All these contributed to a weight loss of more than 2kg. Most of the inches came off my waist and hips and I had to send all my skirts and pants to the tailor to have them tightened.

For someone standing at 158cm tall, a weight of 44kg is considered underweight (BMI of only 17.63). My 2 older girls tell me that I am grossly underweight because I am lighter than them 😬

Your BMI (Body Mass Index) is based on your height and weight. It’s one way to see if you’re at a healthy weight. Let’s have a look at the BMI chart:

Underweight: Your BMI is less than 18.5

Healthy weight: Your BMI is 18.5 to 24.9

Overweight: Your BMI is 25 to 29.9

Obese: Your BMI is 30 or higher

You can calculate your BMI by using a BMI Calculator.

This month my weight went up a wee bit to 44.9kg, which fluctuates up to 46kg during different times of the menstrual cycle. My most trusted part-time helper of 7 years recently came back from her 3-month maternity leave and I’m a tad more relaxed at home now. Also, I don’t have to cook anymore as the mil is back as well. Cooking involves quite a bit of hands and legs movements and I think it’s a form of exercise. My weight gain is partly contributed by having to do fewer house chores as well as muscle gain as I’ve recently added hand weights exercise to my morning exercise regimen.

Muscle is much denser than fat, so very muscular people, such as heavyweight boxers, weight trainers and athletes, may be a healthy weight even though their BMI is classed as obese.

Is being underweight good for you besides having a smaller frame?

Being underweight isn’t good for your health. Weighing too little can contribute to a weakened immune system, nutritional deficiencies, anemia, fragile bones, infertility and feeling tired.

Yes I hear ya! That’s why I’m not too concerned that I’ve gained back a few pounds. With the few pounds added back, my BMI still falls under the Underweight category.

When I first got a new job as PA to a Datuk many years ago, my work life was so stressful that my weight dropped to 42kg. I suffered from infertility, hormonal imbalance and was later diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I personally find that I lack the stamina to run / exercise when my weight goes down too much.

Recently a famous pretty social media influencer who’s a size XXS commented that if a woman is size M, she is already considered obese and if you’re a size M and above, you should move your arse more, exercise and go on diet. Her post drew a lot of flak on social media.

I personally feel that we should eat right, sleep well, EXERCISE, move more and stick to a weight that we feel healthy and comfortable in. Use the BMI as a guide to help you achieve your ideal weight.

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Botanica + Co @ Vertical Podium, Bangsar South

I just realized that tomorrow is Sunday and I still haven’t posted food photos that we took last Sunday when we were at Bangsar South (AGAIN!) for lunch. I have a hunch that the hubs will be going there again for lunch tomorrow, or even for dinner tonight! The bite-list at Bangsar South is replete with novelty cuisines, from The Sphere to the Vertical Podium. We’ve still not tried so many restaurants there yet.

Back to last Sunday’s lunch! This time we tried Botanica + Co, a restaurant inspired by the botanics. The feeling of dining outdoor amidst lush greenery is captured inside the restaurant as you dine amidst a greenhouse-themed interior.

Photo credit – EatDrinkKL

Pizzas are a cornerstone here and my pizza devotee girls ordered a Maui pizza.

No prize for guessing who ordered this refreshing salad with lemongrass chook.

Big breakfast set.

Sherilyn ordered this Mexican wrap and she didn’t quite like it. She made something similar recently and it tasted way better than this, ahem! And her tortillas were made from scratch, as with her guacamole and salsa. That girl certainly has good taste (thanks to the foodie hubs who brings us on a food hunt every weekend ), is aesthetic savvy and a perfectionist too when it comes to cooking, baking and dancing.

The Pasembur features crunchy deep fried prawn and vegetables fritters (with generous amounts of vegetables) against refreshing raw strips of yam bean, cucumber and bean sprouts as well as hard boiled eggs, potatoes and tofu strips. I love the peanut sauce that goes with this Indian rojak. All the ingredients work together harmoniously to deliver a gastronomic delight. This is definitely an item that I’ll order again when I dine at this restaurant again.

Grilled chicken, which has a hint of cumin and middle East spices. It tastes very much like the grilled chicken thighs that I usually cook for the girls 😉

Botanica + Co’s menu is a passport to cross-border cuisine-hopping, ranging from the Middle East mezze of textured hummus, spicy muhammara & creamy baba ganoush with house-baked flatbread to the American hot Reuben sandwich with pastrami, salami, melted Swiss cheese, BBQ sauce & an extra flourish of kimchi. Portions are constructed for sharing if you’re not an extremely big eater. Our family of 6 shared everything you see here and portions were just right for us, though we had to doggy bag the Pasembur home for dinner.

Overall the food that we ordered was average. I love the Pasembur though. The menu is quite extensive and the next time we visit again, we’ll try Sam’s Crab & Crayfish Laksa, which, from my online research, has garnered positive reviews. Botanica + Co is a great place for Insta-worthy photos to boast, good place to people watch and for photography as lighting is amazing. I love restaurants with natural lights.

Botanica & Co
G5 Podium, The Vertical,
Bangsar South City,
No. 8 Jalan Kerinchi,
59200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 016-965 6422

Business hours:
Mon to Thurs: 11.30am – 10pm
Friday & Eve of Public Holiday: 11.30am – 12am
Sat: 9.30am – 12am
Sun & Public Holidays: 9.30am – 10pm

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Cassandra’s First Field Trip

I was already up at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday to ensure that Cass reaches school by 7 a.m. for her maiden one-day field trip organized by her school for Primary 5 students. Places covered include a soy sauce factory, a theater at The Curve, a Nyonya kuih factory and lunch in Selayang. She’s waited for so long for this day to come and I don’t want to disappoint her.

Lovely view of sunrise at 6:45 a.m.

Cass with her BFFs, A and J. They have been in the same class since Primary 2.

Group photo before departure.

Cass’ caring teacher, Ms L, volunteered to put Cass in her group so that she can watch over her. Ms L is aware of Cass’ bladder issues and I briefed her about Cass’ health do’s and don’ts before the trip. Honestly, I was still reluctant to let Cass go on the day of the trip but I knew that I have to let go. Cass has to learn to take care of herself knowing very well of what she can and can’t do and the nasty consequences she has to be faced with should she get another UTI attack.

Cass sat at the back of the bus with her besties. She turned her back on me and pulled the curtains when I tried to steal a photo of her in the bus🙄.

She kept her promised and Whatsapped me throughout the trip, telling me where she was and what they were doing. The day passed really quickly and I was too busy chauffeuring Alycia and Sherilyn the whole day that I didn’t even have the time to worry too much about Cass. I was so happy when I saw her alight from the bus after the trip but refrained from giving my baby girl a big hug and kiss. She now resists all forms of public display of affection 😥

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So Who Died Ah?

After the fatal heart attack incident at our apartment two days ago, many residents including me, were curious to know who the deceased was. We only knew that he was a large size Indian man with a beer belly. All the residents whom I bumped into asked me if the deceased was my opposite neighbor, an Indian bachelor who also has a pot belly; who is also a regular gym-goer; because rumors had it that it was him! That got me and the girls really, really itching to know if it was indeed our neighbor! We hoped that it’s not him. He’s such a sweet guy, always surprising us with cakes that he buys from his Europe holidays. The latest gift from him was two months ago, a Marks & Spencer butter cream cake from London.

Then Cass suggested that I buy some fruits for our Indian neighbor before ringing on his doorbell to check on him. But puh-lease, that’s so not me. And what do ya know? Two days after the incident, our Indian neighbor (like he could read my mind! Talk about the Law of Attraction!) rang our doorbell at 9 p.m. and gave us a big bunch of bananas!

When I was chatting with him at the door, I almost wanted to slap him on his arm and tell him (as if we were old friends) that I thought it was him who died at the gym but am so glad to see him at the door alive 🤣 And you know what, I think he had an ulterior motive too! Before he left, he asked me if I knew who died at the gym. I was so tempted to tell him “eh, everyone at our block thought it was you who died la!”

Hubs quipped that maybe our Indian neighbor also had the same curious thought on his mind – is that my neighbor who died (my hubby)? Maybe that’s the reason why he came over in the pretext of giving us bananas, just to check on us (hubby). 🤣

Sweet and juicy organic bananas planted by our neighbor’s workers at his land in Rawang.

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