Month: March 2022

My 49th Birthday

This year is the third year that I’ve had a low-key birthday celebration, done at home. We were in lockdown the past two years and this year, though our country is now in transition to endemic phase, I still couldn’t go out to have a blast.

It’s a no-brainer guess. Darn Covid.

Alycia was tested positive last weekend while doing a routine Covid self-test and just as she was about to discard the test kit after 20 minutes, she saw the dreaded line on the ‘T’ window. It was so faint that I had to wear my glasses and use a magnifying glass to enlarge the kit to have a better look.

The moment we all saw the very faint line, Alycia quickly isolated herself in her room. Dutifully, she quickly updated her MySejahtera app and informed all her course mates who were in close contact with her to do a self-test.

The next few days involved everyone doing the RTK, me spending hundreds of Ringgit buying self-test kits, sanitizing the house, mask-wearing at home and doing room service for Alycia.

Thank God Alycia has been asymptomatic. If it wasn’t because of the routine pre-outing Covid self-test, she would not have found out that she was positive. Her daily RTK self tests since day 1 showed faint lines. On the third or fourth day however, the line got slightly more prominent but it was still not in bright pink. The line on the ‘T’ window was still faint.

Yesterday and today though, the line on the ‘T’ window was very faint again. I still could not see the faint line but Alycia, Sherilyn and Cass claimed that they could see it. Even with me wearing my glasses and using a magnifying glass and going out to the balcony to scrutinize the self-test kit under the sun, I still couldn’t see the line.

I wonder if my Presbyopia has progressed that badly? 🀨

I can only surmise that the zero symptoms and faint line have got to do with the low viral load theory.

Alycia has one more day of self isolation before she is released from HSO.

Surprise birthday cake from the girls. They know I love brownies and got me 9 large pieces of brownies in various flavors from Brownies Bar By The Accidental Bakers. They had the brownies Grab-ed to our condo from The Gardens Mall.

I had just gained 1kg from walloping almost the entire fudgy brownies that I ordered for myself last week, then lost that 1kg during the Covid drama last week through this week and I think I’m going to pile up the 1kg again with all these decadent brownies 😜.

What a way to celebrate my last 4-series birthday. I’m so looking forward to the 5-series next year!

Check out Alycia’s Covid quarantine meals at my other blog.

No. of times viewed = 75

Another Covid Scare

This time it’s Cass’ turn. She may be in close contact with a Covid positive index from our condo block. They were both at the gym on Wednesday night. On Friday, the lady who went to the gym tested positive for Covid. The condo Managment office was notified on the same day.

Today a staff from the condo Management office called to inform me that the Covid positive index was at the gym on Wednesday from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. As Cass checked into the gym at 9.30 pm, she’s required to do a Covid self-test as a precautionary measure.

Now Cass isn’t sure if she was near this lady when she was at the gym on Wednesday. She can’t even remember if there was anyone at the gym as it was already 9.30 pm and off-peak hours at the gym.

Gyms are a high-risk place for Covid to spread because of the equipment that everyone touches . And it’s air-conditioned, making ventilation poor. Cass remembered that she didn’t use the treadmill, water-rower, bicycle, or air-walker on Wednesday. She said she only brought down her gym mat to do floor exercises and used the weights. Now that’s bad enough. What if the lady sneezed and her droplets dropped on the floor? What if Cass used the weights that the lady used minutes earlier? No one wears mask inside the gym because of the nature of the exercise.

I told Cass that it is quite useless to do a Covid self-test today as it’s too early for any symptom to manifest. But this girl insisted on doing one and it’s negative.

According to WebMD, on average, symptoms show up in a newly infected person about 5.6 days after contact. Rarely, symptoms appeared as soon as 2 days after exposure. Most people with symptoms had them by day 12. And most of the other ill people were sick by day 14.

So we’re now counting down the days to day 14. Cass has another 10 more days of school holiday and I’ll get her to do another test on the eve of going back to school.

We can’t run away from the virus anymore. It’s ubiquitous and inconspicuous. The only thing we can do is to strengthen our immune system with nutritious food, regular exercise and adequate shut-eye. You may think that sleep is not important but it is just as important as nutrition, exercise and supplements, if not even more important. All our friends and daughters’ friends who were infected with Covid admitted that they had not been getting enough sleep prior to getting infected with Covid.

It’s 10 minutes to 11 pm now and I have to rush off this post to stack some Z’s. It’s going to be another early and long day for me on a Sunday tomorrow. Hubby has a function and has to be at his central kitchen by dawn. And I have to chauffeur Sherilyn to work at the cafe tomorrow morning.

Have a restful weekend, all and sundry!

Cass did this poster of Haru. She’s obsessed with Haru whenever she does a cat loaf 😻.

No. of times viewed = 39

Another Drama

Yet another drama happened to Cass on Friday – she with her beloved Haru, which resulted in us at the clinic again.

On Friday night Cass put Haru inside a box and played ‘peekaboo’ with her. Cass must have put her face right outside the flaps of the box to “Peekaboo” at Haru. When Haru jumped out of the box, one of its paws punched Cass in the right eye, resulting in a bloodshot eye ball!

While Cass didn’t feel much pain in her right eye, the eye drop that I gave her stung her eye.

The next day we were at the clinic again, the same clinic that I brought Cass to after she was bitten by Haru right after her spay surgery about 4 months ago.

The doctor told me that fortunately, there’s no tear in the cornea. The bloodshot in the eyeball was a result of a minor graze. I was so relieved to hear that! My main concern was the bacteria from Haru’s paw causing inflammation to Cass’ eye, resulting in blindness!

Day 1, right after the minor accident – bloodshot eyeball, as a result of being punched / scratched by Haru unintentionally.
Day 2, after antibiotics eye drops and eye ointment.

On day 3, the bloodshot was almost gone, except for faint streaks of blood. Thank God!

Cass loves to play rough with Haru, resulting in Haru always avoiding her 😹. I hope that Cass will be gentler with Haru and stop giving me heart attacks!

No. of times viewed = 50

Kleenex Special Edition Disney Tsum Tsum

This cute Kleenex Special Edition Disney Tsum Tsum parcel really made my day today!

The package consists of a pack of boxed facial tissues x 4, a pack of 160 sheets facial tissues in soft pack x 4 and a pack of 50 sheets facial tissues in soft pack x 4.

Kleenex facial tissues are made from 100% imported virgin fiber, natural cotton extract and are dermatologist tested. The tissues are so soft and gentle for the skin, perfect for wiping the face and won’t cause abrasion.

The 50-piece soft pack is perfect for stashing in my handbag while the 160-piece soft pack is ideal for my car.

Kleenex Special Edition Tsum Tsum facial tissues can be purchased from leading supermarkets, Shopee, Lazada and other online shopping platforms.

No. of times viewed = 88

Random Updates

Sherilyn got herself a part-time job at our neighborhood cafe to kill time during the 3-week school holidays. This is the third week she’s in the job. She only works on Saturdays and on certain week days when she doesn’t have tuition classes. The owners of the cafe are awesome folks and take really good care of Sherilyn and all their staff members. I hope Sherilyn gets to continue working at this cafe for the next few years on a part-time basis. She will most probably start college in September next year and can work part-time on Saturdays. The duties are basically what she’d normally do at home such as washing dishes, helping out in food prep in the kitchen, sweeping and moping the floor, with the added job of waiting at tables. I told her that she passed the probationary period at the cafe because she’s got really good training at home from an OCD mom 😬

The cafe owners, a couple, don’t mind irregular working days. All the waiting staff are college and varsity students and are paid on a daily basis.

This week has been in-person classes week for Alycia. She’s getting busier by the day with back-to-back meetings, assignments and activities every single day. I hardly get to see her these days. Today is the first day that she joined a dodgeball team in campus and she made a few new friends from other faculties. She only got home at 10pm, after dodgeball and dinner of Yakitori with her dad. I’m so excited for Alycia that she’s got such an exciting college life. If only we could swap places right now!! 😬

Cass will be going back to school on 30th March. Yay, finally!!! Staying home for so long without much activities is killing both Cass and me. She annoys me the entire day by hogging my computer (though she has a laptop and a desktop!), hogs my bedroom, my mobile phone (though she has her own), my fan, and even hogs the bathroom for hours every single day! I can’t wait for her to go back to school for I really need my space, my me time and my quiet time!

Here’s Haru saying “Meow-llo! Happy Weekend!”
Not the gentlest cat, but very smart and adorable. She still likes to bite when we play with her. Her most favorite person is still her hooman dad and will only ‘manja’ her dad. She’s still trying very, very hard to win grandma over but hasn’t succeeded yet.

No. of times viewed = 34

Our Dancing Baker

I have a vision for our middle child. As she has talents in baking, cooking and dancing, I told her that she should open a cafe-cum-dance center in future. The ground floor shop lot would ideally be a cafe and the first floor, a dance school. While she manages the cafe and teaches dancing, I’ll be the cashier at the cafe. The cafe would serve as the perfect waiting place for parents after they drop off their kids for dance classes. There’ll be cakes, healthy smoothies, juices, and mains on the menu. I’ve also encouraged her to take up a Degree in Business Management so that she can effectively manage her businesses.

But I doubt that this will come true as she has something else on her mind, which is remotely related to F&B and business. Oh well, we’ll see what God’s plans are for her  πŸ˜‡

Yesterday our teenage baker baked a lemon meringue cake. She has a thing with baking really complicated cakes. Never one who would bake a good old butter cake or a classic banana cake, she’d only choose recipes that involve 101 steps! I’ve told her many times that I crave for a good old plain orange cake or banana cake but she said NO, she would only bake cafe-style cakes! Β πŸ™„

The lemon meringue cake involves multiple complicated steps. First is the preparation of the lemon curd. Then the baking of 3 lemon sponge cakes. Next, preparation of the meringue. And finally assembling of the cake and blowtorching the meringue to create a light brown toast color.

A total of 12 eggs and 8 lemons were used. It’s a pretty costly cake!

In the process of prepping the cake, a snafu happened. While she was removing one of the sponge cakes from the oven, she accidentally dropped the cake on the floor! It was a mess but she quickly salvaged the cake and the top part of the cake was smashed on the floor! Luckily OCD me had just mopped the floor and since the floor was clean, the both of us scooped up the cake from the floor and stuffed it into our mouths… and ROTFL while at it πŸ˜† .

She had so much fun blowtorching the meringue on the cake!
Picture perfect, cafe-style cake. All self-taught from watching You Tube tutorials.
Very lemony and yummy! But I find it a tad sweet, though she reduced the amount of sugar. I told her to reduce more sugar the next time she bakes this cake again.

This video is Sherilyn’s first You Tube dance cover, produced by her dance school. The filming was postponed umpteen times since last year due to the rising Covid cases and only shot 3 weeks ago at Tamarind Square, Putrajaya. She worked really hard to get into the dance group.

If you can’t spot her, she’s the one in cropped blue blazer and tennis skirt. She’s the shortest in the squad (and youngest) and has to wear soles lift pads to give her a slight boost in her height πŸ˜†

Our dancer’s next project is another dance competition in 2 weeks and there will be lots of practices with her group mates in the coming days.

No. of times viewed = 62

4 Swimming Safety Tips

Swimmers, Swimming, Pool, Olympic Pool, Race

When temperatures rise in the summertime, nothing beats having your own swimming pool to dive into with some friends and floaties. With that said, however, enjoying a pool comes with several risks that any responsible pool owner should educate themselves about.

After working with swimming pool builders St Louis MO to install the perfect watering hole in your backyard, be sure to spend time reading about pool safety information. If you have children, it is critical to include them in your learning efforts. Make sure they understand drowning risks and other important swimming safety tips such as these.

1. Avoid Swimming Alone

Everyone needs alone time, but swimming is not the best idea for getting it. In an ideal situation, the safest way to swim is in the presence of an experienced lifeguard, but if that is not an option, at least have a friend or family member nearby if something goes wrong. 

2. Give Children Close and Constant Attention

When it comes to drowning risks, children are the most vulnerable. As such, you should never take your attention off a child whenever he or she is near the water. Sometimes parents spend time using cell phones or tablets by the pool, but these devices can be distracting.

3. Stay Near Inexperienced Swimmers

Even if your pool is fairly shallow, it is always a good idea to stay near inexperienced swimmers whenever they are in the water. Learning to swim takes time, and sometimes new swimmers need extra support if or when they struggle. 

4. Secure Pool Area With Barriers

There are many precautions you should take when you are using your swimming area, but pool safety is just as important when you go inside. For example, think about how accessible your pool is. To keep your yard safe and reduce drowning risks, be sure to secure the area with barriers like a fence.

By following safety tips like these, you can help prevent unwanted accidents while enjoying your new pool.

No. of times viewed = 12

How To Eat Healthier Without Dieting

Food, Restaurant, Dinner, Fork, Knife, Healthy, Table

Eating healthy doesn’t have to involve strict dieting or restrictive eating. These helpful tips will help you stay on track and eat healthier all year long.

Choose Healthy Dining Options

When you decide what to eat for dinner every night, focus on having the power to choose and give yourself options. Limiting yourself and stressing out about what to eat will cause additional harm to the body. When your body is in a stressed-out state, it becomes harder to digest properly and absorb nutrients. You can still enjoy going out to eat at your favorite seafood restaurant Plano with friends. Try splitting courses to cut down on portion sizes and don’t be afraid to order something new. Choose grilled or steamed meals over deep-fried dishes. Avoid refilling your cup with sugary drinks and ask for water instead.

Shop Smart

When you go to the food store make a list and have a snack beforehand to avoid cravings. Avoid aimlessly wandering through every aisle. This will help avoid impulse buying unhealthy snacks you see along the way. Try to do most of your food shopping in the fresh produce sections of the store. Try to buy a variety of colors when it comes to fruits and vegetables to incorporate more nutrient-dense whole foods. When purchasing packaged foods, always read the label and beware of ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, or unhealthy oils.

Use Local Produce

Take your food shopping a step further by growing your own fruits and vegetables at home. Growing your own food is a great way to develop a better relationship with food and cooking. When you grow your own food you don’t have to worry about how it was sourced or transported to the store. If you don’t have the space to grow your own garden, try shopping at local farmers’ markets for fresh, organic produce.

Instead of picking up a restrictive diet or worrying about how to eat healthier, implement these simple healthy habits into your daily life.

No. of times viewed = 42

4 Helpful Ways to Stick to Your Exercise Goals

woman kneeling beside man

If you want to start exercising more, you may wonder how you can incorporate this habit into your already busy lifestyle. Learning how to increase the amount you move can help you make healthy choices and stick to your new habit.

1. Use the Steps More

One simple way to keep your legs moving and your heart rate up is to climb stairs as much as you can. This idea can be as simple as taking the long way up to your office instead of using the elevator, or taking time out of your afternoon to walk up and down your stairs in your home as a form of exercise. Having a simple reminder on your phone or near your desk can help you stay on target for how many stairs you climb each day.

2. Add in Some Fun

Taking classes with other people is one fun way to get your weekly amount of exercise in. Picking a sport or activity you feel interested in is one way to ensure you’ll stick with your plans, which can help you when you feel ready to quit. It can also help you meet friends or people with similar goals, which can keep you on track as time goes on. No matter whether you want to tryΒ personal training Mississauga ONΒ or swimming, you can likely find a local group or area that offers you a place to try it out.

3. Rely on Others

Talking about your goals to family or friends may help you stay serious about your change in lifestyle habits. If you let others in and discuss what you want to accomplish, then you can have people close to you help remind you to exercise even when you forget or feel lazy. This can be especially helpful if you tend to get overwhelmed with work or other obligations. You may even find it beneficial to ask others to exercise with you during your lunch break or later in the day if they have free time. 

4. Write It Down

You may feel so overwhelmed by your daily schedule that you can easily forget when you exercised and when you didn’t. Writing down all the times you went out and completed a workout is one way to prevent getting off track when trying to accomplish long-term health goals. Making a chart with the date, type of exercise, and length of your workout can help you graph out your progress as the months go on.

No. of times viewed = 25

HEALTH FREAK MOMMY