Yay!

Finally I have the time to visit this and write again. After 5 weeks without access to computer for almost 3/4 of my day.

Congratulations for Qq! ~on lowering his cholesterol level from 238 to 150 (healthy range : <200), and triglycerides from a hideous 444 to 150-ish (healthy range : <200)! He managed to eat healthily (even w/o supervision ~ except for few times only) and increase his exercise time while consuming some medications too. Now the doctor suggest that he keep this lifestyle and stop the medication, see how the result shows in 3 month time.

Celery sticks for celebration?

Things seeked by guests or family members that you won’t find in our house

• Chili sauce (sambal)
• Coffee
• Tea
• TV (actually we can convert the monitor to TV, but mom doesn’t want it as the reception is not that good, but we also doesn’t want to pay starhub subscription when my mom will only stay for 1 week at most)
• Clock (well, know we actually have it but not really that prominent)

Increase your default email capacity and backup using gmail

Ever think that your current default email has the following situation:

• capacity that too small (e.g. 10mb)
• you are not always able to go online to download your email everyday through pop
• you do not want to change the email address as all your contacts will email you through this email
• you do not want to use free email address (hotmail, yahoo mail, gmail) and instead prefer more acknowledged email address (e.g. your provider mail like singnet or starhub or your company email address)
• you do not have exchange server to autoforward your current email to gmail or any other mail provider to back it up
• you are lazy to always backup/archive your outlook, but if you don’t do it, your file will get too big
• searching your old email takes a long time or make use a lot of resources of your system

If you say yes to some or some of the situations stated above, then you might want to try the following :

• Create a new gmail account
• Enable the POP forwarding
• Add your current POP email account to the gmail
• Add your current SMTP address to gmail and set is as default
• Set your email application (e.g. outlook) pop and smtp to gmail instead of your email provider

Hence, you will have the following PROs :

• still send and receive using your current email address and provider
• pop account will never full as gmail will always downloaded it and empty it
• have backup both for inbox and sent item in gmail
• can search your old email using gmail’s server resource instead of your system resource
• can access all your email on the go using gmail account
• you have the “thread/conversation” capability of gmail.

But also the CONs :

• It will take longer for your email to arrive to your email application as it will first downloaded to gmail (according to gmail schedule) then you can download it
• Maybe some confidentiality issue as now your emails will be sitting at gmail’s server (so, if you are going to use this method for your office email, then you need to seek your IT’s department advice whether this is permittable in the IT Security Policy or not)

The reason I use gmail (well, u can use other mail provider if it can do the same thing)

• I like the gmail thread/conversation capability
• It enable pop forwarding
• it can download pop account
• it can enable smtp through my default smtp address, hence the email will have the original email instead of having the word “On Behalf Of”
• it has 7GB capability (though hotmail or yahoo has bigger capacity now)

I think that’s all for now folks

Places where I spend lots of Money

Since I’ve stayed at home these past 2 months, I’ve been doing lots of fun activities! Really enjoyed this “holiday”.

I really learned a lot from other housewives to organise things at home, like scheduling house chores (though it’s disrupted by some unfortunate events too, e.g. being sick, being lazy etc etc ;p), planning menu ahead, etc etc.

It’s really fun esp the shopping part. Since I was a little girl, I really enjoy going to SUPERmarket. My fave is Makro where u can buy things in a bulk and it’s cheaper. I remember when I was little & my mum was still in catering business, she took me there to shop with her, and I’ll be her price controller & calculator. I will search for the cheapest high-quality products, for promotions, and take note of the total amount of money spent. As I reflect on this, now I know why I feel really satisfied & accomplished when I buy things which is just 30 cent less than their usual prices – something that Qq can’t understand. He will then give his ????? face as I chirped about the “savings” I just made hapilly.

I don’t really like it when my mum take me to wet market because, -well-, it’s wet, and you have to bargain, sometimes (a skill I’m lacking of). Now that I’m old, I still like to go to SUPERmarket & sometimes enjoy wet market (though I never shop at one in Singapore) ~ I know… typical city girl right?? However, I realise that things in supermarket are not always more expensive than wet market (e.g. meat, chicken). Maybe wet market is cheaper if you are a loyal customer of a shop. Maybe the items are fresher there. For me, I’m not really a fan of wet market.

Now that I’m in Singapore, I can’t really shop there, and the prices here are really competitive. My fave supermarket here is Shop & Save (one of the main reason is because it’s the largest in BB area…). Though it’s more expensive, but they have a stamp system. So if we spend $120 on one month, we will get a voucher worth $9 or 5% off in the next purchase. Actually I like Fairprice more, since the price is much cheaper (30 cents being “much”). Too bad it’s really small in size and when I came for shopping usualy the meats are no longer there, and if I go earlier, the place is crowded (no peaceful shopping experience) & the queue is very long.

Recently I use coldstorage delivery service. It’s quite worth it, 7 dollar for order above $60. For Fairprice delivery, it’s 8 dollar for order below $100 and 5 dollar for order more than $100. It’s better to order at fairprice provided you have the time to wait. The last time I tried to order, last friday, the earliest delivery time is the next thursday!

Another coldstorage plus point is that they deliver meat & dairy products. but stupid me, I forgot to order some! We want to see whether the meat is still fresh or not and considering of shopping online if we have no time or just lazy to go down to shop.

From technical point of view… fairprice website is VERY VERY SLOW!!! I can’t take it….. =.=

But aside from all these delivery services, I have learned that coldstorage things are even more expensive than shop & save, plus the delivery charge, plus the fact that two of us does not really need lots of things to be delivered too. So, I think for the rest of the time we will try to shop together on weekend, and we take taxi home- it’s only 4 dollar!

I really enjoy being at home.. Can’t believe that it’s going to end soon as I’ll be starting to work full time in 2 week time. Can I work (and also laze around – of course) at home forever?

Breakfast Muffin

Yummy.. not as oily as the last one.. i think will stick to this recipe, as it is simple & not using eggs at all & not too sweet, with nice almond smell (that Q cannot smell! ~ he said must add more almond). Yay. It looks like cupcake.. :p

100 gr self raising flour

150 gr wholemeal flour

60 gr almond flour

80 gr sugar

200 ml milk

2 teaspoon baking powder

60 ml extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all the flour + sugar. Mix milk, baking powder, olive oil, vanilla, and add to the flour mixture bit by bit. Add fillings.

Bake at 150C for 10 mins.

Make 12 small muffins or 6 large ones

my previous too-oily attempt..

looks beautiful rite? ))

G*rl*c Bun

Found this recipe online, but I forgot from where. Modify the recipe a bit to include some wholemeal flour. It’s really a nice & simple recipe.

The end product, not so good looking, I think I slit it too deep?

the G-word is censored for my dear’s sake.. n just for the fun teasing him he he ;p

Bread dough :

100 g bread flour
100 g wholemeal flour (if don’t want to use this, the recipe calls for cake flour, but maybe can try with all bread flour as well..)
15 g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
130 g milk
15 g unsalted butter

G*rl*c spread :

30 g butter at room temperature
2 cloves of g*rl*c (I blend this)
1 tsp dried parsley

Add all ingredients for bread dough (except butter), and knead till smooth (I use mixer for about 10 mins). Add the butter. Knead more for about 10-15 mins.

Proof the dough for 90 mins. Prepare a working zone which include a flat surface powdered with a bit flour, the roller, small plate of flour, and maybe some music from radio..

After that, separate dough to 5-6 small portions. Roll the dough to let go of air bubbles. Shape them into small balls. Proof again for 15 mins.

After that, flatten the dough & roll into oval shape, pinch the end, and put them on baking tray (the ugly side down). Cover with cling wrap to proof again for 30 mins.

Prepare the g*rl*c spread, blend butter, g*rl*c & parsley together, till smooth. This time I’m not using parsley and I don’t think i will be using it the next time either. :p Brush egg yolk / milk on top of the bread (I skipped this one too).

Cut a slit on the bread dough using knife (I just cut a hole with scissors ;p), and put the g*rl*c spread on the hole.

Bake at 175 C for about 10 mins, or more. (for my oven, it’s exactly 12 mins)

make 5-6 buns.

Note : Today I made 6 buns, but the size is too small for me. next time I’ll divide to 5 only. The bread texture is so smoooth.. definetely next time I’ll increase the wholemeal proportion, maybe to 125-75.. Maybe next time will also use this recipe with other fillings..

A Sweet Surprise for Mon Amie

In August there are many special events including the birthdays of my two special ones. Since I have been having “baking lesson”, I tried to make something for them ~ the guinea pigs (oops). This is what I baked for Melon. To decorate it, I use royal icing ~ really prefer this compared to the rest of icing recipe coz it contains no butter or cream.

Butter Cookies

150 g butter
50 g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
about 1/4 tsp salt (just a little bit of it!)
150 g plain flour
50 g corn flour

Cream the butter & icing sugar first, then add vanilla & salt. Lastly, add the mixture of plain & corn flour. The batter is ready!

After that, u could use cookie press or pipe out or rolled out & cut to desired shape. For me, I want to test my very first plastic cookie cutter which I bought at neighborhood shop.

Bake at 150C for 15 mins. When u take out, it’s a bit soft on the surface, but it would become solid upon cooling. Don’t forget to shift the cookies a bit so that it would not stick to the baking pan (if not using cookie paper).

Royal icing

2 egg whites
200-250 g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence (or lemon extract)

Beat egg whites till foamy gradually add icing sugar & vanilla essence. Beat till thick with high speed. Separate to several container & add desired colorings.

Note : M & I like the texture of the cookies, which is soft and kind of melt in ur mouth. Q liked the last time I baked, from a book recipe (with more flour & egg yolks). He also thinks that this recipe is not sweet enough, while I find it’s ok (without icing).

Aquarobic

Last, last week we went to gym to swim, and were chased out because pool is closed for aquarobic. We stayed for a while to preview the class, and it seems fun & interesting.

So this week we joined the class yay..

Image was taken from wiki and somehow all the people in the pic looks old. This exercise, because is done underwater, has less impact on muscle and joint. (but still i had knee pain afterwards!)

Anyway, the exercise was really fun- running and jumping, forward and backward. We use the long kind of float shown in the pic, which is ridiculously (but seriously!) called NOODLE FLOAT.

Qq was having fun and could move really fast. I enjoyed the exercise too, but some people really know how to spoil the mood to have fun & make friends.

Despite these some people, let’s join again next week!

Will he listen to me now?

Since forever, Qq has a very very high cholesterol level, esp for triglyceride. And he has been feeding himself with “once-in-a-while” food during lunches & holidays (when we’re back in indonesia), sometimes we had sinful food for dinner too (if im not cooking).

When I cook something with GARLIC, Q always said “yuck. garlic smell!”. He shivers at the sight of garlic (and onion, and spring onion, and lettuce roots!, and many others). little did he know that garlic has amazing effect for lowering cholesterol & almost every food that i cook contains garlic (so does food that u buy outside home!!!).. ;p note for myself : i need to chop the garlic really small & make the taste less strong…

When I cook chicken, he does like sometimes, but still, “it does not taste like pork.”

When I cook fish (with bones), he dislikes the bones.. well, these past few months Q complains less and less about the bone & makes the effort to separate the bones himself like a big boy

I seldom cook beef because mainly it’s more expensive & Stephan, the fellow high-cholesterol mate, once said that we must limit red meat consumption.. Seldom cook pork also because I don’t really like pork, my mother seldom cook pork, so I could not really cook them well too. The only pork recipe that I am most comfortable with is meat ball soup.. ^^;

~~~

So this morning we went to see doctor about the high Triglyceride level & the doctor suggested what I had suggested to him & sometimes he ignores me, esp the part about DIET… So, will Q listen to me now?

there’s one thing that I am not really aware of – consumption of eggs. really must limit it to just TWO eggs per week!!!

I’ll try to cook more healthy food for dinner, most will be made of skinless chicken & fish! Be ready for it, dear! :p

Some food are over-rated and I don’t know why people queue for that…

Few days ago, saw 2 stall at Ion Orchard that has long queues.

1. Modern Peking Duck
- It has 1 whole big pig displayed, and they directly cut the meat from there.
- The peking duck looks so nice

2. A stall selling takoyaki
- Overheard from some guy passed by to his friend : “This stall is die die must try one”

So, this afternoon, 12.00, I thought, quite early, let me give it a try…

And the conclusion is…. (this is my personal opinion and based on what I liked)

• The big pig (6 dollars – 200gram – no rice) : Not so nice, quite ok, but not worth the queue, and the skin, crispy, but some are very hard to chew.
• The peking duck (6 dollars – 5 pieces) : Very nice, worth to try and queue for.
• The takoyaki (4.80 dollars – 6 pieces): Not nice at all, I don’t know why they have long queues, well, maybe because it tooks very long to make and they can’t make it fast enough.

And that’s my lunch experience for today.