I started walking/running again, yesterday being my second time in as many weeks. It's been a long time coming, ever since I stopped last year due to err.. inclement weather or sumfink like that lol! I might have ran a couple of times in the meantime, but it's really been close to a year since I donned my running shoes and sweat it out at KLCC Park. I really hope to continue doing it once weekly, for it's getting harder and harder to shed those weight.. *dripping w sarcasm* thanksssssss, age.

Anyhoo, running. Look at all these inspirational posters... aren't they... inspirational? What a romantic, lofty view eh.

If only they worked on me!

This is no secret but the truth is... I HATE running.

All I want to do is to lie down like a slug on my couch and stuff my face with potato chips drowned in chili cheese and still be able to fit into a size 4 dress. Yes, that is how it should be.

Most people might find running therapeutic and that they are able to focus and think about stuff and all. Or like Olympian Eric Liddell who said he was born to run and so felt God's pleasure when he was running.

When I run, all I could think about is WHEN WOULD THIS END? WHY DO I THIS? HOW LONG MORE? CAN I QUIT NOW? Tsk tsk. This happens every. single. time.

Everyone has a calling... this isn't mine la. You know what am I made for?

EATING. I feel such pleasure when I eat yummy food. Like that piping hot bowl of fish head I had last night? That was DIVINE. Nasi lemak? Tandoori chicken? Bak kut teh? Curry? Grilled lamb? Pasta carbonara? Roast duck? Rendang? Roast pork? Claypot rice? THESE ARE STUFF LIFE IS MADE OFF OKAY.

Sigh..... so for you food oh glorious food, I shall hit the track again next week and the week after and endure that grueling 50 minutes so that guilt would slide off me while I go for that second helping. Nom nom. :)

Btw, I actually like walking. I think I can cover quite a distance on foot. So why don't I walk right? Because it takes forever to cover my usual route. And also because ambling doesn't cut it. It burns so few calories I'd be wasting my time. I actually alternate between running and brisk walking, because I just don't have the stamina to run 5km continuously.. so there.

Haha, look at me, blogging about food while fasting. Tsk tsk! *beams*

The King and I.

I liked durian when I was young. Durian dinner was a family affair, with all of us sitting round on the living room floor; dad would deftly open one fruit after another, faster than we could pop them into our mouths.. That, or we'd mix the flesh with a hot bowl of rice. We'd also be keeping an eye out for a good piece of shell to end dinner with the drinking of water straight from the pipe onto the shell, to "cool off the heatiness" of the durian.

Then one day, I think I was 17(?), I just decided that I don't like durian. I'd sit out from the makan fest, and just watch while they eat. I wasn't turn off by the smell -- I still don't get how gwailos would describe the fragrance of the King of Food as vomit-inducing stench -- I just abstained. The family couldn't understand it and neither did I, but I didn't begrudge it. And the idea of durian and rice? Major turn-off!

Then I got married to a durian lover.

I'd know when the fruit is in season. His cravings would start and my house will carry the lingering smell. That saying, if you can't beat them, join them? Haha.. Well I did. These days, I can't describe my rship with the fruit -- one day I'd eat it, and the next day I won't. Back and forth, back and forth. I guess it's "complicated" eh? Haha! Anyways, for the record, today I had three biji of thick sweet flesh ones. And dare I say, yums? :)

two food pics to mark close of business hours.

steamed drunken prawns, cooked this for hubby as his "last meal" before he left. ;)

linguine vongole with white wine, fresh italian parsley and pizza quattro stagioni (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, turkey ham, black olives, spicy beef salami) topped with rocket leavesn from sassorosso. dinner with mandy, just because. one word, in caps no less: HEAVENLY.


diet? what diet?

Yummy & love in tummy

Had my parents over this evening. Cooked a simple meal [chicken stew, pucuk ubi & egg, baby bayam soup & my very awesome siew yoke (roasted pork) which was totally delish (i've passed the recipe to dad to try out :)] The purple colour rice is of the 10-grain variant.

Parents brought their worker who helped me with the wash up for which I'm super grateful cos my kitchen is always a disaster zone after I cook :) I gave her a small token of appreciation for having to deal with the aftermath.

It's been a nice Sunday evening.. *heart* Am thankful. I only wish I'm more adventurous in my cooking.. :)

a friend was in the US recently and bought this back for us.



i'm not a fan of hyperbole, but this is like the best snack evaarrr. :D
two of my fav things in one can of awesomeness: coffee and macadamia. :9

i wish i make more $$ than i could ever spend
then i wouldn't have to say NO to

this:

RM38

and this:

RM39 - 10% off
saw this at GladSounds and i held on to it forever before putting it back (bought a book though :) -- maybe next year! i've already downloaded a good number of christmas songs from NoiseTrade.com (it's all legal so do check it out! :) and i want this just because it's Relient K and i'm a loyal fangirl. :D

btw did you know GS has an outlet in the prestigious Starhill Gallery? i wonder how they afford the rent (they've been there for a year) -- i suspect francis yeoh might have generously waived it. :D

anyways
christmas shopping is VERY STRESSFUL and i hate it
it's tough buying one gift
let alone 20
in the short 3 weekends in December
so many factors to take into consideration
preeminently a limited budget

chongy said i should ditch the idea
true that
Christmas is not about pressies
yeah it's NOT

ok
maybe next year
i can convince myself that it's OK not to buy gifts
i'm still caving in to the tradition this year
:)

i would love to make something
i know my framed spongy cutout from three years back was a hit with the recipients :D
i still feel the ripple from the delirium
gift making is awesome
if i have the time and a good idea
and still, buy some


oh btw
that day i was grumbling about my financial situation
my bank account goes from XX to near zero within a week from month end
house bills and car loan and insurance and shoes and stuff
(srsly, how i managed with a RM1,800 starting salary last time escapes me)
(i had to save for a wedding and pay off my car loan plus other expenses then)

(but it's not like i earn tonnes more now pffbt)

so we were at BCM's 50th anniv celeb
so we sang this song
great is Thy faithfulness
and i was reminded
all i have needed He has provided
i think i chuckled and thanked God for the reminder
quite an overwhelming reminder actually


on a chirpier note, i gave in to this

RM24 after tax
i ate the whole thing, for once! *beams*
was xmas shopping at MV last Sat and by the time i settled down at Chilli's i was a tired, grumpy and famished shopper. and for some reason, i had to have a cheeseburger, no thanks to marshall and his quest. hehehe.. i was not let down. plus ww happened to be in MV so i had company to watch me down this huge@$$ artery choker!  ;)

#1
dinner with prema, hema & pet: my colls from the first job
piccadily’s at section 17
food was bordering on terrible, even when i tried to not be fussy :P
haven’t met them for like 9 months, and I almost cancelled on this one
cos I had needed to go home and pack (I was leaving for china the next morning)
glad i went
always enjoyed being in this group cos I’d be the youngest hahaha
my (ex)boss turns 40 this year, can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I’ve known her




#2
my most recent haul from bookxcess

zits – love it. could half relate to it. what more could i say? :D

calvin & hobbes – I just can’t get enough of the boy and his tiger. I half want my entire C&H collection be buried with me but that would be a waste, so who wanna call dibs on this most marvelous of collection? Gimme a tinkle. Hahaha..

jeeves – I was soooo glad that I decided to buy this cos I lurved it to bits. Ok, that might be a wee bit exaggerated but really, this is the kinda book that make me wanna stay up whole night and once I’m done would love to read the next one available. this was the 2nd book i brought with me to china, and the rest is history. hahaha.. I can’t wait for the coming Big Bad Wolf Sale!! I’m gonna get my hands on the entire collection (please God let them be dirt cheap!)




#3
supper at papa rich, pj old town
had our drinks al-fresco which was made it all the more awesome when lil whipped out her android phone and showed us this app
can’t remember what it’s called, but it shows all the constellations (neatly labeled) in the sky at any direction the phone is aimed at! ohsofascinating!!! :D
we were waving the phone all over ogling at ‘em shiney heavenly bodies :P
saw most of the major constellations, but couldn’t find the scorpio though :|




#4
one of the five times we had xiao long bao that day
despite Shanghai being the origin of this dish
and this restaurant on “Cheng Huang Miao” which purportedly serves the best
all five times were rather disappointing
trust me, any of the Canton-i restaurants in KL serves much better tasting xlb

for more pics of our china trip, go here and here.




#5
the Mexico pavilion
one of the last few pavilions we visited on our trip to the Shanghai Expo
I like how these look like giant geometrical mushrooms against the dusky sky :)




#6
also taken at the expo
I title this piece “night/day”
go figure ;)


for more pics of us at the shanghai expo, go here.




#7
porridge from this Cantonese restaurant (cannot rber the name – 18 something :P) in Fahrenheit 88
we got quite a deal as there was an branch opening promo (buy 1 free 1) so this cost us like 6bucks per bowl
really yummy – it has like 8 items inside – century eggs, chicken, fish, prawn, scallops, crunchy cruller, etc




#8
tackling the TTDI jogging trail with lil
a relatively easy one
(i know, cos i could talk the entire time, and i spent twice the time here compared to the bukit gasing trail which leaves me huffing and panting in 15mins :D)
last Sunday evening was my third time in three weeks going for a walk
I hope the streak won’t be broken




#9
dinner with hubby at fig & olive in sunway pyramid
the night before deepavali
that was maghribi chicken and olive rice
quite delicious and looks healthy
this place is worth a second visit




#10
view from my parents’ bed
the now very dilapidated home where I grew up
the plank wall is as old as I am
that wall light hasn’t been working since I was in school
and the cheesy calendar pages from c.2005 covering the two walls
dropped by my parents’ place on Saturday after a very nice dimsum brunch w J
chatted about stuff, and mom trying to serenade me with her guzheng skill (I’m not very impressed but don’t tell her that HAHAHA I’m just glad she likes whatever she’s doing)




#11
outside the house, on the way out to the main road
i've always loved the view
and the quietness
the lush trees
i guess all the nutrients from decomposing bodies help hahaha
and in broad daylight it doesn’t seem so scary right :)




#12
the last time Jersoon played for me
he and Clara have recently graduated and more recent still have received and accepted job offers in Spore
I think I’m still trying to come to term with this loss to the team

but I wish them the very best – at that age, the world’s their oyster :)




#13
lunch with chongy
departure lounge, damansara utama
she had to layan herself for a whole hour cos I was ignoring her :D
I had needed to work on the powerpoint slides for my church anniversary the following day
my fault for having delayed it (sorry, chongy + anniv organizing comm.)
btw I concur with the her friends’ observation that she has developed a sense of style and dressing that go well with her ;)

for pics of my church anniv, go here.


last but no least:
i just *HEART* this music video from David Crowder Band – it just oozes the awesomeness that are stop-motion and Lite-Brite. see it pwease! :D

david crowder band :: shine (SMS)

#1
saw this gorgeous sky from the putra train, after work, on the way to meet jazz for a dinner of fish head noodle in bandar puteri puchong. didn't get the name of the restaurant, but it serves salmon sashimi and even cod in place of the normal fried fish with the noodle. a bit the pricey though, but yummeh!

back to the pic, my hat off to the awesome Painter. =)




#2
my siblings came back -- on separate trips -- a couple of weekends ago. sis came back first w her bestie ah jane, then kel, then mel with his gal liyani and her dad, so there were some wonderful meals with a lot of catching up. heart! brought mel+liyani+L's dad to putrajaya for a night tour after one of the dinners. it was my first time there (at nite as a tourist) as well.. :)

oh well, they've all gone back down south. and i reawwy, reawwy miss them. :(












#3
this was after dinner w hubby at an indonesian restaurant in taman desa. i had some kinda nasi with fried chicken (not unlike ayam penyet) while hubby had the same with fish (not unlike otak-otak). food was decent -- definitely will be back for second round cos i spied sambal petai udang on its menu. yums.

was too full after dinner so walked around -- there was a korean shop (not unlike lotte mart)(yes, there are a lot of 'not unlike' in this para hehe) in the neighborhood so we dropped by and bought some korean ramen perisa sotong (we had two steaming bowls of them by the next day - nice!) -- before settling here at hailam kopitiam for coffee. =D



#4
saturdays are made of these: pampering and good food. hehehe. since i fell sick (on a weekend no less! grrr..), i self-prescribed a pedi to make the days easier to bear. and not surprisingly, ww also shared my sentiments, so there we were, sniffling and coughing and wrapping paper wantons away as our feet were washed and nails trimmed and painted. oo-ee! haha.. was supposed to have lunch thereafter w another friend but she ffk-ed me last min, so ww and i just cont'd the afternoon with lunch at woo pin fish head noodle restaurant (very near that indon rest in #3)(i wuv fish head noodle, can you tell? hehe). it was my first time eating the sang yu (un-fried fish) version of the noodle. bunchabones aside, it was goood, and i finished all my soup. hehehe..

spent the rest of the day at my mom's place, sewing away. whee! got all six pillow covers done, and just started on the curtains. just gonna close one eyes to the senget lines. hahaha..

admiring my pedi on the new quilt sheet. you can't see it here, but the shade on one foot is darker than the other. i couldn't decide which one i liked better, so i had one on each feet.




#5
that's my nephew eu jin (BIL's baby) -- so cute! he turned one (obviously) recently. was supposed to have a small party yesterday but he was down with the flu -- the poor thing -- so we just had a simple cake cutting ceremony. the jelly cake was nice and ohsoprettyiloverainbow, but i could only take two bites as i was really, really stuffed from our banana leaf lunch w chongy, whom i've not seen since forever (a month?!). well, hubby was already asking of her whereabouts, which means that it's been too long. too long, ya hear! don't be a stranger ok. and have an awesome holiday!! :D

kitty looks on approvingly.

#6
one of the harder decisions to make when going on a vacay is "which book to bring?" something too deep and my brain will hurt (more likely that i won't be interested), too simple and i'd be done before the plane touch down at the destination. bringing two books would just be too ambitious and unnecessarily taking up space meant for holiday loot ;), but not bringing any is inconceivable. urgh.

well, i've gotten it right before, but i've also experienced lugging along a hardcover book which i didn't even flip through, so it's all touch and go when it comes to such decisions.

anyways, that book came in the mail today. i literally squealed when the mail room guy passed the envelope  to me. hahaha.. wouldn't you?! at 239 pages, it should be just about right (if i don't start reading now la). so yeah, grandfatherland, here i cometh.

nothing much has happened lately. so here's hoping that a barrage of pics (mainly food lol) a blog post maketh.





dinner/supper with hubby at A-One Porridge (opp Imbi Palace) one evening after my work/his gym - it was a rainy evening so the porridge was puurfect. the steamed chicken was succulent and juicy too. i got greedy and ordered one biji of century egg. the guilt weighing on me (heh) but it was delish! :D came to abt RM25 for the 2 of us.





lunch at nirwana, bangsar with the girls LL & MC. loved the colours, loved the food. loved the tiramisu dessert too (from alexis, one block down =) loved the catching up and the making fun of. don't really love the (at least) four fund solicitors who stopped by our table throughout the session.




i haven't used the sewing machine for gondunkulous years. but like swimming and driving, you don't really lose the skills. :D then again, i made a major boo-boo which had me un-stitching the entire piece. argh. so yeah, it took me like 3 hours to sew one piece of pillow cover. so fail.




the sewing machine, which gave my legs quite a workout (it has a pedal that needs to be .. pedaled to move the needle) and my mind a good walk down memory lane =)




my mom's guzheng, which distracted me even more from my sewing effort. hehehe..i learned that this thing has only the Do, Re, Mi, So & La strings.. (and according to wiki, you could get Fa & Ti.. by doing something.. i don't rber haha) my first session, and probably my last.




a super late lunch in broga, semenyih, one sunday after church. it was a longggg drive o.O we had 2 fish and lamb and vege, all cooked the same style -- wrapped in aluminium foil cooked over charcoal. quite delish, i must say, but definitely not worth the journey. stopped by Kajang on our way back for satay (i don't rber the name, but it is the only Chinese-operated shop around). that, was worth the journey. burrp!

hello, sheryl chong :)

at our fav tongsui place, sweet bean, in sri petaling. prices have gone up since our last visit (2 bowls like this used to cost abt RM3, now it's like RM4++), but their sesame and peanut paste are still the best ones around and quite worth paying for [we've been disappointed enough times, haven't we? =(]

had japanese dinner w my parents on Sat night - a first for them! and a change of the usual chinese fare. we ordered so much that i could barely walk after the meal. haha.. mom didn't quite take to sashimi, but she loved the rolls and unagi, and esp the garlic rice - of all things! haha.. went to this place off jalan old klang road called nihon kai.. the place was so crowded and we had to wait abt 30mins to get a table, outside some more (by which time i was close to fainting cos i was so hungry but service was really fast thank God!).. but the prices were quite reasonable and food was good -- yums. (thanks jiwen for recommending! =)

este es mi mamá :)

and on sunday, went back home for lunch. my fish breeder cousin gave them a very very expensive fish which i've heard so much about but have never eaten so how could i resist! (that's a 1.5-2kg fish there, so read the article and do your math if you are curious! :) we'd some garlic rice too. hehe.. and some very nice soup (i had seconds on a very full stomach).. BURRRP! :D

next up, korean for father's day. :D

before that, i shd get back to work. hahaha..

this stuff is nassssty.

on the box:

• simply delicious muesli? BLUEK.
• 620g of unadulterated breakfast pleasure? LIAR.

i die a little inside every time i dig into a bowl of these. T___T

but my 65kg frame - which is abt 5kg heavier than my average weight and 10kg north of my ideal weight - is a real eyesore. i'm wearing skirts almost everyday cos most of my pants won't fit anymore (the ones which were reeeeally loose at one point are now snug).

well, i am already cutting down my rice intake, staying away from fried stuff, and eating more vege for lunch and dinner. but does anyone have any sugg for a healthy bfast that won't make me hate myself every morn? :D

gosh, i miss nasi lemak so much. T___T

after the severe guilt-inducing KFC i'd for lunch on monday, i was determined to go on a salad diet - and i did, for the past three days! :) and seriously, i think that it's the most awesome wholesome yummiest lunch i've had. ^_^

what's in it you ask? sugar and spice and everything nice i'd say, and these of course..

• salad mix (pack comes with balsamic vinegar dressing - methinks it's a better alternative to the creamy based dressings which i don't favor anyways. and this mix has rocket leaves which i totally love! and it is pre-washed too so it saved me a whole lotta time. a bit exp thou'.) - RM9

• black grapes oh so sweet. love the contrasting flavor it adds to the bowl and i'm beginning to sound like i should have my own cook show haha. just a handful of these lovelies would do. - RM2.8

• feta cheese 'em mini indulgence hehe! love that tangy flavor :P i suppose i could do without, but why?! lol! - RM8

• quartered roast chicken sorry, just gotta have meat! rawr! - RM4

• cherry tomatoes - FREE! fresh from cameron highlands - thanks to my coll Peggy who saw my salad and asked if i'd wanted the whole bag that she has.. her hometown-mate got her a truckload of these i suppose so she was giving some away hehe.. great timing no? ;)
  

[all items from cold storage, except tomatoes :)]

total - RM23.80 but there is enough for 3 portions so that's RM7.40 per bowl of goodness. a bit pricey but ok whattt -- just gotta dole out that extra bit for awesomeness. hehe.. the blurry pic just dun do it justice!

so yeah i love love love it! :D

grrr...
i was pretty angsty this morn. been so for a good part of the week.. the month? i don't know. ranted on and on to bom bom as we shared about church and christians and everything in between. traded war stories on obnoxious members and half hearted pew warmers. i've actually a pretty lengthy nasty post typed out.. but i'll let that simmer for a while. shdn't post things so impulsively kan. i'm still in a pissy mood la..


burrp!
lunched at mandarin oriental today, courtesy of the company. the buffet spread was quite nice, but i wasn't adventurous.. went two rounds for the mains, and came back twice with almost the same stuff on my plate: sashimi, grilled prawns and lamb, arugula and romaine salad with smoked salmon.. mm that's about it. loved the greens.. my colon needed it after the meat fest that was CNY. hehe.. the dessert spread was quite nice. shared with sophia almost everything they had to offer. a special mention of the nian gao (a sticky chinese dessert[?] fried with a light batter) and ice cream (can't rber but the ones i tried had some pretty exquisite names).

post-CNY diet is SO ON. my pants won't talk to me til i drop some pounds. FINE.


whee!
i managed to gather a bunch of people to part with their hard earned money to go to the musical chongy is starring in (see poster below). quite proud of myself. *self pat* some of them do not know each other, except for me and/or chongy. gonna buy the tics tomorrow (for next Tue 2-Mar 8.30pm @KLPAC if anyone's interested! RM28 only. dai dou lan lahh ;), before these ppl change their minds.. haha.. i'm suddenly nervous that the tics would be sold out. :S

this reminded me of my Mount KK trip -- i somehow talked a group of strangers (to each other but me) into going on that grueling journey. admittedly it felt a little awkward but there were some cool ppl in the group who made things easier (i guess i was good at asking but poor at planning itinerary). anyways, if they liked me enough to agree to that, it just meant that they are great ppl la.. :) not saying that this would turn out to be like that, hahaha, but it sounds fun. meet new ppl mar.

kinda :( though thinking about the "fishes that got away" (friends who couldn't make it.. lol i dunno why i called you guys that). i sincerely wish you all could have made it. no, i don't get any commission because apparently, according to the cheeky thespian, our friendship *is* my commission. -__-"

oohh..
i can't divulge much here but i had a very interesting (fun, rather) conversation with J re a common acquaintance, who happens to know a certain friend of mine who's involved in the musical above. hahaha.. what can i say, it's a small world after all. and if a certain other arrangement work out, we'll all be.. happy. LOL!


sighh..
life. i've so much to say. going through a very cynical phase in my life if you don't know that already from what i've written. and the more i read, the more i listen, the more i know, the more discouraged i become. Ecclesiates Part Deux, i am thy scribe.

i'm barely hanging on by the threads of hope rooted in my faith.

When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.

Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

[psalm 73:21-26]