Sahur

So, what sahur (the last  meal in the morning before the dawn prayers during the fasting month) have been like so far?

Last year, my favourite food was roti jala with any curry....and that was it. This year, it's home-made sandwich...wholemeal bread with tomatoes, avocado slices, a slice of smoked chicken and mustard grain as the spread. Other days, there could be egg and a slice of cheese. Depending on what i hada while breaking fast the night before, the cheese and egg are optional :)

ANd I am amazed at how this kept me going the whole day!

Too lazy to cook pasta already....haha

maybe by next week I'll be sick of sandwich, then I'll do pasta :)

Secretly thanking God my kids are still young and I don't have to think of what to cook in the morning for them for sahur. :)

It's Ramadhan again!

Ooh Boy! It's been ages since I blogged. Talk about busy and not having compatible hardware as excuses :P

Neway, time flies and half of 2012 has gone by. Alot of challenges have came and gone and it has been an ardous journey, seriously.

Now, I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly of things and have learnt how to take it in a stride and know when to move along and when to take it to heart. Life's journey has been such.

And guess what? After 4 years, the gym bug has bitten me again. Yeah, the kedukut me has 'invested' in the gym 5 floors below my office....in view that I have a 42km marathon 3 weeks after Raya and with no time in the morning or evening to run or do anything anymore. I'm liking it....I go during lunch for a 40min workout. I go for a 20min sprint after work, during Ramadhan if am rushing back. I go for classes sometimes and well, though am not yet doing 5 days a week like before, but yes, it's been good so far :)

One week of fasting gone....suffered a 'detox' session 2 days' ago because I decided to have 'lemondade' at 9pm....hahaha

And now, typing this at 610am,  am contemplating a run. Contemplate cos earlier, as i was sahur-ring....both kids had their milk and suddenly had dirroehea...wonder what happened, butI think all is well and they're now ok...

so, Good morning and  have a great SUnday!

Five-Finger shoe

The very popular brand, 'Vibram' is actually quite expensive. Beyond my budget for just a running shoe to 'try out'. So when I chanced upon a cheaper version, I grabbed the opportunity and got hubby to buy too.

So when I first wore it window shopping, no difference. When I wore it more than half a day of on-off walking, I felt my calf ache the next day (I was pre-warned, actually). And then when I wore it for a short run, my calf hurt again.

So after a lapse of 2-3 weeks of inactivity, I decided to go for a run...more than 10km. And in my mind, the 5-finger has minimal cushioning (it promotes barefoot running), so I took my regular Ascis to have better cushioning. Boy, I was in for a surprise. Post run, immediately my knees had a achy feeling. I was worried. Is arthritis setting in? I iced both my knees and applied topical gel.

And the next day I was worried if I should take the 5-finger out. But finally I did. This time, it was 4km longer than the previous and guess what?? I didn't even suffer on my knee. (I had blister la, but that is nt relevant, cos I wasn't wearing socks) So I'm going to get myself a 5-finger socks and see what I can do this weekend!

It's highly recommended for those of you with knee problem...I'm not saying its a cure, but it has worked for me (and another friend, which I later found out).

Now, should I invest in a VFF? (Vibram Five Finger)

Air Fryer

I was told of a 'air fryer' and when I went to scout around, the only available is Philips' and it costs more than RM1k. So I didn't think much about it.

I wanted to get a fryer, knowing how much my kids liked fried stuff and I'm not a fan of frying - unhealthy and I don't like the clean-up :P

So when I chanced upon an air- fryer in one of those discount sites, I pounced on it. RM300, and I didn't think twice. So after about 2 weeks from the online purchase, I got the item (sorry no photos - forgot). I was esctatic. I offered to fry nuggets for the kids and they coincidentally wanted to eat that night. And 6 pcs of nuggets was prepared without any mess and tasted real good. Crisp and brown outer, but succulent insides. If i used the mini toaster-oven, I'd have the outer layers burnt. So I was happy with the results.

Then yesterday, I wanted to really fry something. Not something pre-prepared. I bought marinated chicken to fry. AND I was really happy with what I saw and ate. The chicken was crisp on the outer and succulent on the inside. Seriously! And I didn't have to stand over a hot stove, but I could bathe the kids, dress them and do alot more things.

So, what's next? I'm attempting fried oyster mushrooms!

Yippee!!

Learning and teaching a new language

I’ve been trying very hard to vary the language and dialects which I use to communicate with the kids. But so far, it only comes, ‘if I remember’. Otherwise it will be only be English and Malay.

Recently I’ve been consciously slotting in Hokkien whenever I have play sessions with them (not too often, depending on their moods too). So whenever they did well, i.e. fix the puzzle, arrange the items or even just sing and count, I will congratulate them with a ‘high-5’ hand-action and then praise them with ‘clever’ or ‘pandai’ (Malay) or ‘gau’ (Hokkien).

Last night, after fixing a puzzle on her own, AIR2 said ‘gau-lah’ and I was caught by surprise! I smiled to myself and praised her for that too. Then she gave me a ‘high-5’.

Then I asked AIR1 ‘Ai chiak dragon fruit boh?’ (Do you want to eat dragon fruit?) I am not sure if he actually understood me, but at first he looked puzzled, but after I repeated, he nodded. It’s either he understood or he just caught the key word ‘dragon fruit’ :D

Indeed interesting to speak and hear them speak new things in return. Here’s to more Hokkien this weekend!

Single parenthood

Hubby has been travelling alot for about 6 weeks now. All weekends not around. In short, we see him only 2 days a week.

So it's single parenting for me, for the 2 of them!! Weekdays, nothing different from the usual. Only unusual thing is that now AIR1 tends to stay up very late. Almost midnight and he is still awake. Gosh...but thank God he's skipped kindy for May.

On the weekends, it can be quite challenging, trying to humour them and keep them from dying of boredom. However, I seriously do not know if this is the best for them.

So rather than staying home and trying hard to be sane while not getting a high-blood-pressure, I take them out. by the time we get ready, we're too late for the playground in the park cos it'll be hot by then. So our routine? We leave home bout 10 or 11 am (depending on whether I have other errands to run) then we head to the shopping mall. We stroll around, have lunch and window shop some more. By then, AIR2 is asleep. AIR1 is tired. I sit him on the handlebars of the stroller and continue. Sometimes he will ask to push the shopping cart or even the stroller. He can be very helpful nowadays, knowing the limitations I have. (When things get out of hand, technology in the form of a tablet comes into the picture :P)

And by the time he is sleepy, its 3pm or so and its time to leave. Rare cases, AIR2 will awaken and so AIR1 will take over the stroller :) and more shopping continues.

It's quite fun, because when we are out, we are all less stressed. The kids don't get bored easily, esp AIR1.

I wished I could just take them swimming, but I can't handle both at the same time. Only if AIR1 listens....it's impossible cos he always wants it his way.. :)

I also wished I could take them running..but its impossible...so only playground time in the evening for them...and then I will be looking at other people running and wondering how nice it would have been if I could run with them :)

But it's been an interesting time. AIR1 helps me do grocery shopping, has a set toilet-routine, can help me look out for his sister and of course do all those small kaypoh (busybody) stuff :P

Now, it's gonna be dim sum and banana leaf this weekend for us...and shopping for gift for Ahma (grandma).

What did you say?

Gosh! 1 month went by and I've not really logged in or blogged. Crap. So many things happened, but thanks to blogger-friends who do link their posts to FB, I read them there :)

Well, it's been 1 month of turmoil. Yes, you heard right.

New work, new schedules, new arrangements and all sorts of things happening at home. Yes, it was a real 'rojak' of happiness and sadness.

Dramas.

And to top it all, I heard of some bad news about a friend this morning too. :(

Now I am thinking....and thinking of all the things that I've been through this whole month and wondering if it needs to be re-looked. Do I need another drastic change?

(sorry, I am writing in metaphors cos it's quite difficult to get to the point at this point of time)

Now let's go shopping for a present for Mummy's birthday!! :D