Dim sum

went early to park to walk half an hour n do strengthening exercises for half an hour.bought some orchids from vendor outside park before having a big Dim Sum breakfast.the crystal dumpling shrimp was crunchy,the soup dumplings had to slurp the juices ,the glutinous rice ball with savoury yam bean filling was soft on inside n crunchy outside.the bamboo fungus was used to wrap the meat filling ive overeaten ,need to drink more hot tea.bump into Curly the stray cat lying near my car.went back water the flowering plants and arrange orchids on my marb

le round table

Half a chicken

today i bought half a chicken at rm7.50.i cooked steamed salted chicken use himalayan pink salt.the chicken breast i shredded to make a peranakan baba nyonya salad called kerabu bok nee.irs chinese malay fusion with black wood fungus,sliced shallots,sliced torch ginger flower,sambal belacan,pounded dried prawns n dry fried coconut kerisik,,thick coconut milk which is my own twist,lime juice n fresh thai badil leave.i love fusion food.yummy

Vegetables freak him out.

jun is obese n doesnt exercise and overeats.like my late father n hubby,hes a rice pot fan tong and meat lover.im worried his uric acid is sky high but still eat excessive red meat.when i dont cook red meat,he drives out for his pork fix of lionhead meatball or jiao zhe dumplings at centrepoint coffee shop. the moment i mention im cooking wholemeal tortilla pizza with pepper,pineapple,chicken ham n smoked duck slices,and a vegetable rojak salad of cucumber,mango,pineapple n yam bean sprinkle with crushed peanuts n sesame,he was like a vampire being told to eat his nemesis garlic.what those paper thin pieces of meat n yucky vege.he took my car out for his lionhead pork meatball rice.i hope he doesnt get gout or need two angioplasty like dad who was addicted to pork noodles,roast pork and herbal bak kut teh.when mom doesnt cook it,he drives out to indulge. now at my age its a battle between eating rich delicious food or medication for lifestyle.i hope by changing food intake and exercise,i can stop being addicted to drugs to control my health.thete are long term side effects like fatigue,incontinence and numbness. so jun who hates exercise n vege n fruit better learn that the young are not immuñe to lifestyle diseases which is the bane of urban sedantary lifestyle.the young are into

smoking vape,eating junk food and late nites gaming.so unhealthy from young is not a good sign

SME

SMEs in Malaysia account for 17% of our exports and provide 66% of employment.the MCO lockdown has affected their operations badly according to an analyst of Emir research.it is a ticking time bomb and if government stimulius doesnt aid them,their collapse may cause rising unemployment n loss of gdp growth. they are vital suppliers of parts to the multinational and if this supply chain is disrupted,manufacturing n exports will be delayed.but the most badly hit are the tourism and food n beverage small businesses.its so heart breaking as a passionate foodie to see food operators close their business after a long track record of providing good food,the American food chain Chillis of good TexMex food and Popeye chicken have closed shop in Malaysia.Now coliseum ,the iconic shop followed suit and chatterbox,the hong kong char chan tang . what mismanagement of economy has damaged the F & B business.will the same thing happen to malaysia my second home programme? singaporeans invest in lots of property in Johor and in the local SMEs like food ,plastic n furniture manufacturers.if they pull out ,Johor state will face revenue loss and unemployment too.the developers n real estate industry will be badly hit.noticed that Portugal my second home agents are advertising the charms for expatriates to relocate n tout a chance to penetrate the Eu common. market.so foreign investors fed up of the political instability n corruption in malaysia may pull out to relocate to nations that offer mediterranean climate,lower cost of living n more business oppirtunities.even young singaporeans,the digital nomads prefer to relocate to bali,indonesia as it offers fantastic natural scenic beauty,friendly people and lower cost of living.our programme faces stiff competition when china can offer better salary and perks to lure expatriates.we are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs as competition is stiff for talent n silver nest eggs.

Vegetarian dinner

used soy based mock mince to cook thai basil chicken with red pepper and stir fried shumeiji mushroom,yellow pepper n century eggs it really looked like meat.the texture of chicken.

Covid pandemic

im getting sick n tired of the long duration of covid 19.from 2019 to 2021.just fed up its turning our lives upside down.SOPs are new norms n whether its the people in the same condo,friends or relatives,none seems safe from this terrible virus.we fought against Ebola and Aids and brought them under control but this virus has recurring episodes due to new variant.when can we resume our normal routines? ive lost my joie de vivre due the emotional and mental toll of not knowing when,where or who will get it next.its like living with a sword over the head. the news is full of infection figures n death rates.its so hard to stay upbeat

Trade off

we can get everything so we have to choose. what is the trade of? for me,its the quality of life over the quantity of life.why extend life by life support machine? When its time to go,let nature run its course. why live so long when youve lost your mind to alzeiheimer or dementia or when your body is wrecked by constant agonizing pain.so euthanasia is the right to decide when we make an exit from this planet. but the state holds that right,not an individual.you do not have the right whether you want to be born,at least let a person decide when he wants to exit. thoughts of mortality keeps me up at nite. looking at the state of the world with risks of nuclear war n climate change and robots,why add another human to this planet?what does the future hold for a child born in the 21st century?

Breakfast

had crunchy pink guava for breakfadt,french toast n banana doy milk

Tortilla

cooked wholemeal tortilla wrap with grilled barbeque chicken in cajun spices,peppers,onion n lettuce. n a glass of lime juice for dinner

Dont milk them like cash cow

Many expatriates have settled down in Malaysia and contributed to building up the economy of Malaysia whether in skills as doctors,engineers,planters or scientists. some like Dane Borge Bek Nielsen promoted tirelessly research and market for our palm oil industry.expats like Tan Sri Mubin Shepherd fought to preserve our cultural heritage or datuk Paddy Bowie who brought new heights to the public relations industry when she first worked as trade relations director in Shell Malaysia and set up her own PR consultancy. they came to settle down in Malaysia and were active in preserving our natural forests,flora n fauna,our cultural heritage and our products from the Russell family that developed Boh tea as household name for Cameronian tea to the early tin miners and rubber planters who came to love this land.A prime example is our former headmistress an Irish nun,Sister Ryan Enda who spearheaded the growth of Assunta primary and secondary schools and the development of Assunta hospital.They exemplify the creed of service above self. We need the talents of the experienced doctors,engineers,educators,tech specialists and scientists to add value to our economic development ,china is luring AI specialists n scientists to relocate to China.even top companies in the US are helmed by expatriates so meritocracy is the way forward.lets not drive away talent with racially discriminative policies like the Malaysia my second home hike in financial pre requisites or more multinational companies may start pulling out of malaysia and relocate to Vietnam,indonesia or china. Let us not forget the Asian expatriates like those from Japan and Korea have made sizeable investments in Malaysia.these ex patriates spending on local economy stimulate domestic growth from medical services,retail,ethnic restaurants,international schools and tourism.driving them away may cause rise in unemployment when more businesses close shop.we are akin to cutting the nose to spite the face

Vegetarian lunch

i made a wholemeal sandwich of peanut butter w soy floss,a huge dish of fruits ,a glass of pomegranate juicd n two dumplimgs filled with yam bean,carrot n black fungus.i feel so full

Trees of life

Testing new pair of sports shoes

Jun knows im a frugal shopper.i wait until clearance sale or closing down sale before i buy my light fixtures from Maruzen light supply or vintage carved cabinets from second hand junk shops,my wood screen from cash converters. i buy vintage clothing from flea market in amcorp mall,a cotton sundress cost me rm 5.00.now Jun follows my advice,he hasnt bought a T shirt or jeans for six ,seven years n buy from thrift shops. his smart phone is four year old he repairs it or replace the screen n battery.i advised him to save more in pension fund so he can save a downpayment for first home. but i guess he loves me a lot as he indulges me.buy for my birthday practical branded stuff like jim thompson handbag,citizen wrist watch,loreal eye serum,hair serum n when i told him my sports shoe sole had worn out,he bought a pair of Asic trainer for me as i exercise daily.the sole had very strong grip n lovely comfortable design compared to the rm 28 pair of sports shoe made in china that i bought at the street vendor in the night market.of course the better quality Li Ning sports shoe is not affordable for me.he waited for the sale at Asic and bought the eye catchimg orange pair of Asic sports shoe at half price.it fits my feet and is so well cushioned.he doesnt want to risk me falling down wearing worn out trainers. time again to take a hike now the trails are open to the public.happy feet.

Spaghetti bolognese

chicken mince,mixed peas n stewed plum tomatos to cook spaghetti bolognese.so yummy

Vegetarian lunch

i

teo chew crystal skin dumpling with chive n yam fillimg so yummy with a fruit juice i blended healthy food

Flowering liquid fertiliser

the flowering liquid fertiliser i got from Daiso is good n set the petunia n cockscomb blooming like crazy.i learnt from my mistake not to overapply both soil based n liquid fertiliser n killed the roots n burn the leaves.once a month is enough but i put slow release soil fertiliser

Breakfast

toasted wholemeal bread with sugar free organic peanutbutter spead n sprinkle w soy floss mixex nuts i bought from jing si cafe.its like chicken floss superhealthy w pumpkin seeds n sesame seeds.i kept it in air tivht contInern so crisp,mangona glass of organic soy milk jun bought.

Growling stomach,salivating mouth

never watch food porn late at nite.just viewed delicious dim sum review by Alex,a food blogger who reviewed dim sum at michelin star fine dinimg chinese restauramt Shang palace in shamgri la hotel in Paris Chef Samuel is a cantonese chef and invited him to test new recipes like ruby red dumplings,jade dumplings etc.the presentation was delightful n dim sum exquisite it stimulated my appetite that i couldnt sleep.my poor mans supper was peanut butter wholemealbread. what a far cry from har gow,siew mai n siew long bao,,fried taro puff aiyah never watch food review late at nite

Lingering thought

meditating to still the chattering mind was hard.a day after the mid autumn festival,i managed to gaze at the luminuos autumn moon.if you are patient,the dark clouds will soon part and you can glimpse the moon. that nite,i was sleepless and drew this picture of a solitary tree n its reflection on a calm lake.going deeper,the memories evoke of my solitary stay alone on a hospital bed,looking at the shadowy nite outside,hooked to a dripline.memories flooded back of you alone,wrecked in pain by the cruel disease.you must be sleepless too with only me beside your bed,pretending to be fast asleep. now you have gone up to the sky,an immortal like Chang Er to stay on the peaceful moon.you were my other half but im like the real tree and you are my mirror reflection on a calm lake you are free from pain and suffering now while im grounded contemplating my mortality .fly me to the moon and let me play amomg the stars as the song goes.my time will not be long so let me linger awhile with my thoughts.for i know that you are always watching over me even when i fell n broke my knee,you gave me strength to stand again.so the painting expresses the deepest memory of love and lomgimg,forever separated by two different worlds,split into half ,a tree and its reflection that will reunite one day.two drifters off to see the world,there is such a lot of world to see.we are after the same rainbows end

Vegetarian

to lower cholesterol.im gonna eat meat for one meal daily.fruit n vege has zero cholesterol jun is overweight.eats zero fruit dailyn hates vege.he eats lots of meat n carbo. when tested his uric acid is twice the maximum limit but my is one third lower than his.he risks gout.so as a sneaky mom,i make fruit tart n fruit jelly so he eats fruit.i chop carrots,cabbage n spring onion to put in minced chicken burger or shitake mushroom,long beans,brocolli n carrot in fried rice n vegetables in pie tee. exercise n eating more fruit n vege improves health.i need to stop snacking on keropok lekor,goreng pisang,prawn crackers n eat fruit tart instead.easy to gain weight but hard as hell to lose fat. red pigment in fruit is rich in antioxidant.as price of cherry n blueberry is costly,i buy red dragon fruit,red skin banana for potassium,mango n guava for vitamin c.buy grapefruit from turkey to make juice.read that natto is very healthy as it has vitamin K 2 .gonna buy crispy seaweed as snacks.buy bittergourd chips too just read pomegranate haz more antioxidant than green tea.bought from organic shop a bottle of pomegranate extract from Turkeyit taste like red wine n im gonna alternate that with non diary milk of almond milk for breakfast

Exercise before feastimg

routine stretch with resistance band before eating rich food.

Dakgang jeong fried chicken

tonite i used up the gochujang korean hot sauce,tomato ketchup,cider vinegar,sugar,soy sauce n rice wine to coat deep fried chicken korean style.sprinkle with sesame seeds i limit myself to one piece as deep fried food is umhealtby but i need to imdulge sometimes.it was so yummy n i had to control my greed.

Health is wealth

im glad the change in lifestyle of eating home cooked food,being fussy about quality of food and exercising 6 x a week has kept me healthy.todays medical report,the doctor said ive kept to parameters of good health.ive been revamping my diet,eat less,eat wholesome food,exercise daily n rest well.i cut out red meat for 20 years except occasional binge on dim sum but the portions are small increase fruit nvege intake,take kefir n greek yohurt,etc buy non anti biotic chickdn,frozen seafood et cut out gluten by using oat,millet noodle,stevia sugar or sugar free mixed 10 grain rice n coconut flour n rye bread.its tiring to cook at home for 3 meals but healthier.it takes time to get back good health but persistence ,mindfulnesz and discipline helps us get back on our feetwe cant force change overnite but being focused helps.

Sleepless at 4 am

its a long way before dawn.

i toss and turn waiting for the light drive away the demons lurking in darkness youre just not real a figment of illusions born from fear wrapped up in a cloak of anxiety i wish that i will be well and happy i wisb that my mind will be as calm as the reflection of a full moon on a lake at midnite i wish to still the monkey mind empty the thoughts be at peace with the nite tomorrow is coming soon