Skip to content

Categories:

Morning ya morning. I cant eat sweet thing in the morning. Always love spicy food early in the morning or at the least half-boiled egg for breakfast. Was in one of hotels the other day with the kids, they have this Lemon Blueberry Bread served at the breakfast buffet counter. Nice and I have a lot of those because of the lemon smell ;) I also like raspberry BTW.

i

Lemon Blueberry Bread Recipe:

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (outer yellow skin of the lemon)

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

How to make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a non stick vegetable
spray) the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inch) (23 x 13 x 8 cm).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the 1/4 cup (50 grams) of sugar and the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. This bread is best served on the day it is made.

Makes 1 loaf.

P/S: Happy baking. I didn’t get this recipe from chief but I got this from one of the sites and the picture look very much the same as the one I ate ;)

Posted in Cuisine.


Crab Seaweed Salad

Seaweed Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Ingredients:
3/8 oz dried dried wakame
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (without seasoning)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

Soak dried wakame in warm water for about 5-8 minutes Drain and place in a bowl of water. Quickly remove and plunge into cold water.
Mix vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and ginger in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.
Mix wakame and dressing.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and scallions
Chill while preparing crab salad.

Crab Salad Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked cooled crab meat, flaked
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup finely chopped scallop
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Preparation:

Mix crabmeat with diced celery, chopped scallop, salt, pepper, lemon & limejuice, and mayonnaise.

P/S: Love it!

Posted in Cuisine.


Your Crown

hairWas with Arissa’s hair the whole of the last weekend. Hmmm… long and curly hair is just hard to take care!

Long and strong hair is one of the ornaments of beauty. We try lot of hair care products on our hair to make it look beautiful. However, we ignore the basic hair care fundamentals. If we follow proper treatment, it will be possible for all of us to have long, strong and beautiful hair. Have a quick look at basic hair care tips to have beautiful hair.

* Oil your hair twice a week. When you oil your hair, make sure that it reaches the roots. Try to massage with your fingers whenever you oil your hair. Oiling hair is a must to make it strong and silky. You can use any oil of your choice. Coconut oil or almond oil is considered to be the best for oiling hair. Remind me of my mom!

* Wash your hair twice a week with good shampoo which suits your hair. You can consult hair expert to find out what suits your hair and scalp type. Make sure that you completely wash-off the oil from your hair. Condition your hair after washing it. Will make it look beautiful and voluminous. Conditioning helps to improve the texture of your hair. Always try to use conditioner of the brand which your shampoo belongs to.

* Soak your hair with towel or cloth after washing it. Do not use hair dryer unless it is necessary. Using hair dryer frequently can make your hair dull and unhealthy. Avoid tying your hair when it is wet, you may catch cold. Trim your hair once in four months. Trimming will help you prevent split-ends and the growth of your hair will not be affected.
* Avoid artificial hair beautifying treatments like hair straightening or hair ironing. Hair straightening treatments can make hair weak and result in hair fall. So try to maintain your natural hair.With the modern looking great hair-do, I am not sure how this is not a temptation.
* Go for head massage at-least twice or thrice in a year.Massage proves very beneficial for the health of the hair and it also helps to reduce stress. There are many spas which provide excellent head massage service. You can also give massage to yourself on your own if you do not get time to visit spas or beauty parlours.
* Try to take immediate action if you are coping with dandruff. Dandruff is a common hair problem which is caused due to improper care of hair. Use anti-dandruff shampoo to cope with dandruff. There are many home remedies which you can try to prevent.

Follow the above mentioned tips and get beautiful long mane with an ease. Try to avoid artificial hair beautifying treatments if you wish to maintain beautiful hair throughout your life. Use herbal products and herbal treatments to get best results and get ready to wear the crown of beauty.

P/S: To my blog partner, you have that nice looking hair ;)

Posted in Tips.


Me and Cancer…

I thank my God for the life that have been given to me. Though it was not smooth sailing but I have that life that I always want. Everyday is a challenge day in my terms and that will differ you and anyone else. We will have our ups and downs.  I cant complaint much as that is how it turned out to be and we shall improve as time passes by.

I was surrounded by cancer patients since I can remember which was as long as 10 years ago.  A few of my cousins were and are diagnosed with cancer. STRESS is one of the many excuses to activate the cancer cells FYI.

i

For cancer patients and family, cancer has become a chronic (on-going) health problem, like high blood pressure or diabetes.

Just like everyone, people who have cancer must get regular checkups for the rest of their lives, even after treatment ends. But unlike other chronic health problems, if you have cancer you probably will not need to take medicine or eat special foods once you have finished treatment.

If you have cancer, you may notice every ache, pain, or sign of illness. Even little aches may make you worry. You may even think about dying. While it’s normal to think these thoughts, it’s also important to focus on living right. Although some people do die of it, many with the disease are treated successfully and become cancer FREE.  Others will live a long time before dying from it. So, try to make the most of each day while living with cancer and its treatment. Dont all of us ARE?

You will have many feelings after you learn that you have cancer. These feelings can change from day to day, hour to hour, or even minute to minute. These are some of the very common ones and you may go through include:

  • denial
  • anger
  • fear
  • stress
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • sadness
  • guilt
  • loneliness

“I heard the doctor say, ‘I’m sorry; the test results show that you have cancer.’ I heard nothing else. My mind went blank, and then I kept thinking, ‘No, there must be some mistake.’”

Learning that you have cancer can come as a shock. How did you react? You may have felt numb, frightened, or angry. You may not have believed what the doctor was saying. You may have felt all alone, even if your friends and family were in the same room with you. These feelings are all normal.

For many people, the first few weeks after diagnosis are very hard. After you hear the word “cancer,” you may have trouble breathing or listening to what is being said. When you are at home, you may have trouble thinking, eating, or sleeping.

People with cancer and those close to them experience a wide range of feelings and emotions. These feelings can change often and without warning. At times, you may:

  • be angry, afraid, or worried
  • not really believe that you have cancer
  • feel out of control and not able to care for yourself
  • be sad, guilty, or lonely
  • have a strong sense of hope for the future

Living with HOPE is the strongest feelings that I gathered so far. Once people accept that they have cancer, they often feel a sense of hope. There are many reasons to feel hopeful.

  • Cancer treatment can be successful. Millions of people who have had cancer are alive today.
  • People with cancer can lead active lives, even during treatment.
  • Your chances of living with–and living beyond–cancer are better now than they have ever been before. People often live for many years after their cancer treatment is over.

Some doctors think that hope may help your body deal with cancer. Scientists are looking at the question of whether a hopeful outlook and positive attitude helps people feel better. Here are some ways you can build your sense of hope:

  • Write down your hopeful feelings and talk about them with others.
  • Plan your days as you have always done.
  • Don’t limit the things you like to do just because you have cancer.
  • Look for reasons to hope.
However long the night, the dawn will break.
Hausa (African) Proverb

You may find hope in nature, or your religious or spiritual beliefs. Or you may find hope in stories about people with cancer who are leading active lives. So if you’re surrounded by cancer patients always let them know HOPE is the strongest cure for cancer patients. Pray and pray to God. This was my reading last night while waking up at 4am. So our lives are not that bad after all kan?

P/S: To all cancer patients our prayers will always be with you ;) Take care and my dedication to all the family members and friends and our love ones. Till then take care of our health.

Posted in Tips.


Curry kills cancer cells?

I love curry… “Kari kepala ikan”, “Kari ayam, daging or kari telur”. Any type of curry will be my favorite. Should marry an Indian guy so that me can have curry all weeks without excuses! hahaha ;) Lovvveeee Dalca… vege curry where you can find them in Malays Wedding as one of the many main dishes!

Found this. Read on…

Reuters

LONDON – A molecule found in a curry ingredient can kill esophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, suggesting it might be developed as an anti-cancer treatment, scientists said on Wednesday.

Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Center in Ireland treated esophageal cancer cells with curcumin — a chemical found in the spice turmeric, which gives curries a distinctive yellow color — and found it started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.

The cells also began to digest themselves, they said in a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Previous scientific studies have suggested curcumin can suppress tumors and that people who eat lots of curry may be less prone to the disease, although curcumin loses its anti-cancer attributes quickly when ingested.

But Sharon McKenna, lead author of the Irish study, said her study suggested a potential for scientists to develop curcumin as an anti-cancer drug to treat esophageal cancer.

Cancers of the esophagus kill more than 500,000 people across the world each year. The tumors are especially deadly, with five-year survival rates of just 12 to 31 percent.

McKenna said the study showed curcumin caused the cancer cells to die “using an unexpected system of cell messages.”

Normally, faulty cells die by committing programed suicide, or apoptosis, which occurs when proteins called caspases are ’switched on’ in cells, the researchers said.

But these cells showed no evidence of suicide, and the addition of a molecule that inhibits caspases and stops this “switch being flicked’ made no difference to the number of cells that died, suggesting curcumin attacked the cancer cells using an alternative cell signaling system.

i

U.S. Researchers said in 2007 they had found curcumin may help stimulate immune system cells in the Alzheimer’s disease.

P/S: I love you curry the Curry ;) Remind me of Sophiaan at the Kelantanese Gerai with our curry ;)

Posted in Tips.


I read this article somewhere last month. So, it is not too late for me to share this interesting article by several scientist on calories.

A NUTRITIOUS but calorie restricted diet can increase life expectancy and reduce the risk of age-related diseases, including cancer, according to research published in the journal Science.

The study, conducted over 20 years on dozens of rhesus macaque monkeys, provides new insight into the way the phenomenon works
and its potential implications for humans, according to the research authors. “We have been able to show that caloric restriction can slow the ageing process in a primate species,” said Richard Weindruch, a professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin and an author of the research. “We observed that caloric restriction reduced the risk of developing an age-related disease by a factor of three and increased survival,” added Weindruch, who led the National Institute on Ageing-funded study.

The incidence of cancerous tumours and cardiovascular disease among animals on a calorie-restricted diet was less than half that seen in the control eat what they wanted. The study also found that none of the calorie-restricted group suffered from diabetes or glucose-impaired regulation, despite the usual frequency of such problems in monkeys. “So far, we’ve see the complete prevention of diabetes,” Weindruch said.

Co-author Sterling Johnson, a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, said the caloric reduction also improved brain health.“It seems to preserve the volume of the brain in some regions. It’s not a global effect, but the findings are helping us understand if this dietary treatment is having any effect on the loss of neurons” associated with ageing, Johnson said. Scientists have been interested in the potential for calorie-restricted diets to extend lifespan since the 1930s, when tests were carried out on rats. Since then, researchers have undertaken studies on calorie reduction on subjects ranging from spiders to human.

So my comment is as long as you control whatever you consume and you must balance up between your diet and your exercise too. I do agree with high calories intake can cause a lot of problem.  Do remember this, it is your own and you have the obligation to take care of it.

Posted in Tips.


HandBook 2010

HANDBOOK 2010

Health:

1.    Drink plenty of water.
2.    Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3.    Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4.    Live with the 3 E’s — Energy,  Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5.    Make time for prayer.
6.    Play more games.
7.    Read more books than you did in 2009.
8.    Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9     Sleep for 7 hours.
10.  Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk,  smile.

Personality:

11.  Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what
their journey is all about.
12.  Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.  Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14.  Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15.  Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.  Dream more while you are awake.
17.  Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18.  Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with  his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.  Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20.  Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21.  No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.  Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.   Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.  Smile and laugh more.
24.  You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25.  Call your family often.
26.  Each day give something good to others.
27.  Forgive everyone for everything.
28.  Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the  age of 6.
29.  Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30.  What other people think of you is none of your business.
31.  Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32.  Do the right thing!
33.  Always speak the truth even if it leads to your death.
34.  GOD heals everything.
35.  However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36.  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37.  The best is yet to come.
38.  When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39.  Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

i

P/S: We will let you add for no 40 ;) Have a wonderful YEAR 2010. Hope everyone find that someone to love and be loved. Best medicine of all time…

Posted in Tips.


Bad Breath

Arissa said to Danish, “eeeuuuw busuknye mulut Danish” (eeeuuuw Danish your mouth stick). Danish replied, “Apalah Arissa nieee tak baik tau…” (Arissa what laa you said like that to me). Then I told both of my kids, “It’s because both of you haven’t brush your teeth when you woke up!”.

Sometimes we realize that as an adult we also have problems with bad breath. I do most of the times and sometimes when seeing the clients make me nervous more on the bad breath then on what I wear for the day :0 These are some tips that we can follow… Pay attention to the last culprits on medical terms :(

i

# 1. Clean your mouth thoroughly, regularly. Two major sources of mouth odor are bacteria and decaying food particles. There are hundreds of nooks and crannies in the landscape of your mouth where these offenders can get lodged. Brushing is not enough.

* Clean your tongue. Your tongue, unfortunately, is like a shaggy carpet where all kinds of smelly stuff can hide. When you brush your teeth (which should be at least twice a day) use your toothbrush, the edge of a spoon, or a tongue cleaner to “scrape” your tongue.

o If you have a sensitive gag reflex, you might not like this task. You need to clean your entire tongue, including the part close to your tonsils. Read How to Suppress the Gag Reflex for some tips.
* Floss. Make it as much of a mindless habit as brushing your teeth. At first, your gums might bleed as you dislodge chunks of food that have “stuck” to your teeth and gum for who knows how long. But take a second to smell the floss after you pass it through your teeth, if you dare. You’ll see (or smell) where the bad breath is coming from.

# 2. Keep your mouth moisturized. A dry mouth is a stinky mouth. That’s why your breath is worse in the morning; your mouth produces less saliva as you sleep. Saliva is the enemy of bad breath because not only does it physically wash bacteria and food particles away, but it also has antiseptic and enzymes that kill bacteria.

* Chewing gum stimulates saliva production (in addition to covering up the odor with some kind of scent). Mints do not encourage saliva production.[1]
* Drink water. It won’t necessarily increase saliva production, but it’ll wash out your mouth and it’s good for you. See How to Drink More Water Every Day.
* Dry mouth can be caused by certain medications and medical conditions. Ask your doctor about switching medications, or addressing the underlying condition.

# 3. Choose your gum carefully. As mentioned in the previous step, any gum will help with bad breath because the chewing action results in more saliva being produced. Some gums, however, have better bad-breath-fighting abilities than others:

* Cinnamon flavoring seems to be especially effective in reducing bacteria counts in your mouth.
* Look for gum sweetened with xylitol. For one thing, sugar’s not good for your mouth. Xylitol is a sugar substitute that actually works to prevent bacteria from replicating in the mouth.

# 4.Eat a banana You probably already know to avoid notorious stink foods like onions, garlic, cheese, and coffee (or at least brush vigorously after eating them). But did you know that if you’re on a low-carb diet, you might have “ketone breath”? Basically, as your body breaks down fats instead of carbs for energy, it creates ketones, some of which are released in your mouth. Unfortunately, ketones smell bad, and so will your breath. If you’re on a strict carb-restricting diet, or any diet that forces you to burn fat instead of carbs, consider throwing healthy carb-rich snacks into the mix, like apples or bananas.

# 5. Talk to a doctor. If you’ve followed the above steps diligently and the bad breath persists, you may have a medical issue that needs to be treated. Here are some of the potential culprits:

* Tonsil stones. These are lumps of calcified food, mucus and bacteria that appear as white spots on your tonsils. If seen, they can be mistaken for a throat infection, although sometimes they are not visible to the naked eye. You might also notice a metallic taste in your mouth, and/or pain when swallowing.
* Diabetic ketoacidosis. If you have diabetes, it may be causing your body to burn fat instead of glucose, creating the ketone breath referred to in the previous step. This is a serious condition that needs to be treated as soon as possible.
* Trimethylaminuria. If your body can’t break down a chemical called trimethylamine, it will be released in your saliva, causing bad breath. It’ll also be released in your sweat, so persistent body odor might be an accompanying symptom.
* Constipation is also cause of bad breath. Constipation bad breath could be due to several causes from dietary to hormonal or be even a side effect of medications and anatomical. Incidentally, normal bad breath (that is, bad breath not caused by digestive problems) may also be due to a side effect of drugs you are taking, which could dry up the mouth, causing bad breath.
* Treating constipation bad breath consists in treating the constipation itself. If the problem is dietary in nature, then changing your dietary habits, laxatives, and fiber therapy could help treat the constipation and in the process the symptom of constipation bad breath. Enemas and surgery though rare may also be used to treat acute cases of constipation.
* A sinus infection can also cause persistent bad breath. When blowing your nose, if the mucous is consistently dark or has a greenish cast, there’s a chance you may have a sinus infection. To get rid of it, you will need to be treated by a doctor.

P/S: Till then have a good breath for kissing sake…haha

Posted in Cuisine.


Reduce fat intake!

I have been on that scale machine for the past 2 weeks. Thought I lose weigh and true enough I dont! Extra 2 kgs is not good. And it is damn hard to loose weight these days. Simple steps that I shall be using now to reduce that fat!

  1. Step 1 Stick to low fat meats such as fish, chicken, turkey and lean cuts of beef. I opt for fish.
  2. Step 2 Slowly move down to fat free milk. Don’t go directly from whole to fat free overnight, youi might not stick with it. Also use low fat dairy products such as cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. I love cheesy stuff HOW?
  3. Step 3 Bake instead of fry. Baking requires a lot less oil. The same goes for snack foods. There are now a lot of brands of potato chips that aren’t fried but baked.
  4. Step 4 Stop eating junk food. This will solve a lot more than cutting out fat. Most junk food whether it is a snack or fast food is loaded with enough fat to cover your needs for a few days.
  5. Step 5 Tweak your recipes to remove or cut down on ingredients high in fat such as oil, butter and cheese.
  6. Step 6 You can get more help by exercise-exercise and exercise. hahaha Dont be lazy… big ass ;)

Till then happy loosing those fat!

Posted in Tips.


Recipe to differentiate like, love and in love!

loveMy apology that this might not be the right forum to talk about. But it is still part of the recipe for us to find out!

Got it from my Inbox and it is in Malay Language… Hope you dont mind ;)

Dihadapan orang yang kau cintai, musim dingin berubah menjadi musim semi yang indah.
Dihadapan orang yang kau sukai, musim dingin tetap saja musim dingin hanya suasananya lebih indah sedikit.

Dihadapan orang yang kau cintai, jantungmu tiba tiba berdebar lebih cepat.
Dihadapan orang yang kau sukai, kau hanya merasa senang dan gembira saja.

Apabila engkau melihat kepada mata orang yang kau cintai, matamu berkaca-kaca
Apabila engkau melihat kepada mata orang yang kau sukai, engkau hanya tersenyum saja.

Dihadapan orang yang kau cintai, kata kata yang keluar berasal dari perasaan yang terdalam.
Dihadapan orang yang kau sukai, kata kata hanya keluar dari fikiran saja.

Jika orang yang kau cintai menangis, engkaupun akan ikut menangis disisinya.
Jika orang yang kau sukai menangis, engkau hanya menghibur saja. Perasaan cinta itu dimulai dari mata, sedangkan rasa suka dimulai dari telinga.

Jadi jika kau mau berhenti menyukai seseorang, cukup dengan menutup telinga.
Tapi apabila kau mencoba menutup matamu dari orang yang kau cintai, cinta itu berubah menjadi tetesan air mata dan terus tinggal dihatimu dalam jarak waktu yang cukup lama.

“Tetapi selain rasa suka dan rasa cinta… ada perasaan yang lebih mendalam. Yaitu rasa sayang…. rasa yang tidak hilang secepat rasa cinta. Rasa yang tidak mudah berubah. Perasaan yang dapat membuat mu berkorban untuk orang yang kamu sayangi. Mahu menderita demi kebahagiaan orang yang kamu sayangi.

Cinta ingin memiliki. Tetapi Sayang hanya ingin melihat orang yang disayanginya bahagia… walaupun harus kehilangannya.”

P/S: Can I just translate the last verse…. hmmmm I am sorry but I can’t even translate it to English Language :O

Posted in Tips.