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Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sunday Dinner - 31 May 2015

I bought some nice house-made beef patties (free from preservatives, I was told)  from Village Grocer @ Bangsar Village this afternoon,  so I decided to whip up sandwiches with beef patties for dinner instead of eating out.  Saturdays and Sundays are sans part-time maid  and my kitchen is supposed to be closed.   Since I was in the mood to cook today, I told the girls that they could eat at home.  They were happy!  The girls prefer to eat home than eat out.  They prefer simple food that's low on oil, salt, sugar and MSG.... after years of good training from their health freak mom :D

Pan-frying the beef patties...




I just love my new Tefal non-stick pan with transparent lid.  It makes pan-frying such a breeze with almost zero oil splatter

These juice and yummy house-made beef patties from Village Grocer are sold at RM7.50 each.  They are low in sodium and have no MSG -- proven as I did not have to run to the kitchen to gulp down liters of water after the meal.  Did I tell you that I have an ultra sensitive throat and internal system? I am allergic to MSG, high sodium and oil-doused food -- these ingredients would trigger my body to gulp down water profusely and inflame my throat it if the food is deep fried.

Wholemeal sandwich with  cheese, sunny side up, beef patty,  mayo, tomato sauce and sliced cool cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.  The girls told me that they are scrumptious and better than those from restaurants :)




What's your dinner this Sunday?


Saturday, May 30, 2015

Last Week Of May - Flashback

It's a Saturday and the first day of the 2-week long school holidays BUT I have been up from bed since 4:45am, bleh!!  Unlike most mothers with school-going kids who can finally catch up on their beauty sleep by sleeping in, I have to frigging continue my slavery for the next 1 week.  Alycia has to attend compulsory UPSR tuition in school for the entire week (full day!) and the transporter does not work during the school holiday, though we have to pay her in full!  Is that a norm??  Real holiday only starts for me in the second week of the school holidays.  How very pathetic eh?

Since I can't get back to bed, I must as well update my blogs.

Flashback of what transpired this week...

1) Went for a pap smear, Mammogram, ECG, cancer marker test and full medical test on Wednesday

2) Got a scare from the Mammogram result and went for Ultrasound scan the next day

3) Waiting for results to be out on blood and urine test - another appointment with gynae next week

4)  Cass tells me that J, the cute and cuddly boy in her class is liking her more by the day!  He is also being very protective of her and will defend her from evil classmates and will give her anything that she wants!  How sweet is that and I like J!!   But Cass hates him and finds him annoying.  Hmmm, sounds like a very familiar scene from my very own life story! :D

5) Alycia's class and standard positions are out for the first term test and I am very satisfied (position of  no. 3 in class).  But her latest  UPSR Diagnostic test results are not up to par though. She has to work harder now. She has not been working as hard as she used to last year coz her current teacher does not impose strict punishments like her teacher in the previous year.

6) Sherilyn announced that she wants to quit hip hop dance as she finds that  her teacher is not very motivated to teach new dance moves.  She finds that she is wasting her time attending lessons.  And then she tells me that she wants to learn ballet again -- and pick up from where she left, i.e. at Grade 3 but at a different dance center.  She tells me that there was a spoilt bully in her previous dance center who always picked on her (even kicked her several times and sadly, I know the girl's mother but just don't know how to tell this girl's mother about the bullying).   Monday was her last hip hop dance lesson.

7)  Remember my earlier post on the saga of the nestlings in a nest at my parents' house in Ipoh?  This week, the nestlings learned to fly and one by one, they flew off and now, my mum is getting the empty nest syndrome as she misses the birds chirping and squawking :)

This is the last baby bird to leave the nest...




Below pic - the empty nest
My mum told me that she misses the noisy parent birds beckoning their young to leave the nest, or sometimes 'scolding' her for being too close to the nest snapping photos.   The peace and tranquility are almost unbearable to my mum now :D  But fret not mummy, we will be back next week to invade your serenity and peace!!  The girls will be back with their nonsense, shenanigan and Cass will tug at your skirt calling you "granny, granny" non-stop till you get your dizzy spells again (I hope not please!!)  :D




And finally, thank God May will end soon.  The month of May has hardly ever been kind to me for as long as I can remember.  Good riddance May.  May you come back next May to be nicer to me! :)



Thursday, May 28, 2015

15th Wedding Anniversary


27 May 2000 - 27 May 2015

Can't believe it's been 15 years that we've been married.  And 29 years that I have known him!!  I knew hubs when I was 12 - which is Alycia's age this year :)

And so we had a pretty simple celebration.  It's hard to have a grander celebration on a school-going day.  He's had his hands tied doing the prep for his clients' functions today (full house this week).  And Alycia was rushing off the meal at the Japanese restaurant at our condo (yes, again!) so that she could go back to complete her homework.  I told hubs that it's quite a humdrum that all our celebrations (his birthday, the girls' birthdays, my birthday and our wedding anniversary) are all celebrated at this restaurant!  But we don't mind it really as we love the sumptuous Japanese food there and we do not always have our meals there (it's expensive ok!)  albeit it's right at our condo.

Our hearty, delectable fare...



Grilled Japanese flying squid (our favorite at this restaurant), raw Uni (sea urchin) sushi and juicy sashimi salmon (hmmm, my favorite!).

Shishamo (pregnant fish) - Sherilyn's favorite and mine too.  We also ordered noodles and 2 bento boxes but no pictures were snapped as I was famished!







Sweet anniversary pressie from Cass for hubs and me.  Inside the ang pow packets was all the savings that she had, which were a few Ringgit notes and coins.  How sweet that girl is, as always :)



Check out Cass' spelling too! lol!  It's the thought that counts, I told her.

Blueberry sponge cake from Free Mori bakery.






And for our album -- a wefie picture that hubs took with my mobile phone as there was no one to snap the picture for us.  Told hubs that we should really get a selfie stick thingy! :D





Monday, May 25, 2015

Our Sunday - 24 May 2015

Our Sunday yesterday was spent at Avenue K, after church.   Hubs knows that I need my weekly dose of stress management via retail therapy :D

There was a Fashionably AK fiesta held  at Avenue K (held the 2nd year)  when we were there.  This year, there was a carnival themed fashion fiesta all under one circus tent.  We took the opportunity to snap some pix with the clown on stilts.






Daddy bought vouchers for the girls to partake in the fun fair games.




Not as easy as you think... none of the girls won anything.










As usual, while hubs brought the girls around the mall, I quickly did some retail therapy :D


Back home, the girls video Skyped granny in Ipoh.  They were longing to see the little birdlings in a nest on a potted plant at the porch of my parents' house.   Last week, my mum Whatsapped the girls the picture of the nest with cute little round eggs inside the nest.  A few days ago, the eggs hatched and again, my mum Whatsapped the pictures of the adorable birdlings to show us.




The awesomeness of nature -- the birdlings in the immaculately made nest perched on a potted plant at the porch of my parents' house.








The protective parent bird watching my mum intently as she took pix of its babies in the nest...






While my mum stood next to the plant to show us the birdlings inside the nest via Skype on her mobile phone, the father and mother birds were perching on a pole nearby and squawking loudly non-stop, as if to cry in fear!  We saw this touching act via Skype and were awed. We were so touched that the parents birdie were so protective over their babies and I just cannot fathom how some humans have the heart to abandon their babies or flush their newborn down the toilet!!  You read the news of the baby cut into 15 pieces and flushed down the toilet?  I seriously think that the mother who did that is mentally sick.




Watching nature in awe via video Skype...









Friday, May 22, 2015

Green Salad With Figs

Twice or thrice a week, I will have salad with an egg for lunch.  If not for the iron (from meat) that my body needs, I can totally forgo meat. I am anemic.  I have no problems going cold turkey on meat. But I still can't give up eggs. I love eggs too much.

These days, eating meat makes me cloy easily, especially if the meat has been drenched with oil and salt. To begin with, I am an ultra small eater. And I also think  that it's partially because I feel the pain for animals when they get slaughtered. I tend to go morbid sometimes thinking of that.   DON'T shoot me, meat eaters!

Yesterday while having lunch, I read from the newspapers on how cows are slaughtered in Vietnam -- they are bludgeoned to death with sledgehammers!  OMG, Cass and I read the article and saw the picture and we both felt our tummies churn after that!  I've always told my kids that one day, I will turn vegan.  Yes I will, though not 100%.  I will still have eggs ;)

This was my lunch sometime last week, consisting of butterhead lettuce, seasoned Korean seaweed , organic cherry tomatoes, toasted almond, raw pumpkin seeds, a hard-boiled egg and fresh figs.  And of course my smoothie of the day, which was pineapple + orange + apple.






Healthy food makes me feel awesome.  My body feels better too when I eat non-meat foods.  Perhaps, it could be all in the mind too. My mind is pretty consumed on consuming clean! Well, you can't blame a health freak, can you? ;)


Thursday, May 21, 2015

The Value In Izumio and Super Lutein

Everyone says it is expensive, even me. But that is because we have not yet been hit medically like some of you reading this, where each pop of chemotherapy could run up to more than RM10,000. And then the doctor tells you that you need at least a dozen cycles. What about doctor's fees and hospital bills, let alone drugs? What about all the family members you inconvenience because you are in hospital and sick?

Their time, your time, parking, petrol, it all adds up to dollars and cents.

I have gone through a rough time (financially, emotionally and physically) with Cass - from the moment we were told the harsh reality that she had Grade 3 Kidney Reflux (Grade 4 is the highest and most serious grade) and later even hit harder when a scan revealed that she's got a duplex collecting system on her right kidney. From the day she was attacked by her very first UTI (Urinary Tract Infection) attack at 6 weeks old right until her surgeries at 13 months old, hubs and I had spent between RM70,000 - RM80,000 on outpatient medical bills, her antibiotics, expensive imported probiotics (which did not help at all in preventing UTIs), supplements (at one period, she was on some very costly cactus juice and some kind of enzyme. But all these did not help to prevent the UTI attacks.), numerous hospitalization bills on months that she had serious UTI attacks which required hospitalization and finally, the major surgeries in May 2015 that cost us our arms and legs. What I had gone through with Cass is life changing.

Hubs and I exhausted a big chunk of our life savings to pay for Cass' medical bills and supplements. We are still bringing Cass to see doctors to find out why she is still dribbling urine. But ever since she started consuming Izumio, her urine leakage has improved tremendously. She is totally off diapers at home and only wears diapers when she goes to school and sleeps at night. Sometimes, she is off diapers when we go out. Cass is due to do a Cystoscopy Scan next month but we will call HKL to inform them that we are not going ahead with it. I am pretty certain that the test will yield no concrete answer and diagnosis. Perhaps I should still see the surgeon to update her on Cass' improvement.

Even if you have great medical insurance that takes care of all your medical bills, why go through the suffering when you could be healthy and well? In Cass' case, she is not insured and no insurance company will insure her as her problem is congenital. So instead of paying for her medical insurance, I am paying for her supplements.

If you could pay RM1,000 per month for your family medical insurances, why not pay RM1,000 per month for Izumio and Super Lutein? Or RM500 or RM2,000, whatever your budget allows. Plus you get to earn it back or lower your costs for the products should you refer anyone to the products. Heck, in order to prevent cancer and chronic illness, do you not think it is worth it? Especially if you are not yet sick? What is the price tag you would put on your own health? Your family's health? Do you really want to wait till you are critically ill and it is too late?

I have seen too many families scrounge up money when a family member falls ill. A colleague of mine had cancer when he was 50. He exhausted all his life savings and claimed all his insurances up to the cap and could no longer claim a single sen the following year after going through many rounds of chemo. Later, he borrowed a big sum of money from a friend but could never make it to return the money to his friend. He died on the OT table in one of the many surgeries that he had to go through. He was about 55 years old that year. I felt so sad over his loss.

Desperation sets in when a life is at risk. And believe me, it could happen to ANYONE. Even you. Even me. Even if you are keeping yourself super healthy by eating lots of vegetables and drinking lots of water and exercising. Everyone's body is different, our pathways are different. Even when someone leads a really healthy lifestyle, other factors could produce an abundance of free radicals unknowing to the person. It could be stress, it could be lack of sleep, it could be exposure to certain particles in the environment, it could be application of creams, powder, you name it. We do not know the reasons why our body breaks down and allows cancer. Sometimes it is a combination of factors. Canned food, bitterness, working near a paint factory, exposure to radiation, ingestion of heavy metals, etc.

If you were critically ill, terminally ill even, but knew that Izumio and Super Lutein offered you a chance, you would even pay more for it. But why wait till then?

For more reading on Izumio and Super Lutein, please click on the following links:

 Dangers of Eczema Steroid Creams

 I can be reached at shireenyong@gmail.com should you require more info on the products.

    

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Admirer At Seven Years Old!

There's this cute little boy in Cass' class who likes Cass A LOT! I have met him several times and he looks like a baby to me - cute, cuddly and still very childish. I guess he must be a December child as he is very tiny for his age, like a 4-year old kid. Once, I had to bring Cass home early as she had an appointment with the surgeon. As I led Cass out of the classroom, this boy who was playing with Cass kept hugging her and told her not to go home!

Cass tells me that this boy (I'll call him J) likes to follow her wherever she goes to. Sometimes he will mimic his lips to a kissing bud and will try to kiss Cass! Cass would run for her dear life. Sometimes, J will go after Cass to hug her and she will avoid at all cost. J likes to touch Cass' things and this would always irritate her. One time, she got so pissed with J that she told him this "my mummy asked me not to friend you anymore!" And she told me that those words hurt J so much that he was terribly crestfallen and moody the entire day!


In class today and related to me by Cass:

Cass - J, why do you like to touch my things and go near me all the time? Why don't you touch N's and Q's things? Why don't you disturb them?

 J - because N and Q are troublesome. I don't like them.

 Cass - why do you like me so much?

 J - because you are very pretty!

HO HO HO! LOL!

One time, J was rummaging through Cass' school bag and lo and behold, he fished out Cass' diapers, wrapped individually in plastic bags!! J asked Cass if she wears diapers and Cass told me that she cooked up a white lie to cover up! A few days later, J asked Cass repeatedly again if she wears diapers but Cass just ignored him.  I told Cass that she should not be ashamed of her problem. She needs to wear diapers because she has a medical issue and not because she is lazy to pee in the toilet. So she should not tell white lies to her friends but instead tell them the truth. I told Cass that those who cannot accept her are not worth being her friends and she should avoid fair weathered friends, period.

Cass however reveals her dark secret to her close girlfriends and they are all understanding and did not poke fun at her. Of course, there are a couple of evil and mischievous ones who would sometimes make fun of her but I am glad that Cass knows how to fend for herself.

Shouldn't I be happy that Cass has a strong admirer though she is only 7?  Not really. I have warned Cass time and again that she has to be very careful with J.   I explained to her that she should never let J or  anyone for that matter,  touch her private parts and she has to tell her teacher immediately should anyone try to touch her.

Looking at Cass here, you think anyone would find her pretty, demure and cute? She eats chicken feet like a village girl and she can be a real kick-ass bad girl who incense you till your blood boil!



4 Tips for Buying Cosmetic Lasers

Cosmetic lasers can improve and even eliminate flaws in ways that other skincare procedures simply can't. But what if you're new to the business of buying cosmetic lasers? Here are just four tips for making a smart purchase decision.

1. Give Yourself a Budget
Cosmetic lasers can get quite expensive, so decide right away what you can't afford to spend. Keep in mind that you'll have installation and maintenance costs on top of the listed price, too.

2. Know the Different Types
Are you looking for a skin resurfacing laser or something for laser hair removal? While many cosmetic lasers share the same basic features, their specialized operations are what you'll want to look at more than anything else.

3. Research Their Manufacturers
How long have they been in business? What does their record look like with the Better Business Bureau? What do customers have to say about them in their online reviews? Never spend thousands of dollars on a product without reading the testimonials first.

4. Ask About Warranties
Even the best products can suffer malfunctions down the line. Look for insurance and return policies that will keep you covered no matter what happens in the future. A trustworthy product has no need to cheat its customers with a bad warranty.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when buying a cosmetic laser. They may not be cheap, but they can really make a difference in your clinic or health club, so the investment is worth it.


Monday, May 18, 2015

Express Homecooked Dinner - 18 May 2015

Mondays are hectic for me. Besides having to make 6 trips (to and fro) to fetch Miss Sociable from her activities, I  have to dish out an express dinner so that the girls can eat by 5:45pm.  Sherilyn has hip hop dance class at 7pm.

Some of the items off my Express Dinner menu are braised chicken drumsticks or wings, spaghetti or pasta and sandwiches. These are easy and fast to whip up and can be quickly finished off too.  No fuss, no sweat, sustaining, wholesome and yummy at the same time!





Pan-fried chicken fillet with fried eggs, organic raw alfalfa sprouts, cucumber slices, organic cherry tomatoes, blueberries and cheese on super crispy sprouted wheat toasts.

Chicken fillet is marinated with garlic powder, sesame seed oil, garlic salt, pepper, soy sauce, ground coriander seeds and palm sugar.






The girls loved this crispy sandwich and were pretty generous with their praises for me, even from the most persnickety and hardest to pleased one! :)


Cost of this meal is around RM30.   I even have extra chicken to prepare another round of sandwiches for Cass and me for lunch tomorrow :)


Tip of the day from HFM: to buy  cheap chicken fillet, chicken drumsticks and wings, boneless chicken thighs for chicken chop, chicken innards or just about any part of the chicken, shop at NSK @ Jalan Kuchai Lama.

NSK sells an abundance and wide array of meat ranging from fish to seafood, chicken, pork and beef at very affordable prices (way cheaper than some wet markets and definitely cheaper than most of the regular supermarkets). You can select any part of the chicken or pork that you wish for whatever dishes that you plan to cook. Best of all, the meat are all nicely packed and labelled  for you, with date and all, so this saves you the trouble and time of having to pack and label your meat when you get back home.   And I love it that the place is air-conditioned and is so much more comfortable than buying meat from stinky and  wet markets :)





Friday, May 15, 2015

Mother's Day Card From Loyal Blog Reader

Yesterday was a shitty day for me. I think my soul along with my ego were brutally battered by someone who wrote something about me which is not true!  I emailed back this keyboard warrior to clear the air but still, I am still a crippled soul with a fresh wound to my self-esteem.

Anyway, all that hurt I suffered was almost subdued when I received this home-made Mother's Day card from a very, very thoughtful and loyal blog reader.




S has been sending me hand-sewn Mother's Day cards for 4 years. Each year, I would receive a hand-sewn alphabet letter -- from my name Shireen.  As this is the fourth year, S sewed the letter "R" for the card.

Thank you so much, S for this lovely card.  You are one of my most loyal blog readers. I did not think that you would have remembered to send me the card.  But you did and the day that I received this card was exactly a year ago from the last date I received the previous Mother's Day card.  How impeccable your timing is in sending me the card!!  Last year, I received the card on 12 May 2014 and this year, I received your card on 12 May 2015 too!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart, S :)






Thursday, May 14, 2015

HFM's Healthy Lunch

Home-cooked- lunch for Cass and me a few days ago...


For Cass -
Beef Bolognese spiral pasta (cooked last week and frozen) - reheated in the non-stick pan with a few dashes of olive oil and mixed herbs.
Omelette with garlic and pepper.
Organic alfalfa sprouts and organic cherry tomatoes




Skinny Lunch for me (almost carbs-free) -
Alfalfa sprouts with seasoned seaweed, toasted sesame seeds, cherry tomatoes and garlic omelette.







This lunch is anytime better than the oily 'chap fun' dishes that I packed for lunch today - made me feel so bloated and cloy, right until now and it's almost dinner time *BURP*!






Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Chinese Steamed Egg Custard

I have lost count on the number of times I had attempted to dish out the 'silky smooth steamed egg' dish but each time I did, I failed!  Sometime I failed so miserably that I vowed not to try it again, only to try it yet again when the littlest one kept bugging me to order steamed egg each time we have dinner outside.  Yes, steamed egg is Cass' number 1 favorite dish.  In fact, this girl just loves eggs cooked in any style but her top favorite has got to be steamed egg Chinese style and Chawan Mushi (Japanese style).

I have Googled for steamed egg recipes several times in the past but the recipes that I followed did not reveal the ultimate tricks to silky smooth steamed egg with texture like custard.

Yesterday, I did a Google search  to look for the perfect steamed egg recipe again.  I randomly picked one of the recipes in the search results and tried this blogger's recipe, which came with really  handy tips and tricks and yes, I finally succeeded!!

Finally I can show off my silky smooth steamed egg custard!




Now I know why I failed miserably in the past!  I missed out on a few very important tricks, i.e. --
1) covering the plate while steaming. How could I have missed this step?!  This is the no.1 most important step

2) stir the egg mixture in a circular motion in ONE DIRECTION ONLY (clockwise or counter clockwise) until the egg white and egg yolk are totally combined.

RATIO : Add 3 oz water for one egg.  I used 5 eggs, so I added 15 oz of filtered water.






Trick #1. The Stirring Motion : Stir in a circular motion instead of back and forth motion. A back and forth motion creates lots of air bubbles which will prevent the surface of the egg custard from being smooth. If it does end up with having a lot of bubbles, use a small spoon to scoop out the bubbles, or set aside and wait for a few minutes for the bubbles to go away.

NOTE: I noticed in most recipes they required using a fine mesh strainer to filter out the membrane of egg yolk in the egg-water mixture. I found this is totally unnecessary if you stir the eggs well. Well, yesterday I did not strain the egg mixture and the end product turned out super smooth!


Trick #2. The amount of water added: For each large egg you should add 3 oz of water. This ratio is important.

Trick #3: Add salt just before cooking the eggs. There is a chemistry term called Hofmeister series. It describes certain salts will make protein more soluble in water (salting in) while some salts will tend to decrease the solubility of protein in water (salting out). Egg white consists of water (92% by weight) and protein (8% by weight). The chloride anion from the table salt will tend to make egg white protein less soluble in the water. So if I add salt to the egg long before I am going to stir and mix it, the egg white protein will not mix well with the water. So remember add salt at the very end or just right before you are ready to cook it.

Trick #4: Cover the container while steaming. Condensed water vapor on the steamer lid will drip down into the bowl. If there is no cover on the bowl, the water will make the surface of the egg custard uneven and look like honeycomb.

Trick #5: The steaming time: 7-8 minutes.  Yesterday, I steamed my 5 eggs mixture for 7 minutes.  The 7 minutes of steaming is AFTER the water has started to bubble in the wok.  Only put in the plate of egg mixture after the water has bubbled.
My daughters' former babysitter used to steam the egg mixture for only 2 minutes and she lets the plate of egg mixture sit in the wok for another few more minutes, with the flame turned off.  She makes the world's smoothest and silkiest steamed egg, I kid you not. I really do miss her steamed eggs.  I must visit her one of these days to get the secret recipe from her!


RECIPE:

Chinese Steamed Egg Custard (recipe courtesy of Little Orange Bean)
Prep time:  


Cook time:  
Total time:  
Serves: 1 serving
Tools: Steamer, a small mixing bowl, measuring cup, chopsticks for stirring, heat-proof container with cover
Ingredients
  • 1 large egg 
  • 3 oz water (if you use more eggs, you will have to do some multiplication to get the required amount of water)
  • ¼ tsp sesame oil
  • (Optional) pinch of salt
  • (Optional) green onion for garnishing
  • (Optional) Fried garlic with oil for garnishing
Instructions
  1. In a small mixing bowl, use chopsticks to whisk the egg in a stirring motion in one direction (clockwise or counter clockwise) until the egg white and egg yolk are totally combined.
  2. Add water and sprinkle salt; then briefly stir in one direction.
  3. Pour the egg mixture into a heat-proof container, cover with heat-proof lid or aluminum foil.
  4. Fill the steamer with cold water. Place the bowl in the steamer. Bring the water to a boil then turn down to medium heat with gentle boiling. Steam for 7 minutes.
  5. Turn off the heat, the egg custard should be slightly firm and wobble in the center. Test by inserting a toothpick; it should come out clean.
  6. Add sesame oil and garnish with green onion. Serve warm.
Notes
1. Stir in a circular motion instead of back and forth motion. A back and forth motion creates lots of air bubbles which will prevent the surface of the egg custard from being smooth. If it does end up with having a lot of bubbles, use a small spoon to scoop out the bubbles, or set aside and wait for a few minutes for the bubbles to go away.
2. Add salt just before cooking the eggs.
3. Cover the container while steaming. Condensed water vapor on the steamer lid will drip down into the bowl. If there is no cover on the bowl, the water will make the surface of the egg custard uneven and look like honeycomb.
4. Add 2 more minute for each additional egg. If you steam too long, the egg will be over cooked and tend to be tough.


Happy trying!  If I have succeeded, so can you! ;)



Monday, May 11, 2015

Cancer Patients Drinking Hydrogen-Rich Water

A blog reader's mother will be undergoing chemotherapy soon for cancer. My blog reader asked me whether Izumio hydrogen water is  good for cancer patients, to which I told her that we have members (Naturally Plus Malaysia) with cancer markers brought down significantly after consuming Izumio and Super Lutein. Recently, a customer was healed from Prostate Cancer WITHOUT chemotherapy, which is unbelievable! His cancer marker from a few hundred has come down to just 8. He was a Stage 4 Prostate Cancer patient. He is 74 years old and very healthy now. He took 15 Super Lutein capsules and 5 packets of Izumio for 2+ months now. His doctor is really amazed.

Hydrogen-rich water is also scientifically known to increase the Quality Of Life (QOL) of patients receiving radiotherapy. I did a Google search and found a research paper from the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health dated 7 June 2011.  Here are some excerpts from the said Research Paper:

Effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on the quality of life of patients treated with radiotherapy for liver tumors

Background
Cancer patients receiving radiotherapy often experience fatigue and impaired quality of life (QOL). Many side effects of radiotherapy are believed to be associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation due to the generation of reactive oxygen species during radiotherapy. Hydrogen can be administered as a therapeutic medical gas, has antioxidant properties, and reduces inflammation in tissues. This study examined whether hydrogen treatment, in the form of hydrogen-supplemented water, improved QOL in patients receiving radiotherapy.

Methods
A randomized, placebo-controlled study was performed to evaluate the effects of drinking hydrogen-rich water on 49 patients receiving radiotherapy for malignant liver tumors. Hydrogen-rich water was produced by placing a metallic magnesium stick into drinking water (final hydrogen concentration; 0.55~0.65 mM). The Korean version of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's QLQ-C30 instrument was used to evaluate global health status and QOL. The concentration of derivatives of reactive oxidative metabolites and biological antioxidant power in the peripheral blood were assessed.

Results
The consumption of hydrogen-rich water for 6 weeks reduced reactive oxygen metabolites in the blood and maintained blood oxidation potential. QOL scores during radiotherapy were significantly improved in patients treated with hydrogen-rich water compared to patients receiving placebo water. There was no difference in tumor response to radiotherapy between the two groups.

Conclusions
Daily consumption of hydrogen-rich water is a potentially novel, therapeutic strategy for improving QOL after radiation exposure. Consumption of hydrogen-rich water reduces the biological reaction to radiation-induced oxidative stress without compromising anti-tumor effects.

Background
Radiotherapy is one of the major treatment options for malignant neoplasms. Nearly half of all newly diagnosed cancer patients will receive radiotherapy at some point during treatment and up to 25% may receive radiotherapy a second time [1]. While radiotherapy destroys malignant cells, it adversely affects the surrounding normal cells [2]. Acute radiation-associated side effects include fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, dry mouth, loss of appetite, hair loss, sore skin, and depression.

Radiation increases the long-term risk of cancer, central nervous system disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cataracts. The likelihood of radiation-induced complications is related to the volume of the irradiated organ, the radiation dose delivered, the fractionation of the delivered dose, the delivery of radiation modifiers, and individual radiosensitivity [3]. Most radiation-induced symptoms are believed to be associated with increased oxidative stress and inflammation, due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during radiotherapy, and may significantly affect the patient's quality of life (QOL) [2].

Hydrogen, a therapeutic medical gas, has antioxidant properties and reduces inflammatory events in tissues [4-6]. Drinking liquids supplemented with hydrogen represents a novel method of hydrogen gas delivery that is easily translatable into clinical practice, with beneficial effects for several medical conditions, including atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cognitive impairment during aging and in Parkinson's disease [7-11]. Currently, there is no definitive therapy to improve the QOL of patients receiving radiotherapy. Drinking solubilized hydrogen on a daily basis may be beneficial and would be quite easy to administer without complicating or changing a patient's lifestyle. We hypothesized that oral intake of hydrogen-rich water, generated via a magnesium stick, would reduce adverse events in patients receiving radiotherapy.


In conclusion, our study demonstrated that drinking hydrogen-rich water improved QOL and reduced oxidative markers in patients receiving radiotherapy for liver tumors. This novel approach of oral intake of hydrogen-rich water may be applicable to a wide range of radiation-related adverse symptoms.

If you wish to find out more on Izumio hydrogen water and Super Lutein, do drop me an email at shireenyong@gmail.com

For more reading on Izumio and Super Lutein, please click on the following link:







Saturday, May 9, 2015

One-Pot Dish - Curry Fish With Vegetables

Another one-pot dish for dinner on one of the school-going days last week...





Curry fish (Gold Pomfret) with brinjals, long beans, tomatoes, ladies fingers and puffed tofu.


I only used half a packet of instant fish curry sauce from Mak Nyonya to suit the kids.




Additionally, I added a handful of kafir lime leaves (these added so much flavor and aroma to the curry!) and 2 stalks of smashed lemon grass.   I also added about a quarter cup of santan (coconut milk) to thicken up the  curry sauce.

Still slow cooking in the pot...



The drama queen loves decorating her meals and this is her food art...



Grilled black pepper honey chicken fillet was leftover from last night's dinner, which I made.  Rice is cooked with fresh coconut milk.

Dishing up homecooked meals on busy weekdays need not be a nightmare. With proper planning and pre-prepping the ingredients on free days, putting fresh and wholesome homecooked dishes on the dining table for your family can be a walk in the park :)



Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Grilled Chicken Sandwich For Dinner

Here's one of the simple dinners that I dished out sometime last week.

Sandwich with pan-fried chicken fillet, spiced tuna fish, cheese, cool cucumbers and juicy tomatoes.





Ever since I got a new Tefal non-stick wok that's really efficient (cooks food really fast), I've since found a renewed love for pan-frying!  It does not cause as much splish splash of oil vs steel-cast wok.

The chicken fillet was marinated with coriander seed powder, black pepper, garlic powder, garlic oil and gula melaka syrup.  They were really delish!






Spiced tuna - I used canned tuna flakes in mineral water and seasoned it with black pepper, cajun, cumin, garlic salt,  light mayo sauce and spring onions.  Since I did not have enough time to chop onions, spring onions was my next best alternative.  With a little oil left after pan-frying the chicken fillet, I used it to heat up the tuna and mixed the seasoning.   And this spiced tuna tasted fantastic.  The cumin gives it a little Middle Eastern flavor.




The slices of bread were lightly toasted in the oven...




And the girls fixed their sandwich themselves with 5 layers of ingredients -- in the order of spiced tuna, cucumber, cheese, tomato and chicken fillet.




And this sandwich was seriously good. Way better than Subway!!





I had reheated some fried rice (I cooked that for lunch) for the 'rice barrel' girl but to my surprise, she ain't interested in rice!  For the first time!  She only wanted the sandwiches and after this delish sandwich dinner, she told me that she wouldn't mind eating sandwiches for one of her meals everyday!





Since the 'rice barrel' turned down the fried rice, Sherilyn brought it to school for recess the next day, with 2 pieces of chicken fillet :)



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Monday, May 4, 2015

Day Trip To Sekinchan - 3 May 2015

On our Wesak Day holiday yesterday, we went on a day-trip to Sekinchan with our usual group of buddies and their kids.  Sekinchan is a small fishing village in the outskirts of Selangor with luxurious fertile paddy fields.

First stop before we reached Sekinchan fishing village was the paddy fields.  Though it was really SCORCHING hot with temps of 36C, we got down the car for a camwhoring session. I summoned the hubs to bring down the XL umbrella to shelter me, else I melt under the blazing sun's wrath!



Green green grass of rice...









The girls and their playdates since birth.





We spent over an hour at the Paddy Processing Factory and Paddy Museum. We bought rice grains and attended a short video presentation on how rice is planted, harvested and processed.

At the Paddy Museum...












Paddy Museum from PLS Marketing in Sekinchan





At the paddy processing factory...










After the tour of the factory and museum, we had ice-creams sold at the paddy factory.

Next up, we adjourned to the fish products factory to see how salted fish and fish products are made.




Geez, the 'hum yue' (salted fish) sure smells fishy!!





Next, we  drove to the nearby Pantai Redang Beach to throw red ribbons onto a wishing tree.  The red ribbons are obtainable free from a Chinese temple situated just next to the wishing tree.  Whether your wishes come true or otherwise, the red ribbons entangled all over the tall tree sure provides a gorgeous backdrop for photography.












Cass' ribbon was nicely flung and lodged onto a high tree branch with just one good fling!  Bravo to this cili padi with good flinging skill, lol!   Alycia and Sherilyn had to make a few attempts though.




After the ribbon flinging session, we walked across to the beach.  We rented bubble makers for the kids to make gigantic bubbles!

Whilst the kids had fun under the burning sun, I sought refuge at a nearby gazebo and guzzled down a packet of Izumio Hydrogen water to hydrate myself. How I  hate the sun and was waiting impatiently for the kids to finish off their bubbles solution.













We had just only gotten back a fresh layer of fair skin after 3 weeks of sun-grilling in New Zealand just 4 months back, only to lose the fair skin to the brutal sun again.  Everyone spots a brand new tan now.








With everyone soaked in stinky sweat and a sticky body, we adjourned to an air-conditioned restaurant for lunch. Finally, air cond for all of us!!






The roe crabs were small and not meaty.  We could get much bigger ones in KL.




Ho chien (oyster omelette)




Ikan keli  spicy stew.




Seafood was not that fantastic and I would definitely not make a 1-hour drive all the way to Sekinchan to sample the seafood.  And they do not come cheap too!  We could get much better fare in KL.

Of all the dishes that we ordered, I must say that the Teochew Oo-Ni (芋泥 - a yam paste) was the best.  It's absolutely one of a kind and really delicious!  It's  steamed pumpkin with yam paste and gingko inside the pumpkin.  It's my first time sampling this Teochew delicacy and anyone visiting Sekinchan must try this delicacy.  The kids did not fancy this dessert and we adults wolfed down both the pumpkins!



Restoran Guan Seng Loong, Sekinchan




After a heavy lunch, we strode across the road to buy some fresh fish.  We were told that the fishing boats return from sea at about 2pm everyday. There was a small shop selling the fresh catches. But the selection was not many. Hubs and I personally still prefer to buy our fish from NSK as the selection at NSK is really HUGE and cheap!   Still, hubs bought a pomfret (costing RM60+) and a packet of fish balls. We don't think that the fishes at this shop are that cheap, yet visitors were seen thronging and buying fishes without a batting an eyelid... like, are they really that cheap??








Baby sharks, anyone?






It was an enjoyable day-trip for everyone, especially the kids, who did not wish to say their good-byes :)