De-Stress

Hubby was diagnosed with pneumonia on Monday. He was pretty out of it for the next 2 days with a strong dose of antibiotics and fever that doesn't seem to want to go away. Well, he is better today but I am not feeling so great.

Went for my monthly massage today and my therapist has to keep telling me to relax my neck. =/ I am really bad at this relaxing business. But I am feeling under the weather, probably caught something from hubby. Starting to pop ibuprofen to keep away the fever that keeps returning. 

On the bright side, it is finally cooling down my side of the desert, and I am hoping that this means wheeze-free me for at least another 3.5 months.

2 months left till 2014, do take the time to review your resolutions/faith goals. You still have time to move towards it, even if just a little bit. =)

Shall be back when I am feeling better.

Liberated!

Today is a day of freedom!  Our church had a special baptism for those who wish to participate.  The baptism is a symbolic ceremony of liberation - a sign that we have broken free of the strongholds that were holding us back.  Hubby and I each wrote down the strongholds that we would like to see broken, the list went into the waters with us. And we went through the baptism and we are liberated.  =)

I love my pastor and my church! I believe that it is most important to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit and not be concerned about how man would react or comment. After all, at the end of the day, we would have to stand before God and not man, to give an account. 

After the baptism, we went to change into dry clothes and talked with someone we have not seen for sometime in Church.  =)  Glad to see him back and to be able to catch-up with him again.  We left church and went to get water for the week, before heading to Village Bakehouse for our brunch to celebrate!  This was my 2nd visit and hubby's first. It was pretty crowded on a Sunday morning.

My Boss Sandwich (Half - Beef)

His Egg and Bacon Croissant

I love our brunch!  It was filling and yummy.  We also bought their new Olive and Garlic bread and a huge Crunchy Cinnamon Bun to go.  Alas! I forgot to take a picture of them. =/  Note to self : Must be more diligent about taking pictures of yummy food to share on my blog.  And I love the location too!  It is beside a Trader Joe's and needless to say, that was our next stop to get some fruits and whatnots. =)

Obviously, hubby was feeling better in the morning after the ibuprofen and we got to go to the baptism.  But after we got home in the afternoon, his fever came back with a vengeance.  And he had to take ibuprofen again.  He was still feeling unwell at 3:30pm, and we had to skip our Financial Peace University class for this week.  Hope he feels better soon as he has to leave for work at 6 in the morning. 

First Thing's First

Was not able to go to the gym on Thursday as hubby was not feeling well. So today, first thing would be to hit the gym. As usual, a record of my workout.

After the gym, did some grocery shopping at an Asian market and also at Costco. Headed home to rest for a bit before we have to prepare food for a gathering in the evening.  We prepared Japanese Jelly with bits of peach and jack fruit. We also prepared kalbi beef short ribs because it took much longer to cook it than we had first anticipated, I forgot to take a picture of it.

We enjoyed the food and the company at the gathering. Headed home at about 10.30pm. And hubby mysteriously develop a fever and was really hot to the touch. Hmm... we are looking forward to a mass baptism at church tomorrow morning, but I guess we have to see how he is feeling in the morning.

Friends

Came across 2 quotes that speaks to me with regards to friendship today.

"When you're up in life, your friends get to know who you are. When you're down in life, you get to know who your friends are."

"Oh I'm sorry.  I forgot I only exist when you need something."

Can you relate?

I want to share about something interesting - friends!  Everyone's got some and they come in all kinds,  don't they? =)  

Well, recently one of those contacted me.  It started out with questions.  After a few questions, I started to have this sinking feeling that I'm being hooked (unwillingly) into doing something for the person.  You know what I mean?  I'm referring to conversations that may or may not start out like this :

Friend : "Hey, what are you doing now?"

Me : "Nothing much. Why?"

Friend : "What shift is your hubby working this week?"

Me : "Morning.  Why?"

Friend : "Which day are you free this week?"

Me : *starting to get suspicious and hesitates in my reply* "Not sure.  I need to get back to you on that.  Maybe Wednesday?  Why?"

Friend : (starts to go into a series of explanation to what I am not sure)

Me : (quiet as I kind of see where this is headed) =/

Friend : "So you see, I need "

Me : (Sees no way out) "Okay." (T-T) 

This so called friend, now knows that I am free on a certain day and has managed to trapped me into helping with whatever favor it is.  I sometimes feel that this kind of friend prey on our weakness.  They know that I have difficulty saying no. Now, I'm not saying that the above is exactly what happened, but you get the idea, it usually involves a lot more questions where I really get cornered into going along with whatever is "suggested."

Anyway, I suppose this is my own fault - no boundaries.  It just irritates me to no end, that they kind of exploit my weakness and clearly just want me to perform some favor.  And it's usually out of the blue, when something is needed.

On the other hand, I have friends who are just straight-forward.  I love these people.  They just come right out and say what's on their mind. "Hey, can you help me with this and that?" If I am able, I will surely help them.  Friends should be straight with each other right?  If we can't be straight with one another and have to resort to tactics, can what we have still be considered as friendship?

In KAZ's Kitchen...

Simple Meatless Tom Yam Rice Noodles with Greens

As part of the food we are bringing for a gathering tomorrow...

The instructions say that it needs to be set in the fridge overnight, so we did it tonight...

Japanese Konnyaku Jelly with Peach and Jackfruit.

Happy Call Double-Sided Pan

One of the best purchase I made for the kitchen would be the Happy Call Double-Sided Pan, which I shall refer to as HCP for short.  I bought it last February (2012) on eBay from this seller (smartgreenstyle), for US$82.99 which was shipped from Korean and it arrived in 2 weeks! 

The very first thing I cooked was Pumpkin Rice

Because I have never could get the temperature of the oven quite right for baking, I love the HCP for simple baking like Banana Bread!  I do have an oven thermometer but my baked stuff still comes out wrong. Argh!  However, now that I have a gas stove, things are better!  But at times, I still like to use the HCP for baking cause it's faster and heats up real quick.

Banana Bread

I especially like to use it to cook "one pot" dishes, like Chicken Rice, Pumpkin Rice or something similar.  There is less to wash and because of the double pan feature (similar to pressure cooking), things are cooked thoroughly and splatter less.  The stove is generally pretty clean or at least easy to clean up.

"Claypot" Chicken Rice

During the Lunar New year when Asians would normally bake a lot of snacks and cookies for guests who visit during the festival, I used it to bake Green Pea Cookies and Pork Jerky.  I was able to do it really fast and the kitchen is not that warm. =)

 Green Peas Cookies (think melting moments)

Pork Jerky

I used to prepare our steaks in it too.  Fast! That was before we got our grill.  Will probably have to do this when we move back into an apartment.  Anyway, the point is that, the HCP is really versatile. =)

Steak

I think what I still love the most, is those one pot rice meals.  Just put rice, pumpkin and other stuff you want to have with your rice, and add water to cook it everything in 20 mins.  I normally add the greens only 5 mins before I'm done, so that they would not be overcooked.

Pumpkin, Mushrooms and Greens with Rice.

So here's what's cooking in the kitchen today. 

Easy Beef Stew, Brussels Sprouts and Cheat Cookie Bars

I Love to go A-Wandering

I developed an especially wandering heart these past couple of years.  It used to be that when we would visit a place, we would max it out by dashing from one point of interest to another, just to make our time at the destination worth the while  Being the nerd of the 2 of us, I would research the destination to death.  

There would be a folder with us, containing lists of places to go, broken down into categories with the address, operating hours and cost (if any).  I would plan each day to maximize the time we spent there.  We would leave the hotel early and come back ready to collapse. Haha...

I think sometime during the past 2 years, things change.  We stopped rushing, we spent time sitting around in coffee shops, just strolling along the area.  I think I enjoyed the change.  This way we are able to take more in, rather than just rushing around and ending up needing a vacation from the vacation.

Last May, while I was really down, hubby promised to bring me to Europe. =)  I am so blessed.  It was supposed to have taken place last July but we weren't sure about being in London the same time as the Olympics.  And so it got postponed.  I almost thought that it would not happen, then hubby just booked it 2 to 3 weeks before we left for the trip.  And so, we left on July 24 and headed to our first stop - London!

Tea at the Chesterfield Mayfair *Yums*

The actual cup of tea that I had. *Bliss!*

The day we arrived, we had tea at the Chesterfield Mayfair.  The scones were super duper yums!  Unfortunately, we were unable to finish the lovely treats and had to take the sweets to go. The service was wonderful.  I would really, really love to go there again.

Eggs Benedict and Smoked Salmon for Breakfast.

Did I mention that we stayed at the Chesterfield Mayfair for 4 nights.  Super love!  We had complimentary cooked breakfast each morning and I really miss the Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon. We stayed in a themed-room - Music Room.  I had been to London in 1996 and the hotel that I stayed was kind of old and small.  So imagine my surprise at the big bed and big bathtub!  In short, I would love to go stay there again, the next time I visit London. =)

Westminster Abby

We walked so much in London.  I discovered calf and feet muscles that I never knew I had.  Haha!  One of the places we visited was the Westminster Abby.  Everything seemed near and yet far at the same time.  I think we overestimated our fitness level and exhausted ourselves walking around and taking everything in.   

Change of Guard at Buckingham Palace

Oh, incidentally, it was really hot while we were there.  Just thought I'd mention that.  There was a huge crowd waiting outside the Buckingham Palace to witness the change of guard on the day we choose to do the same.  It's like everyone turned up to watch this.  It took me back to my previous visit, which was also in July.  I don't think it was that hot and definitely not as packed.  However, this is hubby's first visit to London and therefore, this is a must-do. After all, we traveled an entire day to get there. 

Yummy Yummy at Portobello Street Market

On Saturday, we headed to Notthinghill after my Eggs Benedict and Smoked Salmon Breakfast. As it was Saturday, there was actually a market on Portobello Street.  I love it!  There were locals and tourists everywhere.  I love wondering the street and looking at the wares that are available. I think I bought 2 fridge magnets and enjoyed my time there.

Underground Map made of Lego

Other places we visited include, Oxford Street, Covent Market, Chinatown, Shakespeare Theater, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and many others that I can't recall at this moment.  All I can say is, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there and 4 days is too short for London!  If we were to go back to the UK again, I would spend just 10 days in UK, visiting Wales and Scotland as well. =)

We headed to Paris next and that shall be in another later post. *Dreaming of being back in London*

Back to reality, for lunch today, we had stir-fried romaine lettuce and rendang beef. 

Tuesday = Gym

One of our faith goals this year is to hit the gym at least 3 times a week.  We have been doing well for the past year, with the exception of those weeks when we were not well.  Even while we were on vacation, we would try to hit the gym in the hotels when they are available. *Unbelievable*

I was down for the past week with acute throat and ear infection, and along with it, asthma attacks. =(  Since I was feeling much better today, we carried on with our plan to workout at the gym.  We joined the YMCA about this time last year.  It is less crowded and we have a free 10-weeks each with a trainer, though I was the only one who went through the program.  I was actually able to achieve the "goals" I set out at the start of the program. And come 1 year later, I'm still doing well.  

People always say that gym membership is a waste as people usually stop going after a few months, while still paying the dues. Thank God that we were able to persevere. =)  Anyway, back to the present... I was taking it easy at the gym, walking as usual on the treadmill with a book and music in my ears.  This is my view for the 33 minutes that I was on the treadmill today.  I did work up to a speed of 3 with an incline of 6. =) *Happy* 

When you are walking on the treadmill and taking a picture at the same time, 

they almost always turn out blurry. *Duh*

After the treadmill, I went on to strength and here's what I did today.

I will usually key in my workout details on my phone.

I was actually quite amazed that I was able to do so much today, considering my last doze of the antibiotics was on Saturday.  I am actually bouncing back much faster than before, which is a good thing.  For the past year since joining the Y, I have lost a total of 25 pounds without putting them back on, despite still eating pretty much the same amount of food. Granted, if I were to have been more conscious about my diet and increased the intensity of my workout, I would probably have lost double the weight. Considering that I have not exercised for the past 20 years since my injury (that's a story for next time), with just walking on the treadmill (no running due to asthma, being obese and a herniated disc), that is really good progress. For those who think otherwise, talk to the hand!  Hubby told me each time he sees me on the treadmill or doing my strength training, he feels proud of me and my progress.  We are active now and that is so different from a year ago. *Fat Potatoes on the Couch*

As Phil in Duck Dynasty would say, we are happy, happy, happy!

Pasta on Monday

Hubby is working the night shift this week.  My weekdays would typically start off with me being in the kitchen for a couple of hours each day.  I would have a light breakfast - cereal, fresh juice or oatmeal.  Afterwhich, I would be preparing for our lunch, which would also be what we have for dinner.  Hubby would bring a bento box of whatever we had for lunch, as his dinner.

I would typically prepare something that is convenient for him to bring and easy to heat up.  Today, we had a piece of toast each, while lunch is bring prep.  Felt adventurous today, so there's freshly minced garlic, tomatoes, fresh basil and a slice of gouda cheese on our toast.  I bought white bread this week, as it had been quite sometime since we had white bread.

It doesn't exactly look appetizing, just some simple and homecooked.

Lunch today was spaghetti with meatballs.  I made the meatballs with ground beef, chopped red onions, smashed crackers, some panko, salt and pepper.  I fried the meatballs and set them aside.  Afterwhich, I prepared pasta, mixed up some crimini mushrooms, onions and garlic with a bottle of Classico's Spicy Tomato and Basil sauce.  Add some salt and pepper to the sauce and then I added the meatballs into the finished sauce.  Served with some parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

It was simple and filling.

Just the way we like it.

My Forever Blog?

Hi! I'm Alvina Zoe. =) Welcome to my blog.

I have arrived at the conclusion that I seriously need a blog. Why? Because I move every few years and it is a pain to keep lugging my boxes of journals and notebooks with me. While it is sad that I have to digitize my life, I am sure happy to have less to pack and also I have less fear of my notebooks/journals getting damaged or misplaced with each move.

I love notebooks and journals. I have pared down my collection, but still have quite a bit to digitize before my next move in February 2014.

What's in my journals and notebooks? The weekly sermon notes, notes from Bible Studies, my thoughts and feelings, my daily activities, inspirations from everywhere, to-do lists, wishlists, etc...

So as you can see, there are lots of information and they need to go to some place. I'm trying to simplify my life and I think going digital with proper labels or tags would help me to be more organized,  and it will be easier for me to hunt things down.

To be very honest, this is not my first blog. I've had a few non-specific blogs and a couple more specific ones. Basically, before this my digital life is as disorganized as my thought life and my tons of stuff.  I've decided that I need to be organized to simplify and to make my life less stressful. I'm determined to keep this up. And today is as good as any other day to start on a new journey.

This entry shall serve as a reminder of why I have this blog and why I should continue to blog. Pardon me while I journey through various layouts and designs, and making a habit of penning down my thoughts here.