avo milk smoothie...

this recipe was introduced to me by biow. apparently it's very popular in singapore. it's just so simple, yet so yummy!

yums...

ingredients:

1. 1 average sized avocado

2. 1/2 glass of milk (depending on the mug/glass you plan to use for your smoothie - to make sure you get exactly one glass!)

3. gula melaka (palm sugar) - i didn't have any, so i used honey

method:

1. dice up the avo (click here to learn how!), chuck them into the blender

2. pour in the milk

3. blend until smooth

4. add in some ice cubes

5. continue blending until smooth

6. pour out mixture into mug/glass

7. add in as much honey as your heart desires!

will do an update if i can get my hands on some gula melaka! ;)

moving again - part 3

love it that (in no particular order):

1. i get the whole place to myself

2. my things stay where i left them, and not get moved about/smashed up/misplaced/thrown away

3. it's peaceful and quiet, without slamming doors or clattering of pots and pans from the kitchen

4. there's no air-headed, messy, sloppy, dirty and shedding (hair) housemates around, who not only don't do their share of cleaning up, but mess up the place even more!

5. i'm free to do whatever i want at home, such as watching movies with the volume turned up super high, sing off-key, have silly conversations with myself, dance naked (not that i do it, but i CAN if i want to!), letting off bodily gas (both top and bottom!) without having to be discreet... erm, too much info? :P

6. i can do my laundry as and when i like it, instead of having to follow a fixed laundry schedule

7. i have my own study!

8. the deco theme is as how i like it (not that there's much of a "theme", but u get what i mean!)

9. my car is parked right in the building, so i don't have to walk across to the next building if i bought a lot of stuff and need to make 2 trips

hate it that (in no particular order):

1. it gets too quiet sometimes without any human presence, that one can get a tad lonely

2. it's me against the world outside... so have to make sure all the windows and doors are secure before retiring for the night

3. i have to bear all the bills alone!

4. there're no kitchen cabinets

5. there's no swimming pool *sob*sob*

6. the bathroom has minimal ventilation and is damp all the time

hmm... not bad, the pro is more than the con. so considered ok lar... :)

read also:
1. moving again - part 2
2. moving again
3. clearing out the fridge

moving again - part 2

all tidied up... sorry for the overexposed light from the balcony, but i was just snapping without thinking too much abt it...

ok, all these are old stuff from my previous place. i think the only new thing here is the curtains. as this is a rented place, i don't think i should invest too much. so even though the couch is of such an angry colour (ryuu: the couch scares me. does it bite?), i think i'll live with it for now.

anyway, according to the inner interior designer in ryuu, i need bright yellow or pastel pink curtains to match my couch and rug, while i was leaning towards midnight blue. but ikea doesn't have it in those colours... then i saw this brown one and i could totally see it hanging in my living room! turned out not too bad, right?

other than my living room, my bedroom, bathroom and yard are all tidied up. now i'm only left with the study and kitchen. i'll need to arrange all my books onto my billy bookcase (they're all still in boxes!). should not be too much of a problem... i'll just need to have the right mood to get down to it.

the problem now is my kitchen. as the kitchen does not have built-in cabinets (only a kitchen counter with a doorless bottom), i'm having trouble storing my 2 big boxes worth of kitchen wares. yeah i know i don't cook, but somehow i seem to have so many kitchen stuff! and it being a studio unit, the kitchen is not exactly big... for now, my kitchen stuff are still in the 2 big boxes under the extra table i put there for my rice cooker and water boiler (or whatever you call those things). so whenever i need anything, i'll open up the boxes, rummage through them to get what i need and close it again. and those things that were taken out don't go back in. so i reckoned with time, i'll have taken out enough stuff to be stored away, to finally empty the boxes! hehe... yup, the laziest way to unpack! :P

read also:
1. moving again
2. clearing out the fridge

smoothie feast!

i bought a new blender recently, and have been experimenting with fruit smoothies... experimenting as in trying out the different fruits combination. so far, i've tried:
1. banana + dragon fruit = *blergh* too banana! and i hate bananas, actually!
2. dragon fruit + green apple = ok, but green apple too strong. can't really taste the dragon fruit
3. green apple + mango + pear = nice, with a slight hint of pear. but again, green apple is too strong!
4. avocado + green apple + mango = creamy and nice! best combination so far, but green apple still too strong!

a very creamy smoothie of 1 avocado + 1/2 mango + 1 small green apple

hmm... seems like those small green apples are dominating all the taste! must reduce it to 1/2 an apple and more of the other fruits in my next try...

oh, and i always add in two big blobs of natural yogurt and a dash of fresh milk into my smoothie... love the creamy and milky taste! yums...

miri/mulu: day 3

sorry, people. with all that's happened recently (chewie's passing, moving house), my miri/mulu series got interrupted. ok, here's the next installment.

we woke up before 6am to prepare for our hike up mount mulu. actually we didn't plan to wake up this early, but the UUM students we shared the sleeping quarters with were already up and boy were they noisy!

ah, fresh mountain air!

anyway, after breakfast at 7am, we set out for our hike.

N and i just stood around waiting for the students to finish their warming-up session...

can u see N in this pic? :P

unlike mount kinabalu, it was a difficult hike right from the beginning... all of us were huffing and puffing not 30 min into our hike!

here i'm walking without the burden of a bag! coz N and i shared one bag (we didn't bring small bags for this part of the climb to put our water and whatnot - we were totally unprepared!) and N carried the bag most of the time! thanks, darling! *muaks*

pit stop at the mini pinnacles... 

the climb got tougher still...

as our guide told us that time is not an essence anymore (we had to reach the first metal ladder before 11am and we were making good time), N and i took it easy and stopped to replenish our energy... with this packet of the best-tasting milo in the world, courtesy of MASwings! :P

but as it turned out, we arrived at the first ladder about 15 min AFTER 11am (not only us two, but a few of the students too!), which after some discussion with the team, we decided to go on anyway. but along the way, we met with another group led by the park ranger, who nagged and nagged us about the danger of reaching the summit too late, descending too late, reaching camp 5 after dark, he's not going to take any responsibility should anything happen to us, bla bla bla... gosh, just shut it and let us on our way already! the more you nag, the later we'll descent and reach camp 5! *rolls eyes*

further to the top, we had to navigate these metal ladders...

...as well as these metal "bridges", which can be very slippery when wet. and it's ALWAYS wet up there, due to the mist!

finally, after hiking for about 5 hours, we were greeted with this view!

view of the pinnacles on the summit of mount api, seen from the summit of mount mulu... we made it just in time, before the pinnacles are being engulfed in mist!

we looked so fresh in this pic, but in actual fact, we were dead tired and covered in mud!

we stayed at the summit for about 1/2 hour, where we had our packed lunch, before starting on our descend. it rained the whole way down and other than mud, we were covered in blisters and bruises from slipping, sliding and knocking ourselves on the rocks and tree roots. we were way beyond tired and was just concentrating from jatuh tergolek (malay for fall tumbling) down the mountains, that we couldn't be bothered to take photos (also coz it was raining and we didn't wanna get our cameras wet).

and contrary to what many believed, the descend was tougher than the ascend... we took 6 hours to reach camp 5!

we were the last group to arrive at camp 5. the other groups have already started on their dinner!

the limestone looked as if it's on fire in the sunset, at around 6.30pm... maybe that's why it's called mount api (api being malay for fire)?

*phew* this climb was totally out of our expectation! we never thought it'll be THIS tough, hence we came so unprepared... in terms of the things to bring as well as the mental state of mind! also, we thought that since we've done mount kinabalu, this should be peanuts! how wrong we were... and since then, we've developed a new-found respect for this lesser-known mountain of borneo!

read also:
1. mulu/miri: day 2
2. mulu/miri: day 1
3. off to another adventure!

moving again...

won't you feel faint looking at your living room like this???

that pic was from the actual moving day... now it's better a bit. at least the couch is in place and most of the boxes has been cleared away. but still lots more to do! and i desperately need new curtains for the glass door... now i feel like i'm in a fish bowl, with my living room so open and transparent to everyone! *dead tired*

read also:
1. clearing out the fridge

chewie's final journey...

ok, i'm ready to post about this now. so sorry for not replying to some of your questions yesterday...

 

 chewie at 4 months old...

anyway, it all started last week, 22 june (incidentally, chewie's 3rd birthday!). i received a phone call from nicole, sobbing and asking me if chewie has had any injury when she was with me. i can't recall chewie ever had any form of injury, so i said no and asked what happened. in between sobs, she said they discovered that morning that chewie's hind legs were suddenly paralyzed and she couldn't walk! so they brought her to the vet for check-up and x-ray revealed that there's a fracture in her vertebrae, which is pressing into her spinal cord, causing her to loose all sensation in her hind quarters. she couldn't even feel extreme pain in her legs!

according to the vet, it could be caused by an injury sustained a long time ago, the symptoms only surfacing now. but she's not had any injury! so the vet said then it's a disc disease. but this disease is not common in dachshunds, basset hounds etc... basically dogs with longer bodies. it's rarely seen in cocker spaniel. but somehow, chewie got it.

they could only give her medications but only for up to 10 days, as the meds are very strong steroids. it's only to ease her pain and make her more comfortable. at first, nicole said if they were to operate, it'll cost more than RM3k! so they'll see how's her condition after 10 days before making any forward decisions.

i went to see her the next day after work and it was really pitiful. she's only able to sit up, propped up by her front legs. and if she wants to move about, she could only drag herself forward with her front legs. her back legs were totally useless! i just couldn't stop my tears from falling... she was only looking at me with her big brown molten eyes, unable to jump about or even wag her tail! i don't even know if she recognized me! :"(

i kept calling her name and told her she's a good girl, stroking her the way i used to do last time. i just hope she remembers me, and knows that i've not forgotten her...

the next few days, i did some reading up on disk disease on the internet. most websites said canine disk disease are fairly common and there are treatments that can be done. BUT this only applies to dogs that are limp or showed weakness in their movement. not when there's paralysis. when the dog is paralyzed, then there's not much hope for it to ever walk again.

but i still kept a small ray of hope within me... hoping for a miracle to happen. maybe, just maybe, chewie is a special case. maybe the medicine will help... maybe she'll be able to walk and run and jump again...

then on sunday, nicole's mom called me. she said chewie's condition is not improving and we have to discuss on what to do. they brought her to the vet again on saturday, and the vet said things were not looking good. now he said it's not operable and in his personal opinion, she'll not get any better. nicole's mom said it's very traumatic to see her condition everyday. when she hears people approaching, she'll want to go to them. she wants to move about. so she'll drag herself across the floor... and it's causing her "below" part to be sore and swollen. nicole's mom feels that we should put her out of her misery. if we were to leave her be, her condition will only get worse and in the end, we'll still have to do it. so instead of prolonging it until she's off the meds and really suffering, we should consider doing it now.

i told them that actually, the decision is not mind anymore. much as i love her, i'm not her human anymore, so i've no rights to decide anything for her. so she said they'll most probably give her only 2 - 3 day more and asked if i wish to go see her one last time.

this is so devastating! i was sobbing by then... and i feel i can't face it, can't face the thought that she'll be leaving us forever. so i decided that no, i'm not going to see her. i'll only cry and cry in front of her, and what good will that do? i just asked them to inform me when they're gonna do it, so that i can chant daimoku to send her off.

then on late monday night, nicole sent me an sms:

"we'll be letting her go tomorrow noon around 12.30pm. it's one of the most difficult decision to make but it's the best for her. thanks for giving her to me, chewie has been one of the best highlights for the past 2 years. she'll always be in my heart. i love her dearly."

so the next day, 29 june 2010, chewie took her final breath at 12.20pm, at age 3 years and 7 days.

in loving memory...

beloved pet, baby and best friend,

chewie

22 june 2007 - 29 june 2010

how do you say goodbye to something that was once wholly yours and that you've loved with all your might? baby, so sorry i wasn't with you in your final moments. i just couldn't face it. please understand... but i'll be sending you my prayers for your early reincarnation. please come back to me in your next life, hopefully without such crappy karma. thanks for all the joys you've brought into my life. i love you and will be loving you always. goodbye, my baby chewie...

what's with football anyway?

i'm not a football fan. in fact, growing up, i hated football because every time i'd have to fight with my brother for tv rights when there's a match on. now, i don't hate it that much but i still don't like it!

however, with the world cup going on now, i still seem to know all the scores and goings on in the football field. how come, you may ask? because, all the kaki bola (malay for football fan) on facebook has suddenly become football commentators! every morning, i'll see the final scores of the previous night's games, and also some comments/taunts/opinions being posted up.

but come on lah! is there really a need for that? i mean, anyone who cares would have either watched it themselves or find out about the scores the first thing they wake up. and for those who don't care, what makes you think they'll be interested in your status post? *rolls eyes*

clearing out the fridge

"do they eat your food in the fridge?"

staying with friends and housemates, i'm always being asked this question by friends who are staying on their own or with their family. what they don't understand is, when you're staying with people who are non-family, you don't simply take things from the fridge that aren't yours. i can totally understand their little "concern" about this, though. when i go home to bear hill, i just take whatever i like from the fridge without stopping to ask whose is it. i mean, it's my family's things in there, and being part of the family, of course i'm entitled to it too! hehe...

anyway, with my impending move out of my current abode end of this month, i took advantage of the weekend to clear out the fridge. a task i thought to be rather difficult, considering the fridge is always packed to the max that sometimes it's hard to even find space for a can of coke, it turned out to be quite a breeze! reason being, most of the food stuff in there were past their expiry dates, so all we did was dump them into the bin! "expiry, 2007. throw! expired, throw! best before 2009. throw!"

not only did we not take other people's food, we even forgot to take our own food! seems like our hobby is to buy food, stuff them into the fridge and then proceed to forget all about them! we even found stuff belonging to ex-housemate M, who moved out more than a year ago! whole bars of unopened chocolates, a large pack of unopened hersheys' kisses chocs, jars of jam still 3/4 full, a whole compartment full of wet wipes taken from restaurants, another whole compartment full of McD chili sauce packets, a container of white rice from don't know when, bottles of carbonated drinks, dried up fruits, vege with some alien-looking things sprouting from them, etc... no wonder the fridge is full all the time. stuff only goes in, but none ever comes out! :D

me: hey, all these 100 plus are only 1/3 bottle left. do you still want them?

P: eh? i thought they're yours?

me: no, i've never bought 100 plus lar. i thought they're yours!

P: no ler, not mine!

see, we still fight over food, but not over who ate who's food... rather, it's more like who those food belonged to!

from this fridge cleanup exercise this past weekend, we've come to a conclusion: we'll never get to eat any chocolates in our next life, due to all the negative karma we've created from wasting and throwing away good (and expensive!) chocolates! :(