Sunday, October 11, 2009

You are given Wings, use them to FLY on your own.

I was reminded that last year it was only mother and me who made preparations for Deepavali, this was because dad was in the hospital at that time and it was down to me to play the role of the family head. its was not a very memorable moment but it was still something i have at the back of my head.

This year, we are making a different, when dad decided to make the festival of light bigger then before. this means an open house after the annual prayers for our ancestors. We will be sharing the joy of life with family and friends, and giving thanks to the heavens above for giving us light to move forward.

I was looking for some Deepavali music on YouTube, because I'm not really a big fan of the Indian/Tamil songs as I'm not familiar to my native language. i found this very heart felt clip.

and I want to share this clip with all of you and i hope this inspires you to spread your wings and fly.



The clips starts with the young father, under-educated, very Little opportunity, but very optimistic, You can see that from the constant times he work overtime to give the best he can for his son. Even when society or life do not give it to him, he finds other ways for his love ones, his son. ( Boss, if I make more money, I will buy him more books ) reminds you of parents pushing us to get study right.

Its still up to us, our passion, our desire, our dedication and our love for what we want. like the son who is now a man, he got to live his dream, with his fathers sacrifice.

You parents may not buy you a plane, but they can buy you books.
You parents may not be able to make you fly, but they can give you wings.

Use your wings, and remember the ones that gave them to you.

"Like a kid in a candy store..."

Yesterday, Mark and I ventured out to a local health foods store, Akins, after being recommended to me by a co-worker. I wasn't expecting much, but it was a most pleasant surprise! I could've easily spent hundreds (maybe even thousands...) of dollars. Unfortunately (maybe fortunately for my bank account and marriage), Mark WAS with me, and I was limited to one basket. And here's what I came home with....

 TOP FIND: Pure Bliss USDA Organic Acai Coconut Energy Bar Bites
...they are soooooooo good! If you love coconut, these are a must-try!




"Light Pasta" -- 130 calories per serving vs. the standard 210
...and check out that FIBER -- 20 GRAMS per 2 ounces!!!!!!!




I typically drink cow's milk, but I LOVE Blue Diamond Almond Vanilla, especially to have on hand for when you're out of milk!






And I finalllllllllllly found a place that carries steel-cut oats! Can't wait to try them!!






I'm out of green tea, so I got this organic blend...and it is yummmmy






I am officially OBSESSED with Terra chips. This blend was out of this world. 6 servings?? Try 2. Oops!






...Pumpkin (and Apricot) Butter!!!!! Other than grains, what could I try it on? It's divine!!! Love fall foods!






This was husband's pick....100% all-natural Red Raspberry and Pomegranate jam






I also got the chance to try Zevia -- the zero-calorie, all-natural soda made with stevia.
I tried the ginger ale and it was YUMMMMMYY!!! I'm excited to try other flavors!







We also went over to a friend's for dinner last night, so I brought the above salad -- romaine, tomatoes, and sunflower seeds tossed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, Parmesan cheese, ground mustard, garlic salt, and pepper. Delicious!



The past 2 days have gone like this for the diabetic diet...


Friday
Breakfast:
6 crackers (1 carb)
2 Tbsp peanut butter (0 carbs)
1/2 pomegranate (1 carb)
1/2 small pumpkin roll slice (1 carb)
cappuccino with 2 Tbsp sugar-free International Delight (0 carbs)
     Total: 3 carbs


Lunch:
1 cup whole wheat pasta (3 carbs)
4 ounce chicken breast (0 carbs)
3/4 cup marinara (1 carb)
2% cheese stick (0 carbs)
     Total: 4 carbs


Snack:
1 small apple (1 carb)
1 wedge Laughing Cow Light (0 carbs)
     Total: 1 carb


Dinner (9pm):
2 Bud Lights (1 carb)
6 ounces chicken (0 carbs)
1/2 cup mashed potatoes (1 carb)
side Caesar salad (0 carbs)
3 slices of bread off a mini loaf (1 carb)
     Total: 3 carbs


Snack: none - late dinner and to bed soon after

Exercise: 4-mile walk



Saturday
Breakfast:
1/4 cup granola (1 1/2 carbs)
banana (2 carbs)
cappuccino with 2 Tbsp sugar-free International Delight (0 carbs)
     Total: 3 1/2 carbs


Lunch:
Acai Berry and Coconut bites (2 carbs)
3 servings of Terra Chips (3 carbs) -- OOPS!
     Total: 5 carbs (spread throughout afternoon)


Dinner (9pm):
3 ounces pork roast - lean (0 carbs)
1 cup slow-cooked carrots and potatoes (1 carb)
2 cups tossed salad (0 carbs)
1/2 cup macaroni and cheese (1 1/2 carbs)
1/2 slice peanut butter fluff pie (2 carbs)
     Total: 4 1/2 carbs (over!)


Snack:
2 graham crackers (1 carb)
1 Tbsp peanut butter (0 carbs)

Exercise: 3-mile run 


Akins also carried 2 of my favorite supplement brands: Carlson's and Nordic Naturals. I know where I'll be getting my supplements from now on!



Off to do my grocery shopping for the week. Husband has requested some tried and true favorites of his: "Fried" Chicken Fingers and Buffalo Chicken Lasagna (both healthy, however!). One hockey game down, one to go!









recent movies




3 movies @ TGV klcc + 2 movies @ home


16th sept '09

it was unplanned. and... ermmm.
mmg ade babak *erm2* skit tp skit jee. and, lawak.
citeee ni, mcm combination p/s; i love u + 27 dresses.
besttt. lawakkk. sweettt. skeee!!!


9th oct '09

sumpah borink. entahlah. i'm expecting more.
but, very few action scenes.
and... just. yup,humanity is very important.
*trust me*


9th oct '09

so sweettt, utk fhm parents dgn better, *wink wink*
sdeyh + lawakkk. not bad larh. biaselaaa cite afdlin~! =]



these 2 movies... tgk dkt rumah. at last~

sukeeee sukiiii sgtttt cite nih~!
hahahaha. mmg funny + sweet larh~! x rugi.

pace die sgt la slow. tp. ble tang tsunami... mmg gempak.
sdeyh + meremang bulu roma. tkot~!
great movie too.



btw. laptop ni baru lepas re4mat utk kali ke bape tah.
sensitive la u nih~! haha. x pela. i syg u jgk.
and... so, esok ade kuiz jgk utk VG2. dang dang~
and, i'm going 2 srwk on 17th oct - 19th oct. hee.

p/s; sorry ainaa x dpt gi open house. sorry sgt. T_T

and. 9th oct 2009
happy birthday pooja.
happy birthday teh~!
happy birthday bee.

and 10th oct 2009.
happy birthday adeq @ fatin shazwani.

11th oct 09, happy birthday ayong~! =]



Malas

2009.10.11

Dah mpir sebulan lebih dari Jakarta balik lagi ke sini...tapii ini penyakit males kok malah menyerang ni, males nge blog lagi, males bkin masakan lagi, males bkin kue2 lagi, bner2 ngaco deh gw kali ini..ga tau dah mengapa o mengapa???????

Setelah sekian lama ninggalin blog, akhirnya gw mencoba buat nulis lagi, sedikit demi sedikit, jadi jangan protes ya..n gw juga minta maapp ma temen2 blog temen2 yg ikutan acara masak bersama, jadi pada berhenti dah coz gara2 gw absen pulang indo kemaren..
so, kapan kita bisa mulai lagi nih???????????

Cooking at Mui Ne


Xin Chao everyone!

I am here to give you a short update about my Vietnam adventures lately. Living in Saigon for quite a few months is fun but more often than not, I always crave for an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. To be honest the first escape I had was Mui Ne. Since then I can say my heart was smitten by this place. It's the best thing that you can get if you have a 6 hour trip away from Saigon. To cut the story short, I had a great experience during my Mui Ne trip and that was when I met a good executive chef named Tom. Sir Tom works in a hotel resort (where I stayed) for a couple years but also worked for other hotels in other countries. He shared me his kitchen, his staff and his cooking methods. He felt grateful to have known the internet's one and only Artist Chef. He likes Filipino people that's why he's very cheerful and accommodating after he found out that I am a Filipina. Though prior to that he was telling me that I look like a Chinese or Singaporean. He said, he will never mistaken me for a Filipino. Well, you're not alone chef, most Vietnamese people would tell me the same thing.







I was happy that day to have a short tour in the kitchen and a short cooking stint. Another thing that made me happy was the moment he brought out the toque and allowed me to wear it. Whoah! I feel I am really in the heat of the kitchen! I really felt like a cook for a day. Chef Tom said he often goes to the city of Saigon and he told me that if I have or if he has time too, we can exchange cooking lessons. He is fond of learning the Filipino cuisine and same with me, I am enthusiastic to learn the Vietnamese cuisine as well.

Thanks for that moment Chef, 'til my next adventure.
Maybe Na Trang soon...

hugs,
joanie xxx