Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

From young, I have always visited doctors who practice Western medicine. Up till today I still do.

For the past year or so, my bouts of dizziness struck me so often that they are disrupting my life and career. A number of friends, colleagues and family members suggested visiting Chinese Sinsehs who may be able to build up my weak body constitution. I have always hesitated visiting Chinese Sinsehs primarily because I have little faith in TCM. Herbs and extracts of strange insects disgust me.

But the frequency of my dizziness left me with no other alternative especially when the Western specialist was unable to prescribe me with a remedy.  I decided to cast aside my apprehension towards TCM and have a go at it.

Yesterday, I visited Chung Hwa Medical Centre hoping to find remedies to my frequent dizziness. After consulting with the Sinseh, I was treated with facial acupunture and gua sha on my shoulders. Very honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by the effects acupunture and gua sha had on me. At first I thought this was pyschological as I went in with the belief that I will get a cure somehow. And therefore, I may have thought the sudden level of alertness (which I have never experienced before) and the relaxed muscles were all part of a mind game I battled myself with. However, the effects lasted even up to today (it had been more than a day). I am thoroughly impressed by the effects TCM have on me.

Of course my perception on TCM has changed drastically but I have many more follow up sessions to attend before I truly see the results of TCM. I reckon TCM is not for everyone but there is definitely no harm trying. It may work wonders when you least expect it ;)

Honing one’s culinary skills

Cooking has always been a side passion of mine since I was young. Not granted the opportunity to cook given my young age back then, I could only wait till I was allowed into the kitchen. By then I was above the age of 21! Step by step, I successfully convinced my parents to grant me the permission to whip meals in the kitchen. Thus far, all my attempts in my home’s kitchen have been successful (by successful, I mean I did not cause an explosion or turned kitchen appliances to black tar).

More recently, Ah Tiang and I tried our hands on brown sauce mushroom steak with cream of mushroom soup, pizza with vegetable salad and cream of mushroom soup, and stir-fry noodles with miso soup. Of course we have room for improvement but they are definitely of average quality. Would not be too shabby if we open a cafe (but whether the cafe is sustainable is yet another issue altogether. haha)

Cooking for loved ones is definitely satisfying. It is especially so when the chefs get recognition from the family members. In a way, your efforts and culinary skills are acknowledged. More to come in the near future. Next up will be herbal soups!

Friend connection

*Lifting fingers and counting the number of friends I have met in the past few months…*

Conclusion – Pathetic.

To all my friends whom I may somewhat have seem to lose contact with – Sincere apologies for the meagre effort I spent to maintain friendships these few months. I admit I have not been exactly studious on my part to re-connect and establish the somewhat “stale” friendships except for a handful of them.

If I had not met with you in the past months, rest assured – you are not forgotten. All of you are still in my thoughts. Just that I have not picked up my mobile phone and drop you a message. Be sure I will meet up with you guys in the coming months!

Not forgetting, a great time spent with Baby on a Wednesday night at “her” restaurant – Ah Loy Thai @ The Shaw Tower. Great recommendation! Thanks Baby and let’s meet up soon! :D

January 2014-February 2014

One month on… It had been really tiresome but definitely fun-filled and fulfilling. Despite the crazy workload, I had my fair share of goodness. Lunar New Year was a little different this year with more visiting to more families and building closer connections. And of course, more red packets to add to my somewhat thin stash collected over the years.

Not forgetting, I met up with good friends over the month and I would like to take this opportunity to shout out a big thank you to the guys who treated me to my birthday. Thank you very much Ah Mun, BY, CB and KK! Really blessed to have friends like you :)

A meet-up was also arranged with Baby and Ah Tiang and another free treat! Haha.. I am pleasantly surprised Lu Gang Xiao Zhen Asian Kitchen located in Ion@Orchard serves pretty good Chinese cuisine. Just abstain from ordering the eggplant which was soaked in oil. *Grimaces*

Stepping into the new year with a late bang!

Towards the end of 2013, I was down with a bad bout of flu and ended up nursing it for two long weeks. 2014 came along but I was in such a lousy mood that I only occupied myself with work and lots of rest.

As the first week of 2014 crawled by, my flu slowly left me and I was in a fairly better mood. Into the second week of 2014, my birthday came along and I am blessed to have been treated on three separate occasions by the people dearest to me. Thank you very much. All of you know who you are :)

Not forgetting the presents and cards I received – Somehow or rather, I was extremely touched by the gifts I received this year round. The sincerity from the cards had me re-reading them several times. Genuine words which come from the bottom of the hearts mean very much to me. Many thanks to the senders of the cards <3

The one gift, which is a limited edition music box, brought a large smile to my face. The thought and effort to obtain the music box made my heart melt. And I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised even though I kind of knew what was coming. Even the effort to obtain the lychee martini cake, which was part of the birthday celebration, drove my happiness meter up by several notches. You know who you are and I really would like to express my special thanks to you! *Hugs*

My birthday had been made extremely special by all of you. I can’t further express how grateful I am to all of you for spending time with me this week as my birth date drew nearer.

And of course, thank you to all who took the effort to send simple or elaborated text messages. I’m happy you all remembered :)

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Pilgrimages are often associated with religion. One of the most well known pilgramages taking place annually is the Islamic Hajj where thousands gather at Mecca to perform their Islamic rituals.

In the case of Harold Fry, his pilgrimage had nothing to do with his religion. Conversely, his pilgrimage was for a cause.

Harold received a note from Queenie who informed him that she was battling brain cancer. He did not know how to react to this unexpected news except to send her his regards via a letter. On his way to the post office, he met a teenager who recited him a story about her aunt and how faith helped her live on despite suffering from a terminal illness.

Harold pondered about the word “faith” and the gratitude he owed Queenie for taking the rap for him during their days as co-workers. Flash back of his past and present only disappointed him further. And so, out of guilt and his lacklustre life, he decided to travel to the hospice where Queenie resided – by foot.

Chapter by chapter, Harold’s journey to the hospice, which was 500 miles from where he set off, unfolded. Along the way, Harold made connections with many strangers. Some of which were pleasant and others were not.

Harold’s estranged wife did not help much to give him the support he needed to get through this physical torment. He reflected on the days where they shared happy moments and how all of this changed after they bore a son. His wife passed sarcastic remarks over their phone calls, dissolving some of the hope Harold wished for to salvage their sour relationship.

However, Harold possessed a strong willpower to reach his destination despite his old age. Slowly, the happenings in Harold’s life took a swift but pleasant twist.

This is an introspective fictional book which encourages one to reflect on their lives. A nice read.

In the month of December

It seems like a post per month is now the way forward given the increasing number of commitments I have to juggle with in recent months. At times, I fantasize about having Hermoine’s time turner necklace to duplicate myself with the objective of spending time with various people amidst building my career.

The last week of November was spent in Kuala Lumpur for a three-day training course which left me extremely tired after the plane ride. Though it was a short flight, I was so lethargic that I had to skip my regular volunteering session at WGS. The body is no longer like before where I could stay awake into the wee hours of the morning and take part in multiple activities within a day. I have to admit age is catching up. Haha..

Sneaking into December, the month of Christmas joy and sharing left lots of people in a holiday mood. I was no exception. As Christmas neared, work was not my priority. Another primary reason was that my emotions were thrown off tangent after a client lodged a complaint against me for something not quite within my control and my boss was not exactly happy about that. I’m still trying to get over this absurd episode which I hope will blow over soon.

And so, I indulged in some CNY shopping despite it being a season for Christmas. I spent a huge bomb on several dresses which I think will have to keep me company for a long time until the value of the dresses are deemed to be fully depreciated. Lol. For the first time, retail therapy really helped take off some of the negative vibes treading in my veins.

That aside, I was extremely happy to hear fabulous news from various people. On one occasion, my tears welled up in my eyes only because I was too happy. Such episodes rarely happened which goes to show I was overjoyed for my dearest friend :)))

Baby and I met up for her birthday celebration at Li Bai @ Sheraton Towers. We had Cantonese cuisine and a great time catching up. I thought the beef fillet was the best. Baby, I hope you had a wonderful time and enjoyed the courses we had :D *muacks*

Despite the commitments I have, I managed to spend some time exploring Gardens by the Bay. Another tick off my to-do list for 2013. I think I fulfilled my two items on the 2013 list – visiting SEA Aquarium and Gardens by the Bay. Yay! Thanks to my friends who created memories of these two attractions with me :)

On the eve of Christmas, RSPID held its annual Christmas BBQ. This time round, HS was more than a thousand miles away and so we held our BBQ at Shuyi’s place. A new pit and therefore, a need to adapt to the unfamiliar equipment. Burns~~~ There went our first batch of food. Oops. But the BBQ went very well still and all of us had a great time catching up with one another. Such gatherings are really useful avenues to bond everyone together amidst our busy schedules.

Round two BBQ came on Christmas day with a better spread of food and brand new company. A lovely night with extremely friendly and hospitable people. And Max the dog to play with us. I realised I aren’t as afraid of dogs as I had initially thought. Thanks to Daddy’s previous golden retriever, I believed it allayed my fear of dogs in a way. But I dearly miss Daddy’s best friend. Hope you are somewhere up there safe in the arms of the protector.

Hope everyone had a joyous and blessed Christmas with lots of happy returns! Happy Boxing Day!

Yesterday, someone advised me to live my life beyond building my career. According to him, we only live each day once and therefore, life should not always revolve around work. Looking back to the past weeks of November, I trust I had not allowed work to consume me entirely.

Yes, the past weeks had been extremely hellish. Due to multiple factors, work streamed in endlessly. Juggling two handful of projects over a forty hour work week was definitely insufficient to handle and manage them all. Putting in the extra hours yet again became a norm.

In spite of the hectic work schedule, some time was set aside for various activities below.

• Dabbled in D.I.Y pancakes at Nook House of Pancake with Baby, CB, KK and XX
• Attended Bro’s R.O.M.
• Caught Three Peas in a Pod
• Met up with Baby for a chat
• Met up with BY and KK for ba kut teh at Seng Poh Road
• Bade farewell to my secretary and manager over dinner
• Celebrated Bro’s and Mummy’s birthdays
• Exercised through my weekly swimming sessions
• Participated in RSPID-WE sessions

I guess how one leads his/her life is self defined. From my point of view, life continues to be good as long as quality time can be spent with family and friends :)

Foodie’s exploration

Tim Ho Wan

I shared my first experience at Tim Ho Wan with CB and KK. The much raved about eatery with a Michelin star and constantly long queues was definitely above mediocre but not that mind blowing. Perhaps all the craze about Tim Ho Wan drove the expectations of foodies like me through the roof. And the disappointment sets in when the expectation gap is too wide.

I would not discredit Tim Ho Wan for its food standard for I am a person who goes for savoury food. And I thought most of the dim sum I tasted was fairly savoury. I personally liked the braised chicken feet best. That, in my opinion is the best dim sum dish I tasted for the night. Honestly, I would not mind going back for more of the braised chicken feet.

However, the noise and clutter in the eatery can be quite overbearing especially if you are a person who value serenity a lot. Set up like a typical Hong Kong shop house cafe, the furniture is not anything fancy. Simple wooden tables and stools fill the entire eatery with narrow walkways for entry and exit.

Ippudo

Another first try for me at Ippudo – located on the fourth level of Mandarin Gallery, with my lovely Baby.

This is another much raved about ramen place, quoted as one of the best in Singapore and indeed, I think the food reviews are accurate this time round. Ippudo definitely has good ramen which deeply satisfied me. The spicy miso broth was wonderful and rich in flavour. For the first time, I drank three quarter bowl of the broth which I have never done so at other ramen places.

This is definitely a must try. The long queue is worth it but the price is a little steep. More than SGD 20 for a bowl of ramen. If you are willing to pay and queue and have a strong love for ramen, Ippudo is the place to go. (In case you are wondering if Ippudo paid me a commission to advertise for them, nope they did not! I sincerely felt Ippudo lives up to its name as one of the best ramen places in Singapore.)

After a filling bowl of ramen, Baby and I combed Cineleisure and Takashimaya without any particular places in mind to shop at. Amazingly the longest time we spent at a store was for kids! Plushies and quirky toys got us staying in the shop for half an hour. The mini typewriters which produced music at the turn of the side handles were lovely.

Playful Baby

Thereafter, we headed back to Mandarin Gallery and settled with Arteastiq for a cuppa tea. We were allocated the same table which we sat at our last visit. How coincidental. Lots of girl talk and I really thank Baby for being such an awesome listener. What would I do without you? <3 Thanks Baby for the treat as well! Muacks!

Movies month

It had been ages since I watched a movie. I can’t even recall the film I last watched in a cinema. But this month alone, I already caught two movies. Haha..

First up was Gravity – a recommended movie by Bro. I would have to say tastes differ primarily because Bro viewed the movie from a production point of view. Yes, the cinematography was excellent – who would have believed the creation of outer space was a result of 3D modelling. Definitely a world class effort by the production team.

The story line lacked the punch in a typically action packed movie. For most part of the show, the audience only watched how Sandra Bullock rescued herself from impending death. The willpower to live was jolted by the man who sacrificed his life for her. She had to brave several possible elements – air, water, fire, in her attempts to return to Mother Earth alive.

An impromptu decision to catch Like Father Like Son was definitely correct. Bagging the Jury Prize at the 2013 Canne Festival, this film definitely has much to offer.

Featuring two families of starkly different backgrounds in Japan (one being the middle-to-upper class and the other being a lower class), the story focused on the parents from both families realising their six year old sons were swapped at birth and the decisions they made following the unbelievable news.

This realistic and thought provoking movie definitely set me thinking. Blood is definitely not thicker than water. It is the nurture, care and love showered on the child that creates the parent-child bond. I am sure many families have unpleasant experiences with members of the immediate or extended family to the extent contact is cut off even though everyone is blood-related.

In addition, there is no need to create unintentional distress to the immediate family members merely because one did not get to enjoy the love he/she ought as a adolescent. However rich a family may be, if they are unhappy souls, a less well off family is better off with the intangibles life brings.

Cut the long story short, this is a good film many would in a way or two relate easily to. For a family oriented person like me, this movie definitely touched me in ways I did not imagine.

Watch it if you can!