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Battle of the Boxes

27 Mar

The one thing Hubby and I have been doing quite constantly is online shopping. Week in, week out, he’d buy something and I would too. Most of the time, he would buy air plants and I would buy things related to carving save for that one time, a toy for official pet number one and an accessory for M2.

I thought I topped it when my purchase of the workbench came in the biggest box ever. Until his purchase arrived a few days later.

An air-condition unit box. My… My… At 32” long, 18″ deep and a foot wide, what did he buy?

A staghorn fern! Gosh, I guess he won the battle of the boxes this time.

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Life is Short, Paint Your Toes

26 Mar

Out of the blue, I decided to pamper myself and have a pedicure done (something that I have never indulged before) instead of the usual facial treatment or body massage. And had the shock of my life.

The pedicure treatment cost an arm and a leg!!! My goodness. It was almost three times more than my haircut and my haircut is not cheap despite the style being short and plain, if you can even call the short crop a fashionable style. Then again if I had inquired about the cost beforehand, I wouldn’t do it.

Well, my toes look pretty now because life is short and one ought to paint their toes.

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What Can I Eat?

22 Mar

So I went to the doctor last week to see what’s wrong with me experiencing the severe abdominal cramps again. The pain recurred a few weeks after completing the antibiotics for Infectious Colitis. And the symptoms are pointing towards a case of Endometriosis. Yay? Boo hoo hoo more like it.

If indeed it is Endometriosis, it’s not so much the pain I have to endure but suddenly learning the list of things I cannot eat has grown even longer! Double boo hoo hoo…

Coffee and alcohol remains on the list (am I surprised?), so are chocolate, dairy, beans, wheat-based, fried and spicy food. The list now includes red meat (there goes my steak urge!), fatty fishes (out goes the tuna too), soy-based food (like tofu and soy sauce), eggs and white bread!!! I was eating these things before learning it could be Endometriosis. Well, that does not leave me much choice.

Hmm… What can I eat? As it is, I have lost 3kgs (6.6lbs) the last six weeks already because the tummy has been very sensitive due to Colitis. Initially I gave myself until May 6, a three-month period to rest my innards from the problem but now with this new discovery (yet to be confirmed though), I may have to avoid more food for another stretch upon confirmation. I think I am looking at several more kilos to be shed. Oh my goodness.

It’s a tough balance because there’s two issues here. If I lean towards a diet to care for one problem, it may alleviate the other.

I am due for a follow up appointment next week. Stay tuned.

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Pesky Intruder

12 Mar

Three weekends ago, we had a pesky intruder coming into the dry kitchen whilst official pet number one was away at the garden terrace. Normally when Rooney stays in the wet kitchen area, guarding the entrance to the dry kitchen, the squirrel would not venture close.

Hubby bought a bunch of bananas and it smelled so fragrant, the pesky intruder must have caught a whiff of it and daringly came in to help himself to the banana! The audacity of him.

And not once or twice it came but thrice and each time, I had to chase it out. Twice out the window and once out the door to the wet kitchen. I guess we can’t leave the door or windows open and unguarded especially when there’s fruits on the kitchen counter.

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Good vs Evil

6 Mar

Three weeks after my diagnose of Infectious Colitis, I started on probiotics supplement to strengthen my innards. And I am not sure whether it can work because I felt the biggest battle in my tummy on a Sunday night.

Now the thing is, the reaction could possibly be from the spicy Kimchi fried rice that M2 cooked and I tried some. It would be rude if I didn’t at least try a little of her first time attempt. So a little I had…

That night, I felt as if there was an epic good versus evil bacteria battle in my tummy. The abdominal cramps were not just the worst but the ‘worstest’ ever. No word can describe the pain, that’s how bad it was. To add to my misery, the backache also kicked in and painkiller I popped didn’t help at all. Surely it can’t be the probiotics as it’s supposed to be a good thing. I can’t imagine what I would go through had I ate more Kimchi fried rice. Shudder…

I have been very, very careful with what I eat and to suddenly experience this awful pain looks like a major setback to recovery. Looks like I may have to have another round of antibiotics. Sigh…

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No Onions Please, Part 3

23 Feb

I am slowly discovering the pain of things that I should not eat. This Infectious Colitis business is a bit more tricky than I thought. Sure I have avoided coffee, alcohol, wheat, milk, onions and just about everything. But along the way, there’s more!

Last week, it was turnip. I think I cannot eat turnips for the time being because right after I had some, I had difficulties breathing! I didn’t have the awful nausea effect like what the onions did to me but more of feeling so gagged; and had to be horizontal for some time. Sigh…

And last night, I couldn’t pin point what it was I ate. Had a mild attack on the tummy, upsetting my system – a little different effect than the onions and turnips. By the way, I love onions and regrettable have to avoid them for now.

I am keeping track of the days to this abstaining act. Three months until May 6th is what I am giving myself. It better work.

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Change in Pattern, Part 2

20 Feb

My hopes for a six hours drive home yesterday was not to be as my estimates were way off! The drive home was just super duper long.

It started out smoothly but only for awhile. Traffic then became so heavy and got worst, culminating with a standstill situation on the freaking highway and a crawl at 10km/h, sometimes 30km/h for a good part of the journey for no apparent reason. Ridiculous. And it rained, making the drive more tiring. All in all it took us nine and a half hours to reach home.

This is part and parcel of Chinese New Year – the traffic crawl besides the food and family. Because it’s only a once-a-year experience, we take it in stride. If not, we’d never go back for the occasion. Thank goodness, we had food, drinks, music, devices, cables and power banks to keep us entertained during the long drive home.

Anyway, enough of the driving ordeal, what’s more important was the activities we did during the four days in hubby’s hometown which was a change in pattern from previous years.

Besides the food and rest, we managed to play two rounds of golf instead of just one round. During the first game at Darul Aman Golf Club, I lost my nine iron and discovered the loss almost immediately. I absent-mindedly left it somewhere on the fairway approaching the green at Hole One. Amazingly I wasn’t too upset and rationalized I did not need it, save for a couple of shots, and managed for the rest of the game.

It was the heat that got to me more than the loss honestly. After the game, we reported the loss and thank goodness, the club was found and returned within a short time. Phew… relief. I had contemplated my options if it wasn’t returned. An excuse for a new set perhaps? Hmm…

The next day, we played at a different course, Royal Kedah Club and after two days of back-to-back games, I’m happy to say there was no pain felt on the limbs. In other words, no recurrence of the tennis elbow. A good sign indeed considering I was using just all my irons for both games. No driver, woods or hybrid clubs at all.

The change in pattern also saw us catching the latest Marvel Comics’ superhero movie, Black Panther which was refreshing and very entertaining. And we visited a plant enthusiast whom hubby befriended on Facebook and got to see his eye-popping huge staghorn ferns at his farm. Hubby bought two staghorns from his new friend and promised to visit again on our next trip.

And this year, we start work on the Fifth Day of Chinese New Year instead of the Sixth Day which has been the norm for us for years. Definitely a change in pattern for the Year of the Dog.

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Lovely blue skies and paddy fields on the right

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One of the many meals the family had

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The big staghorn ferns and the two purchased smaller ferns mounted on wood

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Finally It’s Done

12 Feb

Over the weekend, we finally pushed ourselves to get ready for Chinese New Year. And when I say get ready, it means putting up the customary red cloth at the entrance of the house. Finally it’s done. Yay. But am I ready for the upcoming festivity?

I think I am looking forward more to the break to relax and do nothing because lately, work has been overwhelming and a break is much needed. As for the festivities, merry-making and food, it will be a challenge to manage because my intestines are still a bit sensitive.

I have gone a week without coffee and somehow doing well. And watching what I eat, I have lost 1.5kgs already as a result of all this extra precaution. Who knows in three months’ time, I would lose a few more kilos! Let’s see how I hold up with during Chinese New Year.

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No Onions Please, Part 2

9 Feb

After the Monday onion scare, I find myself more wary of food portions too besides food choice. Generally I am not a big eater, so now my portions have become even smaller than before because normal meals would make me feel bloated and uncomfortable.

And I also find myself needing to stash little packs of comfort snacks everywhere within reach; I don’t know why. As such, I feel like such a hamster – small frequent meals, stashed food, feeling hyper then lethargic, you know…

I have actually abstained from coffee since Tuesday, drinking decaf Earl Grey instead! The other food items I think I can go on without them for the next three months but coffee… so far so good, there’s no withdrawal symptoms. Yet.

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A Mother’s Love

8 Feb

Nature is amazing and wonderful at the same time. One of hubby’s air plant had grown some offshoots, babies in simple terms. Normally, air plants do not die when they have offshoots.

Unfortunately, this little air plant wasn’t doing too well in the midst of the cold and hot weather that we were experiencing the last few weeks. But to ensure that the babies survived, the ‘mummy’ air plant hung on and gave all her nutrients to nurture them until her last ‘breath’.

When the offshoots look like they were stabilised and growing well, the ‘mummy’ air plant died off in order not to fight with the young ones to survive. Such motherly love.

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