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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Hammer Time

20 Mar

Last week, I had a short respite in the middle of the busy work week and escaped to the mall for a nice lunch with hubby. And after the meal, we took the opportunity to scout the place for a little bit. I am not quite the shopaholic for clothes and beauty stuff but I love browsing through the handyman aisles at the hardware store.

And I had to buy a hammer to use with my big chisel set! With all that supply of Meranti wood, I felt it was necessary to have a hammer to add on to my tools. Whee….hammer time!

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The School Holidays are Here

19 Mar

The week long school holidays are here and M2 is getting no rest. She will be busy with activities and having replacement classes in school on top of doing her revision at home. As such, we are staying put. It’s okay though because there’s so much to do with so much wood available.

We may indulge her with an occasional dinner outside instead of the usual home-cooked meals or we may even catch a movie, just to give her a little break from all that studying.

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A New Species

16 Mar

Suddenly, the balsa and the little Citizens of Gigglesville are forgotten with so much focus on the Meranti wood and Gnomes.

Feeling guilty, I decided to go back to the balsa. And you know what? I found myself unable to hold it properly. It’s so tiny! How did I ever managed to carve up a village of Citizens, Superheroes and all?

Working with the harder Meranti, my carving strength is so different. I had to reprogram myself to dealing with the soft balsa again. It wasn’t quick work as it used to be but I managed and after its completion, I jumped back to the Meranti.

Even though the big block is glued (two big pieces and two smaller pieces), it’s easier to shape and a new species came long. I think this has potential to be little Citizens. We shall see…

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Gnomes Alert, Part 2

15 Mar

There are now seven Gnomes, all in different heights and sizes, unlike the Citizens of Gigglesville where everyone is about the same size and height. To call the hamlet, “Gnomie-wood” is getting more and more appealing at this point.

The Gnomes currently ‘live’ in a tupperware (whereas the Citizens of Gigglesville live in trays). And with all their hats painted red, one evening I mistook them for being watermelons from the corner of my eyes. Just because we had watermelons a day before. Even M2 thought they were watermelons! Hahaha…

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Don’t they look like mouth-watering watermelons from this perspective?

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Gnomes Alert!

13 Mar

The box of Meranti is proving to be very fun and challenging. There are so many pieces and sizes to pick and choose. Soon after the flat head Citizen and Gnome, I immediately started on the glued two piece to carve another Giant Gnome. And in tandem another single piece Gnome, albeit smaller and shorter.

The Gnome population suddenly is booming! Maybe they should have their own hamlet instead of crowding Gigglesville.

Gnomie-wood? Hahaha….

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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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It Finally Snapped

9 Mar

The inevitable has happened! The long chain of constantly going into the Candy Crush Soda’s Daily Bonus finally snapped on the iPhone. I guess I was too fast to click when the phone was just connecting, thus the 358 days streak was broken! Boo hoo hoo…

Upon realization, I was slower with my actions for the iPad and thank goodness, this one’s record is still intact, at 560 days. Phew.

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Back to Day 1… boo hoo hoo.

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Box of Happiness, Part 3

8 Mar

After the completion of the Giant Gnome, I began experimenting with the new Meranti wood. And I find its density to be in between the balsa and basswood that I have been working with all this time. It is rather nice and different.

The balsa, despite being too soft and porous, and sometimes comes off easily in chunks if I apply a little bit more strength, has its plus points I must say. After all there wouldn’t be 128 Citizens of Gigglesville, a handful of Superheroes, Gnomes and Monuments to show.

As for the basswood, it is rather hard and needs more effort to carve and shape. So far, I have only three finished pieces with this wood type: Halloween Owl, Dinky the Dinosaur and Giant Gnome.

Now the Meranti wood is something else. Soft yet not too soft, and hard but not so, it is rather easy to work with. Within one hot Sunday afternoon at home, I carved up two familiar characters but with slight variations. A Citizen perched on a tree and a Gnome with a super tall cap. The only thing with this wood is the depth. The width is fine but lacking depth, so the two finished pieces have rather flat heads. That’s why it’s an experiment.

Next project in the pipeline is glueing two Meranti pieces together to give it depth and let’s see how this will turn out! Another Gnome in the making before I plan what new species or character to come out with. With the workbench in place, I don’t mind a drop in my social life as I stay at home nightly to work on my carvings.

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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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