Glad to Learn Something New Everyday!

While planning menu for next week, I decided on trying out these two recipes:
* Jamie Oliver's Tasty Fish Bake (which looks amazing)
* Simply Recipe Chili Beans

As always, I go through the ingredients list, to see if there is anything that I won't be able to get. In Jamie's recipe, "Hmmmmm?" pops up at the "Single Cream". What is it? Google-d it. Here's what I found.

What is the difference between single and double cream? -- Kirkfood
...
Single cream is 35% fat cream with no thickening agent, like gelatine, added. Double Cream is 45% Cream with no thickening agent. You will need to read the fat Content on the pack to work out what is what as in Australia, the labels do not mention single or double. Single Cream is usually called "pouring cream" and is widely available in Supermarkets. To my knowledge, there is only one manufacturer of what the English chefs call Double cream and That is Bulla. You may have to look hard to find it, particularly outside of Victoria. I think its is called Bulla Pure Cream, but remember, check the fat content.
...

Cool!

Next, Chili Beans... "HAH - Cilantro leaves?" What is that Pokemon?
Well - it turns out, that is what American calls Coriander -- Taste Forum (my favorite herb, that is!).
More on Coriander in Wikipedia.

Ciao!

I FOUND IT! (CAPS LOCK key in O2 ATOM XDA)

Yes!!!! I finally find the CAPS LOCK key in my O2 Atom XDA "Large Keys" on screen keyboard.

I bought my O2 nearly 2 years ago and I was using the "Small Keys" on screen keyboard up until January 2007. Since then, I swapped to use the "Large Keys" on screen keyboard, which I find much easier to navigate in the small screen. And since then too, I've been in the search for the CAPS LOCK key to no avail!

It took me nearly 1.5 years but I finally found it (by accident of course)! It's double tapping the SHIFT key!!! ARGHH!!! All these time I've been going back and forth from letter to the SHIFT key when I need to type words in UPPERCASE!!!!

Anyway - just thought it might come in handy for someone else! :P

Weekly Update 4

This is the last week of my 30 day trial thing. In my "weight stabilizing quest", I've learned a lot about myself, about my body, about my eating habit. I'm extremely glad I've decided to try this out.

This week average: 1463 calories. (i.e. average of 1220.5 calories after calorie burnt through 3x Bikram Yoga classes and 4x walking up the stairs from Ground level to 19th floor.)

Last nite, I consumed 1 medium container of cinema popcorn by my self (on top of the regular serving of Nando's chips)!!! Bleh - I feel pretty crappy by the end of yesterday. In the past, this would have made me feel like a failure. That I'll never be able to do this. There's no point in keep trying.
But this time, it's okay, I realised it's a once off splurge. I decide to move on, start the next day fresh and keep doing what I've been doing so well... Have to admit, the following quote helps...

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lesson for this week? Avoid eating off people's plate (as much as I can anyway)! Why? Well - my brain does not register those as well as the food I put in my plate while the calorie still counts!

I don't have much to say anymore. I will continue doing what I'm doing; i.e. the calorie counting, the Yoga, and the stair walks; until I get to my "stabilized weight".
Though my posts have helped me in completing the 30 days commitment and analyzing the process, I decided that I won't be blogging about my progress anymore. I don't want to bore people to death and I'd also like to spend my time doing other things. :P

Anyway - here's a very compact and informative article which talk about what I've been trying to explain through my posts... "The One True Secret of Weight-Loss Success" by Diet Blog.

Psst.. If you're trying to "stabilize your weight" as I am, check out Australian Calorie King! Great tutorials, motivational articles, recipes, and calorie information of all sorts of food. :)

nicholeV photography

Found the nicholeV photography blog through Tara Whitney's recently great post, "not quite sure what kind of fun-house mirror, camera magic they have but…", which features an extremely gorgeous blanket! Quick - check out the post!
Back to Nichole Van's blog... if you love photography, then be sure to check out the recent post, My little fairy in the orchard . . . .
It features very amazing shots! Here's a sneak peek! Taken from the nicoleV photography [the blog].

A Word of Advice

"Let no feeling of discouragement prey upon you,
and in the end you are sure to succeed."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Question from the Movie "21"

I went and see the movie "21" with Shanon last nite.Taken from the Official Sony 21 Movie Website.
Early in the movie they talk about "Variable Change", or "3 Doors Math Question" which leaves me wondering through the whole movie!!! Gladly I wasn't the only one. Have a look at the following discussions around the topic:

• Monty Hall problem - Wikipedia
• Collin Bennion’s Blog » Let’s Make A Deal Wow - I can totally relate to his distracted feeling!
• Physics Forum - game probability
• Help Me understand the 3 doors math problem in the movie 21? - Yahoo! Answers
• In the movie 21.. there is a scene where there are 3 door 1 with a car the others have goats...? - Yahoo! Answers

Question aside and despite the movie being a tiny bit extended - I still really enjoy it, so try and catch it in the cinema!

Psst... check out the movie review I posted at DWS Movie Buffs blog.

Life Pleasures Restrictions

Just a thought.

With my recent calorie intake restriction going so well, I've officially become a little 'confused'. It used to always be a seesaw of food vs money for me. Whenever I managed to lose weight, I go crazy with my shopping, putting my bank balance in trouble. Or, when clothes don't fit me nicely, I don't shop, and my bank balance is fixed, while my jeans get tighter.

I am proud to say that I think I am now healed from the shopaholic syndrome (the phases of de-cluttering and selling stuffs on Ebay really does put me off buying things unless I need or want them). Nowadays, food has started to present itself to me in a similar way, i.e. I question if I do really need or want them.

Naturally though, having been a splurge for as long as I can remember, from time to time I get the urge to splurge.

Now this is where it gets confusing for me. I just automatically held myself back. The thought of the impact of that splurge (both food and money) pops up. Thought of the amount of exercise I need to do stops me from over-eating and thought of the stuffs (clutters) that I've dumped to Salvation Army or Ebay stops me from buying things.

It feels wrong, yet right that nowadays I love and enjoy staying at home (mine or Shanon's), playing stupid PlayFirst games, watching TV series, reading the over-stacked magazines and books that I bought from like 2 years ago, de-cluttering and organizing things (physical objects or digital), or even just sorting out my recipes. Plus, I actually enjoy going to my peaceful (at the same time being full-on) Bikram Yoga classes.

Questions bubbling in my head...
Is this really me?
If not, how long will this last?
Am I over-restricting myself?
Am I living a lame life and becoming a bore?
Or maybe, I've actually grown (as a person) and become better?
Am I weird to be extremely reluctant to accept lunch/dinner or drink invites (excl. coming from close friends)?
Have I become obsessed with being in control (of food, things, money, links)?
Is this a bad thing or a good thing?
I guess only time will tell...

One thing for sure though, these pleasure restrictions have actually made me enjoy the pleasures more. I recently actually savoured the taste of one teaspoon of peanut butter. WOW - I can tell you it's superbly yummy! I'm now looking into doing my money splurge - not sure what yet - but I assure you, I'll make sure it is something that I will enjoy for a long time. :)

Thanks to these awesome read which inspire this post: ZenHabits' Enjoy Life Now, AND Save for Later; or, Why Delayed Gratification is a False Dichotomy || Dumb Little Man's 4 Signs That Your Hyperconsumerism is Ruining Your Life.

Nubrella: The New Umbrella?

Image taken from Nubrella.
"Introducing nubrella; "The Ultimate Weather Protector". Nubrella is no ordinary umbrella. It protects you against rain, wind, sleet, snow and extreme cold. It is an umbrella for all inclement weather conditions not just rain."
It looks kinda cool, seems perfect for Melbourne annoying rain which goes diagonally.. :) What do you guys think?

My Life's Ups and Downs

I have to say - I'm amazed at where my life's at right now. I really have no complaint whatsoever. Sure, I want it to keep improving, but for now, there is really nothing I need to change. I'm loving it. I feel at peace with everything.

My family life is better than ever. Other people might think differently, but it doesn't matter. I personally think it is currently awesome. It was really great having my dad here for a short while and my mom here for a month (in the past month). Her presence lights up our li'l cosy apartment and get things in order. I hope it will just keep getting better and we can all lead a happy and healthy family life. :)

My love life is ... *speechlessly awesome* :) No further comments necessary.

My close friends are as great as ever. :) As above - no further comments necessary.

My new diet and health approach is working out better than I could ever expect them too. I'm eating things that I love, in moderate portion, as well as lower calorie things that will fill me up, when I feel like eating. I'm starting to get addicted to Bikram Yoga - to the point where I actually look forward to the class and especially the feeling I get when I complete a class well. To top that, my clothes are now fitting so much better. :)

My work life is going well considering everything. I no longer dread Mondays. I am busy and quite excited with the work that I need to get done. Plus, having decided that I have and will make use of the option of doing interesting evening courses, really does make me feel better about the 9am-5pm IT work.

My home has less clutter than ever. As it should - after my decluttering sessions from end of last year till early this year plus my mom's recent visit. The icing on the cake for me is that I've just cleaned up my paperworks. I got rid of the useless receipts and inapplicable terms & conditions papers, put all my yearly tax documents in a folder. Sorting the

My financial setup? Couldn't be any better. I've just setup my spending plan for the next few months and I'm extremely happy with it. I now have 1 transaction account, 3 purpose-driven savings accounts (linked to my transaction account with instant-access, i.e. I can transfer fund to my transaction account as needed), additional savings account (without instant access), 1 regularly used credit card, 1 temporary credit card - because it offers 0% balance transfer for 6 months (check out St George Vertigo Card if you're interested) and 1 emergency credit card. The spending plan (in an excel spreadsheet), along with my mmex, portable money tracking software, allows me to spend a mere 15-20 minutes weekly to monitor my (yes, some would say excessively many) accounts. It feels so good to be in control of all this without barely any effort and/or time. It works extremely well for me right now. Refer The Spending Plan: Budgeting for Non-Budgeters ∞ Get Rich Slowly || How to Automate Your Personal Finances ∞ Get Rich Slowly || Use a Freedom Account to Prepare for the Unexpected ∞ Get Rich Slowly for other useful information on this topic.

I still have quite a few tasks on my to do list. But they're not dated. They're just there - waiting for when I feel like doing them or need to do them.

Moreover, I love having lots of spare time, to work on things that I want to do (my Interior Design course, my recipe box, browsing my snapshots, and my silly time-consuming task oriented games - PlayFirst) or simply to hang out with Shanon and/or my siblings.

I love my life (and plan to continue to...)

PS: This post is not meant for me to flaunt or to hurt anyone (in any way). I don't remember ever feeling this way and to recognize what a milestone this is, this post is here to remind me of how great a life I'm leading, what a precious group of people I have in it and how grateful I am for them. Peace.

Weekly Update 3

When I decided to embark on this journey of food intake change, No one can make you happy..., based on "mind over matter", I didn't realised how close to truth I was.

Keeping my food diary, trying to lower my food intake and increase my energy output has made me learn about myself and my mind more than ever. It's a struggle to control my mind, but at least nowadays sometimes I am in control. I become aware of the MASSIVE link between my "not so slim" body to my "not so strong" mind control. Let me explain more.

For as long as I can remember, I've NEVER been slim. Some people will argue that it doesn't matter (which the old me will totally agree with), but the new me realises and admits it matters (at least to me). I believe I deserve the experience of being slim and proud of my physical appearance (or at least become more confident). I don't want to be 50 and still be a little sad sometimes that I have never been slim.

Some people would think that writing down every one of my food intake and controlling seems like too much work and a bit too extreme. But, I'm trying to change a habit that has been with me pretty much forever - my eating habit. So personally, the 'extreme' effort is really needed for me and I also find it is much more fun to take control over my mind than feeling sorry for myself or envious of others. Don't get me wrong. I'm not ALWAYS feeling sorry for myself or envious of others. It happens occasionally. And, I know that being slim will not make my life suddenly perfect. But I do realise that it will give me one less reason to be envious of others and love myself. So, why not?

The funny thing is, the more I'm doing this, the more I realise how much it is really about "mind over matter". When the temptation is being shoveled to me in my face, as in the "free food" or the "food that my mom has put so much effort into cooking" or the "awesome exquisite cute food" or something else, I have a choice. If I don't want them, I can say No. Or if I really want them, I don't have to completely deny them. All I have to do is eat them in moderation. I have to be in control of my mind and stop myself before I over-eat. THAT is one of the key thing.

The first few bites are not the problem, the problem is cleaning up the plates and not registering it in my head. Letting myself get back to be the person who mindlessly put things into her mouth while watching something or doing something else, or eat to counter-act boredom or to make myself feel better (very temporarily). That is the habit that I need to change. It's that big cycle that I go through every time I go on a diet. The big choice that I have to make. Giving up on my good effort and falling back into my habit. Well, people do say, "old habits die hard". But it's OK, this time the habit is going. Slowly. But surely!

I'm armed with a really good lifestyle changing method. Perception change.

Forgiving myself is also another key thing. Knowing that I'm learning to be in control of my mind and it's difficult makes me more forgiveful. It makes it OK to slip back to my old self once in a while... as long as I realise that it has to be occasional treat. Not on daily basis.

It's quite funny really, this learning to control my mind thing, it has made me learn so much about my head and my mind, like:
* I have this thing about not wanting to miss out on something, especially food. :P So even when I'm bloated, I will still say yes to that Chocolate dessert offer (especially when it's free), because I feel like I don't know when else I might get to eat that cake. But now I know, I can have that chocolate dessert anytime. Most importantly, I'm not missing out on anything! In fact, I'm helping myself big time by not eating that piece of cake!
* My portion control is really bad. Really. I tend to over-eat. That's why I have to make sure (when I can) I'm eating something low in calories, so that when I eat lots, it doesn't kill my whole progress the way 1 big plate of lasagna would do. The good thing though is that I like salads and fruits. I do.
* This week, when I was wondering alone in the city, I bought some snacks only to realise that I totally wasn't hungry and the snack wasn't even tempting. It was merely out of habit and temptations of other snacks that I walk past which causes me to buy this one.
* Since I know I'm still very weak (in the whole mind control game), it is best for me to avoid bad free food events. :P

I have to admit, some form of restrictions are really good for me. It actually helps me savour and thoroughly enjoy the occasional treat. I know this sounds cliche, but it's very true.

Mantra for the week? "Eat because you need to or actually want to, not because you're idle or bored or out of habit (e.g. snack in front of TV). Stop gulping and savour them!"

This week average: 1467 calories. (i.e. average of 1230 calories after calorie burnt through 3x Bikram Yoga classes and 3x walking up the stairs from Ground level to 19th floor.)

Check out this kewl blog, I Eat, I Shoot, I post, love his tagline! "Never waste your calories on yucky food!" Totally relate-able!