"Could you be with a person that no one likes.."

This was the topic being discussed at a radio station this morning. "Could you be with a person that no one likes", a question from someone who has been with her boyfriend for 8 months and her family and friends dislike him.

It brought back memories when I was with my ex-husband. I remember clearly that none of my family members and friends liked him. They even told me how they felt but I was totally ignorant as I was so in love then. We did marry after 2 years of courtship but the marriage only lasted for 6 years. Despite being aware of him being a hot tempered person, domineering and very critical and judgemental about everything, still I went ahead with the marriage. Perhaps back then, due to age pressure and because most of my friends were already married and had kids, it pushed me to get married. However, it was an unhappy marriage and it was a blessing in disguise when we eventually got divorced.

When we are in love we have the tendency to close our eyes to everything about the person. Nothing seems to matter, everything is so sweet. But listen to your family and friends because they are the ones that can see a person clearly without bias. Think about why they dislike him, surely there must be something that is not right. Know a person well so that there won't be any regrets and never give in to any kind of excuses to get involved with someone who is wrong for you. Love can come at any age and when you least expect it.

Chocolate Chip Walnut Cake

I baked this chocolate chip walnut cake last night. I enjoy baking and everytime the kitchen smells so nice when the cake is baking. Preparation time is about 25 minutes.

. 250 g butter

. 200 g sugar

. 210 g self raising flour

. 5 eggs

. 100 g of chocolate chip

. 100 g of walnut, chopped

. 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence

. Pinch of salt

1) Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.

2) Add egg one at a time.

3) Sift flour gradually until well combined.

4) Add a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence.

5) Fold in 50 g of chocolate chip and 50 g chopped walnut.

6) Pour batter into a 9 inch square baking tin.

7) Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chip and chopped walnut on top of batter.

8) Bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 35 to 40 minutes.

Necklaces and Earrings

We were walking in 1-U when we came across the East India Co. shop. I was instantly drawn to the design and colour of this lovely jewellery set and my loving partner bought them for me.

H1N1 - a real scare

I was in the gym yesterday when I noticed there weren't many people around. Usually the gym is packed with people. The attendance for yoga class has shrunk to almost half. Probably a lot of them were terrified due to the increasing number of people infected by Influenza A (H1N1).

Even in shopping malls there are less people and quite a number were wearing masks to protect themselves from being infected. Those with high risk factors such as chronic diseases, asthma, diabetes, obesity and pregnancy will have to take more precautions. Same goes for senior citizens and children. It is sad and alarming looking at the current situation and I hope more measures will be taken to curb this deadly influenza from spreading even more.

Muscle Injuries

Since my previous article on loosing weight, I am pleased to note that I have achieved a weight loss of 2 kg. Yay... In order to keep up my exercise routine, every Saturday I will start the morning by heading straight to the gym, where I will climb on the cross trainer for half an hour and some weight exercises. But last Saturday, I pulled a muscle on my left hip and couldn't go to work on Monday. Occasionally I hurt my muscle on my back but still manage to recover in a short time but this time it hurt real bad. Thanks to the doctor after some pain killers and muscle relaxant, I am feeling much better. I just have to be more careful and try not to get any muscle injuries as it can be quite a painful and unpleasant feeling.

Roast Chicken with Butter & Garlic

Roast chicken is one of my favourite dishes. It is easy and simple to cook. No need to use a lot of cooking utensils in comparison to chinese cooking.

. 1 medium size chicken

. 20 g butter

. Half a lemon

. Half a head of garlic

. 5 cloves of garlic, chopped

. 1 tbsp olive oil

. Salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 200 C.

2) Stuff half lemon and half a garlic inside the chicken.

3) Rub all over the outside of the chicken with butter and chopped garlic.

4) Pour olive oil and rub all over chicken.

5) Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
6) Roast chicken at 200 C degree for 15 minutes.

7) Reduce temperature to 180 C and roast for 1 hour or until cooked.

Heliconia

Beautiful Heliconia. Brightly colored.

Lovely Ixora

So lovely...

Ixora...

A not so great dinner ....

I attended the company annual dinner last night held at a hotel in Seri Kembangan. The theme of the night was Hawaiian and most dressed to the theme except for a few who were in their office attire. We were told that the buffer dinner was a lavish one but it was a big disappointment. The food on offer was salads, prawns, oysters, barbeque lamb, chicken sausages, pasta, fried noodles and rice, spicy fish, sweet and sour seafood, satay, rojak, some desserts and coconuts. The only beverage served was some cheap cordial orange juice which was not even fresh and to make matters worse I couldn't see what I was eating due to inadequate lighting for the tables located closed to the man made beach, so we were all flying blind.

The entertainment bit performed by the staff was quite amusing. There were also karaoke competition, best dress and lucky draw. I won a hamper. Hooray! By the time I got home, I was very tired and went straight to bed but the next morning I had great 'workout' which more than made up for last night. Hahaha....

Singapore

We flown to Singapore on Thursday morning and returned on Saturday night. It was a short trip because my partner was meeting his son on his stop-over flight from Frankfurt. Since we have done some sightseeing during our last trip, we spent the 3 days walking and shopping in Orchard road and had a very nice buffet lunch in the Marriot. The hotel (Copthorne King) provided shuttle bus services to Orchard road and vice-versa which was good. What I really like about the hotel was that the room is clean and has comfortable pillows and bed. With the current exchange rate of 2.50 it makes shopping a bit stiff but did manage to get a pair of nice sandals, 3 belts, a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a lovely chain. Overall it was a pleasant trip and most of all my partner was able to spend time with his son as they have not seen each other for about half a year since his last trip here.