When do you start watching what you eat?

Grandma would smack my grandpa's hand as he reached out for the last prawn in the dish. She was just being a good wife watching after grandpa's cholesterol. She would immediately pick that prawn up with her chopsticks and drop it in my bowl. She would say with much love,"You're a growing girl so eat up!"Grandpa would look at my bowl and be envious.

A year ago, we were celebrating my friend's birthday by eating some "KFC" wicked wings (it's called wicked for a reason) and the infamous green tea smoothie from Samurai (a lil' Japanese shop on Glenferrie St) J was turning 26 and then the question came up," When do we start watching what we eat?" We laughed it off and said,"Maybe next year!"

Today we had a health check at work and thank God I was declared healthy with some good stats. Besides being nagged to eat the government recommendation of 2 cups of fruit and (yes! "AND" and not "OR") 5 cups of vegetables (which I think is a mission impossible), I was quite proud of myself. But it somehow got me thinking that I cannot afford to take my health for granted anymore.

So, I am determined to eat more vegetables and exercise more in year 2013. I plan to live long to see my grandchildren and fatten them up (following in my grandma's footsteps **grin**). I plan to be effective and bring my best to God's ministry. 

I am determined.

My day in Sydney..

Happy Australia Day everyone!

Last Saturday, me and a few of my friends decided to head down to Sydney for a short getaway. It was amazing. It was a impromptu trip to reward ourselves. I am glad we did it when we could. Food, shopping and spending time with friends was all that was part of the itinerary for the day. It was a great way to celebrate life.

Waking up at 4am to catch our flight out
to Sydney was tough but
still didn't dent our spirits for the adventure ahead.

First stop: Black Star Pastry in Newton
**Strawberry and Watermelon Cake is a MUST!
Light and refreshing.
You will be pleasantly surprised with this combination.
The colours are enough to tempt you
to pick this from the many goodies in the window. 

~

Next Stop: Paddington for its quaint shops and the famous market.

** I Love Birds
Stumbled upon this beautifully decorated
shop in one of the lanes.
A beautiful display of vintage and new homewares.

~

Beautiful cushions found in Paddington market.
Chevron and Neons are enough to make my heart skip a beat :)

~

** Lunch at Ippudo Sydney
Best Ramen I have ever had. The tasty broth is bound to
start a party in your mouth.My friend, PJ highly encouraged
us to try this  place because she visited the original
shop in Japan last year.
I am so happy we listened to her advice.

**Dinner at Chat Thai
Heard so much about this place from friends.
It definitely beats all the Thai restaurants
in Melbourne. Hope they make it to Melbourne soon. 

Yummy food overload. My highlight is the Prawn Tom Yum.
 It has the sourness of the usual Tom Yum
 I am familiar with but the texture is so different. A definite must to try.

~

**Desert at Laduree
Each individual macaroons is flewn in from Paris.
Can you imagine that?
I just had to try one.
A lil' pricey but my curiosity took the better of me.

 ~

 I did feel like a queen that day. I was happy we made the trip. Hope you had a beautiful long weekend yourself. Would love to hear what you did on your long weekend :)

Recently, I bought a few Christmas pressies from one of my favourite shops, Soft Gold Studio on etsy.com.
I loved it so much and decided to reward myself with one of the "gifts". Absolutely loved unwrapping pressies!
Happy Friday to myself! :)

Forgive me..just being Asian!

Someone commented that I take a lot of photos of my food. So, I started scrolling through my camera roll on my trusty iPhone. Lo and behold, I DO take a lot of photos. I blame my heritage. Asians love their food. We show our love for one another by having meals together. 

Reunion dinners are my favourite. Grandma cooks the best meals, easily a ten course meal on these special days. Plans get rescheduled and the day gets freed up. The family travels home, near or far. Grandma slaves away in the kitchen for hours on end  just to put a tasty meal on the table that the family can enjoy. All she ask is that we sit down together, differences aside and enjoy each other's company. 

So, yes we are passionate about our food and I will not apologise about it :)

Happy thursday all! 

Write me..

Is writing letters a lost art form?

Today I received a birthday card from my beautiful friend J who left for home in Singapore last year. It was a beautiful card and it made me happy.

I remember when I used to write to my pen pal across the world as a little girl. I would eagerly await for Mr. Postman to deliver the letters, hoping that I would find a new letter as a reply to my last. Back in the day, that was all we depended on to tell someone that was far away that they were loved, not forgotten, but constantly thought of. My parents did the same. While my dad was miles away from home in his younger days, living abroad studying in New Zealand, writing letters was all he had to express his love for my mom while they were dating (International calls were just too pricey). How romantic it must have been.

Writing an email or a SMS just isn't the same. There is just more effort and thought put into writing a letter. The time spent into penning down words on pretty stationery, licking the envelope to seal it, then licking the stamp to post it is an experience that I would never want to forget. So, this year I am determined to write more letters and cards to let that someone know that they are treasured. Hopefully you will receive my snail mail soon, friends!

So, make someone feel special today. Pick up that pen and start writing that letter. I know I would love to receive one.

Off Days..

Yesterday I witnessed the world number one player, Novak Djokovic play a long, exhausting and interesting game with Swiss No 2 Wawrinka. After Novak lost the first set at 6-1, I was partially shocked and figured it could be one of his off days. 

Don't we all have those days once in a while? Falling short of expectations, messing up and when nothing goes your way, giving up seems like the easy option. But, thank God for His grace. Grace is unmerited favour. When I feel like a failure, there is a God that offers forgiveness and welcomes me back when I mess up and get entangled in sin. He is not an angry God, as some may assume. Far from it, He loves you so that He did not withhold His only son Jesus from us. Jesus died on that cross to pay the price of sin once and for all. His grace is available for all who would receive it. Will you?

Just like how Novak knew he was world number 1, we also must realise that we ARE God's children whom He loves. Nothing could make God turn away from you. He loves you so much and that will never change. So, when you feel like you're having an off day. Pick yourself up and know who you are in Christ. God is able to make all things new and gives you a fresh start. 

It took more than five hours for Novak to claim the win. He fought on, ignoring the nagging negative thoughts that might have sneaked in. Let that be an example to us all. We are always going to be victorious when God is on our side. Don't  focus on our failures, instead focus on this great gift from God called grace.

maybe I'll get the one in the middle for my new homie :) I know you would appreciate it, S!
Can't wait for you to move in!
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