30 Days Of Thanksgiving - 1/30

There's one of those things going around on facebook where you post something you are thankful for, everyday for thirty days. I wanted to do it on facebook, but realised that I probably wouldn't be able to save those posts, so thought about posting them here.

Then I thought maybe I'd combine everything into one giant post, but was reminded that being thankful should be a daily exercise and that I shouldn't be taking short cuts. Hur hur.

So here it is. Day 1/30.

I'm thankful for my mom. Anyone who has met my mom will probably remember her as someone who is friendly, warm and kind. She is also the perfect hostess. When there are guests coming, you can be sure that the dinner table will be properly set, silverware neatly wrapped in matching napkins and food beautifully garnished.  

She never gets mad, and even if she does, she never shows it. I remember when we were younger, the harshest thing she would say in frustration is a muttered "punyeta!" which, according to Google, is tagalog for "what the shit".

One of the wisest things she taught me (that I really ought to follow more) is that if you have nothing good or kind to say, it's better to not to say anything at all.

And I know it's so easy to take her for granted, because she will always be there for you, whether you ask or not. If I was down after a relationship ended, she would always be ready with a song to put a smile on my face. Gotta admit, singing "Diamonds are forever" (who needs men?!) and "Who's sorry now?" is something only my mom can pull off to help mend a broken heart.

Of course, now that I'm preparing for my big day, I'm honoured that my mom will be singing at my wedding. We've asked her to sing something for my walk-in and I'm excited to show off her singing to all my friends (family already know hehe).

I should say this more: I love you, Ma. Thank you for always being there for me and loving me unconditionally.

Sambal Goreng Tempeh

I'm a big fan of tempeh and came across this dish one day when I was buying my lunch at the Malay stall. Apparently it's quite common but I've never had it before! Asked my colleague what it was called and googled the recipe for sambal goreng tempeh. 

Found a couple of recipes and headed to Sheng Siong after work to buy what I needed. Unfortunately, I don't have a blender at home so I thought I'd just buy a sambal paste and see if it would be successful. 

Chose the Singlong Sambal Ikan Bilis because I thought it would go well with the tempeh. And it did! 

Ingredients:
Tempeh (3 small blocks, 2 slabs in each block)
Salt
Sugar
Coriander seeds
Water
Oil
Sambal ikan bilis paste, 2 heaping tablespoons
Kecap manis, 2 tablespoons

Method:
Cut tempeh into small 1cm pieces. Add salt, sugar and coriander seeds in water. Soak tempeh. 

Heat up oil (enough to deep fry) and drain tempeh. Fry tempeh till golden brown, remove. 

Heat up oil and fry the sambal till fragrant. Add kecap manis and mix well. Add fried tempeh to paste, mix well. 

Ta da! Serve with rice.

The Shapewear Saga

For those of you interested in the shapewear saga, I've finally found something that fits relatively well!

Went to OG (since I'm a member now) and headed to the lingerie section. I was looking at Triumph's range of shapewear when this salesgirls approaches me and asks if I need any help. Naturally, I ask for the most-control underwear, and the most-push up bra available.

She picks out a few pieces of super-tight-dress-like things, some high waisted panty-looking things, and some push up bras with various widths of straps (apparently the thicker ones are good to hold in back fats hur hur).

I have to say, salespeople at OG are generally quite genuinely friendly and helpful. We try on a few pieces and none are as much of a struggle to put on and pull off as the M&S ones. The level of control and shaping is quite decent, and I'm pleased.

The shocker is when she shows me the push up bras that she picked out. After taking my measurements, she whips out a D-cup bra.

Me: I'm not D-cup.

Salesgirl: The cutting is small. Just try first.

LO AND BEHOLD. I AM A TRIUMPH D-CUP.

I don't know how to process this information, but I'm glad I manage to get something that fits. The cost is a bit steep (I've never bought underwear that cost SO much) but I guess that's the price to pay to look good. At least I hope I look good and not fakely well-endowed in my new D-Cup bra. Lol.

On The Quest For Shapewear

The lady at the shop where I'm making my dress suggested that I get a push up bra and girdle for my next fitting. "You want this *pokes boobs* to stick out and this *pokes belly* to go in." 

Okaaaay. 

So I shop around. Marks & Spencers have a decent range and the salesperson at the shop was really helpful. She picked out one that looked like a swimsuit. "Convenient," I thought. "No need to buy separate pieces."

I pop into the fitting room and strip to my undies. "Pull it down from your top," was the instruction I was given. The piece fit over my head but got stuck at my shoulders. After much yanking and contortion, I finally manage to get it on. I button the clasps at the crotch and put on my clothes. 

No wonder people wear shapewear. My body is noticeably tighter and although difficult to put on, it was fairly comfortable. Feeling pleased, I strip off my clothes and unbutton the clasps and attempt to pry this tight fitting thing off my not-so-tight body. 

If it was hard to put on, it was even harder to take off! I yank and I twist and I sit on the floor, on the verge of tears. I consider buying the thing on the spot and heading home to ask +3 to pull it off for me. 

I channel my inner yogi (from that one yoga session I did seven years ago) and try again. Eventually I manage to extract my left arm, which is now red from all that rubbing, and finally remove the darned piece. 

Plus ten points for shaping my body as advertised, minus a billion points for being so effing hard to put on and off. 

A few days later, undeterred, I pop into another M&S shop. I spied a waist-cincher which looked relatively easy to put on - just wrap around your waist and hook it up. 

I have to say M&S have really decent shapewear. I managed to do up all the buttons and have my waist squeezed by probably and inch or more but all that squeezing meant that my fats had to go someplace - up (back fats, not boobs) and down (reverse muffin top). I looked like I was going burst. 

After having squeezed myself into two M&S shapewear, I thought I'd try out another popular brand, Spanx.Unfortunately, the pieces I tried didn't feel like they had very much control and really just felt like I was wearing something fitting. 

Sigh.

The search continues but I only have a few more days before my fitting. Need to find something soon!

Spoke Too Soon

Ah how optimistic I was when I last wrote that we were almost done with our shopping for wedding stuff. Was at OG today when I realised we still needed to buy bedsheets for our new bed. Lol.

So we shopped around and thankfully OG was having a sale, so we managed to get some really nice sheets (with a quilt cover plus a quilt too) for a decent price. Sure there were cheaper sheets but why not start our married life with something better?

Beginning to feel the pinch in our wallets but I guess that is all part and parcel of the whole works. Counting down!

Shopping, Shopping

I think we are almost done with shopping for wedding essentials. I've gotten my dress, +3's gotten his suit, and we both bought shoes today. All I have left to do is buy a push-up bra hahaha.

It feels good to know that things are moving along. Counting down!

Beef Stew - Cooked in Pressure Cooker

One of the best beef stews I've cooked. Really love the pressure cooker as it makes the beef so tender.

Ingredients:
Beef, cut into cubes
2 beef stock cubes
2 carrots
1 onions
5 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
12 baby potatoes
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
butter
water
salt
pepper
3 bay leaves

Method:
Marinate beef with salt and pepper. Melt butter and saute onions, garlic and beef. Mix the beef stock cubes in a cup of hot water and add to pot. Add tomato paste and stir. Add chopped carrots, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and bay leaves and enough water to cover. Cover pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes once the pressure is up.