How time flies when you’re enjoying yourself! Week one of December is over x( Judging from your responses in the previous post, it seems you all have inner gamers within you!
This morning I enjoyed a “back to basics” oatmeal. I bought Bob’s Red Mill’s Scottish Oats two days ago because I wanted to see how different it is from their Steel-cut oats. Both are oat groats cut into two or three pieces. However the difference lies in the method of cutting the groat. As indicated in its name, steel-cut oats are cut by steel, while Scottish oats are stone-grounded. So the latter is just a more primitive form of the former. (Source)
BRM Scottish oats: back to basics oatmeal
1/4 c scottish oats, 3/4 c water, 1/4 c vanilla silk soy, vanilla extract, cin, layered and topped with raisins, pom seeds and PB. I also tried this layering trick. After pouring out half the oatmeal, I topped with raisins and pom seeds, then poured on top the remaining oatmeal. So it was somewhat like eating a layered cake. So fun. Haha..cheap thrills. The scottish oats cooks slightly faster than the steel-cut oats (about 15 min compared to 20 min) and is much softer in texture. Think porridge-like consistency. I likeey 
Yesterday I made a visit to the dentist. Do you guys follow the “visit your dentist every six months” rule? I ignored this rule until a few (two) years ago. I used to have very poor dental hygiene and brushed my teeth only once a day (embarrassed face). One day I developed swollen gums and it turned out I had gingivitis (inflammation of the gums). That was the turning point in my life, and probably also due to my mum’s dental problems. Now I take proper care of my teeth because I don’t want to be toothless so early! Anyway Dr. Ho just did some scaling and polishing. The appointment was at 12.30pm. I decided not to have lunch before that although I was hungry already because I didnt want to open my mouth with all the food debris stuck inside. Eww! By the time the check-up was over, I was ravenous. Unfortunately I couldnt eat just yet. Dr. Ho had spread this strawberry-flavored fluoride gel (really yummy!) all across my teeth and I had to wait 30 min before I could drink/eat. I tried to ignore my hunger growls by reading a book on animals and factory farming at MPH bookstore. Perhaps it was the choice of book that influenced by lunch decision, which was Cedele’s veggie tofu on walnut bread. I must have swallowed too much of the fluoride gel because my stomach was really queasy after lunch and I could feel the “minty” feeling in my stomach!
I went down to Times Bookstore at Plaza Singapura to redeem a $80 book voucher which I was awarded for my good academic performace in college. I bought three books: Dan Brown’s latest novel The Lost Symbol, Stephine Meyer’s New Moon (I know I know I’m so late to jump on the bandwagon) and Mark Haddon’s A Spot of Bother (author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time). I am very happy with my new books and currently reading New Moon now. Holidays are the only time when I have time to read books. Do you guys like to read books? What’s your type? Thriller, crime, novels, mystery, romance, or non-fiction?
<3<3<3
I’ll be going for a holiday in Brisbane, Australia from 8-16 Dec, so I’ll be estranged from BlogWorld on these days. I’ll definitely miss my oatmeal mornings but I’m ready to take on the challenges that come my way!
Revealed!
Anyway, as requested by Miss Neela, I have decided to reveal myself and my new haircut simultaneously 
Have a great sunny Sunday! I really can’t think of a better title for this post so its quite uncreative.
Good morning Sunshines! This morning I decided to switch things up a lilttle bit and have toast for breakfast. Okay, so the actual reason is that there wasn’t any oats left in the pantry. But I purposely didn’t restock yesterday because I had a creative idea for a toast but I was afraid the prescence of oats in the kitchen woule make me stick with the safe old choice of oats and not try out this creative toast idea. So what is this creative toast idea I’m talking about?
Pumpkinana PB spread!
Do you get weird recipe ideas that pop into your head suddenly? A few days back I came across pbandjenny’s post on Pumpkin Peanut Butter and since I don’t have the luxury of enjoying Cinagro’s spreads in Singapore, I decided to make my own! 1 Tbsp pumpkin puree + 1 Tbsp PB + 2 thick slices of banana, mashed = Pumpkinana PB spread! Lame name, I know.
Gloriously indulgent
I enjoyed my creation on a slice of Ezekiel toast. Three favourite foods combined into a spread…glorious! I finished up the rest of the banana and had a cup of vanilla silk soy to wash down all the goodness!
So how have I been spending my time over the past two days? Yesterday I had a major work out session. I cleaned up my room at PGP (campus hostel) and boy, I didn’t know such a tiny room could hold so much trash. I threw away all my notes for the modules this semester (am I glad to do so!), wiped all the shelves and cupboards, swept the floor, mopped the floor, removed the bedsheets, and basically made the room look spanking clean I have to move out by next Monday so I brought home 80% of the stuff. The remaining 20% are mostly bulky items eg. pillows, bolster and mini fridge so I shall have to wait for Mum to return from HK to ferry them.
My room! Taken a few months back when it was still rather tidy 
Midway through the ardous task of packing and cleaning, some snackage was needed to refuel the body.
Fruitus Apple and Oat bar
I had the Blueberry and Pomegranate one a while back and it was so good I had to try their other flavors. The apple one (bought on sale again!) was very tangy, akin to Lara’s Cherry Pie flavour but less sharp. As with the blueberry and pom bar, it was very moist.
I went home and relaxed my sore muscles by engaging in some Sims 3. It’s my first time playing Sims 3 and there are so many new functions! Like fulfilling Lifetime Happiness and the best thing is that you can go around the neighbourhood instead of being locked into your own home as in previous verions of Sims. So fun! I played for two hours non-stop!
Courtesy of the web
I had to restock on Ensure so I went over to TTSH Pharmacy. It is sold very cheap here. $2.20 for a packet of Ensure Plus compared to $2.65 at Guardian. Imagine the savings accumulated over a period of time! Then on impulse I decided to have a hair-cut (havent cut my unruly hair in 6 months!) at Novena Square 2. My hair is naturally thick and wavy and I’m a low maintenance kind of girl so I went for a shortie. I’m sporting a bob now. In fact I have had short hair most of my life.
My plans for today are:
1. make christmas cards.
2. deposit $$ in the bank
3. grocery shopping (restock on oats and soymilk)
4. more cleaning of my bedroom
5. play more Sims (really addictive!)
Question: Do you play computer games?
(Other than Sims I used to play Neopets too! It was the craze when I was in primary school. Lol)
Holly Molly! I just had the most jolly breakfast bowl!
Do not be deceived by its placid exterior...
It may look like any other pumpkin oatmeal, but its tainted with CRACK! What could be the secret ingredient? Remaining steel-cut oats topped up with Hubbard’s Fruitful muesli, 3/4 c water, 1/4 c vanilla silk soy, 3T pumpkin puree, flax seeds, PB (camouflaged). It must have been Hubbard’s – their museli is chokeful of dried fruits and I’m lovin the nutty coconut taste. That must have made all the difference. Oh and the Honey Crisp on the side was as cripsy as it could get. Its definitely going onto my list of favourite apples which so far include Granny, Fuji, and Pacific Rose/Queen.
Yesterday’s last and final paper (YAY) was a breeze, except for one question which I drew the structure of pyranose-(1,1)-furanose wrongly. Oh wells, that might have been one mark only. H.L was going to her boyfriend’s house and Jan had to study for her physics exam (poor girl). So I was left alone…but that did not stop me from enjoying myself!
A Christmas Carol
I headed down to The Cathay to catch this movie. It’s my first time watching a movie alone in the cinema but I really wanted to watch this show badly – more because of its soundtrack than anything. Lol. Anyway, I highly recommend this movie. As with any other movies adapted from books, there’s bound to be critics castigating it as all show and no substance, and not loyal to the book yadayada but it was really a heartwarming movie.
Don't be a Scrooge
Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who represents the anathema of the Christmas spirit. He was haunted by his dead business partner Marley, who warns Scrooge that he might suffer the same fate as him – damned to walk the Earth for eternity bound in chains of greed. Scrooge was visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, which in the end (to cut the story short) he finally repents and held the Christmas spirit in his heart not only during Christmas, but every day.
The Ghost of Christmas Past
I think this show has alot to teach. The obvious themes are about love and giving. It is also a good reminder and a source of motivation to leave the ED past behind – why do we bind ourselves in shackles when the free self is so much more happy?
I wear the chain I forged in life! I made it link by link and yard by yard! I gartered it on my own free will and by my on free will I wore it!….Now I am doomed to wander without rest or peace, incessant torture and remorse! (Marley)
Twenty years down the road I definitely wouldn’t want to remember spending my youth counting calories and restricting. I want to enjoy the present, make full use of the present, so that it may hold many good memories. Okay, enough said of the movie. One word: Inspirational.
I was ravenous after the movie. I hopped over the The Soup Spoon at Paragon for my dindin. Had to have dinner alone again, oh wells. It is my first time dining at this place. I ordered the Falafel and Hummus Hearty Wrap.
Chickpea Dumpling, Hummus, Cucumber, Onion, Dou Mio, Mint, Tomato, Romaine Lettuce
Lo and behold! I definitely wasn’t prepared for such a hearty wrap! It was really ginormous! It is my virgin encounter with falafel, so I can’t really judge, though it was slightly on the dry side. That was a minor issue though and I really enjoyed every mouthful of the wrap. It had a nice spicy kick and the vegetables were really crunchy. I attempted to be dainty and cut the wrap up using knife/fork but everything fell apart. Oh wells. The salad on the side was also very good. The dressing was very tangy/spicy. Sadly, I only managed half the portion and got really stuffed. I had the other half packed in a doggie bag.
Why do the lights look so sparse?
Even when I got home, I was still bubbling with energy and decided to put up the christmas tree. Tada! I think this tree has been with the family for about five years already. My dream is to have a real fir tree but of course, that shall remain a dream as long I’m in Singapore. Good tidigs, everyone!
PS: I joined in the bandwagon and changed my header too! Hope you like it
Dad, mum and Sam will be leaving for Hong Kong today so that leaves me alone in Singapore with my housekeeper. It’s gonna be lonely these few days!
I made a really different type of oatmeal today – cooked in lemongrass, ginger and citrus fruit tea (London Tea Company) instead of the usual soymilk. The change was inspired by a pomegranate I bought at Cold Storage yesterday as well as Marina’s oats cooked in tea. My vision was to create a citrusy oatmeal.
Luckily I googled “how to cut a pomegranate” before I set out to create breakfast. Because it was a really messy job with pink juices squirting everywhere!
Finally done plucking out the seeds!
The juices can leave a permanent stain on countertops/clothes if not wiped away as soon as possible so you can imagine how busy I was wiping every drop of stain away as soon as possible!
The final product
Sorry about the messy presentation with all the books strewn everywhere but I couldnt wait to dig in! The scent of the ginger was really prominent and the pomegranate seeds gave a lovely crunch. A few spoonfuls later, some Dark Chocolate Peanut went into the bowl. Haha couldnt resist Maranatha’s for even one day. I had a peach on the side too.
Cedele's Famous Rosemary Chicken
Yesterday I had to have lunch alone because everyone else was out and Dad skips lunch on Sundays. I decided on Cedele because I’ve been harbouring a major Cedele craving…have not had their sandwiches in like 2 months? Once again, fickle me couldnt decide on which sandwich to get, but I eventually I got their Rosemary Chicken, just because it is served with Cranberry sauce and I saw it as fitting in with the Christmas season. Weird logic? Anyway, I finished up the sandwich till the last grain and was even picking up the cranberry pieces that had dropped onto the plate with the toothpicks. That really did satisfy my cravings! But boy, I was sure stuffed like a turkey after that. My pet peeve was that the cranberry spread wasnt spread out; just dumped in the centre of the sandwich. I realised i’ve been having alot of reddish/pinkish foods lately which inspired the title of the post!
Can’t wait for tomorrow! Off to study!
