Monday 25 January 2016

The Clutter Magnet - Little Red's Garage

Little Red could not believe the amount of junk that it had kept all these years. It felt that it had become a packrat! There were so many things that had to go.

Since Little Red had a few months more to go before the Great Big Move, it decided that it must start now. If not Little Red's engine would not be able to take strain. It would surely sputter and die. 

Monday - Cleared half the junk from the northern part of the garage.

Tuesday - Cleared the eastern part of the garage.

Wednesday - Brought all recyclable stuff that it had cleared to the recycling centre.

Thursday - Cleared the southern and southern part. The washing and cleaning started. Stuff with years of dust made Little Red sneezed a great deal. Dust that could cloud its lights. 

Friday - Clear, clean, wash, pack.....

Saturday and Sunday - Totally flat on its back.

Little Red did feel at times (while clearing out junk) that being a minimalist would be good. Well, maybe being a teeny, weeny bit of a minimalist would do some good! 

Little Red is determined to only take half of what it has. After all, the new garage is much smaller. If it took everything, the sidewalk would be its new bed!!!

Monday - Back to the northern part of the garage....... 


Friday 15 January 2016

Elephant Legs

I remember when I was about fourteen, my class teacher gave me the duty to write out her notes-of-the-day on the blackboard. As I was writing, the hunk-of-the-school called me. When I turned around, he said this in his loudest voice: 

'Evelyn, why are your calves like elephant legs? You shouldn't be called Evelyn. You should be called Elephant Legs!'

He then guffawed and turned around to the class and shouted 'Miss ELEPHANT LEGS!!!!!!!!!! HahahahahahahaahahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!'

My soul was scarred from that day on. I researched religiously on how to make my calves smaller. I began to only wear pants and long skirts. I wanted to keep my 'elephant legs' under wrap so that nobody could see them. I detested my 'elephant legs'. I would rather kill myself than to expose them and walk out of the house! Why did I have SUCH ugly legs?! My mind was always in my legs.

Sad to say, this went on until I was in my twenties and even in my early thirties.

Most of the time when my husband and I went out, he would point out to me those plus sized ladies wearing dresses, skirts and shorts who had bigger legs than me. He would say, 'Look at them! They are so much bigger than you and are so confident! Why won't you be like them? You're not Elephant Legs!'

Unfortunately, the scales did not fall off my eyes. I couldn't spew out the thorn that was embedded inside my soul so deeply. It was too rooted.

Until one day....

When I met Death. 

The shackles have been falling off slowly over the past seven years. 

Imagine that I used to wear pants to the wet market. 

Thinking back, I was NUTS! Yes, the elephant legs must have love nuts!

The change was slow and steady. The confidence grew bit by bit.

It started with shorts to the market. Then it progressed to the supermarket.  To the shops. To school. Shorts soon graduated to knee length skirts. Worn to malls. 

Who gives a damn if my legs do not conform to the Supermodels' strict size 0 measurements? Who cares if my legs are not miles long? Marilyn Monroe was considered fat at one time. And then she became perfect. Fat, thin, skinny: the ruler that is used to measure fluctuates all the time. It never ends. Perfect beauty doesn't exist. I have legs that can carry me and walk. Period. And that's what I'm thankful for. 

To the little girl whose friends called you ugly and rejected you because you're different from them, you're you. You're special. And I hope you will not waste 20 years thinking that you're ugly. You're a beautiful girl. 

What happened to the 'hunk' who called me elephant legs, you ask?

Well, he got married, had a son and decided one day to walk out of their lives as he needed to have his life back. 

I guess he has an elephant butt upstairs. 

Sunday 10 January 2016

Thermomix Stir Fried Chayote with Eggs


Ingredients:

1. 2 medium sized chayotes (skin peeled and cut into thin slices)
2. 3 medium sized eggs (beaten with some sea-salt)
3. 4 garlic bulbs
4. Sea-salt
5. Sunflower oil

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1. Place the garlic inside the TMX jug.

2. Set 5 seconds/Speed 5/Reverse.

3. Remove all the garlic skin. Scrape down the sides of the jug.

4. Pour some sunflower oil into the jug.

5. Set 5 minutes/Varoma/Reverse/Spoon. (remove the MC)

6. Pour the chayote into the jug.

7. Set 9 minutes/Varoma/Reverse/Spoon. (replace the MC)

8. Halfway the 9 minutes, remove the MC cup. Pour the beaten eggs through the hole in the lid. (The TMX is still cooking. Do not stop it.)

9. Scoop up once it is done.

10.Serve hot with rice


Saturday 2 January 2016

Thermomix Pandan Flavoured Bread

Ingredients:

1. 50gm sunflower oil
2. 80gm milk
3. 1/2 teaspoon yeast
4. 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
5. 1/2 teaspoon of sea-salt
6. 20gm of pandan leaves extract (for recipe, click on the LINK)
7. 400gm of organic high-protein bread flour

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1. Place the milk, oil, yeast and sugar into the TMX jug.

2. Set 2minutes/37C/Speed 2.

3. Then add the pandan extract.

4. Set 2 minutes/Speed 1.

5. Add the flour and salt.

6. Set the kneading function for 3 minutes. (If the dough is too crumbly, add some water until it forms a smooth dough. If it is too wet, add some flour until it becomes smooth.)

7. Knead for another 5 minutes.

8. Pour the dough out onto an oiled bowl. Leave it aside for approximately two hours for it to rise.

9. Once it has risen, knock it back down.

10. Divide the dough into two parts, place them into loaf pans and allow it to rise again.

11. Preheat the oven at 180C.

12. Bake for approximately 1/2 hour or until it is golden brown.

13. Once done, allow it to cool before slicing the bread.

Bon appétit!