The One That Got Away #2: A Note From Ferio

Dear the one that got away, his note read.

He was just a friend. An ordinary friend. Someone that I knew from a long time ago. At least long enough to make it comfortable for me to ask him all these awkward questions.

I was having one of those retrospective moments. Wondering about what if’s. So I sent him a note, or rather a quest for explanation of sorts.

Did I treat you like crap? I asked.

Was I oblivious?

Did I hurt you?

Was it true, I wondered, that I didn’t make special effort to make a place for you in my life. Or heart.

Was it true?

Like in High Fidelity, there comes a time when you wonder about the people that left.

That I left.

So he replied.

Dear the one that got away,

I don’t know what you meant by making “special effort”. None of my ordinary friends treat me the way you did.  I have lots of friends in my life, but you… I don’t know anyone like you.

Yes, there was a time when you puzzled me. There’d be times when you care about me more than you cared about yourself, yet there’d be times when you forgot about me completely. Sometimes you had no reasons to do the things you do, but you did them anyway.

I was confused in the beginning, but in time I understand you.

I know it wasn’t intentional. This is just the way you are, your trademark. I really appreciated it when you gave it to me. You made me feel special that sometimes I felt like I was being a nuisance and this feeling… it ruined what was supposed to be an enjoyable journey. I got nervous because you always stunt me with the things that you do, yet you didn’t even realize what those things are, what huge impact they made me. To you it was just another ordinary day.

But to say that you are oblivious is not entirely correct. You do care about others, in fact I would say…wow. But when people get too used to the kind of treatment that you gave them, people  tend to forget that you also need space. When the time comes the space that you left behind is too huge and they feel it…I feel it too.

But knowing you, that’s just the way you are. And I like you like that.

There is a song in here somewhere. About the space that you leave behind.

That I left behind.

(This too is a true story. Paraphrased because I couldn’t bear to share the original note, but true nevertheless.)

Songs of My Youthful Days

I am starting to write songs for myself again.

Not that I ever stopped – I still occasionally write for friends or entertain the odd requests for collaborations. But not for me, I stopped writing songs for me or about me a long time ago.

Why? I just didn’t have anything to say. I suppose you could say that I am a lot more private about my private life these days.

It’s not like I haven’t had my heart broken  (after all the best inspiration strikes when the heart is broken, yes?). But I didn’t want to commemorate these with a song. These boys, they’re not worth remembering. I don’t want any traces of them in my life, not in my memories, not in my songs. I was better off without them – I became saner, nicer to be with, fun-ner. I don’t want any of them to listen to my stuff and think, f*ck yeah, she wrote that about me, about us.

Please. You’re not that memorable.

I am starting to write again because an encounter with a long lost friend reminds me of my youthful days.

I was a snob in college. I hardly socialized. I was only friends with a select group of people.

It’s not that I wasn’t friendly. It’s just that, at that point of time, college was not where I wanted to be. I felt shackled, indoctrinated.

Writing songs, jamming with my motley crue – that was my release. It gave me something to talk about, something to share.

In a time when I had nothing in common with the people around me, we found truce in music. It it wasn’t for music, I would have never spoken to him, never known him.

I like that.

Hence I am writing again.

The next collection of songs that I will be recording on my creaky laptop and even creakier mic will be dedicated to this boy. Not because he is someone special, but because he made me want to write again. Because he reminds me writing songs is not just good to mend broken hearts, it is good to bridge the time that is lost between us, too.

The Applause has been sitting in the corner, gathering dust, for too long.

This is my liner note to him. No names. But thanks babe, you know who you are.

(To check out songs from my first collection which I entitled “Three Phases to Goodbye:, click here)

Photo (c) Acoustic Guitar by Sofamonkez

Weekly Fashion Challenge #4: What’s In My Bag

This week, the challenge is an oldie but goodie: What’s In My Bag

Since we need to list all the items in the bag, this entry merits individual pic on top of the usual gallery style. Scroll below for description of what’s in each bag.

If you didn’t know who’s who, you can still totally tell by the items in the bag like who’s the swinging single, the fashionista, the workhorse, the busy mom, the one who works on the run etc.

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What’s In My Bag Challenge, the stuff in IA’s bag: (clockwise from top left)

1. Panadol Actifast and Clarinase
2. Woods’ Peppermint Cough Lozenges
3. Neway Karaoke free wet wipes (for the win!)
4. Iris Crabtree & Evelyn mini Perfume
5. Assorted lippies by Maybelline, lip gloss by Revlon
6. Estee Lauder compact, (hidden at the bottom) Estee Lauder make-up coffret
7. Navy Striped Tote Bag by JC Crew
8. Liz Clairborne coin pouch; on top of it is a business card holder that was a freebie from South Korea
9. Fresh rolled-up bandage for any knee emergencies.
10. Vicks Vaporub for everything else emergencies.
11. PSP and on top of it is my latest mobile phone.
12. Starbucks tumbler from Rusky with Rove.
13. Starbucks notebook for writing songs and appointments; underneath it is an android MID Tablet.
14. A pot of hairgel by Gatsby, Cherry Blossom solid perfume by L’occitane, Little Pink Tin lip balm and a Disney hand sanitizer.
15. Iris Crabtree & Evelyn hand lotion.

Along the bottom is my Be Scarves white stars scarf.

Not seen in pic: Olympus camera which was used to take this pic, pedometer which is hanging on my waistband, sunglasses and specs coz I only put them in my bag when I find them, a pen that I couldn’t be bothered to put in place and assorted coins that are jingling at the bottom of the tote bag.

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In no particular order, PC’s loot: Prada black bow bag, Gucci royal purple namecard holder, MAC black cosmetic pouch, Gucci gold shoe key chain, vintage black mirror from Japan, Audrey Hepburn fabric mini bag to store Nano, meds, keys etc, Tempo Petit tissue  and last but not least Prada plum wallet.

MAC black cosmetic pouch contains:  Dior compact powder, Women essentials, Chanel rouge allure and MAC lipgloss, Vaseline lipbalm, MAC and Dior eyeliners, Dior sharpener, LV mini key, 3 cotton buds.

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In her poor overworked Kate Spade AA has:

1. Pink magnet notebook
2. Smith’s Minted Rose lip balm
3. Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick in Lover 
4. Rouge Dior lipstick in Plum Plot
5. Car key with a “never broke in Texas” keychain (my girl from the office got me this. see, i’m not such an office bitch afterall)
6. Maybelline eye make-up in Hyper Diamonds
7. Kate Spade faux snakeskin pouch
8. Skin Food Sweet Potato Chiffon Cake powder
9. Office ID tag
10. Hello Kitty coin purse (Sanrio, gift from a friend)
11. Hello Kitty face blotter (Sanrio, bought from Daiso)
12. The History of Whoo compact powder 
13. The History of Whoo lipstick in Coral
14. Empro triangular brow pencil in Brown 
15. Motorola bluetooth H270 headset
16. Blackberry Bold 4
17. Samsung Galaxy Tab 7+ (not photographed cos I was using it to take the picture duh)
18. Handbag table hook in pink (Daiso)

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TC’s Miu Miu handbag essentials are: reading glasses, shades, Mr stress squeezy ball, emergency sewing kit (recent addition), panty liner, tissue, china purse, MAC lipsticks, broadband dongle, mini soap (very important during traveling), safety pins; no make-ups since she doesn’t wear any.

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Ms RJ’s utilitarian  Burberry Goldertone All leather in military red contains: Burberry wallet, iPhone4S, Samsung Galaxy Note, flash drive, house keys, envelop containing flight tickets , 4 coins (£1 x 3 dan 2 pence x 1), CK Jeans pouch with this month’s receipt, various membership cards i.e. Mesra card, Jusco, Bonuslink, Hinode Shop, Watsons, Toys R Us dan AIA Medical Card.

The black Shiseido Maquilage clutch contains Shiseido Maquilage Aura compact powder, Clinique liquid foundation, Benefit lipgloss, Lip Ice sheer color lip balm, Maybelline eyeshadow in black, Maybelline eyebrow pencil in dark brown, 2-in-it lipstick, Marc Jacobs Daisy eau so fresh miniature, Chloe vial and 3 ball pens.

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FR and IJ haven’t given me the list of items in their bags, but here are the close-ups; see if you can tell who’s who:

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You can see some more of FR & friends’ bags here: My Life – Now, Then & Tomorrow. FR also listed the contents of her bag there :)

If you want to join the challenge, just follow the Weekly Fashion Challenge posts and send me yours. For next week, the challenge would be Red Shoes. I can be reached at ijahamran@yahoo.com. Snap away!

My Top 10 Travel Wishlist

Originally written on June 14, 2009; updated today.

Some of these places I have visited before but I want to go there again and re-live the experience. In no particular order:

1. Catch a concert at the Tokyo Dome, Japan. Whatever concert. I just want to be in the place. I’ve watched so many concert DVDs filmed at the Dome it’s a flaming shame if I don’t get to experience it at least once.

2. Go to E for All (Entertainment for All Expo) in LA, the sort-of successor to the previously open-for-all E3, take lots of pictures with as many Booth Babes (yes, it’s a noun) as I could humanly manage and make all the fanboys weep with envy.

3. Blow a month’s worth of salary eating at Djemaa El-Fna, Marrakech. Yes, food occupies a very large portion of my brain.

4. Spend a totally hedonistic, self-gratifying (not in a perverse kind on way so take your mind out of the gutter), pleasure-seeking weekend at the Glastonbury Festival.

5. Stay up quietly til dawn to watch an Aurora Borealis over the skies of Alaska. I’m cool with Canada too.

6. Swim in the impossibly blue waters of Mauritius without caring about how fat I look in a bikini. DO NOT use your imagination.

7. Explore and discover  Europe aboard the opulent and luxurious Orient Express. Sneaking off to the train’s roof to have afternoon tea is optional. I will be broke for the next 5 years after this trip but I will deal with that when it happens. Live in the moment, yes?

8. Put on my spectacles, look intelligent and hobnob with people who make a living out of writing at the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival in Bali. Then, watch the sunset at Nusa Dua with a cup of local coffee and a few slices of sponge cake (I cannot decide how many slices are too many).

9. Appease the wild and (sometimes) out-of-control-if-not-paid-attention-to shopping beast in me in Hong Kong, then trick  Snow White at Disneyland HK to speak to me in Chinese to confuse the children.

…and 10) I can’t decide on a 10. Suggest any?

UPDATE:

Thanks Ibu Wita for suggesting the 10th destination.

10.  Take one of the passengers ships from ‘Hurtigruten’ and sail amongst the fjords, almost to the Russian waters and experience the midnight sun.

Related Articles

• Do You Keep a Wishlist? (apartmenttherapy.com)
• Aurora Borealis lights up Iceland (adelaidegreenporridgecafe.blogspot.com)

Weekly Fashion Challenge #3: White Tee/Shirt & Sub-challenge: Hats

This week, the challenge is White Tee/Shirt; with sub-challenge: Hat.

Challenge issued by: IA, accepted by PC, FR, Lil K, RJ and AL

Sub-challenge issued by: AA, accepted by PC and AL

If you want to join the challenge, just follow the Weekly Fashion Challenge posts and send me yours. For next week, the challenge would be What’s In Your Bag. I can be reached at ijahamran@yahoo.com. Snap away!

The Cupcake Slayer Pt III: The Replacements

I had a hankering for brownies recently and a good friend of mine shared this recipe for Gluten Free Brownies from Annabel Karmel. See original post here.

My 6th brownie batch cooling on the kitchen counter.

Ever since the brownie bug bit me, I have baked 6 batches of it: 4 of them using the Annabel Karmel recipe that I could not praise enough, the other two was using a simple all-in-one brownie recipe for the Brownie-in-a-Jar mix that I have been packing for friends.

For the first two I bought all my ingredients (except for eggs and brown sugar) from Pusat Bekalan Bakeri (www.bagus.com.my). Both times, the brownies came out marvellously. Though I overbaked the second batch a little bit (and I blame the oven for that), the brownie was very good.

For the rest of the batches I used various ingredients in my effort to diversify, and also because I didn’t have time to go to the bakery supply shop. These are what I found out:

1. Muscovado sugar definitely can be replaced with brown sugar. You  hardly notice the difference. Much to my surprise, Giant carries muscovado sugar. Look for organic molasses sugar, the packet costs about RM12.90 for 1kg.
2. Unsalted butter is much better than salted ones. The only problem is price as unsalted butter may cost as much as RM9.99 a piece. That’s about 3 times regular, salted butter.
3. Almonds are no walnuts. I could not find walnuts one day so I bought slivered almonds instead. I didn’t like that batch at all. Walnuts, I discovered, are expensive. A small 300g packet can cost RM15. Since I like my brownies with nuts, this is a choice that I always make.
4. Buy the best chocolates you can find. The biggest difference in taste is the quality of chocolates that I use. I bought store-brand chocolates for my 5th batch as it didn’t carry any other kind of baking chocolates. I could only manage maybe 2 slices and then binned the rest. Low quality chocolates are too sweet and taste too  much like sugar; you won’t get that chocolate-y, silky flavour from them. A bar of 113g Hershey’s baking chocolate costs RM13; the 300g chocolate chips is RM20. If you have to skimp the rest, make sure you use most of your budget on getting the best chocolates your money can afford you.
5. Flour is the same everywhere. I’ve used Pillsbury, I’ve used Cap Sauh. They are all the same.
6. Baking powder, on the other hand, is not. This is the thing that surprises me the most. This item is cheap, costs no more than RM3-4 at the bakery supply store while generic ones is about RM2 a bottle. The rising quality and taste of the brownies were different from one bottle to another.
7. Don’t leave the brownie batter sitting idly on the counter for 15-20mins because you forgot to heat up the oven. You will undo all the good work done by the baking powder. So, after you have finished measuring the ingredients and before you crack the eggs – turn on the oven!
8. Check the brownie time to time as it bakes. Having a cranky, un-precise electric oven like ours can post various problems. You can overbake, temperature can be too high or too low etc. So check it every 5mins or so. Leaving it baking happily on its own for 25mins can result in a burnt brownie.
9. Don’t panic when the brownies settles down a bit when you leave it to cool. This is perfectly normal. If you want to make it look prettier, make some fudge and slather it all over the brownie, or simply dust some icing sugar on top. And if for some reason the brownie doesn’t turn out as well as you’d like them to be, keep them in the fridge for at least 2 days, then slice it thinly and bake in low heat (150 Celcius or so) til its crispy and you’ll have yourself some delicious chocolate biscuits to dunk in your coffee (tips from Aten).
10. And yes, lining the baking tin with aluminium foil does make it easier for me to peel the brownie off.

Hey look at me, all brownie-baking expertlike now :)

Related articles

• My favourite GLUTEN FREE brownie recipe (carucakes.wordpress.com)
• Chocolate Fudge Brownies (organisedclutter.wordpress.com)
• Brownie Peanut Butter Cups, Gooey and Chewy (chewoutloud.com)
• My Quest to Bake the Perfect Brownies (eatandweep.wordpress.com)
• Secret Tips to Making the Perfect Brownies (berries.com)
• Oreo, Peanut Butter, Brownies, Oh My. (uloop.com)
• Vegan Cocoa Brownies (simplyvegrything.wordpress.com)

The One That Got Away : Notes for Maya

This is the story about the one that got away.

The year was 1994. I saw a boy in a distance, you know, the kind that always attracted my attention. Longish hair, boyish looks, always alone, always standing a little apart from the crowd. Give him a guitar and he could be Kurt Cobain.

I asked the girl beside me, do you know him?

I do, she said, surprised at my question.

His name is Maya.

I sent Maya a note everyday for a week through this girl. The notes merely said Hi or Hello or How are you?. They were never signed. For all intents and purposes, it could have been sent by a ghost.

What are you doing, my friend asked me one day as I was popping by her room to pass her another note for Maya.

Do you want me to introduce you to him?

No, I told her. I just want you to deliver my notes.

She was puzzled but complied. I have such nice, non-judgmental friends.

In the second week my notes got longer.

I like your hair.

I saw you having coffee alone at the cafe in Perdana Siswa.

It rained yesterday. How was your day?

He wants to know you, my friend told me the next time I gave her a note.

He asks me all these questions, she said. And I don’t know how to answer them. I don’t know if you want me to answer them. So I told him I  can’t tell him anything.

I just smiled.

The next day she came back with a note from him.

I’ll wait for you, it said, 4pm tomorrow at that cafe in Perdana Siswa. Just come. I’ll wait by the glass window that never opens. Maya.

I didn’t turn up. I am not that kind of girl. And this is not that kind of story.

I stopped sending him my notes after that.

My friend, she never asked me why, she just accepted it, like it was as natural as breathing.

I wonder if he wonders about those notes?

Like when it rains, or when he has coffee alone by a glass window that never opens somewhere in a city where no one knows his name.

I hope some day this will be a story he will tell his grandchildren. You know, about the one that got away.

(This too is a true story.)

Working Out During Ramadhan

I have written about working out or exercising during Ramadhan before (see here). This blogpost is a rehash of the original one; since then I have discovered HIIT and injured my knee so I can no longer run.

IMPORTANT: The content of this blogpost is my own opinion gleaned from research and personal experience. It is for information purposes only. Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise, diet or nutritional supplement program.

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FIVE MAJOR QUESTIONS ABOUT WORKING OUT OR EXERCISING DURING RAMADHAN (FASTING MONTH)

1. WHAT IS THE BEST EXERCISE DURING RAMADHAN?

• It should be anything light and moderate and one that can be maintained consistently and safely. Walking, riding a bike or using the treadmill at a moderate speed (4-5km/h if you are at novice level) 30mins each time x 3 times a week is sufficient to maintain fitness level. If your goal is to lose weight, you should combine exercise with portion control – meaning, you need to watch your calories. I do not cover calorie counting in this article but you can find good resources on the internet, let google do the walking.
• Invest in a pedometer, a basic one from Daiso costs a mere RM5 (battery included). A half hour walk up and down a shopping mall while window shopping will easily net you 5,000 steps (it is recommended to take 10,000 steps/day). A pedometer helps take the guessing out of the equation.
• If HIIT is your poison (it is mine), the best option is to dial down the intensity, or decrease the duration. HIIT is high intensity and tires you right out, but the good thing about HIIT is that it can be as little as 4min or as long as 40mins each time.
• You can follow the TABATA protocol (Tabata is basically a HIIT protocol condensed neatly into a 4min burst): 4min TABATA = (20secs intense + 10secs rest) x 8 rounds.

Here are some TABATA ideas (Source: The 4-minute Miracle Workout):

• ON THE BIKE: Sprint with high resistance for 20 seconds, then recover with leg speed as slow as possible for 10 seconds. Repeat for a total of four minutes.
• ON THE TREADMILL: Sprint as fast as possible for 20 seconds, then recover by walking or standing still for 20 seconds. Repeat for a total of four minutes.
• WITHOUT EQUIPMENT: “All-out” efforts of jumping jacks, jumping rope, high-knee jogging in place—any activity that gets your heart rate up will work for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of total rest. You can stick to four full minutes of one move OR alternative between a few. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing—as long as you are pushing yourself to your highest possible intensity. Repeat for a total of four minutes.
• OUTDOORS: Run or sprint (on a flat or up a hill) for 20 seconds, then recover by coming to a complete stop. Repeat for a total of four minutes.

Our body goes through recalibration and rehabilitation process as we fast; so exercise every other day – meaning, give yourself a day’s rest each time to help your body recover.

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2. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO EXERCISE?

Technically the best time to exercise is when your body temperature is at its warmest i.e. between 4-6pm. During Ramadhan, this can be a challenge especially if you do not re-hydrate yourself sufficiently the night before. But exercise can be done at any time really, what you need to do is to try a few different ones and then choose the one that works for you best.

The choices are:

(i) BEFORE SAHUR – 4-5am

• Sahur ends when the call to Subuh (dawn) prayer is made; if you are in Malaysia you can check the daily time at e-solat. To avoid confusion: Imsak is the “reminder time”, typically allotted for 10mins before Subuh which serves as a reminder that Subuh is approaching and one should finish eating as soon as possible. If you are still eating during Imsak, but stop as soon as the call to Subuh prayer is made, your fast is still valid.
• If you can wake up at 4.30am and exercise for 30mins, rest for a bit and then have your Sahur after that, then this is your best option. You can go back to sleep after Subuh prayers – though I believe this is not recommended as you’ve just had a meal so the sleep could undo all the hard work you’ve put in the hour before.
• For the last 10 years, I prefer to sleep through Sahur as I have to get up really early to go to work. If I do wake up, it is usually just to get a drink or two.  But as I am on flexi-time this year, I want to try to do my workout before Sahur and see if it is a better option for me than the evening session. I would schedule all my HIITs at this time.

(ii) WITHIN 2-HOURS BEFORE BREAKING FAST - 5pm-7pm

• There are conflicting views on this: some say that you risk dehydration and muscle damage, others say that with the lack of glycogen the body will start to burn stored fat thus you are actually hydrated during the duration of the exercise and you burn fat faster (provided you keep the exercise light and within the aerobics zone i.e. 50 to 65 percent VO2 max).
• My personal rule of thumb is: if I re-hydrate enough the night before (by drinking a min of 2L of fluids), I am not afraid of risking a little exercise between 6.30-7.15pm. My routine would be a light warm-up, followed by 20-25mins brisk walking and ended with yoga stretches. You can minimize thirst by working out indoors and wear light, loose clothing. I walk regularly in the morning and I don’t find myself panting for water afterwards so I believe I should not have any problems doing so before breaking fast either.

(iii) 2-HOURS AFTER THE BREAKING OF FAST – 9.30pm-10.30pm

• If you are a gym junkie/bunny, this is the best time to hit it. Allow yourself 30mins – 2 hours  after you have your meal to avoid cramps or indigestion or any of those unpleasant side effects. The bigger the meal, the longer you should wait.
• I would suggest you break your fast with a light meal like soup, whole-grains (hello cereal and oatmeal), fruits and nuts; and easily-digested protein like eggs, fish, soy-based food, milk (incl. soy milk) and yogurt. This way you only need to wait about half hour before you can commence exercising. Leave the heavy stuff like rice with rendang and murtabak ayam  post-exercise. I know it is easier said than done so I am going to leave it at that.
• If going to the gym is out of the question since your gym closes at 9pm and you do not have any equipment at home, perhaps you can invest in getting a jump rope or an aerobics DVD (or be a cheapie like me and just download videos from youtube). A set of dumbbells or kettle bell is also a good investment; you can check various videos on youtube on how you can achieve gym-level satisfaction at home without any of the standard equipment. Additionally, if you like HIIT, this should be the time my friend.
• Without meaning to be religious or anything, Tarawih prayers are actually a great form of exercise. Praying movements are similar to gentle yoga poses (if you didn’t know that already) and the repetitions, be it 8, 12 or 20 raka’h means you will break into a little sweat.

Anyway, the golden rule is you should choose whatever that works best and can be maintained consistently.

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3. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO BREAK THE FAST?

• Break it gradually; meaning, don’t wolf everything down at one seating. Start with drinks and fruits, followed by soup and easily-digested proteins (see above). Then, take a a 10min break (good time to perform Maghrib prayers and catch a little TV) before you go on to the main meal. This method will allow the body to “wake up” and help to curb any over-eating tendencies.
• There are conflicting views over whether you should or should not drink right after or while you are eating. If we go by the science, there is sufficient research data that suggests drinking during or right after meal does not affect or dilute your digestive enzymes (Source: Mayo Clinic). However, some people may experience better digestion by abstaining from drinking while having their meals.
• Personally I am the kind who drinks as I eat and I drink about 2 glasses each time. It helps with satiety so I don’t overeat; plus I just really really like drinking water.
• If you have doubts and still want to go with no-drinks-with-meals rule, go ahead. I believe in moderation rather than totally abstaining i.e. during the meal, take small sips and if you can, choose plain water over sugared drinks.
• No matter which way you swing, aim to drink 2L of water/fluid every day. Break that down into a glass of water every half hour – so by the time you go to bed at midnight you would have been sufficiently hydrated.

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4. HOW DO I LOSE WEIGHT DURING RAMADHAN?

• The basics of losing weight is the same for all months, for all body types,   for all ages: eat balanced meals, manage portions, manage stress and get enough sleep, and burn more calories that you consume (i.e. exercise). The biggest challenge for Ramadhan is not the fasting part but the binge eating that happens during breaking of the fast. I, too, am guilty of this.
• A safe weight loss target is -500g a week. You can achieve that by cutting out about 500 Calories from your daily diet, combined with exercise. You can use the Calorie Calculator here to see how much you need to eat and how much you need to cut out to reach your ideal weight loss target each week. For  my weight and height, I need to eat 2000 calories a day; and to lose -500g a week I need to cut out 500 Calories from my diet. Here are some articles with tips on how to do it:
  • 50 Ways to Cut 500 Calories a Day
  • Simple Ways to Cut 500 Calories
  • 5 Painless Ways to Cut 500 Calories From Your Diet
• Do note that eating less than 1200 calories a day may be detrimental to your optimum health; and anything with less than 1000 calories a day is dangerous without doctor’s supervision.
• I don’t cover diet and nutritional supplement extensively in this post, so I would like to recommend the following resources for you to check out:
  1. Dailyspark
  2. Women’s Health
  3. Fitday (an online diet and weight loss journal)

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5. HOW MUCH EXERCISE IS ENOUGH?

• It is enough when your body tells you it is enough. Apart from minimizing risk of injury, knowing your limits help you set new fitness goals as you get stronger and more flexible. The recommended time i.e 30mins is merely a recommendation. If at any time you are at a point of exhaustion, stop.
• The rule of the thumb is to pay attention to your body: if your breathing becomes fast and erratic, you are seeing spots or your sight becomes blurry, you are feeling dizzy or lightheaded, you are vomitting or feel like doing so – STOP IMMEDIATELY. Sit down, put your head between your knees; or lie flat on the ground with feet elevated. Then, if it is possible, re-hydrate with sugared or sports drinks. If this happens while you are fasting, then continue resting til you feel strong enough to get up. Do not attempt to resume exercise. I always find a cool shower can quickly wash away any fatigue and exhaustion – after that just chill out on the sofa and wait for the breaking of fast to arrive.

My goal this Ramadhan is to maintain form and fitness level. Admittedly I have been skipping exercise frequently in the past month and I welcome the coming of Ramadhan to start to a new exercise cycle. In the next few days leading up to Ramadhan I intend to test myself to establish a base of my limits so that I know what would be a safe place and intensity to start.

Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak to all!

The Cupcake Slayer Pt II: Brownie-in-a-Jar

I had a hankering for brownies recently and a good friend of mine shared this recipe for Gluten Free Brownies from Annabel Karmel. See original post here.

My brownie frenzy continues. I made the Brownie-in-a-Jar above for a friend by re-purposing an old spaghetti jar. I used a regular tea cup as the measurement device and fashioned a funnel using A4 paper. I forgot to pat down the ingredients before layering them so the layers are uneven. It doesn’t matter since all these dry ingredients will go directly into one bowl anyway.

The whole idea of a brownie premix is to make it as simple as possible for the intended recipient. Hence, I used this recipe by Maisy and Grace instead of the Annabel Karmel one (which is my favourite). I think it makes a cute gift, even for those who don’t bake, as the recipe is easy enough for a child to follow and doesn’t require any special equipment apart from a bowl, a baking pan and an oven.

The Brownie-in-a-Jar Recipe

In a jar, layer the following:

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup walnuts/pecans (optional – replace with chocolate if necessary)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips/chunks/buttons

Baking directions:

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius
• Line an 18x28cm (or similar) baking tin with baking paper
• Empty contents of jar into mixing bowl, mix in 3 lightly beaten eggs and 1 cup (225g) of softened butter.
• Spread into baking tray and bake for 30-35 minutes

UPDATE

Before I went ahead and gifted the jar, I decided to try the recipe myself. The result was alright, but not great – the brownie is too sweet and some of the sugar granules did not melt so you can feel the crunch of the sugar as you eat it. I also find it a little too oily.

So I baked it again using slightly modified ingredients.  I disregarded the original  baking directions completely, that’s why you see it being crossed out above. The resulting brownie with my modifications tasted so much better, with better texture and “squidginess” and less oily too.

This was how the modified recipe and instructions look like (my addition/changes in italics):

The Brownie-in-a-Jar Mix

• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt

These 3 items are sifted together and then layered as 1 item.

• 1 1/2 cups muscovado sugar (interchangeable with light brown sugar)
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped into smaller chunks
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips/chunks/buttons

All dry items are layered carefully in a mason jar (a large Prego spaghetti sauce jar seems to be the right size).

Then, I typed and printed the following which I pasted onto the jar.

What U Need

• 1 Brownie-in-a-Jar mix
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of butter (about 200-225g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 50g white chocolate chunks

How to Make It:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160^oC, line and grease baking pan and dust with icing sugar or a little flour.
2. Dump Brownie-in-a-Jar mix into bowl.
3. Melt butter in microwave or stove (medium heat) til it starts to bubble.
4. Pour super hot melted butter into mix and whisk til thoroughly combined (Important! You’d want the sugar to melt properly). Depending on mixer, this can take between 3-8mins.
5. Beat in vanilla extract then add eggs one by one; keep beating til all is totally mixed in.
6. Pour into baking pan and bake for 30-35 mins. Check every 10mins to make sure you don’t overbake. The edges of the brownies should be set with satiny top crust, but when you press it the middle is still soft.
7. Cool completely before removing brownie from pan. Cut into squares, dust some icing sugar on top and enjoy! Tastes even better when refrigerated overnight.

Below is how the completed jar looked like, decorated using bits of old decorative wrapper that I found in the house.

The wrapper around the body of the jar is unnecessary coz you want people to see the nicely layered Brownie-in-a-Jar mix. But I did a terrible job at removing the old Prego sauce labels I decided to cover up the blotches this way. I also add the same decorative wrapper at the mouth of the jar, secured it with a rubber band and then screw on the original lid tightly.

The baking instructions were too long to be printed and tied to the lid as a card, so I stuck it to the body of the jar as well. I was impatient as you can see the  wrinkles.

Nevertheless, the final jar looks presentable and I was quite happy with the final baked goods.

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Clockwise from Top Right: Aten’s 3-in-1 decadent dessert (triple chocolate brownie with caramel toffee and pavlova meringue), Brownie Bar Maker, a brownie neatly wrapped in foil and  a square muffin tin.

It has been bothering me that I am unable to cut my brownies into sharp, clean squares. My friend Aten gave me a few tips, I list them below together with other tips that I found online:

1. Keep the brownies overnight and then cut it with a really sharp knife.
2. Try a denser brownie recipe (I am still waiting for Aten to give me this).
3. Line the baking pan with foil (instead of baking parchment), lift it from the pan and then slice it with a long, heavy knife in one smooth motion.
4. Use a pizza cutter. Neat.
5. Cut the brownie while it is still slightly warm using a plastic knife.
6. Give away the brownie in the pan it is baked in. Daiso sells 6″ round silicon pans for RM5 each that are the perfect gift size. I suppose loaf pan works too. If you want to keep the pan then you can just wrap the brownie (uncut) with clingfilm or foil, wrap it again with decorative paper or  doily and slap a ribbon on it to make it festive.

I looked up brownie bars online and saw a few nifty ideas that I can consider.

1. I can buy a Brownie Bar Maker, price starts from USD15 online. If you are thinking of getting me a gift, get me this.
2. Use square muffin tins instead, price starts from USD9. It makes the brownie looks like mini cakes but I suppose that’s perfectly fine. I think I can find this from the bakery supply shop near my house.

Lastly, if you are looking for muscovado sugar, I discovered that Giant stores carry it under the name Organic Molasses Sugar (molasses sugar is another name for muscovado sugar) for RM12.90/kg packet. Taken raw it tastes like a lighter version of gula merah (palm sugar), though I doubt if you can interchangeably use palm sugar in recipes that call for muscovado sugar.

I get all my bakery needs from a shop called Pusat Bekalan Bakeri; you can also shop via their online store at www.bagus.com.my.

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Digital edit and filters provided by BeFunky.com

I have a few empty jars lying around the house so I rinsed them in order to use them to pack my Brownie-in-a-Jar mix. While waiting for them to dry, an idea struck me and I tried using one of those disposable containers instead.

The container I used is a bit higher than the usual size sold at the stores so there is still some empty space on top. It originally housed the chocolate buttons – I was measuring the items then decided to just reuse the container rather than take a new one from the pantry. If you use the normal-sized one, the recipe above will fit just nicely. You can buys these at retail hypermarkets, usually sold in a pack of 10′s, 20′s, 50′s and 100′s; some sundry shops sell them too.

If you can’t find any containers around, I guess you can make like Musang Berjanggut and just mix everything in a ziplock bag.

Add some wrapping paper and tie a ribbon around it with the baking instructions, I think this can be a handsome gift for the the Ramadhan season.

Weekly Fashion Sub-Challenge #2: Pearl Earrings

This week, the challenge is Top with Ribbon see the post here.

Sub-challenge Pearl Earrings issued by: PC, accepted by IA & AA.

If you want to join the challenge, just follow the Weekly Fashion Challenge posts and send me yours. For next week, the challenge would be White Top/T-shirt. I can be reached at ijahamran@yahoo.com. Snap away!

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