0 Crunchy buckwheat

In the cold-as-winter confocal room now scanning pics

This morning's breakfast was a nice pleasant surprise - the kind that makes you go 'wow, I'd never did expect that awesomeness!' Introducing crunchy buckwheat groats! It's so simple; just roast raw groats in the oven for 20 min at 300F (150C). The original recipe recommended coating with nut butter & honey mixture immediately after roasting but I decided to store the roasted groats as it is so I can get more variations, using it in both sweet (breakfast) and savoury (lunch) recipes. Normally buckwheat groats release a slime not unlike okra, but toasting it first, either in the skillet or oven helps it retain its texture. I enjoyed the groats with some oats/coconut muesli (possibly Dorset) in a 50:50 ratio, with protein powder, chopped Larabar chocolate cherry torte, rice milk, chopped nectarine and Maranatha's creamy drippy sunbutter (with tahini mixed in). It was a party of tastes and textures in the mouth. Considering having a savoury breakfast tmr - avocado & sunny side (sans yolk) sandwich (on rye bread) Or should I do a 6-minute boiled egg?

0 Full blown

Every step I took today was a chore. At each twist of a sarcomere, each stretch of a muscle, C-fibers were relentless in sending out impulses to the CNS. Nevertheless, protocols and procedures meant that I still had to return to lab. Obviously I wasn't very productive today, with movements seemingly carried out in rewind mode. I was down with full-blown flu sympmtoms, from high fever, to chills, aching bones, dry cough and heavy chest. It's still raging.

Today's breakfast was a new creation: raw oats+chia (Rude's Health The Oatmeal)and raw buckwheat groats soaked separately overnight (oats soaked in skimmed goat's milk and buckwheat in water) in 50-50 ratio. In the morning, I rinsed the buckwheat well to get rid of the slime (lab experience tells me that you'd need a good 5-6 rinses to clean it completely). The oats were still gritty so I microwaved the mix after addition of cinnamon, vanilla extract and protein powder. Then I combined the oats and buckwheat groats, added chopped Ambrosia apple and topped with a medley of nuts, raisins and tahini. I think the 50-50 oat/buckwheat ratio strikes the perfect balance between bitterness and earthiness (buckwheat) and creaminess (oats). Lurrve Ambrosias! Tomorrow I'll probably be having oats again - best cure for viral flu

0 2012>2013

I ushered in the new year... by not ushering it in; I was in deep slumber, knocked out and unconscious. Initially I even contemplated going for watchnight service. But as I crawled into bed at 9 PM (just after dinner and newspaper reading), I knew I was a goner. What an eventful start to the new year, ha.

2012 was a year of turbulence and self-discovery. It started off with re-adapting to the intensity of NUS's curriculum, after spending a relaxing semester at KCL, which may even be considered a semi-holiday. Of course, there was much nostalgia and pining for the days of yore. Politics of Heritage was also one of the most challenging, stressful but rewarding modules I'd taken so far. Of course, the highlight was the trip to Cambodia which really opened my eyes to the less fortunate and atrocities of mankind; my previous travels were largely limited to the first world countries. Starting lab was another turning point. I'd never imagine it could get so intense, or maybe it was the nature of my project. Even before commencing the project, finding the right professor proved a challenge as a faced many rejections.

Spiritually, I think I can say I've grown a teeny weeny bit. At least I try to devote the best part of the day (mornings) to reading the Bible and learning God's word. I hope to continue this practice in 2013, as well as to do more prayer and read deeper into the Word, and not just read for reading's sake. I would love to join a small group in church, but I'm so afraid of commitments, especially when my schedule is so unpredictable. I know this is an unexcusable excuse, for nothing should override God as priority. But still...

It has also been a lot of fun on the gastronomy side. Although I still like dining out, I now much prefer home-cooked food and experimenting with ingredients. This (oops, I mean last) year many new creations were replicated or developed, from breads from scratch to curries and protein powders. The tradition of oatmeal continues unabated, but with more flourishes and toppings. I also overcame my fear of coconut in 2012; now I enjoy coconut butter in appreciable amounts, use coconut meat without second thought in smoothies and drink coconut juice with gusto. The top few dining highlights in 2012 were (in no particular order): Pollen at GBTB, Waterfall Cafe at Shangri La, Wah Lok at Carlton Hotel, Wild Honey at Scotts and the sweet potato curry from Palm Sugar (?) restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Actually I loved all the food in Cambodia. Unfortunately, I lost even more weight, and am at my lowest physical point ever, if that is even possible. :(

In 2013, I hope to gain weight (drink supplements consistently and treat it like it's medicine); grow stronger spiritually and have a deeper relationship with God, and hopefully discover God's purpose for my life; learn to live and let loose; learn to treasure friendship, family ties, and not be so insular.

Today the new year gave an impetus to try out a new breakfast: buckwheat groats porridge. Previously I had only tried buckwheat flakes before which has a very earthy taste and definitely would benefit from some (natural) sugars. As a fail-safe strategy, I did a cream-of-banana-cinnamon-vanilla with buckwheat groats, cooked in water/soy in 1:2 ratio. The groats were much less absorbent than oatmeal, and did not get creamy at all. Although according to instructions, the groats would be cooked within 10 minutes, I doubled the cooking time as I did not want to be biting into stones for breakfast. It was topped with the usual tahini, protein nut mix and a special (last) chocolate-covered raisin. The result? Either the groats were tasteless or the banana-cinnamon-vanilla spice completely overwhelmed the expected earthy taste of buckwheat. I may reduce the cooking time to 10-15 minutes for some chew; this time it was quite soft although the groats still retained their individual shape. Overall it was not a bad experience. I am also looking forward to experimenting it in salads and savoury dishes like pesto buckwheat.

For lunch I also prepared an artichoke - a first experience. Another post will be dedicated to this!

Seeing prof for ISM arrangement tmr morning :( My last ISM. A tinge of regret that I procrastinated last sem and shifted it to this sem.

Bible verse to tide through the year (or at least the month or week)- Joshua 1:6-9

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.

7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

0 Coconut - variations on a theme

What do you do with the remaining coconut flesh once the (utmost refreshing) water has been drunk?. Previously I had mostly used it as a garnish for my oatmeals but its getting boring and given the heaps of coconut flesh, it would take an absurdly long time to complete it, or probably it would have turn to rot even before I finish it. Hence I needed a more large-scale manner of using it.

Here comes homemade coconut milk. Its super easy: just blend coconut flesh (chopped into small pieces) and water in a 1:2 ratio. Strain it using a fine-meshed sieve, or better still, milk it using a milk bag. The best thing about homemade is that you get to adjust the amount of water to your desired thickness. The 1:2 ratio gives a nice mouthfeel and rich coconut flavour without being too jer-lat.

Some of the coconut milk was promptly used in today's breakfast. Fresh is best, no? Frozen banana chunks and blueberries steeped in homemade coconut milk and further thickened with protein powder and chia seeds, then ladled over buckwheat flakes, given a good stir, and the mixture allowed to stand as I busied myself with lunch preps. After about 20 minutes, the result was a pudding-like buckwheat porridge with delightful notes of coconut amidst bursting blueberries. Almonds and sunflower seeds provided some extra crunch. Fantabulous.

So I have another 1+ cups of milk left and amok trei, the Cambodian version of otah, is calling. On the school trip to Cambodia earlier this year, I had wanted so badly to try amok but every time I chickened out at the last minute at the thought of coconut milk. I have since gotten over the fear of coconuts (stemming from saturated fat) - yay! - but unfortunately I won't ever get to try authentic amok less I make a return trip to Cambodia. The alternative is to DIY and that's my Sunday plan for tomorrow! Nevertheless, I still remember the best meal I had in Cambodia - a sweet potato curry at Sugar Palm, Siem Reap. The sweet/spicy gravy was intoxicating! Incidentally there happened to be a widespread blackout that night and dining in the dark (candles provided minimal lighting) made the experience even more memorable. Perhaps to recreate this another time!

As for my weight gain program, I've progressed in a few aspects but failed in others (hangs head in shame). I have successfully maintained by carbohydrate intake and even increased it in a few instances, like doing 95g of rice for dinner last night and 33g of Rude Health "The Oatmeal" oats [the mix of steel cut + scottish is amaze balls!]. Typing this out now, I feel rather silly; what difference does 1g make? But I tell you, every time I look at the figure on the scale, there is this inexplicable urge to reduce. It was a battle each time NOT to reduce and so I think maintaining the amount (which I WILL increase soon) is a baby achievement. The major failure so far is that I DID NOT take my Ensures. I still feel full at 0830 and when the bloatedness tones down by 9+, I fear that when lunch time rolls around, I'd have no appetite. It helps if I'm at home as I can then split the Ensure into morning and afternoon portions, but as I was in school yesterday and today, I couldn't do that and ended up skipping the entire thing.

The question now is that what will my action plan be when I face this situation again? Okay here's what I'll do: I'll bring the half portion of Ensure to school (if I'm going to school) and PROMISE that I'll drink it. No excuses.

I haven't forgotten my recipe for baba ghanoush. I think it tastes even better after a few days in the frige when the flavours meld together. Soon to come!

0 On a yogurt roll

Unexpected surprises evoke the most pleasure. Pulling off the cover of Rachel's ginger greek yogurt revealed a thick, creamy, off-yellow pudding-like yogurt that tastes as sublime as it looked, or even better yet. This yogurt is laced with bits of crystallized ginger which makes for an interesting warm flavour and texture. The ginger wasn't as kick-ass as I would have liked, but the highlight, as I stress again, is the gloriously thick and creamy mouthfeel that the non-fat Fage 0% cannot give. The power of fat, cream and sugar is manifest. I felt so indulgent, digging into the pot. But it sure did make for a good post-lunch dessert, and because it was so rich, I was easily satisfied with two (heaping) tablespoons.

Yogurt was featured in this morn's breakfast too as part of a yogurt mess: Last of Fage 0% + 1/3 crumbled [commercial] muffin + buckwheat flakes + coconut shreds + R2E2 (or KP) mango - the best, non-fibrous, super creamy and smooth mango I'd had ever!! It's a mango from Australia.

For mum's birthday yesterday, I did a handmade card and whipped up some orange zesty french toast using the slightly stale rye sourdough baguette she bought from Bread Society. The french toast wasn't sweet at all (likely attributed to the small amount - 1 tsp - of brown sugar in the egg mix), but with the zesty orange flavour, seared caramelized bananas and yellow nectarine slices, there wasn't and shouldn't be much need for sugar in the first place. My only regret was that I wolfed down my share too fast that I did not have time to analyze the areas for improvements. And also I got serious bloatedness after that and its effects is still manifest till today (slightly).

The family's going out for a Chinese lunch/dinner tomorrow as a continuation of the big 55 celebration. Venue's not confirmed, but I'm game for anything :)

After my final paper next Wednesday, I cannot wait to (i)watch Life of Pi; (ii)watch Rise of the Guardians; (iii)Christmas-related activities; (iv)bake/cook; (v)FYP-related stuff. Yesterday the PI reminded me of the PhD application deadline, indirectly insinuating that I should apply. I guess he's hoping I stay on to continue on the research; I, on the other hand, am not too keen of another four years of studying. At least I should be glad I have an offer to stay on.