0 Pancake batter [1]

This happy meal actually took place yesterday morning - a beautiful start to a beautiful weekend with beautiful food and most importantly, with beautiful company - mum, sam, and granny. Such a rare chance to get three-generations to gather.

I was so enticed by the drop-dead-salivating-inducing pancakes by Ashley over at Edible Perspectives, as well as the literal food porn that accompany GingerGirl's single-serve breakfasts. I could handle it no longer. Off I went to buy a pancake/waffle mix from the ever trustworthy Bob's Red Mill. Specifically, a 10-grain mix with baking powder and buttermilk powder all mixed in. All I needed was to throw in some milk and eggs, and do some flipping action. It sounds easier than it is; I have experienced failed pancakes of all sorts: burnt, stodgy, doughy, floppy etc. But yesterday I was Determined To Master THE PANCAKE.
I can't say I'm fully over with my fear of eggs and oils. Instead of 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons of oil (for 1 cup mix), I did one real egg and one chia egg (1 tbsp chia seeds, 3 tbsp water), and nixed the oil completely. The result couldn't be any better - the batter fluffed and puffed and stretched tall and proud as it heated up in the non-stick pan (I didn't even have to coat it with oil), as if trying to test it limits of how far it could stretch. In the end, 1 cup flour mix yielded 9 souffle-like pancakes, just so I know the serving size estimation in the future
My only regret was I wolfed down the pancakes too quickly, leaving no time to analyse the improvements needed. It was too good, especially with durians, chocolate, JEM nut butter and strawberries are involved. Pillows of Heavenly Goodness.
Now, for the exact recipe

Basic pancake batter [1] (BRM's 10 grain pancake/waffle mix)

• 1 cup flour mix
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 egg
• 1 cup almond milk, unsweetened

1. Make the chia egg by stirring chia seeds into water. Let stand 15 min (can be prepared the night before if you're to inpatient to wait in the morning)
2. Whisk the egg and add in chia egg and almond milk
3. Create a well in the flour and mix in the wet ingredients. Do not overmix (it's okay for the batter to have some lumps).
4. Heat a small non-stick pan over low heat. Spoon batter into pan (about 1/4 scoops) and heat each side for about 1.5-2 min.
5. Cover each cooked pancake with a kitchen towel to keep moist as you cook (an agonizing wait, I know)
6. Finally, pour/sprinkle/scatter on the toppings!

The contrast of cold durian against the steaming fluffy cloud-like pancakes was out-of-the-world. Better than four-seasons anytime.
Three more days, two more exams, but hardly in a mood to study!

1 Cakes of all sorts

Chocolate or durian? Chocolate or durian? Choco-.... I was split between the equally tantalizing choices of a TortaPistocchi from Checkers@Hilton and the famed durian cakes at The Deli@Goodwood Park. I reasoned that since the durian fiesta will be on for a few more months, I should get the former. In the end, logistics decided fate; the chocolate torte was only sold as whole cakes and I didn't want a whole cake although no doubt it would be awesomely chocolaty ooey gooey good. Or probably too good that it will send me right to death by chocolate. So after depositing my cheque I walked to GWP. There I faced another decision: just get a slice of cake or the promotion combo (3 cakes + 2 puffs + 1 tartlet) for $35++. My only fear was that the combo would be an overkill and will not be able to be finished in time while the durian was still fresh at its peak. But I did the math and the savings were indeed quite worthy. Anyway, if I had to choose a single cake that would be another heart-wrenching decision. In short, I went for the combo. Typical Singaporeans like variety.

So before dinner I excitedly cut a slice of the pandan coconut durian cake (mum's choice) so that by after dinner, it would be just thawed and ready for indulgence. And indulgence it really was! Thick and creamy pure D24 durian sandwiched between two delightfully fragrant, pandan-infused pandan sponge cake. Phew! Actually I didn't really care much for the pandan, but I'm sure it's presence did highlight and bring out the durianness of the durian, if that makes any sense. The coconut flakes may appeal to some, but not me. I'm planning on having one of the puffs for breakfast tmr. Woo hoo! To thaw in fridge overnight.

0 1000 words a day

What a major load off the back! Poster session is finally over and done with. While one examiner asked plenty of questions, the other was barely listening and did not appear very much interested. Anyway, I'm so glad and happy it's over. Now I just have to write ~1000 words a day to the final thesis submission on 11 Apr. Okay, ideally I should write for one week and revise for another week so that makes it 2000 words a day.

Power breakfast to start the day: 33g oat bran (necessary for the time-being instead of steel cutters due to time constraints in the morning), 25g frozen nana, 11 blueberries, 1 strawberry, innards of one durian cream puff, chia seeds, sesame/flax/pumpkinseed powder, homemade almond/sesame/peanut butter, 2 raisins and topped with more sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Needless to say, the treasure in this bowl was the dollop of D24 durian cream strategically hidden in the centre of the bowl.

Let's get the ball rolling towards the goal of 2000 words a day! >>>

0 Night fest 2012

I found this year's Night Festival slightly underwhelming. On the good side, I think there was a wider selection of more accessible (i.e. not so 'artsy') programmes such in the music genre (beat-boxing, rapping, samba, acapella). I remember lots of folksy tunes from last year's night fest, mainly by foreign artistes, which may not be highly appealing to the common man.

On the other hand, the experience of the highlight performances by Argentinian group Fuerzabruta fell short of my expectations. La Argentina was merely a dancer swinging in the air supported by a crane, looking/acting to be superbly happy while dishing out confetti and glitter as she cruised along Armenian St. The floating pool performance was marred by horrid lighting and poor sound systems. I caught only the last bit of the silver curtain one and that may be slightly better. But overall, spending a night out was still better than staying home.

I had a nice [tropical] start to Sunday with durian-coconut protein peppy kernels (mix of oats, wheat, barley, rye, millet, sesame). Featuring mao shan wang durian (flesh of 2 seeds), Artisana cacao bliss, Bob's peppy kernels and Vega Complete Health Optimizer, topped with coconut flakes. The texture was lovely - creamy from the durian and protein powder, yet slightly crunchy from the mixed grains. But it barely tide me over. I felt hungry again 1.5 hours later, a (happy) problem of late. Despite excessive consumption of durians (11 seeds so far) and what-not over the past few days, my stomach is becoming a bottomless pit. But I don't know where all those calories go; clearly not onto my body.

I read that puffed grains is quite toxic due to the protein extrusion caused by the high heat and pressure of puffing. And I just bought a box of Kashi's 7-whole grain puffs.

0 Priorities refresher

What do you live for? What makes you tick? What rocks your boat?

Life is short; we all have some passion that gives our lives purpose, so as to make the best out of our temporary existence on earth. Sometimes we are guilty of chasing after material goods, wealth, experiences, certificates, medals, epicurean delights and other worldly pleasures. Personally I need to remind myself to eat to live and not vice versa. As the Bible reminds us,

Serving two masters
No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Matthew 6:24

Putting God first
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:31

The antidote to greed and coveteousness, as the Pastor delivered in his message today, is to live a simple lifestyle. Eat simply, dress modestly (as in having a timeless wardrobe and not chasing after the latest fashion trends), and donate the extra time and money for good causes.

A somewhat simple breakfast for a simple lifestyle this morning: D24 cashew coconut steelies, which was in every way a tropical paradise. In case you're interested, it's steel cut oatmeal simmered for 25 min in water/soymilk (3.5:1 ratio), then D24 durian puree and Sunwarrior protein powder stirred in two minutes before serving. Finally, cashew coconut butter was drizzled on top, the heat causing it to melt instantly into milky nutty puddles.

I shall take this chance to review Sunwarrior protein powder which I had purchased online from iHerb. It has a mild, slightly malty taste which I really like. In fact it's the best tasting protein powder I ever had! Many plus points for taste. However, it doesn't dissolve as easily as soy/whey/egg protein powder. It will eventually after much vigorous stirring, and yield a rich creamy texture. No griity bits like soy protein! If you're seeking fluffiness in your protein powders, stick to egg white; Sunwarrior brown rice protein merely thickens but does not give much volume. I've been enjoying Sunwarrior daily in my oatmeals. Overall this is really one of the best protein powders and it's name lives up to the many raving reviews.

2 French fries in disguise

When the weekend rolls around, it's time to get the hands dirty! After the previous sweet cinnamon walnut bread, it's time to take on the savory path. And thus the Whole Spelt Potato Garlic Bread adapted from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.

I halved the recipe to make one loaf, used whole spelt flour instead of whole wheat and skipped the rosemary called for in the original recipe. I'm not sure where the magic lies, but this bread yielded the best texture by far. A crusty shell enclosed a tender springy interior. I would liken the texture of the bread to a trampoline; it's seriously that bouncy! Unfortunately I didn't take pictures of the crumb because I was too eager beaver to dig in. Probably another time then.

Tastewise, there was a slight hint of potato and a strange but pleasant aftertaste of french fries. I suppose potato + oil + heat will make anything taste like fries. The half head of roasted garlic in there wasn't strong enough for the garlic aficionado in me; I would use the whole head the next time.

Whole Spelt Potato Garlic Bread (adapted from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads)
Makes one small loaf

DAY 1
Ingredients
Potato

• Small potato (~100 g), cut into chunks, skins on
• 240ml water

Soaker

• 113g whole spelt flour
• 2 g salt
• 85 ml potato water (water from boiling the potato)

Biga

• 113g whole spelt flour
• 1g dry active yeast, rehydrated
• 100 ml potato water

Directions

1. Boil potato chunks in water for 10 min or until soft. Strain potato pieces and set aside potato water to cool until room temperature.
2. Mashed cooked potato until consistency of preference (coarse or smooth). Refrigerate until Day 2.
3. Mix soaker ingredients in a bowl for 1 min until it forms a ball of dough. Cover loosely with wrap and leave at room temperature for 12-24 h.
4. Mix biga ingredients in a bowl for 2 min until it forms a ball of dough. Rest for 5 mins, then knead again for 1 min. Cover with wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 h.

DAY 2
Ingredients

• Soaker
• Biga
• Mashed potato
• 1/2 head roasted garlic (or more if desired)
• 28g whole spelt flour
• 4g salt
• 4g (or 1/2 packet) dry active yeast, rehydrated
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp black pepper (optional)
• Extra flour if needed

Directions

1. Chop biga and soaker up into smaller pieces.
2. Mix in remaining ingredients. Knead for 3-4 min. Rest 5 min and knead for another 1 min. Cover with wrap and let rise at room temperature for 45-60 min until 1 1/2 times original size.
3. Punch down dough. Form into rolls, freestanding boules or put in lightly oiled loaf pan. Let rise another 45-60 min until 1 1/2 times original size.
4. Preheat oven to 220C. Place pan in oven. Lower to 180C. Bake 20 min, rotate 180 degrees and bake another 20 min.
5. Allow to cool completely before serving (the hardest part!).

In the afternoon I had a sojourn to Geylang for my durian fix. Of the myriad durian stalls along Sims Ave, I am biased towards the one at Lor 19 for their good service and reasonable prices. This time I decided not to be so atas and settled for D24 durians, priced at 3 for $10, hoping for the best. It was my lucky day: the durian seller had already opened half a durian and upon hacking open the last quarter of the fruit and seeing that it was not fresh or something, he was so kind as to give a fourth durian for free!

While mao shan wang still reigns, these D24 durians remain a class of their own. The flesh was potent in smell and taste, with an airy, almost souffle-like texture. Smooth and creamy, but not as dense or buttery as mao shan wang, D24 will suffice if you're looking to save a bit of money but not willing to sacrifice your durian indulgence. Surprisingly, I found out today that grandma likes durians too! She polished off a fair number of seeds. So cute!

5 Gifts and thanks

Thank you for the wonderful time at Venus Transit, the opportunity to meet new people, make new friends and learn new information about the wondrous world. Above all, praise to the glorious magical universe of His divine design, His creation.

We helped to set up those ground sheets. No joke considering the humid weather of late. On a side note, isn't UTown so pretty?

Thank you for the watching over the safe delivery of the iHerb order.

I was beginning to wonder if my order of SunWarrior protein powder and Nuttzo seven nut butter, made without tracking (save $), was ever going to make it to my address. Given that this is my first online purchase, I was all the more worried. But it finally did arrive, two-three weeks later, and with freebies inside to boot! So freakin' excited to try out the stuff in tomorrow's breakfast. Even Batman's excited too! Stay tuned for the review.

Thank you for blessing the world with wondrous fruits and foods.

If Eve was tempted by the apple, durian would be my forbidden fruit. Baked Mao Shan durian steel cutters with Cashew Coconut Dream was a tropical paradise and provided good fuel for lab work later. It's NOT a weird combination; tastes just like a warm version of durian chendol :D

For my first lab session, I learnt how to distinguish between male and female flies, and virgin from old flies. Post-lunch I did CNS dissection of third instar larvae. I must have gruesomely killed about 50 would-be flies today alone, in the name of Science. Every time I close my eyes now I see abdomen stripes, guts and bug eyes staring back at me, demanding for their souls back.

2 A weekend to remember

Tourist in my Country

Gallivanting around the city, discovering the new and old side of Singapore. This weekend brought me to places from Marina to Tanjong Pajar, Duxton Hill and Ann Siang, Botanical Gardens and even Geylang [see below]. While each area boasted their own charm, I cannot help but feel that there is too much consumerism and 'urban spectacle' at the Marina area. An aura of development also hangs palpably in the Duxton area; construction was going on in every other shophouse, perhaps to make way for yet another indie cafe, quirky book store or off-the-track fashion store. Give another one or two years, I will not be surprised if Duxton morphs into the next Clarke Quay. In contrast, the vibe in Geylang, with pot-bellied Singaporean uncles, Bangla and China workers and families out in full-force over the weekend, feels so much more authentic, so much less pretentious.

Soul Food

While at Marina on Friday, I had lunch at Alli*Oli, a tiny nondescript cafe in Marina Link mall, seating no more than ten. It was the dreadful lunch hour, which meant the white-collar yuppies and expats were out in full force. This cafe was the only decent one that had space for dine-in. Although they had sandwiches and hot pasta, I opted for the salads which went at 3 for $8. Unfortunately, it was a case of over-ordering and over-eating. The black pepper linguine, tuna carrot & asparagus salad, and vinegary mushrooms were superbly tasty, but I still can't believe I finished that whole mound of food. Not to mention, the pasta was dripping in [olive] oil and the tuna was probably canned in brine for it was a tad salty. I felt quite disgusted after, and my bloated stomach (which remained bloated for another 10 hours or so) was a cruel mockery of my overeating episode. I must say it did provide fuel for my walk from Marina to Chinatown [or maybe it was the cause of it?]

The Big Bird wholemeal wrap from Salad Stop! is an in-house combination consisting of mixed greens, roast turkey, avocado, green apple, grapes, celery and ranch japanese wafu dressing. I had this for lunch today with the parents 'cause I was sick of Novena FC. I was slightly disappointed that the turkey was in the form of turkey ham rather than meat, and as such, quite on the salty side. That aside, I was pleasantly surprised how well fruits go in a salad, albeit "wrap" style, for I usually prefer salads to be of greens only. The tart sweet green apple and grapes helped toned down the saltiness of the turkey, while the avocado provided creaminess and healthy fats. Overall it was rather refreshing. I wonder why salads are so expensive though. Surely some green veggies shouldn't amount to more than $10? But a dear $10.80 this yummy wrap was.

At Cold Storage, I bought a tub of So Delicious Chocolate Almond ice-cream. The company specializes in dairy-free ice cream, and this one is soy-milk based and fruit-sweetened. (They also have coconut milk-based and almond milk-based ice creams but these were not available at CS.) I don't know whether to rejoice or be guilty. I mean it's the first time buying ice cream in years (although not 'real' ice cream). Anyway I opened the tub and peeked inside and it looked and smelled deep and rich with chocolate. Wonder what I should pair it with. Perhaps I should make spelt pancakes or even spelt ice cream bread.

And the highlight of the weekend no doubt goes to..... unctuous, creamy, bitter, sweet, potent, deep yellow mao shan wang durian. I specifically trooped down to Geylang after church to buy durians! At $20 for 2 boxes, this was reasonable. This was from the stall at Lorong 19, and as I walked from Aljunied side, I didn't know there were still so many stalls further down towards Kallang. Luckily the durians at those stalls didn't look that good, and although some were slightly cheaper, they were of other varieties (D24 etc). If not, the pain of regret! As mentioned in the first paragraphs, the atmosphere was fantastic. Families gathering by the road side to have durians on the spot, cars queueing for the $1 kampong durians... so very Singaporean. The two boxes of durians were so potent I could smell it even as I was in the MRT. Luckily no one else seemed to be able to smell it. Or do I have an extra sensitive nose for durians?

Quiet mornings and more chocolate bakes
this time with Royal Gala apples, Ezekiel cereal and spelt flour streussel

Play time with the Cat

At this point he was not fully awakened yet, but in less than a minute later he was all ready to bite!

2 Pre-Exam fuel

Year 3 Sem 2 Final Exams, here I come!

Status: rushing to complete a 3000 word essay due on Wed (which has currently morphed into 5000+ words and counting), and unrevised work for my other modules are mounting, but not feeling a tinge of stress. Now, I'm stressing over why I don't feel stress.

Gluttony got the better of me and after my 17th seed of durian over the span of just three days, I'm starting to feel the effects of heatiness, bloatedness and maybe, sore throat. That makes 6 durian seeds a day! If I'm ever going to gain weight, I think it would have to be through durians. However, I just weighed myself and the scale has not budged. This reinforces my growing suspicion of a metabolic enzyme dysfunction in my system.

Anyway, to relieve my symptoms of durian overdose, I had in mind a simple dinner: a salad made out of leftover carrots, patty pan squash (its name is just too cute!), and red peppers. But the plan derailed - for the better. Initially wanted to just roast the peppers. Then I thought roasting the carrots would be a good idea too (think sweet caramelized carrots!) Seeing some fresh (wilted) thyme in the fridge, I used it with olive oil to coat the veggies. At the last minute I threw in a cute patty pan squash. And then, to feed my latest obsession, roasted garlic, I drizzled olive oil into a head of garlic and that went into the oven too. Meanwhile, I had some leftover yellow onions from last week's bolognese and attempted to caramelize onions. I also spied a box of scallops in the freezer. And so, 45 minutes later, my "simple salad" had evolved into a plate of yumminess:

Roasted Medit Veggies with Intense Garlic Toast

Ingredients

2/3 carrot, chopped

1/2 red pepper

1 patty pan

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

1 head garlic

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped

1 tsp raspberry balsamic vinegar

2 frozen scallops

1 tsp sunflower seeds

Olive oil as needed

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 200 C.
2. Coat carrots with olive oil and thyme.
3. Cut away the top part of garlic and drizzle some olive oil. Wrap the garlic head with foil.
4. Place carrots, pepper, patty pan and wrapped garlic into baking tray and roast for 30-40 min.
5. Meanwhile, caramelize onions. Heat pan, drizzle some olive oil and pour in onions. Intermittently, add a teaspoon or so of water to prevent burning. Watch closely!
6. Once onions are done (~30 min), pan-fry scallops, then sunflower seeds.
7. Toast a hunk of bread (Cedele wholemeal ciabatta)
8. Squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves (as many as you want) and mash.
9. Spread generously on toast.
10. Assemble the veggies and toast and enjoy!

With the roasted root vegetables, it was a very Mediterranean meal and harked back to lovely days in Turkey. It was also my first time roasting patty pan (instead of steaming) and I say roasting does amazing things to intensity the fragile flavors of the mini-saucer-like squash! And finally, roasted garlic has got to be the most amazing thing I discovered this year. The easiest and simplest "recipe" (does it even warrant to be called a recipe?) but delivers potent and robust flavors. It's pure garlic without the butter. I showed that to mum, and she warned me not to eat too much because of blood pressure lowering properties. Haha.

Thursday will be arriving!

(Should I take MRT or bus to school tmr? In light of recent events, I think I'd better play safe and take bus.)

3 Nature & nuture

What makes Sunday so special? It's always associated with a laid-back hippie vibe, coffee-on-the-patio and hearty brunches. Today encapsulated exactly the prototypical Sunday - good food, good mood and good company.

First off: breakfast in a mug! Or, more using the more popular term, smoothie-in-a-bowl (SIAB).

And it's not just any smoothie; it's a top-grade Mao Shan Wang oat/amaranth protein smoothie, with some strwabs and banana thrown in for goodm measure. Power-packed with nutrients!

Recipe

Flesh of 1 durian seed, best use mao shan wang

1/4 frozen banana, sliced

1 gigantic U.S. strawberry

1/4 cup Silk (vanilla) soymilk

1 ice cube

1/4 cup basic amaranth muesli, soaked overnight with 1/4 cup Silk (vanilla) soymilk and 1 scoop O+ protein powder

Toppings: 1 spoonful almond butter!

Directions
Mix & get those blender blades chuggin' and top with almond butter.

Outcome
Thick, creamy & hearty shake that could pass off as a pudding, strongly flavored with the potency of durian, with undertones of strawberry essence. The banana was barely detectable, although it probably served to give that creamy consistency.

It was back to church after a three week hiatus and today's topic was on repentance, befitting for the period of Lent. Using Mark 1:15 as the grounding scripture - "The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" - the pastor guided us on the hows of repentance: change of mind, change of heart, and change of life. It almost sounds like making new year's resolutions. After all, both boil down to the same thing - pausing to reflect, recognize mistakes, and take corrective changes. Things that are being increasingly rare in the fast-paced world.

Anyhow, since Daddy has gone back to Malaysia, Mum & I took the opportunity to explore far-flung nook-and-crannies of Singapore. We went to Marmalade Pantry at the Stables (Fairways Drive).

Despite - or maybe because of - being tucked amidst the lush greenery of Bukit Timah, Marmalade Pantry was as crowded (with tai-tais/expats) as it could get. Service fell a little short and I suspected they served our food to the wrong table, causing us to wait impatiently. Eventually, my Crabmeat Linguine ($24) and mum's Seared Scallops Linguine arrived.

Calling it crabmeat sauce would really be a misnomer; it was more like a crab ragout, thick and chunky from the generous portion of shredded crab meat and coated with a spicy tomato sauce. The linguine could do with a minute more of cooking; it was slightly too al dente. It was tasty, no doubt, and the pine nuts gave a nice touch to the flavours, which would otherwise border on being too one-dimensional. I suffered from the bitter pine nut aftertaste though.

After lunch, we wanted to explore the stables but it was restricted to club members only. However, we were lucky and got to spot one which was out exercising. It had an interesting spotty color and you can actually see its number branded on it's coat.

Having had a heavy lunch, dinner was a light affair, but no less delicious. A salad of massaged kale with grilled chicken!

The baby kale leaves were purchased from Cold Storage at a rather offensive price. But since kale is so difficult to find in Sg, I decided to buy it. Anyway, I'm not playing with words when I say massaged kale. Kale is tougher vegetable than the normal spinach or rocket, and so by massaging it with acid (lemon/lime juice and/or cider vinegar) and oil, it breaks down the leaves a little and also imparts flavor.

Basic massaged kale salad and possible mix-ins (for one)

Handful of baby kale leaves, chopped
Dressing

1 tsp lime juice (or lemon)

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp raspberry balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp walnut oil

1/8 avocado, chopped
Mix-ins

Cherry tomatoes, chopped

More chopped avocado

Grilled chicken & capsicum satays

Sunflower seeds, roasted

Directions
Using cleaned hands, mix the leaves with the dressing ingredients for about 1-2 minutes until the leaves turn a brighter green and well-coated with a sheen of avocado and oil. Add the mix-ins and let stand for a little.

Outcome
The action of massaging the kale was quite therapeutic and during the process, you can actually feel the leaves becoming softer. The avocado, which will get slightly mashed from the massaging, will coat the leaves nicely. I liked how the raspberry vinaigrette balanced the zing of lime and vinegar with a touch of sweetness. And of course, the nuttiness of the toasted sunflower seeds and walnut oil! The chicken & capsicum satay was bought by Mum from Jasons supermarket and was pre-marinated. All I had to do was to grill it. I added that in for some protein. It produced a simple yet tasty salad!

Dinner is served, with a frozen & toasted ciabatta slice (Cedele) topped with smooshed avocado.

If only every day could be a Sunday... - but that would make Sundays lose it special meaning, wouldn't it?

5 Unwinding with durians

Finally, the end of a super long tiring week.

I didn't even know I had a doctor's appointment today, until I got home and Mum went, "You've got to go in 5 minutes." What a shocker. The appointment went almost as usual. Gained about 1 kg since pre-Cambodia, but that may have been due to water weight (I was kind of needing to go to the toilet when I took my weight). Doc said I needed to up my fats, either directly or through increasing carb (which will then convert into fats). But the latter is not a highly feasible option given that most carbs would be converted into proteins (more essential for the body) before fats. Anyhow, I got a new prescription - vit B compelx.

At Bugis Village, mum bought a $30 packet of mao shan wang. Was the price justified? You bet! I daresay was the most creamy, lightest and yet potent mao shan wang I had ever, almost like a souffle!

Hmmm... ideas coming to mind with durian recipes!

0 What it takes

I'm currently reading up on hypermetabolism - a physiological state of increased rate of metabolic activity. Research has shown that although patients with AN are hypometabolic during the starved state (conservation of energy, glucose-sparing), they become hypermetabolic during refeeding. It appears to be counter-productive to the body and why this is so remains unclear. Nonetheless, this increase in metabolic rate can slow the rate of weight gain by significantly increasing caloric requirements beyond what can be predicted by the increase in body weight. As summarized neatly in a study by Garber (2011):

Obarzanek et al demonstrated an increase in REE (resting energy expenditure) of 21% over baseline when calorie intake advanced from 1,105 to 2,105 calories, and a further increase of 63% over baseline at an intake of 3,216 calories [10]. Van Wymelbeke et al (2004) showed 13% increase in REE when calories increased from 823 to 2,057 in 1 week, with a total increase of 43% over baseline after 10 weeks of feeding, when subjects reached 2,615 calories [9]. These increases are partly due to increases in the energy required to process, digest, and absorb nutrients, or the thermic effect of feeding (TEF) [7], [12], [13]. However, increased TEF does not completely explain the dramatically elevated metabolic needs during refeeding in AN patients. More recent studies have shown that psychological factors, including anxiety, depression, and fear of weight gain, may contribute to the hypermetabolic state [9], [12], [16]. Rigaud et al administered blind loads (such that patients were unaware of the calories ingested) to AN patients through tube feeding and demonstrated a calorie-dependent increase in REE [12]. This study demonstrated unadjusted correlations between TEF and increased calories, plasma cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and catecholamines, decreased beta-endorphin, fear of becoming fat, and feelings of satiety and anxiety. These findings underscore the complexity associated with energy expenditure in AN.

The conclusion of another study speaks much for the sentiments expressed by many recovering AN:

According to our results, a body-weight gain of 150 g/d requires the intake of not only the assumed 6500 kJ but also a further 4500 kJ (ie,11 000 kJ, or 2630 kcal/d), or 300 kJ (ie, 75 kcal)/kg body weight/d. One can understand why it is so difficult in such conditions to obtain a weight gain of >1 kg/wk. And thus, it is often unfair to accuse most of these AN patients of discarding their food when they do not gain body weight.

When I read that, I was like MY SENTIMENTS EXACTLY! So many people just think that we don't eat or refuse to eat when we actually make tremendous effort to put on weight. They don't realize the body is so much more complex than input>output. That said, now that I am more educated on the prospect of my body of being in a hypermetabolic state, I too must be more conscious of how much more effort I must put in and eat eat eat. On forums, recovering ANs talk about having a minimum of 3000-4000 kcal/day just to kick start the weight gain process. Based on my current diet plan, I don't think I hit anywhere near that. Time to change that.

References
Garber AK et al (2011) A prospective examination of weight gain in hospitalized adolescents with anorexia nervosa on a recommended refeeding protocol. J Adol Health 24-29.
Wymelbeke VV et al (2004) Factors associated with the increase in resting energy expenditure during refeeding in malnourished anorexia nervosa patients. Am J Clin Nutr 1469-1477.

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Yesterday I attempted again to make my own nut butter. My first attempt was quite long ago, with almond butter. It turned out disastrous, more like chopped nuts than a butter. I used a blender then. This time round with cashew butter, I used a chopper which yielded better results, though still on the crumbly side and far from the gold creamy standards of Artisana. I did add oil - walnut oil - while processing; maybe I added too little? It was 2 teaspoons I think. I had some for breakfast (protein oatmeal/Magoo's granola) and it tasted not bad, though I would skip the soaking step cause I think it washed away some of the flavour. Being packed in a generic plastic vacuum bag without any indication of it being raw or roasted, I thought the precautionary soaking step would be better. Finally finished the last of the durians (3 entire durians in 4 days). Scrummy till the last seed :)

Today before Heritage I went to Mac Commons. Quiet and spacious, with luxurious iMacs, huge tables and comfy chairs, this is an ideal studying place... except the cold from the blasting air-con, as usual.

0 Do u durian?

How can anyone not like durians with such gastronomic creations?

Today: durian smoothie + toasted sprouted carrot raisin bread with a hunk of AB.

Work progress update:
To-do tasks
Neuro - understand what I observed in lab esp. patch-clamping, ISM
Immuno - notes, lymphatic system
Microbio - :D
CS & IT - tutorial (Sun or I'll spend too much time on it)
Heritage - paper 1, readings.

0 Greater good

Many interesting things happened today. First off, I daresay I discovered the Mother of all Breakfasts: Baked Durian Bread. It was mind-blowing - sprouted carrot raisin bread and durian puree mixed in a bath of egg white protein powder and almond milk, baked for 15 minutes and viola! The durian puree turns into a pool of warm custardy meltiness, oozing at the slightest pressure. A touch of roasted & slightly salted almond butter (Earth Balance) now and then was just the icing of the cake. Gonna remake this tomorrow!

Secondly, I FINALLY completed my origami. At first I was pleasantly surprised by the lily, then I thought, hey why not try something more complex. I attempted the unicorn, dolphin, gorilla in vain before settling and obtaining success with the zebra (I coloured it too!). So proud and satisfied with my work. At the very least, what I got out of this exercise was much fun and the basic folds such as inward reverse fold, outward reverse fold, pleat, crimp, squash, mountain, valley, and the classic bird base.

Finally, I experienced the adage "save the best for the last" during neuro lab pract. It was basically an observation session; the first few stations were purely physiological studies (patch-clamp), which left many question marks in my eyes especially when physics (volatge, current) is involved. The last station dealt with rats - my first time seeing real lab rats being experimented on. Electrodes were inserted into specific areas of the brain (hippocampus), canula sticking out, inflamed paws (model RA/neuropathic pain). They were larger than I expected, just slightly smaller than a guinea pig. All were white with red eyes, and they looked really stressed. I guess it's just their luck to land up in a pain lab. Oh boy... for the greater good.

To-do tasks
Neuro - understand what I observed in lab esp. patch-clamping, ISM
Immuno - notes, lymphatic system
Microbio - :D
CS & IT - tutorial (Sun or I'll spend too much time on it)
Heritage - paper 1, readings.