Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A peek into our future...

Someday that would be him and I would be that cute old lady reading the newspaper! ;) The idea of growing old together makes me feel all warm & fuzzy inside! =)
*The double happiness sign couldn't have been more strategically placed! hehe.

Photobucket

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Mia Monday: Things you have done for your pets


(My first meme in a long time! Do join in! =))

I've had many pets in the course of my life and each had taken a special place in my heart. I could go on and on about each and every one of them but I guess that would put you all in slumberland. Instead, I shall focus on the two bunnies that I have with me right now. :) So let's begin with Chewy...

We first adopted her from an animal shelter in Michigan 6 years ago. (Left: This was the mugshot of her on their website. :)) We initially named her Corey but subsequently renamed her Chewy when we realized how destructive she could get with her chewing (we lost our rental deposit because she destroyed the carpet and chewed up the edges of the wall!) But it was really hard to be mad at her when she looked that innocent and adorable.
When we had to return to Singapore, there was no doubt that she was coming back with us. However, we were worried at the same time because it is well known that rabbits do not travel well on flights and mortality remains high. So in preparation for the flight, we would take her on long car rides and I used to vacuum around her to get her accustomed to loud noises. In the end, she made the 24 hr trip back safely! (but not without some boo boo with the paper work initially!)
Now five years later, she is back in her homeland (USA) again! That probably makes her the most well travelled bunny around! And this time she has her younger boyfriend in tow. (She's a cougar rabbit, alright! heh.)
All was good till she fell really sick for the first time in her life just two weeks ago.  She was diagnosed with E cunniculi infection. She developed a terrible head tilt with vestibular symptoms which caused her to fall all the time. It was really heartbreaking seeing her suffer like this.  I religiously syringe fed her the meds & water everyday and spent sleepless nights with her in her playpen so that she did not end up hurting herself. It was a very trying 2 weeks but what relief it is to finally see her getting better again! She is one hardy lady and we love, love her to bits! =)

Now on to her boyfriend, Alfonso!

This little boy was adopted from a friend of mine who decided to breed her bunnies for fun and then ended up not knowing what to do with them (not very responsible behavior I must say!). I singled him out from his siblings because firstly, he is black which is really odd (both his parents are white & brown) and secondly, he has splay legs. Hubs couldn't understand why I didn't choose a more "normal" rabbit but I figured somebody has to love this oddball and why not us? So that's how he became family. :)
It wasn't love at first sight for Chewy and him. I had to play cupid and create opportunities for them to bond while I kept an eagle eye on them. It finally paid off and as you can see, they are totally in love with one another!
As for the missing ear, the poor kid had to undergo two surgeries after we found a nasty lump on his ear just last year.  It was malignant melanoma and we had to make sure it didn't continue to spread. We were pleasantly surprised at how well he came out of both the surgeries and even seemed oblivious to the fact that he was missing a ear.  And we were so proud of him for making the trip here with Chewy by his side. Our brave little boy!
So here we are now -one big family and what joy they bring! Life would never be the same without them! =)

Monday, June 28, 2010

A flour-y mess.

That was the state of my kitchen today. First with the garlic pancakes I made for lunch, followed by my first attempt at making apple/blueberry crumble. Have not been very successful with my baking so far but this one turned out pretty well. :)

Recipe from Big Eats (Refer to website for step by step pictorial guide)

Ingredients:
Crumble Topping
250g unsalted butter, cut into 1x1 cm cubes, cold
500g plain all purpose flour, sifted
100g castor sugar
2 tablespoons demerara sugar (solely for crunch. this is optional) I skipped this.
Filling
1 packet blueberries, washed
5 Granny Smith apples (may be substituted with Washington or Macintosh apples) I used Golden Delicious apples and they worked fine.
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
200g castor sugar
100g unsalted butter, softened

1. Preheat oven to 180c and grease a square baking dish. 
2. Peel and core apples. Cut into medium sized cubes and set aside. In a small saucepan, add apples, sugar, spices and just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until apples are softened. Once cooked, discard all liquid and spices. Allow apples to cool. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the cold butter and the flour. Using a “cutting” action, cut the butter incorporating it into the flour with a blunt metal knife. Keep cutting the butter allowing it to pick up the flour gradually. Stop once it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in castor sugar.
4. Add cooled apples and blueberries into the greased baking dish. Dot with the softened unsalted butter. Spoon over crumble mixture and sprinkle the demerara sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until crumble is browned all over. Serve warm with pouring cream or ice cream.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Liberated!

Today was the first time in two weeks that hubs and I could finally go out together. I was like an excited child in the morning all set to head to the...library! Ha! But seriously, it was so nice to be out there and simply soak up the sun. The weather was perfect for something icy cold so we headed to Mitchell's for some creamy homemade ice cream after. Mmm....


We then made a stop at the mall for I've been wanting to get a pair of flats and some ramekins. Managed to tick off my shopping list while hubs sat at the bench and entertained himself with the books he borrowed. (If not, he would be hurrying me within minutes! ;P ) Rather fruitful day I must say! =)
Anyhoo, I'm glad life is slowly returning to normality again. It is time to plan my next step. First thing on the list would be to register for my physio board exams. That will at least give me the option of working here if I wanted to. The credentialing itself will take months so I really need to kick myself to get started already.  Not looking forward to hitting the books again though...*bleah!*

Saturday, June 26, 2010

It is truly a wondrous feeling...

... to watch the bunnies bond and play together again.
... to finally have the time to read a book while enjoying a nice hot cup of tea.
... to catch that afternoon nap I haven't done so in a long while.
... to be inspired by my neighbor's piano playing and finally wiping off the dust on my flute case to play a happy tune. (albeit amateur way ;))

It has been a good day and I hope it has been for you too!
Have a lovely weekend, everyone! =)

Friday, June 25, 2010

I woke up to this...


And yes, he is still at it...*Grrr!*

Today's bits and bobs

* Had my weekly blood test done this morning. My HCG level has plummeted to 38.9 but my gynae wants me to keep getting poked until it goes down to nada. Hopefully next week will be my last.

* To our greatest relief, Chewy is starting to show signs of improvement! *yippeee!* With her head still tilted, she's able to move around the playpen without falling over much today. I am so proud of her! Am now trying to train her to drink from the water dripper so she can be independent again. Looking forward to having my good ol' Chewy back! =)

* Put my newly acquired electric pressure cooker to the test today. The recipe was lemon herb chicken. I first used the browning function before setting it on high pressure for 20 minutes. The verdict: The instructions for the cooker was relatively easy to follow. The meat was really tender and slid easily off the bones. I was, however, shocked to see that my dish had turned into some sort of stew! Am still very new to this so I will have to keep experimenting till I get the proportions right!

* So You Think You Can Dance Season 7: Was surprised to see Robert Rolden at the bottom three at today's results show. He is quite an exceptional dancer and oh sooo cute! Thank goodness he is saved by the judges! Here's a video of his last week's dance to end off this post...

Thursday, June 24, 2010

As requested by Zsuzsi...

My package arrived today....



I'm a happy girl! =)

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Creeped out

Some man just rang my intercom, asked if I could speak mandarin in a caucasian sounding mandarin slang then hung up. Next thing I knew, there was a knock on my front door and I didn't even let him through the main entrance! I'm not opening the door and certainly not leaving the apt today until my hubby comes home. Ahh....!

*Update: Found a Chinese pamphlet outside my door preaching Christianity. I still don't know how he got in but I'm not taking the risk and opening my door to strangers here!

What price would you pay for space?

I covet space and these space saving furniture from Resource Furniture are absolutely fabulous! Now if only the price is just as economical....

For love of tea

I love my tea too much and it was probably one of the hardest thing I had to give up during pregnancy (albeit a short one). While research out there says it is okay to indulge in a cup of coffee/tea per day, we felt it was better to avoid caffeine altogether. So I had all these different flavoured tea in my cupboard and all I could do was stare at them. Anyhoo, now that I am no longer preggy, I'm going at them with a vengeance. It won't be another few months before we start trying to get me fertilised again so I shall indulge while I can!

Cup of tea, anyone? *sips roasted green tea..Ahhhh!*

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Random snippets

 * Have been so sleep-deprived caring for Chewy lately. Now I know how nursing mothers feel...

* Chewy's nystagmus and vertigo has improved but her head tilt has worsened. She now tumbles with every few steps she takes but she has also learnt to pick herself up (usually with a few more tumbles). She is obviously tired out by the constant falling but continues to be real trooper and hasn't given up on trying. Helps that she is eating/ drinking well and lapping up her medicine like a real sensible child would. Oh, I love her to bits and really hope she gets well soon!

* Alfonso is currently doing his first happy run in his play pen as I type which is a relief. We were worried that he might feel neglected and depressed with his companion sick and separated from him. It is really nice to see him happy. *phew!* =)

* I bought not one but two Kate Spade bags! (with hubby's approval of course!) They should be arriving sometime this week. Yay!

* With all the multi-tasking I've been doing lately, I needed to find a more efficient and quicker way to prepare my meals in the kitchen. An electric pressure cooker immediately came to mind - to have my food cooked in less than half the time as compared to conventional cooking methods and not needing to guard by the stove at the same time. Just what I needed! I did kinda regret not buying this Oneida OPC090M 5-Quart Stainless Steel Electric Multi-Pressure Cooker when it was on sale for a really good price. Then I came across this Salton CEPC600S 6-qt. Programmable Pressure Cooker for $39.99 which is really cheap. I like that it has a brown/steam function and a non-stick removable pan for easy cleaning.  I've already ordered it online and it should be arriving in a few days. Let's hope it is a good buy!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Day 6 and counting...

4.30 am this morning saw me sitting in the bunnies' playpen and in tears. Chewy was having multiple episodes of vertigo since 1 am and it hadn't stopped. I was so exhausted but couldn't leave her alone in fear that she might end up hurting herself. I finally managed to get some sleep at around 5.30 am, feeling really defeated and wondering how long I'll be able sustain this level of care. I am practically spending all my time just watching over her and I'm even afraid to go to the bathroom sometimes. But I'm glad we've had really good advice and support from the people at Etherbun. It is comforting to know that bunnies who suffered similar illness as Chewy have come out of it well (even though it could take weeks sometimes months to see improvements). Hubs have also come up with a solution to allow us to catch some sleep tonight. We have padded all corners of the previous cage with a thick layer of fleece to allow Chewy to roll over it fairly safely. We are leaving the cage totally empty to prevent her from tripping & hitting against her food/ water bowls. It also means we'll have to get up periodically to feed her food and water. But hey, I'm not complaining considering what I had to go through the past few days! Oh, how I miss my bed! *Zzzz...*


Chewy in her "paralysed" state after an episode of vertigo and thrashing about in her newly padded cage.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

On a happier note....

Kate Spade is having up to 75% sale from 15 to 18 June! =)


I've always loved how colorful and cheery the bags are. I just haven't owned one yet but I may now! Besides, a wee bit of retail therapy should do my sanity some good. ;)

When things spin out of control...

Today I had the horror of witnessing Chewy flipping uncontrollably on her sides with her eyes darting crazily to and fro. Had to quickly hold her still on one side and reassure her for a long while before she was okay to get up again. This has happened three times already and the second episode lasted a good 1/2 hr. Her vertigo is worsening and it sure scares the living daylights out of me! I am truly at my wits' end- Chewy is not improving and it's no more comforting that the vet uses terms like "guarded prognosis", "supportive management" and "best of luck".  It sucks.

As if I am not stressed enough already, Alfonso (my other bunny) has to insist on pushing the food and water bowl over and making a complete mess of the playpen. And my toilet bowl decided to clog and spew gross stuff all over my toilet floor. *sigh* Seriously, when is my bad luck ever going to end?! As Murphy's law goes, anything that can go wrong, has gone wrong.

I need a break. *sobs*

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

New bunny home

My heart skipped a beat every time Chewy toppled over in her cage so last evening we decided to modify the environment to make it safer for her. We got rid of the existing cage and replaced it with a huge pet fence.  Now there is plenty of space for both bunnies to maneuver around and Chewy can have easy access to her food and water as well.

 Both of them looking relatively comfortable in their new home...

 Chewy in her poo pan (notice the head tilt to the left)...

Chewy falling asleep by her food this morning. Check out the mess they have created already!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Ngoh Hiang

I've been missing food from home and Ngoh Hiang (five spice pork roll) ranks high on the list. Unfortunately, the only way to satisfy my craving here is to make my own. Well, thank goodness for the internet and the generous people with their wonderful recipes! =)

Recipe from Rasa Malaysia:

Ingredients : (Makes about 10 six-inch rolls)

1 pound/ 455 grams minced pork
½ pound/ 228 grams fresh shrimp, shelled, and minced (don't forget to devein too!)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons light soya sauce
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
10 to 12 water chestnuts (about 11 ounces/ 300 grams), washed, peeled and smashed with a pestle
(Here's how to peel a water chestnut if you are as clueless as me! :))
3 green onions, finely chopped
½ a yellow onion, minced
3 tablespoons self-rising flour (I made my own self raising flour by using 1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt)
Dried soya bean skin, cut into 4 by 6-inch rectangles
Corn oil
Sweet dark soya sauce or Kecap Manis for dipping

1) Mix the pork and minced shrimp in a large bowl and add the egg, stirring to mix. In a separate bowl, stir together the soya sauce, salt, white pepper and five-spice powder until smooth, then add it to the pork/shrimp mix.
2) Stir in the water chestnuts, green onions and yellow onion, mixing as you go to distribute the ingredients evenly. Finally, sift in the flour and mix until no traces of flour are visible.
3) Lay out the prepared skins on your work surface. Arrange a heaping tablespoon of the prepared pork mix along the longer edge of the skin, leaving a ½-inch gap from the surrounding edges. Shape the meat into a slim sausage, it should be about 1 inch tall and 1½ inches wide.
4) After shaping the meat, roll the skin starting with the edge closest to you, tucking in the side edges as you go. Roll until the meat is fully ensconced within the skin, then place it, seamside down, on a plate. Repeat until you’ve used up all the pork.
5) Lightly grease a steamer tray and steam the rolls for 8 to 10 minutes, until the skins turn translucent and the rolls feel firm. Remove and set aside on wire racks to cool. At this point, you can divide the rolls into batches and freeze them in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. To cook, defrost the rolls in a 350F/ 180C oven for 10 minutes before frying.
6)To finish the rolls, heat a non-stick saucepan large enough to hold 2 to 3 rolls comfortably and add enough oil to thinly cover the surface of the pan.
Add the rolls one at a time – maximum of 3 at one go– and fry on medium high heat until the skins turn a crisp dark brown. Leave to cool on paper towels or a wire rack before slicing and serving. Wipe down the pan with paper towels after each batch before cooking the next.
7) Slice the rolls into 1-inch chunks and serve warm or at room temperature with the dipping sauce.

Here's a look at my Ngoh Hiang...


Mmmm....they tasted so good! It was a tad labor intensive (at least to me!) but definitely well worth the time and effort!

Update on Chewy

Chewy's head is still tilted to the left [slightly worse today] and her right eye continues to dart to and fro. She hops like she is about to topple over and has tripped quite a few times while getting in and out of her poo pan and cage. She has also stopped eating her pellets and she seems to be having difficulties drinking from the water dripper.  It is pretty heartbreaking to watch but at least I am glad she is still pretty alert and chomping down her hay and green vegetables. I will be monitoring her closely today and syringe feeding her water periodically so she does not get dehydrated.
Was expecting medication feeding time to be traumatic today but Chewy surprised me. She took all her meds without a struggle! I am really proud of her.  Hope she keeps this up and gets well soon! :)

Monday, June 14, 2010

Heartache

We had to bring Chewy to the vet this morning. She has been acting strangely for the last two days. She was perpetually in a daze and her head was tilted slightly to the left with a notable nystagmus in her right eye. We thought it could be an inner ear infection which might also be causing her dizziness and unsteadiness when she moves.
The vet diagnosed Chewy with possible E. Cunniculi, a parasitic infection which could have been transmitted by her infected mother in the womb.  It is a chronic disease and there is a chance that Chewy's condition may improve or go downhill from here. She has been given medications for her vertigo and inflammation which we will have to syringe feed her for the next five days.  I really hope she responds to the treatment. It is really painful to see her like this. :(

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Simple Strawberry Cake

I wanted to bake something with the strawberries I got yesterday but I was too lazy for anything that required too much effort. It had to be simple, quick and yummy. And then I came across a recipe online titled "the easiest cake ever".  As the name suggests, it was actually really simple to make. Just mix all the ingredients together, plonk in the strawberries and pop it into the oven. This is the batter...


and the final product...

I must admit I was a little disappointed with the appearance of my cake. The strawberries were all embedded inside (I must have pressed them too far in) and the surface of the cake was burnt even though I set it at 350F for 50 minutes as instructed. But overall, the taste was still pretty good. Will have to give it a try again!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

It's strawberry picking season!

Had to send hubby early to work today so I could go pick strawberries at a local pick-your-own farm with my friends and their kids. There were already many people there when we arrived and we were lucky to still have some strawberries left to pick. We were assigned two rows to pick from which yielded about 12 lbs of red, juicy strawberries.  Here are some pics of our mini-harvest:




Had an enjoyable morning and I sure wouldn't mind doing it again.
Next on the list: Apple picking! =)

Thursday, June 10, 2010

100 days and a new chapter

Appt with my gynae went rather smoothly today. My ultrasound looks good and I am all set to move on. *yay!* Today is also the 100th day since we arrived in Cleveland.  It's amazing how so many things could have happened within such a short period of time. (Well, then again, hubs did point out that it is still a quarter of a year that has passed already) Anyhoo, I'm glad this saga is finally over. I look forward to starting a new chapter and hopefully we will have our happy ending in the next round. =)

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Mini Confinement

 In the Chinese tradition, new mums go through a period of confinement post delivery whereby they are expected to stay indoors for up to a month and observe certain practices such as not showering/ washing hair, not drinking plain water or anything cold, keeping warm and taking special diet made with lots of vinegar and ginger. It is believed that this would help with the recovery and to prevent chills and dispel any "wind" from the body that may cause migraine or rheumatism later in life.

Even though my pregnancy has ended, I have been advised by my mum-in-law to observe a mini- confinement for a short period of time. To tell you the truth, I am pretty clueless as to what I should be doing or how I should be preparing my meals. I have started making myself a daily flask of red dates tea which I drink in replacement of water all day.  I must admit with all that has happened, I can't help but wish I have someone to fuss over me (I want my mommy!). But oh well, it's not going to happen so I will just have to learn to take care of myself. I shall attempt to brew a [simple] tonic chicken soup for my soul sometime this week...(any secret recipes to share? :))

Red Dates Tea - Made with red dates, ginger, dried longans and rock sugar (there's no tea in it)

Monday, June 07, 2010

The worst is over (I hope!)

It finally happened at around 1 am this morning. I was kept up the entire night from constantly having to run to the toilet. There was so much bleeding involved that my toilet looked like an actual crime scene! It was horrible and I would never wish this upon anyone. Good news is that the bleeding seems to be easing up already. Will be seeing the gynae again this Wed. Hopefully, I will be cleared and allowed to move on. *fingers crossed*

*To my dear [few] readers: I'm sorry if I'm making you queasy with my entries.  This should come to an end soon. I promise. :)

Sunday, June 06, 2010

Still waiting...

I had administered the abortion pills at 3.30pm and so far still nada. I did, however, have an allergic reaction to ibuprofen! My upper airways felt slightly constricted 1/2 hr after taking it and my right eye swelled up! I am okay now after popping an antihistamine. How much more unlucky can I get? Sigh. I probably should go get myself an Ohio lottery ticket.
Oh well, now to continue waiting for the inevitable...

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Sometimes it is important to just let it all out...

...and I finally did. Guess I am not so immuned after all.
Even Chewy seems to know. She has been thumping for the last 10 mins.

Blighted ovum

My first appt with my gynae didn't go so well today.
Basically, the pregnancy isn't happening. There is a growing amniotic sac but no fetus. Apparently, my baby has stopped developing at the embryonic phase weeks ago. This usually happens due to chromosomal abnormalities in the fertilized egg.
Am really not looking to the cramping and bleeding that is about to follow. I have been prescribed medication to help expedite this process and painkillers as well. It is not going to be pleasant but at least it will put a stop to all the preggy symptoms that I am still experiencing.
I'm sorry to have to share this bad news with you. But hey, life goes on. We'll wait a few months and then we shall go at it like bunnies again. Wish us luck.