Continue to Struggle

I think yoga teachers give good one liners.

Best one from last week, 'Continue to struggle, don't stop.' Master S uttered while sitting serenely and watching our awkward attempts at the impossible  and uncomfortable yoga poses.

Wonder what he will say today...

Seriously, kids are different these days

First impressions. A confident, rather athletic child, definitely not one of those wimpy whiny kids. I guessed she would be around 8 years old. What was odd about her? She had double eyelid tapes on her eyes. I did a double take while she was talking to me at the traffic junction. I can't figured out whether it was her choice or her fashionably dressed mum's decision. Different world, different kids.

What did she and I talk about? She asked me politely whether I had pressed the traffic signal button. Next, she told me she liked what I was wearing. Small talk. Most kids squirm when they talk to strangers. Not this kiddo.

I am not alone

Came across this article in Yoga Journal about the author's journey into backbends.

Excerpt from Yoga Journal's article "Releasing into Backbends":

Backbends. It's the only groups of asanas in yoga that scares the bejeepers out of me before I even roll out my mat. The word scares me. They're hard, aren't they? After a week of concentrated effort (and almost two years of recurrent effort), I can power one hand to one raised and shaking heel in Camel...

I can totally relate to what the author was writing about. Yes, backbends. That fear-inducing nauseating group of asanas that I find especially hard to practise. If I had to to do backbends during a class, I will try my best but I really do hate it. My teacher likes us to hold camel for at least 15 counts, 8 counts is usually the max for me. That is almost a lifetime to me...Camel, standing backbends, scorpion (I can only do this against a wall) and many other backbends. I get nervous even thinking abt them.

At least, I know I am not alone, there are others who share this fear. Ha, ha. Someone actually wrote about them. I am relieved. I am usually the odd one out in most of the yoga classes. My fellow classmates are serious backbenders. While they are in their backbends, I am the one looking around. Can't blame them as my teachers at the studio are superb backbenders. Watch one of the teacher demonstrating advance backbends.

Relieved.  I really do need a lot more practice. It will be some time before I attend a Hot Backbend class ...

Read abt yoga journal backbend story here.
http://blogs.yogajournal.com/beginnersmind/2011/07/releasing-into-backbends.html

My previous backbending blog entry here.

Updates on my plants. The sadly departed. Green fingers? No?

I have a habit of labelling my plants. Part of the reason is whenever my little nephew comes over on the weekend, it's a lesson in pronouncing the names of the plants and letting him taste and smell the herbs. He no longer eats the herbs but his eyes always open in wonder whenever he smells the rosemary and the basil. He grew and smarten up. No longer duped into eating the herbs but I will always remember the conversations we have about the herbs.

"Ah Yi,  I can eat them?"
"Yes. Does it smell nice?"
Boy nods and chews quietly.
"Is it nice?"
"Not nice", and he promptly spits them out.

Back to my plants, I label them and at the same time, I keep a graveyard of my plant casualties. Some died of poor nutrition and neglect. Others, because of my holidays. Another factor was my gradual shift from a brightly sunlit balcony garden to a shadier one because of the two biggish murrayas that I have. The sun-loving flowering periwinkles and lantanas are gone and in their place are the basil and the rosemary. The hibiscus is still alive but is growing leaves most of the time.

Let's see. What happened?

More buds!

More buds forming. This cluster should bloom by this weekend. There's another flower bud forming on another branch. The branch that was flowering for the last two weeks is still happily blooming. The waiting game begins.

Tried & tested: Neem oil fertiliser seems to be the best

I have tried several fertilisers for my plants. You name it, those gaudy pink or blue pellets, organic chicken poo pellets. So far, this bottle of organic neem oil works the best. Dilute it with water and water the plants. Simple. New shoots will grow rapidly, flower and at the same time, they keep some of the pest away. Am happy. The basil and the murrayas love it.

What is Neem Oil?
Neem oil is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (Azadirachta indica), an evergreen tree which is endemic to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It is perhaps the most important of the commercially available products of neem for organic farming and medicines.

Where can I buy neem oil?
I bought my bottle last year at the Singapore garden festival. Can't find the namecard for the company and if I am not mistaken, their shop is at Novena Square. If not, try little India or Far East Flora.

Click here

Glorious frangipani blooms

The bloom 2 weeks ago

It's still flowering. : P

Overlooking the balcony

Thanks to the recent hot weather, my frangipani has finally bloomed after almost 5 years. The balcony does not usually get strong sunlight, only 4 hrs of morning light. I dislike the hot weather but the plants like it.

Waiting for the other stalks to bloom. It should be another week or so. The flowering buds are growing.

Grilled food on a cold wintry night, life's little pleasure

Nothing beats freshly grilled food
with a glass of beer or umeshu

OMG! I am behind on the SQ promotion cheap fares to Tokyo as my brain is suffering from election fatigue. Yup, every other person's status on Facebook is election related, not to mention, it's more news on tv, the internet or booklets stuffed at my doorstep. The plus point is I get to vote after so many years. Frankly, no more election news for me. Come Saturday, I am just going to get dressed, pop downstairs to the polling centre and cast my secret vote. Have already read about what to do and what not to do, cross, not tick in the box and what is a spoilt vote. Plenty of misleading posters around the neighbourhood that tells us to tick...

Back to the SQ mega cheap Singapore to Tokyo fare, it's only S$398 inclusive of tax. That is dirt cheap especially since you can see cherry blossoms around this time. But will I go? Nay. No time and that radiation problem at Fukushima that refuses to go away. I am sure the food that you consume in Tokyo is perfectly safe. Or very safe as I believe the Japanese have great respect for the food they sell and consume. Anyway, you can exposed to radiation in cities like Hong Kong and Singapore too.

Look, dirt cheap, right? At the cheapest in the past
for other airlines, it will be S$640 inclusive of tax.

But if you are going, please do visit this new favourite food haunt of mine in Tokyo. ふくはち Fukuhachi! Great food at affordable prices right smack in the middle of Shinjuku. Discovered it during my last trip to Tokyo. Super yummy.

What do I craved for while on holiday in the midst of winter in Tokyo other than a big bowl of piping hot noodles? Not sushi or tempura but a fresh batch of beautifully grilled yakitori, vegetables or whatever that is available at a Izakaya. Washed down with my drink of choice, pure heaven.

The wait game

 

Not mine but soon, I think the blossoms will be similar to the blossoms above

I am waiting with bated breath for the 2nd round of blooms from my dormant frangipani plant. It has been almost 4 years since it last bloomed. All thanks to the recent hot weather. There are buds on the plant. Hip hip hurray! But mummy always say don't count your chickens before they hatch. So exciting.

Natural warriors: No ants!

My self-concocted 'Bak Ku Teh' mix is working very well as a natural pest pesticide. The ants are not killed but they are avoiding the potted plants with the teabags of roasted spices like a plague. Biological warfare? The ants hated it and they have moved out of their previous home and out of my balcony garden. I have tried all sorts of plant pesticides to get rid of the ants. As I consume the herbs I grow, I would rather not use chemical pesticides. For now, it's a big, big hurray that is is working!

Bak Kut Teh (肉骨茶) is popular soup drank in Singapore and Malaysia. It is made from pork ribs lovingly boiled for hours with garlic, cinnamon, pepper, cloves and star anis. Some shops have also added secret ingredients in their spice mix. The end result is a very tasty soup usually eaten with rice and other side condiments like youtiao (fried dough fritters) and preserved vegetables. My favourite Bak kut teh shop is at Sultan gate (can't remember the name), the one at rangoon road (Ng Ah Sio Pork Rib Soup) comes a closed second, I like Song Fa opposite Central too. Interesting thing to note, most Bak Kut Teh are not sold on Mondays as the poor animals are not slaughtered on Sundays. If the soup is sold on a Monday, frozen meat is used. Not so nice.

Source: Song Fa Bak Kut Teh

About the Bak kut teh plant pesticide, I dry roasted the spices (pepper, star anis, cinnamon, cloves) to release the fragrance and packed them into the teabags. Next, I left them in the pots of rosemary and basil where the ants are nesting. The ants moved out after 1 or 2 days. It has been 3 weeks, they have not been back. Fingers crossed.

The teabags in the pot of basil.

Today's tea break

The tiramisu I made the other day tasted fine. : ) Not as horrible as my previous attempt. No more experimental ingredients for me.

Today's Dinner and tomorrow's dessert

Cooked szechuan hot and sour soup for dinner after tasting a horrible version in Taipei. Food in Taipei is generally good but the one I tasted was really a 'what is this again' version. Bad especially because it was my last meal in Taipei before I headed for the airport. Tsk tsk.

Soup and noodles eaten together with cold appetizers I prepared, cold sesame cucumber appetiser and sesame garlic spinach.

and DESSERTS!

Made tiramisu to eat over the next few days. I will find out if this is any good tomorrow. The last version I made has too little alcohol, I hope this version will be yummy. Left it in the fridge for the flavours to develop overnight. There goes my diet. More double classes  at the yoga studio.

Szechuan hot and sour soup

Good dose of Woh Hup concentrated chicken stock, I think it's 4-6 tbsp as I poured from the bottle. Taste the stock to check whether it is salty.
4 cups water, 960ml (includes the water used for soaking the mushrooms)
1 cup of dried black tree ear fungus 黑木耳, soaked and sliced into thin strips
1 cup of fresh bamboo shoots, cut into strips
1 cup of dried shitake mushroom, soaked and sliced into thin strips
1 carrot, sliced into thin strips
1 cup of siken tofu, cut into strips carefully
1 large egg, beaten
3 tbsp white rice vinegar
3 tbsp Zhejiang black vinegar 浙江黑醋
1 tbsp chili oil
1 tsp sesame oil
½ cup cornstarch liquid (water and 2 tablespoon of cornstarch mixes)
salt and white pepper to taste
2 stalks coriander as garnish

Cut shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, black fungus, carrots, tofu into strips. They should be cut evenly. Add Woh Hup chicken stock into pot of water together with the soaked mushroom water. Bring stock to boil over high heat. Add carrot, shiitake mushroom, bamboo shoots, black cloud ear fungus. Reduce fire to low heat, and simmer for 20 min.

Add in chili oil, white rice vinegar, black vinegar, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 min. Add tofu. Bring to boil.

Stir in corn starch until consistency is slightly thickened. Stir carefully since the fragile tofu has been added.

Turn off the heat. Add beaten eggs and slowly stir into the soup. Garnish with coriander.

I shall try a vegetarian version another day.

The Sunbird came and left

 

 Olive backed sun bird paid a visit

Early this morn, the sun bird came and left, almost like window shopping. I was sitting on the living room's floor. Spied it checking out the the lipstick plant in the balcony. In he flew above my head through the living room and took a sharp left turn into the kitchen and out to the open air probably on his way to check out other flowering plants on the other side of the apartment block.

He was very sure where to go. Obviously not his first time flying through my home. Cool, how nature made do with living in an urban environment.

When do you walk out?

  My mind was so stretched. No lolling hills, swimming in the sea or my fav walking-through-clouds-up-in-the-himalayas memory this morn. This picture was taken in Munnar, India. I usually think about enjoyable memories my mind took a picture of while going through difficult yoga sequences.

One word. TOUGH. It was a really tough yoga session this morn. 2 hours worth of inward battle with my mind. 1 hour into the session, the question popped in my mind, "Should I walk out?"

Not one who walks out of a class, I checked the time and discovered to my horror that only one hour has since passed and I was already mentally and physically spent. So much for wanting to make my money's worth to attend Sunday's 2-hrs Purna Yoga class as I was away for hols last week. I soldiered on and cheated in a lot of the sequences. Cursory stretches...hehe but Saumik noticed, came over, and pushed me into deeper stretches. Ouch.

It was not a cardio workout but my muscles and joints were screaming in pain (not in the life threatening way) but they were so agonisingly stretched that my mind and body were numb. The body opening stretches were very intense. Intense is a kind word, not forgetting the choice swear words I was mumbling under my breath while going through the sequence. It started with, 'Oh God' when Saumik readjusted my split. then it slowly became, "#!?#@" as the 2 hours slowly crawled by. Normally, I will just swear in my mind during challenging sequences but the pain was almost akin to twisting and stretching my limbs out from my joints. A good lesson in pain endurance and proper alignment. No worries, my mutterings were very softly uttered, no angry vibes were given out. The gentleman next to me couldn't possibly hear me. He was also fighting his inner battles.

Update on my plants

This is how the balcony garden looks like now. I moved the two indoor trees to the balcony to line the wall next to the two murrayas. The giant palm was also moved to the middle of the balcony so that I can close the balcony's folding doors. Yup, before, if I want to have air-conditioning switched on in the living room, I have to move the plants out of the way. Too strenuous, which means the air-conditioning is seldom switched on. I need a bigger balcony!

My periwinkles, lantana and hibiscus are no longer blooming as the amount of sunlight they are getting is greatly reduced after I moved the bigger plants to the balcony. The little available place where there is sunlight is reserved for the rosemarys and thai basil.

R's fish pond in the balcony with his lonely gigantic fat fish. I use the water from the container to water my plants once a week. Fish's poo poo water is quite nutritious.

The lipstick plant came back to life and bloomed. Looks like when I am at lost on what to do with a plant that was on the verge of death for the past 6 months, the best solution and care is to ignore it. Volia, it bloomed. The sunbirds came and were very happy.

 

The lipstick plant with the rest of the hanging plants on the rather bare wall. The wall planting project is not going too well. Planting is just not lush.

Perfumed.

 

 

Absolutely fragrant tonight. Murrayas in bloom. They usually bloom one week after I fertilised it with neem oil. New shoots and flowers. : )

What you can't see is your back

Topsy Turvy was fun, fun, fun.

Silence in class while the teacher demonstrated the gravity defying poses. Awesome. Every student tried very hard to remember all the instructions the teacher narrated. No one had time to chat.

Frankly, I have not done an inversions class for months as part of me is still afraid of snapping my neck. I am exaggerating. But it is the truth that no one likes to be inverted, I have to say I can't think straight when I am in that position. Left, right, front, back? Huh!

Scorpion. A position I categorised as more challenging than the headstand, tripod headstand or handstand, Scorpion involves arching the back while the body is inverted and supported by the forearms. My back is really STIFF. This is one awkward position for me. I definitely need help in this position. I usually practise against the wall as I don't want to kill myself. Not a good time to be a hero. It's not funny when you flip over in an inverted position or collapse onto your face.

With my body weight totally supported by my forearms...elbows bent at 90 degrees, body inverted...

"Arch your back. Tighten the knees, core! Point your toes. Lift your body up."

"Don't worry I am holding you."

"Look forward! Move your shoulders backwards!"

Huh, move my shoulders backwards? That's the moment I dropped my feet to the ground. The teacher obviously wasn't very pleased with me. Yup, he had more faith in me than myself. Under his stare, I meekly uttered, "But I can't tell front and back when I am inverted?"

I swear he rolled his eye in his mind but he calmly replied, "What you can see, is front, what you can't see is your back. Now, practise."

Such a simple concept but very hard to grasp when you are inverted. Light at the end of the tunnel. Let's not start on the confusion I have on left and right when I am inverted.

About the chatting in class. I like no-nonsense teachers. During class, someone talked. The teacher turned and said firmly, " You can talk after the class."

Aha, I like his style. You can ask questions but chatting is definitely not allowed.

Life in Topsy Turvy

Moping around at home. I couldn't decide whether I should head for the inversions class at 9pm. Or Topsy-Turvy as the teacher calls it. Still in time to book the class. Recently, joined a new yoga studio, the studio has very good teachers but it comes with the groupies.

What do I mean by groupies?

If you have been to any exercise classes and with keen observation skills, you are bound to notice a select group of folks who talk incessantly at the top of their voice. Be it in the waiting area before the class starts, or at a much louder volume in the locker room. Frankly, I can't stand people harping on every golden word the teacher utters or anyone who talks about their daily stories loudly in the locker room.

Or am I the odd one out? I exercise alone most of the time, a habit since the school days. I don't chat while exercising. Pardon me, if I seems hostile when I go exercising with you, it's not that I don't like your company but I like the silence.

Yup, I don't need to go to the girl's room in pairs nor do I have any problems eating alone. I was perturbed when I saw on RazorTV sometime back about undergrads who rather not be seen dining or anywhere alone. I guessed there are many who are not comfortable with themselves.

... I should head for the mind clearing inversion class. Moreover, it's inversions, something I really suck at. If I keep at it, I will improve. Groupie or no groupie. Thank God, the teacher does not condoned any chatting during class.

Chatterboxes are strictly not allowed.

Daniel Wu Infomercial for "Fresh Air" (Clean Air Network)

Of ants and lizards

"Are you clearing the dead ant's nest?"

"No, why should I? I am instilling fear in their troopers. Leave the dead ants there."

Horrid little buggers are nesting in the cupboard's drawer again. They nested there before but are back again. I wonder which clever ant decided to nest at the same spot again? Totally brainless or they thought the most dangerous place is the safest place? Doesn't the smell of Baygon strike fear in their little hearts?

Die, die, die. DIE!

I am also trying out a new remedy to repel ants in my home. Tea tree oil works but is just too expensive in the long run. A spicy mix of pepper and cloves along their favourite trail is the new but cheaper weapon of choice. Ants apparently do not like strong smelling herbs. Go away. Really, far away please.

Anyway, dead ants release a chemical scent that will alert their fellow friends of danger. In times of attack, they will scatter but will regroup when they sense the danger is over. They will always collect their fallen brethren. They are very loyal friends. Maybe, they will learn to never nest at that spot again.

A different perspective to my Ito holiday pics

Put things in a different perspective...

After watching the disturbing images of the recent tsunami and earthquake in Sendai, Japan on NHK world, it does really put things in a different perspective.

As a Singaporean, I have never seen a tsunami warning sign before till recently, honestly I am rather clueless what to do during a tsunami or an earthquake. Not to mention a Ritcher 8.9 earthquake and 10m-high tsunami? Just numbers to me? But to the victims or survivors, it's a matter of life and death. The Sendai earthquake is a notch lower than the Ritcher 9.2 horrific earthquake in Banda Aceh (2004) but it is equally destructive as seen on the news. The Sendai earthquake is the largest earthquake to hit Japan and the fifth largest in the world since recording began but thankfully not the deadliest. A very frightening thought.

wikipedia

Not just an interesting sign anymore. It's life or death.

Seafood in Ito City 伊東

Fresh seafood is plentiful in Ito 伊東

Part II of my Ito 伊東, shizuoka trip. The food part. Being such a greedy gal, first thing on my mind when I reached a destination after checking in was to look for food. How do we know which restaurant serves good food?

By our sense of smell, long queues snaking round corners, luck or we will ask the hotel/hostel/ryokan's staff for their recommendations. Don't be shy.

We were famished after we checked in at K's House Ito Onsen. The four onigiris, japanese rice balls I ate earlier for breakfast at the train station just wasn't satisfying for me. I was hungry after the 2+ hours train journey from Tokyo. Yup, I ate four...that's a lot for a girl.

Gomiya is a family restaurant in Ito 伊東 that came highly recommended by the hostel's staff. We walked past the restaurant on the way to the hostel from JR Ito station. The grilled fish aroma wafting out of the restaurant was really enticing. The aroma, coupled with the people queuing in the cold stopped me in my tracks then.

Here we were again.

R 's queuing. If there's a queue, we will queue.

Menu. Appetizers, sashimi, various kinds of
seafood set meals, donburi and alcohol.
Don't worry, they have a picture menu
if you can't read this menu

Beautiful Ito

Hmmm, recently, I lost interest in my blog, I rather dive into other interests of mine. Sounds like blogging fatigue if there is such a term. But nonetheless, am back. One post before I attempt to roast a chicken. I saw Nigella's roast bacon brandy chicken on cable. Delicious. That's what we are eating for dinner later.

At Ito Orange Beach, a volcanic black sand beach

Tokyo! Since it's the NATAS fair week, lots of travel bargains, Not that I am travelling, but let's talk about Tokyo.

Tokyo had steadily became our favourite city after Melbourne. I shall attempt a summary of what I experienced, observed in the city, its countryside, what we ate and where we went. Yes, always expecting an intense walking marathon, I brought my trusty deep heat rub to ease my achy leg muscles and a very healthy appetite.

Ito Marine Town

Today's dinner and others

Today's dinner. Dumplings soup.

Lately, I have not been cooking or photographing the food I cooked. I guessed it's just too much spring cleaning. Seriously, I can't believe I have so much belongings and I am ashamed to say I am a hoarder. But here are some of the food I cooked and remembered to photographed before I ate them.

My fav spinach, wolfberries and dried scallops dish

My vegetable and hummus wrap with lots of chilli

Sauteed pumpkin and baby corn.

Bimbibap with lots of vegetables. The ugly fried egg
is the result my decision on giving up non-stick pans
for health reasons.

Tofumisu. Instead of Mascarpone cheese, I used silken tofu
and white chocolate. Subtle taste of tofu with the rum-soaked
sponge fingers. Desserts nightly, it's not that sinful afterall.

How to have worry-free hols if you have plants

This post is long overdue. Friends have asked how I keep my plants alive when I go on holiday. My holidays usually last between 11 –14 days. It is a long time for the plants to go without water and constant care if you have not arranged for 'babysitting' from friends/neighbours.

Some will deposit their plants with like-minded gardener friends or get neighbours to water them if they are accessible along the corridor or pass them the house keys. Or the brave will cross their fingers and hope that God will water the plants when they are away. Yep, hoping that rain water will splatter onto their beloved plants when it rains. Never, ever resort to such behavior if you have a sheltered balcony, they will die and you are evil. I decided against getting friends/relatives to come by to water them as it is too much a hassle.

This is what I do:

The balcony in its wired-up mess
the night before I left for hols.

The Power of the Korean Wave

Was in Tokyo over Christmas. On a nice Sunday morning, we decided to head for the quiet of Yoyogi Park before we hit the shops near Omodesando dori. An hour of peace and quiet in a big open green surrounding is good for facing the massive crowds at the malls. Yoyogi Park is usually crowded with people having a picnic or having their own street performance.

We didn't see this

Or people lazing on the grass

Instead we were faced with massive crowds when we exited from the JR Harajuku station. This station is usually very crowded on any given day because of the proximity of Harajuku and omodesando dori's shops but on that day, it was unusually crowded.

A crowd that consist mostly of young women which I pointed out to R. All heading towards the entrance of Yoyogi Park or so we thought. But with all the din we were hearing and announcements over speakers in the distance, we were clearly mistaken. Then we spotted this across the street at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium.

Queues. Hordes of people.

People, and more people crossing the 3-directional bridge.

Seriously, the bridge was vibrating under the weight
of all the people marching towards their destination.
I did wonder about the loading limit of the bridge

 

Young girls, women in their 20s -30s,
you can feel their excitement.

They are gone?

Had been a few days since I came back from the year-end holiday. I just realised the ants are gone. Gone. Public enemy no.1 in my balcony garden and home is gone! Had not been bitten or seen an ant for the past few days in my balcony.

Did the neem oil really work or was it the tea tree oil, or the baygon? Or was it because I sent my two pots of rosemary and basil to my mum's place while I was away? The herbs were the ants' favourite haunt...

Will look harder tomorrow morning when it is brighter. Maybe they are hiding? As what my 5 year-old nephew says when you can't find certain things, yes, maybe they are hiding, waiting to spring their latest attack on my unsuspecting toes.