Another Milestone!

After 39 months of not being able to eat any outside food, I finally can eat something which is not made, baked or cook by my own two hands! YIPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

I ate 2 to 3 flakes for starters and did not do so after that for almost a week. It did not burn my mouth or tongue, nor cause any migraines from hell which result in diarrhea.

And thus, for the past 3 weeks I have been consuming this in small amounts here and there. Food which has not been made by me has never tasted so good!

These are the ingredients listed on the box:
Whole oat flour, concentrated grape and/or pear juice, brown rice flour, whole millet, oat bran, barley malt extract, sea salt.

The Hippo-Rain-Dance Worked, BUT....

The haze was not washed nor blown away even though it poured cats and dogs and the wind howled like a mighty banshee. It poured yesterday afternoon too but it did not make a difference either.

Joel has succumbed to the haze and is down with a severe rhinitis and is currently sick at home. His stomach caught a bug too. Many of his teachers and classmates have been having the sorethroat+flu+cough+fever sickness the moment the haze arrived.

Well, it will be porridge and barley water for tomorrow. But I have great news and I will post it tomorrow. Right now I'm feeling like one of the characters from 'The Walking Dead' of HBO. Joel woke us at 5am as he was feeling sick. I'm off to bed now. Goodnight!

Braving the Heat

The weather has been insanely insane. You could fry an egg on a car bonnet which is parked under the sun. Add the haze to the heat and we have the oven phenomena. We are currently being fried alive!

I had a severe migraine from hell late afternoon yesterday which lasted till 10pm. I literally banged my forehead with the wooden massager till I could at least lie down and fall asleep. And I woke up with ulcers in my mouth this morning. My body has never been able to tolerate heat. Cold yes, but not heat. The massager did the trick, but I have a swollen forehead today. Totally worth it. At least the pain is gone!

The weather is so humid that the clothes literally stick to the body. We are drenched in dripping sweat with hair plastered to the forehead and at the sides of the face. Not a very glamorous picture. Not even presentable. So tonight is barley chicken soup with stir-fried lettuce. Hopefully this will help my system to cool down.

Do the rain dance with me wontcha? ;)

Low-Salicylate Taufu Dish

Ingredients:

1. 900gm of soft taufu
2. 300gm of minced chicken (marinate with sea-salt and sunflower oil)
3. 500gm of prawns (de-shelled) (marinate with sea-salt and sugar)
4. A handful of garlic (chopped into very fine pieces)
5. A handful of shallots (chopped into very thin slices)
6. 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
7. Sea-salt and brown sugar

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1. Heat wok with sunflower oil.

2. Add the chopped garlic and sliced shallots and fry until slightly browned.

3. Add the minced chicken and cook until almost half cooked.

4. Add the prawns and cook until the chicken and prawns are fully cooked.

5. Break the minced chicken into pieces.

6. Add the tofu and stir until everything is thoroughly mixed up.

7. Allow the dish to boil and then allow it to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes with the lid on.

8. Scoop it up onto a large bowl and serve while piping hot.

Bon appétit!

The Experiments of Life

I recently sold my first ever article!

And I am in the midst of writing my first book!

Thus, I have started a new blog where the focus will be on my writing works. It is there that I will write about life.

I will still be here and will continue to share my life, my struggles and my fights as a person with IA who is living with salicylate and chemical sensitivity.

Do join me at my new blog.

Click here:
The Experiments of Life

Gluten-Free & Low-Salicylate Rich Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1. 225g butter
2. 225g plain (semisweet) butter
3. 115g unsweetened cocoa powder
4. 150g caster sugar
5. 6 eggs

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1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Line a 23 x 5cm round baking pan with baking paper. Grease the paper with some butter.

3. Melt the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Leave aside to cool.

4. Sift the cocoa powder into a large bowl.

5. Add the sugar and eggs.

5. Stir until the three ingredients are combined.

6. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the large bowl and stir well until combined.

7. Pour the mixture into the baking pan.

8. Set the baking pan in a roasting pan and pour about 5cm of hot water into the outer pan.

9. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the cake is firm to the touch.

10. Leave the cake to cool for 15 minutes and then unfold it onto a wire rack.

11. When it has cooled down, wrap the cake in baking paper and chill it in the fridge for about 8 hours.

12. Once the cake is chilled, it can be served.

Bon appétit!

The mixture before baking

After 45 minutes of baking!

Salicylate-Free Vegetarian Congee/Porridge

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups of unpolished, brown rice
2. 3 large potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
3. 1 lettuce iceberg (washed and cut into strips)
4. 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil
5. Sea-salt

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1. Wash the brown rice under running water.

2. Pour the rice, potato cubes, lettuce iceberg, and sunflower oil into the rice pot. Add 5 cups of water and set the allocated time for congee/porridge.

3. I boiled my congee/porridge for 2 hours.

4. I stirred the congee/porridge at every 1/2 hour.

5. Once the congee/porridge has thickened, season to taste with sea-salt.

6. Serve hot!

Bon appétit!

This is the packaging of the unpolished brown rice which I bought.

Yes, it does not look appetizing. But seriously, who gives a damn about how it looks when the stomach and intestines are having the battle of Armageddon? It really soothed the injured stomach and bowels! Try it!

Surviving the Haze!

It poured yesterday morning! We were so glad that it poured. But then it just suddenly stopped after 5 minutes. But the haze was not that bad yesterday. Today is even better than yesterday. The clouds and sun and sky are visible today. It is also a very windy day. And there is no acrid, burning smell at all! I quickly seized the opportunity to wash the bedsheets!

There are signs that we will be having water shortage due to the prolonged, dry season. And the haze will definitely return.

Here are some tips on how to survive the haze:

1. Facial Masks

Wear them the moment you head outdoors. Some wear them all the time.

2. Eye drops

Unfortunately, there are no 'eye' masks to protect the haze from irritating the eyes. Wash the eyes with eye drops. Allergy eye drops help too if the eyes break out in an allergic reaction.

3. Water

Drinking lots of water will help to cleanse the toxins out from the system.

4. Washing Your Nostrils

Nasal irrigation is a good way to wash/cleanse your nostrils. It can help lessen the irritation caused by the haze. Click here to read more.

Saline nasal spray is another good alternative.

5. Stay Indoors

Do not attempt any outdoor activities. You will pay dearly!

6. Dryer

Also try not to dry your laundry outside during the hazy season. Either hang them inside your house or use a dryer. It will save you from misery. The particles from the haze can cause you to itch and scratch like a dog infected with fleas. And the laundry will REEK of the smell of the haze.

7. Air Purifier

Have a few in the house and switch them on. It will help clear and purify the air.

8. Close All Doors and Windows

Don't bother to 'air' the house. There is no 'fresh air' outside during the hazy season.

9. Fix Any Gaps in Windows or Doors

This is to ensure that the smell of the haze does not seep into the house.

10. Air-Condition the House

Use the air-con to clear and circulate the air. Otherwise you might fall sick from the stale, recycled in-door air.

Low-Salicylate Minced Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

1. 1 clove of garlic (chopped into VERY fine pieces)
2. 700gm of minced chicken (marinate with sea-salt)
3. 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
4. 1 teaspoon of sea-salt
5. 1 teaspoon of brown sugar

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1. Heat wok or pot.

2. Pour the sunflower oil into the hot wok.

3. Add the garlic pieces into the wok and stir fry until slightly browned and the smell of cooked garlic permeates the air.

4. Add the minced chicken and mix the garlic thoroughly with the chicken.

5. Once the chicken is cooked, break it up into smaller pieces. Add the sugar and sea-salt and continue frying for another 5 minutes.

6. Scoop up onto a plate.

7. Serve warm with sushi rice or bread.

Bon appétit!

'Tis the Season to Be Hazy!

Not forgetting hot too!

The haze is back. Un-officially, that is. I don't see it being on any news, but it is back. It always happens at around this time of the year. The farmers in Indonesia burn their farms by the hundreds and thousands of acres and the direction of the wind blows the smog and remnants of their burning over to Malaysia and Singapore. And it will envelope our air. There will be no sun. No rain. No nothing. Just gloomy, terrible, unhealthy and poisonous air.

There is this acrid, burning smell in the air all the time. Today's air is better than yesterday. Monday was very bad.

With the scorching temperature of 35C to 37C, imagine the unbearable heat that we are facing over here in Malaysia. Add the haze and we have a catostrophe for people with allergies, sensitivities, sinusitis and asthma. It has not been raining for many days now. It is so hot that even 5 minutes under the 10am sun will burn the back of your neck.

And my eyes have become chronically dry. I went to see my ophthalmologist yesterday morning as I have been waking up with crusts around my eyes. And it itches so, very badly. And the searing pain! I though I had contracted conjunctivitis. But the eye check showed no infection whatsoever and minimal allergy. The cause? Extreme dryness! So dry that my eyes could beat the Sahara desert. And the preservative-free eye drops that I used last year is not working now. My eyes need a thicker solution. So it's another experiment with a new product. But it is a preservative-free eye drop.

Here is a picture of the haze last year.

*taken from here

I think I should do a rain-dance. The gods will definitely laugh till they cry (I mean, a hippo trying to flamenco! For crying out loud, the gods are screaming for mercy.) But seriously, I will be doing mankind a favour in Malaysia. Once the gods laugh hysterically till they cry, we will have rain.

Let's flamenco!!!

*By the way, what preservative-free eye-drops do you use for your eyes?

Low-Salicylate Fried Noodles

Ingredients:

1. 500gm of fettuccine (I can take only the Barilla brand)
2. 200gm of prawns (seasoned with sea-salt)
3. 300gm of minced chicken (seasoned with sea-salt)
4. 2 chicken liver
5. 300gm of mung bean sprouts
6. A handful of garlic and shallots (cut into thin slices)
7. 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil
8. Sea-salt
9. Brown sugar

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Put fettuccine into a pot of boiling water. Add some salt to the water. Boil until soften. Drain the water. Leave fettuccine aside.

--------------
4 large eggs (to be cooked separately)
I made omelet and tore them into pieces to garnish the fried noodles.

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1. Pour the oil into a heated wok or pot.

2. Add the garlic and shallots and stir until slightly browned.

3. Add the minced chicken and liver and fry until almost well-done.

4. Then add the prawns and mung bean sprouts.

5. Fry until prawns are cooked and bean sprouts are softened.

6. Add the fettuccine.

7. Then add the sea-salt and brown sugar to taste.

8. Mix all ingredients throughly and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.

9. Once it is done, scoop the noodles up onto a large plate and garnish with the omelet.

10. Serve warm.

Bon appétit!

The Piano Guys

I found this duo on the YouTube and they are superb!

This music is very touching. Do watch and listen.

The Enthronement

The stomach is misbehaving itself again! And I have been waking up at 12pm everyday. Not good at all considering tomorrow will be the first day of school after a 2-week break. It is back to 6am morning calls again. On a brighter note, at least there is no nausea, as of now. Hopefully things will settle by this week.

A Congee-licious Day Indeed!

I made vegetarian congee today.

The thing with eating congee for me is equivalent to feeding a shark, shrimp. And that will not satisfy the shark's hunger. Neither does congee satisfy my hunger. I have to eat every 1 1/2 hours!

But the congee was necessary to stop my digestive system from being unwell. And the congee did do the trick. Although I am having an extreme zombi-fied stupor from sleeping at 3am and waking up at 8.30am! The stomach and intestines were very unsettled last night and I could not sleep. Thus, it ended up as a Van-Helsing-meets-NCIS-meets-SMASH!-meets-Rio-meets-Resident-Evil-meets-Revenge-meets-whatever-that-was-on-the-TV until 3am!

The congee definitely worked. I have abdicated my throne!

*Growl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, this shark has to go look for some big fish to eat! Congee, anyone?

Stomach Ailments

The day before I left for my overseas trip, the intestines misbehaved itself. I think the butter rice which I had made was too oily. But I was fine after spending some 'quality and quantity' time on the bathroom throne.

But the stomach was weakened.

And then I had a bit of salmon a few days ago and all hell broke loose. Having the shape of the bathroom throne imprinted on your behind is no fun. No fun at all! And when I had fish again, my digestive system let me know that it was severely displeased.

Again!

Controloc, Motillium, and Charcoal tablets have been my stomach's best friends. Pain, nausea, purging, bloating, and yes, discomfort have been my constant companion. Did I mention the bathroom throne too? Sleep has been quite disturbed as I end up dreaming non-sensical dreams the whole night. I might have purged out my sanity too! I mean, why else would I dream of being a woman taxi driver who failed to collect my payment from my first ever passenger because I had simply forgotten?! Definitely an INSANE dream!

But then again, having the shape of the bathroom throne imprinted on one's behind is better than the Epi-Pen and ER anytime!

Very-High-Level-Salicylate Home-Made Pizza

Ingredients:

For pizza topping:

1. Traffic-light colored (red, yellow, green) capsicums (3) - very high in salicylate
2. 3 large tomatoes - very high in salicylate
3. 1 big onion - moderate in salicylate
4. 200g fresh mushrooms - moderate in salicylate
5. 200g minced chicken (marinade with sea-salt)
6. 1 teaspoon sea-salt
7. 2 tablespoons sunflower oil

For pizza base:

1. 500g organic high-protein bread flour
2. 1 packet of instant yeast
3. Sea-salt
4. Brown sugar
5. 1/2 cup sunflower oil
6. 1 cup of warm water
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1. Before you prepare the pizza topping, prepare the base first.

2. Pour the pizza base ingredients into a large bowl and mix them thoroughly.

2. Sprinkle some flour on the counter top and knead the dough until smooth.

3. Place the dough back into the large bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave aside for about 2 hours for it to rise. (While waiting for the dough to rise, cook the pizza topping)

4. Knock the dough back down and knead again for about 5 to 10 minutes.

5. Divide the dough into 4 balls.

6. Roll the balls flat with a roller. 

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1. Wash the capsicums and tomatoes.

2. Slice the capsicums into thin slices and cut the tomatoes into 4 quarters.

3. Slice the big onion and fresh mushrooms into thin slices.

4. Heat the wok or pot and pour the sunflower oil into it. 

5. Add the capsicum and big onion and fry until slightly soften. 

6. Add the minced chicken, tomatoes and mushrooms and fry until chicken is cooked and vegetables are softened. Season with sea-salt. Stir again. 

7. Set aside.

-------------------------------

1. Preheat oven at 210C.

2. Add the cooked toppings onto the pizza base.

3. Cook for 25 minutes or until slightly browned.

4. Allow to slightly cool before serving.

Bon appétit!

I also made a sea-food pizza!

If you can tolerate cheese, you can sprinkle some cheese over the pizza topping just before baking it. Mine was cheese-free.

My First Trip Abroad in 38 Months - Part 5 (The Beach!)

Garlic minced chicken

Lunch & Dinner of the day: Garlic minced chicken, stir fried french beans, fried egg and hot sushi rice!

Such peaceful surroundings!

Enjoying my dinner with the sea-breeze blowing in my face and the waves crashing on the shore!

Next to the beach are two paths for joggers, cyclists, roller bladders, and brisk walkers to exercise and enjoy! There are BBQ pits and picnic spots too.   

Bicycles for rent! Hubby and son rented a bicycle each and cycled while I enjoyed the sea breeze and waves!

We went to the Science Centre the next day and walked a bit at Orchard Road, the shopping paradise of Singapore. Too many people for my liking. The sales was great but I did not buy a thing. Too MANY people!!!

The view from the plane on the way home! 

My First Trip Abroad in 38 Months - Part 4 (The Excursions)

We went to Universal Studio for a whole-day outing. It was tiring but very worth it. I did not get any reaction to smells/scents/fragrances but had a migraine due to the severe heat! Besides, I wore my masks at places which had ANY smells.

The food which I brought out were the frozen minced chicken+potato dish which I cooked on the day before I left for this trip. I boiled fresh rice and cooked fresh lettuce iceberg. I divided the food into 2 parts and kept them in 2 different Thermos flasks.

This was the Madagascar crate ride adventure

These were some of the posters in the hallway before we reached the auditorium where the Shrek 4D animation ride was. 

This ride is very similar to a roller-coaster but thankfully it was only 53 seconds short!  It felt as though I was flying on an air-borne Ferrari!

Enjoy the video! It is taken from YouTube.

Look at the blue and red tracks! These roller coaster rides are apparently heart-attack-inducing-rides! We did not try them. Joel is too small, hubby had a tear in his retina many years ago which prohibits him from taking part in rides like these. And me, with IA, I don't think I would want to put myself in such situations!

The people were literally screaming their lungs out! Hohoho!

The Transformers 3D animation ride was the best, but the wait was 50 minutes! It was worth every second!

I found this on the YouTube. This was what we went through! Certainly not for the faint hearted! Look for the falling-off-the-building-scene!

We saw the Rockafellas street dance after the Transformers ride. This is taken from the YouTube. 

Joel attended a concert for the very first time and it was a ROCK concert! HAHA! And he loved it.

When we came out of the music hall, the Daddy O's were performing!

After the Daddy O's performance, we took the train to the other part of the island where a night show of songs, lights, fireworks, water jets, pyrotechnics and fire! It was spectacular. Click here to find out more about the show.

I managed to video tape some beautiful lightning behind a huge cloud before the show. Somehow Blogger keeps giving me the error message when I try to upload them. I will try to upload another time. Here are some videos from the YouTube of the show.

*All videos taken from YouTube