Having "Me" Time

I wake up in the wee hours of the morning (4.30am) for no apparent reason today with the thought of Maple Snaffes in my head. The thought of it won't go away, my brain wants to have some, but helas we don't have any and so I will just have to write about it instead. Continuing from my previous posts on Snaffles from Hokkaido, where I talked about the original cheesecake flavor and chocolate favor, I have to say that my new favorite one is the Maple Snaffes Cheesecake. The Maple Snaffles cheesecake have the same soft and feathery texture of the original cheesecake flavor but it has an added tinge of maple syrup. The great thing is that you can taste and smell the maple syrup but yet it does not overwhelm the cheesecake. It makes the cheesecake aromatic (I like the smell of maple syrup, don't you? ) Too much of the maple syrup would make it too sweet, too little would not be enough to make it aromatic. The Maple Snaffles, have the amount just right. If you've n...

It’s been too long since my last post. I missed writing. I missed my blog. I missed my readers. The voices inside me missed being punched onto the screen. With this change in weather and not having enough “me” time of late, I’ve been literally voiceless from a bad flu and I have to say it hasn’t been one of my best weeks. I never had such a good stomach workout(or pain) from a cough before. (They say laughter is good for toning your stomach muscles, but I think coughs must rank somewhere closeby.) Nevertheless, one must be be positive! I think my stomach will be fit and toned by the time the coughing has subsided. Wonderful. I’ve even lost a kg that was excess since the New Years. As having a cold seems to be “in” at the moment with a change in weather and all, I thought today I’d write about why one should NOT be a google doc. I am guilty of being a google doc. Whenever I come down with something I like to google it up the symptoms, read about it voraciously and quench m...

The other day I read an interesting book called “I Moved Your Cheese.” It’s a book that follows on the famous “Who Moved My Cheese?” and I find it interesting for it tells a story of three mice in a maze that challenged the maze in which they lived. It’s fascinating. The story is simple and you could finish the book in one night, yet it makes one think. It is a reflection of what life should be. The three mice in the story were not like the other mice for they thought outside the box. They questioned the fact that “cheese” was indeed important for everyone and if they should in fact pursue this “cheese” just because everyone else is pursuing it. Follow the cheese and find it. Adapt so that one can consume this cheese. To put things short, the story basically teaches us to do some self reflection. Think about what this “cheese” is for us. To some, it may mean getting that limited edition bag, to others it could mean going on a trip, or for some it could just mean sitting...

I love it when friends take me to off the beaten track eateries. Little treasures that just make you wonder what other secrets lay hidden waiting to be discovered. This latest discovery came quite unexpected for it was a chance meeting and we took the opportunity to go grab a bite to eat. In search of somewhere not too far from Silom, Narathiwat and the Rama IV area my friend navigated me to this little japanese eatery called “Sendai Ramen Mokkori Silom.” Don’t ask me what the name means. I only know “Ramen” and “Silom”(road name.) It’s one of those eateries you find in the least expected places. It’s at the base of an old-fashioned condominium at Narathiwat Soi 1. It seems to have been around for quite some time and probably well-known to those who go to that area, but for me it was an area I hardly go to and a street I’ve never driven into. What’s surprising is that walking out of the condominium parking (you can get your parking ticket validated at the eatery) you do not...

I love to eat. I think many like me also like to eat but our likes and dislikes change over time. I think our tastes also change the older we get. When I was young, I hated mushrooms. Now I devour them as if they were the most delicious thing on earth. Anything with mushrooms are good. Tonight I want to share with you one of my all time favorite sweets, not sweets but (as if you can’t tell from the post title) Snaffles. In Japan, apparently each city/region has their own specialty when it comes to sweets. You can only get the triangular mojis from Kyoto, Tokyo Bananas from Tokyo, Castella cakes from Nakasaki, and Snaffles from Hokkaido (correct me if I am wrong here). My first experience with Snaffles was early last year when we had a Japanese friend come visit. With him came along a box of Snaffles which has since become one of my all time favorites amongst cheesecakes and japanese sweets. I usually don’t like cheesecakes too much because they are heavy and creamy. Not my thing. ...

This year has started out in a storm for many people I know. Even the weather gods are thinking that too with thunderstorms roaring across Bangkok when usually it is dry, sunny and cool. Nevertheless, let us not keep us from enjoying the wonderful year ahead of us. Today I want to write about something that sometimes we forget. We use it everyday, we use it all time and yet we forget to think about them. (I do forget often times) What am I talking about? Words. Yes, words like the ones you are reading now. Words to me are powerful and should be used with care. Words spoken or written have enormous influence and have resulted in either love or wars amongst men. It is with words, that people communicate and it is with words that others sometimes feel love, compassion, sympathy and understanding. Used otherwise, they cause others to feel anger, resentment or even sadness. Words can sometimes be therapeutic and healing, yet words of angerness, bitterness, judgement can also invo...

It’s almost the end of January, I have a zillion things to do yet right now all I am thinking about are socks. Yes, you read it right. Socks. Those soft cushy things you put on your feet to keep warm and wear with shoes. What? Are you serious? Yes, I am. I am very serious. I have to confess, I have actually been thinking about socks for a few days now so it’s about time I wrote about it. It all started when I resumed my running schedule after a few weeks of rest. Most days, running is a bore and I do it just so that I can eat and have that delicant piece of sinful chocolate that melts in your mouth. However, one day a week or so again, I ran and ran and for the first time in a long time, I felt that running was enjoyable. It was fun, relaxing and I enjoyed feeling my feet pacing up and down on the treadmill. I felt bouncy and my feet were happy. I could run more than I had for awhile. I wondered if it was runner’s high, but it wasn’t. I thought that maybe it was because I had...

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Even if you don’t celebrate it, I think it’s a great day to just go out, reunite with family friends and have an awesome day. Today what comes to mind is how we humans are indeed funny creatures (or maybe it’s just me). Have you ever been in a situation where you had to make a decision, yet a zillion different choices come up? Which choice do you choose? What happens to me is that at first instinct, I say “This is what I like.I choose “A”. However, to be sure that THIS is the choice that I really like, I end up going through all the alternatives in meticulous detail. I go through the pros and cons, check details on websites, read reviews and think about the choices day-in day-out. The result? After painstakingly looking at all the details and having a pile of information, I go back to “A.”The first option I decided on. It makes me wonder, why do I go through all these motions of checking, going through details, only to revert back to the...

Accidents do happen. When they do, no one wants it to happen and no matter what kind of accident it is, it always brings up a range of emotions. Yesterday, I crashed my car into the car in front of me while waiting for a turn. A dumb accident indeed caused by my somehow stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake. Good thing it wasn’t serious. It was my first real accident ever after over a decade of driving (that’s if you ignore motorcycles leaving their paint on my side mirror or another car hitting the corner of my bumpber). I’ve been fortunate and count my blessings. Most importantly though, yesterday’s lesson reminded me of an important lesson : have a positive attitude no matter what. When I realized what had happened and stopped the car, I immediately got out and went to see the lady in the car in front of me. Luckily she was alright and together we decided to move our cars to the side of the road to avoid causing any traffic jams. It was dark and for awhile both ...

It's a new year and I'm getting older.  Yes, these are two facts that one cannot avoid. Especially the painful truth of getting older.  You sense it more when some of your colleagues no longer recognize the songs you listen to nor recognzie the ones that were famous years ago when you were still in school.  No matter, I believe there is still always a child inside each of us and age are but numbers. Amidst the different New Years present I received this year, I have to say one of my favorites was a box of 120 crayons.  Of all the stationary and art supplies I've accumulated over the past few years, I have to say crayons are something I just didn't have. Never thought of buying. Now I have them. Thank you :)  Ever since I could remember I have loved to draw and colour and cherished my box of coloured pencils and markers.  To this day I still have my complete set of coloured pencils and do occasionally still take them out to use, although those times are no...

I need my sleep but sometimes I wonder, why do we sleep?  Do I really need to sleep? If I didn't sleep I could spend more waking hours doing a million more things. Why we sleep though is a question that has been asked for centuries and still no one really knows the answer.  I do not know why I sleep, but I know that if I do not get enough sleep, the next day becomes a waste of a day. I get headaches, feel groggy and my concentration level is low.   This lack of sleep is what scientists have been studying for centuries in an attempt to better understand why we sleep. Scientists study these various effects of sleep defiency to better understand sleep.  Without it,  our cognitive skills would be harmed and brain development probably affected. If you think humans sleep to save energy, the BBC article "The Science of Sleep" mentions that for eight hours of sleep, we only save about 50kCal which is very minimal.  One piece of my Peppe...

A strange kind of peace seems to have transcended since the New Years.  Maybe it is because I am just getting a little older and a little calmer.   Or maybe it's because I have been enjoying the time truly having some much needed "me" time reading books and being alone with my thoughts.  I think being able to just stay home with uninterrupted time for a few hours on a weekend is indeed a time to cherish and value.  It allows one time to really prioritize and define what is indeed important in life. This year I thought about why we all like Christmas and New Years so much.  I always enjoyed it but never really gave much thought to why we can't spend the rest of our year thinking it's Christmas or New Years.  Wouldn't life be so much more pleasant? For me, I discovered that Christmas and New Years are a good time for one to re-tune and get back in touch with those most dear to us.   It's when we often go out to eat ...

It's 2012. It's the year the world as we know it is supposed to end.  There's a whole movie dedicated to this year which I haven't seen yet, but many tell me it is strikingly familiar with earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and any kind of natural disaster you can think about.  Whatever happens, let's not live in fear about what will or could happen.  Let's approach 2012 from another perspective.  Let it be a year of new beginnings, new adventures and new life. Let it be a year you can say was your year. Life for me is a lot about what you make of it.   New Years is a good time for us to reconsider what is important to us, what it is we want to accomplish this year and most importantly, what it is we learnt the past year. I know I've learnt a lot and there is still much I have to learn.  One of the most important things I've learnt though is that your life is in your hands. If there is something about you that you don't like, you don't have ...

Christmas came and vanished in a blink of an eye.  In a couple of days it will no longer be 2011 and I am going to have to rewire my brain to write my dates with 2012 (or in the Buddhist calendar 2555).  So much has happened yet there are still so many things waiting to happen.  Who knows what the future holds? Will the year 2012 be the end of the world or will it bring with it renewed hope? I suppose we will just have to live through it to find out.   I pray though that whatever happens, it brings happiness and that at the end of it all, we can look back and appreciate the year we had. The last few days I have finally gotten into the digital book age with the initiation of my first reading of a novel on tablet.  I never thought I would. (Thank you Alex for downloading roughly 10GB worth of novels onto my tablet!)  I had always been somewhat old fashioned in my preference for paper and having documents printed out.  I like th...

It's ten days until Christmas and I'm counting down even though I'm a buddhist.  I like the Christmas season because it brings with it joy, happiness and brings out all the good things in people.  It makes us think of others and not only of ourselves.  I suppose I also like it because I grew up in Europe where we had Christmas trees decorated along entire roads, Father Christmas roaming around giving out presents and of course we had the Christmas market at the Old town square.  Christmas songs played everywhere and television showed Christmas movies.  A favorite of mine is always "A Christmas Carol" for I think the lessons it teaches us are ones to remind us of what we have.  Thank you Charles Dickens. The story teaches us to not only think of ourselves but to also think of others.  At the beginning, Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly old man who disregards Christmas and is so stingy he lives in a cold ...

Sometimes, happiness can be found in the littlest places.  You do not need much space to be happy as a friend of my discovered this past two months during the recent flooding in Bangkok.   Happiness is something that for different people comes from a number of reasons. Even though this flooding was disastrous it actually brought a little happiness to some people. Now, let me give you some background.  My friend is usually is a lady who is extremely house-proud and will spend most of her waking energy looking after the house, cleaning and putting things in order.  Yes, everything is top notch shining, bright and everything is set in its proper place.   Not an inch too far to the right or to the left.   She enjoys it and enjoys having a house that is always beautiful to look at.  No trash left lying around. No shoes or books left where they shouldn't be. Then the flood came.  Everything had to be moved to the second floor. Ev...

Since the flood prevented me from exercising regularly and now that it has gone, I find myself in the festive season with my weight going uphill. I gained 3kgs last week (now 2kg down and 1kg left to go) which is the most I’ve ever gained in the last year or so. It’s during festive times like these when our weight go up and up. (I mean it’s a time for meeting friends, hanging out and having fun. What this means is a lot of eating, drinking and late nights. A routine that is wonderfully suited to gaining weight. ) Fear not, with some exercising planning, you can keep your weight in control and get it back down before you find yourself unable to fit into the pretty dress you had ready for New Year’s Eve. Of course, in between meals do not forget to also watch what you eat. The more you eat the harder you have to work at burning it out. Since I gained 3kgs, I had to find a way to get it down and fast it must before it reaches a new steady state. When the weight is in a steady ...

Good friends are rare. Good friends who remain good friends decades later are even rarer.  Tonight I dedicate to my post to a friend whose birthday was a little over a week ago (AA) . It's a birthday I never forget and remember it every year for it falls close to Thanksgiving.  It's good for it also reminds us to be thankful of our dearest friends.  Every year we have a "celebration" that has become tradition for our cosy group of three close friends.  Yes, I remember meeting her first year of college.  It came out in one way or another with us helping each other out, going for our first dim sum together, spending time together and yes we 'clicked' right away.  You know when you get along with someone, like you know when you don't get along with someone.  We talked about everything. We talked about life, thoughts and everything that could be talked about. What I remember most is how she is always so happy, genuine, and so determined in everyth...

I love this myth. This is a myth that says one should not eat after a certain time if one wants to lose weight because food eaten later will turn into fat.  I think at a certain time during my chubby days I too tried this and guess what? I stayed chubby.  I still ate a lot and did not exercise and so yes, I remained chubby no matter what time I ate. Now the myth works for some people, because they end up eating less.  They tell themselves not to eat after a certain hour, and so mindless snacking is avoided.    Especially if you lived in an apartment like I did, the fridge was just convenient and easy access.  Watching TV, I could see the fridge and when you have nowhere to walk, (because the space is small)  you walk to the fridge.  You open the fridge and peek inside. A snack, a piece of cake, a chocolate catches your eyes and before you know it, it's in your stomach! Some say, however, that eating late...

Okay, I still have two myths remaining about food.  This ninth myth is one that apparently some people still believe in even though it has been proven to not be true.   It started, according to the article, in the 1960's and1970's when research showed elevated levels of aluminum in patients with Alzheimer's disease.  This scared many from using aluminum pots, pans and foil to store food. If you are thinking to yourself, like I am now, " Oh no, I use those products all the time to store my food!," I have good news for you.  Subsequent research has failed to find a substantive link between aluminum and Alzheimer's Disease.   Experts say that aluminum absorbed by the body is processed by the kidneys and urinated out.  So fear not! Aluminum will not sicken you. No one yet knows the real cause of Alzheimer's disease so I think it's best not to get worried by 'myths' or other mistaken beliefs.  I think if you spend your life worr...