MY KETO LIFESTYLE : LUNCH 120721

Cauliflower congee, century eggs, salted egg yolk, eggs, wakame, preserved veg, silken tofu, pork jerky, dory, sesame oil, chili, white pepper.

Coconut cream and coffee.

Mackerel pate on seaweed. Black sesame, basil seed and coconut cream drink.

MY KETO LIFESTYLE: OPERANDI JULY

I have decided to embark on a different sort of lifestyle this pandemic. Being alone, no work and pursing my art, I have been spending a great deal of time learning about nutrition and also experimenting foods with myself. It hasn't been an easy journey. 

I have a good friend Candice who has been my best cheerleader remotely from afar. I send her everything that I cook, everyday. The challenge is to cook most meals, if not all meals myself since I have time on my side. This is also the easiest way to understand nutrition, learn about it, know what is in my food, and spend my time in a quality way. The other challenge she gave me was to be active for at least an hour a day. This could be anything. She posted me this challenge because I was getting depressed and there were days I couldn't even get out of day. It occured to me that since I am documenting my meals everything, I should and may as well start to blog again.

This is my meal today. Broccoli soup with poached eggs. Cucumber and mackerel pate nori roll with Mayo and serundeng. (Serundeng is a savoury condiment made from desiccated coconut stir fried with spices. Yes, homemade.) Dessert was  coconut cream with fermented fruits, basil seeds and cacao nibs. I am trying a 20:4 fast for OPERANDI JULY. This has been the 6th day so far.

I should get back into the mode of blogging again.

BLOGGING AGAIN DURING THE PANDEMIC FOR SANITY?

I see that the last time I blogged was about 2 years ago. I have decided to start blogging again to perhaps give myself some focus at this time of pandemic semi-lockdown. Everywhere in the world is slowly easing up but travel is not permitted as yet. I am currently stuck in a place I don't usual live in and I am feeling extremely stuck and agitated as the days pass.

Things are moving too slowly and I do not find the kind of freedom I would like to have. I guess this new normal has nothing normal about it. I am apprehensive to think what is to come everyday. I am feeling the pits and it is even difficult to relate this to friends as they are all facing their own worlds of extremities. Even my daily walks are beginning to make less sense, my creativity has come to a halt and my positivity is diminishing every so often.

I hope writing the blog again can help me to find myself again and I hope whoever out there can read my rants and give me their strengths. 

HOW I KEEP MY SPRING ONIONS (OR ANYTHING WITH ROOTS) ONCE I RETURN FROM THE SUPERMARKET

THE BEGINNING OF MY MINIMALISM JOURNEY

I got around to the charity office yesterday to donate 2 bags of things I no longer have use for. It wasn't an easy process because I did put back about 3 things in the morning before I left the house. Nonetheless, it was the first step. The first bags are always the easiest and then it gets harder.

I managed to find a charity office that is smack in the fringe of town, not so out of the way like most of them. SCWO, Singapore's Council of Women Organisations sound fitting for me and so I went. They have a thrift store which opens during the week. There is also a design school next to them which makes it fitting. Design students are always looking for bargains and they do not mind old clothes, this place also serves as a stop for them to look for cheap materials to recycle. I feel good donating to such a place knowing that they will not simply throw things out for no reasons.

I am going to try to make this a weekly event. I will try to get rid of things during the week. I have already set up a box in the corner of the room where I will dump the things I think I do not need and then pack them towards the end of the week for a trip to the charity office. I will then make use of that trip to reward myself with a delicious lunch in town. Sounds extravagant but rewards are always good, and no one said minimalism means cheap.

I haven't so much as to re-organise my storage space. As many people said, decluttering is not about organising. Hence, I am waiting for a good time to rearrange my space with only the things that are useful to me. At the moment, I am merely picking things from everywhere. I am not developing a system of decluttering just yet because I feel it is a bit extreme for the beginning. I am sure a method will be developed and surface in due time.

I am trying to make it point to be ruthless and to make the trip worthwhile. I will fill up at least 2 bags in the beginning, making them full, making them as much as I can carry on the bus to the charity office. I made a trip on Thursday and I will be near the charity office on Saturday, which makes it worth another donation. I am excited and scared at the same time. I keep asking myself what if I miss some things, what if I am getting rid of things that I will need. I don't have the answers for those questions just yet. I am simply ridding what seems obvious for now.

I hope this journey will continue and I will not face any inertia. Joining the FB group on Minimalism is one of the best motivations.

HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR WARDROBE AND DONATE IN SINGAPORE

I finally found a charity to donate my clothes to. It has been a difficult journey trying to declutter and reduce. I have a lot of hand-me-downs which to be honest, I have never found any occasions to wear. My perspective of the lifestyle I want to live has also changed, so a lot of things do not suit me anymore. I have tried selling some more expensive items online on Carousell and Ebay but to no avail for a long time. I posted some questions on a Frugal Minimalist group and received some good answers which I shall post here together with some methods I am adopting.

DECIDING WHICH TO DONATE

• You have not worn it for years.
  Unless they are expensive, special-occasions-type outfits. Of course you'd still need fancy stuff which you do not wear everyday to special functions. If you have not worn them for years and years, you have perhaps grown out of love with them. One thing to consider is if you would want to wear them tomorrow.
• They do not fit you.
  Get rid of them if the fit is just not right. If they are too small, they have to go. If they are too big, would you alter them then? I have some pieces which simply do not fit my body type well, they are going.
• They are not trendy anymore.
  It happens to all of us. We hoard. They are somehow those bellbottoms which you will probably not wear, even if they would come back in fashion 10 years later.
• Uncomfortable clothes and awkward clothes.
  'Nuff said.
• It was an impulse buy.
  You probably thought you would look like a supermodel on the runaway. Unfortunately you look like a sore thumb instead. We all have those weird clownish pieces.
• Too much of the same thing.
  You don't need that many really. Have more clear space to clear your mind.

These clothes are going to:

Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations

SCWO Centre

96 Waterloo Street

Singapore 187967

E-mail scwo@scwo.org.sg

Phone 6837 0611

DECIDING WHICH TO RECYCLE

• The fibers and shapes have gave way.
  The pieces that are over-washed, over-worn, out-of shape.
• Unrepairable.
  That broken zipper or tear that you do not see any reason to repair because you don't feel for the pieces or they are too old.

These clothes are going to:

H&M In-store Recycling Booths

OVERCOMING MY INERTIA TO FRUGALITY AND MINIMALISM IN BABY STEPS

I think it is absolutely brave for people to unplug from materials and live minimally. I yearn for that, I want that. But... I am not that courageous. I live in a first world country where people are rich and snobbish that even charities are choosey with what they receive as donations. I have things that I don't need. Presents that I don't use, impulse buys, hand-me-downs...etc. It would be such a waste to "donate" them to the charities when in actual fact they would bin them because they are not exactly 'new'. I am faced with these dilemmas everyday. Where and how do I find new homes for things?

I am not brave enough to bin everything, nor do I feel that it is a responsible thing to do. So amidst all the random thoughts, I would pen them down to hopefully make sense of them.

• REGIFTING.
  This is sometimes difficult because not everyone will find your 'junk' useful or charming. I am slowly ridding my stuff by regifting but I am very selective in who I gift. I do not wait for birthdays nor special occasions. It could be a small gift to say 'hi' or 'thank you'. I usually find a gift that relates to a conversation topic or cause which the recipient will find related to. Sadly, this is going to be a bit slow, but I know I will not be buying new gifts with my will to minimalism.
• A LUNCHBOX A DAY.
  I vow to bring a lunchbox a day to work as much as I can. There are many reasons for this. I like to cook. I like to do something organic after work, so I cook my dinners and I make my lunchboxes. It saves a lot of money. I work in the central business district and lunch prices are high here. Healthier options are usually pricier. I bring my lunchbox with food that I know I like and that are of a healthy, balanced diet for myself. It cost a fraction of what my colleagues are spending. Many of them head out to get takeaways which cost the environment of packaging wastes. I also come to work later in the morning, work through lunch and leave on the dot. Win-win.
• WINE AT HOME.
  This is my guilty pleasure. I drink. But drinking in a bar is expensive. I only do that on social events to meet friends. Otherwise, I have a wine card that gives me discount on the bottles I purchase. I am also not fussy. Table wine is ok for me.
• TRAVELING WITH CLOTHES TO DONATE.
  I am engaged with contract work now. But I am sorting out clothes that I don't want anymore into a backpack. I usually do short trips to neighbouring developing countries where I will leave these clothes at. They definitely do not turn their noses up to such donations. I also return with a lighter backpack which I usually use to stock food products.
• LEAVING OLD BOOKS AROUND.
  Libraries will not take old books. At least not in the yellowish conditions that I have. Secondhand bookstores will buy each book for 10 or 20 cents and then sell them with shit loads of profit. I don't support that. I usually write a post-it note saying 'Free book. Pass it on.' and leave them on buses when no one is looking. The other way is to leave my books at backpacker's hostels. The frugals will find free books charming no matter how old the books are.
• STOP HOARDING.
  I would like to say I don't hoard but I do have a lot of nonsense lying around. Things that I would perhaps one day find uses for. I am precious with things that are not broken and that I could one day use, so that I do not need to go out and buy a new one. It is always Murphy's Law that I would throw something out to then need them very soon. I also like to hoard on cheaper toiletries or cosmetics when I go traveling. I would then find I have more than I could ever finish using. I have to stop being cheap and only buy when I am low on supplies.
• MULTI-PURPOSE.
  I used to have loads of beauty products. Serums and oils for my hair, all kinds of lotions for my face and body. It wasn't until I started backpacking that I realised some products are multi-purpose and are actually good for my hair and skin. Natural oils. Yes, coconut oil, jojoba, argan...etc. I am still trying to finish some lotions and products. But I love the idea of making my fragranced oil with essential oils like lavender and lemongrass. There is nothing more satisfying to see a nightstand with just one bottle sitting there. Loads of breathing space, no clutter.
• MINIMALIST COOKING AND EATING.
  I used to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. I would spend hours cooking and washing, and then get extremely exhausted I would laze for the rest of the day. That would be my typical weekend. That is no more. I am learning how to minimise my time in the kitchen, minimising the number of ingredients in each dish and the cost as well.
• CHANGING MY DIET.
  I am not strict nor do I adhere to any form of dieting. I eat whatever I want. But some things are expensive depending on where we are in the world. No doubt meats are expensive. I have reduce my intake of meat not only because it saves me money but it is also healthier being on a more plant-based diet. I will eat meats and I still have my cravings. Just some food for thought.

What are some of your tips and tricks to easing into frugality and minimalism?

WHAT I LEARNT DURING MY YEAR OF BACKPACKING

I started this year going back to the grind little by little. My backpacking days are rather distant with the freelance jobs coming in. I quit my job without plans and found myself facing a weak market with little opportunities. There was no better time to travel and so I packed my bag and went on a somewhat frugal journey around Southeast Asia. I haven't really sat down to ponder what I learnt through that one over years of backpacking, until someone asked me last night. I thought it will help me to consolidate my thought by writing them down.

• LEARNING TO BE FRUGAL.
  With the uncertainty of when the next pay check was coming in, I had to learn to be frugal. I had to downgrade a lot of the ways I was doing things. I slept in dorms as cheap options of accommodations. I was surprised to learn that there are many dorm beds with curtains so you really do get your privacy. Ok, somewhat. But you really only need a bed to rest when you are out and about discovering the places. This is also the best way to meet people. I use my savings to have a nice meal every now and then.
• DISCOVERING A PLETHORA OF FOOD AND CULTURES.
  I revisited morning markets, street vendors, alleys, everything. The cheap eats are wonderful though not always balanced. They are beautiful and gives you a way into the local daily grind.
• LEARNING HUMILITY.
  I have learnt to be more grateful with what I have. People in developing countries do not have much but they are much happier than us in first worlds. Materials are nothing. It is true that we are born into this world with nothing and we are leaving with nothing. Learn empathy and humility and you will be more in touch with everything around you.
• GOING BACK TO MY SENSES.
  It is important to do things with your hands. And I do not mean things on the computer. I mean making things, cooking, writing on paper...etc. I had been so ingrained in the digital footprint that going back to the basics and doing things that are organic makes me feel wholesome. I am not clicking on the button to get food delivery. I am understand the texture and tastes as it changes from prep to the different stages of cooking. I get better in doing organic things and I am less dependent on people and services. I am my own woman.
• MINIMALISM IS FREEDOM.
  Traveling with a backpack, soaps and not gels, sachets of shampoo and not bottles, a minimal wardrobe that you wash every few days. Being light is being free and mobile. Souvenirs mean nothing, experiences mean everything. 
• I DON'T NEED A LOT TO BE HAPPY.
  I still love to eat out sometimes but I am happy cooking and discovering new combinations and techniques. I used to need a lot. Things. Parties. Events. Extravagance. But now, give me some raw ingredients and a kitchen and I am in wonderland. As long as no one takes away my right to discover, to be curious, to imagine and to create, I am as happy as a clam.

If anything, I learnt how to be a better person and a happier person through my backpacking experiences. Living in basic accommodations, with little belonging, just new environments and cultures, foreign languages, body languages, nothing but smiles. I am bringing my new found practices back to my daily grind and I feel I am becoming more fulfilled with every lunchbox I bring to work, with every thing I give away or recycle that I don't need.

How has your life changed in the last few years?

You might also like 40 TIPS TO A MORE FRUGAL LIFE.

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS FOR 2018

I just realised I didn't write resolutions for 2017. And that is fair enough because one does not need to write resolutions only for the turn of the year. I have plans for the new year and I thought I should pen my thoughts down to be clearer for my new goals, to visualise them and to crystalise them.

I also managed to find old resolutions posted on Fidgety Fingers Project. It would be interesting to refer to them and see how I can compare them to the new ones.

I found this earlier:

OF COURSE WE DO NOT NEED TO WAIT TILL THIS TIME OF THE YEAR TO WRITE OUR RESOLUTION BUT THIS IS TO REMIND OURSELVES WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING ALREADY AND TO CONTINUE DOING IT STRONG. 1. TO DOWNGRADE AND DOWNSIZE. WE HAVE WAY TOO MANY THINGS, WAY TOO MANY NONSENSE. WE HAVE TO DOWNGRADE MORE AND REMEMBER THAT WE ARE INSPIRED BY THE TINY HOUSE MOVEMENT. 2. TO CONTINUE COOKING AND LEARN NEW WAYS TO MAKE DELICIOUS AND QUICK MEALS. TO CONTINUE TO BRING OUR LUNCHES. 3. TO MAKE EVERYTHING WORTHWHILE. EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE EFFICIENT. WE ONLY LIVE ONCE, WHY WASTE TIME ON THINGS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT WORTH IT. 4. TO BLOG AGAIN, AND MORE. WE HAVE NEGLECTED THIS PART OF OUR LIVES. 5. TO EXPAND OUR SOCIAL CIRCLE IN THE WAY THAT IT DOES NOT COMPROMISE NO.3. NOT EVERYONE DESERVE OUR TIME AND EFFORT. 6. TO NOT BUY THINGS THAT WE DO NOT NEED. THINGS ARE MATERIAL AND WE CANNOT BRING IT WITH US ANYWHERE. ALWAYS FOCUS ON BUYING EXPERIENCE. 7. EAT AND DRINK HEALTHIER. WE ARE ALREADY DOING WELL, WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT MORE. 8. TO UNPLUG OURSELVES FROM 'WORK', AND UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS LIFE BEYOND THAT AND THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT. 9. LIVE LIFE AND DO WHAT WE DEEM FIT. PEOPLE MIGHT TALK NOW, BUT THEY ONLY CARE BECAUSE OF POLITICS. A FEW WEEKS AND MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD, WHO CARES. 10. NEVER GIVE UP ON OURSELVES, BECAUSE, NO ONE ELSE WILL CARE MORE THAN WE DO.

#2016RESOLUTION

I don't think there is anything I would change. Everything is still work-in-progress. I guess the day I find myself writing them off my list would be the day I die. These are ways of life. My decluttering is working, although I had hoarded a bit of toiletries, perfumes, clothes and food ingredients from my travels. I need to finish them. Otherwise, my expenditure seems to have decreased and choices more focused. My investments have been more sound. My decision to quit my job to go on a hiatus has also made my lifestyle more streamline to my resolutions, there is a balance.

Anyway, here goes...

• To live more sustainably. I continue to refuse plastic bags when I can. I have stopped buying beauty products and I make my own. Not only I know what go into the concoctions, they are also environmentally friendly. 
• To cook sustainably. I cook most meals and bring lunchboxes to work, when I work. They save time and money and I know what goes into my consumption. However, cooking for oneself is troublesome somehow. I eat the same thing for days in a week. It is more often very boring. I have to learn to step back from the cooking ingredients too. Not like I am using 10 ingredients recipes, I improvise when I cook. However, there is still a way to incorporate sustainability and minimalism in this aspect.
• To understand minimalism. Ever since I started backpacking, I started to realise that I don't even use everything in my backpack. This is a good example of what my living space means. What do I really use? Of course I do not need to use some things everyday, but still it encourages some thought into what is taking space in my space. Oxygen is free, but I would rather more oxygen in my space than things.
• To consolidate. Time has never been more important to me than now. I am very conscious not to waste my time to the working machine. Bringing lunchboxes works. Focus works. Preparation in my mind during commute works. Organising errands and appointments back o back help to save time and money on commute. 
• To write more. I have neglected this blog and I need to start to write again. But I have realised that my interests have also changed and I need to focus and figure out what works for me now.
• To invest towards my retirement. No, I am not retired yet. This is a hiatus. It is time for me to breathe, to rejuvenate, to regain my fight, to focus on what is important. My expenditure has decreased due to my sustainable lifestyle. But I need to learn how to maximise my savings and the money I will be earning.
• To be more healthy and active. I don't like exercises, but I like to be active. I can walk for kilometres on end. So it is to find a balance in my daily activities that eliminates the exercise aspect. People go to gyms and they are inactive outside of it and would not even bother to walk a few blocks. I have my balance and I don't mind if people judge.

#2018RESOLUTIONS

60 DAYS OF ILLUSIONS : POEMS ON DISTANCE AND YEARNING

60 Days of Illusions: Poems on distance and yearning
by Suzene Ang
Kindle Edition
US$2.99
Buy it here for US
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Check your countries' Amazon for the ebook (Only available in some countries, use a VPN otherwise)

For 60 days I was consumed by images in my mind, such poetic images that directors in the likes of Michel Gondry and Jean Pierre Jeunet might translate into moving images. I remember the scene in Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, where Jim Carey was running away with Kate Winslet from the blackout, the symbolism of his memories of her being erased. And the scene in Jeunet's Amelie, where Audrey Tautou turned into water when she saw her love interest walked through the doors of the cafe.

Such powerful images, such powerful emotions that words are so inadequate that only symbolisms seem fit enough to convey them. I am no movie director, nor do I remotely get my wish granted to translate such poetic thoughts into moving images in my job. But in 60 days with my imagined characters, I penned down a poem every other day to play all these scenarios in the simplest of words, and the intensity of their symbolisms.

7 WAYS TO PLAN FOR YOUR EARLY RETIREMENT

It is true that nothing lasts forever. Not food, not our lives, sometimes as much as we wish relationships do, they don't. So in reality, the most trustworthy person you have in your life is yourself. You married yourself the moment you were born and you will always be that one person who will never let yourself down. So, you should be the best investment you ever take up. And it should always be that way. No other person should come between you and yourself, even the closest person to you should be second. Someone could leave you, your company could sack you.

And I have been thinking about retirement. No, I am not really that age to be actually thinking about it yet. But there is no harm preparing early. I work in a sunset industry. And with more and more technology advancement, clients lose focus and believe less and less in the essence of things. I see senior colleagues losing their stand and having less foothold in everything they do. So how can I not plan for early retirement? Planning for passive income is more important now than ever.

I quit my full time job slightly more than a year ago and have been without income, except for some small passive income from dividends from bonds. It is still not enough to have a comfortable lifestyle if I were to leave the industry completely. Nonetheless, there have been a few things I picked up in the last year of being in limbo that taught me valuable lessons to be more sustainable.

1. EVALUATE YOUR WAY OF REWARD
   I needed a lot of retail and culinary therapy. When work gets stressful, I buy junk. Not expensive stuff but cheap useless things. They pile up and collect dust, enough said. Culinary therapy was also something I indulged in. Fine dining, fine wines...etc. Not that these are completely unhealthy ways to deal with stress, but they are sometimes, if not many times unnecessary. I have learnt to curb my impulse to spend and buy stuff. The simplest way of understanding how retail therapy works is that owning something new makes you feel special and shiny all of a sudden. It is short lived nonetheless. If you can understand the fundamentals of your hormones and feelings, you can easily replace the process with something else. Putting on a facial mask or indulging in aromatherapy or lathering myself with prepared essentials oil are all very satisfying activities. By having this new habit of understanding, you can save loads and work towards a less stressed life ahead, sooner.
2. FURTHER EVALUATING YOUR LIFESTYLE
   If you often feel stress, then you would have to evaluate further. No matter where stress is coming from, you can always change something. For example: My work more often than not requires me to stay the extra hours or late night. Thus, I try to be as productive as I possible can at work. Nothing really happens until after 10am in the office. Everyone would be slowly getting to work and they would be checking their emails and taking their time to reply whilst sipping their overpriced coffee. So I go in at 10am and I bring my own lunchbox. I usually work through lunch hour thus clocking in an extra hour when everyone is out lunching. I leave at 6pm. And then I have my evening to myself unless activated. That extra hour adds a lot to what is an already condensed evening. Time is money. Money can buy convenience, but if you are trying to save, time starts to be a very important factor.
3. BE SYSTEMATIC IN YOUR THOUGHTS
   This needs training and I have realised a lot of people cannot do this. But this very important trait separates the movers and shakers. It is called multi-tasking. being able to see things that fit into the puzzle helps. Multi-tasking saves you time, and in time saves you money. It helps you to be more focus on what is important so you can get the little things done quickly and then full throttle towards your goals. Apart from the daily multi-tasking in the chores I have to do, I tend to have a list of to-do that I can easily achieve in front of the computer in short bursts of time. I could use that time at work to pay a bill online while waiting for a brief. I could research what to do with the bulk of potatoes at home...etc. If you can be systematic in your mind and work out a to-do list, you can easily find yourself free from a lot of piled up chores. This is good daily practice to be focus and efficient. Indulging in social media is pretty much what separates the movers and shakers.
4. DOWNSIZE AND SIMPLIFY
   Clothes and other junk. Whatever we have as clutter is true in that it is a reflection of what goes on in our minds. I have been trying to downsize but my progress is slower than expected. I will always find use for something else and in the end, it is still a big clutter. I have learnt that to simplify, one needs to be ruthless. If I have not worn something for 3 years, what are the odds of me wearing it ever? I live in a metropolis where people do not really go for secondhand clothes. They are even very choosy when it comes to vintage clothes. So instead of tossing the old clothes into the recycling bin, I usually travel with them and leave them in the less developed places. It saves me from the laundry, and I have a spacious bag to stock on food instead. I have also gotten into the habit of leaving the odd old book or old necklace on buses and trains for people to find second lives for them. Evaluating what you have to toss also helps you to have a good sense of the spendings in the past, and how much you can reuse or repurpose some things you already possess.
5. TALK TO FINANCIAL ADVISORS AND PROPERTY AGENTS
   These are the people who can advise what to do with your money to have good returns. You would be a fool to just leave your money sitting in the bank. Putting them in bonds to get dividends is a smart way to increase your assets and have a small passive income. Just evaluate your risk profile and understand the market enough to make a sensible move.
6. VISUALISE YOUR RETIREMENT
   No one really retires. Even if you were to retire, you would still need to work towards some form of passive income. So it is important to know what you want to do during your retirement. Visualising it helps to work towards it faster. If you are thinking of relocation in the future, it might be sensible to invest in property in that place.
7. SPEEDING IT UP OR DOING IT SLOWLY
   The world's economy is volatile and slow at the moment. It is a depressing time. But perhaps it is this time to start weighing options and seeing what might come up. Evaluate how much you are getting paid in the world's economy. Are you maximising your potential? Could you earn more if you were to move somewhere else to work? Are you paying too much tax in your home country? Are you investing in the right things? If moving somewhere else and earning more and paying less tax is an option for you, why not consider that and work towards an earlier retirement?

HOW TO DECORATE YOUR PANTRY WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY

I am currently visiting a friend who is sick. So I have volunteered my cooking service. I am not a professional but having someone to cook everything from fresh beats coming home after work to heat up a frozen meal. My friend's place is very basic. No colours, no decorations. But to spruce up the pantry and dining table a little does not need that much effort. You have all you need already in your pantry and refridgerator. 

Here are some ideas:

• Show off the colours. Bring out the colourful fruits and vegetables. Not everything needs to be kept away in the cabinet or refridgerator. The fresh colours not only pop but reminds us of the freshness we might otherwise be missing out on frozen meals. 
• Display your vegetables in jars and glasses. Unless you are in a very hot country, leaving your leafy vegetables out in glasses of water on the tabletop do not help to keep them fresh. This works especially well if they have roots. Think spring onions, celery and some salad leaves.
• Show off your jars of herbs and spices. The glorious colours of turmeric or the dark brown of cinnamon, the beautiful colours of white, black and red peppers...etc. All these add to our visual appetite. 

EASY HEALTHY COOKIE WITH ONLY 2 INGREDIENTS

I came across this recipe a while back and ran straight to the supermarket to buy bananas and oats. That is right. Just these 2 ingredients. I defeated the purpose of this recipe being the ultimate fruit waste recipe. The reason why I say that is because this recipe is only good with an overly ripe banana. An over-ripe banana, with its darkened skin, with its flesh almost stewing inside, caramelising its own jnatural sugar; that is what you need. This money saving recipe is not only healthy, it also saves you an extra ingredient that is sugar. 

I just happened to have an odd banana from my trip in the fridge. I have developed a bad habit of not eating many fruits now due to the sugars. Yes, people say it is a healthier sugar, it is fructose. However, it still digests into glucose. The lesser the better. 

But what would you do with that odd over-ripe banana in your pantry? Food waste is no no for us at Fidgety Fingers, so a healthy snack it is.

INGREDIENTS

• An over-ripe banana (Let's assume this mashes up to 1/2 cup)
• Rolled oats (I used 1/2 cup of it. The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup but I find that it leaves the banana mixture too wet. Apparently you can use instant oats too but I have rolled oats lying around.)
• Cinnamon (Just because a little spice is good for you. And tasty too)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven. 180C
2. Prepare cookie mixture. Mash banana and mix with oats. Add cinnamon powder or any other spice you might fancy.
3. Spoon mixture on greased tray. You may use grease paper too.
4. Bake for 12-15min. This depends on the size of your cookies. I made them small. So I baked them for 12 minutes.
5. OPTIONAL: flip and bake for longer. My cookies were a bit wet on the bottom. It was mashed banana after all. I flipped them and baked for another 8 minutes.

My measured ingredients made about 10 bite size cookies. Not bad for some leftovers and a quick bake. They are sweet enough and make a healthy snack which no additives and fussy ingredients. Just the way I like it.

ITINERARY AROUND SOUTHEAST ASIA TO AND FRO SINGAPORE

I met up with M for dinner the other day. We were lucky to be in the same city at the same time. So a vegan dinner it was :-(... We were talking about my travels thus far and M said he would like to extend his stay in Asia for a while more after his project. So I suggested this route for his. This should more or less mark up a logical travel plan without making too much of a detour. That being said, M is a very tall guy and traveling on some of those overnight sleeper buses could be very uncomfortable for him. I am 1.74m tall and those sleeper beds are more or less just nice for me, and M is a head taller than me.

The suggested Southeast Asia itinerary will not cover the whole of Southeast Asia but it does cover a good part of it. Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines can easily be done on the odd long weekend. Different places at different times no doubt.

I found this map and thought it is interesting to see where the borders are.

WHERE TO EXCHANGE MYANMAR KYAT TO SINGAPORE DOLLARS IN SINGAPORE

I was looking for places to exchange Myanmar Kyat (MMK) to Singapore Dollars (SGD). It is a rare currency to find and the place to change it is no other than Peninsula Plaza in Singapore City Hall. The nearer MRT station is City Hall. They have the best exchange rate for MMK in the whole of Singapore also because it is Little Burma.

There are only a handful of money changer in this building. I probably went to 4 or 5 to enquire the rates. I was lunching at Golden Mile also known as Little Thailand with my friends. There are many money changers there where you would find competitive rates for popular currencies like Thai Baht and Malaysian Ringgit. Malaysian Ringgit because Golden Mile is the takeoff point for many short and long haul buses to Malaysia.

Golden Mile has a couple of money changers who carry limited amount of MMK. Although their exchange rate is not usually great. As of 4th January 2017, their best offer was S$1 to 750Kyat.

Global Exchange on the 2nd level of Peninsula Plaza offered the best rate of S$1 to 860Kyat. 4th January 2017

Upon asking at Peninsula Plaza, the rate was significantly higher, they offered S$1 to 840Kyat, with Global Exchange on the second floor offering the best rate of S$1 to 860Kyat.

I think it is competitive and important to exchange Kyats before heading to Myanmar knowing the currency exchange situation there. They do not accept many notes nor currencies, especially soiled, crumpled or folded notes. Peninsula Plaza's changers also have more MMK to change if you are changing bigger amounts.

** UPDATE: Kyat is not a valued currency so exchanging it in Singapore gives you a rather unfavourable rate. I saw some good rates in Yangon's Chinatown.

ELECTRIC LUNCH BOX REVIEW AND TEST FOR TRAVELING COOKER

I bought one in grey. Pink is not my colour.

I bought this electric lunchbox, also a mini steamer, also a portable cooker a couple of years ago. I have probably only used it once. I know, I am useless. I have been doing so much big time cooking that I have neglected this electric lunchbox (as what it is marketed as). I am planning to do a whole lot of traveling so I am thinking when else to put this into good use than now. I better start practicing at home than when I am on the road. I am going to be traveling in Southeast Asia. Food is cheap but there are also some other destinations outside that are expensive. I am still contemplating Europe, but Japan is definitely on the list. Or Korea. I have heard that food is not really super cheap there.

It comes with a deep steaming dish, a shallow one which can sit on top of the deep dish. You can also use the egg tray to steam eggs to your liking. There is a lid if you need to store food. Cord of course. Booklet does not say much.

I just cannot find any good enough reviews to tell me how it works.



Anyway, I am making soup today. It really doesn't matter what kind of soup I am making. I just want to try to see if I can actually make a soup that takes 30-60 minutes on the stove to make. Just out of interest, I am listing the ingredients here. I am using a gourd that needs time to soften.

This is what it looks like with the shallow steaming dish on top of the deep dish. This example shows you rice being cooked in the deep dish and a meat dish being steamed on top.

INGREDIENTS : 

• 1 Chayote. I have never cooked with this although I have had it before. The Chinese supermarket calls it 'sweet gourd'.
• 1 Red onion
• 2 Big cloves of garlic
• Goji berries
• 1 Pork stock cube
• Dash of sesame oil
• Dash of white pepper
• Dash of ginger powder

It is a bit too much ingredients but I am not on the road now. This is good for an experiment. I will need to limit the ingredients if I want to use this cooker for real on my travels.

OBSERVATIONS :

• The power goes on and off. I don't remember this but the last time I used it was too long ago. I suppose it is trying to regulate the temperature. It does turn itself off when the water is all steamed up in the steaming tray, not in your food.
• I want the soup to be cooked for a long time. So it doesn't matter how much water I put in the steaming tray. I will probably see what time it stops and then top up some more water. But I guess you really need to figure out the quantity for cooking eggs and rice. There has to be a guide somewhere. I don't think I have it.
• I filled the water to about 1 cm below the brim of the steam tray. It went for 3 hours. WOW! That can cook a good herbal soup or slow braise. How is this possible for a little thing like this?
• It is important to use drinking water to steam your food. Your food gets a little wetter, more gravy if you may, because not all the steam escapes. If you want your food to be 'dry', you should better cover it or use a microwave grade cling wrap over the steaming dish.
• I would cover a dish of rice with some foil or cling film to cook. The water does not get out easily so it does make your rice wetter than if with a rice cooker. Cooking rice takes about 20-25 minutes depending on how 'wet' you like your rice to be.

WHAT I LIKE : 

• Size. It is about 15cmsq. Pretty small but it still takes up space in a backpack. But I guess if it means eating well and saving money, it is worth it. I think the volume makes a good size dish for one or two small eaters, depending what you are cooking.
• It comes with egg tray and secondary steamer tray, and a lid in case you have leftovers. The secondary steamer dish allows you to cook some meats or rice on top of what you are making in the deep dish. It makes a wholesome meal.
• Portability. Come on, need I say more. I bought a mini rice cooker thinking I would make use of that. But that is more difficult to use and control. I have tried it and the heat shut down when it is rice timing cooked, then it goes to keep warm. What if I want to continue cooking? It is kind of impossible.
• Versatility. You don't need to use the insides that come with it. It is a steamer. Just use any other ceramics or stainless steels that can withstand the heat. I am thinking some of those 'Lock and Lock' containers since they are so good being airtight. Perhaps I should not be cooking with plastic. I am sure it is ok for quick steaming. But another plus is this. Even if the original insides are worn out, you can use other replacements. You certainly cannot do it with the mini rice cooker.
• It takes so little water to steam cook. Of course, it still needs electricity.
• Long cooking time. So far it is 3 hours with the amount of water I put in. See above. I stopped at 3 hours ok. I needed my dinner. I am sure it would go for another hour.
• I am so impressed by the time of steaming. I mean one deep dish is a lot of everything be it potatoes, meat, beans and what not. So, this is cheap cuts for an awesome dish in this little thing.
• One pot meal, pretty good. It makes you really think about what to put in.

WHAT I DISLIKE : 

• Steaming only. I guess it is ok. Healthy, why not? Not like a portable rice cooker can do better. I can cook rice, steam anything, heat up anything. A rice cooker is not so versatile.
• It is smaller than a mini rice cooker.
• You need to experiment and figure out cooking times and water volume.
• You cannot see the food cooking. Hence, there is always this need to keep opening it. But I do not think you can really over steam food. You would be hungry smelling your cuisine.
• Nothing more. I am struggling to find something to say.

INGREDIENTS GOOD FOR PORTABLE TRAVEL COOKING : 

• Dry mains. Rice, oats, quinoa. I thought of pasta but it is rather bulky.
• Dried beans. Just remember to soak some of the variants before cooking, preferably overnight.
• Stock cubes. Flavours any rice or soups. Life savours.
• Dried seafood like shrimps. They really add to the taste if you don't have anything. Good source of protein too.
• Japanese rice toppings. This is all dehydrated and they taste so good. Buy them from a Daiso if you have it in your city, they are cheap and cheerful.
• Dried veg for soups and savoury porridge
• Salt for sure
• Pepper and some other condiments.
• ***This is gold. I tried cooking with Chinese waxed/cured sausages and they are great. They contain fats so you don't need oil, salt so you need little, umami so you don't need stock cubes or meat, wine, and sesame oil. That is awesome with rice or oats porridge or soup.
• I think a lot of other things can be bought when you are in the country itself. It should be easy to buy fresh produce and sauces.

PRODUCT SPECS : 

1. Capacity: 1.2L
2. Liner Material: Stainless Steel
3. Power: 200W
4. Function: cook rice, porridge, noodle, soup and so on
5. High quality nontoxic plastic shell
6. Small and exquisite design
7. No-stick inner pot, easy for clean
8. The inner pot and shell is integral
9. Products size : 150 mm * 160 mm * 148mm 

I ate a lot of the soup. Forgot to take pix but here it is.

Soaking some speckled butter beans (from Cameron Highlands) since there is a cover. Saves washing and re-soaking and cooking in.

The butter beans took forever to cook. I like them real soft. I did soak them over night too. So, I guess big beans are a bad idea. Perhaps mung beans or similar size beans are better for steaming.

BREW CHEAP ALCOHOL AT HOME : GINGER TEA WINE

I sterilised the bottle with a bit of bleach diluted in water. Rinse with water again after.

I tried making Chinese rice wine last night. This is my progress on making Chinese rice wine. I thought I try brewing another wine today since it is a long wait. I mean it is about a week of wait before I can drink or bottle them. So I used Chinese wine yeast last night which is the legit yeast to use brewing wine. I have read blogs using baker's yeast too. Baker's yeast is active dry yeast or instant yeast. I have loads of instant yeast so it cost nothing. The difference between brewer's and baker's yeast is a difference in taste and also brewer's yeast can yield a higher alcoholic content.

The Standard Ingredients

• 1.5 litre bottle. I filled it up to about 1litre.
• Funnel
• 1 cup of sugar. I used white.
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• Plastic bag
• Rubber band

The Flavouring

• Ginger powder or any types of flavouring. I just used what I have in the kitchen.
• Brewed black tea

WHAT KIND OF SUGAR TO USE? ISN'T WHITE SUGAR BAD?

This is from PennilessParenting: I used white sugar for this because none of it gets left behind afterwards- the yeast eats it all and turns it into alcohol, so I don't bother using more expensive better quality sugars.

WHAT KIND OF YEAST TO USE? A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID TO USE BREWER'S YEAST BUT IT IS EXPENSIVE.

This is from PennilessParenting: If you've noticed, for the yeast, I use just regular baking yeast, instead of champagne yeast (typically used for wine making) or beer yeast. A friend asked what the difference is when it comes to wine making, etc... Essentially the difference is that baking yeast is less alcohol tolerant- when making your alcohol, if you use baking yeast, you'll only be able to achieve an 8% alcohol level tops- any more than that and the yeast will die, whereas wine yeast can survive and keep on fermenting until it reaches about 14% alcohol.

WHEN DO I STOP THE FERMENTATION?

This is from PennilessParenting: Cover the bottle with a bit of plastic- either from plastic wrap or a plastic bag- and secure it onto the bottle with a rubber band. You don't want it to be too tight; you just want to make sure the plastic doesn't fall off.

Place this bottle in a moderately warm place for two weeks. After 2 weeks, taste test to see if it tastes alcoholic. If it doesn't taste alcoholic enough but isn't sweet, add some more sugar and let it ferment some more. (The yeast eats the sugar and makes alcohol, so in order to make it more alcoholic you need more sugar.)

If it is alcoholic enough, pour yourself a glass and enjoy your home brew.

I funnelled the cup of sugar into the bottle and added about 3 tsp of ginger powder.

The black tea was lukewarm. It was just nice the dissolve the sugar and activate the instant yeast.

The bottle needs to breath since there will be a lot of carbon dioxide from the yeast eating the sugar. The easiest airlock is to secure a plastic bag with a rubber band over the mouth of the bottle. I poked a few holes with a needle in case it needed more space.

I took this photo with flash to show the action within the bottle. It is full of bubbling action.

Foaming on top means the fermentation is happening and the yeast is happy.

It got really foamy within the first hour but the foam disappeared. There is still a lot of bubbling though.

I noticed that there are loads of discussion about water and the quality of it. I am based in Singapore where tap water is drinkable. Even so, there is chlorine and fluoride in it. The best practice is to boil the water and cool it down before using it. There is no need to purchase bottled water.

KEDAI TUAK AWAM : JOHOR BAHRU HOMEMADE TODDY

The Johor Bahru Toddy shop since 1920.

I read about this toddy shop in Johor Bahru from other bloggers. It is about 10 minutes walk from CIQ checkpoint at Johor. This makes this an affordable experience. This toddy is made from coconut juice and it is fermented. It has a slight alcohol kick to it from the natural yeast feeding on the natural sugars. If you are looking for a souvenir to bring back to Singapore from your day trip, you can get a 1.5 litre bottle to go for RM12.

Wikipedia: Palm wine is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms.[1][2] It is known by various names in different regions and is common in various parts of Asia, Africa the Caribbean and South America.

This is the entrance of the toddy shop. There is no way you would have guess they sell anything here. It looks so derelict. If it wasn't for other bloggers who have wrote about this, I don't think I would dared to venture in. Yes, I am a chicken.

My normal mug of toddy served at room temperature. RM3

Toddy tastes like barley actually. It is rather yeasty and a bit sourish. It is also sweet. I asked the man who was selling it what sort of yeast he used but he said everything is natural.

It is a sleepy place. So derelict and actually very quaint. There was only 3 people in there including the man who sells it.

So sleepy that someone picked this place for a nap, with newspaper covering his half drunk toddy.

I like this place. Although it is not flashy, I don't mind hanging out with a friend here and chat the afternoon away.

A typical old school Indian setup. It wasn't busy so the man served me my mug of toddy at my table. I was carrying loads of things so I thought he did it out of goodwill.

This is a closeup of the prices. I asked the man which a toddy mix is. It made mixing the old toddy with the new toddy, giving it more of a alcoholic kick. I bought 2 1.5litre bottles of the toddy mix back home.

He recommended putting the bottles in the fridge for maximum a week. It will have more of a kick. But do remember to give it a little mix. He didn't speak a lot of English, so our conservation was limited. I suppose from all the I have learnt about fermentation so far, putting the bottles in the fridge slows down the fermentation process. By doing so, you can keep the toddy for longer. If not, it will probably turn into vinegar in room temperature for that amount of time.

Their fame and reviews.

Prepping my bottles of toddy to bring back to Singapore.

Enjoying my mug of toddy with my podcast.

I was inspired by the simple setup of this toddy shop. Making your own fermented drink must be really easy. I have read about people making their own rice wine and fruit enzymes, so I must be able to make it myself too. Time to experiment.

Click here to read about my first stab at making Chinese rice wine at home.

MAKING RICE WINE FOR THE FIRST TIME

The jars of rice wine mixture after 12 hours. I have got to be patient.

I went to Johor Bahru a few days ago simply for an afternoon walk. I read that there is a shop that sells toddy. I have never had toddy before. Wikipedia: Palm wine is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, date palms, and coconut palms.[1][2] It is known by various names in different regions and is common in various parts of Asia, Africa the Caribbean and South America.

This is toddy, palm wine.

You can read about my experience at the toddy shop in Johor here. Toddy tastes like barley actually. It is rather yeasty and a bit sourish. It is also sweet. I asked the man who was selling it what sort of yeast he used but he said everything is natural. And with that, my mind started running with the possibilities of making alcohol myself. I have tried rice wine in Vietnam but I never question the difficulties of making it. Their rice wine is clear so I assumed there is a step of distillation which is difficult for me to fathom. There are simply too many equipments? I am not sure. But I can be sure that Chinese rice wine is simple enough to make at home since so many mothers make it. It is after all an ancient craft.

I spent a good few days researching on homemade rice wine. There are simply too many different recipes out there. I managed to find the most difficult ingredient which is the rice yeast, also known as rice balls, yeast balls, Chinese wine yeast, 'jiu bing' (literally wine cake), or some people also call it koji (Japanese name). The frustrating part is that the sellers couldn't tell me how to use them. Well, thank goodness for the internet then. Even so, I had to disintegrate all the information and figure it out for myself.

These are what I used:

• Glass jar with an opening big enough for inserting rice.
• Rice. I have read that you can use any type of rice. The most preferred is glutinous, sweet or Japanese. I have read that you can use jasmine rice too, only that the taste will be inferior. I used Japanese as this is what I have.
• Wine yeast. You can buy these at Traditional Chinese Medical Halls. They call it 'jiu bing' (literally wine cake).
• Rice cooker. This is definitely easier than steaming it.

This is the measurement I figured after reading off the internet:

• 2.5 cups of rice
• Water according to the rice cooker
• 1 ball of wine yeast

I have a couple of these glass jars at home so I thought I should put them to good use. I was sterilising the jars with boiling hot water.

Directions:

• Sterilise your jars but washing them and then pouring hot water over them. They need to be dried thoroughly. I just leave them to dry somewhere. I didn't wipe them down.
• Wash the rice about 3 times or until the water is more or less clear.

A lot of people say to soak the rice but I didn't bother. I assume that is only for steaming. We never soak our rice before cooking anyway.

Cook and relax. It will take about 25minutes or so. I turned it off once it went to keep warm. 

I loosened the rice and left it in the pot to cool. I had time to spare. Some people spread it out on tray but I wanted to save on washing.

This is the wine yeast. It comes in a bag of 2. My jars are not so big and I didn't want to waste too much rice and wine yeast for my first try so I just used one.

• I crushed one ball with my hands and mixed the yeast into the cooled rice with my hands. I probably won't do that in the future. The rice was so sticky it got difficult to mix and handle. I have read that it is possible to dissolve the yeast in water (not hot as you will kill the yeast) and pour into the cooled rice. That should be better so I couldn't crush the whole ball into powder. There are big pieces. I am not sure if that matters at all. I have seen someone do that on Youtube.

My 2 jars and the wine yeast.

I divided the rice into the 2 jars as one is too small. I covered the jar with kitchen napkins and rubber band. I have read that I shouldn't seal it airtight as the fermentation will release carbon dioxide.

• Now we wait. 
• Some people need to place this in a warm place but I live in the tropics and room temperature is just about right for fermenting rice.

This is closeup of the rice mixture with wine yeast. You can see the bigger pieces.

I will be posting my progress. It is early days and half a day didn't do much to it. Going to try to make some ginger wine this afternoon. Let see how that pans out. Check out my ginger wine progress here.

Almost 20 hours, there is more condensation on the jar. It also feels warm.

2.5 days.

Taken at night hence the warm lighting. 3.5 days.