Our Internet connection was down for the last two days.  The router decided to give way and it was frustrating to say the least.  I had to publish my articles on Viva Woman using connections elsewhere.  And I couldn’t put up my best friend’s Valentine’s Day Special Promo till now.  But thanks to my handyman, everything is back up again!

Anyway, if you’re into handmade bracelets or earrings made from semi-precious stones, you might want to check out my friend’s VDay promo here.  Prices from S$20 to $57 and shipping is free locally.  She ships internationally as well.  Just check out the descriptions under the pictures.

Happy Valentine’s everyone!

If I don’t tell you that these are abalone slices, you probably think they’re fishcake slices.  Well, because I actually think so myself. 

Abalones are not particularly good looking.  When sliced, they don’t look too impressive.  And of course once in the tummy, they’re reduced to pretty much nothing.  Yet, they’re much coveted and there’s always a competition on my side of the family to see who brings the most expensive can of abalone to the reunion dinner.  I suppose the sweetness and the chewy factor account for the difference to the pricing but beyond that, I can’t taste the quality of an abalone. 

To my brother however, the difference is remarkable.  He was slicing this can of branded abalones from Mexico and at the same time, handing them out to me and explaining that different parts of the abalone emit different levels of sweetness.  Frankly, I couldn’t tell because all the slices tasted the same to me.  But I tried to look like I do and just nodded my head to everything he said. 

Whatever.  Just keep them coming.  I cannot tell the difference for each slice only because I love them all the same!

I’ve actually been tied up nursing the boy since Day 1 of Chinese New Year.  That explains all my backdated posts.  It looks like he’s been hit by a bout of virus and he’s been running a fever for days.  He only managed to visit my in-laws and my mum on the first two days and has since, has been spending most of his time in bed. 

I really hope he gets better tomorrow, or he’ll have to miss school for another week again.  Luckily we don’t spent $9,600 on his pre-school fees or I’ll probably want to take his place sitting in class for him instead.  As it is, his school attendance in a year is about 70% and already his dad is complaining that he goes to school just to fall ill.

I am a tea drinker.  I must have a cup of tea every morning. I would not dare venture out without drinking my cup of tea, especially if I am driving.  And it is only black tea I will take in the morning.   A piping hot cup of English Breakfast or Earl Grey tea, depending on what is available at home.

It is more of a habit that I pick black tea to drink in the mornings but I have also learnt from this tea company that black tea are the most processed and therefore the most intense in flavor.   No wonder I find it great to wake up my senses in the early mornings.  But since it is the most processed of the various varieties of tea leaves, it also means that black tea does not contain as much antioxidants as the other.  While it does contain antioxidant substances called catechins, what I found in the course of writing for Viva Woman is that you need to drink black tea or for that matter, any flavour of tea without milk because adding milk will wipe out the protective effect that tea has on preventing heart disease.

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My brother just loves to prepare Yu Sheng during Chinese New Year.  Despite the feuding in the family, he’ll still make two of these on the first day just so that everyone can lo hei.  And even though I always miss out on the family gathering on the first day, I still get to eat the delicious Yu Sheng on the second day because he makes a special effort to whip it up for us.

This is why I no longer lament the fact that I don’t have a sister.  A brother like that is good enough for me.