Restarting The Lemonade Diet

Have tried this diet previously before the BIG DAY and it was quite effective.

Was able to achieve a smaller waist line and felt more alert/energetic as a result.

As quoted in Stanley Burrough's book (inventor of the Lemonade Diet), the following ingredients are required: 

2 (tbs). of lemon or lime

2 (tbs). of genuine maple syrup

1/10 tsp cayenne pepper

10 oz. water (hot or cold as preferred)

More information can be found here.

Have lost the previous recipe copied off the net but basically the version I used was a diluted one in the sense that I added water to the mixture whenever I felt that it was too concentrated. My rationale was that since water is allowed to be consumed together with this mixture, it did not seem to matter how much water I have added to it.

Have been feeling sluggish/lazy/irritable using the past few weeks (must be from the numerous fast food deliveries and countless scrumptious roti prata from the 24 hours prata shop downstairs at Ang Mo Kio St 52)  and decided it is time to restart this diet.

Pure Maple Syrup, Cayenne Pepper, Lemons in NTUC style

Have bought the above items yesterday and will be starting the diet this afternoon. As per my previous attempt, I will cut out fried stuff from my diet during this period but I will be having my meals as per normal and will not be surviving solely on this diet. No doubt this will result in much slower results but I am happy with the results so far. 

One thing to note is that you will be needing the toilet quite frequently especially at the start of this diet so it is advised to start during a weekend.

Hope that I will be back to the energetic me soon with less headaches/body aches etc.

Tokebi Hand Blender - Review

There are actually quite a number of blenders available in the market, ranging from S$40+ to S$200+. 

Source: courts.com.sg

Being a noob cook, I was looking for a mid-range hand held blender cum mixer for my cooking experiments. Did research for months before deciding on Tokebi  Hand Blender listed on Qoo 10. Item was sent out from Korea and shipping took around one week. Total cost including shipping is less than S$100.

Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500

What I like about Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500:
1. The pretty detailing on the product (very important as I will be slaving away in the kitchen!)
2. Blender felt sturdy
3. Item came with a variety of accessories including a stand which is very useful
4. Only 1 button to select for operation (dummy proof especially for 1st time user like me)
5. Small selection of recipes (in English) available for download (recipe provided in package is all in Korean)
6. High number of revolutions per minute (22,000 - 24,000) compared to other brands
7. Low power consumption (170 W) compared to other brands
8. Blender can also act as a mixer (looking forward to my 1st baking experiment)!


What is not so great about Tokebi Hand Blender V-5500:
1. Blender feels quite heavy after awhile (How ironic, I know...)
2. 2 pin plug converter is required
3. Recipe book provided in package is in Korean =<

To be continued (with my various cooking experiments).... 

Updated: It seems like the above Korean hand blender is no longer being sold on Qoo10. Another item with similar functions can be found on Qoo10 as well. So far, reviews seem to be quite positive and much cheaper than my Tokebi which is still functioning well 1.5 years from the purchase.

Melamine Sponge - Review

This product is a godsend ever since we shifted in to Park Central.

I have been using it to clean the white kitchen tabletop, kitchen stove, kitchen sink, toilet basins, shower screens etc.

I like how effortless it makes cleaning become.

Soak it in water and use it to clean any stains or dirt.

Daiso melamine sponge

Accordingly to the packaging, it is suitable to be used on the following surfaces: glass, ceramic, tiles, uncoated mirror, stainless steel and non-glossy plastics. And it is not suitable for usage on the following surfaces: resin type products, coated mirror, printed surfaces, car exteriors, wood, uneven surfaces, absorbent surfaces, lacquer ware and glossy plastics.

Before and After using melamine sponge

It is rather effective in removing brownish stains/pencil stains/pen stains from the ceiling. All that remains are the holes that can only be 'repaired' by patching up using wall putty.

You might want to give it a try to remove stains. 

I would highly recommend getting this product from Daiso ($2 only) instead of neighbourhood stores ($3.90 at slightly bigger size).

Korean drama - 紳士的品格 A Gentleman's Dignity

This drama was aired a few months back on Channel U and it was our must watch drama every night (was rather surprised that HE likes the show, even much more than I do). We were rather happy at this good 'find' as there don't seem to be much TV programmes worth watching these days =<

It has been months since we last switched on our mio TV which is a super waste of money and we are just counting down to the end of the contractual period to terminate this plan.

Source: http://www.koreandrama.org/

This drama evolves around the daily life (work life / daily life etc) of these 4 friends and is rather entertaining. I like the humorous aspect of this drama serial which is a nice ending to my stressful daily life.

The 4 male characters complement each other perfectly and kind of reminded me of F4 (Taiwanese boy band which acted in Meteor Garden previously).

My favourite song from this drama - Illa Illa (with my favourite couple).

Highly recommended Korean drama for everyone's entertainment!

Items from Daiso - Highly recommended! *Part I*

These are some of the items that I would recommend from Daiso. Starting from the top row (left to right): magnetic plastic hooks, plastic kitchen organiser, kitchen tongs, glass container, soup ladle, silicone gloves, magnetic kitchen towel holder, Japanese soya sauce, salt and pepper mill/grinder, grain vinegar, melamine sponge, dry disposable floor wipe, wet disposable floor wipe, oxygen-based toilet bowl cleaner and washing machine drum cleaner.

Recommended items from Daiso

First item on the list is these magnetic plastic hooks (3 for S$2). I find them very useful in hanging up items (ladle/rubber bands/food cover etc) on magnetic surfaces ,eg: side of the fridge/washing machine.

Daiso magnetic plastic hooks 

 Second item on the list is this plastic 2-tier kitchen organiser. The top section is used to store the taller bottles of soya sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, Chinese cooking wine etc. While the base section is used to store random items like salt/pepper, garlic, onions etc. The size is just right for the limited counter top space and I like how the white colour complements the kitchen space which is also mostly in white. The entire setup is rather stable and is able to withstand the heavy load I have piled on it.

Daiso kitchen organiser

 The next few items are kitchen tongs, glass container, soup ladle and silicone gloves. I like the size of the kitchen tongs which is slightly shorter than the normal version and can be easily stored in the kitchen drawers.  The glass container is used to store salt and the air tight feature is rather useful. The various shades of blue is also comforting to look at. Have thought of getting the pink version as well but did not seem to find it at various Daiso outlets. As for the soup ladle, I bought it mainly due to the pretty shade of baby blue on the soup handle. The measurement markings on the soup ladle is also rather useful in my cooking experiments. The silicone gloves is another handy tool in the kitchen with my accident-prone tendencies. I like how well it protects my thumbs and forefingers from any hot elements. I also don't have to worry about dirtying the silicone gloves when handling the various food items due to its waterproof nature.

Daiso recommended items for kitchen use

To be continued....