K.O.!!! @_@

Dizziness started around Wednesday afternoon when I brought Faith out to give Daddy some peace to finish his work. I thought it was just the humidity...but that progressed to tension headache and I didn't imagine it would become one of the worst migraine relapse I'd ever had. @_@

Only started eating and drinking slowly in small quantity this morning. Couldn't even keep plain warm water in my stomach for the last 2 days! If I'd just prop my head up slightly with a pillow, I'd have to rush to the toilet and puke my guts out~! Yeeeeeucks~! *Shudder*

Everytime I felt Joy turning round and round inside me, I felt so bad for not being able to keep any food and drink down, and having to swallow so much acugesic to at least allow me to move my head and body a bit. :<

Thank God it's over. :)

Thank God for Andrew, for being a patient and caring husband and father while I was totally out. He cooked, played with Faith, fed and showered her, tucked her to bed with him at night, and tolerated her tantrums when she was tired and didn't know where to turn to when mommy and nen-nen was not available. ;p

Thank God for Faith. Despite crying more often when she was tired or feeling insecure as she probably sensed my absence and Daddy's tiredness, she plays on her own most of the time. When I was puking my gut out, she stood next to me by the toilet bowl and asked me, 'Pain? Pain?' and 'Pat? Pat?' So sweet... :) She's really my little rainbow from God. I hope she'll be less lonely when Joy comes along to be her playmate. Thank God for the two little rainbows... :)

Oh yes~ Must also thank God for Traditional Chinese Medicine -- natural remedies that come from Him. :) One of my wishes is to be able to study TCM one day and be a healer to do more of His work. Yes, me and my many wishes...those I have achieved and those I'm still looking forward to. :)

Quick Fish Soup + Chinese Spinach with Conpoy & Kei Chee

Dinner tonight was onion omelette, Chinese spinach with dried scallops and kei chee, and a quick fish soup that I tried for the first time -- a yummy nutritious time-saver when I'm caught with not enough time for double-boil or slow cook options. The latter two are from Ng Siong Mui's "Secrets of Nutritional Chinese Cooking" -- soup modified cuz I couldn't get luffa today. :p Too bad we were too hungry to take photos before dinner started. ;q'

Anyway, to share with busy parents and singles out there -- here's what I did:

Quick Fish Soup

Ingredients

200g Toman Fish, sliced
100g Lean Pork, sliced
1 Carrot, peeled and sliced
1/2 can Big Button Mushrooms, sliced
2 slices Old Ginger
900ml Hot Water
1/2 tbsp Oil
Salt, to taste

Marinade

Fish: 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Oil
A dash of Ground White Pepper

Pork: 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Oil
A dash of Ground White Pepper

Method

1) Heat oil in a saucepan and stir-fry ginger until fragrant.

2) Add in carrot and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 min.

3) Add in sliced pork and stir-fry till cooked.

4) Add in the hot water and bring mixture to boil. Lower flame and simmer for 3-5 min.

5) Add in sliced fish and bring mixture to boil again.

6) Add salt to taste.

*Note: I usually use hot water in order to shorten cooking time. :)



Chinese Spinach with Conpoy & Kei Chee

Ingredients

500g Chinese Spinach
30g Kei Chee
50g Dried scallops (Conpoy)
4 slices Old Ginger
1 clove Garlic, skinned and smashed
1/2 tbsp Oil

Seasoning

Chinese Spinach: 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp Sugar

Kei Chee and Dried Scallops: 1 tsp Cornflour mixed with 2 tsp Water and 1/2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce

Method

1) Soak dried scallops in 300ml of hot water for 1 hour. Soak kei chee in hot water separately for 1 hour too.

2) Heat oil in a wok. Stir-fry garlic and ginger until fragrant.

3) Add in Chinese spinach and stir-fry a bit.

4) Add in seasoning for Chinese spinach. Continue to stir-fry and mixed well with spinach.

5) Ladel spinach onto serving plate when cooked. Proceed to cook kei chee and dried scallop separately.

6) Drain kei chee and add to dried scallop in the 300ml of hot water which dried scallop was soaked in. Bring mixture to boil. Turn flame down to low flame and simmer for 10 min.

7) Stir in corn starch mixture. Turn off flame and ladel mixture onto Chinese spinach. Serve immediately.

Thank God for Gifts of Labour

I ask God if He regretted giving me a family, and the man He gave me to marry. I've put my whole self -- heart, body and soul -- to building and managing the home; being a friend and supportive spouse to my husband as best I could; ensuring Faith feels loved and learns to love, grows feeling secure, confident, have high self-esteem and develop a passion in learning. I've stopped being active in the music ministry I love so much and was once so involved. I've stopped writing journals to God every night. I've stopped praying the rosary everyday, even though I try to call to mind The Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary and Glory Be before I drift off to sleep. How I miss those nights of intimate conversations with God and retreats away from the worldly during quiet times...

Then it came to me...

Without my husband, I would not have learnt the new dimension of humility, tolerance and forgiveness by getting to know and learning to live with his spiritual family from the protestant church. Through our marriage, I have acquired a new spiritual family of a different denomination whom I've grown to love and be attached. I learnt how they love our one God and Saviour as deeply as I do, even though we might express our love differently as we worship and reach out to those in need in individual ways.

Without this deep love for my family and daughter, I would not have been led to the new areas of ministry where I reached parents, children and youth in need of His wisdom and knowledge of His love. He made me a privileged witness to His wisdom and wonders of His work.

I was humbled through the experiences in breastfeeding, birth and toilet training my daughter, and preparing for the birth of my next child, how simple obedience to the wonders He designed for us could save us from so much pain, struggles and suffering...if only we would choose not to set conditions and excuses for convenience out of our own selfishness -- to get more rest, more time and freedom to ourselves. Now I'm beginning to witness in awe again, how He faithfully fulfills His promises to those who labours for love...not just me, but many others I've met who do the same.

Thank You...for always reminding me of Yours gifts and how much You love us. Thank You...for always showing me Your mercy and generosity. Thank You...for always pulling me back with Your encouraging hug, whenever I'm deceived by lies of guilt and begin to stray away from You. Thank You...