Choose Health and Fun

Happy Merdeka Day! I slept early last night due to sore throat and a heavy head. Before that minum soluble Vit C and take some honey. Alhamdulillah felt better in the morning. It was a really smoggy looking morning. Not good for my lungs tapi dah janji nak join our cycling group potluck. So we see how thing goes. Alhamdulillah cycling went well with a few TnT. I took prednisolone before cycling though.

Cycling has taken a different turn in my life. Dari santai ride for fun and health, felt like I wanted to do more than that. Though there were times when even I questioned my objective of cycling. That happens masa kena tinggal kat belakang lah hahaha... or naik bukit yang seperti tiada penghujungnya. Hubby has taken up cycling as well. My foldie is no match for his road bike. Then decided to buy a hybrid bicycle pulak dengan harapan tak kena tinggal dengan hubby. Hmmm... it's not the tire size of the bicycle. It's the siput cyclist. Hubby naik my foldie pun can outrun me. But... my average kmph has increased since I used hybrid bike. So that's a consolation. I have the most supportive cycling friends as well. They shared success stories of losing pounds, how much faster some were cycling now even dulu siput jugak sampai nak muntah2 masa cycle pun ada. So those stories were my inspiration. Not to mention their motto no one got left behind.

I wanted to join long distance cycling. Tapi nak fun ride lah... don't want gruelling pace. Hopefully hajat tercapai one of these days. The benefit of cycling... doing rides and joining events is fun and we got to look at things differently. For example kalau dengar orang cycling to Morib or PD feels great tapi kalau naik kereta pergi Morib or PD, tak hairan pun. Sesuai sangat dengan keadaan foreign exchange yang teruk sangat sekarang ni. Don't feel like traveling overseas in current situation. So we shall cycle to have fun and be healthy.

RIP Dear Microwave

(Aug 2008 - Aug 2015)

Last week my microwave suddenly went quiet while I was halfway defrosting chicken. Tekan2 nothing happened. Alihkan tempat so I can easily access the plug and cables... tekan2 still nothing happened 😭 Few times cuba2 juga kut2 it miraculously works again but fat chance.

Semalam tengok2 di Jusco kut2 ada microwave yang menarik. Takder yang menarik hati pun. Itu lah microwave hadiah kawin from my ex-colleagues dan dah sangat2 banyak berjasa. Now I felt lost masa nak heat up food. X dapat nak buat crunchy garlic or anchovies lagi.  Hubby kata try betulkan kut2 boleh ok.

The thing is... nak kena angkut dalam kereta, cari kedai letrik yang ada electrician nak buat. Takut kang penat2 bawak dia suh beli baru jer. But then bila tengok2 semalam takder yang menambat hati, rasa macam nak try betulkan jugak. Together with my oven yang kick out power bila guna.

Nothing fancy. Very simple and basic but gets the job done. Hopefully ada kedai yang boleh betulkan.

First Cycling Event

Alhamdulillah... a milestone for me today. My first ever cycling event completed without any problem except for painful butt :p The event was about 28km and I also cycled to and fro the event from where I park my car which was quite a distance. So I guess all in all I did 30km today. A record distance for me too. Ada berangan nak buat 80km but nak habiskan yang 30km ni pun terasa macam ultraman masa bateri dah nak habis. I'm happy though for the 1st 16km I cycled non-stop even on hilly areas. After that baru ada sesi turun dan tolak 2-3 kali.

Lapar sebenarnya. Maybe sebab tu takder tenaga. Breakfast susu kambing, kurma sebiji dan almond 2 biji. Tu jer yg ada kat rumah. Ada beli roti 2 and snickers 1. I couldn't finish the bread. 1 pun makan sikit jer. Masa cycling ada berhenti 2-3 kali and take 1 bite. Same thing makan snickers 1 bite before continuing my journey. Takut kena gastrik ker muntah ker kalau tak makan langsung.

Bila sampai garisan penamat, tak dapat bayangkan perasaan tu camaner. Berbunga2 pegang Finisher's medal tu :) Ada disediakan makanan. I saw mee goreng, mihun goreng and nasi goreng but I don't feel like eating. Takder energy nak bergerak. So I sat quietly under the tree sambil dengar nombor2 cabutan bertuah. Finished my bread and drinks. Roti yg tinggal setengah tadi jer. Takder rezeki with the cabutan bertuah. On the way back baru terfikir nak makan nasi arab. I was kinda fighting with my conscience to eat healthier meal but the other part of me said I deserve the calories hehehe...

Almost 3000 participants. I can't see any familiar faces eventhough I know my cycling club members ada juga yang join. I made new friends at the starting point but masa tunggu cabutan bertuah I sat alone. Duk wa with my new friends and know their location tapi tak larat nak bangun dah. Felt alone jugak among the 3000 people. Hubby went for his own long distance cycling. But I was feeling determined. Sometimes to achieve something in life memang tak boleh nak tunggu orang. Nak tunggu ada geng, ada kawan baru nak buat memang tak jadi lah. InsyaAllah I can push myself further lepas ni :)

Runkeeper bagi semangat.

Jatuh Lagi

Last sunday jatuh basikal lagi sekali. I had a scratched knee and a torn track bottom :( I lost my balance masa nak kesat peluh. Masa hari kejadian masih teruskan mengayuh. After the ride baru another member find out about it and she took out her first aid kit in her car so I can put something on the wound. Masih boleh sujud. Masuk hari kedua, luka mula mengering dan dah tak boleh sujud. I tried, grit my teeth and use the chair. Dah lurus kaki susah nak bengkok, dah bengkok kaki susah nak lurus. Lebam2 di tempat lain pun baru mula nampak. I'm still using the chair to pray today. Hopefully kering cepat so I can use my left knee again. Hubby sakit2 badan panjat pokok rambutan pun tak dapat urutkan properly. Baru perasan banyak kelebihan ada lutut yang sihat dan sempurna.

Tempat kejadian - pic credit to my cycling friends.

I was late due to the wrong location that day. Tu lah masa nak catch up yang terjatuh. Not because I was hurrying though. I wanted to wipe the sweat on my forehead. Should have used my left hand instead of right. I can probably hold my balance better with right hand on the handle of the bicycle. Sigh! Cuti cycling this week. Last week dapat cycling 4 kali. Can't wait to continue cycling again.

Anyway, sikit jer sakit tu. A friend of mine had a shocker of her life. 2 days before Raya she had bleeding problem. She's single and has never had problem with her period. After various hospital visits finally the verdict is uterus cancer stage 4. Even then it is not fully confirmed. Her ovary is bigger than normal size and they have to operate to find out. While waiting for the operation date, she can't see clearly on her left eyes. Went to the emergency and the docs said she has blood clots in her body and it's in the blood stream. They worry some will deposit into critical area. One clot must have been at the optic nerve.That's the reason she can't see clearly on her left eyes. Another has been on somewhere blocking the flow to one of her legs that her leg felt quite numb. They have to give her blood thinning agent in hope to stop more damage by the blood clots. Yesterday she went into op to remove her uterus, ovary, appendix and lymph node. She's in ICU after the operation and is expected to be moved to normal ward by today. I'm praying for her speedy recovery. In less than a month her life has turned upside down. Visiting her at the ward I saw many elderly people. They must have problems related to reproduction system too. It could be me there one day Nauzubillah. May Allah grant me health right towards old age.

Yesterday hubby was on the plane to AOR. He WA and said he didn't feel like going. While we were texting back and forth, hubby said they already closed the door. I prayed for his safety. About 2 hours later he texted that they landed in Penang airport due to bad weather in AOR. The plane has tried to land twice before turning to Penang to refuel. Some passengers were already throwing up. Everybody was jittery. When they reached AOR hubby's meeting has already been postponed. They can't afford to wait for him because there's another meeting. So hubby has the option of waiting at the airport for his return flight at night or take another transport. I researched the KTM and express bus. The bus seems to be the most viable option. He spent the whole day on the road yesterday and reached home at about 9 pm.

If he took the flight back he normally reaches home around 11:30 pm. But then, only of the flight is on time. There's a warning of thunderstorm from the meteorology department yesterday and I believe he made the right choice of returning by bus. Of course it would be better if he said there's an emergency to the stewardess and has to leave the plane immediately. But we're mere mortals. How can we be sure our instinct is real or just us not feeling like doing something for a change. There's no way he can know that. At the same time I'm really amazed at human instinct because I have similar moments too. Not as dramatic as not wanting to board the flight though. But there were instances that we didn't know from where we actually receive the signal. Must have been God sent. Whatever it is, Alhamdulillah hubby reached home in one piece.

There will be moments in life where we fell down. Get back up as long as we breathe for we have one destiny in life and that is Jannah. Remember this always and we will be fine no matter how many times we fell down. May Allah give us strength to go through life as a good Muslim insyaaAllah.

Impromptu Open House

Last weekend terjadi lah impromptu open house. Dalam hati memang macam dah berkira2 nak buat. Tapi memang lah tiada kaki tangan nak bantu. Nak catering macam tak berapa minat jer pulak. Simpan jer hasrat tu dulu. Takut tak terdaya nak buat sorang2. Then my family nak datang and jiran2 pun ada yang sebut nak datang beraya. Dah alang2 tu, jemput jer lah siapa yang around the area. My SIL memang buat open house the same day so family hubby's side memang dah JJCM on that day. I memang tak dapat nak pergi rumah SIL sebab menunggu tetamu yang tak pasti datang bila. So jemput juga diorang siapa yang sempat singgah.

Memang kali ni sorang2 buat semua urusan di dapur. Hubby tolong kemas ruang tamu dan keliling rumah. Malam dah rebus ketupat Nona tu. Pagi2 pergi pasar sebab fridge tak muat dah simpan lamb dlm 2kg and ayam about 1kg. Beli sotong, udang, ayam dan santan 3kg. Sampai rumah setelkan masak lodeh 2kg santan dan sambal udang 1kg cili untuk dijadikan lontong. Lepas tu masak spaghetti aglio olio pakai sebungkus spaghetti. Siap jer, my family pun sampai 2 kereta. Alhamdulillah tak lah kalut sangat. My family gerak then my friend 1 family sampai. Sempat melayan lagi. Tak datang serentak ada lah masa nak berbual tanya khabar.

Then zohor time, agak senyap time tu. Cepat2 goreng spaghetti aglio olio lagi sebungkus. Siapkan juga bahan2 nak buat nasi arab dan yong tau foo soup. Then another friend sampai 1 keluarga. Hubby and melaka family yang keluar beraya ke 2 buah rumah pun dah sampai semula. Ipar duai dan anak buah hubby's side will be coming soon. Sambil2 melayan dan start nak buat nasi arab. Darling Azim dah asyik bertanya bila nak siap. Siap tengok kat pressure cooker lagi berapa minit. Sebelum tu HP kan lamb 2kg 40 minutes. Tunggu lamb setel baru masak nasi kabsah. Rempah semua buat sendiri. Dah siapkan semalam. Bukan beli yang dah siap. Memang from scratch nasi kabsah ni. Nasib baik pakai pressure cooker masak nasi dengan beras 2kg pun 7 minit jer. Dalam hati terdetik gak kalau tak jadi ni kesian ler anak2 dah harap nak makan nasi arab. Memang 1st time masak byk2 guna pressure cooker. Pernah masak sikit2 pakai pemanggang ajaib dan pakai rice cooker.

Alhamdulillah cantik jer masaknya. Beria anak2 makan nasi arab. Azim, Adib dan cousin diorang Raihanah. Baya2 antara 6-10 tahun tapi minat nasi arab. Anak2 buah dan ipar duai yang datang pun makan juga walaupun perut dah sendat. Senang cerita suruh masing2 tapau nanti boleh makan lagi. Memang banyak pun masak tu. Bila dah hujung2 petang baru jiran2 sampai. Jiran2 pun dapat tapau. Malam pun ada juga yang datang. Alhamdulillah. Ada lah rezeki masing2. Lamb dah habis. Panggang kan ayam. Nasib baik ada pemanggang ajaib.

Kuah masak lodeh tak dapat diselamatkan bila dah petang. Should have panaskan some time around noon. Itu jer yang setengah flask tinggal. Yang lain berjaya disumbatkan ke dalam fridge. Nasi arab memang tinggal semangkuk jer. Yong tau foo dari 1 flask pun ada lagi sikit jer. Spaghetti licin. Telur rebus untuk lontong ada dalam 10 biji. Dalam banyak2 makanan tu tuan rumah tak makan satu pun. Penat memasak dan melayan tetamu, minum air jer. Esoknya baru ler panaskan nasi arab nak rasa masa lunch. Terkilan sket tak dapat rasa lontong sendiri buat. Takper lah lain kali buat lagi. Yang penting MIL kata sedap pekat :) Anak2 makan nasi arab sampai licin. Jiran2 pun bagi feedback positive. Ada yang minat spaghetti, ada yang minat yong tau foo, ada yang minat nasi arab. Tu lah keseronokan tukang masak. Tu lah yang tak dapat kalau catering :) Badan penat tapi happy. Semoga tetamu membawa rezeki.

Dulu masa buat open house cum house warming ada pembantu. Kali ni memang sorang2. Tapi pengalaman impromptu open house ni banyak membantu. InsyaAllah next time berani nak buat walaupun sorang jer yang handle urusan dapur. Apa yang penting, kena organize.

Good news hari ni pulak, 1st time timbang berat dah masuk angka 62. Walaupun 62.9 kg jer, tapi yang penting dah masuk angka 62 dah. Before this fluctuate around 63-65. Lepas raya lagi pulak tu. Dua minggu lepas raya tau :D Maknanya pembakaran lemak masih berlaku. Alhamdulillah. Semangat nak teruskan jaga portion makan dan walking, hiking, cycling bila berkesempatan. So naik berat took a long time, kena consistent nak turun kan berat ni. InsyaAllah untuk jaga kesihatan in long term juga.