Little Cozy Corner

That to me, sounds like a sound effect straight out of a action pack comic book like from Batman or Spiderman, you know? But it’s hardly a sound effect at all, although come to think of it….it may well generate some sort of effect one way or another! In fact, it’s far more interesting….it’s one of those thing you just got to try, to see where your favourite post stands. Kind of anyway….here’s a gist of what ThoofRank is all about :

The ThoofRank is a fair measurement of how interesting a story is to readers with interests in common with the story. It is expressed as a percentage relative to other Thoof stories, so a ThoofRank above 50% indicates that a story is of above average interest to those readers. When a story has just been submitted it will start out with a low ThoofRank, but this will increase as more people see it, so please be patient.

Obviously, my chosen post for ThoofRank only measured some 5%!!  But like it says, it might just go up and up and up!! So we’ll have to wait and see…ThoofRank is like a bookmarking website and I guess you could call it your personalized news line. You have tonnes of posts being submitted and they are ranked based on how interesting the story is among users that are interested in the related subjects.

It was really easy to submit a story. All you need to do is sign up and once your email has been confirmed, you need to confirm your password and then you’re all set to submit your fav post within the last 30 days. Once, you’ve submitted your post, you will be given a really cute ThoofRank button which you need to place in *that* particular post. And that’s all there is to it. Simple right? No need to worry about hosting any pictures at all.

Almost all the ladies in my pre-natal class has had a baby shower except me. I’m a little bit jealous but I guess it is expected since I hardly have any buddies here to celebrate this huge home-coming but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a peek at all those pretty baby shower party decorations. I’ve always been a party animal and I’ve hardly ever any party invitation. Why? Because I love people and I love checking out how they decorate their house for the party!

To me, I personally feel that baby showers are special in their own respect and PartyPail has certainly a wide collection of decorations for many occasions from bridal showers to baby showers, birthday parties and specific party themes too. The one baby shower decor which caught my attention was the Baby Ducky baby shower theme.

It’s just so absolutely adorable and reminds me so much of Ernie from Sesame Street. Really brings me back to my childhood days. Now, if only some kind soul would set this up for me. It may be wishful thinking but hey, some dreams do come true you know! *grins hopefully*

*This is a sponsored post but I wish it would happen though!!* 

This happened last week at work. Sat down to have lunch in the pantry when someone turned Dr. Phill on. I don’t particularly like watching Dr. Phill or Oprah for that matter although I know she’s a super woman to a certain extend, it’s just that I don’t really like watching people get torn apart mentally because of their problems on national TV. But that’s just me. Anyway, topic of the day was eating disorders and how this woman who is suffering from it is being threatened by her fiance that if she doesn’t take care of herself and get herself healthy, he will leave her at the altar! And for a split moment there, I thought, ‘Wow!! That’s something new….’. Then there was a whole debate as to why he was willing to go this distance and of course, both parties had their point of view.

On his part, he is ‘forcing’ her to get healthy because he loves her and cares for her which I totally understand. On her part, although she is trying to overcome that disorder, these things can’t be done overnight so she’s saying where’s the meaning of ‘in sickness and in health’ where her health is concerned. So you get 2 povs and you have Dr. Phill trying to work it out for them. I didn’t think this issue needed any help from Dr. Phill really. If they had both just sat down and talked it through, they would have realised that it was a give and take situation, in my humble opinion. He could have just set an appropriate dateline for her to get her act together because they both obviously love each other enough to sacrifice their private lives and go on telly. And in the mean time, he could live up to those words but encouraging her and giving her all the support she needs to make it through. Wouldn’t that be a win-win situation and a very rewarding one at that too?

That said, after watching that episode, it occurred to me that I hardly hear about men having any eating disorders. In my mind, when eating disorders are mentioned, I see anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and it seems to be part and parcel of many womens life in general. Not saying that all women suffer from it but it seems to happen more often to women than to men due to society’s image and emphasis that women should be thin. All thanks to those fashion magazines and stick-thin runway models on the catwalk in London. Glad to note that things are changing ever so slowly….o, and Savage Garden seems to agree when they sang the “Affirmation Song” - beauty magazines promote low self esteem. Good on ya, mate!

The more I thought of it, I tried to recollect if I had noticed any men suffering from bulimia or anorexia but I couldn’t think of anyone. I don’t think it’s fair to say that men don’t suffer from any eating disorders, I think a lot of men have this binge eating problems which cause obesity on the average. That I see quite often and it’s mostly on telly too. With that in mind, how many percent of men out there do you think, suffer from anorexia or bulimia?

Here are the full lyrics to Affirmation Song which I think you will find rather thought provoking :

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument
I believe we place our happiness in other people’s hands
I believe that junk food tastes so good because it’s bad for you
I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do
I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem
I believe I’m loved when I’m completely by myself alone

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned
I believe you can’t appreciate real love ’til you’ve been burned
I believe the grass is no more greener on the other side
I believe you don’t know what you’ve got until you say goodbye

I believe you can’t control or choose your sexuality
I believe that trust is more important than monogamy
I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul
I believe that family is worth more than money or gold
I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair
I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires

I believe forgiveness is the key to your own happiness
I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed
I believe that God does not endorse tv evangelists
I believe in love surviving death into eternity

What a sweet surprise it was to find out that I got awarded not once, but TWICE for the Rockin’ Girl Blogger!!! Bangga nyer…… *grins proudly* I must thank Lux and Consuela for giving it to me. I’m such a happy camper and what a way to start the weekend, eh? I never expected it at all so I’m very, very the happy to get it. See, I’m so ecstatic that I’ve repeatedly said it too….hehehe!!

How this works is that I need to now award the same to 5 other rockin’ babes…although I have 2 awards, I think 5 babes is hot enough la, right? Too many and it might smoke up your pc screen!! *lol* My Rockin’ Girl  Blogger award goes to…..

• Aida
• Che-Cheh
• Cindy
• Hedo
• Midnite Lily

Now ladies….please award 5 other babes as well and bring on a smiley face!

I’ll be totally honest….when I was growing up, you’d have to pry my mouth open to get veggies down my throat but I’m glad to announce that that is no longer the case! I think I’ve outgrown that disgust for vegetables and now I absolutely love it!! In my currently state of being heavily pregnant [yes, I've been popping out nicely], vegetables have been God-sent and they keep my bowels in good shape and prevent constipation which is great news for me.

I normaly try to get my hands on leafy veggies or green food as much as possible but there is just so much one person can eat, you see? Ted’s hardly home for main meals so it’s only me and since stumbling upon My Daily Veggies, I wished I could get my hands on a free sample! It would be perfect for my one-person meals and it is a complete daily dietary supplement.

Having organic food as part of my daily intake does wonders for the body and certainly helps promote healthy living on my part. I normally have my veggies stir-fried, steamed or just sauteed on its own. But with My Daily Veggies, I can add them to pretty much anything I want from pies, to pasta to even soups! And this I intend to continue even after Kecik is born and get her straight unto veggies as soon as possible. If you’re wondering if My Daily Veggies is some sort of soup or drink - it ain’t. It is 95% dried whole vegetables and 5% dried whole vegetable extracts. It’s the same as real fresh (or canned or frozen) vegetables but only missing the salt and sugar that many manufacturers add when they process foods. It contains NO added salt, NO added sugar, NO preservatives. Very healthy eh?

I think it’s a great way to get those anti-veggies to start liking veggies especially if you can make simple snacks with the recipes! As for me, I should really start to drink My Daily Veggies asap.

*This is a sponsored post*

Seeing the tall, coconuts trees swaying in the cool breeze amongst atap roof houses was a norm for me. Running barefooted on muddy roads after a rainy day was something I always looked forward to but was frowned upon by Mum when she caught me frolicking in the mud. I’m sure it did not amuse her to clean me up spick and span, from head to toe after such a day and yet, I always found joy in doing so. Perhaps I knew subconsciously that all this would be lost in the near future due to vast development that nothing and no one could stop.

It was a huge affair for me and the year-end school holidays was something to look forward to every year when I was growing up. Without fail, Mummy would take my younger sister and I back to Butterworth to visit her family. It was always a joy to spend time with Grandma although most of the time she was pre-occupied playing ‘Patience’ in the kitchen with a lighted cigarette dangling loosely from her aged-worn lips. Aaahh…yes, lips that once were luscious red and seductive yet in time, have lost their appeal and yet, I loved them all the same for when they kissed me, it was of pure love. I hardly remember Grandpa for he had passed away much earlier although I have had memory flashbacks of the both of us taking a ride in the trishaw. And Mummy has pictures to prove it too. I guess I do have a pretty good memory.

It was no rich man’s life living in Chain Ferry Road and yet, I felt so much at home and at ease visiting and living in that huge wooden house that my mother called home and grew up in. Although it was big and old, musty-smelling and scary to one as young as I was then, I was always intrigued by its structure especially the attic. Till today, I still wonder what lay beyond those creaky, dark stairs. The furthest I ever got was perhaps 5 very cautious and unsteady steps before I would see myself running helter-skelter in the opposite direction for no particular reason whatsoever. Perhaps it was just my inner chicken rearing its cowardly head.

But what I loved the most was the silver painted 2 seater metal swing that Grandpa placed just beneath the huge mango tree. I spent a lot of time sitting and swinging by myself in that swing. I could spend hours just sitting in that swing. Afternoons were the best times of all as I was sheltered by the tall shady mango tree. I loved just lying down on it and looking up at the gorgeous blue sky between the tree leaves as the cool breeze kept my damp and sweaty skin dry. It was always humid at Grandpa’s…must be all his lovely greens and orchids. He had a really big orchard and was an orchid enthusiast, just like Mummy. I bet she got her green fingers from him. It was common to hear the constant crowing from the big black birds throughout the day. It was something I didn’t fancy at all only because they tend to drop rubbish on my beloved swing and that made me cross many a times. But yet, it is those black crows these days that remind me so much of the days long gone. Every time I hear a crow, I’m instantly transported back to the kampung I once called ‘home’.

It has been at least a decade since I last step foot in Chain Ferry Road or the kampung beyond the main road. Both Grandpa and Grandma have long gone, leaving behind just sweet and warm memories. The government has since taken over the area and many families have been moved, unwillingly I’m sure, to another location or perhaps ‘bought’ over by the local authorities. All that’s left these days are the pre-war foundation poles which kept the houses intact. Everything else is in rubbles. Gone were the days of passing and sharing steaming hot dishes over the wooden divider between neighbours. Gone are the shacks where the night soil man visited. Gone is my poor kampung which I know I will never see again but long live the memories buried deep within my mind and heart.

*A piece of writing that’s going to be submitted to Memoirs Of Malaysia*