Quick and Easy Basic Sponge Cake (with Variations)

That perfect golden-yellow hue!

After years experimenting for a not-too-sweet and butter-oily cake, I finally settled for this recipe. 5 ingredients in 4 steps. This is the easiest cake ever! Great for beginners. Here's my version of a basic, fluffy cake recipe. Turn it into a banana cake, chocolate cake, fruits and nuts cake, blueberry cake or any other types of cake to your liking. Plus: solutions for common baking problems at the end of post.

Recipe

125kcal per 1/8 slice

330kcal for 1/3 of the whole cake

Makes a 8" X 1" cake

100g Self-raising flour

50g Sugar

50g Salted Butter, softened at room temperature

3 Tbsp or about 50 ml Full-cream milk

2 Eggs (53g each, w/o shell)

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl.

                               

2. Using a manual hand whisk, mix everything carefully till batter turns smooth and lump-free. [Note: After this, if you are mixing in fruits and nuts, switch to using a spoon]

From this...

...to this.

3. Next, bake for 40 mins. PS: I 'bake' using a rice cooker with cake function. You can try baking in the oven @ 170 degrees for 25 mins.

                              



4. Finally, let cake cool and cut with a wet knife for serving.

A perfect sponge cake!

*As this is a rather small cake, you would want to double or even triple the ingredients accordingly for a bigger cake. You may also want to experiment with different flavours and ingredients for fun (see below). But, be wary not to be sucked too deep into the whirlpool of baking frenzy (like me) where your days are either spent on baking experiments or helplessly thinking about the next cake that you'll be baking - very addictive!

Experiment with your own creations now!

1. Wholemeal/Oat Cake. Replace 50g flour with 50g wholemeal flour or oats or even both. All 'flour' should add up to 100g. My favourite one is 40g s-r flour with 30g wholemeal flour and 30g oats.

2. Nutty, Seedy and Fruity Cake. Mix in about 2 Tbsp each of your choice into the prepared batter. You can also sprinkle them on top of the batter. Some of my favourites include:

• Nuts like almond flakes, crushed walnuts/pecans/cashew, pine nuts
• Seeds like sunflower seed, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, black/white sesame and
• Small dried fruits like sultana, black/golden raisin, dried cranberry/blueberry/prune. Reduce the amount of sugar to just 30g as dried fruits tend to be rather sweet.

3. Different Flavoured Sponge Cake. Unless otherwise stated, add the ingredients below before mixing the batter.



Moist and yummy banana cake with walnuts, pine nuts, and cinnamon

Banana Cake: Add in 120g of mashed banana (from about 2 medium bananas) before mixing the batter and, if you like, add in chopped walnuts and a dash of cinnamon after mixing the batter. PS: If the bananas are very ripe (which means they are very sweet), I'll use about 30g of sugar instead as I don't have a sweet tooth. And because mashed banana has a 'heavy' texture, I used only 1 egg to counter that - using 2 eggs is okay but will result in a not so fluffy cake. So, for convenience, here's the banana cake ingredients that I use: 100g Self-raising Flour, 30g sugar, 50g salted butter, 120g mashed banana, 3 Tbsp full-cream milk, 1 egg.

Blueberry Cake: Mix in 1 cup blueberries or other berries and 2 Tbsp of almond flakes into the prepared batter. Reduce the amount of sugar if your berries are very sweet.

Other Fruit/Vegetable Cake: Add in other fruits like apple, pineapple, mango, peach or even durian! Or add in vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, corn and carrot. Just mix in 1 cup of them (diced into small pieces) to the prepared batter before baking. I made pumpkin cake that day and my hubby whipped them off in an afternoon!

Tea Cake: Replace 30g flour with 30g (2 Tbsp) of instant 3-in-1 tea beverages powder like milk tea/teh si and ginger tea/teh halia. All flour and powder should add up to about 100g (i.e. 70g flour plus 30g beverage powder). Reduce sugar to 30g if you like. Teh Si Cake anyone? ;)

Coffee Cake: Replace 30g of flour with 30g (2 Tbsp) of instant 3-in-1 coffee beverages powder like coffee with milk, cappuccino and latte. All flour and powder should add up to about 100g (i.e. 70g flour plus 30g beverage powder). Reduce sugar to 30g if you like. Cappuccino Cake anyone?

Green Tea Cake: Replace 30g flour with 30g (2 Tbsp) of green tea/matcha powder. All flour and powder should add up to about 100g (i.e. 70g flour plus 30g beverage powder).

Chocolate/Milo Cake: Replace 30g flour with 30g (2 Tbsp) of chocolate powder or milo. All flour and powder should add up to about 100g (i.e. 70g flour plus 30g beverage powder). If you're using pre-sweetened 3-in-1 Milo powder (instead of the unsweetened Milo powder that comes in tins), reduce sugar to 30g, if you like.

Kaya Cake: Add 2 Tbsp kaya and reduce sugar to 30g.

Pandan Cake: Add 1 tsp pandan essence.

Vanilla Cake: Add 1 tsp vanilla essence.

Cheese Cake: Add cheese pieces or shredded cheese of your choice into the prepared batter.

Yogurt Cake: Add 2 heapful Tbsp of yogurt. Preferably plain greek yogurt.

Lemon/Lime/Honey Cake: Add 2 Tbsp of lemon/lime juice or 1 Tbsp of honey or both of them. Reduce sugar if you like. For a zesty kick, add in finely-shredded pieces of lemon/lime rind (the outermost layer of those citrus fruits, avoiding the white bitter parts).

Chocolate chips/Oreo chips Cake: Add in 2 to 3 Tbsp for either of them into the prepared batter. Oreo Cake anyone?

Egg Cake (Mandarin: Ji Dan Gao): Add in another egg yolk in addition to the 2 eggs used.

4. Muffins and Cupcakes. Yes! Use the same batter to make muffins or add cream toppings to make cupcakes :)

5. Try your own combination (at your own discretion!). Add herbs, dried garlic pellets, ginger/nutmeg powder, ground cinnamon/five spice powder, cajun, ham, meat floss, salted egg yolk ([pseudo] mooncake anyone?), dried seaweed flakes, bonito flakes and anything else to your liking. You can also combine the ideas from 1 to 4. Example: Wholemeal Banana Pecan and Cinnamon Muffins! The possibilities are endless - you simply have to let out your adventurous streak :)

Solutions for common baking problems

Years of trial and error gave me insights of some baking problems. Just want to share my findings. Hope it helps :)

• Dry, hard cake: Add more butter
  
  
• Rough texture: Add less milk
  
  
• Doesn't rise properly/too dense: Add less milk and egg, but will result in a drier and less chewy cake.


• Add more milk if you use less eggs to keep the cake mixture 'balanced' and to have a successful cake.

I will update if there's anything good. Now get your creative juices flowin' and mix away!

Our Headaches: What Causes the Pain?

This question has been sitting in one of my pocketbooks for a few years but it was only until recently that I have been fervently looking for its answer. For a few months, I searched on the internet and kept a lookout for it in magazines, newspapers, and TV shows, but with no satisfactory answers.

Just to clarify, I'm not looking for what causes the headache (which usually yields answers like stress, anxiety or due to an underlying disease). Rather, I'm interested in knowing what exactly caused the pain itself.

A photo showing dissected parts of a human brain.
Taken during one of the first Psychology lectures

Finally, one fine day, I heard Dr. Oz briefly mentioned about the source of pain for headache on his show, in a way that really answered my question! Thanks Dr. Oz :) It's short yet succinct. And so, here the beautiful answer goes:

From Dr. Oz show:

" ...Physical and emotional stress alters the brain chemicals which, in turn, causes spasms (dilation/opening and closing) of the blood vessels in the brain. These spasms are what we feel as pain..."

Essential Home Tips

This is a list of home tips that I've garnered over the years. Hope that you can benefit from it.

1. How to prevent pills from getting stuck onto your throat? Do you often have your pills or vitamins sticking onto your throat and not able to fully swallow them? Not a nice feeling, yeah? Try this: Wet your throat by drinking a mouthful of water, preferably warm. Then, put some water into your mouth before popping your pills inside. Make sure all the pills are coated with water (swirl them with your tongue and separate them if they stick together) before you swallow everything down. There, you've got a smooth one!

2. How to get rid of house lizards in the friendliest way? Some of you may know that eggshells make a wonderful source of plant fertilizer. But do you know that they can effectively ward off lizards too? With a toddler at home, having lizards poo lying on the floor of my home is unimaginable - to think that my child tend to pick up anything from the floor and put everything into his mouth straight away! So, from a conversation I've overheard the other day at the supermarket, I learned that egg shells can actually drive lizards away. Just place some cleaned egg shells in places where lizard droppings are abundant. It worked really well for me as most of the lizards are gone! In fact, when I 'equipped' one room with it (I put it above the window grilles), they will move to other rooms. Why did this work? Hmm... perhaps lizards have an innate fear of birds? And eggshells emit 'bird odour'? I don't know.

3. How do you remove unsightly price tags/stickers from the new stuff that you'd just bought? One of my main peeve about buying something new is the price tags or stickers that are difficult to remove. They are really sticky and get torn while you're halfway through. If you're in this mess, grab a cotton cloth, drench it with olive oil and try to rub the sticker remains away. You may need to exert force for trickier cases. OR, a smarter way to get around this is to tear it away immediately after you pay for it while they're still 'fresh' and not so sticky. This applies especially to hot and humid climates like Singapore. OR, another easy way is to put it in an aircon room for a while before removal. The gist is to remove them when they are as DRY as possible.

4. How to clean your water boiler/airpot?

I have a 3-litre boiler that I clean everytime I see whitish deposits in the water, or when I see mineral 'barnacles' forming on the sides of the boiler pot - about once every 2 months. I'll either use the juice of 2 lemons or about 100ml of vinegar (distilled or rice wine vinegar) and boil it together with a full pot of water in the boiler as usual. Let the acidic hot liquid sit in the boiler for about 4 hours before pouring them away and flushing the boiler pot with clean water before boiling a fresh pot of water for consumption. This also removes the brownish pot stains, but for tougher stains you will have to repeat the procedure.

Both lemon and vinegar works well but vinegar is a stronger cleaner so I suggest using lemon first, especially for brand-new boilers. Also, remember to wipe down the nozzle area which may be stained with coffee/tea/milk stains - you'll need to bend down and look up the nozzle for a better view. Wipe down thoroughly with a clean tissue dapped with some hot/warm clean water. If left unclean for too long, there might even be mould. Yikes!


Extra boiler tip: Buy them tall enough so that you can refill taller bottles. Once I bought one that is too short and it was very inconvenient. Also, a three-litre boiler is enough for 3 persons, if you drink cooled boiled water from it. And always remember, change the boiler when the rubber gasket that runs around the rim of boiler cover has turned flat and has ceased to seal the boiler properly. Extra electrical energy is used (and wasted) to keep the water around boiling point. This also holds true to faulty fridge rubber gaskets that trims around its doors - more energy is used to keep the fridge cool because the door is not sealed well when closed, as if the door is left opened permanently!

Once, I replaced an old boiler as the hot air gushes out from everywhere, scalding my hands. To my surprise, the electricity bill for the following month reduced significantly by 20 bucks. Coincidence or not, I believe a large part was due to the faulty boiler gasket.

Also, buy boiler with a touch button for dispensing water. It is so much easier than having one that comes with a huge button that you have to exert strength while dispensing water. Imagine the effort and time taken to fill up a 2 litre bottle!

5. Instant beverages clip. I like to drink instant beverages in 2 to 3 batches as I cannot finish one whole packet in one go. Often, I also make my own version of teh si, teh halia or yuan yang (milk tea, milk tea with ginger and coffee plus tea - all with my own adult milk as creamer) and couldn't finish the whole packet. So, to keep the remaining contents fresh, I'll fold down the packet opening a few times, secure it with a wooden peg and put them in the fridge.

6. Sewing tip. Use tape to keep stray threads from scattering all over the table/floor while you are sewing.

Also, if you have no needle holder, try sticking them on the thread. I had mine on my favourite colour (blue) so that I won't forget which roll of thread they are on.

In addition, if you are at the end of the sewing line and trying to tie a dead knot to secure the line but found that you do not have enough thread left, try this: after looping the thread with the needle, make the knot by entering the needle from the other side where the needle hole is. Hope this really helps.

7. Remove batteries from rarely-used remote controllers. This also applies to your other electronic/electrical gadgets or devices or even toys. If not used for a period of time, batteries which are left in the device may corrode which may, in turn, damage the device itself. Once, I returned home from a one-week vacation and found that the TV remote controller was not working. I opened the battery compartment and found leaky batteries that have corroded the area! Lesson learnt: Remove batteries from remote controllers before leaving house for holiday trips.

8. Do note that there's an expiry date for wet tissue, especially the antibacterial ones. If you buy wet tissue for its antibacterial properties that kill germs, you should look out for its expiry date.

9. How do you clean pillows? Unless otherwise stated in the care instructions of pillows, I'll sun and air my pillows on my window grilles every month. If needed, I'll beat it by throwing/slamming it on the floor several times, which helps retain its shape.

This is one great use of horizontal window grilles

10. Tip for chilli lovers! If you love sambal belacan chilli but dread the oil that comes with it then this tip is for you. Simply drench the chilli with a tissue for a few minutes to soak up the oil. Then remove the oil-drenched tissue either with your fingers or with a chopstick. And now you can enjoy your favourite sauce worry-free as you are saving loads of calories! But remember, do not remove ALL the oil as the chilli will become really dry.



11. Dilute handwash/dishwash liquid to prevent over-drying the skin of your hands. Replace half the liquid with water and mix well. This will, in fact, makes rinsing an easier job!

12. Equip your home with an effective 100% food grade liquid cleanser. Not only does it safely clean fruits, vegetables and baby/kid's stuff (e.g. toys, nursing bottle), it is also an excellent odour removal. After preparing foods like fish or prawns, I always use it to remove fishy odour from my hands, the kitchen sink and even the dish washing sponge. I also use it to remove the onion and even pet odour from my hands. And every weekend, using a bottle brush, I'll use it to wash the family's water flask and everyone's water bottle.

13. Remove sticky residue of cloth-like handyplast using body/hand lotion. Just use some lotion to 'melt' it and rub it away gently. In trickier cases, use a cloth dapped with the lotion for rubbing. But more importantly, in the first place, you should remove it after you have wet the plaster with some tap water. It is not only easier to remove but also much less painful, especially if you are removing for a baby or toddler with delicate skin.

14. A first aid box is a must for every home! I like to put them in a container with a clip-on overhead torch as shown below. Tip: Include lavender essential massage oil in the box so that you can take a whiff or use it for a quick neck/shoulder massage when you're feeling stressed out. Yes, this is my version of emotional first-aid!

More importantly, I'll use it to 'rescue' my son whenever he gets his fingers/leg stuck in his toys (this happens rather frequently!). Just pour a good amount on the stuck area and gently shift from side to side till the stuck area slips out smoothly. Remember, DO NOT use force - you might hurt the fingers/legs. You can even make an instant aromatherapy to relax your mind and body. Just drip a few drops of the oil in a cup of hot/warm water to enjoy the scent (this works best in air-con room and is especially helpful in inducing sleep at night). Anyway, I'm loving my first aid box!

15. Take fruits or veggies out of fridge to wash only when you're about to eat them. This will help retain its freshness and crispiness. Once, a strawberry farmer told me strawberries are 'afraid' of water as they will start to 'rot' immediately upon contact with water. Conclusion: wash fresh produce (fruits/veggies) just prior to consumption.

16. Mind the gap! Take a GOOD LOOK at the spaces or grooves between the spikes of your hair brush, toothbrush and dining utensils. Are they filled with brownish grime and dirt? If they are (yikes!), then it's time to clean or replace them. Most grime can be removed easily by spraying it under a high-pressure tap for just a few seconds. Thank goodness I still have left just one of this tap in my entire home - the rest are water-saving, low-pressure types. For forks, use a smaller fork to scrape out dirt in between the grooves.

17. Buy a grout brush. The protruding brush bristles in the middle part of the brush makes cleaning the tile grouts a much targeted and less back-breaking job. I wished I have bought them earlier because it makes grout cleaning so much easier. Now, my bathroom tile grouts are as good as new, even at the wall-to-wall and wall-to-floor joint! The best part is, they cost only 2 dollars! After all the struggles with tile grouts cleaning, this calls for a celebration!

 

18. Clean all electronic gadgets regularly to protect your family from harmful bacteria. Once in awhile, I'll use Dettol wipes to clean the house phones, handphones, computer keyboards and tablets to remove dirt, grime and harmful germs! And if I'm doing spring cleaning, I'll use Dettol wipes on my home's light switches, fan switches, door knobs and remote controllers (e.g. those of air-con, fan, TV, DVD player and game station).



19. Keeping foods fresh. Remove as much air from your food packages before resealing them in order to keep them fresh, mold-free and crispy. Read: Air = moisture, and moisture promotes decaying. Therefore, you must also make sure that your hands are absolutely dry when you are picking out food from the packages from the fridge. They should also be returned to the fridge as soon as you are done with them to prevent condensation. Keep silica gel pads that come with your food packages until you finish the food - they help absorb moisture and thus, keep your food fresh.

20. Squeak alert! Do not ignore squeaky parts of any furniture joints in your house. Treat them just like the joints of your knees - squeaking indicates they are wearing out and needs fixing and lubrication. Examples include: bolts and nuts of all furniture, movable parts of windows and doors (e.g. hinges), sliding tracks, bearings and etc. Remember, the longer you ignore them, the faster they will wear out completely. Can you imagine a ceased up door lock? Lubricate joints by dripping them with enough oil and move the joints a few times to let the oil seep in between.

21. Solutions for your little 'artist' at home. For the umpteenth time, your little kid has scribbled something on the floor tiles or cabinet again. For me, I always use a colourless nail polish remover dabbed onto a cloth to remove them. Cleaning is a breeze! To solve this recurring problem, I gave him a wall with a whiteboard and told him that he can only scribble there. Sometimes he 'forgets' about it and still draws at the wrong places, but at least this has significantly reduced my cleaning chores.



22. Construction site facing your house windows and is making your house dusty? Not an air-con person and don't wish to shut your windows all day? Try this: designate one room in your home to put all the displays, whatnots, and difficult to clean stuff (e.g. books, hi-fi system) into it so that you do not have to spent time wiping them everyday. This 'clean room' should have its doors closed at all times so that dust cannot enter. This has saved me so much work. Return all stuff to their former positions when the construction works are completed.

23. How to clean tough stains on bathroom glasses and glass soap dish? Just like how you would clean your water boiler (see no. 4), put some acid (lemon or vinegar) and very hot water and soak the affected area for at least 2 hours. The stain should come of easily but repeat if necessary.




24. Insert strings of drawstring pants or bags using a plastic coffee stirrer that comes with a loop. Is the waist string accidentally removed from your pants and is difficult to put it back in? Simply tie one end of string to a plastic stirrer with a loop and slip the plastic spoon through by pushing with your fingers until it appears on the other side.

Wondering what's the wooden stick doing there? Its for me to untie any stubborn knots easily. Please see below. Basically you just stick the sharper end of the chopstick into the knot and wriggle your way out :0

25. Use shower soap to wash toilet. For many years, I've been searching for that perfect multi-purpose toilet cleaner. I've tried many of them bought from the local supermarkets but they were disappointing. They either failed to remove the soap scum on the shower glass or they are too harsh that they give my skin (on hands and feet) blisters. Once, in my dismay, I simply used my lavender body shower (diluted with water) to wash down the whole toilet and it worked! The toilet is clean, the glass is scum-free (although, not perfectly but still fine by my standards), I didn't get blisters and my bathroom smells heavenly. Take note not to use fancy body showers that leave a white film or stain after they dry up, especially those that come with moisturizing or whitening properties. You may need to try a few types to find the right one.




26. Invest in an ironing board according to your height. I recently bought a new ironing board as the old-school one that I owned gave way. But this time, I bought one that can be adjusted to a higher and thus, a more comfortable height for me, and I wonder why I didn't notice that the old one was at a level too low for comfort and was putting a strain on my back every time I iron. With this new ironing board, I don't have to slouch while ironing anymore.




27. Interchange insoles of your shoes to get a perfectly-fitting shoe. Are you giving away yet another new pair of shoes simply because they give you feet pain? Before that, perhaps you can try swopping the insoles of your shoes (from an old or a new shoe) to find a better fit. Insoles can totally change the fit of your shoes. The next time you want to discard an old shoe, keep the insole that is still in good condition. You can swop it with your other shoes that doesn't fit well. Most insoles are lightly glued to the shoe and can be removed by tearing out carefully. Remember, wearing a pair of comfortable shoe is the first step (literally) to creating a wonderful day.




28. How to make your clothes last longer. 

1. Wash and dry them inside out. Do not use too much detergent.
2. Do not dry them directly under the sun
3. Iron them inside out
4. Iron them with minimum heat which is just enough to straighten them.
5. No pulling or tugging at them especially when they're still wet.

Cameron Highlands 2014

It is our second time visiting the highlands. But this time, we brought our 3 year old son along and thankfully, all of us survived the 20-hour car ride (to and fro)! Like they say: you'll know a person's character best by travelling with him/her - how true! Well, by contrast, I'm the most irritable out of the three. And of course, the most joyful person is, as always, our son. My hubby takes on the wheel, with no complains at all and even commented that we should come back to the highlands soon! I wonder what gave him all that energy and passion to drive through all that endless, meandering and headache-inducing roads.

Anyway, we didn't do any fantastic stuff. We just spent quality time together in the wonderful climate of cool crisp air. We simply ate together, walked together and hanged out together. Sometimes, it's the most basic things that are of utmost significance. When we are so caught up in the worldly pursuits, fixing our eyes into the far future, we fail to see that happiness is right here, right now, right under our noses!

Reached our heavenly wonderland!

Strawberry plucking

A short break at the Boh Tea Plantation
(Warning: The winding roads leading there made me sick)

We'll be back. PS: Looking at this photo makes me want to go Himalayas.
Someone said, once you see the vastness of the Himalaya Mountains
with your very own eyes, your mindset will change.

How to Solve Your Problems

Are you angry, sad, depressed or stressed out about something in your life right now? Fret not, I have some solutions for you to try out now.

First, let me tell you a story I've heard: Every morning, at a quiet bus stop, person A and person B will wait for the bus to come. Person A will wait patiently while person B will start cursing: "Oh man! Why is the bus always late when I'm in the wait?!"

So, as you can see both persons are doing the same thing (waiting for that same bus) yet have different reactions. It was clear that the problem is NOT the bus, but the person.

The point is, what can person B do to stop being angry?

After thinking very hard about the problems in my life and trying to solve them, I have come to a conclusion: when there is a problem, there are mainly 4 steps one can do to deal with it.

1. Change the Situation

Now, one thing that person B can do is to simply get up earlier every morning to wait for an earlier bus. Sounds intuitive? A no-brainer, you think? But I've seen so many people in my life (including myself) letting the problem manifest itself again and again which spoils their day and life. Perhaps what we really need is a reminder, a little nudge/push, or someone to tell us to stop procrastinating and stop saying that we are "too busy" to solve the problem. For me, I admit that sometimes, I am "too lazy" to solve my problems. I am lazy to even think about a solution, let alone doing it. But I realise that laziness brings me much more problems later on (it's a snowball effect!), so I should stop being that way as much as possible and face my problems bravely.

Once, I saw a short clip from the LEGO game on ipad. Two men were driving along the highway happily until they came to face a massive rock blocking the whole road. They tried all means and strength to move the rock to the side but failed to do so. Then, another man pulled over behind them and suggested to break the huge rock into smaller pieces of rock so that it is easier to remove from the road. And so they did just that. They broke the huge rock into smaller rocks and managed to clear the road by removing one small rock at a time. I immediately think of this as a great way to solve the larger problems in my life: if I find my problem too great or difficult, I'll break them into smaller, more manageable 'pieces' and solve them one by one. This can be likened to one of the best advice given to me:

SOLVE YOUR PROBLEMS ONE STEP AT A TIME,

STEP BY STEP,

STEP BY STEP...

So, when there is a problem, one can try to change the situation. If it seems like a massive problem, break it into smaller, manageable sections and solve it one step at a time.

But what if you do not have the means to change the situation? For person B, what if that bus is the earliest and the only bus to arrive every morning? And let's say he tried to solve the problem in other ways (like cycling and carpooling in friend's car instead) but somehow still failed to solve the problem. What can he do?

2. Change Your Thinking

If there's really nothing else you can do to change the situation, then the next best thing you can do is to change your thinking.

Perhaps, person B could think: "Things could be worse... I should be grateful that I don't have to travel for 2 to 3 hours to school/work like many people in some parts of the world... also, this is a great 'me time' for some reading/games/relaxation while waiting for bus." This I call:

FIND(ING) THE GOODNESS IN EVERY BAD SITUATION.

And so, you can change your thinking in a positive way or try to find the goodness in your seemingly bad situation. But well, if all else fails - you have either truly tried your best to change the situation or changed the way you think about the problem, and yet you are still bothered by it - then, try the next step.

3. Wait

Sometimes, even after all is said and done, the problem simply doesn't seem to bulge. It may be because there is really no solution, or at least, you can't seem to find a feasible solution now. In this case, you should wait and see or even let it slide and move on with your life. It's okay to let some problems float around in your life. As you know, nothing is perfect so you cannot have a perfect life without problems. This is life. You simply have to accept the fact that life comes with a whole lot of problems. Sometimes, some things are better left unsaid. It's true! And it's okay, really! Or maybe, there is a much better time to say it or to deal with the problem. [Think: More Haste Makes Less Pace]. Or perhaps, time is the solution - like it takes time for wounds to heal. Armed with these points in my head, I think I am now a more patient, less egoistic, and better problem solver. Like in my marriage, I have come to accept that it's okay to let unsolvable matters float around for a while and find a better time to tackle it. But if we're in luck, it may just dissipate by itself. It's true!

4. Distract Yourself

Since you have tried your best to dissolve the problem, why waste energy dwelling over it? Now the next best thing to do is to distract yourself (do understand that you need to do this step only if you can't stop thinking about the problem and it's eating your energy away). Like they say, you can't have two thoughts running in your mind at the very same time. I find that creating numerous slots of 'happy hour' throughout my days very helpful in getting me through rough times. Do try out the following. Sometimes it's the mundane things that work.

a. Eat a fruit, like an apple. Crunch your troubles away!

b. Sip a large cup of hot tea slowly. Really slowly. Take your time to enjoy your cuppa.

c. Create a weekly 'home spa'. Scrub and shower in your favourite relaxing scent, like lavender.

d. Have daily morning run/brisk walk.

e. Had a bad day today? Head down to your favourite restaurant and order your favourite set meal to cheer yourself up or reward yourself after closing a deal or finishing an important project. Note: Don't do this too often though, in case you pile on the pounds and add on to your problems!

f. Set up a monthly meeting/dinner with the people you love to be with. Be it your best friends, your sister, mother, brother, ex-school mate - anyone you absolutely LOVE to be with. It will bring out the happiness deep within you. I count going for our monthly swimming sessions with my hubby and son as one. Yes, you could double up the meeting as a workout session like gym, yoga or badminton. Doing two very important things at one time, maintaining health and happiness, why not?!

g. Smell something to ignite your senses e.g. essential oils like eucalyptus, lemon, lavender or even ointment or your favourite fragrance. PS: Citrusy or sour smell/food (e.g.lime/lemon) is great for motivating tired people as it supports liver function! (good liver = good energy. Read more here)

h. Bask yourself in nature. Go to the beach, park, a raised area/hill, or simply an open space and look at how massive the sky/sea/hill is. Once you are reminded how massive nature and the cosmos beyond your naked eyes is in comparison to you and your problems, (yes we are just a tiny speck of dust) you may find that your problems are not as bad or huge as you think.

i. Recall the happiest moments of your life like a movie that can be replayed in your head on demand. So, when is your happiest day so far? Think about it. And keep it in your memory (Read about mine here)

j. Create something to look forward to about one month or few months down the road. For instance:

• The weekend trip to the library, park, beach, etc.
• A new haircut every 3-6 months
• The monthly leg or body spa massage
• A new toy/gadget/bag that you had been eyeing to buy for the longest time using your mid-year or year-end bonus.
• Book that year-end exotic vacation!
• Fulfil one of the dreams you've had for years

k. Last but not least, put up a calendar (one month per page) where you can see it everyday. Clearly state the dates of activities/hobbies/dates/celebrations/events that are coming up or anything that perks you up e.g. buying that home decor magazine, a Sunday trip to the library, that long vacation to Bali, that volunteering stint, or calling your sister for a catch-up chat. So, instead of dragging through the seemingly endless days, you'll actually start to look forward to your everydays! It works very well for me. Now instead of feeling breathless, I actually feel more energetic, purposeful and even the lack of time (both mental-time and physical-time)!

On the same note, my husband was feeling rather stressed out due to his hectic work schedule and I encouraged him to fulfil his dream of buying a professional set of DSLR camera, just to distract himself from work stress after working hours. And so he did. He has since dived into the world of photography - buying all sorts of lens, books/magazine on photography and had also taken a few sporadic leave from work to go into the woods to take pictures of the nature and eagles. He will come home after his expeditions and proudly show me his 'works'. He told me that he couldn't be happier to finally get to do what he always wanted to and I can really feel his true joy.

Also, I suggested that he needed a break from work and should go for a vacation overseas which he gamely agreed. Since then, for the past one month or so, he has been eagerly planning and looking forward to the vacation - a weekend road trip to the Cameron Highlands, with his wife and son in tow.

So there, for the past few weeks, he had created two sources of 'happy hour' to distract himself from work stress and has cheered up since :)

Here's a recap: When we meet a problem, we can:

1. Change the situation,
2. Change our thinking,
3. Wait, and finally
4. Distract yourself (after trying your best to solve the problem)

And if, at anytime, you are stuck somewhere in between these 4 steps and is feeling totally helpless/hopeless, take a deep breath and ask yourself these very important question:

What is the next best thing I can do right now?
or,
What is the wisest thing I can do right now?

You are the best person to decide how to solve your own problems because you know them best. Each problem is different and there's no one-size-fits-all solution. And remember, nobody owns you your happiness - you have to create it yourself!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, our whole family of three will be heading for Cameron Highlands bright and early tomorrow morning! Can't wait to enjoy the cool and fresh mountain air. This will be my son's very first trip overseas with his freshly-printed passport. For the safety of all airplane passengers, we promptly chucked the idea of going somewhere where we need to get on the plane - just in case my curious and fearless son slips into the cockpit and press the wrong buttons or he somehow manages to pry open the emergency exit doors! I can't imagine the horrible scenario. So, we decided to travel by car where we could strap him down for the whole trip. The best part is that he dozes off to dreamland pretty easily on the road, so, it should be an easy feat.

The papa (hubby) will be driving us northwards from Singapore to around Ipoh, Malaysia, which will take around 9 hours. And the mummy (me), will be plugging herself off the family duties for a while and find her inner peace before she returns. No cooking and cleaning for the next few days which is a nice break for her blistering fingers. She just need to chase after her son if he runs off. The best part about the trip is to fully bask ourselves in the lovely company of the dearest people in our life (what could be more enjoyable than that?!) So, the little family of piggies will be hitting the roads without a care in the world, just for a few days. [Due to my son's craze about Peppa Pig he now calls us Papa Pig and Mummy Pig, and he's the little brother pig, George]

Till then, I hope this list can help you solve some of your problems. Best of luck!

PS: More useful notes and lists will be up when I am back. Many are in the making and some are just sitting in my notebook waiting to be posted - need to find proper time!

For now, Cameron, HERE WE COME!

Outrageous Dreams Penned in my 20s

Today, I just want to share with you the outrageous list of things I had dreamed to do when I was younger (I wrote this list about 10 years ago!). Obviously, none of the dreams in this list came true. But, who knows? Maybe five years down the road I'll become one of the fastest woman racers like Danica Patrick, and will be whizzing about on the F1 race tracks!



Danica Patrick at a conference... imagine this is me! Hee...



Visualizing my own hands on the steering wheel! Haha! And yes! F1 Grand Prix was held in Singapore at the Marina bay as pictured here.

Okay! I know, this is a fat hope for me. I'm just daydreaming...

Anyway, do you share any of my dreams?

1. Be a racer at the F1 Grand Prix or a biker at a motorbike race.

2. To be part of an orchestra as a violinist playing Love's Theme (by Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra) at the Esplanade, Marina Bay. [Click here to listen to song. Btw, it's my all-time favourite. I can listen to this song back-to-back for hours :)]

3. To compete in the Blackpool Dance Festival as a professional ballroom dancer.

[source]

4. To be a host of an animal show on the Geographic Channel - in a South Africa safari no less!

Please imagine this is me again...thank you [source]

5. Write a book that helps people to fully utilise their brains as we emerge towards the Wisdom Age and be the best-selling book of all time! Note: But recently, I think we've already entered another era: The Health Age - an era where health in both mind and body has taken centre-stage.

6. Paint artworks that will become famous or phenomenal after I die - like Vincent Van Gogh.

For a start, let's compare my favourite artist's work (left) and my work (right).
Okay, I know, one looks like a million bucks and the other shouldn't cost more than a dollar.

7. Invent something that is essential for every household - like a bug prevention device that keeps all bugs at bay. Oh gosh! Someone did it! Thank god! I only knew this not long ago. In fact, they have been around for more than 20 years but gained popularity only recently. Read about how it works here.

8. Be one of Michael Jackson's dancer and backup singer in his MTV or concerts. This is definitely impossible now that he has passed away in the year 2009. RIP Mr. MJ.



I'm the one with the blue scarf [source]

9. Dive in the Pacific Ocean and discover a civilisation on the ocean floor that actually existed 5,000 years ago as an island.

Somehow, I managed to find three more friends who'll join me in the 

expedition. Turns out later, two of them were ousted as they were more

interested in taking underwater selfies. From the picture, you know who 

they are... Hint: The two showing the peace sign

10. To be a parachutist and make a jump during the National Day Parade landing on the Padang. I used to love the feeling of adrenaline rush and has this eagerness to go to the extremes - like how I want to reach to the highest point in the sky (by parachuting), the deepest point on earth (by diving) and the fastest speed I can attain (by racing). But now that I'm getting on in years, my weaker heart really can't take such thrills anymore. For now, I'm contented with my daily morning brisk walks!

Singapore's Red Lion descending at the Padang, NDP 2010 [source]

If you ask me now: No, I DO NOT dare to jump out (hides in shame)
[source]

11. Be part of the engineering team in the project of building the world's longest bridge.



World's longest suspension bridge, Japan [source]

So, how about you?

Do you have any outrageous dreams while you were younger?