Valen’s Vanity Square

I was watching this cooking program called “Licence to Grill” (I bet they borrowed it from the movie “Licence to Kill”!) on Asian Food Channel, ASTRO, last night. That reminded me to get a grill pan for my new kitchen.

I think grilling, if done properly, is quite a healthy way to prepare food. You use so much less amount of oil when grilling meat, poultry, fish or even certain kinds of vegetable. Grilled foods also look more tempting with the brown stripes.

May be I could start looking for a couple of healthy grilling recipes as well to be part of my lose-weight-get-fit plan, hehe.

Speaking of losing weight, just saw a piece of news about this anti-obesity drug called Acomplia, a product of the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis. This drug was approved for use in the treatment of obesity/overweight in the European countries since 2006. But it is now being withdrawn from the European market (so far no other countries outside Europe have approved this in their market) due to the risks associated with this medicine. It has been shown that obese or overweight individuals using Acomplia experienced twice the risk of mental disorders, including depression, compared with those who took placebo (dummy pills)!

While this is not any weight loss pills that you can get anywhere over the counter, it does ring an alarm - all medications have their side effects, mild or serious. It is vital that you don’t simply buy any diet pills OTC and swallow them without doing your research first, even if you are desperate! Read more, learn more, and discuss with your weight loss expert.

To me, I still prefer losing and controlling weight and shape through natural ways - healthy diet and regular exercise. Hmm, come to think of it, I think I should open a weight loss blog to share more ideas on healthy ways to lose weight and live a healthy life. Good idea!

Will let you all know when the blog is ready! Stay tuned!

My sister came back from her honeymoon in Phuket. She bought herself a pair of bikini, which she intends to wear when we go for our Langkawi Island trip next February. (Whether she’s really going to wear it, I don’t know.)

As for myself, bikini is definitely out of my list – unless I could miraculously lose all the fat around my belly.

With my current body shape, ahem, I might as well slip into the most ordinary, conventional one-piece swimwear. But I really like two-piece swimsuits!

I think something like this is not revealing yet sweet to look at, huh? Should look alright on me even if I’m a little bit ‘round’ at the waist, haha!

If you like this, you can get it at InStyleSwimWear.com!

Jeez, I’d better start my lose fat and get fit plan fast if I want to look good in a new swimsuit next year!

This morning, after waking up, I was sitting on the bedside hugging hubby like hugging a tree. He was standing up and caressing my hair. What a cozy and warm moment of love. All of a sudden…

“Darling, how come YOU have so much white hair??!! One, two, three…there’s another… one more here… ”

Oh no. Since when I started growing so much WHITE HAIR??!!!!!!! *Cry*

I took so much care of my face in the past that I forgot to take care of my body shape. Now, when I just set my mind to get rid of some fat and shape up, my crown starts to reveal signs of aging. Jeez, imagine 5 years down the road, when all these signs - lines, wrinkles, loose muscles, cellulite, white hair - become increasingly more apparent, I won’t know how to cope with them… so sad.

Now what? Should I look for some secret formula shampoo that will help prevent white hair, or simply go to a hair salon and color my hair?? Any advice??

Have you heard of the TV program called “The Extreme Makeover”? Have you ever watched it before? Do you LIKE to watch it?

For me, I like and dislike the program at the same time. I like to see the ‘before’ and ‘after’. I am always amazed by how medical technology today is able to drastically change and improve a person’s look. My only question is – would you be able to accept a mother or father who suddenly – after a few weeks – turned into someone who doesn’t look like the one you knew before? How would you react to a new slim and gorgeous mom, or a handsome looking dad? Haha!

What I dislike is… seeing (and almost feeling) the PAIN that these people had to go through! I can’t imagine how one can endure the pain and agony after a plastic surgery or orthodontic (oral) surgery! I really admired them for their pain toleration level.

I mean, what is the degree of pain you are ‘willing’ to accept when it comes to a makeover that involves blood shed? For me, I think my limit will be liposuction, haha! Because I can’t accept having a knife on my face or a drill in my mouth. Particularly my mouth. I’m dentist-phobic you know. So, even the best Washington DC dentist won’t have the chance to work on my mouth. This means, I will forever stay the way I look. There will never, ever be an EXTREME makeover for me in my life.

Anyway, I don’t need one. Hahaha!

I ‘felt’ so unhealthy and so ‘fat’!

I was rushing on a writing assignment for the past 3 days, and my butt was practically glued to the chair every waking moment except during shower time and toilet breaks. I even had dinner right in front of my laptop.

I read, typed, read, typed… I looked at my laptop for such long hours until I felt that I could almost go blind.

I felt dizzy and ‘vomity’ (am stealing this expression from my friend)… I relied on coffee to keep my brain working… I didn’t jog nor do any form of exercise but the muscles of my legs felt tight… my shoulder was aching… so was my lower back… I could feel more and more fat cells stacked up on my butt and thighs… my blood circulation was sluggish…  I just feel abnormally UNHEALTHY!

I can even see my own elephant thighs in the making, I must do something to stop it! Oh man, I must make sure I get out of the house and get some work out done this weekend!

Well, at least I have got hold of a copy of the Diet Solution Program by Isabel De Los Rios!

As I said before, the book is not about ‘going on a diet’. Yes, you will do something about your diet - you eat right to lose weight and maintain your health!

I am happy to find more than 50 recipes on salad dressings, vegetable dishes, meat, poultry and fish! I know most people when they are ‘on diet’, they usually eat steamed dishes to avoid oil, sugar and other seasonings. And they eat the same food again and again.

Well, if you are one human being that enjoy eating like me, you will be glad to know the recipes included are prepared by stewing, grilling, stir-frying, roasting, etc. (Too bad there are no dessert recipes…) The point is - you don’t have to give up delicious food to achieve an ideal weight and good health!

I think I will start trying out the recipes in the Diet Solution Program soon - as soon as my new kitchen is ready. But first, I need to check out my metabolic type to know what diet is best for my body.

If you want to lose weight but keep on eating, haha, why not give the Diet Solution Program a try?

Went to MidValley Megamall for window shopping last weekend, and saw my dreamed Sony Vaio pink-colored laptop.

I remember when I first started blogging last year, I told myself I that I would make money from blogging and use the money to buy a chic-looking Sony Vaio laptop. The Sony Vaios series laptops are not cheap, especially the glossy pink model that I like costs more than 4k.

Well, after 12 months of blogging, I would say that I had made more than enough to buy a new laptop. HOWEVER… I had spent all the money on shopping – clothes, skincare products and cosmetics.

So that’s why I’m still hanging around with my old Compaq laptop, with its ‘E’ button missing from the keyboard, hahaha!