2 Weeks After Dengue Fever

5 / 10 / 19

Just a little update on the situation. It has been 2 weeks since I have been discharged from the hospital and back to work for a week. I still feel tired sometimes and can’t walk really fast like I used to. I have to take things slowly. Been drinking chicken soup, Chinese medicinal soup and chicken essence on top of the daily multivitamins. It is unbelievable that a mosquito can cause so much ‘damage’.

I was off keto / low carb when I was in the hospital and a week after discharged. However, I felt very bloated after eating carbs and now I am back to keto again. I guess it would take about a month or so to regain my strength. Can’t wait!

Keto Kuih Bahulu

5 / 8 / 195 / 9 / 19

Kuih Bahulu is a soft and slightly dry textured egg sponge cake that is very popular in Malaysia, especially during festive season like Chinese New Year. Kuih Bahulu is mildly sweet and it tastes something like Madeleines. One of my childhood favourites and I still love them now. I thought I won’t be able to have them anymore since I am following the keto / low carb way of eating but I was wrong.

Ketojules came up with this fantastic Keto Kuih Bahulu recipe and I am over the moon. I decided to bake them this morning for breakfast. Alas, I did not have the Kuih Bahulu mould which looks like this.

So what I did is to bake them like muffins.

Pour all the batter into the muffin moulds.

Tadaa….. my Kuih Bahulu muffins are ready

Kinda looks like cupcakes eh? Boy, they are so delicious and taste just like non-keto Kuih Bahulu!

Here is the recipe from KetoJules.

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs
3/4 cup almond flour sifted
1 tbsp Zerro erythritol
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
coconut oil for brushing the bahulu moulds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C
2. Brush the bahulu mould with some coconut oil and place the moulds in the oven to keep them hot.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix the sifted almond flour, baking powder and sea salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, separate the eggs.
5. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form
6. In the egg yolks bowl, add in erythritol and vanilla extract. Beat until well-mixed.
7. Fold in the egg whites into the egg yolks mixture.
8. Fold in the almond flour into the eggs mixture until you get a batter that’s smooth and thick.
9. Take out the hot bahulu moulds from the oven and fill each mould to the brim with batter.
10. Bake for 20 minutes until the bahulu turns golden brown.

RECIPE NOTES

Each piece totals up to approximately 3g fat, 1g net carbs, and 2g protein. Calories per piece: 36.

I can’t wait to bake more of these. Thank you so much Ketojules for the awesome recipe!

So over April!

4 / 30 / 194 / 30 / 19

Today is the last day of April and I am so over this month. March wasn’t pleasant and April is even worst. You know why? I was bitten by the Aedes mosquito and contracted dengue fever.

How It All Started

It all started 2 Wednesdays ago. All of a sudden, I felt so tired and my back ached like nobody’s business. I thought it was due to the heatiness in my body because I did not drink enough water. In the middle of the night, the fever came and I had the chills and the whole body was aching. Next morning, I felt as if I was run over by a bus. My head was heavy and my eyes were swollen. Went to the clinic and was given Paracetamol and a day off.

I still did not realize the I had dengue. Next morning, I went to the doctor’s again and got another day off. The doctor told me that if I still have fever on Saturday, I should go straight to the hospital and take a blood test to rule out dengue. So come Saturday, the fever was still around and hubs drove me to Assunta Hospital to take a blood test. Result came back positive. What a bummer! I was still feverish and the whole body was in pain. My platelet count was 200 on Saturday which was still pretty high so the doctor told me to go home and come back the next day to take another blood test.

Admission To The Hospital

On Sunday my platelet count dropped to 140 and doctor asked me to admit to the hospital for monitoring and put on drip. That was the beginning of the nightmare. Let me just say that nothing can prepare you for the pain you would experience when you have dengue fever. My body aching so much, the fever never subside eventhough I have taken my meds and I cannot even sleep. I just did not know what to feel inside me. I had zero appetite and didn’t eat for 7 days. I would rather go through childbirth than to go through a dengue fever. It is that bad! I have my blood taken twice/thrice a day to monitor the platelet count. The fever finally went away on Day 7 since I started fever. Then the rash broke out on my legs. I was in the hospital for 5 days. The lowest platelet count I had was 67 before it swing right up again.

Dengue Fever Remedies

Friends and family members advised me to drink the juice of the papaya leaves which my husband managed to find and blended it for me to drink. I had 500ml of raw papaya leave juice on Day 5. It was a real horrid drink. I even bought a bottle of papaya leave extract tablets from Carings Pharmacy but my doctor advised me against that. She said she doesn’t know if any other things are added to the extracts so I better not take them. She’s afraid that they may affect my platelet count since they are made from herbs.

Honestly, I really don’t think that the papaya leave juice, raw or tablet form is going to help a dengue patient because according to the information I read and also from the doctor and nurses, the dengue fever takes 7 days. The most crucial time is from Day 4 to Day 6 where the platelet count will dip to very low. Then on Day 7, the platelet count will go up again. Nothing is going to make the platelet go up from Day 4 to Day 6 except water. We have to keep ourselves hydrated. The fever will go away on Day 7 and the platelet count will go up again, slowly but surely.

Getting Well Again

Today I am still on sick leave and will go back to work on 2nd May. I Thank God that I am recuperating well although I am still out of breath when I walk too long. It takes around 2 weeks to heal and perhaps a month or so to regain my strength to before. I am getting more paranoid about mosquitoes at home and have been spraying the house every morning, afternoon and late evening. My new best friend is the mosquito repellent spray.

Decluttering the Marie Kondo Way

4 / 4 / 194 / 4 / 19

Once in a while, when I feel edgy and just looking at my wardrobe or cupboards in the bedroom, living room and kitchen, makes me mad, I would start decluttering. I do not like looking at the mess especially when things are not organized. Clothes are not folded properly and kept orderly, too many things piling on top of one another and etc. Yes, I do have OCD but I have mellowed down over the years. Still, I do not like to see clutter everywhere.

Decluttering does not only mean that we are cleaning out the home for more space. It could also mean that we are creating more space for our mind. The act of decluttering is a way of generating fresh energy, creating mental and physical space for more clarity. We can also release some of those negative vibes that we have been holding on.

People often hang on to material belongings for security or comfort. Letting go of this emotional baggage would allow people to enjoy more quality of life. In my case, I usually keep things and not give away or throw them away because I am afraid that I may need them later on. Organizing gives me peace of mind and it makes me feel lighter. Decluttering is important for our mental health and for our soul. I did a round of decluttering Konmari style 2 months ago.

The above is my wardrobe and below is the chair where I ~~pile~~ keep all my bags. I think I need to #KonMari this weekend.

I always ask myself these questions when I am decluttering. “Do I need this? Do I want this? Do I use this?.” Then I would put them in 2 bags, one to giveaway and another to throw.

You can try this if you are feeling stressed out or overwhelmed. If clearing brings up uncomfortable feeling for you, please understand that you do not need to deal with them alone. You can also reach out for help. Talk to family, friends, or https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/counseling/councilor-vs-counselor-there-is-a-difference/. Do remember that you are never alone.

Always Remember To Check Your Monthly Phone Bill

3 / 21 / 19

I would like to share my experience here regarding my monthly mobile phone subscription with Celcom. My husband and I signed up for the First 38 package for RM38 a month. All these while when we received the statement, it is around RM80+. We thought this amount is for both our mobile phone package. Hence, I did not pay any attention to it until today when I wanted to check how much Celcom charged me for an international call I made earlier this month.

To my horror, I noticed that I am being charged RM1 for every SMS content that was sent to me from the number 27999. When I traced what kind of contents that were sent, I discovered that those were ads from Celcom itself! I did not subscribe to any of these and why were they sent to me and I have to pay for them? Utterly ridiculous!

Can you see the charges above? This is daylight robbery! My bill is around RM80+ a month which includes the RM38 package and all the sms! My husband’s bill is around RM40+ a month and his number does not have the SMS Content Services.

I have contacted their Customer Service to request for immediate action to Unsubscribe. I hope they will take action asap. I also asked for a refund and I hope they will look into this. Lesson learned – Always remember to check the monthly statement.

How To Survive When Life Gets Overwhelming

3 / 14 / 19

I am sure some of us struggle with some challenges on certain days. We feel stressed out by the daily life that cannot seem to unwind. When that happens to me, I would do a few things to de-stress myself and they are:-

1) Watch The Ellen Show on Youtube. I love watching how Ellen surprises her audience with acts of kindness. It is so touching and inspiring. Watching her shows put a smile on my face.

2) Go for a run. Nothing beats giving my heart a pump. Running allows me to spend some time with myself.

3) Deep breathing. I try to do some deep breathing to relax. I would inhale, hold, exhale and hold. I repeat this process about 6 times and it helps me to feel relax.

So, if you are feeling stress and need to calm your mind, you can indulge in a little me time by going for a walk or on a bike ride. I used to crave for cakes when I feel stressful but not anymore because I do not eat cakes unless I bake them myself because I am following the keto way of life. But hey, if you think that eating something sweet would make you feel better, then go ahead.

Being stressful and anxious can take a toll on our health. Just remember that things will change and this feeling will pass. If you need some extra support or wish to talk to someone, just check out here.

Reminder to myself

3 / 4 / 193 / 1 / 19

Latest Zara Love

2 / 27 / 192 / 27 / 19

If you don’t know already, I am crazy about Zara. I love their clothes, shoes and accessories. Zara’s clothes are very good quality and won’t go out of shape no matter how many times they have been washed. I was at their website yesterday and spotted these latest fashion range. I have a thing for puffy sleeves and blouses with ruffles or bow ties. I find that they add a little retro and flamboyant style to the blouse. I love that these styles are trending again.

Orange blouse with voluminous sleeve

Satin blouse with tied bow detail

Printed blouse with bow

Contrast Poppin Blouse

Shirt with Bow Collar

Can I buy them all?

Do You Enjoy Eating Alone?

2 / 25 / 192 / 25 / 19

Do you feel weird eating alone at a restaurant? Society has brainwashed people into thinking that eating alone whether at home or out means that a person is sad and lonely. There are people who feel uncomfortable sitting all by themselves and having a meal in a restaurant.

Honestly, I do enjoy having a cuppa or eating a meal all by myself. Once in a while, I like to have my food quietly. I do not have to make small talks and I enjoy watching people. I just did that one Sunday morning at a cafe along Jalan Gasing. I was waiting for hubs and missy for about 1.5 hours so I decided to have my scrambled eggs and mushroom breakfast and a cappuccino. No, I did not eat the toast *wink*. It was a nice quiet time for me and I had a nice time.

KonMari Method of Tidying Up My House

2 / 15 / 19

Almost everyone is following Marie Kondo, the Japanese organizing consultant and author of 4 books, way of tidying their spaces. She has been helping people around the world on how to declutter their homes into spaces of serenity. The KonMari Method way of tidying is by going from room to room and keeping things that only spark joy. Firstly, start with clothes, then books, papers, miscellaneous items and lastly sentimental items. She encourages that we only keep things that speak to the heart, and discard items that no longer spark joy. We have to thank them for their service and then let them go.

I started KonMari-ing just before Chinese New Year. I actually love re-organizing my things but my family gets really scared when I start doing it because they know that I would be ‘throwing’ things away, their things too, to be precise *chuckle*.

It is always a constant battle on what I should give away/donate/throw. The “What-ifs” is always playing in my mind. “What if I still need it later?” This is actually a rather scary thought which resulted in the accumulation of things that I do not actually need.

So I started with the kitchen drawers first and threw away many plastic containers that I have been keeping for years. Can’t imagine the things I have been collecting all these while. Gosh! It feels great to see my drawers looking kinda empty.

Some of the things from the kitchen that I gave away. Didn’t take photos of the rest of the stuff in that area.

Next is my bedroom. I have this big black garbage bag in the room for months. Whenever I see clothes that do not spark any joy anymore, I would put them in this bag to be given away. I usually pass them to the Salvation Army which is near my house.

Last night I took out 2 boxes of accessories and #KonMari them.

I really cannot believe how much I have spent shopping for clothes and accessories. By organizing and tidying my things, I am more mindful about what I should or should not buy in the future. Will be doing more #Konmari-ing from now on. It’s great to reduce and declutter.