Mr D and my dying brain cells

I promised Mr D I will start writing again. He said that I am a good writer, but not a good blogger, as I keep my readers waiting (even though I only have a handful of readers). Well, that's very true! Ever since I gave birth to Alyssa, I find it difficult to organise my thoughts and putting them down in black and white. I am getting more occupied with unfinished work daily and I am skipping my protected TV moments every night, as I have too many undone chores to do. Mr D and I were discussing how to save the dying brain cells by zapping them. But I reckon the cells are dead...flat line... unsalvageable.

Mr D suggested I write something about our recent trip to Western Australia. I was thinking, apart from the trip, I do have a lot of other things that I would like to blog about, for instance my growing Alyssa and her chubby cheeky face, my self invented recipes, my dining experience and restaurant reviews....What would I be if I weren't a doctor? Definitely a writer, a story teller or a novel author, because I love sharing my thoughts. I think I would be a good cook too.

Let me gather my thoughts and I shall present to you my recent self drive holiday to Western Australia, a place that is foreign to me, yet familiar in certain ways. Here are some photos of my holiday to tickle your curiosity if you like to be teased.

PS: Mr D is my brother in law. Which one? You know who you are.....

Pineapple infused pork chops

I like to play Jamie Oliver or Nigella Lawson at home. We have one thing in common, we enjoy cooking for our loved ones! As much as I would like to be a naturally talented chef like the two of them, I could never be as spontaneous as them when it comes to creating secret recipes.

I have been wanting to cook something different for my husband for the longest time. We both were held up by our exams and were stressed to the max for the past 6 months preparing for it. One week post exam, I was already on my feet cooking again! This time, not my usual grilled chicken or angus beef steak. I decided to go hawaiian with the can of pineapple sitting in the pantry for as long as I could remember. And guess what? It turned out better than I expected.

Simply marinade the pork chop in teriyaki sauce for half a day, grill it to perfection on both sides, heat up the remaining of the oh-so-yummy juice that has escaped from the meat, pour in the syrup from the pineapple can. This will serve as your gravy for the pork chop. The sides are just simple and rustic mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. My husband and I are both meat lovers, so we added an Italian sausage to the dish to complete the beautiful picture.

My Girl, Alyssa

You must be very surprised to see the resurrection of this blog after it was kept inactive for 10 months. You must be wondering what happened to the blogger during this 10 months. And you must be thinking what the blogger could have accomplished in such a short period of time......

As the title suggests, yes, I am a mother now. I have just given birth to the love of my life, baby Alyssa (of course I have a few loves of my life, my family and my lovely hubby).

I wouldn't say the entire process of going through the pregnancy and labour was a pleasant one. It was in fact draggy, torturing and painful. But on the other hand, 9 months of pregnancy had indeed nurtured me to become a selfless mother. A mother who would give up her slender physique, her love for coffee and occasional booze, and of course her reluctance to follow a strict dietary advice, ie undercooked meat, raw fish, cold salad etc......Not to mention, walking around with a waddling gait while being pregnant, shopping frantically for cool and not so "maternity" looking clothes, and finally juggling a full time job while being physically tired all the time, on top of the usual morning sickness and gastric reflux throughout the pregnancy.

10 Dec will now be marked as a special day in our calender for many many years to come. This is the day that our little princess arrived. Despite staying awake all night due to the induction and labour, we were carrying her in our hands and watching her sleep even though we were extremely exhausted. She has tiny mouth and full chin just like me. She has single eyelid and Asian eyes, which she takes after KH. She was tiny and warm and she only weighed 2.85kg at birth. We just couldn't take our eyes off her!

Now Alyssa is coming to 1 month old. I have watched her grow up and put on weight everyday. I have participated in her daily activities, from feeding to bathing, from crying to smiling. I have also enjoyed the moments with her around, even though she is just sleeping soundly in her cot. I have come to decide that I want to be with her and witness every single milestone that she achieves.

Forget about not being able to squeeze into my old jeans and pencil skirts. I am a peacock proud mum!