12 Ooo... Burnt Some Lanterns!

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also commonly referred to as "Mooncake Day" where I come from. On this day, my aunts gather families for a meal. We eat mooncakes, play lanterns and chat. The festival falls on the 8th of September this year.

Sharon's Fish Lantern for Mooncake Day 2014!

Mooncakes come in amazing variety these days - sugar free, cranberry, chocolate, coffee, durian! The only mooncake flavour I ever saw or tasted in my younger days were the ones with red bean or lotus seed paste filling. Some had an egg yolk in the center, some didn't.

Talking about the festival takes me back to my first year in college. I was left alone in the double storey house where I had rented a room. The landlady was away.

I didn't want to be left out, so I bought myself 10 paper lanterns to hang up. The clothes line outside the house seemed like a great place to hang the lanterns. I hung them up in a pretty row. My face glowed with some sort of pride. Yeah, I was alone and yet, not alone. These lanterns are going to brighten my mooncake day for sure.

Later that night, I lit all the candles in the lantern up. I was so pleased.

After spending some minutes admiring the calm flicker of yellow light, I went back into the house to have my meal. Then, went back out again for another round of oohing and aahing.

To my horror, the lanterns had caught fire! Oh, you should have seen my jaw drop. The clothes line snapped under the heat.

Putting the fire out was easy. A bucket of water did the job. The big question, for any teen, was really how to explain 'all this' to a vacationing landlady.

"Err ...Aunty, ah? Happy Mooncake Day.."  I wished her hesitantly. "Haha..know what? I kind of burnt the clothes line".

Kind of? ... Hah! Long story short. She let me off easy.

Lantern for Mooncake Day

This year, hubs bought us a fish lantern to light up. Isn't it cute? I'm going to celebrate this special occasion with a nice meal, one mooncake and looking out into the night sky. That's pretty much what I do every other year. No, I don't find it boring. Shoo!

14 The Progress Of My Cili Padi Plant

Friday is usually equated to being a fabulous day because it means the weekend is almost here. Well, I think there's something beautiful in every day. Happy Friday, everyone!

This post is about my chilli plant aka the bird's eye chilli.

I'm not known for having green fingers but I do try my best ..... annnd I feel like I'm getting somewhere! I water my plants religiously. I fertilise it regularly and clean off mealybugs whenever I see it. Some died, some are survivors. I'm beginning to understand what plants are suitable for the scorching afternoon sun that shines ever so brightly into my apartment.

This chilli seed (pictured below) was planted on 22nd Feb 2014.

The cili padi seed is planted

Two days later, a shoot appeared!

It sprouts!

Three months later, it seemed to be coming along nicely. Then, the leaves started curling up in a strange way. I knew I'd over-fertilised it. The instructions on the box said this much. I put in thaaaat much. Just thought I'd 'hurry things along ' ..you know. So, I stopped fertilising it for awhile and it got better.   

Except for the leaves, the plant is growing nicely

For the longest time, I checked on the plant each day for a chilli. On 24th July, it finally happened! I felt as proud as a mom over her kid.

Sob! A chilli!

Two to three weeks later, the green turned into a shade of red.

It's turning red

Today (I snapped this picture just hours ago), it is bright red. I guess I should 'harvest' it by now.

My red cili padi

Let me break it down for you:
Day 2 - Shoot appears
Month 5 - First chilli, it's green
Month 5.5 to 6 - Chilli turns a shade of red

That's my cili padi adventure. It has been six months. I now wait for a second fruit to appear. Well, surely there's more!

12 Yoga Pants - Women Love It!

In my previous post, I shared a chat I had with yoga beginner, Bernadette Harry, who gave us some tips on starting out. Regular practice and a good support group is key.

Bernadette Harry in a yoga pose

If you're one of those women who were inspired enough by the post to start on a yoga regimen, then the first thing you should ideally do is to get proper attire.

As you can see in the picture on the right, besides having a good top, a great pair of pants which allows for free movement is also essential.

This post is really all about the pants and why women love yoga pants!


3 REASONS WOMEN LOVE YOGA PANTS

Versatility. Some may refer to yoga pants as leggings or tights but one thing is for sure - it is a fashion item that a majority of women wear anywhere they go!

Yoga pants have a versatility that makes it wearable for many occasions. Women can match it with a tank top, a tunic or a sweater and still appear amazingly polished in casual wear.

As you can see, these pants are not strictly worn only for yoga or workout sessions. It can also be put on for casual day outs. Yoga pants, to me, are the perfect substitute for jeans.

There are different reasons why women worship yoga pants and use them as everyday wear.

The first reason is the fabric used. The snug fit celebrate women's curves, further contributing to a comfortable wear.  On days we call 'fat days', slipping on a pair of our favourite yoga pant leggings is convenient and that's truly a life saviour when we're not in the mood to be dressy.

Travel Friendly. The second reason yoga pants are a must-have for many women is because it is a great piece of outfit to bring along for traveling.

The lightweight fabric makes it easy to be packed along for short and long trips. It doesn't take up much luggage space. That leaves more room for souvenirs!

The elastic waistband screams eat as much as you want, it's a holiday! The stretchy material provides comfort for long rides or walks while sightseeing.

Affordable. The third reason that yoga pants are popular is because it's generally inexpensive. Comfort, style and affordability combined makes yoga leggings the best fashion item a woman can have in her wardrobe and let's not discount that it's long-lasting.

There is a wide range of colours and patterns available in the market. Women are spoilt for choice. Stock up on yoga pants with various colours and prints to match with a blouse or even an oversized tee. Have a variety because it'll also help you on your yoga journey, if you're starting on that. There's nothing more monotonous than wearing the same workout clothes day in, day out! 

Buying Tip! Where can you buy this if you're a woman who's too busy to sneak out of her hectic schedule to get to a store? Shop online, of course!

Zalora is a website that offers a variety of beautiful yoga pants at a reasonable price. Check them out and purchase one for yourself!

This is a sponsored post.
This piece is wholly written by me, and all opinions are my own.
Please read the Disclaimer for this blog under Policies.

10 A Chat With A Yoga Beginner

Bernadette Harry's a natural at yoga. Looking through her Facebook photos, anyone could have mistakenly believed that she'd been doing this for years. She's on a self-taught journey that really began only months ago.

I decided to interview my sister-in-law (yep, we're family!) to find out what drives her passion for yoga.

How did you get hooked on yoga?
I started yoga after seeing one of my friends doing it. She kept posting her yoga photos plus her progress on Facebook. From there, I was motivated to give it a try.

To be honest, I began with no idea how to do yoga. I had no basic training and until today, have never joined any yoga class.

I learned by doing my own reading, watching youtube and downloading pictures of yoga poses. After following a yoga tutorial on youtube for about a week, my body started aching from a muscle sore. I had to stop for 5 days but I felt really good about myself at the same time!

I think I’m getting stronger and healthier. A week later, my "yoga role model”  (the Facebook friend) added me as "Moms Talk Yoga” member, a closed group on Facebook. I got a lot of advice and tremendous support from fellow members. Once in a while, there will be yoga challenges going on and members are encouraged to participate. It was fun and I really enjoyed my “yoga time” with this group.

I guess there's no turning back for my sister-in-law now. It sounds extremely fun!

What do you love about yoga?
I love yoga because it can be a very simple form of exercise and I can do it any time I want. It does not necessarily have to be complicated yoga poses.

For example, I practice my Buddha pose and sit cross-legged in the office while doing my work. Sometimes I do simple stretching or even something as easy as deep inhale and exhale breathing. By doing this, we are actually allowing more oxygen to enter our lungs. It reaches every cell in our body and believe me, you will feel more relaxed and refreshed.

After practising yoga for awhile, I began to understand  and accept myself. I feel more and more comfortable towards my own body. With yoga, I started to see life at different angle.

Advice for beginners
Listen to your body. Do not force yourself to do any yoga poses or achieve any poses in a short time unless / until your body is ready. Practice to make progress and  be consistent.

Practice is the key to get where you want to be! Last but not least, keep breathing and enjoy your yoga! Namaste!

The cute thing is my two little nephews (both under five) have started doing yoga with their mom. It's a great family bonding exercise and keeps them away from mischief.

I hope you've been inspired by Bernadette's sharing.

If you intend to pick up yoga, you're going to need the right clothes too. I'll tell you where you can get some in my next post.

Note: The photos above were provided by Bernadette Harry, and used with permission.

10 My WWE Night

When I heard news that WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) would be performing live in Kuala Lumpur this October, I was brought back to a particular unforgettable life moment.

It was known as WWF (World Wrestling Federation) in the old days. I was no wrestling noob, thanks to dad who owned a video store then. I spent my teen years watching countless WWF shows. In 2002, many Malaysians were ecstatic when WWF announced that they were coming over to our corner of the world. My machoguy, who's also a big fan, got us a pair of tickets.

It was a long drive to the venue.

"Ling, got enough petrol?" I began after noticing that the dial was on low.

"More than ... " he gave a passing look at the dashboard.

The night was as exciting as being told that I'd gotten a job promotion. The stadium was packed with gusto-ic guys. People knew the chants! I was surrounded by 'manly' men and in me, was a call to roar along with them. Now, that would have been awkward since I was technically a rose among the thorns!

The show ended pretty late. There was much exciting chatter as we headed to the carpark and soon, a bit of a car queue ensued. We were stuck smack in the middle but managed to drive as far as out of our parking lot. We were inching over a speed bump....and then it happened. The car sputtered and stalled. This was followed by:

Some guys noticed our car trouble. Like super heroes out of a comic book, they gathered around our car. I swear I could've heard one of them say, "Stand back, ma'am. We'll handle this." They were glowing from some sort of wrestlemania adrenaline rush.

They gave our car a heave-ho over the bump. There were waves and claps all round with "thank you, brother!" and "no problem, man!". All a guy thing...and really amusing.

Machoguy started the engine and the car was running again. Thank our lucky stars! We figured out that when the vehicle was at a slant, this caused the little petrol that was left in the tank to roll back. So, we avoided hilly roads and slopes until we filled up. It was a relief that we had enough to get us to the nearest gas station. 

Well, that's the end of my not-too-dramatic night so long ago. We take better care of the car these days!