Facebook on my android phone

I switched to an LG phone on android recently. The first thing I wanted to do was to get into facebook.



The problem is everytime I login to facebook through the browser, i get a blank screen.


Went to android market to check out the facebook solutons.


Downloaded facebook touch after checking out the available solutions.


So far so good. Am able to post and read emails and use the basic facebook functions with facebook touch.


love it

disclaimer

just to let you know that my views on this blog are my personal views. likewise with my personal you tube channel and personal tweets and personal facebook account.


and personal everything.

these are my private thoughts. experiences i'd like to share with you.



my personal views are not those of the organization i work for.



i'd like to keep my work and my personal life separate :)

kiwi berries for kids

I love trying new things, fruits included. My kids are among the first to try whatever new stuff I chance upon. Especially if its full of vitamins as is the case with all edible fruit.

At the supermarket, I saw a box of miniature kiwi fruit. Kiwiberries, they were called. Interesting. I bought a box out of curiousity.

When I told my kids I bought kiwiberries, they weren't too excited about trying them. They complained that kiwi fruit is too sour for their liking.

Kiwiberries look like kiwi fruit minus the hair. They are the size of the blueberries, which I often give my kids due to the rich antioxidant content of these berries.

Kiwiberries too are rich in anti-aging, cancer-fighting antioxidants -- vitamin C and vitamin E. It contains loads of fiber, some calcium, potassium and vitamin A.



On the inside, they look exactly like kiwi fruit. Green on the inside with a white center lined with tiny black seeds.


After much coaxing, my kids tried the berries. They thought these tasted like blueberries and not at all like those sour kiwis these berries resembled. They loved those weird little berries.

I thought kiwiberries tasted like mangos. What do you think?

How to make brandy brownies

Imagine a sinfully rich brownie, crispy on the outside, rich and chocolatey on the inside with that touch of orange brandy that makes it superb.

You don't have to go to a 5-star restaurant for that when you can make that brownie in your kitchen.

Here's how to make delicious brownies part 1

You need 3 ounces plain flour
2 ounces cocoa powder
90 g butter
8 ounces castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
half teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 ounce raisins
4 ounces macadamia nuts
1-2 tablespoons brandy

1. Sift the flour and cocoa
2. Mix the butter, castor sugar, vanilla, salt and eggs with the flour and cocoa
3. Stir in the raisins and nuts

Ok, so I uploaded part 2 of the video to the wrong youtube channel. It landed up on my son's channel, together with his bionicle and penguin videos. Duh.

That's what happens when mother and son are net enthusiasts who share the same computer.



1. Pour the mixture into a greased lined baking pan
2. Bake at 175 degrees celsius for 30 minutes
3. Remove from heat, remove the paper.
4. Pour 1-2 tablespoons brandy over the brownie.

Serve hot, or let it cool and serve at your convenience.

Monkey Attack At Bukit Timah Hill

We brought the kids up Bukit Timah Hill for a family picnic.

I prepared their favourite breakfast. 2 Subway style sandwiches - Bread with italian herbs, 1 filled with with cheese and bacon the other with cheese and honey baked ham. That being the day after watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid with my kids, with that whole subplot about the "cheese touch", I was afraid they'd shy away from breakfast because of the cheese.

That was the least of my worries.

The street near the foot of Bukit Timah Hill could be mistaken for a monkey village. Those little critters looked really cute, perched on cars, running around with their young.. with their babies clinging under them as they ran past.

As we got out of the car, my 10-year old son clung on to a colorful bag of dried nuts and fruit which he wanted to eat at the top of the hill. That got the monkey's attention. They ran for him and tried to grab his bag.

Terrified my son ran back into the car and shut the door. Those monkeys were far from docile. The pack ran to the car and tried to get to my son. The poor boy was terrified.


We tried to shoo the monkeys away but they ignored us.

Finally, we got into the car and drove off, leaving the monkeys behind.

That traumatized my boy. He kept crying and refused to get out of the car after that. My husband and I tried to persuade him but he refused. Big strong daddy promised to protect him from the monkeys but he still sat in the car crying. Finally, we told him he could choose to sit in the car alone or join us hill climbing, in our protection. He joined us and thankfully, the rest of the outing turned out well.

As we climbed the hill, we saw sign boards telling everyone not to feed the animals.

You see, by feeding wild animals, we are harming them, not helping them.

Wild monkeys and other creatures are usually able to forage for food in the wild. By feeding them, they come to rely on getting free food from humans without looking for the food themselves. They get bold and eventually, they approach people for food.

If food is not given willingly, they simply help themselves.. like what happened with my kid. So when you see cute monkeys out in the wild, please do NOT feed them.

How I Started Running 10k

I love my job but miss my long morning runs. What used to be a daily affair is now once a week - when I'm off from work. 2km to 4km runs just don't cut it. To me, nothing beats the sweat and euphoria (runner's high) I get from running 10k first thing in the morning. It beats coffee and dare I say it.. it's even better than chocolate.


Early morning runs are fabulous. I took this photo during my run this morning. The place is so serene. There is a sense of peace in nature, surrounding little places like these throughout Singapore.

This love for running is a recent thing. Something I took up as I approached 40. I was never athletic when young and honestly, I hated running.


When I was young, the only time I'd run was during the actual 2.4k run that was compulsory for all students once a year. That and PE classes. Or when I was late for a class or an appointment.

Once out of school, I avoided running unless I had to. Hated it. I'd rather swim or cycle or dance instead. Need calorie burning aerobic exercise? A long walk down Orchard road, hitting the malls along the way was my version of 'running'.

After pregnancy and child birth, I really ballooned out. From 50kg, I was 78kj before the birth of my second child. The baby and placenta was about 5kg at most. The rest of just me. That was when I actually took a serious interest in losing weight.

I did consider slimming pills until I read about Andrea De Cruz's case. She had liver failure from taking Slim 10 pills -- a popular weight loss pill sold at reputable pharmacies all over Singapore. She nearly died. To cut the story short, her other half, Pierre Png (then boyfriend, now husband) donated half his liver to her, saving her life.

Striking diet pills from my list, I thought of dieting. Didn't last long as I love food too much. In any case, starvation diets or fast weight loss methods just aren't sustainable. Once you eat normally, you'd balloon out again, so food intake should be in moderation, allowing treats now and then to avoid binging.

Exercise was my final hope. That has to be paired with sensible eating habits. I started running every morning. On days it rained, I climbed up and down the stairs.

I started off with 2k jogs, which became runs. Over time, I increased that to 4k, 6k, 8k and eventually 10k when I had the time and on weekends. Through these runs, I gradually lost weight, going down from maternity dresses (I wasn't pregnant. Just looked that way) - to size XL to size L and finally, size M over the months.

Then when I left my previous job, I ran 10k every morning.

What started off as a way to lose weight became more of an addiction.

I had insomnia. Couldn't sleep at night. Couldn't think in the morning. Needless to say, my work was very badly affected. Running helped me beat insomnia. After a good run in the morning, I'd sleep through the night. Something that had eluded me for months.

I was depressed a lot those days. Okay, maybe more feeling down as I hadn't actually reached clinical depression, but I was rather moody. Starting the day with a run got me off on a better footing. I felt better throughout the day for it, even after the endorphins had worn off. Also, the time I spent running was time I spent communing with my God. Time I'd sort things out in the quiet environment, so close to nature. it really helps me stay sane in all circumstances.

You know what?
If you have a weight problem, feel stressed, or depressed, or suffer from insomnia, don your running shoes and just do it. Go for a run. It really helps.