Trying to eat healthy

Groceries!

I've been trying to eat healthier.Eliminating fast food..slowly.I've to admit that I only lost like 3kgs within 2 months which is actually little to me. And that is with a few exercises in a week(pilates/Jillian Micheals yoga meltdown/brisk walking).I've lost a lot more in previous years.This is due to the fact that I eat fast food once a week and sometimes I gotta admit,twice a week.Because fast food is quick and it saves time.

Made this smoked turkey breast wrap

But excuses are just that,excuses.If you want to have better health,you gotta make better choices in terms of what you put into your mouth which is a constant struggle everyday especially with the abundance of deliciously sinful food being sold everywhere.Exercise too but let's face it,when you finish work,all you want to do is eat and then sleep.

Greek yogurt with stewed strawberries (no sugar only lemon juice+ maple syrup)

I'm trying to follow the simple healthy rules that I used to do years back--for example:Cut out sugary drinks(gong cha/iced tea etc),don't eat late at night,drink a lot of water,eat more fruits and vegetable.I hope that I'm slowly getting back on a healthier track.Gotta work on my fitness though.That I'm still lazy with.hahaha.

A short reunion at a wedding

Back in my UiTM days as a TESLian(TESL student),I've a group of friends that I lived together with for a few years(before I got my own car& then my dad asked me to live with my late grandma).We became good friends over the years,through ups and downs.I've taken the mini bus with them,Rapid KL,KTM,had sahur and berbuka with them during puasa month,went to Ipoh and Cameron Highlands with them and many more great experiences.

Us with the bride and groom

Razin and I with the bride and groom

Anyway,last Saturday I went to Ampang for the wedding of one of us.Farhana and her husband Zarul.I went with my boyfriend Razin and my friend Yaya.She looked so radiant and happy.I was so happy for her for finally getting her happily ever after.The food at the wedding was really good(there was daging dendeng/tumbuk which is my faveeee..Razin's mum is a pro in making it)and there even was a tau fu fa stall.Luckily we didn't get lost going to the place!

Razin and I with little Nuha

With my Tesl senior,Mas!

Reunited

It was great catching up because I haven't seen them in 2 years I think.The reason being is that most of them don't live in Shah Alam.Everybody lives in different states.Two of them are now married with kids.Now it's three of them.Thankfully I've been to all of their weddings.I've gotta admit I'm not great in keeping in touch haha..They know of this since UiTM days.

I rarely chat/text or call.I prefer real life interaction.But I've been busy with work for the past few years(my previous job was so time consuming that I missed out on a lot of things) and so were they.So I was really glad that when Yaya came with me and Razin,throughout the ride to and fro Ampang,we talked like nothing has changed.It was great hearing how good they're doing with their life.

Meeting Napisah's and Hani's kids was great too..Aqlan is still tiny and Nuha has turned 1 years old.She was just too cute!!She was okay with me holding her and everything..just like Razin's niece Qarla.

I know they'll be busy with raising their kids,balancing work + pursuing their masters..but hopefully we'll get to meet again sometime this year.:)

May 2013 in lots of pictures

My mum and dad!

I voted in Shah Alam!

In the car with his niece!

Had dinner at Homst with the boyfriend and his sister,brother in law and their precious baby girl,Qarla!Haven't eaten there in a few months and I miss their awesome butter prawns.Had siakap sweet and sour,stir fried baby kailan,pandan chicken and the butter prawns(I've been to like 5-6 different restaurants for their butter prawns and this is still the best out there!).

Qarla being cheeky at Homst with her mummy

Yummy food!!

Went to my fave place to buy groceries--Jaya Grocer Warehouse with the boyfriend and we finally got the hot dog from Bonjour Bakery which was next to it.Previously when we went with his siblings,they were out of it.It was good!The bun was clearly baked by them and it was huge!There was relish as well..and chopped onions which I love.

Hot dog!

Yummy!

Awwwww

I was sick one day and didn't go to work..was down with fever.My guy surprised me and came with food!Eventhough I lived with my family,he still wanted to make sure I was taken care off..haha Haven't had bubur mcd in AGES!

My sweet sweet guy..:)

Top:Sukun/breadfruit. Bottom:Goreng pisang/banana fritters and keropok lekor

Beauty,buys and splurges

I'm a beauty junkie..I love trying new beauty products but the moment new ones that are better than the previous ones,I'll leave the old one behind and never finish using them.hahaha

Bought 3 beauty products--a new concealer from Revlon because I've acne scars thanks to my recent hormone spikes/stress=pimples!,a new mascara from Maybelline which gives my lash crazy lengths and also a hand cream which have been voted the best hand cream by Instyle.

New concealer

The best hand cream!

This mascara made my lashes super long.

2 weeks ago I was freaking out over pimples popping up on my face.So I steamed my face over a bowl of fresh mint leaves and lemon peels.It clears your pores and very relaxing.Basically you just put your face over the bowl while creating a tent over your head using a towel so the steam won't go away.

I tend to wear black liquid eyeliner everyday and no eyeshadow whatsoever.But recently I saw THIS on The Beauty Department and wanted to try the look.It was different but pretty.But I won't wear it on a daily basis.Maybe for a fun weekend out.haha 2 pictures below showed how I always wear liquid black eyeliner and the last one was the new look that I tried!

Red hair!

Teal liner

I wear stud earrings all the time..I prefer simple and light ones instead of elaborate heavy ones.But I tend to lose them after a few weeks.So luckily I found this set below at F21.I saw my big earrings for special occasions.

Studs!

It's hard to find bags that are not that expensive,not small and pretty as well.I need a new bag to replace my old one from Charles and Keith.So luckily ALDO was having buy 2 for the price of 1 deal and I grabbed these bags below.The striped one is being sold on ASOS and I got it for much cheaper here.Hopefully I won't buy any bags until the end of Raya.:P

New bags!

 Food!

Perfect cheesecake with raspberry

Had this cheesecake from Komugi for this week.Last week I went there 3 times to buy my lunch and this week I managed to go only once..I've spend too much money there.haha.I love the raspberry on top of the cake.I love fresh fruits on cakes..especially berries!

Add caption

Razin and I bought this dry fruits snack for babies for his niece Qarla while he visit her one day at her house during the weekend.She can't stop eating it and I love it too.The whole pack was under 100 calories and were tasty!

Keria

I love kuih keria.It looks like a doughnut but is made out of mashed sweet potato mixed with flour and drenched in sugar syrup.So decadently good.haha Had it for breakfast..one of my fave breakfast food but I know it's not good for me.

Caramel mousse cake

I love the cake above from Bonjour Bakery at Bukit Jelutong.I've eaten it twice.yummmm The caramel is just right..not too sweet or bitter.

Garlic aioli

I made roasted garlic aoili a few weeks back because I remembered the delicious aioli I tasted at La Bodega a few weeks ago.It was so easy.Wrap a head of garlic in foil,roast for a few minutes until it is soft.Take it out and just push the garlic cloves..the inside will come out easily.Mash it and mix with some mayo.Lovely as a dip with potato wedges or vegetable sticks!

Sambal petai by mama

My mum loves making sambal petai because she loves petai and so do I.I brought these to the office for my packed lunch and luckily I carry a small bottle of Listerine in my purse all the time to avoid bad breath situations.Petai is very good for one's health though it's quite stinky.

Ketam masak lemak nanas and ikan belah belakang

Mama also made two of my other favorite Malay dishes..ketam masak lemak nanas(crab with pineapples cooked in coconut broth) and ikan belah belakang(stuffed fried fish).Ikan belah belakang is a recipe passed down from my late grandmother who always makes them for me back when my family lived with them when I was little.It's one of my utmost favorite dishes and mama usually makes 2 fish for me to eat.:)

Komugi--It's Japan Baked Daily.

If you follow me on my instagram account (@liyanahanim) you would have known that I've been buying breads/pastries from Komugi at Sunway Pyramid for lunch for three days now during weekdays.:P

Rustic looking breads

I stumbled upon it while I was at Sunway Pyramid 3 days ago,looking for what to have for lunch.I was immediately taken in by the pretty display of desserts and clean exterior.The rustic looking breads looked scrumptious and the cakes/tarts/macarons/puddings looked so perfect!

Pretty cakes,tarts,puddings and macarons

I started my first experience with Komugi by buying their tiny half-baked cheesecake(rm3.50) and their Mango pudding(I think it was rm5.50).The tiny cheesecake was satisfying and melts in my mouth.The pudding was milky and clearly made out of milk and no artificial ingredients involved.

Half baked cheesecake and chocolate cheese

The next day I bought the tiny chocolate cheesecake,sugar bun and garlic loaf.The garlic loaf was heavenly.Crunchy on the outside but soft and garlic buttery on the inside.And on Friday,I bought croissant,mini choc croissant and krone.I loveeee the croissant.It was one of the most delicious,flaky and buttery croissant that I've had in a long time!

Sugar bun

I can't wait to taste their other cakes and also their fruit tarts which have fresh blackberries/raspberries and many more on them.Komugi's have outlets in Pavilion(cafe),Mid Valley and also Paradigm(cafe).This blog entry was written because I genuinely love their baked goods and feel that people should know about their awesomeness!If you guys go there soon do try their amazing croissant and half baked cheesecake!I want to try the food at their cafe as well!

Mango Pudding

How amazing was Star Trek Into Darkness?

I watched Star Trek Into Darkness almost a week ago,on Saturday to be precise because I was working on Friday(the day it came out).

It was amazing!My boyfriend clapped his hands at the end of it.hahah.I have to say that it was better than Iron Man 3.I'm not being bias because I'm a fan of Iron Man and I watched all 3 of the movies.

Star Trek Into Darkness had really good if not great actors and all of them wasn't forgotten in the movie.Every character had their time on the screen and left an impact.

Actors like Chris Pine,Zachary Quinto,Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg were awesome in their respective roles.The friendship between Kirk and Spock was moving.Those guys can cry!hahaha

The torpedos!

Khan/Benedict Cumberbatch was just really good(just like he was in BBC's Sherlock) as a villain..very smooth,cunning and still handsome as ever(though I prefer Tom Hiddleston/Loki more).:P

There was many heart stopping moments throughout the movie.I grabbed the boyfriend's hands so many times during the scenes.hahaha.

Spock and Captain Kirk with Khan.

I just freaking love the movie!People,go and watch it before it's not showing at the cinema anymore!But the next Star Trek movie will be out in yearsss to come because J.J.Abrams is now working on the latest Star Wars movie.So we'll have to wait!

Oh I give this movie 5/5..:P

Movie reviews:Iron Man 3,Oblivion and Silver Linings Playbook.

Iron Man 3


Did you guys remember Robert Downey Jr in Ally McBeal?I watched that show when I was little and I loved it although Ally is a little disturbed with the talking baby and all.hahaha.Anyway,to someone like me who's been watching Iron Man 1 & 2,Iron Man 3 didn't disappoint and I'm even hoping that there'll be an Iron Man 4.

But,I heard that Iron Man 3 is the last movie and we'll have to wait for The Avengers 2 to see more of Robert Downey Jr.How was the movie?Lots of action,Tony Stark's quick wit,sweet moments between him & Pepper which made me go awwwww haha.Basically the movie was about how something that we've done in the past will eventually affect us in the future.I loved that Pepper also kicked ass at almost the end of the movie.

I didn't read the comic book but what I was told from the boyfriend was that in it,Mandarin,the suppose villain in the movie,actually is the real villain.

There's also a funny part of the movie when Tony Stark had to teamed up with a little boy named Harley.As usual,wait until right at the end of the credits for a bonus scene!I give the movie 4/5.

Oblivion

Watching this movie was an impromptu thing after the boyfriend and I had our lunch at Setia City Mall on Monday(public holiday for Selangor!).Below is his joke to me and sorry for those who doesn't understand Bahasa Malaysia.

My guy,the comedian

Silver Linings Playbook


Firstly,I love Jennifer Lawrence ever since I saw her on X-Men.She won an Oscar after being in this industry for only 6 years.That's not a long time in the industry that she's in.Also the fact that she was nominated in the same category 2 years ago.Crazy amount of talent and the fact that she's super hot!:P

I have the book on my ipad but haven't finish reading it yet.The movie to me was very enjoyable.My boyfriend who has an exceptional taste in a lot of things loved it as well.It's basically about two people who are not really mentally/emotionally unstable who somehow finds each other.

I love Tiffany which is Jennifer Lawrence's character.She was brilliant!Especially the meltdown scene in the diner.hahaha

I might be bias because I'm a big fan of hers but I'd give this movie 5/5.A must watch!

Of chocolate eclairs and smiles

P/S: I colored my hair recently at Trendz in Grand Dorsett Subang Jaya.The people there are really nice but it's advisable to call and make a booking as the place is quite small.I made the booking for me and my mum 2 weeks before the said date.

Tadaaaa

Last Tuesday was the 60th birthday of my boyfriend's dad.The boyfriend and I made him this special chocolate eclairs cake since chocolate eclairs is a fave of his.I made the pate a choux while the boyf dipped them in Ghirardelli milk chocolate and then I piped whipped cream into them and he stacked them beautifully.It was a joint effort!:)

Glad that his dad was very happy with it.Had dinner at Serai Thai with his family along with Raushan(who's in in sect 3 Shah Alam..haven't been there in ages!!The food was good but the butter prawns still can't beat the ones at Homst. Pictures from the night.

The food!

Cutie pie with a flying kiss!

His niece and him..awww

With my man :)

My hair looked so red!

Happy birthday uncle!

Yummmm