My good friend's wedding and 2nd roast chicken attempt

My old friend Thiru had his wedding at Cyberview Lodge on Boxing Day 2008. It was my first time there, and I have to admit that it was a very pretty place for a garden wedding. Pardon the pictures, they are taken with my Sony Ericsson W700 camera phone ^.^

Thiru, Theva, Govin in traditional Indian attire

The newlyweds together, Thiru & Evelyn

It was a very sunny day. Had a bit of cloudy weather, but thank God it held up nicely. Our mutual friend Donny Tan was playing guitar and singing during part of the ceremony. Donny and the music team had the full blast of the evening sun on them when they went on stage. Poor them! You can see they were sweating like nobody's business. Donny had to squint his eyes a lot too to avoid the glare.



Thiru and Evelyn exchanged their own vows on top of the normal one. Very sweet... The guests were given coloured rice to shower onto the newlyweds. However, most got over enthusiastic when the groom kissed the bride, and sort of pelted them when they were sharing an intimate moment. The bride's father got rained with the rice too... poor daddy ^.^

Rice anyone?

The wedding dinner was filled with performances from the friends and family. Definitely 2 highlights was Evelyn's dad's singing "Love is a many splendoured thing", and the final dance item from the newlyweds and the entourage. The song from Evelyn's dad was very well sung, and he was even backed by 2 violins and a piano. The final dance item was in true blue Bollywood style, with Indian music and playful choreography.

On a side note, the next day, I did another roast chicken. This time with patatoes in the tray. However, I only put the patatoes in after I removed the foil. The toaster oven really isn't very hot, so some pieces weren't cooked all the way through. Still quite successful I think. See my previous effort here. Ate this with some lightly steamed brocolli with melted margarine. Lovely lovely... washed down with some simple red wine.... bliss baby, bliss!

Roasted Chicken and other updates

Ha! Another entry in my blog! Which I'm sure no one else reads because its only updated twice a year maybe and I never publicise it except when I feel like it.

So Saturday night, I had a themed dinner event with my colleagues. Theme was East and West. Emphasis on having both elements together in the dressing. Almost 90% came in a chinese top. Some were more adventerous, doing Thai, Japanese, hip hop street style. One of them even crossed dressed, as in a guy wearing a ladies' gown. Undoubtedly this one drew the most cat calling and photo oppurtunities. I myself went to Giant hypermarket to get a casual Indian top. The food was quite tasty, and mostly italian fare done in buffet style. The restaurant is Rick's Cafe Casblanca at One Bangsar. Our event occupied the entire upper floor. Quite happy to see that we had 90% turnout in numbers and all took some effort to match the evening's theme. There was free flow of wine, red and white. Of course, this lead to some extravagant toasting attempts, and many had to chill out after the dinner to allow the effects of alcohol to settle down.
Christmas is just round the corner.

Oh yeah, my house has been fitted with Astro now. That's Malaysia's sattelite TV service, and has channels like CNN, BBC, HBO, Hallmark etc. But my favourite channel is Discovery Travel and Living, and also the Asian Food Channel (AFC). Favourite program is cooking shows. Its just so relaxing to watch food being prepared. No Hell's Kitchen for me thank you. Gordon Ramsay is too theatrical and the show is far removed from any level of sanity. But I do know people who are fans... so to each his and her own.

I'm always amazed at how the western chefs do so much with their ovens. So I decided to try using our "oven" for a cooking attempt. Except... that I don't have a real oven. My home only has a toaster oven. So here is my first attempt using a toaster oven to try roasting a chicken.
Mom had bought a really nice and clean Nutriplus air dried chicken from Carrefour last Friday. Very clean bird, and the flesh just looked lovely. Saw a tip from a show by Kylie Kwong, to cook the chicken in the oven but wrapped in foil first. After an hour, remove the foil to start the roasting proper. Cooking in foil will ensure the chicken is steamed with lots of moisture first, thus keeping the juices.
So my recipe today was taken from some internet website and the cooking method from Kylie.

1 chicken, about 1.5kg, cavity cleaned

5 cloves of garlic

1/2 a large red onion

2 tbsp paprika powder

1 tsp dried rosemary leaves

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 lemon

Salt

Black pepper

Aluminium foil.
1. Make sure chicken is properly defrosted.

2. Rinse chircken cavity and season with salt and pepper.

3. Cut lemon in half. Stick one of the lemon halves into the chicken cavity.

4. Pound garlic and onion in a pestle and mortar. And some salt while pounding to increase abrasion.

5. Once onion and garlic are evenly mushed up, add paprika and rosemary. Pound again.

6. Add olive oil to pounded mixture, and stir with spoon. If you choose to pound it instead of spooning, you'll just make a mess I think ^.^

7. Rub chicken all over with mixture... i mean, rub mixture all over the chicken

8. With leftover lemon half, cut into 4 slices to obtain 4 circular pieces.

9. Oil a roasting tray.

10. Lay 4 pieces of lemon on the oven roasting tray.

11. Place chicken on lemon. The lemon pieces prevent the chicken skin/flesh from direct contact with the tray.

12. Cover roasting tray with aluminium foil. Wrap it well, keeping in mind to not allow any gaps, else moisture will escape.

13. Place into oven at 250 celsius for 1 hour.

14. After 1 hour, remove from oven and discard foil.

15. Place back into oven for 45 minutes.

Here is the result!

Tada! Chicken from toaster oven

Extremely juicy and tender. So juicy I had problems to cut it up because juice was spurting out everywhere. Maybe I should have rested the chicken on a drip tray or something. The flavour is very simple, but my mom quite likes it. So I feel validated enough ho ho ho. More paprika would've given the roast a deeper colour too. The original internet recipe called for onion and garlic powder too, not fresh onion and garlic. Maybe that made it too wet too.
I count this as a success!


Maybe I can roast something every other week. God knows my bottle of paprika powder still has lots of leftovers! I wonder what else can you use paprika for? I add rosemary to my fried eggs and tuna sandwich fillings. But paprika is a mystery still.


So I think I will do the same roast for Christmas. Will do my roasted mash patatoes too, and think of something for a cold salad.

MyVI's first weekend drive

So I have made a new purchase in my life. A new Perodua Myvi. Have purchased the 1.3 EZi Premium type that comes with ABS and airbags. Colour is silver, and had some tinting done for heat and safety, and finally changed to slightly wider Michellin tyres. Was thinking of getting a new car for sometime, and last year I was aiming for a 1.5L car, like the Toyota Vios or Honda City. But thinking about the cost of fuel and the car model (those babies are easily RM90K on the road), I settled for a more humble car instead. So here she is, my new silver Myvi...

Honk honk! Buy number, buy number!

Only collected the car on Saturday afternoon. 2 weeks lead time from booking payment, so it was pretty fast. Salesman was accomodating and friendly, loan was approved easily... It was quite a hassle free purchase. I forgot to ask for number plate sandbalsting, and so did the salesman. And it was at this fateful moment, that I did the unthinkable. I made my first scratch on my brand new car, by dropping the car keys on the driver side door handle.

Honk honk! I made an ouchie!

I spent about 15 seconds, spaced out at the idiocy of self inflicting the first scar on my new car. Then I proceeded on with my life ^.^

Today I went to Columbia Asia in Shah Alam to visit my grandmother. She has had some tough health problems, and it came to a point she needed round the clock care. So my family made a decision to have her taken care of by professionals. My uncle found this centre, and my grandmother has been here for some weeks now. So off I went in my newly scarred Myvi to Shah Alam.

Columbia Asia's main entrance

I have been here once before, so I didn't get lost driving to the centre. Ain't Jack incredible? ^.^

Grandma is very alert. Body is getting thinner though. But she's much better than when we were trying to care for her ourselves. Nurses report that she eats normally, and she's able to sleep. Both things were a rarity when she was with any of our family. The good turn comes at a steep price though. Suffice to say that with my humble salary, I am not able to support the monthly fees required to have her in the centre, not even half of it. Cost of healthcare is at such a high rate here in Malaysia. Even if you'd like to lead a quiet and simple life, make no mistake, you need at least RM1M stored up to be safe. Depending on Malaysia's inflation rates, this could be a much higher number in the future. Grandma has done the prudent thing and made savings for herself. But with the need for care of this standard and attention, one wonders if long life is that great.

The centre itself is no Hollywood styled retreat. It is actually very simplistic, but it has a clean, bright and comfortable feeling. If you've been to some of those old folks or nursing homes housed in bungalows, you may understand what I'm getting at. Most are overcrowded, dimly lit and there is a sense of heaviness as soon as you step into the place. Columbia Asia is styled like hospital wards, with nursing stations on each floor. The staff are friendly, and they give you a sense of security that your loved one will be in responsible hands. The food is simple, the tables and chairs are still normal plastic/wood, and they only have normal non-Astro TV. Not that my grandma watches TV anymore. anyway. Yet this comes at a high price indeed.

I am really glad she's comfortable and is well looked after, don't doubt me on that. But as I stroke her head and hold her hand, I thank God that my own parents are still able bodied and sound of mind. Some day, when the unforunate time comes where I am unable to fend for my own needs, I hope that the resources built in my youth are sufficient to see me through.

Simple and sweet accomodations, but high in price

I drive home from Columbia Asia, with mixed feelings. May the road forward and the final destination at the finish be clear and smooth. Amen to that

Going to London and coming back to Malaysia

Just returned from a 4 week work stint in London, England. I had a really rough and frantic time preparing for the trip. After 4 years of doing this, I had hoped rushed arrangements like these would be a thing of the past ^.^ which just goes to show how much further there is to grow ho ho ho. Left Malaysia on Jan 21st

This is my first trip to this particular client's locale in London. My company had rented an apartment unit in Borough, which is 15 mins walk from London Bridge. There is a well equipped kitchen with 2 ovens, toaster, stove, cooker hood, rice cooker and a gigantic fridge. So this translates to lots of spaghetti cooking for myself. Fresh foodstuffs are quite cheap (with company allowance... don't convert! don't convert!). So it is not surprising to find myself at the Sainsbury's or grocery shop every other day of the week. There is also a TV with some cable channels. Mostly british programs though, with some american ones.

Spent CNY in London. The main festivities happen on the first saturday of CNY. So me and my colleague walked to the Strand to watch the CNY parade. It was quite lively, with a lot of costumes. There were some good music and dances. Some were just people dressed in chinese costumes that just walked past in ho-hum fashion. There were so many people coming down to watch the parade. Mostly whites. And here's where you a get the real feeling of just how populous London is. Everywhere as far as the eye can see, thousands and thousands of people.

The parade procession down The Strand. They had lion dancing too!

Happy CNY from Kung Fu Panda movie

Some locals dressed up their pets. Ain't this one adorable?

On the other weekends, I did manage to get around town. Looked up all the touristy places once more. St Paul's cathedral, Tower of London, Buckingha Palace, Oxford and Regent street, Westminster, London Eye, took a cruise down River Thames, visited some museums... All in all, took in a lot of sights. Went for Lion King theatre musical at Lyceum Theatre too. Thanks Liz for arranging this. Really enjoyed the creative show. Anyone who has a chance to catch it, make sure you do. You should not miss the oppurtunity no matter what!

St Jack at St Paul's. Just kidding :P




Big Ben and Skinny Jack

Even took a trip to Kent one weekend. This was to visit Leeds Castle. Took a train from London Victoria to Bearsted station, then took the shuttle. It was bitterly cold the day I did the trip, and I really felt it. Here, the castle's resident dragon attempts to warm me up with its fiery breath.

Oh mighty dragon, I'm not as tasty as you think

Met up with my old schoolmate Ruth one weekend. Had lunch together, and also went to Hillsong church together at Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court road. It is my first visit to Hillsong, and it was fantastic. They were going to do a DVD recording of the worship session the week after I went. Unfortunate that I missed my 2 seconds of fame moment. The worship was so lively and the message was very relevant to the youth audience.

Met my cousin Joseph, wife Maki and brother Andrew for dinner this week too. Had an amazing meal at Galvin, Baker Street which serves frech food. They told me of their Great Atlantic Race. adventures. They are greatly tanned and sport lots of facial hair now. But they seemed to have a great time, and I salute their achievement. It is quite an amazing feat if you think of it. Go see the site I linked above to understand the enormity of the race. Wish you guys best of luck for the next great adventure.

On my journey back to Malaysia on Feb 20, the worst of worst things happened. I got sick. Developed a fever on the plane. If that's not enough, I had the noisiest fellow passenger in the world. He was having a coughing fit, and he was so loud. He coughed every 5 minutes. I took 6 panadols during the flight to control my fever and chills.

When I thoughr my nightmare was over, things got spicier. The captain of Malaysia Airlnes flight MH001 on Feb 20 from London Heathrow to KLIA decided that for the last 10 minutes of the flight, he would do something really cheeky. He descended the aircraft and changed the cabin presure so fast that I had a migraine. Not a headache, but a migraine. The kind where you hurt so much, you puke and you can't stand up. I felt like I was going to have a stroke due to the pressure in my head. I needed a wheelchair when we landed. And 3 other passengers too needed wheelchair assistance.

So what's the first thing I did when I arrived? On my taxi ride back to my house, I puked.

Then after collapsing into my bed in my house, I developed my fever again. And the icing on the cake is I developed a cough too, which I'm certain was courtesy of my fellow flight mate in MH001.

Besides the very uncomfrotable return to Malaysia, I am glad to have had the chance to visit London again. Goodbye London, I had a great time. It would be great to see London in a season other than winter, which is the only season I've seen from all my visits so far!

Secret and Glasses

“Secret”
“Follow the notes upon the journey
At first sight marks one's destiny
Once the voyage comes to an end
Return lies within hasty keys”

Mr Chou's movie directorial debut

Recently had the chance to watch this movie directed and acted by Jay Chou himself. I am very impressed with the story and the music. It is about two young pianists of different times, chancing upon each other via a very special piece of music, and of course, falling in love. I've always had a soft spot for movies about music (The Red Violin, The Legend of 1900 etc.). I really like the story and the heart tugging moments of the film. Chou's pronunciation sucks as always, but the acting is more belivable than in his other movies (e.g. Initial-D, Curse of the Golden Flower). Must be highly attributed to the fact this is a movie about pianists ho ho ho... The time travel arc has been done many times, but this one's take is fresh and some scenes like the liquid paper on the desk was just genius.

Mr Jay Chou, I applaud and salute your movie. This was highly romantic and enjoyable! I'm trying to learn the movie songs on my piano now.

On a side note, I picked up a new pair of glasses today. Had my eyes tested the week before, and I'm shocked that my astigmatism went up so much! I used to have just a little on my right eye, now I have it in both. I am also very shocked at how much a pair of new glasses cost these days. Heck even the frames can be in the excess of RM1000. Why is this possible? Is inflation to blame? Money, money, money.... it's a rich man's world. So for the poor man like me, I was only able to bring myself to fork out RM500 (including lenses). Sigh... hope this pair lasts me a good while! What do they look like, you ask? See below for a tiny picture. Why tiny? Because currently got a lot of pimples... so I'm shy to post a bigger one ho ho ho ^.^

Most people say I need rectangular frames, so I went with it

2008 and 2007

Well, well.... 2008 has come at last. 2007 ended just a few hours ago. How did I end the year?

Christmas time was nice and quiet, and had a homecooked dinner with family. I actually made the salad of pea sprouts and cherry tomatoes, dressed with olive oil, lemon zest and honey. Also made the mash potatoes. I left the patatoes boiling in water till the water dried up, so they started roasting instead! I caught it before it burnt though. Made the mash anyway, and it had a lovely roasted smell & taste, and it was a hit! Cooking is really all about experimentation I guess. Forgot camera, so no pics though... you have to take my word for it :)


Attended a good friend's wedding at Hilton Hotel, PJ on 30th Dec. Congratulations to Zijin and Eu Gin again! They gave some milk chocolates in cute tin containers as a token of remembrance.

Inside of me is chocolate

One of the dishes served was fried prawns in oats. I've heard of this dish being served in weddings sometimes, I think this is my first time tasting it. Oats help to flush cholesterol out from the body, and prawns are supposed to be high in cholesterol. Therefore the pairing is meant to make the dish healthier.

Prawns with Oats - Guilt Reduced

Got to meet up with old classmates Khee Ven and Chun Yian. Khee Ven, your weight loss is scary. But you must be cash loaded by now, so you can buy all the nice rich food anytime you wish I guess. Just remember to take care of your body. Still... I think I'm skinnier than you by far.

We adjourned for a drink at Starbucks. My friends were sweet enough to get me a cake slice and sing me happy birthday. Thanks guys... appreciate the gesture. I didn't do anything special on the birthday itself. There's a lot of stress at the workplace even now at the year end. I just took it easy at home and relaxed.

Chocolate cake from the gang

Spent New Year's eve at my project manager's house in Bukit Jelutong. Will blog about that next time.

I must say that my personal new year's resolution will only be 2 things:

• Excercise to put on weight. Thiru, you are my inspiration! But to do this, I first have to...
• Learn how to work smarter and less hours! I really have to sort this out this year. I'm not getting any younger, and my health profile just sucks. I guess since I'm not a superman in talent or looks, I probably have to take a pay cut, less responsibilities or make some other change in career and lifestyle to achive this goals.

To all in cyberspace... Happy and Healthy Year 2008 to all! World peace, world peace and less global warming I hope!

Style Anxiety

Tonight is my company's Annual dinner. The event committee has dictated that guys dress in white.



I have so far only purchased some white jeans. Besides that I have no idea what to do for a shirt.



Panic Panic Panic



Part of the committee also highly encouraged guys to get accessories (ties, watches etc etc).



Stress Stress Stress



We are also encouraged to do something different with hair



Anxiety Anxiety Anxiety

Tennis in Malaysia, Pastures in Australia

Recently, one of my friends offered some free tickets to watch the semi final matches for the Malaysian Tennis Open Festival. Before you jump to conclusions, this is not the high profile Nadal-Gasquet and Sampras-Federer matches.

Malaysia Open, held at the National Tennis Centre, Jalan Duta KL

Nevertheless, it was a good game to watch anyway. Thank you very much Sharon! I made it a family outing, bringing mom and dad along, and also my cousin Poh with her little boy An-An. We manage to catch a Croatia vs Australia men's singles, and a men's doubles between India and Australia.

The shiny and beautiful National Tennis Centre, Jalan Duta KL.

Shiny empty seats hahaha!

As you can see, the Malaysia crowd support was sparse. The stadium itself was very comfortable, and it was roofed. It was kinda fun to watch all the outrageous 200kmph serves from the skinny players, almost all of which were aces. I do miss the older playing style though... where players relied more on strategy and did rallies that tested skills other than returning a serve. Also, these semis used a different scoring system, only needing each side to win 2 sets instead of the usual 3. Each game ended in about 40mins.

Had a catch up with old pals Sharon and David. Once again, we spoke of their affirmative to migrate to Oz. Also found out that an Australian Matriculation education does not exempt you from needing an English proficiency test like IELTS. Again, a good example of red tape without logic. Seems like Malaysia is not the only one. Did you also hear about New Zealand's example of red tape? If you are too obese, you can't apply to be a permanent resident, else you will put the country's medical care system under undue stress. I'm sure that there is a better logical explanation for the refusal of entry for the poor, overweight soul, but NZ felt it better to go with this one instead.

More pals of mine are seeking greener pastures outside of Malaysia. Some going as far as doing a complete career and training turnaround to pick up 'hot market skills'. E.g. nursing, .NET to Java because Java is hotter in Oz. I do applaud the confidence and self belief my pals have in making a drastic change. Heck, it is actually such risk takers that come out far ahead in life anyway. I do admit I am tempted to get away from Malaysia myself, and Oz does look very tempting he he he! Hate the drought though. There are some distant family members in Oz too, and of course some good friends in Melb, Perth, Sydney. Ahhh... let's do some research for shicks and giggles.

A Day of Nothing

Today is Deepavali (or Divali) Day in Malaysia, a major festival for the Indian community. The victory of light over darkness, and is usually symbolised with lighted lamps (if I recall, they are known as diyas or kandis). At the stroke of midnight today, I heard all the firecracker and firework noises from around my neighbourhood.

Work has been tiresome and unpleasant quite a number of times these few weeks. All the life and light I had from my holiday in Oz seems so far away now. I have finally opened my bottle of Johnnie Walker Black this week to get some alcohol into my system. More and more, it seems that I am put in situations to become a lone ranger at work. While sipping the whisky I asked myself "where are you now?" (just like James Blunt's 'Wisemen' song exclaims).

Good ol' Johnnie Walker

Today all I wanted to do was laze around, enjoy the cool and light rainy weather, each chocolate, play some music, call up my Indian friends to wish them well and catch up with them... and that's exactly what I did. Sometimes you just need some space and time to do... nothing. Just do nothing at all. No personal errands, no DIY project, no games. And doing nothing in itself can be incredibly satisfying.

There'll be another challenging day tomorrow. There will be another set of standards to hit, deliverables to package, problems to tackle, people to appease etc etc.

All I want to say is Happy Deepavali everyone, and remember that in this hectic world and maddening pace, it pays to take time to do nothing!

Back from Australia

Got back from Oz a week and a half ago. Went to Sydney & Canberra during the Hari Raya break. Had a tonne of work to do before I left, and it was in a sorry state of organisation when I departed from the office.



Anyhow, I had planned this holiday and gave up front notice 2 months in advance. Yet somehow, I am still roped into help with a new, fast paced project on the eve of my holiday. Work in my organisation is sapping my strength and spirits at time. Did not even get into a holiday mindset when I left. Although you have all the well-meaning "don't think too much about work" talk from the colleagues, you know in your heart it will not be possible.



Well, instead of dwelling on spilt milk... Oz was a good trip. Sydney is a truly beautiful city full of activity. Darling Harbour, Sydney Tower, the many parks, the Sydney Fish Market are all great places to visit. Canberra is akin to Malaysia's Putrajaya, which means its really dead in the evening. But the new and old buildings are well maintained, signage is obvious and informative, parks are well managed. This is the season of spring, and the weather is sunny with cool breezes.



The food portions, are well, not all it is cracked up to be. Maybe holidaying increases your appetite, but I managed to finish all the regular Aussie portions of food with no sweat. Think that inflation plays a role. The Aussie dollar in Oz is stronger than US Dollar when I was there. But the greens are so fresh and tasty, and the meats are juicy. The cooking only lightly flavours the food, which is very healthy and I love this style of cooking. Malaysian food tastes great, but to be honest, it is not healthy at all. Coconut cream, ghee, lard.... you guys know what I mean *wink wink*. Also love the many gelato stalls all around. My favourite flavours are still Rum Raisin and Macadamia Caramel.



Locals are a little unfriendly at times, except when you are doing business with them. Case in point... I asked a waitress of a cafe for directions, and she looked at me like she was reading a quantum physics textbook. My question seemed to cause her a headache, because her eyes narrowed, the brow furrowed and other signs of discomfort showed. The truly warm people are the ones in the tourist attractions or in hospitality service.



I really love the smaller towns too... I passed by Dickson and also Wollongoong and Katoomba. The lifestyle is slower than the bigger towns, but the places are so beautiful. They are all by the blue blue sea, and being there just makes you feel so refreshed. Passing by all the quaint and curious shops, watching kids play in the park, oggling and surfer chicks heheheh. What I wouldn't give to have a place in one of these towns.

Isn't Wollongong beautiful?

As I sigh a wantful sigh, here I am back in the thick of work. Till the next holiday!

I thought I knew my skin!

Personally I have been struggling poor facial skin for the longest time. Started at about 16 years old I guess. Yes... this picture is my real face. Hope I didn't blind you with my Brad Pitt mug. It has been known to happen. If you find yourself feeling faint, don't worry... you are not the first.

Now, here I am in my late 20s, still bothered by this issue. It has not left me alone after my adolescence had passed. (Or maybe am I still an adolescent, and I have not really passed that stage of my life? I am still easily entertained by computer games, Ultraman cartoons and the like)

Anyhow... I have many well meaning friends and relatives who have tried to improve the appearance of my skin. Among the many things I have tried:

1. Clarifying, deep pore cleansing cleanser, pore retightening, alcohol free, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy acids cleanser + toner + moisturisers. This includes, but is not limited to the brands Artistry, J&J, Neutrogena, Biotherm, Proactiv, Oxy, Clearasil, Biore, Ginvera and some others I can't recall.


2. Using skin peeling gels (Retin A)


3. Drinking more water (3 litres a day)


4. Oral Antibiotics.


5. Blotting excess oil


6. Pimple creams


7. General health supplements

For items 2 and 4, they were suggestions by a qualified dermatologist. And lo and behold, after 3 days, I did notice marked improvement. The downside was I had to down antibiotic pills like there was no tomorrow. This is an effort to sterilise my body of acne causing bacteria. However that was 10 years ago. After some months had passed, my body began protesting against the pill intake. I had extreme hunger pangs, waking up in the wee hours of the morning to eat and drink to stop the rumbling. I decided it wasn't a long term solution for me.

Item 7 is interesting. I had joined an Amway group before because among the forefront of Amway marketing strategies is 'Health and Wellness'. So I tried their Nutrilite and Artistry range. Amongst the advice given is that I should eat about 3x the normal dosage of Nutrilite supplements because I have bad skin. So like a good little soldier, I tried. The above picture was taken when I was consuming my Nutrilite rations. I still honestly believe Amway products are truly good. But I must face the fact that it is not effective for me. Bet you it works for thousands of others though.

I finally plucked the courage to go to a skin centre to have a consult. What I heard really gave me food for thought. I am told I actually have sensitive and dehydrated skin. I was waiting for the word 'oily', but that did not come into the conversation till I brought it up myself. I am told my skin secreted extra oil to compensate for lack of moisture. They advised me to fix the moisture problem, which will then help my oil problem, which will also help my acne.

I've never been given such advice before for my skin. It seems to make perfect logical sense. What should Jack do now?