Uni started this week and my mind still hasn’t adjusted itself to the escalation of thinking required when attending classes. The first week after spring break is customarily filled with “how was your holiday?”-type questions and I’m always happy to oblige. Against a background of my friends recollecting their adventures in Sydney/Queensland/Monaco (k the Monaco tale did make me a lil green), I was one of the few who would say unashamedly, “I did absolutely nothing and it was beautiful.”

Okay, that was a semi-lie. I spent the last two weeks getting my body back on track: I threw away all the junk food I had in my house, even my roommate’s emergency bags of crisps when she wasn’t looking. Just kidding. It took all of my powers of persuasion (“It’s not food wastage if it isn’t real food to begin with!”) and she finally relented in the end. I also ate more complex carbs and at some point, the only form of protein I was consuming was tofu so in some ways, I became a pseudo-vegetarian LOL.

This was unintentional to be honest, I couldn’t be arsed to go to the market to get fish and meat ;p But the two week meat purge did me some good: I’ve lost 3 kilos so far WHOO /o/ Anyway, my fridge is now fully-stocked again so I guess that’s the end of my stint as a vegetarian haha! It feels great to be eating healthy again though and I can’t remember why I went down the dark path of evil processed food – Oh right – school, the elitist institution responsible for nurturing, not bright minds, but weight gain.

The irony in this entry is that I’m about to share a seafood chowder recipe which isn’t exactly on top of the healthy food list since it’s loaded with one of God’s greatest gifts to female thighs: cream. But one can always make healthy adjustments to the recipe by using lite cream and skim milk, yes? I take no credit for the recipe, it’s actually my roommate’s which is why I’ve named it after her ;D Thanks Nini! <3

Nini’s Seafood Chowder

Ingredients
1 teaspoon butter
1 onion
2 gloves garlic
1 potato, boiled and grated
1 cup fresh milk
1/2 cup cream (YEAAAAHHHHH)
1.5 cups of seafood marinara mix
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped finely
A pinch of salt and black pepper

Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a heated pot and throw in the garlic and onion until fragrant.

2. Add in the grated potato and stir.

3. Pour the fresh milk into the pot and let it heat up for a bit.

4. Add the marinara and cream into the mixture and make sure you stir well!

5. Season according to taste with the salt, black pepper and parsley.

6. Serve with bread or with pasta!

I actually like it enough on its own ;D Bon appétit!

And because I’ve been a proud Apple advocate since 2005:

The man whose computers and applications I have to thank for allowing me to create beautiful things like tea noir and the many other design projects I was involved in during my days as a design student and subsequently, as a working designer. Thank you Steve, and goodbye.

Image credit: Time.com

P.S about the Apple logo: It wasn’t designed by Steve Jobs or anyone under Apple for that matter. It was designed by a man named Rob Janoff who says the story of Adam and Eve had nothing to do with the bite in the famous apple. Here’s my favourite quote from an interview he did:

I’m probably the least religious person, so Adam and Eve didn’t have anything to do with it. The bite of knowledge sounds fabulous, but that’s not it. And, there is a whole lot of other lure about it.

Turing, the famous supposed father of computer science who committed suicide in the early 50’s, was British and was accused of being homosexual, which he was. He was facing a jail sentence so he committed suicide to avoid all that. So, I heard one of the legends being that the colored logo was an homage to him. People think I did the colored stripes because of the gay flag. And, that was something really thought for a long time. The other really cool part was that apparently he killed himself with a cyanide laced apple. And, then I found out Alan Turing’s favorite childhood story was Snow White where she falls asleep forever for eating a poisoned apple to be woken up by the handsome prince.

Anyway, when I explain the real reason why I did the bite it’s kind of a let down. But I’ll tell you. I designed it with a bite for scale, so people get that it was an apple not a cherry. Also it was kind of iconic about taking a bite out of an apple. Something that everyone can experience. It goes across cultures. If anybody ever had an apple he probably bitten into it and that’s what you get.

It was after I designed it, that my creative director told me: “Well you know, there is a computer term called byte”. And I was like: “You’re kidding!”

Back story: A month ago, a mole I have on my elbow began itching terribly but after asking my mother about it (she works in the medical industry), she told me there wasn’t anything to worry about so I left it at that. But last week, I noticed the same mole had a layer of scab over it and there was a lot of redness surrounding the area. I googled this up like any techy young adult would do and Dr Google diagnosed my symptoms as that of melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Ensue crazy panic attacks and general freaking out.

—

My puzzling skin condition has been solved after leaving two doctors bewildered by my irrational mole (yes, I did just call it that – irrational). I was referred to the Skin Cancer Foundation for a thorough diagnosis, and what they actually mean by ‘thorough’ is a 5 minute chat with the doctor about the mole on my elbow and some careful prodding with that weird magnifying glass you often spy on a doctor’s desk. I was expecting to see more complex equipment to be frank: glasses with an endless number of magnifying lenses that you can slide in and out, one that would allow you to see the party of ruptured cells on my elbow. Maybe the magnifying glass dermatologists get are 10x more powerful than the standard issue.

The doctor tells me he doesn’t think it’s melanoma since my ethnicity, medical history and staggering ability to stay out of the sun makes it nearly damn impossible otherwise. I’m feeling kinda relieved at this point but mostly I am thinking, “Damn doctor, you’re pretty cute”. Kayz Ilyana, keep your hormones in check.

We decide together that it’s probably a layer of eczema* that’s just happened to cover my mole, no more but wicked chance. My doctor gives the head of the clinic a call, a Professor Robin Marks, and I’m thankful another woman would be in the consulting room because I need a distraction from Le Smoking Hot Asian Doctor. Of course, Professor Robin Marks turns out to be an eccentric old man who walks with a slight limp and carries an actual Sherlock Holmes type magnifying glass wherever he goes. I didn’t know what to think. He whips out his magnifying glass and holds them over my hands – “My goodness you have gold on your nails!”

I like him already.

Why my nails looked so frickin’ amazing yesterday:

Chanel Varnish in Peridot. THE NEBULA IN A BOTTLE! Twas a birthday present from Catherine, she spoils me so much omg THANKS DARLING <3

Anyway, Professor Marks touched my mole for 3 seconds and said, “This is just plain eczema, can’t you feel it?” in this singsong ~~ELEMENTARY MY DEAR WATSON!~~ manner. Hot Asian Doctor was looking at us both sheepishly, prolly feeling guilty for calling the Prof away from his office awww :3

And then the worst happened: The Prof told me to strip so the both of them could examine my back. KILL. ME. NOW. The contents of last night’s dinner swirled in my head like a tragic bowl of punch: sweet chilli tofu, grilled chicken, some carrots, a mountain of rice and half a chocolate muffin. DAMN IT THAT CHOCOLATE MUFFIN. So while I was putting on my sad strip show, Hot Asian Doctor had a little chat with the Professor about some other patient business in an effort to keep things less awkward for me. I really appreciated that omg ;__; In Singapore, if you had to strip for the doctor – he’ll barely give you two minutes to get your shiz together before saying, “HELLO, READY OR NOT?” True story, k.

The two doctors gave my back a quick glance and satisfied by the lack of melanoma symptoms it showed, they thanked me for my time and walked me out to the reception (so nice and polite omg SINGAPORE Y U NO HAVE GENTLEMEN?!)

So yay, I’m cancer-free guys! I’m so thankful it was just a false alarm but er I am a little scarred that Hot Asian Doctor had to see my love handles .__. I’ll get over it eventually but I still cry in the shower thinking about my strip show HAHAHAH ok no.

But in all seriousness, skin cancer is not to be trifled with. If you have a mole that’s been bothering you for a while, I urge you to have it checked out! Remember to wear sunscreen and stay out of the sun. Thanks to everyone who was panicking along with me on Twitter and in real life LOL, I appreciate all the love and well wishes <3 <3 <3

Note: I suffer from contact dermatitis – I’m allergic to nickel, which sadly is what most costume jewellery is made of. Whenever I wear my rings or any other non-silver/gold jewellery for long periods of time, I eventually get eczema as an allergic reaction. To put it simply: I suffer for fashion. The good thing is if and when I get married in the future and I shop for jewellery with my husband, I can say, “Honey, it’s not my fault I have expensive taste, I WAS BORN THIS WAY!” 8D

Aah so this is the entry everyone and their overweight uncles with beer bellies have been waiting for: How Ilyana Lost 25kg Without Losing Her Soul. Weight loss isn’t exactly rocket science but losing 25kg kinda makes me an unofficial expert in the field of calorie restriction so read this carefully and throw your Atkins Diet guidebooks in the bin cos weight loss tips like these don’t usually come for free.

Oh and because I don’t believe in going to extreme lengths for weight loss i.e starvation, this entry will be filled with yummeh food photos I illegally took at Carousel (photos aren’t allowed but they obviously don’t know who they’re dealing with, tsk) YES. A DIET ENTRY…WITH FOOD PHOTOS. I know, I know..I amaze myself sometimes.

I’ve always maintained a healthy weight since young, I don’t have skinny genes – I’m sorry it’s just not possible; I have boobs, an ass and I love my sushi too much to give it up for teeny tiny clothes. Everyone is probably going to expect some dramatic sob fest on the reasons behind my sudden 25kg weight gain but the answer is as easy and blunt as this: School sucks. I was really stressed up during my last year of school, we had our final project to complete and as I struggled with the many stipulated project deadlines, I turned to food for solace during the many long nights I had to stay awake to complete the project.

By the end of the final deadline, I was seriously overweight and I was living in grey sweats and giant sized tees…not a pretty sight. The worst thing was it didn’t register in my head that I had put on massive amounts of weight even though my thighs had grown to the size of a baby elephant, I was sadly living in denial until I asked my then-boyfriend, “Baby, do you think I’m fat?” and he couldn’t answer the question HAHAHHA SSSSHHHHHIIITTT.

When I first started out on a diet, I was really hard on myself. I was doing the Special K cereal thing where I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, a small meal for lunch and another bowl of cereal for dinner. I did that for two weeks straight and I’m still amazed that I actually had the determination to eat nothing but cereal *shudders* I lost a kilo after two weeks but I felt miserable despite the weight loss and told myself there was no way in heck I was gonna live on cereal for the rest of my life which brings me to the REAL dieting portion of this entry. The following “rules” are just an accumulation of what I’ve been doing so far, they work really well for me and hopefully they’ll do the same for you.

Rule 1: Eat breakfast for god’s sake!

I’m not saying you should be eating eggs benedict for breakfast every single day because it’s not quite healthy but not eating breakfast at all is much worse. They’ve been saying that breakfast is the most important meal for centuries now and with good reason, it kicks start your metabolism and gives you the energy you need to kick start the day bla bla bla you know this guys, you’ve heard it so many times before so EAT BREAKFAST, IT IS GOOD FOR CHU. Er if you’re curious about what I always have for breakfast…I usually have a traditional chinese breakfast back when I was still working: chee cheong fun minus the black sauce or 2 steamed chicken buns/baos.

Rule 2: Don’t go overboard with the salads.

Everyone assumes they should be eating a lot of salads when they’re on a diet, there really is nothing wrong with salads or vegetables but just don’t expect to eat a plain salad and fill full the rest of the day. You. will. die. It’s not healthy to be living on vegetables alone raw or not, you should always have some protein mixed in to make it a complete meal. I’m not fond of salads but I thought I should write a little paragraph about this because I know people who think they can live on vegetables alone…and they’re not vegetarians so that’s just crossing the line between trying to eat healthy and starving.

Rule 3: Focus on what you CAN eat and stock up on the soba.

If I could pick a certain type of food that would be the key to my weight loss, it would be the humble soba noodle. All of you should know by now I’m absolutely fanatical about Japanese food and I realized with great haste after my disastrous 2 week cereal diet that restricting myself to a certain type of food was just not my thing. Not all food is made equal but most of them are good for you, you just have to pick the ones you like and shut the supermarket down by buying an entire year’s supply like what I did with the soba.

I LOVE SOBA. I still find it remarkable that something so easy to put together (boil the noodles, drain and eat it with the dipping sauce) would taste so…GLORIOUS. All that buckwheat fills you up real fast and keeps you full until the next meal. There are other ways to serve soba too, my eternal goddess Nigella has a yummy soba salad recipe up on the internets.

Rule 4: Raw fish makes white rice less evil.

Ok white rice isn’t really evil but when you pair it with rich, oily dishes and deep fried stuff, it just gets ugly. The thing about us Asians is that we LOVE rice as much as we love our grandmothers and I’m not saying you should stop eating rice altogether and in a perfect world, I would be pairing rice with healthy dishes like steamed vegetables, oven-baked chicken etc but pfft who has the time?! If you do, then good on ye girlfriend but I am now a full-time uni student and that leaves me with barely enough time to make a sandwich. The solution: JAPANESE FOOD.

The Japanese eat a lot of rice but they pair it with raw fish slices and if the dish is cooked at all, it’s usually sauteed or broiled lightly with soy/teriyaki sauce. I don’t eat rice very often but when I do, it’s usually when I’m eating Japanese food or when my dear mother decides to cook something that doesn’t have a bucket full of coconut milk.

Rule 4: Drink lots of tea!

LOL I didn’t have a photo of the tea I drank in the restaurant so this photo of the amazing green tea mousse cake I had would just have to suffice. I’m not going to elaborate on the benefits of tea (I don’t want to start sounding like an infomercial kthx) so BREW IT. DRINK IT. LOVE IT.

Rule 5: A little chocolate won’t harm you.

The more you deprive yourself of a certain food, the more you’d want to gorge on it so whatever your diet vice is, chocolate, gummy bears, ice cream, whatever – you can eat them all but in MODERATE amounts people. Ideally, you should aim for one cheat meal at the end of each week. You can eat whatever you want during a cheat meal because you deserve it!

Rule 6: Stop hating yourself.

If you’re not overweight, chances are you’re fine the way you are. Nobody’s perfect and everyone was born with different bodies so it really gets to me when my friends who are impossibly skinny whine and complain about how “fat” they are. They don’t eat (except the occasional plate of vegetables) and resort to extreme means in order to lose weight. They’re on a constant crash diet and it gets to a point where they are so steeped in delusion that they actually THINK they’re eating healthy. The best thing is after all that starving, they haven’t lost a single pound >_>

It’s okay if you want to drop a few pounds and cultivate better eating habits but DON’T GET OBSESSIVE. I’m sorry but losing 5 pounds will not drastically change your life and make you a rockstar with the boys (or the girls, whatever catches your fancy) as much as you think it will. I know, I’ve been there, dropped 55lbs and lived to tell u guys that STARVING DOES NOT WORK PEOPLE. This self-hate has got to stop! Recognize that you are amazing in your own way and learn to love your body because IT’S THE ONLY ONE YOU’VE GOT.

Ok I hope that’s answered some of your questions on how I lost weight, it’s the best diet in the world I think lol. Oh and as for exercise – I have a Wii Fit and I used to exercise for half an hour every morning…until I got lazy erk. I make sure I walk a lot though, window shopping is the best form of exercise 8D

Remember to love thyself and eat the damn cake. I’d be happy to answer any diet-related questions, just ask in the comments! ;D

Oh and this entry is going to be littered with grammatical errors I’m sure and I’m too exhausted to check for them (plus this entry is so overdue!!) so I’m going to apologise in advance.

ANDDD BEFORE I FORGET I RUN A BEAUTY BLOG: Make-up for my Carousel lunch was kept really basic because I had a pretty strong lipcolor on lol (OCC lip tar in Indashio, LOVE LOVE LOVE OMFG), did a lil’ flick trick with the eyeliner and La Femme’s Nectar Peach blush ;D

LIFE UPDATE: Uni just started a couple of days ago, this is my third week in Melbourne and everything’s going crazy fast! I’m thinking of taking Japanese as my second major but I’ll see how that goes. We had our first class today and I got my ass kicked a couple of times during the character writing session LOL oh but what fun! I’ll write more about Melbourne in my next entry, I hope everyone’s doing fine. I’m slowly catching up on all your past entries so expect comments by this week!

For just one meal at end of each week, ignore the “rules” of your diet – in fact FORGET THE FACT THAT YOU’RE ON A DIET and eat something you really really want.

It could be that crumbly Oreo cheesecake that’s been staring at you everytime you order that low fat soy milk mocha latte at Starbucks, the grilled fish platter at your favourite seafood restaurant or in my case, my mom’s grilled baby lamb ribs with a side of potato salad and cherry tomatoes that she only makes once a year! Just make sure your “cheat” meal is within reason and don’t go overboard with the fast food!

Enjoy the food porn and yessss it was so fricking delicious, I was so tempted to lick the plate clean.