The chronicle of 2011’s Resolution [Part 3]– The attack of the Jelly Belly beans

This is a new series chronicling my journey towards looking fab by the end of 2011 (well, preferably before the year ends but who am I kidding, right?). Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

Jelly Bellies are not just candies. They’re a lifestyle. An expensive lifestyle if you’re in Malaysia.

According to its website here, there are 50 different types of flavours, each bearing a fun name that any nail polish maker would love to covet. According to a colleague, the Sizzling Cinnamon tastes like tiger balm, so maybe that’s an inspiration for tiger balm companies if they’re thinking of revamping their image and expanding their demographic target groups.

I can’t remember when I tasted my first Jelly Belly. It must had been a long time ago (possibly when I was in university and a Canadian friend might had introduced them to me) but the memory of how they taste like, the rubbery and gummy texture and fruity smell have stuck in my mind since then. So, when I went back to the US last October, I got into a gas station and remembered to buy some during a road trip to Chicago.

When the American Council for Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) delegation from the US came to visit not too long ago, they brought along one of their most famed and beloved candies. Yes, it’s none other than the Jelly Belly.

They were giving out these 7 oz clear can 30- flavour edition (see picture on the left) at meetings. Of course, some didn’t appreciate them and gave it away, much to the other’s delight. I guess, Jelly Belly is a willy-nilly after all (I’m not even sure whether I’m using the sentence correctly).

One of the pleasures of having a mix-pack such as these, is the burst of unidentifiable flavours all mixed together in your mouth. It’s not uncommon to expect a series of mixed reaction as the candies slowly melt and release their flavours onto your palate. Some of my favourites  are the buttered pop corn, toasted marshmallow and A&W root beer. What I hate are the licorice, Dr. Pepper or anything cherry. So, you’ll be hearing a series of, “yummmm….” and quickly followed by a “ewwww….what the hell?!”

And ladies and gentlemen, that’s why I love Jelly Belly beans.

Anyway, what does this have to do with my 2011 resolution, right?

So, E and I were running a really quick errand at a grocery market last night. At the check-out counter, I stumbled across rows of Jelly Belly on a shelf nearby. Although they were all accompanied by cut-throat price tags, I couldn’t help the temptation of picking up a mix-pack. E, stopped me and literally pushed me away from the shelf and reminded me that those yummy beans were going to cost me RM50.

I, of course, lost my self-control and the ability to think rationally. All I could think about was the beautiful places these beans had brought me to once, not too long ago. E wouldn’t hear of it and she went all Jelly Belly nazi on me and needless to say, she won.

I wasn’t happy but on hindsight, I’m glad she stopped me because I would be upset to pay so much for something which would inevitably cost me much more. So, thank you E for being such a good friend (unlike V who bought us cream puffs. That’s evil!)

I end this with a poem as an ode to the Jelly Belly.

It started off with "KE and jelly babies"
all because of the 3 ladies and their bellies
who don't want to be mistaken for the tele-tubbies
So they all agree to help each other get rid of the flabbies
and now it ended with “E and the Nazis”

p/s: This resolution sounds very promising so far and off to a good start. I haven’t lost any weight despite having less than 2 weeks to go and we’ve all declared a moratorium for Chinese New Year! God, I need someone to sponsor a personal trainer for me!!!

Technorati Tags: Jelly Belly,Sizzling Cinnamon,Buttered Popcorn,Toasted Marshmallow,A&W root beer,ACYPL,Dr. Pepper,licorice

The chronicle of 2011’s resolution [Part 2] - I am hungry and grumpy. Give me a cookie now!!

This is a new series chronicling my journey towards looking fab by the end of 2011 (well, preferably before the year ends but who am I kidding, right?). Read Part 1 here.

I am beginning to understand why Oscar the Grouch is grouchy all the time and why Cookie Monster wolfs down his cookies in that famous noisy and crumbly fashion. They have been put in a strict diet since Monday! Oh, wait….ME TOO!!

I may appear composed but do not be deceived by this composure as I’m screaming bloody murder deep inside.

Day one of this dieting is putting me in grumpy mode. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t exactly starve myself because I ate all three meals today. I started this morning with an orange and a cup of mocha, followed by lunch of rice, fish cake and vegetables, an apple right before tea time, nuts and raisins before dinner and roast chicken and potatoes a few hours ago. I was tempted to tell myself to go screw myself and to hell with it all (yes, I am grumpy!) but Lorelai Gilmore saved me.

E & V, if you’re reading this, I hope you’re as miserable as I am.

(Whose freaking idea was this anyway? Grrrrrrrrr…….)

Technorati Tags: Cookie Monster,Oscar the Grouch,Lorelai Gilmore

Goodbye, 2010

This year has simply came and went in a wink of an eye. This must be how my cat, Obama aka Prootsie (see photo above) feels like. From the moment I signed on the job at the Bar Council in October 2009, days have been passing by at the speed of 1 cat year, especially during the night on every weekday. Waking up in the morning, cursing and wondering where the night had gone, seem to be a favourite 2010 past time (I bet that it’s so popular that it’ll be brought forward to 2011).

I’ve managed to keep myself extremely busy this year and I think I may have compensated for the period of time when I stayed idle from 2005-2008. This year has been indeed fruitful and well-lived. Any regrets? None whatsoever, except for not seizing enough moments, if there were any that went completely unnoticed.

Apart from managing the MyConstitution Campaign (if you haven’t heard of  this yet, this is your last chance to get involved in the biggest phenomenon to hit Malaysia since the government announced the 1Malaysia campaign. The MyConstitution Campaign is expected to wind down  after March 2011), I’ve been writing a lot for The Malaysian Insider and Loyar Burok.

Travelling used to be my most favourite thing to do but since work has been occupying most of my time and money has been rather tight this year, I have turned to writing as a source of inspiration and a form of meditation. This year, it has become my most favourite thing to do when I’m not coordinating events, attending an event, picking up boxes of Rakyat Guides booklets from Taman Ukay, Ulu Klang, or trying to comprehend what are the new amendments made to the Criminal Procedure Code (they’re not necessarily in that order).

Above: A sample of a MyConstitution Campaign Rakyat Guides booklet. The 6-panel cardboard paper is folded to form a small pocket-sized “Luxe Travel Guide”-like booklet slipped into a plastic cover that can be used as a self-defence weapon due to its sharp skin-grazing capabilities. I’ve got tonnes of scars on my hands as proof of this.

My second most favourite thing to do is photography. It was only this year when I first started using the manual mode of my Canon DSLR camera to take pictures. I must say that the results have been most gratifying. Not all the pictures I’ve taken are any good but I think there may be some that show potential (well, to me anyway and any bona fide photographer may disagree).

Here are some of my favourite photos:

Photos above:

1. At the Rally for Sanity, Gateway Arch, St. Louis, USA   2. At Arlington Cemetery, USA  3, 4 & 5. At the St. Louis Rams Vs. San Diego Charges game, Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, USA   6. At Yogyakarta city, Indonesia    7. At Yogyakarta Market, Indonesia  8. At St. Louis Zoo, USA  9. At St. Louis Zoo, USA

This year has been special too because I was given the opportunity to travel to the United States of America for 6 weeks. Being selected for the Legislative Fellows Programme (LFP) under the American Council for Young Political had been surreal and I am grateful for such a priceless experience.

After working for more than a year in Malaysia, I’ve had a difficult time coming to terms with how messed up the country is.  I was utterly disappointed, demotivated and frustrated with the government, the public and private service sector and just basically the mentality of Malaysians in general. There were times when all I did was fight with almost anyone who could or would not do their jobs properly.

Being in America provided me with a breath of fresh air. I met many people who displayed good leadership and professionalism and I was inspired. I think I came home a different person. I became more eager to take on more leadership role and begin to think more deeply about starting a project on my own.

As a summary, here are some of my most and least favourite things in 2010.

Favourites:

1. MyConstitution Campaign

2. Writing

3. Photography

4. Loyar Burok

5. Friendships I’ve made through MyConstitution Campaign and LFP

Least favourites:

1. Weight gain

2. IKEA (am boycotting the world’s worst international franchise for their horrendous and appalling service)

3. Michael M (probably one of the most loathsome people I’ve met this decade)

4. Did not finish even a book

5. Not seeing more people

Biggest achievment:

1. Quit smoking since April 2010

Hopes for 2011:

1. Lose 17kg

2. Start my own project

3. Travel more (maybe to the North Pole, if I’m lucky)

4. Take better photos

5. Read more

6. Write better

7. See more people

8. Do something new and go crazy

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL and HELLO 2011.

The chronicle of 2011’s resolution [Part 1] – Be phat and not fat!

This is a new series chronicling my journey towards looking fab by the end of 2011 (well, preferably before the year ends but who am I kidding, right?).

I was uncertain whether I should even blog about this but as an afterthought, if it’s going to humiliate me into achieving my resolution, why not?

Life has been rather wonderful for the year that is 2010. I’m working on an exciting project, I’ve been writing regularly, I’ve got a husband who finally took to keeping things clean in the house and feeding me well (maybe a bit too well) and above all, I’ve got a beautiful and lovely cat that keeps growing on me.

It would look as if life couldn’t get any better, right? Well, nuh-ah - WRONG!

Everything seems well except for my weight that is intent on making my life miserable and I’m not just talking about me being vain. I’m talking about me being utterly uncomfortable with my body weight and losing my self-esteem as a result of it. I have refused dinner invitations from friends whom I haven’t met awhile because I am too ashamed to meet them. I can’t bend over to tie my shoe laces because my belly gets in the way. I am also getting his horrible image of me not waking up in the morning because my heart has been working overtime without receiving any gratitude or TLC and  finally decides to give up on me. Only by then, everything would be too late.

So, why this resolution? Seems a bit too cliché and fluff, no? This is the sad part. I can do the whole giving up smoking and I’m pretty sure I can do the giving up drinking as well. But, giving up oily, deep fried and fatty food, consisting of all sorts of chemical, sugar, salt and other poisons that make them taste soooo good is going to be the toughest thing I would ever have to do. Damn those skinny chicks who can eat whatever they want!

My weight has fluctuated so much over the past few years. My fittest form was when I was in secondary school while I was doing ballet as a serious form of extra-curricular activity, my university years when I would frequent the local student union disco nights at least twice a week and dance all the English custard off and of course when I was starved in countries like Timor Leste and Afghanistan. I weighed around 50 – 55 kg then. Now, I must weigh more than 65 77 kg  (I finally weighed myself at the strike of 12am on 1 Jan 2011) as I haven’t been able to weigh myself for fear I’ll keel over from fright and die before I get to fit into a respectable dress size again.

So, moment of desperation calls for desperate measure. Two friends of mine, E, V and I have decided to have a pact. We’re going to try to  lose 1 kg for each month of 2011. We’ll be monitoring our weight and the person who does not stick to the bargain for that month will pay RM50. Seeing how stingy I am, I think it’ll motivate me unless I get really depressed and start going on a junk binge and adopt a to- hell-with-life attitude.

I don’t know how I’m going to do this because I’m feeling hungry again. Would I be able to resist the temptation of eating my favourite fast food of all time? As my friend V would say, “That’s your internal problem. We’re not interested about how each of us do this or what kinda problems we have. We’re only concerned about the result, ok?” Yeah, so much for moral support, pal.

So if you’re a friend, I beg of you not to be polite to me about my weight. Be tough and yet encouraging and supportive of my 2011’s resolution so that I can be phat again!

The next time I blog about this, let’s hope I am not RM50 poorer.