Cooking didn’t come naturally to me, unlike others, because I learned how to peel a potato and garlic at the ripe ole age of something like twenty-four or so. My mom never gave the chance to cook….it’s her fault for pampering me. Ok, fine….it was me. But I wasn’t lazy, it’s just that I am not that good with a knife, wok, pan, spatula, spoon, fork…..OK, fine….I was just too plain lazy to get off my ass to do any form of labor….especially not in the KITCHEN. (You crazy ah?)
But now that I am older and am responsible for the food that goes into my kids’ tummies, I have a different stance about the kitchen. If army people had their own fortress, the kitchen is my fortress.
And yet, it’s also my spa because I find complete relaxation in cooking. No, it’s not because it can spend some time with the fellow garlics and bawangs (onions)….it’s just relaxing to try to come up with something nice to eat.
I am not a finicky eater but I like to eat good food whenever I get the chance to…make sense? If I feel like eating char-siew today, I make char-siew. If I feel like eating noodles today, I make noodles. If I feel like a ham sandwich, a dish of pasta or spaghetti, I make it. No questions asked….I mean, this is complete control we’re talking about here, man!! :-) How many of you, who are not living with your family members, can say that you get to eat whatever you feel like eating the moment you feel like eating it? But then again, I know of some people who call their mothers or maids ahead of time and tell them to dish it out before the car rolls into the driveway lah….that’s a different story altogether.
When I have no time, I put things into the oven. I tell you, the oven is one of the most amazing things invented on EARTH. The steamer is too! By golly, all you have to do is to prepare the stuff and then stuff them into the steamer or the oven and wait for food to cook! I mean….that’s the lazy man’s way to getting what you want to eat, but so what? I am totally unabashed about it.
Most importantly, whenever I get stressed out about washing the dishes, all I have to do is to lift my head and look out….right there….the most acclaimed parts of Petaling Jaya rolls out in front of me. It’s as if I am a part of it, but not in it. My mind sometimes wonder and then by the time I return to the present, the dishes are clean!
What more can I ask for – I’ve got a kitchen with a view.
OK, fine....it's not the best view but what the heck....not a lot of people have a view at all from their kitchen, right or not? :-)
I have been doing this pose, part of Cosmic Dance (a type of yoga, I am assuming), called Stargazer pose without knowing it is called Stargazer's pose a lot in the past. You see, sometimes, I don't follow the rules and come up with my own stretches and poses. It is fun. I have on some music, nice, soothing music or just anything I can click on. Then I go with the flow, letting my hair down. Just moving to the music...and that is when I come up with the above Stargazer's pose. This pose really stretches your sides. Keep your eyes on the outstretched hand if you are keeping it pointed to the top, as if you are waving or connecting to a higher energy from the Universe. Your arms will ache a little but hey, toned arms, here you come! :-) For those who want a bigger stretch, it is safe to slowly and gently move the lifted hand towards your back...don't overdo it, listen to your body's complaints and respect it. You don't have to prove anything to anyone, reme...
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