Boxing Day fury

The extended family has eased back into the routine of gathering on Christmas Day, thanks to Cuzzin's Christmas baby boy. As I shuffled through his house yesterday evening to avoid my aunts from capturing me in a vice grip and shoving turkey in my face, I also had the chore of keeping myself sane among all the yelling and screaming and hollering of the throngs of kids. Plus the sight of kids tottering around with iPhones has become a mundane sight; my 5-year-old niece could happily say no to ice cream cake when she cradled her Mum's iPhone on her lap.

And I wonder if anyone ate the following for their Christmas dinner, judging from the spread the extended family had put together last night. And I made it REALISTIC by popping the calorie count in, just to complete the Boxing Day post-binge nightmare:

1 serving of roast turkey (251g) 429 calories
1 serving chicken pie (234g) 500 calories
1 slice chocolate cream cake (28.35g) 104 calories
1 serving mashed potato (210g) 237.3 calories
1 serving pork ribs (224g) 571 calories
1 pork sausage (100g) 339 calories
1 can Budweiser beer (357g) 146 calories
1 serving table red (147g) 122 calories
1 serving dessert wine (103g) 164.8 calories

2613.1 calories

And that's one ONE serving of some Christmas-y chomps. Imagine if you had washed down 3 grilled pork sausages with a can of Bud, dug into that hearty Christmas pudding like a first-grader and hijacked that turkey thigh? *shudders* Whatever it is, it's Boxing Day today, so start throwing yourself onto the threadmill already. Christmas, fyi, doesn't afford binging in my case. It's more of enjoyment in proportion, and having good-quality food with the people you love. NOT bursting your belts.

1 serving penne in creamy vegetarian alfredo (260g) 286.4 calories
Dinner at cuzzin's (benefit of the doubt) 500 calories
1 serving veggie salad with chickpeas (263g) 175 calories
1 glass Brown Brothers rosa Moscato (250ml) 205 calories

1166.4 calories

See? No binging required.

師走

師走(しわす or shiwasu) is the ancient name for December, a month of hustle and bustle, as people prepare for Christmas, the New Year and more importantly, springcleaning of one's mind and soul. I'm not a Christmas-y person, simply because it's become so commercialised; it's no longer a season of giving, but a season of coerced consumerism. Spoils it all.

Family is doing away with all inexcusable extravagance this time, especially when Dad's overseas. Christmas shouldn't be about excessive spending anyway. We'll be sitting down together tonight, including Jack, and having a great home-cooked Western dinner. No 50-bucks turkey, no quiches, no Christmas lights, but we'll be blissfully happy. And will probably be happier if Dad could be around.

Merry Christmas.

Kayven + Christmas

Haha. Kayven is NOT my new fling.
*ROFL*
He's Derrick's little newborn! Congratulations on your lovely Christmas boy! The family's proud of you! We got so excited, we rushed down to the hospital in the afternoon. They couldn't let the baby out of the nursery within 6 hours of birth, but the nurse was kind enough to push Kayven to the side of the nursery window so that we could take a look at my baby nephew. And he's gorgeous, I'd tell you. He's going to be a tall and suave boy when he grows up. And to watch the little bundles of joy fidgeting in their warmers from the nursery window lights a comforting warmth within me. To watch Kayven pry open his own eyes sleepily and yawn big, comforting yawns made me smile. It's the vulnerability of life which makes me treasure every single person in my life, however frequently they appear in my life.


Woke up with a horrid horrid hangover-ish headache and nausea. I swear, I won't touch more than half a cup of that wine again. It effectively killed my Christmas appetite, and for the entire day I felt like emptying my innards to accommodate that bloat in my gut. *sigh*

It's more of missing the hubby.

And I don't like the idea of going out.

Back to where we were

I can only smile to myself and count my lucky stars.
Merry Christmas Eve to everyone.

Cam-whoring. Please clear up after vomitting.


Killing time...


I'm never ordering this again, because they took out my favourite shitake!


The hubby's favourite - Rainbow Roll


Hubby's ... not very cooperative. Haha.


Yayaya... we're always here.


And what else but to have your hand to bring me right to my doorstep.

(Photos from my Nokia 6220. Simple editing done.)

Was wine-shopping with the hubby, since we both need something nice to go with Christmas dinner. Had my first experience with Moscato, because I've always been sticking to Merlot and Shiraz for family dinners. It's a fresh change, because it's not as fruity as Wild Vines, and lower in alcohol content than Choya. Plus it's got a very light, sweet aftertaste. Yum.

Dad force-fed me his pan-fried salmon. *Gag* Threw down some white wine to get rid of the lingering stench of the fish (I'm still at it). If there's one guilty pleasure this festive season, it's got to be alcohol. I've not been drinking much owing to the exams and late night project-rushing, plus I hate the fact that the alcohol hits my blood vessels and drives my blood into my head at lightning speed. So I wasn't blushing if you saw me all red-faced just now; Hubby and I had some Japanese rice wine during dinner.

And just one year ago, I had the exact same meal (dinner) at the same place (Vivo) with the same person (Jack). One year later, history repeats itself, except the differing fact that I have my hand in his this time round.