I don't hate myself..well..maybe just a little!

I've been tagged by Rima to list 10 things I hate about me. And in light of the fact that I have no idea what to write today, I shall oblige her :) So let's see...

1. Procrastination. I have tried so much to make this change, and yet, I still procrastinate all the time.

2. I get bored very easily so what I like today I might dislike it tomorrow.

3. I'm not sure if I'm indecisive or not.

4. I can care so much about other people, I tend to forget about myself.

5. I am kind with people that I shouldn't be kind with, because I see the goodness in everybody, even if I then realize they only take things for granted from me.

6. I hate to admit when I’m wrong.

7. My hair is simply unmanageable. Everyday I have to attempt to contain it in a bun, and I hate it.

8. I hate that I have big hips so I can never get jeans that fit right without trying them out first.

9. I hate that I'm a little afraid of crossing the streets in Jakarta, I often envision myself getting run down by the crazy motorists here.

10. I'm a model example of inconsistency. I'm intrigued to try to be a vegetarian at some point, but I can't see giving up the culinary joys for a lifetime.

I tag whoever would like to share a bit of their negative side :)

More coffee, smaller boobs???

Hmmmmm...long time no blogging. That's right, it's me. I’ve been a bit tardy on my blog posts again. Of late, I seemed to get a blog constipation or something. Anyway, there was an interesting health report from the British Journal of Cancer that revealed coffee can shrink women's breasts! Here are the actual excerpts:

Coffee can make women's breasts smaller: Swedish study
Published: 16 Oct 08 18:45 CET

Women who drink a lot of coffee may see their breasts become more petite, according to the results of a new Swedish study.

Around half of all women possess a gene shown to link breast size to coffee intake.

"Drinking coffee can have a major effect on breast size," said Helena Jernström, a lecturer in experimental oncology at Lund University.

But while a regular brew appears to have a somewhat deflationary aspect, there is also one very positive effect in that coffee reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Woman with an average weight but big breasts and a high number of mammary glands run an above average risk of developing breast cancer.

Previous studies have shown that women can reduce this risk by drinking at least three cups of coffee a day.

Jernström wanted to know if there was a further correlation: If drinking coffee and breast size were both connected to the risk of developing breast cancer, could there also be a link between coffee and cup size?

Studies carried out on almost 270 women showed that there was indeed a clear connection between coffee and smaller breasts. The results of Jernström's findings have been published in the British Journal of Cancer.

My thoughts on this? The good side, the research showed drinking at least three cups of coffee a day reduces cancer risk. But I was wondering does it apply for man boobs too? Simon Cowell and former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, for example...they both have a well defined man boobs (saw the pics on British gossip online mags). Does that mean they are tea drinkers and some of the women who want to have smaller breasts must drink more coffee???

What do you think about this research? Have your say on whether or not you believe the hype.

Do you miss your hometown?

I was born in a small town in Bandar Lampung, south of Sumatra. It is a place where everyone knows everyone. A place I hated as a kid but appreciate as an adult. We didn't have relatives there because both families from mom and dad side lived in Bogor and Jakarta. My parents migrated there shortly after they got married. Me and my siblings were all born in Lampung. I lived there for about 15 years, then in Yogyakarta (3 years), Bandung (10 years) and Jakarta (14 years). When both my parents still alive, I would always go back there. Most of my trips home then were by bus, then by ferry, and bus again. It took almost 10 hours to reach home. After dad passed away in 1988 and mom moved to Bogor to stay in my eldest sis house in 2003, I never visit again. My last trip there was last year on November for mom's funeral.

One thing that most of us all have in common is that we come from somewhere. You love to hear people talk about their hometowns. What’s good about it, what’s bad about it, what they miss, etc... But thinking back I have never really been sure where my home town is. I never thought I belonged there anymore. I appreciate the memories I have of my hometown but I am better off getting out of there. Jakarta is my hometown now.

What do you miss most from your hometown? If you still live there, will you ever leave? Do your childhood friends still live in your hometown ?

Question time again!

It's random question time again. Here is another round :)

1. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

2. Did you have any nickname when you were a little kid? If you did, what was it and why did they call you that?

3. What is your favorite scents?

4. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?

5. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?

As usual feel free to answer every question, thank you everyone!

Real men love curves?

When I look at this curvaceous Fanta bottle, I looked at the mirror and realized that I am by no means skinny, but by no means am I curvy. I am just fit and healthy and have muscles to prove it...LOL! Having a body like JLo, Kim Kardhasian or Salma Hayek, is definitely a dream of every woman. They have a prominent hips, an actual butt, with the ample but not over-sized breasts. But unfortunately nature didn't create us with cookie cutter bodies. Some girls are born to be curvy and some are born to be slim and slender. Some women suit being slim and others curvy, its just how we're all made I guess. I think we all have to love our body how it is, curvy, slender or skinny. After all beauty on the inside is what counts not the outside. Having said that staying in shape is a whole lot better than being out of shape. The best thing to do is just work out on a daily basis, eat right, and stick to it. Once you get into a routine it should be much easier, and you will see the benefits of your hard work.

Now the questions am going to ask you is :
Are you happy with your body shape? Are you careful about what you eat? Do you take any vitamin/mineral supplements?

Have a great weekend everyone!

For the love of Nescafe mugs

I have been collecting Nescafe coffee mugs since I first saw them in the super market last year. It's a buy NESCAFÉ 2in1 free red mug (on pack of 30 sachets). I like the mugs because they have this lovely, bright, and cheerful red color and the size is rather small compared to the usual coffee mugs. This (to me) makes them more appealing. So far I have 6 mugs and am looking to add more to my collection.

I started drinking coffee again one month after my surgery. Now that everything looks OK (no more endo recurrence), I only drink one per day and then water the rest of the day. Not in the morning, not first thing though, usually about 10.00 or 11.00am just as my energy levels are beginning to slide. So, how much coffee do you drink in a day? do you collect mugs from your favorite coffee shop or certain brand like me?

Happy Tuesday from Suneo!

If there is one spot of sun spilling onto the floor, a cat will find it and soak it up.- Joan Asper McIntosh

I wasn't much of a cat lover before taking Suneo from the street and adopted him last year. There was a brief, pet-less gap between Fatso’s death (my dog) and Suneo's (the cat) appearance. And by brief, I mean less than a year. Fatso had been a part of my life for about 11 years. When my dog passed away, I had a really hard time getting over it. I wasn't necessarily ready for another pets, but my domestic helper found the sweetest cat ever born, and I named him Suneo! Suneo was the first cat I ever named. He was named after a character in Japanese manga series, Doraemon. It has taken me some time to get to the point of being friends with the kitty. After a while of having Suneo around me, I notice he has "Fatso" ways like following me around, he comes to his name and he likes playing fetch and sometimes sitting in front of the door watching the world go by just like Fatso did. My 9 years old niece, Van, believed Fatso lives in Suneo body.

Anyway I found this on my email and thought I would like to share it with you all. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Here is a list of traits for each and which one are you? I think I have a wonderful mix of both...LOL!

Cat owners tend to be...
* Introverted, self-conscious, shy, secretive, sensitive.
* Interested in quieter pursuits like reading, watching movies and videos, music, etc.
* Are homebodies or prefer quiet places.
* Like their creature comforts and although they expect people to notice them, they tend not to boast, preferring to draw attention to themselves in less direct ways.
* Have a small circle of close friends rather than a larger group.

Dog owners tend to be...
* Extroverted, eager, unembarrassed, open.
* Interested in sports, adventuring, exploring, and outdoor pursuits.
* Like to be busy and go out a lot, like loud places like parties.
* They tease and pick on each other in a friendly way, and like talking and boasting about their accomplishments.
* Have a large circle of friends and acquaintances and they make friends easily.

Questions of the week

It's an every-other Saturday thing...and yes, you are invited to answer the questions. Sound easy? Oh, of course it does. Now, allow me to start:

1. What saying, that your parents/grand parents have said to you when younger, still sticks in your mind? do you find yourself now using this saying?

2. You and your sweetheart are boarding a plane for a dream vacation, one of you gets bumped to first class, who's going, you or your loved one?

3. Do you keep a pair of driving shoes in your car so that you do not scuff the heels of your good shoes?

4. Talking of getting older, does ageing bother you?

5. What cheers you up when you are sad?

Lazy me

It's been 2 weeks since my last post. I keep telling myself I will make an effort to blog more often, I will write more regularly, I'm going to update it later in the evening, tomorrow, then another tomorrow until two weeks pass by and when I check my calendar it's October already! Granted, it takes effort. Blogging takes discipline, not only to type words on a screen, but to communicate with the readers and to stick with it. But it's always easier to say it than do it...LOL!

Today I decided to say hi to whoever dropping by my place. To all my Muslim friends, I am wishing everyone Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, mohon maaf lahir dan batin! Hope you enjoy the warmth of the Lebaran spirit as you visit friends and relatives. And here is the Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti that I made last night. It was fairly easy to make, not too sweet, crisp, and you can enjoy them alone or as a treat with coffee or tea. I would most definitely recommend this recipe to anybody who likes biscotti.