Date Saturday 20 January 2007

Time 2.00pm - 5.00pm

Venue Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Block 6 level 9
Lecture Theatrette

Speaker Dr Jon Yoong (English)

Translator Dr Bernard Thong (Mandarin)

For more information, please call Tel: 6254 9130 (1pm to 5pm Mon-Fri)

To read in Mandarin, please click here

Special Appearances: Nnadia Chan & Dongfang Billy

Grand Christmas Celebration Concert
25 December 2006 , 7.30pm to 10.30pm
Orchard Road
I have enlarge the map of the location here
Click on picture to enlarge
Double click to reduce

Love has no limits. Love assumes the best about others. If someone inadvertently offends you, you choose to believe the offense was unintentional. If someone seeks to provoke you, you ˜endure all things, forgiving unconditionally. You never lose hope in the ones you love.  You practice the same unconditional love toward others that Christ gives to you.

Dry the Herbs
Before drying the herbs, remove any dirt, dust, insects and dead leaves. Tie the stems together in small bunches with a string. Suspend upside down with a cloth peg and leave to dry in a well-ventilated room, away from the sunlight.

You could also dry herbs in the microwave oven. Set to defrost for 3 minutes and let the herbs rest for another 10 minutes before removing them.

If using an electric oven, you will need to turn the heat up to 150 degrees C and place the herbs in it. Switch off the oven and open the door slightly to allow the herbs to dry out before removing them.

Freeze the Herbs
Herbs like basil, coriander, mint and lemon balm can be frozen into ice cubes. Chop the herbs and place them in an ice cube tray. Fill the tray with water and freeze. Pop in a few herb ice cubes the next time when you make soups or sauces.

Make a pesto
Put a handful of basil leaves, walnuts and pine nuts, olive oil into a blender and blend till fine. Store and keep in the fridge or freezer.

Make Tea with herbs
Pluck a few leaves, wash and place in a tea cup. Pour boiling water and leave to infuse

Make flavored oil
Place a few clean aromatic herbs into a dry bottle. Fill up with the best olive oil and keep aside for two weeks. Use the oil to cook or dip your bread in.

Make sachets of herbs
Place dried herbs in little cloth pouches. Sew up the edges and place sachets in the wardrobe or in the car to refresh the air in these spaces.

Besides wheat often causes bloating and gas in the stomach and if you have to find release, holding back could result in a ’snowball effect’.

But now I have found a simply yummy perfect indulgence no butter and no flour cake! Even non-cake lovers would love it. It is moist with extra virgin olive oil, scent with the fragrant of oranges and nutty with almond.

Almond & Orange Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:
3 whole eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 oranges (grated peel)
250g almond meal
1 tsp baking powder (heap)
½ cup orange juice
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt

Method:
1) Heat oven to 190 deg C. Butter and line a 21cm baking tray using greaseproof paper.
2) Place egg whites into one bowl and beat till the whites stiffen. Leave aside
3) Place the whole eggs into another bowl, add the sugar and beat till mixture thickens.
4) Grate the orange peel directly into the bowl; add almond meal, baking powder, salt, orange juice and then the olive oil.
5) Fold in the beaten egg whites into the mixture.
6) Finally pour mixture into the baking tray and bake for half an hour.
7) Test with a stick or skewer in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, you may have to cover the cake with an aluminum foil or greaseproof paper to prevent the top of the cake from burning.
When the cake is done, leave to cool on a rack. You will find it easy to remove from the tray once the cake is cold.
9) Dust some icing sugar on top of cake and garnish with some fresh oranges.

Note: You can use canola oil if you are not used to the smell of olive oil or use polyunsaturated oils such as corn, sunflower and soybean

YOU DON’T DROWN BY FALLING IN THE WATER.
YOU DROWN BY STAYING THERE.

Ingredients:
3 cups (400g) long grain brown rice
690cc water
100g young fresh ginger

Seasoning A
2 teaspoon Chinese wine (Shao Hsing or Hua Tiao Chiew)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce (or light soy sauce)
100 cc vegetable stock (you can make your own by using carrots, corn & cabbage)

Seasoning B:
1 tablespoon black sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
Black sesame seed

Method:

1)Wash the brown rice and leave to soak in 690cc water for at least half an hour.
2)Wash ginger and peel the skin by scraping it with the edge of a metal spoon. Cut into very thin strips.
3)Add ginger and seasoning A into a pot and bring to boil. Turn off heat immediately and pour mixture into the brown rice.
4)Cook in an electric rice cooker.
5)When the rice is cooked, add in the black sesame seed oil and cranberries. Mix together with the rice and sprinkle some sesame seed on top before you serve.

Note
Brown rice will take a longer time to cook. Usually between 1 hour to 1 hour and 45 minutes depending on the type of the electric rice cooker. It is best to use an electric rice cooker with extra features i.e. select to cook plain/mixed rice, porridge or congee.

I used an automatic electric rice cooker with the on and off button, because of the longer time needed to boil, it spilled over. So I switched over to the one with more features and no spills so far. I have used it for over 5 years now.

FYI : Brown rice has a higher nutritional value than white rice. It contain high amount of fiber which has been shown to reduce high cholesterol levels and keeping blood sugar levels under control. It is an excellent grain choice for people with diabetes. The fibers in brown rice also help to protect against colon cancer and normalize bowel function.

Ginger’s curative effects are:

Detoxify
Induce perspiration & relieve internal heat or fever
Prevent and cure carsickness & seasickness
Ameliorate low blood pressure and high blood pressure
Able to calm (steadiness of mind under stress)
Ease pain of arthritis & rheumatism; chilblains; cramps
Disinfect the stomach and intestines
Prevent food poisoning
Strengthen the heart’s systole
Lower cholesterol levels & reduces the risk of heart disease & stroke
Ease cough; make expectoration easy
Invigorate the stomach
Stimulate digestion and aid assimilation; ease belches/burps
Relieve & prevent spasm
Prevent food from rotting

….look out for my recipe: delicous ginger and brown rice with dried cranberries.

I like to share with you that I have a notebook where I kept all my favourite phrases and captions. At any time when I feel I am at my lowest mood, I would read some of my favourites out loud to myself. It really helps! I hope it will help you too.

Today I am changing the way I live and have become a better person. I have learnt to accept and to live with the truth of my illness. I know the limits of my physical strength and the psychological stress that I can withstand. There are many things beyond my control but at least I am still master of my own body. By improving on my nutrition and opting for natural nutrients is just not enough to make an impact on my health. I must also fill my life with love and gratitude, be kinder, more patient, more forgiving and treasure all the things that I have.

Presently my SLE condition is stable and I have been in remission for the last few years.

It takes planning and the commitment not to eat whatever is available merely because it is convenient. Most of us will never be able to switch-over our entire diet but it does not mean we cannot take small steps to achieve for the better. I started with changing my drinking water by installing a water filter machine in my home. Cutting down on sugar, caffeinated drinks and refined food is another step toward the right direction. I changed from eating polished rice to unpolished rice, I eat food less in oil, less in salt, less in sugar, I cut down on meat, deep fried food, processed and canned food (these food contains additives, coloring, preservatives, flavoring, trans fat, msg etc). I started increasing my intake of vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Occasionally when I am out with my family or friends, I will bend some rules by eating food that I once enjoyed. The key here is ˜moderation. But if you are really sick, I would advise you to abstain until you are feeling much better. Put it in this way: Do you think your body is qualified to eat the not so healthy food now? Dont do it at the expense of your own health.

If the doctor tells you today that you have SLE, dont panic. Frightening it may seem however with proper medical treatment the illness can be controlled and patients who understand their illness cope much better and can lead fairly normal lives. Nearly all people with SLE have periods of remissions.

With cutting edge technology and the fast pace of modern life, you can get information on SLE clinical and diagnostic studies and medications etc., available on the internet. There are also many books written which are available at most major bookstores and the library.

I hope that by sharing with you my struggles, experiences and victory with SLE, my story can bring some encouragement to you. Please remember that when the disease is active, you need to get enough rest and to avoid any sun exposure and keep to the prescribed medications. You should also try not to be too anxious for it is really doing more harm than good to your body. Getting enough rest is very important!

If you need to contact me or want to share your story with me, you can Post a Comment.
Let us support and encouragement one another together. ADD OIL ˜jia you!

PS: In case you are wondering what ˜add oil means: It is a direct translation from the Chinese word ˜jia yu”. It is equivalent to an encouragement to ˜keep it up! or ˜keep it going!