As long as I am having fun, I am not quitting!

Love, 

Iliyana I. Ramjaun

Ramadhan is here!

Hi dearies...

It has been a while since I wrote last. Not that I don't want to but time is really jealous of me! Now a blink of an eye, Ramadhan is here. It is now DAY 5 but I hope it is not too late to wish 

"SALAM RAMADHAN" 

to all Muslims out there.

This year is the first year am fasting with a guy legally called my husband, Mr.S. It does feel a bit different as we get to argue what to have for iftar and sahur. Not forgetting where to for Tarawiih. A bit childish, yes, but it somehow makes it all beautiful!

Sometimes we forget during breaking the fast (iftar);

"No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for any son of Adam are some morsels to keep his back straight. But if it must be, then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for his breath."

{R.Tirmidzi:2380}

Am happy and really am grateful as Mr.S made an effort to move his shifts to earlier in order to come home and have iftar with me. It is a big effort as he needs to go to work very early as early as 5.45am or latest 6.00am. 

Thank you love love!

Prophet Muhammad pbuh said:

"When a husband and wife look at each other with love, Allah swt look at them with mercy."

{Sahih Bukhari 6:19 Tirmidzi}

All in all, I hope all you enjoy the Ramadhan as we do and benefit all the goodness promised by Him. InshaAllah.

Love,

Iliyana I. Ramjaun

Am not a PERSNICKETY eater :)

Well am sure you have heard a lot about raw apple cider vinegar. So what is the fuss all about? The one am using is by BRAGG Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar. It is unfiltered, unpasteurized, kosher-certified and contains the 'mother' of vinegar.  What does it made of? APPLES of course! Hihi.

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is made from nutritious organically grown apples and retains many of the fruits' beneficial components because raw apple cider vinegar is not pasteurized [remember I mentioned this earlier?]. And in its two fermentation processes, it produces enzymes and life giving nutrients that make apple cider vinegar the powerhouse it is.

ACV has been used for thousands of years as natural health remedy. In 400BC Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, used it as an antibiotic because he believed it had natural energizing and cleansing abilities. It was also used in Civil War and WWW I to help treat wounds and combat indigestion.

You might be thinking "Okay, so can you get the one in normal supermarket or where can I get the raw ACV?" , right? I got mine at the VitaCare Pharmacy in KLCC. You can try supermarket as I usually get my stash at the pharmacy plus their pharmacist are super duper friendly. We get free nagging and we loved it! 

More stuff that you should know is that there is a difference between the clear vinegar and raw apple cider vinegar.

Clear vinegar (we call it cuka makan ---the white color plain usually used to make acar timun as condiment for beriyani) has none of the benefits of raw organic apple cider vinegar. Through its processing and distilling, it's been stripped of everything beneficial and can be detrimental to your health due to the fact that it is dead instead of alive. 

Only raw ACV has the "mother of vinegar" that makes the vinegar so beneficial. The "mother" is made up of living nutrients and bacteria (the good ones). You can actually see it settled in the bottom of the bottle like sediment.

Just look at some of the salubrious ingredients in raw apple cider vinegar:

Potassium : Helps to prevent brittle teeth, hair loss and runny noses.

Pectin        : Helps to regulate blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol.

Malic Acid : Gives  ACV the properties of being anti-viral, anti-bacterial & anti-fungal.

Calcium     : Helps create strong bones and teeth.

Ash          : Gives ACV its alkaline property which aids your body in maintaining proper PH levels for a  healthy alkaline state.

Acetic Acid: It appears that this acid slows the digestion of starch which can help to lower the rise in glucose that commonly occurs after meals.

A few health benefits you may get from apple cider vinegar:

1. 1tbsp of raw ACV mixed in 4 ounces of purified water after a meal has been used as natural remedy for heartburn and as a replacement for toxic heartburn medications.
2. Raw ACV may help improve bowel irregularity, thereby removing toxins from the body at a faster rate.
3. Helps clear up skin conditions and blemishes giving a smoother texture and complexion.
4. Raw ACV may also help with joint pain and stiffness.
5. Helps to breakdown fats so that your body can use them rather than store them. For this reason, many diets include ACV in their regimen.
6. On a small scale, ACV was studied by researchers at Arizona State University. The preliminary study was published in the Diabetes Care Journal. It reported that ACV helps reduce levels of glucose.
7. Acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
8. Home remedy for dandruff and acne, taken externally. It is even good for pets. It has been used to help control fleas and even promotes a healthy shiny coat.

Very remedial and invigorating right? And not to mention, feasible too! So how do I take them?

There are several options really. If you are not on a diet or your BMI is normal hence no need to lose weight, you can mix it with apple juice or anything basically to remove that tangy vinegary taste. But if you are on a diet or intended to shed off 1 or 2 kgs, then 2tbsp of raw ACV and a glass of cold/warm water should do the trick! However if you tried and you think your tummy cannot take it, mix it with 1tsp or 2tsp of organic honey into your mixture; that should soothes your tummy. 

You can find apple cider vinegar in tablets or capsule form but I do not recommend these sources because they are dried sources. Hey the liquid taste much better and it is cheap too! You can even make your salad dressing using it. Give it a try. :)

Happy Fasting to all!

 Love,

Iliyana I. Ramjaun

6th July -- World Kissing Day!

I know you must be thinking that am demented or delirious for posting such thing. But this is for real! Yes, it is celebrated in the UK but now I guess has been adopted worldwide as INTERNATIONAL KISSING DAY. 

When I think about it, the concept of a kiss is everywhere in our society and of course, it has way way many meanings other than **whatever you are thinking inside that dirty mind of yours!**. A first kiss. A formal kiss. A passionate kiss. A child's kiss. A goodbye kiss.

The concept is aimed to make us appreciate a kiss in its own right. No conventions, no social norms; - JUST a kiss. 

From my walk on worldwideweb, there is a competition which hold record for the longest kiss! The record was set in the UK back in 2005 at 31 hours and 30 minutes. Then on Valentine's Day 2009, a couple from Germany set a new record of just over 32 hours. Again on 2011, a Thai couple, husband and wife team up locking their lips and began their quest to break the current longest kiss. After 46 hours and 24 minutes (can't imagine how swollen their lips would be?!) they claimed a new record for the longest kiss. Impressive? I know!!

Maybe you and me can get some kissing tip from them before puckering up. LOL.

Think of your sweetest kiss... a kiss from your mother? Your child? A thank you kiss from your closest friend? Or all those meaningless kisses? 

For me, next time I kiss Mr.S I will just think about how delightful it is and not what it 'means'. Haha. TLC for you later Mr.S :)

Love, 

Iliyana I. Ramjaun