My Fasting Journal - Day 31

May 18th, 2006 Thursday
Weight= 115lbs


Woke up feeling great!

I had a few figs (soaked in water overnight) in the morning. At first, the fig tasted delicious. Then, I started to feel that it was too sweet for my taste. After eating four tiny figs, I felt I was stuffed to my throat!!

It’s amazing how little food our bodies need to sustain. We constantly stuff ourselves with unnecessary bigger portion of food and over-work our digestive system. As every part of our body is connected, different problems arise from unhealthy way of eating. Just like what I've learned from the movie, "Ayurveda, The Art of Being",- In this modern world, many people suffer from the disease of excess.

For dinner, I had a very small green salad with a little dressing. I thought, “Great! Finally I can taste some different flavors.” But, to my surprise, I didn’t like the sour, salty taste of the dressing. The taste was almost irritating to me. I totally didn’t expect this. My taste buds were super sensitive!

My body was craving for the fresh fruit juice.

I will definitely try not to overcook food from now on.

I cleared out my fridge and pantry; one big bag of trash! There were foods that I’ve totally forgotten that they existed.

This is the last day that I am writing this journal. This fast has been a great experience. I plan to do it every year. Am I going to be a vegetarian? I wish I could, but I can't give up seafood. Life should be fun. :-) and gourmet food from different cultures makes our lives much more interesting.

I am off to a new adventure with positive attitude and healthier body. I am feeling happy and very content.




*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 30

May 17th, 2006 Wednesday
Weight= 115lbs


Yeppi yeppi!

I felt like today was the beginning of a whole new life!

I still had to follow the fasting menu today, except that I didn’t have to strain the juice. Also, I could eat an apple in the morning! What a great way to start up my stomach engine!

First bite into the organic apple was amazing. I felt kind of weird to taste one particular flavor of food (after having mixed fruit juice/veggie broth for 30 days) and to start chewing again. My taste buds were very sharp in defining the taste. It is hard to explain. It was like the buds were starting to get to know apple all over again, and to know how great it tasted like.

I will still be taking clarkia for the next two weeks. Also, I added flax seeds and oat bran to my potassium broth. Whoa, there were textures in the food.

Haha. Everybody gotta try this fast!



*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 29

May 16th, 2006 Tuesday
Weight= 115lbs

Today was the last day of my fast. I will start coming out of the fast tomorrow. It will take five days to break the fast.

I am really glad that I went through this fast. Looking back, it has been an “incredible” journey. Food is such a big part of our lives. We socialize around food. So often, we take it for granted. We forget why we eat. Coming out from this fast, I appreciate my hard-working body more, and will want to listen to it more often. Our bodies tell us what food is nourishing and what’s not.

I lost 10 lbs. Average; we carry five to ten pounds of toxins in our body. So, I really don’t mind to have lost the weight. I didn’t need the junk in my body. I will gain some weight back shortly, and will expect to be healthier.

Anybody can do this fast. It’s more mentally than physically. Oh yeah!!!

Read:
"People don't realize that the chief obstacle to fasting is overcoming the cultural, social and psychological fears of going without food. These fears are ingrained. . . .However, fasting is not starving, not even in a medical sense or the natural sense." Dr. George Cahill of Harvard Medical School emphasized the point:

"Man's survival [of long abstentions from food] is predicated upon a remarkable ability to conserve the relatively limited body protein stores, while utilizing fat as the primary energy producing food."

Nobel Prize-winnning Fr. biologist and surgeon Dr. Alexis Carrel, who spent 34 of his professional years in the United States, described in his magnum opus, Man, The Unknown, the body's brilliant rejuvenative and regenerative capability, inherent in its own detoxification process vis a vis scientific fasting: "Privation of food at first brings a sensation of hunger, occasionally some nervous stimulation, but it also determines certain hidden phenomena which are more important. The sugar of the liver and the fat of the subcutaneous deposits are mobilized, and also the proteins of the muscles and the glands. . .in order to maintain blood, heart, and brain in a normal condition. Fasting purifies and profoundly modifies our tissues."

Based on my experience, the lines above are absolutely true.

Now, I feel happier, and more confident. It’s an amazing feeling!!! Would I fast again in the future? Definitely! Once per year would be great!

Tomorrow I can start coming out from my fast. Well, I can’t eat processed food until the fifth day. But, eating an apple tomorrow, it’s huge for me. I wonder how I would feel to start chewing again after 30 days.

*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 28

May 15th, 2006 Monday
Weight= 116lbs

I hope hog confinement operation will never come near to Fairfield. Fairfield is such a unique and lovely community. It will be a shame if this community got destroyed by the horrible hog confinement SH*t.

Day 28th! Hey, almost there! :- ) so proud of myself.



*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 27

May 14th, 2006 Sunday
Weight= 116lbs

Panini maker is great! I have been making sandwiches left and right. What a great investment!

The weather has been wet for a few days- free water for the plants. : -)

I ordered clarkia for parasite cleanse.

Karan left for San Antonio today. I missed the moments of sharing good meals with him.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 26

May 13th, 2006 Saturday
Weight= 116lbs

Today was supposed to be the day that I started coming out of my fast. However, Francis recommended that I fast for a few more days because based on his experience, some worms died on day 28/29. I reluctantly agreed. So, five more days.

I was on a mission to find my passion. What makes my heart sing? I have been thinking about it.

I want to have a business that makes meaning. It doesn’t have to be a multi-million dollar business. I want to share my passion for environment and beauty with people. The general direction would be “revitalize body, mind and soul”. I was very happy with what I came out with.

Sage Mountain (www.sagemountain.com) is an amazing place. I checked out their Apprentice Program and Plant Lover’s Journey. They are pretty interesting. I want to try my best to join a few of their Plant Lover’s Trips in the coming years. That’s what I want.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 25

May 12th, 2006 Friday
Weight= 116lbs

Kai turned one today! How time has passed. He happily received a new toy today. Even though Kai is one year old now, he still likes to climb up to Karan’s laps to receive pampering. He doesn’t realize that he weighs 75 lbs. :-)

"Body + Soul" magazine came today. I enjoy reading this magazine a lot. Some lines from this issue:

"Never become too sophisticated to experience simple joys or too busy to spread the joy around."

“When we open our hearts to positive change, we reap the rewards that come with new possibilities.”

“Love nourishes your soul; passion ignites it.”

“Take pleasure in other’s happiness, as it will augment your own.”

“Passion originates in the heart. By focusing on yourself, you’ll restore the connection between head and heart, thereby improving your ability to feel – a necessary ingredient for experiencing your joy.”

“Perfection doesn’t exist when it comes to passion. Just choose one thing that gets your juices flowing and act on it, whether you think you’ll be good at it or not. The idea is to get started so you can see where this next phase of the journey leads you.”

What's your passion?



*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 24

May 11th, 2006 Thursday
Weight= 116lbs

I have always wanted to own a successful business. I did start one. As I begin developing my business, there are unforeseen threats that shake my confidence. I am grounded by new reality.

This fast has really helped me to understand myself more. I know that once I am convinced that something would work, I will surrender to it 100% and really committed to reach the goal.

For my business, I have given it lots of thoughts. I am not a natural business woman, terrible at marketing (well, at least I know my weakness). A lot of friends have been really supportive, giving me advice and help. I am so appreciative of that. It’s really fortunate to be surrounded by good people. The problem is on my side. I haven’t surrendered to my business idea yet. What’s the objective of my business that will accomplish in my life? How does my business benefit others? I need to find that voice in me that screams out, ”THAT’s what I want.” And what is “THAT”? I need to find out and I will. I need to reaffirm my commitment and create a new strategy to move forward.



*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 23

May 10th, 2006 Wednesday
Weight= 116lbs

Elegant irises in my garden
– reminded me of Van Gogh

What do you do when an untrained dog suddenly pull on you during a walk? The answer is to always let him GO! It has been twice that I let my stupid dog pulled me and yesterday I fell hard on the sidewalk, all bruised up. Karan said that the scene looked like something came straight out from the Jackass show. I wasn’t sure if he thought it was funny or he felt my pain.

There were still moments that I was tempted to end my fast right away in order to taste the food that I’ve missed so much. I missed eggs, milk, salt, rice,.. the simplest food/spice of all. Hmm…



*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 22

May 9th, 2006 Tuesday
Weight= 116lbs

Karan mentioned to me that I was more short-tempered than usual. Well, I could use a little bit of pampering during my fast. Maybe he could be sweeter to me, instead of bossing me around all the time.

There was still stuff coming out when I did enema. How could our stomach store that much junk? Unbelievable.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 21

May 8th, 2006 Monday
Weight= 117lbs

I felt that my heart was beating quite fast the whole afternoon (there sure weren’t any hot guys walking by). Karan said it must be the worms in my stomach were complaining, struggling and dying. Ah, so much of his input. I measured my resting heart rate, it was 64 per minute. So, it was quite normal. But somehow I felt a little hard to breathe. I wasn’t sure why. No biggie.

I changed my mind on my Thailand trip. I decided to go since I have purchased the air tickets early this year for my youngest sister and I. I just booked the accommodation. It should be fun. I plan to stop by my sister’s place in KL on the way for a few days. I am dying to see my sister’s pregnant look. Haha.

It's always great to go home. The only downside is my parents' constant nagging on my marriage plan and their wishes of me settling down in Malaysia. Marriage? It would be nice, but I am not ready yet. Maybe another couple more years, or three, four years… who knows, maybe never. I will wait till the right feeling comes.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 20

May 7th, 2006 Sunday
Weight= 117lbs

Day 20th. Yeppi! I've definitely come a long way. Five more days before I can start coming out from my fast. My body needs about four to five days to start the “engine” in order to process solid food again. So, five days from now, I can eat an apple. Sounds good!

I made Karan lunch and dinner today. I was so proud of myself. I hope to eat out less often. I got better food at home!

I watched the movie Notting Hill for the first time. I have heard good things about this movie and it surely didn’t disappoint me.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 19

May 6th, 2006 Saturday
Weight= 117lbs

Let me summarize my daily fasting routine.

1. First thing morning – drink one glass of potassium broth, take liquid vitamin B
2. Do enema
3. 10am: Hot tea
4. Noon: Fresh fruit juice (grapes + oranges + apples are divine!)
5. 3pm: Hot tea
6. 5pm: Fresh veggie juice (beet +cucumber + carrots+ a little of ginger is a good combination)
7. 8pm: Tea or juice
8. 10pm: Potassium broth

P/S: Clean tongue often, brush skin with dry brush before bath, exercise often.

Sounds pretty boring? Well, IT IS.

My ballet class today was good. I enjoyed it. I definitely need to exercise more. I read an article on metabolism. As we get older, we are losing muscles and that slows down our metabolism. I have high metabolism, and that’s why I can eat as much as I can without exercising much and still maintain the same weight. Pretty sweet huh. But now that I am getting older, I guess I would have to make a little more effort to keep the same level of metabolism.

My panini maker has arrived. I made Karan a nice panini for lunch. It was absolutely easy, took no time, and yet it was delicious. My sweet panini maker..

I watched MI3 and thought there was nothing special about it; the same old story plot and the same old Tom Cruise. No surprises. Boring.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 18

May 5th, 2006 Friday
Weight= 117lbs

A lot of people wondered if I could focus on my work when I was fasting. The answer is yes. I get enough vitamins and nutrition during the fast. My body didn’t feel hungry, so I was not going crazy over hunger. The thought of food came to my mind was not because I felt hungry, it was just that I missed the taste of different kinds of food. All mind games.

I am missing home more and more. I can’t wait to go home at the end of summer. Home, sweet home. Every time I am away from my country, I appreciate it more. My home town, Kuching, what a casual city. People are so laid back and friendly. New restaurants and cafes keep popping out every month. It's not hard to tell that we enjoy eating out.

Although I have already booked my ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Thailand, I will cancel that plan. My sister is pregnant! I rather spend more time with her in KL. Thailand is always there for me to visit.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 17

May 4th, 2006 Thursday
Weight= 117lbs

I reserved a space in my garden for herbs. I am growing green onions, basil, hot pepper, sage, lemon balm and rosemary (thyme, dill and paisley yet to come). How amazing would it be to pick fresh herbs the moment I need them in my cooking/drinks?

I have been thinking about food a lot “lately”. Today, a voice spoke to me. “You can’t be free if you are too attached to something”. To know about a philosophy is different than to be awakening from inside and then truly experience that knowledge. A lot of people spend years trying to get over heartache, trying to get a little more of “this” and “that”,… without realizing that we could be happy with what we have, right now. Learning how to let go, set us free. Just, let it go.



*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 16

May 3rd, 2006 Wednesday
Weight= 117lbs


I had the worst sleep last night. I just couldn’t fall asleep. Maybe it was because I slept too late, at around 1am. I definitely have to sleep earlier today.

I gave Kai a nice bath and a pedicure. I didn’t think he cared much, but he should know that he get more pampering when he is nice and clean (and when he smells like baby!).

About three weeks ago, I re-arranged every singe piece of furniture in my study room. All furniture has furniture pads under it, so they were not that hard to move around. I really enjoy the new furniture arrangement. Now I spend triple more amount of time in my office than before. Karan came home and was surprised to see the new arrangement. “How did you do it?” haha. I just love to give surprises; they add spices to life.

I have been crazy about Italian food for a few days now. I watched Italian cooking shows and read one recipe after another. I was so pumped up that I wish I could put together a nice meal right away. Karan will be coming home tomorrow; maybe I can make him something nice.

I am sure I would feel funny when I read these blogs after the fast. Haha. All I talked about was food.



*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 15

May 2nd, 2006 Tuesday
Weight= 117lbs

Wahoo! Day 15th! I wish I could open a bottle of champagne to celebrate. From now on, it’s only going to get easier and easier. ;-)

I used to get headache in the afternoon when I was not fasting. Now that I am fasting, I haven’t had a single headache so far! Really amazing.

I did some gardening in the evening and didn’t have dinner until 7pm (I usually had my dinner juice at 5.30pm). I felt light headed but no big deal.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 14

May 1st, 2006 Monday
Weight= 118lbs

This is such a smart fast. Before the fast, I thought my weight was going to drop one pound per day until I was paper thin. But on day 14th, my weight was still 118lbs. I expect my weight to drop a couple more pounds in the next two weeks, but that’s it. I am really glad to lose all the junk from my body. I felt light and more productive.

Besides mental craving for food, physically I was doing fine. I didn’t even cheat a single time. Good girl! - giving myself a pat on my back.

I planned to have meal schedule set up for every week after my fast. In this way, I can plan ahead what to get from the grocery store and be better prepared for each meal. Also, I plan to make more breakfast at home. I hope that Karan and I can sit down for 15 minutes to enjoy our breakfast every morning before we go to work. Of course, the meal schedule will allow certain flexibility because I have had a hard time following a strict, boring schedule.

I bought a panini maker. I have been eyeing on this particular panini maker for a couple years and never felt the need to buy it. After I saw Giada made the most delicious panini using her panini maker. I instantly ordered one for myself as well. I think it was a good investment and I see myself using it often.


*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******

My Fasting Journal - Day 13

April 30, 2006 Sunday
Weight= 118lbs

I loved walking in the drizzle this morning. It was romantic and intimate. I felt that I was closer to the nature.

There was nothing eventful today. I worked on my business and watched a couple cooking shows. I get so inspired that I bought a few cooking gadgets and sauces online. I felt so creative that I wish I could cook something right away.

Karan called from Canada and warned me to go easy on food shopping.

Econo didn’t make my special veggie juice since the manager wasn’t there. So, I had to juice the veggies myself. I used to not like to juice the fruits at home because it was a pain to clean the juicer. After juicing everyday for more than a week now, I became pretty efficient, with no choice.




*******AbsoluteLiving.com:: Wearable Art Cashmere Shawls, Wool Wraps, Meditation Shawls, Silk Scarves, Stoles, Bridal Candles, Soap Flowers, Michal Golan Earrings, Necklaces, and more.*******