getting into the festive spirit

i can't believe its hari raya already! where did the entire month go?? i'm grating some nutmeg as i type (for a traditional sri lankan pudding). last year during this time the house was full of relatives frm all over the globe who had flown over for my dad's funeral. this year its just us and almost everything seems to be a reminder of dad. to think that two years ago my dad was doing his usual delegating of pre-hari raya chores. life certainly is unpredictable, to say the least.

i'm usually in charge of packing the kueh, or baked sweets, into decorative containers. usually i end up eating something like one in five i pack (quality control u understand). so far i've eaten around five today, which is not too bad considering i've packed some six containers. also couldn't resist sampling my mum's dhaalcha , a lentil and mutton curry. she makes it thick with lots of spices.absolutely delicious. did u know that dhaal is actually a wholegrain? not to mention an excellent source of protein? and my mum uses lean mutton, so its not so bad on the diet.

oprah, aka the weight loss guru, has often stressed how important it is to curb late night eating. my trainer kinda said the same thing. but recently i read in a health magazine that apparently it doesn't matter so much what time u stop eating by,as long you don't exceed ur daily calorie limit. i wish these fitness experts would make up their minds already, so i can decide whether or not to have something more substantial than a green apple the next time the late night hunger pangs strike.

i can't believe tomorrow's the last day of holidays and i've gotta go to work the next day! arrgh. oh well at least it'll be a three day week.

wishing all my muslim brothers and sisters a joyous eid mubarak...