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It all started when I went back to Mauritius in 2007. My sisters got into a hula hoop craze and even my mum was learning a bit. haha. It was so funny. I joined in and it wasn’t long before I got the hang of it.
After I went back to Shanghai, I bought a hula hoop at Carrefour. (or maybe Wumei? Not sure.)

This is the hula hoop I was using back in Shanghai.

It is the only photo that I’ve managed to find. Please ignore the mess. I had started packing and getting ready to leave Shanghai when I took this photo. I left it behind in Shanghai and bought a new one in Singapore.

I don’t remember where I bought this super hula hoop. At Marina Square maybe? I’ve been calling it super hula hoop because it is huge. It is so much thicker and heavier than my old hula hoop.
I remember lifting the other hula hoops available at the sports shop and thinking that they were too light. This one caught my eye because… well simply because I had never seen anything like it before. Apparently, it is called a weighted hula hoop. (note: People with a history of back problems should avoid using weighted hula hoops or traditional hula hoops.)

This hula hoop gave me bruises but then I got used to it. It’s so easy to forget about the hula hoop swirling around my waist as I watch a movie. I never attempt more than 10 mins (non-stop) and hula hooping is probably not even enough of a workout but it’s an excuse for me to move about a bit. I haven’t touched it since June but today I woke up at about 6 a.m and was in a great mood. 6 a.m is usually the time I go to bed. I managed to fall asleep at about 1 a.m this time. I felt like shouting good morning when I rolled over to look at the time when I opened my eyes this morning. It’s high time to start sleeping at normal hours.
I had my breakfast, a cup of coffee, my hula hoop workout and I’m feeling great. I’ll probably stay home all day because it looks like it’s going to rain.
*Listening to my favourite Koreans songs… * It’s going to be a lovely day. :flowers:

If you know me well enough, then you should have been able to guess that I’ll be writing about food. :laughing:

What I like to eat when I’m feeling hungry late at night or early in the morning:
Glutinous rice balls! They are called tāng yuán (汤圆).

(frozen and not yet cooked.)

This Chinese dessert is usually served when it is Winter Solstice. (Some information about the celebration of winter solstice here.) It is also eaten during other Chinese festivals to indicate togetherness or reunion. Since it is so easily available at the supermarkets here in Singapore, I eat glutinous rice balls whenever I feel like it. I was also buying glutinous rice balls quite often when I was still in Shanghai. There are many types of fillings available: peanut, red beans, black sesame etc.
I don’t remember if ready-made frozen glutinous rice balls are sold in Mauritius. We usually make our own glutinous rice balls at home. :flowers: I miss that .

I bought those with peanut fillings.

Boiled in water + a few slices of ginger . Most people like to add sugar to the ginger soup but I don’t add sugar if the glutinous rice balls have sweet fillings inside. I only add sugar if I’m having plain glutinous rice balls with no fillings inside.


I like my glutinous rice balls dry but back in Mauritius, mum was telling us to drink the ginger soup. The fact that I don’t drink the ginger soup is also another reason why I don’t add sugar. If you plan to drink the ginger soup, add sugar.

I don’t really like peanuts but if it is inside glutinous rice balls, then it’s alright. This filling also contains white sesame.
I always feel a bit weird when I eat glutinous rice balls all alone. If I’m going home this December, one of the first things that I’ll do back in Mauritius will be to make glutinous rice balls with my family and eat, sitting at the round dining table. Yes. Let’s not forget the round dining table.

Thanks for the emails and comments. :flowers:

I’ve been going through a rough time and sometimes I find it really hard to stand on my feet and keep going. I seem to be slowly finding my way to wherever I should be and I have a few persons to thank for that. Apart from those people who know me, there are others, bloggers or complete strangers, who have sent me emails or wrote comments here. They gave me advice, wrote words of encouragement and even told me a few jokes to cheer me up. Some people seem to be able to relate to what I’m going through and they email me to tell me about their own experiences. It’s kind of weird to receive emails/comments from complete strangers but all these really helped me. Thanks for caring.
I’m not going to lie and say that I am doing great now but I truly feel like I’m doing better, that I’m stronger somehow. I will write a reply to those unanswered emails and comments asap. Sorry for taking so long. I guess that it took a while for all those words to sink in.
:flowers: :flowers: :flowers:

I’m resizing a few photos for my next blog entry.
I’ll try not to disappear again.