French Toast with Shitake Mushrooms, Bacon and Maple Syrup

I do love a good breakfast. It sets the day up and makes us feel good. Hubby is more of a morning person than I am- but even so, I love the stillness of the day and how give little tell tales of what a fresh beginning looks like.

I wouldn't call this a "everyday breakfast". It was more of a brunch for us! Ever since I started to eat clean more frequently, we rarely have bread in the house. Pregnant though, does bring certain challenges and I find myself wanting more carbs than ever. Armed with a few additional slices of bread that is almost at the end of its life, I soaked it with some egg and panfried it.

I have had pancakes with bacon and maple syrup before and thought, hey, we could do a french toast version. My new found love for fresh shitake mushrooms is probably the most healthy ingredients in this dish! Nevertheless, the combination of french toast, grilled shitake mushrooms and a slice of bacon with a drizzle of maple syrup... it was yum!

This little bottle of maple syrup was bought near the markets at Brooklyn Bridge.

I said goodbye to my colleagues last friday. It probably would not be a permanent goodbye, but it invoked so many emotions in me. Sadness, relief, glad, anxiety.... It marks a change in my identity. I recall the first day of work, so full of excitement of what I can accomplish and learn and in my years of being in this organisation, I felt so blessed that I have been invited to into so many homes. Into many distraught families and in one way or another, I learned heaps from them as I work with them to have some clarity of what needs to be done next. On an organisation level, I'm walking away from beautiful colleagues who have a heart of gold and I am proud to be associated with them.

Work does not define me, yet it is part of who I am. As I settled into the idea of being a mum, and dare I say it.... a domestic goddess trainee, I know that the change will be good.

Plus, it gives me a chance to try out and cook up a different kind of storm in the kitchen.

French Toast with Shitake Mushrooms, Bacon and Maple Syrup (Serves 2-3)
2 pieces of bread
3 eggs
1/4 cup of almond milk
sprinkle of sugar
knob of butter

200 grams of shitake mushrooms
handful of chives
1 tsp of chopped garlic
1 knob of butter

2 slices of bacon- make it free range and grass fed
maple syrup

Whisk up eggs with almond milk and sugar. Soak bread into it. Heat pan up and melt butter. Sizzle bread on it.

Meanwhile, in another pan, sauté mushrooms with butter and garlic. Toss in chives. Set aside. Sizzle bacon on it.

Assemble french toast, mushrooms and bacon on it. Drizzle maple syrup. Dig in! You will be full for hours!

Picnic Fun- Smoked Salmon and Garlic Teriyaki Chicken Sushi

So AR realized that I have been really tense recently. Work was getting waay into me. He suggested that we head to rural Western Australia, around 45 minutes drive from the city for a picnic. He even offered to make sushi and prepare dip and carrot sticks for the trip! He knows that sushi is my comfort food. I can have it any time of the day! How impressed I was!!

Except that it took him 30 minutes to cut the vegetables up.

And I got impatient.


So I got my hands into rolling the sushi, thinking that he will be done soon and will take over.

But I ended up rolling them all!!!

He was sweet though. And even packed a magazine for me to read during the picnic. Did you notice that he even packed soya sauce? He took the WHOLE bottle! =)

And all the lovely vegetables that he cut up for me to munch on (he also cut the veges for the sushi).

And the wonderful waterfall that we saw. 

I am very blessed with a caring and loving hubby (just not when he spent 30 minutes cutting vegetables!!!! ;P)

Sushi (I think we made more than 60 small size sushi-around 5 rolls. It was our lunch the next day too!)
3 cups of sushi rice (cooked using the instructions on the packet)
around 1 tablespoon of sugar
2-3 tablespoon of rice vinegar
150 grams of smoked salmon 
1 cucumber, 1 carrot and 1 avocado sliced longitudinally.
2-3 crab sticks defrosted
wasabi!
you can use mayo but I am on a health kick so no mayo for us.
5 pieces of sushi grade seaweed 

Garlic teriyaki chicken- cooked 100 grams of chopped chicken thigh with garlic and teriyaki sauce.

Season rice with sugar and rice vinegar. Taste to check seasoning. 

Place seaweed on sushi mat. Place around 2-3 tablespoon of rice on it. Flatten it using wet hands. It should fill around 3/4 of the seaweed. Swipe wasabi longitudinally. Place veges and smoked salmon/chicken on it. Roll sushi up. Making sure to tighten the roll as you go along. Cut sushi using a sharp knife. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.

Warm Sesame Prawn Ramen Salad

I finally realized that the best way to juggle between work and posting is to save some drafts in my folder and write it up when I have a break (or need a break). So I'm trialing that this week-hopefully I will have more chances to write up! My "to write" folder is getting quite full.

Something interested happened over the weekend. AR and I attended our first pre-marital session. We did a questionnaire about 1 month ago and then met up with our pastor to have a chat about our views about marriage. It's a real eye opener and I was surprised that AR found it helpful as well. Certainly both of us did not approach the topic of marriage without any consideration to the topics discussed but it is useful to have a 3rd party person giving us some honest opinions and thoughts as well.

For me, it is a different experience as I'm used to being on the other side of the table. I did find it refreshing because it reminded me of how it would feel being on the other side.

This week, I'm sharing a noodle salad dish with the lovely folks at Presto Pasta (will add links later when I'm at home). Spring is upon us here in Perth and it feels great to have the sunshine again. The juiciness of prawns and tangy sauce goes well with the ramen.




Warm Sesame Prawn Ramen Salad
1 cup of peeled prawn cutlets
carrots, julienne
2 stalks of spring onions
1 cup of dried shitake mushrooms, dehydrated and sliced.
1 tablespoon of soya
1/2 packet of dried ramen noodles
1 tsp of sesame seed

Sauce
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tsp of honey
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of sesame oil
3-4 tablespoons of warm stock

1) Boil water and cook ramen. Drain and keep warm.

2) Quickly heat a tsp of oil and cook prawn cutlets with a pinch of salt. Add the remaining vegetables. Add soya. Do a taste test.

3) Spoon vegetables and prawns on top of ramen noodles. Combine dressing together and pour on salad if needed (or serve at the table).

Sharing this with the gang at Presto Pasta organized by Ruth from Once Upon a Feast.

Peanut Butter Ham Cheese French Toast

I had my first ever blood test yesterday. I don't know about you but I hate needles. Needless to say, I was a teany winy bit nervous about the blood test.

Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as what I thought it would be. In that case, fear was definitely bigger than the pain. Well, action is the best cure of fear and I'm glad I experienced it. Having a friendly nurse certainly help though. As she checked my veins, she said that I should have drank more water prior to the session but she managed to find a "nice, juicy vein"-a little joke that certainly broke the tension. All I felt was a tiny prick and after what seems like ages, she said it was done. I turned around and saw FOUR vials of blood! Woah! I'm glad I didn't see her drawing it.

On another note, I got impatient and rang up my supervisor to ask for the status of my thesis examination. It has been 4 months since I submitted it. Apparently, one examiner pulled out hence my thesis has traveled from London to Norwich to the next appointed examiner.

Isn't it ironic that my thesis has clocked more miles than I have?

The good news is that the other examiner did finish her report and I passed!!

So I'm praying hard that the new examiner will be a nice, patient, sweet person who will pass me as well.

All these dramas make me crave for something comforting. Sinfully comforting. And it has to be different. So one lazy Sunday afternoon, I had a crazy idea of sandwiching ham and cheese between peanut butter slattered bread soaked in beaten eggs.

I felt slightly guilty and paired it with a simple baby spinach salad with a quick drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

And surprisingly, it was pretty yummy!



Peanut Butter Ham Cheese French Toast (Serves 2)
4 slices of thick white bread
3 eggs
1 tsp sugar

4 slices of ham
3 slices of sliced smoked chedder cheese
peanut butter
1/2 tablespoon of reduced fat spread

1) Slatter bread with peanut butter on both sides. Lay ham and cheese. Top it off with another piece of bread.

2) Lightly beat eggs with sugar. Soak bread in the egg mixture for around 1-2 minutes on each side.

3) Heat pan and melt butter. Fry sandwiches both side till golden brown. Serve with salad.

Dried shrimps, scallops and cabbage rice

First day of work-AR asked if I was nervous or excited this morning. Funny enough, I did not feel anxious or nervous and went on to prepare for the morning as I would have normally. Probably being a trainee for the past 3 years helped-I suppose essentially, the first days are the same except this time round, I dropped the title of the trainee! Woohoo!! Oh, and get paid of course.

What I will expect the change over time though, is the energy and time require to prepare meals. I need to be more time wise now and prepare quick meals that are nutritious and freezer friendly.

Darn, I think I need a bigger fridge!!

In the mean time, I found this in my folder which I believe will come in handy for us. It's another one pot dish that utilizes the rice cooker. Easy!! A little luxurious as well as I used dried scallops.



Dried Shrimps, Scallops and Cabbage Rice (Serves 4)
1/2 cup of dried shrimps rinsed and soaked for 15 minutes. Drain
1/2 cup of dried scallops soaked in hot water for a few minutes, drain.
1/2 a shredded cabbage
handful of dehydrated mushrooms chopped
1 clove of garlic
2 cups of rice

3 eggs lightly beaten

1) Heat a wok and add oil. Add beaten eggs and swirl-lightly roll eggs up and dish it up. Set aside.

2) Wash and cook rice in rice cooker.

3) Reheat wok and oil. Add garlic, cabbage, mushrooms, dried shrimps and scallops. Add pepper. Cook till done and dish into the rice cooker. Cook for another 10 minutes. Serve with the rolled eggs.

End of placement

That's it. End of placement. It was a bitter sweet day last week when I farewell the team. On Wednesday, one staff member gave me a huge aloe vera plant!

On Thursday, the team surprised me when I was getting a quick lunch. They gave me orchids and a sweet card! Now, this is quite unusual for a student on placement-at least in my experience anyway. On the other hand, I never quite felt like a student there, I was always part of the team doing something together and was not excluded on any duties (which makes the learning even more enjoyable).

So that's it. Farewell to a fantastic placement.

(ps. lunch with supervisors next week!)

Respect

I started my role as an exam invigilator in good spirits this morning. At one point, Sandra mistook me as one of the students when I was collecting unused exam scripts. That was hilarious! Imagine her look of embarrassment when she saw my name tag!

That was the best part of the morning. An invigilator whom I worked with previously had passed out and suffered from a heart attack that afternoon. Everyone was in shock- especially the examinations officer, who was preparing for the afternoon exams with papers spread all over the floor when the lady collapsed in front of her.

As you can imagine, the afternoon papers were late.

Now, I can understand why my co-invigilator was upset and stressed. HOWEVER, that does not justify her treatment towards me. This was what happened:

Part 1
H: "We dont have the keys to the room. We need to stay calm to get the keys."
Daphne: "ok, check and if it isn't there, I will call the examinations office to see if the have it." (intention was that if the keys are not in the office due to the mess.. I can ask security to unlock the doors for us)
H: "No no, dont call. Let me check first..."
(No keys)
Daphne: "OK, I will run back to the office"

Daphne ran back to get keys and come back..by that time, we were 10 mins late..

Part 2
H started placing envelope with papers and instructions on individual desks. This is a special exam venue where we have to look after 5 different people with special needs. However, as per exams rules, we are not supposed to put the envelope in front of the student as the information is only meant for us.

Daphne picking up envelope....
H: "Daphne! PUT the envelope down! There isn't any time. We have to sit them down first..."
Daphne: "there are different timings.. I will write some of them on the board?"
H: "There isn't any time. Just put the envelope down."
Daphne puts down the envelope.... but continue reading it.
Daphne: "H, the timings.......... (before i can say anything..."
H: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I"M THE CHIEF INVIGILATOR HERE. I'M THE SENIOR. I'm IN CHARGE. YOU HAVE THE LISTEN TO ME. YOU ARE BEING INAPPROPRIATE BY TRYING TO ARGUE WITH ME IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS."
Daphne:" !?!?!?!?!?... ok.. you are in charge. You can look after the timings." (Went to check other things.

by that time, I was feeling real pissed.. bitting my tongue.. fine.. don't want to create a scene in front of the students who are anxious about their starting times.

PART 3
H and I in the corridor. I was trying to explain myself and what I was trying to do... someone replaced us for a few minutes.

Daphne: "H, just now, I was trying to clarify and check the timings........ (interrupted)
H: "HOW DARE YOU DO THAT? YOU ARE BEING SO INAPPROPRIATE BY ARGUING WITH ME JUST AS YOU WERE WHEN YOU WANTED TO CALL THE OFFICE TO ASK FOR THE KEYS. I HAVE MANY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AND THAT IS JUST INAPPROPRIATE. I'm SENIOR AND YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME."
Daphne being very very pissed off: "I...."
H: "EVEN IF YOU ARE CHIEF INVIGILATOR, I DONT CARE. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO WRITE THE TIMINGS ON THE BOARD WHEN THE STUDENTS WERE SO ANXIOUS ABOUT STARTING LATE ALREADY?"

*although in PART 2, she said she is in charge, I'm actually the person in charge that afternoon as per stated on the freaking envelopes.


Daphne: "THE....
H: "YOU ARE BEING SO INAPPROPRIATE...
Daphne: "wait.....
H: "WRITING ON THE BOARD ISNT AS IMPORTANT AT THAT POINT OF TIME"
Daphne: "H, you did not listen to my explanation on WHY I want to do that. You were too upset. In fact, you still are. So what do u want to do. DO you want me to exchange my roles with someone else because you can't work with me in this state or do you want me to stay. I will just ask Margaret for someone to replace me.
H: "Pardon me?!?! IT"S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.. YOU HAVE TO STAY."
Daphne: " I did not say that I will not stay but you are so upset and it is not to the students' best interest if you are.
H: "No, you stay"

Walked back in the room.

______________________
There are more things H said to me that were not pleasant which I'm not even going to state.
Obviously I was very shaken and upset throughout. I do not DESERVE to be treated that way. I have to add that she did the whole spill on "I'm in charge here" in front of other students which I think is far more inappropriate than me trying to sort out the different timings when each student starts!!! Anyway, this lady is still on me and picked on me various time of the near 5 hours of the whole examination and have the NERVE to tell me "No hard feelings" at the end of it. I made it clear to her that it is not acceptable and I do not agree with her.

She continued to be pissed at me for not apologizing for being "INAPPROPRIATE" but there is NO WAY IM GOING TO DO THAT!

What pisses me most is that she even said things like "I'm prepared to let it go if you just go in and take your responsibilities" How obnoxious is that!

Anyway, as the chief invigilator, I get the privilege of reporting back to the office about the exam and what else is needed in the room. I walked out of the office without telling Margaret what happened.... sat in the park waiting for Mr AR to pick me up and then... realized that i have to tell Margaret as part of my responsibility to the students on reporting what happens in the venue that might have an impact on them. CRAP!

So I went back to the office... Margaret was very understanding and said that in all cases, there is NO way H should have spoken to me the way she did. She did said usually they place H by herself as she do know what H is like. So...revelation of the evening... this is not the first time it happened.

Respect needs to be earn and she lost mine. Did I care that the students may disrespect me as their invigilator after hearing her scream at me? No, because they know that I'm the one who walked them to the toilet, calmed them down when they were visibly stressed and anxious, brought them cups of water, the person who RANG their unit co-ordinator when they have a problem with the paper AND the person who collected their papers and who KNOWS how to operate a computer. All the time when H sat in front and READ her book.

When the students smiled and thanked me sincerely for being there and even said they would like me to invigilate next time.... I'm glad that I didn't shout back at her. I'm glad I have the dignity to walk away and attend to the students. I'm glad I have the ability to hold my tongue and stayed in control of myself. I'm glad I'm not her and I earned the respect of the students in my own rights.

That doesn't mean I don't want to yell at her throughout...That was SO HARD! I was very upset.

At the end of the day, I learned that it does not matter what she does but what is more important is that I know I did not go against my morals and values. This is a woman with control issues and probably resentful that a younger person is taking the role as a leader compounded by the stress we experienced earlier in the hour. Regardless, it does not explain or justify her actions.

Life is unfair. It will never be fair on this earth but I'm going to go through it as much as I can without breaking my beliefs. I may be "nice" but that does not mean I do not have a bite in me or exist without a fighting spirit. I can be flexible but not when the person is being unreasonable.

So what if I'm young, I can run faster, respond faster and even know the campus better. *rolled eyes* Lady, you may have the experience but it is certainly a worry if you do not even respond with the right manners in a social situation when you are over 50+ years of age.

The day I found my niche

There is a moment when you realized the foresight of God. The moment arrived for me when I sat on the chair together with 3 supervisors, discussing about my progress and future.

It was sheer luck that I got accepted for this placement. Well, not so much of luck but really God's blessing (window closed, HUGE door opened). Yup, just like that, He arranged 2 experienced and well-known supervisors in this field for me. Having ONE good supervisor is a HUGE blessing, not to mention TWO!!!!

*Before anyone gets too excited- no, I was not offered a job but I wasn't looking one either, not currently anyway.

In comparison to my previous placements, this one has the most impact on me. The cliente, for instance provided me with the thrill of putting the puzzle pieces together. The challenges of not setting an agenda, being child-centered, integrating different theories has made me grown as a person and clinician.

To be recognized by my supervisors and be encouraged to continue working in the field of children and family affirmed my ambition and wish of being in this area. You see, I was never quite sure whether I can make it in this field.

My supervisors are hilarious. B said to SW (uni co-coordinator): "We knew we found the right trainee when she pushed herself against the door to prevent a children with anger and aggression issues to come through the other room where the other children were. All that on her first 2 hrs here!"

Yes, so my reflexes were praised.

Besides that, I found a niche. I'm not sure if it was because of the timing, supervisors or just the work itself. I am sure, however, that no matter how hard the case was, how difficult the parent was, how challenging the behaviors... I wanted to be there.

My placement supervisors were surprised to know that I used to hate presenting in groups and speaking out in meetings. She turned around and asked "You looked so relaxed earlier this afternoon when speaking out in the meeting, did u really feel relaxed." I honestly did. You see, this isn't about me anymore-it's about the people that I'm working for. Why should I have any anxiety towards speaking out for them?

It's funny how you do not realized how much you have grown as an individual, until one of these meetings. U get to speak and talk about everything that has happened on this placement and the sort of work you do. I spoke with confidence and with pride about my work and my supervisors. There wasn't a hesitation on my part. Then, I realized what I have done and how happy I'm doing the work-despite not being successful always.

I have never blushed so much in that 45 minutes as they continued talking about me.

Yup- I received the best review ever. =)

In 2 weeks time, I'm done with placements. A couple more months (inclusive of tears from the sheer frustration of writing and interpreting research work) and I'm not longer a student.

New placement..

is exciting. I'm enjoying my role at the moment. The staff there are great. The children can be challenging (but so is their background). It's quite messy at times but overall, I'm enjoying it.

My supervisors are really nice.. and I'hv been treated like a staff member more so than a 'lowly student'. The teachers really appreciate any input which is a nice change too!!!

The children, although I have caught them in a 'bad day' (i mean serious aggression bad day), were lovely. Aggression isn't scary when u know the intention wasn't to harm anyone. It's a natural reaction for people to run away, but the children need more positive regard and to remind them that positive behaviors r more impt than negative ones in that case.

I admire the staff there. The ability to remain so calm. The ability to speak in such quiet voices to calm a child.

Sometimes I fluctuate and wonder if working with children is really what I want. Afterall, I'm better with adults. The thrill, however, cannot be denied. Oh well, it's the best of both worlds really... especially when the one of the parents turn out to have a personality disorder......

Unconditional love

Parents have high hopes for their children. From the time when they were infants till adulthood. These hopes never die.

As a clinician-or perhaps to be technically correct, a trainee clinician, I witnessed the pain of parents going through the tough assessment process. Not knowing what exactly is wrong with their child but knowing that something isn't right.

The pain is even more real, when a similar event is happening in your personal life. When the people you love is going through the same process. You see the pain, the grief, the flicker of hope that it may be something else but knowing that it probably isn't.

A friend and a clinician. They know you know. The pulling back. The anxiety in their eyes. The denial, the love, the fear....

A nightmare. A nightmare that I wish.. really wish that it will never happen to anyone that I know. A nightmare is happening to a family that I adore and love.

Prayers are much needed for this family.

campus

Recently, I met up with an old friend from HK. We changed, in terms of our outlook in life, what we want from it and our visions for the future. She was shocked to know I'm still studying (so was I) wheras I was just plain happy to see a familier face in an old setting (i.e. Murdoch uni).

I walked into Murdoch 2 weeks ago, breathing in the buzz in bush court, the weird smell along the psych corridors and the paper print outs from the post grad lab. No, I'm still not used to not having my buddies around me. Where is chee and her funny jokes? JJ and his late assignments? Velda and her dry humour? Jennifer and her sweet smile?

Occasionally, I will meet up with friends I made in Masters- the tears we shed, the hugs we shared and the anger expressed during our first year means we have a special bond (Look, we eat cereal in the clinic at 7.15am). All of us moved on though, and there is still an empty gap when you walked onto the campus.

You see, the campus isnt just for getting our degrees. It's where we grow up, make friends that you know will be with you (or not), cry, laugh, share memories and learn how to write complaint letters (not to the uni lah, even to telstra...).

Yes, the campus feels different without my buddies.

tutoring + placement update

The new semester is about to begin (for those lucky undergrad students who complained that they have too much work to do).

It's confirmed, I'm a tutor this semester for Methods I or basic stats in psychology. Thank goodness Helen is the coordinator, everything looks so neat and in place. To think I did this unit 'just' a few years ago. I'm taking the friday slot- which i hope very few people will turn up.

Anyway, the placement is heading along fine. I attended so many meetings that I'm lost. I assisted the speech therapist, occupational therapist, my supervisor, another clin psych and even managed to collect some resources for myself. I kept saying I will leave at 5 pm but never once did that. I like it that way though, being one of the first to arrive and last to leave means the office is quiet (also, fridge space to put my lunch in + carpark space).

I'm scheduled to observe autism assessment, participate in home based intervention for autism, be co-facilator in a group parenting program, observe the occupational therapist in action, attend seminars, do assessments, meet my new clients and of course develop and collect more resources for myself.

The good thing about this placement is everyone is SO HELPFUL. They readily give information and resources to me. They stop by at the student area to make sure I'm comfortable and ask if i know how to get help if needed. They included me in all their coffee + lunch breaks-if i'm around and not in the hills somewhere. They remembered my name (while i cant remember all of theirs). They are so patient when i ask silly questions during meetings but didnt laugh (i'm amazed at that). The autism assessment team leader said she will hand me her schedule so i can just tell her when I want to sit in. She even invited me to other meetings (which i'm hestitating because this place is FULL of meetings and PD events). Other therapists will come by and tell me when I can sit in and they do so in a very happy way. Remember that they are not obligated to have me around because i'm a psych student, not theirs. I'm probably more of a hassle to them most of the time as well!

Being the spastic daphne that I'm, i'm most pleased with their stationary section. I have free access to envelopes, pens, paper clips, paper, photocopier, laminator, binding machine...etc It's great!

Orientation

I'm blessed. I have my own phone line, a desk and even a computer. The student area in my placement center is quiet since i'm the only clin psych trainee around-OT will be coming in soon. I get to grab any dustbin + filing cabinet to my table. The stationary cupboard is near the student area.

Now, if only I have the chance to stay in the student area for a while. :p

So far so good, my supervisor was from Murdoch. I'm the 5th generation of Murdoch's trainees to be in this placement apparently. I saw the way she worked yesterday, it looked so smooth that I wonder if I can ever be that way.

Btw, I recorded my voice mail message. To my horror, I sounded like a SIA stewardness. NOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo.................

Had a morning of orientation (that place is a maze!), an afternoon of meetings and my very first home visit. So far, my supervisor has introduced me to the friendly ppl. I presumed they are more friendly :p since they looked happy for me to join them for visits. Not all are psychs, which is the good part. I shall finally get to see the role of physios, OTs and speech therapists.

It is going to be a busy placement. I recieved my first case + dozen of visits scheduled + meetings + groups...etc.

So far so good. I hope.