WHAT TO DO BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

What to do between Christmas and New Year if we are not traveling? Some declutter, fix drawers while others work in the garden. 

All my children went home today and last night, I was making a short list of things to put the house in order after the holidays. Finally, I decided to just take it easy today and put away the remnants of Christmas tomorrow. 

Sometimes however things interfere with our plans. And fate gave me something to do today. One of our refrigerators conk out!

In 2003, we bought two of these refrigerators instead of a 2-door unit. One of them broke down 5 years ago and this one survived. Jim said it’s time to get another and we should be thankful that it served us for about 20 years. 

“Oh my! What will happen to all the food?”, I asked myself. All the leftovers and uncooked backup provisions I bought should my estimate fall short from what I needed. I always buy extra so I won’t rush to the grocery during the holidays should the need arise. 

That worried me for a while, so I sorted out what was in that refrigerator. Then I checked how much I can move to my working refrigerator where I put water, juices, fruits, desserts and cold cuts. The other are for cooked food, its freezer are dedicated for uncooked meats and fishes, and veggies in the crisper. 

Long story short, I gave away some; others I put in ziplocks instead of microwavable tubs so as to save space. 

What a morning, but I survived! Finally, peace of mind. 

Now I have to scout for a new refrigerator. 

CRISPY SHRIMP WRAP

I immediately fell in love with this crispy shrimp wrap when I saw it on Facebook. I made a few pieces sometime earlier and everyone liked it. So I decided to make it as an appetizer for our Christmas dinner. 

It was a hit! 

Look, the moment I put down the dish they were eager to taste, hence the empty spaces. 

            Ingredients

         for 15 wrap pieces

15 pcs jumbo shrimps, shelled and deveined leaving the tails. Partially make cuts along the inner part so they stay straight. 

1 tbsp oyster sauce 

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp soy suace

1 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp cooking wine

8 stalks spring onions cut in halves

4 pcs square wrappers cut into 4 triangles 

        

            Procedure

-Marinate shrimps with ingredients at least for an hour, drain and wipe with paper towel before wrapping so as not to wet wrapper. 

-cut each wrapper into 4 triangles per piece as shown below.

-Wash spring onions, remove roots and cut into halves, usually a half is the same as the length of the shrimp. 

-to wrap, put shrimp and one piece spring onion in the middle of triangle wrap like in photo below

-roll the wrapper around the shrimp and deep fry immediately. It is alright to air fry if preferred

Drain oil from the shrimps by positioning each one upwards. 

Dip in sweet chili sauce. 

FRONT ROW SEAT ON LENS REPLACEMENT SURGERY

Have you ever wondered what exactly is lens replacement surgery? Though it’s really popular nowadays, aren’t you amazed that it is possible to remove the lens of our inborn eyes and replace it with an artificial one?

When and why do we need to do it? Is it because we are tired of wearing reading glasses or is it due to a health issue? 

I am writing this as a layman. My husband underwent lens replacement surgery, along with the cataract removal. I am not a doctor, much less an ophthalmologist but I had a “front row seat “ every step of the way from the screening and all the steps in between up to surgery

When someone experiences blurred vision a practicing Ophthalmologist will know if there is a buildup of cataract, the opaque, cloudy matter that develops in the eye. This hinders our clear vision. This mostly happens to the elderly, or to others as young as 50 years old. 

Cataract and lens replacement surgery involve the removal of the natural lens of the eye that developed cataract and replaced by artificial lens. 

My husband’s ophthalmologist, a retina specialist confirmed the presence of cataract. Screening followed immediately to determine the appropriate lens to be implanted since the lens is not one fits all.  

There are different lenses:

“Mono focal lens focuses on a fixed point that provides clear vision at a specific distance”. This is good for driving.

“EDOF lens can help people see clearly at a range of distances without glasses”

“Multi-focal lens allows the patient to see clearly at near, intermediate and far distances without glasses or contact lenses

After screening, the lens was ordered, we waited for 7 working days to avail of the Philhealth benefit. 

We were required to get a Cardiologist clearance, this is effective for three months; which makes sense since surgery is done one eye at a time. Complete healing is achieved within approximately 4-8 weeks. 

After surgery, he could barely see anything for about a week but clear vision is eventually attained. I had to put food on his plate. Of course he couldn’t read as well since he could not focus. 

Jim had to wear googles 24/7 to protect the eye while sleeping and to prevent infection. Eyes must never be wet, so caution is necessary while taking a bath. He had to wear dark glasses to protect eyes from the glare outside our room. 

The very next day, we went back for post-operation checkup.  The good news is there is no pressure on the operated eye and no pain. The doctor reduced the 4 eyedrops half the original dosage.

I was happy to share the good news to our family and friends who offered prayers and well wishes for a successful procedure and healing. 

All is well, so here is me feeling happy, grateful and in the mood for a selfie by the Christmas tree at the lobby of Asian Eye Institute in Rockwell.