Here’s the book I’ve been reading recently. It started off dry and too descriptive, but is getting more exciting. The main character gets stranded on a traffic island near a motorway for days, badly injured after his car plunge over a road barrier. At first getting rescued by passing cars seemed all simple and easy, but things turn out very different, making him realise how urban infrastructures and technology isolate people, not only physically, but also emotionally, and how much people are neglected in this modern world.

We are turning ourselves into an island in the end, I wonder, with the selfishness and expectations from others that would distance us from each other, without us even realising.

This book coincided with the accident that had my foot twisted, so that made following the stories of his physical as well as mental challenges seem quite appropriate. When you are hurt and restricted in physical activities , you feel frustrated and vulnerable, and find yourself relying on others. You can easily put blame on others for what is happening or has happened to you, but the real question is “how much can others actually help you?” It all, in the end, comes down to how much you trust yourself and how resilient you are psychologically to be able to get through the difficulties you might face along the way.

My injury is stopping me from doing a lot of things I enjoy doing at the moment. There has been quiet fights inside me and I’m learning to compromise and give up certain physical pleasures, but at the same time, I get to do things I would not do otherwise, such as taking time and reading, so it hasn’t been all bad.

Reading this book somehow reminded me of the short film called “Mankind is No Island”, which I showed to my students and got quite good reactions, and it is about the isolation and neglect of human beings. I was impressed by the way it was filmed and edited, quite clever.

Oatmeal Raisin Cinnamon Muffins

I’ve been having this cinnamon frenzy lately and baked this muffins twice in a week, with lots of cinnamon! This healthy muffins are so moist, I wonder if oatmeal has something to do with it, and its sweetness comes from raisins, actually sultanas, which I used for this recipe, so it’s also guilt free. The second time, I added 1/3 cup of dark chocolate bits for extra excitement and it worked well.

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup quick oats – I ground rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk – if you don’t have it on hand, add 1 tsp lemon into 1 cup of milk and let it stand for 5 mins.
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins or sultanas
1 teaspoon cinnamon and extra to sprinkle over the baked muffins

Instructions:

1. Combine oats and buttermilk in a small bowl. (Allow to stand for a few minutes while you mix the rest of your muffins.)

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring to mix.

3. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg, mixing well. Add milk/oats mixture and mix well. Add the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Fold in raisins.

4. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done.

* I doubled the recipe and made 18 bigger muffins the second time.

So moist, So delicious, healthy and satisfying! What a way to start the morning!