1. Each and Every Mom’s Cooking
2. Fried Carrot Cake
3. Lou Shu Fern
4. Chicken Rice
5. Duck Rice
6. Sar Hor Fun
7. Laksa
8. Beef Noodle
9. Hakka Noodle
10. Hokkien Noodle
11. Nasi Lemak
12. Nasi Goreng
13. All the Roti-s

(by SILICON VALLEY BLOGGER)

Why am I harping so much about health? It’s because of situations like these that I find myself in once too often! Health problems can spiral into huge financial nightmares quite easily.

Doing simple, cost effective things to stay healthy today will keep you from spending more money down the line. Don’t forget: the cost of treating chronic disease can be debilitating enough to cause job loss; it’s cited as one of the top reasons why people go bankrupt.

Plus you can do this without having to spend too much on a gym membership, trainers or expensive nutritionists. Here’s what you can do to stay healthy and preserve your money at the same time:

12 Affordable Ways To Good Health

#1 Exercise, and at the very least, just walk.

You need to move to burn those calories, to keep your body “oiled” and revving, and your metabolism humming just fine. You also don’t need to pay up to get moving. Even a brisk walk is considered quite healthy so if you can manage a regular exercise regimen comprised of sustained activity for 30 minutes a day, you’re in good shape.

I personally invested in home gym equipment like the kind you find in Bodylastics, Pro-Form and Smooth Fitness. But you should weigh the costs of doing so with how much value you get out of any exercise equipment you decide to buy. Don’t waste your money on things you don’t use!

#2 Sleep earlier.

Those times when I stayed up late or even all night to try to cram even more stuff into an already hectic day are now over. The body just won’t let me do those things anymore! And here’s the reason for improving your sleeping habits: your body heals and repairs itself and does its regulatory job while you’re snoozing. So give it the rest it deserves to keep you chugging along well the next day. A lifetime of bad sleeping habits will no doubt take a toll on you and this is one easy way to avoid getting sick.

#3 Consider vitamin supplementation.
If you’re not a good eater, you’ll be on your way to depleting your body of required vitamins and minerals. Supplements — especially the important ones — are a necessity to help replenish your body’s stores. Certain vitamins and minerals are important to prevent certain diseases from occurring and if you’re not getting them from your diet, consider taking a boost from other nutritional sources. Check out your local health food store or reputable health food sites like Swanson Health Products or The Vitamin Shoppe for the items you need.

I’ve gotten into debates about this with colleagues who believe that you should get all you need from the food you eat, and that would be true if you eat a healthy diet. Unfortunately, too many people I know don’t follow healthy diets, and probably have nutritional deficiencies. Supplements are there to hopefully help such people get back on track by addressing those gaps. The key here is moderation and appropriate treatment.

#4 Think twice about joining weight loss programs.
They could be a waste of time AND money. How do I know? Well because there are cheaper alternatives and I also just read it here. Not to say that such programs couldn’t work for some people, especially if they’ve already tried everything. For those who truly need the extra help, sites like Medifast and eDiets may be helpful.

#5 Eat more vegetables, cut down on red meat, caffeine, sugar and salt.
Yeah, yeah, yeah….boring. You’ve heard this advice before I’m sure — maybe too often. And these are some of the hardest things to do, if I say so myself. But I am practicing what I’m preaching here. How many times have I heard that we should consume several servings of vegetables a day consistently? Yech. And reduce the amount of red meat we eat? Dang. What about my favorite foods: coffee, sweets, junk/processed food and french fries? Well, I am now reaching middle age and I’m beginning to see people in my life falling into the clutches of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Things are getting too close to home, so I’m changing my diet before I really pay for the junk I consume. It’s hard but I’m making it a gradual process and so far, I’m making some strides. Don’t forget too that by cutting out the junk, you’re saving money.

#6 Never skip breakfast.
I used to be one of those breakfast skippers who would pile it on heavily in the evening. This is because I wasn’t hungry in the morning but terribly so at night. I thought it was just the way some of us were, that it was a natural cycle for some people. But in reality, these are bad habits that your body has become accustomed to doing and that needs to be broken. I look upon one of my co-workers as an example: he doesn’t have breakfast but eats non-stop when he gets home from work all the way till bedtime. Let’s just say this whacks out a body’s rhythm and does a number on glucose levels. Needless to say, the guy isn’t exactly in tip top shape nor healthy looking. But, I was surprised to learn how actually easy it is to retrain yourself into breaking those bad eating habits and found that my eating cycles are now better regulated resulting in less food consumed each day and overall improved health.

#7 Never eat an incomplete meal.
I’ve actually made an investment in my health by seeing a nutritionist on occasion to correct my lifelong wrongs when it came to food and diet. Among the simplest, yet most valuable information I picked up (which I’m sure you can learn from other sources) is this: never eat an incomplete meal. What does this mean? This means that each meal we take should always contain all three basic food groups: carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein, because your body needs all three food elements to absorb properly and most efficiently in your body.

#8 Don’t let yourself go hungry.
It’s weird but I also learned that if you can be proactive and anticipate when you’ll be hungry, and actually eat something before you do, you’ll eat less, and better. If you eat right after you find yourself starving, you’ll end up devouring more than you need to. By the same token, if you eat slowly and chew your food well, you’ll be able to control your food consumption better.

#9 Don’t stress out.
Those health experts keep saying it: toxins are all over our environment invading our systems, but some of these things are just not within our control. I’ll guarantee you’ll be breathing second hand smoke, car fumes and smog every time you go out of the house and enter a city. What about chemical agents in our hair spray, pesticide in our food or toxic materials hiding in old buildings where you work? You can’t escape these things. Well, one thing you can control is how stressed you are. Stress impacts your body in the same way terrible toxins do, so do your best to avoid it.

#10 Wash your hands often.
Avoid getting sick by washing your hands often. Unless you don’t mind catching a bout of the cold or flu once in a while, or being a little dirty, which is actually good for you. I’ve had interesting conversations with a co-worker who advocates germs and infections as the way to better health in the long run. That’s because your body builds up its defenses and immune system by falling ill. But as a parent of a school-aged child I still don’t like catching annoying colds, plus getting sick often doesn’t seem to have improved my health.

#11 Toss the vices.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. It’s something you just cannot “nag” someone to do, since many a time, they’d rather take the chance and possibly face the consequences of their long term habits at a later time. After all, the reasoning goes, you can just as easily get run over by a bus than pick up health problems from some random vice. Still, you know the drill. And one other sticking point is how much you could actually save by giving up these extras.

#12 Visit your doctor for annual tests.
Those annual tests are covered by your health insurance or can be performed through free or low cost programs. Routine tests can catch problems early on before they develop into real trouble later. Don’t let it grow into a big issue that costs a lot to deal with.

So just remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Everything went fine except for scholarship which is not given to me on time. But overall I’m still a happy boy when I received an email and letter from the Higher Committee that decides my upgrade

I’m officially a PhD student as of 23rd February 2009. Another 2 years to go and I believe that the project I’m working on will give good results by August 2009. I’m very confident that things that didn’t work out right now, will give excellent results in no time

I love my stuff now, I love the people surrounding me now, I love my gf, I love my mui muis, I love my family, I love my shares and most of all I’m loving each and every moment~

Is time to pack all my stuff and prepare for holiday at Gold Coast and Brisbane!

After 4 days in Munich, today I can start to count down my days left in Germany. Tonight is my last night in Munich and will be leaving for Frankfurt tomorrow morning. Sad to leave Munich but glad I’ve visited such a fantastic place for beer and its histories of World War.

Wish I could stay longer to visit the rest of the Europe. If only I have more time and money…

Malaysia and Germany here I come! I can already taste the yummy food there

Money Happiness?

The pursuit of money and the pursuit of happiness often get equated, especially in our success-addled culture. But over the past decade or so, science has set us straight on two points: First, once you have escaped poverty, more money won’t buy you more happiness. There’s little difference in the overall happiness of millionaires and the middle class. And second, if you are going to spend your money in search of greater happiness, you’re better off buying experiences rather than things.

Why?

Goods tarnish over time. Experiences, on the other hand can get better as you remember them, particularly if you’re one of those people who tend to embellish a bit.

Here’s a little idea on how to live well:

Follow your (everyday) bliss. Most of us don’t pay a lot of attention to the smaller, day-to-day occurrences that make us happy. We focus on the negative. The driver who cut you off on the parkway on the way to work is likely to be dinner table conversation. That nice walk you took in the park at lunchtime? Probably not. It isn’t enough to be happy, “You have to be aware enough to enjoy that happiness.” One way to raise your awareness, he suggests, is to keep a happiness diary. Before you turn out the light, jot down what made you happy that day and assign the experience a score of 1 to 10. After a couple of weeks, you’ll realize that certain experiences make you happier than others and that you have good times even on very bad days.

Savor the warm-up. “Anticipation is where the greatest pleasure lies”. What’s better than a first kiss? The butterflies in your stomach when you know that first kiss is on its way. As you look for experiences that suit you, focus on those that have a long lead time – and then enjoy the journey there. If the experience is a vacation, for instance, savor the planning. Read guidebooks. Surf the Web. Discuss options with your traveling companions. You’ll find yourself excited about the whole process, not just the trip itself.

Do something new. Remember the first time you tasted champagne or caviar? It was exciting. But if you have it every night? The thrill wears off. For some people novelty is particularly stimulating. About 25 percent of us may have a variant of dopamine receptor in our brain that makes us especially curious. If that includes you (and your happiness journal should clue you in if you’re not reading this while on safari in Namibia), you’ll need more new experiences than others.

Do something selfless. Giving money away is one way to feed your financial soul, but you also get a happiness jolt by getting more actively involved in social causes. People who are focused on fame, money and success are not as happy as those who put their energies into challenges that are less me-centered. Why? In part because there’s always more fame and money to chase.

If you’re at a loss? Do something physical. The reaction the body has to exercise is similar to the one it has to excitement. Your muscles relax. Your pulse rises. Endorphins kick in. It won’t just get you in better shape, it’ll make you happier. After all, who doesn’t feel better after a good sweat?

source: MoneyMagazine

Yesterday morning was the City 2 Surf 14km Marathon! While waiting for the bus to Hyde Park, we took a photo with three consecutive numbers and many more were waiting at the side. I was planning to walk all the way with others but ended up in a few stretch of slow jogs with Gaya only.

I feel so good and starts to dream of my stomach getting smaller I took a few pics of myself and Gaya got a few pics with me too. The best part was when we saw the finishing line, I took a few videos there. 

After 2 and a half hours, I proudly presented my finished medal with others and of course, there are a few missing people. Hunting for them was a pain and we should remember to bring our mobiles in the future. Thumbs up for everything!

The most expensive ginger breadman I’ve ever eaten in my life

The hungry man after 7 hours of drive down to Melbourne… I’m not letting that tart off my fingers!

The Hidden Chocolate in my fingers

A drink that make me feel wanna… wanna… have… MORE!

The cold chocolate Mousse on the cold night which satisfy my tongue

The Hot Choco that can never go wrong especially during the cold weather

The interestingly shaped cake, for me, known as the best Churro in Barcelona, Melb!

The Tempura essence that keeps me moving~~~

The best from Tomodachi Jap Wok, contains one of my favourite noodles, Udong~

Lovely Udong that stucked on my teeth… Slurppppppppppppp~

The beginning of the Hanabishi

Can you see the eel that I stole from my cousin? Don’t blame me, is just right in front of me

The Iced Tap Water at Greco Cafe, Crown… gorgeous environment

The cool Vanilla Cake (Hui Yee can I have more? Nyum nyum nyum!)

Just another good last chocolate on the day before I left Melb

The San Churros at St. Kilda… my last lovely churro! I want more! The Barcelona ones tasted better though. As long as is food, my good appetite goes on!

Right after churro cake, I hunger for more… The Big fat meal bacons & eggs which I refused to let go!

The End of the Battles!

Part 1: Sydney update 1

Part 2: Sydney update 2

Part 3: Wollongong-Canberra

Part 4: Melbourne