Friday, October 23, 2009

Pamper Thy Nose...


Dino years ago, I was very into incense, aromatherapy and the likes. I'd buy incense in boxes, knowing very well it would take ages to even finish one! That was how addicted I was.. I still like them, just that; I don't buy them anymore.. hee.

Somehow or other, I came across Arabic Incense by Conscious Candle Company (Aus) and on a whim, I bought back a few boxes (small ones only ok). Back then "Arabic Incense" sounded soooo exotic I just gotta have it!

And then I realized.. I don't know how to use them! Arrrghhh I've never seen how it is done either. So I kept them in the drawer and forgotten about it for some time.. *sheepish grin*

Recently just thought of them.. and decided to use it no matter what.
Duh... there was a simple instruction on the box itself! *smack* What was I thinking!?


Okay, so I'm supposed to burn the Charcoal Tablet for about a minute. It doesn't smell of anything though. Place the charcoal into a burner plate, and sprinkle some incense onto the charcoal... and voila!

My apartment smells so nice!


The one I'm currently using - Casper; smells like sweet, warm cinnamon.
Its not overpowering, but gives me the cozy feeling, a little sensual too I may add!

Play some Bossa Nova and bliss!
Time to chill....

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

How To Walk Healthy?

Some health tip for sharing..




Monday, October 19, 2009

Rice Is Not Good For Health?


I’ve heard that rice is fattening, but I didn’t know it does us no benefits until I came across this article. Hmm how true this is, I wonder?

Read / follow with caution. But don’t try eating raw meat though!
Just sharing okay..

Here is the article (lengthy one though):

The human body was never meant to consume rice! You see, our genes have
hardly changed in more than 30,000 years. However, our food choices and
lifestyle have changed dramatically. The caveman would hardly recognize
our food or way of life.

Caveman food was never cooked as fire was not yet tamed. Thus, he ate only
those foods that you can eat without treatment with or by fire.. He ate
fruits, vegetables, fish (sushi anyone?), eggs, nuts and meat. Yes, even
meat! You can even eat meat raw if you were starving in the forest. You
have the necessary enzymes to digest meat.

However, rice, like wheat and corn, cannot be eaten raw. It must be
cooked. Even if you were starving in the desert, you cannot eat rice in
the raw form. This is because we do not have the system of enzymes to
break rice down. You were never meant to eat rice. To make matters worse,
you not only eat rice, but also make it the bulk of your food.

In some parts of Asia , rice forms up to 85% of the plate. Even if you take rice, keep it to a minimum. Remember, it is only for your tongue - not your body. Actually, rice and other grains like wheat and corn are actually worse than sugar.

There are many reasons:

Rice becomes sugar - lots of it!
This is a fact that no nutritionist can deny: rice is chemically no different from sugar. One bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. This does not matter whether it is white, brown or herbal rice.

Brown rice is richer in fibre, some B vitamins and minerals but it is still the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. To get the same 10 teaspoons of sugar, you need to consume lots of kangkong-10 bowls of it.

Rice is digested to become sugar.
Rice cannot be digested before it is thoroughly cooked. However, when thoroughly cooked, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar within half an hour-almost as quickly as it would if you took a sugar candy. Rice is very low in the 'rainbow of anti-oxidants. '

This complete anti-oxidant rainbow is necessary for the effective and safe utilization of sugar. Fruits come with a sugar called fructose. However, they are not empty calories as the fruit is packed with a whole host of other nutrients that help its proper assimilation and digestion.

Rice has no fibre.
The fibre of the kangkong fills you up long before your blood sugar spikes. This is because the fibre bulks and fills up your stomach. Since white rice has no fibre, you end up eating lots of 'calorie dense' food before you get filled up. Brown rice has more fibre but still the same amount of sugar.

Rice is tasteless-sugar is sweet.
There is only so much that you can eat at one sitting. How many teaspoons of sugar can you eat before you feel like throwing up? Could you imagine eating 10 teaspoons of sugar in 1 seating?

Rice is always the main part of the meal.
While sugar may fill your dessert or sweeten your coffee, it will never be the main part of any meal. You could eat maybe two to three teaspoons of sugar at one meal. However, you could easily eat the equal value of two to three bowls (20-30 teaspoons) of sugar in one meal. I am always amused when I see someone eat sometimes five bowls of rice (equals 50 teaspoons of sugar) and then asks for tea tarik kurang manis!

There is no real 'built in' mechanism for us to prevent overeating of rice:
~ How much kangkong can you eat?
~ How much fried chicken can you eat?
~ How much steamed fish can you eat?
Think about that!

In one seating, you cannot take lots of chicken, fish or cucumber, but you can take lots of rice. Eating rice causes you to eat more salt. As rice is tasteless, you tend to consume more salt-another villain when it comes to high blood pressure. You tend to take more curry that has salt to help flavor rice. We also tend to consume more ketchup and soy sauce which are also rich in salt.

Eating rice causes you to drink less water.
The more rice you eat, the less water you will drink as there is no mechanism to prevent the overeating of rice. Rice, wheat and corn come hidden in our daily food. As rice is tasteless, it tends to end up in other foods that substitute rice like rice flour, noodles and bread. We tend to eat the hidden forms which still get digested into sugar.

Rice, even when cooked, is difficult to digest.
Can't eat raw rice? Try eating rice half cooked. Contrary to popular belief, rice is very difficult to digest. It is 'heavy stuff'. If you have problems with digestion, try skipping rice for a few days. You will be amazed at how the problem will just go away.

Rice prevents the absorption of several vitamins and minerals.
Rice when taken in bulk will reduce the absorption of vital nutrients like zinc, iron and the B vitamins.

Are you a rice addict? Going rice-less may not be easy but you can go rice less. Eating less rice could be lot easier than you think. Here are some strategies that you can pursue in your quest to eat less rice:

Eat less rice-cut your rice by half.
Barry Sears, author of the Zone Diet, advises 'eating rice like spice'.
Instead, increase your fruits and vegetables. Take more lean meats and fish. You can even take more eggs and nuts.

Have 'riceless' meals.
Take no rice or wheat at say, breakfast. Go for eggs instead.

Go on 'riceless' days.
Go 'western' once a week.

Take no rice and breads for one day every week.
That can't be too difficult. Appreciate the richness of your food. Go for taste, colours and smells. Make eating a culinary delight.

Enjoy your food in the original favours.

Avoid the salt shaker or ketchup.
You will automatically eat less rice.

Eat your fruit dessert before (Yes! No printing error) your meals.
The fibre rich fruits will 'bulk up' in your stomach. Thus, you will eat less rice and more fruits..

It's your life. Decide what you want to eat! But eat less rice!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Pic fr Supershareware.com

Ahhhh today is one of those days I feel super pampered. Good start to the weekend with a hearty breakfast - soft boiled eggs, buttered toast with hot Milo. Yummmmm...

Off to my facial at Leonard Drake. I love those hands! My favourite therapist lulled me to heaven with the best facial massage ever. Hmm I don't really fancy the extraction though hehe. But the massage, hit all the spots!

One thing I don't really like about facial is.. I get horrible super oily hair after each session. And I refuse to loiter at the mall with bad looking hair :P


I stopped by Bobbi Brown for their 5-min Touch Up. Trying out the foundation, my match is Warm Sand 2.5 Foundation Stick $140. Was also introduced to the Extra Face Oil $220.


Bobbi Brown says: This emollient facial oil provides a concentrated boost of intensive moisture to comfort very dry skin. The lightweight formula absorbs easily, immediately moisturizing, softening, and conditioning skin with an oil blend of Sesame, Sweet Almond, Olive and Jojoba. Vitamin E protects skin from environmental damage. With continued use, EXTRA Face Oil helps keep skin soft and supple. Scented with a soothing blend of natural essential oils, including Neroli, Patchouli, Lavender and Sandalwood. Dermatologist-tested.


Next off to Origins for the Make A Difference cleanser and moisturiser samples.

Origins says:
Make A Difference™ Skin rejuvenating treatment
This botanical breakthrough proves that not all visible skin damage is forever. Origins found a team of skin redeemers. The Rose of Jericho (a “resurrection” plant that can survive and thrive after decades of drought), cell-reviving Trehalose from corn sugar and Sea Haricots help skin rebound from dramatic dehydration.

And a resourceful, ancient Oceanic Flora helps repair an aging appearance due to UV and environmental exposure. And Sage wisely rebuilds skin’s barrier to avert future damage. Used twice daily, wrinkled, weathered, potentially leathered skin resumes a youthfully-smooth look and feel.

In the afternoon, The Boyfriend wanted a haircut, so I tagged along as well and had my hair washed. Ooooh again for $15, it was worth it. The massage lasted forever. No scratching, just massage!

And then I headed to D'Piazza for the book clearance fair!
Came home with a bag full of books of course (they were on sale! I had no choice) :P

And I'm too tired to post those pics up now.... am off to find my bed.. ZZzzzzzz

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Love From Langkawi


The Boyfriend went for a company's trip to Langkawi..
... and he got me these...

:) Lovely, eh?

Post Holidays Depression..


It has been a week since I got back from my short annual KL shopping trip. I’m missing it! Not the crazy traffic though.. but the days without work, and just shop! :)


The first stop was to Midvalley for some Stewed Pork with Preserved Salted Mustard meal. Still taste as good.. and very big serving mind you. Next to get some fix for bookstore hunger – MPH. I had some vouchers so a stack of magazines and books cost me uhh less than $50. *happiness*


I could have stayed in there forever, browsing books and mags one by one, but The Boyfriend could have died of boredom. So I reluctantly made my exit after about 45mins.


Just my luck coz I popped into Watsons and Guardian. Redeemed a sample of Vichy.

And, the same product @$110 was on sale, selling for $87! O-M-G.. grab!

As if that’s not enough to jump start my itchy shopping hands, I saw…


Montagne Jeunesse masks on sale.. 4 days sale. $4.88 each (NP $5.90), and now, buy 2 free 1. Needless to say I happily picked a few sets… and the very nice SA gave me extra freebies. *grins* I was also looking for Be Gorgeous Lip Balm but no where to be found…


So that’s about 3++hours and time to check into our hotel.

We stayed at Melia KL – nice place. Riiiiiiigggght opposite Berjaya Times Square. The Boyfriend knows. That his gf is very into shopping. *sweat*



We spent the evening at Times Square. Till my back hurts.

I'm the Ocean!

You are impressive and fascinating. People are drawn to your glory. You are a profound and passionate person. You are boundless in your power.

You have a philosophica
l and poetic soul. You take a lot of time to reflect.
You are mysterious and captivating. You are too deep for anyon
e to figure out.


~Pic from Zorpia.com

Did a quiz on Facebook and ahem... I'm Type B - Boss Memory.
*Impressed*

It's not that you have a poor memory, but you only remember the bigger stuff. The more important things. That's why I call your memory the 'Boss memory' - you're taking the important role which only remembers the important things.

You don't bug yourself with minor and issues that just seem... unimportant? This is good cuz you balance your brain out. If you throw everything (no matter big or small ones) into your brain, one day your brain might just go - BURST!

Your brain somehow works like this: subconsciously, it only "absorbs" the key information, and leaves the irrelevant ones behind. That way, if you're planning for an event, you can identify the goal easily. Sometimes people may call you the one with "Short Term Memory", but ha! They WILL be shocked, if they see how you perform during a serious event. (Its so true! I really only remember certain things!)

Their jaws will drop seeing how you can run things multitask, remembering all the important things and eventually, together with your team, seeing things through successfully. You leave the little jobs to other people, so that you won't waste your "memory space".

Friday, October 2, 2009

Storage Baby!

Whieee look what I've got today!


Toshiba Portable External Hard Drive- 320GB! *hearts*
A pressie from Darling Boyfriend - :*


Now off to download those TV series..

Happy Mid Autumn~!


Despite being one of the most important Chinese celebrated festivals, all I look forward to was to collect those pretty mooncake boxes! Hee.. I know… (tsk tsk tsk I hear you).

Back in the old days, they used to come in just paper boxes or tins. I remember my first ever collectible was a Garfield tin from Gloria Jeans!

I don’t really fancy eating mooncakes, they are too sweet for me, but I buy them for the boxes.. Here are what I’ve got for this year…


After so many years of just eating mooncakes, I decided to peek a little into the legend.

Wikipedia says:

Version 1: Once upon a time, the earth had ten suns. They burned the crops and people suffered infertility. Houyi sympathized with humans, so he decided to shoot down nine suns and leave one for the benefit of the people. After he shot down the suns, he was treated as a hero.

He had a beautiful wife named Chang'e, and they lived happily together. Houyi had a many apprentices; they followed him to learn hunting. One day, on Houyi’s way back home, the emperor of the immortals gave Houyi two pills, each of which granted eternal life as a reward for shooting down the suns, one was for Houyi, and the other for his wife.

He warned Houyi, “Make no haste to swallow the pill.” Houyi was to wait until New Years Day, on which he and Chang'e were supposed to eat the pills together. Chang’e put the pill in her jewelry box for safekeeping.

But Peng, one of Houyi’s apprentices, discovered their secret and decided to steal the pill. One day, when Houyi and other apprentices went to the mountain, Peng pretended to be sick so that he could stay home. After everyone had gone to the mountain, Peng sneaked into Chang’e’s room and forced her to give him the pill. Chang’e knew she couldn't fight Peng, so she ate the pill herself. However, after eating it alone, she began to float.

Unable to come back to earth, she took flight and flew far, far away. She did not want to leave her husband, so she stopped at the moon, which is the body closest to Earth. After Houyi found out what happened, he was very angry and heartbroken. He looked up into the night and called Chang’e’s name. He discovered that inside the moon there was a lady’s shadow that look like Chang’e, so he ran and ran and tried to reach the moon. He failed due to the wind.


Version 2:
Houyi was an immortal, while Chang'e was a beautiful young girl, working in the Jade Emperor's Palace as the attendant to the Queen Mother of the West (wife of the Jade Emperor), just before her marriage. One day, Houyi aroused the jealousy of the other immortals, who then slandered him before the Jade Emperor. Houyi and his wife, Chang'e, were subsequently banished from heaven, and forced to live by hunting on earth. He became a famous archer.

Now at this time, there were 10 suns, in the form of Three-legged birds, residing in a mulberry tree in the eastern sea; each day one of the sun birds would have to travel around the world on a carriage, driven by Xihe, the 'mother' of the suns. One day, all 10 of the suns circled together, causing the earth to burn. Emperor Yao, the Emperor of China, commanded Houyi to shoot down all but one of the suns. Upon the completion of his task, the Emperor rewarded Houyi with a pill that granted eternal life, and advised him: "Make no haste to swallow this pill; first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year".[4] Houyi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter, while he began healing his spirit.

While Houyi was healing his spirit, Houyi was summoned again by the emperor. Chang'e, noticing a white beam of light beckoning from the rafters, discovered the pill, which she swallowed. Immediately, she found that she could fly. At that moment, Houyi returned home, and, realizing what had happened, began to reprimand her. Chang'e flew out the window into the sky.

With a bow in hand, Houyi sped after her, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Houyi had to return to the Earth because of the force of the wind. Chang'e reached the moon, and breathless, she coughed. Part of the pill fell out from her mouth.

Now, the hare was already on the moon, and Chang'e commanded the animal to make another pill from it, so that she could return to earth to her husband.
As of today, the hare is still pounding herbs, trying to make the pill. As for Houyi, he built himself a palace in the sun as "Yang" (the male principle), with Chang'e as "Yin" (the female principle). Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Houyi visits his wife. That is why, that night, the moon is full and beautiful.



Version 3:
The earth once had ten suns circling over it, each taking turn to illuminate the earth. One day, however, all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. Houyi, a strong and tyrannical archer, saved the earth by shooting down nine of the suns. He eventually became King, but grew to become a despot.

One day, Houyi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However, his beautiful wife, Chang'e, drank it in order to save the people from her husband’s tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating, and flew to the moon. Houyi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he did not shoot down the moon.

Version 4:
Another version, however, had it that Chang'e and Houyi were immortals living in heaven. One day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transformed into ten suns, causing the earth to get scorched. Having failed to order his sons to stop ruining the earth, the Jade Emperor summoned Houyi for help. Houyi, using his legendary archery skills, shot down nine of the sons, but spared one son to be the sun. The Jade Emperor was obviously displeased with Houyi’s solution to save the earth. As punishment, he banished Houyi and Chang'e to live as mere mortals on earth.

Seeing that Chang'e felt extremely miserable over her loss of immortality, Houyi decided to journey on a long, perilous quest to find the pill of immortality so that the couple could be immortals again. At the end of his quest, he met the Queen Mother of the West, who agreed to give him the pill, but warned him that each person would only need half a pill to regain immortality.

Houyi brought the pill home and stored it in a case. He warned Chang'e not to open the case, and then left home for a while. Like Pandora in Greek mythology, Chang'e became curious. She opened up the case and found the pill, just as Houyi was returning home. Nervous that Houyi would catch her, discovering the contents of the case, she accidentally swallowed the entire pill, and started to float into the sky because of the overdose.

Although Houyi wanted to shoot her in order to prevent her from floating further, he could not bear to aim the arrow at her. Chang'e kept on floating until she landed on the moon.

While she became lonely on the moon without her husband, she did have company. A jade rabbit, who manufactured elixirs, also lived on the moon.


Version 5:
In a popular school version, Houyi was a lazy boy who did nothing but to practice his archery. He practiced day and night until he became the greatest archer in the world. One day, the ten suns all assembled around the earth. Their presence destroyed all vegetation, and hundreds of thousands were perishing.

The King, who was desperate, offered his crown to anyone who could shoot down the suns. Houyi answered his call. He shot down nine of the suns, and as he pulled his bow to shoot the last one, the King stopped him. Saying the earth must have one sun. Houyi then became the next King. He was pampered to the extent that he wanted to be King forever. He called his advisors to look for a way to make him immortal. His advisors found a way.

They found a recipe for the Pill of Immortality. It required 100 adolescent boys to be ground into a biscuit like a pill. Every night he was supposed to grind one boy. On the hundredth night, his wife Chang'e could not bear to watch her husband become the tyrannical dictator for eternity. She prayed to Xi Wang Mu for help.

She stole the pill, with Houyi shooting arrows at her, and flew to the moon grabbing a rabbit to keep her company. So the Chinese say that if you look up at the moon to this day you can sometimes see a rabbit making moon cakes


I didn’t notice that there is always a rabbit.. until I read this article.
It’s the Jade Rabbit!

The Hare - Jade Rabbit
According to tradition, the Jade Rabbit pounds medicine, together with the lady, Chang'er, for the gods. Others say that the Jade Rabbit is a shape, assumed by Chang'e herself. You may find that the dark areas to the top of the full moon may be construed as the figure of a rabbit. The animal's ears point to the upper right, while at the left are two large circular areas, representing its head and body.


In this legend, three fairy sages transformed themselves into pitiful old men, and begged for food from a fox, a monkey, and a hare. The fox and the monkey both had food to give to the old men, but the hare, empty-handed, jumped into a blazing fire to offer his own flesh instead. The sages were so touched by the hare's sacrifice and act of kindness that they let him live in the Moon Palace, where he became the "Jade Rabbit".

--------- :)
**Pics are taken from these sites:
-http://afterwork.myfinejob.com/happy-midautumn-festival
-http://blog.chinesehour.com
-http://www.chinahighlights.com

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