HOKKIEN MEE

Written by Yap

OK..
This was the first time i wrote this,i mean...about food,not particularly a food critic but more to a food lover.Especially comes to hokkien mee.

Now...it might not be a five star restaurant that i am talking about.It's more to a local hawker stall which situated in cheras.And most important..it's NON HALAL..so for muslim friends out there...my apology..

This was a friend of mine who stays there and took me to have a try since both of us were hokkien mee lovers.The stall is actually situated around the flat area there.(SRI JOHOR FLAT),they call it.What i came to know is that the business usually conduct in the evening.And ended quite late after 12am maybe,depends on the crowd.

I wonder how good was it as my friend told me before.So i gave it a try.And the result is...great!!..i know..it might sound exaggerating but that is the best i had tasted.There's a a lot of gravy in there,i don't like dry ones because it won't be hokkien mee..the ingredients were fresh...and the sambal belacan...wow...a perfect match with the mi.

As for pricing,what can you expect from a hawker stall?The price range is affordable,don't worry...

Hey!!Did i tell you that it not just only serve mee?but others too?you can have many choices to pick from the menu.Mee,Meehoon,Rice,La-la

,Soup..But don't expect too much on the beverage though..

Overall..it's good that you can bring your family to dine there,any choices but you need to get there fast because the parking space is limited ..first come first serve you see..other than that would be alright..i guess..haha

Thanks for reading this and i hope would be a lot coming...Still cracking my head what to write..but it will soon come to me...adios amigos!!

Why Breastfeeding?

Written by Jeannie

Life after birth : Breastfeeding

Hmm..breastfeeding? Why should I? Many new mothers may have such thoughts. Given the choice over milk powder, some may even think “ Eww, it’s so inconvenient!” or “I’m just too busy! I have no time for it!” Considering the myth and stories spun around this topic, how many of the new mother actually know the advantages of breastfeeding? Let me tell you here why you should breastfeed.

Firstly, Breastfeeding will give your baby a head start in life because human milk is specially designed to meet all the baby’s nutritional needs. Do you know that breast milk adapts over time to match the infants changing need, the composition of breast milk varies even during a single feed? Milk is the only food the baby needs from birth till about four to six months of age, but also possible up to two years of age! Breast milk has over 100 constituent parts including important anti-infective properties. Not only is breastfeeding good for the baby but it is also good for the mother!

Breastfeeding

All new mothers want their best for their babies, and by breastfeeding, you could give a headstart in life for your precious! Infants who are breastfed have complete nutrition that has an effect on infants’ cognitive and social development. Children who had consumed mother’s milk in early weeks of life had a significantly higher IQ at 7.5 to 8 years. Breastfeeding also counters risk of infections for the baby. Why so? Colostrum, the early milk produced 2-3 days after birth by the breast is especially high in antibodies to help the baby to fight against common infections such as diarrhea and respiratory infections. Breastfed babies are also less prone to allergies, malnutrition, malocclusion (crooked teeth), asthma, eczema, constipation and sudden infant death. By breastfeeding, it also offers the baby comfort and security.

Breastfeeding = inconvenient? Think again! It is so much convenient for the mother as there are no need for bottles, sterilization or temperature check. The best thing about it - breast milk is also cleaner as free of germs! Breastfeeding is also a cost saving way for the mother as breast milk does not cost money while formula feed do and there is also no wastage of unconsumed milk. Want to be a pretty mom back in no time? Breastfeeding is also your ticket to gaining back your pre-pregnancy size; as not only does it lessen the chance of severe bleeding for the mother but also speeds up her return to pre-pregnancy size as the contraction of the womb occurs when the baby suckles. Mothers are also able to lose the fat stored around their hips and thighs during pregnancy as calories are used up when they breastfeed. Risk of breast cancer is less in women who breastfed. Breastfeeding delays the return of menstruation and can also help the mother plan her family naturally.

The Birth Boutique

By breastfeeding, mothers are also confident that they are fulfilling all their child’s emotional and physical needs and in doing so they find it an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Some of the new mommies may have second thoughts and doubts about breastfeeding and questions like “What if my breast size are too small, am I still able to breastfeed?” Breast size is actually not a factor in determining how much milk is produced. Small breasted women are able to nurse without any problems while recent study did show that large breasted women had a more difficult time getting the baby to latch on the nipple, but this situation can be easily corrected, particularly with a bit of professional guidance. Breastfed babies also have signs that they are growing and getting enough milk. These include counting diapers to ensure that they are wetting between 6-8 diapers a day and counting stools, which will vary depending on the child’s age and whether or not they are eating solid food. There are also signs for mothers on when to breastfeed the baby as the baby may have fast eye movements under the eyelids as he/she begins to wake up to feed. The baby will also have sucking and licking movements or the baby will put his/her hand into the mouth. Stretching and increased body movements can also be seen when the baby is hungry therefore the time to breastfeed. The World Health Organization recommends giving only breast milk for the first 6 months however they support breastfeeding to continue with the introduction of other foods up to 2 years or more. Many mothers will breastfeed for longer period of time while others do not, however there is no “right time” to stop.

As we can see, breastfeeding does indeed provide many benefits not only to the mothers but also to the babies. So new mommies and mommies-to-be, what are you waiting for? Provide your child the best by breastfeeding! As the saying goes, “Natural way is always the best way.”

Four Trimesters: nurturing

The Hamburger Menu

Written by Cheng Sim

I can’t imagine what my childhood days would be like without burgers. Every sugar-high kid deemed burgers as the staple children’s food that comes along with great reminiscence of their childhood life. Give them a burger and they would do anything in the world for you- with a huge sloppy smile on their adorable faces.

So, it is only appropriate for me to list down a Hamburger Menu for you to drool over and perhaps, ponder on the luxuries these kids have today.

MOS Burger, , from the initial letters of “Mountain Ocean Sea”, is the second largest fast food franchise in Japan after McDonald’s. Although MOS Burgers are not available in Malaysia (yet!), their burgers are adorably delicious to look at

Clockwise from top left: Yakiniku Rice Burger, Cheeseburger, Natsumi Beef and Unagi Rice Burger from MOS Burger.

If you’re a Japanese food lover, I bet you’ll love these burgers. I mean, who wouldn’t want to savour an unagi burger or the yakiniku rice burger? In addition, check out Natsumi Beef! It is perfect for boyfriends who wish to take their skinny girlfriend out on a fast food date. Craving for burgers such as these are guilt-free because they are smaller than an ordinary burger. I love MOS Burger so, please open your next franchise in Malaysia!

Okay, there’s no deny on how huge a Carl’s Jr. Burger is. Before they open their franchise here in Malaysia, every Malaysian thought that nothing could get any bigger than Burger King’s Whopper. I guess they prove us wrong.

Clockwise from top left: Bacon Cheeseburger, Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger, Guacamole Bacon Cheeseburger, Charbroiled Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich from Carl’s Jr.

I mean, look at the size of the Guacamole Bacon Burger! It is gigantic. Try placing both of your open palms together and that is how huge the burger is. As much as you want to lose weight this month, Carl’s Jr. will ruined your diet plan at first bite. They actually have bacon strips sandwiched together with charbroiled patties. Please tell you don’t like that? Carl’s Jr. are spoiling us, I tell you. Although the prices are a little expensive, you can always split it in half with a friend. It is as if you can finish them in one seating.

Oh, are you hungry already?

Kids..Kids..Kids..

I remember the olden days where kids in my era are consider fortunate but kids in the Year 2000 onwards are too lucky and fortunate. Why? Because their parents will get ready everything for them even before they were born into this world. "Everything" means branded stuff from TOP to TOE with super formula milk powder (DHA and other nutrients) to make them smarter. Every time when I saw the ads on different types of milk powder, I will start to think kids nowadays needs to feed their little "brain" with lots of nutrients and vitamins to ensure they grow up bigger and smarter. There's an advertisement where 2 little boys were having a conversation and one of the kid is telling his friend on what they have learnt yesterday. He imitates the sounds of different animals and at the end he asked "what does a crocodile sounds like? It doesn't make any sound because it doesn't know how to talk!!" That was cute and because he drank the special formula in the milk powder, that's why he's so clever!!

When my friend was pregnant and she was getting all the clothes and other necessary items for the baby, she was so engrossed with those little cute clothes where her newborn will be able to wear it. When I look at the price, those little cute clothes cost the same as the adults' clothes. It was expensive but mom-to-be won't care much about it. She just wants her little kid to be in the best way as long as they afford it. On the other hand, wouldn't it be a waste in a few months time when the kid is growing up big and fast? Now the kid is growing up real fast and the clothes that were bought have only be worn a few times. And what happens next? The clothes have already been stacked aside and a new set of clothes is ready for the little ones. Even when they are a baby, they have started to wear different types of branded clothes.

My friends will dolled up their kids with endless and endless of branded goods from such as NIKE, ESPRIT, RALPH LAUREN and etc. Then the parents will start to vie with each other on whose kids are wearing the latest and branded model. One such example happens to my friend's' kid and he's only in kindergarten!! They are expected to buy a branded POLO brand just for the sake of a show and to use it for their sports class too. And it's not cheap; everything is way out of the budget. But for the sake of her son and also the pressure from the Principal, my dear friend ended up buying the shirt and she has to tighten the expenses of the household for the month. My goodness!! But what will happen if the parents can't afford to buy such an expensive clothing for their kids? Will their kids be kick out of the school? Or the kids will be looked down upon by other kids too?"

Besides that, they talk and act just like an adult. With their little thinking, they have their own opinion and is always voicing out their dismay to you. Lot of questions will pop-up in their brains and parents will have a real headache explaining their questions. Sometimes, I do feel kids are hard to communicate now.

Well, as the elders said "Considered yourself fortunate enough to have FOODS on the tables, CLOTHES to keep warm and SHOES for the bare feet." Aren't kids fortunate these days???

Not another one, please.

I like good blogs. Everyone does. But not everyone creates good blogs. And so I would like to share what I think is important to create a good blog, and hopefully things will get better.

i) Blog URL and Blog Name- Make it personalized, if not interesting!

You do realize that your blog URL is just like the home address of yours, and it shows where you are when people need to find you, don’t you? Since you wouldn’t want to have a complicated home address, why bother creating a complicated blog URL? Keep it interesting by making it your own. A definite no-no is to have a very long blog URL such as this: www.myworldofdreamswherefantasycomestrue.blogspot.com. Oh, don’t be surprised. It existed once until I commented about the length and the owner decided to change it. So, keep it short and easy to remember. Put your trademark as your Blog Name, so that people can remember it. I bet there are a lot of “Secret Gardens” or “Wonderful Lands” on the internet. But I’m sure you don’t get a lot of “Cynical Me” or “Esther’s Crap”. It’s your blog anyway, so make it truly yours!

ii) Posts Contents - Update them frequently, please!

Oh My! In my blog, I have got a whole list of zombies who last updated their blogs few months ago. People lose their interest in reading your blogs if you don’t update them frequently. It doesn’t have to be updated every hour, of course. But once a week, is the minimum requirement. Write something interesting (and personal views are very much welcomed). If you want to make your blog popular, make sure the language is simple and the contents are more general. If you have just broken up with your boyfriend, which is worth mentioning but to write a whole post mentioning the details of the event (where you broke up, what he said…) is a bit absurd. As I said, add in personal views. On top of the breaking up, you can mention about what you think about human relationship. If your blog gets TOO personal, it’ll become a personal diary- something not meant for public reading. So a blog or a diary? You decide.

iii) Keep it original- No Copy and Paste!

“I have read an article recently and I find it interesting, so I would like to share it with everyone. Here’s the article…”
…and the article is copied and pasted as the post. We don’t want that! If you get the article from a website, please just provide a link to the article. We don’t want your blog to be a duplicate of say, The Economist.Com or Star Online. You can quote part of the articles and comment about that. But please, at least tell us what makes you think that the article is worth reading when you recommend it. People might not get your point if your intention is not stated clearly.

iv) Length does matter- K.I.S.S

Lengthy posts put people off, trust me. If one has to scroll down on and on before one reaches the end of a post, one will just leave and decide not to read the blog. So, Keep It Short and Simple (K.I.S.S). If it has to be long, split it into parts. You don’t want people to read your post and after a blink of eye, they have lost track of where they have read up to, because the post is too long. K.I.S.S, yes, that’s the way.

v) Can’t say it? Show it then!

A picture says a thousand words. If I can show you a picture of a good blog, I would have. But I can’t. And so I decided to put it all in words. But if you are trying to tell us how beautiful the Eye on Malaysia is, why not just put a picture and some captions instead of writing an English essay about it? Upload photos and pictures if they are available. Don’t just use words.

If you think your blog is not good, upgrade it. If people like your blog, share the secrets! And while I continue surfing the net, reading blogs and posts, I shall hope not to see a typical not-so-good blog anymore, because that’s when I’ll shout loudly, “Not another One, PLEASE!”

What’s So “Beautiful” About Being Thin?

Mary-Kate Olsen, who played Michelle Tanner on the sitcom Full House, went to rehab because she suffered from the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. She was 18 years old. She was also a walking skeleton, literally. Unfortunately, she did not see that; instead, she saw a horizontally-challenged person who was too fat!

Mary-Kate Olsen, however, is not an isolated strange case: there are many out there that do not appreciate who they are. They are the victims of a society that classifies people according to appearance: these days, being thin is beautiful and if you are not, then you are UG-GEH-LY.

The models of today’s fashion shows are appallingly stick-thin. Why can’t normal-sized models – or even plus-size models, for that matter – strut their stuff on the runways? Is there anything wrong with models that actually look and are healthy? Fashion icons like Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham are so skinny that, to read, they need both hands to hold a book. I wonder why they are so popular: what do people see in them besides their over-rated reality shows of the rich and I-don't-know-what-to-do-but-starve-myself lives? And too many shops cater to the skinny crowd. Where are the un-thin people – namely, ME – supposed to find nice clothes that actually fit?

I think the problem is that people haven’t learned to think for themselves. The media influences us tremendously, especially our conception of what is beautiful and what is not. In every kind of media – television, magazines, newspapers, and billboards – thin, flawlessly attractive waifs advertise a variety of products, so it’s no wonder that girls as young as 12 are not eating properly. I had a friend who was already as thin as anyone could get, yet she was still not satisfied. Every time she had a meal, she made herself vomit. Once, she told me that she weighed 46 kilograms; she was hysterical because she wanted to weigh less than 45 kilograms. I had to reassure her – about a million times – that she was far from overweight. I got her to eat a chocolate bar – and even then she made me share it with her. We were 13 years old at the time! Does it not scare you that more and more young girls these days are suffering because they want to be like their stick-thin “role models”?

Many people have the wrong perception on fat. It is actually very beneficial to us, a vital dietary requirement but not TOO much though. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, so without fat they cannot be absorbed by the body to give you that healthy, perfect skin and silky soft hair that we all desire. Please do not be fooled by the magic of the technology used by advertisers: stick-thin models who look like they’re “all that” aren’t exactly “all that” at all. It is all thanks to make-up artists and air-brushing. And did you know that fat serves as a buffer against a host of diseases? According to a study conducted by Samuel Henderson, and colleagues from Belgium, people who do not consume any kind of fat are more prone to brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Imagine forgetting the names of those you love and care about just because you wanted to fit into a size 0! Honestly...

There is a lot more to life than being thin. Pink’s song, “Stupid Girls”, deals with how girls all over the world compete to be the biggest bimbo. Even girls who are thin and beautiful think of themselves as fat and ugly. No one really sees inner beauty anymore: we are all judged – and judge – by how we look, and if you do not cut it you are stereotyped as a wannabe or a loser. My advice for every girl is to ignore the hype and to believe in your beautiful self. Be happy with who you are. Eating a burger is smarter than not eating at all. That being said, anyone up for a Big Mac?

A Lesson For All: Really.. Never Give Up!

Written by Shelby Yoong

Last week or maybe a fortnight ago, I wrote about loving your enemies as how you treat others.. That is a lesson we should always cherish in our hearts and ask God to help us to accomplish that mission! :)

Today, I would like to share another lesson which most of us hear most of the times.. NEVER GIVE UP! Giving up is like the easiest thing to do right? When things goes really wrong, what is the first shortcut that comes in your mind? Well most youths would say "I give up!" Familiar with the phrase.. This is us teenagers today.. We should not actually give up just because we fail once or two..

Life is like a game.. If you give up, it is game over and no more surprises.. No more dreams.. No more suspense on what is gonna happen.. Isn't life that dull? I don't think so... Life is full of challenges.. We should all face it no matter what.. When we give up or on the edge of doing so, ask the Lord to provide you the strength of not giving up! You are much worth than that! Imagine what would you do if you never give up.. You will be a servant in God's eyes.. You will serve the Lord in whatever you do and be the best! :)

No one is perfect but we do have hidden talents... We should try to shine for the Lord in whatever we want to do.. So since exams are like really around the corner, you can start praying and read the word of the Lord everyday.. Don't forget to focus on what you are suppose to focus.. It is also your part to do too.. :)

Never ever say cannot.. Remember you are SPECIAL and God loves each and every one of you.. You are unique and talented! You are the best! And you are all the followers of God.. The most remarkable thing to ever be..

So thinking of giving up or changing yourself for eternity?

Start from now and you will soon know the beauty of not giving up together with the footsteps of the Lord beside you everyday and for eternity!