Go nuts for life

Dietitian and Nuts for Life program manager says: ‘Bring back the Waldorf Salad – lettuce, apple, walnuts and dressing.’ We asked why.‘Well, nuts are among the superheros of the modern day diet just as they were in Paleolithic times’ says Lisa. ‘They are a source of good fats, healthy protein and fibre, particularly soluble fibre, which improves blood glucose levels, helps insulin work more effectively, and lowers LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels in people with diabetes. But you do have to be sensible about quantities (a serving is a handful (30–50 g/1–1¾ oz) and say no thanks to the tempting salted kinds.

Studies show:
Enjoying a handful of nuts 5–7 times a week can halve your risk of developing heart disease. Even people who eat nuts once a week have less heart disease than those who don’t eat any nuts. How come? It’s possible the unique combination of healthy fats, fibre, antioxidants, arginine and plant sterols all working together give nuts their heart healthy benefits.

The arginine in nuts helps insulin work more effectively. It can also improve the overall health of blood vessels, helping prevent complications of diabetes.

The fibre and protein found in nuts can help satisfy the appetite for longer helping you cut back on picking when you get the munchies. Substitute a snack of nuts or a trail mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruit for biscuits, cakes, pastries and fried snack foods.’

Get more nuts into your day by:
Sprinkling almonds or cashews through a stir fry.

Roasting chestnuts or pine nuts and tossing them through a salad.

Chopping walnuts or Brazils and add them to a dipping sauce.

Crumbling pecans into yoghurt and serving with fruit or sprinkling chopped, roasted hazelnuts or almonds over low fat ice cream.

Crumbling macadamias or pistachios over grilled fish.

Adding roasted pine nuts to pasta dishes.

Blending pistachios or macadamias with fresh herbs, parmesan and a little olive oil for pesto.

For more information on nuts and health visit www.nutsforlife.com.au or contact admin@nutsforlife.com.au

Hara hachi bu – eat only until you are 80% full

‘Far off in the East China Sea, between the main islands of Japan and Taiwan, is an archipelago of 161 beautiful, lush green islands known as Okinawa. The beaches are a dazzling powdery white; the waters are crystal turquoise, and the pristine subtropical rainforests house a huge variety of exotic flora and fauna. But while Okinawa has all the makings of a tropical paradise, it is in fact something more special – Okinawa is more like a “real-life Shangri-la” why? Because the islands are home to the longest lived population in the world.’ – The Okinawa Diet Plan

The traditional Okinawa diet, with its emphasis on vegetables, whole grains, fruits, legumes (soy foods) and fish with limited amounts of lean meats serves as a model for healthy eating and healthy aging that not only reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease but also helps to minimise free radical production. Free radicals are cell-damaging molecules that are generated mainly by our bodies' metabolism when we create energy from food.

Dr Bradley Willcox talked to GI News about the secrets of healthy aging in Okinawa. 'The Okinawan cultural habit of calorie control called hara hachi bu, which means eat only until you are 80% full, plays a role in as well as their habit of eating an antioxidant-rich, plant-based diet,' he said.

'Stopping at 80% capacity is actually a very good strategy to avoid obesity without going hungry because the stomach's stretch receptors take about 20 minutes to tell the body how full it really is and 20 minutes after stopping you will really feel full.

In Okinawa, heart disease rates are 80% lower, and stroke rates lower than in the US and other Western countries. Cholesterol levels are typically under 180 mg/dL (4.6 mmol/L), homocysteine levels are low and blood pressure at goal levels. Rates of many cancers are 50–80% lower – especially breast, colon, ovarian and prostate cancer. Hip fractures are 20% lower than mainland Japanese and 40% lower than in the US. Dementia is much rarer.

However, Okinawans who adopt Western eating styles have similar rates of heart disease as in the US. Young Okinawans, eating more processed foods, have a higher risk of heart disease than their elderly relatives. A study of 100,000 Okinawans who moved to Brazil and adopted local eating habits, showed a life expectancy 17 years lower than in Okinawa.'

So what's the Okinawan secret?Consciously controlled portion sizes through the practice of hara hachi bu: eat until you are 80% full.

A low-calorie, mostly plant-based diet with plenty of fish and soy foods, a great variety of vegetables as well as moderate amounts of the monounsaturated fats and omega-3’s. Include high fibre whole grains and starches.

Regular, life-long physical activity. Dancing, martial arts, walking and gardening are common forms of exercise.

Staying lean and fit. The combination of diet and activity keeps body fat low (ie, BMI 18-22).

Measuring Glycemic Index

To determine a food's GI rating, measured portions of the food containing 10 - 50 grams of carbohydrate are fed to 10 healthy people after an overnight fast. Finger-prick blood samples are taken at 15-30 minute intervals over the next two hours. These blood samples are used to construct a blood sugar response curve for the two hour period. The area under the curve (AUC) is calculated to reflect the total rise in blood glucose levels after eating the test food. The GI rating (%) is calculated by dividing the AUC for the test food by the AUC for the reference food (same amount of glucose) and multiplying by 100 (see Figure 1). The use of a standard food is essential for reducing the confounding influence of differences in the physical characteristics of the subjects. The average of the GI ratings from all ten subjects is published as the GI of that food.

The GI of foods has important implications for the food industry. Some foods on the Australian market already show their GI rating on the nutrition information panel. Terms such as complex carbohydrates and sugars, which commonly appear on food labels, are now recognised as having little nutritional or physiological significance. The WHO/FAO recommend that these terms be removed and replaced with the total carbohydrate content of the food and its GI value.

However, the GI rating of a food must be tested physiologically and only a few centres around the world currently provide a legitimate testing service. The Human Nutrition Unit at the University of Sydney has been at the forefront of glycemic index research for over two decades and has tested hundreds of foods as an integral part of its program. Jennie Brand Miller is the senior author of International Tables of Glycemic Index published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1995 and 2002.

Glycemic Index - Intro

The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of carbohydrates on a scale from 0 to 100 according to the extent to which they raise blood sugar levels after eating. Foods with a high GI are those which are rapidly digested and absorbed and result in marked fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Low-GI foods, by virtue of their slow digestion and absorption, produce gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, and have proven benefits for health. Low GI diets have been shown to improve both glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes (type 1 and type 2). They have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and delay hunger. Low GI diets also reduce insulin levels and insulin resistance.

Recent studies from Harvard School of Public Health indicate that the risks of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease are strongly related to the GI of the overall diet. In 1999, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) recommended that people in industrialised countries base their diets on low-GI foods in order to prevent the most common diseases of affluence, such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

encounters

It's said, the best time to write ur blog entry is when u r half drunk ... thats how i m now ....

coz I dun feel happy, just feel like having a drink or 2 ..... had vodka peach with green tea .... yummy hehehe

ok talking abt encounters .....

about men, of course ....

what would u do when :

1. A guy fren fetch u to a party and after it ends, said he cant drink home coz he's drunk .... although knowing it's just a lame excuse, but still, being stupid, i let him came up and rest .... but i din want to talk to him much, after awhile when in and changed .... he called from my living room and asked if he can hug me to sleep .... DUH!!!! i came out from my room to the living room with a white mask on my face and told him NO u cant!!! and he then said can u let me go home then .... ha more than happy to dude~!

2. A guy fren who met u once and the 2nd time asked u to go for a tea and u din feel like. Then after a few days, told u he actually wanted u to have dinner with his mom!!!! and said wanna bring u for CNY shopping and suggested u to be his lover!!!

3. Heap of guys who only wanna sleep with u coz u r sexy ... cant blame them coz u R sexy????????

4. A mom who complain abt anything and everywhere under and above the sky?

5. Living a life with no direction??

6. Dead broke?

7. CNY around the corner and u dun feel like going back to your hometown to face ur family members?

8. A married man pretending he's single and when u feel good abt him, someone claimed to be his sister sms u and tell u he's married?

Different people want different things in life at different stage of their lives.

Solutions will come their way when ur mind is clear.

人生

人生的真相是：生离死别是迟早的事情，对任何人都一样。

生命的前十年，还只是个小孩子；
二十岁以后，痛苦，焦虑，争斗，疾病渐渐多起来；
除此之外，还有大量的时间在睡眠中消耗了；
而短暂的慾乐，像涂了蜜糖的刀刃，只能给人们最痛苦的伤害。

因此，保持一颗无偿的心，就不会执著于无谓的烦恼。

无论是谁，都得独自走向死亡。到了那一刻，不论金钱，名誉，亲朋好友，谁也帮不了忙，这个时候，除了自身的灵性之外，一切都无济于事。

Group hands Pak Lah special gift

A friend sent this piece of precious news to me via email, think it's fairly interesting ....

A group of disgruntled young Malaysians today symbolically handed a 'gift' to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to express their disappointment with his administration.

The gift was in form of a yellow pillow and a bolster - both decorated with the Malaysian flag and the PetronasTwinTowers.

Abdullah however was not on hand to receive the items, which the group left at the doorsteps of the preemier's office in Putrajaya this morning.

Spokesperson for the group Badrul Hisham Shaharin said he and his eight other friends had come to the conclusion that the government's ineffectiveness was due Abdullah's purported "sleepiness".

He added that Abdullah had previously been allegedly caught nodding off at various official functions both locally and abroad.

"So we wanted to send a 'memorandum' about the what the youth wants. This memorandum is in form of a pillow... He can use the pillow to continue sleeping or wake up and realise that his administration is not efficient," Badrul told reporters.

Badrul said the group consisted of artists, poets, bloggers, writters and activists but denied that the 'pillow act' was politically motivated.



Badrul (right) informs security guard on the groups intentions

The group displays posters mocking Abdullah over his alleged 'sleepiness'

The group displays posters mocking Abdullah over his alleged 'sleepiness'

A poster referring to a 2006 report by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet regarding a luxury yacht allegedly linked to Abdullah

"We don't expect him to reply our 'memorandum'. Thus far, he has never replied any memorandum sent by civil society groups," Badrul told reporters

Journalist and the police were stunned when the 'memorandum' turned out to be a pillow and a bolster

"He can come and pick it up later if he wants," said Badrul

The pillow and several posters were left at the main entrance to the Prime Minister's Department

The banner reads, "The last hope of the young Malaysians: Continue sleeping O'Prime Minister"

Security detail took a while to decide how to deal with the items

More security detail arrive to deal with the items

The pillow is scanned for dangerous substances

Eventually, a security personnel removes the items

Any comment?

Family

What is your family value? what does family means to you? Do you ever care abt your family tree? Ever wanted to know who your ancestors are? Are you really who u think u r?

Do i have to be a high flyer to earn respect from my family members? Do i have to be measured by money? Does my heart means nothing to you?

Do you accept your family members for who they are? What do you expect from your family members?

To some people, family is everything to them, coz they get all the support and protection. Family members help them grow, in all aspect.

To certain people, family is a burden. Some is happy with it, but some is struggling. I guess it very much depends on the attitude of family members. If they are genuine, no matter how much the so called 'burden' weight, u will feel it's fine, it's worth the pain. If they are really pain in da arse, frankly, its sometimes really difficult to, as much as we want to love them whole-heartedly...

When family members bring their pain to your life and not letting you go and have your own by influencing you too much in your everyday activity, THIS could be a REAL pain~ Mental influence, subconsciously, always have a greater impact compared to physical pain.

Silence and impactful, one can be destroyed unconsciously. Thought be planted in your heart every moment, without you noticing, should you not spending time with yourself, you will be led to a different lifestyle, playing a different role, being a different person. Ended up, regreting on what you have not done in your life, realizing, finally, in the later stage, when you do not have enough time and energy to make any changes, that WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LIFE?

Although we believe that, no one should ever say never, and nothing is too late, should u have the desire to do so; but under certain circumstances, and the fact that we are not immortal, sometimes we will just have to live with what we have and continue by making that small lil tiny changes we are capable of at that moment of time in our lives.

NOW, this is definitely what i DO NOT what in my life!!! my motto in life is : never regret! coz no one can turn back time, you can never undo what you have done. You cant take back the pain you caused to someone, You can never revive a death soul!

Back to Family issue, we always envy what we do not have. Although our family members could the a pain, but look at those without any family members, without any support in any form, without anyone to turn to at any given time or date... arent we blessed?

No one knows what is happening in the seem-oh-so-perfect family.

Hanging in the middle of nowhere, being shaped into a person whom i m not, the real self trying to come out, it's not a easy path. Definitely, no one's life is easy, and easy life is BORING! :P

I shall work towards what i want, finally. I shall motivate myself and keep myself motivated and shall never ever go back. I shall also learn to be patient. Rome was not built in a day afterall.... :)

Cheers to all da babes with vision and working towards it!

如果.爱

每一次看如果爱，心都会痛， 而却会痛得很久很久。。。


爱到底是什麽？ 爱情难道真的就是不清不楚的最动人？难道爱情是心越痛越动人，越难忘？你会用多少时间来等一个人？而有会为了什麽事情而放弃？人生没有彩排，每天都是现场直播。


你会愿意为了爱付出什麽？牺牲什麽？什麽样的爱情让人厮守一辈子？什麽样的人让你牵挂一辈子？

你会为了生活放弃爱情还是会为了爱情放弃生活？


人，真的总是要在失去后才后悔，实实在在拥有的就不是最美的？得不到的永远最美？


经过了什麽事情，你会变得冷，冷却无情？有时候，冷眼看天下并非坏事。


东方常常会有荡气回肠的爱情故事； 爱让人痛心，也带来欢愉。是每一场恋爱为人生经验，是好是坏，没人能确定。





故事大纲：
孙纳出身贫苦但志存高远，为了生存和成功，她不择手段，终于成为人人艳羡的大明星，成名后的她努力忘记过去，否定岁月的全部痕迹。

　　然而命运弄人，十年后，她生命中两个重要的男人却同时出现了──十年前相爱的恋人，由当年不得志的导演系学生，转为如今无人不知晓的大明星林见东；另一个则是大名鼎鼎的金牌导演，同为自己的男友聂文。更戏剧的是，三人要同演一出戏，剧情和命运却惊人相似。

　　戏内戏外，已难分真假；在孙纳的心中，到底有没有爱过… 他与他，如何抉择？

Distance Learning - yes or a no no?

Best fren n myself exploring the opportunity of continuing our studies, either part time or distance learning. Why distance learning? We are both working adult and with certain commitments thus are not able to study full time. No longer enjoy such luxury :P



Distance Learning :

Rather than attending courses in person, teachers and students may communicate at times of their own choosing by exchanging printed or electronic media, or through technology that allows them to communicate in real time. Need tons of discipline though .........



Rule #1 : whether u r disciplined, committed and determined. Always remember the reason why u started this in the first place! NEVER procrastinate, i know it's DARN difficult, but darling, u have got to try, u wun wanna waste ur money for nothing, right?



This problem is magnified ten-fold when u have the leisure of doing it at your own pace. Many ppl never finish their degree because they lack the self-discipline and motivation to sit down and get their work done on a daily basis. Too much things needing your immediate attention, u think, hahahaha, right right right? BS! :p U have gotto know how to prioritize!



Rule # 2 : School/Course Selection

There are tons of online courses out there, choose one that fits you, and more importantly from a accredited University.



Read this and think it's OH SO true!

“Diploma mill” schools charge unsuspecting students thousands of dollars for worthless degrees, whereas credentialed, trustworthy schools are able to give their students diplomas to be proud of.



Rule # 3 : Never do it ALONE.

Always stay connected with your course-mate, professor and friends around u. Ask, discuss, this way u get to learn more in shorter time.



Believe me, u, support is the ultimate weapon! Whether it's support from peers, professor, friends and/or family members.



Rule # 4 : Ignorant

Internet is the most useful tools.

U get tons of additional useful info from the www.

PROS
Flexibility
U determine your study schedule. No pressure - u are not required to go to classes at the specific time. U set the pace. U r in control!

Costs
No travelling costs involved. Time is MONEY! U can use those time travelling to study or to work on other things on hand. :)

Side Benefits
Learning new skills - new technologies and technical skills

Learning Curve
Latest material available a click away. Same goes to facilitator, fellow students from different part of the world.


CONS
General Perception
Some employers think it's not as credible as traditional method of getting the certificate.

Self Discipline
U gotto have a strong mind to not procrastinate on your study, which in this case, most of the people tend to, and at the end, not able to complete their studies. Sad but true.

Equipment and skill
Student needs to own certain equipments, facilities and skills in order to access to info.

Interaction
Societal interaction can be limited, unless technology and class assignments encourage interaction. Less competition less motivation (to certain group of people)

Resources :

Open University
http://www.wou.edu.my/default.aspx

Wawasan Open University is Malaysia's first private, not-for-profit, open learning institution, a lifelong learning community without borders.



Peterson's
http://www.petersons.com/distancelearning/code/search.asp

Since 1966, Peterson's has helped to connect individuals, educational institutions, and corporations through its critically acclaimed books, Web sites, online products, and admissions services. Peterson's reaches an estimated 105 million consumers annually with information about colleges and universities, career schools, graduate programs, distance learning, executive training, private secondary schools, summer opportunities, study abroad, financial aid, test preparation, and career exploration.





ICS
http://www.icslearn.co.uk/

ICS (International Correspondence Schools) is the world’s largest distance learning organisation. Our aim is to make learning as accessible as possible – allowing busy people to get the skills, training and education they want, in a way that offers them complete flexibility.

HOORAY

Who cares what other people think of you. Go ahead. Slather on that hot-red lipstick or don that neon-pink button up. Whatever you do, define your individuality. Someone interesting is picking up on that vibe. Flaunt it.

Self Defense & Safety for Women: Protecting Yourself from Crime is Important

Read this on http://www.freebeautytips.org/selfdefense.html, think it's extremely useful, those sharing it here with my readers! Well those in red are from me! :P

Paying attention to your personal safety keeps you beautiful—face and body intact and serene—and there can be more in your purse than lipstick to help you fight back if you're attacked by a mugger. Protecting the purse itself is more a matter of prevention than anything else. If your purse is clutched to you rather than dangling from a strap, you'll be less likely to have someone try to take it from you.

If someone does either grab or demand your purse, give it to him; it's not worth risking yourself for whatever's in there! If your purse is large or heavy, you may be able to belt someone with it if you need to, but if you hit someone with your purse, don't be a sissy about it: pack a wallop that will hopefully knock the guy down and preferably out. (Get all your anger out from the deep down inside your heart! Take him down as if he's your ex bf who cheated on you, as he's your boss who has been bullying u; as ur colleagues who has been b*t*hing abt u non-stop to every soul)

Women are often at risk for street crime and sexual assault on a date, partly because muggers don't know how strong and fast women can be, and largely because too many women don't know it either. If you've ever taken a self defense class, you've probably been surprised at just how competently you can defend yourself once you have some encouragement and little bit of training. If you haven't ever taken self defense, try it: even if you never need to use what you learn, you will gain confidence and strength; two things would-be bad guys want to avoid in their victims whenever possible! (Rule #1, DO NOT!!! i mean NEVER look like a victim, gosh, some girls out there, walking like a sponge, even me feel like bullying them when i see them on the street, oops)

Most self defense classes start by teaching students that screaming loudly and running away is often the best device in stopping an attack. Attackers count on the fact that, in the face of an attack, many people are overcome by a weird sense of shame, which makes them quiet and acquiescent. Battered women (and even abused wives) are the ultimate example of people who are attacked and respond with shame and self-blame, so that they don't want anyone to know what's happening to them. Keeping quiet about being abused means that the abuse continues until the woman gains the strength to leave or until her abuser kills her. On the other hand, women who report abuse to the police often stop being victims. On the street among strangers too, people who run and scream get attention, and very often get help. (Go Karaoke often, learn to scream from your lung and not your throat!)

Self-defense trainers often say that teaching women techniques to kick, grab, punch the testicles or to claw the eyes of an attacker is all very well, but when it push comes to shove, some crime victims freeze and can't use the aggressive fighting techniques covered in their programs. Something in the way women are trained from childhood sometimes prevents us from fighting back as affectively as we can, even when our bodies and our lives are at stake. Overcoming the urge to remain still is a large part of becoming effective at self defense, and part of the information female students receive in personal safety training involves confronting the conflicting emotions we feel when under attack. (Girl u gotto act fast, some more intelligent jerks know u will do this and when he grabs your leg, that's it!)

Even if you've had self defense training tips in courses or seminars, it helps to have added advantages in the form of self defense products such as a stun gun or pepper spray key chain or defense spray pen. Sometimes just knowing you have a useful weapon in your purse can give you an air of confidence that warns bad guys away. When you're walking alone in the dark or going to your car in an unfamiliar or unsafe place, keeping your hand on your pepper spray is one good tip for crime prevention. Even a hardened attacker can't fight the vicious stinging of a pepper spray, and every woman, young or old, fragile or strong, can gain the benefit of time to run away and scream for help. (Act fast! There's no time to waste, it's your life, DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT, keep the poor lil pepper spray somewhere hiding in your big bag! Always carry something which you can use as a weapon anytime on your hand, e.g. keys, hold the key with the sharpest end in between your fingers and look as if everyone owes u million bucks when u r walking alone to the car park! DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT dig your bag and look for your keys when u r standing RIGHT in front of your car!)

Hope these 2 cents worth of my suggestions in red helps! :)