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Healthy Salmon-Dory Combo For Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Wifey whipped up a fantastic dinner the past two days which consist of fish fillet mostly. I guess we are looking for a bit of variety compared to the usual meat and rice that we have every day. We love salmon sashimi, but eating them raw all the time is expensive as only the freshest will provide the best possible food safety (as in not contaminated). At RM12 per piece of 150gram of Salmon (farm reared Norwegian), it seems to be expensive for a slice. Lets not forget a Salmon steak for the same size outside will cost at least RM25 and above. We have some dory fillet left from the day before which she cooked to be shared as well.

Juicy and Healthy

What you need:
1 slice of Salmon about 150grams (about 180kcal), to be shared between two person
2 slice of Dory about 50grams each (Dory is lighter than Salmon) (about 60 kcal per slice)
1 medium egg, hard boiled (70kcal)
Pan sear the fish fillet and slices to cook them lightly over some olive oil. Flip the fish over every 3 minutes. As fishes cook fairly fast, ensure that the cooking is done on medium or low heat. With a low smoking point, olive oil is not suitable for high heat cooking. It will take a few cooking with olive to know how much heat and how long will be enough (before it starts smoking).
The above provides close to 230kcal per serving (1/2 salmon, 1 dory, 1 egg with negligible oil factored in).
It will give about 25grams of protein per serving and about 15grams of good fat (mainly from the fishes).

Sweet and textured Salmon

As meal would not be complete without some rummage. Wifey got some lettuce which she cuts up, mixes it with some cherry tomatoes, grated cucumber and carrot, some raisins, top it off with some sliced almond, and organic sunflower seeds that was given by a friend. Total per serving is about 100kcal per serving (about a cup size) including dressing made from olive and balsamic vinegar.

Good as it is already!

We do not typically stinge on olive oil or good oil as it is one way to teach the body to utilise fat as energy source. I shall write about that separately, do remind me if i forget. As an endurance amateur athlete, we are what we eat and how we race depends on the rest and the fuel our body utilises during race day - provided that the training were systematically performed. It is really a lifetime commitment. At 330kcal for dinner, this is certainly filling for the average person leading a sedentary life (or already 1/3 of their daily caloric need). We Malaysian tends to eat too much in one sitting, often justifying the food we eat with the minimal physical activities that the typical office worker's really need.

Estimate only. No need for really accurate caloric figures

half way done

Before dinner, wifey made us a cup of fresh watermelon and orange juice mix with Chia seed. We have a juicer at home (review soon?) that we used to utilise ferociously until the kids come along (as cleaning is really a hassle). That cup of juice with Chia set us back another 150kcal (because of fructose in the fruits) but we got all the fiber we need for a day with just that serving.

Fresh and no water or sugar added

For a total of about 500kcal for dinner, that was enough to re-fuel wifey's 5km run that she did in the afternoon (estimated about 350kcal burned over 30minutes of fast run) plus a bit more. As i usually have very light lunch due to the unavailability of quality food at my office area, i allow myself to eat a bit more at night, as long as the food I put in my mouth is of correct proportion and quality.
If you are eating to lose weight, remember that portion control is paramount and if you are eating for health, quality of food you put in your mouth (and digestive system) should be the best you can find.
Happy eating. We surely did.;-)

Malaysia Social Media Award 2012 Nominees

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

With the Malaysia Social Media Week 2012 coming up between Feb 13 and Feb 17, 2012, and as part of the criteria after reading the rules and regulation of being one of the nominees, I am to promote the event like any other blogger does.

I posted last week about being nominated for the Upcoming Blogger of The Year award in conjunction with the Malaysia Social Media Week 2012, I have a handful of friends i know that was nominated as well in various different category. It is only fair for me to help them with the votes. After all, they are deserving in the category that they are nominated into!
Best Business Blog
In the BEST BUSINESS blog category, I have the unmistakable Ms. Anna Rina Rahim. She was a corporate marketing personal which turned her passion and hobby in Photography into a full time business. I remember her starting out about 6 years ago where she was just starting out. 6 years later, she is one of the most sought after photographer in the business (for wedding and portraits) and she still find time for some hardcore Crossfit stuff. Certainly gives a whole new meaning to girls with big (lenses and biceps, and delts) passion. Vote for her in the BEST BUSINESS blog category.

Best F&B Blog
Next on the line is the Best F&B blog. A blogger liaison person turned full time blogger about a year plus ago, with credential as the brand ambassador for the like of Samsung, Acer and even Ikea is none other than Ms. Rebecca Saw. She was the one that has given me the opportunity to earn some spare cash via sponsored blogging and i reciprocated with good quality write ups to help her with her job. Her passion for gadgets and for food especially has seen her trying and eating, apart from giving really good unbiased review of restaurants and such that many netizens used as a F&B guidance. Blogging while eating? That's WackyBecky!

Sharing the same category as Rebecca is another dear friend of mine. Everyone knows who Tuan Senang Besar was. Kharis is no stranger to the F&B scene with his passion and knowledge of where to get the best possible slice of toast with Kaya and Butter to the art of eating your steak and savouring it. TSB, a he is still fondly known has leave marks in many people that crossed his path. His untimely passing last year has made me miss him during this festive season - as i know how much he loves the cockle curry (Sambal kerang) i cater every year and save a portion for him. Truth to be told, i ate it with a lot of smile on my face, remembering how he would tell me the sambal was "Kelas"!

Vote for both these wonderful friends in the Best F&B blog category!
Best Health and Well Being blog
Having two friends in this Best Health and Well Being blog category shows how much they are both an influence to better, healthier living and towards a more fulfilling quality life. Make no mistake that both of these former corporate executives leaving their well paying job to pursue their dream to help others change their life. Ms. Ninie Ahmad need no introduction to the yoga practitioner having conducted classes and workshop globally. She is one truly cili padi (bird eyes chili) that can contort in the most impossible way and still looking graceful while doing that.

The other blogger and lifestyle change agent is a good friend in fitness. I got to know Dailymuscle for almost 5 years now. He was an IT expert which has made the move and change from corporate life to doing what he was passionate - health and fitness. Known to be a no-nonsense Physical Trainer that walks the talk, he is highly approachable and has inspired me to reach out to inspire others (something like "train the trainer"?) DailyMuscle, or his real name Noel Maniraj, came out in the open about two years ago and put a face to DailyMuscle.com. He runs the Body Transformation Program that has helped changed many lives towards a healthier and sustainable living.

Vote for both of them at the Best Health and Well Being blog category. Perhaps, let try to make them both a JOINT WINNER with equal votes. It is hard to vote for just one and show favoritism, so vote BOTH!
Upcoming Blogger Of The Year
This is the category that i was nominated into. Many of you know who I am online and in-person and I would like to thank all of you for the support. I know how difficult it is to register to vote and i appreciate all the votes given! Looking at the other blogs in the category, I feel small as the others nominated could had garnered at least twice, if not four fold my daily traffic (Tristupe.com gets about 500 hits a day, average). I take pride with my blog update and i dedicate an hour or so every night while putting my son to sleep to write and post my thoughts and my opinions/ While not many will agree with me, I am not seeking an audience, but just a space in the world wide web to share what I know and what P do, passionately. I know I won't come close to winning, but being nominated is already a big motivation to keep writing. I thank you all in advance!

Voting closes on February 6, 2012 and online votes carries up to 80% weight to the final outcome.

MBPJ Councillor Should Obey Law Too

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

It is often funny when a people with authority or in power doesn't sing the song they teaches or walk the talk they preaches. Then it goes from good to bad when one or two elected representatives mis-used their privileges and started to forget that they are often monitored and people will judge them because they are the public figure.

What is wrong?

In area like Section 14, or Jalan Semangat in Petaling Jaya which is about 5km or less away from the Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya or MBPJ HQ (in States), you would always expect enforcement to be tip top with officers going around summoning drivers that do not display appropriate valid parking tickets. After all, in places like Section 14, traffic can be heavy and parking is a nightmare working day, even on weekends sometimes.

Parking at Tow Zone? What's that crest in front?

So, when tax paying, rate paying citizen like me have to go around 5 rounds, sometimes up to 30 minutes to get a LEGIT parking spot, it will offend me if i see a car that parks where it shouldn't be. While there is NO YELLOW line if one wants to argue, the car is parked clearly at a TOWING ZONE (Zon Tunda).

I did not make up stories yah

I really don't care if someone else will want to do this - as they will get their punishment via summon if the ever vigilant officers are making their rounds, but it get really really unforgiving when an elected member or Ahli Majlis (Councillor) were to do this. Displaying the MBPJ Emblem with the AHLI MAJLIS words on it sort of gives him/her license to break law?

The emblem was not photoshopped to frame the innocent

You see, when the previous government under Barisan Nasional was ruling Selangor, people were screaming about inequality and stuff like that. So when Pakatan Rakyat won Selangor, people obviously expected changes. MBPJ are notorious for being double standard with their execution of laws. I am sure many of us has seen how people driving bigger cars (and often expensive cars) managed to park as they like - as afterall, tow truck enforcers will ONLY target smaller more ordinary middle class cars. It is completely OK to park as you like as long as you have the MONEY and TITLE.

Strategically placed stickers above the roadtax to "Inform"enforcement officers not to summon - I AM COUNCILLOR, CAN'T YOU SEE?

I then tweeted this and tagged both the Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and MP Teresa Kok. I don't think they will bother with these "small fry" councillor flouting the laws. But rest assured, the rakyat like me are observing!

MBPJ and the Councillors - please BUCK UP!

Simple Rye Bread

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Over the Chinese New Year, we decided to try something new with the bread making. We wanted some variety and rye seems to be the "next to try" choice. Having no experience making this bread and only read about it, i set forth to experiment, with a lot of caution to ensure a successful end product.
This is the recipe to make with a breadmaker. Measurement used via a 250ml cup and this recipe will give you 1kg worth of bread (in weight).
Water - 1 & 1/3 cups
Vegetable oil - 4 teaspoon (you can use corn for a more neutral taste, or olive for a more herbal taste)
Molasses - 5 tablespoon (i use blackstrap molasses, which turns the whole bread dark brown)
All purpose flour - 2 & 2/3 cups (organic)
Rye flour - 2 cups
Salt - 1 teaspoon (i use mountain salt)
Yeast - 1 packet or 11grams
Put the ingredient (in the order above) into the breadmaker. Use cold water or chilled water and from experience, no matter how much they say you only need a teaspoon of yeast, just go with a whole pack. You can't keep yeast for long after you open it, so don't waste it.
On the breadmaker's menu or function, choose the bread making function that allows the longest baking time. Usually it is the Wholewheat function.
So, why Rye? Rye is actually similar to wheat and barley and it is actually lower in gluten compared to wheat. SO those looking for a low gluten diet, Rye is a good option. Rye too, has higher portion of soluble fiber which is something that Malaysians don't eat enough. It sort of make the whole "rye" approach a good choice if you are into bread.
As this was the first time i am using Rye, i was looking through the breadmaker and keeping my fingers crossed. You will be forgive me too when you start to see your bread looking like this.

Molasses make it look like these

The bread looked really promising mid cycle and then it went flat. I supposed it could be the molasses and also yeast reacting violently. Not one to write it off yet, i let them mixes and throw in a handful of sultanas and raisins.
About 3 hours later, the bread was done and i removed it from the breadmaker's pan. It was what looked like a chunk of brick.

Like seriously...

I proceed to let it cool down a little bit and sliced it up. To my surprise (and wifey's too), the inside was soft and moist! The crust was hard and crunchy much like those western bread. We helped ourselves to a slice each as we skipped dinner earlier to prepare the home for guest the next day.

PASS!

Tweaking - Next round will be to reduce the amount of all purpose flour by 2/3 cup and replace it with equal amount of rye. Will reduce molasses by a spoon and see what we can get. Fingers crossed.
Calculated, a serving (of two average slices) will work out to be about 140kcal or almost similar with the usual 1 serving of commercially available bread. The usage of oil which were kept to absolute minimal help to reduce the caloric count.
The bread was shared with guest at our home yesterday and i think it did impress some of them.
Here to a healthier Dragon Year!

Awesome Cakes by Paisley Petals Cupcakes and Bakes

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Follow up on my recent interview with The Baker. I received a couple of Mini Cheesecake and Chocolate Brownies to sample and to review. As they say, some food can look very good in photo but taste otherwise. We all have seen cakes that looked too good but disappoint big time in taste and texture.
So, when i flashed a few photos of the cakes that was given to me via my Instagram account, many can be forgiven to think that they only "look good", but taste "ok only".

"Oh My Lord!"

I almost forgotten to bring back the cakes as I was packing up fast to leave last Friday. Luckily, a colleague with office key was right around the corner and I managed to get the cake back.
With nine limited pieces of goodies in a box, i reckon they might not last the night, especially with the kids loving baked stuff and pastries.
The Cheesecake Sins
I took a piece of Cheesecake out and placed it on a plate, I sliced it in the middle, mentally dividing or trying to find the middle line between the three pitted cherries. The freshly baked Cheesecake was soft and the pastry base, which was butter biscuit made from scratch was thin enough, yet provide a different texture to the Cheesecake.

As people would usually say "have a cake with a coffee", pairing the cake up with a cup of Davidoff Espresso Cafe Latte (freeze fried coffee at RM23.90 for 100gram) threatens to change the equation to "have a coffee with a cake". The first bite of the Cheesecake melted in my mouth and smothered all over my taste bud. It was silky smooth without being overwhelming. The fine balance of cheese cream and lemon zest tantalizes the taste bud while the slightly sourish cherry completes the experience. True to what the Baker said, she won't make any cakes that she won't eat and promises of quality ingredients were assured. Having eaten some pretty go cheesecake and pretty bad ones, this went really close to those pretty good cheesecake - and i am a fussy eater. Even wifey complimented that the cheesecake was smooth, silky, melts in the mouth and best of all, not too sweet. I found out later that the base was made-from-scratch butter biscuit. Most cheesecake recipe just ask for Marie biscuit, if you wondered why the emphasis on the base.
Fantastic Cheesecake. It was only after we finished the cake that the cafe latte became the main star again, that too, the cheesecake taste lingers in the tip of the tongue. Simply superb tea time we had!
The Chocolate Brownies Delight
Saving the Chocolate Brownies for the next morning breakfast with the kids, we had a tough time trying to resist having one late at night. I heated up two slices of the brownies for the kids for 30seconds in the microwave. The smell of chocolate filled the small enclosure of the microwave oven.

With chocolate powder on top...damn.

Let me put it this way - if i had my way, these two pieces will not be shared with the kids. When i was taking photo of the brownies, I had to remind myself this is for the blog write up - "not for eating, at least not for me, don't steal your kids' breakfast".
When i finally managed a bite from Nadia - it was an OMG moment. The brownie was rich without being sweet. You taste the bitterness of the chocolate and that was where the sweetness comes from. It was dense enough and yet gave a superb texture that melts in the mouth. Completely sinful. I now know why Kanthaa (my ex-colleague that will be my future colleague soon ;-) says that when his sister (the Baker) made brownies, it is hard to resist. I totally understand why. Compared to those available at those gourmet coffee place, trust me, this brownies is superbly superb and trump all those i have tasted. I know my chocolate and brownies, believe me.

Fighting for a bite

I can't decide if the Cheesecake was good...or the Brownies. Perhaps, i will have them both tomorrow to decide.
Thank you Paisley Petals Cupcakes & Bakes, the cakes and brownies was wonderful and it made the whole write up so much easier. :) We shall order some soon for our own consumption or event!

Nominated For A Social Media Award

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:40:00 +0000

I recieved a nomination for " Upcoming Blogger Of The Year" by someone with some sense of humor.

Not sure if i am deserving, but THANK YOU VERY MUCH! So if you feel i am deserving, go over and vote for me!

Welcoming the Dragon

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Image of Dragon in Cupcake taken from Kanthaa Retnam. Dragon in Cupcake is Nanthini Retnam's creation. Image used with permission. Chinese New Year Greeting is TriStupe's Creation.

Paisley Petals Cupcakes and Bakes

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Every now and then, we will find gems in the form of passionate people that follows their heart and interest and make it into a living. We often speak about work-life balance and not many would admit and take the bigger steps to realise that dream - either at work or quitting the job and pursuing the passion.
Today, i would like to introduce Paisley Petals Cupcakes and Bakes. The owner and baker is Nanthini Retnam, which happened to be my ex-colleague's sister. I have not met her, but from her creation, she doesn't looked like she just "picked up baking". Enjoy the introduction interview with the baker herself!

TriStupe (TS) : What drives you to bake and start up Paisley Petals Cupcakes and Bakes?

Nanthini Retnam (NR) : My mom has always been my inspiration! As a kid, I loved watching her churn out all kinds of cakes and bread from her little oven. About 2 ½ years ago, I decided to pursue this passion of baking more seriously and word got round. Orders began coming in for birthdays and other special events, and that’s how Paisley Petals Cupcakes & Bakes was born.

Banana Nutter & Cappucino Cupcakes

TS: Did you have a day job before turning this passion into a home-based business? What were you trained (in college/university) as?

NR: I spent my whole college & working life in the IT environment, where I was a professional information systems engineer. It’s only recently that I decided to pursue my love for baking on a full time basis.

Cream Cheese Brownies

TS: What was the turning point that made you decide to pursue this part-time/full time?

NR: There comes a time in life when we want more. We want to wake up and say “I can’t wait to work today!” and I had come to that point in life. With the encouragement from close ones, I gained confidence to start this business and focus on it full time. And I’ve never been happier.

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes - Valentine Edition. February 14, 2012 is coming yáll!

TS: I love your logo, what was it inspired from?

NR: It was actually based on the two patterns I love most which are paisleys and flowers. A friend of mine helped design it based on my input and we came up with the logo that you now see.

TS: I was told that your cakes and baking items only uses high quality ingredients. So, can I assume no margarine to be used and minimal shortening used as well? (as i am a little more conscious about what i eat nowadays, this is just to justify me indulging into those cakes)

NR: That is true. All the things I bake are made using high quality butter, premium quality dark chocolate and all natural/pure extracts. I do not use artificial flavorings and sugar is used sparingly in most of my cakes. I have one very important rule in baking – I do not bake anything I wouldn’t eat myself.

(Editor's note : PHEW!)

The Baker's Signature Cake - Dahlias Wedding Cupcakes

TS: What type of volume (of orders) that you been receiving? I envisage you have a kitchen with an oven big enough to put a lamb inside i.e. industrial oven.

NR: Right now, as the business is still in its fledgling stage, I get about 3-4 orders per week for cupcakes, brownies, cheesecakes or customized cakes. The volume increases during festive seasons. My oven is pretty much your standard size, but I’m counting on it growing along with my orders!

Cupcakes for Quirky Brown Cow Clothings Store Outlet Opening

TS: What was the strangest request you get so far, in terms of cake design or ingredient to be incorporated in?

NR: So far, there were some cute designs that I have done, nothing strange yet. But I am willing to try new things :) I think most people are really flexible when it comes to cake designs and they would rather just inform me of a theme, and the amount of people to serve, then leave the designing to me.

Red Velvet Cupcakes - CNY 2011 Theme

TS: They say you don’t put a price to a piece of art and good food, but what price range are we looking at say for Cupcakes and conventional cake? Are they charged by weight or is there a rough guideline?

NR: The pricing for my cupcakes and brownies/bars are pretty much standardized. Regular cupcakes, brownies and cheesecakes are in the range of RM40.00 – RM60.00 per set. Customized cakes start from RM150 depending on the intricacy of the design as well as the size of the cake. For customized cupcakes and wedding cakes, prices vary depending on quantity as well as design.

Classic New York Style Mini Cheesecakes

TS: Any plans to open a physical shop in the near future?

NR: Probably, if the opportunity arises.

Customized Birthday Cakes

TS: They say the way into a man's heart is through his stomach, do you believe in that? And are you single and available?

NR: Yes! It is absolutely true! The men in my life have constantly expanding waistlines, and I take full responsibility for that.

(Editor's note : Guys, if you are wondering, she is taken.)

Christmas Theme Bittersweet Brownies

Bonus Question:

TS: There are so many others bakers out there doing the same business. So what would you say makes you different compared to them?

NR: I try my best to be different with both my recipes and designs. I get my inspiration from some of my favorite bakers but the end results are always my own creation. For example, my original alcohol-tinged cupcakes are very popular, as are my fruit-inspired cheesecakes. If you take a look at my menu, you’ll find many flavors that are not common at all in Malaysia, but you can be certain that they have all passed the taste-test!

Strawberry Lime Swirl Mini Cheesecakes

So, there you go, have been promised some baked goodies (it is in the fridge as i finish off this entry). If you are interested to get some custom-made cakes or baked goods, email Nanthini at paisleypetalscupcakes@gmail.com or you can find them in Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/Paisley.Petals.Cupcakes. Go "LIKE" the page and look at the wonderful creations that will tease your tastebuds.

Petronas CNY 2012 TV Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Every year nearing festivities, we a Malaysian always look forward to the Petronas TVC From the days of the late maestro Yasmin Ahmad (as director for the TVC) until the today - Petronas has never failed to showcase something that will bind all of us as Malaysian together. Similarly, I was brought up not to forget my roots. As a Malaysian of Chinese descendant, the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year hold a very special place in my heart and mind, for that is the occasion where we will cherish what we have and strive to get more of what all of us are brought up to believe - Family.
“The TVC is meant to celebrate not just the Year of the Dragon, but the spirit of perseverance, adaptability and determination as captured in each of the stories it depicts. This energy is something that should inspire us all as we navigate through the challenges we face in life,” said PETRONAS’ Senior General Manager of Group Corporate Affairs Division Dato Mohammad Medan Abdullah.
Petronas TVC for 2012 hits it right in the bull's eye. Titled "Coming Home", it touches on six separate lives in six different countries - away from the family. The TVC was launched on January 17, 2012 and a group of media personnel were given the first glimpse of the TVC.

Datuk Mohamad Medan Abdullah officiating the Chinese New Year Campaign

The launching saw a good mixture of members of the media that ranges from mainstream media (MSM) to social media (such as bloggers). A simple yet meaningful tossing of the Yee Sang to mark the launching was in the agenda and looking at what was served, i kind of wished i was there!

After the launching of the event, all those that attended the event were ushered to the KLCC yard for the first lion dance show of the year!

With KLCC in the background, the acrobatic dancer were there to impress with their skills and performances. Judging from the crowd in the photo above, I am pretty sure many would had enjoyed and in awe of the stunts shown.

Together with the launching of the Chinese New Year Campaign is a Photography Contest themed "Reimaging Energy", in collaboration with Leica Camera AG. With prizes ranging from RM288 to RM2,000, the contest sure looked like it will attract entrants to submit their creative photos or even interpreting the theme of the photo contest in their own best possible photographs. The contest is open for all Malaysians and you may submit as many photographs as you like taken using mobile, point and shoot, and dSLR. The closing date is February 12, 2012. More details could be obtained at the Facebook Apps page where the rules, regulation and submission for the photographs will be done.
They say there is no bigger pleasure apart from winning the prizes from any photography contest than to have the winning photo being exhibited for public viewing. So, if you are just a casual photographer or someone that does it for hobby, even if you are a full time photographer, this is an opportunity to showcase our talent and win some money.
I have submitted my entry on my understanding of the theme and it shows a dragon, guarding the entrance of a temple. Remember to VOTE for me (if my photo/s is/are deserving!). Look out for the photo below in the Gallery!

The “Coming Home” TVC will air from 17^th January until 6^thFebruary 2012. For more exciting surprises, the public may visit PETRONAS’ YouTube page. Meanwhile, this is the TVC that you should see, and find in you, the spirit of perseverance, adaptability and determination.

Malaysian Aircond Brand Gives 3-Years Warranty

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:30:00 +0000

While surfing in Youtube the other day, I chance upon a series of Fujiaire TV commercial (TVC) using graphic generated animals such as elephants and giraffes to showcase the capability of the aircond.

The weather has been so hot lately, I can’t help but want to be in the same room as the giraffes. Watch to see what I mean here.

Fujiaire is actually a Malaysian company founded in 1994. They company is one of the first few companies to fit ionizers into their line of aircond units. Quite a good business to be in, considering that we live in a tropical country where having an air-conditioner (air-con) unit is no longer a luxury but a must have. An average household would have at least one unit of air-con, usually located in the master bedroom where it will provide comfort to the owner for those hot humid nights.

Most of us can’t imagine a room without aircond, especially since it has been 35C almost everyday. A good reliable aircond is a must! While most airconds are fitted and forgotten, in reality a good warranty programme truly offers a peace of mind — bearing in mind that air-cons need to be serviced once a year for optimum performance.

From what I gather on the TVC, Fujiaire is offering a three-year full body warranty programme, which covers the aircond unit and compressor. All Fujiaire airconds come with a standard one-year warranty that covers all parts and labour costs. But if you register online at www.fujiaire.com.my, within two weeks of purchase, Fujiaire extends your warranty that covers parts (only) for an additional two-years.

If you are in the market to purchase a new air-con to replace your old one, or are looking to install new one to your home, Fujiaire could be a brand you can consider for investment. Take advantage of the 3-years warranty!

Start Of A Sustainable Life

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I am sitting here in the Soekarno Hatta airport departure lounge looking for idea on my next blog entry. Having less than 3 hours of sleep in the past 18hours, the mind tends to go a bit blank and sort of goes to sleep for a while.

This is my first visit to Jakarta. I have never been here. The only reason why I am here (with another colleague) is to meet up with the people in the Ministry (for a technical presentation) and with the potential Joint Venture (JV) partner of a big plantation here in Indonesia.

I was at The Plaza for a meeting with the potential JV partner. Image from Indonesia Tourism

Perhaps, it is about right that I write a bit, or attempt to write about what my current career path is about. This will be interesting to a certain extend if you are a strong proponent on sustainability. In my previous life as a consultant, I was taught to “walk the talk” and to “practice what we preach” when it comes to environmental consultancy. This is especially important and to stress the new key word – SUSTAINABLE.

It has been 31 working days since I started on December 5, 2011. It has been a fast tracked ride where I have learnt a lot of things along the way with the help of generous colleagues that not only took the trouble to educate, but to share their knowledge and have clear frank expectations on the deliverables.

To start off, I am now in the renewable energy business. Sustainable business. Green fuel driven and more specifically production of Bio-oil using biomass (i.e. waste) as feedstock (raw material). Understanding new terms and definitions, knowing process flow of specific requirement, content of the feedstock, caloric value of the fuel, dealing with both government and private sectors as potential JV partners, the works.

While a major part of the deal and discussion is bounded by non-disclosure agreement (NDA), suffice to say that the majority of the information could be obtained from this website here. Yeap, this is my new pad and so far, the ride has been good. If things go the way they are, the only way to go is success – we are driven. That is what happens when a group of like-minded talent group together under superb leadership and guidance works.

A lighter irrelevant look at learning curve from here. Thank you Warner.

Learning curve is steep. I was put into action almost immediately and I found the drive in me to be better than what I was before. Don’t get me wrong, those that know me and has worked with me knows I put in at minimum a 100%. Short of sounding like some airline tycoon that brags on and on about his achievement, I would rather have my work speaks for my commitment. Contrary to many popular beliefs where a new job and new challenge is put in place, and hence the required additional commitment to push and make things work – the need to “prove” one-self and to show your worth, I am actually tipping the scale more on work-life balance. It has never been this good. Office hour starts at 9am and ends (officially) at 6pm, 1hour lunch inclusive. The single biggest draw is the key performance index (KPI) is NOT, I repeat, NOT based on the hours you spent being “billable” or how hard working you try to be “Look Like Busy” or LLB.

Credit to Cainsbrain.com. Could not describe LLB in a more graphical perfect way. Thanks Cain.

Day to day, I found myself becoming more confidence when explaining to others (in the industry, or the peers) what we could do and are doing. The mere volume of questions and discussion that follows shows that I might have done my job well – that the team has managed to educate and share with even the most sceptical and senior experienced. You know you did a good job when you go home feeling you have accomplished much. Truly, a happy work team will be a sustainable cohesive team.

Great image from Corporate Life Coach. Thanks Scott!

One more thing about Work-Life balance, it is a choice really. There are very little differences if you achieve it here, or elsewhere. Our working attitude and principles doesn’t change. Human being habitual creatures WILL re-create the same condition at home and at work. The choice is yours – and often, it will be more difficult convincing your boss and your team of your sudden change of trying to get more LIFE out of every day.

Make that choice. I did.

Dress Like A Man : French Cuff

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I started to tailor my shirts. Tailoring a shirt doesn't always cost more than buying it off the rack. In fact, they could work out to be about the same. I pay on the average RM150 for a well tailored shirt that fits my upper body well. Before i am branded as arrogant, just lets put it that, i am just like any other man that do not have symmetrical body. My arms is shorter than average, my neck is thick, my chest (or man boobs) is pronounced and i (now have) small waist. In order to buy a shirt that will allow me to able to wear a tie without looking like i am trying to strangle myself, i would need a size 17 shirt - which by then, would have sleeves too long and a fitting that is too baggy and gives the impression that the shirts are hanging over my shoulder.
A French Cuff, otherwise known s a Double-Cuff, is an Executive essential for a complete dress up. It exudes class and style when worn properly and gives the wearer a personality. French Cuffs allow a man to "accessories" themselves with Cuff-links - which could be as simple as a silk knot or a metal cuff. It could turn a mundane white shirt into a WOW by just changing the Cuff-Links. If it is any motivation, James Bond wears only French Cuffs that has rounded off corners.

A blog dedicated to James Bond Dressing and Style Here

From same blog above. Thank you sir!

A man should have at least ONE shirt that is French Cuff. It is not a must in your wardrobe, but if you can afford to tailor one, or find one that is nice, have it. I am a convert of French Cuff after i gave up trying to buy a nice fitting shirt.
A man's shirt should fits his body - the sleeves should just end slightly before where the forearm meets the palm. The shoulder width should sits on the shoulder, not over it. The collar, when buttoned, should provide enough space without making it look like he will die of suffocation, and yet is not loose as if it belongs to someone bigger. It is a fine delicate balance. One that is almost hard to perfect even for a (wannabe) person like me. A French Cuff works great for a formal and a semi-formal event, and wonderfully in place as everyday wear to the office.

One each day. Have to add on soon.

Over the past 1 year, I have been wearing mostly French Cuff shirt, rounded at the corner. I still have two or three shirts that is of the traditional single cuff - which i will retire soon as they are now really too big for me (i now fit into a size 14 shirt). With French Cuff shirts, i would need Cuff Links, this has prompted me to collect them from all sort of shapes, sizes and color.

Thanks to wifey, i got this ring holder to show my Cuff links

I have 20 Cuff Links and they are all shown as above. While some looked like they are childish - i reserves them for less serious days. But each of them is a conversation starter. Tell me, how many you have seen wearing those Transformer links? Or even a working Compass?

I wear them separately and together

both points to North. Good. Won't get lost.

A motivation from wifey, a Hermes, a 95 silver link, a Cross and a Paul Smith

And this is how these cuff looks like on those French Cuff shirts...Sure makes you look sharp and good!

Lava Java : Deaf-In-Business Project

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I received an email from fellow runner and friend Jamie Pang with the title "DIB Coffees of Hawaii" and it immediately caught my attention. I be honest, the part that caught my attention most was the Coffee and Hawaii. Perhaps it is the triathlete in me that sort of link both with Kona - The Holy Land of Ironman Triathlon.

Coffees of Hawaii debut in Ford Ironman Kona 2007. Image taken with permission from here

The image above shows a floating espresso bar in the middle of the ocean where the triathletes are training/acclamatising to the Ford Ironman 2007 in Kona! Coincidently, it belongs to the same brand of coffee that Jamie emailed the link to me for.
This is a free plug (as in not paid advert by Coffees of Hawaii) in support of the Deaf-In-Business (DIB) Project.
Coffees of Hawaii is coming to Malaysia (or rather, CAME). Touted as the "1st Gourmet Coffee Chain in Malaysia operated by all Deaf Staff", they promised a WOW service.

A visit to the website shows that there are a lot of different menu to be tried. For more info, visit : http://www.dibcoffeesofhawaii.org/
By the way, i was told that this Coffees of Hawaii (CoH) is the best coffee one could drink. I believe what is good for the Ironman, it's good for you!

*Note: Wifey visited the place later for lunch. The operation has just started recently and they are not at full swing yet. Coffee is available but the other items on the menu is not fully available. Be informed.

Trail Run Getting Better

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:45:00 +0000

Last Saturday myself, wifey, Jit Yen and Kheng Leong did trail run in Kiara. This is getting addictive as the pace of the run is getting faster each time i visit this trail. Having Kheng Leong, which is recovering from a bad crash (on the bike in Kiara) about 4 weeks ago, the pace was to be a recovery for him. In fact, having him in Kiara is a bonus as i could possibly get to try new route.
The plan was to run up the usual route and back. Half way through the trail, Kheng Leong suggested that we exit 2K midway and enter 4K to join with the new Magic Carpet.

The total distance was about 7.25 on flat ground, which translate about 7.5km taking into account the elevation that we covered. Kiara is slowly facing extinction from the destruction from the northern portion (close to Hartamas) and the southeast and south portion are dangerously being eaten up by the nearby equestrian park. In fact, there is a trail that the horses use which the Kiara lovers call it "Bar-A-Kuda" which sounds like barracuda if you speak them fast.The southern portion had a new fencing built by the golf course on the south, which has prompted the clean up of an existing underused trail to be used as the Magic Carpet trail head.Magic Carpet earned it's name due to the undulating terrain that runs along the ridges of the rubber plantation in Kiara. As you can seethe 2K portion runs along from 3oclock to 6oclock and then it is quickly followed by 4K loop and joining the Magic Carpet near the peak at the crossroad from the map above.The trail is fully run able and provides good fast interval and slow interval training alike.

As seen from the elevation map above, the first 2km is from the park (TTDI) up to the summit of Kiara Hill. Then it is a nice and fast downhill over 800m through Dirty Deeds, Upper bit and Lower bit before reaching the road portion that will leads you back to Apollo (KM4) and part of 2K loop (KM4-KM5). From there, it is the 4K loop until about KM6 before going on the Magic Carpet ride.
Check these photos out of Kheng Leong, Yen and wifey having fun pushing their way up the steep inclines.

Kheng Leong up Lung Buster

Yen going up a switchback

Wifey, having fun

And here is another Blair Witch styled video of me running down from the summit (twin peaks) to the cross junction down Dirty Deeds. 2mins of fast fun.

Newton Law of Physics vs. Tamil Movies

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

We all know how these movies go. The illogical heroic part has always been part of the storyline. What if Sir Isaac Newton returns from Death, and saw these movies? Enjoy.

Pesto Tuna Spread with Avocado

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

After the modified Green Egg that i share last week, in come another variation with the things you can find in your (or my) kitchen. As working parents, we are often sensitive to what we give our children to innoculate a good eating habits. Honestly, i had fed my kids fast food and there is nothing evil about it. Looking back and realising what the damages could be (long term), we are slowly pulling back some of these items - to start with the fries. Nothing bad about potatoes, but the browning process leaves a little to be desired especially when we are not too sure what oil and how they are being used to fry them.
Anyway, boring health talk aside (as i noticed this blog has turned into some..eerr...health blog), here is a good alternative to the Green Eggs that i made last week. By replacing the eggs and milk with Tuna, mustard seed and raisins, you get a whole new taste and texture.
What You Need
1 can of Tuna
1 tablespoon of mustard seed
Handful of raisins
1 - 2 tablespoon of pesto
1 Avocado
Olive oil
1 slice of bread - home made for me, nonetheless

Every fridge should have this

And this, if you do not want to make it yourself

and this too, as snacks or addition to your rolled oats

Preparation

Start by removing the oil from the Tuna. By removing the oil, you effectively take away the salt/sodium present in the liquid suspension that helps to preserve the Tuna. A few tips on Tuna, do not go for the cheapest version as the Tuna are usually stale tuna which have very strong fishy smell. If you can afford it, go for more reputable brand and that too will give you a peace of mind that the tuna are not illegally caught. Second tip is go for chunky tuna, as it carries more mass and volume compared to shredded tuna. Remove the oil, brine and salt out from the can. Easily done by opening the can and using the lid as the sieve.

Useful trick to remove oil from anything canned, except something fully liquid obviously

Out it go!

In order to replace the oil that was removed, i suggest olive oil. Tuna without oil will be dry and flakey and it won't taste as good. Reasons why those mayonaise laden tuna spread sells so well, they come free with saturated fat and perhaps even transfat without you knowing. :) A spoonful of olive oil will do the trick.

One spoon is about 100kcal, if you want to know

Yummeh!

Once the ingredients are all in, you can mix them all up with a fork in a container (which can be used as storage if you don't finish the tuna spread). As this is made for two person, the amount used will be sufficient for a meal.

Tuna, Pesto, Raisins, Mustard, Olive - should had added in Chia seeds too!

Prepare a slice of bread (toasted or heated) and cut half an avocado onto it. I am an avocado convert and i try to eat this rather expensive fruits once or twice a week. The fruits goes so well with anything and everything that it sort of perks up the tastebud and add more texture to the simple food we eat everyday.

Top up the bread and avocado with the prepared tuna and bon apetit!

There is a whole load of debate about Tuna because species such as the Blue Fin tuna are fished to near extinction and dolphins will be collateral in the process. It was known that Tuna will swim alongside dolphins as protection against predators such as sharks. Fishermen will look for the Dolphin pods (or group) and catches the Tuna alongside these dolphins. So, the debate is about ethical Tuna fishing alongside sustainable preservation of other species.

CRKT Drifter Review

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Every once and then, you will come across an EDC that you would want to use it as an EDC everyday. An EDC should be small enough, but not sacrifice cutting ergonomics or prying ability, and still hold it's edge well for that ever ready ability to slice or cut things up. I have been collecting CRKT knives for the past months and the collection just got bigger with the inclusion of the ever popular Drifter series.

From CRKT website here

I have read and seen this knife around on the internet and also on CRKT facebook and fan page. I have the impression that the knife is big, something that might not be too handy to carry around without the next person thinking that you will be robbing him of his life savings. Rest assured, the knife collecting hobby is not a lethal one. It is in appreciation of well made knives, in this case, production knives. Very rarely you will get something as reliable, or with good QC control - and the danger is not to know your knife well and end up with an imitation that might hurt you more than a plastic spoon.

Beauty

To start the review, this baby is a handy 6.5 inches opened and only 3.6inches closed. It is high hollow grind which gives you a very sharp cutting edge suitable even to skin or to slice like a sushi knife. With blade material made from 8Cr14MoV which offers an AUS-8 characteristic, will give a high performance tip to compensate for the high hollow grind. The hardness was rated at HRC58-59, which is good actually. So, the worry that the edge would not hold well, might not be that true to an extend.
The handle is made from stainless steel with a single position clip attached to it. The finishing is grey and it gives a very casual look of this serious knife.

Fans of flipper on their EDC will have to be contented with the tried and tested thumb knob for opening. Not really an issue unless you wear thick gloves and can't feel the knob that is close to the handle body. The opening is positive with a nudge from the tip of the thumb to open the blade to 30 degrees and a wrist flick will ensure the blade to be fully opened and locked.

Unlike the other two CRKT that i have reviewed, the Drifter does not come with a secondary lock to turn the knife into a fixed blade. The blade locks out with a liner derived from the knife body which is sufficient as this EDC are not meant for heavy duty prying or cutting with the sub-3 inches blade.

Body blade lock

The Drifter weigh only 90grams or 3.2ounces. Light enough to be left unnoticed in the pocket and ready when you needed it. For this review, i had the pleasure of two durians (King of Fruits) to be opened with just the Drifter. Traditionalist has been able to open the durians with just a spoon or a kitchen knife. That however, will take skills and understanding of the fruit to be able to find the grooves to be opened. For the uninitiated, you do not open a durian like the photo below.

How Not To Open A Durian Here

The Drifter was put through it's pace by myself, having the chance to use it for penetrating, cutting and prying the fruit's thorny skin open.

Goes in really easy

And deep without much effort

Impressive feel to the small EDC that allowed me with very little effort to penetrate the weakest point of the durian. Mind you, i have previously used screwdriver and even a larger knife just to get the groove opened. Drifter definitely made the task way easier. Though the knife is small and shorter than the other knife i have, the ergonomic was well thought off. The knife sits pretty comfortably in my palm as the thumb groove at the top and the index finger recesses allow me to provide leverage to the prying action.

Sits nicely in the hand

In less than 2 minutes, i managed to pry open the Ang He variety of Durian and with a bit more of brute muscle force with both hands, the fruit was successfully opened and to be enjoyed. As the knife is stainless steel, washing it was not an issue and a quick shake to rid of excess water and a wipe down to reveal the shine of the blade returns the knife to it's original glean.

A piece of mass produced art, nevertheless

The Durian did not stand a chance - both with the Drifter, or my tummy. The fruits was eaten and polished off the seeds. Bring on the next fruit to be opened. The Drifter awaits the pleasure of prying it open again.

Trail Running: Fast 5 Click

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Phui Tin leading the pack

A short video for sharing that was taken last Saturday afternoon during a fast session at Kiara. Trail running builds strength and agility and it sharpen your reflexes as well. A tip when running downhill - always look at least 5 meters in front and not at your feet. That way, you will be a able to anticipate and avoid bad foot landing and able to make a wiser more decisive move to avoid tumbling down the trail.

I aim to do trail running through the same route at least once a week until i can reach a certain speed or finish the 8.5km loop within an hour. It is not an easy task for me, but i believe, with a lot of practices, i will!

Yen in a blur. Too fast!

The route we did last Saturday PM was without the 2K loop as we had to rush back to take over from my sister in law that is helping to keep an eye on the two precious cargos at home. Nevertheless, it was a good 5.5km workout that lasted 57minutes.

Green Pea Mushroom Soup for Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

The quest to eat clean and sensibly sometimes take a step back when all try to balance out the good and bad. While I do not consider myself to be super-strict with my diet (such as not eating meat, as it will cause cancer or not drinking cow's milk, as it will not be sustainable), i would classify myself and my wife as being "conscious" about what we eat.
Today, I will share what we had for dinner yesterday which is again, simple to make and gives about 150kcal with about 150mg of potassium 5grams of fiber, 20 grams of carbs, 7grams of fat (0f which up to 6 is unsaturated), 100mg of sodium and adequate amount of Vitamin A and B, just by making a green pea with mushroom soup. This will serve up to 2.5 portion which you can keep for the next day too.
What you need (for two person, as i am cooking for wifey too)
200grams of green peas, frozen or fresh is ok.
1 can of Campbell cream of mushroom (yes, this is today's canned food)
1 equal can of water (you can use the can to proportion)
1 food processor or blender

The idea came from watching some food channel show when they were making the green pea soup. While they sieve the puree, i decided to let them all into the soup - afterall, fiber is good for your gastrointestinal health. You can boil the green peas r 5minutes or microwave them for 2 minutes+2minutes. Either way is fine. But if you microwave them, please do not use any water and stir during after the first 2minutes cycle. This way, the green peas will not be overcooked. Reason why i prefer to use microwave is because i do not want to lose some of the nutrition by boiling them in the water - and the water that is used for boiling, will be thrown away! Of course there are option to use the water back into the cream of mushroom, which i should had considered. You know how the mind works sometimes - especially if you are an engineer and trying to maximize and cut down on energy usage, or washing afterwards.

It is a bit tricky to mash up the peas in a 1980's blender (National brand, no less), but i have to get it done by batches. Careful of the piping hot peas as it heats up the glass surface. Once the peas is mashed up, place the cream of mushroom into the same pot and add adequate water (not too much, if you want/like your soup thicker) and cook over low heat. As the peas and the cream is technically already cooked, the process is more to heat up the mixture and to get a consistent non-chunky texture.

The soup will be done in about 5 minutes and you can then serve them in a bowl or a soup plate. As I am learning to teach my body to utilise fat for energy, a spoonful of olive oil was included at the top of the soup - both for energy and garnishing purposes. Now, don't the so looked like it could come from a worthy restaurant?

As the soup alone only offers 150kcal, the spoonful of olive oil actually added another 100kcal. With the homemade bread with SCS butter, the whole package comes up close to 400kcal with energy coming primary from oil (olive and butter).

The durian was, good.

The soup tasted sweet and it actually covered the taste of the mushroom soup. Improvement should be made by not using the canned soup and replace it with milk to obtain some creaminess. All in all, with the slight savoury taste of the bread with SCS butter, and the noticeable taste of olive oil, this 400kcal was winner for dinner.

The Cyberjaya RunFest Race Report

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

Ran a 7km yesterday during the Cyberjaya Runfest. It was a brainchild of a group of people and was launched in October 2011 - almost 5 months ago. It was to be a fun run of 7km where the participants will be taking test (online) to see which tribe they belongs to. Think of it as Rumah Sukan (sports house) back in school. Myself and wifey signed up right after the launch and it was no surprise that we end up as a team - the WhateverFool.

The race kit collection span over three days with two in Midvalley 2XU shop and the last day was in Cyberjaya itself. Things were smooth and without any glitches and the sizes of T-shirts sponsored by Brooks was fantastic. However, the size was big for Asian sizing. I had to take an S size as M or L would be too big for me nowadays.

This is also the first time i believe, that an organizer took the trouble to make four different type of design and uses four different color to give the runners some identity. I have to give a big hand to them for this!

Hi-5!!!

The drive on race morning to Cyberjaya was smooth with little traffic around. An usual 1hour drive took only 15minutes and finding the starting point was easy. Already by then, the atmospshere was filled with music and participants walking and running about.

Everyone was busy in their tents putting on face color and warrior symbol on their face except PoweeFool. Many of them were see running and warming up ahead of the 7km run that we will have.

Except for one PowerFool that was way too power for the rest of the team.

At 730am, the participants were ushered to the starting line, and with about 200 runners, this seems to be a small grouped run. However, the preparation and support was much better than some larger runs i have attended.

There was two water station - one with watr and the otehr with isotonic drinks available for the participants. With enough traffic police and race official around, the running route around Cyberjaya loop was enjoyable and stress-free.

With about 200 runners around and with the organizer having this for the very first time it was a super effort by them - more so when they were boardcasting and creating the hype since October 2011. The lack of participation could be because of the location (Cyberjaya ain't near) and with the race being overshadowed by a much later promoted race that happened the same day - the MultiPurpose Insurance Run (MPIR), which was also organized by a bunch of Runners in Klang Valley. This race has the potential to grow big - as the theme is to have fun and to socialize again. I for one enjoyed myself well with the company around me.

Babes alert!

Whateveerrrr!

The PowerFool negotiatiing to be a Whatever...

He is apparently Ishsal's neighbour...

You are like everywhere!

Got to be one of the coolest building around Cyberjaya. IMPACT or International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threat.

Hadi taking it easy

With Suren - the race director/organiser. Well done bro!

A name to the face. Hello OP Advance Tan!

Fantastic Father-Son combo. Well done OP!

Kudos to Suren and his team for pulling off the first run in Cyberjaya. The place hold pretty good potential for something longer with the undulating road. Plus traffic at Cyberjaya on weekend is minimal. The organizer really went out of their way to ensure a good running experience. Nevertheless, the smaller crowd was easier to handle and the intention of a more "tight knitted" run, has been achieved.
The race yesterday was especially good for beginner runners as it allow them a stress free running experience with a manageable running distance over mixed terrain.
Point for improvement...Whatever!
There wasn't much to complain about. Actually, there was nothing to complain about. I sat here in the room, putting my son to sleep and thought about what could be improved, and to be really honest about it, nothing. The traffic control was good, the water station more than sufficient for a short 7km run, the medal was awesome (EPIC FINISH? Whatever!), the after party (i heard) was great. Perhaps the only peeve was not to serve Nasi lemak for breakfast? Simple food such as banana and a bun would be great. Maybe it is just me and my overly critical thinking on food. :P
Kudos to you runners too, for being conscious about not throwing the paper cup everywhere and place them in a stack nearby so the workers can sweep them up easily. This is a great trait i see in most Malaysian races - sadly, our neighbours down south do not have the same mentality!
Congrats too, to the two kids running the race today. Both were sub 10 years old with one as young as 5 or 6, Megan (SC Khoo's daughter) deserves a special mention! When i was their age, running 3km is an achievement!

Khoo with his princess. Obviously it's too early for her! Well done Megan!

The MINDEF Translation Fiasco

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

UPDATE Jan 12, 2012
The Wall Street Journal Southeast Asia edition has just give the MINDEF more coverage. Read about it here. Yeap, how can we, with Billion of dollars in Defence budget not use any for this PR exercise? The Defence Minister has pointed the finger to Google Translate - which clearly in my original post showed that Google Translate was pretty accurate and no "Poke Eye" translation.

Taken from Here

Originally posted on January 7, 2012
While most of you already had a good laugh from the Malaysian Ministry of Defence goofing up on the English translation on "Ethical Clothing", some of you might only hear about it only yesterday when the local paper had a page two report about it.

The translation is really really bad. It was so really bad that it couldn't even be the job of Google Translate. As you can see above, "menjolok mata" was literally translated to "poke eye" when it should just be "scantily". Even that is not accurate as it should be "revealing clothing".

It sort of reminded us all of the Bahasa Malaysia to Chinese translation when the China premier came a-calling to Malaysia somewhere mid last year.

Taken from Internet. Can't recall who the photographer was, but it was from a retired reporter from Straits time. Thank you in advance, if you sees this.

The two above were a classic case of laziness. In the days of internet and "everything must be fast", we have sadly lost the fine art of proof-reading a work and took everything for granted.
"seringkali kita terlupa yang bahasa itu jiwa bangsa. Walaupun bahasa yang akan digunakan sebagai perantaraan atau bahasa kedua, kita mesti memastikan penterjermahan bahasa itu adalah tepat dan jitu. Jika tidak, kita akan menjadi bahan ketawa rakyat sedunia."
I ran the above through Google Translate and i must say that the translation was almost spot on.
"often we forget that the language was the soul of the nation. Although the language to be used as an intermediate or second language, we must ensure penterjermahan language is accurate and precise. If not, we will become a laughing people worldwide."
So, pray to tell, which translation program is our dear Ministry of Defence using? The highly inaccurate translation not only cause a major embarrassment for the Boys in Uniform, but the government as well.
The webpage in English was taken down about 3pm yesterday, after much damage has been done. A quick check on Google Cache was still able to cache it until 30minutes later when the cache was forced to clear and the corresponding page was pointed to the Bahasa Malaysia version. Then by 5pm, it was an "error 404", or webpage not found. For that, I have to give it to the Boys for some damage control - and luckily, not all Malaysians with internet access has read it.
So, if you are the 20% that has not read it yet, here are the screen capture that i managed to PDF - afterall, the evidence makes great literal education of WHAT not to do on a public page in internet. But you have to admit, it was the single-handedly most viewed page with the highest unique hit for MINDEF's webpage. I am envious of that.

By the way, if you think the above is bad, our Malaysia Education Ministry website too, has English that falls below standard. Speaks volume about the quality of A's we are churning out from PMR, SPM and STPM.
Read about it here

Running With Lawyers

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I had the pleasure to run with a group of lawyers from a well known local firm based in Damansara yesterday. Many thanks to my batchmate Amin Majid for making that possible. The plan was for me to show up at about 7pm after their run and speak to them on my background and personal endeavour as an "average joe", and to share my outlook on eating and living healthily. Apparently, they run often around Jalan Beringin (a loop of 4.5km) and they have a mixture of seasoned and casual runners.

Since I started work at the new place, i more or less get more time for myself as well. And with Bali and Borneo Marathon (YES! REGISTERED!) in place, what better way to start the training pronto? Plus, wifey bought me a new shoe to replace all the worn out shoes i ever had - a Brooks Ghost 3, i have no better reason NOT to run yesterday.

Ghost 3 in Blue.

I managed to reach the starting point by 6.30pm and the team has already started running, a brief introduction by Amin and with wifey and Chit arriving at about the same time, we started running a few minutes earlier.
Jalan Beringin in Damansara Heights is a good training ground for hill work and speed work. With elevation gain of about 129m and a perfect mixture of undulating route, it will gives the strongest runner a good run for their sweat.

Altitude vs. Distance. Each peak is an opportunity to run up the hill strongly!

Damansara heights has been the training ground for me for the longest time. If you ask me, this route kick the Double Hill route any day. This is the real footwork for hill-work as you will make or break in the short 4.5km loop. The initial 500m was downhill which provides enough ground for a quick footwork/tempo run. It will then be a good almost 1km climb up till the junction at Science Centre/Security Commission turn off which will burst your lung and heart.

wifey pushing hard. I had to run fast to keep up.

Even Chit had a good time running up the hills. Kudos for going all the way up with minimal stops!

Woohoo!

The lawyers was running pretty fast too as i had to put on some extra effort to catch up with some of them. Nevertheless, safety was paramount as the road is busy during daylight and a few junctions (and one roundabout) need to be crossed. Those did put a dent in an otherwise seamless-almost-PB kinda run on Damansara Heights ;-).
Personally, i felt good and perhaps that has prompted wifey to say "I see you are back" when she has to try catching up to me (for a change). To be frank, i know i can do better, while not trying to be arrogant about it. I am glad that Sciatica did not visit (perhaps i left it in 2011 and my Xmas wish came true?). Perhaps, it was the new shoes too. I pushed pretty hard and i just love the burn that the run provides. We wrapped up the 4.5km in exactly 30minutes with an average pace of 8.8km/h - which is respectable for the kind of terrain we were running (oh that hill up from ManuLife aka Fitness First is kick-@ss!)

Speed vs. Distance. Faint line denotes altitude. Running at 10km/h up the hill? YOU BET!

It was only near the primary school that i finally catch up with Amin. For his first 2012 run, he did really well. Kudos bro!

pant! pant! pant!

The run ended at the shoplots near the school and we sat down for some refreshments. There, i started to share some of my stories - of which, i seriously was lost for words. I am not a world class accomplished athlete to start with. But with some nudges and backing up from Amin and wifey, the conversation started flowing and the topic went from sharing my experience as a triathlete to how wifey started running to craving controls and even discussed about milk (it get a bit awkward, but flattering when you found out they read your blog!)
All in all, it was a good session of run and sharing. I shall try to make myself available again for the quick run - we all can certainly always make use of those speed work and hill work.
Many thanks for the opportunity lawyers from Zaid Ibrahim & Co! And thanks for the refreshments too! (to set an example - i only took water!)

Trail Running 101 - Sole Out

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I believe most of you has read about my adventure and mis-adventure of running on the road in my quest (and attempt) to be an athlete that i never was. I have given ONE talk to a group of people with regards to running and i was given the pleasure to engage a group of lawyers from a well known firm in Kuala Lumpur on healthy living and running as a way to destress from daily work. I felt honored and humbled that some of you reading this felt i have motivated you in your life and has made the positive change for the better - both in health and living a balanced life. In fact, i was told by a friend that he was following my blog and dare not approach me as i was "God-like" in my quest to be an Ironman. Rest assured, i am very much down to earth and never lost my footing from those tarmacs.
With my Sciatica improving slightly and my iron-level showing sign of improvement and staying where it should (though the last check up i did was about 6 months ago before i joined the previous company, Hibiscus Petroleum), it is time to step it up. I have been running trails in Kiara for the past 5 days. Consistently running about 6km average every time. Here is my guide, simple as it is, to start running trails. I will endeavour to share as much as i could based on my own limited experiences.
To start with, lets look at the shoes selection. Rather than looking at specific brand of shoes, lets look at the minimal requirement that should be available should you purchase your first trail shoe.
1. It is all about the sole
Trail shoes are specific to trail. While you might get a certain hybrid pattern, it is best to stick with lugs that are wide and have a lot of spaces in between. Reason for this would be more for efficient dispersal of mud and grit that will be picked up during the run through the trails. These sole patterns are aggressive and some doesn't look convincing even to stand up to the trails.

Purpose designed sole for trail running. Image taken from this website for cross reference on trail shoes

Compare to a normal road running shoes, the lug pattern of the running shoes will not provide traction or sufficient traction once mud and grit gets into the grooves.

Road run shoes with fashionable sole. Some looked more fashion that function. Image from Ransacker.com

It is important to get the right sole pattern for the type of trail running that you intent to do. If you constantly runs in a wet soggy terrain, it will make sense to invest in a more aggressive lugs such as those on the Salomon Speedcross 3 (seen in the top shoe in photo at the top) or something similar to Brooks Cascadia 5 that i am using. Aggressive lugs allow for a "self-cleaning" action when the trails get stickier and messy. Essentially, a sole that picks up and let the grits and mud stick to it will be as useless as using a slick tires on an offroad 4x4 vehicle. No traction is bad, and in some cases, fatal.

Aggressive lugs with enough self cleaning ability.

2. The Stone Shield
While some purist has turned to minimalist trail shoes for that "barefoot" experience, i would rather leave that to more season runners. For beginners, it is often best to go with something that will act as a barrier between your feet and the sharp jagged rocks or long thorns often found on the trail. Most trail shoes will have this feature built in and has proprietary name to from something as simple as "Stoneguard" to "Ballastic Rock Shield". It is just after all, a marketing ploy. While none that i know utilises Kevlar as the material, most rely on EVA (otherwise known as plastic that has high bendable property and capability as thermoplastic). Most of these trail shoes will have plastic or rubber like injection molding or laminating on the toe box too - as a mean to protect the front from sharp objects should we unintentionally kicks something in the trail. Stories of blisters through the usage of minimalist shoes for some people is enough to be used as an invaluable perspective when out shopping for a pair of trail shoe. A trail shoe will be able to withstand the abuse of the trail, lest our nice running shoe will end up like the photo below.

Taking the Road Shoe for a Joyride.

3. The Upper Mesh
Avoid any heavily packed upper that would absorb water like sponge once they are wet. While water is not your major concern as you will get wet, it is more important to have an upper mesh that will prevent sand or small stones from entering the shoes via the tongue or through materials porous enough to allow it to go through.

Upper mesh meant for "water" should not be used for specific trail usage. The semi-porous see through mesh will get enough of grit and sand in to inflict major blisters after an hour in the trail. Image taken from Here

It will make sense to have something more closely knitted to prevent or minimizes water and also sand/grit into the shoes as seen in the two example below

Salomon Lab. Every trail runner's fantasy. Worn by world champ.

Brooks Cascadia 5. Best for me so far.

4. The Extras
Some trail shoes has GoreTex upper mesh that allows a breathable top that repels water and allow perspiration to leave the legs. While they are great addition, they are useless in wet humid trails in Malaysia. When you get your feet into the water, no amount of Goretex, unless the shoes extend right up to the knee, will help to keep those feet dry. They make more sense for countries where the trails are drier and the water puddles are not as vicious as those found in tropical countries such as Malaysia.
Other extras that would be good to have would be sole made from Vibram rubber which claims to withstand harsh substances while offer superior traction and wear resistance. Not many shoes has Vibram rubber on them except the minimalist shoes where the thin sole would require a more hardy-wear resistance and yet offers a high level of protection (but not against sharp stones) for the trail runners.
The Bottom Line
While it is not essential to buy a trail specific shoe if money or interest is the limiting factor, a correctly chosen trail shoe will increase the confidence of one running up and down the undulating trails. With safety features such as stone shield or toe guard, injury could be maintained at a lower risk. My experience was with New Balance trail (last a year), Salomon XA Pro (but the toe box is too tight/cramp for my EEE feet) and Brooks Cascadia 5. I strongly recommend Cascadia 5 as it rides low (your heel is closer to the ground) while the lugs prove adequate traction with self cleaning ability. The shoe dries fairly fast or slow (it is like a glass that is half full, or half empty scenario) when it get wet, it doesn't weight a tonne and shoe last. So far, after 1 Mother Hash (46km), 1 SAC (150km), 1 Eco-X (40+km), 2 Climbathon (42km in total) and numerous trail runs, the shoe is still holding up pretty well.
Otherwise, if you are still unsure of spending that money on a trail shoe, a RM10 alternative is available. Short of the stone guard, this pair of shoes has the perfect self cleaning lugs, waterproof even and is lightweight. Welcome the rubber tapper's shoe - the renowned Adidas Kampung (just because of the "4" stripes ;-), but nowadays, you can find those without shoelaces or stripes)

Taken from my-rainforest-adventures.blogspot.com

Coming Up Next - Trail Running 101 - The Biological Warfare

The Fresh Milk Strikes Back

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

After my Chocolate Milk Dilemma entry a couple of days ago and received quite a readership on the pros and cons of full cream vs. skimmed vs. flavoured and the eventual winner (nutrition wise) was the full cream milk.
Goes without saying that food with minimal processing will be way better compared to food that has gone through more level of processing to make it on the consumer's table. A friend then asked how does a FRESH MILK stands up against full cream? While i do occasionally buy fresh milk if the pricing is cheap (like about RM10/2liters), the hassle to stock them up outside of the fridge is the major turnoff. What more that the family consume almost 1liter of milk a day. Fresh milk, while has all the pros, can't be stored for long and at most, a week unopened or less than 2 days after it is opened. It does not provide a sustainable solution for those that drink sparingly.
Lets look at full cream nutrition again.

Left is Full Cream

Magic numbers to look out for would be the calories (153kcal), the protein (7.5gram), the fat (8.5gram) and the calcium (275mg). Here is the Fresh Milk (FM) nutritional values.

Fresh Milk nutritional value

Taking a closer look, the nutritional value is exactly the same for both except for the calcium where FM triumphs by a whiskers of 10mg of calcium per serving!
What does that tells you?
Full cream UHT milk is comparable to fresh milk. There are extra vitamins added into the full cream (Vitamin A, D and B) which would most probably done to bump up the nutritional value lost during the ultra high temperature (UHT) process. UHT process is to kill all bacteria/germs and to enable longer storage without preservatives for milk. Most powdered milk formula goes through UHT process before being vaporised via a high pressure mist machine to produce fine powder.
By the way, fresh full cream milk will have a negligible amount of saturated fat - about 0.2mg, if you want to know. This minuscule amount should not be a concern as long as you do not overeat in your daily caloric need cycle.
There are another point of view that consuming cow's milk might not be the best possible solution but having plant based milk (such as those derived from seeds, nuts, grains and also legumes) would be better as some people are lactose intolerance and some might not be able to digest/process the casein found in animal fats. The most common plant based milk would be Soy Milk. With the awareness that most soy are GMO products, the need for organic (and pricey) quest begins. I guess there has to be a balance somewhere and often, that is easier said than achieved. If you fancy drinking coconut milk (that is the flesh shredded, press for the milk i.e. santan, mixed with the coconut water), that could be a potentially good alternative too. Coconut has long been chastised for being bad fat, truth to be told, pure coconut oil has higher nutritional value compared to even oil! Believe it (or do some research if you have to).
Now, with this, your "milk" quest is almost complete. Make the informed choice!

Turn Green With Modified Green Eggs

noreply@blogger.com (TriStupe) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:00:00 +0000

I saw Rebecca Saw posted on a yummilicious high nutritional dish on her facebook yesterday and i was instantly bought over.

Fantastic looking from Marmalade Cafe at Bangsar Village II. Image from RebeccaSaw.com - with permission

It was named Green Eggs and it was essentially a piece of toast with mash up avocado, topped with scrambled eggs with finely chopped spinach. Great way to start the morning or even have this for brunch.
Getting a bit adventurous and wanting something similar after this morning's run at Kiara (my fourth in five days this week!), this was a perfect breakfast to replenish the burnt calories!
Here is my version that you can try at home. You will need whatever you can find at home that is similar, if not the same. For this, i replaced the spinach with pesto sauce from Mark&Spencer given by Siew Peng and Roland for Christmas.

The egg in the saucer...well, lets say it wasn't part of the plan. Had to use it as i broke it while taking the other two.

You will need 1 egg per adult/serving. An avocado, the pesto sauce, obviously, and some milk. as you can see, my love and hate for milk has driven me to just keep it FULL CREAM. I can make use of the extra milk lipid for energy.
I scramble the eggs with some full cream milk (about 1/4 cup) and a spoonful of pesto sauce, and fry them without oil/butter over low heat, scrambling them in the process to avoid the eggs from browning or burning. The olive oil in the pesto sauce will be sufficient to provide enough oil to ensure they are fried nicely. Remember to use low heat and patience.
While that is happening, warm up, or toast a slice or two of bread. We made some homemade bread the night before. This time, using a 1:3 ratio of all purpose flour and wholewheat flour to make the bread a bit lighter and not so dense. A handful of sultanas, raisins, cranberries, flaxseeds, shredded almonds and sesame seeds are put into the bread for that complete wholesome meal.
I know, i am already sounding super boring. Healthy food can be a tough nemesis, but if you get them right, your body will reward you.

Freezer is for ice, and then some.

The bread this time has lighter feel to it, the inclusion of the all purpose flour has made the bread little less wheat-ty and just a tad lighter. with no preservatives, the bread is best eaten within 3 or 4 days and kept in the fridge - to be taken out, warm or toasted and ready to be eaten again. Next up, we will try making rye bread.

Yummeh!

I buy my avocado at RM2.99 or RM3/each at the grocer below my current office. I will usually buy 5 to last a week. am in love with avocado and the creamy texture with the nutritional values. Instead of mashing it up this time, i cut it in big slices and lined the bread.

Presentation wise - fail.

With the bread and avocado all laid out, the scrambled pesto eggs will be all ready to be added for the final touch. As there are 3 eggs (well, technically 2.5 since i broke one, save the yolk), the portion would be larger than expected. But here it is, the final product.

The Green Monsta!

Presentation wise, the version i made did not come close to the one that Becky had. Because i was the one that made it, it had a big fan in the form of wifey that has also ran with me yesterday morning in Kiara!

Pardon the hair, she just showered

But rest assured that the above is not short of nutrition and pack quite a punch. With about 300kcal per serving, this is a good recovery food with enough of polyunsaturated fat for those knee-pounding run down Dirty Deeds and reverse Carnival!

The approximate portion of ingredient used.

Top up the brunch with a cup of water soaked Chia seed, life couldn't be healthier!