oh dear.... time for an healthy diet

I had my medical checkup results yesterday and as usual, my cholesterol level is above the safe limit but I think it's not too dangerous. :P However, this time round, the triglycerides also slightly higher and one of my liver's reading called, SGOT, also slightly elevated. The medical personnel interpreted this is due to high cholesterol level and I can have fatty liver. He recommended me to take a liver supplement while asked me to reduce my fat intake.

And, what these means are, I gotta cut down on my McDonald's breakfasts, fried bee hoon, Bak Kut Teh, Roti Prata (Canai), fried stuffs, nasi lemak and etc, which has become part of my diet. :P And, I need to go for a diet of more non-meat, maybe 70% and 30% meat. Quite a tall ordeal but I guess I take that as a challenge, at least for a short term. :)

With that, I ended up starting taking low calories and healthy food from yesterday onwards like steamboats, bread and etc. Btw, having healthy foods are not necessarily bland and not tasty. Check this out -

Vegetarian Pasta with canola oil. It was nice but I got hungry so fast, almost after half an hour. I had this in Lavender, Taman Molek, JB.

It was a nice environment and setting to have a meal there in this Lavender outlet, whether it's breakfast, lunch, tea or dinner. Very relaxing indeed...... and yes, my new challenge to reduce my fat! Opps....not forgetting my Americano below. I must have kopi to go along with any meals.

Have a good week folks!

PapaRich, JB

Finally, PapaRich arrived in JB. I have been reading a lot of blogs about this cafe but don't really have a chance to try it. It's located at Taman Sutera Utama, the most happening place in JB right now which has almost the most eateries in JB. Above is their signature bun which is actually the Mexican bun. I like it....!!

Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang. The gravy is not bad and the portion is quite big too.

I had the Asam Laksa. It taste ok but not as good as those in Air Itam Penang. Anyway, it's ok, meet some standards but I find it a little spicy for me. What I like are the chunks of fish meat inside the bowl.

As someone who loves coffee, I like their coffee most. It was very aromatic and similar to the Ipoh White Coffee.

The place was so crowded when we were there last Saturday for lunch. I noticed that a lot of folks had their curry mee, not sure if it's really good. Probably will try it in my next visit.

Paparich JB is located at Skudai - No. 26, 26A & 26B  Jln Sutera Tanjung 8/4, Taman Sutera Utama 81300 Skudai, Johor

Tarot Cafe, JB

Tarot Cafe in Taman Sutera Utama, JB

Don't get me wrong, I am not going for fortune telling with Tarot cards. This is a newly opened cafe in JB at the prosperous Taman Sutera Utama, which boasts almost the most makan places in JB. I just did my medical checkup with wife at a nearby pharmacy and thought it's a good idea to have breakfast there.

Potato Cheese Bun

There was no special breakfast sets there but we enjoyed their buns. The above potato cheese bun cost around RM5.90. Quite good!!

Hot Dog Cheese Bun

I had this Hot Dog bun since I'm a hot dog lover since kiddy days. A lot of cheesy stuffs melted at the bottom of the bun. This cost RM7.90.

Tarot White Coffee

And, not forgetting my usual cuppa of morning coffee. The coffee was 'kao' (thick) but compared to the usual angmoh coffee, it is not so aromatic. Cost RM2.80.

Tarot Cafe - 29, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/2, Taman Sutera Utamas, 81300 JB.

Paintball

It's a long, hectic week for me again and  it's great to be Friday and weekend. However, I only worked for half a day today as I have volunteered to play for my company for the annual Paintball game which was organised by a local computer society. This was my second time on Paintball, where I played once, two years ago.

If you never heard of Paintball, it's a team effort game, where teams will played against each other carrying a Paintball gun each. There are various objectives but usually, it is to retrieve a flag or a box close to your opponents' territory. The 'bullets' or rather paintballs, are round and made of gelatin where the 'paint' inside will break out from the ball once it hits. The 'paint' is edible, taste like vanilla but bitter. More information of the game can be found here.

Paintball bullets

Well, I was a little nervous before playing, as I was bruised from the last experience and I thought I told myself I will never play the game again. LOL...Actually , the main reason why I got bruised last time was I didn't wear proper attire, just a t-shirt and track pants. This doesn't give me proper protection. I didn't suffer any bruises today as I wore an army uniform, which was borrowed from my ex-national servicemen colleague and covered up myself properly. Thus, if you wear the right attire, you should be fine. Check out some websites on how to protect yourselves. It can be slightly painful once you got hit and this is where the attire came in. You will be given a mask to protect your eyes and face and a vest to protect your body. Thus, all you needed to do, besides wearing a long sleeve shirt, is to wore a pair of gloves and a thick pants like jeans. Wear clothing in layers, if you are afraid of the pain.

My team...I have purposely blurred the images of my team mates for privacy reasons.

My team played two games and drew both. It was not a bad result as we finished joint third. It's quite an action game but you will surprised to see ladies holding the guns and braved the raining paintballs from their opponents trying to retrieve the 'box' and ran back to their base.

Ok, I'm looking forward to the weekend break now. :)

Financial plans

Sometimes it concerns me when I thought of my kids' tertiary education needs. That will be 15 years from now and it was a time when I'm also getting older and my income might be affected. It worries me to see things are getting so expensive right now and the term, 'live by your own means' can just be an advice but difficult to implement. Of course, temptations to buy cool stuffs are everywhere and it's not easy to resist.

I will be working out my financial plans soon, which I have been procrastinating all along or do not the 'stamina' and discipline in maintaining earlier plans. It's not easy to do one but my goals has been always -

1. Save at least 10% or more of your monthly income
2. Contribute some percentage aside for emergency funds
3. Grow your investment nest as money will depreciate
4. Contribute to your retirement funds
5. Work out an education fund for your children
6. Insurance coverage for family especially illness


The above seems to be a tall order ! *phew* How you folks plan your financial needs? Let's share it here. :)

Pro Ace UltraLight Badminton Racket

I walk into a dangerous zone this afternoon after lunch, and left with S$100 poorer! OK, don't get me wrong, I'm well and not robbed. I visited a badminton shop and again, got tempted with the varieties of rackets over there and got home a new racket - Pro Ace Ultralight. The S$100 came with a grip, bag and string. I guess it's very 'dangerous' for me to step into a badminton shop each time, especially those selling cheaper brands like Pro-Ace, Apacs, Fleet, Head and etc compare to the branded ones like Li-Ning and Yonex. I'm liken to a lady who went into a Gucci or LV shop! :P

Before this new acquisition, I have three rackets - My almost 16 years old Victor Lightning (which will remains as a souvenir for now), Apacs Nano Fusion Speed 976 and Head NanoPower 600. I've been using a 'posh' Yonex Armotec 700 (this was Lin Dan's favourite before he switched over to Li-Ning's racket) for three years but have sold it off recently as I don't have the shoulder power to wield this powerful gear, and always ended up with a shoulder injury.

Lin Dan with Yonex Armotec 700

I love my Apacs Nano Fusion Speed 976 as it's very light at 5U.Check out badminton weight units here. It's fast and easy to maneuver but then, I find that smashes were weak and not hard enough. I got a heavier Head NanoPower 600 at 3U, and I actually love it's wide body frame. It packs power but then, it's a little heavy for me especially towards the end of the two hour session.

Thus, I may have got my 'dream' racket today - a light 5U but slightly head heavy and wide-frame for power shots like smashes. It seems like this Pro-Ace Ultralight is a best seller though it has been around since 2008.

I haven't really tried it yet which I have to wait until next Tuesday and Wednesday for my next badminton sessions. However, the 'feel' of this racket seems good. Anyway, last but not least, at the end of the day, it's the skills that matters most  and not the gears.

Have a good weekend and enjoy badminton!

Action vs fear....

I am one of the special ones who don't have to go to work on a dreadful Monday today. Yes, I'm grounded by flu again last Friday. Lately, I seems to be quite susceptible to flu, after enjoying good health at the beginning of the year. I attributed this to stress and lack of sleep. Well, have to sleep early from now instead of the usual 12am or 1am. :(

I'm pondering on procrastination and fear. One of the most effective method to beat fear is to take action! I realise everytime when I'm worried about something, the longer I ignore it and delay it, the worst the fear will get. It's especially worst when you're resting on a weekend and the thought of that fear will definitely occupied your mind till you get back to work on it. However, taking action on it immediately, though it may take away some of your rest time, give you peace of mind! Some examples here are - delaying your difficult tasks, delaying your public speaking, delaying your visit to the dentist or doctor for checkup, delaying facing your problems and etc.

However, once action has been taken, you will  realise the peace and satisfaction derived from your ownself. Lately, I tried to talk as much as possible to an audience. Though there are anxious moments, I felt good after that, whether I did a good job or not. Hence, it's always better to face your problems as soon as possible to avoid it become a gigantic issue in your mind! Nip it in the bud.

Have a good week!