.....times of refreshing.....

What would you do if you are having a day off but cannot go anywhere far, for example, you have kids at school and your spouse is working ? You have to fetch them from school and work at a later time but you still have the day to yourself? I guess most of us will sleep late on the day before and wake up late on that off day, then turn on the tv or surf net , play candy crush or some other games to pass time, probably get some fast food for brunch ? This seems sounds good.

However, I guess the best is to wake up early, run or workout and have a great breakfast after that. After a nice shower, do something that we wanted to do all the while , or even catch up a movie which we have missed at the small or silver screen. Finished all our personal work that we have been neglecting like writing a post for a blog, budgeting, working on our part-time income (if we have any) , update our CV (maybe that may land us in a better job), house cleaning, read a book and etc.

Oh...you may wonder why I write this ? Cause I did the former over the last weekend and somehow I felt lazy especially waking up late as it can make us a little less sharper and grodgy. So I thought, let's wake up early and do something useful if I cannot go anywhere far. Agreed?

Oh.. I was back at Niniq Bistro in JB  and had something light.

A ice-blended coffee for a hot day

Ham and cheddar cheese sandwich

Have a good and fulfilled weekend!! :)

Sake Sashimi Don

Some tobiko sushi with mayanaise

Chicken teriyaki Don

Tempura Udon Set

And a cup of refreshing hot green tea

There's always a way out for every bad situation! Think positive and have a victorious week!

I actually thought about this subject while I was running in a gym last week. In fact, it was something I read 20 years ago in a book called 'Being Happy' by Andrew Matthews. Well, that's one bad thing about running alone, you will think a lot of stuffs compare to yoga , games and meditation. Coming back to my topic, do you realised when you are fearful of something, the more you exaggerated that fear and when that happens, the more fear you built up in your mind? For example, you have a fear of flying. When someone try to talk you out of that fear, another related fear will comes to your mind. Our mind is very efficient and when you believe in something, that something really makes it 'real' to you.  For example, you friend tried to assures you that planes are the safest vehicle in the world with all the thorough checks. Then, you may start to think what happened if the technicians lapsed in their duties and forgot to check this and that ? The list of fears will go on and on. I called this 'fortune telling' , where the fearful one will anticipated all sorts of fearful events that may unlikely to happen.

I guess the remedy to this is try to challenge this negative thought. For example , just keep telling yourself the plane is very safe and the organisation is very effective and organised since it is such a big corporation where lapses are almost zero, with so many experts maintaining a plane. Keep repeating this alternative thoughts or better still, write it down. (Btw, I am not flying to anywhere for vacation yet if you thought of asking me... Lol) This applies to all fearful situations like public speaking, driving and so on. Just tell yourself to speak slowly and everybody makes mistakes, so it's ok to make.

I have been watching an idol singing shows lately in 'The voice of China'. I thought some singers sang very well until the mentor pointed out their flaws. Thus, for the majority of us, we do not realised or spotted any flaws the singer had made, but only the professionals. So, most of the time, even if we are giving a speech, only the folks who know the subject very well will spot your mistakes and thats a small percentage. :) It's ok to make mistakes , after we are just humans.

Meanwhile, I did some shopping at IKEA SG at their Tampines branch and finally got to eat the salmon set again. I love this set, it's very healthy, delicious and filling.

It's a long post and I wished you a good week. :)

I usually didn't get enough sleep during the weekdays as I tend to delay my sleeping time till 1am before I finally had enough of 'waking time' and hit the bed. LOL ... Somehow I am always busy during night time, there seems a lot of non-work related to do and yes, blogging is one of them, besides reading all sorts of online news especially football as well as books.

Anyway, after a 5KM run yesterday, I was really tired and I had 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep till my biological clock woke me up at 7.20am, 40 mins earlier than my alarm clock. I felt so refreshed throughout the day and that also reminds me that though I workout, took supplements but I still didn't sleep enough most of the time. Thus, it's really time to put away this bad habit and sleep early. After all, a good night sleep makes me a more jolly person and more energetic in work as well as exercise. Having a flexi-work time, I can go to the office earlier and leave early for my other activities.

On the other hand, I still find the Singapore fried bee hoon is one of the best dishes around here. No matter which food-courts I went, the bee hoon never failed me most of the time. It was filled with lots of small chunks of meat,slices of fried egg (you can asked for an extra fried egg), vegetables and squeezed some lime juice onto it and it was really good for an hungry stomach. Well, after all, it was called Singapore bee hoon, so it must be good in Singapore. I love this dish since I started working in Singapore back in the mid-90s.


Have a good weekend and remember to sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. :)

I had a long meeting in the afternoon today from 2pm till 5pm. And, after the meeting, my colleague invited me for a coffee to wind down. So, we ordered two cups of kopi and started chit-chatting. Initially, I was asking him why he stopped working out since he likes to exercise and he started telling me about his ADHD kid which requires a lot of his attention after work, which makes him no time to workout. I felt sorry for him as well as feel bad as I always teased him that he's getting lazy. At the end of the conversation, a word of wisdom struck me which really makes him feels good. I told him everybody has problems, be it finance, health, work, family and etc. What you perceive a person as having a good life is not really true as he/she might have other problems that you may not know. For example, I told him he has kids but some couples may be trying hard for a baby or some rich people are facing family politics at home and poor health. So, he should be fortunate and cherished what he has, which applies to us all. :)

Btw, I reached home early last Friday in order to avoid any jam at the CIQ where last Friday morning, there was a commotion where some factory buses refused to pay the toll hikes and everyone walking across the causeway instead for 30 mins. Since I am home for dinner, my kid suggested Japanese dinner and there we go. I took the pics with another phone cam which doesn't turns out to be very sharp.

Salmon and kani maki ... I always loves salmon maki while my kid never failed to order kani maki.

My wifey bento set , which consist of salmon teriyaki , edamane , salad and some vegetables.

I can't remember what this roll is called when it's sure crispy

This is a part of my bento, braised pork. Of course, I only ate the lean meat. :P

The sashimi that comes together with my bento

This vegetables taste and looks like kangkung ...hmmm...

Agedashi tofu ... i love it!

And, my bbq shiitake mushrooms. I always likes mushrooms!

Stay cheerful always, folks and do keep in mind problems are signs we are alive!! :)

I was not feeling too good especially on the first and second day of the work week. Not sure why , probably could be due to working blues, forgettable weekends (thanks to the fri and sat weekends in Johor), some personal decisions to made and etc. Anyway, thanks to exercise again, it manage to lift me up after a workout routine which comprises of weights and cardio exercises. Well, I was at the gym on Mon and Tues evenings and I certainly felt better gradually , especially after a good night sleep!

Don't get me wrong as I don't look like a bodybuilder but then, I have been working out regularly and I really felt that exercise can makes us feel good and lift up our mood. It also makes me sleep better and feel more relax. I guess I look more healthy too. There were times when I felt lazy to workout especially on a late evening, like 8pm, but I do try to force myself to go and once I am there, all the laziness has gone and I felt so much better after the routine.I also recently consumed a light protein supplement to help me in my workouts.

Thus, if you have been exercising, do continued to keep it up and if you thought of doing so but haven't started yet, I do encourage you to take the first step but slowly and gradually.

After a badminton session tonight, I decided to have something healthy where I order a salmon steak at Hot Pepper meals. :)

it's still sizzling ....!!!

Sweat it out , folks!

One of my friends wrote in his facebook that he used to run to keep fit and shed the extra fat away but however now, he run to melt the negative and emotional feelings away. While I was jogging last week in the gym, suddenly this statement dawned upon me as I was feeling kinda down then too and jogging is really a good way to melt these negative feelings away. I felt a little better after the jog and it's true indeed the run makes me felt good.



Thus, whenever you don't feel good, try some exercise. Just go for a run, a swim or cycle. It will certainly makes you feel better.

A refreshing cup of americano

Salmon Steak...love the gravy

I had a pleasant Sunday service in my church today. Somehow I felt good after the church service. Maybe its due to prayers by the Methodist Bishop of Malaysia where my church invited him to preach as well as conducting the Holy Communion service. Somehow this reminded me of what I read in Norman Vincent Peale's (author of The power of positive thinking. I recalled he wrote in one of his books that even you don't listen to the sermon but by attending church will makes you feel good. I was not very focus on the sermon all the time ( which is normal ...hahaha) though I understand the gist of it. However, I felt really good after it, especially after I woke up from a nap in the afternoon,

Meanwhile, I had a fabulous dinner at Yew's Cafe in JB. It's been awhile since I have dined there and I ordered a Sirloin steak with herbs while my wifey ordered a fish fillet for the kids while herself had a yang chow fried rice.

Fish fillet in cereals

Sirloin Steak with herbs butter

I truly felt refresh after a church service. Have a good week!:)

Strange, somehow I recalled a piece of advice from a classmates back in the 90s then. I remember he told me whenever I wanted to do something, do it wholeheartedly with 100% efforts else do not do it. We may set a lot of goals and have a lot of wish lists but somehow, if you are not interested in putting efforts to get it, chances are you will attempt it half-hardheartedly and give up. On the other hand, don't do it if you are not interested rather than being greedy in wanting this and that. What do you think ?

Btw, I had this yummy, delicious and rejuvenating beef noodles soup at Niniq bistro and bakery, JB. The soup was damn good while the beef was very tender. Dipped it in their chilli and it was really good! This should be Indonesian type of beef noodles as Niniq is famous for their Indonesian cuisines.

The beef noodles I had at Niniq Bistro in JB

It was quite a tough week leading up to Easter today. Last Saturday, while eating, one of my molar tooth chipped. Though there was no pain, that really gave me a hard time and lots of frustration and anxieties as well. Morever, I gotta be on training for the following week and if I go for an extraction, I was not sure if I can recovered on time. And, it was Sunday the next day too and there won't be many dentists around. Thus, I decided to 'tahan' the tooth for the entire week leading to my appointment on last Friday. It was a tough week, as I needed to be on course and sat for an exam on the third day. With that, I needed to study at night. Then, my company been calling me on and off while I was on course and the little fear in me of going to the dentist doesn't help. I was wondering would it be an extraction, filling or the big thing, root canal. Filling will be unlikely though this is the best option for me and I guess it will likely be an extraction as the tooth has chipped. A portion of the tooth actually came out. If it's an extraction, I was wondering would the dentist needed an operation, as this is a huge molar tooth!! Aiyo... all these thoughts kept on lingering in my mind, while I preparing for exam.

I was actually 'trained' not to fear the dentist since young as yearly, the clinic at my school will always summon us for extraction, filling or scaling. With all these years of  'training', I was not really that fearful of dentist and even bravely went for my wisdom tooth extraction in my younger teens. However, five years ago, I had a cavity where it bled profusely after the extraction and also, I went in and out the dentist's clinic for almost 5 times for a bridging and crowing works, in order to 'implant' back the missing tooth. After all these are done, I began avoiding the dentist ...... till last Friday.

 I was quite anxious leading up to the appointment but once I am in the clinic, which are those modern type, I began to feel better. There was no sound of drilling, no smell and the dentist was very friendly. The environment was clean and wifi was available too! Then, it was the procedure. The dentist seems to be quite humourous and also take time to explain my tooth's problems on a LCD screen and he recommended filling. Voila..... I felt so relief. The procedure lasted 30 minutes and I never felt so better after that. I was asked to come back for scaling and polishing three weeks later. It seems like I am back to my old self. The procedure cost me RM250.

I guess choosing a good dentist with modern equipments helps a lot compared to those old school clinics. And, over the weekend, I had some good food. :)

Chocolate Sundae for my kid

Strawberry Sundae for my little princess

Lovely ham and cheese toast

My favourite coffee with milk

Enjoying!

yummy!

Cheese baked rice ....

Curry Laksa

Fried chicken

 I guess we have face all fears sometimes and some of the best way to cope was to tell ourselves we can cope with it and try to relax. Another thing is, better to solve a problem faster so that we don't have to endure the problem for too long and get over it. :D

Btw, I went to Raffles Dental at Taman Molek, JB. Have a good week!

It's almost mid-Jan and as the year kicks in, work are back as usual. Gone are the peaceful, quiet but joyful days of December and work stress started pilling up. Well, I do enjoyed the festive mood of Chinese New Year in the malls now, where the Christmas has been replaced with red lanterns, paper firecrackers, plastic flowers and etc. Not forgetting the joy of buying new year goodies and clothes.

A simple but healthy pasta

Strawberry latte

My favourite pandan  kaya toast

Travelling to a small town always have its benefits especially if you are a city dweller. I just love the environment, quietness, the old houses, less jammed roads, simple malls, friendly folks, better air quality as well as the cheaper and nice food.

Well, I am not exactly at a very quiet town but Kulai is still a getaway for most Jb or Singapore folks. The town was no doubt developing with the Johor Premium Outlets around as well as a new township of Inderapura but it's still remains a humble place. I was on the way to JPO and took the old trunk road on a rainy afternoon and pass by Kulai. We stopped by a corner shoplot kopitiam which was famous for its char kway teow.

It definitely whet up our appetite on a rainy day in an old kopitiam, which crowded with the local folks. There were lots of food being sold there. The Char Kway teow really lived up to its expectations and the kway teow was smooth. There's really enough 'fire' in the plate of noodle as you can tasted the burning smell in the noodles.....if you get what I meant. And, you gotta queue for a while before they served you!

Yummy!!! I will come back for it whenever got chance!

As a coffee lover, I order a cup of kopi-O and the coffee was really 'kao' (thick). That's really to my delight. It really refreshes me for the afternoon visit at JPO.

Nice 'kao' kopi

Add extra dish....bbq pork and roasted pork

The bbq pork and roasted pork were good too. We on our way to JPO later.

Again, pay a visit to some small towns can be therapeutic as it can help one to wind down and relax with the slower pace of life, as well as the surroundings. Just give it a try, drive to somewhere near for a day trip and have a good time. :)

I always believe it's important to stay calm and serene throughout our life instead of tiring the mind with panicky and anxious thoughts. I knew some friends of mine love to think negative and as a result, they feel anxious and depressed. I especially knew one guy who is an assistant manager and had his own business too. He had a daughter and a working wife. However, he still anxious and keep deliberating on the bad things in his life, like how tough to run his business, how difficult to manage his subordinates...etc. I'm sure he's enjoying his life challenges if he take on a more positive approach to his problems and maintain his calmness.

When one is calm, relax and alert, he/she can take on problems easier compared to those who are anxious. For example, if one met with a car accident, he/she can calmly work out on how to move on rather than those who are panicky and just froze. Just an hour ago before I wrote his blog, one impatient car driver just overtake me from the right in the opposite lane when I was about to turn into another junction, with my signal on. I'm sure he can reduce the risk in his life with some calmness and patience.


Some of the ways I thought of in order to help us maintained our serenity is through regular meditation or exercise. I prefer the latter and that's the reason I work out, though there are, of course other physical benefits. After a workout, I felt much calmer throughout the day or next. It's like medicine to me. Even a 20 mins run did me good.

After weeks of late nights, finally I can leave slightly earlier tonight and have a good workout. It's been a while since I last workout and as someone who needed exercise like a drug,(uh-oh) and amid having a tummy, I can finally released all my stress and let the good endorphin flows in my body.

And again, I like to emphasis exercise is great. It helps us to calm down, feel more relax, overcome a bad day, less anxious, manage our emotions better, sleep better as well as strengthens our muscles, heart, reduce weight and etc. Just do a google and you get a long list of it's benefits.  However, from my experience, I find that the best is to workout till you huff and puff, where try to have a strenuous workout instead of strolling around, in order to have the feel good effect. Of course, do seek medical attention if you have not been exercising for a while.

If possible, workout till you drop....till you cannot take it. One of the better way to achieve that is to play games that you love. For example, I love badminton. Thus, I tried to play some singles matches till I really feel that I have had enough. After a nice dinner and shower, I really feel good!


Just some sharing after a nice time with a workout. Have a good mid-week. :)

I was chatting with my doc-friend last saturday and he pointed me to read this article on Psychosocial development by the late Psychologist, Erik Erikson. It was an interesting insight into human's phychosocial development and I believe most of you could have read this before, especially those who worked with children. If someone who didn't do too well at some stages in life could affect his psychological well-being. Happy reading and the below article is taken from About.Com (Psychology)

Erik Erikson

 Psychosocial Stage 1 - Trust vs. Mistrust

• The first stage of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development occurs between birth and one year of age and is the most fundamental stage in life.
• Because an infant is utterly dependent, the development of trust is based on the dependability and quality of the child’s caregivers.
• If a child successfully develops trust, he or she will feel safe and secure in the world. Caregivers who are inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or rejecting contribute to feelings of mistrust in the children they care for. Failure to develop trust will result in fear and a belief that the world is inconsistent and unpredictable.

Psychosocial Stage 2 - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

• The second stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development takes place during early childhood and is focused on children developing a greater sense of personal control.
• Like Freud, Erikson believed that toilet training was a vital part of this process. However, Erikson's reasoning was quite different then that of Freud's. Erikson believe that learning to control one’s body functions leads to a feeling of control and a sense of independence.
• Other important events include gaining more control over food choices, toy preferences, and clothing selection.
• Children who successfully complete this stage feel secure and confident, while those who do not are left with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt.

 Psychosocial Stage 3 - Initiative vs. Guilt

• During the preschool years, children begin to assert their power and control over the world through directing play and other social interaction.
• Children who are successful at this stage feel capable and able to lead others. Those who fail to acquire these skills are left with a sense of guilt, self-doubt and lack of initiative.³

Psychosocial Stage 4 - Industry vs. Inferiority

• This stage covers the early school years from approximately age 5 to 11.
• Through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities.
• Children who are encouraged and commended by parents and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their skills. Those who receive little or no encouragement from parents, teachers, or peers will doubt their ability to be successful.

Psychosocial Stage 5 - Identity vs. Confusion

• During adolescence, children are exploring their independence and developing a sense of self.
• Those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement through personal exploration will emerge from this stage with a strong sense of self and a feeling of independence and control. Those who remain unsure of their beliefs and desires will insecure and confused about themselves and the future.

Psychosocial Stage 6 - Intimacy vs. Isolation

• This stage covers the period of early adulthood when people are exploring personal relationships.
• Erikson believed it was vital that people develop close, committed relationships with other people. Those who are successful at this step will develop relationships that are committed and secure.
• Remember that each step builds on skills learned in previous steps. Erikson believed that a strong sense of personal identity was important to developing intimate relationships. Studies have demonstrated that those with a poor sense of self tend to have less committed relationships and are more likely to suffer emotional isolation, loneliness, and depression.

Psychosocial Stage 7 - Generativity vs. Stagnation

• During adulthood, we continue to build our lives, focusing on our career and family.
• Those who are successful during this phase will feel that they are contributing to the world by being active in their home and community. Those who fail to attain this skill will feel unproductive and uninvolved in the world.

Psychosocial Stage 8 - Integrity vs. Despair

• This phase occurs during old age and is focused on reflecting back on life.
• Those who are unsuccessful during this phase will feel that their life has been wasted and will experience many regrets. The individual will be left with feelings of bitterness and despair.
• Those who feel proud of their accomplishments will feel a sense of integrity. Successfully completing this phase means looking back with few regrets and a general feeling of satisfaction. These individuals will attain wisdom, even when confronting death.

This article may sounds heavy but I guess it's great and fun to understand more about us and see what's went wrong throughout our lifetime. Have a great week!