Saturday, December 29, 2007

Food and Skin

Your diet affects your skin.

According to the article here.

Green tea and red wine helps prevent wrinkles.

Drinking water helps hydrate the skin but healthy fatty acids such like Omega 3 helps retain it onto the skin.

Apparently sugar and chocolate are bad for the skin, not only they work the effect the opposite of green tea, they'll make your skin ages faster. Woe is me~ :(

Same goes with coffee, spicy food, alcohol and stress. There goes all the beauty in life.

Which explains why we South East Asians grow old so fast!

We eat all the bad stuff and stop ourselves from eating healthy fats.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Losing 20 pounds

The other day I was asking my friend how to lose 20 pounds on msn...

Aliza says:

Ok...for the 20 pounds... 1st, you have to change the way you eat. Cut down on carbs...all carbs. So, that not only means cookies, cakes and chips...it also means rice, cereals and breads...even some high sugar fruits. Notice I didn't get rid of all carbs...you still need some carbs to live. So, the best are complex carbs like brown rice, whole wheat and yams. Otherwise, if you can stand it

Aliza says:

go carb-less during the week then allow yourself limited complex carbs on the weekend and 1 dessert after lunch.

Aliza says:

If you must eat carbs, try to do so for breakfast and lunch and none for dinner.

Aliza says:

Increase your veggie and fruits intake. You can actually eat as much veggies and fruits as you want as long as you stay away from the high sugar stuff like durian, mango, lychee. The best are leafy green veggies, celery, carrot sticks, broccoli, green apples, guava, pineapple.

Aliza says:

Ok...so that's the food part.

Aliza says:

Other than cutting down (drastically if you can stand it) on carbs, you have to excercise...at least 1 hour a day. The best time to burn fat is right when you wake up. While you were sleeping your body uses up the rest of the food you ate during the day and you wake up depleted of any energy source other than your body fat. So, when you excercise at this time, you are burning fat 200-300 times

Aliza says:

more effectively. If you can't excercise in the morning or when you wake up, then when you do have time...you must warm up for 20-30 minutes to deplete whatever food you last ate. Only after 30 minutes do you actually begin to burn fat. But be careful that you don't overdo the cardio...for women just light cardio will do...unless you're going for the muscle woman look. Heh.

Aliza says:

Then you should burn for 30-60 minutes a day or at least 3 days a week. If you have loads of time like me, you can do 2 30-60 minute workouts in a day to more rapidly lose fat. Ok...so food and excercise is out of the way.

Aliza says:

Once you get your food and excercise right, the pounds will start to melt off during your second week. Then it'll continue to melt off quickly till the last 5 or so pounds. They are always the most difficult. Since your fat will be melting, your skin will hang a bit...so this is the time to do light weight training and those 200 sit-ups a day!

Aliza says:

Ok...summary...3 steps to losing 20 pounds: (1) Limit carbohydrates (2) Exercise 3 times or more a week for at least 1 hour (3) Do light weight training

Nicole said:

omg.. 200situps? are u serious?!

Aliza says:

serious girl. start with 75...3 sets of 25 repetitions. work your way up to 90...3 sets of ninety. Do it right when you wake up and right before you go to sleep. Your tummy will love you for it.

Aliza says:

Abs are easy to develop though...it's getting rid of the fat that's covering it that's the problem! Now that's hard work.



She logged off and continued to SMS me from Bangkok:

Step 4: sleep 8+ hrs. step 5: double your water intake to 16 glasses (at 4 litres) to flush out fat & toxins. Tough but these 5 steps work. The end.




O...Kay.....

*Take knife out and slit wrist*

Saturday, December 22, 2007

M&M’s Peanut Butter – New Flavour

Chocolate became my sole addiction the second I popped out from my mom’s womb. No, it’s actually the day my doting mom first fed me with my very first piece of cheap Cadbury chocolate when I was, a baby maybe.

Yea I ate all sorts of stuff when I was young. Those were the days when food is just to let you grow taller, not wider.

And I have loved M&M’s since the dawn of time. (or since the day I tasted my very first milk chocolate M&M’s)

I was thrilled when I first discovered the yellow packet peanut M&M’s (god knows how old was I) and more ecstatic when they came out with the blue packet crispy M&M’s.

And when I was travelling to Thailand passing by the custom and duty free shop at the border in perlis, I bought myself my first pack of green party packet M&M’s – a mixture of all the above three M&M’s.

I have grown very fond of M&M’s. They’re so addictive, pop one in your mouth and you just wanna finish the whole thing, whether it’s the small packet or the big RM21 imported version M&Ms you get from duty free shops.

Now, M&M’s has once achieved another breakthrough by making itself my favourite chocolate of all time.

The new RED sizzling fantastic M&M’s Peanut Butter flavour!!! In Malaysia!! Finally!!!!!

M&M red peanut butter


WOW. Peanut butter!! Finally! I was wondering how long before they actually come out with this ingredient in their chocolate. About time~!

peanut butter m&m open


Ok, I’m biased. I LOVE peanut butter. I love peanut butter so much I can eat putter with almost anything. On my ice creams, my bread and butter, mix it with bread and banana (this is so fantastically delicious), bread and jam or jelly, or just scoop it right out of a jar and eat it just like that?!

Heaven!!! (I heard bread, peanut butter and lettuce is a great combination, don’t ask me, try it.)

peanut butter m&m


The peanut butter M&Ms are slightly bulkier than the original M&M’s, flatter and smaller than the peanut one, and more oval shape-like than the round crispy flavour one.

peanut butter m&m inside


Nothing goes better with peanut butter than chocolate. Just nothing. It’s simply heaven!!

blue peanut butter m&m


Thank you M&M’s for fulfilling my dreams~


I am not paid by M&M’s to write this.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Wise Advice from a Model/Actress

"When I was skinny and in really great shape...see the profile pic!...I warmed up for 20 mins, did strength training for 1-1.5 hours then cardio/treadmill for another 1-2 hours EVERY SINGLE FREAKIN' DAY. But, that was at the beginning of last year. Since then...I've been lazy."

A friend was describing about her exercise regime as an artiste to me. And went on,

"But, I need to get into shape again. Thank God my fat only goes to my face and my tummy. My arms, legs, butt and hips stay the same."

And this is how she looks like now.

aliza
Fat?! What fat?!


Okay, now I feel ashamed.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Hong Kee Tim Sum, Puchong (Revisit)

So I went back to the restaurant again a week after my first visit.

In fact, I love the place so much, it has become one of my favourite dining place in Puchong (seeing that Puchong don’t really have a nice, proper, cheap and quiet restaurant to chill at on any normal weekday).

Tuesday afternoon, you’ll see me there. Wednesday afternoon, you’ll see me there too. But there’s one day I definitely won’t be there - Sunday, especially in the morning. It’s insane!!! It’s so crowded I wouldn’t want to be the one to trip and fell on the floor, next thing you know I’ll be a mesh pancake.

fishprawnball


Anyway, back to my dim sum. This it some sort of fried fish prawn ball. I really like this, it’s very sweet and unlike the normal fish balls they have, this got flavours, a hint of black pepper to add to the spices and nice juicy prawn inside.

siu mai

One thing I like about this shop, is it’s the only dim sum place where you don’t see me complaining about Siu Mai. I know, dim sum is all about Siu Mai. What’s the point of visiting a dim sum shop and NOT eat dim sum, well, I for one. But their Siu Mai is really good and the pork is very filling, very meaty dish.

This shop has so many varieties of Siu Mai, there’s even a black pepper flavour (green skin) which tasted like pork steak. Yum~

har kao


My favourite steam dim sum dish Har Kao however, didn’t turn out the way I like it. The skin’s too thick, fillings contain too much prawn and no flavour. I mean, how can too much prawn be a bad thing right? But the fact that there’s no other ingredient apart from prawns simply destroys it.

cha lo mai


The only reason I visit this shop on a weekend is for their Cha Lo Mai (fried glutinous rice). This is to die for! I never like Lo Mai Kai (chicken glutinous rice) but I LOVE Cha Lo Mai and they only serve it on weekends. 5 stars for this.

prawn fritters


Again my favourite prawn fritters. :D

egg tarts


The egg tarts are really cute sweet little things; they come in bite size and are simply delicious.

The bill at this point (servings for two including drinks).

bill


On the third visit, I ordered.

fried pumpkin


Fried Pumpkin? Not too sure about the ingredient but it taste like some sort of pumpkin paste and deep fried in crispy strings, but my likey. Sweet dish, nice as desserts.

har kiuk


Har Kiuk. Or Fried Prawn Roll. This is really nice, a lot of fresh, juicy, chewy prawns, though I usually leave the crispy skin at both ends aside.


pai kuat


Pork Rib. I didn’t like it, my friend loved it. I guess it depends.

lotus leaf rice

Lotus Leaf Rice, delicious and very fragrant. Though I prefer Cha Lo Mai but it was a weekday when I had this.


Finally, nothing beats a good weekday brunch with a cup of thick milo ice to wash it all down.

milo


Overall rating: 4/5




Hong Kee Tim Sum
No.31 Jalan Puteri 2/5, Bandar Puteri,
47100 Puchong, Selangor
Tel: 03-83619522

No.18 & 20, Jalan SS22/25,
Damansara Jaya, 47400, Petaling Jaya.

No.38, Jalan USJ 9/5P,
47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor


Operation Hour: 7am – 3pm

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Remember the Old School Ice Cream?

When we were young (80’s babies), we have lots of uncles riding around in their scooter or motorcycle ringing bells selling cheap tri color ice creams on a cone.

motorcycle ice cream cart


Kids, like us, will go wild when we hear their bells ring or them honking away in a distance. It used to cost RM0.30 per two scoop, RM0.50 for three (sometimes it’s RM0.20 per scoop). And they have very neat three scoop cones stored away in aluminum tin cans on their scooters.

ice cream cones


Then they’ll open up another metal case at the back of their scooters where the ice cream is. Most of the time contain three different flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry. (I always opt for the Chocolate :D) all stored in one case.

ice cream cart


Oh, how I miss the old days. Sometimes when you walk along Melaka, you can still find some of these ice cream men riding their motorcycles ringing their bells by the beach. The last time I saw this is another state is in Kelantan.

ice cream


And even though it costs RM1.20 for a cone now, getting one is like a journey back to your childhood, walking hand in hand with your high school sweetheart slobbering over the exceptionally fast melting ice cream along the beach. Besides, the man is barely making any money seeing that nowadays people prefer to eat at Hagan Daaz or Swensens. What is RM1.20 anyway? So make sure the next time you hear the ever familiar bell from afar, prepare your coins and journey back to your teenage years, also to preserve this rare business from going extinct.

ice cream man


Care for one?

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

I want to fit into my jeans

I can't fit into any of my jeans. My expensive Levis jeans.

How sad can that be?

Why won't this weight go down. Gym time tomorrow.. again..

Been so hectic with work I totally forgot why I started this blog.

God dammit~

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Bijou, Mont Kiara – Dinner

Bijou is a sweet little café located below Damai condo next to a swimming pool in Mont Kiara that, if you’re not familiar with the place, is impossible to locate.

The first time I visited Bijou, it took me almost an entire afternoon tracing every inch of the ground in Mont Kiara looking for a café that might be built among the rest of the restaurants and happening place instead of inside a residential area.

Yes I was persistent, and glad that I was.

candielight


Because this place is one of the cutest by day, most romantic by night café I have ever been to; plants, pink and white pillows and curtains are its main theme. Café café was sweet, but that was more like fine dining restaurant than a café.

strawberry smoothie
Strawberry Smoothie – my date’s drink


The reason I revisited this place, and probably going to visit many more times again in the future, is for their menu.

Bijou categorizes their day into four parts: morning, afternoon, early evening and night.

And believe it or not, they serve over four sets of menu. Yes it means that not at any time of the day you visit this place, you will be served the same sort of the food. They have a set of complete menus for breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner individually.

ice chocolate
Ice Chocolate – my drink


And I love this place to bits.

The dishes we tried that day were Chicken and Duck Liver Paté,

chicken liver pate


This is an adorable, taste butt fulfilling dish; perfect as an appetizer to awaken your taste sensation. I shared this with my date and we both loved it! Reminds me of France where I used to drown myself in duck liver or goose liver (foie gras) paté everyday.


The Lamb Shank with herbal sauce

lamb shank
My date’s dish


Nice, the lambs might be a bit stiff but the seasonings were a good combination. They used mandarin as the main theme for their salad dressing which I think it’s really tantalizing when combine with the mutton.

Grilled Fish with Seasoned Vegetables

grilled fish with vegetables and seasonings
My dish


This, as warned by the very helpful informative waitress, can be quite fishy. But I was opting for something fishy that day so the dish came out just nice for me.

The fish fillet was decorated with shredded turnips and placed on top of a bed of seasoned vegetables and cranberry soaked onions. I must say, the onions were to die for. It’s a very sweet dish perfect for a sweet tooth like me.

I tried cranberries with many types of meat: beef, chicken, turkey; but never with fish and though personally I still prefer my cranberries served with beef the best; this was a very innovative and delicious meal for me.

grilled fish 2
Cranberry Sauce drizzled around the plate


Personal rating: 4/5



Bijou
Ground Floor, Damai Sari,
Mont Kiara Damai,
3 Jalan Kiara 2, Mont Kiara,
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-6201 2131

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Curry Yee Mee Laksa – Art Café, Melaka

As a pure Melakan (or Malaccan), born and bred, there’s nothing about this little town that I like more than its authentic dishes.

Having raised here, I have always seen Melaka as a state, a town and a place where I grew up, but will never stay nor live in. Like a bird trapped in a cage, there are just too many things out there for a wild ambitious seeker like me to experience than to be bound in this small ‘village’.

But having live through 23 years of my life, and gone to more countries than I could ever imagine when I was 17; I realized that, as clique as it might sound, it’s true when they say: there’s no place like home.


Therefore, I would like to introduce one of the most amazing dish I have ever tried; and discovered earlier this year, a treasure hidden in Melaka and even most Melakan have never tried before. (They might however been to this café.)

It’s called Art Café. Located within Jonker street, inside the alley and along the row of the red A Famosa Chicken Rice Ball restaurant (which serve low rated chicken rice balls, go to the one opposite it instead); you will find a wooden yellow giraffe standing outside this Dutch terrace house that is at least over centuries old.

Go in and order this dish called: Curry Laksa Yee Mee. (something like that)

melaka curry laksa


It has a very unique, fragrant taste that will send your taste bud sky rocketing.

curry laksa sideview


The santan is rich but not overwhelming, along with other ingredients, you will realize that Yee Mee Laksa is one of the best creation for Yee Mee dishes, and a very very creative and extraordinary laksa dish.

curry laksa sideview


And if your taste bud can take it.

Try their specialty drink here – cendol.

cendol drink


There’re not many places in Malaysia that serve Cendol as nice as this. Even though Cendol originated from Melaka, the dessert drink itself has lost its flavour somehow as I grew up. Many stalls that used to serve fantastic original Cendol have closed down and it is almost impossible to find any nice non-commercialized Cendol anymore (however I have discovered some rare nice Cendol that tasted like the real thing but that’s for another post).

This drink, is really nice. Try it, you will know why Melakans are so fanatic about our Cendols.

Another drink you can try here it their Mocha Ice Blended. Also highly recommended.

mocha ice blended 2


Time to make a trip down to the most historical city in Malaysia. :D




Art Café

No.11, Jalan Hang Kasturi,
75250 Melaka, Malaysia
Tel: 06-2922960
Email: calanthe_artcafe@yahoo.com