The Whole New Me

This whole new me has already started from the moment I found out that I'm pregnant. Well, I still indulge sometimes while missing those times when I just ate whatever I wanted and whatever pleased me but then it left me thinking about just how miserable I feel. So now I'm gonna be the healthiest I ever be. You're hearing it now. This is my declaration. I'm going to not "do better," but actually cut real things out of my diet. I'm going to be better.

So here's what's going out the door:

Soda

Coffee (I cried about this one, no more caramel macchiato)

Sushi

Tea

Coke

Durian

Soft cheese

Most fishes

Too much sugary food/drinks

What that means for my choices: 

Vegetables (more and more greens, more and more fresh choices)

Fruits (more and more fresh, seasonal fruit. Less canned/packaged stuff) 

More high protein that is lean - chicken and beef

More non fat and low fat dairy

More and more and more water 

More nuts and dried fruits as snacks

Light popcorn with movies 

More grains and cereals and juices

It's really happening. I don't know what part of me flipped a switch the second half of this year but I've really been on a roll. Despite everything that's been going on around me, I feel together and I've been actually setting my mind to real goals again. Go me! 

I tried to do something similar to this diet change before, but I didn't have the motivation of feeling this awful behind the decision, in all honesty, a lot of these kinds of choices we make are made purely on the vanity of the choice or ourselves. But this time it's because I'm pregnant and I'm doing this for my baby. Also I really need to get back on my yoga routine. I can't wait to start tonight with more fruits, no late-night indulgences and then wake up at the right time and actually do yoga. 

Be a Special Idiot

A few nights ago someone asked me if I’d read the article, "26 reasons not to run a marathon". It's a few nights before I joined the Borneo International Marathon (BIM) 2015. I hadn't read it. But now I have. Though the author brought up some great points, like running marathons isn't for everybody and it could physically damage you if you're not properly prepared, etc...there's no reason to instill fear.

There's no need to make people feel like their heart's going to stop or their knees are going to fail them, or that they're wrong for only wanting to run a marathon to brag or flood Instagram with pictures of finisher medals. That's their right. So now that I've read the top reasons NOT to run a marathon, and I've JOINED a marathon on 3rd May 2015, I've compiled my own little list: 19 reasons to run a marathon.

Here goes.

1. Feel like a super hero

Super Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Black Widow...pick whichever tickles your fancy because you'll feel like any one of them.

2. Improve discipline in other areas of your life. 

During training periods you can be disciplined in every aspect in your life from work to diet to exercise. There's something about being able to focus your mind for hours upon hours that really sharpens it. Discipline brings a whole level of clarity to life.

3. It's a great people replacement

You recently got dumped? You and your best friend fighting? You moved away from your family? You lonely? Well marathon training can be your friend. Yes, like the author of the other list said: You will sacrifice part of your social life but when you're missing part of that social life to begin with, endless hours of running can certainly be a stand-in for a few months. And if you join a running group or training team, you might just make new friends.

4. You might make new friends

I met some new friends at the BIM; from kids to old people, from the locals to foreigners. It's fun. Yay for new friends!

5. It restores your faith in humanity

I know it sounds depressing, but having perfect strangers, both fellow runners and onlookers, encourage you when you're in pain and want to quit restores your faith in humanity. I've never seen so much goodwill and willingness to pump others up happen in a non-tragic setting.

6. It gives you an excuse to celebrate

Marathon days are pretty much better than birthdays in that you get to celebrate your own awesomeness on other than just the day you're born. People will want to take you out to eat, your parents will reinforce how wonderful they think you are and your partner will be reassured that you're the most amazing person on the planet. Selfish, I know, but true.

7. You'll discover what works for you

In terms of food as fuel, shoes, clothes, you'll find out what works for you and what doesn't.

8. You'll help worthy causes

Raising money for good causes gives you motivation to train, plus that extra self-righteousness that comes from doing good.

9. You'll learn about new products

Ever had chafing on your thighs? Underarms? Not yet, but you will and that's when you'll learn about new products like Body Glide or creative ways to use Vaseline.

10. You'll learn more about yourself

Hours upon hours running give you plenty of time to be alone with your thoughts. You'll learn what's really bothering you in some aspects in life and you'll have time to mentally sort through and figure out solutions. It's a very meditative time.

11. You'll push your limits

If you say, "I can't," to a lot of stuff, marathon training will rid you of that shitty habit. When you're not training, no matter how many marathons you've run, the thought of running double-digits is outrageous. "I can't," you might think. But when you're out there and you do it despite you mind's can'ts, you learn to push yourself past any former perceived limits. It's exhilarating.

12. You'll feel fitter, stronger than ever

There's nothing more horrible than slipping on your skinny jeans and realizing they're the only skinny ones in the situation. That doesn't happen during marathon training. You feel like a fit, sexy beast.

13. Bragging rights

Oh your friend ran a 10 km? How cute. You? You ran that 10 km after you already run 20 miles. Boom.

14. Improved cardiovascular health

But this is only true if you keep running. Don't run a marathon and then give up running altogether. Be cute and run that 10 km with your friends, you don't have to run marathons all the time to remain healthy.

15. Amazing sleep

You'll never sleep as well as you do after a long run. It's just blissful.

16. Inspiration

Whether you finally become inspiring to yourself or you're inspiring others or you happen to meet some inspirational folks, there's no shortage of inspiration when it comes to marathons. Plus, when life gets to sucking as it inevitably does at times, you can look back on that accomplishment and remember how at one point, you felt freaking invincible.

17. Post-marathon feast

No one can feast like a person who just ran a marathon. I'm personally not too hungry after a marathon, but the simple fact that at that moment I have the freedom to choose whatever I want to eat without guilt is enough for me to not regret the months of training.

18. Swag

One of my favorite parts about running a marathon is the expo: Free food, swag and good times taking pictures and getting free gears. It's like a carnival. Who doesn't love that? Plus at the end of the race you get a medal. If you're a lazy ass kid who didn't like to run, like I was, then you didn't get medals for this kind of thing when you're little. Now you do.

19. Because you want to

My biggest pet peeve is people telling others what they can't or shouldn't do. Your brother double-dared you to run a marathon? Show him you're in and run it! You wanted to do this before you turn 40? Do it! Wear your medal to your 40th birthday party if you want. If running a marathon is what you want, and you're overweight or scared you're going to drop dead during the race, then get healthy, lose weight and then train. My moral: There's always a million reasons to NOT do something, but as far as I can see the best reason TO DO something is because you want to.

Run Baby Run

It's been interesting for me to see what keeps popping up on the blog, the topics I return to again and again: writing and places and spaces, colors and lists, tiny moments from the everyday. For whatever reason, though, I never wrote about running. Well, I used to be an avid jogger. I'm not an athlete but running was a big part of my life when I was 18, 19, 20..the center of my sanity, really. Those great moments..went to sport track every evening (that's where I met Ifo for the first time. Hah.) and ran like my whole life depends on it. But then I went to college and stopped going to track even it's just few minutes walking from my hostel.

I believe that sports were the relief of the day, the cutting loose after hours and hours spent sitting at a desk. But I don't really do sports, so I turned to running. Well now I'm not an overly enthusiastic runner. Not really a consistent one, either. Because, well, let's face it: some days it's just not happening. Some days, sleep feels better than any run ever could. But when those days turn into weeks, that's usually a sign of my disposition and I can say with confidence that running is the marker of my state of mind.

When I look back on the roughest patches of my life, the times that I lost myself, or someone else, I realize that running was absent. Whether it's because I didn't have the energy, or the time, or the drive, it just didn't happen. As soon as my feet hit the pavement again, things began to turn around, each and every time.

If I had to say why I love running, if I had to explain what it does for me, I think it has something to do with the memories it carries. When I run, I sometimes feel a bit like a kid again. Like I might be part of a police-and-thieves game, or playing tag, or on the soccer field. My senses bring me back to those moments: steady breathing, aching legs, sweaty face. I love running because of this: for once, and for one heavenly hour of my day, my mind moves from the mental to the physical. I stop worrying, stop over-thinking, stop planning and re-planning, stop making mental lists of everything under the sun.

Instead, I listen to my breath. The pounding of my feet. My heartbeat. And it's listening to my own heart, I think, that saves me, that brings me back to myself. It's the only thing that keeps me present. And isn't that the best way to be?

Since I've got a pair of new shoes (thanks, bae), I've been running a lot. I'll take that as a good sign. So let's run.

Hope and Mental Illness

Mental illness is just one of those topics that remains a bit taboo though it's 2013 and it affects more people than we could possibly realize. From depression to hypochondria, there's so much we don't understand. Of course not. It's not as simple as a diagnosing a broken arm, nor is it as commonly curable as sore throat. We aren't even sure if mental health is curable.

That's the thing, there's just so much we don't know. But just because we don't know doesn't mean we can't try to understand and even sympathize. And for those of us who can, empathize. So when I see insightful articles being shared and passed around among the masses it makes me feel as though there's hope. Hope that the more it's talked about, the more awareness that's brought to the issues, the sooner we'll be able to more openly discuss these hardships, the sooner more therapies and cures will be found. 

So here's just something I'd love to share with you. 

On depression:
Adventures in Depression by Hyperbole and a Half

At first, I'd try to explain that it's not really negativity or sadness anymore, it's more just this detached, meaningless fog where you can't feel anything about anything - even the things you love, even fun things - and you're horribly bored and lonely, but since you've lost your ability to connect with any of the things that would normally make you feel less bored and lonely, you're stuck in the boring, lonely, meaningless void without anything to distract you from how boring, lonely, and meaningless it is. 

On Insomnia:
In Which We're Up All Night by Elizabeth Gumpert

A cure that leaves you groggy or hungover is no cure at all. The point of sleep, after all, is that it's supposed to restore energy, and hope. It makes you alert enough to do things, and optimistic enough to believe they're worth doing. If you wake up feeling otherwise, what's the use?

On Depression after weaning:
The 2 Hardest Months Of My Life by Joanna Goddard

One afternoon, while taking a walk along the Hudson River, I told my mom, who was visiting us, that I wished that Toby had a different mother. He deserved more, I thought. I felt like such a failure: I had always wanted to be a mother. I always had baby fever. I always looked forward to having children. But now that I had a sweet, curious, beautiful baby, I suddenly couldn't handle motherhood. I felt exhausted and inept. 

On Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
OCD: Clearly My Doctors Were Off Their Rockers by Anna Allen

At first I was relieved, and then I was mad. Mad that Barbara Walters had never even addressed the fact that this kind of OCD was real. And then I was even more pissed that I didn't have the hand washing compulsions, because then, at least, people could see what was going on in my mind, instead of seeing me act normal, while my mind was full of intrusive, terrifying thoughts.

And, please, if you feel hopeless, remember these things:

How To Take Care Of Yourself When You Feel Suicidal

Just because your life feels unbearable now doesn't mean that it'll feel this way forever. Try to remind yourself of all the times in the past when you felt miserable and hopeless and lost and how each time, the pain eventually passed and life worked itself out - maybe not in the way you imagined, but things got better nonetheless. Now is no exception. This pain you feel can and will pass. If you give up now though, you'll never discover that better place, so keep holding on. 

Hope is real, hope is near. You are so loved.

When tough times come, it is particularly important to offset them with much gentle softness. Be a pillow. - Vera Nazarian

Raining with Mercy

Imagine for a moment that it’s raining and imagine that you're inside your house, watching as it falls. Well, it's pouring, in fact. But imagine that there's something very different about this rain. It's unlike any other you've ever seen. It's not raining water, it's raining something much more precious to you. Imagine that it's raining money. What would you do? What would happen in your neighborhood on that day? What would happen in the world? Would we not run outside, falling all over ourselves, competing to gain as much of the raining money as we can? Would we not stand outside all night to gather as much as possible? We would do this for money because money is precious. But imagine for a moment that it's raining something priceless. Not thousand money, not trillions, but the mercy of Allah, a currency that no human currency could even measure.

In this Ramadan, we're shielded from hell-fire, protected from the satan and cleansed from our sins. Within this month, there's a night that is greater than a thousand months (lailatul qadr). So, what greater loss can there be than to find ourselves standing in the middle of this massive downfall of blessings without collecting all we can of Allah's mercy? And while this mercy showers on us throughout the blessed month, the last 10 days are like no other. But how can we fully take advantage of this blessed month, especially in the last 10 days? Here's a few ways:

1. Reserve a private meeting with Allah.

Set a time before or after suhoor to be alone with Allah. Use this time to connect to Him by praying or reading Quran. There's no other time like it. 

2. Set a time for reflection.

In the midst of our busy schedule, we seldom find time to stop and relax, let alone reflect on the realities of life. Make time to do this. Take time to step outside of your daily routine and introspect about where you are and where you’re going. Reflect on the creation around you and on the  reality of this life, death, and our final meeting with our Creator. Choose a time, such as the last third of the night, when there are no distractions.

3. Take a trip to Allah.

We all need to get away sometimes. Use Ramadan as a chance to go away with Allah as your companion.

Source: Yasmin Mogahed

We're getting closer to the end of Ramadan. Let's make the best of the remaining days. 

Ramadan Feeds your Soul

Alhamdulillah, it's Ramadan. It's a month not only of self-restraint and control, but rather a month where we can truly appreciate the hardship that those without the guarantee of food at the end of each day go through. For Muslims, gratitude and patience go hand in hand and both are intertwined as well as deeply practiced in this month. Feeling grateful is a genuine feeling of being blessed with everything we've been given.

Often we find that the darkest times in our lives are followed by the most precious. And it's at the moment when everything looks broken that something least expected lifts us and carries us through. Like the sun that rises at the end of the night, our dawn has come. Allah has sent the light of Ramadan to erase the night. He as sent the month of the Quran so that He might elevate us and bring us from our isolation to His nearness. He has given us the month to fill our emptiness, cure our loneliness and end our soul’s poverty.

Every moment of Ramadan is a chance to come back to Allah. Whatever we're now going through in our lives is often a direct result of our own actions. Most of all, we must never be deceived. Imagine receiving a clean slate. Imagine having everything you ever regret doing erased completely. Ramadan is that chance.

By controlling and restraining our physical needs, we gain strength for the greater battle: controlling and restraining our nafs (soul’s desire). When fasting, every hunger pang reminds us of Allah. Don’t make fasting just hunger and thirst. While fasting, understand the whole picture. Remember that fasting is not just about staying away from food. It's about striving to become a better person. And in striving, we're given a chance to escape the darkness of our own isolation from Allah. Like the sun that sets at the end of the day, so as Ramadan that will come and go, leaving only its mark on our heart’s sky. Make the best of it.

Happy Ramadan. :)

Fiction Friday: The Self that Remains

Tom was one of those people we all have in our lives. He's someone to go out to lunch with in a large group, but not someone I ever spent time with one-on-one. We had some classes together in college and even worked in the same lab for a while. He's a good-looking man and almost all girls, including me, had crush on him. But I didn't really know him. Besides, he's out of my league and my love was not the overwhelming kind. Even so, when I heard that he had brain cancer that would kill him in four months, it stopped me cold.

I was 19 when I first saw him in a class taught by a psychologist, Kay. I'd seen Tom at the coffee house, the library and around campus. He seemed enthusiastic and had an exaggerated way of moving that made him unusually focused. I found it uncomfortable to make eye contact with him because his gaze was so intense and I was afraid if he can read my mind.

Once Tom and I were sitting next to each other when Kay told the class about a his colleague who had just died a few days earlier. He told us that his colleague had been a close friend, and had called a month earlier to say he had just been diagnosed with a brain tumor. The doctors said that he'd lose his memory, not his ability to form new memories, but his ability to retrieve old ones, and that he'd lose his old self.

Tom's hand shot up. To my amazement, he suggested that Kay was overstating the connection between memory and overall identity. "Losing memory or not, you still like the same things," Tom argued. "Your sensory systems aren't affected. If you're kind or a jerk, such personality traits aren't governed by the memory."

Kay was unruffled. "Many of us don't realize the connection between memory and self," he explained. "Who you are is the sum total of all that you've experienced. Where you went to school, who your friends were, all the things you've done or all the things you've always hoped to do. Whether you prefer chocolate ice cream or vanilla, action movies or comedies, is part of the story, but the ability to know those preferences through memory is what defines you as a person."

The room was silent. I looked over at Tom's notebook. "Psychologist contemplates losing his mind," Tom had written.

Tom and I crossed paths again years later when we were both working for a research company. I saw Tom in the halls from time to time, said hello and that's it. I wasn't sure if I still had that feeling, but it didn't matter though because I was content with my life as it was and again, my love's not the overwhelming kind. After I left the company to begin an academic job, I ran into a woman from the company who asked if I'd heard the news about Tom.

"He has an inoperable brain tumor. The doctors say he has four months to live. He just got back at his apartment. I just visited him. You might want to drop by and say hello, " she said.

I called the number she gave me immediately and a caregiver answered. We made an appointment for the following day. "He's not so good first thing in the morning. The drugs. And some days aren't good at all. Call first and I'll let you know how he's doing. Apart from that, I should warn you, he doesn't remember very much, the tumor has wiped out his memories of the past."

It's called amnesia.

The next day came. When I knocked at the door, the caregiver invited me in and led me across a fluffy white carpet to the living room. When Tom walked in, I stood up. He came over, shook my hand and said, "thank you for coming."

His hair was thinning, he'd lost weight, but otherwise he looked the same as I remembered him. The same narrow face, same smile, same gaze.

"I don't know if anyone told you," he started, "but I have a brain tumor that affects my memory."

I nodded.

"Please forgive me for asking this, but I do this with everybody. Could you tell me your name again and how it is that I know you?"

"Um...my name is June."

There was neither recognition nor nonrecognition. Just a calm, interested face staring back at me.

"We were students together at Stamford," I continued. "We took a couple of psychology classes together."

"Oh, yes, I have a degree in psychology."

"We were in Professor Kay's class and we worked in a lab together."

"Who?"

"Professor Kay, the psychologist."

"Did I love his subject?"

"Yes, I think you did. You always seemed pretty focused."

"That's good. I'd hate to think that I was doing something I didn't enjoy. So we were students together. I guess that was many years ago. Did we stay in touch after that?"

"Well, we ended up working, a few years later, for the same company. A research corporation."

"Did we work together?"

"No, we were in different divisions. You worked with Jesse, and I worked with Bob. But we saw each other from time to time and I was interested in what your group was doing. Your team gave a really good presentation during the annual roundup. I remember you had worked on a very clever new musical instrument called the bead box."

"Huh?" he said, looking at the ceiling, "the bead box. Doesn't ring a bell. But I don't get many bells ringing these days!" He laughed, a trouble-free laughter and it sounded so nice.

"Well it was very cool," I commented.

He looked over at me. "So, were we friends?"

I just stared. Would it be rude if I told him that I never really thought of him as a friend? I mean, if one person thought of another as a friend, and the other person denied it, that would be hurtful. Should I tell him that I had crush on him? Of course no, I shouldn't. Tom had no memory of me one way or the other. As I was thinking this, he spoke.

"It's okay. There's often this...gray area, I guess you'd call it, in human relationships, isn't there? We meet people, we see them every day, we say hello, but we don't really know them. We say they're our friends, but really, you can't be friends with the hundreds of people you meet, can you? It's enough that we had a shared history together. We were in the same places for a time. We were part of each other's fabric." He made a rubbing gesture with his fingers and thumb.

The phone rang. The caregiver brought it to Tom. It was his mother. Listening to his end of the call, I understood that she herself was bedridden and was not doing well. This was their daily call. I got up to leave but Tom motioned for me to stay. The caregiver took the phone away when he was done.

"It was nice of you to come. It was helpful too. It's comforting to put together the pieces of my life, to see what I've done. To know that there were kind people like you who were in it with me. Thank you," he said.

Then I left, walked down the stairs, past the apartment building, back to my car. Then I sat in my car with the key in the ignition, not wanting to move. Professor Kay felt that when we lose our memory, we lose our entire sense of self. When I saw Tom, something fundamentally Tom was still there. Some of us call it personality or essence. Some call it the "soul." Whatever it is, the tumor that took Tom's memory had not touched it.

I cried, finally. I don't know what did I cry for. But somehow the feeling suddenly became overwhelm. Tom has always been in my memory and I'm glad to know someone like him.

Those Moments

Love can be hard and grueling. You know, one of those moments where you wish you just weren't capable of love? We all have it, rare as it may be, it's the moment that you wish you couldn't love so that it can keep us from the pain of watching people we love forget; forget who you are and what you meant to them, where their mind slowly slips away and you become a stranger in those eyes. Those eyes that now fear you.

People with Alzheimer's disease could make you feel those moments more than you should, because you don't want to feel the pain of watching your loved one slip away in such an ungracious and undignified way, for them to lose everything that meant something to them. I've watched some movies about Alzheimer's and heard friends' stories of their grandparents affected by this disease. Although I never have experience of spending time with people who have Alzheimer's, but I can feel the heartache from the stories I heard. 

Imagine the sadness fills your heart every time you visit your grandparents and they stare up at you and say, "who are you?" or "why do you look familiar?". My heart would break. I wish everyone I love will never suffer from Alzheimer's or any kind of diseases.

Because Facebook is not Life

Hey loves! Oh such a lazy Saturday. It heavily rains outside and I have to admit, I'm an utterly lazy person when it's raining like today. It's something about the dreary weather that makes me want to cuddle up with hot tea and do absolutely nothing. Also, my mind seems to wander more....to unproductive, irrelevant places..and once again contributing to my theory: rainy day makes me a lazy lady. 

So I'm just listening to some oldies, scrolling through tumblr, vibering with Ifo, reading friends' blogs, hearting pictures on weheartit...wandering aimlessly just like my mind . I should have a new name; Wanderer would be nice..like Wanda in The Host. Okay scratch that. 

I'd just love to share something I found in Thought Catalog. It's the 16 reasons you should spend less time in facebook. Did somebody just say "ouch"? I know this is an old cliche, but I think this is important for everyone and no offense, people nowadays have unconsciously spent a big chunk of their lives on facebook. Let's check out why you should limit your facebooking time:

Because you’re procrastinating doing work that's relevant to your life.

Because you don’t actually care about 75% of the people on your facebook.

Because rants are annoying and a day can’t go past without someone ranting on there.

Because you don’t need to know what's going on in that many people’s lives.

Because you don’t need that many people knowing what's going on in your life.

Because a lot of people are faking it.

Because 85% of it is useless information that you'll soon forget.

Because you’re comparing your life to what your friends depict their life as.

Because photos of sonograms and daily baby bumps do not enrich your life in anyway.

Because relationship statuses or a lack thereof don't tell you anything about the relationship status.

Because your ego is way too tied to your facebook interactions.

Because you’ll give less of a shit what people think and there is a lot of freedom in that.

Because you’ll spend more time and effort cultivating and maintaining real relationships.

Because you want to like people and have faith in humanity.

Because wouldn't you rather be living your life than posting about it?

Because Facebook is not real life. 

Enjoy Your Life

When Hard Work is a Joy

Food Product Development (FPD) is one of the subjects that I take for this semester. As a part of assessments, we're divided into teams to establish companies and develop new innovative food products. My team, Yummy Kids World Sdn Bhd have developed soy pancakes, namely Yummy Tummy Pancake, and yes, we're targeting on children since we fell under category of food for 5 to 6 year-old kids. This is the reason I spent most times in labs and to be frank, it's the most challenging subject so far. All of us have worked so hard until the day of FPD Exhibition and Competition 2012, which was yesterday at our faculty (School of Food Science and Nutrition). 

The event was a collaboration between faculty and Adabi Consumer Industries Sdn Bhd. So the judges of competition consisted of our lecturers and Adabi team including the president of Adabi, Mr Abdul Hady. The products include soy pancakes (ours), instant cereal drink, sweet potato brown rice crackers (best booth), spinach biscuits, breakfast cereals, energy bars (2nd place), mix chicken cake (3rd place), chicken-filled croquette (best product - 1st place), ravioli with dhal paste, chicken balls, seaweed and hinava flavored pizza, and fish patties. I loved them all.

The judges went from booth to booth for product testing and judging, which was both nerve-wrecking and exciting. They gave us constructive feedback including comments and suggestions, and we're delighted when one of lecturers praised us saying "I've never tasted such a delicious pancake before. Your pancake is even better than the ones that are served in hotels. I love it and if I were you, I'll take the challenge to sell this product in future." Touché! ^^

Even though we only won the consolation prize, it's still a joyful day. Besides, we didn't expect to win at all because the bottom line is that we wanted to learn and have more experiences for future's sake. And yes, I've learned so many things and had fun in so many ways. I enjoyed working with my team and together we've made unforgettable memories. We've also had so much fun with other teams and been very supportive all this time. Congrats to my friends who won and I'm wishing the best for all of us in next chapters. 

our developed food products.

my team: Yummy Kids World Sdn Bhd

we made it!

they won The Best Booth.

me and Umi, my best friend and one of the team members that won The Best Product .

with my Chinese friends.

It's fun to be a food technologist. ^^

Follow the Brush

If you follow the paintbrush with your eyes without moving your head, it forces you to use eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), which is a therapeutic technique to calm anxiety or panic. Watching fish swim causes the same effect. 

Keep calm and enjoy your life. I love you. ^^

P.S: I tried this, and it actually makes me sleepy. :p

The Best Way to Shake Off Stress

We've heard about many typical ways to manage stress. How many of us do really put them into practice? Well, exercising is actually the perfect way to release stress. And I've found some simple and cute steps of stress-releasing exercise. Let's do this. 

Step 1

Of course, breathe...inhale, exhale..

Step 2

Relax your neck and shoulders by doing this:

Step 3

Swing your arms and strike a pose!

Step 4

Move your body to the right, then to the left.

Step 5

Move again to the left and right again. Yeah that's right.

Step 6

Swing your arms lightly like you're going to fly without troubles.

Step 7

Shake your body a little bit, you know, to shake off the problems.

Step 8

Be aggressive! Throw your body away like nobody's watching. You can jump if you want.

Step 9

Turn your head around..

Step 10

Grab somebody and loosen up together. It'd be nice if you turn up music.

Step 11

Dance like Hawaiian hula girls.

Step 12

Last but not least, raise your hand up to sky and say "I am awesome!".

LOL. You can try these steps at home, office or anywhere. I hope you'll be free from any kind of stress. Heeeee......

Good luck, be happy and have a great weekend! ^^

We Do What We Do

This is the best way to describe my field, because most people, even my family, thought it's all about cooking. We're not chefs, we're food technologists. 

Have a great time. I love you. ^^

P.S: Ramesh Kumar, whoever and wherever you are, the infographic is so cool, thank you for making it.