Smokers - Eat more fresh tomato if not ketchup

Though I am not a chain smoker here is a health brief for smokers at large.

Tomatoes may help protect smokers against lung disease, new research on mice suggests.
Japanese scientists found that mixing tomato juice into the animals' drinking water completely prevented them suffering emphysema triggered by tobacco smoke.
Emphysema is predominantly a smokers' condition which prevents the lungs working properly, resulting in breathlessness and wheezing.
Together with chronic bronchitis it is one of the chief causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, which kills about 28,000 people each year in the UK.
Emphysema damages the elastic supporting structure of the lungs, leading to the breakdown and collapse of airways.
Scientists in Japan made the tomato discovery while searching for a good animal model for studying the effects of smoking.
One strain of mice with lungs that aged faster than normal developed emphysema after being exposed to tobacco smoke for eight weeks.
When the animals' regular water supply was replaced with 50% tomato juice, it prevented them getting the disease.
Tomato juice was given to the mice because it contains a powerful natural antioxidant, lycopene, which is already known to benefit health.
Lycopene has been associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer in men. Tobacco smoke injures the lungs through oxidative stress, chemical damage caused by dangerous groups of atoms called free radicals.
Antioxidants, such as lycopene, prevent this happening. Kuniaki Seyama, one of the scientists from the Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo, said: ''Using our mouse model for smoke-induced emphysema, we wanted to intervene in the accumulation process by changing daily lifestyle, especially eating habits. We thought lycopene might be a good candidate.''
The findings were published today in the American Journal of Physiology.
The scientists said although they believed lycopene was responsible for the protective effect, other ingredients in tomato juice may also have been involved.
They now want to test tomato juice on human patients with COPD.

Cancer and You - Smokers read on ...........

Friend just send this article to me. Thought its a good reminder and infor to keep in my blog

CANCER : Not all cancers are the same. 1/3 is curable. 1/3 is preventable.
2 factors of cancer that cannot be controlled are AGE & FAMILY HISTORY.
CAUSES OF CANCER:
1. Smoking is very often the main cause of cancer.
It kills us silently and drains money from us quietly. There’re 4,000 harmful chemicals (though in diluted form) in one stick of cigarette. Taking one puff is 600 times worse than inhaling exhaust fumes from vehicles.

2. Some foods that cause cancer is :
a. Barbecued Food
b. Deep Fried Food
c. Overheating Meat
d. Food that is high in fat causes our bile to secrete acid that contains a chemical which is a promoter of cancer cells.
e. Food that contains preservatives, too much salt or nitrates, e.g. canned food, salted egg & veggies, sausages, etc.
f. Overnight Rice (where Aflatoxin is accumulated)
g. Food that is low in fibre : Our body needs 25gm of both soluble & insoluble fibre daily. We must drink at least 1.5 litres of plain water a day.
h. Contaminated Food (e.g. moulded bread causes our body to secrete toxins that may eventually lead to liver cancer in the long run. Never eat bread that is kept in room temperature for more than 2 days especially in a humid weather.)

3. Types of fat and which is the best?
Highly Recommended for Health :
a. Olive Oil - It does not absorb in our body. Aikkkkkkk this is new to me
b. Fish Oil - Omega 3 (contained in NI’s Circulytes) has poly-unsaturated fat. It’s good for our brain cells.
c. Peanut Oil - It contains Vitamin E. A small dosage is recommended only.

4. Not Recommended for Health
a. Vegetable Fat - Palm oil is worse than coconut oil. It is high in cholesterol and highly unsaturated.
Aikkkkk this very contradictory.
b. Coconut Oil - It has saturated fat. Fresh coconut milk is good for you though I think

5. Specific Food & Beverages
a. Egg when eaten too much can cause High Colon Cancer, Risk Ovary Cancer, Prostate Cancer.
b. Cabbage is highly recommended for health reason.
c. Tomato is best eaten raw with a bit of olive oil for better absorption. Other alternative is to take tomato sauce. There you r
d. Coffee is good because it contains 2 anti- oxidants. Inhale coffee aroma for half each day is equivalent to eating 2 oranges a day. However, the residue of over-burned coffee is extremely bad for health. It can cause cancer. Wow! back to the kopitiam to drink more
e. Tea, as long as it is in its original tealeaves and not processed into BOH or Lipton packets, it is good for health. Tea contains 30 anti-oxidants. Recommended dosage is ? cups a day. What they mean is Chinese tea lah.

EXERCISE AND BE FIT
Have a balanced lifestyle. Exercise regularly.
F : Frequency : 3 to 5 times a week.
I : Intensity : Exercise till we sweat and breath deeply.
T : Types of exercises : Find one that suits our age, lifestyle…
HAVE REGULAR CHECK-UP once we reach the age of 45 & above, it is recommended that we go for regular comprehensive health examination. Early detection may save lives.

Places to eat - HauKee Rest Cheras KL

Ah Peng relocated to Cheras . Once a while we do visit them and we were introduced to new places to eat. This restaurant have 2 names? Outdoor eating is available Parking is a hassle though.

We were feeling generous so we ordered seafood. The salad cod fish in special soy sauce was good and reasonable serving RM28. Then we have creamy butter gravy crabs in claypot and sweet & sour crab with mantau buns 2 kilo 3 big ones RM72..... finger licking good. The spicy french "lor" was a let down RM28 for a small serving 1/2 kilo. Everybody love the fried lotus root dish which have walnuts. This time round cost us RM200 plus.

So brothers if you wan to try got to book a table in advance during weekends.

Guard Cat?

This cat is a guard cat. " Dont mess with my master's car
erhhhhhhhh! or purrrrrr...................................

Birdie in the Wild series 7

Yellow Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus goiavier). The is medium body 4-5 inches with a nice long tail. The adult have some yellow plummage at the tail end and white breasted. It does not sing but have a monotonous chirping. They are loving couples and sometimes threesome.........their sibling I guess

Birdie in the Wild Series 6

Koel is a very elusive large bird. Size of a black crow but slender with shining greenish black coat. They are loner unless when they want to mate. Shot this bird in Petaling Jaya. At my place there is one but very difficult to sight it but you can hear them calling to lure female mate . The male give out sharp squalling sound which can be deafening.


This flock of tiny birds Cardinals just flew down on the tarmac and I quickly snap them before they flew away. These are field birds. looking at their beak they can crack open nuts and fruits to get to the seed and core. This is the first time I have seen these ones with crested chest.

Food for Thought - Yong Tow Foo

We were at Ampang Village for YTF. Apparently the original one was at the old market but since then the business closed shop. I guess there is no succession from the siblings. Anyway must have made their money. Further away there are 3 YTF operators all doing good business.


The most diversified and with many branches is the Hometown YTF but for authentic sweet sauce you got to try Foong Foong at the far right corner.


They actually prepare the YTF on the spot and the gravy soup my son love most. Each piece cost RM0.60. Price will go up during CNY

On Sunday no vegetable or rice been served. I don't know why. So ordered more lady fingers and brinjal.

Food for Thought - Chee Cheong Fun

Aaar yes my favorite anytime food. Different places serve differently. Well the best I tasted is in Ipoh is the superior chicken tangy sauce using "kei chee" with succulent chicken meat and mushroom . Apparently he had francised its recipe to a guy in Puchong

The other place I must go is

Birdie in the Wild series 5

This weekend was another fruitful day got to snap a wild green pigeon. A pair of them were actually nesting on one of the tree at our garden. My auntie accidentally
brought down its nest while trimming the branches. When they fly you can hear its unique flapping sound. I guess they are seed and nut eaters. I have yet to see them feeding on field plain though.




Now the next bird I took looks like a king fisher but its size is smaller Actually it is a Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus). I have seen the colorful one fly over our residence. Got to go the lake nearby to really snap its photo.

Medicinal Plant Series 2

Basil - My friend 's mother sweared that eating basil leave cured her cataract. We do love to eat them raw especially with ketchup mee. It is easily grown by cutting and placing the stalks in pot of good aerated soil. It grows well with morning sun and to shade it from the afternoon sun.

You can get a good size bundle at Pasar Rakyat or Pudu market for a ringgit or two. We will use the stalks for replanting. It can also easily propogated by seeds.


It floral pungent odour is somewhat blends with my chilli sauce concortion of Lingam & Kimball tomato sauces with fresh onions and chopped basil leaves and not forgetting some virgin olive oil. The dipping sauce goes with fried shui kow, keropok udang or fritters.

3rd aunties also make a healthy salad from the basil leave using seaweed big onions and spring onions and purple cabbage marinated with lemon juice and sugar

Birdie in the Wild series 4

Wow I am really hooked on this bird watching stuff, Here is another 2 new birds that can be found at our place. This one is the most wanted for its singing ability. The Magpie Robin Every morning and evening we can listen to them and they can actually follow the tune of your whistling!
They also comes in a pair. There are people who snare them and put them in cages for their entertainment. "2nd Uncle" God bless his soul used to have one or two.
They keep the bugs and caterpillars in check



The other one that is even more sort after is the Merbuk /Turtle Dove of the pigeon famili. They actually have bird singing competition every year. And the rich are willing to pay big money for the the champion It not uncommon a good crooner bird to fetch RM10,000- 50,000! They are field ground grazers of seeds and nuts and insects

Langkawi Part 6 the finale

Well the final 2 nights were spend at Tanjung Rhu Resort. It was a full board affair so what the hell we eat and enjoy the facilities to our very best............ but still misses certain things. The beach was very clean and tidy. They actually "lawn" the sand on the beach every morning!

We were one of the few locals staying there. Mostly "ang mo kio" or asians. But over here the concierge and restauranteur greet all their guest by their name. 5/5 rating there.

Kar Hui & I went canoeing and then sailing on a catamaran. We managed to see a pair of dolphins too. We start hitting the water with our oars but they never come closer. Then a boat with tourist cameby and the dolphins went out to sea..... we notice one of them has a scar wound; maybe injured by engine's propeller.
















In the evening the sea water receded and open up a pathway to the opposite isle...just like Moses did ............... 4.00 -5.30pm you are allowed to walk over.... lifeguards on dingy boat are on standby. Along the way you really get to see jellyfish as big as a basketball and mollusc the size of your palm! It about 1 km out...... no tsunami here though



The best part of the stay is of cos the food and drinks. From breakfast in room to outdoor dining the food was first class. The Saffron restaurant was always booked way in advance we missed that fine dining.

There is a spa section which is very exclusive and excluded from our package. We got a free 10 minutes head rubdown though. Here are some pictures of the place. There is also a new olympic size pool beside the garden pool and sand pool

Happy Birthday

Happy birthday greeting
...............to all the ones who are celebrating their birthday today May U have a happy and prosperous new year just the same

Food for Thought - Popiah

The Star newspaper had an article on one of my favorite food THE POPIAH.

My favorite is the "Taiping popiah" which crabmeat is used which was once selling at Alisan food court at Semua House Mesjid India KL area. There was also a stall by the son in Taman Megah which I stumble upon. I can finish 4 rolls at one go. Any of you guys know where are they now. Hello out there!!!!!!!! Pleeeeeeeeeese help.

The McAlister road in Penang is another good one with similar crabmeat ingredient but not as sweet as the above. I have tried the Swatow Lane's popiah ...........not bad but not really that good either. I prefer the pasembur prawn fritters there and the fruit rojak

The other one that I frequent now is the Sisters Popiah at Imbi Market. They have now franchised their recipe and you can get it in several shopping complexes. Theirs is the crunchy type with fresh cucumber and the sauce is like the Chee Cheong Fun's. RM1.50 a piece.

Birdie in the Wild series 3

Caught another few birds in pictures today This definately a Bee eater or a Robin. Its about 2 inches in length. A bit broader than the Sunbird

This is a Oriole or yellow mocking bird/ Aussie kookabarra ? sounded like one....wild guess. They come in pairs ..... whether for life I do not know.

They have big beak to breakup nuts and pick larger insects like grasshopper I suppose. Photo taken 30 feet away high up the yellow flame tree.

Birdie in the Wild series 2

BEE EATER

This one was hanging around on the TV antennae far away. Can recognise its tail. Suddenly it swopped down in lightning speed onto this branch where I was patiently waiting for other birds to comeby to feed on the wild cherries.It got this long spike tail . Looks like a bee eater to me.


















Next is this tiny little bird another Robin?..... 3 inches long the most........... in bright red streak and blue coat. Insect eater I think. It likes to chirp. Hopping here and there in search of caterpillars or ants. Update this is a scarlet backed flowerpecker

Malaysia 2006............A year in uncertainty?

We watched the KLCC fireworks display from afar. Nothing much awe in the air among the crowd at Bkt Keramat. A bit sober actually. This time around the firework display was nothing spectacular nor in variety. KarYee was a bit frighten and just looked the other way inspite of mum assurance. Earlier that night we have dinner with CheePeng's family in Cheras The "si yao" cod fish was good and came in a large serving while the pork ribs was a bit tough but manageable. Definately will bring mum..... there total cost RM100 for 5 dishes. The place serve a variety of crab and their lala-lala soup uses clams big ones

Canon 350D - EF 35-135mm IS USM was used. 3sec exposure Asa 100 f5.6 manual focus. Still a bit blurish I suspect camera shake on the flimsy tripod and I forgot the remote trigger.

What is in store for us........Malaysian in 2006........my prediction is

............well based on the pyrotechnic display this year not so changgir and sama sahaja........mmmm it will likely be another stroll in the economy. The leaders of the economy are still hoping for foreign investor to pour in but is the government widening the door to usher them. U tidak suka u keluarlah balik!!!!! will still echo in resonant in 2006. No foreign CEO required here but malaysia can "do it " just need foreign consultant who are paid millions monthly. Will we see bail out and excuses all over again in 2006?

Pak Lah will recover from his lost and begin to set clear direction for Malaysia????????????? or leave to the corporate vultures to abused the entrusted people's fund ........... \I don't think so and I believe the PM will bring out his whip and start lashing in 2006. No second chance for anyone who do not tow the line. If not the "toothless tiger" talk will continue in the kopitiam.

hAPPY nEW yEAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and always look at the positive side