Domo-kun!

Domo-kun, a famous Japanese monster character, achieved high popularity among youngster in the market place nowadays. It is undoubtedly CUTE~ (maybe for some people, it is NOT!) Still, I like Domo-kun.. heheh=)

I wanna have a Domo-kun toy.. RAWRRRRR..

New Zealand ~ a place like no other...

New Zealand, is a wonderful and beautiful country I have ever been to a couple of years ago. The breath-taking scenery of meadowlands and mountains, the moderate climate, the people with great hospitality, the nice food and the peaceful society overall bestly described New Zealand...

Here are some of the interesting places in New Zealand...

One of the largest cities in northen part ~ Auckland

Lake Taupo

Cruise overview in Wellington

Christchurch Cathedral

Mount Cook

Meadow in Queenstown

Things not to be missed out...

Bungy jumping! Haha.. but I don't dare to try..

For more details, click on this website 100% pure new zealand

In short, I'm fascinated... I wish one day I can visit New Zealand again! =)

BELIEVE in Miracles!

When I'm physically, emotionally, mentally weak...
When I'm deep down in the valley...
When I can't bear with the situation anymore...
I'll listen to this song... "When you believe"...

I like the chorus part, and would like to share...
"There can be miracles when you believe
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achive
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe"...

YES... you will, when you believe...

Going green with Cedar...

Hmm, what's so special about this handphone? It looks normal only... Hah! I tell you, do not be fooled by its small body and simple form, Sony Ericsson Cedar is different from other handphones. It is one of Sony Ericsson's GreenHeart products.

Cedar acquire green applications such as Ecomate that gives you advice in making smarter, greener choices in a fun way. The carbon dioxide calculator within also gives you an overview of your everyday carbon emission. The phone is made of 50% recyled plastics, while the accessories such as head set is 100% pure recycled plastics. Upon packaging this gadget, no plastic bags have been used. The originally printed manual is now replaced with an electronic version within the phone in order to save paper.

Stunned?! This little gadget indeed aids in lessen the environmental effects caused by normal cell phones.. Hmm... Probably I'll go for this phone as doing my part in conserving the environment! =)

A quote from Mother Teresa

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it"

~Mother Teresa~

LAUGH OUT LOUD.. LAUGHTERCISE???

LAUGHTERCISE??? Have you ever heard of it?
I have found an interesting article about laughtercise... LOL!


Now that there is a new craze of yoga reaching the four corners of the Globe. That’s right, you can now laugh yourself fit and lose weight by doing so. The craze started in India by a medical doctor and it has reached over 50 countries and followers are reaping the health and fitness benefits of it.

Burns calories

Just like us you are probably wondering how laughing can help you to lose weight. It is actually an aerobic exercise, believe it or not, and it gives the diaphragm a good workout, as well as your core and abdominal muscles. You work plenty of other organs and muscles, including your facial muscles which will help to lose the wrinkles. Roughly 30 minutes of laughing is the same as 15 minutes of cycling and it’s a lot more fun and has been scientifically proven.

Stimulates appetite
As soon as you have finished exercising, you appetite decreases, which may be down to a raise in body temperature. However, once the temperature is back to normal, your appetite increases, because when you exercise you are burning calories, which will stimulate appetite due to the loss.

Helps to overcome stress
You may not feel like laughing when you are in a stressful situation, but because it is similar to an aerobic exercise, it actually encourages more oxygen to be taken to the brain and the rest of the body. This will in turn help to reduce the physical and emotional effects of stress and switch the immune system back on, as it is ‘switched off’ due to stress. This is due to a rise in cortisol which is released when we laugh. It helps to leave you feeling great and creates a positive attitude.

Lifts your mood

When you laugh, the brain releases certain chemicals in the brain and the main one is endorphin. These are known as ‘feel good hormones’ and will help to put you in a better mood. You get the same natural high from laughing your socks off as you do from exercise.

Helps to fight tumours
In the mid1990s, Dr Lee Berk from the Lorma Linda University in California found that laughter increases the number of natural killer cells in cancer patients. Natural killer cells are the body's way of fighting tumors. Click Global cancer control for more information =). 

Regulates blood pressure

When there is an increase of blood flow to the brain, it helps to lower blood pressure. It has also been found to help to relieve the symptoms of other illnesses such as hypertension and heart disease. In other words, laughter is a good medicine and good for your heart health too.

Here is a video showing a laughter club in Mumbai, India:

Wow! It looks FUN.. Come come.. Invite friends to join in groups for this full, hearty belly laugh..=)

"A taste of Hakka"

I suddenly crave for my granny's home-made 擂茶 or people called it "thunder tea"... My granny can cook 擂茶 very well, and normally make me ask for more! Well... since I'm a Hakka Chinese, just let me introduce some of the delicious and popular tastes of Hakka.

One of the Hakka cuisines that you should not missed is of course the 擂茶!

This is a drink made from ground vegetables, nuts and other nutritious ingredients. It is prepared using a pestle and mortar. The action of pounding and grinding is "lei", sounds like thunder. That's why it is known as "thunder tea".

To make a savoury soup base, one could add fried anchovy, dried shrimp, pickled radish and long beans. Most of the time, cooked rice is added to the soup to make a complete meal. Yup... 擂茶 is not only delicious, but nutritious as well! I recommend this to those who have yet to try, you'll love it!

 

 

Another one will be the 酿豆腐 or yong tao fu!

酿豆腐 is a deep fried tofu, usually filled with minced pork, salty dried fish and fish paste. A little bit of starch powder is added to the minced meat to make it more bouncy and chewy. Seasonings such as pepper and salt is also a basic, which can further enhance the aroma of the fillings. Yum.. yum... this is one of my favourite as well! =)


Haha.. and lastly the 算盘子 or yam abacus seeds!

算盘子 is a mixture of yam and rice dough rolled into small rounds and lightly pressed into shapes like abacus seeds. It is best come up with other ingredients such as mushrooms, dried shrimp, fried shallot, spring onion and garlic. Depends on individual whether you wanna boiled it or fried it.. both also taste nice!

Your tummy is growling, and saliva is dripping right?? Haha.. Just have a try on these food, I can ensure that you'll never regret.. =)