Happy 2010!

Hi Friends! Happy new year to you! Oh my, did another year just ended? Wow... and before you know it, it'll be the end of 2010!

So what am I expecting in 2010? A lot of great and exciting things, of course. So let me just list down TEN... (and this is by no means a new year resolution, cos we all know they don't really work!)

1. Start my MBA program... I am trusting God for this!
2. Run two half marathons... one in Champaign, Illinois (May) and the other most probably in Kansas City, MO (Oct), or Des Moines, Iowa (also Oct)
3. Pay off my PTPTN study loan... AT LONG LAST!
4. Rent out my house in Malaysia. Anyone reading this interested?
5. Get my Social Security Card
6. Get my U.S. Driver's License
7. Sleep under the stars a.k.a. camping (Ron my man, I'm counting on you for this!)
8. Watch a meteor shower (check out this 2010 schedule)
9. Hold a praying mantis
10. Visit Dr Eric Lien in Philadelphia, PA (May)

Ok, I know that some of you, well, in fact, most of you will be wondering... what about a baby??? Nah... not so soon. No baby at least for the next 4-5 years. I really wonder why people commonly have the notion that a couple should be having a baby immediately after getting married. I mean, at best, that's the most ridiculous idea, because it's not as simple as having sex and then 38 weeks or so later, bring a living being into the world. There's too many things to consider... financially, mentally, what about current situation... who's to take care of the baby, do we have the time, do we have the commitment? Given her current job circumstances, and my coming involvements, nah... we're not ready. Oh boy, how did I get into all this now? LOL :)

Anyways, have a nice new year. And I truly appreciate those of you who are still around reading my blog. I know that some of you go waaaaaaaaaay back! Thanks for reading this and I appreciate this friendship of ours :)

7 LOVES

Hi Friends! The weekends is coming so let me be the first to wish you happy weekends!

There had been many many many things happening to me over here in Columbia, MO, and I don't think I will be sharing all of that here. So to save all of you readers the trouble, I had decided to choose 3 most important updates...

1. Found and attending a great church - Faith Church St. Louis. It's about 2 hours' drive away from my place, but I really don't mind driving all the way (4 hours to and fro), because the message is Word-centered and very good. The pastor, Pastor David Crank is really cool and rocks, and the people there are friendly too.

2. Succeeded in getting that Toshiba laptop everyone was queueing for on Black Friday! $399 only for Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T6500 (2.1GHz); 4GB DDR3 memory expandable to 8GB; Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD; 6-cell lithium-ion battery (about 3.5... hours); DL DVD±RW/CD-RW drive; 16" TFT-LCD widescreen with TruBrite technology (1366 x 768); 320GB SATA (5400 rpm) hard drive; built-in webcam; and the latest OS i.e. Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit. Thank You Jesus!


3. My 3rd half marathon (1st ever winter race) is coming up!!! It's on the 3rd day of Christmas, which is about 3 weeks from today. Wow 3 more weeks left to train! I hope I'm ready by then, and I hope to run below 2.5 hours. Or else I'll be getting...

Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

Pray for me and cheer for me ok, even though you are not there :)

Actually I intended to do the tag by my friend Donna, hence the title of this post, but I guess I'll do it next post, and let this be just the prologue to it :)

Till then, take care and thanks for reading this! God bless ya!

Happy Veterans Day!

Hi Friends! Sorry I haven't been updating this blog as regularly as I used to. Not sure why though.

Anyways, this post is dedicated to honor all the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces, to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. These are the people who really made a difference, because I can't imagine what the world would be today, without them around in 1917, 1941, 1950, 1964, 1990 and 2001.

Of the 10 Federal holidays in the United States, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living Veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty.

So this goes out to you, Inge', the only friend I know who used to be a Marine! How cool is that huh?

Can I Help You?

Hi Friends! Having a superb Sunday? And I hope that your weekend has been going great so far. Yesterday was Halloween, but too bad, no kids came around asking for treats-or-tricks, else they would be in for a pleasant surprise ;)

Ok, back to business. If you still remember, starting last month, and then for every 1st Sunday of the month, I will accept questions from you. Yes, YOU! And I will try my very best to answer your questions, or help you with whatever problem that you have.

For those of you who are new here to this blog, you can read about last month's introductory post HERE, and the answers to the questions asked HERE, HERE and HERE. Pretty good response for a start, eh? I sure hope that all those who had their questions answered were blessed :) And for those of you who missed out on last month's, don't miss out this time! Don't be shy!

So... FIRE AWAY!

Around half the world in 1.42 days


Hi Friends! How had all of you been? Greetings from the United States of America!

Phew, I know it has been a while since I last updated my blog, and you bet I had tons of stuff to share!!! And I don't even know where to start!

It's 4:06am now here in Columbia, Missouri (MO), and it's COLD out there! It's 45°F, or 7°C. Thank God for the heater! My wife and I are keeping the house temperature at 75°F, which is 24°C, and thank God too, because with this cold weather, I can exercise without sweating much :)

Oh, before I forget, I must let ya'll know that I had signed up for the half marathon in Springfield, MO, on the 3rd day of Christmas at 2:30pm. Springfield is 173 miles away from my place (about 3 hours 53 mins by car). This race is part of the 10th Annual Run For The Ranch. Yeah, I know, my wife thinks I'm crazy too, since the forecasted temperature for the run will be around 43°F! Training alone is a crazy thing, since I would have to brave cold temperatures to go running out there! Well, I have less than 2 months to go, so wish me luck and pray for me! And I really want to do this, because firstly, I had never run in cold temperatures before, it will be exciting, and I can't just stop running because of winter. So I'm reading up and spending quite a fair bit on winter running gear, but I keep reminding myself that this is a one-time investment, since I will be able to re-use the same stuffs every year's autumn or winter :) I'm targeting to run below 2 hours and 30 minutes, since in my previous half marathon, I dipped below 3 hours. Hope that I can catch up on my training, since I'm almost 3 weeks behind, due to lack of motivation and discipline. Sigh... got to buck up, since the race itself is no joke, what more running in cold temperatures!


Anyways, back to my experience traveling to the States and my first 5 days here. Let's start with the flight... gosh! Thank God I made it, because in the flight from Hong Kong to Chicago, almost 30% of the flight was affected badly by turbulence. And it's not just simple rock-a-my-baby... it's violent rock-and-roll ok! Even the flight attendant commented that she had never experienced such a bad turbulence before in her many years of service.

The best thing about the whole traveling is... no crying babies, no big-sized guy beside me, I got the aisle seat, and the service is not too bad. Food sucks, so did the movies they played on United Airlines (UA), but what the heck, that's what you get for cheap tickets. Heard that they had free flow of booze, but too bad I ain't a drinker.

At O'Hare, Chicago airport, I was starving, so I had my first ever American McDonald's burger set meal, which didn't differ greatly from the Malaysian version. But the funny thing is, they had no chairs or tables, so I joined a few others sitting on the floor at the sidewalk... LOL! I don't know, but I think I could pass for a poor old Chinese beggar!


And I can't help noticing that I was the only black-haired, Asian-looking guy on the flight from Chicago to St. Louis. Welcome to America!


And oh, did I mention that they (UA) used this 39-seater plane to fly from Chicago to St. Louis? Very interesting experience! That must be the smallest plane I had ever sat in. Ok, ok, I know, for my American friends, they might be going... duh... but it's a first for me!

For $58, a coach carried me from St. Louis to my new home sweet home's doorsteps, literally speaking. It was a shared coach, so it went around dropping others first before dropping me.


Oh oh, this post is getting too long, so I'm not going to share about my church experience last Sunday, or my first Walmart experience. Maybe another post. So I'm ending this now, by just letting you all know that I'm doing great here, and I hope the same for you too! Have a beautiful Tuesday and thanks for reading this!

A Year Ago.....


..... on this day, I just started planning for my wedding. Remember this post? Time sure flies, huh? And I really appreciate those who read that post, and are still reading my blog today! You know who you are! *Winks*

Although I started blogging in 2005, I had no posts on the 19th of October in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Can't remember why though. But I sure remember what happened in that one year from 19th October 2008 - 19th October 2009. In that one year, I...

1. Completed 2 half marathons

2. Campaigned for Obama

3. Fell sick three times

4. Went on my first family trip with my soon-to-be-in-laws-back-then

5. Took my wedding photos in Guangzhou, China

6. Planned, prepared and got married (what an adventure!)

7. Prepared and sat for my TOEFL exam

8. Maternal grandfather passed away

9. Blessed with many bloggy friends like Deboshree, Donna, Inge', Mys Lyke Meeh, Ron, Small Footprints and Traveling Chemist!

10. Had my company (ex- now) bought over by a bigger one

11. Quit my job of 5 years plus plus

12. Had numerous farewell lunches and dinners, and gifts - first time in my life

13. Tremendous improvements in my physical fitness and training

14. Had the worst boss ever in my life

15. Visitors to this blog grew to over 800 per month

16. No car accident, as compared to previously, at least one every year

17. Canceled 4 credit cards and the debts as well, of course

18. Finished paying the 7-year-loan of my car

19. Packed and packed and packed, and now I'm only 3 days away from flying off!

A poem for my baby


Penning love in a poem
Where should one start
With innermost feelings
I am enclosing my heart

Gathering my thoughts
By the candlelight glow
I reached from my heart
Soon love began to flow

In giving of my devotion
Whenever I write to you
With every word I impart
My love I truly imbue

Expressing my sincerity
While longings flow free
I seal this poem with a kiss
With love to you from me

17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22!





Hi Friends! Welcome to the weekends! I just can't help counting down the days to the day I will journey across half the circumference of the earth, to be with my wife, to start a new life in the United States of America :)



This is going to be a very short sharing, a joke, actually.



A couple of days ago, my computer developed strange symptoms. A little while after starting up, the cursor will move by itself, as if the "space bar" was being held down continuously. I tried restarting, and even pulled the keyboard cable off, and the same thing happens! It always starts in about 5-10 minutes time.



Not only that, when I tried to click on anything, the opposite happens. For example, if a dialogue box appears, with 2 options... either "Ok" or "Cancel", when I clicked on "Ok", the opposite happens.



So I thought it must be a darned virus or trojan. And how wise of me not to install any antivirus program prior to this! So I thought I could beat the virus or trojan by downloading a free antivirus program, but unfortunately, the virus or trojan had another plan in mind. It will shut down the download box even before the download has been completed. Dang!



Restarting the computer doesn't help, and just when I thought things could get any worse, there isn't anymore grace period when I restarted the computer after a few times restarting. The virus or trojan had manifested and became dominating!



So I sought the help of my good friend William, who happens to be an expert in computers and stuff. He said I needed to take out the hard drive, and pass it to him for scanning with another computer. I did so, and he detected no virus nor trojan!



Then he said he needed to come over to my house to see the symptoms himself. He also thought it was a virus or trojan because he said he'd heard of such virus or trojan causing such symptoms to appear or develop.



Amazingly, the symptom didn't reappear, even after 20,

30 minutes of waiting. Now, did the virus or trojan kind of "know" my friend will be coming, and "hid" itself, and then after the expert has left, it will "show up" and antagonize me again? Shucks!



Suddenly, my friend saw something on my bed, not far from

the computer table. It was my wireless keyboard that I momentarily didn't use, because I wanted to use another keyboard with a cable that normally will be plugged into the USB port for usage.



He asked me a very simple question... Is the wireless keyboard disabled or it's still functioning?



Then..... realization dawned upon me!!!



HOLY CRAP!!!



The "virus" or "trojan" is actually ME..... hahahahaha..... I must

have accidentally moved something which held down the "space bar" key, which explains the symptoms.



Holy crap... what a big boo boo... and how smart of me! Yeah, I know... duh...



And true enough, after clearing all obstacles from the wireless keyboard, the symptoms had not shown up ever since 48 hours ago.



This sure taught me an important lesson. Always be gracious to those who are less computer-literate than me, because sometimes, I'm no smarter than they are with computers! LOL



Hope you enjoyed this, and have a lovely weekend, Friends!

Our lives are surrounded by numbers, knowingly or unknowingly. And whether we like it or not, numbers are important to us.

Can you think of how many things you know that is associated with the number 9 (nine)?

Ok, let's see if you can beat me. But no peeking at my list until you had done yours, ok?

Here goes mine...

Ready?

On the count of 9...

1. Cloud nine
2. A human pregnancy normally lasts nine months
3. Nine lives of a cat (cultural belief)
4. Nine of spades
5. Nine of hearts
6. Nine of diamonds
7. Nine of clubs
8. The last number of my cellphone number
9. The last number of this year
10. Nine One One
11. Nine fruits of the Holy Spirit
12. Nine gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)

So there you go... 12 things. Not much, really. In fact, it's quite pathetic. There are actually many interesting facts associated with this number. And oh, by the way, this isn't my favorite number, nor do I dislike it.

For instance, did you know that...

- Nine is the atomic number of fluorine, the most dangerous halogen, more so than other halogens such as the poisonous chlorine gas.

- The purity of chemicals usually expressed in nines e.g. 999 gold.

- The ninth President of the United States is William Henry Harrison, who owns (and still holds) numerous records in U.S. presidential history, e.g.
(a) Shortest presidency ever - 32 days
(b) First president to die in office
(c) Delivered the longest inaugural address in American history. At 8,444 words, it took nearly two hours to read, even after his friend and fellow Whig Daniel Webster had edited it for length.
(d) First sitting president to have his photograph taken

Interestingly, he was born on the 9th of February, 1773. Gematria of February is 576, and 5+7+6=18, 1+8=9! And 1+7+7+3=18, 1+8=9! 999!


Amazing huh?

And there are more! For example...

- Before 2006 (when Pluto was officially designated as a non-planet), there were nine planets in the solar system. Did you know that? I mean, how could I have missed this news??? We all studied in school that there are 9 planets in the solar system. So now we're left with 8 planets..... shucks...

- In the Christian angelic hierarchy there are 9 choirs of angels.

- Nine (九 pronounced jiǔ) is considered a good number in Chinese culture because it sounds the same as the word "longlasting" (久 also pronounced the same as the former). That's why we Chinese normally give 9 red roses to our woman, or 99, 999 and ultimately 9999 to signify how long we intend to love them.

Nine is strongly associated with the Chinese dragon, a symbol of magic and power. There are nine forms of the dragon - it is described in terms of nine attributes, and it has nine children. It has 117 scales - 81 yang (masculine, or bad influence) and 36 yin (feminine, or good influence). All three numbers are multiples of 9 (9x13=117, 9x9=81, 9x4=36) as well adding up individually to 9 (1+1+7=9, 8+1=9, 3+6=9). The dragon often symbolizes the Emperor, and the number nine can be found in many ornaments in the Forbidden City. The circular altar platform (Earthly Mount) of the Temple of Heaven has one circular marble plate in the center, surrounded by a ring of nine plates, then by a ring of 18 plates, and so on, for a total of nine rings, with the outermost having 81=9×9 plates. The name of the area called Kowloon in Hong Kong literally means: nine dragons. The nine-rank system was a civil service nomination system used during certain Chinese dynasties.

Phew... learnt so many things today, just from one number... 9! If you would like to read some more, you can go to this site

HERE.

Actually, the main purpose of this post is for me to announce that...

Nine days left in Malaysia for me!

Woohoo! Can't wait now... :)

PS# By the way, this is my 360th post on this blog... 3+6+0 equals... 9!!! And no, this was not staged.

Time (and the power & wisdom to

choose what to do with it!)


Hi Friends! How's the start of your week? Hope it was a blast!

As promised, I will now attempt to answer the 3rd and final question for this month, from Deboshree. She asked a very interesting question, and not very easy to answer. Although the answer for me is quite blatantly clear and glaringly obvious, I have to re-think my answer a few times, so that I will be able to be positive and help to encourage her, as she journeys into the working world in a few years' time.

Her question was:

You have worked for quite a few years and I haven't experienced anything from that sphere of life. People tell me that one gets less idealistic and more flexible with their morals as time passes.They lose their energy and drive to make a difference and simply learn to go with the flow. Is that so and if so,why??

Deboshree, to be honest... this is a tough one. I had seen that happen to many of my friends, including myself - we experienced what you had described in your question i.e. become less idealistic, loose in their morals, lose the energy and drive to make a difference in this world, and go with the flow... some worse than what you had listed.

Let's talk about myself. Well, I'm not perfect. I'm still human. I make mistakes. So there was a time when I had a lot of dreams, hence the birth of the name of this blog. A lot of things I desired to be, to do and to achieve for God. Things to make this world a better place, less suffering, people getting a "second chance" at life, and helping people enjoy the fullness of life.

When I started working, things slowly started to change. From having more than 10 hours of free time a day back in the university days, I was faced with less than one third of that in the weekdays. Yup, I'm talking about having about 3 hours of free time per day. There was less time to do things that I enjoy. There was less time to think, to dream, to hope. No time to lose. No time to pause and evaluate. No time at all.

You might ask, what about that 3 hours of free time per day? Yes, I still have some remaining time every day, but guess what? I was going through a taxing relationship, and a string of other miscellaneous chores took away every bit of that free time.

Ok, let's pause a little bit and take a look at what I had shared.

Firstly, not everyone gets a remainder of 3 hours of free time per day like me. Because of the nature of my work, I had to work long hours, and sometimes, over the whole night i.e. no sleep, and had to continue working the next day. Some might be more blessed with a 9 to 5 job, and gets to go back sharp every day. Not me. Although on paper I have a 9 to 5 job, realistically, my working hours are 7 to 10. AM and PM respectively, that is. Being tired physically, mentally and spiritually most of the time, there isn't much time and energy left to spend on anything else, is there?

Secondly, not everyone goes through a taxing relationship like me. I don't want to sound like I'm bad-mouthing that girl, but the truth is, she was a very demanding person. She demanded that we go out on a date every day. If not a physical date, a phone date... every single day. Weekends are one-whole-day dates. Oh, by the way, I am referring to the girl before I met my wife.

I just don't know how did I survive that one year, but I just did. It was super tough. There was absolutely no time at all for myself, no time for thinking of what's happening and what's to do, what's to achieve, what's to dream. It was a year I completely lose myself, lost sight of what I dreamt of, lost sight of what I wanted to achieve. I lost touch with people that I love, people close to my heart - my family and friends.

So if you ask me, I honestly and straightforwardly confess that I was the perfect specimen of your question, when I started working. I was everything - less idealistic, lose morals, less energy and drive to make a difference, going with the flow.

But did I like what I had become back then? Not at all. Did I want to become like that, had I the choice? Absolutely not. But did I have the power to choose? Definitely, but I didn't choose wisely. Did love "blind" me? I think so!

It was a hard-learnt lesson. I learnt many things... Firstly, work will always be there, whether you work hard at it, or less hard at it. So learn to have a balanced life, a life not all spent in the office. Did I regret spending almost all my time in the past 6 years in the office? Partly, yes, because doing that did not get me any closer to where I want to be in my life.

Secondly, as hard as it seems to be, try not to get "blinded" by love, especially if it's one that's not worth pursuing. During then, I lacked the maturity and the wisdom to see through the doomed relationship. Getting into a taxing relationship is a big no-no especially if you are just starting to enter the workforce.

Thirdly, don't lose sight of your dreams, your goals, your visions. Write it down. Keep reminding yourself of it. Keep track of your progress. Think, think and think again. Does doing this thing or that thing bring you any closer to achieving it? Or further away? There's nothing you can do humanly to retract or undo lost TIME.



You are a caring and smart girl, and I can see a lot of goodness and potential in you, Deboshree. Though I do not know you that long nor that well yet, I just believe that you can do it, that you have a big and bright future ahead of you. Keep dreaming, keep hoping, keep loving!

PS# Hope I answered your question!

It is confirmed! Woohoo!!!


Hi Friends! I have good news to share. Not only I had my U.S. visa approved, but also had my airtickets confirmed! ETA in Columbia, Missouri is 7pm local time on the 23rd of this month.

Total travel time, inclusive of layovers, is around 34 hours! Phew... I had never traveled by air more than 9 hours, and we are talking about over triple of that time.

And I had also obtained my international driving permit, valid for a year. Shall be applying for a U.S. driving license, as soon as I get familiar with driving in the States.

It's not even winter yet but the weather there is already in the mid-50's in the morning and as low as 34 at night. Fahrenheit, that is. Now that's something I have to get used to, once I arrive in less than 2 weeks' time, 'cos it will only get colder and colder towards January!

I'm going to dedicate the next next post to appreciating the farewell gifts that my friends and colleagues (ex) had blessed me with, totally unexpected blessings, really. But as for this post, I will answer the next question from Mys Lyke Meeh. For those of you who are not sure of what's going on, just to recap: For every first Sunday of the month, you get to ask me questions, any questions, and I will try my best to answer them. An example is below... about cellulite. Questioning closes in 5 days, inclusive of Sunday, and you will get your answers in less than 2 weeks' time.

Alright then, let's take a look at the next question from Mys Lyke Meeh.

What do you think is the reason why a question unanswered remain a question?

This looks simple, but not really..... LOL

Actually, I think... a question will remain a question, regardless of whether it is answered or not. What do you think? Maybe Deboshree The Philosopher might want to chip in some opinion of her own?

Now I even tried googling the whole question... :p and there are about 240,000 results, as of 22:54pm on 10 October 2009, Malaysian time.

Interestingly, the first result, has something to do with the Bible, about Pontius Pilate's questions to Jesus remain unaswered. For those of you who don't really know about Pilate... he was the Prefect (governor) of the Roman province of Judaea from AD 26–36. Typically referenced as the fifth Procurator of Judea, he is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized his crucifixion.

Pilate appears in all four Gospels of the Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Mark, depicting Jesus as innocent of plotting against Rome, portrays Pilate as extremely reluctant to execute Jesus, blaming the Jewish hierarchy for his death. In Matthew, Pilate washes his hands of Jesus and reluctantly sends him to his death. In Luke, Pilate not only agrees that Jesus did not conspire against Rome, but Herod Antipas, the tetrarch, also finds nothing treasonous in Jesus' actions.

The following pictures illustrates...

Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pilate presenting a scourged Jesus to the people of Jerusalem...


And of course, the heart-wrenching snapshot from the movie "The Passion of the Christ", more realistic...



Ooppss... now why did I go there? I hope I answered your question, Mys Lyke Meeh!

Have a great weekend, Friends!

The Battle of Cellulite



WARNING: This post is going to be long.



Hi Friends! Firstly, thanks to Inge' for being the first to ask questions :) I knew I could count on you!

We have all heard about it. Some are experiencing it. Probably some are trying all sorts of experiments to remove or improve it....

Cellulite.

The very word causes some to shun away in fear. Or shake their heads in disappointment.

Inge' asked a very good question: Can drinking more water get rid of cellulite, or it's just a myth?

To answer this question requires understanding more about cellulite first.

So what is it?

I'm not going to post any pictures here, in case I spoil your lunch or dinner. You can easily find pictures of cellulite from googling.

Occuring mostly in women, cellulite is something aesthetically unpleasant on the skin, normally found in the lower limbs, abdomen, and pelvic region. It's like having a lot of dimples on that part of your body. One dimple is nice, but imagine ten dimples on your left cheek, or twenty dimples on your right buttock.

From the medical point of view, it is something that is not life threatening. Nor is it contagious. In fact, most of the medical community doesn't view cellulite as a disorder. Instead, it is considered a normal condition of many women and some men.

But of course, it does not look good. Especially if you are wearing a bikini, or your birthday suit.

And strangely, it occurs mostly in women. Cases of cellulite in men are rare.

So what causes cellulite? From what I had researched, it appears that experts are still uncertain about this, as there appears to be multiple factors that could contribute to the formation of cellulite, and these multiple factors are poorly supported by clinical evidence. It may or may not include changes in metabolism and physiology such as gender specific dimorphic skin architecture, alteration of connective tissue structure, vascular changes and inflammatory processes. Other factors also associated with cellulite formation includes:

1. Lifestyle - If you are always under a lot of stress, you tend to have increased levels of catecholamines i.e. adrenaline and noradrenaline. These two hormones are known to contribute to the development of cellulite. Which brings us to the second factor...

2. Hormonal factors - Estrogen appears to be the dominant contributor, but then again, it is not well substantiated by studies. Other hormones include the catecholamines, insulin, prolactin and thyroid hormones.

3. Diet - It appears that taking certain foods or not consuming certain foods seems to have an effect on cellulite (something that might bring us to the answer of Inge's question).

4. Predisposing factors - Gender, race, biotype, a hormone receptor allele that determines the receptor number and sensitivity, distribution of subcutaneous fat, and predisposition to circulatory insufficiency have all been shown to contribute to cellulite.


So based on the above factors, there are 2 NATURAL ways to control or improve the situation, i.e. your lifestyle and what you eat. It may or may not work, but at least there are some evidence on the possibility of you controlling or improving it. There are other UNNATURAL (and expensive) ways to get rid of cellulite, which I will touch on later.

What can I say about stress? I know that for some of you, a stressful life or job is inevitable. But I somehow believe that this could be overcome. A breakthrough, a miracle... all these are possible. And a lot of times, the choice is in our hands. Sometimes, an extra bit of wisdom, and God's green light is all we need.

Now, let's talk about diet... aha! My forte. Believe it or not, this is the first time I had receive this question about nutrition in relation to cellulite. Maybe my female friends or colleagues are just too shy to ask me about it, lest that I go and gossip about it! Who would want word to spread around about so-and-so having cellulite problem? But rest assured that I had always treated all those who had consulted me with much discretion and privacy. What you share with me remains with me, unless, of course, I need to seek further help from someone more specialized in the problem, or a physician's opinion.

So let's get on with it.

Based on the studies I had examined, here's some myth busters:

I. Losing weight will get rid of cellulite.

VERDICT: Partly true.

While some of those who lost weight saw an improvement, others had their condition worsened. So this might or might not work for everyone.

Ref: Smalls et al (2006)


II. Drinking more water will get rid of cellulite.

VERDICT: Untrue

Dehydration is known to be one of the possible causes of cellulite formation. So keeping yourself hydrated will only prevent or minimize the risk of cellulite formation. Once you have cellulite, you can't get rid of it by drinking more water.

Ref: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (2008)


III. Thin people won't get cellulite... ever.

VERDICT: Untrue

Hahaha... so you thought you could get away with this? Think again. Even thin people can get cellulite, because we all have layers of fat just below the surface of the skin. Collagen fibers that connect fat to the skin may stretch, break down, or pull tight, allowing the fat cells to bulge out. This creates the rippled look of cellulite.

Ref: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia (2008)


So what's the best way to "treat" or get rid of cellulite? I know the truth may sometimes hurt, but the truth is the truth, and it's better that you know it now than later. So here goes...

There are numerous therapies for the "treatment" of cellulite. However the empirical evidence for the efficacy of these strategies is limited. In an interview with the New York Times, Dr. Molly Wanner, an instructor in dermatology at Harvard Medical School and an author of a 2008 evidence-based review of existing treatments, asserted, “At this point, there is no outstanding treatment for cellulite.” Dr. Michael F. McGuire, a clinical associate professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, confirmed that “realistically there is no cure for cellulite.”

A great deal of money is spent by people who want to rid themselves of cellulite, but no amount of weight loss, exercise, massages, wraps, gels, creams, machines, supplements, or surgery has proven to effectively eliminate it once you have it. Liposuction, for instance, is not recommended for cellulite, and may even make it look worse. Dr. Jeffrey Dover, director of SkinCare Physicians, a dermatology practice in Chestnut Hill, Mass., says: "Some people have misrepresented the truth to suggest that there’s a lot you can do [to treat cellulite].”

A classic example would be the usage of an anti-cellulite gel & LED as per Sasaki et al (2007). Treatment for 3 months - 8 of 9 had improvement, 5 reverted to previous state 15 months after treatment.

Even the FDA is not doing a good job either. In 1998, the FDA approved a high-powered, handheld massage tool that consists of a treatment head and two motorized rollers with a suction device that compresses the affected tissue between the two rollers. The manufacturer is permitted to promote it for "temporarily improving the appearance of cellulite." The procedure, called Endermologie, usually takes 10 to 20 treatments to get the best results, and one or two maintenance treatments per month are required to maintain them. Without the maintenance, the benefits will soon be lost. The typical cost is $45 to $65 per session.

It is unfortunate that the FDA did not review this study by Collis et al (1999) - while it is true that it can only temporarily improve cellulite appearance (continued maintenance is needed), the study shows that not everyone responds to Endermologie. Only 10 of 35 Endermologie-treated legs had their cellulite appearance improved. That's less than 30% success rate of TEMPORARILY improving cellulite appearance. Even if you are one of the 30% successful users, you do the math on the maintenance part.

And I had browsed through many other studies on the "treatment" of cellulite using weight loss programs, exercise programs, massages, wraps, gels, creams, machines, supplements, or even surgery and came to the same conclusion... there are either no studies to prove the claim, or the studies showed that they don't work for everyone. Even if they did, they are costly, and long-term, continued application is required.

I know it's a bit sad to know this, but hey, why not ask God to remove it? Nothing is impossible for him who believes, and God is more willing to do anything for us, right?

I have GOOD NEWS to those who has YET to get cellulite! There are ways to prevent or reduce the risk of getting cellulite (again, not goofproof, but still, worth trying). Prevention is always better than cure, and for this case, there are hardly any effective "cure".

Ways to avoid cellulite include:

- Eating a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber
- Staying hydrated with plenty of fluids
- Exercising regularly to keep muscles toned and bones strong
- Maintaining a healthy weight (no yo-yo dieting)
- Not smoking


Of course, the methods proposed above are nothing new. In fact, these are the same preventive measures to take to reduce the risk of getting heart diseases too, as per my previous posts on this.

I hope I answered your question, Inge' :)


And just a bit of humor (courtesy of Snopes.com) to round off this post... enjoy!

The Thighs of Texas Are Upon Us

Can I Help You?

Hi Friends! I wish you a happy Sunday, and I hope your weekend has been great so far.

Guess what? I am starting something that I feel would be beneficial to all of my loyal bloggy readers and friends.

Starting from today, and then for every 1st Sunday of the month, I will accept questions from you. Yes, YOU! And I will try my very best to answer your questions, or help you with whatever problem that you have.

What kind of questions, or problems? Well, firstly, I'm not Superman. Nor am I a genius. But I won't set a limit to what kind of questions to ask me. If there's anything that I can't answer you, I can do research on it, or ask a friend of mine who may be an expert in the particular area.

Yes, that's right. Everything under the sun. And nope, this is not a male-chauvinistic, ego-boosting activity just to make me feel good. No strings attached.

And I welcome debates or discussions as well, which will be very interesting indeed!

For those of you who are new here to this blog, or don't really know me that well yet, just for your information, I am a nutritionist. And through my working experience, I had dealt with specific areas, such as nutritional medicine, pediatric nutrition, food act & regulations.

Disclaimer 1: I am not trying to advocate any company nor its products

Disclaimer 2: I am not charging any fee :)

Disclaimer 3: Nope, this is not because I'm too free!

So... who wants to go first?

Wyethless (and Pfizerless) Day One


Hi Friends! How is everyone's Thursday? I'm having a great one, because I no longer need to wake up early to go to work... LOL

Yes, yesterday was my last day at work, and so it begins... a new chapter, a new phase in my life. How does it feel? Fantastic :)

Well, I'm not going to spend too much time here on a beautiful Thursday... Instead I'm going to exercise, go shop for groceries, perhaps get a new hard drive for my computer, and so on and so forth... wooohooooo!

Of course, I'll be getting ready for the interview at the U.S. Embassy for my VISA application this coming Monday, as well as getting ready my things to bring to U.S. and things to send back home. I'll still need to get some more jabs too to complete my vaccination process. I'll also need to send my car for servicing, and to collect my car grant or ownership certificate. Just finished paying the loan a couple of months ago! Woohoo! Another reason to celebrate!

Anyways, I will end this post with the farewell message that I sent out yesterday to all my colleagues in Wyeth before I left :) Bye now, and have a blessed Thursday!



Hi ALL,


It is my last day after a wonderful 5 years, 2 months & 26





GOLDen days with Wyeth. I would like to sincerely thank each of you for every experience shared, friendship made, opportunity offered and good times had during this time.


I have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of being part of the Nutri team, especially during my early years in Wyeth. Although I was very "green" and the youngest in age during then, everyone in the team treated me like I was part of their family, and helped to nurture, train and shape me into a better person at work and in life. I couldn't thank you more for the great amount of patience you had showered me in withstanding my sudden outbreaks of insanity, wrong words or actions said or done, and always seeing the best in me of who I can become.


I will never forget how you all had cheered for me as I sang "She Bangs", helping me to win the very first Wyeth Idol in 2005. I will also never forget all the time, effort and success in obtaining LUTEIN content and function claims approval from the MOH, with the support of Marketing and Corporate Affairs. And how can I forget the time when I fell backwards, blindfolded, from a raised platform into the loving and trustworthy hands of my team members (Blue team boleh!), safe and sound! Who can forget the incentive trip to Italy?


In short and sweet, thank you so much for all these years of the best of everything, the opportunities to work with the best people, and for the chances to be a part of interesting experiences. I think nothing is more fitting but to end my parting message with the lyrics of my song that I sang to all of you at this year's NSM.



Friends For Life

Friend, you put a smile on my face
Friend, you fill my heart with joy
I will give thanks to Him my Lord
For by His grace
We are friends

He has joined us together
Walking side by side
And I know we'll be together
Friends for life

Though many things
Try to take us apart
But I know...
We're gonna make it through together

He has joined us together
Walking side by side
And I know we'll be together
Friends for life

Last and best regards,
John

PS# If anyone wants to keep in contact, you can email me @ johntan1979@gmail.com (or see you on Facebook!).

FFF

Hi Friends! How are you doing? I had just got back from a Fabulous Fourth Farewell :) Thanks to Wei Luen and Sarah, two good friends of mine for more than 6, 7 years. We had Japanese steamboat... very healthy and yummy food, with lots of fiber and greens :)

I truly appreciate moments like these, because when I look back 10, 20 years later, I'll know that I had friends who cared, friends who loved, friends who took time off their busy schedules to spend time with me...

Friends who understood what I am going through, friends who supported my future plans, friends who sincerely wanted to know how I felt going through all these major changes in my life (i.e. marriage, quitting my job, moving to the States, taking up MBA, et cetera), and friends who offered me invaluable advice and words of wisdom that are much appreciated :)

I might not have a lot of money in my bank accounts (yet). I might not drive a Merz or a BMW (yet). I might not own a lot of lands or properties (yet). But one thing I do know is that I am ever so richly blessed, because I have FRIENDS :)

Yes, friends come and go. But some stay longer. And it's those friends I'm truly thankful to God for. Someone asked me once, why did I remain friends with that person for so many years? I answered him, it takes two hands to clap. Both has to put in the effort to stay together. But I also said that, when the friendship seems to be slipping away, that's the time when I have to decide if I wanted to let it fade away into utter oblivion, or put in the extra effort to keep it going. For most of the time, I fanned the dying flame. Just for what? For my own benefits? For something I want out of it? Nope. It's for FRIENDSHIP. I cared enough. I loved enough. As simple as that. I believe that friends who came into our lives definitely didn't happen BY CHANCE. It's definitely God-given. And just like so many things God placed in our hands, we have the power to CHOOSE... either to keep it and nurture it well like gold, or let it go like rubbish.

Some people treat friends like commodities, like toys. When they get bored, they find a new one. Some treat friends like the toilet. Out of convenience, they will remain friends with them. And when things change, e.g. they are moving further away, it is no longer convenient (or economical) to stay as friends. Have I met people like that? Unfortunately, yes. And yes, I did try to fan the flame, to keep it going, but alas, if you are the only side trying to make it work for numerous times, it does not take too long for me to decide to LET IT GO. Why does this has to happen? Did we do something wrong? Something wrong with us? Absolutely not. It is unfortunate that some will decide not to remain friends, or close friends with us. And when that happens, no matter what reason, whether valid or invalid, there is nothing else we should do but to MOVE ON. Sometimes, that's the best thing to do.

I know I had done this before, so I'm not going to do it again... to name names. So this time, I will just thank God for all of you, all the friends that God has blessed me with. You have no idea how much you mean to me, and how much you have impacted my life. And I definitely look forward to many more years of friendship together with you all.

And I especially want to thank God for my baby, my wife, my best friend FOR LIFE. And yes, God always saved the best for last :) And she is THE BEST. EVER. FOREVER. Thank You Jesus!

2 Headhunters and 1 ½ Farewells


Hi Friends! Hope you are having a great Tuesday! I had one of those mixed up days... half happy, half angry/sad, whatever.

But firstly, let me share with you about what I had been experiencing recently. I want to thank God because, even though my current boss (CB) does not appreciate me, others do VALUE me highly. Others, as in my other colleagues that I had been working with together for more than 5 years, AND people in other companies.

So far, 2 different headhunters (not literally) called me up to offer me positions in other companies, even though they know that I have plans to move to the States in about a month's time. Phew... I'm actually THAT much in demand huh? Thank God for that, because although CB doesn't think that I had done anything much or worth much, others know my contribution to the company and my job aptitude and attitude for the past 5 over years. I'm not trying to be proud, but I'm just trying to show the contrast in the way CB treats me, as compared to others. I can empty out all the trash of how-CB-is-treating-me here to all of you, but I think that's not a professional thing to do. What's done's done. And I'm moving on (THANK GOD!). Too bad, and I feel that it's his loss, not mine. So long..... sucker (LOL I just have to inject that word in...)

On the other hand, I feel sad and happy at the same time, because of all the farewells that my friends and colleagues (ex- or current) will be organizing or had organized for me. Sad because of all the friendship and experience that we had gone through together for so many years, happy because they cherish this friendship and took up the initiative to hold farewells for me.

Since the first farewell more than a couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending another 1 ½. The second farewell is all thanks to Geraldine Lee, an ex-colleague, who also did a wonderful job in holding a small farewell for me - 5 persons including me. And she invited just the right people to the farewell :) We ate yummy Chinese tai-chao food and drank 1 crate of Tiger (Now how many bottles was in 1 crate? Sorry, I'm not a drinker.....). Didn't get drunk, but we sure had a great time, catching up, eating good food, and didn't spend a lot at all. And oh, what a revelation I had that night on CB. Didn't know how that surfaced in our conversations, but somehow, it did! And I wasn't the one who initiated that topic. Weird huh? It's just like a nasty piece of shit. No matter how many times you try to hide it or flush it, it will surface again and again, automatically. And you know that it sure stinks like hell. Somehow, I thank God that I'm not the only one getting such treatments from him.

The 3rd (which is considered a ½) farewell was just this afternoon, a so-called Nutrition Division farewell lunch for me, yet again, tainted with CB's shit. Now you understand the nasty shit analogy? It just has to show up EVERYWHERE, invited or uninvited!!! I just wish that my last moments in Wyeth, my sending off..... could have been more happy and pleasant in nature. Sigh..... give me a break.

So what's the shit this time? Well, it was originally planned, more than a week ago, to be a farewell dinner in a nice Italian restaurant somewhere a little far from the office, about 15 mins or so driving. And everyone, including me - the VVIP, the reason why it is being held at all - had committed to it. SUDDENLY, I just have to stress that

adverb... just yesterday, the day before, SUDDENLY, CB wanted it to be lunch at a restaurant nearby the office, like less than 5 mins away. Just for whatsoever dumbass reason, I really don't know, but it did create a lot of confusion among all my colleagues, because many had, like me, thought that it is supposed to be a dinner. And also

because of the fact that i had wanted it to be a dinner. So who's

leaving now? It definitely did come across my mind to boycott the lunch, since there was no respect at all for my feelings and my colleagues' feelings. At the very least, he could have asked if I'm ok with the change. Now wouldn't that be something? Boycotting my own farewell..... LOL!



Whatever! And enough of this shit.



Thank God (seriously) that I'm leaving! I just have to bear with it for another 2 weeks or so.



This post was supposed to be a happy sharing. You know..... being headhunted, farewells..... sigh.....



Hope that you are having a better day than I am. As for me, I'm heading home now, back to bed :) Good night, all, and take care!