No! Don’t Stop…

When I took Basic Econ in form 4, one of the first chapter being covered was about your need vs want.

Wikipedia defines the term as below :

Quote

Needs would be defined as goods or services that are physiologically or biologically required for maintaining life. This would include the needs for air, food, water, clothing, shelter, sleep[1]. “Wants” are described as “having a strong desire for something” be it a consumable good, time, or money. Want is often a physiological desire.

Unquote

When I involved in system implementation projects for MNCs, I also came across with this term. Probably rephrase as Must win vs Nice to Have. The concept is still the same however.

From my experience working with Mat Sallehs in designing systems, they would always look deep into ‘Must wins’ first before slowly move towards on those ‘nice to have’. This to ensure that everything is optimumly designed and delivered for usage with quality, money and time well-spent.

However sad to say. Things are very much different in our country. Pardon me. I’ve never really experience it but from numbers of reliable source, it does happen.

Malaysia government, GLCs, often looking at facilities, systems, technologies at the very high-end. A consultant-friend of mine once told, he involved with a project with an oil company in malaysia (i dont wanna say the name) where they want a very complex & fully-automated system. after god knows how many mandays spent, it was delivered. The system was too complex until end-users dont really know how to make full use it.. One who never ride a horse but given to ride a Unicorn.. Ended up as another “White Elephant”..

Another friend of mine told me, a development corporation in Cyberjaya planned to implement a fully integrated up-to-date customer relationship systems which can monitor, track and process calls from customer very much faster and simpler. First question asked when he came to propose the solutions, how many calls the client want to track? His client proudly answered… “3-4 calls per WEEK“. My boss here would probably say “Pure bollocks!!”.. How on earth you need a multi-million system when it alternatively can be done by just a simple spreadsheet?

Last thing I heard, it has not fully went live after 2 years.. And to make it worse, (I strongly believe) this corp is being sourced by government grant..

This kind of scenario keeps on happening.. again and again..

The most recent on the purchase Eurocopter issue.

In a statement issued Friday, Abu Bakar said the ministry chose the Eurocopter EC725 because the company had a complete tender offer that obtained the highest marks based on technical evaluation, an offset package while also being at a reasonable price..

“Eurocopter also offered a system that was proven which also fulfilled the army’s specifications,” he said, adding that the Government had no influence on prices that were offered by the company as bidding was done via an international open tender process.

Does it?

I dont have the answer.. Hopefully it is not another ‘First class facilities but with third world mentality’..

post note {18/10/2008}: this article is a must read..

I’ve been using my current glasses for errr.. God-knows-how-long.. 1 - 2 years perhaps.. until some part of the paint peeled off from the frame..

Recently I did survey few optometry center nearby the neighbourhood and yet to find a good deal.. one has a very good customer service but not a good price, one got slightly cheaper price but the worst customer service ever, the other one just so-so in price, selections and customer service.. but has one very nice Adidas sport glasses which I wanted to have for many many years..

Later I asked Kichi, where did he get his nice Oakley sport glasses.. He said.. try Bangsar.. Reliance Optical Center.. Telawi 3.. My first respond, what the hell were you doing in Bangsar when u are staying in Melawati working in KLCC.. He said.. try it first.. service tip top..

Havent been to Telawi 3 for so long.. Cause the main reason, very hard to get cark par.. but still have to try what my trusted friend said..

So we planned to give it a try yesterday.. the journey was a bit delayed since I found out my car had a flat tyre at office parking lot.. ah crap.. the last time I had a flat tyre was at Vista.. post-uni years..

At Telawi 3, the shop was easily spotted.. beside Alexis.. However as usual.. car park was the main problem.. but double park was the quick answer..

First impression when I walked in to the shop.. Nice setting and a lot of options.. I quickly asked for a washroom to wash my dirty hand coz I had to replace a flat tyre about half an hour before.. He immediately showed me the way.. While mrs did her survey..

Lots and lots of nice collections!! mostly branded item and not just cap ayam frames.. yet still a good price.. and as he said.. always has more discounts.. No need to put on signs.. ( Like some well-known franchised optic centers, sale 90% for the rest of the year.. and yet still expensive.. )

I tried several collections.. from Oakley, Tag Heuer, Armani to CK.. wide range of choices.. nice choices.. not just crappy ones.. at the same time I was also look around for one sport glasses and a sunglasses.. surely just to look.. since I knew it will definitely tear pocket.. To be surprised, he introduced me to one.. Rudy Project.. multipurpose changeable glasses.. it is a sporty frame by default, but the you can simply swap the lenses.. so you can make one normal lenses and buy additional clipholder for UV-ed sunglasses.. pretty kewl.. only it would be too sporty to become a daily use glasses..

The Question is Something that I want vs something that I really need.. which one shd I buy first.. it could be bursting my yearly budget like crazy..

well.. guess what I bought both!!

He gave me a really good deal.. which so irresistable!! plus we were so impressed with their way of serving the customers.. TIP TOP as what kichi said.. TQ dude.. And I walked out of the shop without remembering the flat tyre incident hours back.. heh.. a very satisfied customer indeed..

Give it a try.. I can tell you it is worth it..

Reliance Optical Centre Sdn Bhd
27, Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur
59100 Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia

Tel : 03-2284 9906
Fax : 03-2284 9733

p/s : eh.. actually two satisfied customers.. someone got herself a sweet sexy Burberry sunglasses too..

I have been goin thru my old posts during my pregnancy with Faeq and when I delivered him in 2004.

1. The One With the Abruptio Placenta
2. The One With the Circumcision
3. The One With Pregnancy Behaviour vs Baby Behaviour
4. The One With the Labor Experience
   

Not that many as I thought. Would I say it was the same? Definitely not. Now I am in my 37th weeks. Tomorrow is my next appointment, am supposed to do pelvimetry x-ray, to get the diameter of my pelvic, to see if I could go for normal delivery. Definitely would like to hear good news though. Just for your information, after your 1st delivery, your gynae is supposed to do this pelvimetry x-ray, to calculate your pelvic diameter. Chances are it should widen, despite you haveing delivered your 1st child normally or through caesarean.  And then your pelvic would be next be that way till you die. Something like that. It wouldn’t shrink or widen anymore. The x-ray would be beneficial if in your later pregnancies, you conceived a bigger baby. It’s just an indicator on how big is your tunnel. If you haven’t done it after the delivery of your 1st child, and you are already pregnant, you can only do it after the 37th week.
Just thought this would help some people:

Signs of labor

1. Lightening: Adjusting the pressure
2. Nesting: Spurt of energy
3. Braxton Hicks Contraction
4. Effacement: Ripening of the cervix
5. Bloody show: Loss of mucus plug
6. Rupture of membranes: Your water breaks
7. Contractions: When labor pains begin

*Expect false alarms

You only go to the hospital when you experience #5 or #6 or #7 (regularly, intense contractions every 5mins). Your gynae can only check on you for #4. #1 to #3 are something I feel almost everyday now. So…let’s see how it goes next.

Just waiting.

I totally forgot about this!

Maybe it’s not too late!

Ever thought that age is catching up with you? Some may evident in hair loss, grey hair. There is actually no real remedies to this phenomena. It is just a growing old process. I wouldn’t say it a growing up process though. Yet, some have it real fast, some have it real slow. So what makes them different?

Excerpt I:

The science behind our hair going gray is down to the cells in our hair follicles called Melanocytes. These little cells generate the pigment in our hair and they are usually healthy and generous in our youth. As we get older these Melanocytes start generating less pigment to the hair follicle giving the hair strand a slightly transparent appearance.

There are medical conditions that can cause our hair to go gray as well. These can be due to a B12 deficiency or a thyroid condition. In this case, we can help these cells from breaking down by following a healthy diet. Being deficient in B12 can also be a reason for your Gray hair. To prevent this you need to ensure you take regular dosages of B12 as well as folic acid and biotin.

Read full here.

Excerpt II:

Deficiency of PABA, Biotin, Folic Acid and Pantothenic Acid appears to affect hair colour.

Hair colour can normally be restored with a diet rich in the B vitamins and in the few cases where colour is not restored the hair will improve in quality and strength of growth.

PABA and the B vitamins are found in foods such as liver, kidney, whole grain and yeast. The richest source being liver.

…

In laboratory animals, a diet lacking Inositol produced baldness, but when the vitamin was added to the food of these animals, the hair grew back again.

…

Biotin is a proven hair growth vitamin and a preventative to excessive hair loss.

Biotin is also seen as an aid in preventing hair turning grey.

Balding men might find that a Biotin supplement may keep their hair longer.

…

Severe zinc deficiency in humans has been shown to produce baldness and scalp problems that were reversed when zinc was returned to the diet.

Zinc has also been shown to stop hair turning grey.

Read more here.

Of course these nutrients have more usage other than just affecting the hair area. So read more on them.

Heck we are not getting younger. Although age is just a number, and with the many plastic surgeons around, you need your soul, your mental, your health and even your wealth to remain younger.

And of course, everything is a normal process of aging. Of growing. Yet, with some effort, may be we wouldn’t grow old badly.

Do you ever want to have a perfect vision? Eyes that can qualify you to become a pilot, eyes that don’t flicker when the lights beamed at you at night. Eyes that don’t tell you a lie.

I just came to know of Lutein (pronounced as loo-teen), found in

• Leafy vegetables
• Egg yolk
• Darkly colored fruits
• Marigold petals
• Vitamin Water Focus

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

Lutein was found to be present in a concentrated area of the macula, a small area of the retina responsible for central vision. The hypothesis for the natural concentration is that lutein helps protect from oxidative stress and high-energy light. Various research studies have shown that a direct relationship exists between lutein intake and pigmentation in the eye ^[1-7]. Several studies also show that an increase in macula pigmentation decreases the risk for eye diseases such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) ^[8-10].

Excerpt from National Eye Institute: Lutein and its Role in Eye Disease Prevention

There is little definitive scientific evidence at this time to support claims that taking supplements containing lutein can decrease the risk of developing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a blinding eye disease, or cataract. However, a number of studies intended to examine trends in a population — and not hard medical evidence — suggest a link between lutein and decreased risk of eye disease.

…

In October 2001, the NEI published the results of a seven-year study — called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) — that showed that a high-dose combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and zinc significantly reduces the risk of developing advanced stages of AMD by about 25 percent. These high levels of antioxidants and zinc are the first effective treatment to slow the progression of AMD. The nutrients are not a cure for AMD, nor will they restore vision already lost from the disease. But they are playing a vital role in helping people at high risk for developing advanced AMD keep their vision. In the same study, the antioxidant and zinc combination showed no significant effect on the development or progression of cataract.

Lutein was not part of this study because during the AREDS planning stages in the early 1990s, lutein and zeaxanthin were not commercially available.

I heard that pilots nowadays don’t actually require perfect vision. But I am sure it still plays an important role in their selection.

Daddy: Faeq, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Faeq: Pilot.
Daddy: Pilot drives car or aeroplane or train?
Faeq: Aeroplane.
(Daddy beaming quietly, it was his dream when he was younger too.)

Read more on Lutein: here.

Need lutein as a supplement? Contact me!

We went to Hanoi last weekend; 14 - 16 July 2007, on AirAsia, as Zen won the trip to Hanoi on his previous BUM weekend playing BUM Fugitive. Coincidentally, my family along with 2 aunties and 1 uncle had been planning this Hanoi trip for a few months. Since I am already 25 weeks pregnant, we thought what the heck, let’s join the pack, at least there will be that family moment, a little help with Faeq, and some encouraged activities; ie shopping (if not, I think we would have just stayed in the hotel).. and it was actually a surprise plan for Tok Ma, Tok Bah and Aunty Ada too..

AirAsia has only 2 flights daily to Hanoi, one was early in the morning 0630 arr (0850 Hanoi time) and another in the evening 1650 (arr 2000 Hanoi time). We decided to go on the morning flight as we wanted to maximize our time in Hanoi and our stay in Sheraton.

Weather

It is currently summer in Hanoi with 34 to 40 degrees Celsius. Bloody hot! It rained heavily on Sunday, but still it didn’t cool down the temp. Thank God for the pool in Sheraton tho.
Food

There are a few Halal restaurants listed on the Net; but we went to only two:
1) Nisa Restaurant (owned by a Malaysian Malay - Mr Ben Taat Alias) and
2) Tandoor

Accommodation

You can easily get decent rooms from USD20 and above. Our Sheraton room costs USD200 and is in the New Quarters, a little bit away from the shopping streets. Where else, the hotel my parents stayed which is in Hang Mam, is right smack in the streets, and costs between USD20 to USD40 (very spacious with 1 queen and 2 singles). Restaurants are also nearby (Nisa and Tandoor). I saw Kangaroo Cafe and Bamboo Cafe nearby too. There are other hotels in the area; e.g. Hoabinh Palace hotel.

Streets

The major shopping area is at the Old Quarters area, in Hoan Kiem District. Each street has some specific items sold. One street for just shoes, another for just hats, another for just clothes and the list goes on. For example, Hang Gai for embroidery and silk. And for Hang Mam, where everyone in the group but three of us staying, selling ermm… tombstones.. opss..

Fruits sell by the streetsellers look so fresh from the trees too..

Activities

1) Water Puppet Show - good show, but in Vietnamese, and always sold out. We didn’t get to see this tho.

2) Van Phuc Silk Village

3) Bat Trang Ceramic Village

4) Uncle Ho’s Mausoleum
5) One Pillar Pagoda
6) Hanoi Cathedral
7) Tran Quoc Pagoda
Ho Kien Lake
9) Ha Long Bay

For the villages, we had to take a cab for a half day. Ceramic Village is like 20 mins South of Hanoi City Center, while Silk Village is like 20 mins North of Hanoi City Center. Something like that.

A group of them from our large group went for a night stay in Ha Long Bay. They had a blast kayakking and went to see the island caves. The trip was around USD60+ per person (the whole trip - transportation, accommodation, food) .

Transportation (for tourist)

From the airport, we went on the Minibus, which was USD2 per person, around 1hr van ride to the city center. For taxis, it is roughly around USD15. You have to not get tricked by these people. Small cabs start their meter from 9K Dong (1USD = 1.6KDong). Whereas, sedan cabs start their meters from 15K Dong. MPVs are different elsewell. Cyclos / pedicaps are famous there too. The pedicap rides should be around USD1 (doesn’t matter how many is in - I think max is 2).

Transportation (for local)

I have not seen so many motorcycles on the street ever. Riders vary from 1 adult to 4 adults per motorbike. Their traffic lights doesn’t seem to work. You can rent a motorbike if you are daring enough, but the rules are different here. You can’t change the speed or direction. If not, you are endangering other riders, and yourself that is. With this different regulation, as pedestrians it is hard as well. Make sure you really really are sure to look left and right before crossing. Check for motorbikes and bicycles especially.

Others

One thing peculiar we first notice here is that the houses here are like bungalow townhouse. They don’t like to share walls, and definitely prefer to climb stairs, we saw 6 to 7 storeys houses.

Another would be there aren’t many dogs here, except Chihuahua. The streets are pretty clean in that matter. Zen found out that this is because Vietnamese eat dogs too. I think that’s a good thing then, when there’s too many wild dogs around (sorry, I am not a dog lover. if the dog is cute, ok. But if it is wild, I think the Vietnamese seems to have the right remedy for that problem).

We went on a 6km 2 storey bridge, which crosses the Red River. Massive.

AFC Cup (Japan 4 - Vietnam 1)

We had the opportunity to ‘meet up’ with the Japanese team; which was staying in Sheraton as well, nevertheless, ‘we’ couldn’t recognize anyone then, thus no specific picture can be taken then.

ps: more pics @ faeq’s album

Just to share with everyone.

What is Grape Seed Extract?

Grape seed extract is a natural plant substance that has a concentrated source of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPC), that protect cells from free radical damage and also promotes healthy circulation. Read more here.

Health Benefits:

1) Most powerful antioxidants tht fights free radicals
2) 20x more potent than VitC and 50x stronger than VitE
3) Helps improve cardiovascular health
4) Helps promote brain, skin and eye health
5) Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory
6) one of the few antioxidants that can penetrate the blood brain barrier to help protect the brain and nerve tissue
7) Prevent the formation of plaque in the arteries
Improve mental alertness and help prevent senility

Common use for:
1) Allergies
2) Arthritis
3) Asthma
4) Blood Clots
5) Blood pressure
6) Cancer
7) Cataracts
Cellulite
9) Cholesterol
10) Circulation
11) Diabetes
12) Diabetic retinopathy
13) Eczema
14) Edema
15) Emphysema
16) Eyestrain
17) Fibromylagia
18) Glaucoma
19) Gout
20) Hair loss
21) Hay fever
22) Heart attack
23) Heart disease
24) Hives
25) Impotence
26) Leg cramps
27) Mascular degeneration
28) MS
29) Night vision
30) Numbness
31) PMS
32) Psoriasis
33) Scars
34) Skin cancer
35) Skin elasticity
36) Skin health
37) Stretch marks
38) Stroke
39) Teeth and gum healing
40) Varicose veins
41) Wound healing
42) Wrinkles

Read more here, here, here. (or google it).

Impressive? Need grape seed extract? Contact me.

I have been informed about this and I thought I should share it with everyone (hehee…I am so into Health & Wellness right now).

Well anyway, have you heard of paraben? Looking behind your shampoo, body wash, lotion, deodorant, or even cosmetics, check out the ingredients. Do you see ethylparaben or methylparaben or butylparaben or propylparaben or benzylparaben (check out its other names here)?

Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Parabens are effective preservatives in many types of formulas. These compounds, and their salts, are used primarily for their bacteriocidal and fungicidal properties. They can be found in shampoos, commercial moisturizers, shaving gels, cleansing gels, personal lubricants, topical/parenteral pharmaceuticals and toothpaste. They are also used as food additives.

Read more here.

So is paraben safe? Our skin is very efficient in being the medium from the outside to entering the our body system. Although some may categorised paraben as something safe, some say it isn’t.

Excerpt I

The cosmetics industry insists that parabens, which are used as preservatives and are approved for use by regulators, are safe.

Dr Philippa Darbre and colleagues at the University of Reading carried out tests on samples of 20 different human breast tumours.

Writing in the Journal of Applied Toxicology, they say they found traces of parabens in every sample.

Their tests suggested the chemicals had seeped into the tissue after being applied to the skin.

“This is the first study to show their accumulation in human tissues,” said Dr Darbre.

“It demonstrates that if people are exposed to these chemicals (parabens), then the chemicals will accumulate in their bodies.”

—

“Their detection in human breast tumours is of concern since parabens have been shown to be able to mimic the action of the female hormone oestrogen,” she said.

“Oestrogen can drive the growth of human breast tumours. It would therefore seem especially prudent to consider whether parabens should continue to be used in such a wide range of cosmetics applied to the breast area including deodorants.”

Read full here.

Excerpt II

Their analysis of 20 breast tumours found high concentrations of
para-hydroxybenzoic acids (parabens) in 18 samples. Parabens can mimic the
hormone estrogen, which is known to play a role in the development of breast
cancers. The preservatives are used in many cosmetics and some foods to
increase their shelf-life.

“From this research it is not possible to say whether parabens actually
caused these tumours, but they may certainly be associated with the overall
rise in breast cancer cases,” says Philip Harvey, an editor of the Journal
of Applied Toxicology, which published the research.

Read full here.

Breast Cancer?!!! That’s for the females. Prostate Cancer is associated with paraben elsewell.

I have found them in some of my stuffs:

1. Dove Body Wash
2. Dove Facial Moisturiser
3. Ego QV Body Wash
4. Fruit of the Earth’s Cocoa Butter with aloe and Vitamin E lotion
5. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula

and many more…

The thing is would you like to increase the intake of slow yet powerful synthetic chemicals going into your system. How much are you willing to sacrifice? Your life? Your kid’s life? Definitely everything is God’s will. But if you can prevent it, heck why not.

We are still in dilemma on which hospital to deliver the next coming baby.

From #8 onwards, the hospitals are a bit too far, but I know/heard of them because my friends have delivered there.

Perhaps you guys can help me out, to complete this listing, or add any other hospitals around that you considered worth to be in the list (although it is out of my area), for other people’s info too.

Anyway, in deciding on which hospital, we have a few things to think about:
1. Charges (not too expensive)
2. Area (not too far)
3. Doctor Availability (some prefer female, some prefer of the same race or both - Faeq’s doctor was an Indian Male Datuk).
4. Neonatal Care and Paed Availability (for the baby)
5. Surgical Info (in case of Caesarean emergency)

Any ideas?