Wednesday, 7 September 2011

You Are What You Eat

Organic Vegetables and Fruits
I noticed more and more people are purchasing organic vegetables and fruits. Mostly young adults. Why are they choosing organic over the non-organic ones? This is because our so called fresh fruit and vegies have been sprayed with toxic pesticides and chemicals and our water contains contaminants. And what about all the processed foods that we eat that contains preservatives. Do you know that eating this toxic, pesticides and chemicals will make our body go sick day by day? Your immune is low and therefore you fall sick – fever, flu, cough, sore throat and so on.
Really when you think about it who wants to eat pesticides and chemicals? Lets face it we get enough of those just from breathing so why add to it with contaminated foods.
Fast Food and Trans fat
Fast food is bad for our health, it contains trans fat.  Trans fats are concentrated in margarine, solid vegetable shortening, doughnuts, crackers, cookies, chips, cakes, pies, some breads and foods fried in hydrogenated fat (chicken, fish, potatoes).  Here’s the list of fast food restaurant with trans fat content.
I have always thought that “Subway” is free from this transfat, after reading from the list above. I think i will eat less Subway’s “healthy” bread.
transfat
Meadow lea margarine also have 1% trans fat, whereas butter contains 3 – 4% trans fat.
fat-facts
fats_table
Source Meadowlea
Antibiotics inject to our meat
Antibiotic in Cattles – Chicken, Pigs, Cow
Heres’ the news link
Excessive use of antibiotics by meat producers, 8 times more than in human medicine, contributes to alarming increase in antibiotic resistance
Processed Food, Tin food, Junk Food, Fake Food
Processed food is made from real food that has been put through devitalizing chemical processes and is infused with chemicals and preservatives. Chicken nugget, meat balls,  Beef jerky, canned tea, jam, hot dogs, and low-fat yogurt with sugar or aspartame are a few examples of processed food.
Junk foods contain very little real food. They’re made of devitalized processed food, hydrogenated fats, chemicals, and preservatives, and include anything made with refined white flour. Canned breakfast drinks, cold/sugary cereals, doughnuts, drive-through foods, and soda are examples of junk foods.
Fake foods are made primarily of chemicals, and often contain gums and sugar fillers. Examples include bacon bits, bottled salad dressing, dehydrated soups, and instant coffee.

Source
 Note: Someone said to me that MILO actually contains colourings?
Do i need to make my own soya bean for breakfast drink every morning? Gosh!.
Styrofoam container
Okay, i know this is bad for your health when you take away hot food using Styrofoam. Avoid it by putting on a paper container or better if you bring your own stainless steel container.
(Alcoholic drinks dissolves styrofoam cups)

Plastic Mineral Bottle
Plastic bottles are not always safe to reuse over and over as harmful chemicals can leach out into the contents. These plastic bottles which get dinged up through normal wear and tear and while being washed—increases the chance that chemicals will leak out of the tiny cracks and crevices that develop over time.
HOW safe is TUPPERWARE?
Since everything is not safe to consume? Even soya sauce, taucu, black sauce not safe? Fish contaminated with mercury contamination in sea from industrial waste? Are we choosing organic over non-organic ones? Eating outside food that contains MSG (Monosodium Glutamate). It’s up to you to choose because

Organic Shampoo

What shampoo do you use? Do you look at the ingredients of the brand X-shampoo before you make your purchase?
What is SLES and SLS?
Both Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) and its close relative Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) are commonly used in many soaps, shampoos, detergents, toothpastes and other products that we expect to “foam up”. Both chemicals are very effective foaming agents, chemically known as surfactants.
Unfortunately, both sodium laureth sulfate and its cousin are also very dangerous, highly irritating chemicals. Far from giving “healthy shining hair” and “beautiful skin”, soaps and shampoos containing sodium laureth sulfate can lead to direct damage to the hair follicle, skin damage, permanent eye damage in children and even liver toxicity.

Will prolong usage of this ingredients lead to hair thinning?

I found this organic shampoo at Midvalley Justlife store
Justlife outlets :
• IKANO Power Centre
• Kuala Lumpur
• Subang Jaya
• Petaling Jaya
• Seremban 2
• Puchong
• Melaka
• Penang
• The Gardens, Mid Valley
There is one store near my housing area, they doesn’t have lots of choices in shampoo. What they have is Silken by Neway which is cheaper in price also http://www.itsyourlife.uk.com/shampoo2.html
Those selling in Justlife is way too expensive.
silken
I am trying to find more choices to select with cheaper prices.
And another is Sukin and you can find this in Malaysia too!
sukin
Anymore organic brands sell in malaysia?

FREE Shuttle Service Ikea

Note: Bus will come earlier 5-10 mins

Departure time

Bus stop opp Kelana Jaya LRT Station Main Entrance G floor Ikano Power Centre
9.00 am 9.30 am
10.00 am 11.00 am
11.30 am 12.30 am
1.00 pm 2.30 pm
3.00 pm 4.00 pm
4.30 pm 5.00 pm
5.30 pm 6.30 pm
7.00 pm 7.30 pm
8.00 pm 9.00 pm
9.30 pm 10.30 pm

Mauna Ragam(1986) Review

Watched Mauna Ragam yesterday ....

'Mr.Chandramouli! Mr.Chandramouli!!'
To me, and possibly many others, this is the first thing that comes to mind, when we think of the movie Mouna Ragam. That name and Karthik’s actions are embedded in my mind and are totally unforgettable. Arguably, one of Mani Ratnam’s best efforts, Mouna Ragam is a classic example of Mani’s work, a simple tale, well told. The lead actors do a fantastic job of it (I never thought I’d say this about po-faced Mohan) and it is, in my opinion, one of the best movies of my generation.
Revathy is a regular, young middle-class who’s quite content to maintain the status quo of her life. But when her parents decide to get her married off to someone they deem as a ‘good boy’, she rebels by staying out all evening on the day the ‘boy’s visiting her house to ‘see’ her. After a spot of singing and dancing in the rain, she finally saunters in quite late, full of glee of having outwitted her parents. She gets the shock of her life when she finds the ‘boy’, Mohan, still sitting there, patiently awaiting her arrival.
Furious with herself, she decides to go for broke and confesses to Mohan her aversion to the whole arranged set-up, even passing some disparaging comments about herself to help him along. When he hears the same words he was rehearsing, Mohan changes his mind and his feeling about arranged marriage and agrees to marry her. Off they go to Delhi, a stone-faced Revathy determined to get away from her marriage as soon as possible. She shuns Mohan and his attempts to get to know her. To celebrate their first month together, he buys her some beautiful anklets. But she prefers an annulment and off they go to a lawyer to start the proceedings. The shocked lawyer tells them that they have to give their marriage a shot at least for a year before the courts can call it off.

Thus starts Revathy’s sentence – or so she thinks. When asked why she hates him so, she tells Mohan of the boy she loved. The happy-go-lucky, rowdy Karthik, with a zest for life and a hair trigger temper, which frequently results in local fights and altercations with the police. But slowly and surely, the love of a good woman decides his fate for him and he makes his mind to turn over a new life. Knowing her parents would not allow their union, Revathy and Karthik decide to get married in secret. As she’s waiting in front of the Registrar’s office, Karthik runs up the steps later than he promised – but is shot dead by mistake, by the police.
When it becomes clear to Mohan that it is the ghost of a past boyfriend that is standing in between them, he decides to step back and lets his wife have her head. They lead separate lives within the four walls of their house, counting the days till the year runs out and they can be legally separated. But slowly, Revathy starts to understand her husband and unbeknown to her, falls in love with him, little by little. How they sort their feelings for each other and end up together is a story beautifully woven by the director.
There are some really funny bits in the movie. Revathy’s attempts to teach her Punjabi neighbour Tamil is one of the most hilarious and memorable funny scenes from the annals of Tamil cinema. Showing her impish, naughty side, Revathy teaches her poor neighbour what he assumes to be polite words to impress his Tamil boss. When the boss visits the Sardar and says ‘namaste, he is told poda dai, much to his amazement. He is then not-too-politely to sit down (okkaru da somberi). The eagerness on the Sardar's face as he utters the words, imagining him to be the epitome of hospitality, made me nearly wet myself in glee, the first time I saw the film.
The music for the movie is by none other than the Maestro himself, Ilaiyaraja. It has been so long since I actually listened to the songs but I still remember the tunes of every single one of them. My favourite of all of them is the slow Manram Vandha, where the haunting quality of the music seems somehow echoed in the movement of the car, as Mohan and Revathy drive on. The melodious Nilave Vaa is another good number, sung beautifully by SPB. All the songs in the movie are hummable and even after more than a decade; I can still remember the words and the tunes of the songs. You cannot ask for more, can you?
This is Karthik’s best performance ever, I think. Under Mani’s skilful guidance, he curbs his tendency to overact and turns out a beautiful rendition of a rowdyish young man, who turns over a new leaf willy-nilly after falling in love. Revathy, as always, plays her role to perfection. She is such a fantastic artiste, with the most expressive eyes and one immediately empathises with her, first with her aversion to the arranged marriage, then her feelings for the boy she loved and lost, her initial anti feelings towards the husband foisted on her, her impish nature as she teaches her neighbour Tamil and finally, the growing love in her, for the man she married. A superb portrayal by a consummate actress. Mohan has never been a favourite of mine – I never felt this was a man who could act but this once, he proved me wrong by playing the role of a patient husband beautifully.
The movie tackles a subject that, funnily enough, still holds our culture and society in sway – that of arranged vs. love marriages. In a deeper level, the movie also deals with the difficulties involved in sustaining any relationship and the gentle strands of love that slowly bind people together; even without them realising it. It is an utterly romantic story and Mani has told it superbly. A must-see movie for any good movie buff.
Plus Points: screenpaly ,Mohan ,Karthi ,Revathy ,Music
Minus Points: Hmm....

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Kadhal 2 Kalyanam


Anna Hazare


Who is Anna Hazare? 

The Kishan Babu Rao Hazare, an ex-army man, fought 1965 Indo-Pak war.
From a tenacious soldier to a social reformer, and a Right To Information crusader, Anna Hazare’s journey of four decades has been unprecedented in terms of a non-violent yet effective campaign of resurrecting a barren village into an `ideal village’ model and empowering the faceless citizen through pioneering work on Right to Information. His efforts to empower grampanchayats, protect efficient government officers from frequent transfers and fight against the red tapism in government offices have also received accolades.
Anna Hazare is one of India's well-acclaimed social activists. A former soldier in the Indian army, Anna is well known and respected for upgrading the ecology and economy of the village of Ralegan Siddhi which is located in the drought prone Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state. The erstwhile barren village has metamorphosed into a unique model of rural development due to its effective water conservation methods, which made the villagers self-sufficient. Earlier, the same village witnessed alcoholism, utter poverty and migration to urban slums. Inspired by Hazare’s unique approach of salvaging a hopeless village, the state government has implemented the `Model Village’ scheme as part of its official strategy. Hazare is now synonymous with rural development in India.

Achiements:
  • Model Village - Integrated village Development Project As a part of Golden Jubilee celebration of ”Bharat Chhodo Andolan “ Adarsh Gaon Yojna " was started under his chairmanship - “ Model Village “ project. 
  • Watershed Development - Watershed development is one of the key tools contributing towards the overall objective of reducing poverty through sustainable development.
  • Anti-Corruption Development - The common man is put to lot of hardships and it has become difficult to make both ends meet as prices of essential commodities are rising constantly due to corruption. Hazare believes that our freedom is at the teeth of danger due to corruption and unless it is eliminated, the country will not be free in its true sense. Therefore, a peaceful war has been waged against corruption with the help of immense support from people.
  • Right To Information - Right to Information includes the citizens’ right to -
        •  inspect works, documents, and records.
        • take notes, extracts or certified copies of documents or records.
        • take certified samples of material.
        • obtain information in form of printouts, diskettes, floppies, tapes, video          
          cassettes or in any other electronic mode or through printouts.

The citizens can obtain the above from all government departments to ensure transparency. All they need to do is to invoke the Right To Information (RTI) Act. The state of Maharashtra leads in RTI activism and use, thanks to Anna Hazare’s inspiring leadership.

Awards:

  • PADMABHUSHAN AWARD
  • PADMASHRI AWARD
  • PRIY DARSHINI VRIKSHA MITRA AWARD, GOVT. INDIA
  • KRUSHI BHUSAHAN GOVT. OF MAHARASHTRA
  • YOUNG INDIA AWARD
  • MAN OF THE YEAR AWARD 1988
  • PAUL MITTAL NATIONAL AWARD 2000 (NEHRU SIDHANT KENDER TRUST LUDHIYNA 14001)
  • TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL (IT) INTEGRITY AWARD 2003 FROM TRANSPARENCY INTERNATIONAL
  • DOCTORATE DEGREE GANDHIGRAM RURAL INSTITUTE-DEEMED UNIVERSITY GANDHIGRAM DINDIGUL, TAMIL NADU-8-11-05
  • VIVEKANANDA SEVA PURASKAR 1994
  • SHIROMANI AWARD 1996
  • MAHAVEER PURASKAR 1997
  • DIWALIBEN MEHTA AWARD
  • CARE INTERNATIONAL AWARD 1998
  • GIANTS INTERNATIONAL AWARD
  • BASAVSHRI PRASHASTI 2000 AWARD
  • NATIONAL INTERGRATION AWARD
  • VISHWA-VATSALYA & SANTBAL AWARD

Bodyguard Review




As I already had mentioned that I'll be preferring "That Girl in Yellow Boots" over "Bodyguard" but really its not easy to go for your choice if its against of your friend's. Eventually I had to go for "Bodyguard" in spite of having no interest in the movie.
Bodyguard in its first half seems no better than Salman's last few hits. The typical Salman Khan masala movie with blend of action, emotion, comedy, songs and romance. But the movie leaves its impression in the last 20 minutes. Bodyguard is a typical bollywood movie that promises to present all aspects in a movie such as larger than life action, comedy, item songs and the hero romancing with the beautiful heroin. Bodyguard may disappoint many people but Salman Khan fans will love it especially its interesting turns and twists in the second part.
This is a story of Lovely Singh (Salman Khan) who owes a debt to wealthy feudal lord Sartaj Singh (Raj Babbar) that he can not repay. Sartaj Singh's only daughter Divya (Kareena Kapoor) life is in danger as his father has many enemies but he was sure that his daughter is as safe as swiss bank with Lovely Singh.
The honest, handsome and loyal bodyguard becomes too annoying for Divya in the college so she makes a prank of him by impersonating herself as "Chhaya" on the phone. The story moves forward with some sweet and some comical sequences but the twist appears in the movie when Divya falls in love with her bodyguard Lovely Singh but she also knew that her father will not accept this relationship and even Lovely Singh might not accept it too.
The movie contains the well-expected fight sequences which hardly seems relevant according to the story line of the movie. The director of the movie seems to be in dilemma of what he wanted to present the Salman Khan as- an action hero or the romantic hero. In spite of all the flaws that the movies is full of, the second part of the movie makes you feel little attached with the characters and the twists in the story are appreciable.
Music is average. Teri Meri Prem Kahani is the only song that leaves some impact.
 The movie is not a must watch but you can give it a try if eithr you are a Salman Khan fan or you enjoy typical bollywood desi masala flicks.
But I'm still looking forward to "That Girls in Yellow Boots" as it has got great reviews from all critics

Sunday, 4 September 2011

The Meaning of the Engagement Ring


Engagement rings have been giving to fiances for centuries as a symbol of the lasting love and bond that a man and a woman share together. Your engagement ring should be designed or selected specifically with your relationship in mind. Therefore, it is not a good idea to reuse engagement rings or to take the purchase of them for granted.
Many people even design their own engagement rings, either by getting artistic and hand-crafting them, or having a jeweler customize the stone and setting for them. When you personalize your engagement ring, you are creating a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry that will last you and your wife for the decades to come.
Because an engagement ring is given at the time of a proposal, it is important that you assess the type and style of ring that your future wife would want. The proposal and the ring should be selected specifically for your girlfriend’s enjoyment and to suit her tastes. You are telling your girlfriend at the proposal time that you would like her to make a lifelong commitment to you and that, likewise, you are prepared to make a lifelong commitment to her. The ring is simply a symbol of that love.
It is important that when you present your girlfriend with the engagement ring that you are sincere and that you express your undying love and interest in her. You are asking her to abandon her state of being single and to join with you in what will be a lifetime of matrimony. The better your engagement speech is, the better your proposal will be in terms of meaning and impact.
Throughout the course of your marriage, it is important that you both always wear your rings. The rings will thus travel with you wherever you go and they will stay as a constant remembrance of the love that you share. The ring that you purchase will be worn for the rest of your wife’s life together, so it is important that you make the purchase of it wisely.
Generally, couples will upgrade the engagement ring on anniversaries and special occasions by adding additional stones or by changing the setting. Keep in mind that your engagement ring will serve to share your love not only for the duration of the life that you share with your wife, but chances are good that it will also stay in your family for generations as you pass it to your children and grand children

Thursday, 1 September 2011

Mankatha Review

Star Cast: Ajith, Arjun, Trisha, Vaibhav Reddy, Lakshmi Rai, Andrea, Premji Amaren and Anjali.
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Story: Venkat PrabhuSt
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Story :-
Maharshatra police officer Vinayak Mahadevan (Ajith) is suspended for helping a smuggler to escape from police encounter. He starts leading life in his own way. Arumuga Chettiar (Jayaprakash) is the Chettiar who owns Golden Theatres in Mumbai, which forms the front for all his illegal businesses, like money laundering, gambling, etc. Also he is the father of Sanjana, played by Trisha. Mahadevan fall in love with Sanjana (Trisha). A tough cop Prithvi (Arjun) takes charge to end betting scandal in IPL cricket in Mumbai. Arumuga uses his links with dons in Mumbai tries to route through his old theater, a cash of over Rs 500 crore to be used in betting.
Sumanth (Vaibhav), a goon working for Arumuga Chettiyar plans to take away the booty with the help of his friends Ganesh (Ashwin), Mahanth (Mahanth), who owns a bar in Mumbai and Prem (Premji), an IIT graduate. Vinayak joins the race. He promises to help them and divide it between them. Trouble starts after they take away the cash. Both Arumugha Chettiyar and police are now on their heels. Meanwhile, Mahanth and Prem escape with the cash. It’s all up to Vinayak now. The battle shifts between him and Prithvi.
The plot thickens, the end happens in the series of twists and turns – and it’s interesting to watch what would happen next; and who’s REALLY who in the story. An entertaining end to an entertaining movie: The ends credits are un-miss able so don’t get up and walk away thinking the movie’s over! Hilarious and user cool!

Performance :- 

  • Ajith is all the way, playing a negative role. He has carried practically the whole film on his capable shoulders. He is simply amazing in the role of a dreaded baddie. With his usual looks sans makeup, he hogs all limelight. The man’s screen-presence works wonders. In all, he has shown keen interest over the dance, action, sense of humor, etc.
  • Arjun does the role of a cop once more. But he is charming here. He has excelled in his role and proves that he is truly the Action King.
  • Trisha’s portions with Ajith are good and her looks are enchanting. Lakshmi Rai appears for couple of songs and scenes. Both do play their part well. Andrea as Arjun’s wife and Anjali in the role of Vaibhav’s wife do minuscule roles.
  • Vaibhav gets a meaty role and he utilise the opportunity. Premji did what he did in Goa and Chennai 28.
  • Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music, especially the background score adds to the thrill of the movie.
Mankatha is truly an absolute entertainer for the masses. On the whole, ‘Mankatha’ has some slow moments during first half, but as the story proceeds during second half, it has gripping moments with an unexpected climax.




Briyani cooked by Ajit

LUNCH @ Bijou

The moment we see this place i fell in love with it immediately...
love the pink, orange and white color combination, the interior, and ambiance so peaceful and relaxing...with the Merdeka spirit..









Options of indoor or outdoor dining















Cupcakes



Chocolate cupcake (RM5):
love this cupcakes ~ so delicious






Hot Chocolate (RM9):comes with a pink and white marshmallow




Cafe Au Lait (RM7): like the milk foam...




Breadcrumb Spaghetti (RM22):
served with prawns and breadcrumb + mushroom piecesthe prawns are so fresh and succulent
very good combination...





For all the sandwiches there are a few types of bread to choose from + a choice of salad or fries

Simple Salmon Sandwich (RM20):
Nine grains & Salad something very similar to what Coffee Bean is serving...




Bijou @ Mont Kiara