Sunday, July 19, 2009

New Car!



It's a Mazda CX7. It's sky blue with light brown leather interior. I love it! It's a v4 engine, but it feels like driving a v6 or v8, it has a lot of pep! It also has a moon/sun roof. So far it's getting pretty good gas mileage too; the dealer filled it up when we bought it last Monday and I just filled it up on Friday, and it still had a 1/4 of a tank or so. I think David said it gets 27 on the highway. So it will be nice for trips.

Quit to get ahead?


With the endless cycles of yo-yo dieting among Americans seeking weight-loss, what gives? Celebrities such as Oprah have shelved the concept of "diet" and begun seeking something more important than weight loss: health.

An article entitled, "Tossing Out the Diet and Embracing the Fat" found in last week's New York Times discussed the current health trends regarding weight-loss and diets. With recent movements such as Health at Every Size (HAES) supported by Linda Bacon, the dieting empire is receiving hard looks.

Years ago when I worked for Weight Watchers for a brief two-year stint, I had members return three...four...five...maybe even ten times to "recommit". Several winners of the Biggest Loser, NBC's hit show, can't keep the weight off...even under the watchful, malicious eyes of all of America. What is it we can do to make habits habitual and ritual?

As I've said many times before, health and weight status are not synonymous. Steven Blair, professor of exercise science, epidemiology, and biostatistics at the University of South Carolina (who is also a "fat and fit" advocate) explains that by looking at someone's fitness, you can determine their risk of death. Further, Blair goes on to state, "obese individuals who are fit have a death rate one half that of normal-weight people who are not fit." Somewhat to the contrary, Walter Willett, the nutrition department chairmen at the Harvard School of Public Health, explains that virtually all overweight individuals would be better off at a lower weight [1].


So, the New York Times article poses a valid question: If yo-yo dieting often leads to weight gain, does quitting ever lead to weight loss? [1]

The new size-acceptance/fat-acceptance movement suggests living your life as though you've reached your goal weight and to act on ambitions postponed while trying to become thin [1]. Surely an interesting thought.

While every health professional preferences different approaches to health, I believe that tayloring approaches to produce behavior change based on the individual trumps any one approach. Hence, I will continue to educate myself on all theories and approaches in an effort to better reach all of my patients where they need to be met.

As for me, my current needs will be met with a refreshing glass of Chianti. It was a tough hockey game today! Cheers!

[1]. Katz, Mandy. Tossing Out the Diet and Embracing the Fat. The New York Times. July 15, 2009.



letih tp nak update


remember my last post? if i'm not mistaken, it was bout 4 am when i wrote that post.
guess what? lepas tuh, packing brg2 utk ke umah finaz. da 5am. and then.... baring.
try tdow. ngantok amat3 da nih. leteyh sgt3 da badan. tp... mate terkebil2 plak.
baru cam lena2 ayam, da 6am. abah da mcm bertih jagung kejut bgn tdow. ahah.
mandi subuh2. n sbb brg2 yg di pack x letak dlm bag lg, mmg kelam kabot la.
at d n, main ambik je baju kurung mama + pakai tdung dlm kereta + ngantok gle.
so, gerak ke tjg malim dlu, since mama ade class as early as 8am...

18th july 09 - saturday
sampai dpn upsi bout 740am. and breakfast. tp, mmg rushing sgt3...
sbb mama buat muke x leh blaaa x tahan nak melepaskan hajatnye...wahaha.
cpt2 mkn, abah mkn cam ape je. then trus msk upsi, mama? erm. biasela.
kelam kabot + muke lawak abis lari2 anak ke fakulti die n cari toilet dlu. ahah~
then, gerak ke country homes, rawang - umah finaz. i arrived that as early as...
9am ++ aite babe? idk. when i arrived there, ade sedare mare finaz je.
so, salam2, n letak all my stuff d bilik finaz. x lame tuh 1 fmly finaz sampai da.
mereka dr kubur arwah abah finaz... borak3. n tak lame pastuh, lunch.

after lunch, start kerjasame buat ape yg patot utk kenduri tuh. yerrr...
sy mkn manggis cam ape je kan. gile manggis~ seronok di dapur beramai2.
tgk finaz buat puding jagung jgk. gempak tuh. hehe... then almost 7pm, stop jap.
gosok baju kurung utk mlmnye plak. mandi, siap2, then start tahlil until 12am.
almost 1am baru tgh kemas2 brg utk tamatkan tahlil itu... huuu.
mkn mmg sgt bnyk la kan wlpun d whole day ngantok sbb x tdow lg.
timbang berat bdn. mmg da naik blk dprd hari tuh! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.
then, almost 1am, surrender~! naik atas, tukar baju, trus tdow...


19th july - sunday
ya allah. sebabkan mmg x tdow 1 hari pd jumaat mlm sabtu tuh, truk la jdnye.
bgn pagi dkt umah org kul 10 lebeyh kot. sumpah malu weyh. ahhahahaha...
manusie terakhir bgn dlm umah tuh, sy la. errr~ nasib baik semua cam da biase.
i mean, sy da kenal n da seswaikan diri. huhu. tahhh...mmg tdow mati x ingt dunia.
mimpi ngarot plak tuh sampai finaz terkejut. ahahahaha... lawak amat. erm.
mandi,siap2, trus melawat kak teh [adek finaz] di asrama dkt kuala kubu baru.
mkn choc indulgence n jmpe2, da almost 3pm... gerak blk rawang smule.

but then. singgah UW kopitiam dlu. uncle wee~ bukan ultra white~! hehe.
order mocha + char kuey teow. thanks pak lang n mak lang~! kenyang3.
then tgk baju2 & kasot2 plak. 2 kedai je but sgt amat la lame. haha... ok.
blk umah finaz, da dlm 6pm. packed all my stuff, 645pm camtuh, kuar umah.
amirul + finaz hantar ke ktm rawang. abah x blh ambik sbb main golf~ wuuu.

skali. ramai plak d ktm rawang. ok. baru seda da setahun x naik ktm dr rawang.
act mmg jarang naik ktm kot. dulu...slalu pon sbb nak jmpe shahli n shafinaz jgk d mid~
wawawa... ok. then. it was 704pm when i was at ktm rawang. tnggu ktm~~~
n dptla naik ktm tepat pukul 720pm. mmg ramai org sbb train lmbt~
mereka da tnggu dr 6pm. nasib baikla jgk sy tnggu dlm 15 min je kan? hee.
sampai kl central bout 800pm. naik LRT to setiawangsa plak. sampai dlm 825pm.
tnggu abah ambik bout 10 min, blk umah. ramai sdare bertandang...huu.

bout 11pm td baru semua org blk & sy pun baru leh on9. erm... act. mmg bz.
most of the time, sy akan on9 just utk tgk kebun & lola. kebun la plg utame.
sbb kalo x, habis sume kene curikkk!!! wahaha. penat2 tanam tnggu pnye lame.
haha. farm ville - barn buddy - pet society - sorority life. penting3. ahah~
then nak buka blog & email pun cam rushing2 pe sume da. hurm...
so, nih pon x tdow2 lg nih. pasnih...tdow la. act, bnyk kot bnde d buat
tp seriously, x terupdate da weyh~! hukkk...paper audio x lepas lg. ermmm...
esok mlm gi airport plak. anta abah blk srwk d klia. should b pagi. but.
abah ade meeting ape tah plak jap lg... sooo. blk mlm plak. harap3 kan.
esok blh bgn lmbt skit... nak tdow puas2!!! wuuuuuuu. till then. =]



Arkansas Style Barbecue


Arkansas style BBQ is unique in that it incorperates several different regional styles. Being close enough to the Midwest, Texas and Tennessee, Razorbacks have managed to pick up traits from all styles of BBQ. Beef and pork can be found on most menus with Arkansas style ribs a major attraction. Arkansas ribs are slowly cooked after being treated to a dry rub and a wet sauce just before the end of cooking. They are then sliced into individual portions before serving. Pulled pork sandwiches are served with a thin layer of coleslaw on top of the BBQ. The coleslaw itself is one thing that makes this style different. Unlike it's sweet and creamy counterpart served in other regions this slaw has a more vinegary flavor and is very crunchy.

Now of course being the home state of conglomerate Tyson Foods, Razorbacks love their barbecued chicken. The chicken is prepared much in the same way as the ribs. It too is coated with a dry rub before cooking with the sauce added at the last few minutes of cooking. And it is this sauce that makes Arkansas Style BBQ different. It is a thin sauce that is both tomato and vinegar based. It is very peppery and tends to be spicier than its eastern counterparts. The sauce is usually sweetened with sorghum molasses but is seldom thick nor does it taste syrupy. Sorghum adds a rich robust flavor to the sauce.

When eating barbecue at a restuarant in Arkansas you will be offered a choice of two sauces, regular or hot. Remember that the regular sauce is already pretty spicey so be careful.

Arkansas BBQ Sauce
1/2 c Water
3 tablespoons sorghum molasses
3 oz Worcestershire sauce
3 oz Yellow mustard
1/4 c Catsup
1/8 c Black pepper
1/8 c Red pepper flakes
3/4 qt Red wine vinegar
1/4 qt White wine
3 oz Salt

Bring to boil and then simmer for about 1/2 hour. Do not cook or store in aluminum, store in glass.