Cow's milk are for cows.

As much as I love milk, I have been cutting down on fresh milk consumption for some time, because I want to reduce my protein intake. Trying to do the same for carbohydrates, but I am a carbo junkie - can't live without rice and noodles. =p

Anyway, if you google around for cow's milk, you may come across many articles that downplays the importance of cow's milk.

I will summarise some of the findings here.

(1) Any mucus-forming food, dairy being at the top of his list, is poison.

(2) A newborn's digestive system that is not yet developed is ill-equipped to handle milk protein. That's why many infants display many negative symptoms (eczema for example) after consumption of cow's milk.

(3) Scientists are finding correlations between milk and heart diseases, obesity and breast cancer (and people actually wonder why these diseases are so prevalent).

(4) While advertisements stress on how much more calcium their milk has, what they didn't tell you is the low bioavailability - cow's milk can have tons of calcium but they are in a form that is not easily absorbed by the human's body. So you should get your calcium by consuming leafy vegetables and beans (and supplements, if you are into it) instead.

(5) Cows eat grass. And ever wonder how some cows (and the grass) grow so fast and "healthy"? Steroids, stabilisers, hormones etc... Chemical milk, anyone?

And if you are still not convinced, someone written a book called "Don't drink your Milk! - New Frightening Medical Facts about the World's Most Overrated Nutrient".



All in all...
If you are a cow, then cow's milk are for you!

Else you might want to consider soya bean milk, which has no cholesterol and little saturated fats, contains isoflavones (which are antioxidants) and won't cause any milk allergy/lactose intolerance.

About the Author: Shingo T has nothing against cows, other than the enormous amount of greenhouse gases (methane) that cows produce when they fart.

The loser lose it.

Hi Friends, let’s play a little game.
I will challenge you to a game that I call
The loser lose it.

The rules are simple.

You lose if
(1) you lose your temper before I do OR
(2) you complain about anything before I do.

I lose if
(1) I lose my temper before you do OR
(2) I complain about anything before you do.

And we both win if
(1) you and I do not lose within the next 48 hours.

The time now on my watch is 11am Thursday Singapore time (GMT +8 hours).

No cheating please – drop a comment here if any of you (or myself included) have lost your temper or complained about ANYTHING these 48 hours.

I dare you to stay cool! =p

About the Author: Shingo T thinks every company and every couple should play this game. If the boss loses, he will be financially penalised. If the wife/hubby loses, he/she will have to do housework or something.

It doesn't matter!

I always thought teaching was my destiny. It still is, just not at a school. I am constantly amazed at how the Ministry of Education try to brand teaching as a very noble job. Don't get me wrong, moulding the nation is an important role, just that there are too much politicking and admin work among the Singapore school teachers these days, and many are packed to the point that they lose the kind of work-life balance.

There was a teacher in Singapore who devoted 20 years of her life in school trying to mould the nation. Then she discovered she had cancer, but still continued going to go back to school to nurture the next generation. When she died, the school didn't bother to even pay for an orbituary for her. It's not that the school was too poor to do so, they probably see no need to. Money was better spent to paint the walls to maintain the image of the school. So the school staff had to rally and pressure the principal to spare some money for something to remember the teacher's contribution - the school gave in and paid for a small orbituray on the papers.

Anyway, this post isn't about teaching. Rather, it's about the many things in life that doesn't matter.

How often have you wanted to do something, but end up not doing it just so as to please your friends and family? And that lead to some kind of regret in some point your life.

The next video is a hip number called It doesn't matter, and carries a nice message. =p



So you spend 20 years working your a** off for your company?
It doesn't matter! What's your name again? And I don't POOKing care about the contributions you made.

So you are richer than everyone else and just want to flaunt off?
It doesn't matter! It doesn't make us envious, it only make us realise the kind of a** that you are. =p

So you won the beauty pageant 20 years ago?
It doesn't matter! You look nowhere near that now.

So your friends are gossiping behind your back for breaking off with the boyfriend?
It doesn't matter! Their turn will come soon.

So you have has a first class honours/MBA/PhD?
It doesn't matter! You are working for people with half your qualifications but earning a few times your salary.

So you have.....
*puts a hand to your face*
It doesn't matter! Nobody cares! =p

Don't be over-concerned about what people think about you, and end up making decisions just to please them, and screw your own life in the process.

Now repeat this pledge after me, my friends. ^_^

I am a human being, not a donkey.
If you don't respect my values, don't expect me to respect yours.
I am not here to please you, I'm here to RULE.
You can try to piss me, but I ain't give you the sh*t you deserve.
I am SOLELY responsible for leading my own life.

About the Author: Shingo T will like to dedicate this post to people who are too conscious about how they appear in front of others. Seriously, no one cares.

The Versatile Blogger Award

I am honoured to be tagged by Ricademus for the The Versatile Blogger Award.



Thanks, Ric! ^_^
I will however no longer be posting awards up on my sidebars, but I will always acknowledge them in a post. Means alot to me.

Here's 7 random things about myself, which comes with accepting the award. Not sure which ones I might have written before, I can't recall what I have blogged. =p

(1) I'm allergic to beer. Will go down with fever the next few days. Was lucky no one tried to sabo me with beer during my wedding night.

(2) I love soft toys. That explains why I love buying them for Wifey, so I can hug them too. =p

(3) Despite my practical nature, I have a soft spot for old people. Every old lady out there reminds me of my beloved Grandma. And I hope to visit my Grandma back in Malaysia for as long as I can.

(4) I'm too egoistic to cry. But that doesn't mean I don't. I can still recall that night many years ago when I cried badly and nearly broke down. Yes, I'm human after all.

(5) I am very picky when it comes to food. Consumes all kinds of vegetables, but always very selective when it comes to meat. Thus I become a "liability" when I go out for dinners with friends when it comes to sharing food.

(6) The number of bouquet of flowers I have sent in my life can be counted with one hand. Also given a choice, I rather give fake flowers than real ones - fake flowers represent a boring but ever-lasting relationship while real flowers symbolises an exciting but quick ending relationship. I know, I'm the least romantic guy on Planet Earth.

(7) I think turtlenecks and skirts are one of fashion's best combination. Yummy!

I won't be tagging anyone for the awards. There are plenty of versatile bloggers out there, but I will always miss someone out there when I tag, so I will rather pass.

Have a great day, my friends! ^_^

Who says Wifey isn't thrifty?

Wifey and I are a couple who believes alot in utilising one's strength to cover the other person's weakness.

That's married life, my friends. Each of us has a part to play!

While I worry about bringing in the moolah ($), she worries about us having excesses. While I'm surfing investment forums, she's surfing the shopping forums. And when I'm out there networking with my newfound friends, you can bet the kind-hearted girl is out there doing charity at retail outlets.

Yes, Singapore has the fastest growth rate in the world for the year 2010. And it's solely thanks to Wifey! She has the potential to single-handedly turn around the US economy and help the Democrats win back some lost seats (email me, Mr Obama!!!).

Anyway, I do a monthly stocktaking of our overall financial health, to ensure we are on target for a decent retirement. And I make it a point to keep my Wifey aware of our financial situation - just to let her know that while we don't have more money than than Mr Lee Kuan Yew (he's 87 and still working), but we can retire earlier than him.

But Wifey's ain't interested in how much we have, she's meant for bigger things in life. Quoting my ever-intelligent Wifey...
"I don't care how much we have so long as I have enough to spend."

My jaws drop. But nonetheless this award-winning quote will come in handy when I tell stories to my future descendents in my open lodging under the bridge. -_-''

And before you think I'm trying to say Wifey's a spendthrift, that is a myth - she is a very thrifty person.

And how do I know that?

Because she saves her money by making purchases with the supplementary credit card I gave her. 0.o

And at the end of every month, after I have finish paying all my credit card bills, she looks at me with that puppy look (again), and just couldn't figure out why I can't save up as much as she could.

-_-''

Sometimes I also wonder where all my money went.
Someone enlighten me?

About the Author: Shingo T will like to clarify that this post is not meant to be sarcastic. ^_^ In reality, though Wifey likes to spend, she does her research beforehand to ensure we get the best bargain for each and every of the many countless, endless, infinite things that she buy (including those bought when my back is turned). Hugs and kisses, Wifey!

The Voice from Above.

I am a Buddhist by birth (because my parents are), but I always consider myself a free-thinker.

OK, maybe the person I worship is the guy on the dollar note.


Anyway, I was on a networking session recently and there was a talk by Patrick Liew, who is the director of home-grown real estate company called HSR. Patrick is also a philantrophist and does numerous wide-scale charity projects.



Well, Patrick shared his rag to riches story. Won't write much about this, but he has this interesting personal philosophy about about listening to The Man Above.

Knowing that religion is a touchy subject here in Singapore, he first gave a disclaimer that any religions that condemn other religions can't be any way good. He said that regardless of the name that we call our God, he strongly believes that there is an upper authority up there who speaks to us, IF ONLY we allow ourself to hear him speak.

He told us how this voice guided him to be the person that he is now, and how we can get in touch with The Man Above. And we don't neccessary have to get in touch by going to church or temples, but rather, we just have to get ourself away from interruptions. He does so simply by going for a jog with his dog.

I actually have similar rituals too, when I am out cycling in the morning. That is the best time to get away from everything and do a little self-indulgence of being free. I'm not exactly sure if it's the voices from Above, but I hear voices in my heart. It gets me to reflect on what I have been doing, and gain clarity on what I want in life. I take stock of what I have done, and constantly re-align my directions with my goals.

Thus I always feel good after an hour of cycling.

And that is why I don't over-pack my schedule with too much events, I need spare time to reconnect with my inner self.

In this Rat's Race, it's easy to run around the corporate circuit like a headless chicken. So do you set aside a little time to listen to The Man Above, or at least your inner self?

Try?

I quote this from my sifu (teacher).

In life, there is no trying.
Either you do it, or you don't.

So stop procrastinating, and stop trying.
Do it. Or don't.

Hide N Seek

My Wifey has a dual personality. At work, she's a no nonsense person. She is a perfectionalist who delivers only quality work and is respected by her peers for her professionalism. Interns and newbies who work with her tend to be a little afraid of her, as she does not see the need to give face to people who are not performing.

We often have discussion about our way of managing people at work - I go for people with the right attitude, while she goes for people who can deliver.

On weekends, back at home, this corporate perfectionalist turns into this devilish naughty girl. Just earlier this morning, I came home after my breakfast at a neighbourhood kopitiam, unable to find her on the bed (she sleeps late on weekends). And she wasn't in the toilet, so I knew she was playing hide and seek with me. -_-''

It's a good thing my flat is small. There are only a few places she can hide, so normally it won't take long for me to find her. But somehow she always hide in the place that I least expected (she knows me so well), so after I found her, she will laugh at how long I took to find her.

And she will often ask if I worry about her "disappearance". Being the egoistic and macho man that I am, err... my answer is no?

Besides playing hide and seek, she sometimes tries to give her hubby a scare by jumping out from dark corners or blind spots in the house. Haha, she just get a kick seeing me get startled. And I will always tell her that she should try harder if she's out to get my insurance money, I don't get heart attack that easily.

And that's why knowing I have a little phobia for roller coaster rides, she brings me to amusement parks, and "forces" me to take those killer rides, using her "If you don't go up, I also don't", and show me that disappointed face of hers.

I am a sucker to my Wifey's puppy looks. I know.

But frankly, she's also a little scary cat when it comes to such rides, she just wants to have my hand to hold, and have a companion who is equally scared sh*tless after the ride.

Seeing her fun side sometimes makes me feel less conscious of how uncle I actually am. Youth is contagious, and I feel younger when I'm with her.

I love you, Sweetie!

A Newbie Guide to Search Engine Optimisation

Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this topic.

Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO is the process of improving the ranking of your webpage on the Search Engine.

SEO is generally quite intuitive, if what you are writing is relevant to a subject, there is a higher chance that it will be ranked higher on the search engine results of the subject. It's logical, because a search engine that returns the most relevant results is deemed as a "Good search engine", so Google and other search engines will want to tweak their search engine algorithms to find the "best" results.

Having said this, please don't go about extensively spamming the same few words in your blog (you know what I mean if you stumble upon porn sites - they abuse all sorts of variation of the same word). Search engines generally blacklist these sites and prevent them from appearing in search listings.

For casual bloggers like us who wants to increase traffic via search engine, here's a small thing you can begin with.

Your blog has 2 unique IDs, your name and your blog's name. Should past visitors want to visit your site but forget the name, they might type the any of them in the search engine. In my case, typing "Shingo T" and "Cup of Ice" currently brings my webpage as the first entry in Google's search page. If you are using names like "John" and "John's homepage", chances are that it will be tough for people to find your website.

But of course, most people out there do not know who the hell "Shingo T" and "Cup of Ice" is, so they won't even bother searching using these key words. That's why if your blogging revolves around something specific (eg. fashion or dog grooming), have that word used as a title on your blog.

For instance, someone may name her site "Globetrotter - Addiction of a Travelholic". One look at the title and you know what the blog is about. So chances are that this will attract someone looking for travel blogs, rather than someone looking to recover from nicotine addiction.

For those who are more technically savvy on webpages, you can read this free document from Google on SEO - Google's Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide!

And finally, never let traffic take the fun out of your blogging! ^_^