President's Challenge and Surprise

Photo Credits: May Lim, Xin Ni Au 
Halo everyone. I had never expect such a big surprise at OSU. When you don't expect anything, you will be greatly surprised. Thank you to our dearest President of MASA OSU (Malaysian Students Association of The Ohio State University) for this lovely surprise. I don't know what to say but Thank You, Prez. Dee. 

As usual, I went to MASA EXCO monthly meeting. I thought we were going to discuss about events of the month. However, the surprise began with a challenge, given by Prez. Dee. We had no meeting. We were given 4 envelopes with different tasks in it. We need to have integration and accomplish this mission as a team. I was like OK, we are going to have something special for our last monthly meeting. I was quite excited about the task of each envelop, and not expecting anything other than that. So, we began our first challenge which was to say out loud the Rukun Negara (National Principles). I freaked out, I seriously can't remember anything except "Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan". Haha. I will definitely fail the first task if I was alone. Thanks to Google and the great team, we came out with the idea that someone leading us to read out the lines and we did it. It took us some time to figure out the tripod and camera thing, but we were good. Just in case, you forget about the Rukun Negara of Malaysia. Here it is: 

KEPERCAYAAN KEPADA TUHAN;

KESETIAAN KEPADA RAJA DAN NEGARA;

KELUHURAN PERLEMBAGAAN;

KEDAULATAN UNDANG-UNDANG;

KESOPANAN DAN KESUSILAAN

Next, we had to sing "Untukmu Malaysia" which we had been practicing for our Malaysian Cultural Night performance . Surprisingly the result ended up to be good! Then, we had photo-shooting session at the south oval.

Can you see the word we are trying to say? 

 successful one !

I am so grateful to be part of this awesome team! 

Lastly, as we are Buckeyes, we were assigned to shout "OH" at the center of Ohio Union. YOLO~~~ Luckily, I was not alone, abo I will be very paisei (shy). When we shouted "OH", Prez. Dee out of no where suddenly shouted back "IO" at us. WOHOOO!!! Prez. Dee~~~~  

We managed to complete the challenge. Check out this video to see us in the challenge. 

The surprise was not over yet. After taking photos, Prez. Dee asked us to be faster, we walked up the stairs. Prez. Dee lead us the way to the Ohio Staters Inc. Traditional Room. DADADA Danng! The surprise. The room was set up in fine dining setting. WOOOHOOO. I was stunned. My mouth opened so wide. It was a really really lovely dinner at the Ohio Union.

selfie w/ Prez Dee

I learn so much in this awesome team. Teamwork, respect, integration, creativity, communication skills, music... Thank you so much for letting me be a part of the team, I love all of you! You guys are a big part of my happiest memory in the Ohio State University. Not to forget, my Big Bro, Wei Jian Tan who guides me and be my mentor on planning events. We miss you , Wei Jian.

Nutrition Month: Are you eating healthy?

Halo everyone! This is a lengthy post. Thank you for reading and enjoy scrolling. ^ ^ 

As a future nutritionist, I would like to share the great news that March is a nutrition month whereby the purpose of this program is to spread the news about promoting healthy lifestyle. Yeah. How do you think about your life. Are you healthy? 

I bet most of you have been at least  once in your life, think that "I am FAT!" Ok, I do. Don't worry, you are not alone, I am here with you. I know most of you must be feeling like punching at me, right into the face... Ok. I got it. I am not fat in whole but I have some extra fats at places where they aren't supposed to be, which is my butt. :( This is a common problem facing by fellow ladies. Yes. I have a fatty cute butt. I am not complaining about it, but I do exercise to make sure it's in good shape and not over-sized. I think the reason to explain about my fatty butt is because I sit most of my time. We as a human, shouldn't sit most of our time. We are not supposed to be in this sitting posture in front of our laptop, this is not we are meant to be. We are meant to be spending our time finding our own food such as farming at the old days. Yes. Stand up right now, move around, no longer facing your laptop. Let's move! 

Since I am staying near to campus, I walk to campus everyday, not taking bus, which I make it a habit. I had calculated that I at least walk  around 5000 steps back and forth, which is a pretty good way of increasing physical activity. I understand that many people living in the city, go to work by car, sit in the office, go back home by car and spend time watching TV after work. Wake up, you need to MOVE! 

"I like to Move it, move it, move it. Airs in the air...." Hahaz. Hope this motivates you a little bit. 

I don't like going to gym, so I do this at home for only 10 minutes. 

Simple and easy way to stretch and exercise a bit. 

Let's forget about our weight for a second, can we just think about our diet. Do you think you are eating healthy? Let's try to recall what we have yesterday... Take your time and think about it.

I pan fired two frozen Roti Canai and had a cup of warm water for breakfast. 

I cooked myself a bowl of rice vermicelli, with a cup of fresh spinach, 1 oz of lean pork meat, 1 large egg and 1/4 cup of baby carrots. I added 1 tsp of soy sauce for taste. I also pan fried 4 frozen seafood dumplings. During tea-time, I had a piece of 100% whole wheat bread with 1 tbsp of hazelnut spread. I had 1 cup of 100% orange juice. I had home-cooked dinner too. I had  a bowl of white rice. 1 cup of stir-fried water spinach (kangkung) with some little anchovies, 1 bowl of winter melon soup with 2 small pork ribs, and 2 oz. soft tofu with Mapo Sauce. 

I know this is a really long list and it's difficult to recall every single details of what you had. So if you are concern about your food, I suggest to make a food diary and jot down food you had at each meal. Or just simply take a photo with your smartphone. Then, I encourage you to try this out https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/foodtracker.aspx. It's a food tracker where you can easily track calories you had taken and know whether you are meeting the recommendation level of each food category. The super tracker is very user-friendly and provides great report and most importantly it's free!!

Based on my 24 hour dietary recall, which I think you might have some similarities, check out some of my comments and recommendations. 

Pros:

1. Great to have home- cooked food where you can control the amount of salt and oil added. 

2. Canola oil is a good source of omega 3 which is good for our brain. 

3. Meeting the requirement of at least 3-4 servings of vegetable per day. 

4. Tofu is a good source of non- heme iron and protein, especially for vegan. 

5. Moderation of food portion. 

6. 100% Whole Wheat Bread is a great source of fiber which lowers cholesterol. 

Things to be Improved: 

1. Increase fruit serving by having real fruit instead of juices, boxed juice contains extra sugar content. 

2. Consume dairy such as soy milk/ milk that provide lots of calcium and vitamin D to support our bone. 

3. Consume brown rice instead of white rice which contains more fiber to lower cholesterol. 

4. Consume fish at least twice a week, fish has good fat.
5. Say no to processed food.

Lastly, I like this slogan: "BMV" !

Practise Balance in your daily food selection,

eat in Moderation and always choose a Variety of foods from each food groups! 

Do visit: http://nutritionmonthmalaysia.org.my/ for further great tips on diet.

Hope everyone stay healthy ! As the saying goes "Badan Sihat, Otak Cergas". 

Tataz. 

The Last Snow

Yes, I am hoping this will be the last snow at Columbus, Ohio. It's spring already,  but Ohio weather just doesn't seem like care about it and the snow comes from no where. It had been a tough winter this year: thick snow, dirty boots, cold chilly wind, snow fights, get car out of snow... Yeah, I don't think I will experience winter again for these coming few years; unless I travel to other country during this cold season. >.< 

Look at the photos, I was in the cold for almost half an hour and used the shovel with all my might. Kit Yee, my housemate and I got stuck. Luckily, a gentlemen came into rescue. He basically just skid out from the snow... Scary and interesting experience. I remembered one night, my friends and I even stopped by on the roadside to save a couple who got stuck too.. Now, I know the secret trick, which is to place cardboard/ car mat under/ in front of the tire, to create friction and get out of the thick snow. :) Woo, good luck if you are alone. The process needs a lot of team efforts. LOL.

- 22 ° C is not kidding me, there are ice flakes on my window inside my room (with heater on).

When snow isn't that clean and white anymore. 

I also feel super thankful to own this pair of Bearpaw boots, I feel warm and ready to walk to school. I only have a pair of  winter boots and I wear it almost every day. And, that's my super comfortable pajamas pants! I got it from GAP outlet for $7, I am so reluctant to wash it cause I feel like wearing it every day. But I do wash, no worries. hehe.

Lastly, I create a video which collaborates a few videos that I had taken during different time. I hope you guys enjoy the video with the famous song "Let it Go" from "The Piano Guys". I love this version a lot and it matches the snow scene very well. Pray hard that spring comes early, I want to see beautiful tulips, flowers, and green grass. Tataz. :)

This is so true. hahaz. 

Sweet Little Things

The countdown begins. 30 days to meet dar, who is coming over for my graduation and visiting the country that I have been staying for almost 2 and half years. Wohoo! Feeling excited and nervous at the same time. I have to say he plays such an important role in my life. He supports me all the time, shares the good news and sad days. Hopefully this long distance relationship is coming to an end, and we can live closer to each other. Thinking of him, viewing back at my photos; I think this is the sweetest gift that I have ever received from him. I knew he's going to buy me a necklace but I had no idea about the design. I enjoyed the process of guessing which necklace I will be receiving. Till the day I received it, I feel so much love and joy although we are far apart in distance. I definitely love his choice of this sweet little heart shape from Zales and now I wear it every day. 

If you are looking for flowers, I would suggest getting a bunch of flowers from Kroger. Yes, you didn't hear me wrong, Kroger offers a wide range of different varieties of flower and are in reasonable price, they are so much cheaper compared to florist. The price ranges from $5 - $20. I got myself this dozen of roses for only $5 during off- season. Even it's dry now, it still looks nice.

The other thing that I would suggest is the IRRESISTIBLE Black Rasberry Chocolate Chip Ice-cream from the Greater's. THIS is SERIOUSLY GOOOOOOODD. I just can't stop eating it. I finish this little bucket within a week. They are not really sweet, so don't be afraid. The fruity and refreshing blueberry  flavor matches the slightly bitter and aromatic chocolate chips perfectly well. You can get this from Kroger too. It's only $4!

One last thing that I would recommend is this lovely lavender vanilla scented candle from Bath and Body Works.  I got this from an outlet which cost $10 only for 14.5 oz. I love this nice scent which is not too strong but relaxing and can be lighted throughout the evening.

I love my little printer, little white table, little stylish lamp. I will definitely miss this little corner of my life. Ladies, I am sure you do have a little corner of yours too. I don't know why I am blogging at this time when I am supposed to study hard for my exam. Oh no, I really didn't do well in exam lately. Ok. Got to go. Tataz. 

Reaction to Food Inc

According to Wikipedia, Food Inc. is a documentary film examines corporate farming in the United States, concluding agricultural business is unhealthy and harms the environment. (Wiki) It was my first time watching Food Inc. There are overwhelming information about different segments such as vegetables, meats and regulations. 

            Have your ever wonder where you foods come from? I never care about this before, but now I do. Now, start to think about it, you might not know the answer and the answer can be found in this film. I realize that we can’t separate our life with food. Foods are so essential that greatly influence our health and quality of living. In the states, I usually shop at Kroger and Asian Market. When I look back at what I eat in my country, Malaysia and compare it with what I have now. In my hometown, people usually shop in wet market, or “pasar” in Malay, meaning to say vegetables and meats are fresh and not being processed or repackaged. In contrast, I get food from grocery store here where meats are being repackaged. I realized that the wet market’s environment might not be that pleasant and air-condition, but all the foods are fresh! 

Pasar Besar Siti Khadijah

            The technology development brings pros and cons. In my opinion, pro is that we can get our food easily and in cheap price, when we are rushing on time, bacon and egg is good to go. But, we simply ignore the inhumanity of using technology to grow these foods. After watching the chicken falling down as they can’t even afford their own weight, I feel that we are not going in the right way. It is not like what I see in my grandparent’s small farm where there is a great space for them to walk around. I agree that conventional foods are still healthy food and cheap; however, they harm the environment and go against the nature. Cows are not supposed to be fed directly through their stomach and are not supposed to eat corns. All these innovations are created to produce higher amount of meat products. 

Chicken is inserted with hormones, in order to have a bigger chicken breast. 

Cow is fed through stomach not mouth. 

On the other hand, in terms of going organic, I just can’t afford it. I know that there are no chemical pesticides, but they are just too expensive. What I can do is to buy conventional fruits and vegetables, wash and rinse them for few times. However, if budget allows, I will choose organic food. I understand that if there is a high demand of organic food, the price will eventually lowers. I start to think what I can do to save the environment, I think my dad is doing a great job as he plants our own vegetables at a little garden and my mum is a vegetarian. They are my role models. I hope that we will not forget our moral values and ethics even if we are living in a high technology society. Take a look at these 10 things you can do ! I am going to start with meatless Monday. 

http://www.takepart.com/foodinc/action

Yeu papa's fresh vege: melon, green chili, egg plant. 

Have a nice day. Tataz. :) 

             

Lookback

Me and my housemate, Kit Yee were discussing about how fast time flies especially when we get elder (instead of using the word older. haha) It feels like I just arrived in Columbus yesterday. I can still remember about people who picked me up in the airport, fetched us to our new home, and brought us out for first lunch (Cane's). And now my journey at the west almost comes to an end, my i20 is expiring in less than 90 days.. wooo.. Since facebook has the lookback video, I would like to share my "lookback@columbus"!

I keep a lot of photos in my hard disk, until I have no idea taking these photos. Look back at these photos, really make my day ! :) 

Pre-departure briefing and the first time leaving my family. Here comes the journey to the west !

LAX airport has stunning, colorful tunnel and the very first time to see a different power socket. 

Get  my very first smart-phone which I am still using it now. 

Sitting besides Mr. Brutus and have Lays Chips for the very first time. 

Our first Halloween celebration with scary dark makeup. 

Exploring Downtown Columbus

Enjoying spring weather 

Interesting Food Class w/ Dr Reynolds

Caught a cold and got IV medication

Drunk faces at party 

I hope to create more memories in this beautiful city, which I called my second home.
Feel free to check out my fb lookback video:
Lookback FB :Yvonne
Tataz :)

50/50 Chance of Survival

In my "Cancer Prevention" class last Monday,   we watched the movie "50/50" and we were assigned to write a paper about our reactions after watching the movie. So, I decided to share my feelings, that I had written in, to you guys as well. According to IMDB "50/50 is inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease." Although there were no subtitles and I didn't understand some jokes, but I was touched and held my tears. :( It is a fun, warm and touching movie.

Since high school, I had heard about cancer, and had a family friend, an aunt,  who passed away because of cancer. But, my mum was protective and I didn't attend the funeral.  All I know about cancer is it kills your life. Although I had learnt about some scientific terms of cancer, but I had never know how cancer and the treatment looks like. This movie really opens up my mind, now I know how a little tumor can make such a big change in our life. I finally know how chemotherapy is; it is just a drug passing through IV, but it causes so many side effects like nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and weight loss  that torture our body.

Throughout the movie, I put myself into different characters and think of the situation. As a cancer patient, I feel hopeless at first then be tough to fight for my life but till the end I am still afraid to die. As a family member, I need to be brave and mentally support the patient regardless of how bad the situation is. As a nutrition major, a future nutritionist, I would like to spread the news that you can save your life by preventing cancer. Lastly, as myself, a young lady, age 22,  I rethink about my new year resolutions, and I think that I can be even better. I am not sure how will I react to this if it really happens, but I do hope that I can prevent it.

Do you know how common cancer is? According to Cancer. org, "Half of all men and one-third of all women in the US will develop cancer during their lifetimes." This is not to freak you out, but to remind you that 95% of all cancer cases are caused by environmental and lifestyle. 3 major components to prevent cancer: weight, diet, and physical activity. *Please please please stop smoking if you do.

Cancer not only changes your life but people around you. I am really really proud of family members and friends who support their loved ones through this journey. Not to forget, patients who fight for their life.

You are beautiful. Your courage, your confidence, your experience keeps you going!!

P.S. : How will you feel if you are in a 50/50 risk of die and live. Love life. ♥

Tataz. :)