Physiology

Goodbye backaches. And don't bother to visit me again.

icelava — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:20:52 GMT

Ever had the experience of enjoying a deliciously sweet orange ice cream on a hot day? Quite a welcome treat to beat the scorching heat (wow, it rhymes!)

And then attempting to drink a glass of plain water immediately after?

When I did that as a kid, I immediately spitted the entire mouthful of liquid out of my mouth like a jet hose aiming to smack barnacles off a ship's hull. That which was supposed to be relatively tasteless became something relatively bitter and vile. Relative indeed. After you have savoured the tasty wet stuff, it is just so diffcult to go back to a staple diet of hardtack biscuits.

That was the kind of experience when I first sat on the Herman Miller Mirra chair.

To be honest, I have always been tolerating various areas of discomfort with my old chairs throughout the years. But once I tested the Mirra in attempt to give my body a first-hand feel, I lost the war. Sitting on a "normal" chair suddenly became literally painful. I had no choice but to open up my wallet and place an order. One that took an excrutiating three months for shipment. And now, finally, with tears of joy, get to feel daily comfort when I return home.

Why would I spend $1400 on a silly chair? Well, for one thing, it does not hurt. It feels absolutely comfortable. Actually I cannot fathom why normal chairs "don't get it". They simply do not understand a human's back needs to be covered and supported fully to relief stress. As though everybody's spine is as flexible as a teenage gymnast. The fellas over at Herman Miller and Studio 7.5 get it. They took a good hard look at their own vertebrae, and knew that every individual's back has a different shape; a fully-adjustable lumbar support system must be in place.

Not convinced? Why listen to only me? I have not come across any individual who indicated dislike for this chair after sitting on it.

http://www.werty.net/2006/06/mirra-chair-review-revisited.html
http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/reviews/review.php?id=439
http://www.geekanoids.co.uk/2007/01/herman-miller-mirra-chair-review-sit.html
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001146.html

Ok, so who am I kidding? Of course I still need exercise to keep my body trim and fit! But at least, I do not have to complain about contorting my body to fit the shape of my chair any longer. My back is worth it. And so is yours.

UPDATE

For those who are asking, XTRA is the Singapore distributor for Herman Miller office furniture. 12 years warranty. You do the math.

http://www.xtra.com.sg/

Selling my soul to the devil for food

icelava — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:51:02 GMT

I have a confession to make. I am a junk food junkie. Like the workaholic who is addicted to coffee, or the drunkard to the beer jug, I have an insatiable craving for extra sugar and salts. I mean, a can of coke and large-size Doritos are just perfect consumables for sitting back, relaxing, and watching shows. Would you recommend devouring Buddha jumps over the wall as a TV snack? I think not! I believe in strict discipline for matching the appropriate tool for the situation. No compromises.

So I contribute significantly to the quarterly net income of Doritos, Jack 'n Jill, Pringles, and other brands. Much thanks to pretty frequent outbursts of disillusionment and disappointment with life. When I go "to hell with a healthy life!" and go attend to my backlog of unwatched videos, after a premeditated trip to 7-Eleven or Cheers. My lifestyle is rotted with synthetic biomass. How much worse can it get?

You underestimate The Devil.

He works beyond your consciousness and catches you by surprise. When you are at your weakest, defenseless, and prone to temptation. Since I am a fan of anime works, I occasionally read up on Japanese cultural happenings. And I know Japan is a land of plain extreme oddities and craziness; they have never failed to amaze me in completely unbelievable ways. If you witness something weird, the idea probably originated from some looney Japanese chap. What insane idea did I carelessly step on like a claymore mine?

If you ever wondered if The Devil ever eats snacks in hell while watching comedy, think no more. He has launched his personal Tohato brand on Earth to give humanity a taste of his preferences.

Just look at that. They have a cult that worships a devilish pepper for crying out loud. How can you not drink the Kool-Aid and join them in the quest for world domination? I sought desperately for an application form.

My day of eternal condemnation came when my cousin's job stationed him in Japan. When my other cousin (his brother) paid him a vacational visit, I insisted that he make extra effort to hunt down some Tohato chips, lest he find naughty pictures of himself posted and replicated across the Internet forever. He was very cooperative, and sent a packet my way. Satan Jorquia knocked on my door with a sinister grin.

And I stood there enthralled by the bewitching aura. I simply could not control my body anymore.

My will was being withered away, mesmerised by unseen forces that told me Resistance is Futile...

No matter which way I looked, I simply could not escape those eyes. That was when I submitted to my inevitable fate, and gave in to temptation. "This is my hellishly hot body, eat me."

やばい！It didn't taste that good.

It is not bad actually, just that I do not think it is a flavour that will win over the masses. This has got to be the spiciest snack I have ever munched. I do not think the fella in the advertisement was acting at all. But really, you do not eat this because it is tasty. You eat this because you got swindled by The Deceiver. That is the mark of a truly insane marketing campaign, one that other "wholesome" brands can only dream of achieving. Salute, Tohato, salute. Hats off for converting me.

Maybe it's time to stop drinking Coke

icelava — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 09:39:34 GMT

... or just about any sweet aerated drink for the matter.

So what if I took Chemistry in school? That does not live up to much of an informed practice and lifestyle without the study of Biology. Particularly human biology and the digestive system.

I love to drink Coca Cola. I never knew why, but I get a kick, more than any other drink, whenever I consume a can. I have nothing but satisfaction for this drink. Ok, perhaps the burping could be lesser. Anyway, the chemistry behind the ingestion of Coke is explained in fairly simple terms here

http://healthbolt.net/2006/12/08/what-happens-to-your-body-if-you-drink-a-coke-right-now/

Funny how I feel a rush the moment I swallow a mouthful, and not later :-)

Anyhow, I think it is high time I limit my intake of these young-punk drinks and start sipping hot chinese tea like the rheumatic old man I am supposed to be.

Food lane

icelava — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 05:19:21 GMT

Another friend of mine has started a new food-centric portal beautifully decorated with his design skills.

Foodlane.sg

Wishing I was a kid again

icelava — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 01:22:59 GMT

so I can attend the Blue Ribbon Cooking School and ~~learn~~ study cooking the professional way. Housed within this culinary centre west of Lake Union, Seattle are some chefs so dedicated in their craft it kinda gets scary.

Different olive oils for cooking and marinating? At US$35 per bottle? Not even a litre, mind you. Fussing over the types of salt that are only available from a certain town/country in the world? You got them all here, teaching us to bake liquid chocolate cakes like the one below.

And wow, a complete uncut length of USA tenderloin, including the portions that butchers save for themselves, has changed my idea of what a good steak is really all about. So much for those in Singapore.

Somebody's finally figured it out

icelava — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:53:24 GMT

how to keep butter useful at all times.

the Butter Wizard

How long has it been since I tasted chicken meat that was _not_ dry?

icelava — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 15:40:40 GMT

So long that I couldn't remember.

We eat chicken aplenty nowadays. A common staple in our diet. There are many places that cook great chicken, but quite often the meats I sink my teeth into expose underlying flesh a dry, hardened, and barren terrain. (excluding those soup based or boiled over)

Today was a rather pleasant surprise. Being brought back from the "front lines" and stationed deep in the safe territory of our Novena Square HQ, I once again scout the surrounding eateries I did not quite have a chance when I was first employed here. In response to my wonder, my colleague confirmed there is indeed a cafeteria embedded deep within the IRAS main castle keep. Leading me down an underground cavern passageway I never knew existed, we emerged on the opposite site of the road, ready to explore the Revenue House interior for food.

Within the cafeteria I saw the Indian store my colleague informed having a popular reputation. Even without his beckoning I witnessed the number of people lunching away with banana leaf plates, and the queue that I had to stand behind.

A tough choice, but I opted chicken over mutton briyani. When my mouth started exercising its muscles on the drumstick, a rare pleasing feeling came by. Soft and tender. Oh my. And most significantly, it was juicy all the way in. To be honest, it definitely ain't the tastiest ever, but when was the last time I ate chicken of this type that was so easy to chew and swallow?

So long that I couldn't remember.

I have to go back there for mutton soon.

UPDATE

Alas, approaching the end of 2006 the IRAS canteen was renovated and transformed into a whole different kind of food court. The vendors of the old have departed. That means the Indian store is gone. Forever. I don't care if they actually shifted to some place else; they are not nearby anymore. Even more tragic for the Indian folk who work around this area; there goes their favourite store. A moment of silence please.

Achtung! Werner's Oven

icelava — Mon, 10 Jan 2005 10:40:04 GMT

Boy, should really have gone there to check it out much much earlier.

I was with my beloved friend KeXin this evening and she recommended dinner at a German cafe near her Siglap apartment. Only when we approached it did I remember the Werner's Oven logo was what I noticed so many times I go by Upper East Coast Road without giving much thought just what it was, thinking it was just a bakery.

Extremely glad I stepped inside this time.

This happen to be a German restaurant as well. If you're a pork and sausage eater, and subscribe to high salt levels, you are gonna love this place too. The menu comprises of many delicious German flavours that simply tempts you to try them all. Despite certain foodstuffs not inline with our tastebuds, what we ordered was truely not disappointing.

Important to note, it was very salty, so it is probably a natural advice to say - don't eat there often. Which is rather a counter-recommendation, I know. For I am already plotting what to eat the next time.

6 Upper East Coast Road #01-01/02
Singapore 455200
tel: 6442 3897
fax: 6449 4613
Business hours: 0830 - 2200hrs (Closed on Monday)
wernersoven.com.sg

Where to go for supper at night?

Gibby — Fri, 26 Dec 2003 06:26:30 GMT

http://www.supper.com.sg/

Recipe: Deep dish Chicken pie

icelava — Sun, 12 Dec 2004 07:40:01 GMT

Considered a main course. Something you can consider strongly with leftover roast/steamed chicken.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
(if you are an experienced and efficient cook, you can probably meet the above timing. I cannot.)

Ingredients to serve 4
60g butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
125g button mushroom, halved - but in my opinion that can be too chunky, so I chop them into quarters or smaller.
½ cup celery, finely chopped - or substitute with mixed frozen vegetables - whatever makes you happy.
¼ cup plain flour
1½ cup chicken stock, or I used 1 regular house mug + 1 teaspoon of chicken stock powder.
½ cup cream
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken with skin removed
freshly ground black pepper
1 sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
1 beaten egg, for glaze

Heat butter in pan/wok and gently cook onion until soft and golden.
Add mushrooms and celery, stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
Mix flour evenly into vegetables, then slowly pour in chicken stock. It will appear watery at first, but stir continuously so it will not stick and burn - because it will heat up and thicken into a molten lump of goo.
Dump chicken and cream into the concoction and season with black pepper.
Transfer the final state of ectoplasm into a greased, deep 6-cup bowl. Cover with puff pastry (cut to size).
Decorate with leaves or little chicken shapes made from pastry trimmings if visual aesthetics is a concern. Brush top with beaten egg.
Bake in oven at 200°C for 25 minutes, or longer as necessary to get pastry golden.

Recipe: Garlic and Herb dip

icelava — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 00:14:26 GMT

30g finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tin Nestle cream (170g)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoonful lemon juice
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixer or blender until smooth.
Pour into a suitable bowl and chill before serving.

Can be served with raw vegetables, crackers, or as a sauce with cold meats or baked potatoes.

Makes approximately 1 cup (200ml).

Cooking for engineers

icelava — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 20:22:34 GMT

Zip your mouths! Lest you stuff your stomach learning all the recipes specially formulated for technical logical engineers.

http://cookingforengineers.com/

Puff Pastry: hunt is on

icelava — Thu, 18 Nov 2004 03:10:07 GMT

I need to find places that have puff pastries readily available for sale. y'know, those of you who savoured my chicken pies 2 years back - i need that again. Seems like Singaporeans don't bake western pastry very often?

Appreciate it if anybody knows some great shops with lovely variety of pie and baking ingredients. thanks!

Heavenly

Gibby — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 07:16:26 GMT

http://img32.exs.cx/img32/2073/burger1.jpg

http://img32.exs.cx/img32/593/burger2.jpg

http://img32.exs.cx/img32/6363/burger3.jpg

http://img32.exs.cx/img32/2626/burger4.jpg

Any good-deal buffet under $25?

marchtulip — Mon, 17 Nov 2003 23:59:23 GMT

Hello...does anyone know of any good buffets under $25 around town??