Remiscing Japan

I needed to choose a photo for a workplace newsletter the other day, so I promptly went onto Facebook and started scrolling through my picturer and further down I went, until I realised that I'd hardly any pictures of Osaka, Kobe, or several other places in Japan that I'd been to and loved.

Facebook in the past couple of years has become, for me, a great platform to remember and reminisce about the past. Looking back on where I've been and what I've done helps to bring to mind happy times, beautiful places and wonderful friends. When I'm down, it reminds me that I've had some great experiences and that there will be more to come; when the weather is - quite literally - putting a damper on my mood, I am reminded that even Ireland can have lovely weather and that I'll be ready to enjoy it when it comes.

I therefore decided to dig up photos of my time in Japan and post a selection on Facebook, so that they'll be just a few convenient clicks away when the mood hits. I was struck by nostalgia browsing through the photos of my neighbourhood in Osaka - it's the simple things and once-familiar places that threatened to bring tears. The sight of my apartment brought to mind smells of the tatami and the feel of the cool kitchen floor; the shot of clear skies over the Yodogawa evoked clearly the sense of freedom and peace that I felt when out on my bike, cycling around the neighbourhood on restless evenings and quiet weekends.

Yet, I was surprised and disappointed that there were so few photos of the city I love so dearly and once called home. There were none of the touristy shots of frequent haunts like Shinsaibashi, Namba and Umeda. Nothing more than my memory of the Glico Man, the Dotonburi crab, the plastic food figurines in Sennichimae, the HEP 5 ferris wheel, JR Osaka station, Yodobashi camera, LoFT, Crystal Nagahori, Namba Parks... nothing from the cycling route from Sagisu into Umeda (like the mural at a junction and the long slope that was so scary yet thrilling to go down; the wind in my hair and adrenaline in my veins); nor the Ebie junction; nor the Fukushima-dori; nor even Nodahanshin itself or Jusco.

It scares me to realise that I have nothing tangible of Osaka - even if the memories I have are so real and so clear. I don't know why I didn't take many pictures then, when I spend so much time photographing bits and pieces of my life here - the food, the city, the everyday. Maybe it would've been different if Instagram had existed back then. But now that I know I will one day be looking back on photos of my life, I'll bear in mind to continue snapping away as I go through the days.

Weight watching and healthy eating

There has been some discussion on the Guardian about weight and health issues lately, with two articles posted yesterday.

The first by Juliette Jowitt sought to uncover why more than half the UK is overweight, even though official figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) suggests that UK adults consume less than the recommended calories per day and most meet the suggested activity levels. The second, a commentary by Alexandra Jones, described Jones' experience as the fat kid at school and how it took a visit to the GP to teach her about food discipline.

Weight and health issues seem to be popular topics, going by the number of comments (more than 500 each) on the articles. Among many other comments, it was pretty much establised that the respondents in the HSCIC's survey probably under-estimated their caloric intake while overreporting the amount of physical activity they received in the 4-week period of observation.

The recommended daily intake for an average female is 2000 calories - pictures of its equivalent that I found online suggest that I consume more than that on a daily basis, and many have commented that those are generous caloric estimates as well.

As for the 150min of moderate physical activity per week (or 75min of vigorous activity) - I used to hit that with 2 x 90min of ballet a week back home, but even then I was gaining weight due to lots of eating out with friends and several-course working lunches and dinners. Now, due to my injured ankle, I clock about 105min of brisk walking a week, 25min of beginner's swimming lessons and another 60min or so of gentle yoga and ballet exercises. I've lost weight since coming here, but I owe that to eating out less as much as I do to getting more exercise.

Reading the articles and comments brought forth some thoughts about food and eating habits here.

The first is the amount of bad food on sale, namely sweets, chocolates, cakes and crisps. The variety and amount of such food in shops and supermarkets in the UK and Ireland is simply staggering - I was stunned the first time I walked into an Apple Green service station and still gawk at the rows and rows of tasty cakes and chocolates each time I'm at Tesco. The past week has mostly involved me walking into a store, staring at cakes and treats on sale and thinking, and thinking, and thinking about whether or not I should buy a packet of something - I finally caved in yesterday with a packet of mini lemon cakes.

Which brings me to the next thought about how thin people also think about their weight and how much they're eating. Some of the commentors who've since lost weight identified with how Jones treds the fine "line between willpower and obssession" - while I perhaps don't obssess over my weight as much as they do, I'm constantly thinking about it, despite having always been about a size 8. I really love food, talk about it all the time and make such an event out of eating - but I spend a lot more time resisting temptation than giving in. There're always thoughts about whether or not to have one more piece of chocolate, wehther I should buy some cake, whether to have KFC or make my own dinner, whether I should have sugar with my tea, whether I should eat this now that it's after 10pm, etc.

I think it helps to know how much is too much and stop before, for example, you finish the entire tub of ice cream. Which brings me to thoughts on portion sizes. Chocolates here come in massive bars - a regular Snickers is twice as much chocolate as what I'd eat in one sitting. I probably have my mum to thank for having always cut down Cadbury bars into two-square blocks and putting them in a container, as a portion of chocolate has always remained around that size to me. Even today, my practice is to pop one portion of chocolate into my mouth, enjoy that, then pause to think whether I want another (yes, always), and whether I can or should have another. It definitely helps in controlling the amount I eat, compared to if the habit was to wolf down one huge Mars Bar and, still feeling dissatisfied, reach for another sweet treat. Let's not forget either that starters here can come in main-sized portions, while the large mains are accompanied as well by half a plate of chips or mash - too much food even for a big eater like me!

In addition, the ingredients used in food require examination too. While consuming fat doesn't neccessarily make you fat (see the Business Insider's excellent piece on nutrition myths), the consumption of cream, cheese, and butter on top of all the sugar, carbohydrates and oil that we eat adds up - I can't bring myself to use many recipes as they call for cream and double cream or lots of butter. The teaspoons of sugar in the cups of coffee and tea we drink throughout the day can accumulate to a fair bit too.

Even supposedly healthier alternatives to snacks can be more unhealthy than we'd think, as evidenced by the below packet of Tesco dried fruit. One serving contains a whopping 22% of our daily intake of sugar due to the cranberries and blueberries having been sweetened with syrup and concentrated apple juice! Fruit juices also seem to be consumed in place of water a lot more over here, and reports have illustrated just how loaded with sugar they are.


Half a packet of this would almost max out your daily intake of sugar 

How can I not mention alcohol consumption as well? It's common knowledge that beer and wine are loaded with calories and sugar. Spirits are also mixed with sugary bases like Coca Cola and a night out almost always ends with a fourth meal of extremely unhealthy but oh so delicious things like a kebab, pizza, fish and chips, deep fried goujons, a Chinese stir fry (have you actually noticed the amount of oil and MSG in a packet of fried noodles??).

Moreover, lunch choices don't seem to help much either. Many people opt for smaller meals like salads or sandwiches for their mid-day meal, perhaps to avoid the post-lunch slump, when in fact dinner should be the smallest meal of the day as you'll have less time - as well as do a lot less - to burn off those calories. Also, salads are only healthy when they're not laden with high-caloric dressing, and a quick look at the nutrition guide on a packed sandwich should be enough to make you reconsider picking up that sandwich for lunch - really, something that leaves you hungry in less than 3hrs but with the caloric content of more than a third of your daily intake is not worth having.

There we are - just some thoughts that have been churning about from those discussions. Happy eating and healthy living! (Or at least try...)

A Year in Belfast

So, today marks the end of my first year in Belfast!

I'd thought I would have more thoughts on reaching this milestone - if I can even call it that - but my head and heart are surprisingly empty. I feel like I've been here for longer, and seem quite settled into life here, at least for the moment.

An example of some of the gorgeous weather we've been having - this from Feb 2013

Whenever people discover that I'm a (relatively) newcomer to Belfast and ask how I'm finding it, the answer always involves a moment's reflection, followed by a slightly surprised "It's better than I'd thought actually". E had set the expectations quite low, and we've been blessed with pretty warm weather for Belfast the entire time I've been here. I'm not at all missing the crowds back home, and although there's the occasional complaint that the few shops there are here aren't open for long enough to sell the limited range of items that they have, I quite like living without the the constant bombardment of materialism and consumerism I'd get at home.

On cold, rainy days I might think about how nice it'd be to feel warm again, warm all the way through, but I know that the moment I step out of the plane at Changi Airport I'll be roasting and disliking the humidity of Singapore, even when I'm indoors with air-conditioning. Indeed, I do get hit by sudden and strong cravings of all the local goodness of dishes such as laksa, char kway teow and nasi lemak, yet at the same time I'm quite happily eating my way around Belfast, exploring restaurants in a way that I couldn't really do back home for a multitude of reasons.

One of my first nice meals in Belfast - Valentine's Day dinner last year at Zen.

The main thing that gets to me about life here is the lack of a career - what little that I had back home has all but disappeared. Belfast, unfortunately, has no need for the few skills that I have, and the job market is incredibly difficult. It seems unreal, thinking about the amount I was earning versus wages over here, and it makes me appreciate the immense opportunities that fresh grads in Singapore have, as well as the willingness of our government to hire people with the capabilities but not necessarily the experience. This, undoubtedly, is the one thing I'd like to change the most about moving here, and I need to be more motivated and disciplined about using my time well and finding new opportunities.

Apart from that, things do seem quite good. I'm learning how to drive, and although that's taking about a third longer than I'd expected, I'm inching closer to acquiring a practical skill and greater freedom of movement here. I'm starting swimming lessons tomorrow; hopefully I'll keep it up and attain yet another useful skill and an exercise alternative to jogging, which I hate. I've kept up with the ballet, which is going nowhere but had never been going anywhere - nor had I ever the intention for it to develop into something more than a hobby to stay toned and flexible. I've also been introduced to a hot yoga place near work( only 30deg but it means I can wear just a leotard and leggings and not feel cold at all), which I plan to go to more frequently during the breaks in ballet between terms.

More free time means the opportunity to explore things like sand dunes on the beach of Newcastle, Co. Down

I definitely have much more free time here then I ever did back home. I'm not sure if the amount of time I have is on the right side of the balance - already, I feel myself being less able to multi-task or focus on a task at hand and push it through to completion; I'm also less efficient and don't deal with stress as well. I do feel that stress in small amounts is good; humans require some stress to push them to do things better and quicker - that my best results at university were in the semesters I was most busy is a case in point, as is the fact that I could do ballet twice a week (same as now) and maintain all those social commitments while in a job that had a 48hr work week back home. 

This means, however, that I'm reading more and enjoying life a little more. I have the time to cook most of my meals - which, combined with the additional exercise I've been getting from walking to work in my previous and present job, has resulted in me being slimmer than I've ever been since I left jc. I probably am slightly fitter as well, in that I can walk longer distances at a certain pace without tiring as easily as before. Also, I think my tastebuds are becoming a little more sensitive to salt, which can only be a good thing in the long run. My house isn't as clean or as tidy as I'd like it to be, but I've learnt to do the things that really matter to me, and to let the rest go 'cos they don't matter anyway.  

Did I also mention that yours truly, who killed many plants (including cacti) in Japan, has successfully kept a plant alive for a full year?

I think this can, overall, be considered a good year. Financially and professionally it's rubbish; on the bright side I'm employed and in better employment than the first job I had here, and am slowly (and hopefully surely) climbing up into the black following this move. Here's to hoping that the second year will bring opportunities for me to progress professionally, grow financially, develop personally and perhaps even give us the chance to move somewhere that will benefit us both! :)

No regrets

This is something for everyone to bear in mind. It might not necessarily be what exactly what you'd wanted, but it may have been the best decision you could have made at that point in time. That said, there may still be a few regrets here and there, but bearing this in mind will keep the regrets to a minimum.

Seeing out the old year

This year has probably been the most eventful I've ever had.

I left my job and left my country to move halfway across the world; scaled barriers of bureaucracy with every step despite being a legal migrant; found a temporary job that lasted longer than  I wished but was a great eye-opener; landed a better job that I'm hoping will open up more opportunities; and settled very comfortably into a blissful 'couple life'.

Belfast has been better than I'd expected - it hasn't been as boring or as dreary as I thought it'd be, and has enough restaurants for me to explore. I've been blessed with pretty good weather too, with a gorgeous summer and a mild winter so far. I'm learning how to drive, exercising my (lack of) cooking skills, and been lucky to have made some new friends and had old friends visit.

Although I'm seeing out 2013 with a rather serious ankle sprain - on the same leg I injured in 2011 no less - and won't be able to do any shopping, ballet or driving for quite a while, we're having a good craic spending New Year's Eve at a friend's place playing board games and having a quiet night in  :) We also, not so long ago, finally reached the point where we've spent more time together than apart - things have been good, all things considered.

For 2014, I'm hoping to pass my driving test, learn how to swim, do more ballet, stay injury free, have better health and expand my cooking repertoire. I want to read more, spend my time better, explore more of Ireland and do more outdoor activities together. I also hope work will get more challenging and I'll make more friends.

Here's wishing everyone a happy, exciting and fulfilling year ahead with lots of love and good health! (*¯︶¯*)

Summertime

It's funny how my posts so far have all been triggered by the weather – being here must be rubbing off me. It's summer proper, and thankfully the weather has been warm for nearly two weeks now and it's simply gorgeous.

Plane spotting from my backyard.

Everyone around me is complaining about how hot it is, but it's great. I actually feel like I don't have quite enough weather appropriate clothes, given that I own a lot less casual summer clothes than office-suitable summer gear, the latter being completely useless given the place that I am currently working at.  The only thing stopping me from buying more clothes is the (probably valid) fear that this weather will end all too quickly and abruptly.

To be honest, it can get a bit too warm here - the house has no fans and there's a lot less cloud cover – but rooms quickly cool down due to the strong breezes. That said, my colleagues all feel that the office is too warm (it's not) and turn the air-con on, chilling my arms and numbing my hands and necessitating my donning of a cardigan – it seems like regardless of where I go, I can never escape unnecessarily cold air-conditioning.

Summer brings about another seemingly strange phenomenon – the ceasing of all classes and courses at the local arts centre and other private teachers. My ballet teacher (who teaches from a church) is off for 2 months, and the Crescent Arts Centre sits empty for a similar (if not longer) period of time. It has meant that I'm having a fair amount of time to myself, but it also means that I'm gaining weight and losing flexibility and strength because I'm too lazy to exercise at home!

Showing off the gorgeous scenery with the Beaghmore Stone Circles

On the work front, things are as meh as usual. On good days I'm fine but on bad days I'm really bored, and today I spent most of the day trying to look busy. However, as luck would have it, 15 min before the end of my shift things started pouring in, and I couldn't leave till 20 min later than I was meant to. It hasn't been that great a fortnight, and that's already with me taking 1 day off last week in lieu of the May day holiday I was owed, and another off day tomorrow in lieu of last week's public holiday.

On a personal level, an article that was shared on Facebook today regarding how modern weddings are a waste of time and money evoked strong feelings. While I don't feel that things like marriage seminars or counselling are necessary (my personal view is that living together before marriage is not a bad way to find out if you want to do this for the rest of your life, but given that the article is written by a pastor he's not going to even suggest that as a viable option), the article brought up feelings that I had a while ago.

Marriage and weddings (both in the recent past and near future) are thick in the air this year, and the more that goes on regarding weddings – not marriage, mind you, but weddings – the more intensely I feel that 1) they're a bloody waste of time, effort and energy; 2) they're darn expensive, both for the couple and for their guests; and 3) that if my turn to get married comes around I'm going to wanna do something like a small ceremony with a big party after where everyone can just come, help themselves to a buffet spread of some sort, drink, dance and get wasted while having a good time.

I know that (3) is a lot more fantasy than reality, as the fact that I'll still want things like photos and videos to remember the day by (as well as to show friends and relatives who can't be present), but I think that having this ideal in mind will help keep things simple. Perhaps that and the reminder that the less money we spend on the wedding the more we'll have for our honeymoon and for feasting and enjoying life for the rest of our days together.

Wildflowers grown on the Hill of the O'Neills which the O'Neills I was with half-heartedly tried to reclaim.

The changing normal

I nearly died from my lunch today.

I occasionally forget that starter portions here are fairly big, while mains can be downright enormous. So, I order what I think is a fair amount until the food comes and I end up bursting at the seams – without even finishing everything on my plate.

Granted, we had a late breakfast of pancakes at about 11am, but it was nearly 4pm when we ordered lunch and I couldn’t resist starters that cost just £2 – part of the Carlito’s meal deal where a main is £5.95 and two courses are only £7.95.

We got some chicken tempura – two pieces of tender chicken breast coated in crisp fish ‘n’ chips batter, served with Thai sweet chilli sauce – and gorgeous deep fried brie served with berry compote.

We were happy and satisfied by the very delicious food, until the mains came and we were horrified -they were giant portions! Here’s my Fussilli ala Carlito’s – pasta in white wine cream sauce with chicken, mushrooms and peppers:


I looked at it, wondered how I was going to finish everything, but plunged on anyway. The pasta was even better than it looks, and somehow the combination of cream, mushroom and chicken made for an extremely tasty sauce. I wanted so very badly to consume every last bit of it, tried my very best, but failed anyway – it’s been 3 hours since lunch but I’m still feeling the effects of overeating :S

I was very surprised that the food turned out to be so good, as Carlito’s is in the middle of Botanic Avenue – a very studenty place which is full of cheap eats. I thought it was gonna be pub grub – which is pretty good here anyway – but the interior looked nicer than I’d imagined and the food far surpassed my expectations.

But the above review of Carlito’s is a long introduction to thoughts that have repeatedly occurred to me since I came – that what was normal back home is far from what’s normal here. And I don’t mean the quirks of the country, but what things like ‘fast’ and ‘average’ means.

For example, I’m considered a big eater back home. Everyone I know can attest to the fact that I eat a lot for a girl, and my appetite is often joked about among my former colleagues. I used to be hungry all the time and out-ate everyone on my team – but it seems like I can’t eat much more than a main course here. And it’s not like the women here don’t eat much. Head out and you’ll see them order starters and mains and finish everything on their plate – and it’s not because they’re bigger than I am, as I’ve had the opportunity to see a girl smaller than me eat a lot more.

Also, I’m considered to be a fast walker (also frequently joked about), a fast eater, and the owner of a loud voice. Unfortunately, when I came over I realised that my walking speed is very slow in comparison, that I don’t eat particularly quickly but am actually on the slow side, and I struggle to be heard over club music when other girls don’t seem to face a similar problem. Again, I don’t think it’s to do with me being smaller in built than most others – there’re many people my size here as well.

I suppose it’s welcome to the ‘real’ world, as someone joked, but it’ll be interesting to see where other Singaporeans - whose appetite, walking speed, eating speed and voice volume are ‘normal’ or ‘below average’ - stand when they come over :)

Post-colonial ruminations

This afternoon, it occurred to me for the first time that I’m living in the land of my former colonial masters. Well, being in Northern Ireland (NI) technically I’m living in the land that had been colonised and subsequently subsumed under my former colonial masters – but basically I’m in the UK, and Singapore was once a colony of the British Empire.

While on JET and interacting with British, Irish, Jamaicans, Australians and Americans, I came to realise that Singaporeans are far less hung up about our colonial past and a lot less aware of issues relating to colonialism. The vast body of literature on post-colonialism would hardly resonate with Singaporeans – in my experience, reading post-colonial academic and fictional works is just like learning to see things from a different point of view.

I can only speculate on why this might be the case. The biggest reason might be that most of us are descended from migrants who came to Singapore only after the British arrived, hence have no sense of having been colonised as our ancestors are not indigenous anyway. It might also be because the history books have told us that Singapore is what is today due to forces set in motion by the arrival of the British – as well as the Scottish actually. Perhaps it’s also because our short history and collective consciousness is more coloured by our separation from Malaysia than anything else – even our occupation by the Japanese due to the incapability of the British to defend us.

These thoughts came to mind due to some very first world problems.

I received the bill for our landline today and was shocked by the huge amount owed. It turns out that calls from landlines are fairly expensive, but we have no choice but to use the landline as our area has abysmal mobile reception. So if we need to make calls from home – which I need to do in my effort to settle in, find work and find ballet classes – we have to use the house phone, and the free talk time from our mobile plans are as good as useless. It made me feel poor, that I’m charged for services that I do not get to utilise fully, and that I’m being over-charged for services that I can use.

Boo. Whinge.

Two and a half years

A chat the other day had someone ask me what made me decide to move to Belfast “out of a sudden”. And it struck me then that this move isn’t sudden at all – on the contrary, it is a whole two and a half years in the making.

I hadn’t thought about this in a long time, and I suppose I hadn’t shared it with that many people either. But there were what were to me anxious, depressing talks about “what next”, “where now from here” and “how can we get visas with nothing but experience being assistant language teachers beneath our belts”. The decision to first go our separate ways was made, but there was the knowledge – although I might not have fully admitted it to myself back then – since the day we boarded separate planes at Kansai Airport, that this Singapore-phase of my life was always going to be an sojourn; an interlude before our lives merged properly again.

I recall how it was when I just came back – with no job, severely missing Japan and full of uncertainty over what was going to happen to us. I remember the difficulties adjusting – to living with the parents again, to the crowds in Singapore, to the lower quality in the taste of food, to being so very far apart. It was painful, it was frustrating, I didn’t want to be here and I was not happy.

Yet, humans will always adjust and somehow things managed to develop their own sense of permanence. The friendships I had before Japan were renewed and some new friends were made; work, unfortunately, more or less became my life but I really got back into ballet; my ability to really appreciate good, fresh, clean flavours faded to just a memory; and I came to spend lots of time with a bunch of colleagues whose company I really enjoy.

One year flew by, and there came this ‘turning period’ where a question posed led to some thinking, which resulted in the decision that something had to be done to end this at two years. Slowly, steps were taken and plans were made – it would have been very nearly 2 years if I could have left in September as originally intended, but there was the traumatic visa application, the agonising wait, the monetary calculations and decisions stemming from desires borne of friendship and, of course, Chinese New Year. So two and a half years (and 9 days, in fact) it will be.

Looking back, things feel so different now. August 2010 is without a doubt the lowest point in my life thus far, and I hope it remains so. Also, I’m tempted to describe the time back here as “liminal” – except that it really is not, as I’ve gained a lot and things have developed. Regardless, the next phase is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, so here’s wishing for its fruition, for a good adventure and for much more happiness ahead!

Hokkaido, July 2010. We used to take so many shadow pictures in Japan.

On exercise

It just occurred to me that I attend ballet twice a week for 1.5 hours each time, which adds up to a total time commitment of at least 4 hours including travelling.

Hence, in theory I could easily split these 4 hours into 45 minute blocks of exercise spread over 5 days a week do head to the gym – or at the very least, I have no excuse not to exercise at least twice a week on the treadmill or elliptical or cross trainer or whatever.

Here’s to a fitter, toner, slimmer and healthier 2013. Or at least a 2013 where I don’t get any fatter than I am now!

When I was Thirteen

Was clearing some of my stuff when I unearthed a notebook containing journal entries which our Sec 1 literature teacher made us write.

It’s funny to discover that my tone hasn’t changed much since all those years ago. Granted, I was more affected and exaggerated, just like all teens are, but – if I may say so – the somewhat systematic thought progression, the dry tone and the sarcasm were all there! I actually think I was meaner then, as the scorn for things I didn’t care for or didn’t agree with was laid on fairly strongly at times, but the strength of opinion and the way I said things didn’t seem like those thoughts were written a full 14 years ago.

I suppose some things never change, and it’s a interesting reminder that I’ve been the way I am for many many years. Hopefully I’ve gotten smarter and will continue to gain in knowledge, insight and wisdom.

Giving frozen carrots a chance (as I don't like peas)

A very good article from TIME magazine, which takes  a look at what constitutes healthy eating based on everyday choices at a regular supermarket. It's a timely reminder that eating healthily need not mean eating expensively, particularly amidst the organic food craze.

 

While I'd take some of the content with a pinch of salt - for example, I don't think guacamole from the supermarket would be that healthy given the amount of fat - it does give a different take on sauces and canned/frozen produce. Given that we all like - and perhaps need - our indulgences, the article provides some perspective on what to look out for and consider when giving in to our tastebuds.

 

I'll still probably drain my canned tuna of the brine and oil before adding it to a salad, and purchase fresh carrots over frozen ones as they're so easy to get hold of. That said, I remember having a packet of frozen vegetables in my freezer in Japan on standby for when I needed vegetables in a pinch - quick and easy.

 

Monday, Dec. 03, 2012

Give (Frozen) Peas a Chance — and Carrots Too

By Dr. Mehmet Oz

There's nothing like a block of frozen spinach to make you feel bad about your family dinner. There's good food and bad food and pretty food and ugly food--and then there's the frozen-spinach block. By any rights, this is not something you should want to eat. The picture on the box looks lovely, and the very idea of eating spinach is healthy. But what you find inside is a frosty, slightly slimy, algae-colored slab.

Somewhere out there--maybe just a five-minute drive from your house--a farmer's market is selling fresh, organic leaf spinach that might have been sprouting from the soil an hour ago. This, as we're told by any number of glossy cookbooks, TV cooking shows, food snobs and long-winded restaurant menus, is how we're supposed to eat now. It may be more expensive than that frozen block of spinach. And more perishable. And more complicated to prepare. But it's all worth it because it's so much healthier than the green ice from the supermarket. Right?

Wrong. Nutritionally speaking, there is little difference between the farmer's-market bounty and the humble brick from the freezer case. It's true for many other supermarket foods too. And in my view, dispelling these myths--that boutique foods are good, supermarket foods are suspect and you have to spend a lot to eat well--is critical to improving our nation's health. Organic food is great, it's just not very democratic. As a food lover, I enjoy truffle oil, European cheeses and heirloom tomatoes as much as the next person. But as a doctor, I know that patients don't always have the time, energy or budget to shop for artisanal ingredients and whip them into a meal.

The rise of foodie culture over the past decade has venerated all things small-batch, local-farm and organic--all with premium price tags. But let's be clear: you don't need to eat like the 1% to eat healthily. After several years of research and experience, I have come to an encouraging conclusion: the American food supply is abundant, nutritionally sound, affordable and, with a few simple considerations, comparable to the most elite organic diets. Save the cash; the 99% diet can be good for you.

This advice will be a serious buzz kill for specialty brands and high-end food companies marketing the exclusive hyperhealthy nature of their more expensive products. But I consider it a public-health service to the consumer who has to feed a family of five or the person who wants to make all the right choices and instead is alienated and dejected because the marketing of healthy foods too often blurs into elitism, with all the expense and culinary affectation that implies. The fact is, a lot of the stuff we ate in childhood can be good for you and good to eat--if you know how to shop.

Of course, there's a lot to steer clear of in the supermarket. Food technologists know what we like and make sure we always have our favorites. So alongside meat and fruits and veggies, there's also pasta, jelly, chips, pizza, candy, soda and more. Is it any wonder two-thirds of us are overweight or obese? Is it any wonder heart disease still kills so many of us?

So let's take a tour of the supermarket in search of everyday foods we can reclaim as stalwarts of a healthy diet. We'll pick up some meat and some snacks too, and we'll do a fair amount of label reading as we go. We'll even make a stop at the ice cream section. (I promise.) But let's start in the most underrated aisle of all: frozen foods.

Frozen, Canned--and Good?

It was in the 1920s that the idea of freezing fresh vegetables into preserved, edible rectangles first caught hold, when inventor Clarence Birdseye developed a high-pressure, flash-freezing technique that operated at especially low temperatures. The key to his innovation was the flash part: comparatively slow freezing at slightly higher temperatures causes large ice crystals to form in food, damaging its fibrous and cellular structure and robbing it of taste and texture. Birdseye's supercold, superfast method allowed only small crystals to form and preserved much more of the vitamins and freshness.

In the 90 years since, food manufacturers have added a few additional tricks to improve quality. Some fruits and vegetables are peeled or blanched before freezing, for example, which can cause a bit of oxidation--the phenomenon that makes a peeled apple or banana turn brown. But blanching also deactivates enzymes in fruit that would more dramatically degrade color as well as flavor and nutrient content. What's more, the blanching process can actually increase the fibrous content of food by concentrating it, which is very good for human digestion.

Vitamin content is a bit more complex. Water-soluble vitamins--C and the various B's--degrade somewhat during blanching but not when vegetables are steamed instead. Steaming is preferable but it takes longer, and many manufacturers thus don't do it. The package will tell you how the brand you're considering was prepared. Other vitamins and nutrients, including carotenoids, thiamin and riboflavin, are not at all affected by freezing, which means you can eat frozen and never feel that you are shortchanging yourself.

Canning is an even older type of preservation; it's also quite possibly the single most significant technological leap in food storage ever conceived. Developed in the early 19th century by an inventor working for the French navy, canning is a two-step process: first, heat foods to a temperature sufficient to kill all bacteria, and then seal them in airtight containers that prevent oxidation. Not all food comes out of the can as appetizing as it was before it went in. Some fruits and vegetables do not survive the 250F heating that is needed to sterilize food and can become soft and unappetizing. And in decades past, food manufacturers had way too free a hand with the salt shaker. That is not the case any longer for all brands of canned foods. A simple glance at the nutrition label (which itself didn't exist in the salty old days) can confirm which brands are best.

As with frozen vegetables, fiber and nutrient content usually stay high in canned foods. Some research indicates that carotenes, which can reduce cancer rates and eye problems, may be more available to the body following the routine heat treatment. What's more, canned foods are bargain foods. In an April study led by dietitian Cathy Kapica of Tufts University, nutritionists crunched the cost-per-serving numbers of some canned foods vs. their fresh counterparts, factoring in the time needed to prepare and the amount of waste generated (the husks and cobs of fresh corn, for example). Again and again, canned foods came up the winner, with protein-rich canned pinto beans costing $1 less per serving than dried, for example, and canned spinach a full 85% cheaper than fresh.

Food on the Hoof, Fin and Wing

I live in a vegetarian household, so I simply don't have the opportunity to eat a lot of meat at family meals. But I am not opposed to meats that are served in an appropriate portion size and are well prepared. Your first step is deciding what kind of meat you want and how you want to cook it.
There's no question that free-range chickens and grass-fed, pasture-dwelling cows lead happier--if not appreciably longer--lives than animals raised on factory farms. They are also kept free of hormones and antibiotics and are less likely to carry communicable bacteria like E. coli, which are common on crowded feedlots. If these things are important to you and you have the money to spend, then by all means opt for pricier organic meats.

But for the most part, it's O.K. to skip the meat boutiques and the high-end butchers. Nutritionally, there is not much difference between, say, grass-fed beef and the feedlot variety. The calories, sodium and protein content are all very close. Any lean meats are generally fine as long as the serving size is correct--and that means 4 to 6 oz., roughly the size of your palm. A modest serving like that can be difficult in a country with as deep a meat tradition as ours, where steak houses serve up 24-oz. portions and the term meat and potatoes is a synonym for good eating. But good eating isn't always healthy eating, and we're not even built to handle so much animal protein, since early humans simply did not have meat available at every meal. Sticking with reasonable portions two or three times a week will keep you in step with evolution.

Preparation is another matter, and here there are no secrets. Those burgers your kids (and probably you) love can be fine if they're lean and grilled, the fat is drained and you're not burying them under cheese, bacon and high-fructose ketchup and then packing them into a bun the size of a catcher's mitt.
Chicken is a separate issue. In my mind, there is nothing that better captures where we have gone wrong as a food culture than the countless fried-chicken fast-food outlets that dot highways. Fried chicken is consumed literally in buckets--and that's got to be a bad sign. What's more, even at home, frying chicken wrecks the nutritional quality of the meat.

Indeed, chicken is so lean and tasty it can actually redeem a lot of foods that are otherwise dietary bad news. I don't have a problem with tacos, for example, if you do them right. A chicken taco is a better option than beef, and a fish taco is the best choice of all. All the raw ingredients are available in supermarkets, and what you make at home will be much healthier than what you get when you go out.

There's even goodness to be found in some of the supermarket's seemingly most down-market fish and meats: those sold in cans. One great advantage to canning is that it does not affect protein content, making such foods as canned tuna, salmon and chicken excellent sources of nutrition. Canned salmon in particular is as nourishing as if you caught a fresh salmon that afternoon. It's also easy to prepare: you can put it on a salad or serve it with vegetables and have dinner ready in minutes.

Let's also take a moment to celebrate the tuna-salad sandwich, which is to lunch what the '57 Chevy is to cars--basic and brilliant. Sure, there are ways to mess it up, with heaping mounds of mayonnaise and foot-long hoagie rolls. But tuna is loaded with niacin, selenium, vitamin B12 and omega-3 fatty acids, and a sandwich done lean and right, on whole-wheat bread with lettuce and tomatoes, is comfort food at its finest with little nutritional blowback.

Still, some of these cans are land mines. Plenty of products include flavor enhancers such as sugar, salt and MSG. And there are canned meats that really are nothing but bad news. Vienna sausage is the type of food that keeps us heart surgeons in business. As for hot dogs and luncheon meats like salami and bologna, just don't go there. They're way too high in nitrites and sodium to do you even a bit of good.

Guilty Pleasures

To me, ice cream is a sacred food. When I was a boy, my father would drive me to the local ice cream store on Sundays. We would spend the half-hour car ride talking, and I got to know my dad better through these conversations. It wasn't really about the ice cream; it was about time spent together. I even made the decision to become a doctor in that very ice cream store--something, perhaps, about the sense of well-being I was experiencing. I have used ice cream as a family focal point with my own children, and to this day it is an indicator of an occasion. Ice cream should be in your life too. What's more, it's not even a bad or unhealthy food.

For starters, the protein and calcium in ice cream are great. And some of the ingredients in better ice creams are good for you too, including eggs (yes, eggs, a terrific source of protein and B vitamins and perfectly O.K. if your cholesterol is in check) and tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios. As with most other foods, the problem is often the amount consumed. A serving size is typically half a cup, but that's a rule that's almost always flouted, which is a shame. Overdoing ice cream not only takes its toll on your health but also makes the special commonplace. I often say that no food is so bad for you that you can't have it once--or occasionally.

Peanut butter has none of the enchanted power of ice cream. It's a workaday food, a lunch-box food--and an irresistibly delicious food. The allegedly pedestrian nature of the supermarket is perfectly captured in the mainstream, brand-name, decidedly nongourmet peanut butters lining the shelves. But here again, what you're often seeing is a source of quality nutrition disguised as indulgent junk.

Peanut butter does have saturated fat, but 80% of its total fats are unsaturated. That's as good as olive oil. It's also high in fiber and potassium. But many brands stuff in salt and sweeteners as flavoring agents, so read the labels. Sometimes supermarket brands turn out to be the best.

And guess what? Preserves and jams without added sugar can be great sources of dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium, and whole-wheat bread is high in fiber, selenium, manganese and more. So by shopping right and being careful with portions, we have fully redeemed that great, guilty American staple: the PB&J.

Snack foods are a different kind of peril, but if there's one thing Americans have gotten right, it's our surpassing love of salsa. Year after year it ranks near the top of our favorite snack foods, especially during football season. I think salsa is a spectacular food because it's almost always made of nothing more than tomatoes, onions and cilantro and usually has no preservatives. And remember, those tomatoes contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that helps battle disease and inflammation.

Another great south-of-the-border staple is guacamole. Its principal ingredient is, of course, avocados, which are loaded with the happiest of fats: the unsaturated kind that help prevent heart disease. They are also rich in vitamin K (over 50% of your recommended daily intake from just half an avocado) and vitamin C. But keep portions in check to hold the line on both calories and sodium.
Finding something to scoop up those dips is a problem. Tortilla chips fried in lard and covered with salt are simply not a good idea. Baked pita chips (ideally unsalted) are great, but there's no way around the fact that they're pricier than tortilla, potato and corn chips.

The Beauty of Simplicity

Pretty much any aisle in any supermarket has foods that you might think mark you as a culinary primitive but are worth considering. Pickles? Sure, they're loaded with salt, so read labels and exercise care, but they're high in vitamin K and low in calories, and the vinegar in them can improve insulin sensitivity. Baked beans? Pass up the ones cooked with bacon or excessive sweetening, but otherwise, they're a great source of protein and fiber.

Meanwhile, the condiments section has mustard--extremely low in calories, high in selenium and available in a zillion different varieties, so you'll never get bored. Popcorn? Absolutely, but go for the air-popped, stove-top variety instead of the microwavable kind covered in oils and artificial butter flavorings. And chocolate! Ah, chocolate. Stick with dark--65% cocoa--and don't overdo the portions. I know, that's not easy, but do it right and you'll get all the antioxidant benefits of flavonols without all the calories and fat.

Throughout the developed world, we are at a point in our evolution at which famine, which essentially governed the rise and fall of civilizations throughout history, is no longer an acute threat. And we know more about the connection between food and health than ever before--down to the molecular level, actually.

This has provided us the curious luxury of being fussy, even snooty, about what we eat, considering some foods, well, below our station. That's silly. Food isn't about cachet. It's about nourishment, pleasure and the profound well-being that comes from the way meals draw us together.

Even foods that I have described as no-go items are really O.K. in the right situations. I recently enjoyed some fantastic barbecue after a long project in Kansas City, Mo., and I certainly ate the cake and more at my daughter's wedding. As with any relationship that flourishes, respect is at the core of how you get along with food--respect and keeping things simple.

Mehmet Oz is a vice chairman and professor of surgery at Columbia University, a best-selling author and the Emmy Award--winning host of The Dr. Oz Show

Inspire.

Just wanted to quickly jot down some thoughts.

Have a feeling of being inspired today and gained a glimpse into certain directions I wish to pursue and explore further. These bear more thought and reflection, but I must be diligent in setting aside time to do that.

It’s easy to get distracted when you’re trying to keep in touch with friends, find a job, go for ballet, keep up with the demands of work, remain up to date on current affairs and get enough sleep at the same time. Something has to give, and I’m not sure what it will be – at the moment it looks like it’s entertainment (like computer games and TV shows), sleep and fiction books.

But that said, I must remind myself to push those thoughts further and do more reading on various topics, as well as find more sources of reading material. Self-enrichment is the first step to self-enlightenment.

The past two weeks

It’s way past my bedtime but I wanted to note that the past two weeks were wonderful. I can’t believe that it’s over so soon, that it’s way past my bedtime and that it’s back to work tomorrow.

It was simply wonderful being together again, just going out and cramping all the dates that we’ve missed into two weeks. We watched five movies, ate way too much good food, saw less of Singapore than we probably should have but enjoyed just having each other again.

Somehow saying goodbye this time was harder than the last three times, but at least we know that this separation won’t be for too long – if things go well we will be together again by Christmas, if not earlier. Until then, it’s time to diet and recover from all the amazing stuff we’ve eaten and to press on with the rest of life.

♥♥♥

Crazy good apple cinnamon waffles at Max Brenner’s Cafe. I hadn’t been back in many years, the waffles weren’t cheap at about $18 but were oh-so delicious and very sweet :)

Slut Walk and Perverts

Someone recounted how her friend, while returning home one night in Japan, encountered a local man who followed her with his pants down and jerking off. Said person was using this unfortunate encounter, together with all those weird Japanese variety shows, to conclude that the Japanese are very perverse.

I don't know how late the girl was in getting home or how she was dressed when the encounter happened, although I do know she is half Caucasian - which in Japan makes one more prone to victimisation due to the exoticity; I know two white British girls who had a similar encounter in the wee hours at an entertainment district in Kansai. But this made me wonder if dressing, time and location can ever be reasons to sympathise less with those who meet with perverts or violence, and got me thinking about Slut Walk.

It is precisely this sort of thinking that Slut Walk is campaigning against. The message is that women have the right to wear what they want and should not shoulder blame for sexual violence because of their dressing, nor should their clothes be an invitation for violence. I have always felt that rape is one of the worst things that could happen to a person, and can't even begin to imagine the trauma of sexual violence. I also agree that one has the right to wear what they wish. Yet, I wonder if, just as hanging your fancy camera round your neck or having your wallet stick out of your bag identifies you as an easier target for theft than the person next to you with no valuables in sight, would revealing dressing make one appear to be an easier target compared to someone dressed differently?

The blame still lies with the perpetrator - I'm not saying that victims are inviting violence or asking to be victimised - but as long as they exist, criminals will choose their targets. There has to be some form of discrimination process, and I'm pretty sure that in the case of sexual violence, a short skirt or tiny top - both of which provide 'easier access' - together with the location and time of day are factors, regardless of the (supposed) rights of people to be wherever they want whenever they want and dressed however they want.

As for the pervert in Japan - I hesitate to say that there are more perverts in Japan than elsewhere, as I think the variety shows on tv are an indication of differing social perceptions on what is acceptable and what is not. Incidences of rape and sexual violence in Japan is lower than in many other countries, and frankly I'm quite happy for people to watch 'sick' programmes if that means my safety on the streets - certainly the actual act of sexual violence is more sick than public masturbation at a distance. I also know Japanese people whom, from all appearances, are as (un)perverse as you and me. The point is, you can't judge one's private persona by their public face, and I think it's unfair to write off an entire country just from one (second-hand) experience. There certainly was no such judgement from the two British girls I know.

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Crowne Plaza Hotel, Da Nang, Vietnam

Crowne Plaza Hotel in Da Nang, Vietnam, is a pretty swanky new hotel. I think we all pretty much agreed that it’s among the nicest hotels we’ve ever stayed in.

The hotel has a travel desk of sorts, where staff will provide recommendations and assist in calling for taxis – it’s all rather convenient. That said, the travel desk is quite essential, as English proficiency in Vietnam is very low – much lower than I’d thought, especially given how touristy Da Nang and Hoi An are – and taxi drivers could never bring us to Hoi An Old Town where the sights are, but would always take us to the ‘modern’ part of town (where there’s nothing of interest to the typical tourist) first. Even communicating with the hotel staff in English or Mandarin (70% of Crowne Plaza’s guests are from mainland China) was quite a pain as I struggled to communicate, although the staff are patient.

The rooms are pretty, with a nice balcony. My side of the hotel wasn’t facing the sea though:

Unfortunately, the hotel still has some areas for improvement – the bathtub did not drain well, the weighing scale did not work, there were some faulty electrical sockets, the rooms were very dark (even with all the lights on) and there was no master switch – i had to turn off about 10 switches each night before bed.

On our last day, the hotel’s power was shut down due to some construction works, and it was promised that backup generators would kick-in to provide electricity. However, electricity only came on for about 20min at a time, following which there would be another 20min block of no electricity - what I presume was recharging of the generators. During the blackouts, the lifts could not work, hotel doors could not be opened using the guest key cards, and there was no water supply either – not exactly the best state of affairs.

Nonetheless, Da Nang has a nice beach with soft sand and few people:

It has a pretty darn nice pool area too – pity though, about the construction on the spa facilities right behind where I stood to take this picture:

Gamblers would also appreciate the adjoining casino (which was very quiet and empty) with its nightly musical fountain display. We passed by at least 4 other casinos on the way in from the airport:

All in all, Crowne Plaza Da Nang is a very nice resort, and I didn’t quite want to leave:

Thoughts on Vietnam

Beach in Da Nang, Vietnam, at Crowne Plaza Hotel.

My verdict on what little I have experienced of Vietnam in the past 6 days is that Vietnamese food isn't as bad as I have been led to believe by the beef pho and fresh spring rolls that I have had (in Singapore). That said, Vietnamese food is simply okay - its tastes do not excite me or leave me immensely satisfied, like other types of cuisine do.

Also, while Vietnam may have beautiful beaches and charming old towns like Hoi An, its urban areas are none too pleasant an experience. The roads are dangerous and noisy due to the numerous motorcycles, pavements are non-existent, and areas are in general crowded with people and vehicles.

I suppose that's life as it is in Vietnam, but I guess I'd prefer to holiday elsewhere...

Why is ballet so difficult?

I was asking myself this question last night, after watching the (poorly recorded) DVD recording of my ballet school’s recital, and it’s on my mind again after today’s ballet class.

It occurred to me that people can spend tens of years on ballet but still struggle with the moves, as evident from friends and the rest of us in my ballet class. One minimum criterion is to lift and sustain one’s leg at 90 degrees in any direction – ballerinas must attain at least 160 – 170 degrees – and that requires tremendous amount of core, back and leg strength, as well as balance.

Yet, for some other types of dance, one could enter competitions or perform on stage with just a couple of years of practise.

In contrast, I don’t think any ballet dancer will look passably nice without at least reaching  Grade 8 in ballet – and let’s not even talk about dancing en pointe. Competitions are out of the question for adult ballet dancers too, as these are judged by age group.

A bunch of us are practising for our RAD Grade 8 exam at the moment, we are putting lots of work into just executing the steps, and much greater effort will be required to perform the dances with the grace, style and impression of effortless-ness required. All the balance, control, lifting up from the waist, timing, musicality…

How did ballet evolve into such a difficult style of dance?

The Resurgence of Asia?

It’s always interesting to read articles or books which remind us that the world order was not always as it is; that the might didn’t always lie with the West and that Asia was once at the forefront of civilisation and development.

Yet, it also always begs the question – what happened to make it all change?

Just some paragraphs from Predicting the Unpredictable (The Diplomat, 23 Dec 2011), by Jason Miks:

After all, in the middle of the 18th century, Asia accounted for 58 percent of the global economy, a share that gradually slid as the West underwent its Industrial Revolution. Rapid development in the West saw Asia’s share of GDP tumble to around 15 percent by 1952.

So is the rapid development that economic reforms have unleashed all thanks to a Communist Party master plan? Gordon Chang, in our first essay, thinks not.

“The world credits the diminutive Deng Xiaoping for the startling transformation of Chinese society.  We believe, according to the universal narrative, that his dictatorial state first debated, then planned, and finally decreed change,” Chang writes. “Yet reform, in reality, progressed more by disobedience than design.”

“China has enjoyed an ‘economic miracle’ largely because desperate peasants and frustrated bureaucrats openly made themselves into plucky entrepreneurs.  By ignoring central government decrees, they built large and small private businesses and changed the Chinese economy beyond recognition.”

Amazon UK rocks

Despite the popularity of online shopping on blog shops, Gmarket and the like, online shopping in Singapore is in no way comparable to what is available in some other countries, like the UK for example.

For one, there’s a larger variety of retailers that offer online shopping and many retailers with physical shops also allow for online orders via their website and delivery.

Also, while online shopping in Singapore is more or less limited to women’s fashion – clothes, accessories, shoes and jewellery – you can buy and sell just about anything in the UK.

The jewel in the crown is definitely the presence of Amazon – it’s amazing how one website can offer a phenomenal variety of products from a whole range of suppliers. I love that individuals can set up an online presence on Amazon too, and ride on the brand name, search function and site traffic to sell their products – thanks to Amazon’s marketplace, I managed to sell quite a few books and CDs when I was in Japan.

I’ve been shopping online at UK websites and stores a lot more in the past year and a half, and I have to admit that the variety and choice available makes buying gifts SO MUCH EASIER.

Nonetheless, I was quite stumped when trying to buy a cake – Google searches weren’t very helpful, and the few relevant websites that I managed to find via Google didn’t deliver to my requested destination, didn’t offer quite what I wanted or never responded to my enquiry.

Stumped, I went back to Amazon UK just to try my luck – I didn’t expect them to sell much food. However, lo and behold, it actually managed to give me quite a few good results! I’ve placed my order with a shop which I found through Amazon – they have a physical presence too – and I’m really happy because my mission is complete :)

Now I just have to wait for the items to be delivered – hopefully the recipient will be delighted too!